Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy finally spoke to Chris Russo, and he learned the man nicknamed “Mad Dog” isn’t all that mad.
When the Brewers completed their NLCS sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Russo thought it would be a good time to have Murphy on his Mad Dog Sports Radio show. Russo’s producer even initiated the request for Murphy last week. The Brewers, however, declined the request almost immediately, claiming Murphy’s schedule was too busy for an interview previewing the World Series.
The snub made Mad Dog mad, with Russo going off on First Take Wednesday afternoon, ripping the Brewers for declining his request while parading Murphy to Fox Sports Radio with Colin Cowherd and SiriusXM’s Let’s Go with co-hosts Jim Gray, Drew Brees, and Matthew Stafford.
Thursday afternoon, Murphy addressed the snub during World Series Media Day, revealing he didn’t know anything about the request until his phone blew up after Russo’s First Take rant went viral.
“I’m not on social media, Twizzler, or Instacart, whatever.”
Pat Murphy tells the hilarious story behind his FaceTime with Chris Russo. https://t.co/OiVidvE07i
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) October 22, 2026
“I get blasted on my phone. I am not on social media, Twizzler, or Instacart, whatever,” Murphy said to the tune of laughter from reporters. “But sure enough… people start texting me like, ‘Great job, Russo is a jerk.’ I am like, ‘What are they talking about?’”
Murphy explained someone eventually sent him the clip of Russo touting his own credentials as being worthy of interviewing the Brewers’ manager. After watching enough of the clip, Murphy asked Brewers senior director of media relations Mike Vassallo about the request.
“The Brewers emailed my producer back and said, ‘Sorry, we cannot accommodate the request, Pat Murphy’s schedule is too busy.’ What? I’m a hall of famer. I’m on First Take!” Chris Russo https://t.co/MBKn8ZxGVD
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 21, 2026
“I’m like Mike, ‘What the hell?’ He goes, ‘Yeah, I told him no the first minute.’ I am like, ‘I don’t want to tell that guy no.’”
So Murphy FaceTimed Russo right there, an interview that aired on Mad Dog Unleashed Wednesday afternoon and spent very little time on the initial request.
“And he was like really, really soft and nice to me,” Murphy said of the interview. “I was like, “The guy’s not even being himself.’ Where’s that drunk uncle I had?”
Of all the things Russo has yelled and screamed like a drunk uncle about on First Take or any of his radio shows, this may have been the first time he actually sparked change. Order has been restored. And rightfully so.
Murphy noted Russo has “put out a bunch of bad things about the Brewers” which may have been at the root of the team’s decision. But Russo is one of the few national radio and TV hosts who talk about MLB despite it being a regional sport. And Russo doesn’t just talk about baseball, he has continued to make the sport the center of his show and brand. A brand that is admittedly strange and quirky, but one deserving of interviewing a World Series manager for a few minutes.
The post Pat Murphy hilariously details overruling Brewers for declining Chris Russo interview request appeared first on Awful Announcing.