‘You can’t back out’: D-backs’ Torey Lovullo criticizes Mad Dog

When Chris “Mad Dog” Russo backed out of his promise to retire had the Arizona Diamondbacks made the World Series, manager Torey Lovullo said what we were all thinking: “A deal’s a deal … you can’t back out of that one.”

Ahead of Game 6 in the NLCS, Mad Dog claimed he would “retire on the spot” should the D-backs come back to win the series. He went back on his promise like most expected, and people like Howard Stern and Joey Votto have already started coming up with ways for Mad Dog to make good.

Stern suggested Mad Dog walks around Manhattan with a billboard saying he’s a “liar and a dope.”

Votto’s idea? Walk through Manhattan in a bikini holding a sign that says, “I got bit by the D-backs and all I got was this lousy wedgie.”

At World Series Media Day, Lovullo addressed it once again: “You’ve got to do something. I don’t know if you’re talking about TV, radio, but I do like Howard Stern’s thought … That will do it for me.

“I ain’t going to forgive you until you do something unbelievable, maybe show up here and say you’re sorry to the entire team.”

Lovullo also touched on the balance between internal and external motivation.

He says the entire team is internally motivated but doesn’t mind a little more.

“I don’t think we need extra,” he said. “But when you get extra, it’s like a glass of iced tea. Add a little bit of honey and lemon to it, it tastes perfect.”

Maybe Mad Dog can get some iced tea with honey and lemon dumped on him to make good on his unkept promise.

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