Names making news

 It might've slipped under the radar but Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo has added an extra gig to go along with his daily High Heat show on MLB Network.

Russo quietly signed with ESPN a while back to be a contributor to First Take. The only way most of us knew about it was when ex-player-turned-ESPN analyst JJ Redick got in Russo's grill on Thursday's broadcast when Russo went after Golden State star Draymond Green after Green was ejected in a playoff game earlier this week.

Image courtesy ESPN via Yahoo!.

Green had also dissed the fans in Memphis two nights later, adding to the heat. Russo, a long time radio host in New York, was, in turn, shredded by Redick, who implied that Russo was taking an approach to things more suited to Fox Shmooze. Just what ESPN doesn't need. Another bloviating clown. The difference between Russo and Stephen A. Smith, ESPN's resident idiot savant, is that Russo only appears once a week. Trust the usual commentary in the NYC papers about Russo leaving the safety of the MLB Network kennel.....

==========================================

Newsmax host Grant Stinchfield was way off center the other night when he alleged that incoming Supreme Court justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, or her staff, had something to do with the leaking of a February treatise that suggested the high court would overturn Roe vs. Wade. The GOPers want to ban abortions altogether, denying women the freedom of choice. Problem with Stinkfield's stupid supposition is that Jackson won't be sworn in until Stephen Breyer retires later this year. It was a slow night for Newsmax, so Stinkfield invented a scandal. Good thing Newsmax is a premium channel here at home.

===========================================

Florida Governor Ron DeStupid was originally invited to speak at a Jewish conference in New York next month. Said invitation has been rescinded by the event organizers because DeStupid doesn't align with the values of the conference and inclusitivity. Gee, y'think? This is what's known as backlash for DeStupid's bigoted POV fueling Florida's Parents in Education bill (aka Don't Say Gay). The conference takes place June 12, two days before Flag Day. Right in the middle of Pride Month. Poetic justice, don't ya think?

===========================================

Closer to home, the Albany Public Library, while taking part in tomorrow's Free Comic Book Day, has reduced the limit of comics per person from 3 down to 1. Part of it might be COVID-related, part of it to try to keep the focus on the target demographic (kids). In contrast, Earthworld Comics, a few clicks down the road, has raised its limit from 5 to 6 per person, per consumer demand, no doubt. Even though "Dr. Strange in The Multiverse of Madness" has just opened, the Central Avenue shop will have someone cosplaying as Spider-Man. Um, ok.

Across the river, Aquilonia Comics will have a table devoted to local talent, including writer Mike Spring (Red, White, & Broke), in all probability. However, since it figures to be just shy of a full house, you'll need to forge a path to the guest table to get autographs and swag.