Mike and the Mad Dog
Andrew H. Walker | Getty Images

I have been asked more times than I can count over email, Twitter, even in person.

Why do you write about Mike Francesa so much? And Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo?

I’ll let the big guy answer this time via his recent comments to Newsday:

I’m sure there’s a lot of jealousy of Dog and I, like, “Who cares? Let them get out of here.” But the bottom line is people still care. That’s all there is to it. They care. I mean, they do. Whether it’s people who are in management or the audience, they care. “Mike and the Mad Dog” still works.

It’s that simple. People still care about “Mike and the Mad Dog,” almost 34 years after they came together and 15 since they separated. They still want to know what Francesa and Russo have to say. Want to laugh with them and at them, agree and disagree. And when they reunite — as they will Wednesday on ESPN First Take with Stephen A. Smith — they want to bask in the joy again, even if for just a few minutes or hours.

These guys didn’t sell out Radio City Music Hall and the Tribeca Film Festival by accident. This outlet and several others do not produce so much content about them without reason. People care. Francesa and Russo are legends. They are civic treasures who helped build WFAN, our cherished radio station. They still matter and they always will. And not to get serious here, but with both men in their 60s we need to celebrate them while we can. This is going to be awesome. Back after this.

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James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.

James Kratch is the managing editor of ESNY. He previously worked as a Rutgers and Giants (and Mike Francesa) beat reporter for NJ Advance Media.