“Beware the potato bugs”

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Beware the Potato Bugs" – The Tony Kornheiser Show

Episode Details:

• Title: Beware the Potato Bugs
• Host: Tony Kornheiser
• Guests: Buster Olney, Tim Legler
• Release Date: June 17, 2025

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Introduction

In the episode titled “Beware the Potato Bugs” of "The Tony Kornheiser Show," Tony Kornheiser delves into a variety of engaging topics ranging from major sports trades and game analyses to personal anecdotes about gardening. Joining him are sports journalists Buster Olney and Tim Legler, who provide expert insights and lively discussions throughout the show.

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Major Sports Topics

Rafael Devers Trade

One of the primary discussions centers around the recent trade of Rafael Devers. Tony expresses his anticipation of the trade details, highlighting its potential impact on both the Red Sox and the Giants.

• Nigel: "Eventually, because he was at a standoff with the Red Sox leadership... traded away."

• Tony Kornheiser: “Why didn’t they take them to, like, Meineke, you know?”

Buster Olney offers his perspective, emphasizing the Red Sox fan base's historical distrust towards ownership decisions, especially following significant trades like that of Mookie Betts. He anticipates that the Giants will handle Devers differently, potentially leading to a more productive relationship.

• Buster Olney: “The Giants are one of the absolutely loaded, you know, strong teams financially in the sport... they're going to have a very different conversation with Devers.”

Shohei Ohtani's Pitching Performance

The show also covers Shohei Ohtani’s recent pitching appearance, analyzing his performance and future with the Dodgers. Nigel comments on Ohtani's current form, suggesting that while he showed potential, his performance indicates he might still be refining his pitching mechanics.

• Tony Kornheiser: “He threw 28 pitches. He gave up a couple of hits... What are your thoughts as to what you saw and where we go from here?”

• Nigel: “He is rusty. He needs to...”

Tony fears injury recurrence due to Ohtani's high-velocity pitches and discusses the Dodgers' strategic reliance on Ohtani as a two-way player.

• Tony Kornheiser: “Should I not worry that he's going to re-injure himself because he hit 100?”

• Nigel: “It's such a unique situation, Tony, because...”

Game Five: Thunder vs. Pacers

Tim Legler provides an analysis of the Thunder’s recent victory over the Pacers in Game Five. The discussion covers the critical moments that led to Thunder’s win, emphasizing defensive strategies and key player performances.

• Tim Legler: “They had a terrible first half of game one...”

• Tony Kornheiser: “You think about that's 21 opportunities on the turnovers that you didn't score.”

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Personal Anecdotes: Potato Planting

In a delightful segue from sports, Tony shares his experience with planting small purple potatoes in his front lawn. This segment adds a personal touch to the show, highlighting Tony’s interest in gardening.

• Tony Kornheiser: “We noticed a couple of weeks ago... three different leafy green stalks have come up.”

• Nigel: “Congrats. You are well on your way to having a bounty crop. That's good in the fall.”

However, Nigel warns about potential threats to the potato plants, specifically potato bugs, urging Tony to monitor his garden closely.

• Nigel: “Watch for the potato bugs... they could chew up the leaves.”

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National League Baseball Analysis

The discussion shifts back to baseball, focusing on the Nationals’ recent struggles and the performance of relief pitcher Kyle Finnegan.

• Tony Kornheiser: “Finnegan gives up hits... And walks as well.”

• Buster Olney: “He's still in the top five...”

Despite early setbacks in games, Finnegan maintains a respectable standing among relievers, though Tony expresses concerns over his recent performances.

• Tony Kornheiser: “I will bet that Kyle Finnegan is either at the bottom or near the bottom in hits given up.”

• Buster Olney: “He's at the bottom for walks.”

The conversation touches upon the Nationals’ disappointing ERA and their recurring issues with conceding runs in the first inning, questioning the managerial strategies in place.

• Tony Kornheiser: “They've got to be the worst team in the league...”

• Buster Olney: “They are the worst for ERA because Colorado is the worst.”

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Interview with Buster Olney and Tim Legler

Throughout the episode, Buster Olney and Tim Legler provide in-depth analysis and humorous banter, contributing to the show's dynamic atmosphere. Their expertise in sports journalism enriches the discussions, offering listeners nuanced perspectives on ongoing sports narratives.

• Buster Olney: “Their immediate area gets close to 40 inches of rain a year...”

• Tim Legler: “It's the statistical efficiency versus the eye test.”

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Fan Engagement and Closing Remarks

Towards the end, Tony reads a series of listener emails, sharing personal stories and experiences related to the show. These segments foster a sense of community among listeners, highlighting the show's interactive nature.

• Listener Email (P.S.): “...Marc Maron will play Chuck Plotkin in the Springsteen movie.”

• Listener Email (Cameron Finnis): “...I'm wearing a size 15 wide Hoka Gaviota for support and cushioning.”

Tony concludes the episode with a poetic haiku and a humorous exchange about his interactions with guests, wrapping up the multifaceted discussion.

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Conclusion

“Beware the Potato Bugs” is a quintessential episode of "The Tony Kornheiser Show," blending insightful sports analysis with personal narratives and engaging listener interactions. Tony Kornheiser, along with his guests Buster Olney and Tim Legler, delivers a comprehensive and entertaining exploration of current sports events, trades, and personal interests, making it a valuable listen for both avid fans and casual listeners alike.

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Notable Quotes:

• Tony Kornheiser [02:01]: “Is this going to affect your ability to plant and harvest potatoes?”

• Buster Olney [08:20]: “I love. I loathe Kyle Finnegan.”

• Tim Legler [37:23]: “We went into this as a team. We are a team.”

• Nigel [22:07]: “You absolutely crushed it.”

• Tony Kornheiser [31:12]: “Shaughnessy ripped him yesterday. I mean, he just crushed him.”

These quotes, among others, highlight the blend of humor, critique, and camaraderie that defines the episode.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey, it's Tony. On today's show we'll talk about the Rafael Devers trade and more, including Shohei Ohtani with Buster Olney. And we'll chat with Tim Legler about the Thunders winning Game five last night over the Pacers. But first, commerce.

[Nigel]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Michael]

I think you're on mute.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Workday's starting to sound the same. I think you're on mute. Find something that sounds better for your career on LinkedIn. With LinkedIn job collections you can browse curated collections by relevant industries and benefits like Flexpto or Hybrid workplaces so you can find the right job for you. Get [e-mail] jobs finding where you fit knows how. Previously on the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tim Legler]

Is this going to affect your ability to plant and harvest potatoes?

[Tony Kornheiser]

We don't need any more planting at the moment. So you're good. Yes. I don't want you to dig in the dirt and hurt your foot in any way.

[Nigel]

I would do it even with this.

[Buster Olney]

This is the difference of 20 extra years. You'll be fine in in a week or two. I jumped off of a fence and my ankle still hurts six months later to the point that I got like a balance board off the Internet to try and strengthen the inner part of my ankle and Achilles.

[Tim Legler]

Just learning to live with it now yes.

[Buster Olney]

It's just part of who I am.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is General George Washington, and you're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show. Apropos of Michael's sudden aging, we have an email comes at you fast. Barry Taylor of Louisville, Kentucky. Michael, close your eyes and stand on one foot. Stand on the foot which is causing you the ankle pain. Raise both arms out to the sides. You will feel your ankle roll a small bit. It is strengthening itself. Good luck. Okay.

[Buster Olney]

I started with this over the winter. And the little device that I have has the ability to reposition boards on the bottom so you can get more targeted stretching and strengthening.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Just telling you, we have people who care about you more than I.

[Buster Olney]

We've never asked. No, it is great, though. The boys now take my daughter device, which, of course, they'll break in days. And, like, I'm just working on my. Working on my ankle mobility. Dad.

[Tim Legler]

Ready for week one?

[Buster Olney]

All in for week one.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. How's our drought in Washington, D.C. doing? Is our drought over?

[Buster Olney]

At least we got rid of the wind.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is like. This is like listening to Jeremy Vint's song constantly being wet all the time. Every time you walk outside, it's not raining, but it's wet. You're wet, the dog gets wet, I get wet. You know, I mean, every single moment of every single day for a good while now and more today, obviously, and more tomorrow and more the next day. Washington, D.C. and Michael was. You were speaking about this earlier, that this was that period of time from like May 1 to July 1 that was usually beautiful.

[Buster Olney]

Yeah. Normally it's. It's this mid June period where it's finally warm, the humidity's not here yet. You have these beautiful evening where you can walk outside with popsicles in the kids. And it's been dreadful.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Buster Olney]

And we've missed that weather. And it'll be 100 degrees next week.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Tim Legler]

Yeah. Go straight to it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, this was a bad one.

[Buster Olney]

I always. I follow this. So our immediate area gets close to 40 inches of rain a year, and you just look at the totals we're getting daily. We've had two and a half in the last five days.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it's a lot. It's a lot. Okay. So I have a whole lot of things to talk about. First of all, I went out to the beach over the weekend. Had. I was done with the Vanderwen's coffee, and I finally went into the Jersey cow coffee. Oh, that. That guy put on my porch. Actually, I was there. I said, what are you doing? And he Handed it to me. Right. Jersey cow coffee is great. Oh, it's great. It's really great.

[Tim Legler]

That's.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I went through it.

[Tim Legler]

That's terrific.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I went through it. I mean, I really liked it. So for those of you who like coffee ice cream, if you can go to South Jersey and get Jersey cow coffee, you're not going to be disappointed.

[Buster Olney]

You stayed away from the kids. Strawberry shortcake pops?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I did. I didn't know what they were. Van Leeuwin. I didn't. I know I didn't buy them. And I didn't want to eat something that someone else had bought thinking that they would want to eat it down the road.

[Buster Olney]

Hasn't stopped you before, but yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

What do you mean? I don't eat other people's food.

[Buster Olney]

Sometimes you fight for Liz's ice cream in the freezer.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Her ice cream, not my ice cream. Really? Okay, maybe that's true, but I don't. As a rule, I try not to do that.

[Tim Legler]

Is it better than the. What was the. The brand that was brought to our attention not long ago? Leo's or something like that?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Leopold's great also.

[Tim Legler]

Okay.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Leopold's is great. So I wanted to tell the story. I was. I had played golf. I'm not going to get into the details of playing golf.

[Buster Olney]

Not going to give us the whole by hole breakdown?

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, I could. Day after day. I'll do that. Maybe tomorrow.

[Buster Olney]

Did you hit any tea markers?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I did not destroy anything. I did not go to the locker rooms. Yeah. I didn't do anything like that. And by the way, if that's true about Wyndham Clark, he should be suspended.

[Buster Olney]

There's a pattern emerging.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You can't. You can't do that.

[Tim Legler]

What did he do?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Destroyed some lockers and.

[Buster Olney]

Destroyed some lockers.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's not your club.

[Buster Olney]

A month after banging into a sponsor's sign at the pgi.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Can't do it.

[Tim Legler]

Oh, that's not.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You can't. You just can't do it. You should be suspicious.

[Buster Olney]

And that was one of his sponsors, I believe.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Anyway. Wow. So I'm out there and I had played and I went into the bar and I noticed a couple of people who I knew, Jerry Desmond, one of them. And hung around as they were drinking some wine or something. And I had ordered some food to go. So I was waiting for the food.

[Buster Olney]

A work in the room.

[Tony Kornheiser]

A woman. Well, I wasn't really working the room, but I mean, because I was talking to friends. But a woman comes up to me and she. She does not introduce herself. She does not. So I don't know her name. And probably a woman, I'm going to guess in her 50s. And she says, I need to talk with you. I need to. Thank you. I go for what she said on your show. Now, when you say on my show, I don't know if you're talking about PTI or the podcast. It became clear it must have been the podcast. She said, you read a note when my mother turned 100, you read it and we heard it and we taped it, and it was beautiful. And she started to cry. I said, is your mom still. Well, she says, yes, still with us. And I was completely overcome. I wish I knew her name. I didn't. I didn't. I don't think she said her name, although it's possible she did and it just went right by me. But that was one of those moments where you say, wow, you know, you don't ever expect that to happen. You know, you don't know who's listening. You don't know who's watching. If you do something kind of. Which is really not who I am, but every once in a while I do something kind and. And, you know, it's for the show. It's for the show. I'm not doing it for me. I'm not even doing it for these people. I'm doing it because I think this is a good thing for the show. And she was crying like she had tears in her eyes.

[Tim Legler]

That's lovely.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it was really nice. It was really nice. And that leads me. And then. That's a sweet thing I'm gonna say. And that leads me into Kyle Finnegan, who I love. I loathe Kyle Finnegan.

[Buster Olney]

Set the scene because the Nats were down early.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, the Nats, Jake Irvin gives up a two run home run in the first inning.

[Buster Olney]

The first inning special.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This happens all the time. Nats pitchers just give up runs in the first inning night after night after night after night. It's, you know, Mackenzie Gore does not. And all the others do. They all do. They give up.

[Buster Olney]

It's a handicapping special.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's terrible. It's just terrible. Yeah, you could bet on this and you could make a lot of money. So. So it's two nothing. And then I think it becomes two one at one point. And then in whatever inning it was maybe the fifth or the sixth, the Nats get a couple of home runs and it's four three Nats James Wood hits another opposite field home run, which is especially opposite field. Then the rookie, Lyle. Yeah. Dalen Lyle, right, Dalen Lyle. They got a thousand rookies now on the team. There's a thousand rookies. They got Brady House is up. Robert Hassell was up and is now down. This kid Lyle was up, down, up. And he hits a home run. It's first home run, first major league home run of his Life. And it's four to three. And the NATs, you know, are finally going to win. I believe the Nats are going to win. There's no crowd there at all because it's raining. It's constantly raining and it's a ruckus. There's people in the two front rows other than the guys from Vegas. I've never seen, I've never seen them. They're putting on trash bags because it's raining and all of that. But they're going to win because Brad Lord comes in and he has become a great relief pitcher, a multi inning relief pitcher, a setup man, a hold the fort man. Right. Michael, he was great. Yeah, he was great. He was great. And I know they're not going to put him in in the ninth. I know they're going to turn to Finnegan, Kyle Finnegan. And I know it's, I don't want to watch, but I'm waiting, sort of waiting for the basketball game and you know, I don't really care about the basketball game in the first quarter.

[Buster Olney]

I was waiting for the Dodgers to start.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Okay. Because you wanted to see Ohtani, who.

[Tim Legler]

Did not have a clean inning by the way.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You were, of course. I mean, come on. Well, who's kidding? We'll talk to Buster about that.

[Buster Olney]

But ready to get in the box immediately. Unfazed.

[Tim Legler]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Very cool.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So Finnegan I know was going to come in. I dread this. And I write notes to Chris and to Chuck and to Michael and you know, Finnegan need a wellness, wellness check on these guys. You know, it's, it's just not going to be good. And it isn't good. And he gives up a home run immediately and now it's a tie game and then he, he gives up, he gives up three runs on three hits, all earned. A second home run, a two run home run. And they're down two. At this point.

[Buster Olney]

At this point they're down two six.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They're down two. Yeah. And you know when it's bottom of the ninth and they're not going to.

[Buster Olney]

Win, you get a lead off walk.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. And then double play. Yeah. Brady House sits into a double play, hits it hard.

[Buster Olney]

Yeah. Gets a Lot of ground balls at.

[Tony Kornheiser]

How's Josh Bell doing? How's he doing?

[Buster Olney]

The best is to win a house, is that he works a pretty, you know, big count and they just see Josh Bell loosening up in the on deck circle. You're like that. I don't think that that's the. The bat speed that's going to change this game has the cavalry.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So anyway, so here's what I want to say about Finnegan and then I'll talk about the team for a second. I know, I don't know. I believe that Finnegan is in the top 10 relievers in all of baseball and saves. Now, we didn't have any for a week because they didn't win any games, but I suspect he's still in it. Whatever number he is in, top 6, top 8, top 10, top 12, top 15, whatever number he is in, included in that group of relievers. Here is the bet that I will make. And I don't know this, and if I'm wrong, I will say I'm sorry, I'm wrong. I will bet that Kyle Finnegan is either at the bottom or near the bottom. In hits given up. Right? In hits given up and runs given up. In the ninth in his one inning. In his one inning.

[Buster Olney]

That is a good bet for you. So he's still in the top five. And a lot of that's because he got these, you know, early wins when they're having a pretty good stretch. They have not really needed to go to him the last week and a half because they've been down, I would.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Say the bottom and walks and the bottom and hits.

[Buster Olney]

I'll focus on the hits because you have Suarez one, Estevez down in two. Then you have Finnegan, Hayter, Munoz, all tied at three for those.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is just in the National League or is this all over?

[Buster Olney]

This is in the entire league in all of baseball. Yeah. So you have to go down a little bit more to see some of those.

[Tony Kornheiser]

How about walks and hits?

[Buster Olney]

So for hits, he is at 26, which is a good 10 hits higher than Josh Hader, a full seven higher than Suarez.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And for walks, is he at the bottom on. On hits, Walks is.

[Buster Olney]

Yeah, he's at the bottom.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The bottom, bottom.

[Buster Olney]

For hits, Estevez is a few behind him, but walks, he's not nearly as high as you'd think. Estebus has given him more walks than two spot.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. But hits hurt, because hits are often more than one base hurt.

[Buster Olney]

ERA is keeping this and the home runs are in the high end of that top Five.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I just, you know, and it's not like you don't see it coming.

[Buster Olney]

But again, it's the statistical efficiency versus the eye test. You're looking at these counts that don't need to go. Three, one. And it leads to the, you know.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Two run home run to three, two. All the time. Nothing is all the time.

[Tim Legler]

Stop nibbling all the time. Go after the hitter.

[Buster Olney]

Throw strikes, throw strikes. Get ground ball, throw strikes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Brad Lord throws strikes.

[Tim Legler]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Keeps the pitch count down. Kyle Finnegan. It just drove me.

[Buster Olney]

The pitch count actually wasn't that bad. I think he come back today.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, that's what we. There's another thing too.

[Buster Olney]

Well, and they were circling the series because I think they'd lost eight going into it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They bossed a bunch in a row. Three of those were to the Marlins. The Marlins are a bad team. The Marlins were swept by the Colorado Rockies, which are the worst team. So the Nats are swept at home by the Marlins.

[Buster Olney]

Somewhere Bud Black is smiling at home by the Marlins.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Now the Rockies come in. The Rockies just won the first game. The Nats are now 04 against the worst team in the league and one of the three to four. Now they can line up their questions. Right. So at some point someone is going to stand up and say, I think we need to change managers because we're now losing to the worst teams. We're not making any progress. We don't blame the manager, but maybe we need to change the manager. That is going to come up in discussions because it already has. And.

[Buster Olney]

Well, and after the comments after Saturday's loss.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right. Is Davey risen to the surface? Yeah. Davey was asked questions about maybe the coaching is not as great as you want. And he said coaching's great. The players make.

[Buster Olney]

Never the coaching.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's never the coaching. It's the players. We're working so hard work the players.

[Tim Legler]

Butts off the.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Here's what you say, here's what you say. We all share in the blame. We are a team. We went into this as a team. We're going to come out of this system. This is elementary. This is what you say. This is what a good life coach like your wife would tell people to say.

[Buster Olney]

And he's been saying he's been an affiliate style manager his entire time with the Nets. He's so pro play. That's why it was surprising.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Buster Olney]

I mean, the lasting image of him is standing out of the dugout, getting tossed to defend players.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I wonder if he's feeling the heat.

[Tim Legler]

Oh, I'm sure he Must be.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't know. I don't know if there is any heat. I don't know if there's any heat. They don't spend money. They don't have a great roster. You know. Now it's not. It's not dissimilar to Pittsburgh and to Colorado, which fired their managers, but they had worse records and the Nats were going very well for a while, and then they hit June and they swooned in June. Yeah. So I don't. I don't know. I mean, I'll maybe I'll ask Buster. Buster about that, if he hears anything. I mean, Davey's been a. Davey won a World Series.

[Tim Legler]

Won a World Series.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And so I'm not saying it's his fault. I'm saying, do you think, gosh, we're not making any progress here. We got to do something. What do you think?

[Buster Olney]

Yeah. And right now, this is a systems where you're trying to see how can you influence these young players who are coming up in short spurts of maybe a couple weeks to. To just get them a taste of what the bigs look like for the next couple years.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right. They have so many hitters below 200. Dylan Cruz is still below.200, isn't he? Josh Bell is never getting to 200.

[Buster Olney]

Not from the right side.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Riley Adams is not even at 100 now. He doesn't play a lot. He's playing more, but he's playing more. And he's a good catcher because Kiba Ruiz, who started out great for a month, has stopped hitting completely.

[Tim Legler]

That's a problem.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Completely. And they don't still went down there trying. Brady House at third. They haven't had a third baseman in a long time.

[Buster Olney]

Well, I mean, one of them got hit in the face about six weeks ago, so.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. Yeah. But he's still out.

[Tim Legler]

Would it have made you feel better if when Davey was asked that, he said, look, coaches are working hard. Most of the team is working hard. And I'm. I'm very proud of them. Except for Josh Bell and Carl Finnegan.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. But he puts them in. He puts them in constantly.

[Buster Olney]

And by the way, got to play to the back of the. The baseball card.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The guy that he, that he. That is playing and played last night instead of Josh Bell because they gave Nathaniel Lowe the night off at first. And so in essence, puts. For. What's his name.

[Buster Olney]

We don't have the ship.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's batting under 200. Yeah, he's batting under.200.

[Tim Legler]

Yeah. At the very least, the hitting coach should be worried, right?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't know. And the hitting coach, I mean, Hickey, the pitching coach. I mean, he comes out there, puts his hand over his mouth and tries to be avuncular. It doesn't really work. They give up so many earned runs in the first. They give up. They're behind going into the bottom of the first. Right? All the time.

[Buster Olney]

All the time.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They've got to be the worst team in the league. I think they're the second worst team for ERA because Colorado is the worst. And they gotta be the worst for giving up runs in the first inning. Gotta be.

[Buster Olney]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And yet I watch. Of course I do. I watch.

[Buster Olney]

The best is when Boots, he turns over to just shield his eyes from the glow of my phone as I'm. As I'm catching up with Saliza's angry texts. And what's frustrating, again, is his feed is like two to three pitches ahead of mine.

[Tim Legler]

Oh, that's frustrating.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, is that right?

[Buster Olney]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. All right, we'll take a break. We'll stay with baseball. We'll talk to Buster. Only there's two big stories. Rafael Devers trade. He apparently did not have the correct alignment with the team, whatever that means. We'll find out. And Shay Ohtani pitched last night, so. Buster, only when we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Nigel]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know that moment at night when you're locking up, turning off the lights, and you just want to feel completely safe before heading to bed? That's what Simplisafe can give you. Just ask Nigel. He's been using it for a while now. He absolutely loves it. And the peace of mind it gives him. So we'll ask you.

[Tim Legler]

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[Nigel]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is our friend Jim Baznite. This is the first song of two he's gonna sing for us today. This is called All Summer Long. It's a single from his upcoming, yet to be titled album of all new songs. The Release date was May 17, through which it was available to stream or download at nearly all the major digital stores all summer long as summertime swampy groove number. It features vocals by vocalist and comedian Kathy Sorbo and supporting vocals. In a hilarious joust to my lead vocal, Jim writes again, this is all summer long, first of two. And it plays in Buster only. And we're going to there's two big stories, the Rafael Devers trade and the Shohei Ohtani pitching list. Big stories. We'll get to them, but I think we need to talk about the potatoes we planted. The small purple potatoes. Three different small purple potatoes. Eyes up in the front, in the front lawn. Literally in the front lawn. And we noticed a couple of weeks ago, like, like when I was told potatoes grow underground, I didn't think that there would be any evidence that the potatoes were growing. But in the area where I planted the potatoes, three different leafy green stalks have come up. They're about 8 inches high. Is that what we're supposed to get?

[Nigel]

Totally. You are on the mark. And as I said, it's the great thing about potatoes, it's a great mystery is you don't know what's going on underground. But on top, you're doing great. I'm so excited for you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's a lot of fun okay, so that's good, because I was afraid they were weeds. And then Michael took a picture of them and compared them to potato plants. Again, I didn't know that there was anything above ground. Now, we have since planted other potato plants in another part of the house. But, you know. But you know, we're weeks away from seeing any growth at all. I think so, but. Okay, so we're good. So the purple potatoes may work out, right? They may.

[Nigel]

Congratulations. You are. You are well on your way to having a bounty crop. That's good in the fall.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's great.

[Nigel]

You absolutely crushed it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. And by a bounty crop. One potato that I could eat would make me happy because I don't get any tomatoes because the squirrels eat them, so I don't get any of those.

[Nigel]

Okay, now, Tony, before you move on, I will warn you. Watch for the potato bugs, okay? You got to be aware of the potato bugs because the potato bugs will come in and they could chew up the leaves and that would. That would truncate the growing. So you got it. You got to be on top of the potato bugs.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, so I should look. So when I go out to look at my tomatoes and peppers and zucchini every day, I should also look to see what's happening with those. With those leafy things, if they're being destroyed. Okay. Is there a spray for potato bugs?

[Nigel]

There's some powder you could put on there. There are other ways of doing that. You could capture them by hand.

[Michael]

Oh, yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'd love that. Make me happy. I feel like a warrior God. I'd feel like Max Scherzer. Be great. Okay, so there are two enormous stories. The Devers trade and Shohei's pitching last night. I think we'll begin with Johannes because it's fresher, because it happened last night. I watched this morning. He threw 28 pitches. He gave up a couple of hits. Two, three hits. Not hard hits, you know, balls that fell lightly in front of outfielders. He gave up an earned run. He got up to 100 miles an hour. And as I say, he threw 28 pitches. I know. You watch this. What are your thoughts as to what you saw and where we go from here?

[Nigel]

He is rusty. He needs to. And as he will continue to pitch, he will get better. He'll be more refined, and the Dodgers will take whatever he can give. Because remember, because he's designated as a two way player, he doesn't count against the dodgers quota of 13 pitchers. As Dave Roberts, the Dodger manager, said the other day, this is house Money. Which is why I think in part, they accelerated his timeline to come back. They were talking about him coming back in late July, sometime around the All Star break. But with the Dodgers pitching staff absolutely being ravaged by injuries, the Dodgers are like, you know what, he's throwing these simulated games once a week. Why not just use those inn ear two innings at the outset in our big league games? Because his stuff is really good and it'll play. And yesterday was sort of a classic example that he goes out, you know, he throws an inning, but the Dodgers offense is so good, they pile up runs and then win.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That first game against The Padres, he hit 100. There was movement on the ball, and he hit 100. Should I not worry that he's going to re injure himself because he hit 100?

[Nigel]

It's funny that you ask it that way. First off, generally speaking, what surgeons will say is that after you have those major elbow procedures, your warranty is for about seven years. That, you know, you can expect about seven years. And that's what the Dodgers hope would be. Now, there have been players who've gotten hurt, you know, in a shorter period of time, for sure, and I don't know what your reaction is, but these days, rather than, you know, a decade ago, when I see a guy throw 103, 104, your reaction be like, wow, that's great. And now my reaction is, yeah, that guy's gonna break down.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right. Right. That's what, that's what I would be fearful of. But you think assuming that he, you know, puts it in ice or whatever he does and he's ready to go again, you think in five or six days they'll put him out there again? Right.

[Nigel]

It'll be six days. And it's such a unique situation, Tony, because that you have. Ohtani has such stature and preeminence within the organization that despite the fact that he's on the same staff as Blake Snell, you know, Cy Young, two time Cy Young Award winner, and Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw, a future hall of Famer. Everything the Dodgers do when arranging their pitching is dictated by Ohtani's choices. Ohtani tells the Dodgers, hey, this is the day I'm going to pitch, and this is how much I'm going to pitch, and everybody else falls in line around him, the other guys in the rotation. If Ohtani says, I'm ready to pitch on Saturday, then Snell or Kershaw or whoever pitches Sunday, and they'll take whatever they can get out and they believe that, you know, as he goes along, he'll slowly build up his pitch count. If by the end of the year, he gives them 60 innings, I think they would be absolutely thrilled.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I have to bring this up because, I mean, Wilbon goes back and forth with me all the time. Wilbon says, well, if he does this and if he does that, then maybe we'll talk in terms of Babe Ruth. And you want to say, are you out of your mind? He was 38 and 19. He had a 3.01 ERA over years, and he struck out 604, 608 guys in 481 innings. He's beyond Babe Ruth. Am I right on that? He's Beyond Babe Ruth 100%.

[Nigel]

As you. As you remember, when Ohtani first came, you know, sort of came into our awareness here, the question was, you know, will he become, you know, Japanese version of Babe Ruth? And now the question is, you know, could Babe Ruth ever dream of being what Ohtani is? I mean, because Babe Ruth, as you know, he was a great pitcher with some hitting, and. And then he became a great hitter who almost never pitched in the last 15 years of his career. Ohtani is a great hitter and a pitcher at the same time. He is. He is much more than Babe Ruth ever was. He's the greatest player of all time.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thank you. Please say that, Pti, so I can watch Wilbond squirm in his seat. Please just say that. Yeah. Okay, let's go to. Let's go to Rafael Devers, who and I said this yesterday. There's no surprise at all that he was traded. They just had to find a spot where he would hurt them the least. And now there is something that. I think the Red Sox may have said this, that they were trying to find the right alignment. Well, why didn't they take them to, like, Meineke, you know? And. No, what does that mean? Right? I mean, you knew he was going to be traded, right? There's no question.

[Nigel]

Eventually, because he was at a standoff with the Red Sox leadership. You know, the city of Boston, right. Their history of their fans booing the likes of Ted Williams and Carl Yastremsky and others. They, Red Sox fans never have a problem letting their opinion be known to their own players. And it was telling to me in this situation that throughout all this, Rafael Devers is refusing to, you know, to even take ground balls at first base. He never got booted.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, they like him. They like him.

[Nigel]

Totally underscores the distrust of Red Sox ownership by Red Sox fans. And this goes back to the trade of Mookie Betts. Yeah, The Red Sox, since then, since basically giving Mookie Betts away rather than paying one of the most dynamic players they've had ever had in their history. You know, rather than paying them, they trade him away. Give him away. And since then, they've been paying a Mookie Bats tax over and over and over again. And they are doing it right now with the response to this trade. Because I can tell you, you talk to folks with other teams, they're like, wow, the Red Sox got out from underneath that huge contract of a really a player who's not versatile, who's destined to be dh. Yeah, he's a really good hitter. But to get out from under that contract and to get four players in return, that's pretty good. That's the, that's the value perspective. Objective value perspective. A lot of other folks with other teams, but the Red Sox fan base is furious because they had the rug pulled out from underneath him as they did with Mookie Betts and with Xander Bogarts. And until the Red Sox start to win again, that distrust will remain in place.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Shaughnessy ripped him yesterday. I mean, he just crushed him. He crushed him. And he understands. I mean, you know, you're writing a column up there for 30 years, you understand how it works. Nobody really knows what the Red Sox are doing, but it would seem to me this is a big W for Buster Posey. This is a good get for the giants, right?

[Nigel]

100%. You know, the Giants have had such a hard time in recent years attracting position players to their ballpark because it's such a difficult place to play. They made a play in Aaron Judge. He didn't want to go there. You remember, they were interested in John Carlos Stanton before that. He didn't want to go there. They tried to send Carlos Correa. He flunked his physical. So they got into the situation where they needed power. They need a left handed hitter. And Rafael Des with no, no trade protection, and he was under contract, they could acquire the player merely by taking on money. And look, the Giants are one of the absolutely loaded, you know, strong teams financially in the sport. And as Bob Melvin said, the Giants manager after Sunday night baseball the other night, he is a perfect fit for what they're doing. And I bet you that they're going to have a very different conversation with Devers about playing first base than the Red Sox did. And a much more productive conversation because Devers spoke out loud about how he really didn't have relationship with Craig Breslow, the head of baseball operations. And now he's got a future hall of Famer Buster Posey coming down who the players just love there. And I suspect they're going to get it that he'll be more willing to do what the Giants want him to do versus what the Red Sox wanted him to do.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I was amazed to learn this yesterday. Amazed, because I think of the Giants as always in my lifetime, having powerful hitters. Powerful hitters. They had not had a Single guy hit 30 home runs since Barry Bonds did it last 21 years ago. They were the only team in the majors like that. That was an amazing number to me, Buster. Amazing.

[Nigel]

Yeah, it really is. I mean, even Buster Posey in his hall of Fame career, you know, winning an MVP award at one point, you know, he. A good year for him was 25 home runs getting, you know, getting power hitting. There is a problem, you know, to have a hitter like Devers who, you know is a left handed hitter, takes the ball left center field. He's going to do some damage there besides the splash balls. He's going to hit, you know, he's going to hit balls up triple's alley. He is going to, I think, be a perfect guy to drop right in between Willie Adamus and Matt Chapman. Willie Adamus, who's a friend of Devers and was texting with him right after that trade, said that, you know, Devers is excited about going there. And even in the, in the midst of all this drama in Boston this year, Devers raked. Alex Gore said to us last week, the one thing that Des learned is by being at Dharma, he's rested like he's feeling great as opposed to when he was playing third base when he was dealing with nagging injuries all the time.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I think he's going to be really good for them. One other question, totally personal nature. The Nats, who I watch all the time, just kill me night after night. The Nats have now lost a whole bunch of games in a row in June, but significantly, three in a row at home to the Florida Marlins. Bad team. And last night losing at home to the Colorado Rockies. Do you hear anything about a managerial change? Do you hear anything about a shakeup at all? Or are they just not relevant enough that you would even hear anything?

[Nigel]

I haven't heard anything about that specifically. It certainly has reached the point with Dave Martinez, you know, who's a respected figure in the sport. Yeah. Where it wouldn't surprise anybody because it's been far enough along and there have been enough years there where in a team is struggling like the Nationals are and they're not making as much progress as people thought with this wave of young players. I, you know, it could be exactly what we saw in Colorado or Pittsburgh where if the team loses enough ownership will say, okay, let's make a change.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. And not because they think it's going to get any better, but just to convince people that they're paying attention. That's like exactly. That's how it works. All right, we'll talk to you later on pti. Thank you, Buster.

[Nigel]

I'm sending pictures of my potatoes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thank you, Buster. Only boys and girls will take a break. Tim Wegler joins us on the other side. I'm Tony Kornheiser. My day kicks off with a refreshing Celsius energy drink. Then straight to the gym, pre K pickup back home to meal prep.

[Buster Olney]

Time for my fire station shift. One more Celsius.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Gotta keep the lights on when the three alarm hits.

[Buster Olney]

I'm ready.

[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Nigel]

This is the Tony Kornheiser show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Once again. This is Jim Baznite. This is called Other Woman. We like him. He sends us stuff all the time. Very much so you can get his music where you get music. It's the second song we're playing Other Woman. He's joined by vocalist and comedienne Kathy Sorbo, who's from the northwest area of the country. She's supportive on these songs. We appreciate this very much, Michael. If people like Jim Baznite want to send their original music, how do they do it?

[Buster Olney]

Send us your music by emailing it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

To jinglesonyquinizershow.com and Jim Baznite plays in Tim Legler. And we're going to start. Last night Oklahoma City won at home. It seemed like they were dominant but with eight minutes to go in the game, it was a two point game. And from that point on they took off as they had done in the previous game. From that point on, where are we now and what did we learn, if anything specifically from last night? Tim?

[Michael]

Well, I think a few things, Tony. I think it all came together in one night for Oklahoma City. There are certain things that I would consider non negotiables for Indiana that have to happen in this series to legitimately have a chance to win the series. And a lot of those things last night there's non negotiables. They were broken. So start with this. You can't have that sort of carelessness with the ball. And they had a terrible first half of game one. Remember, 19 turnovers in the first game of game one. But they were not converted into points. And that's what Oklahoma City, they feed off of that. Like if you, if you don't turn the ball over against them, it literally is taking away their food supply. Like that's how much they count on a certain number of points off of those turnovers. They had 32 points off turnovers last night. So you think about that's 21 opportunities on the turnovers that you didn't score. So that's two or three points on every one of those possessions potentially that you could have points on the board and you gave up 32 the other way. So that, that was the first non negotiable that they broke. You can't have that. You're not going to win against Oklahoma City when they convert turnovers like that. Another one was, you know, you can't have your starting point guard not have a field goal in the game.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, no.

[Michael]

Star player. Yeah, yeah. He's an all star. He didn't have a field goal. You're not overcoming that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's been, he has been arguably the single best player in the entire playoffs all of all the rounds. Halliburton's been that to this point.

[Michael]

Yeah. And we'll get. I'm sure we'll get more into him in a second and why that was. But not overcoming it. The guy was over six from the field. You know, he's too important to your team. Complete shell of himself last night. I don't think he could overcome it. Another one is a three point differential. I said going into the series that there's just no way that Indiana can hang in this series if they're not winning the three point battle pretty much every night. Last night they were minus three from there. So they lose nine at the three point line because Oklahoma City streaky, I mean they made three in a game and won the game somehow. So you've got it You've got to make more threes than them. They didn't do it last night. So a lot of things that you check lists, when you think about this series, they did not accomplish any of those things last night.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I mean, it seems to me, and it has seemed to me since game two, it has seemed to me that Oklahoma City would win. It seems inevitable now that they would win. Although I defer to you that. Do. Do you think that they win at this point, and do you think it has been a better series than you thought or not as good as you thought?

[Michael]

Yeah, I think for the most part, it's been about what I thought. I thought Oklahoma City would win the series probably in six or seven games, and that's where we're headed, I think. I think Indiana can win at home. I think he is to Haliburton, and he said after the game he didn't want to address his leg and said he's not 100%. I think it was. It was worse than anybody was letting on what he was feeling. And when he came out of the game the first time in the first half, I saw. I was kind of watching him, and he was staring at the ground, like, while the game was going on, he's sitting on the bench. And that looked like a tell to me as an athlete. He knew there was something going on with his leg that meant he was not going to be able to. To be effective at all in this game.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right.

[Michael]

He didn't. He didn't any point go to Rick Carlisle and say, you know what? Shut it down. Because I think he understands how bad he'd get crushed by a lot of the media if he just pulled out of a playoff game, of a finals game. So he played. Tried to play through it, but at some point, if you're Rick Carlisle at some point, and he said after the game, oh, yeah, it's my guy, and, you know, I'm going to go with him. No, at some point, you look at your player and you go, he's just completely ineffective. You have NBA players on your team. D.J. mcConnell was sensational in the third quarter. Just go with T.J. mcConnell at that point. I mean, you cut that deficit all the way down. You had a chance to win the game. You have to have five players on the court that can physically play. Tyrese Halliburton was at the point he could not go around anybody. And so you have to. You have to make those tough calls as a coach and, you know, have that conversation with Halliburton at Some point like, listen, we got to get somebody on the floor that can move because we're playing with four people offensively. So it just was a tough spot for Carlisle. I think he didn't want to bail on his, his player. That incredible and pressure situations. Halliburton understands you can't ask out of a finals game. And so they just rolled with it and they were essentially playing with four players offensively.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, the two plus two equals four throughout the playoffs. Is Halliburton scoring more than 20 points? Indiana wins every time, scores more than 20. If you score four, you know you're probably not going to win. I assume Oklahoma City is going to win. And I also have thought they were the best team all year. Indiana. From January 1st on, Indiana was great and they were the second best team. But the best team, right, Tim, was Oklahoma City. They're the best team.

[Michael]

Yeah, they've been the best team. And it's not really even close in this league because I think, you know, Boston and Cleveland were the other two teams that you looked at in the regular season and especially Cleveland. They had an Incredible year. Had 3 double digit winning streaks like in the same season. It just doesn't happen. Those are the other teams. But when you really looked at the totality of their season and the consistency, it was Oklahoma City. They were the best team in the NBA. They have been all year. They've been historically great defensively. You expected them to win the series and it's, it's been a very competitive series. But now we're at the point, you know, can Indiana find a way to force a Game seven in which there's a lot of pressure at that point on the home team. I just don't know because I don't, I don't know what exactly it was that we were watching last night with Tyrese Halliburton, who is just their engine. He's the most important player for their team and he was a non factor, a complete non factor offensively. So we have to see. He's got, you know, a couple of days to try to get better. Almost three full days. See. But they could force a Game seven if he's, if he looks more normal. But at the end of the day, Oklahoma City was clearly the best team in the NBA and they will get a seventh game on their court if that's the case, where they only lost six games all year in the regular season.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I mean, I know that Indiana has beaten them in Oklahoma City in the playoffs and Oklahoma City has beaten Indiana in Indiana in the playoffs? Yeah, in the finals. I don't know how many you get. I don't know how many road wins you get. I think you get one. I don't think you get to.

[Michael]

I'm with you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't think you get to.

[Michael]

Yeah, I kind of expected Indiana. Listen, Indiana stole game one. They were down. They were now 15 points with nine minutes to go, and they won that game. And they sent everybody out of that building that night in a complete state of shock that that had just happened. So they got their road win, and now they went to Indiana. I thought they'd split, and they did. And then I said, going into game five, your teams win. Now the home team wins out. That's. That's how I felt like everybody at home now will hold home court, which means OKC will win this in seven games. But I didn't. I didn't say that. Anticipating to see Halliburton look the way he did last.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, that's a different. That. I mean, he's the most important guy. Let me. Let me broaden this out a little bit.

[Buster Olney]

Bit.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I read with some concern that Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart seemed, if not angry, chagrined that the Knicks fired Thibodeau. They said, hey, guy was good. What are the Knicks doing? What are they doing? And what does it mean that these two players said, what are you people doing?

[Michael]

Yeah, well, first of all, nobody knows what they're doing. I was shocked when it happened. I disagreed with it. And I thought, well, then they have to have the next guy picked out and it's all worked out. Yes, it's going to be. They're going to name a guy.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They're going to announce him in 24 hours. Yes.

[Michael]

Right. Yeah, because that's what you do in that situation. They just had the best season in 25 years, and they fired the coach. You know, the NBA's got a problem with, with some of this because your job is head coaches to win. The guy won Morgan, you know, at a higher level than any coach that had been there in 25 years. They got to the conference finals, and he still got fired. You know, Michael Malone won a championship three years ago. Fired, like, with like, a handful of games left in the regular season. Taylor Jenkins is generally regarded as one of the better and young, bright minds in the. In the league. Fired with like, you know, seven games to go. So. And had a team that was stuck in the west for a large part of the year. So it's crazy what's going on. But the Knicks, I don't know what they're doing. I don't think they do. And the problem they have now is so much has gotten out of the people they want to talk to that they're not allowed to talk to, that by the time they have a press conference, they're going to stand up there and tell you that the seventh name that came up is the guy they wanted all along. So that's, that's a tough press conference when you try to do that, but that's where they're at.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's very weird. It's very weird. And I thought it was meaningful that Brunson and Hart both back Thibodeau. I did. I mean, they don't have.

[Michael]

Well, and I'll tell you this, I'll tell you this, like, if that's the case, if that's really true, then I think it must have been a complete shock because normally those kind of conversations are had with the star players. Not necessarily, you know, heart, but Jalen Brunson is probably going to get that call. Yeah, we're thinking about making a change. And if you really feel that way, you will vociferously defend your guy and try to keep his job. You know, Jokic didn't do that from alone. I thought that was very telling because he did get the call and he basically was like, yeah, they didn't ask me. They just told me they were going to bet they were going to do that. And I'm telling you, in that situation, with a handful of games left in the regular season, if, if the three time MVP and the guy that's generally regarded as the best player in the league said, absolutely not, you're not firing him. They wouldn't have fired.

[Tony Kornheiser]

100%.

[Michael]

100% told me that Jokic didn't go.

[Tony Kornheiser]

To bat for him. No.

[Michael]

And reason.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Antetokounmpo fired three guys already, you know. Yeah, you have to.

[Michael]

And LeBron's done it, you know, throughout eight guys. Yeah, they have the power they have now. I don't know about Brunson, like, did he get the call or not? It's by him saying that, it makes it seem like he really was caught off guard, like he didn't see it coming at all. And he found out what everybody else did, which is bizarre to me because I think he's achieved that status in the league, that he deserves some input in that conversation. It doesn't mean you have to listen to the player, but you at least should talk to a guy on that level.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I think I agree with that. I'll get you out of here on this. The most warming moment in basketball in the last year and a half or so was the Olympics, in which the three old guys, Durant and Curry and LeBron, were great. They were simply great. They beat the world. They got the gold medals. It was a lovely, lovely moment. Two of those guys seem content with their lives, Curry and LeBron. I mean, maybe not content, but they. They sort of. They're not looking to move. Kevin Durant is so miserable. He's been miserable for years. He's miserable again now. He's trying to orchestrate where he ends up for however many years he has left. Where do you think he will end up? And is he worth it?

[Michael]

Wow. I think in this. In the. In a particular setting, at this stage of his career, I think it probably still would be worth it to the organization that brings him in, because I still think he's. He's like that talented of a scorer. He's got to have a certain infrastructure around him, and it can be most of his show and. And have a great defensive team around him. And I think. I think it can work. At this point, though, to your point, I'm not sure who Kevin Durant respects anymore. Like, I don't know. Who does he think is a good coach? Who does he think is a worthy co star? Like, I don't know anymore. And I think going back to that. That fateful decision that he made, and it led to him getting two championships and two finals MVPs. I think everything in terms of how he's perceived changed that day. He decided to go to Golden State. And I think if he stayed in Oklahoma City his entire career, number one, there's no telling. Maybe he would have broken through, won a title as clearly the best player there if he had stayed. I mean, they were already very close. The warriors were kind of in their way, but who knows who Oklahoma City could have added and put a team around him. Maybe he does get it done there. I just think people would have respected it more. Now he goes to Golden State. Right off the bat, you join the best team in the league. You join a team that was practically unbeatable. Now you make them unbeatable. And he almost seemed bored.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Michael]

Winning two titles. And since that point, it's just been looking at. Constantly looking at where. Where's the grass greener for me? And at some point, it just. If you keep chasing it over and over and over, I think people sort of tune it out. They're not interested anymore. And I think that's kind of what people are feeling a little bit about Kevin Rant right now. They're not as interested as they were in Kevin Durant or where he ends up because this has gone on too long. But. But to answer your question, does he still make that kind of a difference? I still think he's that good of a player. If he went to a place that was a great defensive team with a coach he respected. I still think he could be a difference maker in that regard, but I think most people have lost interest.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I know I have, and I think he's a fabulous talent, but he just. He just never seems happy. He just doesn't seem happy. Thank you, Tim, as always. Thank you.

[Michael]

You got it, Tony.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Tim Legler, boys and girls. We will come back with email and jingle. I am Tony Kornheiser, pro baller. Lonzo Ball for buzzballs Ready to go. Cocktails take 12.

[Buster Olney]

Buzz balls just dropped their biggest blue balls.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Script says biggies blue balls. Lonzo take 13. Blue balls just dropped their biggest buzz balls. Uh, let's try a vocal exercise. Buzz balls. Biggies. Blue balls. Buzz balls. Biggies. Blue balls. Big ball. Get blue balls this season with Buzzball, please.

[Buster Olney]

You're responsibly. Buzzball's available in spirit, wine and malt, 15% alcohol by volume.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Buzz Balls, LLC.

[Buster Olney]

Carrollton, Texas.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is the Tony Korne. There are at least three distinct instruments in that by Ian Warrington playing them all, who plays them all and is an emergency room doctor. That's a medical degree. Pretty good for him. Do you want to do the Bethesda bagel ad, please?

[Tim Legler]

Yes. Bethesda bagels, we love them. You will as well. Just go to BethesdaBaggles.com for the location in the DC area nearest you. Then pop it in and you'll be thrilled.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Before we get to the mailbag, let me just say. Standing on a mountain Looking down on a city the way I feel is a doggone pity Teardrops falling down a mountainside Many times I've been here Many times I cried we used to be so happy when we were in love High on a mountain of love. Johnny Rivers does that song. It's not his original song. It's a great, great version. Yes. Thanks to our guests today, Buster only and Tim Legler. Thanks as well to today's sponsors. Remember, you can listen to us on Apple podcasts, Spotify and WA to see if gets you through Apple. Please leave a review. Here's a haiku from our friend Neil Ayervase in Littleton, Colorado, who I'm sure roots for the Rockies. And he writes having watched another brilliant Finnegan meltdown to the soon to be relegated Rockies. With apologies to Chad and sympathies from the Rocky Mountains, a haiku from for Finnegan again, Finnegan stinks. Exposed by history's worst team, Tony's wailing goes unheard from Samuel Plazak in Savannah, Georgia. Let me get this straight. Toronto is in the Midwest. Wilbon is setting Uncle Tony straight on the meaning of north versus South. What are we even doing out here, man? Tommy Greenless in Walnut Creek, Colorado, north of 0. South of 0. Can you consult with with Wilbourn as to what would be considered the Midwest of zero? Yeah, I mean I obviously was wrong. I mean, north of zero meant there was a chance, as we have seen. Yeah, I was wrong on that. From Dan Byrne it's really cool that Marc Maron will play Chuck Plotkin in the Springsteen movie. Chuck didn't did produce my first record and two others as well. It was always a thrill to be in the studio with him. He had so many great stories about Dylan and about Bruce. Mostly has a great sensibility and a great earth. He's the smartest person I've ever known. The music business. I learned so much from him.

[Tim Legler]

Isn't that great?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Dan Byrne, Isn't that nice? Ryan Grove, Falling Waters, West Virginia I can hear the Dan Byrne cover song now for Mr. Tony there's a world where I can go and tell my secrets too on my pod. On my pod. Love this show. Love the music of Brian Wilson from Kevin Elgin I have a question concerning golf course etiquette. For Father's Day, I simply ask that My wife and two children, daughters 8 and 11, accompanied me to our local country course. This is something I've asked for for years and was thrilled to have this as a gift. I've taken each daughter a few times and we rarely make it through nine holes. We were in Tennessee, it was hot and muggy. The kids lasted three to four holes. My wife quit after five, and on six it was clear we were approaching a large group. I was happy to have the time with the family and decided it was about time to call it a day. We approached the group that was finishing teeing off and I mentioned that we were calling it a day and asked that we simply pass them and leave. The younger couple didn't seem to mind at all. One older gentleman seemed to be a little offended that we were passing them. He didn't say anything, but he certainly gave me a scowl. We passed them and got out of there anyway. Did we do anything appropriate? Inappropriate?

[Buster Olney]

No, not at all. This is the problem with golf. Open more doors. In this instance, I don't think you need to even say anything to the group if you have no intention to play. Just give them the very polite golf wave. And if there's a cart path, make it very visible that you are heading in. Yeah, but always bring an activity for the kids. Bring a book. Bring something so they can go explore the, you know, the rough and the woods around there. Bring like a magnifying glass.

[Tony Kornheiser]

See deer?

[Michael]

There's deer.

[Tim Legler]

Yeah.

[Buster Olney]

Track some birds.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Bob Guberman Falls Church, Virginia Listening to one of your recent podcasts discussing the US Open and Oakmont Country Club I had the pleasure of playing Oakmont sort of in the late 60s. I was working for a big Pittsburgh based company. They had a weekly golf league that, despite being a terrible golfer, I joined as a way of socializing with my co workers. The league played once a week after work at the public Oakmont East Golf Course. This course is right next to the Oakmont Country Club Country Club Course. The first hole of the public course ran right next to the private course. A line of trees along the fairway separated in two courses. As I often did, I sharply hooked my tee shot through the woods and on to Oakmont. I went to retrieve my ball and thinking there was no one playing the hole on the course, I defiantly chipped my golf ball ball onto the Oakmont green and proceeded to putt out. I then discovered that hidden from my initial view stood an Oakmont member foursome staring at me in astonishment. I would concur in astonishment, yes. I sheepishly smiled and waved and then returned through the trees back onto the public course. So I always say I played Oakmont. Just omitting any details, I also attended the final day of the 1973 U.S. open and parked in what was the Oakmont east course that had been purchased by Oakmont to use as a parking facility. The day was electric, with Johnny Miller going out fairly early, shooting a 63 to surge into the lead. All the best golfers Weiskopf, Nicklaus, Palmer, Trevino win contention on the back nine, but none of them would catch Miller. That day hooked me on Golf Forever. This is from we have long ones here. A couple of Sarge from D.C. on New Hampshire Avenue who says Ward 4 is the best. Ward okay. I'm a longtime listener but never had a good reason to write until now. No David Aldrich moment. No run ins with any bigs at Calvert Woodley or the Refugee Safeway? No insane number of kitchen outlets nor siblings to compete. Today, however, I'm writing to recount the tale of how I secured an epic Father's Day gift that was entirely thanks to your show. A few weeks back, the lady to whom I'm related by marriage attended a charity auction for Project Hope that was held at Congressional Country Club. She returned home late that evening, bursting through the door with a kind of triumphant energy reserved for a walk off game week. I've done it. She exclaimed. I won you the best Father's Day present ever. My mind raced. I guessed aloud a new set of clubs around with a club pro, a rare bottle of bourbon. Speaking of which, if we want to get Big Nose Kate, send it. No, she said. It was something far more desirable. She explained that she had put in a fairly low bid and somehow still won a luncheon with an old baseball writer that's been featured on espn. Perhaps it was the bubbly she drank at this event, or the late hours she arrived home, but my wife couldn't quite remember his name. She was only certain she had heard him on that Kornheiser podcast I was listening to a few days earlier from the May 15 episode. Pretty sure his name is Jim Kirkjum, she said, beaming with pride. A light bulb went off. Do you mean Tim Kirkjin? I asked gleefully. Yeah, that's the old guy, she said. So, thanks to my wonderful wife's generosity and our dearly impeccable memory, I am now the proud winner of a luncheon with a legendary Big. The prize lets me bring a few guests along, and my 10 year old son Kieran had the brilliant idea of extending an invitation to you. Having listened to the show before, I suspect you'll immediately decline. If so, please feel free to pass the invite along to the other Bigs. Except Saliza, of course. He can eat it, just not at this luncheon. Next time Tim's on the show, you can ask him what pressing matters of baseball we dove into, like box office trade deals or robot umpires, or what classic tales of encounters with past legends like Ricky Henderson and Charlie Hussle that he's regaled us with over appetizers, or even what information for life he shared with us Littles. Of course, you'll already know if you choose to join us. Thank you for the many decades of laughter and entertainment, and most recently, for inadvertently leading the woman to whom I'm related by marriage to stumble upon the greatest Father's Day gift a guy could ask for and shout out to fellow Terp and longtime listener Louis Berlin. Isn't that nice? It is nice. Saj from DC Jim Kirchen Jim Jim Kurdjam Kircham Shan Nichols Shannimal. He's called the Shannon Shannimal from Ponte Vedra, Florida. I currently find myself on the Norwegian Prima cruising between Iceland and Norway with a woman I'm related to by marriage. I know you have an aversion to water based travel, but our stateroom is a two bathrobe situation and the bars on board all have Johnnie Walker Blue, so perhaps you'll find it acceptable. Needless to say, my request for the DJ to play Norwegian Saw Kitten here in Alison was met with nothing but a blank stare. I haven't been able to listen to the podcast in the past few days, so I'm not up to speed on what we're over sharing with you currently. In that absence of information, I'll just say I wear a size 15 wide Hoka Gaviota for support and cushioning. Isn't that nice? Cameron Finnis in Louisville, Kentucky if this is the new game, count me in. As a craft brewer, my funky Cornheiser would be a refreshing cream ale brewed with flaked corn and some Cara Cara Orange. I'll pass it along to the sales weasels, but I'm pretty sure they're going to ask who's Tony Kornheiser? Matt from Alexandria, Virginia. I'm sure you'll get a few of these, but the correct pronunciation of Arvada is like Nevada. Nevada with a short A qualifications. Born and raised in Arvada for my first 18 years before bouncing around to Colorado College and then CU Boulder for my PhD. P.S. please say a hearty lecheserie to Noah Petro. We both work at NASA.

[Tim Legler]

Oh, how about that?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Much, much more important there than I am. So it's Arvada and Matt is now living in this area, obviously. Love that. From Jolene Wojcick, our great friend from Grand Island, Nebraska. Picked up a Johnny O shirt and some Leopold and had some Leopold shipped in from Savannah for my husband for Father's Day. Two of your favorites made the cut. He's lucky to be the recipient. I mean, assuming I don't eat half the ice cream first. It's really good. And Rocky Rakovic, who we love from Jersey City. Mr. Tony, the best column I've read this year was listening to your celebration of Brian Wilson. That's kind, Rocky. I appreciate that. If you're out on your bike tonight, Everyone as always to wear what?

[Michael]

Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, Saturday.

[Nigel]

What.

[F]

Are we doing in the summer? I just having fun.

[Tony Kornheiser]

What are we.

[F]

Doing in the summer? All summer long we're staying out on.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The night time.

[F]

Just riding fast, rolling out in the breeze It's a blast give me, give me more sunlight then I can take well I've been out in the daylight.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Just taking the kiss.

[F]

I just making the breaks and then you dance and then you shake your whole body is the way.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And then.

[F]

You swim and then you slide and you can feel it way down the inside.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Side.

[F]

What are we doing in the summer? Just having fun what are we doing in the summer? All summer long and it's a cool mountain water running up and down your Young girl in the window Passing street corners which have no name Young kid in a playground running in the street it's such a shame oh such a shame Even I gotta watch you smile and grin with that all the woman got to hear you laughing Same with that all the woman got to be so nice and nice to that all the woman. Well I know you sneak at night with that other woman Pretend to be so good to me leaving me so lonely I got myself a house that's not at all with that other woman. What the heck?

[Tony Kornheiser]

She's just my really good friend from war babe, you know that.

[F]

So I'm not so good and I'm not gonna lie to that otherwoma. How can you say that it's all right with that other woman But I ain't gonna play no second string to that other woman Won't pick the flowers that you bring that other woman gonna paint the town tonight Find a girl that doesn't it right Love a good life you could never do with that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm gonna just. Is this about that photo of us at yoga class? That was just a joke.

[F]

Oh, who cares? Let's rock and roll.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I suppose this means I'm not allowed to have a close female friend.

[Buster Olney]

I think you're just jealous because I'm.

[Tony Kornheiser]

A bestie and you don't. Oh, and I am so sorry, but yes, it is normal to have sleepovers at my age.

[F]

Well, you. You can take this song and sing it to that other woman. Take goodbye note and bring it to that other woman. Let her know she'll always be just another woman that should do the thing you done to me to that other woman. What goes around and comes around they say it is true. In that case baby I'd hate to see what's coming around you your suspicions.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Are simply unfounded and frankly, very immature.

[F]

All the woman of the woman of the woman. I'm going back to my mother's place.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, I hope you don't accuse her of having an affair with her friend.

[F]

The in your face. That of all you. You got to be nuts.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, you're the one who's crazy. Oh, the. No. Okay, it's true.