“Bunker trouble…again”

Summary

The Tony Kornheiser Show

Episode: “Bunker trouble…again”

Date: September 29, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode of "The Tony Kornheiser Show" captures Tony's signature blend of insightful sports commentary, humor, and conversational energy. Tony is joined by co-hosts and regular guests Michael Wilbon and Barry Zverluga for a wide-ranging conversation dominated by a dramatic weekend in sports: college football, the NFL, the thrilling Ryder Cup at Bethpage, and Major League Baseball’s playoff race. The hosts highlight on-field action, managerial missteps, the culture around major sporting events, and sprinkle in memorable anecdotes.

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Main Themes & Key Discussion Points

1. College Football: Big Games, Big Gaffes

• Penn State vs. Oregon:
  • Debate over Penn State’s ability to win "the big ones" and criticism of coach James Franklin's poor record against top-10 teams.
  • Lighthearted banter on game-day attire at Penn State’s iconic ‘White Out,’ with Nigel donning an all-white suit, drawing Fleetwood Mac comparisons.
• Other Key College Games:
  • Surprising results: Ole Miss beat LSU, Alabama upset Georgia.
  • Disagreements and predictions gone awry: Booger McFarland predicted the Alabama win, which stunned Tony and Wilbon.
  • Discussion of Lane Kiffin’s transformation into a serious SEC coach.

Tony Kornheiser [01:23]: "James Franklin's not your man. He's just not. Not right now."
Michael Wilbon [23:17]: "Lane Kiffin, he's turned into a really good coach."

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2. Ryder Cup Drama at Bethpage: Athletic Heroics & Ugly Crowds

• Match Highlights & American Comeback:
  • A weekend that brought dramatic reversals, especially in the singles matches, with clutch putts from Cam Young and Justin Thomas.
  • Americans nearly staged the greatest comeback in Ryder Cup history, only to fall short due to key misses and European clutch performances.
• Captain’s Decisions Under Scrutiny:
  • Keegan Bradley’s controversial player pairings and rookie lineup strategy under question.
• Crowd Culture & Nationalism:
  • Extensive reflection on the hostile and vulgar crowd behavior, particularly targeting Rory McIlroy.
  • Both Tony and Barry attribute some responsibility to the PGA for “ginning up” nationalism and not enforcing decorum.
• The Half-Point Rule & Ryder Cup Structure:
  • Disagreement over the rule awarding both teams half a point when a player can't play, potentially impacting the outcome.
• Contrast in Team Chemistry:
  • The singular nature of American golf vs. the collective European team culture; American struggles in team formats highlighted by poor records in paired matches.

Barry Zverluga [06:52]: “That’s one of the great things about the Sunday singles. Big wild swings… at the end it sort of ends where math said it was.”
Tony Kornheiser [14:27]: “How were you out of the bunkers yesterday?”
Tony Kornheiser [39:01]: "I think the PGA has some responsibility in that for ginning this thing up. I do."
Michael Wilbon [43:20]: “There’s a level of decorum I think, you expect in golf, but really, this was a level of decorum that you expect in humanity.”

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3. Major League Baseball: Playoff Push & Disappointments

• Nail-Biter Finishes:
  • Cincinnati’s fall, aided by the Marlins knocking the Mets out.
  • The Mets and Tigers both endured epic collapses; Tigers salvaged their season, Mets did not.
• Washington Nationals' Dismal Finale:
  • Nats lost in style to the White Sox; Bob Carpenter honored upon retiring as team announcer.
• Chicago Cubs & Padres Preview:
  • Wilbon conflicted as Cubs face the deeper Padres lineup in the playoffs – Cubs’ rookie ace Cade Horton sidelined with broken ribs, impacting pitching strategy.
• Critique of MLB’s Playoff Scheduling:
  • Long layoffs for division winners seen as detrimental to rhythm in an "everyday sport."
• Team Needs & Disappointments:
  • Nationals' lack of a ‘scary’ bat and lineup woes.
  • Eyeroll at the highest payroll Mets failing to deliver.

Tony Kornheiser [09:27]: “Most expensive team ever. And they’re out. That’s unbelievable.”
Michael Wilbon [29:20]: “That lineup… they’re loaded every day. They got nine dudes in that lineup.”

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4. NFL Roundup: Surprises, Slumps & Standouts

• Wild Results:
  • Dallas-Green Bay game deemed entertaining, but its true import is questioned.
  • Baltimore’s troubles continue: Lamar Jackson’s magic has faded, team looks vulnerable after a third loss to a top team and Jackson’s injury.
  • Giants- Chargers result seen as shocking.
  • Standout quarterback play: Dak Prescott praised, Chargers’ and Packers’ credibility called into doubt.
• Brief NHL Mention:
  • Tony quickly dismisses preseason NHL talk—“No, I don’t care.” [14:27]

Michael Wilbon [25:22]: “Dak Prescott’s playing at as good a level as any quarterback in the NFL right now. It doesn’t really matter as much because he doesn’t have a full team.” Tony Kornheiser [27:32]: “Maybe the Chargers and the Packers aren’t quite as good as we thought they were.”

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5. Tony’s Golf Game & Anecdotes: "Bunker trouble…again"

• Self-deprecating Humor:
  • Tony laments a disastrous personal round: "I shot at least 110" due to bunker woes, despite pro advice and caddying from "John."
  • Light, relatable moments about aging and diminishing golf ability.

Tony Kornheiser [14:30]: “So much worse. If I kept an accurate score, I shot at least 110… Four shots in two different bunkers. I could not get out.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Crowd Behavior at the Ryder Cup:

  “The crowds were awful all week, just unspeakably awful.” — Barry Zverluga [38:53]
  “Vulgar. It’s awful.” — Tony Kornheiser [39:30]

• On Camaraderie and Singles Success in the Ryder Cup:

  “The Americans roared back once none of them had to play with each other.” — Barry Zverluga [48:32]

• On MLB’s Playoff Layout:

  “Baseball is an everyday sport. I don’t want to sit out for five days.” — Tony Kornheiser [31:28]

• On Sports as Life’s Rhythm:

  “It’s as great a weekend as you can possibly get. Football, baseball and golf—it’s got everything.” — Michael Wilbon [21:21]

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Timestamped Highlights

| Timestamp | Segment | Details | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:23 | Penn State’s “Big Game” Woes | Tony questions Franklin’s future; Penn State fans should be “very afraid.” | | 03:00 | College Football Weekend Recap | Alabama stuns Georgia; debate over who saw it coming. | | 03:58 | Ryder Cup Drama | Hope for a U.S. comeback as singles matches heat up. | | 06:52 | Baseball’s Playoff Finish | Mets’ collapse, Marlins’ role discussed. | | 14:27 | Tony’s Golf Game | Humorous recounting of bunker disasters. | | 18:52 | Wilbon’s Multi-Screen Sports Sunday | Why Ryder Cup overtook football viewing for both Tony and Wilbon. | | 22:04 | NFL Surprises | Wilbon gives Booger credit for Alabama/Georgia prediction; new QB standouts discussed. | | 27:32 | Lamar Jackson’s Fading Magic | Ravens’ outlook grim according to hosts. | | 29:20 | MLB Playoff Preview: Cubs vs Padres | Cubs’ pitching setback, Padres’ depth discussed; MLB’s off-days criticized. | | 37:57 | Ryder Cup Atmosphere at 18th Hole (Barry) | “It was awesome... unexpected drama.” | | 43:20 | Blaming the PGA for Fan Decorum | Reflection on how the event was promoted—and what could have been done. | | 45:46 | U.S. Ryder Cup Captaincy Decisions | Keegan Bradley’s “plan” inflexibility questioned. |

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Flow & Tone

The episode maintains Tony’s signature blend of dry wit and sharp critique. Banter with Wilbon and Zverluga feels warm but challenging, marked by long-term friendship and mutual respect. The tone is conversational yet full of passionate opinions, especially as the hosts dig into management philosophies and sports culture debates.

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Summary

This episode offers a lively, honest, and multifaceted survey of a packed sports weekend. Both sports diehards and casual fans will appreciate the engaging breakdowns, no-nonsense opinions, and the recurring humor—whether lamenting the state of the Washington Nationals or the hazards of a sand trap. The show provides not just analysis, but insight into how sports events and their culture reflect broader themes of leadership, community, and even personal aging.

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**For a full experience, listen to:

• [03:58] for the Ryder Cup play-by-play
• [14:30] for Tony’s golf fail confession
• [25:22] for in-depth NFL quarterback debate
• [37:57] for on-the-ground Ryder Cup color**

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Quintessential Tony: "Should be afraid. Should be very afraid in the Big Ten." [01:23]

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey, it's Tony. On today's show we'll have Michael Wilbon on to talk about what a big weekend it was in the world of sports with college and pro football, the Ryder cup and the end of the regular season in baseball. And we'll talk with Barry Zverluga some more about what happened at Beth Page over the weekend because he was there for every single shot. But first, commerce at designer Shoe Warehouse.

[Barry Zverluga]

We believe that shoes are an important.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Part of, well, everything from first steps to first dates, from all nighters to all time personal bests, from building pillow forts to building a life for all the big and small moments that make up your whole world. DSW is there and we've got just the shoes. Find a shoe for every you from brands you love at brag worthy prices at your DSW store or dsw.com previously on the Tony Kornheiser Show. All right, that's the over on that. And there's a big college game. Penn State, Oregon. Are you involved in that?

[Michael Wilbon]

There is a big college game.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Just one of the best college cards I've seen in the history of September. I'm taking the Nittany Lions at home in the White House.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You're not afraid that they lose every big game they play?

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

You're not afraid? I am afraid to be an idiot. To take State in a game.

[Michael Wilbon]

To not be afraid.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The Tony Kornheiser show is on now. Should be afraid. Should be very afraid in the Big Ten. James. James Franklin, who's only coached in the Big Ten with Penn State is 4:21 now against top 10 teams. 4:21. Come on. He was 7:3 in wideouts. Now he's 7:4. They don't win big games. If you have any affiliation with Penn State and you want to try to win a national championship in the way that Joe Paterno did. James Franklin's not your man. He's just not. Not right now. Doesn't appear to be. No, not right now. I don't know.

[Barry Zverluga]

421 gets you a batting title, doesn't it?

[Tony Kornheiser]

421 gets you bat. It gets you Rogers Hornsby. 4 and 20. Blackbirds, you know, break them in a pie. Yeah, yeah. We happen to know somebody who went to that game. Nigel went to that game. I did. Because you got a pal whose kid goes to Penn State. Yeah, it turns out a couple friends had kids there. So it must have been exciting situation. Walking into what? Once you get inside the stadium, first half of the game, what'd you wear Three. Three. Oh, I. I wore an all white suit, three piece and a vest. Yeah. Eventually I thought people gonna think I was in Fleetwood Mac as I walked around, but appeared I was a bit overdressed for the occasion, but it was great fun. People respected are like, oh, look at that. That's great. But yeah, it was very exciting. I mean, you walk in 107,000 people all dressed in white. There's very sliver, you know, slim sliver of green up in one section of the stands.

[Barry Zverluga]

For the vest did complete the outfit.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The vest really brought it together. Yes, it did. Even if it was a bit snug on me. Not Indochino.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

A whole.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's just lovely. It's a great sports weekend. There was great college football. That game, which wasn't a great game. It wasn't a great game. But Ole Miss went out and beat LSU at Ole Miss and Alabama went to Georgia and beat Georgia.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Who saw that coming? Booger McFarlane saw that coming. I didn't see that coming. Certainly Wilbon didn't see that coming. So that was great. Then you have the pros on Sunday and you have the finals in baseball now. All set. You had two races go right down to the wire on Sunday. And then you had the Ryder cup, which turned out to be, by Sunday, relatively late in the game as the singles matches were finishing. Possibly the greatest, you know, comeback in the history of sports. Two wonderful moments early on the 18th hole, like no other match had gone to 18 the first two days it didn't seem. And now every one of the one.

[Barry Zverluga]

Or two of the four balls did.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, every single thing was going to 18 in the singles, which was unusual. And the United States had to win virtually all the singles, almost all the singles. And the way it started out led you to believe, well, they. They've actually got a chance here. So he's saying we got a chance because Justin Rose was tied with Cam Young. Cam Young should have played every match, single match.

[Barry Zverluga]

Cam Young, who won a state open.

[Tony Kornheiser]

On said golf course, won three different titles on that golf course. And for some reason, Keegan Bradley, who also competed on that golf course when he went to St. John's didn't think that was enough to put Cam Young in in the opening matches. He should have. Cam Young was really good.

[Barry Zverluga]

Let's put the shortest hitter on the team out there with the number one player in the world.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, right, right, right. So Cam Young hits a birdie, wins the match. It's tied at 18, hits a birdie, wins the match. Then two minutes later, Justin Thomas is playing. Tommy Fleetwood hits a birdie on 18, wins the match. Then you look at the scoreboard, it's all red except for maybe one blue thing. Blue is Europe. Oberg is the only one who seems to be winning.

[Barry Zverluga]

And you see one mysterious half at the end of the board.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. And you say to yourself, wow, they have a chance here. It didn't happen because Shane Lowry was clutch. And it's the math of what it.

[Barry Zverluga]

Takes to retain the cup versus.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Actually, that's right. You don't have to, you don't have to have more points. One of the great advantages of winning the cup is you can retain it with a tie. You know, you don't have to have the extra half point or the extra point.

[Barry Zverluga]

And with that big of a deficit, you need outright wins versus halves. And the US team had a chance. There's a lot of red. They could, yes, leapfrog a lot of points. But ultimately there weren't enough matches left.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Russell Henley had it was in a position on 18. He was up one on 18. Well, this is after.

[Barry Zverluga]

On 16. He has to make about a 12 footer to match Lowry's, what's going to be about a three footer for birdie and keep that match at one up. They go to 17. Lowry hits a indifferent shot that gets farther and farther, but he's able to make a really good two putt. And Henley has a chance to make about an what feels like an inside 10 foot putt for birding to close it out.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Doesn't hit the hole, goes to 18. Doesn't hit the hole, then goes to 18. And this is sort of the luck of golf. They both hit shots, very similar shots. Henley's is two feet behind Lowry. So Lowry gets to see what happens with Henley's putt. Henley misses the putt, Lowry makes the putt, that's the end of the game. And Lowry, very, very demonstrative, very happy. Said later it's greatest thrill of his life. He won the British Open. He's from Ireland. He won the British Open. And he said this was the greatest thrill of his life. So that was, that was great fun to watch it. You know, it didn't appear on SportsCenter this morning, but it was, it was great.

[Barry Zverluga]

That's one of the great things on the end of the Sunday singles. It happens so quickly. There are these big wild swings. But at the end it sort of end where the math said it was.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Did you like the Ryder Cup?

[Barry Zverluga]

I actually, I hated it. I hated it. From the start. And a lot of this I think because it became so close, there's not going to be the, the critical eye on captain Keegan's choices early. Statistically, if you win the first session, you go on to win the Ryder Cup. It's one reason why you wanted to put the rah rah team of Bryson Dechambeau with Justin Thomas.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And they opened up.

[Barry Zverluga]

It ended up being the wrong pairing because Thomas was not playing well. But I respect the decision. But then you put out Henley and Scotty Scheffler again, people were questioning the pairing. Why would you put the shortest hitter on the team onto that pairing? Why don't you save him for a four ball match later where he can play his own ball and he knows how to play a course like that by himself. And then statistically the worst possible pairing game in Colin Morikawa and Harris English and would you put him out once? Let's run him back on day two.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And they lost both times. They lost both times.

[Barry Zverluga]

The European team has tested partnerships and you can move people in and out to try and give them whatever rest you can. And they know how to pick the other player up. The Americans did not make any birdie putts on the first two days that you really thought they should have. And you get to a point where you can't have that comeback on Sunday because it's just too big of a gap.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So we will talk to both Wilbond and Verluga about that.

[Barry Zverluga]

Barry was there, the core setup. There was no possible American advantage to that. It was a birdie fest. There was no rough to speak of. Even the European side was surprised by this. And you, and you're going back 20, 30 years as to, well, the Americans like to hit it long and the rough doesn't matter. And now you look at players like Rory McIlroy and Ludwig Oberg who are the longest hitters on the tour. Yes, Sebstraka, there's nothing that became a pitch and putt for them.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it was easy. The course was easy. The way it was set up. And Keegan Bradley, I think. I also think a mistake was made. This is just judgment. He sat out all the four rookies in the first session. Now if you go up for nothing, there's no pressure on them in the afternoon, but you're down 3:1 and they all come out to play and they haven't played before ever in the Ryder Cup. That, that's a pressurized situation. Baseball. Cincinnati loses, but so do the Mets. Yeah, so the Mets shut out they're done. They're out.

[Barry Zverluga]

So, Cincinnati, thank you to the Marlins.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, the Marlins.

[Barry Zverluga]

That was a big game one.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That was their World Series right there. Yeah. Sandy Alcantara, give me the ball. Beat him. Yeah. The Mets lost two out of three in Fishland. Two out of three and they're out. Most expensive team ever. And they're out. That's unbelievable.

[Barry Zverluga]

Eight and a half lead to get a playoff spot as of June 22nd.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, that's nowhere close to the lead the Tigers had over Cleveland on July 9th. Fourteen and a half. Yeah. They collapsed as well, but made the playoffs and now get to play Cleveland. Right? Yeah. In what feels like a very regional home, home, home. It feels like at this point, this doesn't. You know, there's reason to watch that. You just saw that. I don't know that you have to watch that. Cincinnati gets the Dodgers. I think the Dodgers are the best team out there. That's just me. And I think it's sort of sad for viewers that if the Dodgers win, they play the Phillies in the next round. Whereas I don't think. I don't think the Brewers. I know they have a better record. I don't think the brewers are as good as either the Dodgers or the Phillies. The Gnats closed out in high style at home against the Chicago White Sox. They managed one hit. Just the one. They lost eight, nothing. They lost two out of three to the White Sox. Or did they lose three out of three, Eight nothing, one hit. James Wood struck out as many strikeouts as the law allows. A lovely moment where the players before the game tip their hats to Bob Carpenter. Bob Carpenter retiring as the lead television voice. Play by play voice after 20 years with the Nats. That was very.

[Barry Zverluga]

Give us your best. See you later.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Did the players say that? I said it on. On TV the other day. We said that. That's right. Yeah. Betrayals. Very nice. See you later. You know, lost two out of three to the whites.

[Barry Zverluga]

There's another nice moment where they.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They're gonna fire everybody.

[Barry Zverluga]

They gave Michael a standing O when, before the game, his retirement was announced.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. Michael A. Taylor, who was much like. Much like their incumbent center fielder now. Young. Jacob Young. Right. Jacob Young, who's a great fielder. Michael A. Taylor was a great fielder, but he was called Michael K. Taylor because he couldn't hit.

[Barry Zverluga]

But when he hit a ball, it went very far.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. As opposed to this guy. This guy finished the season with two home runs. They're looking at. They're looking to replace him. They want to replace Jacob Young with somebody who can hit the ball. They don't have a single. I'm sorry, don't tell me about James Wooden, his 30 home runs. They don't have a single bat that terrifies anybody. They don't. You have to have that one bat, that one hitter, you know, and they don't have that.

[Barry Zverluga]

Like a first baseman up first, Pete Alonso, maybe.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Pete Alonso would be great. That's what they need. They need one guy who scares you because they don't have that. They got a lot of guys who you think have potential, but they're batting 220 or 240 that, you know, look at the numbers. Dylan Cruz, everybody loves him. He's a 210 hitter at the moment. Two years of 210. So I don't know. I thought it was correct and appropriate not to fire everybody yesterday, but if you fire him today, it's okay with me. Yeah, all right. If you clean the house out, manager and every coach, it's okay with me. Because they didn't. Miguel Cairo didn't turn anything around. They were as bad, if not worse after he got the job than they were before. So maybe bring in James Franklin. I wouldn't bring in James Franklin. I watched sports. There's the Dallas Green Bay game, was a lovely game, but I. I don't know. I mean, I don't think it's anywhere near as significant. I think what it tells us is that Green Bay may not be as good as we thought and Dallas may not be as bad as we thought it was entertaining. I don't think it's as significant as Philadelphia beating Tampa Bay, Philadelphia staying unbeaten, beating an unbeaten team. I don't think it's as significant as Kansas City drubbing Baltimore. The Baltimore Ravens now have played three good teams. They have allowed. They had 79 points, what they allowed at Kansas City, 37. So that's 116 points. I'll get my 106 points. 116. Gary? Yeah.

[Barry Zverluga]

Oh, he's more of a division guy.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's just, you know, they're no good. They're not a playoff. They're not a Super bowl team. Baltimore Ravens, not right now. And their quarterback got hurt and the quarterback fumbled. You know, it. It's not working. I don't think that was a significant, perhaps as Jackson Dart beating the Chargers in his first start. Not so much for Jackson Dart, though. He may turn out to be great, but that the Chargers, who we thought were nobody, thought the Chargers would lose that Game, Nobody. And they lost that game. So I. To me, those are more significant results in the NFL than a tie game. You know, a tie game, I'd. You know, that's just. To me. So. Anything I'm leaving out? There was a lot of sports. That covers a lot of it. Yeah, there was a lot of sports. Oh, you wanted to talk about the NHL preseason. No, I don't. No, I don't care.

[Barry Zverluga]

How are you out of the bunkers yesterday? Better than Saturday?

[Tony Kornheiser]

So much worse.

[Barry Zverluga]

So much worse.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I shot a. If I kept an accurate score, I shot at least 110. I had four shots in two different bunkers. I could not get out. John, who was with us, who was forecasting and caddying as well, pulled you aside, John. Yeah, full time out. John really likes me. And John was a pro. John was, you know, a teaching pro. And he showed me how to get out of the bunk. I just couldn't. I'm so terrible. I was so bad. And it's like two days. I shouldn't play two days in a row at my age anymore. I was really, really bad. You know, it just like, embarrassing bad. I mean, I'm with guys I know, so it's okay, but just. It was a weak effort.

[Barry Zverluga]

I get better treatment than the. The European team by the fans up at Bethpage.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Nobody cursed at me. Not even the people I was playing with.

[Barry Zverluga]

Not even the.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Pause. Salvage it with a turkey club or anything. No, I just went home. I was just upset. Yeah. The pga. The PGA bears some responsibility in this. The pga, no oversell. Tried to gin the whole thing up as something more than just golf. The War by the Shore as having something to do with nationalism. And then they hired somebody who led the cheers of cursing Rory McElroy. Yeah, that was awful. Yeah, the emcee. That's awful. That's just. All right, let me get out of here. We'll talk to Wilbourne and Barry about that. That was just awful. Yeah. Michael Wilbon, when we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Michael Wilbon]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

And never miss a meme or milestone.

[Michael Wilbon]

All protected with end to end encryption. It's time for WhatsApp message privately with everyone.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Learn [e-mail] this episode is brought to you by State Farm. Checking off the boxes on Your to.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

And when it comes to checking off.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

Whether you prefer talking in person on.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Finding coverage that best fits your needs.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. You are listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show. This is a group called Jay J. A A Y E J is an alternative rock band from Pittsburgh formed by childhood friends Hunter Badamo and Ben Sweeheart. I hope I pronounced that correctly. They released their debut album Head to the sun in 2024. They're working on a second full length album. This is a song called Heaven and Nigel, you know a kid in the band my my friends, my best friend Digger, his son Mark Robertson is a guitarist in the band and he's the one that goes to Penn State. So I approached me and said, hey, we'd love to get some songs on the show. And they're terrific. They really are. It's called Heaven Plays in Michael Wilbon and this segment with Wilbon is brought to you by fanduel's sports book. Make every moment more as we do everything for advertisers. As Mike would understand as well, you have three or four TVs.

[Michael Wilbon]

Three.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Three. You watched. What'd you watch? You watched everything, right? You watched everything.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Yeah, well, I didn't because I didn't watch the WNBA and I had done that on Friday night and to put them on Sunday, I guess you could say it's a niche audience and they deserve Sunday programming as well. The followers of the wnba, I think that just crap. I don't think you put them on opposite everything because the audience is becoming more general. You're trying to grow it. So I didn't watch the W yesterday very much. Couple possessions. But yeah, I watched. The thing I didn't think I was going to watch that much was golf. Yeah, I just thought, you know, after Saturday's dominance, I just thought, okay, they need two wins. I'm just not going to do this. It's not that big a deal. And instead I wound up having my the large TV on the Ryder cup until 5pm which is insane.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I did. I watched so much of the Ryder cup and one of the reasons I felt I could was I didn't see that many, you know, it's week four. I didn't see that many important marquee matchups on the red zone coverage. So I went a lot to the Ryder Cup. And I texted Kelleher early in the day, like after the first, after the putt by Cam Young and then the putt by Justin Thomas, I said, we may be watching the greatest comeback in the history of sports. Because it was all red on the right side of the screen. Right.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Well, certainly of golf, I mean, certainly, certainly of golf, it was going to qualify as that. It was teetering on that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. And they were beating the big boys. They were beating the best they had.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Yeah. And it was, there was a solid 90 minutes of high drama and something that you just, I did not think would have drama. I thought the Euros would go out there and they'd get, you know, two ties and a win and be over by the fourth match. No, no, no, no. Because at five o' clock I was still locked into it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. And they, they beat Rose, they beat fleetwood, they beat McElroy. Your Northwestern boy, Matty Fitz. What happened, I mean, DeChambeau was like a train, right?

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

He birdied, he had like five birdies in a row. So it's not like Mattie Fitz played badly that half point. Mattie Fitz got wound up being pretty large at the.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yep, yep.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

So, you know, it was, you know, you had, you had the big stars in, in the game today. You had them on stage going against each other. Saturday, there had been some dust ups.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Justin Rose and DeChambeau and it was, it was amazing. So. But I was still watching football. I had one TV on Red Zone, I had one on the Commanders and one on golf. And then when 4:30 came, I had to have the Bears, but I left, I left golf on the, you know, the 85 inch TV. I left Golf on that and through the first quarter and then got to the Bears fully full attention in the second quarter. But it's as good a day, we know this about October. It's as good a day weekend as you can possibly get.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's got a football, baseball and golf. It's got everything.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

You know that going in. You know that, you know that, you know that six weeks ago. That you're going to get to the last week of September and the first week of October and you're going to get. Because next week we've got postseason baseball. Yes, that's going to be on. We got that this week, during the week. I mean, I care about it starting Tuesday, starting tomorrow.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, you are, you're hosting three games.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Yeah, yeah. Padres.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, yeah. So. Well, so let's just go sort of in order because you defied our friend Booger McFarlane.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You defied him. You said Alabama's gonna get their doors blown off.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

I thought about Booger. I should have texted him right away.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

I was in Chicago and I was out at dinner and I did not see the game, but I was looking at the score and I was like, oh, my goodness, Booger, he nailed it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He did.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

He nailed it. He killed it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

So I'll be doing a shout out to him today because that was just. I was too good to got that. And I was wrong about. I thought Oregon might comfortably beat Penn State. Did not comfortably beat him. Needed overtime.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It was. And by the way, it was like 3. 3 into the third quarter. It was like, dull. Yeah, it was dull.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Yeah. I was, you know, I was like. I said, I was out. I was at the Northwestern football game and then went out to dinner in Chicago. And so there's a lot of stuff I didn't see. I didn't see very many things in live topics at my own game. And. Wow. It just, you know, there was some. There was some good results. LSU losing a Lane Kiffin, that was. That was a fascinating.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I know you don't like Lane Kiffin. You've never liked Lane Kiffin. They're five and. Oh, I mean, his, his record there is really impressive.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Lane Kiffin, he's turned into a really good coach.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It seems that way.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

He has. He has not. Just a guy who's riding his father's coattails, which is fine, but that's what he was at one point. But that was 20 years ago. He's. Lane Kiffin is not some kid anymore. And he's got a program, not just a team. He's got a program at all this. And they're a factor because he's got that going in the sec. So that was part of the, you know, that was certainly part of the set. This stuff started Friday night, was it? No, I guess Virginia. Virginia.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I was stunned at.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

That was.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They beat him out, right. I was stunned.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Yeah. Yeah, that was that. Friday night. I lose track.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. That was Friday night.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

That was Friday night.

[Michael Wilbon]

Right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That was a stunner to me.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Virginia. That game had sauce to it Friday night and then Saturday. There's a bunch of things you could choose from.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Including Ryder cup during the day. And I, I got up and watched Ryder cup before in the Midwest with that stuff starting at 6:30 in the morning. I was able to watch almost the whole Ryder cup morning session before I even went to Northwestern. Ucla.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Now you beat ucla, right? You beat.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

I did beat ucla.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So That's.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

It was a little too tense at the end, but we won that game. And. And I'll be back in Chicago this weekend because we got a homecoming game. But, yeah, so it was the weekend. The weekend was dazzling. I mean, it's one of the great weekends. And this weekend won't have Ryder cup, but it'll have postseason baseball.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's. Yeah, it's absolutely true. So let's go through a couple of NFL things. I mean, I saw that other people are going to make the headline the Dallas Green Bay game. I don't know that I would do that. I'm not sure I would at all.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

But it was entertaining as hell.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it was.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

It was great. Was a great. And you weren't expecting that because, look, I watched Dallas in person last week. I watched Dallas, which has to be one of the worst defense, as you can see. And again, it was bad. Last night. They gave up 40 again.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And they got 40.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

They've given up 40 like, three times.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

In four weeks.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

So. So it was entertaining. You didn't think Dallas could stay with him. Dak Prescott was great. Zach Prescott's playing at as good a level as any quarterback in the NFL right now. It doesn't really matter as much because he doesn't have a full team.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Dak Prescott this year is Joe Burrow last year.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You're putting up 38, 40, 42. And you can't win. You can't win.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

He has no team. Right. He has no defense, so. But that game was worthy. Tony, that. No, I watched that game last night, and I got skin in the game. Plus, I'd seen Dallas in person last week, so I was curious about them. And then. And then I'm rooting against Green Bay as loud as I can. And that game, he and Love dueled. I think they had eight touchdowns and no interceptions in that game.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They were very good. I mean, to me, if I'm picking out a headline, I may. It is stunning to me that the Giants beat the Chargers and Jackson Dart's debut was not anywhere near the disaster I thought it would be. Not anywhere near that.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

That's right. And Jim Harbaugh's record was something like nine and two against quarterbacks.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

And Dart was. He was. He was sort of DeChambeau. Like, he was, you know, big and rugged and, you know, popping his jersey all the time.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

You know, it was. He was. I didn't watch much of that. I got an. I watched enough of it in live time to say, wow, it was a.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Really, really good debut because we had like, if you, if you do a takeaway from, from the NFL, you think to yourself, well, maybe the Chargers and the packers aren't quite as good as we thought they were. The Chargers, you can't, you cannot lose that game. And then the other thing is, and this is deep in the weeds, I understand Baltimore, I, Lamar Jackson fumbles and he gets hurt and they don't win and they fall way behind and they give up. You think Dallas gives up a lot of points, so these guys give up so many points.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

So I got it, I got one thing wrong, of course, on the Alabama, Georgia game, but I might have gotten it right about Lamar Jackson.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Because if you watch Lamar Jackson yesterday, again, it's two straight weeks. Lamar Jackson, where's, where's the magic? Escapability?

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, it's not there anymore.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

No, no, it's not. And I think that's because either he's got an injury, which now he does have an injury. Yes, we'll find out with hamstring, but I think it's because he's been hit a lot in seven years and you don't. Now, Steve Young was great talking about this thing. It doesn't matter ultimately because Lamar Jackson will be able to beat you. He can beat you. He's already been able to beat you in multiple ways. And so it won't matter if he's lost that, that particular magic. But man, that was his ace. Yeah, he could throw that card down. And if he can't do that anymore.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They don't feel like a Super bowl team. They don't?

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

No, they don't. No.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Now maybe they win the next five in a row, but they, right now they don't feel like a Super Bowl.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

They do not.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They don't.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

And so that was, you know, that was one of the many results that was either somewhere between a little surprising and very surprising to me.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Very surprising. Very surprising to me. Baseball is set. Your team is in. They get three games. You. So obviously you're going to root for the Cubs, but you have always liked the Padres. Are you conflicted on any level?

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

No, no, no, no, no, no. I know the Padres are better than the Cubs. I know that you do you think their lineup. Their lineup. Remember, people don't even realize you got like a three time batting champion in that lineup.

[Tony Kornheiser]

With a rise, arise.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Yeah, you've got to tease. You've got Cronenworth, you've got Machado. Machado, Machado. You got, I mean, you know that that lineup There, they're loaded every day. They got nine dudes in that lineup.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But you got two real good starters, right?

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

We have our best starter. It has broken ribs. Oh, best starter is the kid.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, he's. They're broken ribs.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Yeah. Because of. Because he was coughing. Because somebody else gave him a cold. True story.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And coughing broke his ribs. Cade. Cade. What's Cade's last name?

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Kate? Horton.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Horton.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

H O R T O so he's.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Not going to pitch?

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

No, he's out. He's got broken. He's cracked ribs.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, no, that's terrible.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Now. Now I. I got into a thing which, you know, people at home want to kill me anyway, because I. I had said a week ago, two weeks ago, when it was evident the Cubs were going to be in the playoffs and have these games at home, I'm like, I'm not starting Horton. I'm not starting a rookie against that lineup. I'm not doing that. I'm not putting that extra pressure on him. I'm going to start Imanaga, all right. Or I'm going to start Matthew Boyd, who was a. Who's a All Star this year. I'm going to start one of the two of them and then pitch the other one. And I'm going with Kate Horton third. And so when the, when the, when he, when they announced the ribs were cracked, I got people saying to me, well, you got your wish. Horton is not going to start one of the first two games. How happy are you now? Well, of course, I'm not happy now because he's not starting at all. And so it just. So Cub like going against this lineup, not to have your ace. I will say rookie season, it has been as good as anybody. Second half of it since a guy named Gibson.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, he's.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

How great he's been.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Been terrific since the All Star break. Absolutely terrific since the All Star back. I'm curious about this. Baseball is an everyday sport. I don't want to sit out for five days.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

That's right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, I think it's a mistake.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

I didn't want to win the division. I didn't. You know, people were going crazy. We're not going to catch Milwaukee.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's okay.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Good. Fine.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I agree.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

I'd rather play.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Me, too.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Two or three days and I know we got to take our chances with survival, but the teams that get by last year, they lost.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I. It's just. It changes the rhythm of. This is not football. It's not football. It's different.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

No, you're going to get you could get. So if that series goes three and I don't know if. I don't. I haven't looked at the bracket. I don't know if we get the brewers or.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You get the Brewers. You get the brewers because the Dodgers get the Phillies, and that's one week too early.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

I'll take the brewers, but I know the other series is too early to Yankees, Red Sox. I want to play. I don't want to. I don't want to sit around until that series cannot start any earlier than Saturday.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's. It's just sitting a week.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

If it goes Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday with.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The Padres, I think baseball has to.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Work on this day. And luckily, there's no travel. With travel, you know, you go to Milwaukee in your car. And so that series can't start any earlier than Saturday. And I guess. I guess for television, maybe it could start Sunday. That's crazy. So I want to keep playing. Now, I realize that, you know, I don't think we have much of a chance of beating the Padres, but I still rather keep playing and try to go.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I agree with that. I think it hurt. It's going to hurt the Phillies. I think it's going to hurt the Brewers. I think it's going to hurt Toronto. And who's the fourth team, the other one in the American League? Seattle. Seattle. I think it hurts Seattle. I think it hurts them. Baseball's not football. It's not. All right, I'll see you later.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Oh, just mention real quickly.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Your Mets.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. They stunt. Yeah. You know what? Just because you throw a lot of money at something doesn't mean it always works.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

They have the highest payroll.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Are they. One, the Mets and the Tigers had terrible, terrible collapses. And the Tigers salvaged it. They salvaged it. So.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right, I'll see you later.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Talk to you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Michael Wilbon, boys and girls. And this week's segment with Michael Wilbon has been brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. Make every moment more. Barry Zvaluga joins us when we return. He's in a car. I hope it works. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Barry Zverluga]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

And if you haven't made the switch.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yet, here are 15 reasons why.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Why you should. One, it's $15 a month.

[Michael Wilbon]

Two, seriously, it's $15 a month.

[Barry Zverluga]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

Four, I use it.

[Michael Wilbon]

Five, my mom uses it.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Are you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Are you playing me off?

[Michael Wilbon]

That's what's happening, right? Okay, give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront.

[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Tap the banner to learn more.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show Once again. This this is Jay J A A Y E. This is called One with you Michael. If indie groups like Jay want to send in their music for us to play it, how do they do it?

[Barry Zverluga]

Send us your music by emailing it to jinglesonyquinizershow.com and this time Jay is.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Playing in Barry's Verluga. Who was at the the Ryder cup that you've already heard Wilbon. And I say we watched so much of it at the expense of football and other things. It was, I thought it was really good. The thing I have to get to first is this what appears to me to be the insanity of if one of your guys can't play, you get half a point. To me, if one of you guys can't play, that's called DQ and the other team gets a hold point or there's no points awarded. But that the fact that the Europeans got a half a point when Victor Hovland couldn't play. Can you explain that?

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

I can't.

[Michael Wilbon]

I mean I can in that it's a captain's agreement that goes back to 1971. And I only know this because history professor Luke Donald pulled all these facts out afterwards. Both teams have used it at various times, but it changed the math on Sunday morning. It was almost impossible math equation for the US anyway, but it gave them 12 points instead of 11 and a half. They only needed two points the rest of the way to retain the cup. And at that point when Havin was pulling out, it just didn't seem like the Americans had a chance anyway. So it seemed like it was going to be moot and we weren't going to be talking about this as the main leadoff point to a dramatic Ryder Cup. But late for Sunday afternoon, I'm at the 18th green and you're looking at the board. It's all red, seeing how it could play out, and there's a path to an American victory. And then you see at the bottom of the board, Victor Hovland versus Harris English. Half a point to each, and you're like, really? Like, that's going to be a factor here. Keegan Bradley was adamant that afterwards that the rule needs to change by the next Ryder Cup. Luke Donald dismissed that, that we have to have. We have rules in place, rules, a rule. That's fine. I'm on the Bradley side of this, and I'm not saying that that's the reason Europe won the cup, but it's. It's crazy to me that that's a talking point right off the top.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This morning, in the middle of an NFL Sunday, I'm watching the right. I got one tv. I know that makes me weak in Wilbon's eyes, but I've got one TV and I am really on the Ryder Cup. Those two putts by Cam Young, who should have played every session, Cam Young and Justin Thomas. And you say to yourself, wow, this might actually happen. What was the energy like on the 18th hole?

[Michael Wilbon]

It was awesome, Tony. And it was awesome in a way, because it was so expected. I got on the elevator at my hotel in the morning with a guy dressed up in all stars and stripes, red, white and blue, and we're going down the elevator and he says, hope we're out of there by about three today and can get on the road home. And this was, you know, at 5:30, you're standing at the 18th green and the matches are coming in. And if Cam Young doesn't make that putt, none of this is possible.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right.

[Michael Wilbon]

If Justin Thomas doesn't make that putt, none of this is possible. But the American players, as they come off their match, are gathering at the side to the left of the 18th green, and there's a sense of possibility. And some of them are, you know, running or taking carts to the 17th so that they can see what's going on there. The crowds were awful all week, just unspeakably awful.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Why did that happen? I mean, I think the PGA has some responsibility in that for ginning this thing up. I do.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yes, I agree. And I think there was some measure of, you know, kind of preamble to the tournament that this is going to be really rough for the European side because we knew going back to Beth page in 2002, that they just tormented Sergio Garcia in the US Open. And like that they almost wear it as a point of pride. To be rude. But it was not just rude and not just kind of booing or jeering. It was personal.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You're cursing at people.

[Michael Wilbon]

Vulgar.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's awful.

[Michael Wilbon]

It was not good. And that's a really, you know, it's kind of a sorry thing to take away. But by Sunday evening around the 18th, the energy was, you know, the Euros doing their oleo Leo lay thing in anticipation, but getting more trepidatious about it by the minute because the board showed, you know, it was almost like an election night where one of those analytics guys is, John King is in front of the board. You can see a path in Ohio, like if these counties come in for the Dems, then that's a path to victory because there's only 10% of the vote in here. Well, you looked at that board and there was one blue in the Ludwig Oberg Patrick Cantlay match and there were any number of reds and a few Grayson that were ties. And it's like, holy cow, this could really happen. A mass equation that was impossible 3 hours ago could go in the Americans favor. And really, you know, until Russell Henley hit that bunker shot. Amazing bunker shot from a bunker he should never have been in because he's such a straight driver of the ball. Hits it up there to about 8ft on 18. Yes. Shane Lowry hits it inside him. Just a brilliant play, but, you know, you gotta feel like Henley's gonna make that putt and secure a full point and then it's really on. And when he left it a roll or two short and Shane Lowry's dancing an Irish jig across the 18th green. Just a great, great moment on a Sunday that really felt like a coda, an afterthought, and felt like everybody was going to be watching the NFL because Europe was just going to roll. Credit to the Americans for making it great theater.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I will say that Lowry seems so likable and combative, doesn't he? He just seems. Yeah, you gotta want Lowry on your team, it seems to me.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

And he played a dual role here too. I mean, he's a, he's a world class player and obviously, like, if you, if you want to pick a guy out of the 24 to go get a beer with, I think it'd probably be Shane Lowry, right? But he also was a bit of a bodyguard bouncer in the matches. He played Rory McElroy who was just taking unspeakable abuse. And Lowry, you know, not that anything was going to become physical at any point, but he's a big, burly guy. And he's going to give it right back. And, you know, to McElroy's credit, you know. Yeah. Did he turn around and confront members of the gallery at. A couple of times? He did. He should have also. He should have. And he also responded by, you know, with some of his best shots. Right. In the worst, after the worst years. So credit to him. He stood up. This was a really personal thing for him, to be kind of a leader on a Rider cup team that wins, in a way, match wins on foreign soil, which he had done in 2012 at Medina. Justin Rose would have been there as well, but most of the Euros hadn't done that really meaningful to him and to that team to do it not just in the U.S. but in a really hostile environment in New York.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I guess I didn't understand it. I didn't understand why they would go after Rory quite like that. These are the same people, it seemed to me, who were cheering him when he won the Grand Slam by winning at Augusta. I like Rory, and so I was taken aback by it. And I sort of wonder who to blame for this, because it's really not golf. You can cheer, but you're not supposed to curse at people, you know.

[Michael Wilbon]

So I do think you're right in that the PGA of America, broadly, and Keegan Bradley specifically, you know, could have headed some of this off, if not before the tournament, during it, by, if you're the governing body, the PGA of America, the host of the tournament, issuing a statement saying, look, we want this to be a passionate environment. That's what the Ryder cup is all about. There's a level of decorum I think, you know, you expect in golf, but really, this was a level of decorum that you expect in humanity. And I think some of what people. There's such an anonymity when you're in a crowd or when you're on Twitter or when you're. You can lob bombs and there's no repercussions, and people take advantage of that. And this week it was to an alarming degree. And neither Bradley, who, you know, really, he loved being out there and hearing his name chanted, and he was kind of preening, particularly on Friday before they started getting drubbed. He did nothing to kind of say, like, look, we want you behind us. We want you to cheer us on. We want to give you something to cheer for, and we don't mind if you, you know, boo or are happy for a poor European shot, because that has been part of the Ryder cup since probably 1991 at Kiawah now. But the personal stuff has got to stay to the side. And I think Keegan could have said that at any point on Friday or Saturday, and he didn't. And the body that put him in that position did nothing either. That doesn't mean that either of those entities could have controlled, you know, these meatheads from Long Island. But careful, probably guys I went to.

[Tony Kornheiser]

High school with their sons and daughters. Justin Thomas earned my respect because he was out there playing with Rory, and he held up his hands many, many times to stop this behavior. So I like that in Justin Thomas, you were. I read everything. You were tough on Scheffler. You're tough on Scheffler. My only comeback to that would be what makes Scotty Scheffler so great is that he plays in 72 whole tournaments and he plays his own ball. He don't play somebody else's ball. There was some thought that I've heard even on this show. Why are you pairing Russell Henley with him? Why are you doing that? He's the shortest hitter on the Tour. Why are you doing that?

[Michael Wilbon]

Well, I would say whatever you thought about on Friday morning, pairing Scheffler with Henley, how did you run that back on Saturday morning when that pairing got drubbed on Friday and you're getting killed as a team? Keegan Bradley was very much like, we've got a plan and we're going to stick to it. Part of coaching, or in this case, the captaincy, is reading the room, making adjustments at halftime. And he made none but frequent between Friday and Saturday. So I don't. I don't put that loss on Saturday morning in alternate shot as much on. On Scheffler as I do on Bradley not making adjustments and being hard on. On Scottie on. On Friday. Tony, I walked a lot of that match in the morning was really about, like, you know, you need in any sport in the biggest events for your best players to be your best player.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Absolutely.

[Michael Wilbon]

This guy is not.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And he was not number.

[Michael Wilbon]

He's not number one in the world, but just by happenstance, by a little, he's number one in the world by an enormous margin over an extraordinary player, Rory McIlroy. And he wasn't the number one player at Beth Page this weekend. He wasn't in the top five. And that, you know, it's golf, it's kind of fickle. You go through good and bad. But Scotty has put together a resume over the last couple of years that almost makes him impervious to that kind of fickleness and he probably hit two or three of the worst shots.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Sandwich shot was terrible.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's 18. Dumping that that wedge is almost unspeakably surprising from a player of that caliber and that consistency. I do think there's something about Scotty that makes him so great in his regular tournaments in these majors from week to week. And that is, you know, he is so good at being like, what's most important is my next hole, my next shot, my next step, my next breath. And I think your point about playing alternate shot with him is it forces him to go outside of his tiny little world and consider the actions of others that could be unsettling to him.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Even when he plays his own ball in a two man thing, playing his own ball, it feels, I bet it feels a little weird to him. And what I would say is, and you go running to the record books, the greatest player prior to Scottie Scheffler by unanimous acclamation in the last 20 years is Tiger Woods. His record in the Ryder cup was awful, as was Phil's awful. I wonder why that is.

[Michael Wilbon]

Well, so I think the Tiger Scotty comparison there is apt. And I think that if you look at I went back and did it, I believe it is. Tiger was 4, 2 and 2 as a singles player across eight Ryder Cup. So a respectable record, if not dominant for the inarguable best player of all time. His record in matches with a partner alternate shot and when he's playing his own ball, I believe was 8, 21 and 1, which is staggering. Yeah, staggering. Like you would think he would stumble into a 500 record or better just by the nature of who he is. So it's clear that there's something with these uber focused guys that maybe is unsettling for them when they're, they're paired with something else. The problem is that at the ryder cup that's 4/5 of the assignment. And so yes, yes, Americans are going to, you know, and there's another storyline here, Tony, that I didn't touch on, but it's possible to think about like the Americans were getting drubbed after two days by an almost historic margin, particularly for a home team at 11 and a half to five and a half. And they roared back once. None of them had to play with each other. And that's not suggesting bad chemistry. It's suggesting that they are so much each their little individual corporations from week to week. And they have, they are the CEO, but they employ swing coaches and mental coaches and putting coaches and nutritionists and chefs and there, there may be something to, you know, putting themselves all together is just a little bit of an ill fitting task where for years and years and years and we're now talking about Europe having won, I believe it's seven of the 10 Ryder Cups this century. The Europeans embrace and love the coming together of it all. And that's not just, you know, it's weird because the US is one country. It's not like we're bringing in Canada and Mexico and being like let's go North America. They're, they've got Spaniards and Brits and Danes and Norwegians. Yeah, I agree.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Swedes, I agree with you.

[Michael Wilbon]

And it's amazing to see them blended all together and be really, really unified.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I agree with you completely that that's what I'm sort of searching for, you know, why golfers, American golfers might do better in singles all the time. Because it's just them. It's just them. The other part of this though is before I get too carried away about the character of the Europeans, they all live in Florida. I mean this, you know, they're not even really that they're always here. But it was, it was really great to watch. And I loved your column on likability. I love that it's 100% right. You know, I know who you had at the bottom. I would have Cantley next to the bot. It just takes six hours.

[Barry Zverluga]

Like it included the handsome meter.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

For sure.

[Michael Wilbon]

For sure. And Cantley, the only reason I put him at I as I did and I should have read, you know, rejiggered that but, but he stood up on Friday when they messed rest the Americans laid down and got a point. And that's right, they only got two and a half all day. So yeah, that was that assessment. But I mean if you really like if you go from 1 through 12 on the European roster, like who, who would you not want to play around of golf with like Tyrrell Hatton. He only gets mad at himself. I mean it's kind of a fun character. So many of them are so likable. Victor Hovland, whatever about his neck. Like the guy is clever and self deprecating and I just don't and lives in Stillwater, Oklahoma. But go down the American roster and you're like oh my God, I have to Patrick Cantlay or you know, Harris English. Like it just doesn't. It seems like the personalities are on, on the European team are just. There's no Sergio anymore. There's no Ian Poulter. Who you're like, geez, man, your eyes are bugging out. And like, you're not as an accomplished player as you think you are. It's a really, really interesting time for that team. And it's going to be a really interesting time two years from now in Ireland when, you know, Rory is going to be flying the flag again in, you know, what's kind of his home country, even though he's from Northern Ireland. And it's going to be a long two years of introspection for the Americans who have to come up with process that leads to not just a better captain than, hey, we picked Keegan Bradley out of a hat here, and he didn't even know he was interviewing for the job until he got the job. They have to look at how they go about things, what data they use for their pairing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know, what they ought to do. They ought to do what soccer teams do, go after somebody from a different country, go after one of the Euro Captains, go after McGinley, go after somebody like that who knows how to win. Right.

[Michael Wilbon]

It would be amazing. I definitely thought about that soccer comparison. I mean, there's no nationalities or national boundaries when it comes to, you know, international soccer coaches. That would be a wild, wild, wild way for the Americans to go about it. But if you, if you think about.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Go to Luke Donald, say you live in Chicago, for God's sakes.

[Barry Zverluga]

Coach us at the other Molinari.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, yeah, it's. It was, it was great reading all the stuff and it was great. Why? It was a much. I mean, I don't know. I guess it's just because I like golf. But I. It was really cool. It really was. Didn't you think?

[Michael Wilbon]

Well, and yeah, and I think, Tony, your initial point about, like, you watched it over the NFL. I mean, I was standing around in the press tent on Sunday morning talking to people and generally saying, no one's going to turn over from the NFL to watch this bloodbath. And if anybody was paying attention and then started on a one o' clock game, by three o', clock, maybe they were flipping over. And once you flipped over, it would be hard to flip back. And that's, you know, the NFL is the national sport and it is king, and it's king for a reason.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Michael Wilbon]

And it's going to remain king.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Michael Wilbon]

But golf needed to be relevant on this Sunday to, you know, maintain its status, have a foothold, have people talking about it on Monday morning.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, because season's over.

[Michael Wilbon]

The American.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's over now.

[Michael Wilbon]

The American. Yeah.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

And.

[Michael Wilbon]

But the American team lost. But it lost in a way that it's worthy of discussion today and it's worthy of discussion about how they're going to approach it going forward. And it created momentum when there didn't seem to be any, you know, 12 hours before.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thank you so much for being on. Thanks. We'll talk soon.

[Michael Wilbon]

Appreciate it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Tony Barry's Verluga boys and girls. We'll take a break. We'll come back with email and jingle. I am Tony Kornheiser. Lowe's knows how to help make your.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

Get select Style Selections vinyl flooring for.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

Have it installed before the festivities begin.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Our team can help you every step of the way.

[Tony Kornheiser]

See a Lowe's Red Vest associate or visit lowe's.comholidayinstall to get started. Lowes we help you save basic Install only.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Date restrictions apply. Subject to availability. Installed by independent contractors.

[Tony Kornheiser]

See Associate for details.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Contiguous us only.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is the Tony Kornheiser Show. Tony Kornizer show.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Sat your email, your.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Faxes and your notes.

[Barry Zverluga]

Here comes Mr. Tony's mail back.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Gonna reach out for all of you folks.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Have mercy.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thank you to Bruce Griffin for that. It's just wonderful. You want to do the Bethesda bagel ad for us? Yes, Bagel sandwiches today. Very happy about that. Just go to Bethesda Bagels.com for the location in the DC area nearest you. Then pop on in and you'll be thrilled. Before we get to the mailbag, let me quote The Beatles. Mean Mr. Mustard. Sleeps in the park. Shaves in the dark trying to save paper. Sleeps in a hole in the road saving up to buy him some clothes. Keeps a 10 bob note up his nose. Such a mean old man who was angry that day. Thanks to our guest today, Michael Wilbon. Barry Zverluga. Thanks as well to today's sponsors. Remember, you can listen to us on Apple, Spotify and Audacy. If you listen to Apple, please leave us a review under the headline Mike Nelms is my future father in law. Chris writes, I've been watching PTI since its first episode when I was in middle school. Been listening to the podcast since about 2:13, 2013. I've always loved both, but since meeting the woman, I'm soon to be related by marriage. I wait with anticipation every time Reginald picks the Washington football team to see if he's hanging out with my future father in law. Every time he does, I record it, send it to my fiance and we also play them back when we go to visit our parents for Mike and his wife. We're getting married in my hometown in New Orleans on June 14th. Thanks for giving my fiance and I some great content to play for my in laws. Every football love that from Josh has in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania With a Picture of Steve Sands I had the pleasure of meeting Steve Sands with some friends at a hospitality event after the Saturday rounds of the Ryder Cup. Steve was charming, insightful and pulled the curtain back on a lot of happenings with the Tour. It was a refreshing take on what is happening with the golf game. Steve was taken aback by our attire as we dressed in festive, patriotic gear, mainly so we didn't lose each other among the 50,000 fans of at Bethpage. He said we reminded him of a family at Disney that all dresses alike and he may have inspired our next trip. I have a picture of us attached. I told him I spared him a lecheserie, which he said only he only heard 5,000 times. This week he shows Connective Tissue continues to grow we all had an amazing experience getting to talk with Steve from Lindsey Hagen in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota. I started listening to the show about five years ago when I met the man talking whom I'm now related by marriage. I wanted to impress him. Staying up to date in the world of sports and knowing the current local Washington D.C. weather. I've been reflecting on all the changes in my life over the last five years. I became a doctor, got married, had a child. Through it all I've had the lovely dulcet tones of a set in his ways, old man chirping in my ear as the world has changed somehow your constant ability not to brings me peace. Last May, for our non masculine child's first trip, we visited good friends the Bethesda area. Of course we ate Bethesda bagels, but the highlight of the trip was none other than Calvert Woodley. On the train back from the National Zoo, my husband looked at me, grinned and said we're getting off at the next stop. I knew then we were headed for Lecheeserie. We bought wine from Willamette Valley and a couple of varieties of cheese suggested at the counter. Afterwards. To my husband's dismay, I made him take a picture of me holding up the cheese, wine and our daughter in front of the store sign. This photo was attached for your enjoyment. I only drew the line at making sure she wasn't giving it to TK Salute at 6 months old. I know this is a long email even if you don't read it on the air, I just wanted to let you know the show's been a source of constant happiness in our family's life. In a way to laugh in the times it can be hard. I will be forever grateful that when I met my husband, I also met Tony, Nigel, Michael, Jesse and Reginald too. It's lovely and it's lovely. It's a lovely picture.

[Barry Zverluga]

Home of La Cheeserie.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's a lovely picture. That's great. Lovely. Scott from Elon here, friend of the show. Katie Ledecky visited Elon on Friday to speak with students, share her wisdom and Olympic experience with the community. After her former remarks, she visited with guests including me and my 8 year old son who just started his own swimming career. Over the summertime, he brought her a book. He brought her book for her to sign, which he graciously did. Taking time to look at his name tag and write best wishes to him. She took photos and displayed her gold medal. Katie Ledecky is indeed as great as she seems. However, when I introduced myself to her, I shared that we missed hearing her on the Tony Kornizer show. She laughed and said, well, I haven't been invited back. Get it, get on it, grandpa. She's a gem. Of course we would have her back, of course.

[Michael Wilbon]

For your brother as well.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, yes, absolutely. Photos with her, me and my son, and of course our gold medal addition. Here's a photo of you with that same son I mentioned when we visited Chatter for taping six years ago. This is so nice.

[Barry Zverluga]

Isn't that great? Still have the pictures of her from that visit with Bootsy?

[Michael Wilbon]

Yes.

[Barry Zverluga]

In the car seat.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is just so nice.

[Barry Zverluga]

Blow it on the way home.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Just so nice. A haiku for a harvest type situation. From Shad. A fine line between purple potatoes and rocks. It's 50. 50. I think I have to throw out the potatoes today. I think it's time. I've had them laying around for five, six, seven days and now they're a hazard. They're just, you know, Michael won't let me put them on the website.

[Barry Zverluga]

I'm going to wait to. I'm gonna get you a chuck roast. We're making you. We're making you a stew.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Terrible. From Eric Fuentes Ruiz, official pesticide investigator of the show. I've been a garden. I've been gardening for a long time. And unless you have an. You have a large garden. Oh, I don't know the size of Montana. You're not growing a lot of spuds, so be thankful get a handful. My son, who has acres, grows them and gave the woman I'm related to by marriage some seed potatoes this year. She planted them early May and we harvested what? Harvested them when the tops died down. She planted them in large plant containers 18 to 20 inches across, using potting soil and a little sand. Most of them were a little bit bigger than the golf ball and we got a couple of meals out of them, but they were simply delicious. Boiled, buttered, salt and pepper. Yeah. Minor rocks and falling apart. Yeah. From Tim Cree. Both of our dogs were rescues. We welcomed a dog after Hurricane Katrina, said goodbye to her a couple of years ago. The other dog, I named him Doug, is a Chiweenie. C H I Chiweenie was adopted from the local shelter in the fall of 2007. Like me, he's an old man gone totally gray in the face and paws. I guess you really do tend to end up looking like your pets as the years go by. A dog will be your friend for years, but you will be your dog's best friend their whole life. I'll say the same thing about adopting a pet. As they told us when we attended foster parent training before adopting our daughter years ago, becoming a parent fills a hole in your heart that you never knew you had dogs. Oh, if you can, if you can. Yes. From Steve the Sicka Fan Hot news for the Littles Fat Bear week is again underway. Yes, the Cat May national park in Alaska is once more letting everyone choose the best of their fat brown bears. These bears have been stuffing themselves on sockeye salmon to gain as much weight as possible before hibernating. We're down to the semifinals and on One side is two time reigning champ grazer bear 128 versus bear 909. On the other side, bear 910 goes up against bear 856.

[Barry Zverluga]

I'm looking at 32 chunk.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Here are very brief biographies. Both bear 128 and 909 are female and successful mothers. Bear 856 is a male and the oldest bear in the contest while bear910 is an empty nester this year after raising cubs for four straight years. Please go to Fat Bear Week 2025. Vote on the Google machine to make your choice. Polls reopen on Monday, September 28th at noon Eastern Standard Time. That's today. Let your voice be heard. I'm voting for Grazer because I love a winner From Raffi Zach in Hollis, New Hampshire but formerly of Great Neck, New York. Bill from Nicholasville, Kentucky said that he had just started listening a week ago and already has an email read on the air. Show off. And Jason from Lebanon, Connecticut, I'm the Sports information director at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. This past weekend I was the official scorer of the Highest scoring Division 3 football game in history. A 92 to 60 Coast Guard win over Nichols College. Nichols is in Boston, I believe. 92 to 60. I hope Carville took the over on that one. P.S.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Wow.

[Tony Kornheiser]

92 to 60. Please tell Don Hammock to eat it.

[Barry Zverluga]

New London Ghost Swing by Fiddleheads yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Harvey Adams from my school. My class in school went there and played football there as did both of his brothers Ron and Don went there and played football there. If you're out on your bike tonight, everyone as always do wear white she may get woolly Young girls that do get woolly weary it's got nothing to do with stress yeah it's.

[Jay J (musician)]

Condense my thoughts into one day dream just enough to make me seem crazy convey my mind when I try to sleep.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

The.

[Jay J (musician)]

Way she does it my good honestly tells me I owe it all to.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

You.

[Jay J (musician)]

And all my dreams are made of you I'm only a stranger you never think of me me you are what's holy your heaven that I.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

Like.

[Jay J (musician)]

A rapid stream flowing through me restless uncollected energy fuels me I can hardly consider the decisions that I make burning off adrenaline just so your eyes stay on me I owe it all to you and all my dreams are made of you I'm only a stranger you never think of me you are what's holy you're heaven that I see I can never reach a life out of a movie capacity not my dream I will be a stranger you never think of me you are what's holy the heaven that I see heaven I see Sam and I'm gonna light a fire set this town ablaze I cannot live without her some say I'm insane I passed out on the fly try to put out some more one more part I wish you were done wish we could hold to for we are one I'll hold you for long until we driving desire my sadistic craze my brains are rewired I know it's been replace cuz I want to fight a giant see a demon cry already went angel in my eyes out on the floor some more one more part I wish you were done wish me good until we are one.

[Guest Analyst (possibly a sports commentator or co-host)]

You.

[Jay J (musician)]

Die I wish you were done wish we could hope and so we are one I'll hold you for long until 11 with your.