Whenever there is a winner-take-all game in a professional sport, media analysts tend to go to extremes when predicting the outcomes of said games. Game 7 of the NLCS is no exception as Chris Russo, aka ‘Mad Dog', is putting his job on the line against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The radio legend said he will retire if the D-backs beat the Phillies in Game 7.

The Diamondbacks were down 2-0 and 3-2 in the series only to tie it on both occasions and force this decisive Game 7. D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said he's looking forward to putting Russo out of a job.

“There's nothing better than a wise guy New Yorker saying something and then having to chomp on those words. That's how I'm processing it. It will be great,” Lovullo said, via Bob Nightengale.

This is not the first time an analyst has put their employment up in a one-sided bet. NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. famously declared that if Jimmy Clausen wasn’t a successful NFL QB in eight years after being drafted in 2010, he would retire. As of 2023, he is still working.

Russo probably won’t ride off into the sunset if the Diamondbacks end up upsetting the Phillies, but he'll have to answer to someone if it does happen. Perhaps Lovullo is the one whom he will have to talk to and own up to his side of the wager.

Arizona is still considered the underdog going into the final game of the series but will have a chip on their shoulders after comments like Russo's. The Diamondbacks are a win away from the World Series regardless of what people think of them and that should be enough to motivate them on Tuesday night.