Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo mistakenly announces death of wrong Billy Bean during live broadcast

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: On Wednesday, August 7, during his 'Mad Dog Unleashed' show, Chris "Mad Dog" Russo made an eyebrow-raising mistake regarding the death of a notable figure in baseball.

Russo mistakenly reported that Billy Beane, the longtime general manager of the Oakland Athletics, had died. In reality, it was Billy Bean, Major League Baseball’s Senior Vice President for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, who had died.

Chris Russo causes confusion

Chris Russo began his broadcast by expressing shock and confusion over the news.

He said, "Wow! Was he, was he — the word that we’re getting right now is that the general manager of the A’s, Billy Beane, may have passed away. Wow. Was he ill? I wasn’t aware of this. I mean, he’s not that old. Geez, was it sudden? We’ll see if we can get some information. Wow, that is a terrible story with Billy Beane of the A’s."

"I don’t know anything about it. This is the first I’ve heard. He’s an historic general manager… He built very good teams with not a lot to work with financially. The movie, of course, with Brad Pitt. He’s probably not more than 62 or [63] — 60. Wow. Leukemia. That’s a terrible story," Russo continued.

Billy Bean had indeed died on Tuesday, August 6, from acute myeloid leukemia, however, Russo was conflating him with the well-known Billy Beane of the Athletics, the New York Post reported.

Still under the mistaken belief that it was Billy Beane who had died, Russo speculated further. He wondered whether Beane had taken a leave of absence and pondered who might have known about his illness.

"So Billy Beane of the A’s, now, had he taken a leave of absence in the last, whatever it might be? I didn’t even know," Russo remarked. "I’m sure his cohorts in the sport knew. You know, he’s very close to Cashman so I’m sure Brian knew. I didn’t know if anybody in baseball knew. I didn’t hear any of this and I’m on the baseball channel every day or thereabouts. So, that’s a terrible story of Billy Beane."

Chris Russo realizes his mistake

After about 90 seconds of discussing the supposed death of Billy Beane, Chris Russo realized his mistake while reading a statement from Major League Baseball. He corrected himself, saying, "Billy, who fought a heroic year-long battle with Acute Leukemia — uh — That’s the wrong Billy Bean. That’s not the Billy Beane from the A’s."

Russo clarified the situation, explaining that Billy Beane, the former general manager and current special advisor and part owner of the Athletics, was very much alive.

“That’s the different Billy Bean. Still a terrible story. But that’s not the Beane of the A’s. That’s the Billy Bean who worked for Major League Baseball. It’s a different Billy Bean. So we apologize if we got that screwed up. It’s spelled differently. This Billy Bean is spelled, uh, it’s spelled differently than the other one," Russo said. “Commissioner Manfred called Billy ‘one of the kindest and most respected individuals I’ve ever known and someone who made Baseball a better institution, both on and off the field.’ Great quote from Rob.”

“This is a different Billy Bean. This is not the Billy Beane of the A’s. This is the Billy Bean who works in Major League Baseball. An important, I’m not trying to make light of it, but it’s a different one. I apologize for screwing that up," Russo added.

Honoring Billy Bean’s legacy

Billy Bean, the man who died, had a significant impact on Major League Baseball through his role in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.

"Over the last 10 years, Billy worked passionately and tirelessly with MLB and all 30 Clubs, focusing on player education, LGBTQ inclusion, and social justice initiatives to advance equality in the game for all," the league wrote in a statement. "Billy's 10-year playing career included six Major League seasons with the Tigers, Dodgers, and Padres."

Bean’s contributions included a decade-long playing career, which spanned six Major League seasons with the Tigers, Dodgers, and Padres.

Meanwhile, Billy Beane remains a notable figure in baseball. He is currently a minority owner of the Oakland Athletics, having ended his storied tenure as general manager in 2015.

Beane's novel approach to team management was famously portrayed by Brad Pitt in the movie 'Moneyball', which was based on a book detailing his strategy to build competitive teams with limited financial resources.