“808”

Summary

The Tony Kornheiser Show

Episode 808 – July 14, 2026

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Overview

This episode of The Tony Kornheiser Show is classic Kornheiser: a wide-ranging, freewheeling discussion that moves from golf and baseball deep-dives with expert guests Doug Ferguson and Mark Feinsand, to personal anecdotes, All-Star snubs, birthday celebrations, and the state of various sports. Opening with Tony and Michael Wilbon riffing on breakfast sandwiches and club member-guest politics, the episode delivers a thoroughly entertaining mix of serious sports talk and spontaneous banter.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Golf Member-Guest and Breakfast Dilemmas

• (02:15 – 04:59)
• Tony explains why the podcast will only run Monday-Wednesday due to his participation in a club member-guest tournament.
• The hosts joke about food options at early golf events—especially the struggle to transport eggs or breakfast sandwiches onto the course.
• Quote – Tony Kornheiser (04:52):
  “I need to have something to eat. It’s pretty simple. Something to eat.”
• Suggestions are floated, including smuggling eggs in Tupperware or to-go containers.

2. The Washington Nationals Bullpen Meltdown

• (05:00 – 07:23)
• The Nationals' bullpen woes are dissected, with Tony sharing astounding stats: 54 save opportunities, 27 blown saves—on pace to set a Major League record.
• Quote – Tony Kornheiser (05:33):
  “The Nats have had 54 save opportunities this year. They’ve blown 27 of them. That’s a record pace in the history of Major League Baseball.”
• The bullpen’s home ERA from the 8th inning on: an eye-watering 8.08.

3. ESPN's Quarterback Rankings

• (07:30 – 08:39)
• ESPN’s ranking of Josh Allen as the NFL’s top quarterback incites disagreement. Tony ranks Allen as top 3 but notes he is not Mahomes or Burrow.
• Quote – Tony Kornheiser (08:00):
  “He’s top five… top three, maybe. But he’s not Patrick Mahomes and he’s not Joe Burrow.”

4. Birthday Celebrations & The Wilbon-Kornheiser Family Dynamic

• (08:41 – 13:16)
• Multiple family and staff birthdays are recounted, highlighting shared traditions and generational quirks between Tony, his family, and the Wilbons.
• Tony reminisces about old grill mishaps and the stress of grilling for family events after years.

5. Famous July 13th Birthdays & Sports Legends

• (13:03 – 15:42)
• The hosts run through noteworthy people sharing Tony’s birthday: Roger McGuinn, Harrison Ford, Cameron Crowe, Lamine Yamal, Michael Spinks, Cheech Marin.
• They revisit moments like Michael Spinks’ quick defeat by Mike Tyson and the abrupt retirements of tennis legends Borg and Rose.

6. Home Run Derby Recap

• (16:02 – 17:21; 36:09 – 47:10)
• The new format (set number of swings instead of a timed round) is praised.
• Commentary on Philly’s rabid fans rooting for Schwarber and Harper, and new star Jordan Walker’s clutch performance—hitting six consecutive home runs to win.
• Quote – Tony Kornheiser (17:04):
  “That’s clutch. Jordan Walker… six in a row. And beat Schwarber. That’s clutch.”

7. British Open (Royal Birkdale) Deep Dive with Doug Ferguson

• (20:26 – 34:00)
• A rich, detailed preview of this year’s Open at Royal Birkdale, examining Scheffler’s chances, the course’s Hall of Fame pedigree, memorable moments (Justin Rose at age 17), and the renovation of key holes.
• Quote – Doug Ferguson (24:08):
  “You’ve got nothing but hall of Fame winners here… That speaks to the course.”
• Discussion of English favorites (Fleetwood, Rose, Fitzpatrick) and why Fitzpatrick is a solid pick this year.

8. All-Star Game & Zach Wheeler Controversy with Mark Feinsand

• (36:09 – 40:58)
• The snubbing of Phillies ace Zach Wheeler is analyzed; Tony and Mark agree he should have been on the team, especially with the game in Philadelphia.
• Wheeler’s decision to ultimately decline an All-Star spot after being offered a replacement role is criticized as cutting off his nose to spite his face.
• Quote – Mark Feinsand (38:42):
  “If it’s so important to you to be an All-Star in your home ballpark and you get the opportunity, do it.”

9. State of the MLB, Trade Deadline, and Nationals’ Struggles

• (48:16 – 51:12)
• Nationals’ disastrous bullpen ERA revisited.
• Mark Feinsand talks trade deadline dynamics—few clear sellers, many playoff hopefuls, “craziest 48 hours” expected at the deadline.
• Quote – Mark Feinsand (49:15):
  “It could get very pricey to go out and get some good relief pitching because there’s not going to be as much of it…”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tony Kornheiser (05:33):
  “The Nats have had 54 save opportunities this year. They’ve blown 27 of them. That’s a record pace in the history of Major League Baseball.”
• Doug Ferguson on Birkdale’s prestige (24:08):
  “Nothing but Hall of Fame winners here… That speaks to the course.”
• Mark Feinsand (38:42):
  “If it’s so important to you to be an All-Star in your home ballpark and you get the opportunity, do it.”
• Tony Kornheiser (17:04):
  “That’s clutch. Jordan Walker… six in a row. And beat Schwarber. That’s clutch.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:15 — Podcast schedule & golf member-guest breakfast woes
• 05:00 — Nats bullpen struggles and record-setting incompetence
• 07:30 — ESPN QB rankings controversy
• 08:41 — Birthday reflections and family traditions
• 13:03 — List of notable July 13th birthdays
• 14:01 — Michael Spinks/Tyson fight memories
• 16:02 — Home Run Derby recap; new rules and clutch performance
• 20:26 — Blood Family Reunion band intro
• 20:26 – 34:00 — Doug Ferguson on Royal Birkdale & Open preview
• 36:09 – 40:58 — Mark Feinsand on Zach Wheeler and All-Star drama
• 41:17 – 47:10 — Home Run Derby, All-Star Game structure, and streaming debate
• 48:16 – 51:12 — MLB trade deadline buildup, Nats bullpen woes revisited

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Original Language, Tone & Style

Throughout, the episode is marked by Tony’s classic curmudgeonly, self-effacing humor, Wilbon’s measured takes, and a comfortable camaraderie. Expert guests bring depth but stay in Kornheiser’s conversational, rambling orbit. The show moves effortlessly from stats and insider info to Dad jokes and decades-old sportscaster stories.

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Conclusion

This episode encapsulates why “The Tony Kornheiser Show” endures: insightful, informed sports talk punctuated by nostalgia, wit, and a little self-parody. From the ongoing Nats bullpen saga, through a masterclass in British Open history, to the drama of All-Star snubs and birthday cakes, loyal listeners are delivered a satisfying buffet of keen sports analysis and personal warmth.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey, it's Tony.

[Michael Wilbon]

On today's show, we will chat with Doug Ferguson as we preview the Open Championship, which is at Royal Birkdale this year.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And we'll talk about the Home Run

[Michael Wilbon]

Derby and more with Mark Feinsand. But first, Commerce you're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Whether you're on the go or at the ballpark, T Mobile is built to

[Michael Wilbon]

keep you connected wherever the game takes you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

With America's best network, you know your phone is going to work, even in a crowded stadium.

[Michael Wilbon]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

location later, you'll find each other without

[Michael Wilbon]

missing the next pitch. And you can upload the video of the game winning hit and share it before you even leave your seat. And on the days you can't make it to the ballpark, streaming the game

[Tony Kornheiser]

on the go feels just as electric. No buffering, no interruptions, just every moment as it happens. Find out how baseball hits different with T mobile@t mobile.com MLB fastest based on analysis by OOKLA of Speed Test Intelligence data of national speed score Results for the second half of 2025 Best based on analysis by OOKLA of the Speed Test Intelligence Data for the second half of 2025, this is the Tony Korneiser Show.

[Michael Wilbon]

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[Doug Ferguson]

previously on the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

In terms of announcing the schedule, we're going to do the podcast Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week. That's right, because Thursday and Friday I'm playing in a member guest and so I want to be able to play because it starts at 8, so I have to. I'm not doing the podcast at 5.

[Chris]

You only have to get there for breakfast.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, yes, I get there for breakfast

[Michael Wilbon]

and like to take breakfast sandwiches with

[Tony Kornheiser]

me on in the golf course.

[Chris]

Nothing says food safety like a breakfast sandwich. Go.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And it gets cold quickly and it's awful. But I'd give it on. The stash gives me.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, it gives me something to do.

[Doug Ferguson]

This is General George Washington and you're listening to the Tony Cornheiser show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So this is the problem that I have with the food. I don't really want to eat. We tee off at 8. I don't really want to eat at 7 in the morning. It's too early for me. But I know that by 9, 10, I'm going to be hungry. So what I hope for are part of the fee.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, well, it's a tremendous fee, by the way.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I mean, member guests at every club in the world are designed for people to drink that. That's what it's about. They provide all sorts of alcohol at odd hours. I am not someone who drinks anything other than water or Gatorade while I play. So that's sort of lost covering.

[Chris]

I don't know, shutting down the club and tea times that are going unused.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But yes, well, yeah, but I mean, that's one of the perks of the.

[Michael Wilbon]

As a member guest, I hadn't played

[Tony Kornheiser]

in it in a number of years. I decided to play in it this year with my friend Al Serafino. So I'm hungry around nine and I'm out on the course. And so if I take. If they make breakfast sandwiches, I can take a breakfast sandwich or two and stick it in the golf cart. Will it be hot and tasty while I eat it? No, but it's okay. I've learned to make that compromise. My problem is that on. You know that it's not always a breakfast sandwich. A lot of times you go with a plate and there's eggs.

[Guest or Caller]

Oh, yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. So then you ladle out the eggs and. I can't. They're always scrambled eggs, but I can't. Why do I get them with me now? The only way to get them with me.

[Chris]

Container.

[Guest or Caller]

Huh?

[Chris]

A to go container. Something with a lid.

[Michael Wilbon]

I don't know that they let you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I've never asked for that. I didn't want to be pushy because they might say, no, we don't do it that way.

[Chris]

Your own.

[Guest or Caller]

Hmm?

[Chris]

Bring your own.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Bring my own breakfast.

[Chris]

No, Tupperware.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah, just scoop it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I could do that. And sneaky in. In a sneaky manner. Just shovel some eggs into it.

[Chris]

Nothing sneaky. Do with confidence.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't mind if I eat with my hands.

[Guest or Caller]

That's the move.

[Chris]

No, actually, try the bacon.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, okay. Well, maybe I'll do that.

[Chris]

These potatoes heat up really well.

[Michael Wilbon]

I need to. I need to have something to eat. It's pretty simple. Something to eat.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

So normally we would begin the show

[Tony Kornheiser]

with the Gnats, and that's her off

[Michael Wilbon]

for a few days.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Baseball is off. Other than the Home Run Derby last night, much of which I watched. Not the end, though. And the game tonight, and then Wednesday they're off, too. And nothing. Yeah, there's nothing. So I don't have much to say

[Michael Wilbon]

about the Gnats, except for this one

[Tony Kornheiser]

fabulous statistic that Matt Kelleher gave me yesterday. When I say that the Nats bullpen stinks. A lot of you say, he just says that it can't be as bad as he's been saying it for years. Right. Because they have been stinking for years. It is more pronounced this year.

[Mark Feinsand]

Why?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Because the Nats are ahead in so many games. Because they score a lot of runs.

[Michael Wilbon]

I believe they're either first or second

[Tony Kornheiser]

in all of baseball in scoring runs. So this is an opportunity save opportunity. I'm going to give you two statistics, both of which are scary. The nats have had 54 save opportunities this year. They've blown 27 of them. That's a record pace in the history

[Michael Wilbon]

of Major League Baseball.

[Mark Feinsand]

In.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Let me say that again. In the history of Major League Baseball, they're on a record pace for the most blown saves.

[Guest or Caller]

But his baseball been around for a long time.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Only over 100 years worse. And it's all the saves you don't take more easily. Understandable to me is this. From the 8th inning on, you have to close a game in the eighth and the ninth. Sometimes you go into extra innings, but it's. It's unusual.

[Chris]

Sometimes you get clever. It's. The real save was in the seventh of this spot of the order hold.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

From the eighth inning on. That's generally the eighth and the ninth at home. How many ounces that six outs max. Right. Six outs is what you need. Have a lead. Six outs is what you need dot

[Guest or Caller]

six outs to get home. Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Their bullpen era from the eighth inning on at home is 8O.

[Mark Feinsand]

Eight.

[Doug Ferguson]

What?

[Mark Feinsand]

What?

[Guest or Caller]

It's a great area.

[Tony Kornheiser]

808. They're giving up close to a run.

[Michael Wilbon]

An inning.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They are so terrible in the bullpen. Whoever else you hate. And I hate Tina and I hate Vivas, and I'm beginning to hate Cruz. He's leaving people on all over the

[Chris]

place, worried about that jersey we picked

[Tony Kornheiser]

up a few weeks back, the Dylan Cruz jersey. And they're not, you know, they're not professional players at the moment. They're not. They're not. But the bullpen 808 is beyond comprehension.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah. That you can't.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Come on.

[Chris]

Come on.

[Guest or Caller]

That makes their record all the more miraculous that they've been able to compile that.

[Doug Ferguson]

Well.

[Michael Wilbon]

What else did I have to say? Oh, there's a thing on ESPN about the rating of quarterbacks.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Apparently a whole lot of people contributed. People of consequence, coaches, scouts, whatever, whatever. Who knows? And they have Josh Allen as the best quarterback. It's ridiculous. I mean, it's just. It's just ridiculous.

[Chris]

Everyone knows it's Archie Manning.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's, it's, it's not. It's just not Josh Allen.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah, he's a wonderful quarterback. He's terrific.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's top five.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's top three, maybe.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But he's not Patrick Mahomes and he's not Joe Burrow.

[Chris]

His golf swing is trending, though.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Is that right?

[Michael Wilbon]

Is he, Is he a good.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's good player, you know, but, you know, I. I don't know how he got to one because he has not come through in clutch situations, in playoff clutch situations all the time. Not as bad as Lamar Jackson, I

[Michael Wilbon]

think, is ranked third or fourth.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And you say to yourself, well, what. What is this ranking based on? Is it based on wish fulfillment or is it based on what you've seen? So if it's based on what you've seen, Patrick Mahomes is number one, ahead of everybody else, maybe ever, other than Brady.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah.

[Chris]

Come on.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. So yesterday. Let me.

[Michael Wilbon]

Let me thank a bunch of people.

[Chris]

Birthday boy, yesterday.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yes. Let me thank a bunch of people here for writing in. Let me thank Jeremy from Long Beach, California, who shares a birthday with both

[Tony Kornheiser]

me and the Hammer.

[Michael Wilbon]

Let me thank Mark Wilkins, who points out that Yesterday was day two, 28,489 of my life. And to further add to your doom and gloom, you are closer to being

[Tony Kornheiser]

90 than to being 65. So I, you know, thank you so much for that.

[Michael Wilbon]

Jason Fish in Ballerup, Denmark, you know, says, P.S. i became a man on May 11th. Please tell Michaels happy birthday to you and the Hammer.

[Chris]

And.

[Michael Wilbon]

And from Mary Faye Randolph, the official librarian of the Tony Kornheiser show a lovely note as well. And. And I'm grateful for that. I don't.

[Chris]

Is that a cake?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I see There was a cake.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yes. She did a drawing of a cake.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So we had. We celebrated the birthdays of.

[Chris]

Are you okay with your birthday, by the way?

[Michael Wilbon]

What do you mean?

[Chris]

At one point, I came down. You're sitting by yourself listening to Beach Boys on YouTube at full blast.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, that made me happy. I could almost consider myself young, except I looked at Brian Wilson and he looked very old.

[Chris]

So. But you're going down the YouTube rabbit hole. You turn to me and go, did you know that Darius Rucker sang Beach Boy songs?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Chris]

You can find anything on YouTube.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I didn't realize that.

[Guest or Caller]

Who was it you directed me to? Who sang a Beach Boy song?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Lori Morgan.

[Chris]

This is how it all started.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Tremendous. This tremendous. Don't Worry, baby. The best song ever. Ever.

[Guest or Caller]

Unbelievable.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, and she's really your dinner for.

[Chris]

You know, for cupcakes. I started to airplay a playlist for dad. Which led you to your YouTube? Sort of.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I pressed something and my phone went to it and I said, oh, I'll.

[Michael Wilbon]

I will.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Look, I'm not a YouTube person, but it was Henry. Henry's birthday more than mine because Henry got a lot of presents. I didn't get any presents.

[Doug Ferguson]

No.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I ain't getting nonpareils. Yeah, those were good.

[Michael Wilbon]

And.

[Mark Feinsand]

And.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And they went to Candy Kitchen and got me fruit slices.

[Guest or Caller]

But with the watermelon.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Apparently there's watermelon in there. I have.

[Chris]

There's no watermelon anymore. Watermelon has been eaten.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, okay. Then I can eat the rest of the box and the non pareils. But Henry seemed to be happy.

[Chris]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All the boys seem to be happy to have this birthday. All the boys.

[Chris]

All the boys craft Nerf bow and arrow right now.

[Michael Wilbon]

Got a lot of things.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All the boys are born within a month of each other on calendar.

[Chris]

Things are tough on.

[Mark Feinsand]

Yes.

[Chris]

This was birthday three of three.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Doug Ferguson]

A lot of birthday balloons through the

[Guest or Caller]

majors now you get a bit of a break.

[Chris]

It is.

[Announcer or Legal Disclaimer Reader]

Yes.

[Chris]

It is getting so they're.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, they're not born in the same year, obviously, but. But they are born within 30 days of one another on the calendar. So that when summer begins, you know, you get the three birthdays for the boys, which is lovely. I got a note. I mean, a lot of people said, happy birthday. For which I am grateful, though. You know, I'm really old. So old. But I had one that said, what did you do for your birthday. I said, well, I did the podcast.

[Chris]

How about two shows?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I did PTI and said, well, did you play golf? And I go, exactly when would I have had time to play golf in that situation?

[Chris]

Had a nice dinner with your family.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Had a lovely dinner with my family. Michael made fabulous hamburgers.

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, outstanding.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You want to talk about the grill?

[Michael Wilbon]

The grill.

[Chris]

Okay, so the listeners of this show remember that, I don't know, seven, eight years ago, you came out to use the grill, would not work. So you went to Home Depot and got a new grill, found the manager

[Tony Kornheiser]

of the store, got a new store

[Chris]

leader, and it was delivered the store, not the manager. That's for the weekend shift. But no, in a way, if you are used to grilling and away cook is a bit stressful. So we went super simple with just burgers. But my worry was this grill hasn't been lit in years, so we had to change the battery to ignite it. I could have used a match, obviously, but there is so much.

[Michael Wilbon]

I didn't even know there was a bathroom.

[Chris]

So much buildup of younger cooking chicken thighs with, you know, open pit sauce on it for years. And I had to let that thing run for 45 minutes, so.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And you had to change out, swap out the actual propane. So now I have to go. And by I, I mean Nigel has

[Michael Wilbon]

to go to Home Depot anyway.

[Chris]

I mean, you're good for another couple hours of cook. So the way that you do it in the house, you could use that once or twice a week for the next month and be fine.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, so. But it was a lovely birthday dinner. It really was. Well, that's great. Me very happy.

[Guest or Caller]

By the way, you share birthday with. With a number of very famous.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Roger McGuinn. Roger McGuin, who was the lead guitar. He used to be Jim McGuinn. He changed his name to Roger McGuinn. He was the lead guitarist and singer. One of the lead singers on the Birds. David Thompson was a great basketball player.

[Guest or Caller]

Harrison Ford.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, Harrison. I didn't know that.

[Guest or Caller]

Yep.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Harrison Ford.

[Guest or Caller]

Hall of famer Stan Kulveski, I think pitched with the White Sox.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm not familiar with him.

[Chris]

This led to our Spotify playlist that was based on the Birds and then found some birds.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Mark Feinsand]

And.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And Lamine Yamal, that. That kid from Spain in the World cup. He's like 19. He was 19.

[Guest or Caller]

Michael Spinks, Cheech Marin, Cameron Crowe. These are all very good ones.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Cameron Crow's a terrific writer.

[Guest or Caller]

Sure. Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

Born in 1957.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Didn't Cameron Crowe do Almost Famous. Yes. Isn't that his life?

[Guest or Caller]

Yes, that was essentially his life. I think he was also involved with Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's a kid. He was. He was a very successful writer as a kid.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah. And just, I mean, anyone hasn't seen Almost Famous this point.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Michael Spinks. I know we did that on PTI yesterday. Michael Spinks was 31 0. He had been the light heavyweight champion of the. Of the country, of the world. He had been the heavyweight champion of the world. Someone convinced him to fight Mike Tyson. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. That was in Atlantic City. I was there.

[Guest or Caller]

Was that like a 30 second fight?

[Tony Kornheiser]

It was 1 minute and 31 seconds into the fight. Starched out. He didn't want to. He didn't want to be in the ring. I mean, I'm looking at him before the fight starts and he. It is clear he is uneasy. He does not want to be in. Mike Tyson was nothing but fury in those days. He was the most charismatic, the most, you know, powerful boxer ever, because he's not that big. Mike Tyson's only about 5, 10.

[Guest or Caller]

No, but he.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And he's so solid.

[Guest or Caller]

Just so.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And he just runs across the ring. He runs across the ring and starts hitting.

[Doug Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And Michael Spinks looked for a soft place to land. And you know how traumatic that was. He didn't fight again, ever.

[Guest or Caller]

Oh, you really.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He retired with a record of 31 1.

[Guest or Caller]

That was it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That was it. Because you say to yourself, well, what am I doing?

[Doug Ferguson]

Right?

[Guest or Caller]

Because I'm doing that again.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Fight this guy again. What am I doing in here?

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah, Right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So, yeah, anyway, that's.

[Guest or Caller]

Oh, by the way, also Anders Yared, remember him?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Tennis player.

[Guest or Caller]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He wasn't much. Swedish tennis player.

[Guest or Caller]

Swedish tennis. I never really won anything. I just love the name.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He wasn't like the other Swedish.

[Guest or Caller]

No. No, he wasn't. Ed Berg and V. Lander and those guys.

[Tony Kornheiser]

How about Borg?

[Doug Ferguson]

No.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Was he Borg? Because if you're not Borg, get off the list. Get out of the show. Tim Borg was. Borg's the greatest.

[Guest or Caller]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Of the. Of the sweet.

[Guest or Caller]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's the greatest. Borg quit like he was 25.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah, quit after. After Macaroon beat him at the US Open. He was. And I remember McEnroe's almost called him John. I remember McEnroe's postmatch speech. He was like, you know, Bjorn, you're going to win this thing probably next year. And an hour later, Borg was like, I'm done, child.

[Tony Kornheiser]

When he quits, wasn't even a man one. 140. No.

[Michael Wilbon]

Anywhere near 40.

[Guest or Caller]

Close.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right, so that's, that's our opening.

[Chris]

Did you enjoy watching the derby with Walker the underwalker?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I did. I did. I, I, I felt. Well, we'll talk to Fine sand about the. Of the Home Run Derby, the cauldron that is Philadelphia. And that was a tough place for other people. They, they really rooted for Schwarber and Harper. Harper didn't get in the second round. Schwaber hit bombs. Schwaber didn't win. Jordan Walker of St. Louis and beat him legit because hit the rule down

[Chris]

to the money ball.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. The rule in the Home Run Derby is they did a very smart thing. They stopped with the clock. The clock was stupid. And now you have a set amount of swings. You have 20 swings.

[Chris]

Pitch Harper like you did in 18.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. You have 20 swings in first round and then 15 in the next rounds till an elimination, which felt like the

[Chris]

correct number of swings.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But in, in the final round, if on your last swing you hit a home run, you can keep going till you don't hit home runs again. Jordan Walker, I think hit six in a row.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And beat Schwarber.

[Mark Feinsand]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And that. That's clutch.

[Guest or Caller]

That's how you.

[Mark Feinsand]

I mean, come on.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's clutch. Jordan Walker, you know, this is any

[Chris]

good quotes from his parents trying to turn their whole section, you know, with high fives.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Did you see his mom had on a jersey that on the back said Jordan's mom.

[Guest or Caller]

Nice.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That was really nice.

[Michael Wilbon]

Train.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right, we will get out of here. Doug Ferguson will join us from.

[Michael Wilbon]

From. Is it Scotland?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Is Robert.

[Mark Feinsand]

Nope.

[Michael Wilbon]

No, it's in England.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He will join us from England.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's near Manchester.

[Mark Feinsand]

Yeah.

[Chris]

Redone course.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Okay. We'll talk about that when we get back.

[Michael Wilbon]

I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show

[Michael Wilbon]

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[Mark Feinsand]

This is the Tony Kornizer Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is a band called Blood Family Reunion. I don't know, it's an odd name.

[Michael Wilbon]

Blood Family Reunion. We have permission to use their songs from Donovan who plays drums in the band, which is nice. And we have from Matt in Charlotte, N.C. said, I ran into my friend and former bandmate Pam last weekend at a restaurant next to a shop where we used to buy our guitars and amps.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I was so excited to learn she

[Michael Wilbon]

is still creating new music. Blood Family Reunion is a D.C. based shoegaze dream pop band that appreciates haunted stuff, obscure family lore and Twin Peaks. They'll be playing the Galaxy Hut in Arlington on August 2nd, so that's a few weeks away.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And this is a song called Lucky Mutation.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yes, and it plays in Doug Ferguson who is in England for the British Open at Royal Birkdale and I'll get to Royal Birkdale and ask you about that. And my son Michael reminds me about Justin Rose as a teenager almost winning that tournament. We'll get to that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But I've been watching TVs sporadically in the last couple of days. And every story, every single story about the British Open starts with the fact

[Michael Wilbon]

that Scottie Scheffler did not make the

[Tony Kornheiser]

cut at the Scottish Open for the first time in like four years. And I mean, I appreciate that. That's a big deal. But I'm going to ask you this. Scottie Sheffield, it's top of mind because he's the defending champion, but it's my guess that it's a lot harder to win a championship for the second time in a row than it is to come out of a missed cut and win a championship. And I'm wondering what you think about that.

[Doug Ferguson]

I tend to agree with you, Tony, a lot, which is. I don't know if that's good or bad, but you're right. I mean, missing the cut, he didn't even look that bad, frankly. It was just one of those days where the, the shots aren't going very close and the putts aren't going in and you. And you miss by two and it's time to go. But might be the best thing that happened to him in terms of just irritating them as it relates to repeating. And this has been the major that's gone the longest without a back to back winner. So there's got to be something of that. Harrington back in. Well, it was here in Burkedale was the last time in 08 that someone won back to back. So that's the hard part. I still think he's the guy to beat this week. He hits them all pretty good.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Is it, Is it a real big deal? I mean, where does that rank historically? It's not like Tiger. I mean, is it that big a deal that he finally missed a cut?

[Mark Feinsand]

Maybe it is yes and no.

[Doug Ferguson]

I mean, I think the short answer is no, because things like this happen. But I think it was almost probably within a year away of thinking, wow, can anyone really catch up the Tiger? Because that's always been looked upon as probably one of the two or three, you know, really untouchable records in golf. And Scotty was a little more than halfway there. 78. Now, he came through a stretch of a lot of signature events with no cuts, but, you know, Tiger had a few of those two. And golf records are never, ever apples to apples. So I think he was a year away from it starting to really become a conversation. And the fact that he missed it last week, it was a, it was a very short talk.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And he played. Plus he also missed it like out of the country. I mean, he missed it on his way to the British Open, which is far more important than the Scottish Open. At that point. Wilbourn goes crazy whenever you mention anything and put Scheffler in the same sentence as Tiger, he gets violently angry about this. It's like if you were to say LeBron was as good as Michael Jordan. Wilbaugh can't stand that, you know, can't stand it.

[Michael Wilbon]

Can't stand anybody threatening Tiger.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I thought I heard that Scheffler had never played Royal Burkdale at all and was probably somewhat grateful to have extra practice days. Do you get extra practice days there?

[Doug Ferguson]

You do. I mean, he came down on. On Saturday. Practice rounds are miserable at the majors anymore. They take five hours. They turn a course into a. To a practice area, basically. And so he was here, you know, Saturday, Sunday. I think you're right. I think it's one of the. I think it's one of the better things that. That could have happened to him. I'm sure he doesn't necessarily look at it that way because guys like to finish what they start. But. But yeah, I mean, it's. It's two days of seeing a links course I'd never seen before, and it's that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Talk about Royal Burkdale. Who has won there? What. What have been the highlights when it's been in the. In the British Open? You know, what is the history of Royal Burkettale?

[Doug Ferguson]

What's interesting to me, Tony, is it. It's the last English links course added to the rotation, 1954, which, you know, in these parts of the world is fairly young. It's the most regular. I think it's regarded as probably the best length in England. I think it is anyway. And it's. And it's done nothing but. But give you hall of Fame champions. Ian Baker Finch is the only winner at Birkdale who's either not in the hall of Fame or will be like. Like Jordan Speeds will get there when, when, when his life is over. Everybody else, Peter Thompson, you know, Tom Watson, Harrington o'. Meara. You've got nothing but hall of Fame winners here. That's, That's. That speaks to the course. It's. It's a. Not too many blind shots. It's just a good true test kind of cut through dunes. It's. It's windy. It's a. It's a great, great length.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Is that where we saw Justin Rose

[Michael Wilbon]

for the first time years back, right?

[Doug Ferguson]

Yes. 17 years old. And I don't know that he was ever. I mean, he was always like, like close to the lead, but I think o' Meara was far enough ahead that it was probably impractical. But he holds out from about 50 yards on the 18th, throws his arms in the air and he ends up finishing fourth. That was a great moment. And here he is, age 45 and someone you have to consider for the week. It's amazing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He is interesting in this regard. He is very, very, very well liked, not just on the tour, but crowds really like him. He's only won one major. It's not like he's one of the greatest of all time. And I don't know that his career is disappointing. I'm not going to make that kind of judgment. But he is very well liked, right?

[Doug Ferguson]

Yeah, you could hear it in the gallery everywhere it goes. And yeah, it's only the one major at Marion. Back in 13, I tend to look at guys who have chances. And, you know, Rose twice lost in a playoff at Augusta to Sergio under Rory. He was second at Trune. I mean, he's given himself a lot of chances. So I think the fact that he's. He's been there with a chance probably beefs up the. The reputation of and likability of him.

[Michael Wilbon]

Is there any particular distinguishing characteristic about Royal Burkdale?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Is there a certain kind of hole there?

[Michael Wilbon]

Is there?

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know, well, all the links courses are subject to weather, so is there anything about Royal Brookdale where you say, that's Royal Burkedale?

[Doug Ferguson]

I think the bunkering, even though I think when you think bunkers at the British, lithium comes to mind probably quickly, but Burkedale, and I'll give you a good example, Tony, on the 10th hole, beautiful little dog leg left around the turn. And it's got these two bunkers. And if you choose to take on these bunkers and you fly it too far, it's going to roll into a bunker on the right side. And in any case, you're not getting to the green from there. So bunkers are really, really well located. And it basically gives guys an option, you know, do you want to lay well back and give yourself a mid iron into the green or do you want to take them on and turn it into a birdie hole and they face that pretty much the entire course except for the par threes. Now that would be worth noting too, by the way, that there's a brand new hole this year. And it's disappointing too, because when you think about Burkedale most recently, you think about Spiff and you think about, you know, his, the Unplayable. He took right of the 13th and take a drop on the driving range. Well, that driving range is now a spectator village, so that's out. Then after he made the bogey there, which is a miracle bogey, he hits a six iron to about two feet on the 14th. The 14th doesn't exist anymore. They eliminated that par three, turn it into a short game area, and they made. Are you staying with me so far? It's really confusing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, yeah, number 15.

[Doug Ferguson]

Number 15 used to be the par five. You know, go get that. He said to Greller, we'd have made the 50 footer. That's now. It's mostly the same hole, but it's now number 14. And then they put in a 240 yard par three, brand new hole for the 15th. And then it finishes the way you might remember. So the 15 is going to get a lot of attention this week because A. It's 240 yards. The wind is out of a different direction than it normally plays. Guys were hitting. I was out there with Peter Uline on Sunday and he hit it. You have a three iron and couldn't even reach it. There could be some, some metal being used on that hole and it falls off shortly and. Or sharply. I'm sorry. And I think was Rory who, who said undecided. So when you ask someone about a hole and they say undecided, that means they don't like it, usually.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's good to know. That's a good word. That's a good word.

[Michael Wilbon]

You mentioned Rory.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I think of the British Open and in my mind I think of Rory and Shane Lowry winning every single one. I mean, I just think, yeah, they're used to this. They sort of understand this. I was surprised that Rory fell out of the Scottish Open as abruptly as. As he did. Is he, you know, is he one of the favorites here? I guess he always is, right?

[Doug Ferguson]

He always. Very much like Scotty. He's always going to be a favorite. It's been 12 years since he's. Since he's won at the British and he really only had. I feel like there was only two good chances. Saint Andrews stands out. He. He kind of threw that one away with his putting. I don't know. Last week was kind of weird. He took a turn south on Saturday when he was tied for the lead.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Doug Ferguson]

But the whole week he seemed kind of flat, very nonchalant about. About everything. Even opening, you know, 65, 66 was a start and it was just very, very nonchalant. I don't know if he's got an eye on this one because it's the last one of the year. Who knows? But he'll be. I mean, he'll be a favorite, and I think he'll be a factor. Minutes after the golf gods, meaning I have no idea what's going to happen.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. I was watching sporadically, the Scottish Open, and I remember this because I was watching JT and he had, you know, purple pants on. Like, purple pants. So I said, okay, I can pick him out of a crowd. But it led me to this.

[Michael Wilbon]

He's got a couple of majors, I think, two PGAs.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's. What happened to him. He's not really a threat anymore in the way that I expected him to be.

[Mark Feinsand]

No.

[Doug Ferguson]

Kind of flattened out. You know, he came back from back surgery. The micro dissect me stuff. Swing looks good, just. Just hasn't. Hasn't got many results. His swing looks great to me. A setup over the ball. I think he's a good links player. I think he. I think he understands it. But you're right, he's not. He's not quite like Jordan, kind of leaving the conversation here, but he's right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right.

[Doug Ferguson]

Without. I mean, I hate to lean on your. Your wardrobe memory, but. But without purple pants, you'd almost forget he's playing. Oh, yeah. Just in the field this week. That's kind of what it's become.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That is my feeling. And not as much as speed, because what happened to speed seems alarming. What happened to J.T.

[Michael Wilbon]

seems.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, okay, He. He hit the crest. He's on the other side. It's as simple as that. I mean, that's how it seems to me. I mean, we don't say that about Rory, obviously. Yeah.

[Doug Ferguson]

No, and kind of like Joy. I mean, if you think back to Justin, he won it Hilton Head. And that was a year ago. I mean, not to say for what, the past April. And before that it was the pga, and before that, it was like another couple of years. I mean, if you go back over five or six years and I don't have my things in front of me, but I think he's only won twice. And so they were big ones, you know, the PGA at Southern Hills and even that one at Hilton Head, that's always kind of a memorable, you know, viewing tournament. Outside of those, he hasn't done much. One of the players. I take that back, but it was. Yeah, it's like instead of collections of, you know, three or four wins over two or three years, it's one win here and wait a couple and win another one. But it's been A while.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, they really. And people like him as well.

[Michael Wilbon]

I mean, he's a very popular player.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right, so this is the last

[Michael Wilbon]

one Rory won in Augusta. Aaron Rye won the pga, right. Windham Clark won the US Open. Aaron Rye would be a surprise winner. Who are you looking for here? Are you looking for a surprise winner? Are you looking for more chalk the surprise.

[Doug Ferguson]

This year we've only had one top 10 guy. Now Clark's top 10 now. But at the time, Rory is the only top 10 guy to have won, to have won this year. And that has happened in the majors in quite a while. We've had like a bunch of years of like at least two, sometimes three really high end players I'm looking for, just given Birkdale's history, I'm looking for a, a big name, a big player. I'm kind of looking at Fitzpatrick. So I'm going to take big player and combine this with everything seems to be lining up for England this year. They always talk about their English hopes when they come to, you know, Burkedale or Lithium or places like that. But you know, Tommy Fleetwood grew up in this town and everybody loves Tommy Fleetwood. He's, he's lovable guy number one. You got Rose, as you talked about. Fitzpatrick has won three times this year and yes, probably should have won last week. Had a bit of a bad Sunday, Hits it really flat and he's got great, great control right now of his driver and his irons. And that is the key to Burkdale. Keeping it between the dunes, keeping it on the greens and going from there. I mean, greens, Lynx greens are really kind of on the smaller side, but they're mostly flat and a little bit slower than usual. If you've got the feel for them, then you can make pots. But it's key going tea to green on this course and Fitz is right up there. So I don't know, I just said. And he's going to miss the cut probably, but he's a guy that I would have my attention on. And I think this is, this could be the year that, you know, especially the World cup going on. England's going berserk and I'd love one of their boys to win it. And this is the first time that they've had, you know, you got Rye as a major champion already would be a surprise. But you got Ryan, Fitz and Rose and Fleetwood. That's a pretty good lineup of, of hope going into it to a major like this.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Kill me. Wilbourne loves him because he went to Northwestern for an hour and a half on claims him. I say you can claim Luke Donald. He was there for years. You can't claim Matty Fitzgerald. Doug, enjoy yourself. Thanks so very much for doing this. Thank you, Doug. Thanks, Doug Ferguson.

[Michael Wilbon]

Boys and girls, we will take a break. We will come back with Mark Feinsand

[Tony Kornheiser]

and we will talk about last night's Home Run Derby and tonight's All Star Game.

[Michael Wilbon]

I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show. They say that every day your business

[Michael Wilbon]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Michael Wilbon]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Michael Wilbon]

Once again, this is blood family reunion. D.C. based band. This is a song called Bluebird. Michael if if independent artists like Blood Family Reunion want to send their music to us and have it played on the show, how do they do it?

[Chris]

Send us your music by emailing it to Jingles at Tony Koenizer Show.com and

[Michael Wilbon]

Blood Family Reunion plays in Mark Feinstein and we will get to the Home Run Derby and we will get to the All Star Game.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But I got to start with Zach Wheeler.

[Michael Wilbon]

Zach Wheeler is a pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. His record is 10 and 1 and

[Tony Kornheiser]

his ERA is 2.13. He has started 15 games for the Phillies and the Phillies have won 14. And it is incomprehensible that there are 12 better pitchers in the National League this year than Zach Wheeler. And yet Zach Wheeler was not on

[Michael Wilbon]

the All Star team.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Originally, he mouthed off about it and said he felt disrespectful so Major League Baseball probably said, you know what?

[Doug Ferguson]

We were wrong.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Let's put him on the team. And then he told him to shove it. He didn't want to be on the team. I think that's the essence of what's going on. I have my own opinion as to whether he is right or wrong, and I certainly understand why he feels that way. But, Mark, how do you feel about this? How does baseball feel about this?

[Mark Feinsand]

Well, I think Wheeler should have been on the All Star team. I think he had every right to be upset about it. That said, he was lined up to pitch on Sunday, and baseball doesn't, you know, when they're looking at their replacements for, you know, for the All Star Game, pitchers who pitch on Sunday are not eligible because they.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They can't play.

[Mark Feinsand]

Tuesday, they can't play. And now if you're named an All Star initially, either by the player vote or initially, you know, by the league which chooses the pitcher is beyond the player vote, and you're scheduled to pitch Sunday, you're still an All Star, and then they just replace you. He should have been picked in that process, but the players, his own, his own brethren, did not list him as one of the, you know, people that they had listed to be an All Star starting pitcher. So some of the blame goes to the players for, you know, shame on them for not putting Zach Wheeler in the All Star Game. And then after that, I thought Wheeler handled it fine, right up until the point when he said he would pitch in the game if he was named. And then MLB said, okay, well, let's go. You're going to be named. And then he told him to shove it. So I think, you know, the final decision of his, you can't make such a big deal about it, and then ultimately turned it down. You know, I understand there were other people who had already gotten replacement, you know, nominees, so to speak. And, you know, he was the fourth or fifth guy who would have been a replacement. And he said, well, I'm not going to be their fifth choice. But you know what? If it's so important to you to be an All Star in your home ballpark and you get the opportunity, do it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is exactly how I feel. If he had done this in any other of the 30 ballparks, I'd be okay. But this is his ballpark. This is his team. This is his city. These are his fans. What are you doing? How much of a jerk can you be? I mean, just stand out there, doff your cap and drink in all of the applause. Is he a jerk? I mean, does he have a reputation this way? To me, it absolutely is. Cutting off your nose despite your face. I don't get it.

[Mark Feinsand]

I've never had any issues with Zach. I think he's a nice guy. I've always had good dealings with him. I don't know anybody, at least on my side of the business, who's had any real problems with him in the past, and I don't expect that they will in the future. But this was one thing that he was really irritated about not getting named to begin with. And I think people were playing up the surgery angle. He had this thoracic outlet surgery, and to come back from that and be as good as you been, and I don't think the surgery should play into it at all because he's just been that good this year. So, yes, you know, whether. Whether he was coming off of a Cy Young or coming off of Tommy John, you know, he's certainly one of the best pitchers in the league. To me, he should be the starter in the All Star Game, probably, but, you know, his teammate Christopher Sancho will be starting instead, and I'm sure. Oh, he deserves a round of applause, and he deserves it, too, you know, But I think after watching. I know we'll get to it, but after watching the way that the fans in Philadelphia showered Harper and Schwaber with affection last night, I wonder if Zach Wheeler was watching that from afar and having any regrets over the fact that whether he pitched or not. Like you said, go out there during introductions and you're going to feel a lot of love.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I mean, baseball tried to do the right thing, tried to say, hey, we got this wrong. Let's welcome this guy. And then he behaves this way again. You and I both understand his anger, but I just think in that ballpark, you don't do it. You just don't do it. And let's get to Home Run Derby and talk about how Schwaber and Harper were treated last night by the fans and conversely, how everybody else was treated by the fans in Philadelphia.

[Mark Feinsand]

It's not often that you hear massive booze at an. At a Home Run Derby, Right? I mean, these are usually, you know, they're all star players. They're usually names, and they're going out there and just trying to hit big Giant home runs to keep the crowd entertained. Right? And. And now, granted, we don't usually see the hometown player in the finals, and certainly you don't usually see this event happen in a town like Philadelphia. That crowd lived up to its reputation last night, and I think it affected Wilson Contreras in the second round when he faced Schwarber. And I give a lot of credit to Jordan Walker because by the finals, you know, Schwaber went out there and he hit first in the finals and he hit 11. And the way the new format this year, you got 20 swings. So for me, if you're on double digits in that, you've had a good round. So Schwarber went up there. Oh, yeah. 11 out of the 20 balls out. And the place was going bananas. And Walker went up there and he was down to his last swing. He had eight. And the rule is, if you hit a home run on your last swing, you keep going until you stop hitting a home run. Good rule. He had to hit four in a row. And every time that he didn't hit a home run leading up to it, the place was going crazy. It was, you know, if you didn't know any better, you'd think he had just hit one. Based on previous Home Run Derby and the way the crowd always reacted. Well, when he would hit one, the place would not make a noise. And when he didn't hit one, they went crazy. So he gets up there with the eight and he hits four in a row and just silences 43,000 people. It was quite something to watch. And you know, Jordan Walker, that guy's got some huevos. Because to do that in that stadium, the way that crowd had been against him, and not against him, but against anybody who wasn't named Kyle Schwarber at that point, that was. That was really impressive.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Died. Yeah, I mean, that's, it's.

[Chris]

And there was great production for the telecast as to when do you cut to Schwab or when do you see Schwarber say, oh, we might be in trouble here.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It was really.

[Michael Wilbon]

It was all so well done, and

[Tony Kornheiser]

yet it was on Netflix. Like, what's that? What is Netflix? And that was not on over the air television. Right. What are you doing?

[Mark Feinsand]

Just go to your remote and say Home Run Derby and let it figure

[Doug Ferguson]

it out for you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, no, because actually we get Netflix, but I don't think everybody gets Netflix.

[Mark Feinsand]

Well, more people had Netflix last night than before. You know, this is the new world living in. And this is when you have a. An NFL playoff game on a streaming service. And you know, this is. This is the new world we're living in. And Netflix seems to enjoy some of these one off events. And this was one of their first four is into Baseball, they had opening day this year as well. So, you know, I did. I didn't have a chance to watch the broadcast because I was in the ballpark. But, yeah, so far it. It sounds like. Like it was a pretty special night for them. I thought it was a great event in terms of the actual Home Run Derby itself. And, you know, I was. I was wondering how the new rules were going to play out. I thought they were fine. And, you know, when you get. When you get an atmosphere like that, it really always helps. And when you get a guy like Schwaber. Let me ask you a question. Schwaber was watching Walker very intently. And as. Every time that the booze came out, I felt like Schwaber was almost uncomfortable with it. Like, he almost wanted to apologize to Walker for getting that treatment because he knew the Philly fans and what they're like, but, like, this is. This isn't the World Series, isn't, you know, do or die. We're rooting against the team. And I think he almost felt bad for Walker. He seemed uncomfortable with the whole thing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'll bet when they embraced after the thing was over, I'll bet he said those exact things to Walker. Like, you were really a stud going out there with this crowd. Sorry about the crowd, but, you know, that's the way it is. Something like that. That would be. That would be my guess.

[Chris]

There was a slower start, for sure, but there definitely was a lot of emotional release because I feel like there was a ton of pressure on Schwarber and or Harper. One of them had to get to the finals. And when he put up that performance, he just looked more relieved that he was sort of through with it and he did his part.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I agree. I. By the way, I really mark. I like this All Star. It's the only All Star game I like because it's. It's the only one that replicates the sport that it's with. I mean, basketball's a joke. It's 200 to 195. Hockey used to be a joke in the same way football, they didn't. They didn't want to be out there. Nobody wants to hit anybody. And baseball, their All Star Game because you're not asking pitchers anymore to go three innings. You're asking them to just go one. And the hitter is against the pitcher. And it's the best. Is it not in your mind, the best All Star Game? It is in mine.

[Mark Feinsand]

Oh, I agree 100%. And it's one that my entire life, I would never miss when I was a kid. Now it was different when I was a kid because back then you didn't see American National League players on the field together except in the World Series. So that was certainly something different back, you know, in the 80s and early 90s. But even with interleague play, you're right, it's the only one where you're going to get to see the best against the best, trying their hardest, you know, to show off their craft. And, you know, I think that's why when you see, you know, last year everybody was all up in arms about Jacob Mizarowski being an All Star after making six or four or six career starts. And what a joke it is. Well, you know what I think is proving this year that he was perfectly, perfectly capable and warranted All Star and seeing him go out there on this stage and throw 104 miles an hour fastball against one of the best players in the game. That's cool. And I love the All Star Game and I love the derby. I think it's, it's a great showcase for the game. Whereas I think you're right, the other sports, even, you know, I used to say, well, the NBA, the all, the NBA All Star Game was, you know, a high scoring joke with no defense, but at least you get to watch a dunk contest. But now you watch a dunk contest, you've never heard of it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's awful.

[Mark Feinsand]

So.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right.

[Mark Feinsand]

You know, you know, when I was growing up, it was Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins and not so much anymore. So, you know, tonight when this game starts, the first person you're gonna see in the batter's box is gonna be Mike Trout. And that's, that's, that's going to be very cool.

[Michael Wilbon]

Do you think they'll trade him this year?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't think that's possible.

[Mark Feinsand]

Okay. He's got a full no trade clause, he's got a lot of money left on his contract and, and other than the idea of maybe him being able to go to Philadelphia and go play at home, you know, because he's from South Jersey, I don't think he would necessarily approve a trade anywhere else. And frankly, Artie Moreno has been against trading his star players even when he should. Right. I mean, when Shohei Ohtani was coming up on free agency and it was criminal not to trade him and take the haul that you would get for him, he didn't do it. And Mike Trout right now is one of the few reasons to watch the Angels and to go to that ballpark. And I just don't I just can't imagine that given what he's meant to that team for the past 10 plus years, that they would move him.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'll get you out of here on this. It's a. It's a statistic that I said at the top of the show. Do you know what the Nats home era is from the eighth inning on?

[Michael Wilbon]

Home era, eighth inning on.

[Mark Feinsand]

You know, I'm gonna guess like 45.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it's 808. That's unbelievable, isn't it?

[Guest or Caller]

Eight.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, I mean, they can't. They can't get out of the game. 808.

[Mark Feinsand]

That series against the Yankees was. I mean, I actually thought of you after the first game, and by the third game, I was hoping you were okay. Because, you know, those three losses were the kind of losses where you're like, why? Why do I do this to myself every day? You know, I think Bill Simmons calls them the gut punch losses. And those felt like real gut punch losses to me.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I mean, the same thing happened with the Phillies three weeks before. I mean, the Nats, you know, you play a good team, you lose 808. Mark. 808 is so unbelievably terrible.

[Mark Feinsand]

It's interesting, though, because there are 23 teams, I think, right now within four and a half games of a playoff spot. And, you know, this time of year, all I do is, is work on trade deadline stuff and try to figure out what's happening with the trade deadline. It's one of the most intriguing times of the year for baseball fans and certainly baseball writers. And right now, I don't have any idea what anybody's going to do because there are only six or seven teams that are really out of it. And most of those teams are out of it because they have bad players and nobody to sell. So the question is, like, I think the Nationals want to go out and fortify that bullpen with a couple of relievers, but so do, like, 19 other teams. So it's going to. It could get very pricey to go out and get some good relief pitching because there's not going to be as much of it available as there is in a normal year when you have, let's say, eight or 10 teams that have already declared themselves as sellers, or 12 teams, and all of a sudden you're like, all right, well, there's a bunch of relievers. We can figure out which one we want, which one is not going to cost us the most prospects or which one we think fits our profiles. But right now, there's just not any sellers. So I think the next couple of weeks are going to be really important for probably about 10 or 12 of those 23 teams. Because if they have a good couple of weeks, well, they'll give their front office a reason to, you know, push in some chips and go buy some. Buy players. Yeah. And if you. And if you have a bad couple of weeks, you can end up being a seller. So I don't think we're going to see a whole lot of action. There may be deals, but not a whole lot until like, August 1st and the deadline's August 3rd. And I think, you know, somebody said to me yesterday, those may wind up being 48 of the craziest hours in baseball because we've been talking for weeks about when are the Tigers in a trade school, how much are they getting it back? Guess what? Just three and a half games out of a playoff spot right now. Tarek School is not going anywhere.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No.

[Michael Wilbon]

That seems to be the prevalent opinion.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thank you for this and enjoy the game tonight. Thanks.

[Mark Feinsand]

I have to thank you also, Tony, because apparently all the work I do in my regular job is fine. But I had a person come over to me last night, tell me how much they love my work and how great I am, especially when I'm on the Tony Hornheiser show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, that's nice.

[Mark Feinsand]

Apparently, this is should be the first thing on my resume.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, that's nice.

[Michael Wilbon]

That's nice.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's good. Okay.

[Mark Feinsand]

He didn't drop a little cheesury on me, though, which was disappointing. Oh, that's what one of the Phillies PR guys did, which I thought was cool.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So you never know who's listening. You never know. Thanks, Mark.

[Doug Ferguson]

Thanks, Tony.

[Michael Wilbon]

Mark Feinstein, boys and girls. We will come back with email and jingle. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show.

[Guest or Caller]

Here comes Tony's mailbag. Gonna read some faxes and your notes. Here comes Tony's mailbag. Gonna read some for all you folks. Gonna read some for all.

[Tony Kornheiser]

There's a professional musician in there, Dan Byrne, and there's Tom Mosser, who's taking the high notes. Taking the high notes. Love that. I do.

[Michael Wilbon]

I love it.

[Chris]

Great.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You want to do the Bethesda Bagel ad?

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah, Bethesda Bagels. We love them. You will as well. Just go to bethesdabeagels.com for the location in the DC area shoot. Then pop one in and you'll be thrilled. And I forgot to pass this along from Sean. He had a recommendation.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Guest or Caller]

For your breakfast food situation.

[Tony Kornheiser]

When you go out, take out my takeout.

[Guest or Caller]

He said if the bacon is crispy enough. Shirt pocket, foil pouch.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Okay.

[Chris]

The pre cut foil.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Get you some foil. Except golf shirts don't have pockets.

[Chris]

Oh, you can put in the back pocket with the glove.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't want to sit on the bacon. I don't want to sit on it. I think that's a mistake. Before we get to the mailbag, let

[Michael Wilbon]

me just say, get your motor run and head out on the highway looking for adventure or whatever comes our way.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's not the world's greatest song that's Born to Be Wild by Steppenwolf.

[Michael Wilbon]

Not the world's greatest song. But it is from Easy Rider, which premiered on this date in 1969, which is a long time ago. Thanks to our guests today, Mark Feinstein and Doug Ferguson. Thanks as well to today's sponsors. Excuse me. Remember, you can listen to us on Apple podcasts, Spotify on Odyssey, get show through Apple Podcasts. Please leave us a review from Steve

[Tony Kornheiser]

the Sycophant Dr. Grandpa Satchmo, Captain Potato

[Michael Wilbon]

Goat, my legion idol. I was watching you in your splendiferous sport coat on PTI Monday. My wife walked by, glanced at the TV and said, tony, strawberry sports coat looks great. I replied, Tony said, it's mauve.

[Tony Kornheiser]

She said, it's strawberry.

[Michael Wilbon]

Mauve has more gray, so it's strawberry.

[Tony Kornheiser]

End of discussion.

[Michael Wilbon]

I had been.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It had been suggested to me it was mauve that was out there. Yes, I think it's. I think it's safe to say though, it's a coat that Wilbon wouldn't be caught dead in.

[Michael Wilbon]

No, it's not denim.

[Guest or Caller]

Why would he wear it?

[Michael Wilbon]

From Barry Tate.

[Guest or Caller]

Oh, no.

[Michael Wilbon]

From Barry Taylor from Louisville, Kentucky. I may be in the minority, but I think not. In the last 30 days, I've seen Wilbon wear a denim jacket that Cher wore 40 years ago. And now we get Tony in the last purple jacket that Elton John wore. Tony and Wilbon need to calm down. From Barry Cash, 40 short. Yeah, I'm not afforded. I was used to be a 40 too long.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I know I'm shrinking, but I'm not a 40 short.

[Michael Wilbon]

Come on.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Although that coat's too big for me.

[Michael Wilbon]

I've lost a bunch of weight. Barry Katz, Columbus, Ohio. Were you aware that your mob sport coat matched the Empire State buildings dominant you behind Pablo Torre and Monday evening's PTI show? Did you dress for the occasion or did the building follow your fashion?

[Chris]

All about the esthetic.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I would say the latter. I didn't.

[Michael Wilbon]

I didn't know they were going to do that. From Tara in Apopka, Florida. I love the lavender jacket.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's it.

[Michael Wilbon]

That's the email.

[Guest or Caller]

You go. People have spoken.

[Michael Wilbon]

This is an email from Michael Goldstein. Not that Michael Goldstein. Yesterday on the pod, Michael questioned a stat he got from Al as he should have from AI Rather. I thought it was Uncle Big.

[Mark Feinsand]

Never question.

[Michael Wilbon]

I. Yeah, you never question Uncle Big Al as he should have. The correct stat is that the nats have used 14 pitchers this season who

[Tony Kornheiser]

were making their major league debuts.

[Michael Wilbon]

The total number of pitchers that threw at least one pitch for the Nats this season must be in the high 20s.

[Tony Kornheiser]

At least that's what I believe. They're. They're finding these people. They have search parties out to find people who have never pitched before.

[Guest or Caller]

You kid.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They think they're better than the pitchers they have now.

[Guest or Caller]

You ever play baseball?

[Mark Feinsand]

You want to try experience, you know?

[Tony Kornheiser]

From Neil Ayervich.

[Chris]

Is he free?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Baby manager explaining tonight. Baby manager explaining the platoon pitching in

[Michael Wilbon]

the ninth inning, which has resulted in an MLB worse. 690 ERA, 43 year in runs. That's just the 943. It's 808 and an MLB worse. 26 blown saves. No, they're 27 now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Quote.

[Michael Wilbon]

We believe in our process and it feels like we keep getting burned.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Insanity defined, Neil Rights.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

From Pete Jonas in Winchester, Virginia, who says. Dear Mr. Potato Head, currently catching up on the pod from beautiful Evian, France, while covering the Monday Evian Championship for the LPGA Tour. As a videographer, my job with the tour grants me the privilege of getting to travel to beautiful locations and to experience some of the most historic golf courses in the world from inside the ropes, all while filming the best female golfers on the planet at the highest level. I wanted to share with you a couple of observations from my time over here in Europe. One, while it isn't quite as hot as the temperatures from the recent heat wave in the DC area, it's still pushing 90.

[Tony Kornheiser]

DC is going to be 105 tomorrow. Yeah, Thursday rather.

[Chris]

I look forward to that 105.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's still pushing 90, and at this elevation, might as well be a billion. This is exacerbated by the fact that the French have clearly not yet discovered the recipe for ice. And don't even get me started on the air conditioning situation.

[Mark Feinsand]

2.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Rather than exclaiming yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

When someone makes a putt, the French exclaim we.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I know this may seem obvious but

[Michael Wilbon]

to an American in France, it's kind of hilarious. The longer the putt, the longer the wee. Definitely no Channel 1261 over here, so you probably couldn't watch. The Nats would love to watch you attempt to navigate a French tv, though. Thanks for the laughs, and please tell my dad, Brent Jonas, to eat it. From Ken Scudder, Chuck and Roxy, number 418. You referred to Rod Stewart's song Forever Young being a cover of Bob Dylan's Forever Young. Not exactly. In fact, it's kind of closer to being a ripoff. Stewart wrote his forever young 14 years after Dylan wrote his, and the lyrics are damn near identical. So much so that Stewart's legal team contacted Dylan's legal team, who said Bob was okay with Rod releasing the song so long as he was credited as a writer on it. So the song is officially written by Jim Cregan, Kevin Savagar, Bob Dylan, and Rob Stewart.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And Rod Stewart. That's interesting.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah, it is.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I knew the Rod Stewart, you know.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah, yeah. I'll play you the.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The demo version from Mike Mackler in Wilmington, Delaware.

[Michael Wilbon]

I just wanted to let you know that I met Tim Kirchen and his son in Philadelphia doing a live recording of their podcast, pictures included. I see them from News Channel 8. Have you ever considered doing a podcast from a restaurant?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Maybe you could even buy the place. Yeah, that has come and gone in my life.

[Michael Wilbon]

That has come and gone from Mike Rosebank in State College, Pennsylvania. I was catching up on the podcast podcast After Vacation. I heard you read the email from Jim Lind referencing Liddit's Pennsylvania.

[Tony Kornheiser]

While I could quibble as to whether

[Michael Wilbon]

Liddit should actually be considered part of central Pennsylvania, I will give it a shout out as being the hometown of Wilbur Chocolate. By far the best chocolate in the state.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Eat it, Hershey.

[Michael Wilbon]

The Berkey Creamery at Penn State uses Wilbur Chocolate in any of their ice cream that involves schmutz, so it must be good.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I tried dropping Nigel's name in a

[Michael Wilbon]

few restaurants while in London. We received no good tables and we were escorted out out of one.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah, never do that.

[Michael Wilbon]

And one more from Sue Heidel. Or Sue Heidel. I think it's Sue Heidel. Cincinnati, Ohio. All of this mailbag talk about Cincinnati's own Coney island amusement park and Sunlight Pool reminded me my teen years when the same amusement park location used to host the Cincinnati Open as part of the ATP tour somewhere circa 1975. My parents would drop me off at the pool for the day and I could walk over to the tennis courts to see the likes of of Roscoe Tanner, Harold Solomon, Stan Smith and Ily Nasassi played tennis just a few feet away from me.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It was a simpler time back then.

[Michael Wilbon]

The tennis arena consisted of a few wooden risers that held only a few hundred people on asphalt in the scorching sun. Occasionally someone would hit the ball over the chain link fence and you got to keep it. What a treat for this young Chris Everett wannabe. Thanks for bringing back a beloved memory that I'd mostly forgotten about. That's lovely.

[Tony Kornheiser]

If you're out on your bike tonight,

[Michael Wilbon]

everyone as always, do wear white.

[Mark Feinsand]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We both have so much in common.

[Guest or Caller]

We both love soup like soup and

[Tony Kornheiser]

we love the outdoors.

[Guest or Caller]

We love snow peas soup. Sam. Ram. Just another. Just. Sam

[Doug Ferguson]

sa.

[Guest or Caller]

When you see. The broken. Sam. Connection. So strange I've got my reasons so do. I've got my reasons so. Holy. Ra. Ram.