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Tony Kornheiser
Hey, it's Tony. Can Khartoum win the Preakness? We'll find out what Andy Beyer has to say about that kartoom. We'll also chat with Johnny Fontaine about his new movie. And we'll talk to Steve Sands about the PGA Championship. But first, kids. Commerce.
Show Announcer
Previously on the Tony Kornheiser show, we
Tony Kornheiser
hear Arthur say, what do you mean? What do you mean? Because Arthur is saying, go in there and talk to him and find out why he's so bad. And what do you mean? Because Gordon is saying, you can't do that. You can't go into the locker room. And Arthur Gelb finally says, tell him it's the New York Times. It's a fantastic moment in my life. Tell him it's the New York Times.
Show Announcer
The Tony Kornizer show is on now.
Tony Kornheiser
For those of you who heard that story yesterday, that is a totally true story. I don't want to give you the impression that that Arthur Gelbn, Abe Rosenthal didn't care at all about sports because they understood that sports was important. They just didn't know anything. They didn't know anything about sports. So when they were hanging around with a bunch of sports guys, they were sort of fish out of water at that point. And clearly they didn't know how it worked, because you can't just go into the locker room at halftime, even if you're the New York Times. But it's a great.
Michael Wilbon
You have to ask.
Tony Kornheiser
Yeah, you just knock on the door. By the way, we are the New York Times. We'd like to get into halftime. You're right. Let me begin with Rick Devins, who sends us this note. The bad news is I was voted out off the island last night. The good news is I'll be interviewed live on CBS Morning Thursday. That's now. That's today. Yes, that's now where I plan to drop a flush the mouse reference. I had an amazing time playing the game out on the island, and you and my fellow Littles have made the experience of watching it play out on TV so much fun. I truly appreciate the sport you, Nigel, Michael, Greg Garcia, and Mark Feinstein have shown all seasons. Blow me away. Thank you. The community you've built is special, and I'm lucky to be a part of it. We also got a note from Chuck of Chuck and Roxy, who writes Mr. Tony. Well, that was a hell of a run for episode 200, Rick Devins. It was so fun watching and doing a recap of every episode on the loyal Littles podcast. The Survivor season Kind of like the old days when you did your idol. We watched so you don't have to segments. Yeah, I used to love American Idol.
Steve Sands
Oh, yeah.
Tony Kornheiser
I mean, I got off American Idol when Simon Cowell left and also when there were 88 shows that were on on all the networks because of course, you. You do a copycat.
Michael Wilbon
You're big. The Voice guy.
Tony Kornheiser
Yeah, I didn't watch the Voice or any of those others or, you know, America's Got Talent.
Guest or Producer (possibly Mandy Valentine or Jay Johnson)
I mean, but when an Idol came out. Yeah, you were.
Tony Kornheiser
I was big on him. He's such a sweet guy. And it was an honor to have him on our podcast way back when. Not sure if he will mention it in his recap to you. This is a plea to all the loyal Littles out there to go to Survivor 50 CBS vot votenow tv and vote for Rick Devins to be the fan favorite of the special season. He might not have won the $2 million prize, but we can sure help him win some cash that comes along with this honor. Thanks again to Rick for all the memories that he brought to the Littles this season. And La Cheeserie, and that's Chuck and Roxy off Chuck's email. So, yeah, if you can do that. If there is such a Help Rick out. Nothing that I would ever understand. I can't find Peacock, so how do you expect me to be able to do this? I can't. All right, let's get into some shows here. So the hockey last night, I don't want to go crazy about the hockey because I'm not a hockey guy, but the Colorado Avalanche, that's the team that TJ Oshi believes is the best team in. In the playoffs and in the league. The Colorado Avalanche at home last night closed out the Minnesota Wild. They were down three nothing. In hockey, that's a lot. Three nothing. They got it to three one, and then there was still three one with, I don't know, a couple of minutes left in the game. They got two goals at the end of the game. Were they. Were they empty netters? I mean, did they. Had they pulled their goalie? I guess they had to pull their goalie at that point. And then it went into overtime and Colorado won the game. This doesn't happen. So that's a big deal, I would think. I can't give you any more than that because I just watch it on tv. Michael, you were complaining about the imbalance on the ice.
Michael Wilbon
I'm not really complaining. It's the most exciting thing when you see those lead shifts, changes Happen in the last two minutes. It's just you walk away from feeling a little bit like the nature of the actual board changes. If you do in fact, have more bodies.
Tony Kornheiser
If you have another body. Yeah, but you have another body actively skating. But you have pulled your goalie, making the net vulnerable to anything.
Michael Wilbon
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Tony Kornheiser
So, I mean, that's the trade off you make. That's why they don't do it all the time, because they understand the vulnerability. Nats win last night, I have to tell you. So the Nats, one of the most
Michael Wilbon
exciting games you will watch all season.
Tony Kornheiser
The Nats go down five nothing.
Michael Wilbon
First inning grand slam.
Tony Kornheiser
Because Jake Irvin stinks in the first inning. After the first inning. Jake Irvin is pretty good. But if you go back, I think he may have the highest era, first inning ERA of any starter in baseball. This is not uncommon that he gives up runs. It's very common. He gives up runs, but not five. That's not five. In the first thing, they're down five nothing. And they come back quick. Yeah, right. Got the five, four really quickly.
Michael Wilbon
Second.
Tony Kornheiser
Yeah, yeah, it's six. Six. At some point in the seventh or the eighth, and I go over to the basketball game, Detroit, Cleveland, and I get stuck on that and I don't go back to the Nets. The Nets. So I did. So, Michael, a recap of what. Because it went to extras.
Michael Wilbon
Yeah. So the last third of the game, it actually, you know, good bullpen game. Both. Both teams have chances. The Mitchell Parker was good out of the bullpen. There's a. I think there's a leadoff double in the bottom of the ninth, and they were able to get out of that. And then you have the top and they start sharing the. The TV guys start sharing the stat about if you get two or more runs, you are a, you know, it's a ridiculous number as to. You go on to win the game. And we get a monster home run by Dalen Lyle. It is immediately, you know, out.
Tony Kornheiser
So that's his third home run in two days.
Michael Wilbon
Yeah.
Tony Kornheiser
Yeah.
Michael Wilbon
And you just see a. A dad walking down the aisle and you find out it's his dad. It's just like the most universal dad language. He knows it's out. He knows that it could be the game where you have to get through the bottom of the ending, but there's just this energy of, I got nowhere else to go, I got to go down. I got to go see the kid. And just walking down to the fence.
Tony Kornheiser
Yeah. So that's lovely.
Michael Wilbon
Yeah. Apparently I Think he's from.
Tony Kornheiser
He's from Ohio, I guess, like an
Michael Wilbon
hour and a half away.
Tony Kornheiser
So. But. But the. The Reds almost tied it.
Michael Wilbon
This is why it was so exciting to watch. So it's. You know, there ends up being a runner on third, I think it was. And then it looks like Nats up two. Yeah, the Nats are up two. And it look. And again, that first one doesn't really matter because you're just trying to get outs here. And it looks like there's a home run over the left field wall. James Wood immediately points up. You think, is it below the line? Would it have stayed in, bounced off the wall? He immediately points up for interference. They go and review it, and it was, in fact, interference. But then when you start to look at it, you go, the camera shot that we get, it looks clear, but then from the side is the potential that it actually was arcing out. And then the sort of the.
Tony Kornheiser
So how long did it take to
Michael Wilbon
classify in real time? It was quick. Okay. Yeah.
Tony Kornheiser
So the. Okay.
Michael Wilbon
Yeah.
Tony Kornheiser
So Nats win.
Michael Wilbon
The Nats win.
Tony Kornheiser
They're like, one game under now.
Michael Wilbon
Yeah.
Tony Kornheiser
And they're beating a team, you know, in that division where the Reds are. Every team was over. 500.
Guest or Producer (possibly Mandy Valentine or Jay Johnson)
Yeah. That's a nice win.
Tony Kornheiser
It's two in a row. It is very nice. And stupidly, I missed it.
Michael Wilbon
Well, this was probably, you know, this was past your bedtime.
Andy Beyer
Yeah.
Tony Kornheiser
So I was on the basketball game, and then I. I stopped for a while. And the reason I was on the basketball game is because I have said, since the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired James Harden in a trade for Darius Garland, I believe since they did that, I have said, I think they can come out of the East. I think they're the best team in the East. I think that the backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden is the best backcourt in basketball. But Cleveland, throughout the playoffs so far, once against Toronto and now against Detroit, they had not won a single road game. They were 6 and 0 at home, but they were.05 on the road. So this game was in Detroit. And I basically said, look, I can't go crazy about Cleveland until they show me they can win one on the road. They're going to have five as an opportunity, and if it goes seven, seven also. And if they get shut out in all of the road games, then, you know, they're not good because they. They proven only that they're a bad road team. And James Harden has been very bad on the road in the playoffs. He has an enormous amount of Turnovers. And his shooting percentage from 3 is like 10, 20%. It's really bad. I don't know how good he was last night, but he must have been pretty good, you know? Cause Cleveland won that game on the road and now they're in position to win this series and play against the Knicks. And the Knicks will be large favorites because of what the Knicks have done to this point. But again, I'm saying I think Cleveland's a better team. And it's not going to surprise me even a little bit if Cleveland gets there, if Cleveland beats the Knicks. But I am very much in the minority in this. The only person who joins me in this is Charles Barkley, who also believes that Cleveland has the best team in the East. Which is not to say that Cleveland could beat either San Antonio or Oklahoma City. We're just talking about.
Guest or Producer (possibly Mandy Valentine or Jay Johnson)
Harden had 30 last night.
Tony Kornheiser
So then he had a really good. That's his best road game. What was his shooting percentage?
Michael Wilbon
3 for 10 from 3.
Tony Kornheiser
That's okay. 8. 21. No, it's not great. It's not great. But 30 points works. Yeah. You know. Cause he's that kind of guy. He's got to be a high volume.
Michael Wilbon
Eight rebounds.
Guest or Producer (possibly Mandy Valentine or Jay Johnson)
Yeah, six is six.
Tony Kornheiser
How many turnovers is the important number for him? Six. That's a lot of turnovers. He's had as many as 7 and 8 at least.
Michael Wilbon
Leading the team.
Tony Kornheiser
Yeah. Always way ahead. He's got that all to himself. Turnovers. So they won. So. Okay. And we are, for those of you who follow the PTI show, we're off the PTI show for Thursday and Friday. Because of the PGA coverage.
Guest or Producer (possibly Mandy Valentine or Jay Johnson)
That's right.
Michael Wilbon
Sort of thought with those 6:45 tee times, you guys would be on air live.
Tony Kornheiser
I'm gonna talk about that with. With Sansi. But I will say this just so you know, with.
Michael Wilbon
With the other Fitzpatrick getting that early start.
Tony Kornheiser
Alex Fitzpatrick.
Michael Wilbon
Yeah. He was immediately birdied. The first two.
Tony Kornheiser
Good for him. Good for him. At least he's not the Northwestern one, so I can root for him. Yeah. ESPN has the first two days of the Masters and they. They celebrate that for like the. The week before the Masters.
Andy Beyer
For.
Tony Kornheiser
Yeah, the six weeks before they have the first two days of the pga. And we were the. I think we're the only show that even mentioned the pga. I. You know, I don't know. It's a major. It's not. Look, nothing is as prestigious as the Masters. Nothing in golf, but it's still a major anyway, so we will talk to Steve Sands about that. We will talk to Andy Beyer about the Preakness and about the Derby and get a pick or two. Remind him that Further Ado is still running apparently and we will be back. I'm Tony Kornheiser.
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This is the Tony Kornheiser show.
Tony Kornheiser
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Steve Sands
You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show.
Tony Kornheiser
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Show Announcer
You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show.
Tony Kornheiser
This is Mandy Valentine. I think we've played Mandy Valentine.
Guest or Producer (possibly Mandy Valentine or Jay Johnson)
Oh, yes, yes, we have.
Tony Kornheiser
Right. I think we've done that. This is sent in to us by Jay Johnson, who writes Hope this finds you well, 2026 of already been flying, but it's been good and busy. I wanted to share the latest two singles from Mandy Valentine. No Good is the A side latest single from Philadelphia's Mandy Valentine. Philly area listeners can catch the Mandy's at Johnny Brenda's this Saturday, May 16th for Baby's First Radio Rodeo. The night will feature country line dancing lessons ahead of music from fellow Philly rockers Roberta Faceplant. That's the name of a band. Roberta Faceplant, Mandy Valentine and Agalisiga Mackey visiting all the way from Oklahoma. It's wonderful. This is called no Good. It plays in Andy Byer. Andy, I don't want to remind you of Bad News, but you liked Further Ado. What happened to Further Ado in the Derby?
Andy Beyer
Well, the same thing that happened to any horse who had any ability. They didn't run. I mean, the, the outcome of the race was just absolutely inscrutable to me. You had three extreme long shots that I think most, not only I, but most handicappers would have just eliminated right off the reel. It was just a bizarre race.
Tony Kornheiser
All right. So we never hide what happened here. Andy's phone was crackling as everybody could hear, so we called him back on another phone and we hope this is better. You were talking about just the inscrutability of horse races sometimes. And it happened to Further Ado in three long shots, you know, that you would not have even considered what, you know, went past him. Well, let's talk about one of them. What do you, what are your thoughts as you review the race? What are your thoughts on Golden Tempo, the winner of the race?
Andy Beyer
Well, I look at, I look at this race in the context of the first three horses. They all were big stretch runners who came from the middle of nowhere and they all had, they all look terrible on paper. So I just felt this, this result was inscrutable. I mean, you know, if there had been a lot of speed and just set it up for Golden Tempo, you know, that would be the explanation. But when you look at the form of a horse like Ocelli, who got beat a length and was justifiable 70 to 1, I can offer no rational explanation for what happened.
Tony Kornheiser
That's Fair. That's fair. Well, Golden Tempo, who was a long shot, not the longest on the board. He wins and he's not running in the Preakness. Are you surprised he's not running in the Preakness?
Andy Beyer
Well, I guess these days you should never be surprised when horses bypass the race. I mean, that has become the, you know, the increasing trend in racing. And, you know, at the, you know, he, you know, you know, so many. When the Daily Racing Forum surveyed the horses, the trainers of horses who were in the Derby and asked who was running in the Preakness the first day after, nobody would commit to it. I mean, trainers are just very reluctant to bring their horses back in two weeks. I think it's crazy, but that's the prevailing style. And I think my explanation for it, at least this year, is that last year Bill Mott did the same thing with sovereignty and just, you know, he was the best horse in the world. He doesn't know we don't want to run him back this quickly. Well, there's probably nobody in the game who is more respected by other trainers than Bill Mott. I mean, he is a person of the highest integrity. He is regarded as, you know, a flawless caretaker of his horses. When he says, I don't want to run back in two weeks, it gives cover to any trainer who has, has some reluctance of doing this and, you know, years, a few, ten years ago this was, was not an issue, but now traders have gotten so conservative and I don't, I don't fully understand the reason, but, and nobody wants to take the risk, if there is one, of running off a two week layoff.
Tony Kornheiser
So it begs this question, how do we keep the Triple Crown? Presumably, the Triple Crown is still the holy grail in horse racing. How do we keep it? Because if you skip the Preakness, there ain't no Triple Crown.
Andy Beyer
Well, we've talked about this on many radio shows in recent years. I mean, the answer is, you know, is staring at everybody in the face is that you've got to, you've got to change the, you've got to change the schedule somewhat. I mean, Churchill Downs is, you know, has, you know, seems to have lifetime rights on the first Saturday in May. It shouldn't be that hard to, you know, to find two other dates, you know, that for the other races that would work for everybody. So far it has been an obstacle. But there is an article in, you know, in the Thoroughbred Daily News just recently by TD Thornton, who, who went over all the possibilities for a Triple Crown schedule and you know, this is not rocks science. He said, you know, you know, run, run each race on the first Saturday of the month, May, June and July. You know, I'm sure any, any of the tracks can find a reason to object, but that just makes sense. And no, nobody will, can, can say it's too taxing on their horses. And you know, it would, I'm sure, work out, out with the television networks, but you know, for free for years. I mean, racing just hasn't been smart enough to deal with this. But, you know, now they, I think this is the, you know, the critical moment. I mean, I think you're right. At this moment, you would say the Triple Crown looks like it's dead as an institution. You've got to make this change this year.
Tony Kornheiser
I agree with that, obviously. By the way, Laurel looks like a dump. Looks terrible, Andy, doesn't it? I mean, is that where you want a Triple Crown race?
Andy Beyer
Well, Kim Laco was, you know, was pretty high up there on the dumpiness scale as well. But, you know, at least they're rebuilding Pimlico. I mean, you know, a new Belmont is being constructed. I mean, we, you know, it's going to be relatively easy to fix the real estate. We just got to get the schedule right.
Tony Kornheiser
Okay. All right. They're going to run the Preakness with three Derby horses and a whole bunch of other new horses. As a handicapper, who do you like?
Andy Beyer
Well, with a gun put to my head, I would go with number 10, Napoleon Solo. I've got knocks on every horse in here, but Napoleon Solo has run in his last three races, like some of the best races in the country, Grade one and grade two stakes. Hasn't been badly beaten. He's got good spirit, speed the mile, mile and 3, 16 might be a little far for him, but you know, he, you know, he, you know, he's shown he can run decent speed figures.
Steve Sands
And
Andy Beyer
you know, he, he's at least as good as everybody. I mean the, the horse who could be favored, Ocelli, who ran, who got beat a length in the Kentucky Derby. If he does this again, I will be shocked. I mean, this horse was so bad for all of his career. I mean, he's still a maiden, he's never won a race. And you know, as I say, I chalk up the Derby to just an absolute fluke in which impossible looking horses ran 1, 2, 3. So I don't want him. I'm not sure who else I would want.
Tony Kornheiser
Okay, we'll take Napoleon Solo. Thanks, Andy. We'll talk to you before the Belmont. Thank you.
Andy Beyer
Bye, Tony.
Tony Kornheiser
Andy Beyer. By the way, Napoleon Solo, wasn't that the name of a character in the man from uncle like, 50 years ago? Right. Napoleon Solo was a character in the man from U.N.C.L.E.
Guest or Producer (possibly Mandy Valentine or Jay Johnson)
i will have to look that up.
Tony Kornheiser
50 years ago. 60 years ago.
Michael Wilbon
Could be Napoleon Solo.
Tony Kornheiser
Yes.
Michael Wilbon
I've got it for you.
Tony Kornheiser
How many years ago was that? 60 years ago.
Michael Wilbon
60s.
Guest or Producer (possibly Mandy Valentine or Jay Johnson)
Yes. A good 50s.
Tony Kornheiser
How old am I?
Michael Wilbon
Solo, played by Robert Vaughn.
Tony Kornheiser
Yeah, he was the star. He was a star. And the other guy was Ilia McCollum.
Michael Wilbon
David McCollum.
Tony Kornheiser
Oh, David McCallum. Okay. What? His. His character was Ilia, right? His character from U.N.C.L.E yeah.
Michael Wilbon
Farther down the wiki page for that.
Tony Kornheiser
Yeah.
Guest or Producer (possibly Mandy Valentine or Jay Johnson)
Oh, he was a great actor.
Steve Sands
Yeah.
Guest or Producer (possibly Mandy Valentine or Jay Johnson)
Both of those guys.
Tony Kornheiser
Wow. Again, I cannot remember what goes on in your mind. I cannot remember anything that happened in the last 10 years. And I remember this. All right, we will take a break. Steve Sands. When we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser.
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Tony Kornheiser
Pool days.
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Steve Sands
You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show.
Tony Kornheiser
Once again, this is Mandy Valentine. This is called Play Pretend. It's the B side. Latest single from Mandy Valentine. After baby's first rodeo at Johnny Brenda's on May 16, the Mandy's are headed back to State College for a Burning Man. 2026. May 22nd through the 24th, this will be the Indy Country Music Festival's sixth year and the fourth Mandy Valentine is played. Come on, come all for a weekend of country music, camping, dancing and fun in a truly beautiful spot. Michael. If independent artists like the Mandy Valentines want to send us their stuff. How do you do it?
Michael Wilbon
Send us your music by emailing it to jingles tonycornizershow.com and with graduation season just around the corner. Yes. TK Plant. Make sure those potatoes. The Yukon golds are in the ground.
Tony Kornheiser
Let's. Let's try and move on that. Let's. By the way, graduation season. Congratulations to Dean Kelleher. He's graduating from Columbia. Not possible this coming week. Graduating from Columbia.
Guest or Producer (possibly Mandy Valentine or Jay Johnson)
The goalie.
Tony Kornheiser
Yes. You know, and so Matt and Shannon are going to go up there.
Caller or Listener
Yeah.
Tony Kornheiser
Congrats. That. That's lovely. That's lovely. It all plays in Steve Sands. My first question about golf. I guess I was stunned when I found this out yesterday. 6:45 tee time at a major. 645, pull up the flood. For a guy like Ben Griffin, who's won three times on tour, how did he get that? And how early. How early do you have to get up to be ready to play in a major?
Steve Sands
6:45am you and Jesse have already had dinner.
Tony Kornheiser
Yeah, okay. But I'm not on tour.
Steve Sands
Right. You know, it's funny, my, my middle son, Scott was like, dad, why are they teeing off so early? I say, well, it's 156 guys. They got to get them around. And it just takes time. At a major championship, you know, normal rounds at, say, a PGA Tour, eventually. Like last week, for instance, in Charlotte, we were there at Quail Hollow, which is a major championship venue. Yeah, but it's a PGA Tour event. They were giving them, you know, in threesomes on Thursday and Friday, they took 5 hours, 10 hour, 5, 10, 5, 15.
Michael Wilbon
And you have crossovers in running.
Steve Sands
Wow, what's that?
Michael Wilbon
You have some crossovers in like you have the shared tee box.
Steve Sands
Exactly. So. Exactly. So at a 5 10, 5, 15 pace on Thursday and Friday in threesomes and split tees with a full field at a PGA Tour event at a major, you know, you're talking 5, 25, 30. You know, it happens at the Masters just like that on Thursday and Friday. But nobody cares because you're just watching the Masters and it's gorgeous. But it just takes a while to get these guys around major championship venues, especially old school places like Iranomig that have a lot of shared, you know, not shared greens, but shared tees and crossovers where you have to wait on other groups.
Tony Kornheiser
I was just so stuck, stunned that they would take a guy like Griffin, who is a potential star, and. And then Alex Fitzpatrick, who, you know, has burst onto the whole scene and stick them at 645. If you put, you know, a couple of qualifying pros, that would be. I was just amazed at that.
Steve Sands
Yeah, they spread it around. I mean, Cam Smith's a major champion, Brian Harmon's a major champion. Jason Day is a major champion. These guys all teed off really early, so, you know, they've got to what they want to do. As a very good friend of mine has always said, it's a TV show.
Tony Kornheiser
Yeah.
Steve Sands
And you've got to have them spread all the way around. I mean, tomorrow, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm, we got to get into that for a second on the groupings on the PGA of America. They did a great job with that. Those three go out at 2:05 tomorrow, which means they'll be going on like literally they'll be on ESPN until way beyond happy hour. Thank God PTI got canceled to yes. So they'll be, they'll be going on till almost 8 o' clock after signing their card and doing their interviews. So it's, it's all about tv. Do it early, do it late, and put some guys in the middle as well and have a day.
Tony Kornheiser
What's the forecast in terms of weather for the rest of the week? Because I think it's chilly today.
Steve Sands
Yeah, it's a little chilly here in the morning. It's a little chilly this morning. But in fact, Bryson Dechambeau is just a, you know, he's a, he's a whack job. He brought out a big parka, you know, right before he was on the first tee. And Dave Fleming on ESPN had a very good line. He goes, that's going to be tough to stuff in the side of your bag. Huge, huge parka, like a big puffy coat, like, like what Seinfeld was wearing back in the day. It was. The weather's going to be fine. It's going to be really warm on the weekend. Not a lot of wind, no rain in the forecast. It's all systems go. All four days are going to be good weather wise.
Tony Kornheiser
We did this story yesterday. You know who are the best stories. And of course, Wilbur looks in the camera and says, I don't care. I don't care who wins. Don't tell me who wins. I don't care. That's Wilbur's thing. Yeah. Which is just ridiculous. And so I had to say all the things that I said. But in your opinion, what winner would be a really good story?
Steve Sands
He doesn't care. He's also going to say that The Piston didn't collapse last night either, against the Cavaliers.
Tony Kornheiser
Yeah, he cares about the NBA. If you say who's going to win, it's, Well, I got 12 options here.
Andy Beyer
But.
Steve Sands
Okay, sorry, what was the question? What was the question?
Tony Kornheiser
But, you know, good stories to win.
Steve Sands
Oh, man, there's so many terrific storylines, you know, look, can McElroy win, you know, another major, you know, becoming the first guy since Spieth in 2015 to go back to back in the first two majors of the year? Can Jordan Spieth? That would be the biggest story by far. If Spieth wins this week, by far is the biggest story because he would join those guys as a career Grand Slam winner. This is his 10th attempt at trying to win the career Grand Slam. You know, can a guy like Alex Fitzpatrick keep it going? Can a guy like, I'm watching Rickie Fowler, you know, can Rickie Fowler, you know, get it back? He came so close last week. Justin Rose is 45 years of age, Tony. He's won his U.S. open in Philly, which is where this is, and he was a winner at Aeronomic in 2010. The last two times the PGA Tour has come there, 2010 and 2018. He was first and lost in a playoff to Keegan Bradley on a Monday morning in a rainy, rainy week in Philly that week. So at 45 years of age, can he squeeze one more big one out of that hall of Fame career? And, you know, a lot of the young guys as well, can they bust out? But to me, the biggest storyline is if Jordan Spieth can join the career Grand Slam winners, that. That has to be story number one.
Tony Kornheiser
What happened with him? What happened?
Steve Sands
You know, it's. Golf's a funny game. Golf's a four letter word, you know, It's a very funny game at times, you know. Now watch. Watch him play this morning and this afternoon. It's wild. He drives the ball like a God now. And his putting in short game and his putting is now a little off. Whereas when he was great from 2014 to 2017, when he was winning three majors, he was on the leaderboard all the time. And he was America's darling. He was number one in the world. He made every putt on the green, especially from long distances, and drove the ball all over the place like he was Seve Ballesteros and had to show off his short game all the time. Now it's the opposite. Now he pipes the ball right down the middle all the time and his putter is failing him. So it's a confidence thing. It's something above the collarbones right now with Jordan when he's on the greens. But if he can figure out the greens at all, you know, over the course of four days, whether it's this week or any other week, Jordan Spieth is hitting the ball beautifully. He's just not making any putts, especially short ones. He has a very odd thing where he's looking at the hole sometimes, and sometimes he's looking at the ball when he strikes the ball on short putts. And to me, that's just wavering confidence when you're doing one thing or another, as opposed to having just one routine.
Michael Wilbon
I do think that grouping will help them feel like it's the weekend, even from day one.
Steve Sands
Oh, I agree.
Tony Kornheiser
I.
Steve Sands
It's interesting, like I said, about how they do the groupings. They do this at the USGA as well on Thursday and Friday. McElroy is trying to do something. The last time it was done, Spieth did it when the first two majors of the year, remember back in 2015, the PGA Championship was in August, not in May. Spieth won the Masters and then the US Open at Chambers Bay. Well, Spieth is trying to do what McElroy was the last person to do was win the career Grand Slam. And then you put in Jon Rahm. And the reason John Rahm's in there is because McElroy and Rahm don't necessarily get along too well in a sports sense, in a competitive sense, because of all the LIV thing and the Ryder cup and all that nonsense. So it's a tremendous grouping, those three.
Tony Kornheiser
By the way, if LIV breaking up, appearing to break up, people talking about that, is that a big deal at the moment?
Steve Sands
At the moment, no. I think everybody kind of felt like it was inevitable a few months ago. Everybody was wondering when it was going to run out of gas, literally and figuratively, if you will. But I think that there are 11 LIV guys in the field this week, and I think they know that unless there is an absolute financial miracle somewhere, private equity, some type of sponsorship money, I think that 26 is going to be the end of live.
Tony Kornheiser
Okay, all right.
Steve Sands
I don't think people are making a big deal out of it because I kind of thought, like you, me, everybody kind of thought four years ago, well, how long is this going to last? It's not a great product.
Tony Kornheiser
It's too two guys dropping money into a bucket, and at some point one of them says, I'm done. How about you? It's as simple as hurting.
Steve Sands
I heard a great line the other day, Tony, and I don't know if you said it four years ago or we were talking about it, but I did hear a great line in sports, you know, these guys are playing for history. They're playing for titles. They're playing for NBA titles right now and Stanley cup titles right now. And in golf, you play for trophies and big events. You don't play for money. The money comes with the trophies and the majors. It's not the other way around. And when you put the money before the big event and the title and the trophy, well, that's not how sports works. We all know these guys make a fortune. We all know what Steph Curry makes. But how many titles can he win? You know, that's the thing in professional sports. So Liv is the opposite. They're literally playing for money. And absolutely nothing is on the line except for money, because there's no history to it. And that's a big problem in sports. And we've learned that pretty quickly in golf.
Tony Kornheiser
I'll get you out of here on this. The PGA you mentioned before used to be in August, used to be Gloria's last shot. How do you like it in May, or don't you?
Steve Sands
I don't love it because I always thought it was the last big event in golf before football started. I always thought that the PGA could go anywhere it wanted. Now it can't in May. Can't go to Hazeltine in Minneapolis, can't go to Medina in Chicago, can't go to Oak Hill in Rochester because, you know, those are great places. You can't go to Oakland Hills outside of Detroit because I don't know how much farther north you can go in May because these guys are wearing parkas this morning. And it's Philadelphia, you know, it might be 42 degrees in Minneapolis, it could be 80 and sunny as well. But I don't think the PGA Championship can take a shot at going too far north when it's this early in the calendar. And one more thing on the pga, Tony. They did it right this year. I've said this to you before. I'm a DC native, born and raised DC, big DC person. The USGA was wrong in not putting the US Open at Congressional in 2026 this year because of the 250 year anniversary of the country. July 4th, a couple weeks after the US Open, it should have been in the nation's capital as the country celebrates its 250 year anniversary. The PGA of America did it right. They put it in Philadelphia. Maybe a Ronna McKnight not be the greatest course in the world. They couldn't put it at Marion because that's a US Open venue. But they put it where the Declaration of Independence was signed. And it's a 250 year anniversary now. Next year, totally different. Next year it's a bit of a clown show and we'll talk about that, I'm sure, as the year goes on. The greatest major championship venues you could possibly have in one year are in 2027. The Masters is always at Augusta national, amazing place. The US Opens at Pebble Beach, Incredible place. The Open Championship is at St. Andrews, which is the best of them all. And the PGA Championship is being played at a brand new course in Frisco, Texas, where no one's ever heard of it. So I hope somebody wins all four of them in 2027 and has to explain that in the history books.
Tony Kornheiser
So it's great to talk with you. We'll see you soon too. Thank you, Steve.
Steve Sands
Tony, be good.
Tony Kornheiser
Steve Sands, boys and girls. We will come back with email and jingle. I'm Tony Kornheiser.
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Tony Kornheiser
That's Joe and Molly Chambers. And a banjo.
Guest or Producer (possibly Mandy Valentine or Jay Johnson)
Yeah, I always love that.
Tony Kornheiser
Banjo music is fun. Yes. You want to do the Bethesda Bagel ad, please?
Guest or Producer (possibly Mandy Valentine or Jay Johnson)
Oh, yes, Bethesda Bagels. We love them. You will as well. Just go to Bethesda Bagels.com for the location in the DC area nearest you. Then pop on in and you'll be thrilled.
Tony Kornheiser
And before we get to the mailbag, let me just say, somewhere beyond the sea somewhere waiting for me My lover stands on golden sands and watches the ships that goes sailing. Bobby Darren, whose real name I believe was Walden Robert Casado. Yes, he would have turned 90 today. He was great.
Guest or Producer (possibly Mandy Valentine or Jay Johnson)
Great talent gone way too soon.
Tony Kornheiser
Rheumatic heart fever. Yeah, yeah. In his early 30s, I believe. Something like that. Thanks to our guest today, Andy Byer and Steve Sands. Thanks as well to today's sponsors. Remember, you can listen to us on Apple Podcast, Spotify and Odyssey. Get the show through Apple Podcasts, please. Leave us a review from Cal Patel. Not Cash Patel, but Cal Patel, a PGA Tour Radio producer. It's Cal Patel from PGA Tour Radio and I was listening to Bill Simmons podcast the other day. Heard this amazing shout out from one of his guests. David Letterman was on last week and roughly one hour and four minutes into the podcast, Billy asked Dave if he watches any current tv. Dave said no except one show. He then revealed it was PTI and he spent the next minute or two explaining why he loves the show and why it's the only show he watches every day day. We have talked about that. It's tremendously flattering. Yeah, that's our demo 75 to dead but it's a smart from Brett Bossi in Lee, New Hampshire. The official Brett with two T's of the show. I'm sure many will send a similar email, but I had a David Aldrich moment while listening to the latest Bill Simmons podcast. He was talking with David Letterman when ESPN came up. Letterman said his favorite show was pti. I know that show. He called you and Will Bond Avuncular. That's true. Given my Dime Store vocabulary, I had to look up the word. It's sort of like being old and being an uncle. The definition includes acting similarly to a friendly uncle. Yes, nice to know that one of the best ever to do it still thinks of you as Uncle Tony. That's great Jim in Nutley, NJ I enjoyed listening to Bill Simmons podcast with David Letterman this morning. They were discussing the future of television. Letterman mentioned the only show he still considers appointment viewing is pti. Both Bill and Dave spoke with real admiration for your you in the show. It felt like a rare convergence of some of my favorite voices in sports and culture. Bigs talking Bigs and revealing the connective tissue between them. Bob who in Hamilton? Who H o Not who, not who. Bob who Hamilton in Ontario in Canada listening to your nephew Bill Simmons most recent podcast where he interviewed David Letterman. During the chat, Dave reveals he's a fan of PTI and it's the only TV show he actually watches regularly. He said he finds the show pleasant for and welcoming that you and Wilbon are both favuncular. Dave also adds that you look like his new dog. If you want to verify, it's around the 62 minute mark of the podcast. Bigs teasing Biggs if all possible at all possible, please tell my friend Joe Sudak to eat it. Yes, he said that I look like his dog. I'm happy. I'm happy if that's true. Sure I'm happy. From Tim Dore in Chicago, it's the official Tom Tom Doer. Rather I almost I called him a Tim Tom Doer Tom. Yes, it's the not Green Door Tom Doer. It's the official Tom of the Tony Kornizer program emailing with something I heard on another pod I thought would have flooded your mailbox on Monday. Which. Which it did. We got a lot. Bill Simmons got one of his white whales, David Letterman on the podcast last week and Simmons asked about the state of late night tv. Letterman said, there's only one show that I watch and if I miss it I get all anxious. That show is pti. He asked Simmons in his Letterman way, what is it? What is it about the show that I love so much? He said, I have a friend who thinks it's the clock, but but I'm not sure that's it. He raved about you and Wilbon and the Letterman Kornheiser connection. Had me thinking about pizza. You often disparagingly referred to a certain pizza chain that Letterman once referenced in his top 10 list. Top 10 ways you can tell if the mail if the mall you're doing your holiday shopping in isn't very good. Number one, their Sbarro sucks. Well that's funny. That's funny. So those are those emails. Now we have some other emails. Bob Frazier in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Bear with me on this one. My dad entered World War II as Hugh Frazier, his given name. When signing up, the sergeant said, what's your middle name? Fill that out. Not having one and being more than a little intimidated, he used his father's middle name, Hugh Blaine Frazier. So the sergeant then says, so you were a junior. Write down junior and let's move on. So he did. For the next 70 plus years, the entire world, including my mother, thought his name was Hugh Blaine Frazier Jr. Then one day all of a sudden, all the family was at my parents house over the holidays. And for some reason at age 92, my dad chose to come clean with the story. Everyone in the room was aghast, speechless, mouths wide open. Finally, my oldest daughter broke the silence by saying, but Granddaddy, we named Harrison Blaine after you. My dad smiled and nodded. Hall of Fame. It's just so great. Paul Frampton. Not Peter Frampton. Paul Frampton from Lindsay, Ontario and Canada. As long as we're discussing names, people have been calling me Peter since the day I was born. I don't even correct people anymore. Jay in Owasco, N.Y. 327 per month to Comcast if you threaten to cancel, you can probably get them to send you a personal concierge. That one comes to your house to find Nats games. Two, caddies for you and retrieves the balls you hit in the water. And three, tucks you in at bedtime and takes Chessy for walks when needed between 8pm to 8am by the way,
Guest or Producer (possibly Mandy Valentine or Jay Johnson)
we got a couple of emails about people using the audio feature on the remote and saying, nationals game, and it just took them to a channel immediately.
Tony Kornheiser
1261.
Guest or Producer (possibly Mandy Valentine or Jay Johnson)
I don't know if it was 1261.
Tony Kornheiser
That was mine on my set, but it was.
Guest or Producer (possibly Mandy Valentine or Jay Johnson)
It was the day it was supposed to be on Peacock. They went to some other channel. It just took them there.
Tony Kornheiser
Well, I wish I'd known that beforehand.
Guest or Producer (possibly Mandy Valentine or Jay Johnson)
Yeah, so we gotta.
Tony Kornheiser
Because I didn't.
Guest or Producer (possibly Mandy Valentine or Jay Johnson)
We gotta train you up on that.
Tony Kornheiser
Ooh, pictures. Ooh. Do not use my name on the air. Okay. I was listening at one point to the podcast the other day when Tim Kirchen came on to talk about the MLB managerial firings. one point, you asked when the Red Sox last fired a manager mid season. And while you were still talking, I think Nigel looked it up and realized it was Jimmy Williams back in 2001. Then, completely out of nowhere, Tim launches into this wonderfully specific story about Jimmy Williams learning how to make rice pilaf from his American Armenian college roommate in Fresno. At that exact moment, I nearly drove off the road because one of my close friends here in Austin is Jenna Williams, Jimmy Williams daughter. So naturally, I texted her, jenna, did your dad live with an Armenian guy in Fresno? A few minutes later, she wrote back, this is the most dad thing I've ever heard. He would have definitely said that. Absolutely true. She told me her dad's two college roommates, baseball teammates, were Armenian and remained his best friends for the rest of his life. Then she sent me a picture of the three of them together at her brother's major league debut years later. See attached. The best part was what came next. Jenna told me that rice pilaf became one of their family's favorite foods. Because of those friendships, her, her mom learned how to make it, and now her brother's wives make it, too. That's the connective tissue of your show right there. A random conversation on a podcast connected a daughter back to a small story about her father and ended up bringing a whole family memory back to life. Jenna immediately wanted the episode so she could share it with her brothers. Honestly, it made me smile ear to ear. And she loved it. And as proof I've attached the picture Jenna sent me of Jimmy Williams with those same college roommates years later at her brother's major league debut. And here's one more layer of connected to tissue. I started watching around the Horn years ago because I graduated from Fordham the same year as Tony Reali in 2000. Some of my college roommates were friends with him, and one even lived with him for a while in his senior year. Watching reality led me to pti. PTI led me to the Tony Kornheiser show. And your podcast has genuinely brought me a lot of joy over the years. Now Jenna gets a lovely story of our father. So thank you for that. That's very, very nice. Picture is great. From Jason Bullock in Saratoga County, New York, sometime before I had supper last night. Assuming this email gets read on the Wednesday show. Well, it's a Thursday show. The partner of the elderly man to whom I'm related by adoption texted me that she is the proud owner of. Wait for it, a Subaru Crosstrek. I'll take your gripes off the air. Yeah, I just, you know, it just means you love your children more than I love mine. Frank Sicari from Troy, New York. Bonjour, Captain. All these sonnets and haikus have inspired me to try my hand at some poetry. Roses are red, violets are famous. When I say you're my world, I'm talking about Uranus. That's sort of funny. And Alex from Towson, Maryland, random question. Has Mr. Tony's height shrinkage reached Steve Spurrier's height yet? 5' 11?
Michael Wilbon
No, we're past that.
Tony Kornheiser
No, I'm 5' 10 now. Okay. I'm down to 5' 11.
Michael Wilbon
Program height.
Tony Kornheiser
Not very tall. But there are some shorter than me, I guess that's one positive way to look at it. Not the shortest guy in the newsroom. That's funny. If you're out on your bike.
Guest or Producer (possibly Mandy Valentine or Jay Johnson)
Can I give you one more?
Tony Kornheiser
Oh, yeah. Okay.
Guest or Producer (possibly Mandy Valentine or Jay Johnson)
I think you like this one.
Tony Kornheiser
End the week on this is from Matthew Wazerski in New York, N.Y. train said. Oh, yeah. Both teams played hard. That's funny. Train said, if you're out on your bike. Tight as always. Do wear white.
Steve Sands
How much weight do you think I could bench press? Just make a guess. Ballpark figure.
Caller or Listener
You. On a foundation of love I think I'm finally getting wise. They say crazy. I know it'll be all right. They were crazy. They all have a right. To make it all inside you and me wait on the buses I hear all the time there's not a thing that you're looking for me. Oh, I'm thinking that you're not good for me. Where wasn't enough to play pretend that us we love we never end but times have changed you say we're through the same so the only pretending left to do is pretending I still in love with you. We did it all right. That blood out again cuz comes and change I know that's true, it's true. So the only pretending left to do is pretend it I still in love with you Sam. Just one more time let's play pretend and we might find we might find a better end where you're still mine and I'm not blue but the only pretending left to do now it's pretending I still in love with you. Pretending I still in love with you when you I'm pretending that I'm not in love with you. Sa.
Date: May 14, 2026
Main Theme:
This episode blends Kornheiser’s signature mix of sports insights, pop culture, and wry banter with guests Andy Beyer (horse racing) and Steve Sands (golf/PGA Championship). Key topics include wild finishes in recent NHL and MLB games, a discussion of NBA playoff dynamics, the fallout from the Kentucky Derby, Preakness predictions, and the early start times for the PGA Championship. Regulars Michael Wilbon and show producers contribute throughout, providing context and humor.
Guest: Andy Beyer
Guest: Steve Sands
For those who missed the episode:
You’ll hear lively recaps of dramatic sports endings (Avalanche comeback, Nats’ wild win), an old-school take on the NBA playoffs, a thorough horse racing debate on the future of the Triple Crown, golf’s continued tug-of-war between history and cash, and plenty of listener outreach—including a media world convergence as David Letterman names Tony and Wilbon his TV favorites. Sprinkle in classic Kornheiser dad-jokes and you have “The Tony Kornheiser Show” in peak form.