The Tony Kornheiser Show

Episode: "Cottage Cheese and Spin Art"
Date: August 21, 2025
Host: Tony Kornheiser
Guests: Louisa Thomas, Buster Olney, Jason La Canfora

Overview

This episode of "The Tony Kornheiser Show" brings listeners a lively blend of sports discussion, nostalgic personal anecdotes, and current events, centered mainly on tennis, baseball, and football. Tony is joined by a trio of familiar contributors: Louisa Thomas (tennis writer for The New Yorker), ESPN’s Buster Olney (baseball analyst), and Jason La Canfora (football analyst/newspaper columnist). The conversations are conversational, quick-witted, and sprinkled with Tony’s trademark crankiness, pop-culture asides, and D.C.-centric humor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mixed Doubles Tennis Controversy

(01:41–11:55)

• Background: Tony brings on Louisa Thomas to delve into her recent New Yorker piece about a controversial new mixed doubles format in tennis, which tried to lure top singles stars to a format historically devoted to specialists.

• Tony’s Take: Fascinated by the innovation and intrigued by the excitement it brought, Tony enjoyed the broadcast, especially that a “true” doubles team ultimately won.

  “I found it...honestly, to be a great watch…like you, I'm gratified that the traditional doubles team won.” (Tony Kornheiser, 04:29)

• Louisa’s Critique: She describes herself as “of two minds” about the change: It was fun, but also undermined the integrity and traditions of doubles specialists, who protested being pushed aside.

  “I think it's a terrible idea because...the only doubles team in the draw won the whole damn thing.” (Louisa Thomas, 03:34)
  “Doubles is its own thing and doubles fans...are fans of an event that features different kind of strategies, different kind of play. It's a lot of fun.” (03:55)

• Core Insights:

  • The new format provided a showcase for the skill and entertainment value of doubles.
  • There’s a call for compromise: Bring in singles stars but give dedicated doubles teams a chance (expand to 8 of each).
  • Both agree the athletic skill and unique teamwork in high-level doubles is underappreciated.

• Memorable Moment:
  Tony marvels at the quirky on-court communication:

  “They go out there, they talk to each other, like pitching coaches to pitchers. They cover their mouths as if anybody can hear them...It's great fun to watch.” (Tony Kornheiser, 05:59)

• On Tennis Reality Shows & “Shipping”
  Louisa is dismayed by a new reality dating show at the US Open and explains “shipping” to Tony (i.e., public obsession with celebrity couples), providing generational comic relief.

2. Local Color: Updates from Tony's World

(12:13–16:47)

• Dog Drama: Tony offers ongoing updates about his dog Chessy’s recent health scare, including a visit from Dr. Pearl, a mobile vet. The show takes a comedic turn as Tony, Michael, and Jason riff about whether Chessy will be “ready for week one” (in NFL terms), ultimately reflecting the show’s blend of pet, sports, and personal anecdotes.

  “Will she be ready for week one?” (Michael, 13:20)

• Gardening Woes:
  Tony bemoans the failure of his backyard flowers, only to learn—on air—from Michael and his guest that “the bunnies eat them.” The interplay highlights the show’s lovable trivialities.

  “Little tiny bunnies. I hate them. I mean, I love them.” (Tony Kornheiser, 15:52)

3. Buster Olney Talks Baseball: Nostalgia and Playoff Races

(18:48–33:12)

• Cottage Cheese and Spin Art:
  The segment opens with Tony reminiscing about Lake George, NY—site of his first cottage cheese encounter and his introduction to “spin art,” to Buster’s amusement.

• Playoff Races:

  • Cincinnati’s Surprise: Reds are a wildcard contender. Buster attributes this to dynamic young pitching and manager Terry Francona’s culture.

    “They have excellent young starting pitching...and I do think Terry Francona is a factor here.” (Buster Olney, 21:47)

  • Yankees’ Home Run Surge: Judge’s return sparks massive power numbers. Buster predicts a playoff berth largely due to Judge and their “easiest schedule you’ve ever seen down the stretch.”

    “Every time Aaron Judge is in the lineup, they're a good team. Every time he's out…they're not a good team.” (23:04)

  • Cubs/Brewers, NL Central: Cubs might be outperforming expectations, but rely on getting injured stars back.

  • Dodgers’ Ohtani Experiment:
    Ohtani’s pitching is being carefully managed for October. Dodgers’ injuries and pitching depth are a concern heading into postseason.

    “…their hope is…when they get into the postseason, that Ohtani and Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow…will all be throwing well.” (Buster Olney, 27:12)

  • Kyle Schwarber’s Impact:
    Schwarber’s unconventional place as a leadoff slugger is lauded, as is his leadership.

    “If I were to drop a list of the 10 best teammates, he would be on that list.” (Buster Olney, 29:11)

• MLB Realignment:
  With anticipated expansion (to 32 teams—Nashville and Salt Lake City as likeliest), Buster previews potential realignment to balance geography and scheduling.

  “Once you get 32 teams, there's the natural eight divisions times four teams...a lot of speculation about which teams are going to move to which divisions.” (31:30)

4. NFL News and the State of the Orioles with Jason La Canfora

(35:54–48:23)

• Orioles' Dilemma:
  Jason gives a scathing critique of the Orioles’ management, painting them as an “abject failure” for their “soft tanking” strategy and lack of present-day competitiveness.

  “They're not trying to win…this front office to me is an abject failure, a total joke when it comes to the major league level.” (Jason La Canfora, 38:50)

• Quarterback Entrances/Drama:

  • Browns & Joe Flacco: No real QB competition; Flacco is the stopgap until (if) a younger QB steps up.

    “This was never really a competition. This was about Flacco and then how the other sort of…ducklings fall in line. But he was going to be mama duck.” (41:08)

  • Colts & Daniel Jones Over Anthony Richardson:
    La Canfora is skeptical, but suggests it’s not necessarily permanent, nor a reason to give up on Richardson.

    “I don't know about Daniel Jones being a guy who's going to look the part week in, week out with that outfit.” (42:12)

  • Titans & Cam Ward:
    New coach Brian Callahan expected to improve entire team; Cam Ward could compete for Rookie of the Year in a weak division.

• Giants' Hopes:
  Jason is (relatively) optimistic:

  “I think the defense can be really good...I think there's going to be games where they dominate in the trenches defensively.” (46:25)
  He admits the team will likely use a mix of underwhelming quarterbacks, but the defense can keep them in games.

• Show Plug:
  Tony cues Jason to plug his myriad sports media gigs, poking fun at his relentless work ethic.

5. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “This is show 150. That was the aim…in the calendar year, beginning September 1st, ending August 31st, 150 shows.” (Tony Kornheiser, 14:32)
• “Artists. This was their canvas. They know what they're doing.” (Tony Kornheiser, on doubles specialists, 07:34)
• “If you told me, given his personality, at the end of the year [Schwarber] were to go to the Reds and say…'let's work out a deal because this is where I want to play'…He's one of the rare personalities that could actually see doing that.” (Buster Olney, 30:28)
• “They're not so good about rebuilding it back up.” (Jason La Canfora, on the Orioles, 39:05)

Important Segment Timestamps

• 01:21 – Toast-themed banter, start of tennis segment
• 03:16 – Louisa Thomas discusses mixed doubles
• 06:43 – Details on doubles coordination and fan experience
• 09:14 – US Open “Dating Show” chat
• 12:13 – Chessy the dog’s vet visit anecdotes
• 15:44 – Tony’s garden failures
• 18:48 – Dan Byrne’s “Nationals” song; start of Buster Olney segment
• 21:44 – The Reds as a wildcard story
• 23:04 – Yankees’ power surge explained
• 28:56 – Schwarber as leader and free agent preview
• 31:05 – MLB potential realignment/expansion
• 35:54 – Jason La Canfora segment: Orioles woes and NFL QB battles
• 41:08 – Browns QB situation
• 46:25 – Giants defense outlook

Episode Tone and Style

Tony’s signature blend of curmudgeonly humor, wistfulness for sports traditions, and exasperated affection for the everyday—whether dogs, gardening, or toasters—is on full display. The regular guests match Tony’s candor with their own sharp insights and playful asides.

For New Listeners

This episode embodies the show’s appeal: sharp, friendly, and sometimes salty conversation about sports, as well as a generous (and often hilarious) dose of Tony’s personal life and pop culture asides. It’s accessible to fans and non-fans alike, thanks to the chemistry between hosts, guests, and contributors.

If you need more sports, more curmudgeonly wisdom, or simply want to know why your perennial flowers mysteriously vanish, this is a must-listen episode.