“Bam!”

Summary

The Tony Kornheiser Show – “Bam!” (March 11, 2026)

Host: Tony Kornheiser
Guests: Jason La Canfora, Richard Justice, (plus regular contributors Tim Kirchen and Neil)

---

Episode Overview

This episode typifies the freewheeling, topical format of The Tony Kornheiser Show, centering mainly on recent dramatic developments in sports—including the shocking collapse of the Max Crosby trade in the NFL, a scathing breakdown of the Washington Wizards' tanking tactics highlighted by a tongue-in-cheek recounting of a fictitious Bam Adebayo scoring feat, and Team USA’s perilous position in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) following a surprise loss to Italy. Along the way, Tony and his guests blend humor, personal anecdotes, and pointed critique, all delivered in the show’s signature conversational and irreverent style.

---

Key Segments and Discussion Highlights

1. Planet Uranus, Schoolboy Jokes, and Tony’s Cold

[02:13–04:23]

• Tony recounts a listener request to make jokes about Uranus, marking the anniversary of the planet's “discovery.”
• Confusion ensues about the actual year of discovery, sparking playful banter and childhood reminiscing about planets.
• Side discussion: Tony shares he is under the weather—sneezing, coughing, but not running a fever (debated with Tim).
• Memorable Moment:
  Tim Kirchen, deadpan, on Uranus jokes: “Never. Not funny.” ([03:55])

2. NBA: Wizards Ineptitude and “Bam Adebayo’s 83 Points” Satire

[04:26–11:18]

• Tony launches into a passionate, satirical recap of Bam Adebayo allegedly dropping 83 points (an invented stat) on the Wizards, only outdone by Wilt Chamberlain.
• Intense criticism of the Wizards’ years-long tanking, calling for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to step in and strip their lottery privileges.
• Complaints about the organizational ethos: “They succeed in losing. They succeed in positioning themselves for, you know, a very high lottery pick. And I think that should be denied to them.”
• Praise for Spoelstra's coaching but “disgrace” repeated for Wizards’ management.
• Notable Quote:
  “The Washington Wizards are a disgrace. They are a disgrace to the capital of the United States of America. They are a disgrace to the National Basketball Association.” — Tony Kornheiser ([06:36])

3. NFL: The Implosion of the Max Crosby Trade (with Jason La Canfora)

[14:21–27:26]

The Collapse

• Jason details how the Ravens backed out of the blockbuster trade for Max Crosby, meant to involve two first-round picks.
• La Canfora explains:
  • Multiple league sources now see Ravens GM Eric DeCosta as “a charlatan,” believing he pulled out due to buyer’s remorse and internal roster vulnerabilities.
  • The rejected physical was seen by insiders as a smokescreen.
  • Underlying industry dynamics: The Ravens’ front office is cited as favoring draft picks over costly, proven players.
• Quote:
  “Everybody thinks Eric DaCosta is full of, you know what? … They think his roster is getting decimated in free agency because it is. … People think he is a charlatan.” — Jason La Canfora ([14:47–17:45])

Fallout and Future Moves

• DeCosta’s reputation as more media-obsessed than results-driven dissected.
• Discussion on impact to the Raiders’ future moves: They could still trade Crosby and remain cap-compliant.
• Dallas and Chicago mentioned as possible next suitors.
• Short digressions on QB talk: Kyler Murray’s future (possible Minnesota destination), Kirk Cousins’ options, and various “what ifs” surrounding other QBs and landing spots.

4. World Baseball Classic: Team USA in Trouble (with Richard Justice)

[29:01–43:15]

The Loss and Its Fallout

• Richard Justice explains Team USA’s unexpected loss to Italy and manager Mark DeRosa’s strategic blunder believing the U.S. had “punched their ticket” (spoiler—they hadn’t).
• The convoluted tiebreaker system is discussed and mocked for its complexity.
  “The lowest quotient of fewest runs allowed divided by defensive outs… I don’t even know what that means.” — Richard Justice ([36:14])
• Criticism of DeRosa for resting his stars and sending a weaker lineup, leading to embarrassment.

The Human Side: Dugout and Sportsmanship Anecdotes

• Exchange over a snubbed handshake between Cal Raleigh (“big dumper”) and Randy Arozarena, which escalated into a mini-drama, highlighting the finer points of baseball etiquette and the emotional stakes during the WBC.
  “All he was saying was hello, and Cal snubbed him. … After the game, Randy went off. You know it’s bad, Tony. You know it’s bad when he begins the interview by going ‘I’ve met Cal Raleigh’s parents. They are very fine people…’” — Richard Justice ([39:12])

On Dodgers Dominance

• Discussion of L.A. Dodgers’ success, the league’s financial disparity, and Andrew Friedman’s operational savvy.
• Acknowledgement that small market teams’ spending woes are often part self-imposed and part structural, but, “the Dodgers are smarter than everyone else.”

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Wizards tanking:
  “The essence of sports is you’re going to compete and try to win… The Washington Wizards try to lose every game they've got.” — Tony Kornheiser ([06:31])

• On Eric DeCosta:
  “He’s not very good at his job. He is very good at this perception that every year, the Baltimore Ravens get A’s on their draft. … That’s the ecosystem that he exists in.” — Jason La Canfora ([19:52])

• On WBC embarrassment:
  “It was a bad look and it was a bad night and they made errors, and they're down 8 nothing in a game they should have won.” — Richard Justice ([37:33])

• On Dodgers and baseball’s future:
  “The Dodgers are, have more money than everybody else. But they also are just smarter than everybody else. … [Andrew Friedman] has succeeded in Tampa Bay when the rules were, he had the lowest payroll in baseball. … It’s not going to change the fact that the Dodgers are smarter than everyone else.” — Richard Justice ([43:04])

---

Segment Timestamps

• Uranus joke & banter: [02:13–04:23]
• Wizards/Bam Adebayo segment: [04:26–11:18]
• Max Crosby trade with Jason La Canfora: [14:21–27:26]
• World Baseball Classic with Richard Justice: [29:01–43:15]

---

Tone and Style

The episode is classic “Tony”: sarcastic, self-effacing, sometimes curmudgeonly but always engaging. The interplay with regulars and guests is witty and loose, mixing pointed critique (e.g., Wizards, DeCosta, Team USA management) with in-jokes, trivia, and listener engagement. Humor is often dry or intentionally exaggerated for effect. Deep sports knowledge is balanced with a conversational, approachable tone.

---

Additional Memorable/Lighthearted Notes

• Uranus jokes and nostalgia over childhood planetary learning.
• Ongoing inside jokes about Cheez-Its, crackers, and snack drafts from the listener mailbag (heard at the episode’s tail end).
• Shoutouts to sports journalism legends and beloved baseball figures (Dusty Baker, Satchel Paige stories).
• Listener/email section features stories about cracker rankings, more snack talk, and amusing anecdotes about autographs and bar culture.

---

For Further Listening

Skip the ads, intros, and outros; the heart of this episode is in the segments laid out above, particularly the in-depth trades analysis and the passionate WBC discussion, which deliver the show’s topical blend of insight and entertainment.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey, it's Tony. On today's show, we'll talk to Jason Lock and Fora about the Max Crosby trade imploding. And we'll talk to Richard justice about a bad loss for Team USA and the WBC that puts them in jeopardy of being eliminated. But first, let's keep the wheels of commerce moving. Okay, quick question. Why should your energy boost taste boring? The new Fruity Rainbow shots from five Hour Energy are proof that caffeine can actually be a treat. These bring an explosion of fruity flavor with a tasty caffeine kick. Think sweet, colorful candy vibes, but in a tiny bottle that gives you the perfect boost. Caffeine just got a serious flavor upgrade. There are 17 flavors in the full five hour energy lineup. 17. So you've got options depending upon your mood. But this fruity rainbow launch is all about bold, playful candy flavored chaos. And somehow all that big flavor fits into a portable 2 ounce shot. No bulky drinks, no sugar crash, no sticky wrappers. It's a zero sugar treatment that's totally sweet tooth approved, which makes it feel indulgent without slowing you down. If you want your pick me up to actually taste fun, this is it. Get candy flavored chaos with fruity rainbow 5 hour energy shots available online at 5hourenergy.com or on Amazon.

[Ad Read Announcer]

They say you should learn something new every day. Like how you should only drink Jagermeister at 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Ice cold. Like those frozen cavemen they find. Which makes you wonder, what would a caveman think of Jagermeister? Well, if you served it warm, he'd probably throw it in your face, say unga boonga and storm off. And nobody wants that. So drink it cold or not at all. Jagermeister. Damn, that's cold. Drink responsibly. Jagermeister liqueur, 35% alcohol by volume. Imported by Mast. Jagermeister US White Plains, New York.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Previously on the Tony Kornhauser Show.

[Jason La Canfora]

When I was about nine, my dad used to take his three boys to the Shoreham Hotel to get autographs of visiting players who are in to play the senator. So I went up to this guy, nine, who I am certain is Burt Campaneris. So I go up and say, can I have your autograph? And he says to me, I'll sign your autograph, but I'm not a baseball player. So we looked at the autograph. It wasn't Burt Campaneras. It was Harry Belafonte. Wow.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is General George Washington and you're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show. I told that story at PTI yesterday to the PTI people. They couldn't believe it. So I got this call yesterday. I think the guy's name who called me is Mike Holiday. I think that's his name. And I think he's from Ocean City. He's called me before. He's a big fan of all the Uranus jokes.

[Tim Kirchen]

Uranus, huh? What? Nothing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's a big fan of all the Uranus jokes. So he said, and this was so hard for me to believe, he said, you should try to do something today on Uranus. I said, look, we can't, because Wilbon ruins the joke because Wilbur kills it. He just goes. And it just ruins it. Yeah. And Wilbon thinks he's being funny. He's not being funny. It doesn't work at all. So we can't do any Uranus jokes. But he said, look, Uranus was discovered on March 10, which was yesterday, 1977. I said, what? How can that be? I remember Uranus when I was a kid in elementary school. I remember Uranus and Pluto. I remember the last two planet, sure. How can that be? And he said, no, that's what it is. And so I said, okay, if that's true, I'll just shout out to Uranus. But I. I called up D light. Daniel Light. And he said, it was discovered in the 1800s.

[Neil]

Yeah, it feels like that's accurate. Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It was discovered when they got telescopes.

[Neil]

If 1800, if you grew up knowing it, then, yeah, it had to be out there.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's what I thought.

[Neil]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I mean, I would have. That's unbelievable.

[Neil]

1977.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's unbelievable that they would have a planet.

[Neil]

It was a great year for the Yankees, But I didn't think Uranus was. Was in the news that year.

[Tim Kirchen]

Never. Not funny.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Tim Kirchen]

It's finally at the elementary school, kids, they. They start sharing facts about Uranus with a complete straight face.

[Neil]

Oh, yeah, sure. Can I do my book reporter?

[Tim Kirchen]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I'm sneezing, I'm coughing, and I'm not sleeping.

[Tim Kirchen]

And you have a temperature.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't think I have a temperature. I. I use the thermometer.

[Tim Kirchen]

You used a thermometer, but not an accurate one.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, it's accurate enough for me. It says I'm at 97.8 or 90.

[Tim Kirchen]

Oh, you reached 99. According to your.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I was 99 the other day. Yeah, but now I'm.

[Neil]

Well, that's within the margin of error, isn't it? 98.6 is what you shoot for.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So let me Just talk. I have to talk about this. I was interested in the Boston San Antonio game until Jaylen Brown got tossed. Jaylen Brown, in my mind, is the MVP of the league this year because they're up. Look, Boston is in second place in the Eastern Conference without their best player, Jayson Tatum. He's played now three games, and Jaylen Brown has led that team up to this level. And in my mind, he's the MVP of the league. Other people will say Shay Gilgis Alexander or Victor Wembanyama or Kate Cunningham. The. The Pistons are fading lately, so I think it's. I think it's Jaylen Brown. And by the way, I did think he got fouled when he complained about it. It looked like he got shoved. Yeah, I mean, it really did look like he got shoved. I don't know.

[Neil]

I mean, it was a tight game for a while, but. Yeah, I mean, if you take out Jalen Brown, it's going to be really hard.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And I thought. I thought San Antonio would win anyway.

[Neil]

Well, yeah. Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I mean, I thought if Boston won, that would be a big deal. So that's.

[Neil]

Can I just say, I have not watched Victor Wimban play a lot this year.

[Richard Justice]

Good Lord.

[Neil]

Yeah, he does everything.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's really good. Yeah. Wilbourne's right.

[Neil]

Wilbourne is right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, Bun's right.

[Neil]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know, I hate to admit that, to say it, but that's not even what I want to talk about. What I want to talk about is Bam Adebayo. Bam Adebayo is a player on the Miami Heat. He's a fine player. Has he ever made the All Star team? I think he's probably made an All Star team or two. Let's look him up. Yes. Bam out of bio. He's probably in his eighth year.

[Tim Kirchen]

Three time All Star.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, three time All Star. What is he averaging this year? Not counting last night. What was he averaging going into this game?

[Tim Kirchen]

Helpful to know about two minutes ago, but yes, we'll pull that up.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Probably about 20 points a game. He's a fine player. He's a fine player. He's not a Hall of Fame player. He's not a great player, and he is certainly not someone who you would ever have expected to score 83 points last night.

[Tim Kirchen]

Pretty consistent over the last few years between 18 and 20.

[Neil]

Yeah, it says before this 18.9.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's a. Again, he is a fine player. Okay. He can start on almost every team in the league. He's a fine player. Hit 83 points last night. In the history of basketball, there's only one person who had more points now. That's Wilt chamberlain, who had 100. Bam out of bio. Just eclipsed Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant is one of the 10, 15, 20 greatest players of all time. Of all time. Kobe Bryant, he's got a whole bunch of rings. Bam. Adebayo is not 83 points. He had 32 points. I believe in the first quarter they showed a couple of clips of this guy for the Wizards. Oh, did I mention they played the Wizards? Oh, I probably buried the lead on that. Yeah, they played the Wizards and so they had SAR on him and he was offering just token resistance. A guy got 32 points in the first quarter. Bam. Out of Bayo. 32 points in the first quarter. Let me be succinct with this. The Washington Wizards are a disgrace. They are a disgrace to the capital of the United States of America. They are a disgrace to the National Basketball association that they, they have tried to lose for three years. You could not do this. If the owner didn't go go along with it, you could not do it. Couldn't do it. So the owner must think this is a pretty good strategy. They should have fired the director of basketball operations, Michael Winger. They should have fired him last year. They should have fired the gm, Will somebody or other should have fired him last year. And the coach, when he is removed from the job of coaching the Washington Wizards, he will have the worst record all time as a coach in the NBA. He will. It will be the worst. They are trying to lose. Adam Silver should come out and he should say of a bunch of teams, but very specifically the Wizards. No, we are not rewarding this. We are not. You get one ping pong ball, you don't get more ping pong balls. You may not even get one. We may not even let you get a lottery pick because it's a disgrace what you're doing. You know, you, you have season ticket holders. The essence of sports is you're going to compete and try to win. Pittsburgh Steelers owner a few months ago, after Mike Tomlin left, somebody said, is it time for a rebuild? And he said, well, we don't rebuild. We're the Pittsburgh Steelers. We try to win, try to win every game we've got. That's what we do. Washington Wizards try to lose every game they've got. And they succeed in losing. They succeed in positioning themselves for, you know, a very high lottery pick. And I think that that should be denied to them. I think that a commissioner, if there was a living, breathing commissioner, the NBA, he Would stand up and he would say, this is. This is a pox upon our league. This is no good. I mean, you're selling tickets Based on what? Based on what? You know, the amount of bio. If you were to pick 30 people in the NBA who you thought might get 83 points, I guarantee you Bam out of bio would not be on that list. Not beyond that list.

[Neil]

And now it's Wilt and then him.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Bam. Out of bio. Yes. And. And you know, and there should be

[Neil]

big wizards asterisk right next to that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's. Yeah. It didn't take me long to see who they played. Said, oh, they played the Washington Wizard.

[Tim Kirchen]

I just keep thinking about the supercut of Lebatard doing his. Bam.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, yeah. Bam. Yeah. So anyway, was that emerald?

[Neil]

Was that emerald's big thing?

[Tim Kirchen]

Yep.

[Neil]

Emerald Lagasse. Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, that's right. So I guess Levitard stole it from him.

[Neil]

Maybe.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, no. Levitar doesn't strike me as a guy who eats in fancy joints. Maybe he does. I don't know.

[Neil]

With lots of air conditioning, hopefully.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is just. It's unbelievable. The Washington Wizards. It's unbelievable. Come on.

[Tim Kirchen]

And then for the entertainment value, you got to love the Spoelstra. Just. So we're going for it.

[Neil]

Yeah, you have to.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Spoelstra is a wonderful coach. He's the Olympic coach. Next time around, everybody respects him. Yes, sure. I don't blame him. I don't blame anybody. But I look at the Washington Wizards and I think, come on, you can stop this guy. Put a couple of guys on him. He's going for 83 for 83. All right, we will take a break. Jason Locke. And four when we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Ad Read Announcer 2]

College basketball is non stop. Big games, tight spreads, momentum swings every night. And now Fanduel is giving you a way to turn that energy into even bigger wins with a college basketball parlay. Profit boost. Here's how it works. Build any college hoops parlay you like. The early tip, the rivalry game, the ranked matchup, the late night west coast shootout. Mix spreads, totals, props, whatever fits your read of the slate. Then just apply your profit boost and instantly bump up that potential payout. Go safe. Go spicy. Go with the team you've been following all season. It's your parlay, your style now with even more upside behind it. Head to FanDuel.com podcast to get started. Fanduel, play your game.

[Tim Kirchen]

Your little one grew three inches overnight. Adorable. Also expensive. Sell their pint sized pieces on depop and list them in minutes with no selling fees because somewhere a dad refuses to pay full price for the clothes his kids will outgrow tomorrow. And he's ready to buy your son's entire wardrobe right now. Consider your future growth Bird budget secured. Start selling on Depop, where taste recognizes taste. Payment processing fees and boosting fees still apply. See website for details.

[Richard Justice]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is Evan Rotello. This is a song called Gotta Get Better. It comes to us from Dr. Phil Chafe, who, unlike that other emergency room doctor that plays all his own instruments on your show, just an ed doc in the Thousand Islands regions of New York who simply loves live music and the new town flooding the scene today. I want to share with you a great new young artist by the name of Evan Rotella from Niagara Falls, Ontario. I was lucky to see him perform a few times at January at this year's Light of Day festival in Asbury park, which benefits movement disorders, Parkinson's, als and progressive supranuclear palsy. He's a unique singer, songwriter, even better young man, only 21 years old, graduating college this spring. I saw him again this past weekend in Niagara Falls. Got to spend the entire night talking with his wonderful father Dave, as well as Evan between sets. They've given me their permission to submit a few songs. First is titled Gotta Get Better from his debut album in 2023. And later on we will play something called Cut the Music. Evan Rotella. Very nice. It's lovely. Yes, very nice. Plays in Jason Lock and Fora. And this segment with Jason Lock and Fora is brought to you by fanduel. Make every moment more. And I was gonna, you know, I prepare. I was going to start with who you thought Kyler Murray would end up with and who you thought that Kirk Cousins would end up with. But then overnight, I mean, I would say this was. I thought it was the biggest trade, the biggest free agent movement, Max Crosby for two number ones from a team that never, ever has traded even one number. One.

[Jason La Canfora]

And now, news flash, they still haven't.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. So what. What happened here? What happened?

[Jason La Canfora]

One minute you're sitting there watching Jacksonville Navy lacrosse rooting on your parlay.

[Neil]

Yeah.

[Jason La Canfora]

And the next thing you know, your phone starts blowing up and it's GM and it's couple agents. And you're like, what could be so important that it's taking me away from this Navy Jacksonville lacrosse game?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Jason La Canfora]

It turns out the Ravens pulled out of this trade. Here's what I can tell you. The league Thinks, okay, and by the league, I mean now two general managers, two personnel people for other teams, a couple of former general managers and four agents. Everybody thinks Eric DaCosta is full of, you know what? Yeah, they think he is a chicken bleed and they think he got cold feet. And they've all done big trades and they've done trades at weird times in the NFL season. Like now when you're transitioning from the end of one season into the start of a new year and all these transactions are about to become official. And you know, one of these general managers I talked to, he'd been in the Max Crosby thing and he's like, dude, we all knew we're trading for a guy who's coming off of the injury, he's coming off of repair, like he's not going to pass anybody's full fledged busy cleared for football activities physical on March 9, March 11, you know, probably not April, whatever. But like, we also understand that procedure. And if you're going to make an offer like this, then you don't need to wait for the guy to get on a plane and fly to your town five days later. You could have people meet him at any hospital that's near him. If you want more imaging done, you can get more imaging done. Like, the agents were clearly motivated to get him out of Vegas. He was motivated to get out of Vegas. Like nobody, nobody's buying any thing that the Ravens are peddling right now. They believe to a man and like this is, you'd hear things come out of people's mouth and you're like, wow, that's almost exactly like what blah, blah, blah, Blah told me 10 minutes ago. They think his roster is getting decimated in free agency because it is. They think he's looked at how the industry's reacted to this trade, which is, man, that's a lot to give up for a 29 year old coming off of a knee repair, however relatively minor it may be. And boy, you still haven't gotten a contract done with your quarterback. So do you really know what your budget's going to be like moving forward? And you've got all these holes to fill and so you can, you can manipulate, even on minor transactions, you can manipulate the physical any way you want, especially for a player you knew had these pre existing conditions. So they think he decided, you know what, as it stands now, versus four days ago, the best thing for me is to try to use these picks at any one of the many massive blue chip positions in which we don't have any players. So we're out. And that's what the Raiders think, and that's what multiple teams who still want Max Crosby think. And this will affect their ability to do business with other teams because this is, especially this time of year, your word is all you have to do. So can't become official. And people think he is a charlatan.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They think Da Costa is the general manager. DaCosta. So let me, let me go backwards a little bit, because one of the questions I wrote was, did the Ravens give too much for Max Crosby? But this was the most exciting trade in all of free agency. And I thought most people felt, boy, the Ravens are all in. Wow. If you're not going to win a Super bowl this year, when are you going to win it? Lot of pressure on Lamar Jackson, you know, especially since Kansas City went out and got Kenneth Walker, you know, so you have, once again, it looks like Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen competing for one slot in the Super Bowl. I did not expect this at all that they would renege on this. Not at all. Did you?

[Jason La Canfora]

I didn't think they would. When I first heard out about this, and I was the first person to report it, a sportsman that, hey, the Ravens are in this more than anybody's reporting, and they're offering the 14th overall pick and they're offering two other premium day two picks. And people who are in this trade think that Dacosta, whether it's coming from the owner or not, is actually willing to move picks in a way he never has before.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Jason La Canfora]

And then I hear later in the day that they're trading two ones for him and that the Raiders are going to take it. And I'm like, this is totally out of character. And again, one of these general managers I talked to who was involved in this said, dude, I told Crosby's agents last week, be careful if you do this with Baltimore this time of year, because at the end of the day, they like picks more than they like player. They like the prospect of picks and the potential of picks more than they like actual blue chip players who cost real money. So be careful. Like, literally, like. So is the industry surprised? No. Because what was surprising was that they actually changed their spots. They actually admitted that some of, you know, a lot of our roster building techniques aren't working. And they went and did something that was, like you said, originally philosophically antithemical to anything they believed in.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. But. But exciting. But exciting.

[Jason La Canfora]

But the industry didn't think it was very smart.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So let me, Let me Go back to something.

[Jason La Canfora]

And a lot of people like what the Raiders did more than they like what the Costa did. And let me tell you this. The Costa is a political animal. He is a media animal. He is more obsessed with how the media perceives him and how he's going to be covered. And will all these foofs out there continue to spoon feed the dribble that he gives them? And can I manipulate the message? He's not very good at his job. He is very good at this perception that every year the Baltimore Ravens get A's on their draft. No matter what they do. They could draft nothing but kids from Canadian high schools and people would still. They must know something, baby. Yeah, that's. That's the ecosystem that he exists in. That's how this guy who's done nothing has become thought of as this, this great executive who. He wrote Ozzy Newsom's coattails. Ozzy handed him a 14 win roster. He systematically pissed off the quarterback consistently two years behind in extensions with him. The roster is in disrepair. He doesn't know how to extend his own players. He picks the guys he likes for political reasons to rub it in the face of the guys he really needs to keep, AKA why. You know, broken down Mark Andrews is here at $13 million a year, but ascending Isaiah likely is making 13 million a year to play for John Harbaugh. They sold this whole idea that the team hates Harbaugh. That's why we had to fire him. The whole team's in New York. They're playing for Harbaugh.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Jason La Canfora]

They don't want to play for Dacosta. So this is all he has. So trust me, when even his buddies in the media are like, boy, I don't know about this one. Like, the Raiders look like the smarter team. If you don't think he's not sitting there with Sashi talking about that, because perception is reality and the perception for him among his peers is he's a fraud.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Let me, Let me go backwards a second. Okay. Once the Raiders unloaded Max Crosby, knowing that they would have to not pay that much money for number one picks because rookie contracts, they then went out and spent, I don't know, $1 billion on players. What happens to them?

[Jason La Canfora]

Nothing. Nothing. They're still going to be able to be CAP compliant.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Really?

[Jason La Canfora]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Jason La Canfora]

Yeah, they had a lot of cat space. Like, I don't think anything's going to happen. And look, are they going to get the 14th overall pick and then what was going to be probably the 14th overall pick? Again next year because this Ravens team ain't going anywhere. No, they're not going to do that. Well, the industry will use this against them and people will get a little more stuck in and you know they're going to use this. Even though they think the cost is full of trap, they still can use this as well. You know, he did fail a physical, even though they know it was ring. But they'll trade him and there's going to be teams that want him and

[Tony Kornheiser]

they'll trade Crosby, the Raiders will trade Crosby.

[Jason La Canfora]

I mean, unless the value, like, you know, unless everybody systematically is. But, but that's not okay. Like they're still going to be able to get a one plus something else for him and that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Would they go back. Would they go back to Jerry Jones even though he made a move?

[Jason La Canfora]

He's already telling everybody I spent my money. And when he says that, believe him, when he bails out of situations that he could afford easily, like that idea like Ran Gary should take anybody out of the Max Crosby sweepstakes is utter and ridiculous poppycock. But when it comes from him, the ultimate used car salesman, believe him. Okay, but they're still. Look, there's teams always need pass rush

[Richard Justice]

and they had, you know, they had

[Jason La Canfora]

multiple teams who were in on this before Dallas was one of them. And I do think they're out. Chicago could still make sense. I make wilbur you could look at. I mean, there's always, you know, five or six teams at a minimum who are actually trying to compete.

[Tony Kornheiser]

What, what do you think will happen with Kyler Murray?

[Jason La Canfora]

Well, I think he really wants to go to Minnesota. There's no two ways about that. That's certainly number one on his list. And, and there is some mutual interest there. What the Vikings have to figure out though is how, like how bought in is Kyler Murray. Because the Vikings, they need someone who's better than J.J. mcCarthy today. And Kyler Murray may be. But. But is Kyler Murray going to master this offense? Is Kyler Murray going to put in the additional time that's necessary? You know, all that off field time and all that off season time. Like if we need Kyler Murray to be our starting quarterback week one, like, we know he has some physical gifts, but is he going to. Can he be an extension of Kevin o' Connell on the field? And there could be people in that building who decide, like, while all that athletic upside is better, like we could probably get a wildcard spot if we stay healthy, if we don't just bring Kirk Cousins back because he Already, like, he mastered the system. He mastered the system in his sleep.

[Henry]

And.

[Jason La Canfora]

And he's got a rapport with some of those receivers who are complaining and groveling about all the medicine balls that McCarthy froze to them. So that's sort of the calculus that they're going to wade through. They had some interest in Geno Smith. If Geno Smith was just cutting on the street, I don't think they were going to trade anything for Geno and Godspeed the jets fans. But, yeah, I mean, Minnesota certainly makes the most sense. And there's Pittsburgh lurking for either of those two. Well, I don't. I don't know about Pittsburgh and Kyler, but I do know that Pittsburgh at least has some interest in Kirk Cousins if Aaron Rodgers can't, you know, figure out his life's path in the next 72 hours or so.

[Tony Kornheiser]

One more thing. My friend David suggested this. Sean McVay hired Cliff Kingsbury. Do you think that Kyler Murray could go to the Rams and that Stafford would just play one more year?

[Richard Justice]

No.

[Jason La Canfora]

Okay. At this point, I think they'll probably keep Garoppolo now that it fall apart with him. And the Cardinals, they've got a young quarterback there who they think they can coach up, and the thing with Kyler and Cliff was. Was pretty bad. Okay. So, yeah, I mean, look, if I'm. If I'm Kyler Murray, I want to be with Sean McVeigh. I don't care who else is on the staff or. Or what else is there. I mean, look, if it falls apart with Minnesota. It's an interesting thought.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it's David's thought. I thought it was interesting.

[Jason La Canfora]

Interesting thought. I don't think those paths will converge, but okay. Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right. Plug one and bet for us.

[Jason La Canfora]

We did not win that Jacksonville Nathan game.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Last sadness.

[Jason La Canfora]

We went up. Jacksonville goes up tone with 37 seconds left. They win the ensuing draw. Kid falls down, slips, falls. Navy ties it. And then another kid from Jacksonville when they're drawn overtime. Slips, falls. Navy wins in overtime. So we are not going to hit our lacrosse parlay of the week, but we crushed Champions League yesterday at Warnabet, and we're all over Champions League today. My boy Beltway Ben is killing NBA props. Triple doubles, big bangers, big money. We're doing very well in NCAA basketball as well. So wannabetwithus.com we're analyzing gambling markets pretty much 18 hours a day, and we're trying to give you guys the best value seven days a week.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So you didn't. Beltway Ben didn't have Bam out of bio getting 83.

[Jason La Canfora]

We talked about them on the show. No, the kid we really liked was where he they end up scratching where but we thought where would get 10 or 12 rebounds at plus money. We did think Bam would would go off. We certainly like Bam double double. We did not have him for 80 points but we do religiously fade the wizards and we take opponent big rebounds against the wizards. So yeah we appreciate all littles who have joined our community and we love doing it. So want to bet with us and we love the fact that you guys give us this form. So thank you very much.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Jason Locanfora, boys and girls in this segment with Jason Locanfora has been brought to you by fanduel. Make every moment more. We will come back with Richard justice and we'll talk about the fact that in a very surprising result, the United States lost in the world Baseball Classic yesterday to Italy. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Ad Read Announcer]

Two good and coffee creamers are made with farm fresh cream, real milk and contain 3 grams of sugar per serving. That's 40% less than the 5 grams per serving in leading traditional coffee creamers for a rich, delicious experience. Whether you enjoy your coffee hot, cold, bold or frothy, two good coffee creamers make every sip a good one. Two good coffee creamers, real goodness in every sip. Find them at your local Kroger in the creamer aisle.

[Richard Justice]

To realize the future America needs, we understand what's needed from us to face each threat head on. We've earned our place in the fight for our nation's future. We are marines. We were made for this.

[Ad Read Announcer]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show. The Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Once again, this is Evan Rotella. This has been sent to us by Dr. Phil Chaff News in Dexter, New York. But originally from St. John's in Newfoundland, Evan Rotella. It's called Cut the music, Michael. If independent artists like Evan Rutella want to send us their music to play, how do they do it?

[Tim Kirchen]

Send us your music by emailing it to jingles@tony koenizershow.com and so we have

[Tony Kornheiser]

Richie justice with us. And I had written down all these questions I was going to begin with because I was actually interested in this since the United States is playing the first round matches in Houston, I'll just start with this then. Then we'll go to the larger issue. But how is Alex Bregman received in Houston? How, how has that worked out?

[Richard Justice]

Beloved, really. He left the right Way. Not, not, not. It does not always happen that way. But all these guys that left George Springer being the first and. And the guy that was the leader of the team, he got a standing O when he came back. Alex got a standing O when he came back. Those guys. And Correa got one, too. Carlos Correa got one when he came back. And he's just what they did for the city, for the franchise. And especially in Bregman's case, the way he conducted himself. You go in the clubhouse and he'd be having. Playing dominoes with the relievers. One day, he'd be. He'd be speaking. He speaks fluent Spanish. He did that.

[Jason La Canfora]

Part of his.

[Richard Justice]

Part of the team. You know, his first day with the Cubs in this off season, he called the PR department and said, I want to know what each guy is doing in the off season, because I want to have a way to break. Start a conversation with him. I'm telling you, the guy is really, really a special player. And if you ask A.J. hinch and Dusty Baker, he. They would both tell you he is among the favorite people that they've ever been around in the game. I truly love the guy.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Did I say Dusty Baker managing?

[Richard Justice]

Yeah. That's great.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Where is he managing? I saw this.

[Richard Justice]

Well, what team is he managing? I. It slips my mind what team he's managing. But, hey, the game is better when Dusty is in the uniform. And I don't care what his role is. He. You can live a long time and not meet anybody as beloved and as classy as Dusty Baker. He just. He is great. My favorite Dusty story was when they're doing a statue for Hank Aaron in Atlanta. I was down there for that. And I'm sitting by Dusty in the dugout, and Dusty told a story that when Hank was going for the record, black players were afraid to be near Hank because they were afraid somebody would kill the wrong guy.

[Jason La Canfora]

That's.

[Richard Justice]

That's the tension that Hank Aaron and Dusty Baker and black players of that generation and those circumstances dealt with. He's seen everything. He's done everything.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's managing Nicaragua.

[Richard Justice]

Okay, well, I. He speak. He, too, speaks fluent Spanish, so I guess there's no language barrier there. Go Dusty.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. All right, so let me get to the news. So the game starts at 9pm Eastern. I'm not awake for the game because I'm watching. Honestly, I'm watching Boston and San Antonio for a while, and then I just say, okay, I'm done. I'm going to bed. I did not think even With Vinnie Pasquantino, I did not think Italy was going to win this game. And I wake up this morning and Italy wins this game. And this throws the United States chances to advance into somewhat of a tizzy, does it not?

[Richard Justice]

It does all hell break loose today. And when I start telling you about how the team that advances is going to be going to be decided, your head's going to blow up. You're going to go right to McDonald's and order at the automated counter or whatever it is. You know, when Nigel texted me on Monday and asked me to come on, I was so excited. I was going to tell you about, you know, I was there at the birth of the World baseball classic in 2005.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Really.

[Richard Justice]

IOC had just thrown baseball out of the Olympics and baseball wanted an international flavor. They were influenced by the excitement of the World Cup. And I'll tell you this, you know, players didn't want any part of it in the first two or three World Cups.

[Jason La Canfora]

Why bother?

[Richard Justice]

Not just pitchers who were worried about ramping up too soon and playing incompetent, because when you get in a game, you. You're going to crank it up. And I think you saw both Terry, you saw both Skubal and Logan Webb, the first three starters and schemes say they had to remind themselves, whoa, whoa, whoa, this is not August. I'm not there yet. Ramp it down a little bit, and it's become a monster. Players want to be in this game because in the World Baseball Classic has changed Major League Baseball forever in that the passion we have seen from the Dominican players, the Puerto Ricans, the Japanese, the Mexicans, I have, I've had major leaguers say to me, they look over that dugout and they're having so much fun. You mean you can laugh and celebrate and have a good time and still you're not disrespecting the game? And baseball with ad campaigns and other things, has embraced that. Show your emotions, show that you're having fun. But anyway, that's. That's what we're going to get to talk about. And unfortunately, mark, the Team USA manager, Mark DeRosa, this is his. He's the first guy to manage Team USA twice. Now he has no managing experience. And it's important to note, I love

[Tony Kornheiser]

Mark and Mark, very good on tv. He's very good.

[Richard Justice]

Nothing but rave reviews. Yeah, but you have to point out that the previous three Team USA managers were Jim Leland, Joe Tory and Davy Johnson.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Pretty good.

[Richard Justice]

That's pretty good. 153 postseason wins with those guys. Mark went on the MLB Network yesterday morning and said, we're in. We want to, we want to beat Italy even though we've already punched our ticket to the next round. And that is, that is not true. He found, I guess he found out he owned up to it. Yeah, but he, his lineup did not have Cal Riley, Cal Raleigh or Bryce Harper, Alex Bregman or Byron Buxton. And now look, you know, he had, he had Webb and Skubal and schemes. They allowed 2, 2 runs in the first three games as his starting pitcher. He had the mets kid, Nolan McClain yesterday. They made a couple errors and he said guys were dragging. It's not like they didn't have major leaguers in the game. But he almost got very embarrassing late in the game. He had Titan Kershaw up, warming up. That was his last pitcher. So it got ugly. And so they lose this game. Had they won the game, it would have been different. They were down eight nothing in the sixth inning. And so now here's how they advance. Now, if, if so, if the first tiebreaker is head to head between Italy, Mexico and Team USA, that doesn't matter. It's 1:1. Here's what happens now. The lowest quotient of fewest runs allowed divided by the number of defensive outs recorded in the, in the games in that round between the teams are tied. I don't even know what that means.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, it seems very complicated.

[Jason La Canfora]

Yeah.

[Richard Justice]

Well, Basically, if the U.S. if the Italy Mexico game tonight goes nine innings and Mexico wins and scores five or more, the U.S. will advance. That's it. It's very complicated and it's going to be very embarrassing. The US Team USA has only won this thing once. Japan was on, you know, is trying to win for the fourth time in seven World, seven World Cup. But if they lose, being heavy favorites, it's going to, it's going to, it's going to sting.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Are you suggesting, I mean, the inference is that Derosa going into the game believed that they were a lock and didn't put his best lineup out there because he believed that they were in.

[Richard Justice]

That would appear to be the case.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Richard Justice]

And he did say that, but you look, he had the lineup card. He could have changed the lineup. He also said guys were dragging and they stayed in the clubhouse late after Monday's win over Mexico. And there, there was a natural letdown. It's still early, all of that, but it appears he made a colossal mistake.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, yeah. And he's really good on tv.

[Richard Justice]

He had major leaguers in there. Will Smith played, you Know, I mean, I mean he didn't. Paul Goldsmith played. I mean these two guys that have been around the block a few times that, that, that, that have won. So it's not like he went over into the A ball camp and got. Got a bunch of guys to come over on a truck. That's not what happened. But it was a bad look and it was a bad night and they made errors and they're down 8 nothing to a game in a game they should have won. And having said all of that, they had Aaron Judge at the plate. I mean, they had Bryce Harper at the plate in the eighth as the tying run and Aaron Judge at the plate in the ninth as a tying run. They didn't win the game. So now they have to sit and watch today and basically hope that Italy wins.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So if I understand this correctly, it is out of their hands. There is nothing the United States team can do. It is totally determinant by the Italy against Mexico game. Right, Right.

[Richard Justice]

I think they have a team meeting to watch the Italy Mexico game. If Italy wins, they move on. And we're never the worst for the wear.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So the, the other small little scandal

[Richard Justice]

in this thing was not so small in Seattle, buddy.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, that's what I'm gonna ask. Rosa Reyna reached out to the big dumper to shake his hand and the big dumper spurned the handshake. I thought, I mean, I understand you can take the position. We are not on the same team right now, but gosh, I thought Raleigh should have shaken his hand. What did you think?

[Jason La Canfora]

Yeah.

[Richard Justice]

You notice when players come to bat for the first time, especially veteran players, they take their bats and they tap the back foot of the umpire and the catcher. Hey, how you guys doing today? It's standard game. Every veteran player does it. All he was saying was hello, and Cal snubbed him. It wouldn't have been a big deal. I mean, it's one of those things, if you and I are watching, we don't even notice that it happened. But after the game, Randy rose up in the arena, went off. You know it's bad. Tony. You know it's bad. When he begins the interview by going, I've met Cal Raleigh's parents. They are very fine people. But yeah, yeah.

[Jason La Canfora]

And then. Yeah.

[Richard Justice]

And so, but, but Cal understood, even before he left the ballpark on Monday night, understood. He called Dave Wilson, his manager, and I think he tried to call Rosarina. But it'll be interesting. Their teammates the first time, the first time. Back in. Back in. I think they're in Peoria, Arizona, then that's going to be an interesting little time when they go up and have that, try to have that hug.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. They're teammates and a Rosa Reyna cursed them, you know.

[Richard Justice]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And again I'm watching this thinking it wouldn't take much to just say hi. Wouldn't take much.

[Richard Justice]

Yeah. And also like you got your game face on. Come on, buddy. Like it's, it's, it's early in the game. Let's go say hello to your friend.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I was surprised at that. I need to ask you this because it is, it looms over baseball. The Dodgers and how great the Dodgers are and whether or not I think this is good for baseball. But maybe you don't. What do you think of the Dodgers and their separation from everybody?

[Richard Justice]

Well, look, there are people I call up that work in Major League baseball or did work in Major League Baseball and you can't get them on the phone. You can't have them on the phone for 20 seconds without them cursing the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now you're going at this time they were cussing both the Dodgers and the Mets for spending money, for the disparity in spending and all of that. And if you're going to change the rules, just set aside what's coming in terms of a labor Armageddon, Tony. The Pirates could spend more money. Okay. The A's could spend more money. They could spend more money.

[Jason La Canfora]

It's.

[Richard Justice]

Some of those are decisions. Now. Could they spend what the Dodgers and Mets spend? No, they could not do that. But let me tell you this. If you're going to change the rules and you're going to have a salary cap and the player, you're going to convince the players to agree to it. I don't ever see that happening. But if you, if you do that, Andrew Friedman, who runs the Dodgers, he has succeeded in Tampa Bay when the rules were he had the lowest payroll in baseball.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Richard Justice]

No money seed. He has succeeded in L. A where the rules are he can spend the most money. It's not going to change. It's not going to change the fact that the Dodgers are smarter than everyone else. By the way they're spending. They're sending people over to run the Lakers too. And I once outside the Houston Rockets draft room and they come out, here comes Daryl More, the general manager and alumin, the coach and Andrew Friedman and he was in there studying how NBA teams do the draft and what they look at and all that. The Dodgers are, have more money than everybody else. But they also have these reclamation projects like Justin Turner, like Max Muncie. They also are just smarter than everybody else. And that's because they had Stan cast and had the good sense to hire Andrew Friedman.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thank you, Richard. I hope. I hope. I guess I hope Italy wins. I hope we advance. I hope I'm rooting for Italy. I. I don't know why. I don't know why. Thank you, Richie.

[Richard Justice]

Thank you, Tony.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Richard justice. Boys and girls, we will take a break, come back with email and jingle. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Ad Read Announcer 2]

Shot clocks, big shots, upsets, aces. TGL Playoffs are here. First, Atlanta drives, starts their repeat run

[Tim Kirchen]

against Los Angeles Golf Club.

[Ad Read Announcer 2]

Then Rory's Boston Common Golf and Tigers Jupiter Lynx face off in their playoff debuts. Who will advance? Keep up its playoffs. Tune in Tuesday, March 17 at 6:30pm

[Tim Kirchen]

and 9pm only on ESPN and the ESPN app.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show. That's he in Warrington. And as Dr. Phil Chaff said earlier, explain everything. Yeah, he doesn't play. He's in the doctor room, but he doesn't play all the instruments. Ian plays all the. Yes, he does in the emergency room. Oh, you want to do the Bethesda Bagel yet?

[Neil]

Yes, Bethesda bagels. We love them. You'll as well just go to Bethesda Bagels for the location in the D.C. area near to you. Then pop on in and you'll be thrilled.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And before we get to the mailbag, let me just say hello, darkness, my old friend, I've come to talk with you again Because a vision softly creeping left its seat while I was sleeping and the vision that was planted in my brain still remains within the sound of silence. That's Paul Simon 60 years ago. Yeah, it's Paul Simon as a kid, like 20 years ago. Believable. It's a genius. Thanks to our guest today, Jason Locke, for enriched justice. Thanks as well to today's sponsors. Remember, you can listen to us on Apple podcast, Spotify and Odyssey. Get the show through Apple. Please leave us.

[Tim Kirchen]

I know you don't do caffeine, but you might have to go full Azuri today and have a espresso like the Italian baseball team.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Are they drinking espresso Celebration?

[Tim Kirchen]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Wow.

[Tim Kirchen]

Yeah, they have the barista.

[Jason La Canfora]

That's great.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They do. They brought a. They brought a guy.

[Tim Kirchen]

I think it started maybe the last World Baseball Classic. They actually have an espresso machine.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's for them.

[Neil]

That's phenomenal.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Good for them. From Seth Shaner in New Albany, Ohio. I've had the pleasure on occasion to be gifted Diamond Club tickets to a Cincinnati Reds game. Picture where the socialite sits for Nats games. Part of the experience is access to the area behind the seats where you are treated to an all you can eat before and during the game. One of the delicacies available the past few times I've been there has been a deep fried saltine cracker. It's very good, although somehow I can feel the arteries slowing down, down as I'm consuming them.

[Neil]

Never heard of that before.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Crackers seem to be the in in the emails.

[Neil]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Steve from Fairfield, well now he's on holiday with his Australian wife in Perth for three weeks. So while at a campsite in the Perth area I put your Monday show on and she was listening to the emails and of course like any Aussie, gave her 2 cents about crackers. Jats J A T Z is the only brand of crackers in our house and available in the uk. Great brand Britain, Australia. Nigel would probably know this brand so we can always get a supply for our home. She says jats. That's it. That's the list. Then she told me to eat it.

[Neil]

I've had jats. This is what the the label looks like.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't know them. Yeah, I don't know.

[Tim Kirchen]

Because of this show's email section, I now have been researching number of holes on different saltine crackers.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Mike o' Brien in Boston. Yeah, formerly Revere. I usually agree with everything you say. At 45 years old, I can admit I've started eating ice cream over the sink. But saying saltines are the best cracker is the most ridiculous thing you've ever said. Ritz crackers. That's it. That's the list. You can get them flat like chips now. It's delightful. You got a nice bowl of chicken noodle soup, crunch up some Ritz. You got a jar of peanut butter. A Ritz cracker will take as much peanut butter as you want. That fancy dinner party got a little too fancy with weird crackers and weird cheese. Take that sleeve of Ritz crackers out of your jacket pocket and go to town. I guarantee everyone at that party will ask you one Where'd you get those Ritz crackers?

[Tim Kirchen]

Byoc.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And you can say bring your own Cheez its. And you can say my pocket as Ritz crumb crumbs fly out of your mouth.

[Tim Kirchen]

What are your thoughts on oyster crackers?

[Tony Kornheiser]

They're okay. I like oyster crackers in certain soups.

[Tim Kirchen]

Just in a soup?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. I like in certain soups. I like Ritz. I was disappointed Carol brought home Cheez it and I was disappointed at a how small they were and how lacking of cheese flavor they were more like a cheetah boast. They do these commercials and they tell you know they go cheese, cheese, cheese and then nothing. Seth Becker Tulsa, Oklahoma in preparation for what must be an upcoming Snackdown supplemental Cracker draft, here are my top picks and sleepers. 1. Saltines is highly versatile vehicle is next level strong. It can handle your chili dips and a sneaky good as a mini sandwich with some cold cuts. A real five tool cracker, it's also good solo or with some spray cheese club crackers. Buttery smoother with just the right amount of salt. These are what you bring out to impress your guests. The only thing holding it back from being a top pick is weakness. This cracker will crack under the pressure of any cream cheese based dip, but don't let that stop you from grabbing this one in the early rounds. Cheez its not to be confused with the poor imitation Cheez Nips. These cheddar based favorites are a standalone favorite and often called into play when chips aren't available. Also good crushed over chili. I don't know, I didn't like them. I didn't love them. I should say I didn't love them. Honorable mention goes to White Cheddar, Cheez Its and Cheez It Crisps. This cracker is smaller than bite size but still has a built in hall of Fame career. And finally, if you're looking for a great late first round pick that will help you dominate the snack down season. Wheat Thins Growing up, these are the crackers your parents ate because they had to, or so they led you to believe. Wheat Thins balance salt and flavor. Great with dips or cold cuts. It's a veteran and can help coach up the younger crackers. Yeah, I mean they're fine.

[Neil]

Yeah. I'm a fan of white Wheat Thins. Yeah, sure.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And if it's not already taken, can I be the official Tulsa Area news producer and correspondent for the show? Absolutely. Yeah, of course. Adam McCaslin in Mattoon, Illinois While I know you detest time changes, at least you can be grateful that you don't live in Western China. While the country geographically spans five time zones, the entire country operates on one time zone. If you lived in Western China, it would be like living in Hawaii but being on Eastern Standard Time. And I also officially became a man last week. Tell Michael I'll save him a seat at the table because I know he'll

[Tim Kirchen]

be joining how are the knees?

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know, probably, probably can't walk. Matt Makoviak in Austin, Texas on the four recent on the most recent episode, the estimable Anthony R. Kornheiser Anthony R. Claimed the US has only four time zones. He was close. The US has nine time zones when you consider Alaska and Hawaii in the Territories. I personally became familiar with Alaska's time zone while working there for 90 days in 2011. The Super bowl that year, featuring my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers playing Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay packers, started at 2:30pm Alaskan Standard Time. When the game ended around 6pm Local had several hours of drowned Mysar at a sports bar in Juneau. Yeah, I forgot about that. I mean, I was thinking the continental United States, obviously. From Jim in Lutherville Commodore Tony I can relate to the embarrassment Tim must have felt. I once approached Bert Campaneris in a hotel lobby and asked him to sing Shake Shake, Shake Shake Senora. He looked at me a bit perplexed, but he did sing a chorus and I found him quite good. Bill Herndon in St. Louis hearing Tim Kirchen's story about getting Harry Belafonte's autograph brought up a memory from me. In the late 70s, I was a kid playing baseball in Springfield, Illinois. The 12 to 14 year old league I played always had an opening day ceremony. During one year, my father, who hysterically coached my team, forced my brother and I to go up to some old guy sitting in the stands to get an autograph. He seemed very reverent and said something about this guy playing in the major leagues, but of course we were not paying any attention. My father walked us up to the gentleman, we got autographs on two baseballs we carried a Listen to the man tell my father, these boys just want to play ball, not talk to an old man. My father and my brother and I smiled at that one. After the games were over, we of course went home, played more baseball, unfortunately with the balls that he had signed for us. Both of the baseballs we had were scuffed up and the signature could not be read. My father was furious that we had let that happen. That nice old man was Satchel Page. Oh, just the best story was a yearly traditional tale of My father talked about Thanksgiving, how his sons destroyed two Satchel Page signed baseballs. Dave Zibney Lansing, Michigan Your discussion on Monday's PTI about the marathon runner who followed a motorcycle off the course reminded me of a story they tell about legendary Aussie Marathoner Ron Clark, a true beast who actually trained at the full marathon distance, something which is unheard of today. He once told an interview viewer that starting a run was like turning the key on a fine sports car and gliding down the highway. It seems that on one training run in the outback, Clark looked up and saw a single tree on the far horizon. The next thing he knew, he had run smack dab into that tree. Fortunately, he was only bruised, not seriously injured. These super distance runners are two freaks of professional sports. This is from. This is very long Todd Vidoc from Honeyhound Honey yeah, in Truckee, California. I have that honey right here on the desk. I'm banging it.

[Neil]

Oh yeah, that's right, yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

As the official beekeeper of the Tony Kornizer Show, I'd like to chime in on the non bee topic you've covered on pti. You've now done two stories about runners getting lost near a finish line of races. I'm a long distance runner myself in a former in a former life. I work for the North Face in Men's health along with bringing the Oakland Marathon to Oakland, California for many years. So I have some background. Plus I still have a non profit Running for Better Oakland that's trains Oakland kids to run a half marathon. Here's the dirty little secret. Runners have absolutely no idea where they are or where they're going. None. The first rule of course design is runners are clueless, heads are down, brains are mush, everyone is mentally and physically cooked and the only strategy left is follow the pack and hope they know what they're doing. When I helped design and mark courses, I never used cars or motorcycles to lead the front runners. I used bikes because they're flexible conduct down roads, paths and trails can actually correct quickly if something goes wrong. So when you see elites wandering off course 200 yards from the finish, it's not shocking at all. I myself ran a half mile off course in a trail race once because I missed the marker. In the right situation, runners will follow anything that looks like it knows where it's going. If a deer took a wrong turn near the finish line, half the field would go right into the woods. You know, just wanted to offer that small bit of clarity for from someone that has dealt with a running madness. P.S. honey season starting up here in Truckee, California looks like an early spring with wildflowers about to pop in the next month. I'll make sure a box of that finds its way to you later. Thank you. Scott Gurney T Kicks Head of Sales and Marketing in East Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada. I thought I'd send you a quick update. With Little's Dave J in Newfoundland and Tom in British Columbia anchoring sales on the Canadian coast, distribution centers in Wilbond's multiple mansions throughout the lower 48, plus Neil Airvase both coming on board in R and D, the T Kicks Airdrop ones are ready to take the continent by storm. Kevin Coy will soon have his size 12s to loaf around and for his years of valued patronage, Tim Ratigan will receive a special retroactive offer to lock in his purchase price at the preseason rate. Plus the exclusive exclusive Tea Kicks Valued Customer we're sorry we annoyed you. Bonus. As I'm sure you know, the shoe game is all about visibility and celebrity endorsements. Negotiations are ongoing with such luminaries as Tommy Fleetwood, Wander Suero and the Washington Wizards. We're especially excited about their proposed Tanking's not uncomfortable in our Tea Kicks campaign's not afraid to be different. So we will buck the trends and eschew the online sales entirely. Our fleet of operators are standing by to take your call. She can stand in the plush comfort of your new Tea Kicks Airdrop ones. Checks only please. Exactly okay, from Michael in Burleson, Texas. Heard you getting into the shoe business. As self appointed chair of this new business, I have taken the liberty of creating two new shoe ideas for you. My first is the Bombo Genesis ones with an attached light so even the likes of you can walk the dog in the morning. Now my second is a 1738 Supermax Double Triple Whopper Corkscrew which is so stylish that even you can look dashingly handsome while taking three hours to order

[Jason La Canfora]

at a Burger King.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hope you like them. Expect my invoice no later than Wednesday. You know people are getting carried away from Dave Andrews in Adelaide, Australia. It's autumn here, no snow yet. That's all. Okay, thanks for the update from Tony T in Brooklyn in Brookland in D.C. the Tune in is probably the best bar in DC. Fitting and very melancholy to have a post Farewell there Mr. Tony. You speak of the US Postal Service shortcomings being a sign of the American collapse. I believe that bars switching from record and CD jukeboxes to digital jukeboxes were not only the beginning of the American decline, but worldwide civilization in general. Having said that, there was a night that some friends were at the aforementioned Tune in having a few beers. The bartender takes a call, hangs up and then announces he has to clear the bar. Some congressperson had just lost a special election and wanted to say farewell to his staff at the Tune. Needless to say, my friends were comfortable and thus annoyed that they had to leave. Not to worry. They saddled up next door at the Hawk and Dove and then for the next two hours kept randomly playing Loser by Beck on the Tune. INS digital jukebox tech can be tricky. Before all the mayhem at the Post, there was a reader's poll about the best dive bar in the city. My little spot made narrowly beat the Tune in, so I got that going. For me. Best dive bar is a dubious honor at best, but I will always cherish that win and the Washington Post From Kenny Ray, Fort Walton beach in Florida, Longtime Atlanta Braves fan here. Want to know what I would do to Jurickson Profar next year when he comes back from a suspension for year three of his contact with Atlanta? I'd bury him in the minor leagues for the entire season. Enjoy that eight hour bus ride from Columbus, Georgia to Biloxi, Mississippi in the middle of August. Maybe it will sweat the testosterone out of his body. But hey, I'm not bitter. From Dave Glasgow in Canton, Mississippi My daughters have listened to your show, but never by choice. If you happen to read this, please tell my sister Jane Vaughan to eat it. She doesn't listen to your show either. Okay. You know they don't listen. You go Daryl Halliday on Oro Medante, Ontario in Canada. Oro Medante. I could listen to Tim Kirchen weave tales about baseball all day long. Thanks for ensuring that he's a regular. His counsel from Wednesday not to sleep on the Dominican Republic at the WBC is wise. Match up their Murderers row with Team USA's and you'll find they may be more fear inducing. With Marte Machado, Soto, Guerrero Jr Cruz, Tatis, Jr Rodriguez and Caminero, the young Tampa Bays jam who in my mind may turn out to be the best of the lot. They are absolutely stacked. Well, I know Ohtani moves the needle. I think think the most anticipated game should be the USA versus the Doctor. But men might not get that. Yeah, especially with the finals being played in Miami. No, it may not happen, may not happen. From Michael Blue in Deerfield, Illinois, it's Steely Dan. The lyrics drop in their song names and I think some lyrics.

[Neil]

Oh, that was for the song we played the other day.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Neil]

Me and the Dan.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. I'll need to listen to it a couple hundred times to know for sure. It's a great tune. Thanks for sharing this and all the musicians. You turn us on to from Gary Munday in Edgewater, Maryland. There are a few of us who are quite familiar with both of the Greenberg brothers. I had the good fortune of attending Five Star basketball camp for two years at Wheeling College in approximately 1976 and 1977. The Greenberg boys were fixtures at Five Star while helping with the camp. Brad was playing for Jim Lyneham at American University. Coach Lynam was also a fixture at Five Star. Seth was playing for Fairleigh Dickinson and had a great head of black curly hair. I've been hoping to run into him over the years to remind him of the better hair days. Other dedicated five Star coaching regulars included Pete Gillen, Mike Fratello, Kevin Lockery and many other familiar names. Immediately after lunch we got to enjoy some awesome guest lecturers who included Norm Sloan and George Raveling. A very young Sean Miller traveled in from Pittsburgh to put on a ball handling demonstration for us on one occasion. My fellow campers were blue chippers from across the country. One who stood out was JoJo Hunter from DC. He was on a first name basis with all the big time coaches as well as pretty much the entire camp staff. Gary inglestad Bradley Beach, New Jersey 70 miles north of Egg harbor on the Garden State park oh, that's right. Like many families, Sunday dinner is a big deal for us. Usually an extended family group of 8 to 10 of us, and the selection of the meal is critical. So late last week I told my wife I had a new recipe for Sunday dinner. What? She inquired. Chicken Vesuvio, I responded. She asked me where in the world did I get that? I told her it was from your podcast. Now she has been an understanding and loving wife over the years as she sits through the podcast during our many trips back to see family and friends in the D.C. suburbs. But one thing she never expected was for you to infringe on our Sunday dinner. I think she had visions of an 8th grade science project with a spewing volcano. No, I reassured her, it's not from Tony, but from his daughter. She's got serious culinary chops and she lives in Jersey. Long story short, it was a huge hit and as my wife said, this is a keeper. Please pass our thanks along to Liz for a new addition to the Sunday rotation. Isn't that.

[Tim Kirchen]

It's the best.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Let me show a picture of it. Well done Steve. The sycophan Attached is a photo and the last dying piece of snow, Crete and Herndon from the late January storm. And speaking of dying, Since I hit 84 this month, I loved your conversation with Mr. Mike when you referred to the PTI target demographic as from 75 to dead, I'm. I'm in it. I'm tending on the high end of that final glide path group. And appreciate the shout out. We love Stevenson. Yes, we do. Matt Weissman, Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. My dad's cousin is named Irwin Fingerman. The name Irwin stuck so well that he's been called by his nickname Buster, his entire life. Wow. Wow. Also, I'd say to Jason Lant to eat it. So nobody wants to be called Irwin?

[Neil]

No, apparently.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And one more. Kimberly Carter. Hey, is there someone in charge of operations I could connect with? I believe we could help you take advantage of extra flexible capital. This is for chatter. Yes, it's for chatter. We don't. We're not there anymore. We're not there. Haven't been there in years. No, but thank you, Kimberly Carter. Thank you. If you're having a bike, tight. Everyone, as always, do wear what today

[Henry]

for the podcast we'll be recording about baseball.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's Henry.

[Tim Kirchen]

I hope he feels better.

[Henry]

I got you a picture in my wallet. It reminds me of home I take it out, look at it every time I feel alone Happiness more often than I'm proud of but three, four times a day I sit a mansion Light the fire listen to the music play I forgot the old stories that I learned to think about I found that nothing really matters that all these things run out But I was told when I was young that all good things come to an end there's no certainty in life but only see can depend so turn on the radio

[Richard Justice]

turn the

[Henry]

music up as loud as it can

[Tony Kornheiser]

go

[Henry]

Sing a song like any better things can get worse they gotta get better. With a diner's dark and empty and the cars are all gone they'd fill this empty parking lot from 4pm til dawn filled with mothers, fathers, daughters and all it would unite when things were said the high school kids would go outside and fight in a swimming pool on Delta street where me and Jay would meet in Friday nights down at the Magic Lounge A sweeper ride for food John and Luke worked at the Delta they let us in par we went out looking for fires but we couldn't find a spot to turn on the radio and turn the music up as loud as it can go Sing a song like any better Things can't get worse, you gotta get better. Now those days are gone But I still see Janie running to my door Sometimes I wish things to go back to the way they were before Janie's got a husband now and a couple little kids. John and Luke ain't talk since college. Cause of something Johnny did. Sit down on radio and turn the music up as loud as it can go. It sang a song like any better Things can't get worse they gotta get better they gotta get better. They gotta get better they gotta get better Things gotta start to get better. Standing in the M at seasons in the carnival's cruising Let the fall beginning Crowds moving out where the sin is they seen the wonder now they're out of here. You're going home I'm all alone Waiting for summer so cut the music, baby Put the night that away song is over now after all we've been through so cut the music, bab. Cut the music, baby In a tourist town It's a gambler's dream It's Danny in the winter in those honeymoon sweets it's easy to get trapped Playing on that hill I was just too vacation from the real world. You're going home I'm all alone Waiting for summer so cut the music, babe. And hear the lonely say Never last no fades I'm not afraid to die I'm scared to live without you so cut the music, babe Cut the music, babe and I'll be here to sing Summer looking for some place to go Everything shut down except for the casino Every like a last one Never, never growing up Just waiting but not a nerd love so got the music, baby but the night away the song is over now after all we've been through. I scared to live without you so cut the music, bab Cut the music, bab Cut the music, bab Cut the music, baby Cut the music, baby.