Mike Francesa is not making the immense challenge of replacing him any easier.
The longtime afternoon host continued his farewell tour Wednesday, hosting an event for his fans at Long Island’s Tilles Center. According to Newsday, Francesa asked the 2,200 people in attendance to “give the next show a chance.” A request that was met with booing, and that appears to be the extent of the campaigning Francesa will do for Chris Carlin, Maggie Gray and Bart Scott.
After the event, Newsday asked him his thoughts on the trio taking over for him.
“None, I haven’t given it a lot of thought …” Francesa said. “I really am trying to be very neutral on the whole thing. I think it’s the only fair way to play it.
“The station’s been good to me. Listen, they had to put a show in. Whatever they did, it was going to be hard, the reaction. Unless it was Dog [Chris Russo]. Unless it was him. That would have been the only thing that would have made people happy.”
The most devout of Francesa fans — Mongo Nation — are unlikely to be swayed regardless of a Francesa endorsement. Carlin is the lone connection to the “Mike & the Mad Dog” past, having produced the show for years before branching out to hosting then SNY then his own show in Philadelphia, but his relationship with Francesa is nonexistent. Carlin says he has not spoken to Francesa since 2010 to which Francesa told Newsday, “no comment.”
“The bottom line is it’s a very valuable, very special piece of real estate, one that ‘Mike & the Mad Dog’ crafted, one that I have fortunately been able to maintain at a very high level for a long time, another decade,” Francesa said. “Obviously, they’re taking over rarified piece of air. I think it’s the No. 1 sports media platform in this city.”
What Francesa and Russo did for the station will never be replicated. Still, Francesa cannot decide if he will be cheering on his replacements.
“Human nature is to not ever want somebody to do better than you did,” Francesa said. “So it is human nature. But I really don’t see myself rooting against them. I’ll be interested in it because I’m just interested in the business, and we’ll see how it unfolds.”