“Going Green”

Summary

The Tony Kornheiser Show – “Going Green”

Episode Date: May 18, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this jam-packed episode, Tony Kornheiser is joined by regulars Michael Wilbon and Steve Sands for lively conversations centered around the PGA Championship, the Preakness, and the NBA Playoffs. While sports form the backbone, the show maintains its trademark blend of witty banter, listener interactions, musical interludes, and personal anecdotes—especially Tony’s ongoing golfing saga and adventures with potato planting. The tone oscillates between reflective, irreverent, and informatively analytical.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Early Chatter, Golf Stories, and Potato Planting

Timestamps: 00:37 – 14:39

• PGA Teetimes: Tony and guests react to the brutality and oddity of a 6:45am start time for major golfers.
• Anecdotes: Tony reminisces about tall ship adventures and his seasickness as a youth, and likens himself to a (farcical) sea captain.
• Potato Planting: Brief neighborhood banter occurs, with Tony discussing Memorial Day as the planting deadline, leading Michael to joke about Tony’s gardening acumen:
  • “This is very pointed at me.” – Michael Wilbon (06:26)
• Golf at Delaware: Reflections on Tony’s own play, tee choices ("graduating" to the green tees), and George the pro’s advice to improve pace of play by moving up.
  • “You graduated.” – Michael Wilbon (08:51)
  • Tony’s openness about his poor play is classic self-deprecating humor.
• Equipment Talk: The guys discuss new clubs, putters, and the never-ending pursuit for improvement.
  • “I live for forgiveness. Please forgive me. I have sinned.” – Tony Kornheiser (11:27)

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2. Listener Interactions and Side Notes

Timestamps: 02:20 – 03:32, scattered throughout

• Tony shares notes from Survivor’s Rick Devens, including a “flush the mouse” reference, which becomes a running in-joke.
• Michael and Tony riff on ships in D.C. (the Kalmar Nickel), cool weather, and neighborhood events.

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3. PGA Championship Recap & Golf Talk (with Michael Wilbon)

Timestamps: 15:37 – 23:30

• Wilbon’s Take on the PGA: Wilbon relishes the unfolding stories of tournaments rather than rooting for big names or worrying about TV ratings.
  • “I don't need the famous people to win… I like to see what unfolds, where it unfolds. That's the point for me.” – Michael Wilbon (16:34)
• Course Analysis: Discussion about the Philadelphia venue being forgettable visually or architecturally for casual TV viewers.
  • “From a viewer standpoint, I ain't gonna remember anything.” – Michael Wilbon (19:53)
• Aaron Rye’s Win: Praises Rye’s performance—31 on the back, 6-under for the final 10 holes, and how he seized the moment in a major.
  • “He shot a 65 on the best field in golf.” – Tony Kornheiser (20:33)
• Debates Players’ Futures: They discuss the unpredictability of one-time major winners.
  • “I'll give you a list of guys that won once who never even threatened to win again...” – Tony Kornheiser (20:56)

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4. Horse Racing/Belmont & Preakness

Timestamps: 21:55 – 23:22

• Wilbon’s Disinterest: Shares that casual fans, himself included, have lost interest in horse racing because storylines (like a horse running all three Triple Crown races) are fading.
  • “The Preakness could have been on the moon. No idea. None. Zero.” – Michael Wilbon (21:55)

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5. NBA Playoffs & MVP Discussion

Timestamps: 23:23 – 29:53

• MVP Race: Wilbon reveals he voted for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as MVP, citing his dominant, Jordan-like season and the strength of the OKC Thunder.
  • “He's clearly the best player on that team. Had a Jordan like season with the numbers.” – Michael Wilbon (23:35)
• Other Top Candidates: Jokic and Wembanyama get respect; Wilbon and Tony dissect what “surprising” means in the context of Boston vs. OKC.
• Blowout Games: Explores the new NBA phenomena of wild momentum swings and blowouts, largely influenced by the proliferation of the three-point shot.
  • “You have these wild, wild swings that are themselves like avalanches during games...” – Michael Wilbon (28:40)
• Tony’s Critique: He prefers dramatic, close games and laments these recent blowouts’ lack of fourth-quarter drama.

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6. Steve Sands Interview: Inside the PGA

Timestamps: 32:25 – 45:28

• Snack Food Tangent: Sands reveals a love for Pringles, with a special shout-out to salt and vinegar flavor.
  • “Pringles are like, you know, caramel to me. I mean, the more the better.” – Steve Sands (32:55)
• Extended Analysis of Aaron Rye:
  • Sands highlights Rye’s reputation as a great ball striker and truly nice guy, but not a bomber.
    • “He is a great ball striker … one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet in your life.” – Steve Sands (34:40)
  • Rye’s image on tour is “reserved, warm, and very well respected,” but not one who draws attention—likened to a "run of the mill" pro who had his day.
  • Both Sands and Wilbon share backstories about Rye’s thriftiness (iron head covers, two gloves, careful with lessons from parents).
    • “He's Aaron, two gloves. It's just the way he is.” – Steve Sands (38:36)
  • Rye intentionally resisted the “speed revolution,” preserving his classic swing in a bomb-and-gouge era.
• Course Setup Discussion: They agree the tournament setup was changed (made easier mid-tourney) probably in response to player complaints.
  • “Those hole locations were on spines. I mean, it was almost impossible to get the ball close on Thursday and Friday…” – Steve Sands (40:06)
• The Nature of Major Wins:
  • Sands discusses the random nature of some major winners, but stresses that being a major winner is itself a distinguishing status in golf.
    • “To be considered great in the sport, you have to win one ... and Aaron just did.” – Steve Sands (44:06)
• Personal Note: Tony jokes about “moving up to the green tees” as a sign of golfing decline.

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7. Listener Mailbag, Humor & Musical Interludes

Timestamps: 46:19 – end

• Ronnie Neumeyer and Tom Lofka’s catchy “mailbag” song introduces the mail segment.
• Tony reads a variety of listener emails, mixing personal stories (names, potato advice, anti-cruise sentiment) with in-jokes and thanks. Notable comedic moments arise from tales of wrong names and an asteroid potentially “deconstructing” the DC area.
• Michael makes a Les Miserables reference for an amusing musical aside (54:28).
• The wrap concludes with Tony’s trademark “do wear white” sign-off and another performance of “The Night That Wemby Got Tossed”—a Dan Burns original sports parody.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (With Timestamps)

• “I live for forgiveness. Please forgive me. I have sinned.” — Tony Kornheiser (11:27)
• “I don't need the famous people to win … I like to see what unfolds, where it unfolds. That's the point for me.” — Michael Wilbon (16:34)
• “He shot a 65 on the best field in golf.” — Tony Kornheiser (20:33)
• “His putting is a little worrisome. You know, when you're missing little putts like that for an extended period of time, Tony, that can get into your head.” — Steve Sands (41:53)
• “To be considered great in the sport, you have to win one … and Aaron just did. So now let's see what happens.” — Steve Sands (44:06)
• “You graduate.” — Michael Wilbon to Tony (08:51)
• “Pringles are like, you know, caramel to me. I mean, the more the better.” — Steve Sands (32:55)
• “The Preakness could have been on the moon. No idea. None. Zero.” — Michael Wilbon (21:55)
• “This is not about the NBA. This is about the way basketball is played by young, emotional men and is coached by people who do not on any level resemble John Wooden …” — Michael Wilbon (28:40)

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Noteworthy Segments and Timestamps

• PGA Championship/Banter: 00:37 – 15:37
• Wilbon on PGA and Storylines: 15:37 – 20:56
• Horse Racing Fade: 21:55 – 23:22
• NBA MVP and Playoffs: 23:23 – 29:53
• Steve Sands on Aaron Rye: 32:25 – 44:06
• Pringles Tangent: ~32:25 – 33:26
• Listener Mailbag: 46:19 – End

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Final Thoughts

This episode stands out for its seamless blend of sports analysis, personal narrative, and signature camaraderie. Both the golf and basketball conversations delve below surface headlines—laying bare how narratives, emotion, and even athletic “randomness” shape sports history. Add in the listener interaction and musical moments, and “Going Green” encapsulates the best of the Tony Kornheiser vibe: funny, reflective, and full of stories you won’t hear anywhere else.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey, it's Tony. On today's show, we will talk to Michael Wilbon about the PGA Championship, the Preakness and the NBA playoffs. We'll also talk to Steve Sands about the PGA and also about his favorite snack food. But first, let's do some commerce, boys and girls. Previously on the Tony Kornheiser Show. I guess I was stunned when I found this out yesterday. 6:45 tea time at a major. 6:45 for a guy like Ben Griffin who's won three times on tour. How did he get that? And how early do you have to get up to be ready to play in a major?

[Steve Sands]

6:45am you and Jesse have already had dinner.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, okay, but I'm not on tour.

[Ronnie Neumeyer]

The Tony Kornheiser show is on now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That is the familiar voice of Steve Sands. He will be on the show later today. Talk about the Aaron Rye Show. 31 on the bat. Michael, you have played a. Ron. I've always said the back is harder than the front.

[Michael Wilbon]

It doesn't just start on the back. You have to go to the eagle putt that he made on nine.

[Tony Kornheiser]

On nine. Yeah. Made a great sand shot. Made a great long putt on 17. Very reminiscent of the JJ spawn putt in the US Open.

[Michael Wilbon]

CBS wish they could have just ended it right there.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, we will get to. Yeah, they had to stay and people had to finish.

[Michael Wilbon]

Do you mind if I just take one or two minutes then? Please, if you're gonna get to it. Philadelphia should have a men's professional tournament every year. I love those. The shots of the skyline that you could see in the distance. Arundaming looked great. I wish there was not this issue between the PGA of America and the USGA where once you were in bed with one, you were sort of out of play for the others. Aron Mink looked amazing. If you think that speed is not an issue in this sport, watch this past weekend. Or you're seeing Rory hit 400 yards, 400 yard drives and he has to play away from pins with his pit shots. If you look at Rory this, you know he had chances yesterday by. But it goes back to strategy. Earlier in the week he said there was no strategy off of the tee. And I actually think that was the wrong approach. You look at what happened when you were out of position, you had to play away and you're watching professionals hit 190 plus on ball speed. You're seeing par fives converted to par fours. We've seen that forever. And now you're looking at them almost drive. What would be considered a medium length, 380 plus yard par four.

[Tony Kornheiser]

There was a 526 yard par four. That's that. Take me seven shots to get to it. And they were on. Yeah, they were all on anyway. We will talk about that with Wilbon. We will talk about that with Sands. We have a note from Rick Devins, our official Survivor candidate, and he writes, I snuck in flush the mouse reference on CBS Morning. Video clip attached. I'm a big enough fan of the show to know that you almost certainly won't be interested in this offer, but I would love to join you all and answer any Survivor questions you have sometime. I hosted the official Survivor podcast for Paramount. So I do have some experience and wouldn't be a total flop. We will do that. Yes, we'd love to do that. We'll do that within the next couple of weeks. Do you want to play the clip?

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

That jury is looking for entertainment and you can give it to him at tribal council. And that's kind of where I do a lot of my magic. Eventually. Last night I flushed the mouse, but up to that point things were going real well and I did feel like I could sprint to the end and take this thing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Tremendous. See, that's how you use the phrase. Use it as if it's been in the language forever.

[Michael Wilbon]

Forever.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That everybody knows what it is and if you don't recognize who does it. A three. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

Just, just drop the ball.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We also have. This is given to me by Nigel that Washington D.C. will welcome a rare maritime visitor this June as Kalmar Nickel or Calmar Nicholl. The full scale replica of a 17th century Swedish naval ship returns to the capital for the first time in 14 years, docking at the wharf. The ship's visit is part of the Embassy of Sweden's celebration of America's 250th anniversary of independence. Kalmar Nikkel, or Nickel, famously carried the first Swedish settlers to North America in 1638 to what became the colony of New Sweden, the first European settlement in the Delaware River Valley. The ship will be visible sailing up the Potomac before docking at the wharf and hosting a series of invitational only activities. We are not invited to anything, but Nigel gave this to me because 50 years ago I was on a tall ship.

[Michael Wilbon]

We're looking at the front page.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, I was on a tall ship that became a front page story at

[Michael Wilbon]

the New York America at 200, you

[Tony Kornheiser]

know, and it was a great experience for me. I was seasick. It wasn't, you know, the most wonderful Thing in the world. But I slept on. You slept on the boat? Yeah, I slept on the boat. I slept outdoors. Yep. On the deck. Yeah. Because it was just too much for me. It was a training ship, a Danish training ship, I believe. And it was great fun. And I don't remember any of it except that, you know, there's a story I have on my wall about being on it. It was called the Christian Raddock, I Believe. And I decided to call it the Radish. And I had a lot of fun and got sick, but I had a lot of fun.

[Michael Wilbon]

This start your love affair with the sea.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, that was the first. That's why I became the sea captain that I became. That's why I have the charter boats that I have. All right, so let's get to something. You know, we can talk about Aaron Rye. We can talk about the Cleveland Cavaliers. We can talk about Shay Gilgeous Alexander winning the mvp. Wilbaugh. Go insane about all of these things. They're all fine. And I can tell you about my weekend. And we can talk about the Preakness too. Andy Beyer had Napoleon Solo. That's right. Andy Beyer had that.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Other people had that too. Joe Fortenborough, espn, had that three days before. Just like Andy. I'm really impressed by people who get it right. That's sharp. It's a 10 to 1 shot. So I was really impressed. And we can talk about my weekend in Delaware and all the golf that I played, but this morning it's not on a more serious note, but on a more relevant note, I was walking a dog about 6:30 in the morning and a guy who rides his bike to work all the time.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's bright outside.

[Tony Kornheiser]

At least it's gorgeous outside. And not the 96 it's going to be in five hours. No, it was beautiful.

[Michael Wilbon]

Just wait for the storms tomorrow.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Guy drives by me on his bicycle. A guy who I recognize. He knows me. I know him. I don't know his name, but I know him. He rides by, says, have a good day. And I say, have a good day. And he turns around and goes, did you plant the potatoes yet? I said, no, I hope to get them in.

[Michael Wilbon]

This is very pointed at me.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, it is. I hope to get them in by Memorial Day, which is at the Giant later today. Oh, okay. A week from today is Memorial Day. Think we will have.

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, of course we'll have them.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, great.

[Michael Wilbon]

And we've got great planting. Whether we have a nice. End of the week will be cool and rainy okay.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. So good. So I'm happy for that. Happy for that.

[Michael Wilbon]

But to my friend on the bicycle. Thank you.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Yeah, he wanted to know.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I was in Delaware. I played a lot. I've got to say this. I played. I got there. I played Men's Day on Thursday. I wasn't very good. And I played with our friend George, who never speaks. George Buschby, who's the pro. I love George, you know, getting ready

[Michael Wilbon]

for some lessons this July.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Pat is the director of golf, and then George is the head pro. Like George very much. Like Pat very much. George wants us to do the podcast out in Delaware so that he can be on the podcast and speak. And actually speak. He'll actually speak.

[Michael Wilbon]

Can we do it from the pro shop?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'd rather do it from the house, but we could do it from the pro shop because you know what? There's a lot of chairs and tables. Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

Conference room.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We gotta do is bring the equipment. Yeah, we could do that and that one. Then Pat could be on as well. A lot of people could. Ricky could be on as well. So I played with George. And George, to my great delight, every time I play with George, he gets an eagle. And he got an eagle on number four. I was very nice.

[Michael Wilbon]

Where was the pin?

[Tony Kornheiser]

The pin was front.

[Michael Wilbon]

That's. I mean, front's a very.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Not very low, but. Yes, in the front.

[Michael Wilbon]

But below the ridge.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, below the ridge. And George got an eagle. You know, it was either there or he got it on. Maybe he got it actually on nine. I'm not sure. There are four par fives, unlike morning downwind.

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, that was afternoon.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So it was afternoon. It was afternoon. It was breezy, certainly, and it was cold. It was chilly. It was in the 50s. And then by yesterday it was in the 80s, and today it's going to be in the 90s. But I had that great experience. And then I was playing from the combination tees of the white and the green. The white is what? The first time you move up, you move up to the white at maybe 60, 65 years old, and then you can move up to the green at 70 or 75 years old. And I was playing a combination of white, green. And the next day I came in to play, and George said to me, and I was playing with Steve Rose on Friday, and George says to me, play the green. I said, are you saying I stink? He said, I'm not saying that. I'm saying play the green. You're ready for the green.

[Michael Wilbon]

You graduated.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The green is closer. The green Is considerably closer. And I. I played well the next two days on green because I had confidence that I could. I could get to the actual green in regulation on 10 or 12 holes, and I played better.

[Michael Wilbon]

What is this going to do to your handicap?

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's. It. They took. They took it down from like 21 to 16 to play all. To play all green.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's a lot of pressure.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, well. But I played well. I mean, I broke 90. I broke 90, so I was happy. Steve Rose, who should be playing the member tees, which. About 2,000 yards longer than I'm playing. He. He said, I'll play green with you. And he shot like 80.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Had the great day of his life. Yeah. So. So the decision was made by a pro who watched me play to save myself from the total embarrassment.

[Michael Wilbon]

Pace of play.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. And they want to play pace of play to go faster. They don't want me taking five shots to get to the green. Any help in the sand from George? No, I. I've got to go to Shannon at Columbia and learn how to get out of sand. I got out of sand a couple of times, made great shots that got within two feet of the hole. But it's.

[Michael Wilbon]

Is less intimidating to you for some reason, right?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I guess. And I don't know why. I guess. I guess the. The lower ridges aren't as high.

[Steve Sands]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know, you don't have to clear that much to get out. Except on a hole like say, nine on the right, where you have to, you know, you have to clear. Not nine, 17 on the right. And I can't get out of that bunker. And bunkers are intimidating for most people. Sure. Pros, Nothing. Okay.

[Michael Wilbon]

Like when you're in the car with George. He's a professional. Does he offer some advice or is he looking the other way?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I was not in the cart with George. Was not in the cart with George. But no, I don't ask. You know, I think he, you know, I just wanted to get through it. And I would just say I. I am terrible.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

I stink.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm God awful, you know, but he's not like Larry Bird, like, just talking trash the whole time. No, no, no, no. He's very kind about it. And he. I'm. I'm using.

[Michael Wilbon]

Not going all VSP on you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Two different clubs that I demoed. A seven wood. I have a seven wood. I have never missed sets of clubs.

[Michael Wilbon]

You never miss with the seven.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I missed. I topped it a few times, but I hit it. When I hit it, I hit it pretty well. And so I have a seven wood here in Washington and now I have a seven wood. Well, I haven't bought it yet.

[Michael Wilbon]

Going full. Aaron Ryan keeping the head covers.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, I'm going to use. I have an Odessaga head cover.

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, nice.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That I'm going to use and put on it. And then I got a new putter. George also said it's time for you to use a mallet putter. I was putting very poorly. Mallet like croquet. Well, what does a mallet head mean?

[Michael Wilbon]

It just means you're going to have more forgiveness, which is what I need.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I live for forgiveness. Please forgive me. I have sinned. No. So I'm gonna use that.

[Michael Wilbon]

George is working off commission out there.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it's gonna be a lot of money. And as Michael said, just spend the money. Just buy the clubs. The clubs are better for you. So buy the clubs. So you know, and other people say you have two sets of clubs. Well, I don't want. No wonder you don't play. Well, I don't want to just drag one set everywhere all the time.

[Michael Wilbon]

Choose one set, buy it twice, donate the others.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I probably should like this, like the shoes. Just have the backup pair. I probably should do that.

[Ronnie Neumeyer]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

Liz is looking for some new clubs.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't, maybe I'll do that. I don't, I don'. I don't think it's the clubs that make me bad. It's me. I'm the one who.

[Michael Wilbon]

That's not the putter. It's the putter in this case.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it's me doing the putting. Right. So anyway, everybody tries something new and gets pleasure out of doing it for the first two holes and then they revert to who they are.

[Michael Wilbon]

All you have to do is listen to pajig Harrington talk or go on social media and watch videos of Rocco Media. They're always searching. Every golfer's always searching.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Even into their 50s and 60s, they keep searching their 70s. They will do the same thing. So we will, we will take a break and then Michael Wilbon when we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser. This is the Tony Kornheiser Show. This episode of the Tony Kornheiser show is brought to you by Wild Grain. Wild Grain is the first baked from frozen subscription box for sourdough breads, artisanal pastries and fresh pastas. Unlike many store bought options, Wild Grain uses simple ingredients you can pronounce and a slow fermentation process that can be easier on your belly and, and richer in nutrients and antioxidants. And everything baked straight from frozen in 25 minutes or less. No thawing required. The boxes are fully customizable too. There's a variety box plus gluten free vegan and a brand new protein box. Imagine having fresh bakery quality bread, pastries and pastas at home without any trips to the store. And don't just take my word for it. They have over 40,000 five star reviews and have been voted the best food subscription box by USA Today for three years in a row. For a limited time, Wild Grain is offering our listeners $30 off your first box plus free croissants for life. Rob Stronick availed himself of that. When you go to wildgrain.com Tony Kay to start your subscription today. That's $30 off your first box and free croissants for life. When you visit wild grain.com Tony K. Or you can use the promo code Tony Kay at checkout. Let me just say this on a personal level. I baked last week. I made the sourdough bread spectacular. It's really good. It was spectacular. And I keep croissants in the house.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

In case my family drop by and then in, you know, 15 to 20 minutes they have stuff waiting for the invite. Yeah. Well, you're invited.

[Ronnie Neumeyer]

Okay.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You're always welcome. Always welcome. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. You know those friends who support your preference for podcasts over music on road trips. That's the energy State Farm brings to insurance. With over 19,000 local agents, they help you find the coverage that fits your needs so you can spend less time worrying about insurance and more time enjoying the ride. Download the State Farm app or go [e-mail] like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

[Steve Sands]

This is the Tony Kornheiser show.

[Ronnie Neumeyer]

The night that Wemby got tossed Playoff game against the T Wolf. San Antonio lost. No further suspension. No fine, no cost. The night that Wemby got tossed. Wilt never foul out. Not even in decline. Wemby has fouled out a bunch of times. Wemby's not even in his prime. But he got run for an elbow blunder. Even Wilt got tossed back in the year he scored 100. The night that Wemby got ejected, the outcome of the contest was affected. The result was expected. Spurs fans were detected. The spurs got bossed in the land of frost. The game was lost. The night when Banyama got tossed.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Dan Burns, brilliant, brilliant. Writes these songs, you know within an hour of something happening. Absolutely brilliant plays in Michael Wilbon. We will There are things we have to talk about. Let's just start with the pga. Your thoughts on the pga. You were famously angry before the pga. You said, I don't care who wins. I don't know. The best story is best stories. Whoever wins, I don't care who wins. What did you think? Yeah. What did you think of Aaron Rye winning? What did you think of all of the whole thing. I know you watched as much as you could.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Loved. Loved. I didn't get to watch as much as usual because I was traveling and had, you know, stuff going on the first two days, and so I didn't

[Steve Sands]

see a swing of the club until

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Saturday, but loved it. I love the way I watch sports.

[Steve Sands]

For the sports.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

I don't watch to determine what's going to happen if I don't have a rooting interest, natural rooting interest, or I may manufacture one to root.

[Steve Sands]

I don't.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

I don't watch to know what the storylines are. The stories will reveal themselves to me. That's the whole point of watching. And I don't need the famous people to win. I don't need people from big markets to win. I don't care what the television ratings are. I don't give a damn about any of that. I like to see what unfolds, where it unfolds. That's the point for me.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Had you. Had you heard of Aaron Rod beforehand?

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Of course.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, me too.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

I've seen them like you, Tone.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

But, you know, he didn't register. I knew he was a player on tour, he was in the majors, but he didn't fare very well. I wasn't noticing him after the second day. Maybe he was in a group. I liked the first two days, and then, you know, he sort of went away because he never, I think, tied for 19.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, he had three different tie nineteens. He's a little bit older than I thought. He's 31. I thought he was younger than that. And I saw him. I distinctly remember him from this winter, you know, when a lot of the big names take tournaments off, and he was near the lead on three or four different tournaments. He may have won one of the tournaments in the winter. I'm not certain, but he may have.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Not this winter, but I think he won one in the same circumstance.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

You know, where guys like that are absolutely interested in playing all those tournaments because they got a better shot.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

At getting a first win or a second win or getting themselves back on track. So, yeah, you know, I was aware of him, and he played well. Enough. And the people in contention were interesting enough. I kept asking you about the golf course because I did not find anything about the golf course appealing from a vantage point of someone who had not played that course Often, you and I. You more than I, have played.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, Michael. Michael's played it. You. How many times have you played it?

[Michael Wilbon]

Once.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Only once. But you remember it very well.

[Michael Wilbon]

But that was before a big tree removal.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Oh, okay. They took trees down. Yeah, I. I think the. I. Look, it's. It's a very highly rated course. There are three courses, essentially, in Philadelphia. Marion Ironman and Philly Cricket are very highly rated and have hosted big Philly

[Michael Wilbon]

Country Club Golf Mills.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. You know, so, so look, a lot.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

There's a lot in that area. I just, you know, I'm watching it. I'm thinking, I don't remember. I'm not going to remember anything about the golf course. Nothing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Here's what. Here's what I. I know. I mean, I shouldn't say I know, but you can make the golf course harder or easier when you want. On Saturday, the scores were significantly better than Thursday or Friday, and I suspect player complaints. Yeah. Because Rory, among others, was complaining, says, you know, no one's ever going to get a double bogey here, but birdies are very hard. And then I think on Sunday, they toughened it up. You know, I understand that Kitayama went 63 tougher.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

It was, it was playing too much like the US Open. And players don't like that. They'll take it in a couple of places. They'll, they'll, they'll take it at the players to a degree, and then they'll take it at the US Open. Otherwise, they don't want it. They don't. They don't want it. So. You know, I get that. I get that. I'm just saying, from a. From a viewer standpoint, I ain't gonna remember anything.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, here's what, what I'm gonna remember. Yeah. I don't. I. There's not a signature hole. I mean, that happens over the course of your life when you see the same course five times in 10 years, and then you get to know what's going, or they have some gimmick, tricky thing like a 17th island green or whatever that is.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

What I'm going to remember is that golf tournaments are sometimes one, and sometimes golf tournaments are lost. This kid won the tournament. He shot 31 on the back after eagling nine. So he's. He's four. He's six under on the last 10 holes on the hardest part of the golf course. And none of the others challenged him. You know, they didn't.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Well, they shot 65 with. With the. Here's what we do know, because we know this statistically, we know it anecdotally. He shot a 65 on the best field in golf.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Field.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Michael Wilbon]

After shooting a 67 the day before his two lowest rounds in a major.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So good for him.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

So good for him. Absolutely.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But I don't know that he'll. Look, I'll give you a list of names of guys that won once who never even threatened to win again. Danny Willett. Danny Willett. Michael Campbell, Sean McKeel, Rich Beam Yang, Zach Johnson. I suspect JJ Spawn will never win another man. I don't know. I suspect. So you don't.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You don't know, but maybe. Maybe this kid's great. I don't know.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

I don't. I don't. I don't know. And I don't spend a lot of time pondering, you know, who wins other than the guys who separate themselves and they become fascinating and discussable and, you know, Brooks Koepka wins five, but doesn't do other stuff.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Right. But I don't, you know, if he doesn't. If he does it, cool. If he doesn't, even better for him.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Because he has this.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

You know.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

We'll learn more about him over the coming days.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He seemed spotlight.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Pleasant, you know?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Seemed pleasant.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Yes, he did.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Seemed pleasant. Not particularly outgoing, but pleasant. Did you watch the Preakness?

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

No, I didn't know the Preakness was on. Didn't have any idea it was on. What didn't have. The Preakness could have been on the moon. No idea. None. Zero. No one said anything to me about it. No one talked about it. I was at a golf club, a really fanatic sports fans. Golf club. Olympia Fields in Chicago on Saturday. Was not on tv. Wasn't on. Nobody said Jack, nothing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Will you watch.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Will you watch the Belmont when you don't have the. That. Only because you have informed me the winners, the two horses that just won.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Will race. Yeah, but you know, Tony, I am. You talk about the casual fan who comes to the tent, who wants to see stars and storylines and all of that. The. The horsies took themselves out of that when none of them race in the second thing. That for 100 years, is why casual fans went to the event. Casual fans like me, not horse racing heads like you and my father. I'm a casual Guy they didn't show. It was not on the radar at all.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Didn't know it. Didn't know when I got on the plane. I got on the plane Saturday night at 9 and it says whoever wins on the, on my, on my phone, Napoleon Solo.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The man from UNCLE Today. The man from UNCLE Won. Yeah.

[Steve Sands]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. All right, let's go, let's go to the basketball start with Shea Gilgames Alexander winning mvp. You vote in this. Who did you vote for?

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Shea Gilgis Alexander.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, you did? Okay, yeah.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Why? I voted for Shea Gilgis Alexander. He's the best player on a team that was dominant. Dominant. And that team, you know, I'm loathe to include a team, a newfangled team in the company of the 67, you know, Wilt Chet Walker, Hal Greer team, the 83444 team, the 86 Celtics, the Magic Lakers, the Jordan Bulls, the Steph Curry Warriors. I'm not a prisoner of the moment, but I believe this Oklahoma City team, which I did not when the season opened, pick to win because I said the league's too good. The league is too good for them to repeat. They are having a dominant season and he is clearly the best player. While there's a great ensemble, he's clearly the best player on that team. Had a Jordan like season with the numbers. Now I don't care usually about the metrics. He, he has a dominant season. So I voted for him maybe narrowly because Joker had, you know, beyond Will, like in some other ways, not scoring average. But I voted for him second. And then I had Wimby and I had Jaylen Brown and I had Luka Obligatory fifth. So those were my five.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I would have voted for Jaylen Brown, but I'm, I'm fine with this. The reason I probably would have voted for Jaylen Brown is because Boston was had a more surprising season. Oklahoma City did not have a surprising season because they had won last year. You know, but he's really good. He's really good. So I don't, you know, I wouldn't say that's a mistake. Sometimes, sometimes in MVPs, I go, oh, I don't know. In baseball, you know, I go, I don't know about that.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

But this is because people read too much with the numbers basketballs. There's still a bunch of people who vote, who look at, who look at the damn games and they don't get told by front office people what to do. And so you look at the season, if you have one of these votes, I'm sorry that that alarm is going off. I don't know what that is. You look at the season and you say, yeah, this dude, he's the best player on the best team every night out every night. And so I. Yeah, I know that, Tony. I wouldn't have had a problem if Joker had been voted ahead of him. I wouldn't have had a problem if Jalen Brown had been a vote ahead of him. I wouldn't have had a problem if we had been voting. And speaking of surprising seasons, nobody has San Antonio doing this now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I did.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

You could project. I did not at the beginning of the season.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No. But two months ago. Two months ago I told you they were going to win. I think they're going to win.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

A few months ago you knew that Boston was, was, was not crippled without J. Without Jason Tatum. So some of these things develop over a little bit of time. And so, you know, I see San Antonio and I could have voted for Wemby. I could justify it. I think the people who did vote for Wemby, because we don't know who finished second, third, fourth yet, do we?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. Joker Jokic was second and Wembanyama was

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

third as I voted. Okay, so, so yeah, so no, I didn't have any problem with any of that. And I found it. I found myself splitting hairs. I really did.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Let me ask you this. You know that I like Cleveland and you know that I thought that they. I believe they will beat the Knicks as well. That is what I believe. I could be wrong. The last two games the road team won by 100 points. These have been terrible. What do you have an explanation for this?

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

I don't think they've been terrible at all. I think they've been eye opening 30 point games and you know, they've been, they've. They've had a level of entertainment that is not the drama we usually root for.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

And that I usually root for. But I'm trying to figure out what is it about the game today that allows for this kind of swing, this kind of momentum buildup or recovery. We've seen teams do this from the other way. Detroit did it down 24 points in a deciding game. And I think it's what Steve Kerr, who may be the smartest man in basketball since Jerry West, I think it's what Steve Kerr has gotten onto, which is the three point shot allows for crazy momentum swings because you have a team who gets hot and hits just three or four in a row, just three or four and they go on a 12, 0 run or a 15, 0 run or 15.3 run, and all of a sudden you can't recover from it. It's different than 8. 0. It feels different. The arena feels different. The team on the bench is clowning people. It has a whole different swing in today's culture. Culture. I noticed this when I go to my son's high school games. I noticed this when I went to March Madness. This is not about the NBA. This is about the way basketball is played by young, emotional men and is coached by people who do not on any level resemble John Wooden and Red Auerbach and John Thompson, who say, that's a bad shot, son. No, that's not today's game. And so you have these wild, wild swings that are themselves like avalanches during games. And sometimes the road teams does it, and you're like, oh, my God, what is happening here? And I find it wondrous to watch. It doesn't allow for fourth quarter drama usually, but it's. It's fascinating in its. In its own study. And to have three games in a row go like that in the Eastern Conference semis, I mean, wow. And the Knicks have done this. Now can. They've done it 10 times, but can they be on the other side?

[Tony Kornheiser]

For me, I agree with everything you said except the conclusion, because there is no reason for me to watch the last eight minutes of these games, you know, And I go, okay. You know, I like. I like the drama at the end.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

I get it. I get.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I like the drama at the end.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

So, all right, I do, too. But I, you know, find it. It's new, and it's like, what the hell is this?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. All right, I'll see you later. I'll see you later. Michael Wilbon, boys and girls. We'll come back with Steve Sands. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Pool days call for cookouts and lots of laundry. This Memorial day at Lowe's, save $80 on a Char Broil performance. Series 4 burner gas grill. Now just $199 plus get up to 45% off. Select major appliances to keep dishes, clothes and food for fresh. Having fun in the sun is easy with us in your corner. Our best lineup is here at Lowe's, valid through 527, while supplies last. Selection varies by location. See associate or lowe's.com for details.

[Michael Wilbon]

You thought this was your run club era. Turns out it was more of a thinking about run club era. The good news, Someone's marathon training is about to start. Sell your workout gear on depop Just snap a few photos and we'll take care of the rest. They get their race day fit and you get a payout for trying. Someone on Depop wants what you've got. Start selling now. Depop, where taste recognizes taste.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is the Tony Kornizer show. This is Greenberry Woods. This is a summer song. And we have a letter from Big Stir Records says we're thrilled to bring you the first new album from Baltimore based indie pop and alt rock heroes the Greenberry Woods. Excuse me. Since their celebrated 1 run on Sire Records in the 90s, It's All Good Sugar is out May 29 from Big Sur Records on vinyl, CD and streaming. Cleared for airplay and review now picking up right where they left off when they were classed with power revivalist peers like Matthew Sweet, Teenage fan club and Jellyfish. Never heard of him. The band had already previewed the new album with the new hit indie singles whenever you want me to and the one that makes you happy. And this is called summer song, which is very nice. Not to be confused with Chad and Jeremy. No, that's a different one.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Summer song. You know, probably you can't copyright a title 70 years later. Michael, if people like Greenberry woods want to send their music in, how do they do it?

[Michael Wilbon]

Send us your music by emailing it to [e-mail] and with the graduation season here, Johnny O Tkplant for all your potato planting needs.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

And.

[Michael Wilbon]

And I wish they would sell the hottest Q zip that you saw this past weekend. ESPN plus was rocking the that quarter zip.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Johnny O. Yeah, yeah. Steve Sands joins us. Do you. Do you plant potatoes? Do you in Orlando? Do you plant potatoes?

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Nah.

[Steve Sands]

Yeah, I eat potatoes. Although I learned the other day that Pringles are not a potato. They're just, they're not a potato chip. They're kind of an offset of the potato family. I learned that the other day. I think they're delicious and I was told they're no longer in the potato family.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Does this give you a problem? Will you not eat Pringles anymore?

[Steve Sands]

Oh, no, no. I probably eat more Pringles. I love Pringles. I Pringles are like, you know, caramel to me. I mean, the more the better.

[Michael Wilbon]

What's your go to flavor?

[Tony Kornheiser]

What is the flavor you like?

[Steve Sands]

You know, normally I'll go just the regular, but salt and vinegars are the ones. But if I eat a whole, if I'll sit there like a complete fat slob and eat the whole sleeve. Yeah, if you eat A whole sleeve of Pringles. And they're the salt and vinegar. I mean, your. Your tongue and mouth might have problems for a couple of days. It's not recommended, but God is delicious.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So you sit there with that entire canister. There must be hundreds of them in there.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Yeah.

[Steve Sands]

Don't tell Val Sands. We don't do that without saying,

[Tony Kornheiser]

okay.

[Steve Sands]

That falls out of the. That falls out of the category of the four most important words any young man ever learns in life. Don't tell your mother.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right, let's talk about. Let's talk about the PGA and Aaron rye. He was four under on the back 31. That's coming out of the eagle. So he's six under in the last 10 holes. He won the tournament. He won it. I mean, nobody popped up and bit him. Nobody did that. And he won it. He's. Because, you know, by 5 o' clock yesterday, the second name on the board was still Justin Thomas. Rory didn't do it. Scheffler didn't do it. Rom didn't. None of these guys. Cameron Young, none of them did it. And the leaderboard was incredibly international for a while with people that nobody had heard of. Like, the last two guys out there, you know, who were in contention are Aaron Rye and Matty Schmid, and nobody had heard of them or. What are your overall thoughts on what Rye did and how it works for golf?

[Steve Sands]

I'm sure all the people in Philadelphia at Ironamag were like, wow, Mike Schmidt's

[Tony Kornheiser]

a really good golfer.

[Steve Sands]

I didn't realize that. Yeah, yeah. I mean, look, Aaron Rye coming into the week was not on anybody's dance card, I believe. I think I read this last night. He was 290 to 1 at one point and is the longest shot of any winner in any major in at least 20 years. Had the longest odds. So, look, Aaron Rye has a lot of respect from his peers. He is a great ball striker, but his putter has never been up to snuff along with that ball striking. He doesn't hit the ball very far, isn't overpowering, doesn't have this massive personality. He's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet in your life. And he won before on the PGA Tour, Tony. He knew what he was doing out there. Now. He got on a hot streak at the right time. By the way, that eagle at nine came after bogeys at seven and eight and six under in his last 10. We said this all the time, Tony, in sports, but in golf in particular, you can either lose it or you go out grab it and win it. And somebody won it. Yesterday, Aaron Rye played the best of anybody. Nobody lost that PGA yesterday. Aaron Rye, I agree. Really close, strong. It was impressive, man. He played great, great golf.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I watched the Rory interview, and Rory very specifically said, everyone likes this guy. There's nobody out there that isn't happy for him. I am unaware of his relationship to everybody else. And if he is full time on the Tour, I'm unaware of that. Do you have a sense of his personality and why people like him?

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Oh, yeah.

[Steve Sands]

I mean, he's truly one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. He's just kind of an everyday, run of the mill professional golfer who has played all over the world. He has won on the DP World Tour, which is the European Tour. He won a couple of years ago on the PGA Tour in Greensboro. And he is known on tour as a being just a wonderfully nice young man. He's 31 years old. He's always kind to people, always warm to people. Very quiet, very stoic, very reserved, amazing ball striker, gives himself opportunities, but he doesn't have the distance, he doesn't have the pop of the bat that somebody like Rory and John Rahm and Scotty Scheffler have. So he's playing from much longer distances than those guys. And it's not easy on the PGA Tour, the way golf courses are set up these days to do that. And yesterday he played the round of his life at the right time. Now, who knows if that opens the door, Tony, to allow him to go win all these big events for the rest of his career, but he certainly now has the confidence knowing that he's gotten it done before. And when Rory said that, I'm glad he did, because in the golf circles, it's not like anybody was picking him. No question about that. But in golf circles, everybody's just happy for him. He's just a really nice guy, very well respected, and he's been on Tour for a few years now. And everybody on the Tour knows the kid had game. I'm sure they thought like that. But he played great yesterday. Wow.

[Michael Wilbon]

He avoided speed training for a long time just because he was so sensitive to the fact that he did not want to lose his ability to be that, that, that premier ball striker. And he did it very carefully, sort of a full body approach rather than just trying to swing as hard as he can ground up. Trying to do, you know, a lot of box jumps and all that kind of stuff. But over the years he's been so thoughtful, talking about just, like, how appreciative he, he is to his parents and what they sacrificed to allow him to play golf, the tournament fees, the clubs. I think everyone first noticed him because of the iron head covers years ago, and just the stories about golf's an expensive game. It just, it was a really nice reset when so much about this is. Here's some. Here's how much players made either playing on a tour or in this event.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He.

[Steve Sands]

And the two gloves as well.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I was going to ask you about that. He wears, like, Tommy, two gloves. He wears two gloves. What do you make of that?

[Steve Sands]

He's Aaron, two gloves. It's just the way he is. And by the way, they're always black gloves. They're not white gloves. You don't see a lot of black gloves on the PGA Tour. You see that usually at, you know, other places around the sport. But with Aaron, he's always done that. He's comfortable with it. Tony. And the other thing that Michael alluded to, it's interesting in this sport, happens all the time. People change their swing, they change their weight regiment, they change the way their body looks, heavy to light, light to heavy, you know, strong, that kind of thing. Everybody's enamored with distance because it's a lot easier to come into these greens on the PGA Tour with nine irons and wedges than it would be with six irons and seven irons. And that's just the nature of the sport. But Aaron, to Michael's point, stayed true to himself and said, no, no, if I don't, if I don't, if I change things too much, then I'm going to lose the core of what got me to this point. And he didn't. And he stayed true to his own swing and the way he goes about his business, and now he's being rewarded for it. So good for him.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Rory seemed to say on Friday, I thought it was on Friday, that the course wasn't fair. He's saying, you know, because, I mean, if your leader at a major that's not the US Open is minus three or four, after two full days, you go, what's going on here? Did you get that sense? Did you get the sense that they changed it, made it easier on Saturday and then dialed it back, made it harder on Sunday?

[Steve Sands]

Well, there's no question that the difference between Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Sunday, with, with this golf course, the way it was set up. Kerry Haig does a nice job setting up the golf course for The PGA Championship. He's also the guy who does the Ryder cup as well. He's known in golf as a very, very, very good setup guy and not someone who tricks up a golf course like the US Open has over the years when they don't like the scoring. In this particular case, Tony, people thought, everybody thought that the guys were going to go really, really low on the golf course because it was wide open, because the bunkering strong, but not long enough. These guys who can really hit it will carry it to 90, which is the average of where the bunkers were last week in Iran. I. So he decided, in my opinion, to go a little bit overboard on Thursday and Friday. Those whole locations were on spines. I mean, it was almost impossible to get the ball close on Thursday and Friday, and then he loosened it up over the weekend. Certainly wasn't a pitch and putt on Saturday and Sunday. By no means. It was well earned by Aaron Ryan. Nine under one. The next best score was six under. In total, 63 was shot. That's been done before in major championships.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Johnny Miller.

[Steve Sands]

Exactly. So it's not like it was easy on Saturday and Sunday. It just was easier. And they were afraid if they would have put the golf course like that on Saturday and Sunday all four days, that the winning score would have been somewhere in the, in the high teens. And they didn't want that. So they went maybe a little overboard on Thursday and Friday, but I don't think it was tricked up. Here's the thing. They. Tony, when you're making putts, the golf course is set up great.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Steve Sands]

When you're missing. When you're missing putts, those whole locations are ridiculous.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Schaeffler missed a million putts, A million short.

[Steve Sands]

He did. It's amazing. His putting is a little worrisome. You know, when you're missing little putts like that for an extended period of time, Tony, that can get into your head. So I have to pay attention at the next major. And by the way, the next major is the US Open. Shinnecock on Sunday is Father's Day. Sunday is Scotty's birthday of U.S. open week, and he could complete the career Grand Slam on that Sunday. So it's. It's going to be a heck of a four days there at Shinnecock to finish your.

[Michael Wilbon]

Your question about core setup. You also have 13 hours of live golf to account for. So that setup has to be able to handle the morning wave, the afternoon wave, and they had some predictions of wind gusts that would have made some of those Pins that they had Thursday, Friday, really get to the point where they were being unfair. So there's this fine line. I think they probably did respond too readily to the players complaints. But you're trying to make sure that when you get that primetime wave in the afternoon, you don't have the leaders playing a course that's unplayable.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I made exactly right. I made a small list, Steve. The ones that quickly come to mind. Danny Willett, Michael Campbell, Sean McKeogh, Rich Beam, Yang, Zach Johnson, maybe even JJ Spawn. Guys who either didn't win a second major or we don't think they're going to win a second major. Where is Aaron Rye?

[Steve Sands]

Well, you can't put Zach Johnson in that category.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Why?

[Steve Sands]

Zach Johnson's a border. Well, first of all, he's a borderline hall of Fame player.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Really?

[Steve Sands]

He's one of six. He's one of six players in the history of the sport to win a Masters and an Open Championship at St. Andrews.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh. I mean, okay, he's out.

[Steve Sands]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Zach Johnson, Danny Willetts back in.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Steve Sands]

I'm with you on the list, but Zach Johnson's not in that game. Okay, look, like I said, here's the thing about when you win a major. Clearly, this was a randomly won major. Now, it was not randomly won on the golf course. It was just randomly won going into the week. You would have never in your life, you know, put money on Aaron Rye. Let's see what happens. You know, Chad Campbell and Sean McKeel were in that final group in 2003 at Oak Hill, at the major championship, the PGA 2003. McKeel went on to win. Never won anywhere else. Chad Campbell did not win that day, and he won four times on tour, including a Tour Championship, played in a Ryder cup for the United States, was a very good player. So we have to look back at someone's career. Yes, it was random with Aaron Rye. No one had Aaron Rye, but let's see what happens here. He's only 31 years of age, a very, very good player. Maybe this opens the door to something special for Aaron Rod. Who knows? But for now, yes, he is in one of those categories of random players who have won a major championship. The thing about golf, Tony, I've said this to you before. You. There are plenty of major champions in the sport who are not looked upon as great, great professional golfers. But to be considered great in the sport, you have to win one. You gotta clip off one of them. Nobody bothers Duvall. Nobody bothers Justin Leonard Nobody Both Jason Day. Nobody bothers Davis Love iii. They won once. They've won more Fred Couples. Should they have one more. You can make a strong case, but you got to win one. And Aaron just did. So now let's see what happens.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Just on a personal note, George at Rehoboth moved me up to the greens over the weekend because I'm. I stink now I'm just officially done moved all the way up next is the Reds.

[Steve Sands]

You need to go visit Pratt on the range and get that worked out.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Unbelievable how terrible I am. All right, I'll talk to you soon. Thank you.

[Steve Sands]

All right, working that game.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Steve Sands, boys and girls. We will come back with email and jingle. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Michael Wilbon]

Zootopia 2 has come home to Disney Plus.

[Steve Sands]

Let's go get ready for a new case.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We're gonna crack this case and prove

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

we're the greatest partners of all time.

[Tony Kornheiser]

New friends.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

You are Gary the Snake.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And your last name? Desnake.

[Steve Sands]

Dream team.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

New habitats.

[Ronnie Neumeyer]

Zootopia has a secret reptile population.

[Steve Sands]

You can watch the record breaking phenomenon at home.

[Michael Wilbon]

You're clearly working at Zootopia 2.

[Steve Sands]

Now available on Disney Plus. Rated PG. You're listening to the Tony Cornheiser show.

[Ronnie Neumeyer]

Here comes Tony Snail back. Got your emails, faxes and your notes. Here comes Tony's mail back. Gonna read some for all you folks.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Makes me so happy. That's Ronnie Neumeyer and Tom Lofka. It makes me wonder when Tom and his brother Nils get together, do they play music or do they not? They just talk about sports, about the Wizards. It's probably what they do. You want to do the Bethesda Bagel ad? Bagel Sandwich Day? Yeah, Always excited about that. Just go to Bethesda Bagels.com for the location in the DC area nearest you. Then pop on in and you'll be thrilled. All right, before we get to the mailbag, let me just say. Pretty woman Walking down the street Pretty woman the kind I'd like to meet Pretty woman. I don't believe you. You're not the truth no one could look as good as you. Mercy. Roy Orbison. Roy Ubidubi Orbison. Thanks to our guest today, Michael Wilbot and Steve Sands. Thanks as well to today's sponsors. Remember, you can listen to us on Apple Podcast, Spotify and Odyssey. Get the show through Apple. Please leave us a review from Mark Hughes in Ashton, Maryland. Dear Farmer Ron, it seems like all the ingredients are in place for a bumper crop of potatoes. What could go wrong? Perhaps I'm putting the cart before the horse. When can Littles expect to see the first pop up? Farmer Ron's Golden Spuds produce stand somewhere around Greenwood, Delaware. As you attempt to profit from your surplus. Surplus inventory. A good spot might be in the Van Der Winds parking lot. They seem to have plenty of customers in a nice parking lot. It is a nice. It is very nice.

[Michael Wilbon]

Just past the chimney.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This week. Oh, yeah. This week. This week we're going to play that.

[Michael Wilbon]

Message received.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. Patrick Sitter, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I heard rat feces is good fertilizer for potatoes. No, that's not hantavirus. Yeah, we're not doing that. From Jacob Tominy in Las Casas, Tennessee. I'm sure I butchered the pronunciation of that. I just wanted to write in and thank you for your outspoken view against cruise ships. The woman to whom I'm related by marriage, Lydia McDavid, whose music you have gracefully played on your show. And I fervently agree with you. When Lydia and I married nearly five years ago, she gave me three rules by which I must abide. One, no cheating. Two, no killing anybody. Three, don't be a Yankee fan. Go, Socks. However, I think we both agree on adding a fourth rule not to ever go on a cruise. My father has been an avid listener of your show for years, and I've recently become a more regular listener myself. Thank you for what you do. That's great. From Lee Stevens in Messina, New York. Upstate. That's upstate. That's way upstate. So you don't like cruises? You'd never go on a cruise. And you call yourself a captain? Josh Peterson, Houston, Texas, dear. Oh, Captain, my captain. Thanks to the advice of Mr. Buyer on Napoleon Solo, I skipped the lobster and I went a 5 wagyu ribeye with a bells up Pinot. Oh, yeah, not a bad meal Sunday watching the pga. Michael Granberry loved hearing you mention the name of the character Napoleon Solo, who, yes, was portrayed by actor Robert Vaughan on the NBC series The man from U.N.C.L.E. which ran from 1964 to 1968. Vaughn's co star was David McCallum, played Ilya Kuryakin, who in real life was the father of Val McCollum, the frequent lead guitarist for Jackson Brown. Yeah, and what? Wow. Yeah, we played him and one of the musicians, I'm proud to say, whose music I have sent to the Tony Kornheiser show. Val has quite the impressive bloodline. His paternal grandfather, David McCallum Senior, served as first violinist of both the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the London philharmonic orchestra. David McCallum senior also played on the Beatles hit A Day in the Life with which appears on the Fab Four's 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which, yes, was released when his son series the man from uncle was still on the air. Wow. I'm happy that I remembered Napoleon. Of course I remembered. It was 70 years ago. I don't remember anything contemporary.

[Michael Wilbon]

It texted me all about it this weekend.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I did.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

From Connecticut.

[Michael Wilbon]

I received them.

[Tony Kornheiser]

My name is Matt. There are many of us, but over the years I've been called all sorts of things. Mike happens all the time. Years ago I was mowing my wife's grandmother's lawn. She was agoraphobic and never came out when I was around, but talked to her daily talk daily to her son, my father in law. After a couple of months we were visiting my in laws and he pulled me aside with a smile. Apparently she would always let him know when I was there by telling him Mort was here today cutting the grass. Funny, Mort. She was in her 80s at the time and made it to 99 years old and we never bothered to correct her. I always I wrote a line once in a column, in a style column, and it was I was talking about how much I loved Bob Woodward and how glad I was to be his friend. And I quoted him as saying, good to see you, Timmy. I mean, I did it deliberately because it's funny. It's funny. Jesse Pinchot or Pinchot from Frederick, Maryland. Listen to Bob Frazier's story about his father's middle name. Reminded me of how my grandfather ended up with his middle name when he he was also signing up to serve in World War II. When my grandfather, Andrew Pinchot signed up, he wrote down a C for his middle initial since he didn't have a middle name. When someone asked him what the C stood for, he said Cadillac. As a son of immigrants living in a poor coal mining town in southeastern Ohio, I'm sure he thought of Cadillac as something to aspire to back in those days. As did I. Not sure how many folks have the middle name Cadillac, but my grandfather is one of them. You know, Shout out to any of the Pinchot clan in Cleveland who might be listening to this podcast from Carl in Columbus, Ohio. Not Cleveland, but Columbus. We're doing wrong names now. Here's one. There was a friend of the woman I'm not related to because of divorce who always called me Dave instead of Carl. For months before the wedding, he'd say, hi Dave. Whenever we saw each other. And I'd always reply, no, it's Carl. In the receiving line at the wedding. He reached the woman I'm no longer related to because of divorce before me, and I heard him say, carl, right? She nodded. So when he got to me, he gave me a hearty congratulations, Carl. No, I said, it's Dave Jordan from Vienna. Although I am 3 for 5 on emails, I recognize I'm not an everyday player. I generally limit my email topics to the Blacksburg Chipotle. I further understand that as a non country club, non wine store owner, I have little to offer beyond being a loyal listener. That changed when I heard you wish to attend the Stevie Winwood concert. Yes, I want to go. I just want Ease of going and leaving says I live on the same street as Wolf Trap. All the streets in our neighborhood are named after musical instruments and composers. We have a handicap parking sticker. You can drive to our neighborhood and park in the pool parking lot. I will meet your group. Drive everyone the half mile to the venue using the handicap sticker. I can drop you off at the front gate, a mere 50 yards from the seat. I will also provide Nigel with a burner phone and he can text me when it's time to go. So, to paraphrase Tessio, tell Michael I can arrange everything on my territory where Tony will be safe. And that goes in the special pile from Nick Mandel Mandalakis, Dover, Delaware. Longtime listener here with a cautionary tale from the trenches of Delaware. Periodically, you mentioned that obscure prose from Dover. Quote from mash. Being a Dover resident myself, I naturally locked that piece of trivia away in my brain, waiting for the perfect moment to shine. I well, last week was the moment I walked into a professional meeting up in New York. The room was packed. I seized the day with a colleague from Delaware and proudly announced to the group, hi, we're the pros from Dover. Silence. Blink blink. Turns out pretty much everyone in the room was under 45. I was met with a wall of pure, unadulterated what the hell is this guy talking about? Confusion had to quickly pivot and pretend I was a normal person, all the while silently muttering, gee, thanks a lot Tony and Nigel. Anyway, keep up the great work. Even of trivia is officially making me look ancient. Yeah, the pros from Dover's mash. Yeah, it's great. It's a great line from Steve Sycophant, A heads up from May 18th. Is that today? Yes, May 18th. Dear Toby, an asteroid will have a close pass by with the Earth. Yes, asteroid 2026 JH2, an Apollo class asteroid, will get within 56,000 miles, about 1 quarter of the distance to the moon. That's closer than some high orbit satellites. However, all the experts say there is no chance of it hitting the earth, which lets out the possibility of it impacting the District of Columbia. If there's a last minute change of direction in this 50 x 115ft diameter rock, I'll be sure to let you know.

[Michael Wilbon]

Man, if they went with 24601, we could have started to sing stars for it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Michael Wilbon]

In your mole.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. Yes. Yes.

[Michael Wilbon]

Scarce to be counted.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. Neil Ervay, scribe. Tony, it appears that you may have to issue an apology to the Wizards for your scurrilous allegation that the team has been tanking. In a recent interview with Barry's Verloug in the Athletic, team owner Ted Leon says denied that the team had been tanking and asserted it was engaged in a deconstruction. Deconstruction succeeded wonderfully well with its having received the first pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Or in his words, a strategy that led to gold at the end of the rainbow. Because the team was never fined for its deconstruction. Leonsis played by the rules and asserted that there's a lot of teams now that perhaps are trying to replicate this deconstruction. Yes, the Wizards are indeed a model franchise to be admired and copied. Deconstruction is a most useful term to be added to lexicon. For example, boss, I didn't miss work all week. I was deconstructing. Honey, I wasn't out all night drinking. I was deconstructing. If Tony's potato crop does not produce again this year, it's not a failure, but simply a horticultural deconstruction. Yeah, please, give me a break. Yeah, those four words are like very important in the lexicon of life and sports. Give me a break. You tanked. You knew it. You endorsed it. You tanked for three years.

[Michael Wilbon]

Never thought we'd get literary criticism from Leon says.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it's in the rules. It's in the rules. Is it a smart play? Sure, it's in the.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, you get all the credit in the world, but you know you weren't. Don't tell us that. It was something other than what it was. Yeah, it's okay. From David Epstein in New York. You'll be happy to know that in the women's lacrosse quarterfinals held Thursday in a contest where they never led until no time showed on the clock, my beloved Johns Hopkins blue Jays defeated the hated Stony Brook Seawolves. You're welcome. By the way, Binghamton got wiped out by Oklahoma in the softball.

[Ronnie Neumeyer]

Oh well.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oklahoma is the third seeded team in the country. That was great. It was a five inning game because it was mercury rule 10 nothing. But you know what Binghamton got there. Yeah, it was a great run. Everyone expected Oklahoma to get there. Who's expecting Binghamton, Right? So if you're out on your bike tonight, everyone, as always, do wear white.

[Ronnie Neumeyer]

Good evening and thank you for filling these seats tonight. The night that Wemby got tossed Playoff game against the T Wolf. San Antonio lost. No further suspension. No fine, no cost. The night that Wemby got tossed, Wilt never fouled out. Not even in decline. Wemby has fouled out a bunch of times. Wemby's not even in his prime. But he got run for an elbow blunder. Even Wilt got tossed back in the year he scored 100. The night that Wemby got ejected, the outcome of the contest was affected. The result was expected. Spurs fans were detected. The spurs got crossed in the last land of frost. The game was lost. The night when Banyama got tossed Visit let's rewind can we go back in

[Steve Sands]

time

[Ronnie Neumeyer]

Back to the moment when we were convinced we'd be all right. Doesn't mean that we stop dreaming oh and I don't I believe someone else who sing you a summer song oh and I don't believe that you find someone else who still want to sing along. Time I put another fight trying to make some sense and this could take another life time so we breath but what we fail to see we saw the with terrace and the resembles when we're dreaming oh I don't believe that you find someone else who Sa oh and I don't believe that you'll find someone else who still want to sing aloud.

[Email/Jingle/Listener]

Sa.

[Michael Wilbon]

There.

[Ronnie Neumeyer]

Sa. I don't believe it.