Fans find a voice on the airwaves

By Christopher Burke

"Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnd...Good afternoon everybody, how are you today?" bellows the voice of Chris "Mad Dog" Russo through my stereo speakers. He is introducing his wildly successful afternoon radio program, "Mike and the Mad Dog." Russo and fellow deejay Mike Francesca never spin records or play CDs to entertain their audience. Instead, the twosome spend their five-hour shift talking about sports. They banter with one another about the NFL playoffs and the Rangers' need for a backup goalie, and interview guests ranging from the '49ers' Steve Young to Dave Cheketts, president of Madison Square Garden. Mike and the Dog, however, like their fellow radio hosts on WFAN (their New York-based station), spend the most important part of their program taking telephone calls from listeners.

Sports radio, one of my favorite pastimes, is often decried as a meeting ground for lunatic fans with nothing better to do than voice their concerns about the Yankees' lack of a true leadoff batter to an audience of thousands. Yet the value of sports radio doesn't lie in its attention to the often tedious discussion topics. Rather, sports radio serves a great purpose in the lives of many sports fans. Instead of hearing players discuss their contracts, agents, managers, and owners, fans get to hear a more important voice over the airwaves: their own.

Today's "me first" attitude of many professional athletes neglects the voice of the sports fan. Common courtesies such as autographs, pictures, or even simple hellos are too often ignored by athletes who only look forward to their next arbitration hearing. Sports radio allows average fans--the ones who can't afford the skyboxes--the chance to discuss their feelings about teams, players, and other realms of the sports world. Thus, sports radio can have a therapeutic value for the normal fan. Finally, Vinnie from Queens and Al from White Plains (two regular callers on WFAN) have an outlet to gripe about or praise the latest Jet draft pick.

Sports radio truly talks to the fan. Show hosts address the fans in their monologues, interviews, and phone calls. No longer is the fan the forgotten factor in the world of sports. Talking with show hosts like Francesca and Russo, who are almost as famous as many athletes in the New York area, gives the listener a feeling of importance that can't be taken away by callous players and owners. And while sports radio does attract a certain number of eccentrics (especially in the night shift, where you'll hear some real beauties), most of the callers are average men or women who want to talk sports with their favorite radio host.

OK, I'll admit it. I've called WFAN a number of times, and have been "on the Fan" for half a dozen of those calls. The other times, I didn't make it through the screening process: either my topic wasn't interesting enough, or they ran out of time for calls. When Mike Francesca announced "Chris from Jersey, you're on the fan," I felt genuinely excited to be able to talk sports with not just Mike, but with all other listeners of the program.

The stage was mine to discuss whatever I chose, and no player, ticket price, or concession stand line could stop me. So Mike and I chatted about the Bears' inability to avoid injury this past season, and the fate of coach Dave Wannsdedt. The best part about the call was Mike's willingness to treat me as a total equal. Hosts try not to belittle fans for their relative lack of sports knowledge. Instead, they are ready for many views on the pro and college sports scenes.

Where else can fans get this kind of treatment from sports personalities? Almost nowhere. Half the fun of sports radio is listening to fellow callers try to get the best of their counterpart hosts by proving them wrong. ("No Russ, I'm telling you, Hundley hit the home run off a fastball, not a curveball!") Along with my counterparts, Eli from Westchester and Dennis from Yonkers, I can take on the heavy hitters in sports through the airwaves. You can second- guess coaches, and feel great when a later caller says, "You know, I have to agree with what that last caller had to say." Callers can even become celebrities. Joe Beningo, formerly "Joe from Saddle River," was such an insightful caller that WFAN gave him his own time slot. He now handles the overnight. Fans call religiously, hoping that the next chance to be on the other side of the mic will be theirs.

Sports radio is not the haven for lifeless sports junkies that many of its detractors claim it is. It is an open forum where fans can finally hear their lost voices. We've come to a point where it's clear that the players, owners, and agents disregard our opinions. Their concern is only with our dollar. Yet Mike and the Mad Dog, along with their radio colleagues, still need to hear our voices. They need to hear us argue about Hall of Fame selections, or hammer the Mets' GM for yet another stupid move. Not only do they need to hear it, they care about what we have to say. For a frustrated fan, it doesn't get much better than that.

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