In New York, Don Imus has been temporarily replaced by Mike & The Mad Dog, the long-running WFAN afternoon duo. Mike (Mike Francesa) & The Mad Dog (Chris Russo) have been talking New York sports together since 1989. They are one of my guilty pleasures, along with bad eighties music, office gossip and the Pizza Hut Lunch Buffet.

Each day, I TiVo the first twenty minutes of their simulcast on the YES Network, avoiding the call-in portion of this call-in show. I can’t listen to Mets fans suggest trades (”Let’s give the Cardinals a Carlos Beltran bobblehead for Albert Pujols”) or put up with people voicing obscure opinions (”I’ve always said, if you name a trophy after someone, it’s for life.”)

So that brings us to this: “Three Things I Didn’t Know About Mike & The Mad Dog.”

• The Tony Soprano-esque Francesa and one-of-a-kind Russo each owe their big break to Imus. Russo was the sports reporter on Imus in the Morning. Francesa gained notoriety by picking Seton Hall to make the 1989 Final Four – Imus bet him a Porsche that it wouldn’t happen, but failed to follow through when they did.

• According to New York Magazine, Francesa earned $1.4 million in 2005, and Russo earned $1.3 million. I’d bet that doubles this year, but I don’t know much about how the salaries of radio personalities are negotiated.

• Russo was a big LA Law fan and often dedicated a portion of Friday’s show recapping the previous night’s episode.

So, what are your guilty pleasures?