Mad Dog Russo, Arizona Diamondbacks' Torey Lovullo 'bury hatchet' at World Series
Is the Mad Dog Russo saga with the Arizona Diamondbacks over?
The sports talk host interviewed Arizona manager Torey Lovullo on MLB Network's High Heat Tuesday at the Diamondbacks' Chase Field with a Diamondbacks jersey on, the latest in the saga between Russo and the team that started when the host said he would "retire on the spot" if the Diamondbacks beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the final two games of the NLCS.
On the show, Lovullo said: “You’re my boy and I love you. …We’ve got to put this to bed and bury the hatchet. I will give you a jersey to wear for every show this week that you’re on. First Take, radio, anything, it’s got to be on for the rest of this week.”
As you may have guessed, Russo did not retire after Arizona rallied from a 3-2 deficit to beat the Phillies and advance to the World Series against the Texas Rangers.
He appeared on The Howard Stern Show to discuss what he would do to not follow through with his vow to retire.
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It appears that the solution was Russo wearing a Diamondbacks bikini while walking through the streets of New York City with a sign saying he was a "liar and dope."
“If this is the only way I can get back my good name, I’ll have to do it,” Russo said.
Russo said that besides his public humiliation, he would also make a donation to a Diamondbacks charity.
He also said he wanted to beg for Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo's forgiveness.
“I have to get him on the air before the World Series,” Russo said on the air. “I have to beg forgiveness from the Diamondbacks manager.”
Lovullo had some fun with Russo's comments before Game 7 of that Phillies series, telling reporters:
"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," Lovullo told reporters. "You know what I mean? There's nothing better than a wise guy New Yorker saying something and then having to chomp on those words, so that's how I'm processing it and it will be great. He's a friend of mine. I love Mad Dog and I know that he's going to end up hearing this."
He also addressed Russo at media availability before the World Series last Thursday.
"I need you to hold him accountable," Lovullo told the media. "I need you to keep going at him every single day. Don't let it stop, but a deal's a deal. I agree. You can't back out of that one, Mad Dog, you've got to do something. I don't know what you are talking about, TV, radio, but I do like Howard Stern's thought about walking with a billboard saying that I am a whatever … in mid-town Manhattan for half a day. That will do it for me, but I ain't gonna forgive you until you do something unbelievable. Maybe show up here and say you're sorry to the entire team. Anyways, that's all I will say about that."
Is the hatchet finally buried?