The Tony Kornheiser Show

Episode: "6 Million Data Points"
Date: December 19, 2025

Overview

This episode of The Tony Kornheiser Show blends classic Kornheiser: opening with a spirited debate about NFL officiating in last night’s Seahawks-Rams thriller, then gliding through sports, holiday traditions, and current events with the show’s trademark warmth, humor, and an ensemble of regular guests. Midway, Jason La Canfora joins to discuss the deeper issues with NFL replay and transparency, followed by lively football picks (and plenty of banter) with James Carville and Jeff Ma.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Home/Holiday Observations & The Show’s Signature Banter

• Traffic Patterns and the Rhythm of the Holidays
  • Tony notes how DC traffic thins out around the holidays—especially this year, with Christmas landing midweek.
    • "I don't believe I'm the only one who's noticed this, traffic has thinned out… it always thins out on a Friday, but I think this has to do with Christmas next week." (02:23)
  • Commentary on how people maximize paid time off, school-year rhythms, and the subtle shifts in community and routine during the holiday season.

2. Seahawks vs Rams: The Wild Two-Point Conversion

• Breaking Down the Play
  • Tony and Michael recount the game's decisive (and bizarre) two-point conversion, with disagreements about the call’s legitimacy.
    • "My feeling is that... as weird as that play was, it was indeed a backwards pass which made it a live ball... [but] the Rams didn't seem to care, thinking it was an incomplete pass. When the Seattle player picked it up, he picked it up, it seemed to me with the intent of handing it to the ref, because he didn't. They all thought it was dead." (05:00)
  • Analysis of each team’s playoff outlook and the implications of seeding in potential cold-weather games.
  • Relating the game to broader issues of home-field advantage and tiebreaker confusion ("Is that the tiebreaker? Total points? Don't think it's aggregate. That would... be really chintzy, you know.") (06:00)

3. Franchise Relocation: Bears Rumors & Wilbon Rants

• Chicago Bears Moving to Indiana?
  • Discussion revolves around whether the Bears could actually leave Chicago—sparked by Michael Wilbon's on-air blowup and Tony’s historical perspective on franchises moving states.
    • "But it seems to me, at the very least, the Bears are in talks about going to Indiana. Now, if they want to use that as leverage to get the state of Illinois or the city of Chicago to make concessions, fine." (07:20)
  • Colorful stories about other franchise moves (Jets/Giants to NJ) and sports politics ("if you're in Indiana, I'm pretty good at geography. That's another state. That's not Illinois, it's not Chicago." (10:20))

4. Jason La Canfora: NFL Officiating, Transparency, and “Big Brother”

Segment Start: 16:39

• Listener Love: Tony reads a raving email for Jason's "Wanna Bet" show, segueing into discussion.
  • "Jason, isn't that nice. Alex Mackay in St. Louis. He loves you." (16:37)
• Officiating Controversy:
  • Jason calls Thursday's two-point conversion review emblematic of NFL officiating’s ongoing “scourge and scandal,” highlighting the muddied decision-making process and need for transparency.
    • "We learned NFL officiating remains an enigma wrapped in a quandary… the two point play… nobody thought that was a live ball, including the officials." (17:21)
    • Blasts the lack of public accountability: “There needs to be a camera in the NFL’s officiating room… we need to know who made [these decisions] and they need to speak to them.” (19:08)
    • Parallels drawn to inconsistent intervention in replay reviews, questions about the relationship between officiating and betting ("all of this is entangled into their product”) (23:24)
  • On the outcome: “If that happened in a one o’clock window with eight other games, I think it goes as called on the field and we’re not talking about it.” (21:03)
• Playoff Picture: Jason thinks Rams are slightly better, but their knack for “finding ways not to win” might cost them ("They just have a way of being in these scenarios where they've got a 95 plus percent chance of winning and they don't win." (27:26))
• Media News: Jason announces he’s no longer writing for the Washington Post and puts out an open call to media outlets for 2026 coverage. (29:26)

5. James Carville & Football Picks Powered by "6 Million Data Points"

Segment Start: 30:33

• Carville's Data-Driven Strategies
  • Lightheartedly claims his ACL Sports team now taps into “data centers that have 6 million computation points”—resulting in “nanosecond” football decisions. (30:57)
    • "There's all kinds of things, man. We factor in there so we can... ready to roll this week." (31:14)
  • Carville picks Memphis (+3.5), Ole Miss (-17 vs Tulane: “The data centers have come with the verdict, so I'm not going to put against myself. I got to take Ole Miss because you got 6 million data points. You know what I mean?” (31:52)), Oregon (-20.5 vs JMU), Southern Miss (+3.5), Over 46.5 Jaguars-Broncos, and Titans (+3.5 vs Chiefs).
  • Tony warns, "You always lose the over bets. You sure you want to do this?" Carville sticks by his “nanosecond computer.” (33:30)
  • Carville closes with a holiday sendoff: “To Christmas!” (34:46)

6. Jeff Ma: Culinary Adventures, Jerry West, and Betting Logic

Segment Start: 35:41

• Vegas Trip & Basketball Royalty:
  • Jeff talks about eating at Michelin-starred Gymkhana and golfing with Johnny West—Jerry West’s son. Tells a great story about pitching analytics to Jerry, who declared "I hate statistics" but warmed to the idea after Ma reframed their use. (36:13)
  • On Jerry West: "The single greatest career. I've never met anyone that doesn't like Jerry West." (37:56)
• NBA Cup and Its Meaning:
  • Discussion of the NBA’s in-season tournament, which Tony calls “phony baloney… It has no meaning in the standings whatsoever." (39:37)
• Jeff’s Picks:
  • Oklahoma (-1.5), James Madison (+21), Miami (+3.5 vs A&M), Panthers (+3 vs Tampa Bay), Lions (-6 vs Pittsburgh). Defends taking JMU, citing point spread logic: “This is one of those cases where you gotta give a lot of points to get someone to bet on James Madison.” (42:14)
• Show Plug:
  • Jeff mentions his mailbag episode and the story of Tony parking his car ("There's my keys, kid.” (44:37))

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Officiating Transparency
  Jason La Canfora:

  "There needs to be a camera in the NFL's officiating room... When they're making these decisions, we need to know who made them and they need to speak to them." (19:08)

• On Data in Sports Betting
  James Carville:

  "You don't argue with a 6 million data point." (33:30)

• On the NBA Cup
  Tony Kornheiser:

  "It is utterly meaningless. It has no meaning in the standings whatsoever. It's an attempt to cash in on soccer..." (39:37)

• On Jerry West
  Tony Kornheiser:

  "The single greatest career. I've never met anyone that doesn't like Jerry West. And I was personally offended at that HBO series... so mean to him and unfair to him." (37:56)

• On Tony’s Favorite Magazines

  "It's the best magazine. Oh, it's the best magazine. And it's in good hands with David." (02:40)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Holiday/Traffic Conversation – 02:17–04:07
• Seahawks-Rams Recap and Officiating Banter – 04:54–16:00
• Franchise Relocation & Wilbon Rant – 06:36–11:06
• Jason La Canfora Joins: NFL Officiating, Transparency, and Playoff Picture – 16:39–29:50
• James Carville’s Picks (“6 Million Data Points”) – 30:33–35:03
• Jeff Ma’s Vegas Tales & Football Picks – 35:41–44:45

Tone & Style

The episode is classic Tony: warm, gently acerbic, wandering through sports minutiae and big-picture questions with irreverence, dad humor, and brainy commentary. The guests keep pace, providing both expertise (especially on betting and football logic) and punchlines. James Carville’s data-comedy, Jeff Ma’s insider anecdotes, and Jason La Canfora’s righteous officiating rants all hit their marks.

For Listeners New and Old

If you missed the episode, start with Jason La Canfora’s segment for the day’s most spirited debate—then enjoy Carville’s high-wattage analytics comedy and Jeff Ma’s mix of high-stakes golf and solid picks. The episode showcases what keeps Tony Kornheiser’s show relevant: it’s as much about smart camaraderie and knowing laughter as it is about “6 million data points.”