When Chris Russo Talks to His Pal Donnie, He's a Very Happy Dog

Fresh off yesterday’s NFL draft at Radio City Music Hall, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo had a lot to say about football, ESPN’s draft coverage, and Sirius-XM Satellite Radio, where he now works.

First, Russo detailed his schedule yesterday for Imus, who probably didn’t really care.

“I went over there at 2pm,” he said, meaning Radio City. “I had the Rams general manager on at 2:15 talking about Bradford. He said that nobody’s called me for a trade, so you got the idea he was going to take him.”

At 4:30, Russo chatted with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “Seventeen minutes, one-on-one, that’s a good spot,” he said. “John Mara, Giants owner, 5:05.”

Imus was most interested in Russo’s chat with Goodell, who announced this week that Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would be suspended for six games this season after being charged with raping a young woman in a bar during the off season.

“I would have suspended Roethlisberger, who is a complete slob, for eight games,” said Russo, who agreed with Imus that Goodell’s sentence was too lenient. Russo also didn’t like that the punishment included a caveat where, with good behavior, Roethlisberger would serve just a four-game suspension.

But something else caught Imus’s ear, something so unnerving he had to bring it everybody’s attention. “Why are you using the word ‘caveat?’” he asked his phonically-challenged guest.

Laughing, Russo confessed what we already knew: he has no idea what that word means.

Mad Dog Radio, his new home on Sirius-XM, airs on channels 123 and 144, and Russo’s show broadcasts from 2-7pm. In case he hadn’t told Imus before (he had), being on satellite radio requires filling 46 minutes of time each hour instead of around 30.

“That’s a lot of chatter!” he said, and praised Dino Costa, a Denver-based sports talk show host, for his work in the 6-11pm slot on Mad Dog Radio. Russo told Imus that even Bob Raissman at the New York Daily News likes Costa, whose show Russo developed.

“He gave me the I-Man, and he gave you Mad Dog,” Imus said of Raissman. “It doesn’t take a genius, but it was him who did it.”

Since it was a sporting event and it was on television, Imus watched last night’s NFL draft, if for no other reason than to be able to criticize it today. “Mel Kiper was there—they don’t let him talk all that much, that’s a good idea,” Imus said, referring to ESPN’s college football analyst. “He doesn’t have any more idea what’s going on than I do.”

Also, there are too many people on the set; Chris Berman is probably daydreaming about the KFC “Double Down” sandwich; and ex-NFL quarterback Steve Young brings nothing to the table.

Russo stayed in Manhattan last night after the draft, and told Imus he’d be heading back to his hotel room to do some work for his upcoming show today (you know, with 46 minutes to fill and all).

Which Imus interpreted as, “So you’re going to go back to the hotel room and watch a little porn?”

(cue hysterical, mental patient laughing fit from Mad Dog)

-Julie Kanfer