“2020”

Summary

The Tony Kornheiser Show – Episode "2020"

Date: November 7, 2025
Host: Tony Kornheiser
Guests: Jason La Canfora, Michael Wilbon, Nigel, Jeff Ma
Theme: Sports Analysis, Gambling, Nostalgia, and Humorous Banter

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Episode Overview

Tony Kornheiser leads a characteristically lively episode that blends sharp sports commentary with humorous storytelling and nostalgia. The show covers blowout scores in college basketball, football gambling strategies, key NFL games and trade moves, and closes with a reflective discussion about the golden era of Sports Illustrated. Regulars Jason La Canfora and Jeff Ma provide expert football and gambling insights, while Tony’s signature anecdotes and listener correspondence keep the tone witty and warmly familiar.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Lopsided College Basketball Scores & "Buy Games"

[00:52 – 04:59]

• LSU vs. Southeast Louisiana: Tony marvels at LSU’s 115–26 win, raising issues of sportsmanship and the usefulness of such "guarantee games" for smaller schools.
  • Quote: “89 points. 89 points. … I don’t know what educational value that game has.” – Tony, [04:19]
• Personal Anecdote: Tony reminisces about losing 52–0 in a fifth-grade game, connecting personal experience to public blowouts.
• Financial Realities: The panel explains that smaller schools accept these matchups for the critical gate revenue, which funds recruiting and program needs.

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2. Alexander Ovechkin’s 900th Goal & The Missing Puck Incident

[04:55 – 09:40]

• Achievement Context: Ovechkin breaks new ground in goal-scoring, but Tony and Wilbon argue Wayne Gretzky remains the greatest overall hockey player.
  • Quote: “Ovechkin is the greatest goal scorer...but he’s not the greatest player.” – Tony, [05:35]
• Goofy Goalie Move: St. Louis’ Jordan Binnington stealthily tries to hide the record-setting puck, leading Tony and crew to lampoon the failed sleight-of-hand.
  • Quote: “How stupid is Jordan Binnington? Everything’s on camera.” – Tony, [07:45]
  • Panel jokes about how pucks (unlike baseballs) can’t be easily authenticated, referencing porch pirates and dye packs in a comedic tangent.

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3. Mailbag & Nostalgia: Finding a Lost Letter

[10:07 – 12:03]

• Tony discovers a heartfelt letter from 2020 buried on his desk, prompting a conversation about missed mail and the enduring power of handwritten notes.
  • Quote: “It’s beautifully formatted. It’s written well. … It has pacing to it.” – Wilbon, [12:00]

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4. NFL Recap with Jason La Canfora: Primetime Duds, Takeaways, and Trade Moves

[16:41 – 28:23]

• Sunday/Monday Night Game: Jason admits last night’s matchup “was not fun to watch,” affecting his betting and viewers’ entertainment.
  • Quote: “Full disclosure, I fell asleep with eight minutes left… my brain just shut off.” – Jason, [18:43]

A. What Did We Learn?

• Buffalo vs. Kansas City: Buffalo’s pass rush impresses, but expectations remain cautious.
• Carolina Upset: Carolina’s surprising cover streak, the emergence of Dowdle, and Green Bay’s offensive malaise are dissected.
• Minnesota–Detroit: Minnesota’s quirky but intense QB, home field advantage, and Detroit’s tendency to bounce back big after a loss.
  • Quote: “They sort of exercise their demons on your football carcass.” – Jason, [24:44]

B. Kyler Murray’s Future in Arizona

• The move from Murray to Brissette is discussed as a probable end of the road for Kyler in Arizona, with detailed critique of his development.
  • “Kyler has issues seeing over line of scrimmage … bad habits have really seeped in.” – Jason, [26:12]

C. Most Impactful Trade Deadline Move

• The Eagles’ collective moves, especially acquiring Jalen Phillips, are considered possibly season-changing.
  • “I think what the Eagles did collectively has a chance ... perfect timing for a playoff run.” – Jason, [27:21]

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5. Listener Gambling Letter & The ‘Ladder’ System

[15:15 – 16:41]

• Tony shares a letter from a listener who credits Jason’s “ladder” betting strategy for potentially funding his kids’ education—humorously, the streak ended abruptly with a last-minute NFL touchdown.
  • “No longer are they bound for the local community college to learn the art of tire retreading.” – Listener’s letter, [16:03]

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6. Picks Segment: James Carville & Jeff Ma

[30:13 – 44:44]

• Carville’s College & Pro Picks: Tony expresses skepticism over some of Carville’s big spreads and underdog picks, humorously noting he’d bet against him 4/6 times this week.
• Jeff Ma: Joins for in-depth betting talk and picks. Discusses:
  • The changing nature of “futures” odds and how sportsbook markets react to CFP rankings and losses.
  • Specific college picks (Georgia, TCU, Nebraska) and NFL action (Saints, Seahawks).
  • Value of key numbers in betting and differences between market movement in spreads.
  • Shares a Sports Illustrated nostalgia story, reflecting on how SI covers shaped his childhood fandom.
    • “My room at home…the entire wall was wallpapered with Sports Illustrated covers.” – Jeff Ma, [45:21]

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7. Sports Illustrated Nostalgia

[44:48 – 47:30]

• The panel reminisces over the iconic status of SI covers and writers (Frank Deford, Dr. Z, George Plimpton’s Sid Finch story).
  • “That cover was gold...it’s total gold.” – Tony, [47:14]
• Discussion concludes with lamentations on the disappearing greatness of SI and major newspapers.

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8. Listener Mailbag & Lighthearted Closer

[47:47 – 59:17]

• Highlights include:
  • Canadian TV viewership stats for the World Series,
  • A listener’s four home-run-in-a-row story from Padres/Nats memory,
  • Potpourri of humorous listener submissions—from "secret" chocolate stashes to AI art renders of Tony,
  • Reflections on Michael Wilbon’s connections and ESPN email neglect,
  • Nostalgic notes on movies and books (Tom Robbins' Even Cowgirls Get the Blues).

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “What are you going to ask LSU to do? Not shoot?” – Tony Kornheiser, [01:50]
• “How stupid is Jordan Binnington? Everything’s on camera.” – Tony, [07:45]
• “He was going to steal the puck.” – Tony, [08:25]
• “Full disclosure, I fell asleep with eight minutes left in that game…my brain just shut off.” – Jason, [18:43]
• “They sort of exercise their demons on what's left of your football carcass.” – Jason, on the Lions post-loss performance, [24:44]
• “Kyler has issues seeing over line of scrimmage at times. Bad habits have really seeped in…” – Jason, [26:12]
• “That cover was gold. It’s total gold.” – Tony, on Sports Illustrated, [47:14]
• “My room…was wallpapered with Sports Illustrated covers.” – Jeff Ma, [45:21]
• [To listener who lost out on a big 'ladder' bet:] “No longer are they bound for the local community college to learn the art of tire retreading.” – Listener, [16:03]
• “I am hideous at this point in my life.” – Tony, riffing on AI-generated images of him, [50:20]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• [00:52] – LSU blowout win & "buy games" explained
• [05:35] – Ovechkin’s 900th goal and the puck incident
• [10:07] – Lost letter from 2020, nostalgia for paper correspondence
• [16:41] – Listener letter about gambling "ladders"
• [18:43] – Jason admits to falling asleep during the dull NFL game
• [19:15] – Key NFL game recaps & insights (Buffalo-KC, Carolina-GB, Minnesota-Detroit)
• [26:12] – Kyler Murray’s Arizona future & Brissette’s role
• [27:21] – Eagles’ trade deadline moves analysis
• [30:13] – Carville’s picks, Tony’s skepticism
• [35:24] – Jeff Ma recounts Sports Illustrated stories and picks
• [44:48] – Sports Illustrated nostalgia and reflections on journalism
• [47:47] – Listener mailbag, bagel ad, and closing banter

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Tone & Atmosphere

The episode captures the show’s trademark blend of thoughtful sports insight, intergenerational nostalgia, and good-natured banter. Tony’s storytelling and humor remain front-and-center, with regulars offering both analysis and personal color. Even as sports serve as the launching pad, the discussion freely ranges into reflections on media, cooking, and childhood memories, underscoring the show's "everything is on the table" ethos.

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Summary for New Listeners

This episode of The Tony Kornheiser Show is a classic sampler of everything the program does best: dissecting sports and culture, riffing on personal tales, and laughing with (and at) each other. Whether you’re here for the sharp NFL breakdowns and gambling advice or for the stories about decades-old letters and magazine covers, Tony and friends offer wit, wisdom, and fellowship—plus plenty that’ll keep you smiling even if you missed the live show.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey, it's Tony. On today's show, we will talk to Jason Locanfour about what we learned from last night's game, which was sort of dull. And we'll also talk to Jason about all the big moves made at the trade deadline. We'll get our weekly picks from James Carville and Jeff Ma. But first, let's keep the sales weasels happy. Previously on the Tony Kornheiser Show. What did we have last night? Tater tots. I haven't had them in so long. I ate about 30 of them. I took them from the kids. The kids turned around. I took them from the plates.

[Michael Wilbon]

I just love. I serve you dinner. And both items go. This is better than I thought it would be.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Better than I thought chicken burgers would be. Chicken burgers. The Tony Cornheiser show is on now.

[Jason Locanfour]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Tater Tots. Been a long time.

[Michael Wilbon]

Hey, Bootsy, look over there.

[Jason Locanfour]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Take my left hand. Just steal them from the plate. They're kids. They don't know the sleight of hand. They don't know the.

[Nigel]

Teach them a lesson.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right. I. I don't have much to open with today. I was just. I was watching. We record this in the morning, as people know. I was just watching the seven o' clock Sports center, and they showed, I don't know, a minute or two from the LSU Southeast Louisiana women's college basketball game. You say, well, why you. Why are they showing that and why are you talking about that? Because the score, the end of the game, the score was 115 to 26. It's 89 points. Southeast Louisiana did not have 10 points at the half. LSU won the national championship a couple of years ago. That's Kim Mulkey. I mean, she knows what she's doing. She's hall of Fame.

[Michael Wilbon]

Running clock in the second half.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Have to. I don't know. I mean, do you schedule that game? What is the point in state? I guess southeast Louisiana says we'd like the opportunity to play at lsu. It's going to get us a lot of money. You know, we're going to share the gate and we'll take the loss.

[Michael Wilbon]

But a great experience for the families.

[Tony Kornheiser]

89 points. 89 points. I mean, you know, I don't know how you feel about that if you're a coach of a team. And. And what are you going to ask LSU to do? Not shoot. Yeah.

[Nigel]

I mean, you can't.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I mean, they recruit the best women's players in the country. Southeast Louisiana apparently does not.

[Jason Locanfour]

No.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Just.

[Nigel]

What do you say at halftime, 89 points.

[Jason Locanfour]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So this gets me thinking. I'm going to. Michael and I and Michael's family are going to go on Wednesday evening to the Georgetown Binghamton game at. What do they call that? The Capital. What do they call it now?

[Nigel]

It's not Verizon.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's the MCI center now.

[Nigel]

MCI Center.

[Tony Kornheiser]

MCI Center. I don't know. Capital One Bank Building.

[Nigel]

We get our. Our investigative team.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I mean, I got to drink some water. Dead air. Kids get used to it. So we're going to that game. I don't know what the spread is, but Georgetown's going to win the game.

[Nigel]

Capital One Arena.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. So the Capital One guy will be there and Derek Jeter will be there.

[Jeff Ma]

And an astronaut will be there.

[Jason Locanfora]

We'll say hello to that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Georgetown's going to win the game. Georgetown's a much better team than Binghamton, and I don't know what the spread is. Binghamton played at Syracuse last week, lost the spread was like 26 and a half or something like that. Binghamton lost the game by 35. Why do you go? You go for the money. You go because if you play at Syracuse, if you play at Georgetown, if you play at some really big schools and you share the gate, whatever your percentage is, that's going to pay for your recruiting budget for the entire year. That's why smaller schools do this. I mean, Binghamton is in a low level D1 conference, the America east, which I love, but they can't be Georgetown. They can't beat Syracuse. But they're not going to lose by 89. Like that's not going to happen. Losing the 30s, maybe losing the 20s, maybe they're not going to lose by 89 points. I mean, I remember to this day of my life, a fifth grade basketball game that I was in where the people from my elementary school, the homeroom in my elementary school, which is how these things were divided, played against the people from the home room at the Franklin School. We had four elementary schools in a district. Hewlett, Woodmere, Ogden and Franklin. We lost 52 to nothing. I still remember this, 52 to nothing. JoJo Silverman, who was like, I don't.

[Michael Wilbon]

Know, he just kept shooting.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I should shot. I must have taken 10 shots, missed them all. We're in fifth grade, can't play. JoJo Silverman's five' 11 in fifth grade, so he gets every single rebound. Everybody else is 4ft tall. He gets every single rebound and makes all the points. Yeah, it makes all the points. It's okay, but I remember it to this day that we lost 52 to nothing. I don't know. 1, 115, 26. I don't know. I don't know what educational value that game has. I don't know if you're lsu. If. Do you rethink that. You say, you know, it's just, it's.

[Nigel]

There's maybe do something in the preseason, like let's have like a no point to this scrimmage.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But again, southeast Louisiana probably makes money. They schedule it. They know they're not going to win the game. But 89 points. Wow. Every once in a while you get a story that, that turns out to be a better story than you think on the PTI show. Better story than you think we were going to do. No matter what yesterday we were going to do Alexander ovechkin getting his 900th goal. You have to do that. Absolutely. Nobody has ever gotten 900 goals. Alexander Ovechkin last year passed Wayne Gretzky. This is Henry Aaron passing Babe Ruth. Now, nobody really believes that Henry Aaron was a better, a great baseball player. Not better than Babe Ruth. Babe Ruth's the greatest all time baseball player. Henry Aaron's not better than Babe Ruth. No one really believes or no one should really believe that Alexander Ovechkin is a better hockey player than Wayne Gretzky. He's not. He's not. Look at their assist totals. Look at their total point. No, he's not. Wayne Gretzky is the greatest player who ever lived. Alexander Ovechkin is the greatest goal scorer now who's ever lived. He's not the greatest player, but it's a singular achievement, Right, for Alexander Ovechkin. I mean, he's over nine. It's singular. He's over 900. Nobody else ever. I don't know if anybody else will. Maybe they will. I don't know, but nobody has. Okay? What makes the story better is the St. Louis goalie. Alexander. Alexander Ovechkin. As you're looking, you know, looking down the ice, consider the ice in front of you. Alexander Ovechkin hits a backhander from the right hand side. It has no angle to go in. It goes in. It's fabulous. If you watch Alexander Ovechkin for his whole career, he doesn't have that many backhand.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's deflected right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't even know if it was deflected. I think it went in clean.

[Michael Wilbon]

I think there's an assist on this that was part of the Argument that you might be getting to.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, so Alexander Ovechkin, his shot, he's the left hand side, 25 to 30ft out. He hits it 800 miles an hour. That's his shot. That's what he does. That's what we have seen 10,000 times. And we've seen it go in 900 times. So you're going to talk about this, but the goalie, Jordan Binnington, takes the puck out of the net and puts it down his pants, tucks it away. He puts it down his pants so that the linesman has to come over and say, could I have the puck, please? You know why they say, can I have the puck? Because no one's ever scored 900 before and the league wants the puck. The league wants to display it. The league wants to put it in the hall of Fame, and at some point Alexander Ovechkin will get it back. But that's. They have plans for this. You can't put it down your pants. You think no one would notice? You know, like a turtle.

[Michael Wilbon]

Is this like a baseball that's left the field? It can no longer be authenticated.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I, you know, I don't. Linesman says, give me the puck now. Yesterday, Jordan Bennington says I was going to give it back to him. Why would anyone believe that? But how stupid is Jordan Bennington? Everything's on camera. Yes, we all. I mean, what is this? Your homage to the people who robbed the Louvre that you think you're going to in plain sight, take this puck and stick it down your pants.

[Michael Wilbon]

Passcode, Louvre you.

[Jason Locanfour]

Yes.

[Nigel]

Can you believe that?

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, idiots.

[Michael Wilbon]

Just a factory setting.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Isn't that so weird? It is. I mean, do you believe him? Do you believe he was going to. Absolutely not.

[Michael Wilbon]

He was going to steal it. He wanted to display it at home.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He was going to steal the puck.

[Nigel]

He could. I just thought of this. What if he, you know, he pulls some sleight of hand? He already had a puck stowed away back there, knowing, yeah, he's going to get nine. He's going to get the nine tonight. So he tucks the real puck. That's right. And when they say, oh, can we have that back? He gives him the other one.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, he could do that. Oh, he could do that. Now, I don't know how you authenticate.

[Nigel]

I don't think I can.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't know how that works. They all look the same, the pucks, but it's not like a baseball where, where there would be a mark where the ball was hit. Yeah, you know and if you handed somebody a clean baseball and they just hit the 700, he's got a couple.

[Michael Wilbon]

Of game worn pucks down there, you.

[Nigel]

Know, maybe, but there's zero chance that he's telling the truth there.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I, I don't think he will thought he was telling the truth.

[Jason Locanfora]

I don't know.

[Michael Wilbon]

So do you think he plan this before the game or just real time? He goes taking the puck.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I think at 8.99, you think to yourself, well, if he gets it off me, I want the puck.

[Nigel]

I'll just sort of stick it in my pocket.

[Michael Wilbon]

He jokes he's got the assist on the play.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So is that what he says?

[Michael Wilbon]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, okay. Did, did it bounce off? I didn't think it bounced off.

[Jason Locanfora]

I didn't.

[Michael Wilbon]

I mean, I didn't see it live. I've just, I've heard the story after the fact because it's made the rounds.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Jordan Bennington. I mean really, it's, it's televised. Part of history. Yeah, really. You see, you think you're getting away with this one. What are you doing?

[Nigel]

It's like these morons that, you know, the porch pirates that come up and there's, there's ring cameras. There's cameras everywhere.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right.

[Nigel]

And now my favorite thing, I guess I've been doing this for a while, is they rig these. The homeowners will rig packages with dye explosives. So you see these people trying to grab it and as they're getting into the car, it explodes and covers them in blue or red dye.

[Michael Wilbon]

And it's like, it's like the old department store trick.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I guess that's fair. I guess that's fair. Don't steal it.

[Nigel]

Then you won't have to deal with that. But everything's televised. Everything's on camera.

[Tony Kornheiser]

One other small note. I went into the office the other day and I was looking through, there was some stuff on my desk. It buried under other stuff on my desk. And I saw an envelope.

[Nigel]

Van Pelt.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, it's, it's mine. I saw an envelope. It was addressed to Mr. Michael Kornheiser and care of Mr. Tony Kornheiser. The ABC news bureau on Desale Street. I hadn't seen it before, didn't know what it was.

[Michael Wilbon]

Sounds like you're taking my mail.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I opened it up. Well, now you're opening my mail. Yeah, I brought it home.

[Nigel]

Felony for you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It is addressed on September 30, 2020.

[Nigel]

This five years pre pandemic.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I never saw it. Now the pandemic is, is ongoing. At that point.

[Jeff Ma]

Yeah, we're.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It started in March.

[Nigel]

Oh, that's right, it did. Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But I hadn't seen this. It's a very lovely letter from a doctor, Dr. Steven Landay in Gainesville, Florida. He was a listener then. I don't know if he's still a listener. I'm not going to go into the details of the note. Michael and I have.

[Nigel]

Dear Michael, it's urgent you respond to me immediately.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, it's not. It's. No, it's nothing like that. It's a very thoughtful note about writing. It's. It's very, very nice. But I had never seen it. It's 2020. I'd never seen it. You know, I mean, there's stuff on my desk. Right. There's candy on my desk and there's junk on my desk and water bottles on my desk and books and notes and I'd never seen it. I feel it, you know, I have an awkward feeling about it. Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

Because you would like to address having received this. And we, we've been in your office as well.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We've.

[Michael Wilbon]

We've sat at that desk. The kids have sat at that desk.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And it was under 3, 4, 5, 10 others. Who knows? Who knows? Every time I go in there, I see something that I don't think I've ever seen.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's also the power of receiving something. This is a typed out letter, but it's, it's.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They're long or three pages.

[Michael Wilbon]

Beautifully formatted. It's written well. It is. It has pacing to it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, yeah. 20, 20. You know, I don't know. All right, we will take a break. Jason Lock and Fora when we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser. This is the Tony Korniser Show. Fall cooking season is the best. Cozy nights, football on in the background, something sizzling on the grill or roasting in the oven. But between busy weeknights and tailgating weekends, finding time to make a really great meal can be tough. That's why Omaha Steaks is a total game changer. You'll want to stock up on their fall favorites. Some perfectly marbled ribeyes, juicy burgers, or a batch of their chicken wings for tailgates. Everything arrived frozen, neatly packed, ready to cook. Just throw the steaks on the grill and honestly, I think you'll find that they will be some of the most tender, flavorful cuts you ever have. Buttery, juicy, perfectly aged. And having them right in your freezer means you can pull together an incredible meal any night of the week. No grocery Store run required. Omaha Steaks deliver heartland quality food right to your door. USDA certified tender steaks, burgers, seafood, even comfort meals and desserts. Every bite is backed by their 100% money back guarantee. And they've been America's original butcher since 1917. Bring home the legendary flavor and everyday convenience of omaha steaks. Visit omaha steaks.com for 50% off site wide during their semi annual sale. And for an extra $35 off, use the promo code Tony at checkout. That's 50% off@omaha steaks.com and an extra $35 off with promo code Tony at checkout. Terms apply. See site for details. I need. We need to consult our grilling officer here. Yes. Do you concur that fall cooking season is the best?

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, I love it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Do you? Is that something?

[Michael Wilbon]

Well, you're still holding on to the summer, so you still got the grills fired up, but now you're beginning to think about those stews, those roasts that you're talking about, Like.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. So I've had Omaha Steaks over the course of the last 15 or 20 years. I like them.

[Jason Locanfour]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I like them. In fact, I have. What I use as a seasoning on anything I cook is an Omaha steak seasoning.

[Nigel]

Really?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. A lot of pepper. I don't know that it's a lot. It tastes fine to me.

[Jason Locanfour]

Garlic.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I've changed how I cook. I still use time.

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, you use the timer?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I use timers. I'm not like Michael, who doesn't use timers and uses a thermometer. I don't do that.

[Michael Wilbon]

The day starts with the decision as to what you should defrost for that evening's dinner.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. But what I, what I do now is I only put seasoning on one side. I put it on the first side that's going to go on the grill.

[Nigel]

Okay.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And I don't do it on both sides.

[Jason Locanfora]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

I mean, there's two theories as to whether you season early or when you want to season later, even after you cook. So depending on what some of the granules are in that seasoning, some of them will burn if you put them over high heat.

[Jeff Ma]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I don't know what I'm doing. I mean, it tastes fine. My food tastes fine to me.

[Nigel]

That's all that matters.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It might not taste fine to someone who was a good cook, but it tastes fine to me. So I'm happy with that. So Omaha Steaks, this is the Tony Kornheiser show. This is midlife crisis. It's a band.

[Jeff Ma]

We played a lot.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We like this band. Oh yeah, this is a rock and roll band.

[Nigel]

Some rock and roll kids.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is a song called There goes your life. Where are they from? Midlife crisis. Are they local for us?

[Nigel]

I'll have to check on it. I think they are.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, we like them. They play in Jason Locke and Fora and I will read this. I hope you'll pass along my and my kids gratitude to Jason Locanfura for the largesse he has bestowed upon our family's future. In a recent episode of Wanna Bet, Jason expanded my gambling horizons when he discussed the concept of ladders. Archimedes could not have been as thunderstruck as when he sloshed into the tub as I was while listening to Jason. Immediately I set to work on constructing ladders from Mondays Commies Chiefs game using some of the chestnuts Jason and Beltway Ben hall shared on their show, starting with Patrick mahomes passing yards, TDs and completions. The piece de resistance was a seven leg monstrosity that crashed when Rashi Rice tumbled into the end zone in the fourth quarter. Of course, several of my smaller ladders cash too. Cashed. Rather not cashed, not crashed.

[Jason Locanfora]

Cashed.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I yelped so loudly that the cat bolted under the couch and my wife and kids awoke and ran into the living room to check on me. I bit my quivering lower lip and choked back tears as I considered that maybe there was hope for my daughter's respective educational futures after all. Thanks to Jason and Ben, no longer they bound for the local community college to learn the art of tire retreading. No, their dear Pops may be able to spring for bona fide state university education so long as their ambitions don't take them beyond the South Carolina borders. Extra Special TK salutes to Jason and Ben from Evie, Lucy and Charlie from John Sulau in Greenville, South Carolina. That must make you feel good, right?

[Jason Locanfora]

It makes me feel great. And tone. What it really makes me think is I hope he did not watch yesterday's show because the primetime game last night was would not have been nearly as beneficial to his children's educational future. So, you know, nobody backed a thousand. We are totally transparent at wannabet. And yes, we have been smashing primetime standalone NFL windows until last night.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So you took Denver last night?

[Jason Locanfora]

Well, I mean, look, I also faded the Raiders. I mean, I had the Raiders team total in the teens. I had Gino to throw a pick. But we also felt Bowers would get at least some action. And so in order to get a Decent plus money return on my sort of Raiders fade plays. I had Bowers to get four catches, which he had done in every game all season. He didn't even get four targets in that leap.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Show well, Gino. I'm. Gino was sacked 300 times.

[Jason Locanfora]

Yeah, which I thought. But you know, there's this concept of hots and getting the ball out quickly and when you've got like a 6 foot 7 freakazoid who's got the biggest in the league, he's great. Think he might get looked at on some quick hitters in the slot. Turn around and you know, wave your hands to the quarterback kind of stuff. But. And Mayor, the other tight end got a little bit of that. But yeah, that was. Look, Chip Kelly is not an NFL offensive coordinator. The Broncos offense, even against a defense as limited as the Raiders. And remember, the Raiders defense had just been on the field for 43 minutes against the Jags. They played 77 defensive plays in that game. That basically filled the entire overtime. It was basically, you know, a five quarter game. And then they have to go to Denver, you know, on the road in altitude. We thought it would be a bounce back spot for Bo Nix and you know, some elements of Denver's offense and it just, it just was not. I mean, full disclosure, I fell asleep with eight minutes left in that game. I mean, my, my brain just shut off.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It lasted much longer than I did.

[Jason Locanfora]

Any more horse crap football. Like it just, it was not shut.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Down, not fun to watch. So I stopped watching it. And so you've now answered the, the archetypal first question. What, if anything, did we learn from last night's game? And then I have three more games from last week. What, if anything, did we learn? I'm gonna give you all three. From Buffalo, Kansas City, from Carolina, Green Bay, and from Minnesota, Detroit. Those were standout games, it seemed to me. What take you in any order you want. What did we learn anything from those games?

[Jason Locanfora]

I think we learned in the Buffalo game that, I mean, they had a pass rush. Now is that sustainable? Was that their Super Bowl? Is that group good enough and deep enough to bring it every week? I mean, there's a lot of evidence to say maybe not now. They're also not going to be able to win that division going away like most years, you know, and just kind of gear up for the playoffs because New England's going to push them and New England might force them to a wild card situation. And if that's the case and they've got to go on the road for all their playoff games.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You believe in New England? You believe in New England.

[Jason Locanfora]

I know that they've got a one game lead over them already.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right.

[Jason Locanfora]

I know they play the easiest schedule in the NFL. I mean, their opponents at this point have a winning percentage of 3,357 and it doesn't get that much better in the second half. And the worst they can do is split with Buffalo. And Buffalo is playing a first place schedule. So yes, I mean, that's enough variance there for me to think that's at least a battle to the end and that's going to force Buffalo to sprint more than they're used to the entire way. So I just don't know about that being a playoff defense now. It bowed up and it certainly was. And they got the job done with the Chiefs. But we've seen that play before, Tone.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. Regular season, postseason. That's right. Yeah, that's right.

[Jason Locanfora]

So I don't want to go crazy with that one. Carolina. Here's what I'll say about Carolina. The quarterback has covered 13 of the last 17 games. He started to, so that's a big number for us. I want to bet like he's kept them in games and now they're starting to win games and what they, what they couldn't do was win on the road. And they won on the road in Lamb. When Rico Dowdle runs the ball at least 10 times for the Carolina Panthers, they're 6, 0. Like, think about that. That's a team that didn't win six games in three years. That's like they finally changed the guard in that game and said, you know what, we've been trying this Chuba hubber thing and you know, we really like him and he was our best player last year and did we mention we really like him? But that was the first game where he, where Dowdle didn't have to fight for his carries and his timeshare with a healthy Hubbard, you know, because he was getting it when Hubbard was out. And then Hubbard came back and they started, you know, sort of Genu flecking to him. They force fed Dowdle and I think that's their offense. I mean, I think that's what they have to be. They're like a quasi viable team. Like they can hang with people at home. It's a good offensive line. None of those guys are going to go to, you know, are going to be first team all pro, but they, they play incredibly well together. I mean, there's a lot of flawed teams out there and they're not nearly as flawed as most. And what it says to me about Green base, there's something going on between LaFleur and that quarterback. There's a disconnect there somewhere. That offense should not be this prone to these incredibly long, you know, these just malaises that, that go on for half a football game every week, whether it's the first half or the second half. And I don't know how they course correct that because we're pretty deep into a season. Halfway through, I'm concerned.

[Jeff Ma]

I'm.

[Jason Locanfora]

I'm concerned about. I think Green Bay's defense is pretty damn good. I am concerned about Green Bay's offense. And you can only, you know, they already ask a lot out of Josh Jacobs. I don't know that they can just default to, you know, more Jacobs. Like, I think they better figure some things out in their past game and now they're going to have to do it without craft.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Great tight end.

[Jason Locanfora]

Is that a third? There was a third game.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, yeah. Minnesota, Detroit.

[Jason Locanfour]

Look.

[Jason Locanfora]

This quarterback for Minnesota is a little. He's a little goofy. He's a little amped up. He's certainly a little naive, but he's pretty intense and they seem to be responding to him. They got Van Genko back on defense. I think that's a really big deal for them. They're going to blitz a lot. When you blitz a lot and you're not getting home enough, it's a problem.

[Jason Locanfour]

You.

[Jason Locanfora]

He helps them get home. I feel like they've realigned their defense a little bit and like they're in the thick of it, man. And they've got a legitimate home field advantage. And, you know, could. Could that quarterback have played a week or two sooner? I mean, probably, but o' Connell's pretty good at this. And while it looked ugly to all of us watching, and certainly was ugly for Carson Wentz, getting just pounded on a Thursday night game that effectively ended the season, maybe his Vikings career. He held that quarterback back for a reason. And he's got limitations and he's got.

[Jeff Ma]

To learn to throw the ball with.

[Jason Locanfora]

More air under it and more arc. But he's kind of like. I've come to think he's a bit of a gamer. And I think they're going to stay in games. I think they're going to make it interesting and tough on the Ravens this week. You know, as for Detroit, nobody thought they were going to have a letdown like that, including Dan Campbell. It was a divisional game. Yeah, maybe they came in a little Too cocky. I cannot believe that the new offensive coordinator there in golf could not adjust to it. They've seen that scheme before. They've played, they play Flores's blitz, you know, blitz, crazy defense all the time. And they've generally shredded it, especially at home. What I think it means is real bad news for the commanders Tone, because I think Dan Campbell, you know, he, he, he's not one to take his foot off the gas.

[Jason Locanfour]

No.

[Tony Kornheiser]

When they, after they lose, they pound the next team.

[Jason Locanfora]

Well, they've gone 12 straight times without losing and they've covered those games and they've covered those games like crazy because to your point, they sort of exercise their demons on what's left of your football carcass. So. And the numbers in that game are indicative of a beat down, but I think it's going to be beat down.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, do you want to talk about the Cardinals choosing Jacoby Brissette and then putting Kyler Murray on injured reserve? I mean, does, is this the end for Kyla Murray there? Is it over?

[Jason Locanfora]

Oh, I think it's gotta be. And look, I don't know that Jacoby Brissette could do this for eight more weeks because at this stage of his career he's a guy who can hold like Flacco. They'll be, you know, six weeks that are really good. Five to six weeks. There'll be a couple of weeks that are mid league and if you extend it past that break point, you're going to get the more he gets hit and the lack of sort of athleticism at this stage of his career and all that stuff as that sort of accumulates, you get diminishing returns. But what it says is they run a real offense with Jacoby Brissette that there are, you know, you know what you're going to get through a week of practice and he's going to read the field the way he's instructed to read the field. And the guys running the secondary route and the third route know that if the first guy isn't open that they're going to get a chance because plan B isn't going to be just holding the ball forever and run around.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right.

[Jason Locanfora]

Run around for eight seconds.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right.

[Jason Locanfora]

It was open then. Like it's not going to be that. And the Kyler is a big part of the reason that Harrison's development has been stunted. I think Kyler is a big part of the reason how somehow McBride had 5,000 targets last year and couldn't score a touchdown. You cannot tell me that they were not scheming player to play after play where McBride was fairly open and McBride was fairly open early enough in that route to get the look. I do think Kyler has issues seeing over line of scrimmage at times. I think bad habits have really seeped in and he went so long without anybody really holding him in check that I don't know that they can fix it or certainly fix it there. And this has to be eye opening for him and it's certainly eye opening for the people who pay his checks. But for. For the good of that defense that has been fighting and is pretty good and I thought would shut Dallas down for the most part. They need to have viable quarterback play and they need to have a sustained offense and people need to feel like I'm not just waiting for the inevitable scramble.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, that's fine. All right, before you go, give me one move in the trade deadline that you think is important.

[Jason Locanfora]

I mean, I think what the Eagles did collectively has a chance bringing the players in.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Jason Locanfora]

And they're. You know, he made for it. Basically made four trades in season, which is record setting. And they're not all going to be huge. But I think Jalen Phillips with a guy in Fangio who's already familiar with him, at the same time they're getting guys healthy in their front seven, I think has a chance. I mean they had to get one more edge presence. And the fact that that kid can also run inside and he's got a different sort of body type from your normal inside pass rusher, I think that's going to be really interesting.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Jason Locanfora]

Toy for them to play off. I think what they. To play with. I think what they did in their totality and just the serendipitous element of it that they're coming off a pie.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Jason Locanfora]

So you've got. You've had a time to prepare. It's perfect timing to get people wrapped back into your program. I think we'll look back and say how he helped the culture and the roster of his football team again and he fortified them for what could be another really long playoff run.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And we'll see him against Green Bay and that will. That will give us a. Yeah, I think first game, plug one a bet for us.

[Jason Locanfora]

I can't do any better than my friend and his daughters and his cat. I'm just going to. Again, I'm an honest, transparent guy. That's not going to happen all the time, but we have had our fair share of three lobster nights. If you're into sports wagering at all. Give us 25 minutes a day. You can get us an audio form on Spotify, Apple podcasts, you can watch the show on YouTube and Twitter. And your entree, point to all that would be warnabet with us.com and you'll be able to get to us any way you want there. So we appreciate, we appreciate your patronage and give our best to lady Liberty. Statue of Liberty. She looks a little cold.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, she could use a hoodie.

[Jason Locanfora]

That's what the people are saying.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I know. Thank you, Jason.

[Jason Locanfora]

Look snug for the winter in that hoodie. Thank you, gentlemen. Bye bye.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Jason Locanfora boys and girls is just fabulous. James Carville and Jeff Ma make picks when we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Nigel]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The news is out.

[Jason Locanfour]

All over town that you've been seen for running around.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I understand why people love Penk Williams. Yeah, I mean he can sing.

[Jason Locanfour]

I just can't go.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You win again. That's James Carville's walk up music. Hank Williams and you win again. And this week's picks with James Carville and Jeff Ma are brought to you by fanduel Sportsbook. Make every moment more. But the picks aren't with James Carville and Jeff Ma. They're with Jeff Ma. We'll get to Jeff Ma in a second. But they're not with James. James is out in the west and he could not. He sent us his stuff. Yes. Okay. Last night. Right. So it's okay. And we're going to get to all of his things.

[Michael Wilbon]

We check the lines.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But yes. All right.

[Nigel]

They're fairly accurate.

[Tony Kornheiser]

James did not have a great week last week. James was 2 and 3. He lost his double play betting on Houston and he got hosed. I mean, C.J. stroud had a concussion.

[Nigel]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

In the second quarter and that wasn't the same Houston team. But that, you know, that's what happened.

[Nigel]

Those are the breaks.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's what B's, as we used to say a long time ago. So he was 2, 3 and 1. He's 28, 24 and 2 overall, which is fine. You're making money.

[Nigel]

He's still doing great.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Here are his picks and I'm, I'm going to be skeptical about a couple of them. Me personally, I'm going to be skeptical. He's picking the Navy. Notre Dame game. He's taking Notre Dame. It's at Notre Dame. Notre Dame's giving 26 and a half points. Navy is not in Notre Dame's league. But Navy plays Notre Dame every year and has some reasonable expectation of how it's going to go. And I believe Navy only has one loss this year. Do you have a record on Navy?

[Nigel]

Yeah, let me look that up real quick.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, 26 and a half. I mean, this is not LSU against Southeast Louisiana in basketball. That's just a lot of points. 26, 7 and 1. There you go, 7 and 1. I mean, come on. He's picking Notre Dame. He found a game that none of us knew existed. Sam Houston at Oregon State. Oregon State earlier this year fired its coach, not coincidentally, when James picked them to win a game, they didn't win the game.

[Nigel]

Kiss of death.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Sam Houston is getting 19 and a half and James says, give it, give it. Take Oregon State at 19 and a half. Okay, now he's got a game that we've heard of. That's BYU at Texas Tech. That's the number seven and number eight teams in the country on the, you know, committee poll. Two teams in the Big 12, one of whom will probably get into the tournament. The other, I don't know. Maybe. I don't know. BYU is getting 10. BYU is undefeated. Right. Are they undefeated or they have one loss? They're getting 10 at Texas Tech. And James says take the home team, as he said about Notre Dame and Oregon State. He says take Texas Tech against an undefeated team and give 10. Then he has three picks in the pros. One is the Browns and Jets. He wants the over. It's a small number, 37 and a half. But the Browns and Jets don't score at all. Males score.

[Nigel]

Not with Flacco.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They have no offense. The Browns and the Jets, 37 and a half. He says go over on that. In the first half of the Raiders against Minnesota.

[Nigel]

Ravens.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Ravens, rather the Ravens again. Yeah, the Raiders played last night in the first half, the Ravens against Minnesota. Minnesota, which just won last week in a big upset. Ravens won also. He says, go Ravens minus two and a half just for the first half. So he expects the Ravens to be leading by at least three in the first half. And then he's got the Arizona Cardinals plus seven over the Seahawks at Seattle. The Seahawks are very good. They just added a high quality receiver. And the Raven, the Cardinals are, you know, they don't have their first string quarterback and they've gone to Jacoby Brissette and he's a fine guy and all of that, but I, I think I would take the Seahawks. I think I would go opposite James in like four of These games, right? Four of these games. Anyway, those are James's picks. And now, now we can go to Jeff Ma. And so, boom. Jeff Ma. Okay, we're going to bring on Jeff Ma now, for purposes of complete honesty, we're taping this. When you hear this, it will have been taped on Thursday evening. It's easier for Jeff being in California. Before we get to Jeff's picks, do you want to tell the Shadow Creek story? Do you want to tell that story?

[Jeff Ma]

Yeah. I mean, obviously, yes. Last week you had me on at 5:30am So I wasn't my sharpest self, but I forgot to mention. So, you know, I had to leave this event a little bit early. And with that, I was getting an Uber from the course directly to the airport. And of course, like as I mentioned, they don't let outside cars drive onto the property, so someone had to drive me in a golf cart down to the front gates to meet my Uber. And as I'm getting to the car, the driver, who's one of the, you know, Shadow Creek security members, says to me, says, so you're going on with Tony tomorrow? I said, yeah, playing golf today. So I can't do it because I listen to you every week. That's, you know, like, you know, when I saw your name on the T sheet, I was really excited to talk to you about it. So the reach is everywhere, Tony.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's fantastic, because I got a call.

[Michael Wilbon]

Half clubs will travel.

[Tony Kornheiser]

After the show went on, I got a call from the socialite Alan Bubis, who was on his way to Shadow Creek to play that day, the next day. So, you know, everything coalesces at some point. Let's talk about before we get to your picks. You had a good week, by the way. You were 4 and 1, and so you're 26 and 21 overall, which is very, very good at this point there. I don't really understand the concept of future bets, but I take it that they are changeable almost every day, almost every week. Are you noticing anything now that they finally had the first bit of rankings from the committee, though? That will change. In college football. Are you noticing any bets that surprise you, future bets or anything on the super bowl at this point, halfway through the regular season, that surprises you?

[Jeff Ma]

I mean, on the college side, I mean, who would you guess is the number one? I mean, we would say Ohio State.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Jeff Ma]

They are roughly 2 to 1 favorites, so it's very well aligned with what the rankings are. What's interesting is, you know, you would think that we've Talked about this Indiana team on the podcast all year. They are actually almost five to one, four and a half to one, but they're the number two team. So not only are the, you know, the rankings reflecting that they're very good and have a legitimate shot, but the people that vote with their money, that is the gamblers, agree. And then, you know, rounding out that ranking, you see Alabama sort of seven to one.

[Jason Locanfora]

You see.

[Jeff Ma]

Let'S see, Texas A&M at nine to one. So Alabama is higher than A and M, even though the rankings would reflect that A and M is higher. And so, you know, again, this is people betting on who will win. It's not people trying to mimic what the committee is doing. And what's interesting is I think, I don't know, maybe like four weeks ago we talked about the process. I think Indiana was still at 40 to 1. So they, in the last few weeks have really come in a lot. Similarly, Adam's come in a lot. And so, you know, you see this. Now the interesting thing about these markets is since they are not two way markets, they are, you know, you don't get the most efficient market, but you will see changes. And even a team like Texas Tech we've been talking about since the beginning of the year, who started the season close to 80 to 1, are now 16 to 1. Does this mean anything to you, Tony, or am I speaking?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, what's interesting to me is because it is changeable at all times. If Texas Tech were to lose to BYU this weekend, they're going back up to 100 to 1, right? I mean, probably not.

[Jeff Ma]

Probably not 101 because there's still a chance that they could make, I think the playoffs. I mean, BYU just from, from a, from a comparison standpoint, they are 125 to 1.

[Tony Kornheiser]

See, you know, to me, one of the things that the rankings showed to me was a complete lack of regard for the ACC, which means they will only get one team. My suspicion is that the Big 12 may only get one team, that there's going to be a preponderance of teams from the SEC and the Big Ten. So if I was going to bet, I mean, I would try to keep that in mind. I would think that, you know, maybe Ole Miss or some team like that that you could get for a good price. All you have to do is get into the playoff. And it's harder from certain conferences than others, right?

[Jeff Ma]

Yeah, I think that's reflected in the odds. That's why you see like a B way. I mean, to Your point. Ole miss is 18 to 1 right now. And you know, when we talked about this at the beginning of the year, we said that this was an interesting year because 1 through 12, 12 was pretty even.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Jeff Ma]

Meaning there's only about seven points between 1 through 12 from a ranking persp. And so, you know, a lot of those teams. And so my theory was let's, let's buy up a lot of those 12, 11 through 15 teams and hope. And again, the only team from that top echelon that's really stayed up there is Ohio State. Everyone else has somewhat faltered. So it'll be interesting to see how State runs through this again this year like chalk. Otherwise, I think we're going to have some pretty interesting things to look at from a future perspective.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, so tell me who you got this week. You've been doing well with college games. Who you got this week?

[Jeff Ma]

Yeah, I'm college. I'm gonna do three picks. We gave these out with Rufus yesterday on, on bet, the process. But like anything, you know the, the impact of some of these things, you know, when you, when you release them on a podcast that we, we joke seven people listen to, somehow it influences the market. And we released Georgia at minus eight over Mississippi State. They're now nine and a half. But I still like Georgia minus the nine and a half. And we talked about TCU minus six and a half over Iowa State. They're now up to seven. But I'd still take TCU at minus.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Seven over Iowa State.

[Jeff Ma]

Over Iowa State. Yeah. And then an interesting one is this Nebraska game against ucla. You know, it's, it's. UCLA is favored by one and a half. It's, it's obviously because Raiola's out, they're starting quarterback Nebraska.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Jeff Ma]

You know, the look ahead line on this was four and a half. I think that would have been tremendous value on Nebraska. And you know, if you look at something like SP plus, like a ranking system, it says the Nebraska, we should be favored by double digits.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Really?

[Jeff Ma]

So you're basically trying to figure out like how much. No, no, that's, that's with. With. That's with rail.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, with Rayleigh.

[Jeff Ma]

Figure out what the value of that quarterback, the replacement quarterback being. And I can't believe that it's more than four or five or six points. You know, like. So again, like I'm gonna take a breath look at plus the one and a half and believe that that quarterback difference is not, you know, 10 points.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I have a philosophical question for you, although it will sound Practical. If you took Georgia at minus eight and it went up to nine and a half, perhaps because of your podcast, do you get stuck with nine and a half? If you took TCU at minus six and a half and it went up to seven, that's less dramatic. The Georgia thing is a dramatic move, is it not?

[Jeff Ma]

Well, it's interesting that you say that, because I would say six and a half to seven is probably the same, if not more dramatic than eight to nine and a half, because, you know, nine is a relatively dead number. Meaning it's probably not. Eight and nine are relatively dead numbers.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Jeff Ma]

Seven and ten are key numbers.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right.

[Jeff Ma]

And in terms of being stuck when. When you bet, you bet, you get that number. It doesn't matter what happens with the market. It's not like a paramutual.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. All right. Okay. What else you got? What NFL games do you have?

[Jeff Ma]

We're going to move to the NFL. We're going to take the Saints.

[Jason Locanfour]

What.

[Jeff Ma]

What do you guys have on that, Nigel?

[Nigel]

I've got the Saints getting five and a half at Carolina.

[Jeff Ma]

Okay, I'll take the five and a half. I think it was six earlier. I wish it was six still, but I'll take the five and a half.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, if it was, Carville would take six and a half.

[Nigel]

We'll give you six.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We'll give you six.

[Jason Locanfora]

All right.

[Jeff Ma]

There we go. You know, there's a website out there that's tracking these picks now, by the way.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, I had no idea.

[Jeff Ma]

Yeah, there's like a cottage industry that people are building on top of the 20 Cornhouse show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

God. Oh, God. All right, you're going to take New Orleans. New Orleans. Terrible. You know that they're terrible.

[Jeff Ma]

Yeah. I mean, is Carolina that great?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I mean, Carolina is suddenly. I will just say this, Carolina is suddenly 5 and 4. They actually went to Lambeau and beat the packers. And Bryce Young is 40 in his last four starts. So it feels like even though I think they stink, that something good is happening there.

[Jeff Ma]

Yeah, well, you try to. You try to buy the bottom and sell the top.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right?

[Jeff Ma]

Selling the top and buying the bottom. So maybe there's some value here. I mean, obviously you get a rookie quarterback for New Orleans, so that's a little worrisome. But, you know, I'm going to take the Saints plus the five and a half.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, we give you six.

[Jeff Ma]

Six and a half.

[Jason Locanfora]

Six, Six. Six. Sorry. Thank you.

[Jeff Ma]

I'm going to take Seattle minus the six and a half over Arizona. We were going to talk a little bit about The NFL futures, Seattle, some A team we mentioned two weeks ago and about the process Rufus and I went through for, you know, probably 10 minutes, like me not understanding why he had Seattle ranked so high, so far off the market. And it does seem like Seattle, after the last two weeks, is really emerged as a dark horse candidate in the NFC. And, you know, they went from being like 30 to 1 now to being like 11 to 1 to win the Super Bowl. So I'm going to take them minus the six and a half over an Arizona team where all of a sudden they're. They're good because Jacoby Brissette is good. But I think we have a long, long history of Jacoby Brissette not being very good.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, they're in. They're in a bad way because it appears that Kyler Murray has no future there whatsoever. And on the other side, Sam Darnold is proving that the first 14 games last year were closer to what he was than the last two games were last year. I mean, Sam Darnold's been good. He's been really good.

[Jason Locanfora]

Really very good.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okie dokie. And these are all of them. Five of them were good.

[Jeff Ma]

Yeah. These rounds. Tony, can I say one thing? You did that really great interview about Sports Illustrated.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Larry Keith and.

[Jeff Ma]

Yeah, yeah. And, you know, I. I grew up in the Sports Illustrated era. Like, I was, you know, born in 73. My room at home, the entire wall was wallpapered with Sports Illustrated covers. Yeah, I would basically just put them up every time I got a new one that I really liked and replaced them. And my, My closet was stacks and stacks of Sports Illustrated magazines. And that was. That was the way I became a sports fan.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Did you have any particular writers that you. You liked the most?

[Jeff Ma]

I mean, I like them. I like Dr. Z, you know, Patrick.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, all of that.

[Jeff Ma]

Like Frank Deford, obviously, like the Sid Finch, like, that's a legend. Like, someone should just do a whole podcast dedicated to telling that story and how amazing it was, you know, in that there was like a subtitle to that article where if you looked at the first letter of each word, it was happy April Fool's Day.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I mean, it is to me. And I consumed voraciously Sports Illustrated. That is the seminal story from Sports Illustrated. To me. I mean, I don't think people would understand this. George Plimpton was a tremendous writer, and he was not. He had done this book, you probably remember this Jeff called Paper lion, where he tried out for the Lions, but he made his living as a serious Writer and was not on staff or anything like that. So the notion that George Plimpton would write this drew, you know, the entire literary crowd to look at it. It's really great. It was just a great, great magazine and like, great, great newspapers. They're all gone. They're basically all gone. The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post. But they're not the same as they were. They're not.

[Jason Locanfora]

Well, the, the. The.

[Jeff Ma]

The thing that was interesting is you asked me about writers and obviously, like, I was young when I was doing it, so I don't necessarily remember all the writers, but I can actually, like, literally name you and describe to you covers.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Jeff Ma]

Like, there's one where Ralph Sampson looks like he is about to slam the ball on the top of the rim. You know, I mean. Sorry. On the top of the backboard. You know that, like, I remember there's a great one with Magic and with Bird.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Jeff Ma]

It's just like I can remember these things like they were yesterday.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I didn't ask Larry this. I probably should have. I mean, what was the pressure? Like if you were the managing editor, how many lawyers and agents and PR people were calling you and trying to pitch you for a cover? Right. Because that cover was gold. It's total gold.

[Jeff Ma]

It was the best. It was the best.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thank you, Jeff. We'll talk next week.

[Jeff Ma]

Thanks, Tony.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Jeff Mobb, boys and girls, this week's picks with James Carville and Jeff Mobb and brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. Make every moment more and we will come back with email and jingle. And I'm Tony Kornheiser. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show.

[Jason Locanfour]

Well, here comes Tony's mail back. We got your emails, your faxes and your notes. It's time for Tony's ma. We're gonna read south.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All you folks, that's John Ross. Very lovely. Thank you very much. You want to do the Bethesda bagel ad?

[Nigel]

Hot bagels today. Fresh out of the oven. Yes, hot, said Nigel. You need to wait a minute. They're just about to come out of the oven.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They're good.

[Nigel]

Very. This is the kind of things you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Can eat them all.

[Michael Wilbon]

The pride when you walked in.

[Nigel]

Yes, very nice.

[Michael Wilbon]

Separate the smoked fish and the cream cheese, right?

[Nigel]

Yeah, we got. Keep them separate so they don't melt. But yeah, you can get all these great things. Just go to Bethesda Bagels.com for the location in the DC area nearest you. Then pop on it and you'll be thrilled. And if I could. I just want to give a shout out and a Special thanks to Dr. Barth, who did a great job. I had some very minor surgery on my thumb earlier this week.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Blister on your thumb? That ain't working. That's the way you do it.

[Nigel]

Your money for nothing and your chips for free. But yes, it looks like I'm perpetually hitchhiking, but thank you, Doc, and all the great nurses there at the Bethesda surgery.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It was a novel written by Tom Robbins, I think, about a girl who had gigantic thumbs. It's a very famous counterculture novel that everybody has read. I've read too, and it's. I'm just blanking on the title because I haven't thought about it and. I don't know. 50 years.

[Michael Wilbon]

Even cowgirls get the Blues.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, even cowgirls get the Blues. Her name is Sissy, I believe. Yeah. And she has gigantic thumbs, just so you know.

[Michael Wilbon]

Turned into a 1993 film with Uma Thurman.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I didn't know that. When was the book released, though? It had to be in the early stage.

[Michael Wilbon]

1976.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. Yeah, I'm saying that it's. Okay. 50 years. Before we get to the mailbag, let me just say. Pretty woman walking down the street Pretty woman, the kind I'd like to meet Pretty woman I don't believe you, you're not the truth no one could look as good as you. Mercy Roy Ooby Doobie over Orbison. Thanks to our guests today. Jason Lakin fora. James Carville. Kind of sorta. And Jeff Ma. Thanks as well to today's sponsors. Remember, you can listen to us on Apple podcast, Spotify and Odyssey. Get you the show through Apple. Please leave us a review. Neil Ayervase in Littleton, Colorado, sent an AI rendering of me carrying buckets of water wearing pajamas that look like prison issue pajamas. And I don't look quite like this.

[Nigel]

No, you don't.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is older than I. I look close to this. I. I am hideous at this point in my life. Wow, he writes. Tony, during your water emergency, several doorbell cameras in your neighborhood picked up the attached photo of an apparently homeless man wandering around in his pajamas carrying buckets of water. The authorities have been notified from Bob Gray in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Dear Commodore Kornheiser, just to add a bit to your discussion of the viewership of Game 7 of the World Series in Canada, the game averaged 11 million viewers, with 18.5 million watching the game at some point. Those are insane numbers. 45% of Canada's total population watched at least part of Game 7. It was the most watched English language program of any type ever in Canada, except for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver where Canada won the most gold medals and there was dancing in the street from coast to coast. Yep, the Arctic Ocean is our third coast. Game 7 even dwarfed any hockey game ever televised, to put it in Canadian terms. Wow. Wilbon always talks about how important the Toronto Raptors are. I mean incessantly how important the Toronto Raptors. He's wrong. The Toronto Blue Jays are more important, obviously. Yeah, obviously. Come on.

[Nigel]

Numbers bear that out.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, Stephen Good Fayetteville, Arkansas Former Nationals relief pitcher Craig Stammon has been hired I know as the Padres new manager. He also played for the Padres from 2017 to 2022. He was never a member of the Drifters or the Ronettes, so I do not expect you to remember anything about his time on the Nats. A brief recap is that he was fine. Not great fine. My favorite memory of Craig Stamina is actually from his time on the Padres. When he came into pitch against The Nats in June 2000 was a 11 ballgame. In the top of the 8th in San Diego. Howie Kendrick took him deep to made it a 21 ballgame. The next batter, Trey Turner, also parked one made it 3 1. Adam Eaton and Anthony Rendone were the next two batters and kept the trend going to make it a 51 ball game. It's four home runs in a row. Yes, Craig Stammon gave up back to back to back to back home runs to his former team and lost the game. I remember watching that game and listening to Bob Carpenter get more and more excited during each subsequent home run call.

[Michael Wilbon]

I can hear it now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I legitimately found myself See you later. I legitimately found myself questioning if it was actually happening. The Nats had done that against the brewers two years prior, but I never thought I would see it happen again. For his sake, I hope he has more control over Manny Machado and that's dysfunctional Padres clubhouse next year than he had with his pitches on that day in June in 2019.

[Michael Wilbon]

Need more of a pause after c you you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, that's right. I don't do a well, it's his phrase. It's not my phrase. Jeff Barger, Hillsboro, North Carolina Yes, Shohei Otani hitting three home runs and striking out 10 batters in one game is pretty impressive, but has he done the following? Being inserted into the final minute of another JV blowout loss and managing to foul the same player three times in less than 30 seconds, to which the referee asked me, are you trying to get thrown out? Was the catcher in a Little League game where the pitcher no hit the opposition while walking? 14 batters inexplicably hit the tee box while launching another of my patented no look drives and afterwards giving away my clubs while announcing my retirement from golf forever topped that show. Bay Michael Ritz New York, NY Mildly popular third wheel of the Loyal Littles podcast Slightly better than a monkey I didn't know these things Your recent discussion of the greatest single performance in sports has me recalling the major league debut of John Pachoric On September 29, 1963, the last day of the season. Paciorek was in the lineup for the Houston Colt 45s along with seven other rookies, including future stars Joe Morgan and Rusty Star. Playing right field and batting seventh, Pachoric walked in the second inning, had an RBI single in the fourth, another RBI single in the fifth, walked in the sixth, led off the eighth with another single, pacing the Colt 45s to a 134 victory over the visiting New York Mets in front of a crowd of less than 4,000 fans at Colt Stadium. For those of you scoring at home, Petrok went 3 for 3 with two walks, two RBI, scored two runs. It was the only game of his career. Patchorek, beset by a variety of injuries, never played in the majors again, but he is the only batter in history with more than two at bats to have a perfect.1000 batting average and also 1000 on base percentage. Incidentally, Patchorek's two brothers, Tom and Jim I knew Tom Petrok also played in the majors with Tom enjoying an 18 year career. Wow, so that's Moonlight Graham, isn't it? That is, yeah, that's Moonlight Graham from David Epstein in New York. The dispute between ESPN and YouTube is not with the mothership YouTube but rather with YouTube TV. YouTube TV is a VMVPD, a virtual multi channel video programming distributor akin to Comcast, Charter, DirecTV and other providers of cable television. The virtual part means that the content is delivered via the Internet rather than via cable lines or satellite dishes. YouTube TV is not a free provider. They pay a fee to content providers and charge a fee to consumers. Just like the other MVPDs, they and ESPN are fighting over fees. So as always, the answer to all your questions is indeed money. Chris Band Sells in Forest Hill, Maryland I'll take those Kit Kats off your hand. I love them and they'll get me out of hot water with the woman to whom I'm related by marriage. I recently ate her secret stash of chocolate and need an assist. In my defense, though, how secret is it if you hide it in the pantry? Right. It's public property. It's public domain. I have time on Friday. This week, what works for you? Ali Stevens Messine in New York. Upstate New York. See attached photo. Hold it up for the folks watching on News Channel 8 and discuss. Oh, this is Tillamook. Butter. Butter. Nays. What is that? It's like mayonnaise made out of butter.

[Nigel]

Butter and mayonnaise combined.

[Jason Locanfora]

Wow.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. Tillamook going wild.

[Michael Wilbon]

Try that on a grilled cheese.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Sue Heidel in Cincinnati, Ohio, who writes us the voting results for the toy hall of Famer. And the 2025 winners are six Slime, Battleship and Trivial Pursuit. In related hall of Fame news, ovechkin scored his 900 gold. Yes, we talked about that. Trivial Pursuit is fine. Slime, I think is probably okay. Battleship is at a game.

[Jason Locanfour]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Unaware.

[Nigel]

It's a long standing game.

[Michael Wilbon]

Battleship.

[Nigel]

Yeah. Snow didn't make it and that's all we care about.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. B6 from Josh Packard in Greeley, Colorado. Calling 911 was your first mistake. We all know the people of your tax bracket should be calling 912 the 911 for rich people. From Brian Vento in Rochester Hills, Michigan. This one is more for Michael, considering his past junior golf prowess. But I wanted to let you both know that this year, AJGA is coming to Rehoboth Beach Country Club for a tournament.

[Jason Locanfour]

Huge.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It'll be held April 23rd through the 26th.

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, the wind will be up.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's. Yes. Be raw. It'll be raw. There. It's not the girls junior championship at Columbia, but it's a chance to see good, competitive junior golf. Of course, you know, if my son gets accepted into the tournament, I was wondering if we could stay with you. We promise not to use too much water or touch any of the hidden wine. Let me know so we can exchange information. It's a wonderful email.

[Nigel]

Yes. That's exciting.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I hope that's not a weekend a week where I had some time free in the middle of just playing through.

[Michael Wilbon]

Don't mind me, guys.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You're looking for a fourth from.

[Michael Wilbon]

I got my gold star.

[Tony Kornheiser]

See my Robert Wagman in Potomac. I found this Korean rom com, the Potato Lab. Streaming on Netflix. It's about potato researchers in South Korea. They study and grow the potatoes for potato chips. Reminiscent of a Hallmark movie. I think you'd like it. Okay. A haiku from Shad on harmonica. Memories or lack thereof. Sign of decline or closet. Harmonica. Dude, it's 50 50. Sign of decline. Bill Matfeld, Fort Mill, South Carolina. What? No comment on Barkley calling old Tony his big brother on the Manning cast on Monday night, the Manning showed a clip of a spry Tony interviewing Charles Barkley in the Monday Night Football booth during a game back in the day. I get that you wouldn't see it live since Barkley was the guest during the second half of Monday's show, but I thought somebody would have told you about it had you heard about this camera. Told me about it.

[Nigel]

Yeah, we got a couple of videos.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Are you sure you're not on the Michael Wilbon, Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, Richard Dent, the Pope chain? Your mastery of 21st century technology is legendary after all. Tim Wildsmith, our singing friend in Nashville, Tennessee. If you really haven't checked your ESPN email in over 20 years of working there, then we really need someone to log into that account and tell how many unread emails you have. My guess is that it's least 100,000. I think it's a million. Oh, it's got. I've never accessed it. Yeah, never, never. Don't know who they could be. Good email. I don't know.

[Nigel]

We had a letter on your desk.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't want 2020. I don't. I don't want to. Don't. I don't want to know. From Jeff Alexander. Good morning, Commodore. Congratulations on your promotion from Captain to Commodore. That is all. Respectfully, former Petty Officer 2nd Class Alexander. Jeff Alexander in Salinas, California. And from Ken Scooter in Tacoma Park. Your interview with Larry Keith was insightful, nostalgic, informative, funny and smart. But you forgot to ask him the most important question. Did he use a bic? It can't go anywhere in this business, kid, if you're not using a Bic. You know, people like the Larry Keith thing.

[Nigel]

Love it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm happy about it.

[Nigel]

Yes, a lot of great emails on that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

If you're out, any bite to everyone. As always, do wear white.

[Jason Locanfour]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Here's the thing.

[Jason Locanfora]

We're not the wonders right now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We're Captain Geech and the shrimp shack shooters.

[Jason Locanfour]

Looking at another day Here comes a migraine Same thing, same way Feels like a kids gay only right I won't exercise my head Feels like I'm living in a be high Need a little something to get over the hull Shout out tequila might help smooth over the fall Seems like we're living on the edge of the night Next thing you know there guzzles got a feel for this There are people that one shot a week and you won't get that can't remember where it all began Even have a blue one to keep you a man don't worry side effects are all very small you won't notice they won't even bother you at all Good thing today we can do that now when we can't say where we're at My life coming like a freight train Coming like a cat ball hurricane Reality hits you in the face it's such a shame shame but life is too short to take the slow Americans on the go if we could learn to juggle the knives no need to say where my life try to take it easy try to let it go A jackass in front of me is driving too slow Pick me up gotta be on time cause the world can't wait it might leave us behind Just need a little something to get it over these homes Shouts out to KE with.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That bomb.

[Jason Locanfour]

Going to get cut by the edges like high Next thing you know coming like a freight train Coming like a jackal hurricane Reality hits you in the face it's such a change a sharp to take a show Americans are on the go if we don't stop juggle the night Next thing you know there goes your life if we don't stop tell you now next know that it goes your life if it all stop turning of Next thing you know there goes your life.