Mike and the Mad Dog

Friday night while Sharon was in Wichita, I watched Mike and the Mad Dog. This is the seventeenth installment of ESPN's 30 for 30 Volume 3. An episode guide for Vol 3 is here.

The documentary focuses on the story of Mike Francesa and Chris Russo from four angles:

• The first was the creation of WFAN, how the nation's most prominent all-sports station was born and why it succeeded.
• The second was why the Mike and the Mad Dog show resonated with New York sports fans five-and-a-half hours a day, five days a week for nearly two decades.
• The third was the monstrous impact Mike and the Mad Dog had on sports media; how the show was responsible for the explosion of contemporary sports talk radio in America.
• The last, and most important part was Mike and Chris' emotional, at times combustible, relationship.

This 30 for 30 didn't resonate with me. I never heard Mike and the Mad Dog live. As a result, it is hard to connect to the story. The closest that I have come is listening to Bill Simmons and Cousin Sal parody Mike and Chris.

I have gained some respect for Francesa over the last two years. He has appeared on the Bill Simmons podcast a number of times. I have been impressed by Mike's knowledge and his relationships with a number of sports figures.

I have fallen way behind in watching ESPN 30 for 30's over the last two years. At this point, there are at least nine that I haven't seen!