“A Different Show”

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Tony Kornheiser Show – “A Different Show” (March 5, 2025)

Hosted by This Show Stinks Productions, LLC, "The Tony Kornheiser Show" is a dynamic daily talk show that delves into sports, politics, current events, entertainment, and a variety of topics that spark Tony's interest each day. In the episode titled “A Different Show,” released on March 5, 2025, Tony Kornheiser navigates through several pressing topics with his guests, providing insightful commentary and engaging discussions.

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1. Introduction to the Episode

Tony begins the show by announcing a change in the usual format, indicating that Barry Verluga will be joining him to discuss local sports issues, specifically focusing on the Washington Nationals (Nats) and Baltimore Orioles' television rights situation.

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2. Local Sports Focus: Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles TV Rights

Guest: Barry Verluga – Columnist at The Washington Post

Tony and Barry delve into the longstanding dispute between the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles over television rights. Historically, the Nationals’ TV rights were managed by the Orioles through the Mid Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), leading to financial disparities that have hindered the Nationals' ability to grow and compete effectively.

Key Points:

• Historical Context: The Nationals have been under MASN's control since their inception, receiving a significantly smaller share of broadcast revenue compared to the Orioles.

  Hari Mari [26:01]: “The Nationals have argued they're not getting their fair share and they're being financially constrained by this deal.”

• Resolution of the Dispute: The recent passing of Peter Angelos, former owner of the Orioles, led to a change in ownership. The Orioles were sold to David Rubenstein, a Baltimore native with strong ties to Washington, facilitating a more amicable resolution.

  Hari Mari [26:01]: “They came to an agreement that the Nationals will control their own rights beginning next season.”

• Financial Implications: With control over their TV rights, the Nationals are expected to gain more revenue, allowing them to invest in player contracts and team development.

  Hari Mari [33:55]: “National Park receives $0 annually for naming rights. They are actively pursuing both naming rights and jersey patches to increase revenue.”

• Future Prospects: The Nationals' new autonomy over their broadcast rights opens opportunities for negotiations with networks like Ted Leonsis' Monumental Sports Network, although revenue potential remains lower compared to other MLB teams.

  Hari Mari [31:49]: “Ted Leonsis could offer a network deal, but it won't match the $60-$70 million they previously received.”

Conclusion: The resolution marks a pivotal moment for the Nationals, potentially enhancing their financial stability and competitiveness in Major League Baseball.

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3. NFL Discussion: Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings

Tony shifts the conversation to the Minnesota Vikings and quarterback Sam Darnold, analyzing the sudden shift in the team's performance and Darnold's prospects.

Key Points:

• Performance Decline: Despite a strong first 16 games last season, Darnold's performance plummeted in the final two games, leading to the Vikings forgoing a franchise tag or extended contract.

  Tony Kornheiser [07:03]: “Sam Darnold's offense produced one touchdown in two games, and the Vikings lost by a combined score of 58-18.”

• Team Decisions: The Vikings' decision reflects uncertainty about Darnold's future and a reluctance to commit $40 million through a franchise tag without consistent performance.

  Tony Kornheiser [07:05]: “They don't want a franchise tag worth $40 million for a quarterback who's not consistently performing.”

Conclusion: The Vikings' handling of Darnold underscores the challenges teams face in evaluating player performance and financial commitments in the NFL.

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4. NBA and College Basketball: Cooper Flagg’s Contract and Development

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to a deep dive into Cooper Flagg, a standout college basketball player at Duke University, and the implications of his potential entry into the NBA.

Key Points:

• Player Profile: Cooper Flagg is highlighted as an exceptional talent, capable of playing in the NBA despite his young age (18 years old) and physical differences compared to seasoned professionals.

  Tony Kornheiser [48:13]: “Cooper Flagg is capable of playing in the NBA. He's probably the best player in college this year.”

• Contract Considerations: The discussion centers on the financial aspects of NBA contracts, particularly the Rookie Scale contracts, and the potential for Flagg to negotiate significant earnings early in his career.

  Tony Kornheiser [52:33]: “When the time comes for Cooper Flagg to get that contract, it's going to be $80 million a year. It's such an unbelievable sum of money.”

• Development vs. Financial Gain: The debate weighs the benefits of Flagg staying an additional year in college to develop his skills and mature against the immediate financial gains and career advancements from entering the NBA.

  Michael Wilbon [50:43]: “If you can make up that first year rookie money in the NIL, I think they were saying it's close to $5 million right now.”

• Long-Term Impact: The conversation touches on how Flagg’s decisions could set precedents for future college athletes regarding when to enter professional leagues and how to maximize their earnings and career potential.

  Hari Mari [35:38]: “They have an interesting young core of players. It's almost malpractice if they do nothing next winter.”

Conclusion: Cooper Flagg's journey represents a critical case study in athlete development, contractual negotiations, and the evolving landscape of college and professional basketball.

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5. Listener Mailbag: Capybaras and Daylight Savings Time

The episode transitions to a lighter segment where Tony interacts with listeners through emails and messages, covering diverse topics such as capybaras and the implications of Daylight Savings Time.

Key Points:

• Capybaras: Listeners share anecdotes and fun facts about capybaras, the world's largest rodents, highlighting personal experiences and curiosities about these animals.

  Tony Kornheiser [61:51]: “Capybaras are very docile. They graze in swamps and have webbed feet.”

• Daylight Savings Time: Discussions revolve around the historical and modern perspectives on Daylight Savings Time, its effects on daily life, and personal preferences for seasonal time changes.

  Tony Kornheiser [65:23]: “I love wintertime because it allows me to wake up at 6:30 with enough sunlight to get my 6-year-old son ready for school.”

Conclusion: The mailbag segment provides a moment of levity and community engagement, allowing listeners to connect over shared interests and personal stories.

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6. Musical Interlude: Graham Weber’s “Midnight Serenade”

Graham Weber, a singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas, features his original song “Midnight Serenade,” adding an artistic touch to the episode. Tony praises Graham’s work, encouraging listeners to support his music.

Quote:

Graham Weber [42:24]: "Rest your little head on my bass... Midnight Serenade."

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7. Closing Remarks and Future Plans

Tony wraps up the episode by reflecting on the discussions and expressing anticipation for upcoming topics. He mentions plans to continue engaging with guests and addressing local sports issues, emphasizing the show's commitment to delivering insightful and relevant content.

Quote:

Tony Kornheiser [40:29]: “This is a local story, but it's something to watch really, really closely for me because I enjoy having meaningful games to cover in September.”

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Notable Quotes:

• Hari Mari [26:01]: “If broadcast rights are such a huge revenue stream, we're the only team in the sport that don't control ours. And that's unfair.”
• Tony Kornheiser [07:03]: “Sam Darnold's offense produced one touchdown in two games, and the Vikings lost by a combined score of 58-18.”
• Tony Kornheiser [48:13]: “Cooper Flagg is capable of playing in the NBA. He's probably the best player in college this year.”
• Hari Mari [35:38]: “It's almost malpractice if they do nothing next winter.”

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Conclusion

In “A Different Show,” Tony Kornheiser offers a multifaceted exploration of significant sports topics, particularly focusing on the Washington Nationals’ newfound control over their TV rights and the dynamic discussions surrounding Cooper Flagg’s potential NBA career. Through engaging dialogue with guest Barry Verluga and interactions with listeners, the episode combines serious analysis with community connection, maintaining the show’s reputation for insightful and entertaining content.

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For those who wish to stay updated and gain deeper insights into the day's events, tuning into "The Tony Kornheiser Show" provides a comprehensive and engaging perspective on the ever-evolving landscape of sports and beyond.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey, it's Tony. On today's show, we will talk to Barry's Verluga about the Nats and Orioles finally settling their Massen dispute. And since Nigel couldn't come up with anyone else, I guess that's going to be it for us today. Don't worry, I'll talk. But first, let's reset the board and do some commerce. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show. You know the feeling. You get a new pair of shoes and suddenly it's like your feet are in a battle for survival. The break in period. Brutal flip flops. So many are flimsy, uncomfortable, barely last a season. Well, good news. Hari Mari's spring collection is here. They make comfortable, colorful premium flip flops designed to go the distance after a long day on your feet. Whether it's post golf, post workout, or just surviving March madness, slipping into a pair of Harimaris is pure relief. No matter which pair you choose, adventure awaits. Shop harimari.com today where every day is a destination. That's 8H A R I M A.

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[Tony Kornheiser]

Previously on the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Michael Wilbon]

Did you make it for the start time?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh yeah. I knew it was going to be early.

[Michael Wilbon]

I totally missed it. I wanted to know one thing and I missed it live.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I knew it was at 8.

[Michael Wilbon]

I thought it was 8.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Last year it was at 7.

[Michael Wilbon]

Also go to my phone Press record. I've already missed it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is General George Washington, and you're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show. But you saw it afterwards.

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, yeah. So rewinding that little downward run on Renown, did you find Gravity moment?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Did you want the Conan O'Brien? You want to see the Open?

[Michael Wilbon]

No, I just wanted to see Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande singing Wicked medley air.

[Barry Verluga]

You can sing, can't they?

[Tony Kornheiser]

They were great. They were just great. Okay, so this is gonna be a different show, and I'll get to the difference in it down the road. I will say that I told people about Daniella Monet the other day.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Who had played Elizabeth. And I wrote her a note. She never wrote me back. Now, there's two things that are possible beyond the fact that she doesn't care to write me back.

[Michael Wilbon]

Did mom try the Facebook route yet?

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, hasn't gone.

[Michael Wilbon]

Faced a lot of emojis.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hasn't done any of that. But I think it's possible that I had the wrong email address. I don't think so, but I think it's possible. Or the second thing is it doesn't show up in her email as. As something important. It shows up as spam. And she doesn't look at it. Right. Because I think if she looked at it, I flatter myself to think if she looked at.

[Michael Wilbon]

Right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But you would answer it.

[Michael Wilbon]

I don't want to give info about your email address, but it might not be recognizable as you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right, right. Okay.

[Michael Wilbon]

And it's not like you have a signature on it. That makes it feel more efficient.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, but I did say my. The first line of it was, my name is Tony Kornheiser. And you know, you played my daughter. So anyway. But did.

[Barry Verluga]

What was the subject line header? Do you remember that? Because that's just something that they might see right away.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't write subject lines.

[Barry Verluga]

Okay.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't do that.

[Michael Wilbon]

That could be the issue.

[Barry Verluga]

Like, oh, I don't know what this is.

[Hari Mari]

Yeah.

[Barry Verluga]

If this is the header that says, oh, yeah, this is from Tony.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, let's get to some things that happened yesterday in the world of sports. Sam Darnold was not franchise tagged by Minnesota. Going through the first 16 games of the NFL season last season, this would be unthinkable because Sam Darnold was all world. After 16 games, the Vikings were 14 2. And Sam Darnold had 35 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions. And he wasn't going to get franchise tagged. He was going to get an extended contract because he was going to make the Pro bowl. And he had led the Vikings to 14 2. They lost Kirk Cousins and he led them to 14 2, better than Cousins ever did. He was all world at that point. Yes, they had J.J. mcCarthy as a rookie prospect, excuse me, who had never played a single down because he was hurt all year. So how could they know that they could trust the team? To him they were going to extend Sam Darnold. And then There was a 17th game, the last game of the regular season in which the Minnesota Vikings were soundly thrashed by Detroit 31 to 9. And Sam Darnold went back and threw 41 times and gained only 166 yards, no touchdowns. That's bad. The next game was their playoff game, their last, first and last playoff game against Los Angeles Rams. They lost that. And while Darnold had better numbers, they were not good numbers. And in those two games, two critical games, end of season games, Darnold's offense produced one touchdown in two games. The Vikings lost by a combined score of 58, 18. And Darnold was sacked 11 times. And in the blink of an eye in two games, the Minnesota Vikings. Wilbon said, they knew it all along. They were just waiting for it to happen. I don't know that they knew it all along. I think they thought, well, this guy's been great for 16 games. Why can't he be great with our coach and our system and our players? And then he, you know, as a result of those two games, pretty small sample size, but critical. He became poison. And they say they'd love to keep him, but they don't want a friend. The franchise tag is like $40 million for quarterback. They don't want that. If he's not going to be great, they don't want. That's a lot of money. They don't want to do that. So that was big news in football yesterday. In basketball, the bigger news. Biggest news yesterday. Well, in college basketball, Auburn lost, but, you know, it's okay. Auburn is the number one team in the country. They lost on the road to Texas A and M. A pretty good team. And I don't think it matters this late in the season. You're going to have some losses. I don't think it's catastrophic. But the Lakers won again and this time luka Doncic and LeBron James had over 30 points. Now, I don't know who they beat. They didn't beat anybody good. Right? They beat New Orleans. Not a good team.

[Barry Verluga]

Check on that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But Luka Doncic and LeBron James Pelicans had over 30 points. This is like seven in a row. It's like they're 15 and four in their last 19, something like that. Don't hold me to those numbers. And now you say to yourself, wow, wow. Luka Doncic makes that big a difference right away. And this is why you have to fire the general manager in Dallas, Nico Harrison. You have to fire him because he made. Look, he not only made a terrible trade, an insane trade, but then his luck got bad. He lost Anthony Davis in the first game. Anthony Davis is putting up great numbers. He lost Anthony Epson and just lost Kyrie Irving. They're out. I don't know when Davis is coming back. Kyrie Irving's not coming back.

[Michael Wilbon]

Well, at least they're giving a big thank you to the fans.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, yeah. They're raising ticket prices. Ownership raises ticket prices. I said yesterday on the air they ought to consider moving. And Wilbon went crazy. How could you move? It's a great city. It's a great franchise. I say, well, and they're from Las Vegas. The owners, they can move. Yeah, they can move. They don't have to stay in Dallas. You can put an expansion team in Dallas or somebody else can move to Dallas. They don't have to stay in Dallas. They're a disaster. So that's that. Now let's get to the thing that Michael can help with tgl.

[Michael Wilbon]

I sort of hoping we'd save this for the second segment.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I got the second segment wired. It's on money. Don't worry about it.

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, I sort of hoping it'd be a review of Italian Night last night at Columbia.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm going to stay away from that. It was great food. I wished I. Lasagna.

[Michael Wilbon]

No, this is a.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, it was. It was a salad. You had a rocket salad to begin with. Two different pastas, including spaghetti and meatballs and a pepper pasta and then chicken parmesan. Oh, it was really good.

[Barry Verluga]

That's a. That's an outstanding job.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Really good. Yeah, but I don't want to talk about the. Tgl. This was the last regular season.

[Michael Wilbon]

Last of the regular season. Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Tgl. As if anybody knows there was a regular season. As if anybody knows there's.

[Michael Wilbon]

At least they have a consistent schedule starting at 3:00 sometimes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

As if anybody knows there was a playoff. As if anybody knows what happens next. And nobody knows. It doesn't matter.

[Michael Wilbon]

You're not a big Bay fan. Could you rematch with Atlanta?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Justice. Tiger was playing. Tiger. Tiger. Tiger and Rory, the two big stars. The two owners. Right.

[Michael Wilbon]

Poetic. Poetic justice.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They're out. Did they ever win any matches except against each other?

[Michael Wilbon]

I'm not sure.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

Tiger was eliminated before his round last night.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right.

[Michael Wilbon]

And I actually think after the first season, I think everyone say this is. This has been a success. And actually, for something where you want to argue about what the tour has gone through over years, and this is a tour adjacent property, you'd say it's great that you actually have something that is. Earn it in the way out there.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

Earn it in the dirt. And so for Tiger and Rory to sit on the sidelines for a playoff system that seems to start right when everyone's attention is turning to college basketball. Yeah, I actually think that's a good thing, and it shows the relative strength of a new league.

[Tony Kornheiser]

What did you think of it last night?

[Michael Wilbon]

I mean, they were laughing. They're laughing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Tiger and Kim and Max Homa are laughing like they knew the joke and nobody else knew a joke.

[Michael Wilbon]

And that's sort of the problem, which is it's a lot funnier for those on the ground where it's happening, and you feel like you're a little bit, you know, removed from it, sitting on your couch at home. And there's something about these players where you want to be inside the ropes of them. You want to get to them, you want to hear their voices, but they don't have the natural charisma of how to work a camera in an intimate setting like a lot of the YouTube golfers have discovered. That's why Bryson has been such this, you know, interesting creature over the last year and a half, where he has developed that. Yeah, Tom Kim is hilarious. He does the early celebration for what.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It didn't go in.

[Michael Wilbon]

Should be a chip in. And it's what we've all practiced, which is what happens when you make the putt. Except it didn't go in.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Go in.

[Michael Wilbon]

They're doing great moments where Tiger's asking for chicken tendies from his kid. Honestly, the. The. The most serious moment is when Tiger's talking about why he can't return to Tour golf yet and the way that he's still grieving the loss of his mother. And so you just. You appreciate hearing that side of him. You know, you look at the technology, you still had a moment last night where you feel like it didn't capture something. So it. It feels like. It feels like the league has had this huge success, but they're not.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You think it's a huge success?

[Michael Wilbon]

I think based on the fact that a Year ago when it was supposed to debut, the roof caved in and now people are talking, will there be expansion? You know what type of other players last night you brought in? Nick Taylor on a one year or a one day contract?

[Tony Kornheiser]

One day. It's like a G league deal. Yeah, because I think some of the.

[Michael Wilbon]

Players don't actually know what the schedule is and they're sitting there going like, I'm actually booked. I'm over here, I'm in Bay Hill today. I can't drive the hour and a half to Jupiter.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I just can't imagine there's another league, the women's basketball league. A three on three league.

[Barry Verluga]

Oh yeah, that's right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't know if anybody's watching that they have invented names of teams. I don't know if anybody goes to a store and buys a jersey with the name of the.

[Michael Wilbon]

Could you name the six TGL cities?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. Six? Yeah. Boston, New York, Jupiter, Atlanta, the Bay Area and I'll take a shot at la.

[Michael Wilbon]

Great. Look at you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, but. Okay, first of all I put you.

[Michael Wilbon]

In the starting five for Boston Common.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I didn't know that there were six. I sort of thought there were 10. So it was rare that I, I was rooting for teams that didn't exist and I wasn't really rooting for. This is my question, Michael, because you love golf. I love golf too. But. There's a but. Do you think anyone is gonna utter this sentence? No, I can't go out tonight because the first round of the TGL playoffs are on maybe on ESPN2, maybe between three and eight at night. You think anyone's gonna say that?

[Michael Wilbon]

I'm just grateful it's on the plus cuz I don't get cabled the downstairs TV so I can watch it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I mean do you think anybody's. Not a single person cares about the Sofi Cup?

[Michael Wilbon]

I think people care about the Sofi experience. And what I think will happen is in the next year or so, let's say I as a dad of three boys say, you know what? I'm going to take the day, I'm going to take the early flight down to Palm Beach, I'm going to go see a preseason baseball game. And you know what? There happens to be TGL at night that may be starting between 3 and 8 o'clock.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right. And the socialite can get you sometime. No, because I'm sure they're calling Allen on a regular basis. Can you come?

[Michael Wilbon]

I think we need.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Roger Clemens was there last night and.

[Michael Wilbon]

They had Josh Allen on the call.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Josh Allen was calling the match. Really? Yeah. I mean that. And that. All of that is. Is interesting.

[Barry Verluga]

Sure.

[Michael Wilbon]

But I would actually want to see Josh Allen be like, let me ty. Let me get that.

[Hari Mari]

Nine.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Nine.

[Michael Wilbon]

I'm gonna come down here and hit a few.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Does that. Does the competition do anything for you? Does.

[Michael Wilbon]

No. There's no sense of the competition.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's what I'm getting.

[Michael Wilbon]

Honestly, I'd rather watch this when it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Gets to the finals. You're gonna. Are you gonna have a root. I'm not gonna have a rooting interest.

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, you're not gonna focus on the analytics about how important the Hammer is? If you look at the evolution of the season and how that's up.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't even know what it is. I mean, to hammer. Hank Goldberg was the Hammer.

[Michael Wilbon]

Don't let me tell you about my five and a half year old.

[Barry Verluga]

No.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's the real Hammer. Okay. And then Hank Aaron was the Hammer. Yes. And I'm Henry the eighth. I am. Is the Hammer in my life.

[Michael Wilbon]

But I. Henry Phillips.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know, But I just don't. I don't get it. I don't get it. I watch it. But the competition itself, the fact that they are building to a championship is. I. It lost on me.

[Michael Wilbon]

I would agree with that. 100. I still think that it's been a success. And I think it's one of those. I think they look at and say, we can probably shrink the season. And frankly, I would shrink the teams. I don't think we really need six. I think you just have a floating group of players and they don't go out. The identity of a team.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. And they go out there.

[Barry Verluga]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Do they have nicknames? Like, is. Does the. Does the. Are they. Are they the Atlanta somethings or they just Atlanta?

[Hari Mari]

I don't know.

[Michael Wilbon]

I think.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I think they went soccer somethings or they just Jupiter.

[Michael Wilbon]

I think. I think most of them are just the city or the area that they are representing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

But Boston Common is the only one.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. But that Boston Common, it refers to.

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, it's the Atlanta Drive. Yeah, the Atlanta Drive.

[Barry Verluga]

Atlanta Drive. Boston Common.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Golf.

[Barry Verluga]

Jupiter Links.

[Michael Wilbon]

I gotta get you geared up.

[Barry Verluga]

Yeah. Doesn't appear to have great names, so maybe that's what they need to do to, you know.

[Tony Kornheiser]

What is the Los Angeles name?

[Barry Verluga]

It just says Los Angeles Golf Club.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They didn't bother. Didn't bother to have a nickname.

[Michael Wilbon]

I guess the cliques were already taken.

[Barry Verluga]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Just. I don't know. I don't know. And I Like it.

[Barry Verluga]

But, yeah, you've. You've both enjoyed watching this.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, I enjoyed it.

[Michael Wilbon]

I've enjoyed it as a midwinter break.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's a gold. That's a lark in the winter. But I don't. If you were to tell me, oh, we got to watch tonight because it's for the Sofi Cup, I would say, stop it. Stop. We don't have to.

[Barry Verluga]

All the tradition, the legends surrounding that cup. Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

But I would like, I would like to go play on their simulated course. I'd love the chip and putt. I don't really care as much about hitting into the big screen, but to just do the short game area would be a lot of fun.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

See how far you can blade it.

[Barry Verluga]

It's the perfect time to do it, though. This is the soft spot in the sports calendar, you know, to sort of make your mark.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Sure, sure. Anyway, which we know, I, I, if it's on, I sit and watch for a while. I don't, I don't get off it.

[Michael Wilbon]

Well, they had an interesting stat, though. So it, it's based on who they have playing in these events. Three of the, three of the early signature events have been won by TGL players. Granted, it helps when you have Rory going out and winning, you know, pebble in dramatic fashion.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. Yeah. But that guy, Joe somebody. Joe Fitzpatrick. Was that his name?

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, Matt. Matt Fitzpatrick.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, Joe who did win? Who won this last week? 6464. Joe somebody.

[Michael Wilbon]

Already out of my mind.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I don't know who he is. He's not a TGL player. And the week. Yeah, Joe Highsmith. And the week before, there was a guy who's not, you know, Brian somebody. I don't know who he is.

[Barry Verluga]

Brian Jones.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't think it was Brian.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's time for expansion.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Barry Verluga]

Coming soon to a city near you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right, we'll take a break. Barry's Verluga will join us. I. Look, I'm warning it's local. I'm talking about local stuff. I'm talking about the Naps with Barry. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Barry Verluga]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Barry Verluga]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is Graham Weber. This is a song called Someday. My name is Graham Weber. I'm a singer songwriter from Austin, Texas. I also have listened to or watched every episode of PTI as part of my daily routine for years. I got hip to listening to the Tony show podcast about a year ago. Now I Also, listen, I like Wilbon. I mean, I like I'm a native Midwesterner, but I'm a proud packers owner and Cincinnati Reds fan. So besides your insightful takes on the story of the day, I find some joy when you bust Wilbon's chops and highlight the inevitable failures of the Bears and Cubs. I generally tune into the shows the morning after they air after dropping my 9 year old daughter off at school, and on Sundays will sometimes listen together either to or from our weekly bagel dates that we've been having since she could chew solid food. Not important, but if you're ever in Austin, there's one and only one good bagel place, David's Doughies. It's either from these times in the car or from it slipping into my subconscious vocabulary that my daughter may be the only fourth grader at a school to use the expression pound sand, which I we have surely co opted from you. I recently returned from a tour with my band Restos in Spain and it may be silly, but it was good fun for me to get my Tony fix while abroad for a few weeks. Not a lot of bagels in Spain. Nice to have a piece of familiarity from home again. This is called. This guy's great.

[Barry Verluga]

It's really good.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Graham Weber is great. It's called Someday and he plays in Barry's Verrugo. And there's a lot of things I want to talk to Barry about and they are. And I said this at the top of the show. This is local. This is going to be local. This is about a television contract with the Gnats and the Orioles and money and other things about the Nats. So like if you don't want to listen, I understand it. I understand it. And I might even, yeah, I might even ask about Debo Samuel for like a fifth round pick, which is nothing at all. But I have to start with this Cooper flag. Now you went to Duke and you sat there and you covered the team at Duke and you were with the crazies, I'm sure in your life. Cooper Flagg at the end of the game the other day, the wake game, the students were serenading him. One more year, you know, not one day more, but one more year. What do you think about that? He's 18 years old. He's gonna play against men who are 30 to 35 years old. It's not like he's not gonna make a lot of money. What do you think about raising enough nil money to match the first year of an NBA contract and trying to convince him, would you be for that or would you say no, no, you got to get into the NBA to get the second contract and start the.

[Hari Mari]

Clock, you know, Tony, because you can make a significant amount of money now staying in college and I'm not saying Flag is going to do this, but I think the conversation is just fundamentally different now. It wasn't that an 18 year old would be ready to play against 28 year olds and 32 year olds or any of that. It was that those early years of being in the NBA was. That's where your player development was. It wasn't in college anymore. It's Alex Saar with the Wizards as the number two pick, playing as a teenage teenager and getting experience and hopefully making him better in three years than this year, which doesn't really matter. But I think with Flag, who can develop in college and can make real money, it doesn't have to be money that matches his first, you know, rookie year salary, but it can be in the millions of dollars. Like, it's a really interesting conversation. He may be the first example of a basketball player who can make that choice. I mean, Armando Bacot at North Carolina made a ton of nil money in his last few years there and was kind of the poster boy for being a guy maximizing his economic, you know, capabilities well in college. But he wasn't going to be the number one pick in the draft that's left. So that's a different conversation. He did a great job of maximizing being a college player, but it's a different conversation with Flag. And I think it's, I think it's going to be really interesting how it plays out.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Do you have any like ties to people still at Duke and do you ever have this conversation with them?

[Hari Mari]

No, I mean, you know, I have the typical college friends text Shane and stuff like that. I don't, I think that scene the other day was really the first time it came up as like, well, wait a second, let's think about this. And I think, I do think, Tony, that that kind of development would certainly help the college game in terms of getting fans to be engaged because you'd have some connective tissue from year to year in a sport where because people leave, the best players leave quickly and because everybody can transfer now, it's just hard. You don't, you're, you're rooting for a completely different roster from, from year to year. So I just think it's a really interesting test case and I'll be fascinated to see how it ends.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Up. All right, let me get to the TV deal. Explain for people that don't understand this. When the Washington Nationals came into baseball 20 odd years ago, their television rights were essentially granted to the Baltimore Orioles. The Baltimore Orioles said, hey, we'll let the team in, but it's 45 miles away and a lot of our people in the stands are from the Washington area. So if you're going to put a team there, let us control the television rights, parcel out a certain amount of money to this Washington team and keep the rest for ourselves. And that was Mass and the Mid Atlantic Sports Network. For many, many years, the Washington Nationals complained they didn't get their fair share and they were getting hosed by this deal that was sort of made as a contingency to get into leagues. Stop me wherever I'm wrong here. And now it seems that the deal is over. Can you explain how it is over and what Washington is going to get or not get?

[Hari Mari]

So you're right on, on all of that. The relocation of the Montreal Expos, which was owned by Major League Baseball at the time. Bud Selig was a lot of things, but above all he was a consensus builder and he did not want votes on major Major League Baseball happenings that were 29 to 1. He wanted them to be 30 to 0. He wanted everybody to be on board. In this case it meant Peter Angelos, who if you remember at the time, Tony, in 2004, not only had generations of Washington baseball fans grown up driving up to Memorial Stadium and later Camden Yards and being Cal Ripken fans because they had no team here, but there was a Baltimore Orioles team store in downtown Washington like this, that this was their territory. And Angelos was, was right in that he was going to be having some of his fan base cut into if a team located here. So the appeasement was the creation of this network that would be controlled by the Orioles and that would be financially slanted toward the Orioles. And you're right, it's been in court since 2014 that the Nationals have argued they're not getting their fair share. It's dragged on. This latest five year period in which they were awarded $320 million in rights fees was also in court. And it just made sense to the Nationals that if broadcast rights are such a huge revenue stream, we're the only team in the sport that don't control ours. And that's unfair. What happened to get it done is Pietrangelos died. He sold the Orioles. His family sold the Orioles to David Rubenste, who's basically who's a Baltimore native but is a D.C. lives in D.C. yes, just a powerful, powerful D.C. player. And they have a much better relationship with the Lerner family who owns the Nationals. He didn't want it hanging over their head. Baseball didn't want it hanging over their head. And so they came to an agreement that the Nationals will control their own rights beginning next season. What that ends up meaning is unclear. As you have probably discussed at some point, regional sports networks do not draw the income that they once did.

[Tony Kornheiser]

A lot of them went bankrupt. It's not the windfall. It is for the Dodgers. It's not correct.

[Hari Mari]

And so Rob Manfred, to make this a national story, because it is part of a national story, is trying to gather as many teams together to sell a national rights package that would be similar to what the NFL does when the national baseball broadcast rights are up in 2028. Now, he will not be able to sell a package that includes the Dodgers, the Red Sox, Yankees, the Mets and the Cubs. So you're taking out a big part. But he would like to have, say, 25 teams to bring to market and say, you know, this, this is our, our package. The Orioles and the Nationals could end up in that. But at least in the. The Gnats are going to be able to go to, say, Ted Leonsis, who owns Monumental Sports Network and obviously owns the Capitals and the Wizards here in town and already has a network and say, what, Ted? What will you pay us for our rights? It won't be the 60 or 70 million dollars they were getting annually. So in a lot of ways, the resolution of this thing, which has hung over the team for a long time, in which the learners have said in court, has inhibited their ability to lure free agents because. Or commit to them long term, which you can believe or not believe. But, but they have said that in, in court documents, the timing is somewhat bad because it comes at a time when they're not going to be able to, you know, write up a giant contract for, for the next 10 years that brings in annually $75 million a year. It's just. That's not the marketplace anymore.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, it's not. It's really not. And if they go to Ted Leoncis, who I have described on this show and other shows as villainous for trying to take the basketball team out of the District, the District that he now claims an allegiance and fealty to, if they go to Ted Leontis, what's to stop him from saying, yeah, I'd love your product, I'D love to put it on a television network. I want to own all of it. I want to buy it from you.

[Hari Mari]

Well, he could, and that absolutely could be part of the equation. He has made a bid. Back when the Lerners put the team on the market in 2022, he made a bid of over $2 billion. I'm not sure how much over 2 billion. We haven't pinned that down, but it is. It was over $2 billion for the team, the team that Lerner's brought from Major League baseball in 2006 for $450 million. So that's a tidy profit. But he, he wants programming for his network in the summer. Baseball obviously provides nightly programming. And if he got teams, that would increase the value of his network. But this is very, very fluid. It's very new. I know Leon, people were digesting the information on Monday when, when the Madison announcement happened. I would expect there would be talks. It's just too obvious a place, a landing spot for Nationals games and even Orioles games in 2026, there'd have to be talks. Leon says has a really good relationship with David Rubenstein, too. So I think this will be a lot less acrimonious than every single dealing between the Orioles and the Nationals that has happened in the past.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You have written about the Nationals that it's time to spend some money. You got a bunch of young prospects, but your payroll is very, very low. The things that made the Nationals very popular in the city and made them a great team are signing such as Jason Worth and Max Scherzer and originally Steven Strasberg. And they haven't done that recently at all. They don't have long term deals with anybody, basically. But the money that's being tossed around now, when you look at a Soto contractor and Ohtani contractor, even like for pictures, a year or two, 40, $50 million for pictures. If you don't have the television money. The Dodgers have money, but the Dodgers have television money. The Yankees have television money. Red Sox have television money. If you don't really have television money because the market isn't that great, where do you get this money from to sign these players?

[Hari Mari]

Well, so they have obviously been hindered by mass and have. Have leaned on being hindered by massive. Like really it's.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They can wave that bloody shirt. They can, but they, they can't get.

[Hari Mari]

So that's done. Like that cover is gone. And that's part of what I wrote the other day. They have also left tons of revenue on the table in the fact that Their ballpark is called Nationals park. They receive $0 annually for naming rights. Deal. And they are one of, I think, nine teams in Major League Baseball that does not have a jersey patch. You can say it's sacrilege to sell advertising on your jersey. It's the way things are done. It's a way to bring in revenue that they have not done. They are actively pursuing both of those things in their division. The Mets receive $20 million a year from Citigroup to call it Citi Field. The Braves receive more than $10 million a year from Truist to stealing my money.

[Tony Kornheiser]

My bank at Truist, and that's me.

[Hari Mari]

Nationals receive $0 a year to call it Nationals Park.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's not 10 million, 20 million. It's not a lot, right? It's not a lot, is it?

[Hari Mari]

It's not. It's greater than zero. I mean, it is a way to bring in more money. You're asking, like, how do you make money? Those are two real revenue streams that they're getting. Zero. And everybody else is getting, you know, whatever it is, $30 million a year like that, that's income you don't have. And I would say, Tony, too, that my frustration with them not spending on players and they have not signed anybody to a contract of three years or more since Steven Strasberg signed his disastrous free agent contract following the World Series. They have shied away from all of that. And they, as we've discussed before, have lost the most games in baseball. 2020.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Amazing.

[Hari Mari]

My frustration is that the tenor around the team is, well, we need more people to buy season tickets and we need more people to come in and buy concessions, and we need to generate more revenue before we can go purchase these players. I just think it's backwards. I think you have to invest in the product to make people come to the stadium. And they are tired of the rebuild, the rebuild. A lot of it made sense. They got great players in the Soto trade. It was clear that Soto wanted to go to free agency. He wasn't just going to sign an extension with them. That's fine. At some time you have to act because you're not going to be a juggernaut that gets into the playoffs annually like they were from 2012 to 2019 by just having only your homegrown players because you've hit on every single one. You've got to go out and purchase people.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, I agree with that. I mean, I think that's the. The history of the franchise shows that they take big leaps. In fact, when they do that, I mean, I, you know, I guess I'm also wondering about the television and how they're going to do that. Are they going to keep this? Is the broadcast crew the same broadcast crew this year, next year? Is it still available on Massen? Is it. Is it simply a technicality that the way the money is divvied up will change, but will everything else be the same for this year?

[Hari Mari]

This year is the same. I mean, there's a reason they put it off until 2026 because, I mean, the NATs controlling their rights till 2026 because there's simply not time to sell and set up a network if you're going to do it on your own or they've got to be able to figure it out. So I know folks at Madison are somewhat nervous because you don't know what the future is going to be and could the, you know, Bob Carpenter is a play by play man. He's 72. He's very close to the end of his career. If not at it like that, you don't have to worry about that. But people that are familiar to this fan base, Dan Kolko has been a dugout reporter pre and postgame person, fill in play by play for a long time. Like, we don't know what his future is because we don't know who's going to be making those calls now. Yeah, clubs have a lot of input into who the announcers are. I mean, it's not just like you sign up with a network and they tell the club, these are your playback. You know, that's a collaborative approach, but it's also an opportunity, Tony, for a clean slate, fresh start. I mean, Masson has cut corners and done things in a kind of antiquated way for a long time. I mean, if you see any spring training games broadcast from West Palm Beach, Florida, the people broadcasting them are in a studio in, in Maryland because they won't send them down there to do the games live, which is just a ridiculous cost cutting measure that shows kind of an amateur hour feel. And hopefully whatever is next, whether it's monumental or something else, is, is a state of the art, kind of best, best in show, best practices product that showcases the team and showcases the broadcasts in a way that hasn't been the case for a while.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You used a very good word just now, amateurish. That's. I never felt that when they were contending. I never felt that. And I have felt that the last couple of years where it's all, well, the promise is it's always this, well, let's see how these young kids do. And then maybe we'll do X, Y or Z. And. And I find myself. And I love Mark Lerner. I do. I love watching the games. I watch him win or lose and mostly lose. But I would like to see, as you would like to see something that indicates to me a commitment to professionalism. And that would be going out and getting a couple of people right. That's how we feel.

[Hari Mari]

Tony, I think of it this way, like you are asking fans to commit their time, their finances and their emotions to like you have by turning on this program every night and having an attachment to it. And so I don't think it's unfair to ask owners to show that they are financially committed and emotionally committed to not being the losing his team in the sport. When you have a history that's not too distant that you were again from 12 to 19, only the Dodgers won more games like that is possible. This team can do that if it's not held back by itself. And right now, when they do have an interesting not can't miss, but an interesting young core of players, it's, I think it's borderline malpractice and will be actual malpractice. Malpractice. If they go into next winter and these guys have kind of taken a step forward and they do nothing next winter. I mean, I would think that would be almost criminal. So it's something I know you were like, this is a local story. It is a local story, but it's, it's something to watch really, really closely for me because, you know, I enjoy having meaningful games to cover in September and I enjoy the, the local team being competitive and in the playoffs in October because people read that stuff and people are excited and there's a tenor in town when you go out to lunch on the day of a playoff game. Like, that's what people are talking about. I see it in other cities when I go to the World Series or to the baseball playoffs. It was in Washington's very recent past. There shouldn't be a reason that it shouldn't be in Washington's recent or near future.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Agree totally. Thank you for coming on, Barry. Appreciate it. Thank you.

[Hari Mari]

Thanks, Tony.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Barry's Verluga, wonderful columnist at the Washington Post. We'll take a break and when we normally would have a guest in the next segment, you're going to get to hear us and I'll explain. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Nigel]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You've heard me talk about Collars and Company, makers of the amazing dress collar polo. Well, now they've taken things to the next level with their brand new Maverick performance blazer. And you have to check this out. These blazers are sharp, perfect for travel. Why? Because they're wrinkle resistant. Just throw it in your bag. When you get to your destination, slip it back on. No wrinkles, no stress. Finally, no more figuring out how to travel with a blazer. And it's not just about convenience. The Mavic performance blazer is made with stretch fabric so you can move comfortably all day long. Plus, it's packed with smart features, inside security zip pockets, a built in optional pocket square, and even a sunglasses loop. While you're at it, pair the blazer with The Collars & Co. Famous Dress Collar polos. They've already sold over a million of these comfortable polos with a signature dress collar on top. So Visit Collars and company. Use the promo code Tony for 20 off today. Use the code people. That should send me one of these. Yeah, I'd like to see this. A non wrinkle blazer. Yeah, because then I don't have to carry a steamer around with me all the time.

[Michael Wilbon]

Exclusively on ESPN plus UFC 313 Saturday. Reigning light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira defends his title against number one contender Magomed on Goliath. And an explosive lightweight bout between Justin Gaethje and Rafael Pizzi. UFC 313, Saturday at 10pm Eastern. Buy it on espnplus.com ppb.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is the Tony Kornizer Show.

[Michael Wilbon]

Tony Kornizer Show.

[Graham Weber]

Rest your little head on my bass Lay a little hand on my heart Let your lids fall tightly down Let your little doll lips part.

[Tony Kornheiser]

How much do I love this?

[Barry Verluga]

Is this great?

[Tony Kornheiser]

How much do I love this?

[Barry Verluga]

It's beautiful.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is Graham Weber again. This is called Midnight Serenade. Graham Weber from Austin, Texas. He writes, I noticed on the most recent episode that Alexa Lash's music was featured at the end. I know her and I thought I would try to make contact and see how to submit my music. I recently released my sixth studio solo album entitled Old Young Man. Be a personal thrill to have my music played on the show. You got it, Graham Weber. You got it. If people like Graham Webber want to send in their original music to be played here, Michael. How do they do?

[Michael Wilbon]

I'll show you the way. Just email your music, send it to jinglesonyquinizershow.com Wonderful.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is wonderful.

[Barry Verluga]

It's beautiful.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Barry Verluga]

And he sent a very lovely email back. When I said, hey, we're going to play your songs on the show tomorrow, I was thrilled.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. Really nice. Okay, so now we have a segment where we normally have a guest and we talk about some topic near and dear to somebody's heart, if not mine, maybe yours, hopefully. And the thought was to get someone to talk about college basketball. A couple of two or three things in particular. Rick Pitino, the job he has done at St. John's Duke and Cooper Flagg and what happens next to him and the ACC and some dreamland merger with the Big east or something like that. And so we were going to do that. So we started with the idea of getting PAT40, of course, and PAT40 was unavailable to us today. And then, you know, I didn't want to have Jay Billis because we just had Jay. Yes. And I don't. We're going to need Jay during the tournament. I don't want to waste J appearances in case Jay says, hey, you know, how many times you want? So I don't want to waste that.

[Michael Wilbon]

Second or third week of the tournament.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. So we. So then there was a thought that we could get. I suggested getting Corey Alexander. I had seen Corey Alexander. I don't know Corey Alexander, but I knew him when he, you know, played basketball at the University of Virginia. And, I mean, I know him, and.

[Barry Verluga]

He was on the call for that Duke game.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He called the Duke game, and I wanted to talk about Duke, so I said, let's get Cory Alexander. So contact is made with Corey Alexander, who simply says, you know, bottom line, says, I don't do podcasts. I totally respect that. I don't do them either. You know, I don't. So, no, I'm good.

[Hari Mari]

Except for Maury.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm good with that. I'm good with that. You don't have to flatter me by saying you like my work. You know, you can just say, look, I'm not doing it. Okay, we're good on that.

[Michael Wilbon]

Could have asked him if he saw Bootsy in the crowd.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I could have. I could have asked him that. And that was actually my second question. My first question was, I didn't think you'd like doing podcasts. And then I was going to go into that.

[Barry Verluga]

He did say he was a big fan of yours.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I understand. Yeah, but I don't.

[Barry Verluga]

Yeah, but didn't.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Barry Verluga]

So he doesn't want to do it yet.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm in that same position. So I am not begrudging somebody for doing that. Right. And then I Thought, well, you know, what about Seth Davis? Seth Davis been following college basketball for 100 years, and we love Seth Davis. So we make contact with. Seth Davis is usually on once a year with us around the tournament. We make contact with him. He lives in Los Angeles. It's too early. Can't ask a guy to get up or else we would have Al Michaels on all of them. You know, I mean, it's just too early. Can't do it. And then there's a thought about Jay Williams. I know Jay Williams. He'd be fine. He played at Duke.

[Barry Verluga]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Like, he understands the Duke situation. But we couldn't reach him.

[Barry Verluga]

No. Couldn't get a hold of him.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So now we have nobody. Yes, we have nobody. And, you know, and you go dark.

[Michael Wilbon]

Because you go to dinner.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. And then there's nothing I can do. I went to dinner last night, so I couldn't, you know, there's nothing I could do to help with this. And so, you know, I could sit here and blame everybody. There's no point in blaming anybody. I mean, these things happen. We produce a show three times a week, and we have guests, two guests on that show. 95% of the time it's okay. But there's something I do want to talk about, and I would have asked. I would have asked anybody we had about this.

[Michael Wilbon]

That's one step away from recommending one Chan Hardwick with his ACC expertise.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, well, I mean, Chan would be. Actually would be okay on this, because it's a question about future and money and occupations and schooling. It's all about those things. It's about Cooper. Cooper Flagg is without question capable of playing in the NBA. He's good enough to play in the NBA. It's pointed out to me by my friend David that last year when there was a select team playing against the Olympians for practice, the only amateur player on that team was Cooper Flagg. And everybody recognized that he could play. He's probably the best player in college this year. He's certainly got at least 50, 50 shot of being the number one draft choice. And this leads into what I'm going to say, that at that game, the most recent game in Cameron against Wake the other night, the Duke students started chanting, one more year. 1. They don't want three more years. They know they're not going to get that one. One more year. And this brings up the thing I want to discuss. You can now whatever contract you sign with the NBA, even if you're the number one draft choice, that's a Slotted amount of money. Whatever you make in the first year of that contract and in the subsequent years of your first contract, until such a time as the team decides to rewrite the contract and give you more money, you are under team control for a stated amount of money that everybody is aware of. I don't know how much it is, but it's not going to be more in your first year than $5 million. It's not. It's not.

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, it is more than that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's more. How much is it?

[Michael Wilbon]

I think it's about 14 or so.

[Tony Kornheiser]

First year.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, I didn't realize that.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. But whatever it is, whatever it is, nil. Money can be raised at Duke, a fine academic institution that has yielded people who have gone on to make a lot of money and have great success in a lot of places. If. And his parents go to every game. You see them in the stands in every game. If his parents sat down. The reason I bring this up is very, very specific. When Cooper Flagg began playing for Duke, in official games for Duke this year, he was 17 years old. He's 18 years old now. He's not playing against anybody in college who's older than 22 or 23. Even with the COVID year, he's not. But you go to the NBA, and there are men there.

[Barry Verluga]

Men, yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And they're 30 to 35 years old, and they've been playing for 10 to 12 years. And they're men. And you're physically not their equal. You might be in time. You're not now. You can get banged around. You saw it last year with Wembanyama. You know, it's. It's. It's different. It's different. You. You know, And Cooper Flagg is going to have to play low every once in a while because he's very, very good near the basket. So he's going to get roughed up as it is now. He goes down once a game, and somebody's poked his eye out.

[Michael Wilbon]

His eye.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Poked his eye out every single game. And there's a couple of criticisms I have of his game because I've watched him a bunch. He's not particularly quick. Okay. And his handle, as they say in the trade, isn't as good as he thinks it is. When he turns his back to players and they poke the ball away, you got to work on that. Other than that, he's great talent. He's a great talent. There's no question about that. Larry Bird, who he's compared with often. Larry Bird came into the league when he was 22 years old, almost 23. He's a man. This kid's 18 years old. I say this about anybody who leaves in one year, unless they're Shaq, you know, unless they're built like that. So I would think you could raise the nil money pretty easily. I really do. What do you think about him playing one more. Would you like to see him play one more year? Do you think it's wise? Because the counter argument to this, which is made by Wilbon and my friend David Israel is this. No, you gotta start the clock on the second contract, right?

[Michael Wilbon]

So that's the.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You gotta start the clock.

[Michael Wilbon]

The whole point of this, the four year rookie deal is if you can get to the extension by one year sooner, then that makes a difference. But if you can make up that first year rookie money in the nil. I think they were saying it's close to 5 million right now. If he stays another year, he probably would be at or likely greater than what he'd be getting first year in the NBA, but it still delays it by year. So then it comes down to your, your argument of maturation, which I think makes a lot of sense and I think trusting a coaching staff and more than anything, just sort of trusting a fan base as you try and pivot towards that next career. But it comes down to, I think it comes down to fun. If you enjoy playing in Cameron, if you enjoy those fans, if you enjoy what you mean to that community and you get the national attention, I think that's what's going to buoy you for success at the next level.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Now you have to sit and talk with your parents about this. Now, I don't know what they do for a living. I don't know what their monetary situation is. I know he has a twin brother. Yeah. Who I think goes to school at Maine.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right. Not as good as Cooper, but okay. Those things happen. But I don't know what the.

[Michael Wilbon]

You could switch for a kid.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't know what the family wants. But the thing I began to think of was this, that second contract, if Joel Embiid is any indication and Luka Doncic is any indication of the numbers being thrown around that Embiid actually got and that Doncic did not get because he got traded. It's something like $500 million. When the time comes for Cooper Flagg to get that contract, it's going to be $80 million a year. $80 million a year. This is a fantastic sum of money. I don't I'm. I don't know the people who are listening to me. I don't know how much money you make, but I'm pretty sure most of you aren't making $80 million a year. $80 million a year for six years. It's like, it's so much money. It's not even generational changing money. It's bizarre money. It's bizarre money.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's community changing money.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, let's. Let's think of. Let's think of the most expensive thing that a person, a normal person can buy. We're not talking about a yacht. We're not talking about an airplane, and we're not talking about that. A regular human being who goes out and works and wants to buy something. The most expensive thing you buy is a house. It's a house. It's your house. Now, you can buy a house almost anywhere in America, except in the heart of a beautiful suburb of the heart of a city. You can buy a wonderful house for 2 to 3 million dollars. Buy a house your family is going to be happy with forever. In many areas of the country, you can buy the best house in the area for 2 to 3 million dollars. But let's say you have your heart set on a different house, and it's in the most beautiful section of the most beautiful city, and it costs, let's say, 6 to 8 million dollars. When you sell that house, you're not giving it away. You're going to get, if not the full price or more, you're going to get 85 to 90%. It's like, you're not throwing this money. If you're going to make $80 million a year, what are we talking about? It's so much money that the average person cannot relate to it on any level. In fact, people making that money cannot relate to it on any level. It's just an unbelievable sum of money. So if you delay your contract by one year because, as Michael suggests, you're having fun and you have the same amount of money anyway, why not? It's, it's not like you're not going to be able to afford the house. Yeah. And the house is the house. The biggest thing.

[Michael Wilbon]

House.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Even if you buy a new car every year, a new car every year, let's. $200,000.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's not 80, $800 million to extend your homeowner. You know, metaphor here. There is risk that comes with owning a house. I mean, what happens if you defer that year and there's injury or more flaws show up you have to do that full inspection on the house. And there's the cost of routine maintenance. Now, mice. Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Like I do moths.

[Michael Wilbon]

Plosive end rod. Now, if you do that routine maintenance and you do upgrades, that house can continue to grow in value.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You have the money to do it.

[Barry Verluga]

Now, a lot of players, I love.

[Tony Kornheiser]

When average human beings. Happens all the time.

[Michael Wilbon]

These are big numbers we cannot understand.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They say, you've got to give. You got to give them this deal. You got to give them this deal. What? How is it so. It's so much money.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's like when you go to the.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Show, it shows you how many water.

[Michael Wilbon]

Bottles you've saved by refilling your water bottle. You're like, I cannot fathom what that number is.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Unless. 765 million for Juan Soto. Yeah.

[Barry Verluga]

Really, it's. I mean, really, it's beyond a couple.

[Michael Wilbon]

Of tickets for his family.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Just I. Yeah.

[Barry Verluga]

The suite. Yeah. All of that. I mean, unless as parking. As a young man, if Cooper Flagg were like, I've really got a passion for collecting Faberge eggs.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Barry Verluga]

So I'm gonna need as much money as possible.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But. Okay.

[Barry Verluga]

But probably through three years, you probably have all the Faberge eggs.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, I really like going to shooters.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Post game, you know, but it's better for the game.

[Barry Verluga]

I mean, I think.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Can this get me 10 van goghs? Did he paint 10? However many he painted, can I have them all?

[Barry Verluga]

At some point, you're like, what? Spend this money on Can't. Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You can't spend it.

[Barry Verluga]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's too much money. But the, like, the average at that.

[Michael Wilbon]

Point, you're talking naming rights for a building at Duke.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

Just as a flex, I guess.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. Yeah, he could. He could do that. It's just so crazy. It's so much money, you know, I wish him all the success in the world.

[Barry Verluga]

I wish he would stay another year just because I think it's better for the game.

[Michael Wilbon]

I think after going to that game. Boots. He has not left the basement where he's just been working on his shot.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. That's great. Yeah. Just amazing. All right. That's how we get through a segment when we have nothing. We will have email and jingle when we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser. This is the FanDuel Read. When the game tips off. The NBA action is just beginning on FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook, because FanDuel is your home for NBA live betting. So even if you miss the first few minutes of the game, or want to bet on a fourth quarter comeback. You can make your picks from the first whistle until the final buzzer. Plus you can even combine your live bets into a same game parlay for a shot at a bigger payout. However you want to play, now is the perfect time to join new FanDuel customers. Get started with $150 in bonus bets. If your first five dollar bet wins, just visit FanDuel.com TonyK to join today. That's FanDuel.com TonyK for your shot at $150 in bonus bets. Make every moment more with FanDuel. Official sports betting partner of the NBA.

[G]

Must be 21 plus and present in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana. Permitted parishes only Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia or Wyoming. FanDuel is offering online sports wagering in Kansas under an agreement with Kansas Star Casino LLC. First online real money wager only. $10 first deposit required. Bonus issued as non withdrawable bonus bets expire seven days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See [e-mail] gambling problem call 1-800- gambler fanduel.com RG in Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, call 1-800-next step or text next up to 53342 in Arizona 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org chadincut 1-800-9 with it in Indiana, 1-800-522-4700 or visit ksgamblinghelp.com in Kansas, 1-877770 stop in Louisiana, visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland, visit 1-800gambler.net in West Virginia or call 1-800-52, hope is here. Visit gamblinghelplinema.org or call 800-327-5050 for 24. 7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8-HOPENY or text hopeny in New York or visit oasas.ny.gov gambling standard text messaging rates apply. Sports betting is void in Georgia, Hawaii, Utah and other states where prohibited.

[Nigel]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Who wouldn't want to play like that? Eric Shaw plays like that. Eric Shaw played that. Our gratitude to Eric Shaw. We'll do the Bethesda Bagel ass.

[Barry Verluga]

Yes, Bethesda Bagels. We love them. You will as well. Just get to Bethesda Bagels.com for the location of the DC area, then pop on in and you'll be thrilled.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right, before we get to the mailbag, let me just say I don't know what it is that makes me love you so I only know I never want to let you go because you started something oh, can't you see that ever since we met you've had a hold on me? It happens to be true I only want to be with you. That is the late great, great Dusty Springfield. Her catalog is great. Thanks to Barry's Verluga for being on the show today. Thanks as well to today's sponsors. Remember, you can listen to us on Apple podcasts Spotify and Audyssey. Get show through Apple. Please leave us a review from Tyler Haney in Chicago. To jog everyone's memory, I wrote the show last summer to announce the premiere of my first feature film, Park Life, and also detail the production's many connections to the broader TK universe, the most fun of which is one of the main characters, referencing an article you wrote for Newsday back in 1972, for which I am flattered. Thank you. Well, the film's trip on the festival circuit continues apace. The next stop being the Ocean City Film Festival. Park live screens this Friday, March 7th. That's in a couple of days at 2:30pm at the Gold Coast Theater in Ocean City, Maryland. If any bigs or littles in the region are looking to start their weekend a little early, I invite them to come out to the screening. More information can be [e-mail] thanks again for years of laughs and for the bit of screenwriting inspiration. Tyler Haney. Very, very nice. Thanks. Thank you. It's lovely. From dg. I can't believe I'm actually up for the Oscars this year. First time since Bob Hope had the great line in my house. This is Passover. He never won one. Yeah. Thank you, dg. Duane Buck in Brambleton, Virginia, Mick Jagger presented the best original score at the Oscars. When he was introduced to a standing ovation, I was waiting for him to say, cool out, everybody. Just cool out. He didn't say that, huh?

[Barry Verluga]

Apparently not.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No. I missed him. David Bradley, Sterling, Virginia. It's Sunday night, midway through the Oscars, and I can report that once again, the most oft repeated comment in my living room is, hey, isn't that what's her name? You know, the one from the other movie coming in a close second. What time is this supposed to be over? Yeah, yeah, True. Madison, Wisconsin, was expecting, fully expecting. Nigel in the middle of giving his plug on Flo to say it's about a cat and a flood and they end up in a boat with a ring tailed lemur and a monkey named Reginald's driving a boat, taking Johnny Walker Blue and giving out NFL picks from Jeff Barger in Hillsborough, North Carolina. When I got in my car on Monday, I saw the show title, I had to laugh. I had just finished working with a student on writing a paragraph about capybaras. Is that how it's pronounced? I think so. Capybara?

[Barry Verluga]

Yeah, I think that's right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They are the world's largest rodent. They're rodents, apparently so. You didn't tell me they were rodents. I said they looked like.

[Barry Verluga]

They looked like rats or rabbits.

[Hari Mari]

Rats?

[Barry Verluga]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Giant rabbits. They are the world's largest rodents measuring 4ft in length. I suspect they employ the same publicist as the Manning brothers. Now you need to learn about the axolotl, an amphibian from Mexico. Axolotl. Not familiar. You know about that?

[Michael Wilbon]

I got three kids, they're into this stuff.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. From Shad. Haiku for the capybara. Hundred pound rodent. Looks like a big soft bunny. That's how they get you. Yeah. Larry Sanders. Not that Larry Sanders from East Greenbush, New York. Dr. Tony. Listening to you talking about and learning about capybaras stirred up my memories of my first encounters with those very large rodents. How come everybody knew there were rodents except you?

[Barry Verluga]

I'm just an admirer.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I had taken my family to an eco ranch, or eco ranch in southeastern Venezuela. We were living there for work reasons. As we entered the ranch, a capybara approached. We'd never seen one before and we quickly snapped pictures. As we continued on into the ranch, we were literally surrounded by dozens of these giant rodents. They're very docile, they pose no harm, they graze in swamps, they have webbed feet. We were even entertained by them as they leaped into the air when an electric eel wandered into their grazing area and started discharging electricity. Apparently that's the delivery of electricity that I'm paying for. Interesting factoid. Because of their web feet, someone long ago convinced them, the then sitting pope, to have classified as not subject to the ban on eating meat during Lent. So they became a traditional meal during that time of year. Wow. Wow. Dan Hughes Potomac Falls, Virginia. I'm finally caught up on the pods. I was listening to your discussion on having to manually change the clock in your automobile. I have two of the same cars from the same place. Love, Mike Walker and the team. And it amazes me that yes, you have to manually change the. Thank you. Have to manually change from standard to daylight savings. Before the youngster chime in. I have multiple advanced techniques, technical degrees. So no picking on Dr. Grandpa on this one. He is correct. And just add I looked up a capybara. I don't think we could flush one of them. Warm regards and Edith Salizzo.

[Michael Wilbon]

I'll give you the old there's an an essay by Gary Steingart in the New Yorker from about a month or two back on Capybara's and how they've taken over the Internet.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Michael Wilbon]

I've been looking for it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. By the way, from Mo Werner in Washington D.C. who owns BMW. He gave me very specific instructions on how to do this, what to press on my car and it will take care of itself from then on. If I do what he says, there's no chance I can do what he says. I can't follow it. But I feel vindicated here. Yes. That I told you this is what happens. Absolutely.

[Michael Wilbon]

Two cars for two different seasons.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Ben Hallgren, Easy solution. Ben Hallgren, who writes new Hampshire electric bill, $204. That's two days on mine. Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. Most mornings I participate in the pretentious activity of alpine touring. That's putting things on the bottom of your downhill skis so you can walk up the mountain before it's open. While doing this, I've been listening to Walter Isaacson's biography of Ben Franklin in a chapter called Chess and Farts. Isaacson sandwiches in a brief story of turning back the clocks between an angry letter to gout and an edible fart perfume. During a late night chess game In France around 1780, the candles went out. Upon going for more, he discovered it was already light out. He suggested in a cheeky essay that if Parisians change their sleep schedule during summer months, they could save money on candles. While this did not begin, Daylight Savings Time, it is often referenced as the first idea of seasonal time change. Information for life.

[Barry Verluga]

How about that?

[Tony Kornheiser]

From Felipe Gattaca, G A T I C A in Santiago, Chile. Just as in the Northern hemisphere goes to Daylight savings time, we in the Southern hemisphere are about to switch to what we fondly called winter time. A few years ago, when I was a journalism intern, I had the chance to interview several specialists from various fields. Psychologists, pediatricians, biologists, many more. They all agreed that this time change was not advisable due to its negative effects, especially on the health and rest of the population. Rest. However, one year they decided to listen to the experts. Bad idea. By 9am it was still dark and as we expected, it was never done again. Personally, I love wintertime because it allows me to wake up at 6:30 with enough sunlight to get my 6 year old son ready for school. Many people here prefer daylight savings time because it gets dark later, but of course most of those people don't have kids. The perks of being an adult with time. In addition, this time shift in Chile perfectly aligns with the Eastern times on the United States, which allows me to watch the NBA, NHL and NCAA basketball at a decent hour. Not past midnight. You better than anyone would understand it. PS1 Please excuse my writing, English is my second language. Well, it did very well. You did great. 2 PS2 how does a Chilean end up listening to Tony Kornheiser? Easy. I've been following you since the first episodes of PTI when I was a high school exchange student in Salinas Valley, California is my favorite TV show after school. I still listen to this day. Isn't that nice?

[Barry Verluga]

That is nice.

[Tony Kornheiser]

From Greg in New York. Hasn't changed daylight savings time, hasn't changed his toothpaste in decades, but he'll change his clocks twice a year. John in Herndon, Virginia I haven't heard you weigh in on the new Washington Wizards commercials. I saw one recently. After watching the commercial I definitely know they are the District's team. Some of the statements made are we are here for the district. We're all in. Does that mean until I get a better offer, I'll hang up and listen? P.S. thank God we dodgeable. I wrote a note to a friend of mine who was in the administration of Muriel Bowser saying that it was appalling and hopefully actionable that the owner of this team now has a commercial. A beautifully cut commercial where everything says we're in it for the district. District. We're here for the district. The district. The district. The district. The same district that he tried to leave, wanted to leave, signed a deal.

[Michael Wilbon]

To leave the District of Alexandria.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That district. That district. It is the gall of this commercial angered me beyond anything you can imagine. Chris Mansell's Forest Hill, Maryland do the new owners of Calvert Woodley know exactly what they've gotten themselves into here? Or we're just going to let them be confused by people taking selfies with their new cheese counter? Just wondering. Mary Faye Randolph in Austin, Texas as the official librarian of the Tony Kornheiser show at least several years ago when I asked to be I was not told not to. No, you're in. I have to chime in on the brand name Librarians with hickeys, although I've had one or two in my younger life. I was in my 40s when I went back to school to get my master's in library and Information science. I wasn't getting into paradise by the Dashboard Light situations anymore. Yes. Lyrics by Jimmy Stein and your classmates but we are an eclectic bunch. So many of my colleagues have full sleeve tattoos, we all wear weird book T shirts, and I have one that says I'm with the band B A N n E D. But you will never find a friendlier or more helpful bunch with or without hickeys. Mary Faye, thank you for that. That's lovely. Mike Dinehart from Draper, Utah. Not Don Draper.

[Barry Verluga]

Not Don Draper. Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

After years and years of listening to the show, my investment paid off with a strong David Aldrich moment. I was playing golf today with a colleague in Bogota. Is Bogota in Utah or Bogota in Colombia?

[Barry Verluga]

I'm assuming Colombia.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, yeah. We're talking golf coverage and he mentions knowing the great Steve Sands. I respond that I know Steve too, via the Tony Korneiser show. While Steve has no idea who I am, I know about his family, his travels and his family business. Through your podcast, I asked my golf partner Ed Ohman a o h m a n to please send a hearty lecheserie to Steve. My colleague has absolutely no idea what this means, but he plays along, sends a text message was received with the obligatory thank you response from Mr. Sands. All the best to you, Michael and Nigel. And from Brandon Borzelli in Lebanon, New Jersey. Monday's pod I don't know any of these movies. I don't know any of these actors. I've never heard of them. Amora? Never heard of it. Capybara? I've never heard of that. I never heard of the guy who won last week. I heard of on heard of on Saturday. This guy, the guy that wins. I never heard of this guy. We were one segment away from I never knew no Godfather. The FBI guys, they wanted to make a deal so they said Michael Corleone did this and Michael Coleon did that. And I say, sure, yeah, sure if you're out on your bike. T everyone, as always, do wear white. I still need a bit of milk full fat which I've warmed in the micro wave.

[Graham Weber]

Wish we lived in New York City. We'd walk to the corner grocery with your canvas sack and fill it fathoms ordinary and we climb back to our studio above the sea of people. I'd pull down our Murphy bed and lie next to you and dream of moving to the country and away from everything but we can't cut out the middle man you should see the great and the magazines appraisals and the bills will all be paid without the fees and overdrafts and collectors calls you'll be hacking sack but all that's beside the fact that I been living on the frame I'll move you to Manhattan we'll sleep on cool red satin that's just down the road we'll make it there someday One day we'll have a palace in the hills up off the beachwood that resembles Cinderella's when they drew the cells by hand and you would drive to the big studio turn yourself to sell you Lord while I play the piano serenade Hollywood land But we can't get past the even point breaking down the bend I tend to talk too much about all of tomorrow's possibilities day shutting off the telephone next week all the utilities of my kids giving up on me the jig will be up soon I But what the hell one day I said I'll lasso the moon for you if you prefer we'll buy in Malibu it'll all be pocket change the yard will turn the water and the trees will turn the waves and the sun will sell out our back on Sunday now hang around until you realize I'm a big bad wolf inside a sheep's disguise all my promises, dreams conceived in pipes hypotheticals incredible sunset desire to entice you to stay I'm sure you'll get sick hearing my voice say someday someday someday some some day Rest your little head on my bicep baby lay your little hand on my heart Let your lids fall tightly down let your little doll lips part I'll be as quiet as a mouse to try to hear you breathe while you're still but you're still okay slowly rocking to the rhythm of your in n out your midnight serenade. Are you dreaming in color or in black and white? I'm always wondering what you see do you understand love or any other emotion? I wonder do you think about me? If you got an opinion about the way we've been living I wish you'd tell me what you want to say but you ain't much for talking so I'll keep rocking till you midnight serenade. You start me stirring your porn, you know to the ground like a man in the moon when he's blowing the car around Bending your knee paralyze me but there ain't nowhere else that I want to go Right where I gotta be Got a front row seat to the show It's a symphony of whispers on my baby's breath Someday I'll miss the way she used to keep my now hold her like a miser while I'm Midnight serenity the midnight serenade.