D-Backs’ Torey Lovullo Says Chris Russo Can’t Back Out of Retirement Pledge

The Arizona Diamondbacks manager wants penance from the sports talk legend, whom he calls a good friend.

Chris “Mad Dog” Russo made a deal and has to stick to it, according to Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo. 

The D-Backs skipper met with the media Thursday ahead of his team’s matchup against the Rangers in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night. During the press conference, Lovullo was asked about the sports talk radio legend’s pledging to retire if Arizona defeated the Phillies in the NLCS. 

Following the D-Backs’ Game 7 win, Russo backed out of retiring, instead agreeing to humiliate himself by wearing a bikini and carrying a sign saying “liar” and “dope” while walking down a Manhattan street. However, Russo’s failure to stick to his original bet wasn’t good enough for Lovullo, who says he’s good friends with Russo. 

“A deal’s a deal. You can’t back out of that one, Mad Dog,” said Lovullo. “You’ve got to do something. I don’t know if you’re talking about TV, radio, but I do like Howard Stern’s thought about walking with a billboard saying that ‘I am whatever, a liar and an A-hole’ in midtown Manhattan for half a day.”

Torey Lovullo on Mad Dog breaking his promise to retire:

"A deal's a deal ... you can't back out of that one, Mad Dog ... I ain't gonna forgive you until you do something unbelievable. Maybe show up here and say you're sorry to the entire team." pic.twitter.com/iG0OxTV02Q

— PHNX Diamondbacks (@PHNX_Dbacks) October 26, 2023

“That will do it for me,” Lovullo continued, “but I ain’t going to forgive you until you do something unbelievable, maybe show up here and say you’re sorry to the entire team.”

Russo later insisted on ESPN’s First Take that he would’ve only retired from his SiriusXM radio show and not from media entirely. But after making such a public declaration and presumably putting his career on the line, he shouldn’t be surprised that some observers want to hold him to those terms, even jokingly.

Radio personality Chris Russo said he would retire “on the spot” if the D-Backs beat the Phillies in the NLCS :: Kirby Lee / USA TODAY Sports

However, Russo has been a good sport about the whole matter and could accommodate Lovullo in the spirit of good fun. Admitting his mistake to the D-Backs during the World Series might cause too much of a distraction. But maybe Lovullo and the team can expect Russo to appear at spring training next February.