On the eve of Russo's 50th birthday, Francesa made a surprise appearance on "Mad Dog Unleashed" on October 15, 2009. The following day, Francesa and Russo teamed up for a one-hour reunion show on "Mike'd Up: Francesa on the FAN" at 1 p.m. and then again on "Mad Dog Unleashed" from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. at Yankee Stadium before the first game of the 2009 American League Championship Series, where both were broadcasting their separate shows in adjacent booths. Russo said that although he loved working at Sirius, he missed talking sports with Francesa.