“Fully in the Tube”

Summary

The Tony Kornheiser Show

Episode: “Fully in the Tube”
Date: December 10, 2025
Host: Tony Kornheiser
Guests: Michael Wilbon, Chris Cillizza, Chuck Todd, Mark Feinsand, Sean O’Neill

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Episode Overview

In "Fully in the Tube," Tony Kornheiser is his usual sharp and self-deprecating self as he covers a lively array of topics with his crew and guests. The episode is a classic blend of sports talk (NFL and MLB), personal anecdotes, and musings on modern life, including Tony’s MRI misadventure and frustrations with self-checkout. NFL playoff races, aging quarterbacks, baseball hot stove rumors, and the ever-changing world of the Washington Nationals get plenty of time, as does a frank conversation about health care bureaucracy. Alongside spirited picks from Chuck Todd and whimsical “Reginald the Monkey” commentary, the show never strays far from the blend of wit and local color that makes Tony a Washington institution.

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Main Segments & Key Discussion Points

1. Opening & Self-Checkout Rant

[01:05 – 02:18]

• Tony revisits a previous story about the complexities and frustrations of self-checkout systems at grocery stores, highlighting generational disconnects with technology.
  • Quote: “I've aged out. That's what it is. I've aged out. The world is no longer for me.” — Tony Kornheiser [01:41]
• Michael Wilbon jokes about checkout etiquette.
• Conversation captures a universal irritation many listeners can relate to.

2. Cold Weather & Golf

[02:18 – 03:13]

• Tony reflects on a frigid morning ritual of drinking coffee at Columbia golf course, finding it closed and the staff playing cards due to zero golfers.
• Carville bet on the over and lost, humorously illustrating the extreme cold.

3. NFL: Philip Rivers’ Comeback & the Aging Athlete

[03:13 – 07:40]

• The show discusses the Colts signing 44-year-old Philip Rivers to the practice squad.
  • Tony considers the Hall of Fame “reset” if Rivers becomes active, and doubts effectiveness of such an old quarterback.
  • Classic Kornheiser skepticism about old athletes coming back: “Who are the great 44-year-old quarterbacks in the history of the NFL? There are no others.” — Tony [06:12]
• Discussion branches into Hall of Fame timelines (Rivers, Jaromir Jagr) and the Indianapolis Colts’ end-of-season schedule.
• Wilbon speculates Rivers was brought in for stability and mentoring, not for actual game time.

4. Roast Beef & Producer Anecdotes

[07:40 – 09:42]

• Tony delights in rare roast beef from Beekman’s Deli, a nostalgic favorite, gifted by NBC producer Sean Reese during his road trip.
• Wilbon and Tony bond over sons’ food habits and deli hierarchies.
• Insight into the show’s production relationships and local flavor.

5. MRI Saga: Health, Claustrophobia, and Insurance Hell

[09:42 – 15:51]

• Tony shares his odyssey navigating the U.S. health insurance system, mocking Cigna’s bureaucratic hurdles:
  • “‘Calculated indifference Gives No Aid’—That’s what Cigna stands for.” — Tony [10:34]
• Describes the ordeal of a closed MRI, including the sensation of being "fully in the tube," coping mechanisms, and the near-panic of claustrophobia:
  • Quote: "The noise of an MRI is a jackhammer… I'm doing everything I can to avoid screaming." — Tony [13:05]
• Wilbon and Cillizza weigh in with their own MRI experiences, all agree it's anxiety-inducing.
• Tony downgrades the experience from “unpleasant” to “not pleasant” in classic Kornheiser fashion.

6. NFL Picks with Chuck Todd & Game-by-Game Analysis

[18:41 – 34:45]

• Chuck Todd joins to make this week's picks, now at .500 for the season.
• Baltimore at Cincinnati: Both pick Cincinnati, skepticism about the Ravens’ prospects.
• Chargers @ Kansas City: Discussion of Mahomes’ season; both pick the Chargers given the spread and KC’s flaws.
• Buffalo @ New England: Both take Buffalo despite New England’s record ("Do you believe they're the best team in football? I do not." — Tony [25:23])
• Washington at NY Giants: Both agree the game is a mess; lean Giants.
• Green Bay at Denver: Analysis of “most balanced team”—Packers get the nod.
• Detroit at Rams: Both see Detroit as undervalued with 5.5 points.
• Miami at Pittsburgh: Weather, running game, and Tua’s cold-weather woes have them favoring Pittsburgh.

Quote highlight [24:35, Tony]: “At what point do you stand up and say, okay, I see it. They’re done.”

College Football Playoff Snub & Notre Dame

[32:13 – 34:45]

• Chuck vents about the playoff committee favoring Alabama over Notre Dame/Miami: “The villain is the morons that run the ACC that came up with a tiebreaker… didn’t account for the actual best record.” — Chuck Todd [34:09]
• Tony opines that Notre Dame’s independence is hurting their chances.

7. Reginald the Monkey’s Picks

[35:03 – 37:40]

• Chris Cillizza shares Reginald’s whimsical picks, tied to anecdotes about Kansas City, New England, and New York Giants pop culture icons.
• Tony and crew poke fun at the monkey’s “passion project” not being nominated for a Golden Globe.

8. MLB Winter Meetings: Hot Stove Updates with Mark Feinsand

[41:33 – 54:16]

• Feinsand returns from Orlando to dissect the latest moves:
  • Edwin Díaz to Dodgers: “Diaz to the Dodgers just makes the rich richer…” — Mark Feinsand [43:37]
  • Kyle Schwarber re-signs with Phillies: “He likes it there. They love him. The owner wanted him back, …he wanted to be back.” — Mark Feinsand [44:48]
  • Possible big names still in play: Pete Alonso, Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker.
  • Washington Nationals: New GM Paul Toboni is “listening to everybody,” including offers for Mackenzie Gore and CJ Abrams. Discussion of rebuilding and fan patience.
  • Quote: “If you get rid of them, whoever else you bring in, it feels like you have made the same reset and you’re selling them to us as the future. But what happened to the recent past?” — Tony [51:35]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Self-Checkout Grievance:
  “I've aged out. That's what it is. I've aged out. The world is no longer for me.” — Tony Kornheiser [01:41]

• On MRIs:
  “The noise of an MRI is a jackhammer… I'm doing everything I can to avoid screaming.” — Tony Kornheiser [13:05]
  “I don't want to say it was unpleasant. I want to say it was not pleasant.” — Tony Kornheiser [15:39]

• On Philip Rivers:
  “He's a grandfather. Last time he played was five years ago when he was 39. When he was old. Old for football.” — Tony Kornheiser [03:32]
  “Who are the great 44-year-old quarterbacks in the history of the NFL? There are no others.” — Tony Kornheiser [06:12]

• On NFL Logic:
  “They look done to me, Washington. They look done to me…you cannot bet the Commanders.” — Tony Kornheiser [27:38]
  “I think Green Bay is the most balanced team in the league.” — Chuck Todd [28:49]

• Baseball Rebuild Cynicism:
  “If you get rid of Mackenzie Gore, if you get rid of C.J. Abrams…it feels like you have made the same reset and you’re selling them to us as the future. But what happened to the recent past?” — Tony Kornheiser [51:35]

• Chuck Todd on Playoff Snubs:
  “The villain is the morons that run the ACC that came up with a tiebreaker… didn’t account for the actual best record.” — Chuck Todd [34:09]

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Memorable Segment Timestamps

| Segment | Topic | Timestamp | |-------------------|-----------------------------------------|-------------| | Opening Talk | Self-checkouts, technology gap | [01:05] | | MRI Story | MRI ordeal, health care headaches | [09:42] | | NFL: Rivers saga | Old QBs, HOF timelines | [03:13] | | Roast Beef Story | Nostalgic food, show friendship | [07:40] | | Chuck Todd Picks | Week’s NFL games breakdown | [18:41] | | Playoff Rant | Notre Dame, college football politics | [32:13] | | Monkey's Picks | Reginald the Monkey segment | [35:03] | | MLB Hot Stove | Dodgers/Phillies signings, Nats rebuild | [41:33] |

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Show Tone & Style

Tony Kornheiser’s wry, self-effacing humor defines the episode, as does the camaraderie among his regular guests. The show oscillates between insightful sports analysis and whimsical personal asides—never shying away from a good gripe about technology, health care, or the state of DC sports. The tone stays light even when serious topics are broached, courtesy of Tony’s quick wit and the easy banter with Wilbon, Cillizza, and company.

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For New Listeners

This episode is emblematic of why “The Tony Kornheiser Show” occupies a unique niche in the sports talk and entertainment landscape. With its blend of sports insight, local sensibility, and digressive charm—plus plenty of laughs—“Fully in the Tube” is a perfect way to get on board.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey, it's Tony. On today's show, we will get football picks from Chuck Todd and Reginald the Monkey. We will talk hot stove baseball with Mark Feinsand who's in Orlando for the winter meetings. But first, commerce.

[Dan Fleshner]

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[Michael Wilbon]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

Previously on the Tony Kornheiser Show. When I go to the checkout, I hand them my phone and they say to me, and by the way, none of these stores want you to check out with a real person. They want you to check out on the self checkout.

[Chris Cillizza]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No. So I hand them the phone. I say, I don't know how to use this. He says, go to your wallet. I said, I don't know what my wallet is. And then he says, I'm not gonna do this. Go over to customer service. There's nobody at customer service.

[Chris Cillizza]

Why would they.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I waited for 10 minutes. There's nobody there.

[Michael Wilbon]

They're at self checkout.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, that's. So.

This is General George Washington and you're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show. I've aged out. That's what it is. I've aged out. The world is no longer for me.

[Michael Wilbon]

No more than 15 items. Just, you know, respect the line.

[Tony Kornheiser]

What? Yeah, but the one register that's open is packed with, you know, people buying food for a year.

[Michael Wilbon]

Like three carts or doing three different checkouts because they're. They're shopping for other households.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, just. Just awful. Safeway, get out. All right. No, actually, Safeway has said to me, you get out. So yesterday was really cold.

It was probably in the low 20s in the morning. And I Don't think cracked freezing till about 12 or 1. And Columbia, the course, when I went over there in the morning to drink coffee, which is what I do, I go to drink coffee.

[Michael Wilbon]

I'm drinking more coffee these days.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Just like to go to Colombia and have a cup of coffee. So I stop in the pro shop and four. Four of the assistants are playing cards.

[Michael Wilbon]

That's definitely a good sign.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Just made me laugh because I. Because the course is closed, right? And I said, when are you going to open? They said, round one. So I called over there around 3 o' clock and I said, yeah, it's Kornheiser. I got Danny.

[Michael Wilbon]

Doing your due diligence.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's Kornheiser. And I said, look, I've set the over under at 8 and I'm taking the unders. How many people played all day? And he said, nobody. Zero. Zero. That's how cold it was yesterday.

[Chris Cillizza]

Carville had the over in that, didn't he?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, of course. He had the over and had it in half too. Half time. Yeah. So zero yesterday. Philip Rivers has been signed to the practice squad. There's a lot of hoo ha about the fact that if he actually.

[Michael Wilbon]

Grandparent comma, Philip Rivers.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's a Grandfather.

[Chris Cillizza]

Grandfather.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. 44. He's a grandfather. That's early. Grand grandfather. Work. He's a grandfather. Last time he played was five years ago when he was 39. When he was old. Old for football. 39 is very old. But he played.

If he signs with the team, if he signs off the practice squad and signs with the team, whether he plays or not doesn't matter. The rule is that if you're active on. On a roster that is. That will delay. You know, you're back in the beat. That will delay your hall of Fame voting.

[Michael Wilbon]

He's a full five years, right?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. You got to go. You got to wait five. Gotta wait five. Which is why Jaromir Jagr is not in the hall of Fame in hockey.

[Chris Cillizza]

That's right, because he's still playing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's still playing in a professional league in Czech Republic. I think that's where he's playing. That's where he's from. He'll be in the hall of Fame in the first minute of his eligibility. He's one of the greatest players of all time, but he's not in the hall of Fame. So.

Philip Rivers, who's a semi finalist this year for the hall of Fame. It doesn't matter what you are if you're not a finalist, by the way, semifinalist. He'd have to reset for five more years. He'd be eligible in 2031. Now, I don't personally think Philip Rivers is a first ballot hall of Famer. I'm not sure he's a Hall of Famer. I mean, I've had this discussion with a lot. He's on the border. He might be, he might not be. Quarterbacks get in more than any other position. Quarterbacks and wide receivers, he might get in. But he's not a first ballot hall of Famer. This is like Eli Manning. He's not a first ballot in the.

[Chris Cillizza]

Hall of really good.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's in the hall of really good. Yeah, but I, you know, and I don't even know if it matters to him. I don't even know if it matters. Resetting it five years. I don't know that. But let's, let's just talk about this for a second. Can he play? I'm sure he feels good. I'm sure he looks good. I'm sure he can play in a theoretical sense. What happens when, you know, a couple of guys converge on him and knock him down at 44?

[Michael Wilbon]

Do you see the schedule for the last four?

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's brutal.

[Michael Wilbon]

Brutal.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Seattle is the first at Seattle.

[Michael Wilbon]

Then they have the 49ers at home, then Jaguars and they end at Texans.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Texans have the best defense.

[Chris Cillizza]

That's brutal.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I don't think he would even make four games now. Wish him all the luck in the world. I understand why the coach wanted to sign him. The show, the coach.

[Michael Wilbon]

Is this just stability for the offense for. Just for the week of practice?

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's what I think. I think he's going to be in there to move in to help Riley Leonard, if Riley Leonard knee is okay. Or Brit Rippon, who's I think Mark Rippon's nephew.

I think that's what it's about because.

Okay, who.

Are the great 44 year old quarterbacks in the history of the NFL? Even the very good ones. And let's just eliminate Tom Brady because everybody knows about Tom Brady. Here are the others. There are no others. There have been a couple of people who've started games. Vinny Testaverde started a game.

[Michael Wilbon]

Steve deberg.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Steve deberg started a game. These were fine quarterbacks when they were playing most of their careers. Not at 44. It's too the. George Bland started 44.

[Michael Wilbon]

Warren Moon.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Warren Moon. It's, you know, they weren't great at 44. So I assume that because Shane Steichen, who's the coach for Indianapolis When Philip Rivers played for the Chargers, where he played most of his career. When Philip Rivers played for the Chargers, Steichen was had held a variety of assistant coaching jobs on offense with the Chargers. They are good friends. He trusts him. I think he wants the stability of somebody like that in an emergency. In an emergency. It's hard for me to believe he'd put him out there to start, but maybe he would. Maybe Philip Rivers would say, look, I'm good, I'll get rid of the ball. This is what Wilbon was saying on the show yesterday. Get rid of the ball. Get rid of the ball. Yes, because they're coming in much faster and they're stronger and they're bigger than even you remember. So we'll see how that works. I don't know. I'm, I'm. I don't know. I don't know how that works.

So my email friend Sean Reese was here earlier in the morning. He left his house on Long island at 2 in the morning to drive down to pick up his son at Elon College in North Carolina. And he stopped by and he brought roast beef, rare roast beef from Beekman's Deli in Lynbrook, which I remember from 50 to 60 years ago. And I just opened it and it was great. And Michael wants them.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's real roast beef.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's real roast beef. Mike's. And it brought a pound and a half. I said bring a half. A pound half. Yeah. So, you know, so I've got some.

[Michael Wilbon]

Boys are well tonight.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Are the boys meat eaters yet?

[Michael Wilbon]

They're working on it, so.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And they're young.

[Michael Wilbon]

The bootsy has a great palate, will eat anything. The hammer is getting into the texture of meat. But he's actually asked for roast beef because I picked up some deli roast beef from Wegmans that he really liked. But this has a different. This looks like it was actually cooked a different patina. Yes. No, it is, it is the patina a sheen.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it really looks great. So Sean is a producer at NBC. He's worked on the Today show. He worked with all the way Back with Tim Russert. He worked with Matt Lauer, he worked with Chuck Todd. He worked with Luke Russert, big guy, about six, four. Big guy. Sean. I was great to meet him. He got here, I gave him a call at 6 o'.

[Sean O'Neill]

Clock.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I said, where are you? He said, I'm only a couple of blocks away. I said, do you want to walk Jesse the dog with me? And he said yes. So we walked.

[Michael Wilbon]

You gotta Love a producer's communication. Where are you? Two blocks away.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They're very precise. They know exactly what they're doing. He told me that to tell Dan Fleshner to eat it because Dan is a listener to the show and he was working on, he's working on that.

Streaming news that all the big networks do now. That live streaming news, which is not what you. It's not the nightly news, it's not pre produced in that way. It's. But it's, he's working on that. I was very happy to see him. Made me, really made me very happy. I have a small story to tell.

I went to get an MRI yesterday on my back. I've had back problems for a number of years. I don't have specific painful back problems right now, but for about three months I've had pain in my right hamstring when I've sat in the same position for more than five to 10 minutes, which makes it very hard to drive. Makes it very hard to drive to Delaware, for example, which is three hour drive. Got to get out of the car and walk around every 30 minutes. So it was suggested to me by a doctor, Dr. Mark Klayman, that I get an MRI. Of course Cigna refused. Of course they refused.

[Michael Wilbon]

You got a response?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, you need to, you need to go for physical therapy at least six times before we deal with this.

[Michael Wilbon]

But does this not count as something related to a previous inquiry?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Not cigna. Not, not to cigna. What does it stand for again? Calculated indifference Gives no a.

[Chris Cillizza]

Yes, that's it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Cigna. They've now been taken over by Evercore. You know what Evercore stands for? Calculated indifference Gives no aid. Okay. I finally got a letter saying yes, they had a peer to peer conversation. I could have the MRI. So the MRI was scheduled on Monday downtown at 9 o' clock. And I said, I can't, can't get there. That's the middle of rush hour and we're doing a podcast. So they got me in yesterday at Chevy Chase, at MedStar Radiology. I'm very familiar with it. Got there 8 o' clock in the morning.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's not a great parking situation.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, it's, it's all valet. It's all valet. But when you, when you show up at 7:30, which I did to make sure I had enough time, you know, I was fine and I went upstairs and I filled out the forms I was supposed to fill out and they said they would get to me. Like I don't, I have to say I don't know that there were any doctors there. I think this is just transactional on the MRI basis.

[Chris Cillizza]

Technicians.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, that's what it sounds like.

[Michael Wilbon]

Where you got your lab work done, where it is working in coordination with doctors offices. But this is. This is much more.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But you don't see a doctor. You see someone who knows how to do the mri. So I. Without making any judgments, because I always know when I make a judgment. Because Michael looks down at his computer to see what time I said this.

[Michael Wilbon]

Particular thing, see if it makes sense.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And then says to Nigel, you need to cut that out. And I already know which one you did. So you.

[Michael Wilbon]

But you like to fill around it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You didn't hear it. You're not going to hear what I did wrong. And I know what I did wrong. I just didn't think was wrong. But I got the disapproving look from Michael. So.

I'm not going to talk about the experience that I had and some of the reasons why it wasn't as good as I hoped it to be. But I'm going to talk about being in the tube. I have had MRIs before. I've had open MRIs. Something on my leg. Where your leg is in. Is in the tube. But you, you're sitting up. Or even if you're laying down, you're not in the tube. Yeah, I'm in the tube.

[Michael Wilbon]

But you have the big apron on still.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm wearing a hospital gown.

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, you don't have the apron for this?

[Tony Kornheiser]

No hospital. I don't know that this is X ray in the same way. I don't know that it is. You wear that lead shield on X rays. I don't know that this is. In any case.

[Chris Cillizza]

So you're fully in.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, I am rolled back.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's a dangerous place for you to be alone with your thoughts.

[Chris Cillizza]

How tight is that?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Very tight. You can't put your arms up. They're on your chest. You can raise them a little, but you go more than 8 inches, you're in the tube. You're hitting something. So I close my eyes. Now they give you headphones and they play music. This is a joke. Okay. The noise of an MRI is a jackhammer. I'm not. I'm not exaggerating. It's a jackhammer. So when it stops, you can hear the music. But when it resumes. So I'm doing that thing, that obsessive compulsive behavior people do. I'm counting.

[Chris Cillizza]

Sure.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm counting every beat. I'm getting to 100. I'm going from 100 to 200, I'm doing everything I can to avoid screaming. I have. I have a thing in my hand, a squeeze thing. That will get me. No, no, no, no. This will get me. Immediate conversation with the technician. I mean, in a panic situation, I'm saying, get me out of here.

[Michael Wilbon]

You think it's actually turned on, or is that just.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I did, because I pressed it once to just say, how much longer am I going to be in here? And she said something that sounded like too long. It's like 10 or 12 more minutes. And I've been in there for 20 minutes, you know. Okay. It's not a pleasant experience. I got through it. I understood. I had to get through it. I don't believe I am claustrophobic, but I believe that anyone in this tube is going to feel claustrophobic. Certainly sounds like, you know. And finally they rolled me out. I so grateful, so grateful to get out of that thing. You know, I have no idea. You know, they'll tell me in a couple of days what it said. But, gosh, I mean, if you. If you haven't had one again. I've had the open MRIs. They're fine. There's nothing.

[Chris Cillizza]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Even if you lay down, they're nothing. Because you can see. You can open your eyes and see. You open your eyes in the tube. You see the tube.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah. I think it's like the assumed pressure, particularly that you're feeling on your ears with the noise from the MRI and then just the pounding of your own head.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The pounding of my own head was very loud. I felt like I was the toothpaste in a crest thing. I was the toothpaste, and nobody was.

[Michael Wilbon]

Last drop.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It was. It was overnight. So nobody was brushing their teeth, and I wanted them to brush their teeth to get me out. Get me out of here. You've had.

[Michael Wilbon]

I've never had one of those.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No.

[Chris Cillizza]

No, I haven't. I would not enjoy that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's.

[Chris Cillizza]

I think being that restricted would bother me.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't want to.

[Michael Wilbon]

You know, I've had a scan that gave me more space, particularly when they were looking at my ears for various, you know, Eustachian tube issues, but nothing like that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I want to be very careful in the word I use. I don't want to say it was unpleasant. I want to say it was not pleasant. Yeah, it didn't get to. Unpleasant was when you squeeze the tube and say, get me out of here.

[Sean O'Neill]

Right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Get me out.

[Chris Cillizza]

Didn't get to that. But it was right below.

[Michael Wilbon]

If you could have talked sports throughout. It would. It would have been easy for you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Who would I be talking to?

[Michael Wilbon]

Anyone. If there's someone in the room. If you just had will.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But probably. Probably. It would have been easier if I knew that I had back up there. If I knew. But no one could touch your hand. You know what I mean? You're in the tube. Yeah. You're just. You're it. Tag.

[Michael Wilbon]

You're it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We'll take a break. Chuck Todd. That's right. Chuck Todd will pick some games. He's at 500, by the way. He's at 500. He'll pick some games. When we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

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[Tony Kornheiser]

Wow. This is one of the best prices you will ever see for Simplisafe. Don't miss it. Hit simplisafe.com Tony Again, that's simplisafe.com Tony Lock in your discount because there's no safe like Simplisafe you're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show.

This is a song called Blue. It's by Caleb Mitchell. Listen to this. My name is Caleb Mitchell. I'm a full time fireman and singer songwriter. Born and raised in Fairfax. Now working just outside Washington D.C. in one of the neighboring counties attaches below is an original song of mine called Blue. I hope you enjoy. Thanks for taking the time to listen. Love what you do and the uplifting fun your show brings. The show gets through many long drives and long shifts. I've always appreciated the way you spread the love for the D.C. area and the people who call this place home. Isn't that nice? And it's good. It's really.

[Sean O'Neill]

Good. It's.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Good. Caleb Mitchell. And I'm partial to fireman because Ron, my son in law is a fireman. So I'm partial to fireman plays in Chuck Todd. This week's picks with Chuck Todd and Reginald the monkey are brought to you by FanDuel's sportsbook. Make every moment more. And Chuck Todd has hit Mount 500. He cashed the ticket on Monday. He had the Chargers to win that game or to cover to get. They were getting four, I think, and they. And they won outright. And he said 49 and 49. That must feel. I'm not saying it feels great because you want to be better than that, but it must feel good to finally get.

[Chuck Todd]

There. It does. But there were a couple I thought I had and missed. I mean, the Raven you missed on.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Baltimore. Yeah, I was. I think I warned you on that.

[Chuck Todd]

One. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you did. No, you did. I just, I didn't know Aaron Rodgers had one more game in.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Him. He.

[Chuck Todd]

Did. I mean, he looked a little bit like the old Aaron Rodgers that game. Yeah, it's pretty, pretty impressive. Are you depressed yet about the Nats? Because I.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Am.

[Chuck Todd]

Oh. I mean, tell me why they.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Got rid of relievers who I hate.

[Chuck Todd]

So. Well, I hear you there and I do like the catcher. We got that process catcher because.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Kay, Bert Ruiz had like the lowest something or other in all of baseball last year. He's no good and he has.

[Chuck Todd]

Concussions and it's possible by the time we're done talking, Mackenzie Gore is going to be.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Traded.

[Chuck Todd]

Yes. I like there's a part of me understands it, but we just spent five years rebuilding. Can you imagine a contractor comes to your house and he says, hey, we're going to add. We're going to rebuild your house and you're five years into it. Is this done? Yet, no. In fact, we got to knock the whole thing down and start over. That's what we've just.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Done. I will say we were just.

[Chuck Todd]

Starting to build the house. They put up the frame, and now we're, like, knocking the frame down.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Again. The quotes that I have seen from Paul to Boney, I think I pronounced that name correctly, indicate, we need.

[Chuck Todd]

To get him on the show for you, buddy. We need to get him.

[Tony Kornheiser]

On. Yeah, they indicate that he. Well, he says, I'm listening to everybody, which means nobody's safe. I'm listening to everybody. And yes, he's going to remake this team in a very short time. I share your apprehension about this because the future of the Gnats is what they sold. And it was attached to very specific names. One of them was Mackenzie Gore, and one of them is C.J. abrams, and, you know, earlier was Kbert Ruiz. Right. And who was the pitcher who hasn't pitched? Josiah Gray hasn't pitched in what? I don't know, a decade. A decade. Is he eligible for the hall of Fame yet? Because he's been out of baseball for so.

[Chuck Todd]

Long. He didn't make it. He got less votes than Murphy. I think he dropped them off the.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Ballot. So it's yes, I know, yes, but I will slavishly.

[Chuck Todd]

Watch. It's the Pittsburgh Pirates. Now, I think we may understand what it's like to be a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, but without Paul Skeens. Well, our Paul Skeens is James Wood. We'll have, like, one thing to celebrate every game. Oh, look, James Wood. Oh, that's.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Nice. Well, the problem with James Wood is he. I think he struck out 3,000 times last year after the All Star break, some unbelievable number of strikeouts. Led the majors in strikeouts. Led the majors. It's the only thing a Nat led in. Let in strikeouts. All right, you ready to.

[Chuck Todd]

Go? Yeah, let's do.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It. Okay. First game is a very attractive game. Baltimore is at Cincinnati. You lost with Baltimore last week. I'm. I'm hard to understand how Baltimore can be a road favorite. Is that. Is that right.

[Chris Cillizza]

Nigel?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Baltimore minus two and a half Cincinnati. If Joe Burrow doesn't get two very weird interceptions in a row, Cincinnati is going to beat Buffalo. Last week in Buffalo. How is Baltimore a two and a half point favorite? You explain this to me.

[Chuck Todd]

Chuck. I can't. Other than this assumption that, you know, Baltimore somehow win this division and I don't know how they win this division.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Now.

[Chuck Todd]

Yeah. After losing that. That Pittsburgh game and is there another injury with. With Cincinnati that we don't know about. And here's another thing. Is that really Lamar.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Jackson? No, that's who he is right now. He's not Lamar Jackson anymore. Now he may be next year, I don't know, but he's not this.

[Chuck Todd]

Year. I mean, you know, when it, it's interesting, we've seen the history of this with quarterbacks that will also behave as running backs every once in a while. Right. We saw it with Cam Newton. You take enough hits and eventually you're just not the same. And all of a sudden it ended with Cam. Right. He went.

[Tony Kornheiser]

From.

[Chuck Todd]

Yes. MVP candidate, super bowl, and then, you know, free agent signing with the.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Patriots. Right. Wearing.

[Chuck Todd]

Hats. Dante Culpepper. Right. Like, it's like there's. I hope not, because I was. I love watching Lamar Jackson play football. But you wonder if. Is it. Is it. He's either still hurt and they're just. And he's trying to play hurt, or we're at the beginning of the end, which is like. It just feels like he just got.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Here. So I think you're going to take.

[Chuck Todd]

Cincinnati. I'm with Cincinnati. I'm with Cincinnati. On to.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Cincinnati. On to Cincinnati. Here's another one. I don't. I don't understand this at all. I don't understand it at all. The Chargers are getting four and a half points at Kansas City. The Chargers are now nine and four. You're going to tell me it's a short week and they're going to go to Kansas City. It's not like they haven't been to Kansas City before. They go to Kansas City once a year. All the time. They're plus four and a half. Kansas City's done. At what point do you stand up and say, okay, I see it. They're done. This. They're done four and a half. Where are you going in.

[Chuck Todd]

This? I read an analysis. I did read an analysis today that if you actually look that Mahomes is actually statistically better this year than he was last.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Year. They dropped the ball. They drop his passes, but they do it every.

[Chuck Todd]

Week. So, yeah, at some point you need a trusted wide.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Receiver.

[Chuck Todd]

Yeah. And this was a problem for Brady. And then they got Randy Moss and then Rob Gronkowski, and then it. And then it all fixed itself. They need something in the draft. I'm with you. I. I just don't trust the Chargers.

I don't know how much I want to trust them, but not four and a half. I mean, if Kansas City won that game, they're not Going to win it by margin. They're going to win it by a field goal. So give me the.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Chargers. I would do the same thing. Here's another one. It's. To me, it's a revelatory spread. Buffalo is at New England. New England's 11 and 2. I think they're coming out of a buy, so they're.

[Chuck Todd]

Rested. Do you believe in them? Do you believe in them? Do you believe they're the best team in.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Football? I do not believe they're the best.

[Chris Cillizza]

Team.

[Sean O'Neill]

No. No.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No. I don't believe they're the best team in football. But Buffalo coming out of a big win, a lucky win, but a big win against Cincinnati in the snow. Buffalo is a 1 1/2 point favorite at New England. That surprises me a little bit because New England is 11 and 2. Who you.

[Chuck Todd]

Got? I got Buffalo here. A, they kind of need it, and B, I mean, first of all, how great was that snow.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Game? Yeah, it's.

[Chuck Todd]

Great. You know that NBC flex that out. That got flexed out. I think that was supposed to be the primetime on Sunday night. And they thought, well, Burroughs, you know, they know when Burrow was going to come.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Back. That's.

[Chuck Todd]

Right. My God, how much fun would that have been watching at night rather than on the.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Snow? Everybody loves snow games. Loves it.

[Chuck Todd]

Yeah.

And New England sort of put itself on the map when they beat Buffalo in Buffalo, right. Earlier this.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Year.

[Chuck Todd]

Yes. So I. Josh. Josh Allen, and you saw it in that borough.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Game. He's.

[Chuck Todd]

Great. He can put the team on his back. He's like, fine, I'll just run it into the end zone. Forget it. I'll do it. If they could just get stuck about getting a wide receiver. He needs a wide.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Receiver. Yeah, they don't have a wide receiver. Stefan.

[Chuck Todd]

Diggs. Mahomes doesn't have them. Allen doesn't have them. What are we doing here? What are we even doing here, man? Yeah, give me.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Buffalo. Okay. Washington is at the New York Giants. Washington is getting two and a half points at the Giants, who are two and 11. What does that tell you? That they think about Washington? That they're getting points at the giants, who are 2 and 11. Who you.

[Chuck Todd]

Got?

Do you think the Giants want to win.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This?

What do you.

[Chuck Todd]

Mean? Aren't we. Aren't we now positioning for the draft? Just my.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Question. For the draft. Well, yeah, but do you think the Giant. Well, the Giants. I don't know what they need, but I think they think Jackson Dart is a quarterback. I think they think that. I think I Don't.

[Chuck Todd]

Know. And there's no obvious number one draft.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Pick. No. And there's a new coach coming in there, too, so you don't know what the priorities are. You don't.

[Chuck Todd]

Know. That's my only nervous. But, my God, Washington. What. What's going.

[Tony Kornheiser]

On? They lost 31 nothing in Minnesota. That's a game you quit in. And by the way. And then they're carting bodies off all over the.

[Sean O'Neill]

Place.

[Chuck Todd]

So. Yeah, give me. Give me the.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Giant. They look done to me, Washington. They look done to.

[Chuck Todd]

Me. I wouldn't bet you either. This is a game you would not bet on or you bet the Giants. You would not bet. The commander cannot. You cannot bet what you just.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Said.

[Chuck Todd]

Right?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Here's another one. Here's another one. Green Bay is at Denver. Denver is, you know, right there with New England with the best record in the.

[Chuck Todd]

League. The super bowl.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Preview. Yeah, Green Bay at Denver. And Green Bay is the road favorite. This is like Buffalo at New England. Green Bay is the road favorite. This is saying we don't believe in New England and we don't believe in Denver. Who you.

[Chuck Todd]

Got? Do you believe in.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Denver? Not.

[Chuck Todd]

Exactly. Yeah. And what's your skepticism? Mine is.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Nick's. I think Nix is fine. No, it's not Nix as much as it is. Denver seems to make a habit of not scoring at all in the first half, basically, and having to win a close game late. And that always makes me nervous because I don't, you know, I. Yeah, I do like their defense, but, you know, I think Green Bay. I think Green Bay proves something in beating Chicago. Maybe just to themselves, but I think they.

[Chuck Todd]

Proved. I'm not sure if it's my own confirmation bias wanting to believe it, but it's. I think Green Bay is the most balanced team in the league.

More so than the.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Rams.

That's his Rams defense, statistically, is very.

[Chuck Todd]

Good. I don't think the Rams, you know, the packers can run the ball. They can win in cold weather by running the ball or they can win a shootout and, oh, they have a defense that's stifling the. Do you think the Rams can win.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Outdoors? I don't know that they're going to have to if they're the number one seed in the.

[Chuck Todd]

Nfc. Well, this is why this game matters so.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Much.

[Chuck Todd]

Yes. I think for the Packers. So give me, give.

[Mark Feinsand]

Me.

Give.

[Chuck Todd]

Me. The Jordan.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Lovers. Yeah. Okay. Here's another game with a spread. I think Detroit's good. I'm one of those people that thinks Detroit is a really Good team. I think the Rams are a really good team and they are number one in the nfc. This is a game that could be an NFC finals game. Could be Detroit at the Rams. Detroit's getting five and a half. That's really a lot. Five and a half. Don't you.

[Chuck Todd]

Think.

That feels, that feels like a lot. But if you, if, if you told me this game was just a 38, 31.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Shootout. Right, right.

[Chuck Todd]

Right. Then the Rams would cover that. So, I mean, I guess that's what they're banking on. A high scoring game. That, that will do that five too much, though. I'm with you. Lions have to win. I know the Rams know they should be winning, but that's.

Give me the Lions and a little more desperate than the.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Rams. Just a lot of points. And last game is Miami where The coach, Mike McDaniel has saved his job. They fired the GM. You wouldn't think that was a big deal, but they've won, I think four or five in a row since they fired the GM. I think McDaniel's job is safe. Miami is getting three at Pittsburgh on a Monday night game that probably looked really good when they put it on the schedule and it doesn't look nearly as good anymore. Pittsburgh won the big game. They had to win by beating Baltimore. I don't, you know, I don't know about this game. Who you like, Miami or.

[Chuck Todd]

Pittsburgh? Well, I just. How. What's the weather going to be.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Like? I don't know.

[Chuck Todd]

Cold. The Dolphins cold.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Night. It's got to be.

[Chuck Todd]

Cold.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Pittsburgh. Yeah, it's got to be.

[Chuck Todd]

Cold. You know, you're going to see that stat. I think the Dolphins, when it's under 40 degrees or when it's below freezing, their record is just.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Horrendous.

[Chuck Todd]

Yeah. I'll say this. They can run the ball and so they can play a cold weather game. I think better than, better than sort of what you think the Dolphins are because they don't really throw the ball the way they used to. They really become more.

[Chris Cillizza]

Running.

It's going to be quite nice in Pittsburgh. Partly cloudy that night, low around.

[Chuck Todd]

18.

Yeah, that's, that's good to a weather. I'm sure that Hawaiian quarterback will go do really well in that. Yeah, yeah, that's, that's fantastic. Yeah, give me, yeah, give me, give me Pittsburgh now. I might actually put real money on.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That. All right. All right. We wish you luck. We. It's not, it's not enough to get to 500. You have to climb Mount.

[Chuck Todd]

5. Yeah. No, I have to climb. Well, look, the Hurricanes got into the playoff. Anything is possible. Anything is.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Possible. Notre Dame get hosed. Boy, oh boy. Boy, by.

[Chuck Todd]

The. Well, it's. It's Alabama. I'm really. Can I just tell you all those. I feel for my Notre Dame friends but stop being mad at the acc. It's the FCC in.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Alabama.

[Chuck Todd]

Yeah. That's who they should be mad at. This is not about. You know, they lost to Miami. They should be mad at the acc. I love that they're mad at the acc. How come you would take. Join the conference.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Brother? I think they're going to walk. I do. I think they're going to walk away and do something with the Big Ten, which is where they belong to begin with the Big.

[Chuck Todd]

Ten. I mean, you think they'll share? The Big Ten is going to let them have. The ACC has always promised they can keep their TV deal with NBC if they come in full time. I don't believe Fox and the Big Ten would. Would make them that same.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Deal. Maybe not. Maybe not. But it's. You know, this was the committee.

The committee telegraphed the Alabama thing by moving Alabama ahead of Notre Dame the week before. They telegraphed that they did, but they rated Miami two to four notches below Notre Dame for five straight weeks with the knowledge that Notre Dame had beaten rather that Miami had beaten Notre Dame head to head. So this was. This was an unbelievable reversal. And you know, the guys who sit in that room are ads and they wanted to help out the ads at ace at the accident. There's no other explanation that most of this is that Notre Dame and is what you're alluding to is not really in that conference. And that conference has interests that are antithetical to Notre Dame. But the villain in the piece is Virginia.

[Chuck Todd]

Right?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. None of it happens if Virginia gets.

[Chuck Todd]

In. None of it. The villain is the morons that run the ACC that came up with a.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Tiebreaker.

[Chuck Todd]

Terrible. That somehow didn't account.

[Tony Kornheiser]

For.

[Chuck Todd]

Terrible. The actual best.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Record. Yeah, it's terrible. Jim Phillips.

[Mark Feinsand]

Guy.

[Chuck Todd]

Yeah. He's got to go. I am. I've like declared social media war on the guy. I just think that he's been a total complete failure for the conference and it's why the football schools are going to leave if they can. They'll go to the Big 12 if they have to. That's I think how bad they feel let down by how the ACC's handled.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This. Well, you're going to get in Wilbond's way because Wilbon loves him. He was the AD at.

[Chuck Todd]

Northwestern. We'll take them.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Back.

[Chuck Todd]

Great. Make them the AD at Northwestern again. Don't let them run the.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Acc. All right. Good luck with all of these. All right, we'll talk to you next.

[Chuck Todd]

Week. All.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right. Chuck Todd. If we gave you just Chuck Todd, as you see, as you heard. You didn't see, you heard. Only if you're on his Channel eight. Did you see. You know, that would be enough. But we give you a monkey. See the monkey he sprint script scratching Watching his.

[Chris Cillizza]

Ipad. Smoking and laughing Hanging with Bud.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Grant. Tap, tap, tap. Everybody singing long even if silently.

Had too much Johnny Walker Blue. All right, so he had a good week finally. He was 2 and 1. He's now 16 and 26. Yeah, it's not great, but you want to close. Well, yeah, you want to.

[Chris Cillizza]

Close. It's not how you start the race, it's how you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Finish. That's.

[Chris Cillizza]

Right. So I went down to the National Zoo and normally it's very busy. A festive atmosphere there. He's always got zoo lights. Yeah, the zoo lights. You know, all these things. He was sitting alone in his flat, lights were out. He's dark, he's very depressed. I said, what's going on? Well, the Golden Globe nominations came out this week. Did not get it for the movie he has worked so hard on. I know you've been waiting for this to see it. It's actually coming out this year. It's when Wizards ruled the story behind Game 6 of the 2017 Eastern Conference semifinals. A project he's worked on. It's passion project, really, with director Marvin.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Scorsese.

[Chris Cillizza]

Yeah. You know, because I couldn't get Marty, you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Know. Yeah. Marvin is his cousin.

[Chris Cillizza]

Yeah. They're on a.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Budget.

[Chuck Todd]

Scorsese.

[Chris Cillizza]

Yeah. So, but you know, there's hope for the Oscars, you know, so let's see what.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Happens.

[Chris Cillizza]

Okay. So he pulled himself out of lethargy and the doldrums too. Well. And by the way, if you'd like a DVD screener, I could certainly get you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

One. Love.

[Chris Cillizza]

It. To go over these matches with him. And the first one we gave him was Kansas City at home giving four and a half to the charges. Sort of inexplicable line. And I thought, well, he's never going to take KC with this. But he showed me a picture of him, very recent, very recent of him at the bachelor party for Travis Kelce alongside other Kansas City luminaries such as Paul Split Off, UL Washington and Krishna Coye all at the party. Tells me he will Take Kansas City and lay the four and a half. The next match we gave him was the Patriots at home giving one and a half to the Bills. And this was just a lovely little photograph he showed me of him eating at Dunkin Donuts in Riviera.

[Michael Wilbon]

Massachusetts. Did he have a.

[Chris Cillizza]

Coupon? He did have a.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Coupon. I'm the king of.

[Chris Cillizza]

Dunkin. Casey Affleck was with him alongside Big Papi and spaceman Bill.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Lee.

[Chris Cillizza]

Yeah. Tells me he's good ties to the New England area. He will take the Pats and Lee the one and a half. And the last one we gave him was the Washington.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Commander. No one's gonna watch this game. Such a dreadful game. Nobody wants to watch this game getting 2 and a half, 3 and 8 versus 2, 2 and 11 or something like.

[Chris Cillizza]

That. Whatever it is, just.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Miserable. It's.

[Chris Cillizza]

Terrible. This was a picture he showed me. Reginald did of him eating at Tavern on the green with Phil McConkey, Chris Chablis and John.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Stocks. So he's, he's taking the job. He's taking three home teams this week. It's good to know. Yes. We will take a break. Is Mark Feinstein with us.

[Chris Cillizza]

Next? That is.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Correct. Mark Feinstein. And then we will, we will even talk to him about Chuck Todd's fears about what's going to happen to The Nats if MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams will be traded. That's when we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser. Oh, oh, oh. This week's picks with Chuck Todd and Reginald the monkey have been brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. Make every moment more.

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show. Every year when the holidays roll around, don't you find yourself hunting for that perfect gift while trying to plan what you're cooking for everyone this year? Instead of working harder, why not work smarter? Omaha Steaks has you covered. From holiday hosting to unforgettable gifts, they deliver the world's best steak experience. You can send family and friends, USDA certified tender steaks, juicy burgers, cozy comfort meals, pretty much something for everyone. And during their Sizzle all the Way sale, you get 50% off site wide at Omaha steaks.com plus our listeners get an extra $35 off with the promo code. Tony, wow. You really can't go wrong with Omaha Steaks. The packaging is beautiful. Everything is so convenient and the quality really is next.

[Michael Wilbon]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Michael Wilbon]

Them. I like to see where you place them in the.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Freezer. They're in the.

[Michael Wilbon]

Freezer. Shows your, your level of.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Interest. I got sticks, I got burgers, and then I got a starting five. I got a package with like caramel apple tarts. Oh, like that's completely brand new to me. That sounds. I'm gonna hide that from my family and I'm gonna try and eat one of those by myself and see if I like them first. But Omaha Steaks is a great brand name and always has been. This is the Tony Korneiser show.

This is called Christmas 2. It's by Timmy Metz and we get this letter from Sean o'. Neill. I'm enclosing a song written and performed by Timmy Metz that will be featured at the Annapolis Musicians Fund for Music Musicians Christmas show on Monday, December 15th and Tuesday, December 16th at Rams Head on stage in, you guessed it, Annapolis. The shows were inspired by The Indianapolis Christmas CD that was first recorded in 1998, where local musicians played original songs like Timmy's as well as covers of classic Christmas songs. The funds raised will benefit the American Annapolis Musicians Fund for Musicians, a non profit created to provide temporary financial relief to professional musicians who cannot work due to sickness, injury or any other circumstance leaving them unable to perform. We have only a handful of single tickets left, but you and the Littles can watch the show lives streaming on the AM FM Facebook page and YouTube on Monday and Tuesday. That's very, very nice, Indianapolis. It's very nice, very nice. Thank you for Timmy Metz and Christmas too. Michael. If people want to send their original music in, how do they do.

[Michael Wilbon]

It? Send us your music by emailing it to jinglesonycornizershow.com and a reminder for all your holiday needs, TK Fox is still live johnnyo.com what does the Fox.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Say? What does the.

[Michael Wilbon]

Fox. I've mentioned a lot of their, their button downs and, and sort of holiday sweaters recently, but I will highly recommend the Iverson's performance hoodie. This is a great piece for the golf course. And off looks great with jeans. And there's.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Iverson. Like.

[Michael Wilbon]

Iverson. Yes. It's a, it's a dark blue hoodie, but it's great because the, the top of it does not bunch up because of the zipper and it's got a slightly longer hem in the back.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And it's good for.

[Michael Wilbon]

Golf. Yeah, it's a, it's a very.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Nice.

[Michael Wilbon]

Hoodies. Does not look silly off the course.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Either. Yeah, I mean, they didn't allow him for a long time. Now they do. And that's the sign of the times we plays in Mark Feinstein. I watched last night. I didn't really care about the basketball games that were on tv and I watched MLB for about an hour and a half. I watched Brian Kenny. You know, I enjoyed that. I mean, do you watch Brian Kenny? You watch that show, don't.

[Mark Feinsand]

You? I'm a panelist on that show sometimes, so.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Well, you weren't last night.

[Mark Feinsand]

Though. No. Last night I was on the insider roundtable on MLB Tonight talking about all of the big deals, or at least the two big deals that went down here in Orlando.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yesterday. Right. So. And by the way, for people who think that they're called the winter meetings because they meet in a winter place. No, no, they don't. They're not stupid. They're not. They're rich and they're not stupid and they don't meet in a winter place. Let's start with the two big ones and maybe you'll tell me what's coming up next. Schwaber stays with the Phillies. Edwin Diaz goes to the Dodgers. This was a story we did on PTI yesterday and the question was, which was more impactful? And Wilbon, of course, talked about Schwaber because he loves Schwarbs and they owned apartment buildings in the same buildings. It had nothing to do with baseball. Edwin Diaz being the much more impactful signing because the Dodgers need relievers so they don't have to throw their starters into the bullpen. But what do you think of both of.

[Mark Feinsand]

Them? Well, do they need relievers, though? They showed this year that they can figure out just fine how to get by without them in the.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Playoffs. In the.

[Mark Feinsand]

Playoffs. In the playoffs. Well, in the regular season they seem to do pretty well as well. You know, a year ago, they signed one of the biggest closers on the market in Tanner Scott, and he was not a very effective closer for.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Them. That's.

[Mark Feinsand]

Right. So, you know, and then. And then for the last week or two, all we heard is the Dodgers say they don't have much heavy lifting to do, and then they go out and sign the best closer on the market. So, you know, maybe for them, they're thinking, well, $69 million isn't heavy lifting. We gave a guy $700 million a couple years ago.

But yeah, I mean, obviously the Dodgers getting Edwin Diaz addresses, you know, probably the biggest hole they had on their roster in terms of, you know, going forward for.

[Tony Kornheiser]

2026. It makes. It makes a three peat a reasonable thing to talk about, doesn't.

[Chuck Todd]

It?

[Mark Feinsand]

Absolutely. And if you look at. Look, I think the. The three peat will come down to me to whether that pitching staff stays healthy or not. And that's what it came down to this year for the repeat and in the playoffs. Those guys were phenomenal. So, you know, they were able to do it by using starters in the bullpen and moving to Saki. But remember, when you have a five deep rotation, you can't start five in the playoffs, so you're going to move one, maybe two to the, to the bullpen in the postseason anyway. Obviously they. They had to do a little more than that in terms of using guys all over the place. But, yeah, I mean, Diaz to the Dodgers just makes the rich richer and, you know, certainly cements their status as favorites going into.

[Tony Kornheiser]

2026. I love Schwaber. I wish he had stayed with the Nats. I think the whole team could have stayed together if Schwaber didn't get hurt. But. But we have seen Schwaber, and Schwaber was great, fabulous year. Played all 162. He played about 10 in the field. And the rest, DH, 56 home runs, whatever it was, 132 RBI. It was great. But we've seen Schwaber and Harper and Turner and a great one through nine batting order, not win in the playoffs two years in a row. Mark, they're out in their first series.

[Mark Feinsand]

Right? Yeah, but I think it was really crucial for Philadelphia to bring Schwaber back. Replacing that bat in that lineup was going to be a near impossibility unless you went and signed Pete Alonso. And, you know, Pete Alonso doesn't really want to be a dh and Bryce Harper's a first baseman right now. So, you know, Schwaber fits into that clubhouse so well. And Everything he does on and off the field, as we heard about other teams pursuing him and the Pirates making an offer and the Reds making an offer, and the Red Sox and the Orioles and all these teams getting in on Schwaber. I never really felt like there was much danger that he was going to leave Philadelphia. It was just too good of a fit. He likes it there. They love him. The owner wanted him back, the GM wanted him back, and he wanted to be back. So it was just a matter of coming to terms on. On a number that it made everybody happy. But, yeah, I mean, in his four years in Philly, he's averaged 44 home runs and RBIs, and he's been the guy there and in that lineup that sort of makes it all tick. So, you know, they need to get Zach Wheeler healthy. They need their number one prospect, Andrew Painter, to come up and be as good as advertised because he is likely going to be the guy who replaces Ranger Suarez in that rotation. But yeah, I think their next. Their next order of business is to get their catcher back because J.T. realm, Utah, is also a free agent. But I wouldn't be surprised if, if Dave Dombrowski tries to shake things up a little bit, whether that's trading Alec Bowman, figuring out something else at third base. I think Nick Castellanos will not be on this roster come opening day, whether it's a trade or maybe even a release. But they'll do a couple of things to try to change the look a little. But losing Kyle Schwab is not going to be one of those.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Things. Schwaber is a big name. Who else is out there? What are the big. Alonzo, I guess, is the biggest name still out.

[Mark Feinsand]

There. Alonzo is probably the biggest hitter still out there. I mean, Alex Bregman, Cody Bellinger, Kyle Tucker is the one who's going to get the most money. Alonzo is getting the attention right now because after Schwaber signed, Alonzo is sort of the natural pivot for the teams that didn't or some of the teams didn't get him. And, you know, I think there's more of a market for him crystallizing. The Mets obviously are trying to bring him back. The Red Sox and Orioles are two teams that are very hot on Alonso. So to me, it's going to be one of those three. I think his best fit, if it's not going to be going back to the Mets, is probably Boston. They've been looking for a first baseman for a couple of years. Tristan Cassidy keeps getting hurt. You know, missed almost the whole year last year, and I'm not sure that they believe he's the long term answer at this point. So Alonzo makes a lot of sense in Boston, but, you know, Tucker is going to be the one who actually gets the biggest deal. I think the Blue Jays coming off their World Series appearance and, you know, coming as close to winning as you can come without winning, they're very heavy on Tucker and I think there's a decent chance he winds up in.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Toronto. Would Bregman stay in Boston if they add.

[Mark Feinsand]

Alonzo? He could. I'm not sure he will. I'm not sure that the Red Sox are planning on spending huge on two big players. The Cubs are in on Bregman. The Tigers continue to be a potential Bregman suitor. So there are teams interested. And I think, I don't think it's Alonso or Bregman, but I'm not. Even if they don't get Alonso, I still don't think it's a lock. Bregman ends up back in Boston, but, you know, there are teams out there that are certainly looking at. Bregman didn't have a great year, had a couple of injuries, but, you know, he will definitely. You know, he's still definitely a guy who's being pursued by a number of.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Fronts. I'm going to turn this local if I could. There's a new general manager in Washington, D.C. paul To Boney who has said out loud, I'm listening to everything. I'm listening to offers for Mackenzie Gore. I'm listening to offers for C.J. abrams. I'm listening. He has kicked out the, the entire coaching staff and replaced it. He brought in a manager who I think delivered the paper to me when, you know, about 10 years ago, when he was 8 years old. I did all of these things. What do we think of him and what do we think? Chuck Todd is very upset about this because he thinks we've wasted three years in rooting for these younger players who seemed to be advertised as the spine of the new Nats. And if Gore and Abrams go, what then? What do you make of.

[Mark Feinsand]

This? Well, for starters, Chuck's not angry about anything right now because Miami's in the playoffs.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So. Yeah, that's right. That's.

[Mark Feinsand]

Right. I think, you know, Tavone used the word negligent the other day, said it would be negligent for him not to listen to all trade offers that come in based on where they are. They've got a good young core of players that he can build around here. This is not, you're not starting a rebuild from scratch, right. He comes in with James Wood and Dylan Cruz and Lyle and you know, some other guys who have some promise. Obviously they've got 17 year old shortstop they just drafted. So. And they just traded for the catching prospect Harry Ford from the Mariners. So there's, there is a core to work with. That said, I don't think he's looking at this and saying, okay, we're going to win in the next two years. So if you don't think you're going to win in the next two years, well, you've got MacKenzie Gore for two more years and you've got a pitching market that is desperate for controllable starting pitching to be moved because you see the prices of free agent pitching, right? Dylan Cease coming off of a year where he had a four and a half ERA big at $210 million.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Big.

[Mark Feinsand]

Yeah. And, and so you know, Devin Williams coming off the year where his era is about four and a half, got 17 million a year as a.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Reliever. So yeah, he was on the show last night. I watched.

[Mark Feinsand]

Him. Yeah, you, if you have a guy who is under control for two more years under reasonable arbitration prices, that's going to bring you back some pretty good prospects, I think. So Gore is the one player that I've heard more than anybody else when I talk to people and say who do you think is definitely getting traded? Gore is the first name out of everybody's mouth. So I think Mackenzie Gore will be moved. Abrams, I don't know that he will be moved this offseason because he has three years of control left. So there's a little less urgency. But that said, Boba Shed is the only shortstop worth his salt on the free agent market this year. So you, if there are teams that are out there looking for shortstop help and don't have the money to go try to sign Boba Shet, you know, C.J. abrams, pretty attractive alternative on the trade market. It's going to cost you. But you also get him for three years that again, he's just entering the arbitration process of the prices are reasonable. So I think Taboni has the right idea of you can't say anybody's untouchable, but you know which guys are the ones who make the most sense for you to trade and who are also going to bring back, you know, very solid.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Returns. But it makes, you know, Chuck feels this way and so do I as somebody who watches virtually every game except west coast games because I'm Asleep, you know, that we're like hamsters on the wheel. I mean, if you get rid of Mackenzie Gore, if you get rid of C.J. abrams, C.J. abrams, not even a good fielder, but they were sold to us as the future. And so what it, if you get rid of them, whoever else you bring in, it feels like you have made the same reset and you're selling them to us as the future. But what happened to the recent past? You know, what did it.

[Mark Feinsand]

Do? I think you're going to have to look at it this way. When you look at the teams that have done successful rebuilds and you obviously think about the Cubs and the Astros when they both did it, you know, a decade ago, they built the young core and then when they felt the young core was ready to win, they went out and spent money on some free agents or made a big trade. In the Astros case, Justin Verlander. You know, the Nationals are not there right now. So, you know, the new executive comes in, he's got to go by the timeline of he's in day one. Doesn't mean it's a five year plan. But even if it's a three year plan, well, MacKenzie Gore is going to be a free agent in two years. So, you know, I think he's got to bring in some more young talent to go with the guys that we mentioned before. Yeah, build that young core, hope that that young core continues to mature to the point where you can then look at it and say, okay, we're ready, let's go sign this pitcher or this outfielder or whoever it may be to supplement this young group of players. The Orioles are in a situation now where their young core is starting to mature. And if they don't start signing some players to supplement that group, they're going to waste this window that they have of all these young, controllable guys. And then they're going to be looking at the same situation that you're talking about now where you say, what happened to the recent past? So, you know, rebuilds are tricky. They're not easy to do. And having a new executive come in mid rebuild, like I said, when you're not looking to tear the entire thing down, you've got some tough decisions to make. But the one thing about when a new GM comes in, he has no attachment to any of these guys. None of draft them, none of them. So, you know, Rizzo may have looked at some of these guys and said, I can't trade this guy. He's been, we drafted him in this year and we've watched him develop and blossom into this guy. You know, obviously Gordon Abrams were trades with, you know, Soto deal, so they didn't draft them. But Taboni has no attachment to any of these guys. He didn't trade for them. He didn't and draft them. And if he thinks that the best decision for them in the long term is going to be to move them and he can get the right deal for it, it'll.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Happen. That's what it looks like. Thank you as always, Mark. We'll talk. There'll be more movement. We'll talk again.

[Mark Feinsand]

Thanks. Thanks.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Tony. Mark.

[Chuck Todd]

Feinstein.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Mark Feinstein, boys and girls. Excuse me. We will take a break. We will have email and jingle when we return. I'm Tony.

[Simplisafe Announcer]

Kornheiser. There's a reason Chevy trucks are known for their dependability. Because they show up no matter the weather, push forward no matter the terrain and deliver. That's why Chevrolet has ear more dependability awards for trucks than any other brand in 2025 according to J.D. power. Because in every Chevy truck, like every Chevy driver, dependability comes standard. Visit Chevy.com to learn more. Chevrolet received the highest total number of awards among all the trucks in the J.D. power 2025 U.S. vehicle Dependability Study Awards based on 2022 models. Newer models may be shown. Visit J.D. power.com awards for more details. Chevrolet together, let's.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Drive. This is the Tony Kornheiser show. Here comes Tony's mailbag. Got your email faxes. And here comes Tony SM for all you.

[Sean O'Neill]

Folks.

Hey, Tony, come on. Come.

[Tony Kornheiser]

On. Hey, Tony.

Read that mail now, baby. Just love that. I just. I just love that. Great. The late hot pink hangover. Yeah, Love it. You want to do the Bethesda.

[Chris Cillizza]

Bagel? Bethesda Bagels. We love them. You will as well. Just go to Bethesda the Bagels.com for the location in the DC area near.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Stew. Then pop on in and you'll be thrilled. Before we get to the mailbag, let me just say, look out, kid. They keep it all hit. Better jump down a manhole, light yourself a candle. Don't wear sandals, try to avoid scandals. Don't want to be a bum. You better chew gum. The pump don't work because the vandals took the handles. It's Robert Zimmerman. It's pretty good in Minnesota now. What can I tell.

[Chris Cillizza]

You? Nobel Prize.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Winner. Yes. Our thanks today to our guest Chuck Todd and Mark Fin. Thanks as well to today's sponsors. Remember, you can listen to us on Apple podcast Spotify and order see if you get showed through Apple, please leave us a review from Glenn and Allen in Norwegian Soft Kitten Tony we always get a kick out of it when anyone there on the show mentions that the bagels from Bethesda Bagels are hot. Why? Well, since you're unburdened by memory, you might not remember this, but when you toured with us as our bass player during our 9192 winter tour of colleges, your nickname was Hot Bagel. The nickname came about one morning early in the tour. We had played bridge in the Philadelphia area the night before. We had a long drive ahead of us for a gig that night at Western Carolina University. We stopped into a bagel shop to load up on bagels for the drive, and when the cashier handed the bag of fresh bagels to Tony, you swaggeringly said, ooh, these bagels are almost as hot as my baseliks were last night. For the rest of the tour you were endearingly known to us as Hot bagels. They are so smart. They are so smart. This is from George Mallet, I.

[Chris Cillizza]

Assume? Yes, George.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Mallet. Yes. I'm writing this missive with generous margins so my words won't be cut off by the printer. My golf knowledge is limited to watching my boy hold his own on public courses with grown men, but I thought Michael filled in for Sands admirably on my on Monday. Michael, incidentally, is the key reason I'm able to get the woman to whom I'm related to by marriage to occasionally sample the show. Back in October, we were embarking on our annual wedding anniversary trip to Bethany Beach. We woke up one morning in the Saint Clairsville, Ohio hotel and turned on the weather. A famous muscle bound meteorologist was describing Armageddon on the Delaware beaches. That worried me, but we continued on our journey. When we were driving across the Bay Bridge onto the Delmarva peninsula, I persuaded Kathy to put on the pod. Michael was filing a dispatch from Delaware and described the specific locations we would be frequenting in a matter of hours. Michael made it sound like our favorite places had not washed away. We were comforted by Michael's report on our way home days later, Kathy said we could put on your podcast. Maybe Michael will be on. Yeah, good job. Out of Michael. I don't know where I rank as a Spotify listener, but I was episode 93 with Chuck and Roxy There's a picture of my kid hitting a golf ball. He weighs 95 pounds, but he hits at a country mile end straight. Lovely picture which I Pass.

[Michael Wilbon]

Over. Pass £95. Can't pick him up.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Anymore. That's right from Brian Mohler, chuck and Roxy number 167. Tell Alex Cobb to eat it. Since the new game seems to be Spotify rap numbers, I'll share that I also had over 10,000 minutes listening to the show. Additionally most my most listened to musical group was post sex nachos thanks to the show. Despite that fact, my listening age was 69. That hurt me just a bit since I'm only 52. Thanks for skewing me old grandpa from wrong T Catch in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania So is this the new game? Amazon Music says that I'm a top 5% listener of the show. It actually said I listened for 8,625 minutes in 2025. The woman I'm related to by marriage said get a life. You listen to him more than you listen to me. Possibly. Possibly. These numbers are bad. This is no, don't go.

[Mark Feinsand]

Down. These numbers are.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Great. Don't do it down the rabbit hole. Don't do it. Pump them up. Neil Ayervay One of the lessons no new music yeah over the many podcasts we've enjoyed Wilbond's pride in the athletic achievements of Northwestern, particularly women's lacrosse and field hockey, the stellar performance of the Bingham debate team and 1/2 of the competitive basketball 1/2 of competitive basketball against Georgetown, Greg Garcia's pride in the Frostburg State frat boys and other little's collegiate fandom. Regardless of the academic excellence of our alma maters, we still revel in athletic success, perhaps because it is so objectively determinable. So please allow me to share my joy in what my alma mater, the Tufts Jumbos, have achieved in the last two weeks. With a victory over Johns Hopkins in overtime, the Tufts the Jumbos field hockey team captured its second Division 3 title. A few days later, the women's soccer team reached the Final Four before being defeated. And just last Sunday, the Tufts men's soccer team trailed Trinity of Texas until, with four seconds left in regulation, they tied the score in one in overtime. Yeah, they're national champions. T3 national champions. Congrats. As I previously shared, last fall the men's lacrosse team won its second straight championship and women's team placed second in the country. Perhaps Wilbot will be impressed enough with the Tufts stick sport to consider my application to his text. James no, he won't. Michael Benedetti Santan Valley, California I officially became a man two years ago, and as time goes by, I find myself having more in common with Mr. Tony and less in common with the youth of today. A Friday night ten years ago, I would have been out with friends enjoying the nightlife. What did I do this last Friday night? I looked up how many inches of snow actually fell in D.C. so I could see if Mr. Tony's over of eight inches was correct. Almost Googled ways to cook bacon in the microwave and asked the person to I'm related to by marriage if every Hallmark movie did in fact have a gazebo in it. I'm currently sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to hear the conclusion of the great propane pricing fiasco of 2025. Can't wait till I'm old enough to hire an intern off the street to plant vegetables for me. Brian Sunix, St. Petersburg, Florida. Your long Nationals nightmare is over. As over the weekend, Jose A. Ferrer was traded to the Mariners. Yes. For catcher Harry Ford. You should be delighted because Ford is regarded as a top prospect but would no doubt struggle to find playing time behind Cal Raw. Yes. Ford should consider this liberation. Yes. Because you're not going to play with Cal Rawly. The team may do.

[Chris Cillizza]

Better. Yeah, but you're.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Gonna. But you're. Yeah. You're gonna sit on the.

[Michael Wilbon]

Bench. And we have a new hitting.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Coach. We have a new. Tell them who it.

[Michael Wilbon]

Is. Matt Berg. Schulte, who is the brother of a friend of.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Ours.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yes. Golfing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Friend. Yes. Andrew. Andrew's brother. So we're happy for him. Mariners fans, on the other hand, won't have to struggle through Ferrer next season as he won't serve as their closer with Andres Munoz coming off an All Star season season. Elaine Applegate, Island Heights, NJ. Great portrait of Little Richard on the home set of pti. Who did it? Dan.

[Michael Wilbon]

Byrne.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Byrne. Yes. Dan Byrne did it. Yes. He has that talent, too. There is such delight and joy and glee in your voice whenever you mention having the bacon turkey club. It makes the rest of us drool. The pea soup with ham and fresh bread was also mouth watering. A supermoon is bigger and brighter because in very simple terms, it's closer to the earth than other full moons. There are very scientific explanations, but for you, simple is best. Thank you, Elaine. Yes. Simple is.

[Michael Wilbon]

Best. The Hammer came home with his moon project yesterday and was very excited to tell you about.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It. Very. I think that's great. Okay. Pat Bass sending a picture of two waymos colliding in San.

[Michael Wilbon]

Francisco. Do you hear about what's happening in New.

[Tony Kornheiser]

York?

[Michael Wilbon]

No. The way most have started to learn the behaviors of the drivers and are now doing like Illegal.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Turns? You kidding.

[Michael Wilbon]

Me? Do you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Turn? Tony and crew. I've been hearing some emails about how great the driverless car thing is. Well, not all of us had the same reaction or experience. I live in San Francisco. The streets in my neighborhood are lousy with Waymos doing all sorts of things they say they cannot and do not do. My street can have four to seven waymos parked on a block, taking all of the spaces, waiting for a ride request. They park. They park their brains, they park. I've seen these cars make left or right turns across a lane next to them going the same direction. I've seen them run stop signs, red lights and block pedestrian crossings. Saw one stop in the middle of the street and sit there for minutes, blocking traffic, trying to figure out what to do. Two weeks ago, I was going 25 miles an hour, had to stop quick for a pedestrian. In the rear view, I saw Waymo coming up behind me fast, and it wasn't stopping. I braced for impact. A human rider was in the front passenger seat with big eyes and a very scared look on his face. At the last second, it locked up its brakes and pulled hard right, drove onto the curb to avoid rear ending. Me barely missed a parked car. No exaggeration here. People report Waymo stopping blocks away from the destination, telling the rider, ride is over. Please walk the rest of the way to the location. One news person reported they would, had, would have had a 5 minute half mile uphill walk to an address that could have driven right up to the door. But PS De resistance was reported in the news yesterday. Opening line sounds like an old Jake 3 old joke. Three Waymos drive into a street on a very narrow street in north beach as Waymo number one is using a driveway to turn around. Waymo number two comes down the street from the east, Waymo number three from the west. They get into a standoff, honking each other and two of them actually collide. Then all three freeze and the street is blocked until a Waymo person comes to the rescue. See YouTube below. There's an older YouTube below where the Waymo cars go into their parking lot at night, get into fights over parking spaces and end up honking at each.

[Michael Wilbon]

Other. That's a modern take on the Seinfeld.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Episode. Watch the clips. It's worth it. You'll laugh. I tell people these things and only San Francisco residents who've seen these things. Believe me, I will never get into one of.

[Chris Cillizza]

These. No, thank.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You. Someone tell.

[Sean O'Neill]

Nelman.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Tell Melman.

[Chris Cillizza]

Yeah. And Jeff.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Ma. Jason Anschutz. In Fargo, North Dakota. Oh, he's got a poem. Yes, every who down in Whoville like the meter football a lot, but the Devils down south in Durham did not. You see, Duke was just waiting for basketball season, but the ACC put them in the ship for some reason. Pooh pooh to the who's. Duke was Grinchesly humming, They'll find out real soon that no playoff is coming and the who's aren't the only team that will drink booze. When Wilbon and Tony proclaimed the who's lose, Bama didn't suffer for losing their game, but BYU did, and of course Notre Dame. Somehow they were jumped by Miami to you, but for re one reason only. Because the who's lose. And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say that Chuck Todd's heart grew three sizes that day. He'll play his French horn to some joyful tunes. And it all came to pass because the who's lose. That's.

[Chuck Todd]

Brilliant. That's.

[Michael Wilbon]

Great. And they sing it for.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Ages. That's just.

[Chuck Todd]

Brilliant.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. From Doug Doug Meppelink I wanted to give a special shout out to fellow little Dr. Jeffrey Treem, the professor of Integrated Marketing Communications at Wilbon's alma mater, Northwestern. Dr. Triem has a new book out called AI in the Workplace which is perfect gift for anyone who one uses or has heard of AI2Works, has worked or is generally familiar with the concept of working. The book is also co authored by the woman to whom I'm related by marriage, Dr. Camille Endicott at UNC Charlotte, or as I like to call her, Dr. Wife. I think that I learned Dr. Triem was a fellow little after he read one of his emails on the show and Dr. Wife confirmed that she knew Jeff well through her doctoral advisor. Several months later we were all at a dinner in Australia for one of their work conferences. There was a lull in the conversation when Jeff turned to me unprompted and said, so how many outlets are in your kitchen? That's so funny. Someone else at the cable said, sorry, I'm lost. What was the context of that question? The connective tissue of the show never ceases to amaze. We have. It's okay to keep reading. Yeah, yeah, we have. This is about the wine thieves. This is from Tim Livingston, Attorney at Law in Howell, Michigan, medium time. First time as an attorney who's practiced criminal defense for over 44 years. Now is amused by your story and commentary on the wine theft from a high end distributor. Reminded me of a case of which I was involved in the mid-1980s. We are a rural county, much more rural than that is adjacent to Wayne county, the home of Detroit. We have many lakes that at that time were used for the wealthier residents of urban areas for summer cottages. One winter when the cottages were empty for the season, three of our local teenage miscreants decided to go on a crime spree and break into several of these dwellings. Since the cottages were not occupied at the time of the break ins and the youth had no prior records, nothing too bad was going to happen to them, especially in juvenile court as they were 15 years old. One of the cottages was owned by an elderly judge from Wayne county whom, as you may have guessed, was a wine connoisseur and the aforementioned miscreants had stolen all of the bottles of his apparently extremely valuable collection. The judge was very respectful of the process and never attempted to use his status in any way to affect the outcome. It seemed as if, given the circumstances, he felt it might allow him the opportunity to view the system through the eyes of a victim as opposed to a jurist. At the end of the final hearing, when the young men were sentenced to probation, the victim judge approached me and the assistant prosecutor and said, does anyone know what happened to the watch? The assistant prosecutor looked at the judge with sadness in his eyes and said, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, your honor, but they mixed it with 7Up and drank it without a word. The judge looked at, just looked down, shook his head and walked away, never to be seen by us again. Thank you for several years of enjoyment listening to the podcast. If you happen to read this, please tell your fellow Dr. John Chadwick, Member of the Battle Creek Country Club and who introduced me to many others to your show to eat it. Tim Livingston, 7 up in Merlot Charlie God Charlie Burt Springfield, Virginia Seriously, the Colts are trying out Philip Rivers? Are they going to fatten up the pass rush with you and Wilbach? I hear that Eub Brown was pretty good at returning punts back in the day. Justin Johnson Arlington, Virginia Supermoon comes from a phenomenon related to inverse square law, which is a fundamental physics principle stating that the intensity of a force or radiation such as light decreases proportionally to the square of the distance from its source. Or in layman's terms, when you put a cape on and show somebody Uranus, you have a Super bowl. And one more Ryan from Houston. Long time, third time really? The Kansas City loss is entirely about the Chiefs. Still zero respect for the number one defense in the NFL. Did they not have something to do with the outcome of said game. Additionally, I had Stromboli for lunch with Cheese Brian from Houston. If you had any bike tight. Everyone is always to wear white. My.

[Chuck Todd]

Weight. Do you think I could bench press? Just make a guess. Ballpark.

[Caleb Mitchell]

Figure.

Clouds are gone.

The skies are blue.

No other moment lasts as long as a moment with you.

Every song.

I wrote for you.

Every note, every strum was a moment of truth.

Now you're gone.

Gone so soon.

But the sky's still blue.

Yeah, the sky still blue.

Clouds are gone.

The skies are blue.

I know I'm wrong when I say you're wrong but what else can I do?

All along.

You saw it through.

Every fight no one won Was a moment ago truth.

Now you're gone.

Gone so soon.

But the sky still blue.

Yeah, the sky still blessed.

If time is what I need, I've had enough.

It's been too long for me without your love. Yeah, but the sky still blue.

Yeah, the the sky still blue.

How to go?

Skies are.

[Sean O'Neill]

Blue.

All I want for Christmas Christmas is another one of you. One just like you. I call her Christy too. She think this song's about her. Too many shoes I'm in love with you. What we gonna do with some families at Christmas?

Oh, I need you back.

I will say is take a break from rabbit Eskimo kisses and being a little bit bad.

Maybe you and I should vacation in the sun. But we miss that winter snow and that mistletoe.

All I want for Christmas is another one of you. You be happy, baby, it's your Christmas Christmas present.

Hours and hours. Take a break from wrapping them present. Let's come on pieces and be a little bit nasty. Maybe you and I should vacation in the sun. But we'd miss that winter snow and that mistle. So.

All I want for Christmas is another one of you. One just like you. I call it baby too. She thinks this song's about her. Too many shoes. I'm in love with you. But what's we gonna do with two families at Christmas?

All I want for Christmas is another one of you. You'll be happy, baby. It's your Christmas present too. Merry Christmas, baby. Oh, you know I do. I wish you merry Christmas to the both of you. To the mother you.

Merry christmas, y'. All.