Susan
12-14-2004, 04:36 PM
...from the NY Daily News....man, this makes Mark sound like a total a$$. What a hothead....either that or he'd had a few too many. I can see defending a friend, but come on....guess he didn't expect to be reading about it three years later....
Mad Dog over
Willie soap opera
In the weeks leading up to Willie Randolph's coronation at Shea yesterday, both Mike Francesa and Chris (Mad Dog) Russo expressed uncertainty over whether the new Mets manager would continue the tradition of making a weekly paid appearance on their WFAN show.
Both Francesa and Russo said Randolph, whom they characterized as "sensitive," wasn't exactly enamored of them. Randolph, they said, was prickly over criticisms they had dumped on him over the years. These critiques were delivered long before FranDog unequivocally stated that Randolph would not be their first choice to manage the Mets.
This criticism did not fall on deaf ears. During GM Omar Minaya's manager search, one well-embedded Mets mole said all the Randolph bashing on the airwaves had both Fred and Jeff Wilpon concerned about hiring Randolph "in this environment." Minaya stood resolute in spite of the talkies' critiques.
And yet outside of the last few weeks, it's hard remembering any harsh criticism FranDog ever heaped on Randolph. Outside of examining some of his decisions to send runners home when he was the Yankees' third base coach, any FranDog "rips" of Randolph were mild compared to the diss they've dumped on others.
So, maybe there was something else working here. Something either Francesa or Russo experienced telling them Randolph had problems with them. There was at least one incident.
It happened over three years ago, Oct. 20, 2001, at Yankee Stadium during the eighth inning of Mariners-Yankees ALCS Game 3 (the Bombers lost, 14-3). Russo was sitting downstairs behind home plate with his father, Tony, and two other friends. Francesa was not with Russo's party.
Two people - a man and a teenage girl - walked up to Russo and verbally accosted him. The man was the actor Mark Consuelos, a close friend of Randolph's. Consuelos is married to Kelly Ripa, co-host of ABC's "Live With Regis (Philbin) and Kelly." The woman was one of Randolph's daughters.
On Wednesday night, I asked Russo about this incident. He confirmed it and related the experience.
"I thought they (Consuelos and Randolph's daughter) were coming to get an autograph so I welcomed them," Russo said. "The next thing I know they were both going nuts about how Mike and I killed Willie as a third base coach and how we know nothing about baseball. It was nasty. The language was bad enough that a security person came up.
"I told the security guy to leave them alone. They had a right to talk," Russo continued. "But I didn't realize Consuelos was going to keep going on and on and on. He got right in my face. Then they both started in with stuff like, 'What the (blank) do you know about baseball?' Then they were saying: 'You're ugly, you have a big nose.' It was bad. My father had to watch all this. This went on for about seven minutes. They finally left. It was a weird situation."
At the time, Russo didn't know the identity of the two people who had confronted him. He found out through Suzyn Waldman, whose friends saw the incident. Russo said he did not make an issue of the episode during "The Mike and the Mad Dog" show because it would have amounted to knocking Randolph "for no reason."
Still, did the confrontation ultimately lead Russo to be so vehement in his opposition to Randolph becoming Mets manager?
"No," Russo told me. "Absolutely not."
"But look, I'm not going to sit here and tell you I'm not human. This has bothered me for a while," Russo said. "This particular situation shows a sensitivity Willie has with criticism and it should worry you if you are a Mets fan."
Yesterday, Randolph was interviewed by FranDog. He said he had "never had a problem" with the talkies. Francesa alluded to the episode with Randolph's "family."
"I had nothing to do with that," Randolph said. "You think I sicced them on you, Dog?"
On Wednesday night, Russo said he didn't believe Randolph had instigated the confrontation. But at some point after the verbal throw-down, Russo believes Randolph was informed of exactly what had happened.
"And you can make an argument Willie could have contacted me after it happened and hashed things out," Russo said. "It's not like I'm hard to find."
Once the season starts, Randolph will know where to find Russo and Francesa, each and every week. He will follow in a long line of Mets managers who get paid to talk.
Randolph will answer the questions.
And there is no doubt the friends of Willie Randolph will be listening - listening very carefully.
"It's time to move on," Russo said. "I'm very willing to let bygones be bygones."
Let's see if this Fiesta of Love is still cooking in July.
Mad Dog over
Willie soap opera
In the weeks leading up to Willie Randolph's coronation at Shea yesterday, both Mike Francesa and Chris (Mad Dog) Russo expressed uncertainty over whether the new Mets manager would continue the tradition of making a weekly paid appearance on their WFAN show.
Both Francesa and Russo said Randolph, whom they characterized as "sensitive," wasn't exactly enamored of them. Randolph, they said, was prickly over criticisms they had dumped on him over the years. These critiques were delivered long before FranDog unequivocally stated that Randolph would not be their first choice to manage the Mets.
This criticism did not fall on deaf ears. During GM Omar Minaya's manager search, one well-embedded Mets mole said all the Randolph bashing on the airwaves had both Fred and Jeff Wilpon concerned about hiring Randolph "in this environment." Minaya stood resolute in spite of the talkies' critiques.
And yet outside of the last few weeks, it's hard remembering any harsh criticism FranDog ever heaped on Randolph. Outside of examining some of his decisions to send runners home when he was the Yankees' third base coach, any FranDog "rips" of Randolph were mild compared to the diss they've dumped on others.
So, maybe there was something else working here. Something either Francesa or Russo experienced telling them Randolph had problems with them. There was at least one incident.
It happened over three years ago, Oct. 20, 2001, at Yankee Stadium during the eighth inning of Mariners-Yankees ALCS Game 3 (the Bombers lost, 14-3). Russo was sitting downstairs behind home plate with his father, Tony, and two other friends. Francesa was not with Russo's party.
Two people - a man and a teenage girl - walked up to Russo and verbally accosted him. The man was the actor Mark Consuelos, a close friend of Randolph's. Consuelos is married to Kelly Ripa, co-host of ABC's "Live With Regis (Philbin) and Kelly." The woman was one of Randolph's daughters.
On Wednesday night, I asked Russo about this incident. He confirmed it and related the experience.
"I thought they (Consuelos and Randolph's daughter) were coming to get an autograph so I welcomed them," Russo said. "The next thing I know they were both going nuts about how Mike and I killed Willie as a third base coach and how we know nothing about baseball. It was nasty. The language was bad enough that a security person came up.
"I told the security guy to leave them alone. They had a right to talk," Russo continued. "But I didn't realize Consuelos was going to keep going on and on and on. He got right in my face. Then they both started in with stuff like, 'What the (blank) do you know about baseball?' Then they were saying: 'You're ugly, you have a big nose.' It was bad. My father had to watch all this. This went on for about seven minutes. They finally left. It was a weird situation."
At the time, Russo didn't know the identity of the two people who had confronted him. He found out through Suzyn Waldman, whose friends saw the incident. Russo said he did not make an issue of the episode during "The Mike and the Mad Dog" show because it would have amounted to knocking Randolph "for no reason."
Still, did the confrontation ultimately lead Russo to be so vehement in his opposition to Randolph becoming Mets manager?
"No," Russo told me. "Absolutely not."
"But look, I'm not going to sit here and tell you I'm not human. This has bothered me for a while," Russo said. "This particular situation shows a sensitivity Willie has with criticism and it should worry you if you are a Mets fan."
Yesterday, Randolph was interviewed by FranDog. He said he had "never had a problem" with the talkies. Francesa alluded to the episode with Randolph's "family."
"I had nothing to do with that," Randolph said. "You think I sicced them on you, Dog?"
On Wednesday night, Russo said he didn't believe Randolph had instigated the confrontation. But at some point after the verbal throw-down, Russo believes Randolph was informed of exactly what had happened.
"And you can make an argument Willie could have contacted me after it happened and hashed things out," Russo said. "It's not like I'm hard to find."
Once the season starts, Randolph will know where to find Russo and Francesa, each and every week. He will follow in a long line of Mets managers who get paid to talk.
Randolph will answer the questions.
And there is no doubt the friends of Willie Randolph will be listening - listening very carefully.
"It's time to move on," Russo said. "I'm very willing to let bygones be bygones."
Let's see if this Fiesta of Love is still cooking in July.