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Pardon the interruption, but I'm Mike Wilbon. It's our last show until Tuesday. Tony, how you gonna spend that five day weekend?
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I'm Tony Kornheiser. Golfing, napping. Looks maxing.
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Golfing, napping. What?
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Looks maxing. What the hell is that? I've had it explained to me. We are much too old, but it is what young men do now to maximize their looks, including things like take those hammers and bang in their cheeks with those hammers and stuff like that. Pluck stuff off their head. I see.
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Plucking I get. Yeah, it was metrosexual behavior at one point is what it was called, right? Looks maxing.
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Looks maxing. Yeah.
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I'm making this up.
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No, I'm not making it up.
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I can't.
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Well, I'm reading it, but I'm not making it up. Welcome to pti, boys and girls. In today's episode, Max Crosby, speaking of maxing, was livid. Miami of Ohio is an underdog and Wilbon and I talked brackets. But we begin today with Venezuela winning the World Baseball Classic last night by beating the United States on a go ahead run in the ninth inning 3 to 2. Bryce Harper had tied the game in the bottom of the eighth with a two run homer. But US Reliever Garrett Whitlock walked the first batter, Luisa Rice, who was then removed for pinch runner Javier Sonoa, who promptly stole second and and scored on Gino Suarez's double. The US went out 1, 2, 3 in a ninth. Wilbon, was this about Venezuela winning it or the US losing it?
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Venezuela winning. They manufactured a run when all the pressure was on. They manufactured a run after they could have been crushed by Bryce Harper's home run. A happening earlier. They manufacture walk, stolen base score on a double to the gap. No, that's classic National League baseball. They won it, they took it.
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Yeah.
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And so, I mean, you know, both teams came through in the clutch to a degree.
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Both teams played hard, my man.
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They did both teams reproduce it in the ninth, but wow, okay.
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This was appointment viewing for me, as it was the entire tournament. I really enjoyed watching it. I don't think, honestly, Mike, that anybody can be shocked that Venezuela won this game. How would you? Venezuela, the Dominican Republic of the United States, stars, they're all very, very star driven, right? And this was a one game situation. Now Venezuela is Really good. They're loaded with major leaguers and they had the home crowd in Miami last night. Now, it is possible. I don't know this. It's possible they wanted it more than the US Players. But I will say this. Having watched it in this tournament, Venezuela beat the United States, The United States beat the Dominican Republic, and the Dominican Republic beat Venezuela. So I don't exactly know how you separate them. I am confident of what the United States did not hit. They had 15 runs in the first game against Brazil. They had nine runs in the second game against Great Britain. And they played harder teams. They had five against Mexico. They had six in a loss to Italy.
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Nobody did a five against Canada.
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Then they had two against the doctor and two last night.
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October baseball in March.
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They hit. Well, I don't know. They hit a lot of home runs, but they didn't have rallies. I don't remember an inning where the United States had, say, four. Four hits. I don't remember it ending like that. And last night, Aaron Judge, who you love, struck out thrice. And Kyle Schwarbert, who you love, struck out thrice. Dana, it's called.
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I know you've forgotten what it looks like. Cuz not only does your local team have none. None, but the whole damn league has none. Because we get to October and they throw out this thing called a bullpen.
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But it's not like last night, somebody went seven or eight. That's not what happened. There were bullpen pitches, okay?
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But they did that because basically, contractually, and in terms of health, and that's good. Teams don't want to. And that's good. That is good.
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Yes.
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I don't want to see arms thrown out. And by the way, Cubs closer Daniel Palencia came in and said, get out of here. Get out of here. Get out of here. I'm hoping that works for him all season.
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And my Cubs, here's what you're completely right about that. You know, that ending is what baseball is about. You go ahead early, you get tied, you score late. That's the way you win this.
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And if you need to manufacture it, because you're not going to wait on a Earl Weaver inning. Straight run, homer. You do it. Venezuela. And they're as good as the United States.
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Yes. And so is the Dominican Republic. I'm just saying the United States did not hit. Their run total got progressively lower as the tournament went on.
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But you know what? For the tournament, they averaged seven runs a game while Venezuela was averaging going into.
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Don't give me averages, because there's 15 and nine in the first two.
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Don't give me averages because you beat bums. It's the first round of the tournament.
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Me averages.
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You beat nobody. How do you beatin a directional school?
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Don't go there.
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Great Britain?
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Don't go there.
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How many great players you know from Great Britain?
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It's not good. Britain baby. It's great.
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Let's move to the NCAA tournament where Miami of Ohio takes the court tonight against SMU in a play in game between 11 seeds. Miami was unbeaten this season before losing to UMass in their first game of the Mac. But while the Redhawks are 31 1, they're listed as underdogs against a 13 loss SMU team. Tone, would a Miami loss tonight affect how you see their season?
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Mike, I do not expect Miami to win this game.
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You don't?
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I think if Miami beat SMU it would be an enormous upset. Wow. Yeah. No. Miami, it's a home team.
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It's in Dayton.
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Miami did not play team as good as SMU all year. They played a very very weak non conference schedule. They're in a league that is a lower tier league. I understand lower tier leagues. The Mid American is not in the same world as the acc. They're not. Now I don't say that it would affect if they lose. It's not going to affect how I view the season. It's really not because they were 31 and oh going into their tournament. Can you list anybody else other than the UConn women who are 31 and 0 going into their tournament? No, because you can't do that. Let me go to my notes here. It's an insult to put them in a play in game. It is small minded on the part of the committee. I agree. They were 31 and 0 and okay, I agree with you. They didn't play tough teams. Mike. They don't go into each season looking for the national championship. They're not Duke, they're not Michigan State. They had the schedule that they had and they were 31 and oh and
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by the way for people who think that folks are just ringing up these Mid America schools to play them among the power of school. They're not. They're not. Can it be exaggerated the intention of teams when you. It can be exaggerated but no, the big boys don't want to play these schools and if they do they say okay, you play seven games at our give you one in 2033 and that that's how that goes.
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Right.
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Having said that it's going to affect the way I see it, it is. It just is.
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Really.
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I think they can win tonight because that game's at Dayton. Tony.
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Yeah, I don't.
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Tony. That Dayton sold out. And that crowd is going to be with the Redhawks tonight. They got a shot. Are the people coming up from Ponyland, from smu.
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Well, they got enough money. They do. They got enough money if they want to.
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They private jets with eight people.
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I don't know.
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No.
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That's going to be a pro crowd. I think Miami of Ohio should be applauded. Even if they lose by 50. I think that they've had a great season. I think for the next 50 years in Oxford, Ohio, that's going to be celebrated. The next 50 years, 31 and 0
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aren't going to be able to reproduce it.
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I don't think we will stay with the NCAAs. The first group of play in games saw Howard beat UMBC and Texas get a buzzer beater to beat NC State. Howard moves on as a 16 to play Michigan. Texas moves on as an 11 to play BYU. Willvon, you can talk about these first two games if you want, but my real question here is, what is your Final Four?
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All right, my Final Four, and I've only. I filled out two brackets, but I have the same Final Four. Michigan State, Houston, Arizona and Michigan.
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So you have two Big Ten and two Big 12.
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I do because they were the best two conferences. That's way too chalky for me historically. But I'm looking at last year and I'm influenced by what we saw and wondering if that's a trend. We talked to our friend Jay Billis about that.
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Well, he didn't think it was a trend. He didn't think it was going to happen this year.
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He didn't. But I don't have four number ones. I don't have that right. But. But I. Then I have Arizona winning and part of that is wishful thinking. I want Arizona to win, but I'm looking at it and also thinking Arizona could lose its second game. I'm wondering if any part of this tournament goes straight 1990s and gives us some upsets. Right. And you look at Thursday, you're looking at your TV screaming out loud, but those are my four. I can see any four of those. I can see any one of about eight teams winning. How about you?
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Well, first of all, let me say that I watched a lot of UMBC Howard last night. Me too. Because umbc, yes, represents my conference, the America east, where champions rise. Except for last night. And Howard was In control for almost all of the game. At one point, they were up by 14 points. UMBC was great in the last 300.
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I'm in there, man.
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Got it to two in the last game. And then Howard made a shot and they won. So good for them. It's hard for me to give you a Final Four. I get this wrong all the time, and I'm embarrassed how stupid I am. But let me tell you who I want to be in the Final Four. I want Duke to be in the Final Four. And I don't always feel this way. I want them in the Final Four because they're hurt. They've lost two starters and they are in an impossibly hard bracket. Here's who's in the bracket with them. Michigan State. Who you like? UConn. Who won, hello, two in a row a couple of years ago. Kansas and St. John's that's a killer bracket. I'm not sure Duke is going to
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get out of that.
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If I had to pick an upset, I'd pick St. John's I would pick
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St. John's I have St. John's beating Duke, but I worry about St. John's in its second game before they even get to Duke.
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I mean, I like Arizona like you do. Yeah, I like. You know, I'm not going to be surprised if Michigan State or Iowa State or somebody like that got in. I am influenced this year by having watched all these good teams play each other in the last three weeks.
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It's been great.
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Right. So that's why I don't see somebody coming from far back.
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The ray of a dark horse.
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No, I don't.
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So you don't see an 80s or 90s?
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No. Who do you see? Who's that team for you, Tony?
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I've been looking for it.
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You always talk about byu. They're a six, I tell you.
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Yeah, but they got their second best players hurt. And so if that kid with the headband was in with Devanta, then I might want to go with byu. Cause I saw them when he was playing. I like Gonzaga. I like St. George.
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Gonzaga never win.
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I'll give you a team I got winning three games that I could see going all the way and upsetting somebody and winning. Winning the University of Virginia.
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Really? Yeah. But that's because your wife. No, no, no.
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That's not because.
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But it is. This is. This is your.
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I watched them.
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Domestic appeal by saying that.
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No, I watched them.
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Let's take a break. You know it is. You know it is. Let's take a break. Coming up, Max Crosby reveals how he felt about the trade the Ravens backed out of.
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Why are you rooting against Thomas Jefferson School? The PGA Tour is mic'd up in a new series. What's the word?
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You don't think it's slightly pretentious that the decal says the university? Slightly pretentious?
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It's more pretentious that they say, my first year as opposed to my freshman year.
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Do you think Penn can beat Illinois?
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No, Illinois's good.
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Yeah.
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Illinois is like Virginia. They need a break. But they could go to the Final Four. They could.
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It is time to show off our spectacular vernacular. What's first?
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Max Crosby's experience during his visit with the Ravens.
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Sounds blank.
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Weird. Like totally weird. Max Crosby went on his own podcast, and he talked about this the other day. Some of the things he said were he didn't see Eric DaCosta, the Ravens GM, for five hours.
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Yeah.
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He shows up at Raven's facility. They examine him physically, apparently give him an MRI, and he doesn't see DaCosta for five hours. This makes him nervous. Excuse me. He talks to the head coach, the new head coach, Jesse Minter, and he says that Jesse Minter. That was sort of cold between them and Jesse Minter was talking about him physically and what they were looking at and what they were finding. He begins to freak out because he thinks, do they want me? What's going on here? And he says, I don't want to have another operation. And finally, he concludes, quote, I am where I'm supposed to be. I wasn't supposed to be in Baltimore, and that's it. I meant to be a Raider, unquote. It's weird. It's just weird.
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Listen to his whole.
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Very clumsy. The Raiders did this in a clumsy manner. Well, I. Not the Raiders, the Ravens.
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Yeah, I see. I got a different view on this. First of all, every word that Max Crosby spoke, I believed it, that it was sincere. He had a sense of humor about it. Max Crosby seems like the kind of guy, if you're gonna pick somebody from a team you don't even know across the country to go to dinner, whether it be Max Crosby.
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Really?
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Yeah. He just seems like just a cool guy to sit around and listen to and talk to. But I think this is the rest of his career. I think this is the rest of it. This is foreshadowing that Max Crosby's gonna have to deal with this. Cause that knee ain't right. Okay?
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And so people can't. So you no longer want him for the Bears.
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I told you I didn't want him for the Bears anyway. Cause I told you before, I was not trading two ones or one and a two for Max Crosby. And I love him. No. And so we got to the point where they tried to do this, and what we got. Now, Tony is a great athlete who's gonna be lesser because of an injury, okay? And that's foreshadowing. So we'll get two or three teams, sadly, like this.
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You want him to go to dinner with, but you don't want him to play.
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Not for two ones. Next, the PGA Tour.
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Getting the NFL Films treatment is blank.
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Validation. That's validation, Holmes. And this is what happens when you hire, as a PGA Tour commissioner, somebody who worked with the NFL, Brian Rolap, in charge of media for the NFL. Okay? So then you understand the impact of NFL Films, and you understand it right away. And so the first big tournament he's involved with, the players tournament, he goes out and he gets four guys. He gets Akshay Batia, right? And he gets Si Woo Kim, and he gets Chris Goderup, and he gets Rickie Fowler, who everybody loves. He mics them up. He mics up their caddies. He follows them for four days. I watched the first 10 minutes. This the best thing I've ever seen on golf. Because that's what NFL Films does. They will make these people human and they will make them stars. And one week, Mike, they'll get lucky and they'll get the winner.
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A little bit behind the curtain. Ed Sable and Steve Sable. Ed is the father, Steve the son. We don't have them anymore, but they created NFL Films and they are two of the great storytellers in the history of sports.
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That's right. That's right.
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The lines that some of those things have. The autumn wind is a Raider and the cameras that would catch Lawrence Taylor picking up some linemen. He just ran past saying, son, y' all gotta do better than this. It just. They stayed out of the way. They let these stories unfold. They're gonna do it with this.
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Did you see the Batia thing? What Batia said to his caddy? He asked about a particular woman, said she's got a sandwich for me. If you see her, would you get the sandwich? This is.
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It's the stuff they let in the editing, the film.
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What is your word? My word is validation.
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It is confirming. Okay. It confirms everything you do and it makes it grander.
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Confirmation.
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It makes it greater. Confirmation of golf confirmation. Homestead.
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Can I, by the way, can I speak of golf for a second?
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Y.
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Did I get it right? On bedsheet go. Did I get both teams? Yes, I got la and I got Jupiter.
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Yes, I played bedsheet go.
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I got it right.
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I won't watch.
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That has to be the final word. Let's take one last break. Still to come, your boy Alex Caruso extends his wingspan with his left shoe.
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That was funny. The WNBA season will go on after a reported agreement on the terms of a new cba.
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Who do you have in the finals of bed sheet golf?
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I don't want to do left. Is Tiger still standing?
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Tiger's team is still standing. Tiger does not play. You got Tiger's team?
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Yeah. What the hell?
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I'm going with la.
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Who's on that team?
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Which? The LA team. Justin Rose, I believe, is on la.
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Justin Rose is on LA team.
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I think he's on la.
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Can't Justin Rose find a team further east, closer to where he's from and lives?
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Happy time people. Happy 35th birthday J.T. realmuto Jacob Tyler Realmuto declined to leave the Phillies as a free agent this off season and re signed in Philadelphia for three years and 45 million dollars. Real Muto was drafted by the Marlins in 2010, spent five seasons in Miami before being traded to Philadelphia and 20 in thousand two 2019. He's been a three time all star catcher and a 270 hitter. Last year he played one hundred and thirty four games for the Phillies who once again won the NL East. I said on this show that I believe the Phillies everyday lineup is the best in baseball. But after reaching the World Series in 2022, the Phillies have been successively eliminated by Arizona, the Mets and the Dodgers in the National League playoffs.
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And in those cases the Diamondbacks, Mets and Dodgers may have had lineups that were equal to or slightly better than the Philly. So yes, so Philly still hangs up there at the top of great lineups in baseball, but doesn't mean the single very best.
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The greatest lineup now is the Dodgers. Because the Dodgers no doubt they win. They actually win. Happy Anniversary Steve Nash on this day 33 years ago, the freshman point guard hits six straight clutch free throws to lead 15 seed Santa Clara passed two seed Arizona. Santa Clara became just the second 15 seed to win a tournament game since the expansion to 64 teams in 1985. The first was Richmond beating Syracuse in 1991. Since Santa Clara, there have been nine more incidents of a 15 beating a 2. Most recently in 2023 when Arizona again went down, this time to Princeton. Nash came off the bench in this game and then, as we know, went on to a Hall of Fame career in the NBA that included two MVPs but no rings. Okay.
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As I just referred to earlier, wasn't the tournament made great by game sequences like this?
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Yes.
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Where you had people you. Nobody knew. Steve Nash then, and this Canadian appears on your screen dropping shots. It was exciting.
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It made the tournament V1 for me.
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What?
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Danny A. Oh, yeah. Danny A. Going coast. That's right for me. Danny Ainge. Happy trails to a Tristan da Silva shot. The Magic forward was driving last night when he was confronted with Alex Caruso swiping at the ball with his left shoe that had fallen off. The shoe deflected the shot attempt and Caruso was called for both goaltending and a technical foul. Caruso told the Oklahoman afterwards, quote, I didn't know it was going to be goaltending at a Tech. If I would have known that, I probably wouldn't have done it because that's three points, unquote. No matter. The Thunder ended up winning the game by five, their ninth straight victory.
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Doesn't it seem like the Thunder have taken a look or listened to all the noise about San Antonio and said, I'm sorry, who's wearing rings again already and who's not?
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Can I ask you a question? How is that goaltending? I can see it a technical.
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How is it because you prevented a basketball goaltending above the realism, in this case goaltending.
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Rule it in swiping at it with a shoe. Really? Happy trails to a WNBA labor stoppage. The league and players have agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement, so the season should move forward as scheduled in May. The new deal gives the players an average revenue share of 20%, increasing the salary cap from $1.5 million to 7 million and the average salary from 107,000 to around 600,000. That's like by 5.
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Good.
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The deal still needs to be ratified by the players. Your reaction to this news?
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The players will ratify it. And congrats to leadership on both sides for understanding this needed to get done. Okay. You can't have a missed season. To me, Tony, that would have been catastrophic. I'm glad to hear it's going from 100,000.
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That's a big jump.
B
Six times. It's deserved. Good.
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I'm not saying it's not deserved. I'm saying that as a jump of by five times.
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So everybody that's like the richest people
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are going to get millions of dollars, as they should. All right, let's go to the big picture.
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Let's do it.
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Giannis and Anthony Edwards will both miss at least a week, which is the bigger deal.
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Anthony Edwards, I mean, Milwaukee, I hate to say it. I mean, they're irrelevant now. Very tight. Minnesota is relevant. Seiya Suzuki's knee injury is minor. I'm relieved. Aren't you?
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Okay, I don't care. I'm glad you're relieved. Believe you're Mr. Cub. I mean, I'm glad for him.
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Starting right fielder, 100 runs.
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Crosby returns from his lower body injury tonight against a hurricane. Is that a big deal?
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The Penguins are just clinging to a narrow margin of playoff entry. So it's a big deal. NFLPA named JC Treader. Really? It's new executive director. Your thoughts?
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Wasn't he involved last year when it went south? Yes. So I'm a little surprised. I'm a little surprised. Last one. Sixteen seed play in tonight. Prairie View A&M versus Lehigh. Who you got?
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All right, so I'm root for Prairie View, but I'm going to.
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I'm going to root for Lehigh.
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I'm going to give you a nod here. They should not be putting not in view in the play. Not in the play. No. Put those ninth place teams in the SEC and the Big Ten. Accompany me.
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Don't punish Texas and NC State was the right punishment. We're out of time. We'll try to do better the next time. I'm Tony Corn.
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Nice ending, too. Mike Wilbon here. We're off until Tuesday. Knuckleheads.
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As you know, managing maintenance, repair and operations is never easy. But for the ones who always rise to the challenge, Grainger has your back. From professional grade products you can count on to fast, dependable delivery, they're there to help you keep things running smoothly. Plus, their technical product specialists are here to help answer your toughest questions. And because Grainger knows safety is always a priority, they're committed to being your partner in protecting both your people and your facilities. Call 1-800-granger. Click granger.com or just stop by.
Episode: Venezuela Defeats USA in WBC Championship Thriller
Date: March 18, 2026
Hosts: Tony Kornheiser & Michael Wilbon
This episode of PTI covers the fallout from Venezuela's dramatic win over the United States in the World Baseball Classic Championship, highlights from the NCAA basketball tournament including Miami of Ohio’s Cinderella run, and notable news across the NFL and sports media landscapes. Tony and Mike bring their classic banter and insight to each topic, delving into the fine margins between victory and defeat, sports narrative, and the quirks of contemporary coverage.
“That ending is what baseball’s about—you go ahead early, get tied, score late. That’s how you win this.” – Tony Kornheiser (04:15)
“It is small-minded on the part of the committee. … In Oxford, Ohio, that’s going to be celebrated for fifty years.” (05:41, 07:31)
Miami of Ohio underdog debate: 05:00–07:44
Bracket talk and Final Four picks: 07:45–10:25
Memorable Quotes:
“They were 31-0 and … that’s going to be celebrated for fifty years.” – Tony Kornheiser (07:31)
“It is small-minded on the part of the committee.” – Tony Kornheiser (05:41)
“I am where I’m supposed to be. I wasn’t supposed to be in Baltimore, and that’s it. I meant to be a Raider.” (13:49)
“This is the best thing I’ve ever seen on golf. … They will make these people human and they will make them stars.” – Tony Kornheiser (15:53)
“The players will ratify it. And congrats to leadership on both sides for understanding this needed to get done.” – Michael Wilbon (22:45)
The episode delivers quintessential Kornheiser & Wilbon: smart, witty sports analysis filled with memorable one-liners and nostalgia. The hosts blend technical observations with broader observations about fairness in seeding, the drama that makes sports special, the increasing overlap between sports and entertainment, and the ongoing negotiation for athlete respect in all leagues.
For listeners catching up:
You’ll get insights on why Venezuela’s WBC win was a baseball classic, why Miami of Ohio’s tourney snub matters, how sports storytelling is evolving, and the day’s most intriguing sports personalities and developments — all with classic PTI energy.