Tony Kornheiser (1:44)

Yeah.

Mike Wilbon (1:44)

And so I started taking some notes and then after about three notes, I was so angry I stopped. I just tossed the notebook and I said, you know what? I'm going to let Tony deal with the just absurdly self absorbed particulars of this.

Tony Kornheiser (2:00)

I'm happy to.

Mike Wilbon (2:01)

I know you are.

Tony Kornheiser (2:01)

I'm happy to.

Mike Wilbon (2:02)

I know you are. I don't want to hear from Notre Dame. I don't want to hear from Miami. I get that Alabama could could say, wait a minute, what are you talking about? We have more quality wins than Notre Dame or anybody else that might be sort of ranked around us and ahead of us. I get it. But when you've got two losses now, I don't want to hear it. So I'm sure you have an empathetic ear. I'll let you take your if I.

Tony Kornheiser (2:29)

Were Miami I would be steamed. I have two losses, Notre Dame has two losses and I beat Notre Dame head to head. Yet Notre Dame is nine and I am what, 13 or 14. They're in, I'm out.

Mike Wilbon (2:44)

But you're also being penalized cuz you're part of a stinky conference and I.

Tony Kornheiser (2:48)

Will get to all of this. But I would say what happened to head to head? For example, Oklahoma beat Alabama head to head and now Oklahoma is eight and Alabama is 10. A couple of weeks ago Texas Tech beat BYU head to head. So now Texas Tech is what, six? Something like that. And BYU is 11 and they both have one loss. So again I'm angry if I'm Miami. Now Miami's losses are to SMU and Louisville. They are not ranked teams and Notre Dame's losses are to Miami and A and M and they are far greater losses. But I grew up in this culture where I beat you head to head.

Mike Wilbon (3:22)

That's why a tiebreaker goes head to head.

Tony Kornheiser (3:24)

And you're within the charm circle and I am not. Now I heard what you about Alabama. Yeah, I wouldn't be that angry if I'm Alabama. And here's why. They take a tumble to 10. 10 is the critical number because one of the 12 is the ACC and one of the 12 is the gang.

Mike Wilbon (3:39)

Still going to get in so.

Tony Kornheiser (3:40)

Well, they are poised to get in right now.

Mike Wilbon (3:42)

They can't lose again.

Tony Kornheiser (3:44)

What would I might be upset if I was USC. USC is 8 and 2 and I think they're 15.

Mike Wilbon (3:49)

Beat Oregon that you won't have to worry about it.

Tony Kornheiser (3:51)

Wait, wait for the next sentence. What if I beat Oregon? Yeah. Can I jump up enough to get to 10? Because I got to get to 10. That's my point. I took the whole segment. Don't worry about it.

Mike Wilbon (4:03)

That's good. No, I'm glad you did because that whole show is starting to irk me now and I just roll around in it.

Tony Kornheiser (4:10)

I like the show.

Mike Wilbon (4:11)

I know you do.

Tony Kornheiser (4:12)

Let's move to Steve Kerr's concern with the fast pace of play in the NBA.

Mike Wilbon (4:16)

I'll take this old time.

Tony Kornheiser (4:17)

Kerr wonders if the faster play over the same condensed schedule is contributing to what seems to be a plague of injuries at the moment. Giannis Antetokounmpo is out with a groin strain. Victor Wembanyama out with a calf strain. Anthony Davis, John Moran also out with calf. They're all out, Kerr said the warriors medical staff quote believes that the wear and tear, the speed the pace, the mileage is factoring into these injuries, unquote. Wilmon, how does Kerr's argument sound to you?

Mike Wilbon (4:43)

Steve Kerr I'm going to nominate on the short list of smartest people in the NBA over the past 35 years.

Tony Kornheiser (4:49)

Yep.

Mike Wilbon (4:50)

Say I don't want to argue with Steve Kerr and I have some sense because I've been around the warriors so much the last 11 years of that staff and how respected that staff is in terms of the industry and within the league among players, even opposing players. I'm not about to argue with that. There's. What's the solution? Let's jump ahead. Okay, Steve. If I was sitting with Steve and I hope to sometime soon, I would just say there's one solution. Steve Kerr knows what it is.

Tony Kornheiser (5:17)

Take out the three. No, no, that's my solution.

Mike Wilbon (5:20)

I know the scores.

Tony Kornheiser (5:21)

I'll tell you why.

Mike Wilbon (5:22)

Why?

Tony Kornheiser (5:22)

Because the pace of play is such. Because everybody's running down the court to fan out. No, but you.

Mike Wilbon (5:27)

Wait a minute. You love the three.

Tony Kornheiser (5:29)

Doesn't matter. It's bad for the game. If you take out the three, the pace slows because you have to work for a mid range.

Mike Wilbon (5:34)

I got another one.

Tony Kornheiser (5:35)

That's the radical one.

Mike Wilbon (5:36)

I got a better one. That is the radical one. I got a more reasonable one.

Tony Kornheiser (5:39)

What?

Mike Wilbon (5:41)

Cut 12 games out of the dance.

Tony Kornheiser (5:43)

Owners aren't going to do that.

Mike Wilbon (5:45)

And the players either.

Steve Young (5:46)

Owners put up.

Mike Wilbon (5:46)

You know why? Because everybody's got to make 50 million on the back end. Now if you want to have a. First of all, it would improve the product, it would improve the health of the players.

Tony Kornheiser (5:57)

You're right.

Mike Wilbon (5:57)

But nobody gives a damn because they want to continue making the same amount of money.

Tony Kornheiser (6:01)

You constantly criticize the NFL. You say that they have no concern for player safety.

Mike Wilbon (6:05)

Yeah, I'm criticizing the NBA and it's.

Tony Kornheiser (6:07)

Exactly the same thing. No concern for player safety. I say you take out the three. But I think the NBA has made peace with this. And you know why? Cuz networks like this one throw money at them to have their product. And fans throw money at them to sit in those courtside seats. And so they are able to pay Joel Embiid and everybody else 100 of them back.

Mike Wilbon (6:29)

And they never play.

Tony Kornheiser (6:30)

And they never play. People make peace with it. Millions.

Mike Wilbon (6:32)

Everybody's out. You can't, you can't count on going to a game, seeing anybody you paid for in the NBA.

Tony Kornheiser (6:38)

Now I think that fans, if you promise them, as has been the case so far, that everybody plays in the playoffs.

Mike Wilbon (6:46)

Yeah, they're okay, and that's what the league is banking on. But, but, but how great would the playoffs be if you had 70 and guys charged in with I don't fear momentum, more spirit.

Tony Kornheiser (6:58)

I think the radical cut is the three. I do can't cut the it's changed the game.

Mike Wilbon (7:02)

What do you do to Steph Curry? Steph Curry's like, Steph Curry is no lower than the second most important player in the league the last 15 years and maybe one Steph Curry's had his whole career with the he's rearranged.

Tony Kornheiser (7:14)

It's not going to matter. He's out. It doesn't matter. I'm talking about next time. Go ahead.

Mike Wilbon (7:20)

No, I've gotten used to the three. Now let's grapple, grapple, grapple. With Cam Scatterboo's appearance on Monday Night Raw, the injured Giants running back, wearing a protective boot around his dislocated ankle, gave a shove and took a little mini shove during the WWE event at the Garden. Some sports talk radio hosts, of course, in New York are calling it stupidity and carelessness. Scatterboo posted. If you don't like that I'm having a good time while dealing with a tough time, then just go ahead and unfollow and casually move on. Tony, any problem with Scatterboo mixing it up?

Tony Kornheiser (8:01)

This is pro wrestling. This is entirely scripted. I am sure that Scatterboo and that comedian fellow he was with were told beforehand this is what's going to happen. I'm sure they did everything but rehearse it, and maybe they even rehearsed it right now, because I have notes on this. If the question is, did Scatterboo put himself in danger? Not really. It's a small shove. It's a small shove. Nobody got hurt. It's, you know, it was ballet. That is wrestling ballet. My sense. Look, he's out for the whole season. He's not coming back in two weeks to save the Giants. The Giants stink. 500. Scatterboos can't save them. He was always going to come back next year. Does it look sort of dumb? Okay, it looks sort of dumb, but it doesn't affect his timeline at all.

Mike Wilbon (8:47)

It doesn't. I'm going to agree with you right there.

Tony Kornheiser (8:49)

Thank you.

Mike Wilbon (8:50)

It's the optics. That's all it is. That's right. That's all it is. Anybody who knows anything about wrestling and those New York talk show hosts have to know about wrestling no matter what generation you followed. I didn't follow John Cena and all the undertaker. I didn't follow any of that. I follow Bruno Sammartino, Ricky Starr. I can identify with that in New York, even though he wasn't in Chicago. It's all choreographed.

Tony Kornheiser (9:13)

That's right.

Mike Wilbon (9:14)

Yes. You still can have stuff happen, but.

Tony Kornheiser (9:16)

It didn't look like you did.

Mike Wilbon (9:17)

People still get hurt, but it didn't look like it. Even in the choreography.

Tony Kornheiser (9:20)

I understand.

Mike Wilbon (9:21)

So when I saw it, I went, whoa, Scatter booze out there. But you're right, didn't stop. Just get over. He's out for the season.

Tony Kornheiser (9:29)

You know what Giants fans ought to worry about? Who's the next coach going to be? Don't worry about this kid. This kid will be there in September. Let's take a break. Coming up, Patrick Mahomes regrets a decision made late in the Chiefs loss to the Broncos, and we will ask Steve Young about that.

Mike Wilbon (9:43)

We'll also ask him whether a bad call that went his way ever made him feel guilty. You know, my wrestlers were Dick the Bruiser, Nick Bockwinkle. Remember the Black Jackson?

Tony Kornheiser (9:56)

Remember him? Lex Longvan. Or maybe he was just a New York guy.

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Steve Young (11:35)

Welcome back to Pardon the Interruption presented by Crown Royal, part of happy hour.

Tony Kornheiser (11:48)

We've got some NFL questions for our great friend, the man who just edged me out for second in the 1983 Heisman Trophy voting hall of famer, Steve Young. Let's start with this. Patrick Mahomes says he regrets a moment on the chief's final drive when he noticed a pre snap shift with one of Denver's safeties that could have opened up a long pass but he didn't trust it. He threw a short pass incompletion instead. Do you recognize that feeling that Mahomes had?

Steve Young (12:14)

I'm smiling because that's the, that's the, that's the job of quarterback is like managing happening all the time. And I love that. The vulnerability of Patrick to express it, to actually tell people like that happens. How many times does that happen? You know, you think about every Monday is that time when the team comes together in the offensive team room and they watch the film in the dark, in the silence. And as the coach goes back and forth, how many times would we be in the middle of a, you know, in a place coming that ruined the game and it was me throwing interception or something. And you could see the read and you hear, you could hear the offensive lineman like groan like oh, here go oh. Like, like you play quarterback, you know, the read or that you know what, what's coming but everyone can play quarterback and, and so you, it's not just worrying about it in the game and missing it moment. You got to worry about on Monday because now the whole team in silence, you got to wait for the groan for everybody's like really? So I started after time when someone would make a mistake or drop a ball. I just, I'd like, oh, I just, you know, because someone had to groan about somebody else than just the quarterback because everybody, I mean Brent Jones and Jerry Rice and like Greg Harrison Hearst, they all, they, they thought they could play quarterback, which I understand, like everybody wants to but you know, like in the meeting room just let the quarterback screw up, go by every once in a while. Like it doesn't have to, we don't have to groan every time, you know, as a team.

Mike Wilbon (13:37)

Feet to the fire, Steve.

Tony Kornheiser (13:39)

Feet to the fire, baby.

Mike Wilbon (13:41)

We're going to stay with the Chiefs for a second. Who of course 5 and 5 playing the 8 and 2 Colts on Sunday. Is there anything different that a leader or Leaders would do this week knowing that they're all going into what pretty much is a must game on Sunday.

Steve Young (14:00)

So you think about the Chiefs. They have the mantra we had back in the 80s and 90s with the 49ers, like Super bowl or bust, we own it. And that's a fact. And because you own that, every game is a must win, Every game is the game of the week. Every game is being covered by your Sunday night or Monday or it's like the national game. So you get used to having that be the norm. And so you get to this moment, which is a must win game. And the Chiefs are built for it. They're that team that, yeah, we're five and five. We've screwed up super bowl or bust. And now we got to prove it to one of the better teams in the league and it's on us. And I think the best comes out in the teams that are ready for that kind of thing. And the worst comes out for the guys that aren't ready. I just think the Chiefs are that team that can respond.

Mike Wilbon (14:54)

Speaking of teams with super bowl or bust attitude, the Eagles benefited from just a awful interference call against the Lions late in Sunday's game. As a quarterback, if you get the benefit of a call, does any part of you ever feel guilty that you got it or, I mean, does it average out? What's the feeling there?

Steve Young (15:17)

This is. You're asking me. But pre, you know, review, you know, where. Microscopic review of the.

Mike Wilbon (15:23)

But.

Steve Young (15:24)

But you, you started to believe in the rub of the green. Like you believe that in time it would even out. But the pain of a screwed up call that you knew changed the game. You know, as a quarterback, your number one relationship was with the head referee because he's standing right next to you. And so the best relationships I had on the field were with the head referees. Through the years, ongoing conversations from game to game, talking about plays, what happened, what. And you loved that the art of the great ahead referees were that they got the sense of it. They knew it was like, oh, we screwed that one up or yeah, sorry about that, Steve. That was. Or you lucked out there because, you know, like you had that going on. But I love what I hated with the robots, the head referees that were robots, because then they weren't going to be contextual to the moment. They feel it. And that's what happened against the Philly in the Eagles game. The moment overwhelmed that referee, that, you know, back line judge or whoever it was, because it's like, yeah, that's That's a call that you don't make most of the time. You certainly don't call it in the fourth quarter. And you never do it with the game on the line because it's. It's a rub of the green, bro. Like, that's not. That's something you don't get in the way of. Like, leave it alone. But they're trying to get rated so they can get a playoff game. So, like, well, that's officially, I think, by technicality, that's a. That's a foul. He throws the flag and games over. It's like, no, bro, that was not a foul. Contextual to the moment.

Tony Kornheiser (16:44)

We will get you out of here on this, and we've talked about this all week. You've been a starter and a backup in your career. Shador Sanders had zero practice snaps with the first team when he entered that game on Sunday. What sort of a position does that put you in as a quarterback?

Steve Young (17:00)

Well, I'm Tony, that's super hard, right? Like, to. To as if prepare for a game that you don't get practice snaps, you don't get the opportunity. Like, that's a tough spot. The best advice I ever got, and I'm sorry if I've said this, was when I was backing up Joe Montana. I hated that because that wasn't the job that I wanted. It wasn't the job that I thought I was going to have. And one of my mentors grabbed me and says, you know what, Steve? The problem with you is that you don't understand that the job that you want, that you need, that you think you deserve, you can't have until you're the best in the world at the job you have today. And so to be a great backup was painful for me to hear, like, backup, great. But what I did was I took his word. It stung me. I'm going to be the greatest backup. And what you do is you prepare as if every week you'd memorize the game plan. By Wednesday, you help the court and in helping the starter get ready. And then. So Shador is going to be in a much better spot if he's gone through the rigor of being the best backup quarterback, you know, in the world in that mind. So then when you're called on to not be a backup, to be a starter, you're actually ready and you can deal with it in a better way. Because you're right, Tony, if you just sit back and don't prepare and just play, watch the cheerleaders, and then all of a sudden you get called on the field and you haven't had the snaps.

Mike Wilbon (18:18)

It's a.

Steve Young (18:18)

It's a disaster. Like. And you've seen it. It's bad.

Tony Kornheiser (18:22)

Yeah. No, it was. Yeah. Yeah.

Mike Wilbon (18:24)

Hard to watch.

Tony Kornheiser (18:25)

Can't get worse. If he gets in again. He can't be worse than that. I can't imagine it gets worse fast. Yeah. Steve, as always, great.

Mike Wilbon (18:30)

Thank you, Steve.

Tony Kornheiser (18:31)

Appreciate it. Okay. Thank you, Steve.

Steve Young (18:33)

Good to be with you guys.

Tony Kornheiser (18:34)

Let's take one last break. Still to come, Team USA takes it.

Mike Wilbon (18:37)

To Uruguay and two young NHL stars post hat tricks on the same night. One of them I care about.

Tony Kornheiser (18:44)

It is interesting to me that a quarterback sees a situation because we had Jeff Saturday speak to this differently than alignment sees the situation.

Mike Wilbon (18:52)

Yeah.

Tony Kornheiser (18:52)

That his empathy and his sympathy are different at that point because one guy played the position. Yeah.

Mike Wilbon (18:58)

And one guy nobody else has empathy for on the field. Right. Nobody.

Tony Kornheiser (19:03)

I mean, that's right.

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Steve Young (20:33)

You are watching. Pardon the interruption. Presented by Crown Royal Part of happy hour.

Tony Kornheiser (20:40)

Happy time people. Happy 67th birthday. Michael Ray Wilbon.

Mike Wilbon (20:44)

Oh geez.

Tony Kornheiser (20:44)

Wilbon was one of the original co hosts of Part in the interruption program was he spent 14 years there before leaving to become a linguistics professor at his alma mater, the University of Northwest. Wilbon taught a course entitled the Following Things are Garbage. Included in the syllabus were college teams running the table, all odds coming from Las Vegas, and Anyone who thinks LeBron is better than Jordan.

Mike Wilbon (21:08)

Amen.

Tony Kornheiser (21:08)

Wilbon's class was so popular, he added another one entitled Hocus Pocus Junk. Included in that syllabus. Most coaches of the Bears, except Lovey Smith. Yeah. Anyone who thinks today's starting pitches are any good. Yeah. And cheeseheads and people in marketing. Wilbon is currently working on a biography of Richard Dent entitled welcome to My Text Chain.

Mike Wilbon (21:29)

That's. That's pretty good stuff. What scares me is the gray over time in those pictures. By the way, this is the culmination of a lot of birthdays. Ahmad Rashad, Patrick Kane. I just mentioned a few.

Tony Kornheiser (21:42)

This is your birthday. Don't worry about it. Happy anniversary. George Blanda. This is posthumous, but on this day 64 years ago, the legendary quarterback and kicker threw a record tying seven touchdown passes for the Houston Oilers against the New York titans in the AFL. Blander, who started his career in 1949 for the Bears, originally retired because George Hallis thought he was washed up as a quarterback and only wanted him to kick. Blanda joined the Oilers of the newly formed AFL in 1960 and proceeded to win three AFL titles, two in Houston, one with the Raiders. Blanda, who once threw 42 interceptions in a single season, played 26 seasons, his final one as a kicker for the Raiders in 1975. At age 48, Blanda remains the oldest player to ever take part in an NFL game.

Mike Wilbon (22:28)

I remember the end of George Blander when he was kicking. These were the Raiders people threw the football down the field. There were no swing passes for two weren't invented. There's no west coast offense.

Tony Kornheiser (22:40)

No, no, no.

Mike Wilbon (22:41)

There's none of that chuck the ball. So therefore sometimes it got intercepted.

Tony Kornheiser (22:46)

42, you know, 42.

Mike Wilbon (22:48)

It's a lot.

Tony Kornheiser (22:48)

Happy trails. Miko Rantanen, the Dallas Stars forward was ejected from last night's game against the Islanders for shoving Alex Romanov into the boards. Romanov had to be helped from the ice. Islanders coach Patrick Waugh was furious, appearing to yell at Ranton, you're not going to bleep and finish that game. Apparently in reference to the rematch between the teams later this season, Ran, his coach, said he had a different take, saying Ranton had clipped skates and was off balance. So he put his Hands out.

Mike Wilbon (23:15)

He looked off balance. It looks like a collision. Not a shove. But you. Patrick Waugh, he's going to go crazy anyway.

Tony Kornheiser (23:22)

He gets Florin, he's. No, don't mess around. Don't mess around with that. Let's go to the big finish. Let's do it. LeBron, 11 points, 12 assists, three rebounds in a season debut. Are you impressed?

Mike Wilbon (23:33)

I'm impressed the way he fit in. He has diagnosed what the Lakers need and did exactly that. I'm impressed with the lakers, period. The US men beat Uruguay 5 1. Is that a big deal?

Tony Kornheiser (23:44)

I don't know. I'm waiting for the World Cup.

Mike Wilbon (23:47)

You get a while to wait. You got some months.

Tony Kornheiser (23:48)

I just. I don't know. Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini both had hat tricks last night. Are you impressed?

Mike Wilbon (23:54)

The Blackhawks are only a couple points out of third. They're the first wild card team. And Bedard is the engine. Yes.

Tony Kornheiser (24:00)

Okay.

Mike Wilbon (24:01)

Duke beat Kansas. Michigan State crushed Kentucky. Bigger deal from last night again.

Tony Kornheiser (24:06)

I don't know. Michigan State looked very good. It's very early. I don't know. Last one, nine and three. Rockets at the 10 and five Cavaliers tonight. Who you got?

Mike Wilbon (24:13)

The Rockets. I just like the way they were owing two and they got Kevin Durant and there was a lot of sort of attention given to them. I'd even say some pressure. They have won nine of 10 since. I know it's not Detroit.

Steve Young (24:26)

Hot.

Mike Wilbon (24:27)

Rockets look good as advertised.

Tony Kornheiser (24:29)

We are out of time. We will try and do better the next time. Let me get this name right. Tyler Hainsworthy. Thank you for the letter.

Mike Wilbon (24:35)

I'm Mike Wilbon. Same time tomorrow, knuckleheads. Hey, fans. Welcome back to Fansville's cheers and tears.

Tony Kornheiser (24:45)

Aw.

Mike Wilbon (24:45)

Okay, so everybody deals with losing, right? To a rival and a last second field goal. Whatever.

Commercial Announcer (24:50)

It's fine.

Tony Kornheiser (24:51)

I'm totally fine. But I cope with losing with an.

Steve Young (24:54)

Ice cold Dr. Pepper.

Tony Kornheiser (24:57)

Mmm.

Mike Wilbon (24:57)

Those 23 flavors are, like, so delicious. They totally wash away the pain of your college football team taking a big.

Steve Young (25:04)

Fat L. College football.

Mike Wilbon (25:07)

It's a pepper thing.