“Do you have CBS?”

Summary

The Tony Kornheiser Show: “Do You Have CBS?” – Detailed Summary

Release Date: December 9, 2024
Host: Tony Kornheiser
Guests: Michael Wilbon, Bill Belichick, Pat 40
Duration: Approximately 64 minutes

---

1. Introduction and Overview

Tony Kornheiser kicks off the episode by outlining the main topics for the day, including Juan Soto’s significant contract with the Mets, the debated 12-team field for the college football playoffs, and recent notable NFL games. He also teases an exclusive discussion on college football and the playoff system with guest Pat 40.

---

2. Juan Soto’s Contract with the Mets

The conversation delves into Juan Soto’s groundbreaking $765 million, 15-year contract with the New York Mets. Tony expresses skepticism about the valuation, comparing Soto’s worth to players like Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge.

• Tony Kornheiser [06:57]: "Juan Soto signed a $765 million, 15-year deal through '41. If he's 26 now, that's a believable contract."

• Michael Wilbon [07:20]: "I think it has the potential to play the villain role. He's never had bad press because he hasn't deserved it."

• Pat 40 [08:17]: "Some people think it has the potential to play the villain role because of the size of the contract."

Tony discusses the influence of Juan Soto’s agent, Scott Boras, in negotiating such a lucrative deal, and debates whether Soto made the right choice by signing with the Mets over the Yankees, considering factors like cultural fit and team dynamics.

• Tony Kornheiser [06:16]: "Juan Soto did not want to be on the Yankees anymore. He wanted to be on the Mets. New York is the best place for someone from the Dominican Republic."

Bill Belichick contributes by expressing indifference towards the contract, comparing Soto to legendary players who switched teams.

• Bill Belichick [17:50]: "We know who his agent is. That's all we have to make of it."

The discussion also touches on the sustainability of such high-value contracts and potential risks, such as player injuries impacting the team’s investment.

---

3. The 12-Team College Football Playoff Debate

Tony and his guests engage in a heated debate over the newly implemented 12-team playoff system for college football, critiquing its effectiveness and fairness.

• Tony Kornheiser [25:30]: "We could probably agree that if they are not the four best teams, they're certainly four of the best teams. Kansas City, Buffalo, Detroit, and Philadelphia."

• Bill Belichick [22:33]: "The prize money in golf. Look how much more it is now than used to be. There's money flying around that you don't think is fun."

The panel discusses specific teams like SMU and Alabama, analyzing the committee’s decisions and the criteria used for selection.

• Tony Kornheiser [35:23]: "I would have put Alabama over SMU. Alabama is three and one against ranked teams, including a victory over Georgia."

• Guest Speaker [38:52]: "I think if you want to make those games important and mean something, then you can't also use them as an extra chance to knock a team down."

They also critique the influence of politics and lobbying in the selection process, questioning the committee’s transparency and consistency.

• Guest Speaker [39:01]: "Lane Kiffin... wants a golden goose. He wants another pony. I'm sorry, you don't just get everything you want in this."

The conversation extends to the challenges faced by non-automatic bid teams like Boise State, arguing that the system favors conference champions over deserving teams based on performance.

---

4. Recent NFL Games and Team Performances

The hosts analyze recent NFL matches, highlighting unexpected outcomes and standout player performances.

• Tony Kornheiser [27:05]: "Detroit's got something. I just think it's their time."

• Bill Belichick [27:53]: "I think Detroit's on that now. They got to get some of those defensive players back healthy."

They discuss the unpredictability of the NFL, referencing teams like the Jets, Dolphins, Saints, and Giants, and the impact of key players like Josh Allen.

• Tony Kornheiser [28:24]: "They keep coming back. How about six touchdowns and a loss?"

• Bill Belichick [28:30]: "Yesterday was the worst NFL Sunday in that regard. It had these outcomes that were insane."

The conversation emphasizes the complexity of determining the best team based solely on recent performances, citing examples of high-scoring games and defensive lapses.

---

5. Special Guest Appearance: Bill Belichick

In a surprising turn, Bill Belichick joins the show to offer his insights.

• Tony Kornheiser [16:48]: "What do you think? What do you think?"

• Bill Belichick [17:50]: "We know who his agent is. That's all we have to make of it."

Belichick shares his perspective on Juan Soto’s contract, comparing it to historical player movements and emphasizing the importance of agent influence in such deals.

• Bill Belichick [18:45]: "He changed teams. That never worked. It never worked."

He further discusses the implications of high-value contracts on team dynamics and the potential long-term effects on the sport.

---

6. Audience Mail and Listener Anecdotes

Tony navigates through various listener emails, sharing personal stories and humorous anecdotes.

• Jeff Newville [50:03]: Discusses a fictional scenario involving Coach Belichick interviewing at the University of North Carolina.

• Sarah Kunick [52:34]: Talks about the Bethesda bagel sandwiches and compares them humorously to a "Slap Shot" movie scene.

• Steve Farkas [58:06]: Reflects on how total solar eclipses will eventually cease due to the moon moving away from Earth, offering a scientific tidbit.

Tony interjects with humor and personal reflections, enhancing the relatability of the show.

• Tony Kornheiser [47:35]: "But somebody said, I'm angry and I'm never listening again."

---

7. College Football Playoff Deep Dive with Pat 40

Pat 40 provides an in-depth analysis of the college football playoff system, critiquing the committee’s methodology and offering alternative viewpoints.

• Pat 40 [35:23]: "It's not just about wins. It's also about losses."

He argues for a more performance-based selection process, free from political influence and biased rankings.

• Pat 40 [40:31]: "Boise State has an immaculate resume this year. They've lost one game at Oregon by three."

Pat emphasizes the importance of evaluating teams based on their overall performance rather than their conference affiliations or automatic bids.

• Pat 40 [41:32]: "I think the four best teams should get the buys instead of these teams that just won their league."

---

8. Closing Remarks and Music Segment

Tony wraps up the episode by reflecting on listener feedback, sharing more humorous stories, and introducing music from Eric DeLong and the Slappy Boys. The show concludes with light-hearted banter and a final nod to the day’s discussions.

• Tony Kornheiser [55:49]: "Blues is a uniquely American format."

• Eric DeLong's Performance [59:13 – 64:32]: A musical rendition titled "Danielle," blending blues elements with poetic lyrics.

---

Notable Quotes

• Tony Kornheiser [06:57]: "Juan Soto did not want to be on the Yankees anymore. He wanted to be on the Mets."

• Bill Belichick [17:50]: "We know who his agent is. That's all we have to make of it."

• Pat 40 [35:23]: "I think the four best teams should get the buys instead of these teams that just won their league."

• Tony Kornheiser [25:30]: "Kansas City, Buffalo, Detroit, and Philadelphia. They all had their most recent games... last play games."

---

Conclusion

This episode of "The Tony Kornheiser Show" offers a comprehensive discussion on high-stakes sports decisions, player valuations, and the evolving landscape of college football playoffs. With insightful contributions from guests like Bill Belichick and Pat 40, Tony provides listeners with a blend of expert analysis, humor, and engaging dialogue, ensuring both sports enthusiasts and casual listeners find value in the conversation.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey, it's Tony. On today's show, we'll talk to Michael Wilbon about Juan Soto's huge deal with The Mets, the 12 team field for the college football playoffs and the big games from the NFL. And we're going to talk exclusively about college football and the playoff with PAT40. But first, let's do some commerce. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show. This is the Omaha Steaks Read. Nothing delivers comfort and joy quite like the unrivaled quality and taste of Omaha Steaks. It's guaranteed perfection in every single bite. And right now you can save on unforgettable gifts with 50% off site [e-mail] plus score an extra $30 off with the promo code Tony. With five generations of experience, they consistently deliver the world's best steak experience. And the gifting experts at Omaha Steaks have made it easy to deliver the perfect gift with thoughtfully curated gift packages featuring gourmet favorites from legendary steaks to mouth watering desserts and more. Save 50% off site wide for a limited time at omahastakes.com plus our listeners get an extra $30 off with the promo code Tony. So use the code, people. That's 50% off@omaha steaks.com and an extra $30 off with promo code Tony. Minimum purchase may apply.

[Ad Read Speaker]

The holidays are all about sharing with family meals, couches, stories, Grandma's secret pecan pie recipe. And now you can also share a cart. With Instacart's family carts, everyone can add what they want to one group cart from they are. So you don't have to go from room to room to find out who wants cranberry sauce or who should get mini marshmallows for the yams or collecting votes for sugar cookies versus shortbread. Just share a cart and then share the meals and the moments. Download the Instacart app and get delivery in as fast as 30 minutes. Plus enjoy free delivery on your first three orders. Service fees and terms apply.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Previously on the Tony Korniser Show. North Carolina should understand this because they had Dean Smith. Yeah, they should understand how it works. They had Dean Smith. I find it. I actually find it not true. I don't even believe that it was true that he interviewed.

[Michael Wilbon]

Well, you did. That was a nice interview, Bill. You're going up against the Tulane coach, so we'll see how that works out for you. Nothing against the Tulane coach, but it's Bill Belichick.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right. This is Bill F. Belichick. Yeah. Come on now. The Tony Kornheiser show is on now. So when you do a show like this, you gather string until you have a big enough ball of string that you have something you can deal with over the weekend. You gather string. What am I going to open with on Monday morning? I know I've got the NFL. I know I've got college football. Let me just figure some other thing out. Because you don't want to open with that because that's why you have guests. So you know, there's the cost of a can of soup that Michael and I went back and forth on. And that was a little bit of string for me. Me playing 12 holes on Saturday in the really cold weather and enjoying myself was a little bit of string for me. Bootsy lost a tooth last night at dinner.

[Michael Wilbon]

How about that?

[Pat 40]

Yeah, Big, big dinner.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. And lost a tooth and scream, I lost my tooth.

[Pat 40]

Luckily he has that tooth. Memory box from Kotowski.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. And he's got a, you know, blood coming out of the right side of his front of his mouth.

[Michael Wilbon]

He took a shot.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. So you know, so you can do that. He's eating an ice cream cone at the time. There's blood on the cone. It just seems like a title of a movie, Blood on the cone or.

[Michael Wilbon]

Bob Dylan song for sure.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. You know, so you got that. And then I got this weird thing that happens yesterday where my neighbor Ken, I'm watching Red zone, it's about 1:15, my neighbor Ken knocks on the door and I go, you know what? And he goes, do you get cbs? And I say I. I assume I.

[Pat 40]

Get cbs, a channel that still comes over the air if you wanted to.

[Tony Kornheiser]

809 on, on my cable. 809, that's right. But I'm watching 861 because I'm watching the red zone. I say, so I look and you know, turn it on. Yeah. I get a. Why? Well, my brother in law is in town, he's a big Steelers fan and it's, you know that game is on cbs.

[Michael Wilbon]

Steele Browns, right?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, he'd like to watch it, but.

[Pat 40]

Not in the snow this time.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. And I said, yeah, would he like to watch it here? And he goes, well, that's why I'm here. I said, sure, bring him over.

[Michael Wilbon]

Canvassing the neighborhood to see.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So his brother in law, Tom comes up, big guy, you know, about six three, six four comes over. I put him in a small room with a television set. He brings his own food, he brings his own drinks. He sits down and he watches the game.

[Michael Wilbon]

Self contained.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Two different times. I check in. Everything okay? Everything.

[Pat 40]

You check out the kids toys?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't know. Everything seems to be okay. He's happy watching the game. I try to make a little bit of small talk. I have no idea if he knows who I am, you know, so he's watching the game and so I thought, there's a lot of string. And now I have an open until I find out that Juan Soto signs a 700.

[Pat 40]

Let's go back to the neighbor. What are the odds that a football fan who's looking for places to watch a Steelers game on a Sunday afternoon would not know pti?

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, no, he's going to know who you are.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But he didn't mention it.

[Michael Wilbon]

And did Ken join him or did he said, again, I'll be by at 5:00 to pick him up?

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, no, Ken was in there for the second half. Yeah, Ken and I were outside with the dog for the first half and. And then Ken was in there in the second half. Perfectly charming. And then Soto signed $765 million. 15 years through 41. If he's 26 now or 20. 26 now. Yeah, through 41. Okay. It's an un. I shouldn't say it's an unbelievable contract. It's a believable contract. It's a signed contract. It's more than Shohei Ohtani. Is Juan Soto worth more than Shohei Attorney? Not to me, because Shohei Ohtani pitches. Not to me. But, you know, is Juan Soto worth a tremendous amount? Sure, yeah. He's a great prospect. He's done nothing but have great years. He hasn't been hurt. So why does he do this? Well, there's two reasons to me that he does this. One is Scott Boras, who may or may not be the devil. Scott Boris wanted the biggest contract of all time and wanted Soto to be the vehicle by which he got it. I mean, the offer the Yankees made is so close.

[Michael Wilbon]

760, right?

[Tony Kornheiser]

So close.

[Pat 40]

Personal at that point, so close to.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The offer that the Mets made that you have to say to yourself, Juan Soto did not want to be on the Yankees anymore. He wanted to be on the Mets. New York is the best place for someone from the Dominican Republic. There's a huge Dominican population there. I think it's better than Boston. People say, well, big Papi and Pedro. I said, okay, but it's not like New York. So I figured it was Mets and the Yankees all the way along. Did I figure it was the Mets? No, because I figured, okay, he enjoys Playing with Aaron Judge. Sure, he enjoys that. And it's a little easier to me to get to the World Series in the American League than the National League. To me, maybe I'm wrong about that.

[Pat 40]

Especially over the next five years.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. But, you know, so he goes with the Mets. My other theory would be that he spent almost his entire baseball career in the National League, familiar with the cities, familiar with the stadia. Maybe that's where he want. I don't know. Like, I have absolutely no idea. Michael, you think this villainizes him?

[Pat 40]

I think it has the potential to play the villain role. He's never had bad press because he.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hasn'T deserved bad press.

[Pat 40]

Right. The biggest issue would be like, okay, he gets a little chesty in the box. When he was a younger kid. It's amazing that you start by using the word prospect because he's been around us what seems like forever. And you go back to the stories, you get seven, you know, 700 plus here. And when we first heard about him, he didn't have a bed as he was moving up through the miners because he didn't think he was going to be there long enough. You end up getting that quick flight out to San Diego and you get to the NLCS there. And, you know, aside from a Harper home run late, you look like you could get to that World Series. And then you seem like you find the perfect fit in New York and it looks like you might say to yourself, wow, in the 25 years where you sort of think in the middle of the Yankees dynasty, you've had the Red Sox win a bunch of World Series in quick succession, it seems like the shine on the Yankees has definitely diminished. And there has been this pocket where the Mets have been able to stand up. And particularly with new ownership. I mean, the crazy thing is you have to.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They're not the Dodgers.

[Pat 40]

I understand that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Dodgers.

[Pat 40]

But if you look at what you might be able to do as a singular player, you go in there and say, like, over 10 years, not even into the 15, I can cheat.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I think it's a seven to eight year deal. Yeah.

[Pat 40]

And you sort of understand you're going to overpay for that because, you know, what if we win one, what if we win two? Then it's. It's worth the entire world.

[Michael Wilbon]

Isn't there an opt out after five years?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I think, why is he going to opt out? I think.

[Michael Wilbon]

I think it might be a team. If they pay him a certain level, I think that they have the ability to get out.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Do you think Boris would allow that, that the team could turn its back on five years out of a 15.

[Michael Wilbon]

Well, wouldn't you look at it this way? Great. I'll sign another 10 year deal at this point at 31 and make even more money because contract.

[Tony Kornheiser]

See what happened to Albert Pujols? Well, yeah, sometimes this happens, sure.

[Pat 40]

But then you see what happened down 95 with Bryce Harper and you look at that and you're looking at the mirror today and be like, I play both sides of the ball and I'm not getting paid that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is more than double what Aaron Judge got. Aaron Judge in the last three years has had 62 and 58 in two of those three years, right?

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah. Is that good?

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's more than double what Aaron. And Aaron Judge a good fielder?

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, he's good.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's more than double what Aaron Judge got. It's really. It's a lot more than Joel Embiid, I'm happy to say.

[Pat 40]

When you go back to Ohtani and you think about what makes this so interesting because it does take Ohtani signed.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And didn't even take the money, it.

[Pat 40]

Does feel like market value. And you look at what Ohtani was able to sign for and you think there's such an understanding about what my value is off of the field of baseball. So I'm willing to take what feels like the pay cut because I want to play at the Dodgers, who've been able to accrue a lot of these players what feels like below market value. When you think about Freddie Freeman and, you know, even getting some of the missing pieces, like your favorite reliever, Blake.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Trinan, again, I don't know if I'm right about this. I think I'm right about this, that the amount of money available to you off the field if you are a Japanese player is different than you are if you are a Dominican player. Japan is a very wealthy country, very involved in sports and has a traditional. Look at Naomi Osaka, how much money.

[Michael Wilbon]

She makes, like $70 million.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't know that that's available in the Dominican Republic. I have no sense of that one way or another. But if you ask me, is Soto worth being the most highly valued, highly paid player in all of professional sports? I'd probably say yes. Although you could convince me there's a soccer player out there that's worth more because of all the money involved in soccer that I'm just unaware of.

[Guest Speaker]

Right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But in an American sport, if you tell me it's Soto, yeah, I'll agree with that. I'll agree with that. It's just. It's. Many years ago, Kirby Puckett signed a contract that was unheard of. I'm going back 35, 40 years. I'm sure he signed a $3 million contract a year. And people said, oh, my God, the end of civilization.

[Pat 40]

It's like a game.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Check.

[Pat 40]

Now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Now everybody. Everybody, you know, but. And that's how it works. There is. Somebody climbs Mount Everest and then other people climb Mount Everest, and then you gotta find something higher.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And that's how it works.

[Michael Wilbon]

Well, you wrote a piece about Nolan Ryan when he got a million dollar.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Deal for five years. One million a year. Five million dollars.

[Michael Wilbon]

And my. It was a great piece, but one of my big takeaways from it, 40 years.

[Tony Kornheiser]

45.

[Michael Wilbon]

It was 1980. Right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

45 years ago.

[Michael Wilbon]

Was that they were embarrassed by that. They were like, yeah, this is too much money. It's ridiculous.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

And now it just feels like. Yeah. I mean, it's just.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Look at the prize money in golf. Oh, you know, look how much more it is now than used to be. There's money. There's money flying around that, you know, that you don't think is fun. And all you have to do. All you have to do is look at ni. The nil. Just look at the nil. Money.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And you see how much money there is in sports.

[Michael Wilbon]

Michigan quarterback, you know, gets 10 million in nil to commit there. It's incredible. By the way, did you see Kurt Cope, Street's kid coming to Michigan?

[Tony Kornheiser]

The second guy. It's the second quarterback to commit there. I don't know how good he is. Yeah, I hope he's good.

[Michael Wilbon]

Thought for sure he was going to be Ohio State.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Ohio State. Well, maybe Herbstree didn't enjoy himself at Ohio State. Is that possible? Could be.

[Michael Wilbon]

Although there's video of him showing his kid, like eight years ago with an Ohio State T shirt. Say, just wait, he'll be going there. Well, maybe not.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No. Well, maybe they didn't offer that.

[Michael Wilbon]

That is probably.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, maybe they didn't offer. Yeah. So.

[Michael Wilbon]

And just to get back to Juan Soto, I think the one thing that you have to be concerned about at this point, if you're a Mets fan, is that he's already asked for them to trade for Devonte Adams. So I don't think that that will end well.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, there's apparently, unless this is a joke, a Netflix series coming out on Aaron Rodgers.

[Pat 40]

You've not seen the clips for this?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I just. I saw it. But is it a joke or. No, this is serious.

[Michael Wilbon]

I don't know which one's going to be worse, that one or Prince Harry talking about Polo.

[Tony Kornheiser]

How can you.

[Michael Wilbon]

Because that one's coming out this week as well.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Aaron Rodgers. The New York jets have allowed Aaron Rodgers to do whatever he wants, even if it is counterproductive to being on the New York Jets. Yeah, they paid him all this dough. They let him go to whatever practices he wants or doesn't want to. He's got his own film crew, obviously, for Netflix. Are you kidding? Are you kidding?

[Guest Speaker]

Wow.

[Michael Wilbon]

How's that working out for them?

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right, we'll take a break. Michael Wilbon will join us when we return. Got a thousand things to talk about.

[Pat 40]

Open to hear about the soup.

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, yeah, Comparative prices of soup.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We're going to do Monday, Tuesday, Thursday this week. So we'll do the soup on Monday, Wednesday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, rather. So we'll do the soup on Wednesday or Thursday.

[Pat 40]

There was a sighting of you at the Safeway.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. One of your friends, a friend of ours. Yeah.

[Pat 40]

Said you look concerned.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I thought he said look confused.

[Pat 40]

Confused. And I think confusion led to his concern.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I certainly was confused. I'm Tony Kornheiser. When you feel a cold coming, shorten it with Zycam, the number one cold shortening brand. Oh, no. Your cold is coming. Your cold cold is coming. Thanks, Revere. I really should keep Zycam in the house. Only if you want to shorten your cold. Take it from America's most revered messenger. Shorten your cold at the first sign with cold shortening products from Zycam, the number one cold shortening brand available in stores. Or see where to [e-mail].

[Michael Wilbon]

Youm'Re listening.

[Tony Kornheiser]

To the Tony Kornheiser Show. This is the Blue Nile Read. At this time of year, maybe you're looking back on all the amazing memories you have from 2012, especially if you're in love. Maybe you're already looking ahead to your plans in 2025. And maybe, just maybe, those plans involve getting engaged to the one you're in love with. For anyone about to take that momentous step, you'll want to get your engagement ring from blue nile.com. blue Nile is the original online jeweler since 1999. On blue nile.com you can create a bigger, more brilliant piece than you can imagine at a price you won't find anywhere else. They're committed to ensuring that their highest ethical standards are observed when sourcing diamonds and jewelry. So you can feel great about that, too. Blue Nile also offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee with guaranteed free shipping and returns. Then guaranteed service and repairs for life. And don't worry, every Blue Nile order is insured and arrives in packaging that won't give away what's inside. Right now go to bluenile.com and use the code Tony K for $50 off your purchase of $500 or more. That's $50 off with code [e-mail] bluenile.com Use code, people. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show. It sounds like the beginning of a western, doesn't it? Doesn't it?

[Michael Wilbon]

Clint Eastwood.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

Coming out of the Shadow sort of sounds like.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But it's not. It's Eric delong and the Slappy Boys, our new favorite group. We'd love to see their names. Eric DeLong and the Slappy Boys. It's called Devil's Orphan. It's weird. It does sound western. Does it?

[Michael Wilbon]

It sounds like the Bad and the Ugly.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. One of those spaghetti Western deals.

[Michael Wilbon]

So who's the director? Sergio Leone.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Devil's orphan. Eric DeLong and the Slappy Boys play in Michael Wilbun. There's a million things we can talk about. We're gonna talk about the College 12 Van Field. We're gonna talk about what happened yesterday in the NFL. But you gotta start with Soto. What do you think? What do you think?

[Bill Belichick]

I didn't even know about it, Tony. I'm out here in the desert about as far as you can get in the country away from New York City. And I literally didn't. Luckily I got a couple of texts last night. Cause I'm working on a project and I was. My attention was just elsewhere divided by the Kansas City game. But more than. More than. I mean, you know, more than a guy who can do two things, who could pitch and hit and play the field. I mean, I was surprised that he got more.

[Tony Kornheiser]

$765 million. This is double what Aaron Judge signed for. Aaron Judge has 58 and 62 in recent years. This is double that. This is $5 million. What do you make of the fact that The Yankees offered $5 million less and he took. He took the five and went to the Mets. What do you make of that?

[Bill Belichick]

We know who his agent is. That's all we have to make of it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Bill Belichick]

When you sign your life over to that agent, he wants to squeeze every last penny so that he can stand atop the Empire State Building.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, he's the Devil. He's the Devil. Scott Ford. But what? Like it's not a question of is somebody worth it? Because we'll wait and see. It's a contract for six to eight years. Basically. It doesn't matter how long it goes. You're figuring the productive years are six to eight years.

[Bill Belichick]

Well, but in this case, he's only 26.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay?

[Bill Belichick]

So, I mean, look, I just, I hope he's not Albert Pujols. Well, that's already been on three teams, so he can't, he isn't really Albert. Albert Poole saw one team. He would have been Lou Gehrig. If he had stayed with the Cardinals. He might have been. He might have been, after Ted Williams, the greatest hitter of all time. Albert Pujols.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Bill Belichick]

And he changed teams. That never worked. It never worked.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, but Mike Trout could have been that. But he gets hurt. What if Soto gets hurt?

[Bill Belichick]

But Soto hasn't.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's deal hasn't gotten hurt.

[Bill Belichick]

No, I just, you know, it's the Mets. I don't, I don't count the Mets and the Yankees and the Dodgers as being part of baseball. They just, you know, and sometimes the Red Sox all over the Red Sox and Cubs are a little closer, even though they can spend a lot of money on some teams. Sometimes on some guys, it's the Mets. What I heard was when you hear the Mets and the Yankees, this is like, okay, they're conducting their own little private war.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I agree with that.

[Bill Belichick]

The sport doesn't. I don't. I didn't. When I heard it was the Mets, I just went, all right, okay.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I was. I have to tell you that I'm not at all surprised, as we've discussed. I thought because he is Dominican and it's a good place to be, I thought he would sign with either the Mets or the Yankees, but I thought he'd sign with the Yankees because they just went to the World Series. And if you sign with the Mets, you got to go through the Dodgers. And it's hard to go through the Dodgers. It's easier to get to the World Series with the Yankees. And there is infinitely more tradition with the Yankees than the mets. I'm for 5 million.

[Bill Belichick]

I don't know that a 26 year old cares or even is aware of the tradition. Tony. And you know, increasingly, you know how cynical I am about two generations of people and not just Americans, but largely people are Americans or people who live here and make this their home, as Soto has. Now, I don't think they're listening. I don't think they're paying attention to anything. If this Was the NBA, it wouldn't matter that it was the Celtics or the Lakers. He might sign and go somewhere else. So whoever has the money. Ballmer, Clippers. Yeah, so we've seen that already. So yeah, you know, it's huge news. I just find myself shaking my head and not caring about it. Well, I don't care about Solo yet because he just goes, this is 14.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, yeah, it's fourth team. Yeah.

[Bill Belichick]

14, 26 years old.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Wow. But he's a great player.

[Bill Belichick]

He's a great, great player.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's a great player.

[Bill Belichick]

And let's see, look, he's playing with a guy who is the runner up in MVP and Frankie Lindor.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Bill Belichick]

So you know he's got. It may not be the Yankee lineup but he's got stuff there. The Mets just made the playoffs too.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They made the playoffs but they were said not to be interested really in re signing Pete Alonso who is their big fan.

[Bill Belichick]

Not only Pete Alonso necessarily, but his team has got to go through the Braves.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They go through the Braves. Got to go through the Phillies. Got to go through the Dodgers. It's harder. It's harder than the American League. It is harder. All right, all right. 12 team playoff. You railed about it for weeks and weeks and weeks. You were confident that they would put a three loss SEC team in there and they didn't.

[Bill Belichick]

Glad. They didn't. Glad the committee. I'm not going to say to the right thing. I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say putting Alabama in would have been wrong over SMU and that's all it came down to. That's what it came down to.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right.

[Bill Belichick]

I'm not going to say that they got it right. Well, they did. I think they. The one thing they couldn't get right was something they weren't allowed to get right which is just seeding the field overall. You know this stuff, you know where you got, you know you have a couple of the top teams are not.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, it's not seeded because they're giving league championship teams status to qualifiers, automatic qualifiers.

[Bill Belichick]

So I don't like that. But that's not the committee's fault.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No.

[Bill Belichick]

And so it's fine. It's fine. Do you take Alabama over estimate? We know what the arguments are.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. I go the other way. I would have put Alabama, that's me.

[Bill Belichick]

You know, again, I'm not going to say they got it wrong or not. I thought it was. I thought it had all the drama you could want out of the Event.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Bill Belichick]

Texted you. I thought the show at 1:00. I go to the NFL, so I get it. I gave it an hour.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Bill Belichick]

Was brilliant.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's a really good show.

[Bill Belichick]

It was just a 10.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's a really good show. Yeah. I just. I disagree.

[Bill Belichick]

By the way, Nick Saban, for a guy who has a horse in the race.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Bill Belichick]

I thought Saban was as measured as yes, not just rational. I thought he was great. Saban's a star on that show. You don't often see people of that stature come on these shows and be stars right away out of retirement. You know, I mean, he's, you know, he's just great. And I like why I enjoyed listening to him and watching that show. You know, I didn't care about any of that stuff five weeks ago. But it wasn't because of the material. It was because it wasn't time to care. It wasn't time to give a damn. Just like you don't pay any attention to the NBA as much as you. As little as you can until after Christmas.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right.

[Bill Belichick]

I don't care about that stuff in late October when it's just. It's just programming.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. I like it. I like it all the way through. I like it all the way through. And I think Alabama should have been in over smu. But it's okay. It's okay. I mean, it's not something criminal. It is not exactly. It's not criminal.

[Bill Belichick]

It's the same way. Even though again, I was six half dozen. I don't know if I was sitting in the room, how I would have gone depends on who was persuasive in the room.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, there's a politics.

[Bill Belichick]

I don't know how it was.

[Tony Kornheiser]

There's politics in there, I'm sure. All right, let me get to something else. And this is about. There's two things to get to. One is that if you watch the red zone, you are so lucky because you get to see games that you would never ordinarily see. Nobody would have watched the jets and the Dolphins. Nobody would have watched the Jaguars and the Titans. Nobody would have watched the Saints and the Giants. All three of those games came down to the last play. They were just wonderful. But I'll get to them later. Here's the thing I want to talk to you about. We could probably agree at the moment that if they are not the four best teams, they're certainly four of the best teams. Kansas City, Buffalo, Detroit and Philadelphia. They all their most recent games, and I say most recent Because Detroit played on Thursday night their most recent games. Last play games. Yeah, last play games it is. So if you say to me, who's the best team, I can't tell you.

[Bill Belichick]

Detroit.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, you know, Detroit last play at home, whereas Buffalo last play on the road and 41 points.

[Bill Belichick]

Detroit, two games in a row. Last play at home.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Kansas City. Last play every game. Every game.

[Bill Belichick]

Every 2, 0 for Detroit at home. Kansas City. Every game, including at home.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Every game. The Eagles should have been beaten. He should have caught that ball. It's a touchdown. They're at home. So, you know, you say Detroit quickly, right. But you can. You will appreciate that I can make a case for all these other teams.

[Bill Belichick]

Well, yeah, yeah. I'm looking at. I'm not looking at just the score, right. I'm looking at. I'm looking at the way the team plays and Detroit. And look, the way this is going, Tony, I don't think any of these teams will lose their first game, but they could. I just think Detroit's got something. I just think it's their time.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's. That's fine.

[Bill Belichick]

I think it's like an NBA team when you see them and you go, yeah, yeah, yeah, Golden State.

[Guest Speaker]

Yep.

[Bill Belichick]

They're going through Denver. Yep. They got the player. They're going through. I think Detroit's on that now. They got to get some of those defensive players back healthy, which they have time to do, but they got to get some of them. I'm not saying they got to get Aiden Hutchins. Even. A word is these, you know, that he could play in January. But I think it's them. I think it's there.

[Tony Kornheiser]

How about the day Josh Allen had? How about six touchdowns and a loss? How about six touchdowns?

[Bill Belichick]

I'm not convinced about them. I'm not.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They kept coming back.

[Bill Belichick]

I know, but it's not that, you know, coming back doesn't. I'm not just looking at the teams, right. And I looked at all four of them yesterday or in Thursday night.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Bill Belichick]

I'm not convinced about Buffalo, and I, you know, I kind of root for Buffalo because I was there for all those near championships in the city and in the stadium and in the locker room, and therefore, what that organization and that fan base went through. And I root for them. I root for them in Detroit. I really do. I mean, for our team that's in my division. I root for the city of Detroit. As I've explained a few times, I'm not convinced about Buffalo at all.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Bill Belichick]

I know Josh Allen's having.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's great.

[Bill Belichick]

It's easy to make the case for Josh Allen for mvp. I would make it for Saquon Barkley.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I would too.

[Bill Belichick]

But. But you're right, all four of them, I mean, they had these games the team yet, you know, I took the Rams in that game. I took the Rams in my pool with some points that I thought it'd be a close game. And it was. So, yeah, yesterday for basically for Sunday with not matchups that mattered really as much.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Bill Belichick]

Yesterday was the worst NFL Sunday in that regard. It had these outcomes that were insane.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm sitting there watching the Saints and the Giants. These teams stink. They stink. And they block the field goal. You know, it's going to overtime. And they block the field goal. You know, the jets and the Dolphins and Aaron Rodgers was good. He was good yesterday. And they lost again. Miami goes right down the field.

[Bill Belichick]

Makes me so happy.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Bill Belichick]

By the way, yes, two is pretty damn good in he.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He is. Yes, he is.

[Bill Belichick]

And he hadn't missed five games. Yeah, maybe maybe four in one of those instead of one in four or whatever they were, you know, but you know, they're not going to be a factor.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No.

[Bill Belichick]

Yeah, Tony, I hear you on that. And it was. It was. I thought the star of the day was still obviously the show and our network, our bosses are very lucky, fortunate that you've got real drama and then you've got the drama on the field and there's too much of it. Twelve teams is too many to make somebody play four games. Perhaps it's too much.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I would have gone to eight. I think 12 is ridiculous. I think it's ridiculous. But that's just me. That's just me. All right. A lot to talk about today. I'll talk to you later.

[Bill Belichick]

All right, Tone.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Michael Wilbon, boys and girls, we will take a break. We will bring in Pat 40 and Pat will go into a deep dive about the college football playoffs. I'm Tony Kornheiser. This is the Tony Kornheiser Show. This is the aura. Read from big events to the moments you capture every day. Doesn't it sometimes feel like all your favorite photos are just stuck on your camera roll? Wouldn't it be great to have an easy way to share and enjoy them with friends and family? That's where aura comes in. Name the number one digital photo frame by wirecutter. Aura makes it effortless to upload unlimited photos and videos directly from your phone so your favorite memories are always within view. Plus, you can personalize and preload an Aura frame for a truly special, unforgettable gift. I have this. It's great. Michael has this. It's great. Michael loads mine. And every time I say, could you get us some more pictures? Could you get some more?

[Pat 40]

Very demanding. But it's great to know that I can control the app and when you've been good, I can give you those photos.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. You don't have to spend time on your phone. It like it's, it's moving cycles through. It's moving all the time. It's lovely. It's lovely. Have it on all the time. Save on the perfect gift by visiting auraframes.com to get $35 off Aura's best selling Carver matte frames by using the promo code Tony K at checkout. That's Aura A U R A frames.com promo code Tony K. This deal is exclusive to listeners, so get yours now in time for the holidays. Terms and conditions apply. Use the code, people. This is the Tony Kornheiser show. This is a Simplisafe read. If you ever worry about the safety of your home and family, there's no better time to act. Right now, Simplisafe is extending its massive Black Friday deal from my listeners. Get 50% off a new Simplisafe security system. Simplisafe is the home security you can trust. Just ask Nigel. He's been using it for a while now. He loves the peace of mind it brings knowing his home is protected 24 7.

[Michael Wilbon]

Well, as you know, I've got a lot of high value items in my flat and I need the best security I can get. And that's why we've worked with Simplisafe. It's not really a great system. It's easy to set up. There's lots of great customer service along the way. Does not break your bank. It's just great. And the peace of mind you get is worth everything.

[Tony Kornheiser]

50% off right now. Simplisafe is a new way to protect your home that stops intruders before they break into your house. Old school systems only take action once someone's already inside. It's too late. Simplisafe's Active Guard outdoor protection changes the game by preventing crime before it even happens. If someone's lurking around. Love the word lurking. Or acting suspiciously. Those agents, see them in real time. Talk to them directly. Hey. Set off your spotlights. And even call the police before the culprits have had a chance to break in. Simplisafe is extending its massive Black Friday deal for my listeners. This week only you can get 50% off any new system with a select professional monitoring plan. This is your last chance to claim their best offer of the year. So head to simplisafe.com Tony that's SimpliSafe. S I m p l I simplisafe.com Tony because there's no safe like Simplisafe. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show. Once again, here are Eric DeLong and the Slappy Boys. All their songs are the same. This called Danielle but it could be called anything. It doesn't matter.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's great.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We just like Eric DeLong and the Slappy Boys. We do. Michael if original bands like Eric DeLong and the Slappy Boys want to send in their original music to be played on this show, how do they do it?

[Pat 40]

Send us your music by emailing it to Jingles Tony cornizershow.com and they play.

[Tony Kornheiser]

In Pat 40 who we. We just use like a mule. It's so wrong. But it's. He's the best out there. Let's go with the 12. Let's go with the 12. I mean I would have thought that that would be the headline of the day. It's not. Juan Soto is the headline of the day if you're a sports writer. But we'll go with the 12. Aw. And I have just discussed this. He's good with it. I thought Alabama should be in and not over smu. I mean that's just me. But I said I don't think it's criminal. It's not criminal. And you get to at least say we don't have a three loss team in there that we deliberately put in there. Are you okay with the 12?

[Guest Speaker]

Yes. I like this 12. I think if it were me, I would have had SMU ahead of Alabama. It's close and Miami was close too. But that's the way I would have gone with it. I think one of the problems to me, Tony, that the committee again with these early rankings that they do in the TV show, they box themselves into things and the criteria becomes less about Alabama season and SMU season than. Well, we've already got SMU three spots ahead of them and if we drop them because they played an extra game, that would be wrong. And if you don't have the TV show and you don't have the rankings coming out for five weeks in a row, that isn't a problem.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right.

[Guest Speaker]

Come out with it at the end. And here's our, here's our bracket and you don't have to kind of deal with that incremental structure that you've created.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, but the reason you do that is to build a gate on television for all of these games that you're watching, you know, week by weekend, to have some sort of drama, right?

[Guest Speaker]

Well, yes, that's absolutely why they do it, you know, but I would also say I don't think college football was A, lacking in attention or B, lacking in people talking about it and arguing about it already before they created this.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, that's fair. The case that I would make, and I'm going to ask you for their rationale and your rationale on smu. The case I would make for Alabama is very simple. SMU has two losses to ranked teams. They are.02 against ranked teams. Alabama is three and one against ranked teams, including a victory over Georgia, you know, and a victory over South Carolina, which like an hour ago beat Clemson. And I'd say, well, they're clearly better, so I would have put them in. What do you think the committee's rationale is? And what is your rationale?

[Guest Speaker]

Well, yeah, I don't know for sure about the committee. My rationale is it's not just about wins. It's also about losses. And Alabama has two terrible losses and SMU has no terrible losses. And I think SMU has some good wins against teams that are perhaps right outside the top 25, which is made by this committee. It's their own metric. It's not somebody else's metric. But they beat 9 and 3 Duke. They beat 8 and 4, Louisville on the road. Duke on the road. They scored 66 points on an 8 and 4 TCU team. They were until Saturday night when a freshman made a 56 yard kick on the last play. Undefeated with Kevin Jennings as their starting quarterback.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right.

[Guest Speaker]

I mean, and I've watched them play. I think they're good. They got off to a terrible start Saturday night.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, they did.

[Guest Speaker]

Jennings made, you know, two terrible turnovers, but they're a good defensive team and they have got a very explosive offense. I just. I think they are a good enough team to be in there. And I also watched Alabama score three points against Oklahoma and saw him in person against Tennessee. I just. I don't think this is a very good Alabama team. I was there for the Georgia game as well. They played an unbelievable half against Georgia. Unbelievable. And then in the second half, held on for dear life. So, again, I'm fine with the way the committee did it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

There's one thing I think we need to talk about and that was a point of emphasis early on that you're not going to be punished if you're in a championship game. And so how much do you think that played into keeping SMU there? The fact that they had to play this extra game and even though they lost it, they certainly lost it close. And it would seem like a punishment would be to boot them.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, I think that was definitely part of the thought process. Here is if they insist on having the conference championship games, which I don't like, I don't think they're. I don't think they help most of the teams that are in it, then you can't make them double jeopardy, so to speak. If you're good enough to get in the game, it shouldn't be held against you. If you lose the game now, I mean, if SMU had lost 42 to 7, then okay, that's fine. If they looked like a team that absolutely did not belong on the field, that's one thing. But the comeback they made and the fact that that was headed to overtime until Clemson pulled it out in extraordinary fashion, you know, the actual game itself was an impressive game. And then, yeah, I think if, again, if you want to make those games important and mean something, then you can't also use them as an extra chance to knock a team down, in my opinion.

[Tony Kornheiser]

What do you make of the whining being done by the. Or having been done by the ACC commissioner and the Big 12 commissioner?

[Guest Speaker]

Well, shoot, who hasn't whined? I mean, it's unbelievable. The coaches, I mean. Lane Kiffin. Good Lord. Lane. I wrote a column comparing him to Veruca Salt from the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory. You know, he wants a golden goose. He wants another pony. I'm sorry, you don't just get everything you want in this. There's 12 teams. That's it. And if you want a national tournament instead of an SEC Invitational where four, five, six SEC teams get in, then some people are going to be left out. And that's the price of admission to playing in that league. You know, you don't just get everything you want because you're in the sec. So, you know, the amount of lobbying, whining, campaigning, politicking, spinning, whatever was excessive. But this is the system they've created. And the fact that we have these rankings for five straight weeks gives people something to look at and say, that's not fair.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Boise State is in a position where they get a buy the first week. I think they're third rated. Third at this point, out of Arizona State and Clemson. Boise State has an immaculate resume this year. They've lost one game at Oregon by three. The number one team in the country. It's like, great. You watch college football, you think Boise State could beat either or both of Arizona State or Clemson?

[Guest Speaker]

Probably, yeah. I mean, tell you what, now the Arizona State, that's finished the season pretty good. That's their wagon. Yeah, yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Pretty good.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah. Clemson, sure. I mean, I think I would put Boise, you know what, I favor them on a neutral field. I don't know, but I think they absolutely can beat them. Yeah. I mean, they have an incredible talent in Ashton Gentee. They have an underrated quarterback and receivers. Their defense is good enough. I mean, held the UNLV to seven Friday night. You know, they're a good team. They absolutely are. So you know that the. I'm not a huge fan of the automatic buys for conference champions because I do think, you know, I think the four best teams should get the buys instead of, you know, these teams that just won their league. And that's, again, no disrespect to those teams, but I think there are better teams, you know, whether it's Notre Dame, whether it's Penn State, whoever, probably should.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Have gotten a buy in the. In the NCAA basketball championships. There's a little bit of a devilish way they put teams together that they know they're going to get to the sweet 16 and they want to see this particular matchup. Do you think the college football people did this with Notre Dame, Indiana? Because it's really cool. I mean, I think that that's a big deal, a championship of a state. Do you think that was deliberate?

[Guest Speaker]

If not. But it certainly didn't. They weren't opposed to it. I wouldn't be surprised if. Yeah. That there was some thought. First of all, you know, I think they definitely wanted to avoid Indiana and Ohio State playing again. We've already seen that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

The other thing is, I think they wanted Texas on the opposite side of the bracket from Georgia so they didn't play for a third time until the final.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah. And so if you're, you know, if you're going to try to, you know, build this sandcastle or whatever, you might as well. You know what, here's what else we can do. We can have Indiana play Notre Dame.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I like it.

[Guest Speaker]

State championship. Yeah. No, I think it's great.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I think it's pretty cool. By the way, just a question, having watched the Georgia game when the kid's helmet popped off and he had to walk away for one play because the helmet popped off in the NFL. He's right in the blue tent. Is there a blue tent in college? And what do you make of that?

[Guest Speaker]

There usually is. I mean, I think Georgia has an injury tent, if I'm not mistaken. You know, I'm trying to remember. I mean, most teams have an injury tent on the sideline in college too, so. But you know what I mean, this is my own cynical opinion is after a couple of years of acting very concerned about concussions, I think most people, it seems like, have gone back, just get him back out there. That may be an overstatement, and I don't know whether that was the case here, but I'm suspicious that maybe the concussion awareness has lessened.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, well, they bring out Carson back, whose arm is hanging down like a noodle. Like he has. No, he can't do anything except hand the ball off. What did you make of that? I thought they would certainly if they had to change quarterbacks. There's got to be a third string guy. I, I, I was surprised they put Carson back out there.

[Guest Speaker]

I was too. Very surprised. And, and yes, the way he was holding his arm, it was, it was clear he could only do one thing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's not going to pass it.

[Guest Speaker]

Right. But, but yeah, surely Georgia has a third string quarterback. At one point, Stetson Bennett was sixth string, so they've got some guys that can still play there. But maybe that was one of those situations where Kirby Smart's just thinking, I just need somebody to take a snap and turn around and give the ball to somebody and I don't want somebody who's going to fumble it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Do you? There's enough time for those guys to get well right before the next game, I would assume.

[Guest Speaker]

Well, we'll see. We don't know what the injury is to Becky.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right.

[Guest Speaker]

You know, if this is elbow, shoulder separation or you know, what the deal is, we will see.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. All right, I'll go completely off book here on one thing and then I'll ask you to plug your podcast. Did you see Pitino wearing the sweater the other night? Wasn't that nice?

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, that was awesome. Yeah, that was great. And you know, Rick is many things, but he is an appreciator of the color of college basketball. I mean, I remember when he played against Wimp Sanderson 30 years ago in Rupp arena and wore a plaid coat.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He did. Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

You know, he's, he likes to have fun with the sport and he appreciates the people that made the sport what it is. And Louie was certainly one of those guys.

[Tony Kornheiser]

What a lovely. It was just a lovely touch. It was just a lovely touch. I plug your podcast for us.

[Guest Speaker]

College football Inquirer, Yahoo Sports platform with Dan Wetzel and Ross Dellinger. Got a big one from yesterday out there and we'll keep cranking them out three times a week.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's good. Thank you, Pat.

[Guest Speaker]

All right. Thank you, Tony.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Pat. 40 boys and girls. We'll take a break. We have email and jingle when we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show. This is the Etsy read. Etsy knows what kind of holiday gifting reactions you're looking for this year. You want squeals of delight, happy tears and spontaneously written songs of joy, right? Well, to get reactions like those, you need to make sure everyone on your list feels heard with handmade, handpicked and designed gifts from small shops on Etsy. Etsy makes it so simple to find original items that will make whoever I'm shopping for feel extra special. Shop Etsy this holiday season for personalized jewelry, custom artwork, cozy style items, vintage pieces and home decor to celebrate all of your favorite people and their specific kind of special. For original gifts that say I get you, Etsy has it. This is the Toni Kornizer show. Lo, here comes Tony's mail bag. We've got your emails and notes. It's Mr. Tony's mail bag. We'll read some four one for you folks. Well, maybe not your email. It's neither smart nor funny, nor is it at a high coup. That's the Reverend Mark Schaeffer. I emphasize the Reverend Mark Schaeffer because I think there's a backstory here that Nigel has about somebody sending us an email.

[Michael Wilbon]

Somebody might not be all that thrilled with us playing these liturgical songs, but they're done by the right Reverend Mark Schaeffer.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But somebody said, I'm angry and I'm never listening again.

[Michael Wilbon]

Well said. I'm angry. We may have gotten another email that said don't ever do it again from the same persons.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. So that's why you did it.

[Michael Wilbon]

I may have done that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Of course it was deliberate. Of course it was deliberate. Bethesda bagel in Bethesda Bagels. Sandwiches today.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yes, sandwiches. They wrapped them in foil. Didn't have to do it myself. Always happy with that.

[Pat 40]

It's a full sandwich day. After that soda news really is Bethesda bagels.

[Michael Wilbon]

We love them. You will as well just go to Bethesda Bagels.com for the location in the DC area nearest you. Then pop on in and you will be thrilled.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That will do it for us today. Before we get to the mail, let me just say Dr. Here's a question that's always bothered me and a lot of people. Mayflower combined with Philadelphia. No brainer. Right? Because this is where the Mayflower landed. Not so turns out Columbus actually set foot somewhere down in the West Indies. Little known fact that sounds like as Fred Willard. Yeah, Fred Willard. Yeah, it's Fred Willard. I mean he's so funny with the late Fred Willard. Yes, thanks to Michael Wilbon and Pat40. Our thanks to today's sponsors. Remember, you can listen to us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Spotify. Or to see if gets show through Apple, please leave us a review. Okay. Jeff Newville, Hickory, North Carolina. Dear Dr. Grandpa, as an alum and fan of the University of North Carolina, my ears perked up on Friday's show when you mentioned the possibility of Coach Belichick landing in Chapel Hill. My initial thoughts? We just fired a 70 plus hall of Fame but not Wall of Fame head coach. Are we trying to avoid an age related wrongful discharge suit? Until he went on a mounting cast rehabilitation tour, Belichick seemed to be the biggest curmudgeon on the east coast since Tony Kornheiser. The only thing less likely than 18 and 19 year olds wanting to listen to this grouch growling about the good old days with Brady and Adam Vinatieri is Belichick debasing himself in the living room of high schoolers, convincing him to come play for him. Actually, that'd be good tv. Why are you even talking about this? As any real UNC fan knows, football is just a distraction to get to the basketball season. A 66 football season and a ticket to the Duke's Mayonnaise bowl or the Pool and Weed Eater Bowl. Sign us up. The big issue is that our basketball team is 4 and 4 heading into the weekend and staring into the abyss of mediocrity while Cooper Flagg and the Dukes are getting all the attention. What are we even doing out here, man? From Aaron in Milwaukee, a North Carolina Tar Heels executive is interviewing Bill Belichick now. Bill, I didn't see you submitted a resume. Bill silently sips his coffee with a hand bearing eight Super Bowls.

[Pat 40]

All that succession plan.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Josh Cromwell, Moselle, Mississippi. The show has spawned some odd games, but I have to confess that which dog has the worst diarrhea? Maybe the most unsettling one yet.

[Bill Belichick]

Really?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Also, the next time you read a batch of diarrhea emails a sentence I never anticipated writing. Please don't immediately chase them with an email about a chocolate fountain. Point well taken. Andy Millard Columbus, North Carolina At Columbus, Ohio Columbus, North Carolina. Our new show of December 4th, Dr. John Goldblum referred to the John Stewart. Not that John Stewart as a founding member of the Kingston Trio. Not true. The original Kingston Trio, formed in 1957, consisted of three San Francisco area friends, Dave Gard, Bob Shane and Nick Reynolds. Their number one hit, Tom Dooley, rocketed them to stardom, placing them at the vanguard of the nascent popular folk music movement. Jon Stewart didn't join the act until founding member Dave Gard left the group to pursue other projects in 1961. The answer to the obvious question of whether Shane or Reynolds considered renaming themselves the Kingston Duo was lost to history. At any rate, Stewart came on board following an audition process brought a softer sound to the group on hit Such Is Greenback dollar and where have all the Flowers Gone? By the time Stewart left the group in 1967, the Kingston Trio had exercised significant influence over the likes of Joan Baez, Peter, Paul and Mary, Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, and even, as Dr. Goldblum points out, the Beach Boys. So that's interesting. We have to wait to see what John says.

[Michael Wilbon]

Dr. John says, and by the way, remember we played we did something with the Wii 5 last week.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I woke up this morning. You're on my mind.

[Michael Wilbon]

Michael Stewart, the brother of Jon Stewart, was the founder of the Wii 5.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, that's good. From Michael Snyder in Jerusalem. Dear Dr. Tony Doc Dear Tony, Doctor of Humane Letters, While difficult to argue with rock and roll history, Detroit wheels. And he allegedly correct and simply put Detroit as in Pistons, Red Wings, Tigers and Lions. I believe the correct pronunciation is. As my father, the eldest son of new immigrants, so succinctly put it, it's Detroit where they make the cars. It's right next to the city. Troy in Michigan. Like from the history books, As a man of a certain age, I can finally appreciate the logic from Joe Pearson in Indianapolis, holding a picture of himself with Kit Kat in his hand. Recently, I had the occasion to visit the local international market to restock my Peruvian chili paste? Asked Michael. While there, I took the opportunity to wander down the Japan aisle. Sure enough, in the Candies and treats section there was a vast selection of Kit Kats, most of which I could not decipher. I do not read kanji, but one actually had chocolate orange printed in English. And let me tell you, they are delicious. Oh, and they're tiny chili pastes.

[Pat 40]

Yeah, I'm looking up right now. Okay, I'm trying to figure out if they're at war.

[Tony Kornheiser]

From Jason Kunick in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. I was tempted a few episodes ago when you mentioned Misericordia University. I thought, I know that school. Although when I knew it, it was still only college Misericordia. Two of my best friends graduated from there and I spent many weekends going to their townhouse and parties around the campus while I attended the first local Commonwealth campus of Penn State. Fast forward to earlier this week when you mentioned Bill Wennington and I felt compelled to write I actually met Bill at the college Misericordia gym one off season. One of those previously mentioned friends was actually a star swimmer from Misery, their first ever national champion athlete 200 meter butterfly and he actually used to give lessons to Bill's son. It was the first time in my adult life I felt truly small by comparison to another human. I'm six one. Bill towered over me to the point where I had to wrench my neck to look up to him at his full seven feet. Then I met his son who, despite being, I want to say 7 years old, was almost as tall as me. From Mark Hughes in Ashton, Maryland, Chuck & Roxy 292Surf Bagels in Fenwick island is now open. Should you forget to make the left into Rehoboth and you find yourself in Fenwick island, at least now there is a bagel option. Happy Holidays.

[Michael Wilbon]

Well, that's good to know.

[Pat 40]

Good for you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Steve Farkas Louisville, Kentucky as an avid listener and lover of eclipses, I thought I'd pass on how precious these events actually are. On Friday's show is explained how, by coincidence, the sun and moon are apparently the same size in the sky. That is only the current situation. The Moon is currently moving away from the Earth at a rate of approximately 1.5 inches per year. This gradual recession is caused by the gravitational interactions between the Earth and the moon, particularly the tidal forces they exert on each other. While there is some variation in the predictions, most estimates suggest that total solar eclipses will cease to occur in the future. Exactly when you ask, oh like 600 million years from now. At this point, the moon will have moved far enough away that it will no longer be able to completely cover the sun's disk during an eclipse. So as far as the littles are concerned, enjoy these totals Total Eclipses while you still can. Dr. Tony, you bring an amazing show and discuss everything from Peppermint Poop to the true stink that is the Wizards NBA team. Yeah, even though they beat Denver, they also gave up 140 yesterday. 140 to Memphis. 140. And of course, there's a story about how good one of the Wizards is Noah in Austin. A big thanks to Jeff and Bowie, MD, who wrote into Friday's show to inform you that Flush the Mouse had made it to the Urban Dictionary. I thought, I know that Urban Dictionary post. I wrote it. I submitted the post back in March, but it had to go through Urban Dictionary's review process. Those familiar with Urban Dictionary peer review will, yeah, will, appreciate my surprise at the notion that Urban Dictionary has a review process. In any event, I checked back regularly for a while, but after a few months of no posting, I figured Flush the Mouse had made its way unceremoniously down the bowl and stopped checking in. So again, thank you to Jeff for writing in and spreading the good word from Robert Mark Magatson, who is known also as Skinny Gumbo Lee. I love the variety of music you play on the show. I look forward to the spoken lyrics. Here's another twist you might consider. Blues is a uniquely American format. It's one of my favorites. It's not only the music, but the artists unique names. Big Mama Thornton, Trombone Shorty, et cetera. Now you, your guests and others can all have their own blues monikers. Print out the attachment and go to town. From this day forward, your name will be Fat Lip Smith. Your blues name. You can do it. There's a way you can.

[Michael Wilbon]

He's got first name, middle name, last name.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, stuff like that. Really? That's really weird. From Pete Kenny in Pine, Colorado. Jimmy Johnson, Barry Switzer and Pete Carroll stand with my fellow Tar Heel, Larry Brown and winning college and pro championships. No big deal. Thought you might want to know. P.S. i still own 88 Frisbees. I said basketball.

[Michael Wilbon]

Basketball.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I didn't. I know about football. I'm aware of it in football. I know about that. Steve the Sicker fan Mentions of Hinky Dinky on your I love saying that on your illustrious pot. Took me back to my childhood in Lincoln, Nebraska, where a local grocery store chain in Nebraska and Iowa used that name in a couple of places. The closest competition was from supermarkets markets named Piggly Wiggly. I know them. Sadly, the Hinky Dinky chain is no more, although Piggly Wiggly still has a few stores extant. However, Hinky Dinky will live on forever as a descriptor of something that is, well, Hinky dinky from Nick LeFave in St. Paul, Minnesota. Listening to a recent pod, I heard it mentioned that Nigel had taken to putting the foil on the Bethesda bagel sandwiches. But not today. Not today.

[Michael Wilbon]

I didn't need to. Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

When I heard that, I couldn't help but think of the movie Slap Shot. In the classic scene where Paul Newman's character Reggie Dunlop approaches the three Hanson brothers who are wrapping not bagel sandwiches, but their own knuckles, Dunlop asks, what are you guys doing? In succession reply, putting on the foil every game? Yeah, you want some? Newman simply says no, walks away, sits down on the other side of the locker room and says to another player, they don't leave the bench. The Hanson brothers were putting on the foil to get ready for a hockey broil. Nigel was getting ready for optimal bagel enjoyment, both equally serious endeavors. For the uninitiated, Slap Shot is a cult classic hockey film filled with some highly questionable content, especially for kids. More questionable was the parenting decision to play this movie on a loop for me and my teammates during our childhood hockey bus trips. And from John and Herndon. I had a David Aldridge moment when you mentioned Mike Trangisi the other day. I grew up caddying for him at Pawtucket Country Club. He's a really nice guy with the craziest golf swing. He's a very good golfer.

[Michael Wilbon]

Does he have a crazy swing?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't know that. I know he's a very good golfer. He's. I'm not sure he's as good as Jim Bahan, but he's. Who is a very good golfer. But Trangisi is very good. And all the Big East. All the Big east coaches played golf. They all played golf all the time. They did. If you're out on your bike trying everyone, as always, do wear white If.

[Bill Belichick]

I wish one of your guys had children if I could kick them in.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Their head A stomp on their testicles before you could feel my pain because.

[Bill Belichick]

That'S the pain I have waking up.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Every day.

[Eric DeLong]

I was born Put the money in the bag or you'll get in the bag and that's when I still hear you cry Better I go again Did I ever even really ever choice, my friend when the devil do me and you told me.

[Bill Belichick]

My fate.

[Michael Wilbon]

Was hell.

[Eric DeLong]

When I roll down past the willow with my pockets painted green and a crimson on my pistol now the Chopin the day I learned today.

[Bill Belichick]

My fate is hell.

[Eric DeLong]

Well, she'll dance around your head in shades of golden green well, she's gonna break your heart one day back to New Orleans? Danielle? Danielle? Danielle? Well, she clearly was the right one? And I knew from where she been? The greatest things in village over Come from Long Island? Maybe you could fight her daily? Knowing she can play you violin? Maybe some sweet jackovsky? Danielle? Danielle? Daniel? Oh, you may see her? But it'll never be for long? In a haze of wheat and liquor? You'll look up and she'll be gone? Farewell, farewell? Danielle? Well, she clearly was a bright one? And I knew where she been? Rady sings in Spain. She ain't around. Well, nothing's fine as hell? Danielle? Danielle? Daniel? Daniel? Daniel?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Daniel.