‘Mad Dog’ Chants Echo Through the Arizona Diamondbacks Clubhouse as Chris Russo Is Forced Into Retirement

Since 2001, for the first time, the National League pennant belongs to Arizona. Yes, that’s right, the Arizona Diamondbacks were victors of Game 7 at Citizens Bank Park advancing to the World Series. The win, however, came with some dash of drama. The co-host of the Mike and the Mad Dog sports radio program finds himself in a grave that he dug for himself after the D-Backs beat the Philadelphia Phillies. 

Winning Games 6 and 7 against the Phillies on the road, the Snakes are not ones to drive out easily. Coupled with resilience, Arizona’s clutch batting and pitching emerged as a tricky prospect for ‘Mad Dog’. Making a promise on air, he now has no other option but to abide by it. Turns out that Arizona’s celebrations are synonymous with his career at stake. 

Chris Russo’s comments backfire with retirement on the horizon

Shedding some light on the background of what happened, Chris Russo said on his radio broadcast that he would “retire” if the Diamondbacks advanced to the World Series. Arizona clinched the spot making his biggest fear come true. In his words, “I’ve been wrong on Arizona from day one. I would not be stunned if they won tonight [Game 6], I would be floored. And I’ll say this right now, and Bob Raissman, write it down, if they win the next two games and win this series in seven games-if they win, I will retire on the spot”, Russo is now set to bid farewell to his co-host who could carry on without him. What has Chris gotten himself into?

With Chris Russo’s words out in the open, the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks HAD to speak up. He went on in great detail about the former’s comments. Torey Lovullo said, “That type of stuff is kind of entertaining to me because I know Mad Dog has a show and he’s got to do his thing, but I would love to see him quit if we won today”. With that, he added how the two have a friendly banter going on behind the scenes. He elaborated that as a manager, he used the 64-year-old’s words as sheer motivation. Well, that was a good move. Lovullo’s D-Backs made it, and rightfully so, celebrated too! 

Shortly after the game, the 2-4 victors were seen partying and chanting “Mad Dog” as they celebrated with a winning dance as per the tweet by @BRWalkoff. With that, it was clear that Chris Russo would have to retire. Since 1988, Russo has been a renowned local and national sports radio presenter. Since 2022, he has co-hosted ESPN’s ‘First Take’ program. But now, his career projectile is freely falling; credit: his own words. 

Arizona’s meteoric rise into the World Series

Arizona will battle against the Texas Rangers in the World Series on Friday night in Arlington, Texas. The Diamondbacks completed their NLCS comeback from a 0-2 hole by taking early leads in Games 6 and 7, winning the following two games in South Philadelphia Sports Complex. This means a great deal for Arizona. 

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Having made a spot in the World Series after 22 years is nothing but overwhelming for Phoenix. The 2023 World Series between the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks will cap up an unpredictable postseason full of turns and turns. However, this may be the largest one to date. Nevertheless, this time they will have to bank on a different aspect to motivate themselves, as Chris Russo has to keep true to his promise. What do you make of Russo’s comments? Let us know in the comments section below.

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