Podcast Summary: The Tony Kornheiser Show – "A Business of Flies"

Date: September 15, 2025
Host: Tony Kornheiser
Guests: Michael Wilbon, Tim Kurkjian, Greg Garcia, Jason

Overview

This episode of The Tony Kornheiser Show blends the usual mix of sports, personal anecdotes, and comedic banter. Tony and friends discuss the frustrations of changing digital interfaces (specifically, The Washington Post app), Tony's recent battles with vertigo and an unexpected fly infestation ("a business of flies"), and delve deeply into the sports headlines of the week. Regulars Michael Wilbon and Tim Kurkjian join for spirited debates on the NFL, MLB, and college football, with Tony's trademark crankiness throughout.

Highlights & Key Topics

1. Updates & Personal Anecdotes

The Washington Post App Changes

• Frustration with New Design: Tony vents about the redesign of The Washington Post's sports app, now focused on local team clusters rather than curated top stories.
  • "They’ve abdicated their responsibility to rank in order the most important stories to serve the people who are spending the money to buy this service."
    (Tony, 03:44)
  • He misses the curated hierarchy of stories and especially the TV listings: “And plus, I can’t find the television listings. That’s really important.” (Tony, 04:40)

Tech Annoyances Expanded

• Jason and Greg commiserate, with examples of unwanted app and crossword changes, underscoring how digital meddling often ruins what isn’t broken.
  • “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. And somebody always feels the need to just meddle a little bit.” (Greg, 05:25)

2. Health & Home Life

Vertigo Strikes Tony

• Tony details his first bout with vertigo, painting a vivid picture of waking at night with a spinning room, anxiety, and eventual medical advice.
  • "The room was swimming. The room was making circles. I was terrified. I could not focus my eyes on anything."
    (Tony, 07:49)
• He worries about recurrence and the possibility of experiencing vertigo while driving: “Here’s where you don’t want it, when you’re driving … you got to pull over.” (Tony, 08:36)
• Relief came from a chewable prescription: “Tasted like rat poison, but, you know, it seemed to work.” (Tony, 08:02)

An Invasion: "A Business of Flies"

• Tony humorously laments a fly infestation, killing dozens over the previous day.
  • “I’ve killed 25 flies in my house in the last 12 hours by hand…banging them with a cloth.” (Tony, 09:13)
  • Greg chimes in with fly terminology: “A ‘swarm’ is most common...a ‘business’ of flies.” (Greg, 10:24)
• The group brainstorms solutions ranging from light traps to flypaper, and reminisce about childhoood fly-catching strategies.
  • “I want that. I don’t want the traditional flypaper that I had at camp as a kid 70 years ago.” (Tony, 11:44)
  • “Frogs eat flies...A frog can't catch these flies. These flies are flying. That’s why they're flies.” (Greg & Tony, 11:59/12:00)

3. Weekly Sports Roundtable with Michael Wilbon

NFL Weekend: Surprises and Storylines

• Tony and Michael break down a topsy-turvy NFL weekend, focusing on the Cowboys-Giants and Russell Wilson’s Broncos heartbreak.
  • "If you watched the Red Zone yesterday...one of the most surprising teams in the NFL, the Indianapolis Colts … but the Cowboys-Giants game...that game was fabulous, wasn’t it?"
    (Tony, 18:13)
  • "There’s no reason the Cowboys can't or shouldn’t make the playoffs." (Wilbon, 18:28)
  • Giants and Daniel Jones' performance; heartbreak for fans.

Coaching Instability and Hot Seats

• Talk shifts to Miami’s coaching “death watch,” referencing job security after a potential Thursday loss to Buffalo.
  • “People had them...on death watch coming into the season...is it self-fulfilling prophecy?” (Wilbon, 24:25)
  • "You could lose that game and be fired because you have 10 days till the next game." (Tony, 26:17)

College Football Anguish: Wilbon’s Wildcats

• Wilbon reflects on Northwestern narrowly covering a 27.5-point spread against powerhouse Oregon and the unique culture of Midwest tailgating.
  • “We played Oregon even in the first and fourth quarters … I’m not going to say moral victory, but it was competitive in both those quarters.” (Wilbon, 28:28)
  • "It’s like a brunch telecast … tailgating starts at like 9." (Wilbon, 27:35)

Bears Fans’ Woes

• Wilbon and Tony discuss the Bears giving up 52 points and the unfair scape-goating of rookie QB Caleb Williams.
  • “The story in Chicago is Dennis Allen, okay? Caleb Williams didn’t give up 52 yesterday…" (Wilbon, 29:48)
  • "Caleb Williams was about the third or fourth most important element of a 52-point beatdown yesterday." (Wilbon, 31:12)

4. MLB Talk with Tim Kurkjian

NFL Dominance Over Baseball Viewing

• Tony and Tim express regret that MLB pennant races get drowned out by NFL Sundays.
  • “There are amazing things going on, including pennant races, and all we care about is how many yards Russell Wilson threw for yesterday.”
    (Tim, 34:43)
  • Tony admits he skips baseball on Sundays except for his beloved Nats.

Cal Raleigh’s Historic Power Surge

• Kurkjian highlights Cal Raleigh’s 54th homer, tying Mickey Mantle for most home runs by a switch hitter.
  • “A catcher has tied him [Mantle]...the only switch hitter ever to hit 20 or more homers from each side of the plate.” (Tim, 36:04)

MVP Debates: Judge vs. Cal Raleigh, Schwarber’s Case

• American League:
  • “There are certain seasons where there are two MVPs … I would vote for Aaron Judge.” (Tim, 37:13)
• National League:
  • Tony pushes Kyle Schwarber’s MVP case; Tim respects his clubhouse leadership but leans toward Shohei Ohtani: “I don’t think at this moment that he is the MVP ... Ohtani has 49 homers and is pitching again.” (Tim, 39:06)

Batting Averages & Changing Metrics

• Tony laments the decline in .300 hitters; Tim explains the cultural and strategic shift to home runs.
  • “We have lost the value of the hit because all we care about is how many home runs do you hit.” (Tim, 41:21)
  • “Feels like batting average guys have become like running backs in the NFL. Nobody really cares about their great skills…” (Tony, 42:44)

Pennant Races and Rivalries

• Brief rundown: Phillies and Brewers are runaways, Mets may have righted the ship. Padres-Dodgers rivalry called “the best” for its animosity.
  • “The hatred is so much fun.” (Tony, 45:55)

Memorable Quotes

• On UI changes: “Why you change? You’re not making it better.” (Tony, 05:06)
• On vertigo: “Tasted like rat poison, but…seemed to work.” (Tony on medication, 08:02)
• On the fly problem: “They’re giving me the business. I have them there in the main floor. They’re all over the place and they want to get out. They're always near a window. They don't want to be inside.” (Tony, 10:30)
• On football’s dominance of Sunday: “Football has commanded this country and nothing really matters other than football on a Sunday.” (Tim, 34:43)
• On gridiron misery: “The easy thing is Caleb Williams. Caleb Williams. 52 points!” (Wilbon, 30:35)

Notable Segments & Timestamps

• 00:13–02:46: Show opens, friendly chat, Washington Post app complaints
• 07:54–09:13: Tony describes his first bout of vertigo
• 09:13–13:43: The fly infestation saga and solutions
• 17:23–31:24: Michael Wilbon joins: NFL breakdown, Northwestern, Bears
• 33:14–45:46: Tim Kurkjian joins: Baseball talk, MVP debates, metrics, pennant races and rivalries

Additional Notes

• Songs by Ryan Jewell featured at music breaks.
• Jokes and mailbag close the episode, including listener emails about potatoes, vaccines, fly infestations, and show references to earlier bits.

Conclusion

"A Business of Flies" is a quintessential Tony Kornheiser Show episode, blending personal tangents (health woes and home travails) with a sharp, irreverent look at the current sports landscape. Its warmth and humor make the episode both accessible and rewarding for regular listeners and newcomers alike.