Mike Francesa’s Replacements Have Been Announced and I Don’t Get It

According to the NY Post when Mike Francesa leaves WFAN next month he will be replaced by Bart Scott, Chris Carlin and Maggie Gray. Who are they? Here is what we know:

Bart Scott - A former NFL player (Ravens & Jets) and a good one. Bart's name has been floated for awhile, he's an outspoken guy and COULD BE a good radio personality.

Chris Carlin - Mike and the Mad Dog fans remember him as "The Continent" he was their producer for many years. He has been working for a station in Philly since and co-hosts "Loud Mouths" on SNY. You would be hard pressed to find someone who knows more about sports than Carlin.

Maggie Gray - Maggie has been working for CBS Sports Radio & Sports Illustrated. By all accounts she is a knowledgeable sports person.

This is going to be a disaster. Look, I'm sure the show will be polished, I'll even bet it will be entertaining. It's going to be a disaster because it will never be judged on an island. It will always be compared to Mike's solo show & Mike and the Mad Dog. You can't follow a killer.

The reasons Mike was great are the very same reasons he was awful.

• He broke every "101" rule in radio - He would pause to read something so long, listeners thought the station went off the air. He never identified the radio station he was on when coming back from the break. If an interview went 30 minutes, so be it. It meant you had to listen to 50 minutes of commercials next hour to make them up, but oh well.

• He was short tempered. - He would scream at callers, staff and interviewees.

• He would fall asleep on the air. - No, I mean it.

• He was so N.Y. that the show COULD NOT have been successful anywhere else. - The N.Y. accent, the thick headed N.Y. mentality, the N.Y. references. It was perfect for N.Y and only N.Y.
• Mike was a homer who lied about being a homer - Mike is a Yankee and Giants fan. However, whenever someone would question whether his point of view was based in fandom, he will flip out. He would tell you he is objective with absolutely nothing to back it up.
• Mike was never wrong - Some of my favorite Francesa moments were when callers would say he said something months ago that was wrong. Mike would insist he never said it and challenge someone to "pull the tape." The tape was NEVER produced.

• Who is that? - Mike pretended not to know who people were, that you knew he knew of.
• PAW-CELLS - He is friend's with Bill Parcells, just ask him.
• Numbah one - Mike was great, Mike's rating were great and he was not afraid to tell you.

Mike will be missed. Listening to Mike Francesa has been a part of my life for a long time. I listen almost everyday. Anything short of him going on the air today and saying it's all a joke will be a disappointment.

I also learned a lot about my business from listening to Mike. I learned without him ever saying it that this thing of ours is simple. You need to get a reaction out of people. Knowledge, intent, objectivity, perspective are all irrelevant. Getting people to remember what you say and repeat it to a friend is ALL that matters. It's a results business and he got them.

HEAZ THE MINK MAN