Hey is this Row-tillo, Row-tillo, Row-dillo, Row-sillo or whoever your name is? John Dennis calling, Row-tillo.
Ryen Russillo is currently a Celtics analyst for Comcast SportsNet and an ESPN Radio host. He hosts a variety of shows for ESPN Radio, including NBA Sunday and The Baseball Show both on Sundays.
Russillo got his start in the Boston sports media as a co-host of The Diehards on sports radio 1510 The Zone. He had previously done play-by-play for the Trenton Thunder AA baseball team.
He had a much-publicized voicemail run-in with John Dennis (see link above) back in 2005 which may or may not have resulted in his getting booted off the WBCN Patriots pre-game show.
Last December, Russillo was named one of the best radio voices by Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated. He also did the obligatory David Laurila interview back in 2005.
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Popularity: 26% [?]
Other than questionable taste when it comes to hitting on the progeny of local media buffoons, a solid approve.
”Mr. Plow” should forever be proud of the fact that John Dennis had to get half in the wrapper before screwing up the courage to call him.
Does a great job plowing driveways in Easton without ruining the lawn.
Wipes the floor with anyone at WEEI in terms of breadth and passion about sports.
APPROVE.
Strongest of approvals for two reasons:
1. Knows sports.
2. Created a situation, unwittingly or not, that permitted John Dennis to display how large an oaf he is.
By the way, has anyone ever seen the Dennis daughter whom Ryen chatted up? Was she worth the effort?
The very fact that John Dennis doesn’t like him is enough to get me to vote APPROVE.
Besides that, whenver I’ve seen him on that NE Sports Tonight show (and to be honest, that’s my only familiarity with him)….he seems to know what he’s talking about and doesn’t seem to give in to the “must create hysteria and hyperbole” bug that a lot of these guest talking heads come down with on TV.
What is he late 20’s? I don’t who the #$%^ he is or what it is he does, but I still atroove, or agroove, or aloovre, or approve.. what ever the *&%$ it’s called.
Anyone who riled up John Dennis is certainly an “APPROVE.”
Hard worker who is focused on the events on the playing field and learning as much about them as possible from those in the know. The fact that he has had run-ins with EGA, John Dennis and Simmons is just a bonus.
He’s had run-ins with Simmons? I missed that, what happened?
It goes way back to the summer of 2004 when the Celtics trade for Gary Payton. Simmons thought he was the first one to break the news and for 30 minutes his name was on the ESPN bottom line ticker: “An NBA source tells ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons that …”, but that didn’t last because on “a Boston radio station” they were reporting that the trade was not done so ESPN pulled it from the bottom line. An hour later the trade was finalized, but Simmons day in the sun was over: “I never made the ticker. None of the bastards in Boston gave me credit for anything. Nobody cared.”
Russillo was on the air at WWZN at the time and took offense at the “bastards in Boston” line because Ryen knew about the trade the night before, but had no outlet to report it.
This and other exciting tails are all available in the BSMW message board history. Pony up the $20 to Bruce and you’ll have access to a treasure trove of useless – yet interesting – drivel like this.
Tales or tails however the $%# you spell it.
Actually many exciting tails are available in the member’s only section of the message board.
That’s a lame “run-in”
Has solid takes, keeps it to sports and is not an a$$. Why isn’t this guy on the radio fulltime?
APPROVE!
the John Dennis voicemail is also on Youtube
If John Dennis or Denise doesn’t like him than I do. Approve.
The mere fact that he elicits barbs from the lardass triumvurate of Producer Andy, Chins Sheppard, and Weeble Ordway make me like him. Yes, you bozos, he actually watches sports.
Knows sports, isn’t a contrarian shrieker like 90% of the on air ‘talent’ in Boston, approve. The fact that he can’t get a local radio gig or replace a noted talentless turd like Cowherd at the ESPN mothership is all you need to know about the way sports radio is programmed. D-bags uber alles.
Improves the Felger show by about 500% when on it .
I fully APPROVE simply because he hates Dennis. That gets a gold-star in my book. John Dennis deserves to be hated, and anyone rising to the challenge and doing it publicly wins my vote! Also, I have no clue who this guy is…which garners an APPROVE vote by itself.
Knows his stuff, comes prepared, and is passionate about sports. HIGHLY approve!
I approve based on his knowledge of the NBA and the other sports. He’s a solid analyst on ESPN Radio and Comcast and offers good insight into the Celtics and the local teams. He seems to really know what he’s talking about with the Celts and the NBA. His opinions makes sense and he usually offers more than just the usual points about a story.
He doesn’t appear on the media outlets as much as some of the other guys..so he’s got that going for him.
I don’t know much about what happened with the John Dennis controversy but it sounded a bit weird.
I don’t like that he spells his first name with an E.
Very smart, great pipes, knows and loves sports, articulate, funny, and insightful. Russillo actually IS everything Bill Simmons pretends to be. A major talent who deserves a larger audience. I listen to or watch any show that he’s on.
SOLID APPROVE!!!!
The best young talent in town. Knows more about sports then all EEI hosts combined.
Tremendous talent.
Great voice, vast knowledge, consistent preparedness. A national-calibre sports personality if I ever heard one.
Pays the ultimate compliment to his listeners/viewers by always doing his homework.
Makes everybody on Boston radio absolutely pale by comparison.
Highly, highly approve.
He does not seem to despise me because I am sports fan so I approve.
When he’s on with Felger it’s the best sports radio in Boston. Solid opinions, good wise-ass sense of humor, and very solid on the NBA.
At some point I’m guessing someone will team up Felger and Rusillo for a regular drive-time show that will be very successful.
…APPROVE!…He seems like a decent bloke…I have never seen him SCREAM or get HYSTERICAL like SOME radio people ( THE CHILDREN CAN’T WATCH THE NBA FINALS BECAUSE OF THE LATE START TIMES!!!….OH THE HUMANITY!, THE HUMANITY!!)……just for that I give him an APPROVE!!
The reviews on Russillo prove that you Internet whackos know a good thing when you have it. But sadly I think he’s not here for long. He’s too good for this town – in the Mediawise sense that is. The bar around here is set by the likes of Ordway, Shaunessey and Mazz.
I heard BIGGO today yelling about how he’s been right all along about Paul Pierce, while all the idoit fans stupidly thought he was selfish. i don’t know about you guys, but I’M glad Glen was right!
What I’m really glad about is I have the option of changing the station and listen to someone like Russillo talk knowledgeably about the games.
Think about this: Fat O has been exposed to a goldmine of experiences over his career. When is the last time anyone has heard something interesting come out of his blow hole? In contrast Russillo is only a few years in and can tell you more in ten seconds than the other blowhard can give you in 3 hours.
Informed, logical, egoless, rational and passionette. Yup, a solid, solid APPROVE. No wonder he flies under the radar screen. He doesn’t rely on a meaningless schtick to make his name. More Ryen, less Dale Arnold and Glenn Ordway. How is that not in everyones best interest?
Like all those who have stated above – If dirtbag John Dennis does not like him then he gets an automatic APPROVE.
He talks about sports, not phony like Dale Arnold, LJ, and all the rest. I wish the station he works at had a decent signal so I could hear it.
Seems like a great talent and a perfect foil to Felger on the Comcast show. I wish he was on WEEI because I can’t get his station out in Western MA.
Agree wholeheartedly on the Felger-Russillo dynamic. He has the best voice in Boston, can go toe-to-toe on basketball with anyone in the town (I’d pay to listen to him and Bob Ryan talk hoops) and he’s pretty well-rounded. A friend of mine was an intern for him at 1510 The Zone and has been singing his praises every since then. Solid, solid approve.
Actually never heard him but his little dust up with John Dennis is a classic. For that, I approve.
It’s funny Dino was just an effeminate sports anchor back in the day but he’s really proved to all of us just what a “tough guy” he really is.
Yes, John Dennis’ daughter is WAY out of Ryan’s league. About a 9.5 on a scale of ten … Russillo is going nowhere … Spends too much time in bars being rejected by hot women and not enough time sharpening his modest skills.
You’re right, I guess that puts him in the same category as people like Joe Namath and L Bird.
Goes to show…if you’re not “in the clique” in this town its going to be alot harder than if your are. isn’t it time….EEI puts to bed mikey adams at nite? his act is SO wearing thin………….
He is the most talented radio host I have ever listened and I have listened to A LOT. He is unbelievably knowledgable, extremely willing to listen to the opinions of others, and to top it off, really funny. I absolutely approve, keep up the good work Ryen.