1. If you read this column, you know there’s no bigger fan of SiriusXM’s Chris “Mad Dog” Russo than me. I’m always getting asked about why I’m such a big Russo fan and what Russo is like in “real life.”
I always have the same answer. First and foremost, Russo is entertaining. Plain and simple.
But he has two other crucial qualities. One, he is the same way off the air as on the air. Two, while he’s an encyclopedia of sports knowledge, he never takes himself seriously.
He explained this philosophy to Dan Patrick on Tuesday in a cool moment between two radio legends.
"That's the approach that I've always taken. Never take yourself too seriously – you're talking sports, we're not talking world politics. You're talking sports, have fun."
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) February 3, 2026
– @MadDogUnleashed on balancing being goofy with being knowledgeable as a sportscaster. pic.twitter.com/cGtJntWvu2
2. Apparently, there was some NFL flag football game Tuesday night. The only thing I know about it based on this clip is that there was an interception, which caused injured Packers star Micah Parsons to hilariously scream out, “OHHHH, MY SCOOTER!!!”
Micah and his scooter "Lightning McQueen" are stealing the show 😂
— NFL (@NFL) February 4, 2026
Pro Bowl Games on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/gwIQgpPxjC
3. Sunday Night Basketball got off to a big start for NBC, with the Lakers-Knicks game drawing 4.5 million viewers. That’s a huge number for a regular season game. Especially when you factor in that the game went head-to-head against the Grammy Awards, which pulled in 14.4 million viewers.
4. College football released its postseason schedule for the upcoming season and there’s one notable nugget.
The quarterfinals will feature one game on Wednesday, Dec. 30 and then three games on Friday, Jan. 1.
That means there won’t be a college football game played on New Year’s Eve. Why is this happening? Because the NFL rules all and college football wants to avoid going head-to-head against Thursday Night Football on Prime Video.
NEWS: The College Football Playoff today announced the dates and bowl games for the Playoff Quarterfinal and Semifinals for the next two seasons.
— College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) February 3, 2026
Full release » https://t.co/8ZNIRZIRxz#CFBPlayoff 🏈🏆 pic.twitter.com/3GbRhdDELo
5. You can’t get more good news-bad news than this. Keith Hernandez has signed a three-year contract extension with SNY to continue in his role as an analyst on Mets games. However, Hernandez will work a lighter schedule and call 90 games, down from 110.
6. This week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina features a conversation with The Ringer’s Bryan Curtis about all the latest sports media news.
Topics discussed include: Mike Tirico calling his first Super Bowl for NBC, ratings for the AFC and NFC championship games, Tony Romo backlash, Tom Brady’s improvement as an analyst, the problem with NFL rules analysts, college football’s strong ratings despite being a mess off the field, ESPN’s promotion for next year’s Super Bowl, the state of podcasts, The Washington Post reportedly shutting down its sports section, Radio Row and more.
Following Curtis, SNY's Sal Licata joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, we talked about the fallout from the massive snow storm that hit our areas, whether NFL playoff games should be played at a neutral site, blunders by Sean Payton and Sean McVay, Bill Belichick getting snubbed by the Hall of Fame, the Super Bowl and show recommendations.
You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.
You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Totally embarrassing and pathetic job by me not acknowledging the anniversary of my all-time favorite Seinfeld episode yesterday. On Feb. 3, 1994, we were treated to “The Dinner Party.” Among the episode highlights:
- George wears Gortex
- Can’t go empty handed to a party
- Cake/wine vs. Pepsi/Ring Dings argument
- Another babka?
- “Look to the cookie, Elaine”
- Trying to break $100 bill in the middle of a Manhattan street
- Kramer thinks Penthouse Forum letters are real
- George is scared of Elaine
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chris “Mad Dog” Russo Explains His Radio Philosophy to Dan Patrick .
