Who Actually Scooped the Impending Mike and the Mad Dog Break-up?

Blogs, Forums http://www.mikemaddog.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4188, Newspapers http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&lr=&as_qdr=all&ie=UTF-8&tab=wn&ncl=1223711553, YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1PQTXGd9T8 & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66Zj70IVOHc and the internet in general have been ablaze with talk of an impending split of sports talk giants Mike Francesa and Christopher Russo of New York radio station WFAN's Mike and the Mad Dog.

Most, if not all of these sources credit Newsday's Neil Best with the scoop on this story due to his article published June 21, 2008 http://www.newsday.com/sports/ny-spmike0622,0,842426.story. Claudia Perry of the Newark Star Ledger noted in her July 5th column 'Radio Notes', "Fighting MadMike Francesa and Chris "Mad Dog" Russo have been in the news lately, starting with a report from Newsday two weeks ago stating that their sometimes tense partnership might be coming to an end sooner rather than later."  Deadspin.com said, "Newsdays Neil Best broke the news that New York's all-world radio yappers "Mike and the Mad Dog" may soon be no more." http://deadspin.com/5021276/mike-and-the-mad-dog-divorce-inevitable

But did Best really best everyone else to the news?  Industry sources say Kevin Canessa, Jr., writer for the Hudson Line and webmaster of https://www.sidrosenberg.com/ wrote in his May 9, 2008 column, "...if you've listened to the show lately, you've no doubt heard a new kind of show, one where the two hosts clearly aren't getting along anymore off the air — and one where the arrogance of Francesa, where his disdain for the very people who make the show work — is absolutely tangible the moment you tune in."  Canessa added, "And it's Francesa who should know best that in an instant, when a radio broadcaster goes too far, or is perceived to have gone too far, he could be searching for a new job."  Canessa concluded, on May 9th, "Hopefully, sometime soon, he'll snap out of this incredible arrogance. If he doesn't, the day could easily arrive that come 1 p.m., that infamous jingle heard on WFAN that reminds listeners that "They're going at 'em as hard as they can. It's Mike and the Mad Dog on the FAN..." might have to be changed to "He's going at 'em as hard as he can. It's Christopher Russo on the FAN." http://thecanessacorner.blogspot.com/search/label/WFAN

This all was published approximately 1 and a half months before Neil Best's article.  When I brought this to Claudia's attention she wrote me back stating,

Bob,

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