Mike Francesa and Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo Hold Reunion At Radio City Music Hall

In an event 7 1/2 years in the making, iconic radio duo Mike Francesa and Chris Russo held a Mike and The Mad Dog reunion show at Radio City Music Hall in New York on Wednesday.

Mike Francesa and Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo Hold Reunion

The reunion was held to benefit the Garden of Dreams Foundation, and raised $1.1 million in total.

“I think we could read the phone book and half these fans would get a kick out of it,” Russo said before taking the stage at Radio City Music Hall. “We have a ready-made audience. I mean, I’m not doing this in front of Queen Elizabeth. From that standpoint, I think we’ll be OK.”

The partners for 19 years on WFAN Radio received strong applause from the moment they took the stage for the three-hour special. Russo opened with his classic, “Good afternoon, everybody!”

Francesa and Russo spoke with former Giants head coach Tom Coughlin and former Yankees manager Joe Torre, along with former managers Mark Messier, John Starks, Bobby Valentine and Jeff Van Gundy. The shtick remained the same as they shared their extreme opinions. Russo also yelled at free-agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was in the audience, to re-sign with the New York Jets.

Francesa also talked about how the industry in which he and Russo worked has garnered much more respect over the years.

“When we started, sports talk show was at the bottom. No one respected the job,” Francesa said. “Now kids go to school to become a sports talk show host. Now being a sports talk show host is a really good job.”

“Sports talk creates a bond. … I didn’t realize how many 35-, 40-year-olds are so into this,” Russo then added. “Twenty years ago, they were 10, but they listened to it with their fathers. So they have a bond with their father while listening to Mike and me.”

Caption: NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 9: Chris Russo (L) and Mike Francesa attend Joe Torre’s Safe at Home 5th Annual Gala on November 9, 2007 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)