“A Live Person”

Summary

The Tony Kornheiser Show – “A Live Person” (May 6, 2026)

Overview

This episode, hosted by Tony Kornheiser with a regular cast including Michael Wilbon, Rich Roberts, Daniel Young, and guests Chuck Culpepper and Buster Olney, moves nimbly from sports commentary to personal anecdotes and humorous reflections on technology. The main themes include: a recap of recent Washington Nationals games, thoughts on MLB player performance, an exploration of Chuck Culpepper’s new role at ESPN (including his remarkable Kentucky Derby piece), and a classic Tony rant about customer service ("a live person") with tech companies like AT&T and SiriusXM. The episode is characteristically witty, self-deprecating, and rich with storytelling.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

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1. Washington Nationals and MLB Chat

• Tony bemoans the Nationals’ bullpen and player performance.

  • Critiques Cade Cavalli’s pitching and reliever Granillo:
    “Get rid of him. I mean, he...when he didn’t give up a home run, he gave up something that went to the wall.” (01:52)
  • Argues that Kbert Ruiz is not succeeding as their catcher:
    “It’s over. He’s had all the opportunity in the world for years and years and years. ... He can’t hit. He’s not a major league hitter.” (01:52)

• Wilbon brings statistics into the critique, specifically ABS (Automatic Balls and Strikes) challenge rates and minor league prospects, indicating the team’s struggles for talent at catcher.

  • “What do you think his [Kbert Ruiz’s] ABS Challenge success rate is? ... It’s under 50. It’s about 38.” (02:41)
  • Discussions on minor league options like Harry Ford and Dylan Cruz highlight the Nats’ lack of options.

• NBA Playoff Briefs:

  • Tony is dismissive of the first round, particularly noting James Harden’s poor play (“seven turnovers”), the Cavaliers’ struggles, and the Lakers being outmatched:
    “I’m just going to be very dismissive of the first round of the NBA playoffs...” (04:47)

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2. The Hilarious & Frustrating Pursuit of a "Live Person" in Customer Service

• Tony details an infuriating experience dealing with AT&T over a mysterious $190 bill.

  • Couldn’t reach a live human, caught in a chatbot nightmare:
    “Every other word out of my mouth is ‘live person, please, live person, please.’” (09:18)
  • Finally reaches someone after ~30 minutes:
    “About 30 minutes later, I get this guy, and he says, ‘What’s your problem?’...I went from $182 to $190 and no one tells me why.” (09:37)
  • The only real victory: “The victory is getting the live person. Oh yes. Getting away from the chatbot. Yeah, the robot.” (12:46)

• On SiriusXM billing games:

  • “I got a notice yesterday that my next year subscription will be $25.99 a month. ... I said just cancel me now ... ‘Oh, we can give it to you for $8 a month again.’ Yep. ... It took 10 seconds.” (13:31)
  • Wilbon and Tony share “negotiation” tips for lowering rates by threatening to cancel.

• Classic Tony self-awareness:
  “I just use it as a phone. I don’t endlessly sit and play games ... for me, it’s just a phone. And the ability to look up online newspaper stuff. That’s all I really care about. Weather as well.” (11:16–11:23)

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3. Chuck Culpepper Joins: New Beginnings at ESPN & Kentucky Derby Feature

• Chuck explains joining ESPN after Washington Post layoffs (the ‘bloodletting’):

  • “I am working for ESPN. ... They just want me to submit ideas and they either, you know, say yes or no, and then I go about it. It’s ... beyond what I thought was perhaps possible.” (19:36–20:12)
  • Shares that ESPN hired six former Post writers, and that assignments/editors vary by sport. (22:33, 23:11)

• Chuck’s current story: the 80-year Kentucky Derby streak

  • Tony praises: “If that story doesn’t win a Pulitzer Prize ... you're never going to win a Pulitzer Prize. ... That story is great.” (17:53)
  • Chuck recounts the tale of Bob Y., who attended 80 straight Derbies—surmounting COVID restrictions and serious illness:
    “He made it in a wheelchair and with a lot of help, but he made it. And he was completely exhilarated ... one of the most beautiful things I can think of.” (26:35–28:30)
  • Tony on the power of such features: “All you have to do is wow them.” (25:05)

• The difference between newspaper & website writing:
  “Actually, I don’t [notice a difference]...” (21:50)

  • Plans for a video or TV component are possible, especially if stories come together quickly. (25:31)

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4. Buster Olney Segment: MLB, Food, and Potatoes

• Buster addresses Tarek Skubal’s (Tigers) injury, Mike Trout’s resurgence, and the Phillies’ hot streak:

  • On Skubal’s surgery: “This is not a major surgery. ... He’ll be back probably in about two or three months.” (34:20–35:35)
  • On Framber Valdez’s meltdown: “He gives up 10 runs ... Framber threw a temper tantrum ... smoked Trevor Story right in the middle of the back ... That was the first four-seam fastball he’s thrown all year right in the middle of his back, which is like a bloody glove.” (35:48–36:53)
  • On Mike Trout:
    “He basically missed most of five seasons ... now at age 34, he's off to a great start ... He changed his perspective ... Mike said, it's the same way with my career. He said, I'm in my 16th year, and it's gone by so fast, and so I need to slow it down and enjoy every day.” (37:31–39:17)

• Don Mattingly & the Phillies:

  • “It is interesting that when they made the announcement ... you have a guy who's managed in the big leagues for twelve years is anointed the interim manager ... It is in a state of flux and we'll see which way it goes.” (40:45–41:31)

• The Potato Crop Segment!

  • Tony and Buster nerd out about growing potatoes in "grow bags."
  • Buster’s advice:
    “You take the potatoes, you cut them up. You put the eye facing the sun ... you bury them about 4 to 6 inches. And then in, you know, in five months ... you get to dig them all out, which is the most fun of the summertime.” (41:55–42:27)
  • Favorite variety: “I love the Yukon potatoes. ... This year we're gonna go only with Yukons and russets.” (43:04)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tony, on the struggle for basic customer service:

  • “Every other word out of my mouth is live person, please ... And they finally, after about 10 minutes of not wanting to give you a live person ... they finally say, we will connect you to our first available agent. But you should know we're running way behind. This could take weeks.” (09:18, 09:23)
  • “The victory is getting the live person. Oh yes. Getting away from the chatbot. Yeah, the robot.” (12:46)

• On media layoffs and sportswriting’s decline:

  • “Chuck was part of the bloodletting at the Washington Post that results in a sad, inadequate sports section ... insultingly sad and inadequate sports section.” (17:53)
  • Chuck on new freedom: “They just want me to submit ideas and they either, you know, like ... and then they either, you know, say yes or no, and then I go about it. It’s ... beyond what I thought was perhaps possible...” (19:36)

• Wilbon, succinct on Kbert’s struggles:

  • “So for the last year, you said ... he would always ground into what often was double plays.” (02:36)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Nationals/Nats & MLB Recap: 00:59–04:46
• NBA Dismissals: 04:47–06:19
• Customer Service Rant (“Live Person”): 06:31–14:35
• Music Break - Daniel Young “Baby, Baby Blue”: 15:14
• Interview: Chuck Culpepper (ESPN, Derby Streak): 18:02–30:37
• Interview: Buster Olney (MLB, Potatoes): 33:14–44:10
• Community & Listener Letters: 45:00–55:52

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Episode Tone & Style

The episode remains true to Tony Kornheiser’s signature blend: acerbic, witty, and self-aware, with a conversational style that veers from sharp-eyed sports critique to charming anecdotes and generational humor (especially in the “live person” sequence). Frequent moments of friendly ribbing and deep sportswriting wisdom pervade the guest interviews, while a sense of nostalgia and camaraderie infuses community emails and show “inside jokes.”

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Summary Takeaways

• Sports: Tony and crew offer incisive, old-school sports analysis—a critical look at the Nationals, MLB injury news, Mike Trout’s place in history, and the ongoing NBA playoffs.
• Media & Writing: Chuck Culpepper’s ESPN move symbolizes both loss and hope for long-form sports journalism, typified by his Kentucky Derby feature.
• Tech Frustration: Tony’s battle for a “live person” is a humorous, oh-so-relatable highlight, capturing modern exasperation with automated customer service.
• Personal Touch: The show remains grounded in everyday moments—garden plots, subscription negotiations, heartfelt letters—blending sports radio with a touch of memoir.

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For listeners who missed the show: Expect trademark banter between seasoned friends, a celebration of narrative sportswriting, cathartic tech rants, and the perfect mix of levity and lore from one of America’s most beloved voices in sports and entertainment.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey, it's Tony. On today's show, we will chat with Chuck Culpepper about his new job with ESPN and a great story he's written about the Kentucky Derby. And we will talk to Buster only about some baseball stuff. But more importantly, we will talk about our 2026 potato crop. But first, commerce. Previously on the Tony Kornhauser Show. You didn't think I'd been to any games last year?

[Michael Wilbon]

Last year was a year off for you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

A lay year, as they say in boat racing. So maybe I'll go to another one. I mean, if they have an afternoon

[Michael Wilbon]

game, get the parking.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I got to get the player lot.

[Daniel Young]

Yeah.

[Rich Roberts]

Play lots, everything.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I probably need somebody to drive me. I need the player lot. I stayed much longer. I mean, I stayed because they stayed.

[Chuck Culpepper]

I would have.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I would have left in the third. I mean, come on. This is General George Washington, and you're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show. This gets us into the gnats from last night.

[Michael Wilbon]

You stayed because that was your ride home. Yes, I absolutely thought you start giving me the chessy look.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, it was. It was a great ride, too. The wine. We got to the ballpark and home much more efficiently than I ever imagined. So I was very happy with that appointment viewing for me last night. The Nats, because hadn't played, you know, on Monday, and they were playing the Twins. Not a good team. They're gonna win. They got their best pitcher on the mound, Cade Cavalli. They're gonna win. Cade Cavalli is staked to a one nothing lead. And then in the second inning with two outs, the roof caves in. You know, he just gives stuff up. I mean, with two outs, you gotta close the thing out.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Cade Cavalli did not have a good day. Then they brought in, eventually, they brought in this guy Granillo. Get rid of him. I mean, get rid of him. I mean, he. The. When he didn't give up a home run, he gave up something that went to the wall. Is that his name? Granillo?

[Chuck Culpepper]

Sure.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's no good. And you know who else is no good? And I have to say this. And I know. I know Coco is listening because Coco always says you're ranting about everything. Kbert, Ruiz. It's over. It's over. He's had all the opportunity in the world for years and years and years. And you want to say, well, we got him. Was that the Soto trade or was that the Turner trade? Whatever it was, we got him. So we want to give him a chance. He's a fine defensive catcher. He's not great. He's fine. He can't hit. He's not a major league hitter. He always bats ninth, and he doesn't deliver anything.

[Michael Wilbon]

Turner and Scherzer.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Turner and Scherzer. You know, and so they want to keep him. They want to say, this is what we got. No, he's no good. It's over. You just say that it didn't work. You had all the opportunity. It did not work. The Nats got bombed.

[Michael Wilbon]

So for the last year, you said they'd be like, okay, he would always ground into what often was double place

[Tony Kornheiser]

runner in the world.

[Michael Wilbon]

And what I just looked up. What do you think his ABS Challenge success rate is?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, he's sitting back there, so I would think it's probably 65, 70.

[Michael Wilbon]

Okay. It's under 50. It's about 38.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, you can't go.

[Michael Wilbon]

And it got to a very slow start, which was surprising. But you saw this last night. I think it was the top of the fifth. He challenges the strike. The guys on the radio are like, this was not even close.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right, Right.

[Michael Wilbon]

And then immediately in the bottom, he comes up and grounds out. This was this perfect little moment that captures everything.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's. He's not. It's over. I mean, it wasn't. They tried. He tried. It's over. Go somewhere else. See if you can resurrect your career somewhere else. But not here, not in Washington.

[Michael Wilbon]

So then I looked up the. The early. The early stats from AAA for the. The prospect that Harry Ford, the.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The guy behind Calculus.

[Michael Wilbon]

Batting average is below.200.179. No, on base only.286.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They don't need that.32. No, they don't need that. How's. How's Dylan Cruz doing? Did you look him up? Not.

[Michael Wilbon]

Doesn't play catcher last time I checked.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, well, all right, so it's.

[Rich Roberts]

So a tough night for the Nets.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it's a bad night. You know, the relief relief corps didn't do anything. Their starter didn't do anything.

[Michael Wilbon]

Do you watch any of Otani?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I did not watch Ohtani. My prediction for Ohtani was he would pitch six or seven innings, give up one or two earned, strike out eight, and win the game. They did not win. They lost 2 to 1. But every lose the game. Was he the loser? I can't remember. Come after him?

[Michael Wilbon]

No, I think it came when he was still in there. Yeah, it was two.

[Rich Roberts]

Nothing early, but everything was on the. I mean, it was seven innings pitched. It was.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I Know what I'm doing. I've watched a lot of baseball, so I have some sense.

[Rich Roberts]

Did you see the nonsense with Framber Valdez?

[Tony Kornheiser]

They threw him out.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And AJ Hints we have Buster only. We'll talk about.

[Rich Roberts]

That's right. Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. I mean, because I mean, he was throwing at him. Didn't it look like he was throwing

[Rich Roberts]

at him after back to back home runs?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, he was throwing. All right.

[Michael Wilbon]

And. And Phillies now can't lose.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. We're going to talk to Buster about that. Apparently Don Mattingly is. The secret sauce is the Harper Whisperer. Yeah. Because he had two home runs last night. He's got a bunch of home runs. Okay. It was a beautiful day yesterday. Not so beautiful today. It's going to rain today. I think it's going to rain.

[Michael Wilbon]

Good day to plant tomatoes tomorrow.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I think it is a good day to plant tomatoes and a couple of flowers and some peppers. I know you're going to want me to talk about the NBA playoffs. I'm just going to be very dismissive of the first round of the NBA playoffs because Wilbon is going to talk about it. If our show is divided into what people talk about, we talk about the NBA. Wilbourne talks about it 85% of the time. And I sit there and offer Some small comment 15% of the time. Both home teams won last night. This should not be a surprise to anybody. The Cleveland Cavaliers have not, did not win any road games in their last series against Toronto. So now they have a road game against Detroit and they lose. This should not surprise anyone. They're going to have to win this series. They have to win on the road because they have four games on the road and the series. If they don't, they lose. James Harden had seven turnovers. It's, you know, he's the dog in the playoffs. But if he can be good, they can win that. I'm being very dismissive of that. I'll be more dismissive of the Lakers game. Lakers don't have luka doncic. He's 35 points a game by himself and then he has assists and he has rebounds and stuff like that. And they're playing the world champions. Oklahoma City at Oklahoma City. What'd they lose by? 20. It's better than they usually lose. They were.04 this year and lost by an average of 29 points. They won't win any games. 18, 18. So that's better than they usually do. They're not going to win any games against Oklahoma City. In Oklahoma City. Maybe they'll win one in la. This is not. This is a no sweat series, it seems to me. So let me get to.

[Michael Wilbon]

At least you got some questions for Wilbon from the Early Sports Center?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, Wilbon was on the Early Sports Center. We're Talking now before 8:00'. Clock. Wilbon's been on two different segments.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Wow.

[Rich Roberts]

Man never sleeps.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, I want to talk about AT&T again. The last time I talked about AT&T, I believe my words were. I think I started with I hate

[Rich Roberts]

AT and T. Yeah, I think that summed it up. Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Because I got sent a bill for $190. Again, the money is not. The money is not important here. It's the inability.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's the change.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's the inability to find out why this happened. Because I can't talk to a real person. They say I can look at my bill if I have the right passwords. I don't have the right passwords. And then I send them note after note after note saying, could somebody call me? Even when I sent a check for the full amount of $190, and that

[Michael Wilbon]

included a handwritten note.

[Tony Kornheiser]

A handwritten note. Could somebody please call me? Beautiful penmanship. No, nobody has called. Nobody has called. So we got a note the other day from Joel Dollinger who said he had had trouble with AT&T and he gave me some numbers to use. The first number he gave me was a direct phone number to someone who was supposedly an assistant to the president of AT&T that was out of service. It's okay. It's been a while.

[Michael Wilbon]

Did you call from your AT&T cell phone? Yeah, that might be the issue.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. Because they wouldn't answer an at&t do not answer.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Then I called Consumer Services and I finally got through to Consumer Services, but I got a chat box. I got a woman's voice or something, an artificial woman's voice, by the way, slang. Now. Now they use terms like. So just hang tight a little while.

[Buster Olney]

What?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, just hang tight.

[Michael Wilbon]

Trying to disarm you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. So, yeah, and I'm talking and every other. I mean, I answer the questions that I think are important. Like, yes, this is about a bill, this is about a charge. I think I do that and I answer the questions about what my phone number is and stuff like that.

[Michael Wilbon]

Full social, all that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Well, no, not full social, by the way. I had to call Sirius XM and I say, what country are you in? Because it's clear that there's an accent here that I'm having difficulty with which I assume they're having difficulty with on the other end. And they say, we are not allowed to tell you that. And I said, wait a second. You can ask for my Social Security number, and you're not allowed to tell me what country you're in. Can I talk to a supervisor?

[Chuck Culpepper]

And.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And I did. Yeah, but that's another call. I'm not talking about that call. I'm talking about the AT&T call. And now every other word, aside from answering these specific questions, every other word out of my mouth is live person, please, live person, please. And they finally, after about 10 minutes of not wanting to give you a live person because they don't hire any live people anymore, they want you to. Once they say the word chat, you can chat with us. No, Chat is your typing chat. No, we're not doing that. Chat is a robot. Yeah, a robot. So I keep saying, live person.

[Michael Wilbon]

The modern game. And they throw a lot of threes at them. Yeah, live person, please.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So they. They finally say, you know, they say, as they say all the time, we will connect you to our first available agent. But you should know we're running way behind. This could take weeks.

[Rich Roberts]

16 days.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, this.

[Chuck Culpepper]

This could take weeks.

[Michael Wilbon]

And I like us to call you back.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. And they want a. I said, no, don't. No, don't call. No, I'm going to wait. I'm going to wait. And they say at one point, It'll be between 16 and 24 minutes. I'm going to wait. I'm waiting for this. About 30 minutes later, I get this guy, and he says, what's your problem? And I say, this is my problem. I went from $182 to $190. And no one tells me why. Is it a late charge? No. Solid. No. We. We raised our fees. Did you bet it was a service better? Is the service different? You raised your fees? So he says, let me see what I can do for you to lower your fees. Let me see what I can do for you. And we spend about 10 or 15 minutes on the phone. He wanted me to. He wanted me to change my Internet service and he would give me a lower price. I said, no, I'm happy with my Internet service now. I don't want to change my Internet service. I want. I just want to know why this bill is. And then I said, and I'm getting out of this. I'm going to go to T Mobile.

[Rich Roberts]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Because Jason told me, go to T Mobile. So T Mobile is good. I said, I'm Going to. I said, well, we don't want you to do that. And he says, we can. Now they care. Yeah, we can lower the price. What do you normally pay? I said, well, I normally pay about $182, but as you see, now, I'm normally paying $190. And he looks at my plan and he says, you don't really need all this stuff. And I said, no, because I just use it as a phone. Phone. I don't read novels on it. I don't go shopping. I don't do all of those things that everybody else does. I don't endlessly sit and play games on my phone. No, for me, it's just a phone.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And the ability to look up online newspaper stuff. That's all I really care about. Weather as well.

[Michael Wilbon]

The daily scent of the inbox.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So the guy says to me, I can get it for you at 1:35.135. Then he wants to send me an email.

[Rich Roberts]

What's the catch?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, the catch is it's 135 for the first month. Then it goes up to about 200. It goes up to about 160. But 160 is still lower than what you. Still lower.

[Michael Wilbon]

And more than anything, you'll understand where the charge is coming from.

[Tony Kornheiser]

How will I understand that?

[Michael Wilbon]

I'm just saying if you have the updated charge, and even if after one month it goes up, you will have the comfort of knowing what it is.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They sent me an email. So then. So this is the best part. I think the guy's been a nice guy. I mean, I think he's tried. I think he's tried.

[Michael Wilbon]

Ready to take a survey?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I think he's. No, I didn't have a survey. I think he's tried to bamboozle me early. But then I think he said, okay, script.

[Rich Roberts]

Yes. Saw the defense being played and said, okay, I'm going to concede.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I said to the guy, I

[Michael Wilbon]

think some short conversions.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I said, you watch espn? He goes, yeah, I do. I said, you ever watch Pardon the Interruption? He goes, yeah, I've seen that. I go, that's me. Because what? I go, that's me. Watch tonight, you know, And I forgot to shout out to the guy. Guy's name is Brahms. That's his last. His first name? Yeah, like the composer. That's what he says. Just like, wow. You know, he couldn't, you know, so we'll see. And I paid the 190. I wrote a check for 190. We'll see. If I get Any return. We'll see if the next bill is lower. We'll see. I will see.

[Michael Wilbon]

And if you're, if you're Genius xm,

[Tony Kornheiser]

that's the take note. The victory is getting the live person. Oh yes. Getting away from the chatbot. Yeah, the robot.

[Rich Roberts]

Just hang tight.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hang tight.

[Rich Roberts]

I can't wait for when AI is is designed to go perfectly to you. Like it knows your background. So it's slang. Will be like, hey, while you're waiting, how many ways do you think you could cook a chicken, Tony?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it's just it, it's so anyway, so I had at least one of the numbers that Joel Dollinger gave me was good and that sounds great for that. And I don't want to even talk about the SiriusXM1. I'll just talk about it briefly. When you finally get a person and the person is in another locale that they say we're not allowed. You're not allowed.

[Rich Roberts]

I'm on planet Earth.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Not allowed. Come on. I had a year subscription at about $8 a month, something like that. I got a notice yesterday that my next year subscription will be 25.99amonth. So I called up and when I finally got someone overseas offshore as we like to say, I said just cancel me now. I don't want to do it. Oh, we can give it to you for $8 a month again. Yep. They, it's, it's unbelievable. It took 10 seconds.

[Michael Wilbon]

I have an alarm set on my phone that every year before it goes up, I just cancel Sirius so that they give me the better price.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They dropped it by six, by 70% just by me saying I don't, I don't want it anymore because it's one

[Michael Wilbon]

of those services you rarely use but when, when you need it, you really need it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So some of you.

[Rich Roberts]

So, so that was a couple of victories, right?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, I don't know. I mean my, my lease is up so I may have to get a new car and it comes free for a year in a new car anyway. So I may be paying for nothing, I don't know. But I mean, yeah, the two victories were getting live bodies.

[Rich Roberts]

Absolutely.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know, but I had, you know, at one point I said to the guy from AT&T, I got a heart out here at 4:00'.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Clock.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I got to go to work. So any. And we were done by like 3:58. If you threaten to leave them, they give you.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, this is the old move with cable.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, just.

[Michael Wilbon]

I just love. Some people might do push ups. Do get a little jogging before doing tv just to get, you know, get energized. You call customer service.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We'll take a break. Chuck Culpepper when we return. Haven't heard from him in a while. Anxious to find out what he's doing. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Show Announcer]

This is the Tony Kornizer Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Let's be honest, Mother's Day gifts can get a little predictable. They're nice, but they aren't home runs. And the older you get, the more you realize how much moms actually do the stuff you didn't fully appreciate growing up. So it feels like they deserve something a little more lasting. And that's where Aura Frames comes in. Instead of something that fades after a few days, it's a gift that keeps evolving. You can keep adding photos and videos over time so it never feels static. It's also super easy to set up and it comes packaged beautifully so you don't have to overthink the presentation. It's just a more meaningful way to say thank you for everything past and present. Make Mother's Day special with Aura Frames. Name number one by Wirecutter. You can save on the gift Mom's love by visiting aura frames.com for a limited time. Listeners can get $25 off their best selling Carver mat frame with code Tony K. That's a U R A auraframes.com promo code Tony K. And when you check out, let them know you heard about Aura Frames from us. Terms and conditions apply. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show. This is Daniel Young. This is a song called Baby, Baby Blue and Rich Roberts writes from Provo, Utah. Salt Lake City's Daniel Young finds life's lighted cracks in his fifth full length album, Another Golden Hour. Daniel's a fine singer, songwriter and craftsman who plays guitar and percussion on the album he personally recorded, produced and mastered at his orchard studio. Daniel will take his unique high desert juniper and sagebrush influenced Americana music on the road and across the sea to the Netherlands for two weeks of shows from May 7th to 15th. So if today's May 6th, he's on his way or he's there. Yes, in the Netherlands. If anybody's listening to us in the Netherlands, you know, go see Daniel Young again. This is. What is this called? Baby. Baby Blue. That's right. And it plays in Chuck Culkeper. We haven't talked to Chuck in a while. Chuck was part of the bloodletting at the Washington Post that results in a sad, inadequate sports section and insultingly sad and inadequate sports section. So the first thing I was going to ask, and I will, is like, where are you working and what are you doing? But let me just say this. I read your story this morning about the man in his late 80s who had gone to 80 consecutive Kentucky derbies and made it this year even though he is in terribly failing health. If that story doesn't win a Pulitzer Prize, you're never going to win a Pulitzer Prize, you know, you're not going to be stuck like me and Wilbourne without a Pulitzer Prize because that story is great. That is great. It's on the ESPN website, I assume. So where are you working and what are you doing?

[Chuck Culpepper]

I am working for espn. So am I. I'm standing in Bristol right now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Really? They made you go to Bristol?

[Chuck Culpepper]

Yes. And to paraphrase Groucho Marx, I would always, always want to be in a club that would have someone like you for a member.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You're not living in Bristol, are you?

[Chuck Culpepper]

No, just here to meet everybody.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, it's about time.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Over the last few days. Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So as are you are. Where are you living? What is your life like now that you're not. You were never truly tethered to Washington, being on the Washington Post. But where are you now? What do you do?

[Chuck Culpepper]

That's true. I live in the California desert in Palm Springs. And there was a long hiatus between the bloodletting and then starting this. And so went traveling some. And yeah, if you've ever been to the Palm Springs airport, is the most charming airport in America. Has a little park outside where you wait for your to go to your gate.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's nice.

[Chuck Culpepper]

You sit under palm trees where people are walking dogs and stuff.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's lovely. And six months of the year when it's not 137 degrees, it's a very livable. It's a very livable place. So you took the job at espn and what. What is the job? What is the job?

[Chuck Culpepper]

Well, the job is dreamy. It's. It's kind of beyond what I imagined, but they just want me to submit ideas and they either, you know, like, such as the, the one that you mentioned. And thank you so much for saying that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Great story.

[Chuck Culpepper]

And they, and then they either, you know, say yes or no, and then I go about it. It's, it's, it's beyond what I thought was perhaps possible on February 4, which was the date of the bloodletting.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So you are creating your own schedule.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Yes, in a sense, I will. You know, there's a possibility, for example, I said to them, if you want me to go to an event and write something every day, I know how to do that and I like doing that. Or if you want me to really think about feature stories, you know, such as approaching this World cup, you know, I've been looking at the, the. I never say this word properly, but I know how to spell it. I think you say it diasporas.

[Rich Roberts]

Yeah.

[Chuck Culpepper]

In the U.S. yeah. You know, such as Little Haiti and Miami. And I was been looking at and, you know, the populations of, you know, immigrants in certain cities to sort of watch the World cup with them. I've been thinking about that. And in a certain way, you know, we're trying to figure, pinpoint how to. How to do that and so that kind of thing. And then, you know, it's a. It's broadly, it's across all sports, it looks like. So it's very. It's just very wonderful.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, well, you're a great catch for them. And all you have to do is be good. All you have to do is submit things where people say, oh, you know, like, who's the other guy on espn? Like this. Wright Thompson is like this. Do you know Wright at all? Do you know him?

[Chuck Culpepper]

I do. I do quite well. Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So he's like this, he says, this is what I would like to do. And enough people have said to the brass, this guy's really good, that he gets to do what he likes to do and then everybody's proud of it. Do you notice any difference at all other than how it is delivered, writing for a website or writing for a newspaper?

[Chuck Culpepper]

Actually, I don't, because before the Washington Post, I wrote for a website called Sports on Earth that was owned by USA Today and Major League Baseball together. So, yeah, I don't feel maybe the fact that if you're at an event at night, the editor will say, the print deadline is this and this and this. So there's more deadlines. You know, there was a series of print deadlines through the night for, you know, the papers that go way out and then the papers that are closer to the city and so, so on. So I think it's almost. It feels quite the same. And by the way, another person, they hired six of us.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Chuck Culpepper]

From the Post. Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. I mean, they, you know, they said if we're. Look, ESPN is not in the writing business, they're in the TV business. But they also provide, you know, a good forum for writers as one of the. Because if you like sports, you're going to read about sports as well, my question is, and I approach this as a sports writer. Do you have one editor or do you have, depending on what you write, a variety of editors? I, I always felt that one editor who knew me well was what I wanted, no matter what I wrote.

[Chuck Culpepper]

I have. It depends on the sport, and it depends on. And so it can be different ones for, you know, for different, different stories. You know, it's. It might be. There's one I'll meet with today where we'll talk about what we might do during college football, that kind of thing. So. And so it varies from, from assignment to assignment.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Will you cover for espn? Those things which you covered for the Post? Did you walk in and say, here's what I've done. Here's what I'd like to do?

[Chuck Culpepper]

I don't think it will be this. It's. It's quite different from other jobs that I've had, including that one. And I thought that was the dreamiest thing in the world. But this might be, you know, just as dreamy. And I. But I don't think it will be as event heavy as I was. But it might be in another way. You know, it might be, for example, much like that Kentucky Derby story, a feature that is tied to an event but is not about the, the outcome or the winner or such as that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Would you go to Europe? Would you go to the Olympics? Would you go to the World cup in the sights outside the United States? Or do you have to come up with your own idea and say, this is why you need to send me here?

[Chuck Culpepper]

It might surprise you that some of the ideas I've sent them do happen outside the United States.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Chuck Culpepper]

And I wonder, you know, I don't know. I was guilty of bothering people about that for a long time. You know, hey, I have this idea, but it's in, you know, the Post once let me roam around the Middle east for two months, you know, so that kind of thing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So all you have to do is wow them. You know, you have to submit it and somebody goes, wow. That's all you have. That's the hard part. But not for you, because you're a wow writer. Right.

[Chuck Culpepper]

I would never, I've never spent a moment of my life where I've been able to wake up and think that. So I'll try.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Is there a TV component in your deal?

[Chuck Culpepper]

It's, it's. So we've had meetings about, you know, us put having video involved in our stories. Yes, I think there will be a video component where, you know, you say you have an idea. If the one at the Kentucky Derby. It's the only one I've done so far, so I keep coming back to it. But if. If we. If that had come together more quickly, that probably would have had, you know, some. Some video along with it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Chuck Culpepper]

And. And. But, you know, it will be mingled all the time with the ideas and the possibility of video, which brings also the possibility of perhaps tv.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Chuck Culpepper]

You know, while you're telling them about the story you've done.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Hold out for a stylist. Yeah. Get a clothing deal. Look, we've teased this thing in, you know, in a minute or two. In a minute or two. Tell the people about the story you wrote about this man who goes. This was his 80th consecutive Kentucky Derby.

[Chuck Culpepper]

So in 2020, the Kentucky Derby was a depressing event, which is usually. It's the opposite of depressing at all times, but it was the COVID one. It was empty. And Churchill Downs was at first allowed by. We forget what it was like to live with these, you know, changes and stipulations and so on based on what the number of cases was. But Churchill Downs was allowed to have 14,000 fans, and then they weren't. And this man who had one of those 14,000 tickets with his wife, Bob and Barbara Y. Of Louisville, it would seem to end his streak of 73 at the time. Straight Derby, starting at age 9 with his mother in 1947 when jet pilot won the Derby. And she encouraged him to crawl between knees and ankles up to the rail so he could see something. And then the horses blurred by and that was it. But then one of the owners from that race got him a ticket and said, join our crew, which was allowed in. You know, the owner groups were allowed into that Derby. So his streak carried on, and it got to 79, and he really, really wanted 80. And he's 88 years old, and he spent four months in hospitals and rehab centers between Christmas, Christmas Day and mid April. So it looked like this was implausible that he would attend the Derby. And he made it. He made it in a wheelchair and with a lot of help, but he made it. And he was completely exhilarated and in a. Just to see him smile for as long as he did. As the race ended, he kept smiling for moments afterwards. One of the most beautiful things I can think of.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's a great damn story. I mean, it's just. It really is. And I hope that, you know, you're able to do those sorts of stories because, you know, they're wonderful to read and maybe they'll promote you and maybe you'll be on the PTI Show. Maybe just take my place, who knows? But I'm really. It's a great story and I'm happy that so far it's a soft landing for all of the people at the post. I'm happy if and when it is a soft landing. And I do know, you know, that. I mean, I don't know now because it's a long time gone for me, but there was a time when ESPN really coveted terrific writing. And so I hope, you know, I hope that works there. And Wright Thompson, there's a lot of good writers, but like I would say, Wright Thompson is. He's a big star, right? Wright's a big star.

[Chuck Culpepper]

He's a big star. He wears it very well.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, he's really good. He's really good. He sent me a note the other day. We put his book Put the Barn out on behind me on the PTI show. And he got a note from a guy in Canada saying he had seen. Seen the book on the PTI show, bought the book because he knew Wright's work and it's life changing. He has to go to the Delta. He has to see it. And Wright said, what about this? I said, it's fabulous. So, I mean, there's an audience that you can reach at ESPN that you have never reached before. Right? I mean, that must be exciting.

[Chuck Culpepper]

That's right. Yes. It's one of the, you know, I, they asked me yesterday, you know, what have you. Do you have any issues? You have any worries? No, no, no. Any. I said, I don't usually complain anyway. I don't like to. I don't get into it or anything, but, but, but I said no. Even if I could, I can't think of one. No, no, no. Just flawless, this whole concept. Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Good, good.

[Chuck Culpepper]

All right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We will continue to talk. Every once in a while you write something. We'll put you on the air. Thank you, Chuck.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Thank you so much, Tony. Thank you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's a great writer. We will take a break. Buster Olney will join us when we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show. The Tony Kornheiser Show. You know that moment when something breaks in your home and you think, okay, who do I even call for this? Because suddenly it's not just one thing. It's three different projects and zero time to figure it all out. That's exactly why Angie has been so helpful. It's the place to go when you need to hire skilled local pros who can handle just about everything around your home. Angie has been around since 1995, and over the years, homeowners have turned to them for hundreds of millions of projects. So they really know the ins and outs of getting things done. Well, what makes it easy is how streamlined everything is. You just answer a few quick questions, and Angie connects you with local pros who fit your specific project. You can check out reviews from people nearby, compare quotes, and find your best price without spending hours searching. And whether it's a quick repair, a deep clean, or a full remodel, you can find pros covering over a thousand different types of projects, so you're not bouncing between a bunch of different places trying to figure it out. Download the free Angie app today or visit angie that's a n g I.com you're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show. Mother's Day is coming up. And you know, when you're a kid, you don't really notice everything moms did for you, like helping you buy socks and making sure they were the right size or helping to plant potatoes every spring all the time. You may not have appreciated it, but now you get it. She's always in your corner. She always will be. So, yeah, Mother's Day matters. You got to get it right and honestly the easiest way. Books. That's short for bouquets. And how about this? You can get 25% off your order just for listening to this show. These aren't just flowers. They're cut fresh from the best farms. They're bigger, brighter, they last way longer. Some even grow on the side of a volcano. You can send a vibrant bouquet or even go big with a monthly subscription. So mom gets a little moment of joy again and again. And when she smiles, you'll know you nailed it. Plus, there are over 55,000 five star reviews, so you know it's legit. It'll take you like two minutes to get it all done. Pick the bouquet, set the delivery date, and you're set. And with 25% off, you can grab something for your wife, your aunt, your grandma. Cover all your bases. Mother's Day's May 10th. Don't wait. Go to boogs.com use code Tony for 25% off. That's B O U Q S.com promo code Tony books.com we've had these things. They're good.

[Buster Olney]

This is the Tony Kornheiser show

[Tony Kornheiser]

once again. This is Daniel Young. This is a song called Holding Up. And as we learned from Rich Roberts in Provo, Utah, Daniel Young and his supporting band, the Rambling Roses, will play a local show on June 13 at Salt Lake's the State Room. If you're in the neighborhood, come say hi. He won't have a clue what a TK salute is, but he'll get up to speed fast. Daniel Young, very, very good. Plays in Buster Only. This segment with Buster Only is brought to you by FanDuel. Play your game. So I've got some baseball questions. Then we get to the most important stuff, the potato. And I'll tell you where we are and you'll tell me where. Where we are. But let me just start, actually, with two pictures in Detroit, one inactive at the moment, awaiting surgery. Tarek Skubal. What, what, what happens now? This is his third surgery. He is about to enter free agency, if he chooses to. He is represented by Scott Boris, who may or may not be the devil, and he may not even have audition starts in July before the trade deadline. What happens?

[Buster Olney]

Yeah, and first and foremost, Scott is not the devil. I will defend him in that purpose, in that realm. Here's the deal. This surgery within the context of what pitchers go through, this is not a major surgery. This is a relatively minor procedure. He's got loose bodies that are kind of floating around his elbow. It's like putting rock inside of a door hinge. So they're going to remove it and he'll be back probably in about two or three months. I don't think there was any chance the Tigers were going to trade school anyway because the first off, you know, they're trying to win the division, get back to the playoffs again, and on top of that, the American League stinks. Okay? Yeah, you got the Yankees are great. You've got the Rays, who were pretty good, and then you got a bunch of teams in the mosh pit and you weren't going to. If you're the Tigers, you're not going to trade Derek Scoville if you're anywhere close. Anyway, he is going to get a chance to pitch, as you mentioned, you know, maybe by the end of July, certainly in August, September, and then he's going to make a boatload of money as a free agent. I don't think any of that is going to be interrupted because this is not the sort of surgery that derails pitchers in the way that a shoulder injury can or a major, you know, elbow reconstruction can.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, to show the intent of the Tigers, they went out and spent a lot of Money on Framboo. Valdez brought him in to start. How'd he do last night? I don't think he went the distance last night.

[Buster Olney]

That was an absolute joke of what happened in Detroit. So they are scre. They are scrambling for starting pitching right now. Not only is Scubal on the injured list, but so is Justin Verlander and Troy Melton and Casey Mize, Jackson Jobe. They have all these starting pitchers on the Illinois. I know that after the school injury to the conversation Tigers organization was, look, we just need to stabilize their starting pitching and hold on while he's out. And Fromberg goes out last night and he has this horrendous outing in which he gives up 10 runs. I think there's some indication that the Red Sox were doing what's a perfectly legal thing of, you know, passing on pitcher grips to the hitter. The hitters might have had some sense of what was coming. And then Framber threw a temper tantrum on the mound and he smoked Trevor Story right in the middle of the back. Here's a number for you, Tony. So that was the 694th pitch this season from Framber. That was the first forcing fastball he's thrown all year right in the middle of his back, which is like a bloody glove.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's intense, right? For him. Yeah, it's intense.

[Buster Olney]

It signals. And no one believed on the field, even his manager AJ Hinch didn't defend him after the game. I'm sure he's going to wind up getting a six or seven game suspension for Major League Baseball, further complicating their starting pitching problems.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, they're a mess right now, but as you say, the division, they're instincts and most of the American League stinks. They do have a player though who is in a resurgent stage of his career and could be still was, could be still one of the all time greats, Mike Trout. What do you make of that?

[Buster Olney]

Yeah, Mike Trout is off to a great start for the Angels. And I, you know, I talked to him on Sunday morning about the year that he's having. I mean he basically missed most of five seasons, 382 games from 2021, 2024. And that interrupted a trajectory that would have put him on a in the hall of Fame inner circle with Mays and Aaron and Ruth. You know, he had more wins above replacement in his first nine full seasons than Derek Jeter did his entire career. And now, you know, at age 34, he's off to a great start. A couple things that he changed one he dropped some weight. He got cut out. Junk food. He got a nutritionist. As you know, he already looks like an NFL safety. That's how big he is. But by dropping the weight, he told me that he felt much better, you know, eight to ten pounds. When he runs, he can feel it in his knees. They moved him to center field. But the biggest thing, I think was that he changed his perspective. And he almost began to look at it through the, you know, the prism that we as parents do, where people will say to you, boy, you better enjoy your kids while you have them, because it goes by so fast. Mike said, it's the same way with my career. He said, I'm in my 16th year, and it's gone by so fast, and so I need to slow it down and enjoy every day. And that's what he's done so far this year. He's got an OPS of 1000. That home run last night was his 11th. And I know people are on baseball. Love the fact that he's back to being a great player. During that recent series between the Yankees and the Angels, he and Aaron Judge were texting each other after every game, sort of cajoling each other competitive way. You know, I know Aaron well enough to know he loves seeing Mike Trout back to being a preeminent player.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I think we all do. One other baseball question, Don Mattingly. What has he whispered in Bryce Harper's ear? And what is going on in Philadelphia?

[Buster Olney]

Well, it was interesting because I have never seen a managerial change that was as respectful as what we saw with Rob Thompson. It wasn't the Red Sox where you got palace intrigue and Game of Thrones and the whole thing. It was, you know, David Dombrowski, head of baseball operations, came out and said, look, we need a change of voice, just as we did when we bought Rob Thompson in. Now he goes out and Don Mattingly comes in. It's so interesting because I think that Don and Rob are very similar in personality, but maybe, you know, the Phillies just getting past that question, you know, as opposed to idiots like me coming up every day and saying, you know, what do you think of Rob Thompson might get fired? Do you think this will be the week? Do you think this will be the time, like, that balloon has been burst. And then you bring in don, who's got 12 years of experience managing in the big leagues, and now I think the talent of this team is manifesting. They have an excellent core pitching, and Bryce Harper started hitting, and now they're playing a lot better.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They are. I Mean, I know your position is that they could still negotiate with Alex Cora. Obviously Dombrowski wanted him. And I don't know if Don Mattingly wants to do this again. You know, maybe he just wants to ride out this season and that's it. But if he did, the way they are playing now, it would be hard to turn him away, right? It would be hard.

[Buster Olney]

It would actually remind me a lot of what happened. And you're going to remember this. 1978, Billy Martin is the manager of the New York Yankees. He famously has a blow up with Reggie Jackson dugout at Fenway Park. Billy gets fired, they bring in Bob Lemon, theoretically, as an interim manager. They announced that Billy Martin is going to come back. They announced that at Old Timers Day. And then the Yankees go off and when they win the World Series with Bob Lemon leading them, which means that his time was extended as their manager. Yes, that absolutely could happen to Don. It is interesting that when they made the announcement that you have a guy who's managed in the big leagues for 12 years is anointed the interim manager for the rest of the year. So it is in a state of flux and we'll see which way it goes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Let's get to the important stuff now. I'm holding a box of grow bags in front of me. Heavy duty grow bags with handles, sturdy material, excellent drainage. You know, I got these. How do I plant potatoes? What do I have to do preparatory to putting the potatoes in the ground? I have to get potato. I have to get potato eyes. Right. I have to go buy potatoes and put them in a dark spot. Tell me what I do.

[Buster Olney]

Yes, you. You take the potatoes, you cut them up. You put the eye facing the sun.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hold it, hold it. Buy potatoes.

[Buster Olney]

Cut these little chunks, Cut them up.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Put eye facing the sun. But I only have any eyes yet. I have to get the eyes right.

[Buster Olney]

Well, right. Well, each of the. Yeah, the eyes will become apparent pretty quickly if you don't see them right away. And then you bury them about 4 to 6 inches. And then in, you know, in five months, it's four months, it's Christmas time and you get to dig them all out, which is the most fun of the summertime.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's that simple. I mean, I. So I can go to a store today and buy a cup, three or four red potatoes and then some baking potatoes.

[Michael Wilbon]

And what is the best variety for us? That's the real question.

[Buster Olney]

Yeah, Well, I would say, look, my favorite of the ones that we planted last year. We read we had reds, purples, you know, russets. And I love the Yukon potatoes. I mean, they are so good. So you could call them Yukon, call them gold, but I would recommend those if I had to choose one. We have two full beds that we use for our potatoes. And this year we're gonna go only with Yukons and russets.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, but if I go to the store within the next few days. Cause it's a good planting time.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, Mother's Day weekend.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, Mother's Day weekend. If I go to the store within the next few days and I buy some Yukon gold potatoes, they will have eyes. I will see the eyes. I don't have to force the eyes out.

[Buster Olney]

The eyes will become. I can't tell you for sure without looking at the potato, but I'm sure that you could find it. But they will become apparent very quickly as, you know, if you have a, you know, you bought it. Buy a five pound bag of potatoes, you put it in your pantry, and a couple days later you go in, you can see these things emerging from the side.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, then that. That's good. So we can get them in within the next two weeks for sure.

[Buster Olney]

Yes, 100%.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I should tell people that Buster sent pictures of his garden. It's a professional garden.

[Rich Roberts]

It looks magnificent.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I mean, it's like right out of Better Homes and Gardens. I mean, what's that? Who's that woman who's hanging around with snow? Snoop Dogg now?

[Rich Roberts]

Martha Stewart.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Martha Stewart. Like, I wouldn't be surprised if she goes to Montana and she awards Buster a prize, like a blue ribbon.

[Rich Roberts]

It's like Yankee Stadium.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's beautiful. You know, it's absolutely beautiful garden stuff. All right, so we'll try this. Thank you, Buster. Thank you.

[Chuck Culpepper]

All right, guys.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Buster only. This segment with Buster only has been brought to you by FanDuel. Play your game. We will come back with email and jingle. I am Tony Kornheiser.

[Show Announcer]

This episode is brought to you by State Farm. You know, those friends who support your preference for podcasts over music on road trips. That's the energy State Farm bring to insurance. With over 19,000 local agents, they help you find the coverage that fits your needs so you can spend less time worrying about insurance and more time enjoying the ride. Download the State Farm app or go [e-mail] like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. This is the Tony Kornizer show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's Chris Ullman from Binghamton, the world champion whistler, and he wants to do whistling at the halftime of an NFL game or pre game.

[Rich Roberts]

Yeah, for the national anthem.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Why wouldn't you let him do it? Yeah, why wouldn't you let him do it? Fabulous. You want to do the Bethesda bagel ad, please?

[Rich Roberts]

Hot bagels today. Very, very excited about that. Just go to bethesdabeagels.com for the location in the DC area nearest you. Then pop on in and you'll be thrilled.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Before we get to the mailbag, let me just say we ate and ate at a hot dog dog stand. We danced around to a rocking band and when I could I gave that girl a hug. In the tunnel of love. You'll never know how great a kiss can feel when you stopped at the top of a Ferris wheel. Well, I fell in love down at Palisades park. That. That song's 70 years old. It's Freddy Boom Boom Canon Park. It's wonderful.

[Rich Roberts]

We think it was written by Chuck Barris, right?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I think so.

[Rich Roberts]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We think so. Who's the subject of a fabulous movie. Yeah. Yes. Most Dangerous mind on the day. Yeah. Thanks to our guests today. Chuck Culpepper and Buster only. Thanks as well. Tonight, today's sponsors. Remember, you can listen to us on Apple podcasts, Spotify and Odyssey. If you get show through Apple podcasts. Please leave us a review from Jenny Chernetsky who is the pen box lady. And I think she gave us stuff is great. She gave us a box with the Jimmy Breslin quote on it.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's wonderful that their stuff is great. She says the attached photo in the Lily Hammer jacket exactly as God and my imagination intended. I'm practicing a very specific type of cognizant dis. Cognitive dissonance where your new information no longer exists. To me, this photo is the only canon I recognize. Also, if any listeners are currently panicking about Mother's Day, I'm here to be your hero. We have beautifully handcrafted jewelry boxes ready to ship that are guaranteed to look exactly as advertised. No imagination required. I would avail myself of that.

[Rich Roberts]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

She sent a picture in. I am a captain. I am a captain on a shipping vessel. I. I am wearing a jacket that has Norway on the epaulettes, Norway on the chest, and the Norway Lillehammer Olympic sign.

[Chuck Culpepper]

And.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And it's just fabulous. This is Mikatowski Woodworking, by the way, in.

[Michael Wilbon]

In love the treasure boxes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, the stuff is great and this is great. So thank you so much, Michael. It's from Jesse. It's very nice. From Sue Meyer in Ponte Vedra beach in Florida, home of the not Florida fifth major. Dear Mr. Tony, clearly it takes a woman to point out to all the Tim's marks, Joe's, and a very specific Michael, the flawed logic in their outrage over the Lillehammer conspiracy. Let me remind you of the extensive planning that goes into absolutely every Kornheiser flight. The amulets, the flying shirt, the escort to the Jetway, the requisite interview of the entire flight crew. Do you honestly think Mr. Tony got on a flight to the Winter Olympic Games and thought, I hope I can find a nice jacket to help me weather these Nordic conditions?

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, I think he was occupied with other worries.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Now, he may have used three or four coupons at the outlet to purchase said jacket, but he brought it with him to Lillehammer. Come on, man. I think you know the rest. Yes, yes, of course. I had to rewind and listen to Philip Martin's fancy poems 10 times to catch his drift. Here's one for the rest of us. There once was a man from Nantucket. Oh, wait, he was from West Virginia. Jeff Holton, Kannapolis, North Carolina, home of Dale Earnhardt. At least I think. I hope it is. I question everything now. Justin in Boston, near revere. Hi, Dr. Ron. Was Uncle Benny's table acquired from Uncle Benny or from a store in Scandinavia called Uncle Benny's Furniture? No, that was Uncle Benny. That was Uncle Benny. That's what I was left. My cousins were left $3,000 a piece.

[Rich Roberts]

You got the table?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I was left the table. That 3,000 was gone 60 years ago. I got the table.

[Rich Roberts]

Table's going strong.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it's like benches.

[Michael Wilbon]

Need some help?

[Tony Kornheiser]

How about them apples? I got a number. Okay. Glenn Hoggard, Little Rock, Arkansas. In an SEC network baseball broadcast today between the University of Arkansas and Ole Miss, fellow Little Tom Hart called the play by play Razorback Designated hitter CoIo Aloy hit a 465 foot home run. That one bounced a concession vendors facility in the left field area known as the Hog. The concessionaire's name and menu were shown as part of the telecast. Their barbecue menu is offered by T boys. Says Tom Hart. Well, we know if we were in Louisiana, that place would be T boy. Latchulettes. Connective tissue. Indeed. Add to that Mr. Hart's list of lecheeserie and flush the mouse usages and you have an announcer's loyal little hat trick. As a 2023 inductee into the Arkansas Officials association hall of Fame, can I be named the official of Florida?

[Chuck Culpepper]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Isn't that nice? And send our best pleas to Tom Hart.

[Rich Roberts]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's fabulous. Lovely. From Peter Potke in Southington, Connecticut. Seven in the shade. Sounds like me in the trees on my way to a triple at Southington Country Club. Yeah. Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

Winter rules.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Brett Cunningham in Carmel, Indiana, while playing catch up last week on last week's podcast, imagine my delight to discover I'm not the only loyal Brett with one T from Indiana. While I am not Brett Maverick, I am indeed his namesake. No doubt a result of my late father's desire for a masculine child. I'd like to think I did him proud by taking the Maverick part to heart and becoming an Air Force test pilot, making for much of my tour of the desert Southwest spent in the skies over the Mojave instead of parked outside Wilbon's house before eventually leaving that assignment for one in the dmv, I got to meet none other than Chuck Yeager. Yeah, that Chuck Yeager. Does that trump my fellow Hoosier Brett with one T from Linton? Here's to hoping your response is simply, yeah, it is.

[Buster Olney]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Chuck Yeager.

[Rich Roberts]

Yeah. Chuck the top hat. Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

In all seriousness, thank you for what you do. My father loved the show. I love the show. My son loves the show. Especially when you talk Nats. Here he is taking in a game, hoping for the CJ homer so he could shout, see you later. So they moved here, which is very, very nice. Josh Cromwell, Moselle, Mississippi. You're going to call Amazon. Isn't that a bit of a technological stretch for you? What happened? Did the telegraph lines get knocked down? Did the Pony Express horses come up lame? Did you carry a pigeon? Get stricken with bird flu? Whatever the reason, I'm glad to hear you've coped well with being dragged forward kicking and screaming into the 19th century. Joe Bacon in Santa Cruz, California, listening to Michael say he didn't think he looked good when he saw himself on TV reminded me a few years ago, I saw myself in a picture. I told the woman to whom I'm related by marriage, that wasn't a good picture of me. She replied, face it, that's what you look like. Oh, no.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's all angles. Apparently.

[Rich Roberts]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

From Adam McCaslin in Mattoon, Illinois, I just want to congratulate you and Wilbon for sounding the oldest you've ever sounded. Which is no mean feat as you both came up with about five different names each for the Kentucky Derby winner, none of them correct. This is why we listen. Patrick Sitter and Sioux Falls Grow Bags. Why don't you just plant your potatoes in those extra large Nike socks? Brilliant. Justin Johnson, Arlington, Virginia. I've been a little behind on the podcast, so I don't know if we're still doing names or not, but until about the age of seven I really wanted to have my name legally changed to Ace. I'm pretty glad that wasn't something that worked out. I have these two long emails here that are just lovely. Do I have time to do them? Yeah, sure. One is from Will Graves, late of the A.P. any writes Mr. Tony just a note, hoping you'll join us in giving a salute to Laura Little and longtime AP Boston not sure how far it is from Revere sportswriter Jimmy Golan as he somewhat begrudgingly walks off into the sunset After a 35 plus year career, the first 20 or so working as hard as possible, the last 15 or so successfully doing the opposite. Jimmy, Chuck And Roxy episode 349 is among the latest wave of veteran AP journalists who agreed to take a buyout as the company attempts to quote, pivot to insert whatever idea of the day the suits have here. Jimmy is everything you want in a sportswriter, a mixture of funny, concise, semi talented and belligerent to the bosses in a way that was somehow endearing. Just as importantly, he was and is a good hang. We held a goodbye roast over Zoom last week, and it's telling of how the job is changing. That almost all the stories that were told were at least 10 to 15 years old, symbolic of a yearning for sports writers of a certain age, of a time when the job was simpler, the villains easier to identify, and the expense accounts actually existed. While Jimmy's somewhat early retirement allows him to go follow his true calling, serving as the trophy husband to his incredible wife, Tony. As someone only slightly younger, it's hard not to shake the feeling that it isn't a matter of when I get the same offer Jimmy and others received last month isn't well, if I do. But when. So now I'm going to do what Jimmy would expect me to do and make it about me. Well, okay, about you and me. As a chance to provide my little bona fides, I've attached a copy of the essay I wrote while filling out college applications as a senior at Thomas stoneheim in Waldorf, Maryland in the fall of 1991. The essay is immature, cliche, written, and remarkably self centered. Is it a wonder I went into sportswriting, though it also notes that your columns gave my father and I something to bond over at a time in our lives that was difficult to navigate for both of us. I wrote it at the height of the bandwagon era and every Tuesday I would bring in my copy of the Sports section and my friends and I would pour over the latest Bandwagon Dispatch during lunch. Those columns helped me realize what I wanted to do with my life. While I never did quite reach the Post, save for the occasional byline awarded by a WaPo copy editor, I managed to spend the last 30 years getting paid to do what I love for a living, including the last 20 at the AP, where I've developed a reputation for burying the lead as much as the law allows. Much like this email, I'll add parenthetically, that everyone in AP Sports joins you in mourning the passing of the Post Sports section as it was once for a variety of reasons. The great people that produce some of the best sports journalism in the world being at the top of the list. Your influence on my life's path cannot be understated. And I know I'm hardly alone. There was a generation of sports writers nearing their dotage who, like me, got into the business because of the joy, insight and craft you put into your work. The 17 year old kid who wrote that essay has become a 51 year old father of two with a soon to be 17 year old of his own. My son still isn't sure what he wants to do with his life, just like most kids his age. I'm fortunate I never had that problem. The Post Sports section on Tuesday, Thursdays and Sundays and every day in between made sure that. Thanks for everything. Oh, and eat it, Golan. Chuck and Roxy, call me. And that's Will Graves, who's a national AP sports writer. And we got this note from Jimmy Golan himself, Uncle Tony. As the official Olympic beach volleyball correspondent of the Tony Kornizer Show, I wanted to let you know that my increased availability because last week I took a voluntary buyout from the Associated Press to get ahead of the impending involuntary layoffs. This development came in the same month that I finished third in the company's March Madness pool. That's right, third place. You're fired. It's okay. I already have a set of steak knives. If you're out on your bike tonight, everyone is always to wear white. Tony. Tony, listen. I am so old that people are retiring. Who. Who used me as a role model.

[Daniel Young]

On the radio?

[Chuck Culpepper]

Oh,

[Daniel Young]

AM 1370 is fuzzy the lowest glow. Different frequencies it ain't for the soul. It was a breakthrough. If you're feeling how to know. Oh baby, baby, move Stay here with me. Oh, baby, baby blue Stay here with me tonight. I see the lightning burning in your amen. A country bad place Won't you dance with me tonight? You got faces you need to go. That Ohio, baby is your open road? Baby, baby, stay here with me tonight. Oh, baby, baby Boo. Stay here with me tonight. Oh, baby, baby, stay here with me tonight. Sam.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Sa. Sam.

[Daniel Young]

A cup of coffee, a sip of wine Lie to me, tell me everything's all right Take my hand and dance around the town don't mind the wind as long as it don't blow me down holding up are you holding up? Holding up Are you holding up? Living in the ebb and floor what's the given, what's it take? The sky sometimes like a big black hole Keep on finding See what's at stakeholding up now you're holding up holding up and you holding up. I wake up to see your smile the only thing worthwhile One step up, two steps back Turn on love on the down holding up are you holding up? Holding up Are you holding up? Trying to break loose I feel the ways it's all I know how to do do holding up, holding up holding up how you holding up? Holding up how you holding up? Holding up hold how you holding up?

[Chuck Culpepper]

Sa.