“Gutted Like A Fish”

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Tony Kornheiser Show – Episode "Gutted Like A Fish" (August 5, 2026)

Main Theme

This episode dives into a tapestry of topics, beginning with baseball’s frantic trade deadline and the emotional state of Washington Nationals fans while also weaving in commentary on horse racing’s Triple Crown, the Boston Red Sox’s turnaround, and seismic NBA trade repercussions. Regular guests Buster Olney and Bob Ryan provide depth, personal anecdotes, and expert insight, all anchored by Tony’s signature mix of wry humor and deep-dish sports skepticism.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Nationals: "Gutted Like a Fish" (07:41–11:47)

• Nationals' Roster Overhaul:
  Tony laments how the Nats have lost key players (Mead, Garcia, Griffin) totaling 40 HRs and 124 RBIs, with nothing but pitching prospects in return.
  • Tony: "It feels like the team has been gutted like a fish by these trades." (08:28)
• Bullpen Woes:
  The bullpen is described as the worst in baseball — “most runs and the worst amount of blown saves.”
• Future vs. Present:
  Tony skewers management’s habit: “Trading today for tomorrow, and tomorrow never comes.” (09:47)
  • Michael drops a literary nod: "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow." (10:00)
• Team Morale:
  Tony speculates the trades shook the team’s psyche: “They may not win another game all year.” (11:52)
  • Nigel compares to Orioles fans, who have endured similar cycles.

2. Baseball Trade Deadline Fever (Buster Olney Interview, 23:46–39:13)

Gardening Parallels and Trade Chaos

• Opening Banter:
  Tony and Buster commiserate over struggling tomato plants, using it as a metaphor for Nats fans’ woes.
  • Buster: "I did check on the potato plants, too, also in the middle of the night, and they're doing okay." (23:59)

Major League Trades & Player Moves

• Phillies & Harper:
  The Phillies’ lineup shuffling after acquiring Luis Arraez, highlighted by Harper's selfless move to the outfield.
  • Buster on Harper: “A future hall of Famer volunteering… if we can be in a better position, then let's do that.” (25:49)
• Luis Arraez’s Career:
  Despite elite hitting, Arraez keeps getting traded due to lack of home run power and speed.
  • Tony: "It’s really amazing…He leads the league in batting every single year and gets traded.” (27:14)
• Trading Within Division:
  Tony and Buster note a cultural shift: teams are increasingly willing to make “in-division” trades, e.g., Orioles sending Rutschman to the Red Sox.
  • Buster: "Teams, you know, in the past didn’t trade in the division. Now they do." (29:18)

Red Sox’s Gamble and The Future of the Nats

• Red Sox as Buyers:
  Boston shifts from sellers to buyers, adding Rutschman despite his injury, signifying a push to win now.
• Nats’ Approach Criticized (Again):
  • Tony: “My last question, of course. The Gnats traded two everyday players and the best pitcher they had this year for no everyday players… Should I be encouraged or should I be forlorn as I feel right now?” (37:35)
  • Buster responds optimistically: “I think you should be encouraged… They have made great progress this year, but I don’t think anybody believes… they could win in October with that staff." (38:23)

3. Tradition vs. Innovation in Horse Racing (12:57–17:10)

• Triple Crown Disrupted:
  Tony details how the storied series is threatened by a new “six-race” format excluding the Preakness — a direct blow to Maryland and racing tradition.
  • Tony: "The Triple Crown appears to be gone… The one that's not in there is the Preakness." (13:13)
• Maryland’s Response:
  Discussion of Governor Wes Moore’s plan to keep Preakness alive, the history of Churchill Downs’ attempted buyout, and whether shifting race dates could preserve the prestige.

4. Red Sox Transformation & Division Rivalries (Bob Ryan Interview, 41:13–52:32)

Red Sox’s Hot Streak

• From Doldrums to Dominance:
  Boston’s midseason surge attributed to improved hitting, a reliable bullpen, and, as Ryan puts it, “karma as well as skill.”
  • Bob Ryan (on turnaround): “It all began… when they swept the Yankees… it's getting more and more ridiculous.” (42:13)
• Chad Tracy’s Managerial Magic:
  New manager Tracy creates a positive clubhouse atmosphere, with a nod to his baseball lineage.

The Rutchman Trade & Rivalries

• In-division Shock:
  Trading Rutschman from Orioles to Red Sox called a “sports no-no.” Ryan likens it to the Red Sox trading Sparky Lyle to the Yankees decades ago.
  • Bob Ryan: "No, it's just kind of a, you know, a sports no, no." (47:22)

NBA Ripple Effects

• Celtics Fuel a Rival:
  The Jalen Brown-for-Paul George trade leads LeBron James to join the 76ers, creating a potential powerhouse and upending Celtics fans’ confidence in GM Brad Stevens.
  • Bob Ryan: "If and when the 76ers have their parade… make sure that Brad Stevens gets a ring." (48:37)
  • On rivalry heat: “We’ve got the two ancient rivals, the Knicks and the Sixers… their rivalries have been spiced up tremendously here.” (49:53)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Nationals’ perpetual rebuild:
  “Trading today for tomorrow, and tomorrow never comes.” — Tony Kornheiser (09:47)
• On the Phillies’ infield after trades:
  "It’s an island of misfit toys, defensively." — Buster Olney (26:47)
• On LeBron joining the Sixers, thanks to Celtics trade:
  “If and when the 76ers have their parade… make sure that Brad Stevens gets a ring.” — Bob Ryan (48:37)
• On fans’ weariness with endless “prospects”:
  “At some point, can the future be now for the Orioles who tanked four seasons to be in this position?” — Buster Olney (29:44)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment/Topic | Speaker(s) | Timestamp | |-----------------------|------------------|------------| | Nationals Gutted | Tony, Michael | 07:41–11:47| | Triple Crown Debate | Tony, Nigel | 12:57–17:10| | Phillies/Harper Trades| Tony, Buster | 24:25–27:11| | Trading in Division | Tony, Buster | 27:11–29:32| | Rutschman to Red Sox | Tony, Buster | 29:32–31:02| | Trade Deadline Trends | Tony, Buster | 31:02–39:13| | Red Sox’s Hot Streak | Tony, Bob Ryan | 41:13–45:48| | Rutchman Trade Shock | Tony, Bob Ryan | 47:03–48:00| | NBA Blockbuster Trades| Tony, Bob Ryan | 48:00–52:32|

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Final Thoughts and Tone

Tony’s classic blend of cynicism and warmth keeps the tone lively—balancing the bitter (Nationals' prospects) and the sweet (baseball's resilience, community in "Littles" events, Bob Ryan’s nostalgic storytelling). Guests like Buster and Bob deliver high-level insider knowledge without losing the personal connection that makes the show a daily touchstone for its devoted audience.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey, it's Tony. On today's show, we will talk to Buster Olney about the state of my garden and also about all the action leading up to the trade deadline. We'll talk to Bob Ryan about the heater that the Red Sox have been on for the last month. But first, commerce.

[Show Announcer]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The Tony Kornheiser show.

[Michael]

The other night I was browsing the vistaprint website. Normally I wait till there's about two outs, two strikes in the Nats game just to be sure. Just thinking about little ways to make our podcast feel even more organized and professional. I completely lost track of time because there's so many options. We use vistaprint order our show's custom notepads. We really do. And what's great is that I have orders from eight, nine years ago that are still saved. So it's as easy as going and logging into my account and they're ready to send out again. So I know Nigel uses some of the notepads, the spiral notepads, which is great. And I use some of the notepads that have our logo sort of in a shadow in the background. We actually send those out every year. Handwritten notes to our to our winners from the March Madness tournament bracket.

[Nigel]

That's lovely.

[Michael]

I realized how useful it would be to have show branded notepads for episode prep. Just like Nigel. Interview questions. Tony just uses a legal pad, but we're working to get him into our own show branded one production notes and all those ideas that pop into your head right before you hit record. Instead of scribbling notes on random pieces of paper, everything stays in one place and it looks great, too. And you know what, they have recommendations. So once you're part of their system and your logo's in there, they will say, hey, would you like a deck of cards? And you know what you're sitting there considering.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Michael just passed the read to me. This is like a relay in the Olympics. Don't drop the like the 2 by 300 if there was such a thing. That's what we love about vistaprint. They make it easy to turn simple ideas into polished, professional products without spending a fortune. Whether you're running a podcast, a small business, or you just want materials that reflect your brand, vistaprint gives you the tools and real human support to help make it happen. Vistaprint print your possible right now, new customers can get 20% off with the code [e-mail] remember, that's 20% [e-mail] when you use the code NEW20. So use the code people.

[Show Announcer]

This is the Tony Korneiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Show Announcer]

Previously on the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Jake Bird was a guy who last

[Buster Olney]

year was highly sought after at the

[Tony Kornheiser]

deadline the Yankees got him as part

[Buster Olney]

of their big bullpen deadline day. And he was dreadful with the Yank.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And look, I don't wish bad on anybody, but the idea of him coming to Washington and just thinking up the

[Buster Olney]

joint and providing you with endless content

[Tony Kornheiser]

is just too entertaining to not think about it. This is General George Washington and you're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show. Jake Bird stinks. Just let's establish that he stinks. He's in the major leagues. Unlike like seven of the nine pitchers the Nats have acquired, Jake Byrd has shown in the major leagues that he stinks. We get this from Peter o' Brien in Dortmund in Germany. Greetings from sunny Germany. Today is trade deadline day and I awoke to the news that my Yankees have sent four relievers for a breakout lefty bat that can't field as happens when teams get desperate this time of year. Yeah, but he hit a home run. Garcia hit a home run in his first game there.

[Nigel]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And Peter o' Brien writes, welcome to Jake Bird. And I just want to apologize in advance. The sixth and seventh innings just got a lot more painful. Yeah. I mean, yeah, nothing can be more

[Michael]

painful than the text messages that I'm reading through from you over the last night. Two or three days, you were in a dark spot. You need football to start.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Nigel]

This is it's playing out exactly as you said it would.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They're going to get swept.

[Buster Olney]

They.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I said they would get swept by Atlanta. They did. They're going to tell you that would happen. They're going to get swept by Philadelphia. They've scored no runs. Let me. Let me go to the good news first. And the good news comes Series are

[Michael]

going to keep the Phillies in the wild card.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right, yeah. This comes from Jason Small, our friend who does the Cheeserie Nights in Syracuse. And so let me read it. I thought I would write to let you know about this year's lecheeserie Night. I meant to write many times as the connective tissue has run strong this season. I just never got around to it. First, Austin Volth was here as part of the visiting Buffalo Bisons. Then the Met sent us another one of your favorites, CNL Perez stinks. I have enjoyed many Tony Kornheiser salutes all season, both here and at historic NBT Bank Stadium and unbelievably, in other locations. As the Littles know of our dumb promotion, I've had salutes in Buffalo and Rochester. I'm recognized in their baseball stadiums. I now even get emails from Ryan Mitchell, the voice of the Columbus Clippers, who wants us to schedule a Cheesery Night when the Clip show is in town. I find it hard to believe we're about to have our fifth annual Cheesery Night here in Syracuse. After five years, my staff still doesn't get it, but they love it. The Littles are getting restless, so I had to write to let them know we're still dumb enough to keep doing this. Lechees night, the fifth anniversary special is taking place on Tuesday, September 1st. That's in three or four weeks versus the dreaded Rochester Red Wings, the Triple A affiliate of your Washington Nationals. This year. Excuse me. We continue to have a hotel deal for traveling Littles and there will be pre and post game soirees at Jake Hafner's restaurant. We will have $10 tickets for littles to use the code. We will continue to have on field games and inside jokes that the other guests will not understand. For Littles who want to attend, there will be information posted to the TK Little, smart and funny Facebook page. At worst, you can show up at the stadium and use the code. The Lily Havmer jacket is a scam. It's a great code to get the $10 tickets in section 103 with the other Littles. We will have a few new tricks up our sleeve and hopefully some Bigs will show up for a conversation I had via text with Dan Byrne. There's a better than 0% chance he shows up. I will reach out to Chuck and Roxy and I feel good about Anne, Claire and Dina from wherever she is currently from near Donora.

[Nigel]

That's right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Here is the invitation for you, Nigel, Michael and the whole family to come up to lovely central New York. We're currently in year four of road construction on Interstate 81. It's going to go on forever so travelers may want to stick to the side streets of the beautiful tree lined streets on the city's north side. I suspect you will decline as you're probably waiting for the 25th anniversary so you can make a big splash. I'm a little bit behind on the podcast as I'm still in the NBA Finals and no one thinks the Knicks can win. That's funny. I would like to ask Nigel's help in connecting me with the world champion whistler from Binghamton to see if he's available to whistle the National Anthem. That's Chris Ullman.

[Nigel]

Chris Ulman, I believe we have done that already.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thank you for doing what you all do and for helping get the word out for our little pun intended dumb promotion that continues to take on a life of its own and become another gathering place for those of us who love the pot. Thanks for all the laughs. Please tell Dr. Dietz to eat it. And this is Jason Small, the gm the Syracuse Mets. And that's a lovely thing and I encourage everybody who's in upstate New York to go there. Go to Cooperstown as a side trip. Do all of these things. Okay, but let me get to the gnats. What Michael alluded to before, it's depressing.

[Michael]

Now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It is depressing. They not only don't have Mead and they don't have Garcia and that is a total of 40 home runs and 124 RBI this year. They are not being replaced by anybody. No regular player, no everyday player came back in trade. They've lost 40 home runs and 124 RBI. They lost a12.3 pitcher. The Nats were 16 and 6 in the games that Griffin started and it feels like they've scored no runs in the last two games against Philadelphia. No runs. I think I swept by Atlanta, which I predicted after they lost the first game. I didn't even wait for them to play the Phillies. I said they get swept by the Phillies. The top of the order. Last night, Dylan Cruz and Shaputzvah went over eight. They gave them nothing. Nothing James Wood is normally at the top of the order, has an oblique strain. He's on the IL. He's got to be out 10 to 15 days. Whatever it is, it feels like the team has been gutted like a fish by these trades. Now Alan is optimistic. Alan says and sends me copy about this. There's some guy who writes that the Nationals should get an A grade for what they have done. You know, because they had found money, because Garcia was having his best year, because Mead was dropped from the sky. He had no history. Griffin dropped from the sky. No, that's true. They had found money, but what did they spend it on? Not a single everyday player on nine arms because their bullpen stinks. It's the worst in baseball. They had the most runs and the worst amount of blown saves. Their bullpen is terrible. They nine arms is what they brought in. You don't know. Are any of them on the team right now? Not that I know of. Get on the team, throw them out there. See if they can get one out in an inning. One out. See if they have any promise whatsoever. Because what you have is, as we say in the trade, garbage. That's what you have. So do that.

[Nigel]

See?

[Tony Kornheiser]

But what the Nats did under Rizzo and what the Nats are doing now under to Boney, is there. Trading Today for tomorrow, time after time. Today for tomorrow. And tomorrow never comes. Just doesn't.

[Michael]

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thank you. Yes, thank you.

[Michael]

I know. I immediately thought of the line from empty chairs and empty tables. Here they talked of revolution. Here it was, they lit the flame. Here they sang about tomorrow and tomorrow never came. So you're looking back at five, six years.

[Nigel]

This.

[Michael]

And that's.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Michael]

But as you zoom out that, you know, this has been such a short, short history of a team, but we really are focused on this. I, I like that Alan's looking optimistic towards the future. I think we have to. I think the bummer is we had this false hope based on what we saw in May and June. Oh, you look at what the. We look at what the playoff odds were. They were really in the low 10s 11 days ago.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Nobody thought they were going to make the playoffs.

[Nigel]

No.

[Michael]

That's why when you saw those series against playoff teams in that, in that two month stretch, you're like, wow, they're really eking out these wins. Losing game one, winning games two and three, often on the road. And just this eight game stretch was just a reminder of where we are.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, we're not a good team. We lose to good teams this season was gravy. It was wonderful. I didn't think they were going to make the playoffs or anything like that. I might have thought so September 15th if there were one game out, but I didn't think so yesterday or before last week or anything like that. It was a total gravy season. But again, you are repeating this pattern. You are trading today for tomorrow. It doesn't. It hasn't happened yet. You didn't bring in a single everyday player. Frustrating, you know, so nobody can help you. Nobody can get in the lineup and help you. You can bring them in as relievers. Look, early has a history of being good in the majors.

[Nigel]

Yeah. No, I think he'll be very good.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I hope so. But where is he now? He's on the injured list.

[Nigel]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So you didn't. You didn't trade for this year. You didn't trade for this month in trade for this week, traded for tomorrow. Sort of what's going to happen.

[Nigel]

Sort of like how Orioles fans have to feel where they've reset the team.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Like, I think. I think that these trades have affected the Nationals psyche. Yeah. I think that they have made people upset and they may not win another game all year. I mean, they're not a functional team right now. But as bad as I feel, I don't feel the kind of anger that if I was a Baltimore Oriole fan, I would feel real anger.

[Michael]

What do you mean? Prospects?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, you know, I. If I was a Baltimore Oriole fan, I'd feel real anger. If I was San Francisco Giant fan, trade Robbie Ray in division to the Padres. What I am. So anyway, so that's. That is my wrap up on all of this. That's how I feel. I watched every pitch last night, you know, I mean, I watched again, you know, they put. Cruz doesn't get any hits. He often hits the ball hard right at someone. He doesn't actually get on base unless he's forcing someone out at second and beating out the double playthrough and Shaputzvah White.

[Nigel]

Stop.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Stop. Get out of here. You know, he didn't do anything. He made a couple of good plays in the field, made a couple of bad plays in the field and had no hits and didn't do anything. And now they have House at the house, got a hit. You got to give House two weeks. I suppose you have to give your puts for two weeks. You got to give him two weeks. Give him a little bit of, you know, and see and stop, you know, jerking them around in the lineup, giving them two weeks day after day after day and see what happens. But that's not the style of to Boney or the baby manager. It's not. I have one other thing to talk about if nobody minds. It appears that the Triple Crown, if you want to talk about things being gutted, it appears that the Triple Crown in horse racing, which is the only thing that people care about in horse racing, the average fan and even the people in the business. The Triple Crown appears to be gone. Churchill Downs and the New York Racing association have come up with a six race circumstance to crown the champion three year old of the year. These races are the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Stakes, the Travers, the Mat Wynn. There's one other stakes race that has been around for a while and I'm just the Jim Dandy. And it will end with a race at Churchill Downs where the champion will be crowned. And no one knows how many races you have to race. Nobody knows how many you have to win. This is just a pie in the sky thing to crown a three year old champion. And the one that's not in there is the Preakness. It's a very deliberate act. We're kicking the Preakness out. We're sick of the Preakness. We're sick of trainers not running in the Preakness, which has happened recently. Didn't happen for 100 years, but now it has happened recently. Recently and increasingly now. My friend David says I got this thing all wrong. Says that the Triple Crown doesn't matter at all if it's not run at Belmont, if it's run at Saratoga and it's not a mile and a half or it's run at Laurel, which is what happened this year. It's junk. Yeah, he's probably right about that. He believes that trainers will indeed go for the Triple Crown if they have a horse they think can win it. Because the amount of money you win in stud fees is like 80 to 100 million dollars. Where there's the amount of money you win in the race itself is 2 to 3. So David says the lure is there and will always be there. And David's good friends with Bob Baffert who wants to win Triple Crowns and has won two of them.

[Buster Olney]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, my friend Rich Podolsky is ensured that. That the Preakness will survive. Is ensured that this new thing won't overtake it. But in any case, we should talk to Flatter about it too.

[Nigel]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know, because Flatter knows a lot more than I do. But in any case, did they? They just put a bullseye on the back of the Preakness, and Maryland. See, what happened was that the Churchill Downs tried to buy the Preakness from Maryland, and the governor, Wes Moore, who likes horse racing, said, no, Maryland will pay for this. Yeah, we'll rebuild Pimlico. We'll keep the Preakness. So now he's standing there holding a bag in his hand. There's nothing in the bag. You know, I don't. I don't understand this as well as I should, but it does seem to me. And of course, on pti, I talked about this. Wilmot doesn't even care about it.

[Nigel]

Of course he's not.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. But it does seem to me that the Preakness is out. You know. Now, the way to save it, of course, is always the same way to save it. You change the time between the Derby and the Preakness. But what people say is, well, the Belmont's not moving. They're not going to move to the first weekend in July. They want the date that they have. So you have to shoehorn the Preakness in there. At some point, you got to give probably one extra week, even though for 100 years, they raced it two weeks after the Derby and then three weeks after the. To the. To the Belmont. So I don't know how they're going to do it, but somebody is going to have to come up with something or. It appears that the concept of the Triple Crown and the actual Preakness have taken a big hit.

[Nigel]

I think Governor Moore is supposed to make some sort of announcement today.

[Tony Kornheiser]

What's he going to announce?

[Nigel]

I think it's regarding the date that they'll hold the Preakness, and he'll probably refer to all the stuff that's been happening in the last couple of days.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So if I was him. If I was him, I'd hold it a month after and I'd say, the Belmont. What are you going to do about it?

[Nigel]

Right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's what I would do.

[Nigel]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know, so we'll see what he does. Is that supposed to happen today?

[Nigel]

That's what I believe.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Then that'll have something where you can have something to talk about on the PTI show.

[Nigel]

Sure.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's fine. Is that. Anybody want to add to that? Sean? Michael?

[Michael]

I think they addressed the. The tradition of the toilet run.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Nigel]

The urinal run. Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, yeah. Where you run on top and then you fall through. People break their legs. They're drunk. They're all drunk.

[Nigel]

They throw full beers at you while

[Tony Kornheiser]

you're yes, it's really, you know, that's why it should have been at Laura Law. Such a dump.

[Show Announcer]

Typical.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Is going to look good now.

[Buster Olney]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Anyway, those are. That's the beginning of the show. When we come back. Is it Buster or is it any

[Michael]

of the school highlights?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I watched the highlights this morning. Look, he won six innings and gave up two runs. He didn't get bombed that he lost the game because the Dodgers don't win any games at the moment. Yeah, they don't win any games. They lose to the Red Sox. They lose to the Cubs. Will Bond, who of course makes the PTI show the most Chicago centric show in the history of the world. It just talks about the Cubs all the time. Cubs, Bulls, Blackhawks, Bears. Can't wait for them to move to Indiana. Can't wait, Buster. Only when we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Show Announcer]

This is the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Buster Olney]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

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[The Websters (Band)]

Whoa.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Go to netsuite AI Slash Tony. Built for every industry, ready for every boardroom. Netsuite AI slash Tony.

[Buster Olney]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

These are the Websters and they write. Thanks for playing us a while back. Here are two new tunes from the Websters. Love this stinking show and the potato plant updates it provides. The Websters are an indie rock band from Chicago featuring Preston Pisolini, Pisolini on vocals and guitar, Mark Winkler on vocals and keyboards, Jordan Kozer on drums, Greg Julin on bass, and Doug Bobbinhouse on vocals and guitars. And they say, please tell John Casper and Kevin Cahoon to eat it. This is called roulette. It plays in Buster Olney. And we got a million things to talk about, but we have to talk about plants and potatoes and tomatoes, basically. So it was really hot here in Washington for five or six days. I was away. I was in Delaware. It was like over a hundred. And it appears that my tomato plants have not died, but are not producing fruit. They are tall. They are relatively green, somewhat yellowed, but they're not anymore producing any fruit. There's nothing to indicate that they're going to give me tomatoes. I've just dropped about 50 bucks on these things. And I wonder, have you ever had a situation like that?

[Buster Olney]

Yes. In fact, I'll just tell you, like, the trade deadline was absolutely bonkers. You had almost four dozen trades. It felt like it was just going and going and going and going. I landed back in Montana at 12:30 this morning. I got home and I went out with my iPhone and put on the flashlight and was looking at our tomatoes for that exact reason.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Show Announcer]

Okay.

[Buster Olney]

Trying to assess where we are. And I plan later today to reach out to my older sister Hannah, who is the tomato expert, to say, Hannah, our tomato plants look a little dry. It was really hot last week. I need some feedback on how do we handle the watering as we go forward. So you and I, Tony, are living parallel lives. I did check on the potato plants, too, also in the middle of the night, and they're doing okay.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, I have no worries about my potatoes and my peppers are producing. I'm just getting no fruit at all from the four tomato plants that I put in the dirt. So I don't know. Okay, that's good to know. Let's get to baseball because the trade deadline was frenetic and it's the greatest day in baseball. It is. This is the greatest day. This is not like the NBA or the NHL or the nf.

[Buster Olney]

No.

[Tony Kornheiser]

A lot of teams get involved in this. This is a really big deal. And let me just start with the Philadelphia Phillies because they if. If you don't think arise can hit. His first two at bats last night were RBI singles. And as a result of a rise who's not a great fielder. And you have to find a place to put him. They have moved Bryce Harper to the outfield. Bryce Harper hasn't played the outfield in years. He's played first base for the Phillies for years. He went to the outfield. And I need to ask this essential question. When Don Mattingly last week said of Bryce Harper saying to Dave Dombrowski, why don't you get us something? And he said, everybody knows that's just price. No one pays any attention. I went on the PTI show and Wilbur said, what do you make of this? I said, what I make of this is it's possible that Bryce Harper is not going to be a Philly for that much longer. Because the second thing, this is the second time that management has basically told him to shut up. The first time Dave Dombrowski said, he's not even elite anymore. Let's see if he can still be elite now. He went to the outfield. That's. That's a big deal, right? What. What's his status in Philadelphia?

[Buster Olney]

Yeah, it's a really big deal. I mean, all you have to do is think back to the beginning of last year when the Boston Red Sox, you know, had injury issues, and so they asked Rafael Devers to take ground balls at first base, and he refused.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He says, stick it.

[Show Announcer]

Yeah.

[Buster Olney]

So you have in this situation, a future hall of Famer volunteering. And by the way, this has been going on for two years. Bryce has made it known to the Phillies. Look, I'll go back to the outfield if you need. If we. If we can make our team better, if we can be in a better position, then we.

[Show Announcer]

Then.

[Buster Olney]

Then let's do that. And I will move to the outfield. It is interesting because Arise has actually this year improved dramatically at second base. He run Washington with the infield, coach with the Giants, and Arise showed up the first day, and Ron Washington said, look, if you're going to get better, you have to beat work at this every single day. And every day Arise was out there. His defensive metrics have improved, but it set off this series of dominoes where Arise now plays second base. And Bryson Stott, who's a better second baseman, Shortstop than he is, he goes to third. And Alec Bohm, who was a third baseman most of his life, goes to first base. And Bryce Harper goes. Yeah, it's an island of misfit toys. Defensively.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, yes.

[Buster Olney]

Okay. But you love the fact that they're trying to win. They clearly needed help offensively. And Luis Arise is one of these players who every year at the trade deadline, or, excuse me, every. Every winter when he hits free agency, everyone's like, well, he doesn't really run. He doesn't it for a lot of power. He doesn't have a natural position, so we don't want him. And then we get to the trade deadline and everyone wants him.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So, yeah, I need to ask about

[Buster Olney]

the ball in play.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He had his first two at bats. He had RBI singles last night against the Nationals. He finished 2 for 4 for the night. But he hit the ball four times and he's traded every year. It's not like he's a pretty good player. He leads the league in batting every single year and gets traded. Is he a bad guy? How does this happen?

[Buster Olney]

No, it's because he doesn't it for power. He doesn't run well. And so when, when you're sitting in a, you know, in a, in a scout meeting in a valley, you know, front office meeting in November and you look at all the metrics and you're like, I don't want to invest in that guy. And then we're going to get to late September and October and the opposing manager is going to be like, I don't want to pitch to that guy because all he does is headline drives.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. Yeah, it's really, it's really amazing to me. I mean, I sent out text messages last night. This is why you picked this guy up, because he had again two RBI against two different pitchers in the first two times he was up. I need to ask this as well. I want to talk about Rutchman going to the Red Sox, but I want to bring in Robbie Ray going from the Padres to, going from the Giants to the Padres. Buster, I don't recall people trading in division. I, is this, when did this start happening? Trading in division? If I'm a fan of the Orioles or the Giants, I'm livid because of this.

[Buster Olney]

So I think that Billy Bean, he became one of the first general managers to just have the attitude of, you know, what effort. I just want to get the best players in return. And if I happen to make a trade with a division rival and I make that, that rival and I, you know, get the players I want and at the same time make that rival weaker, you know, by taking prospects from them. I'll do that and I'll be open minded with that. Teams are more and more willing to do that. Now. There are some special cases like when Mason Miller was rumored about a couple of weeks ago, you knew there was no chance the Padres would trade him to the Dodgers.

[Show Announcer]

Right.

[Buster Olney]

You know, there's always a little prickly thing between the Orioles and the Yankees and the Yankees, the Red Sox a little bit between, between the Yankees and the Mets. But generally speaking, you're right. Teams, you know, in the past didn't trade in the division. Now they do.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Is Rutchman just not that good and that they could just get a switch hitting good defensive catcher, just get rid of him,

[Buster Olney]

you know, and one thing, look, it's so funny because the response to the trade in terms of prospect value, people around the sport are like, oh my God, the Red Sox overpaid. Right? They got it. They gave up all these prospects to get Adley Rutchman. And I get that. And the Orioles can say, hey, we, we got better in the future, but good lord, at some point can the future be now for the Orioles who tanked four seasons, right. To be in this position. I was getting text messages, I'm sure you were too, from friends who are Orioles fans and they're heartbroken.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Buster Olney]

And yeah, you might have gotten a guy in class A or double A that looks really promising. But Adlie Rutchman was brought up to be the leader of the next generation and now he's gone and he's still a good player. The question is with Rutchman is about health. He's currently on the injured list. He's got some left wrist inflammation, which you think is a little, potentially a little problematic for a catcher. But I thought I love the fact that the Red Sox are trying to win. We love it when the Padres are trying to win. The Cubs are trying to win. The Red Sox are trying to win. They're not worried about models and value efficiency, that sort of thing. I love it when teams are trying to win, including the Dodgers, by the way. Tony.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, but they just don't win. They got swept by the Red Sox and they're in the process being swept by the Cubs. It's so odd, isn't it?

[Buster Olney]

Well, and I think it underscores a vulnerability like the general reaction from a lot of fans and people maybe within the industry. Some people within the industry was boy, the they're going to be unbeatable. And I, I just look back to last fall, that Blue Jays had them, you know, within one run of beating them and within two outs. And the thing is, and I cover those, you know, the dynasty Yankees of the late 90s and I was there the spring training morning, they won 125 games in 1998. And the next spring they traded for Roger Clemens, two time Cy Young award winner. And the baseball world was up in arms over that for the same reason they are now about school going the Dodgers. But that Yankee team, year by year it got more vulnerable. And when you look at the Dodgers, they have two major catching injury situations now. Played well. Yeah, yeah. They've got. They've got stuff going on. Are they a great. Do they have a great rotation? You know, are they a great team? Sure, but they're beatable.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, I agree with that. Thank you for mentioning the Yankees. The Yankees traded for Luis Garcia Jr. Who, much like Arise, needs a place to play if he's going to play at all. And they traded away four pitchers in order to get him. And, you know, people probably wonder, why. Why would you do that? Well, that's not the headline anymore. The headline for the Yankees now is George Lombard Jr. Who made his debut last night for the Yankees and hit a home run. And I believe he's the youngest player to ever do that in a debut game. Am I right on that?

[Buster Olney]

Yeah, that's right. And you'll. I just. I mean, first off, I've gotten to know his dad. George Lombard, who played in the big leagues, is now, as a coach, bench coach for the Detroit Tigers. What a great family. And it just so happened that coincidentally yesterday I was in the living room of our friend Peter Gammons on the cape, and Peter Gammons, in his hall of Fame speech, talked about George Lombard and about how George Lombard. And this is George Lombard Jr. S grandmother was a civil rights activist who was friends with Martin Luther King. His grandfather was a Harvard Business School professor for four decades. And he not only has that great background, really smart kid, but he also, he played soccer for years and years and years. And, man, he can move at shortstop. I had scouts tell me in spring training that the day he steps on a big league field, he's going to be one of the best defenders in the major leagues. And the question has always been about, okay, how is his offense going to come along? He killed it his last few weeks, the minor leagues. And last night, he hits a home run first game. And there's a great video of his dad and his mom watching him in the stands at Yankee Stadium. You know, typically captain the Tigers, who get the night off. And in the same night his brother Jacob hits his first game, first home run in professional baseball in a minor league game. Really cool.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Is there a danger that people are going to say, okay, he's Derek Jeter? Is that the danger here?

[Buster Olney]

I think we're far enough removed where you're not, you know, you don't have to be the guy who replaced Eric Jeter. He replaced the guy who replaced the guy who replaced Eric Jeter. And let's face it, the bar is lower because Anthony Volpe, in the end, turned out to be Disappointment for the Yankees.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, well, the Yankees and Tampa Bay both made moves. They're obviously trying to win. Milwaukee and Atlanta did nothing. Were you surprised by that?

[Buster Olney]

You know, the brewers did some adding pitching depth. I was most surprised by the Braves, I thought, because, look, if you were looking for a right handed hitter, if you were looking for relief pitcher, it was a really thin market. If you were looking for a starting pitcher, there were a ton of guys out there. Yes, it was like a game of musical chairs among the contenders. And I thought for sure that both the Braves and the Phillies would bolster their rotation. And so when we got to the deadline and Trevor Rogers of the Orioles hadn't been traded and the Braves hadn't landed him or hadn't landed Brady Singer or one of the guys, Casey Mize or Robbie Ray, that was a surprise to me. You know, Alex Anthopoulos was a general manager who back in 2021 famously added like, you know, four or five outfielders and went on to win the World Series. I thought he would do more.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So, I mean, I was amazed is too strong a word. I was very surprised. Mark Feinstein felt the same way that they closed the scuba deal 40 hours before the end of the trade deadline. And that Atlanta or Milwaukee, I mean, is. Are these prospects so great that Atlanta or Milwaukee couldn't have thrown in, or Philadelphia thrown in an everyday player with some prospects? Are the prospects that good that that deal had to be closed so early?

[Buster Olney]

It's kind of like a poker game, right? You know, how many rounds of bidding will you have? Well, in this case, it felt like that. This, you know, that basically the Tigers took the, the game off the board after one round. That's the feedback I've gotten from other teams that there wasn't that circle. Now, in fairness, the Tigers and Scott Harris, their head of baseball operations, you know, has been defending his actions in this thing. In some cases, I think that, you know, what the Tigers did is go to an organization and said, would you give up this prospect? For example, when they talked to the Yankees, they said, can we talk about George Lombard Jr. The Yankees said, no. And so the Tigers said, okay, we're going to move on someplace else effectively. And I think that's what happened here, that the Dodgers were the one organization basically to say, the guys you were asking about, we're ready to go. And it was clear. This is. GM said to me that the. The Tigers went into this, they had a group of prospects in mind, they focused on it and they execute the deal with the Dodgers. And by the way, you know, they're. They're now within a couple of games of a wild card spot. And I get that they got value back in the return, but if we're going to laud, you know, the efforts of teams like the Rays, you know, like the Guardians, like the Red Sox, the Beach Padres, to try to win, it kind of makes me sick to my stomach when teams don't try to win.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, that brings me to the Gnats. My last question, of course. The Gnats traded two everyday players and the best pitcher they had this year for no everyday players. They traded 40 home runs and 126 RBI for no everyday players, for nine pitchers, two of whom have had some small. Well, I guess birds had more than small experience in the major leagues. And they are repeating to me what Mike Rizzo used to do. You're trading today for tomorrow. The Nats won a World Series and they haven't finished above.500 since. And you trade today for tomorrow. What do you look at when you see nine arms just in the worst bullpen in the majors right now? Should I be encouraged or should I be forlorn as I feel right now?

[Buster Olney]

I think you should be encouraged. Look, and there's some cases, because, you know, the question for me is the proportional response. Like, I love the fact that the Red Sox went for it because they're playing great, the Nationals, and you see them play on a regular basis. They are ahead of schedule. Like, they have made great progress this year, but I don't think anybody believes that they could win, you know, get to the postseason and win in October with that staff. So I like this approach. I thought it was the appropriate response for where they are because they're not close to the best teams in the National League.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, they're not.

[Buster Olney]

I was not as discouraged by it as you were.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, that. Then I feel better about that. I feel better about that because you do this for a living. And I just scream and yell along with the guy next to me who screams and yells louder. Thank you, Buster.

[Michael]

All right.

[Buster Olney]

Take care. Thanks, Tony.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Buster only. It's great. Just great. We will take a break. We will come back with Bob Ryan. We're going to still talk about baseball and talk about the Red Sox, the most surprising team in the last month and a half and all of baseball. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Show Announcer]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Buster Olney]

This is the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Once again, these are the Websters. I like the Websters.

[Michael]

Very good.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, like this is called when it's gone. Michael, if. If independent artists like the Websters want their music played on this show, how do they go about it?

[Michael]

Send us your music by emailing it to jinglesonyquinizershow.com and for the new month, we have a new promo code from Johnny Otk Corn. Let's see if you can get a better deal.

[Tony Kornheiser]

TK corn. Yeah, corn shouldn't cost $5. Probably not a year. Shouldn't do that. Yeah, I'm feeling badly because I got Michael's anniversary wrong. Just don't dare me about that. The Websters play in Bob Ryan. The segment with Bob Ryan is brought to you by FanDuel. Play youy Game. Bob, as everybody knows, is quintessential American sportswriter. And the two things that he knows better than anybody are baseball and basketball. So I want to start with the Red Sox. How did they get to be this good so suddenly? Weren't they bad? They fired a manager. How did this happen?

[Show Announcer]

They fired the manager. They were bad. They were bad in every way, as you know, in all three phases of the game, you know, but mostly not. Well, not pitching though I got to say this through their struggles with the plate, which were enormous. In April May and beginning of June. The pitching wasn't too bad. The bullpen has been pretty good. You check all their numbers and they rank really well among the American League pitchers. So. But they weren't hitting at all. And they had no power. No, hardly any. Except for one guy, Wilson Contreras. No power? No, no. It was awful. And then suddenly. And it all began, Tony, when they swept the Yankees. That's how it began. Three games. We didn't see that coming. Now all I can tell you is this. Dan Shaughnessy, my colleague, my great colleague had an item in his Sunday column this past week in which he said that he had a conversation with Alex Cora on June 30. And Alex Cora said, look at the schedule coming up. I think they're going to take off. How about that? And they, they have. It's getting more and more ridiculous. Last night, 14 to 2, 6 run, first it's. But they, now they are playing, they're getting clutch. And the other thing, the other team is complicit in their own demise at times. They've had a couple of games where the, the opponents just like one game, it was a game ending double play ball that was not made and they wound up getting three runs in the night to win after they were down. Things like that are happening too. It's karma as well as, as well as skill. But they are, they're functioning at an extremely high level.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Alex Cora was a much sought after manager the Red Sox were thrilled to have. Alex Cora. Was firing him the correct move in your mind?

[Show Announcer]

No, at the time I didn't see that that was the point of anything. That I couldn't hold him accountable for it. And I still don't really think that that's. I mean, I don't know what, you know, what magic, secret sauce formula, whatever you want to use as a phrase to describe what Chad Tracy is doing. They like playing for him. A lot of guys who came through the system knew him in the minors in Worcester and they liked him and they speak well of him. And he, he's a lifer, you know, son of Jim Tracy who managed the Dodgers. He's a kid that grew up in a clubhouse, one of those guys. His whole life has been about baseball and he's apparently a really engaging fellow. But the original question, no, I would. I didn't see that made any sense to make him a scapegoat. But he seems very content. Corey's have enjoying his life and I think we all agree that probably 27, he'll be he'll be managing somebody in 2027.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. So were they in your mind as bad as they appeared and are they in your mind as good as they look now?

[Show Announcer]

Well, that's a great question. That's a great question. And you know the big question of course, how they were one of them, countless, countless teams as we look forward to August 3rd and the trading deadline, are they going to be buyers or sellers? And you, and six weeks ago or seven weeks ago you would have said, well clearly they're going to, they're, they're going to be sellers, they're going to get rid of Chapman, you give them the contender. They're going to get rid of Duran and left field who's not hitting barely.200 now, even now. And, and they're going to get rid of you and they're going to go for the future. And now the opposite. They went and they've got Adlie Rushman not playing at the moment. He's hurt but it gives him another right hand bat and a good defensive catcher and they picked up a picture that I don't know anything about but apparently at least not bad. Yeah, they're not, they're very much buyers and they are talking about, you know, playoffs and yeah, it's, I just, just when we're ready to say it can't go any farther, you get a night like last night. I mean here I am waking up in Maine and finding out they won 14 to 2 with a 61 first. I mean it's just getting crazier and crazier.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hadley Rutchman is not an inconsequential name in baseball. He was the overall number one pick in the draft. He appeared when he first started with the Orioles to be a Hall of Fame type player. Now he has regressed clearly but he still, I mean if what I'm given to understand by Matt Kelleher, the Boston catching situation was not only terrible defensively, it was terrible offensively. Offensively and you couldn't probably ask for a better pickup than Rutchman. Right.

[Show Announcer]

They were last in the league I think at home runs and, and this is in Fenway park which by the way is more of a doubles park than Homer park, but still is a for right hand, you know when you always want to have some right hand power and, and he hope we will give him some of that. But you're right, he was the number one pick and he's had one year when he was an mvp, you know, was mentioned he was like finished third or fourth or something you know, but he has been hurt. He is hurt. And. But. But it was, you know, on paper, a very, very good pickup. And, you know, but I'm just. I'm just my mind swirling as we. As I talk, thinking about what's been going on and who's been doing it. Guys that. We have no idea who they were at the start of the season. Sigler, Montessorio. I didn't know these people. I mean, and they're. They're. They're playing very well right now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We just had Buster only on. I asked him this question, and I'll ask you the same question. Trading in division. Did you ever think that the Orioles and the Red Sox would. If I were an Orioles fan, I would be livid at this. And you want to trade the catcher, trade the catch. You don't trade them to the Red Sox, right?

[Show Announcer]

No, it's just kind of a, you know, a sports. No, no. But, you know, as soon as you said that, I thought about a very, very, very big one. Once upon a time, that. That had consequences. Enormous consequences were for the Yankees, and that was Danny Cater from Sparky Lyle. Yeah, the Red Sox traded Sparky Lyle to the Yankees. And you know that now. Now we're talking literally 50 years now. I know it's hard, but Sparky Lyle

[Tony Kornheiser]

became one of the great relievers of all time, when relievers went out there three days a week and pitched three innings a shot. Yeah.

[FanDuel Advertiser]

I mean, yeah.

[Show Announcer]

So anyway, it has. There's some historical precedent, but it's not the norm. Most people don't do that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right, I'm going to shift gears entirely. The last time we spoke, we spoke about the fact that nobody understood how the Celtics could trade Jaylen Brown for Paul George. And now this is compounded by 1000%, because the Celtics got LeBron James. What, 76. 76ers. Rather, the 76ers got LeBron James. What is the impact on the Celtics? What is the impact on the psyche of people who care about the Celtics that now it honestly looks like the 76ers are the team to beat and that the Celtics have contributed to this?

[Show Announcer]

Well, what people are saying is that if and when the 76ers have their parade on South Broad street, that makes sure that Brad Stevens gets a ring. That what we're saying up here. And I said, as somebody who is a very much admirer and Brad Stevens, but he's fearless, and, yeah, it's it. They are the dark it. They're helping build a superpower. And LeBron has said outright that one contributing factor to him picking Philadelphia was when they. When Brown became a 76 or it is, it's. This is. Yeah, this is ancient. Why were we talking about this? Just think about this with. I'm so. I wish the season started tomorrow, Tony. I really do. I'm so curious and fascinated by this. This with the Sixers are one of those teams I call a lab experiment team, you know and, and how good they're going to be, we'll find out. But meanwhile we've got the two ancient rivals, the Knicks and the Sixers that we got all these games to look forward to this year that rivalries have been spiced up tremendously here. But you're right that the implications, you know, will people turn on Brad? You know, it's one thing to make a joke, but they're going to turn on him. We'll see.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So you have. It goes back, you know, 50, 60 years. It goes back to Chamberlain and Russell when Chamberlain was in Philadelphia. It goes to Julius Irving and Larry Bird and the famous 42 to 66 doc. 42 to 6 and Julius punched Burton head

[Show Announcer]

directly in front of me. I could have reached out and I could have reached out and touched them when that, when that broke out.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I mean this, the Knicks aren't that kind of rival because the Knicks haven't been good. No, the Philadelphia team has been good. Right. For all that time.

[Show Announcer]

Yeah, the Knicks. The Knicks had. We had a spurt. You know that spurt began when Dave DeBusher was traded and, and to. And the Knicks became, you know, viable and it lasted until 74 from. So it lasted. They had a play meat. They had a playoff series in 68. And so from that six year, seven year period it was a very viable rivalry, tremendous rivalry. But then the Knicks, you know, went in there. They're long, you know, march through the desert and. And the Celtics remain viable and the Knicks did not. We know that. And except for a couple of spurts. Right. It's not the same. But Philadelphia rivalry, but it's been dormant for a while and now it's going to come raging back and guess, guess who their first exhibition opponent is. Yeah. They play each other twice in the four game exhibition. They're playing each other twice.

[FanDuel Advertiser]

Wow.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I mean I'll get out of here on this. But when you make a trade, if you're a smart guy and Brad Stevens is a smart guy, you have to consider all the possibilities of that trade. What dominoes fall and what dominoes remain, do you think Ever, ever, ever once that Brad Stevens said, well, if I trade Jaylen Brown to the Sixers, what if LeBron goes there? Do you think he ever considered that

[Show Announcer]

I would have to give him the benefit of that doubt and then that he's too smart not to think that that would be an inducement for, for LeBron. But I can't say he doesn't care, but he's willing to, I will say, suffer the consequences or whatever you want to, however you want to phrase it. Yeah, it's, it's curious. It's, it's very strange and you know, and it's got some, everyone's mind down here that up in Boston that loves basketball and we've had such faith. You know, I've been saying before the Brown trade, when we don't know what was going to happen. If they in Brad, I trust they trade them, I'll live with it. If they don't trade them, I'll live with it. Well, they traded them and I'm not comfortable with it and never seen, you know, the ultimate consequence was going to be.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, yeah. Thank you, Bob. Thank you. Thank you. Enjoy your vacation in Maine. Enjoy yourself.

[Show Announcer]

Thanks a lot. Okay, Tom. Bye bye.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Now Bob Ryan, the quintessential American sportswriter in this segment with Bob Ryan has been brought to you by FanDuel. Play your game. We will come back with email and jingle. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Show Announcer]

This is the Tony Kornizer Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Here comes Tony's mailbag. Got your email, faxes and your notes. Here comes Tony's mailbag. Gotta read some for all you folks. Good to hear Gary. Makes me happy. You want to do has the bagel ad? They, they threw us a curveball this morning.

[Nigel]

Yeah, we got the bagel sandwiches in. They're always great and not just a couple.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Got 10,000. It's a lot of sandwich.

[Nigel]

We're very, very 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.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Before we get to the mailbag, let me just say, when I grow up to be a man Will I dig the same things that turned me on as a kid? Will I look back and say I wish I hadn't done what I did? Will I joke around and still dig those sounds? When I grow up to be a man. That's one of the great Beach Boy songs ever. Brian Wilson is probably 18 years old when he wrote that. This was recorded on this day in 1964. 62 years ago. Thanks to our guests today, Buster only and Bob Ryan. Thanks as well to today's sponsors. Remember, you can listen to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Odyssey. If you get the show through Apple Podcasts, please leave us a review from Asim from La A like omelette sim. Okay, I'm awesome. Like a SIM card. A sim. But currently in band in Oregon home abandoned dudes on vacation. Which as a reminder is near North Bend, but fairly far from Bend. Yeah, it's good to know. Listening to Monday's pod discussing the titular topic when Michael and Tony mentioned yesterday was Michael and Liz's 12th wedding anniversary. And I paused to do the Math. Monday was August 3rd. August 3rd, minus 1 is August 2nd. 2026 minus 12 is 2014. 8 to 14. Wait, I know that date. That's also the date that the woman to whom I'm related by marriage and I tied the knot. Well, actually I commemorated as 2014 the year we signed the certificate. But she says 8 to 15 when we had the main event in our multi day South Asian wedding. Exactly a year later is the correct date. Which do you think is correct? I'll hang up and listen. Well, Michael's is the 15th.

[Nigel]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right. Not the 14th. So I would say both are the 15th.

[Michael]

I was also the 14th. 8, 2 14.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But you were 8, 2 15. Right?

[Michael]

8, 2 14.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, I had it wrong.

[Nigel]

Oh, it's 12 years. That's right. Yeah.

[Michael]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, well. Well, I had the. I had the August 2nd part right.

[Michael]

Yeah.

[Buster Olney]

Wow.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. August. Oh, 8 to 14. Well, that's. That has more symmetry to it because they're all even numbers.

[Michael]

Again, I thought that's why you're focusing. Focused on the number.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's a good number. Yeah. Elizabeth was 11. 1122.

[Michael]

Oh, you can't stop that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, that's tremendous. From Neil Ayervase. While our Colorado summer of Little celebration. I got the date, I got the year wrong. God, get me off the air. While our Colorado summer of Little Celebration photo attached did not have the star power of the Chuck and Roxy event, it served as a microcosm of how your podcast is able to provide a community and connection among a diverse group of loyal listeners. Brian Lapina and I, with disparate backgrounds and interests serve to represent the 65 to dead demographic. Our pleasant surprise was the arrival of Nathan Ackerhelm, one third our age, who recently moved to Denver from Charlotte, North Carolina. The ease of conversation connection is a testament to your show and community. The woman to whom I'm related in whose connection is having to read all of my emails that end up in the discard pile. Experience that connection, which may reduce the number of eye rolls at my frequent attempts to relate tales from the show, which is always stands out as a counterpoint to a time of polarization and strife. These lovely pictures.

[Nigel]

Oh, look at that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, just wonderful pictures. Thank you so much. From Patrick C.R. stedman in Raleigh via New Orleans As I sit here watching the ESPN desk of their trade deadline show, it's Buster on the left and Kirchen on the right. All I can hear in my head is Jerry Rafferty's Robert Zimmermanish voice singing potatoes to the left and the avocados to the right. Here I am stuck in the middle with you. From Marcia Thompson in Ocean View, Delaware Dear Tony, I don't have a urinal story. No Marcia. No, I. I wouldn't think so. From Gary Van Geesen Tony, hope that you held on to that collector's item. Beautiful sweatshirt from Jason. Now this BET podcast with Beltway Ben is gone. That classic hoodie could be valuable as the famous Honus Wagner card someday. It's not quite the Lillehammer jacket, but it's still pretty famous. Do we have we gave that away, didn't we?

[Nigel]

I think.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Michael didn't we give that away?

[Michael]

We gave it away.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Okay. A haiku from Shad for shop credit. Ye old random hole on the scoreboard. Scorecard tiebreaker cost you 12.50. Yeah, it did. I mean, I don't know what the random hole was, but we lost as a result. From Steve the Sicker Fan the first sure sign of approaching autumn is here. Dear Satch, as Starbucks has announced that it's in immortal Pumpkin spice latte is returning on August 25th. Yes, espresso mixed with sugar season and pumpkin spice syrup will once more be available to those who can't drink their coffee straight. As a non coffee person, I just shake my head in amazement and reach for a shot of hot chocolate and rum. Happy breakfast from Mark Lynch. I was eating lunch today in the bar of our local in Camby, Indiana of our local Mexican restaurant. The television was muted but they had on the MLB network and I saw a gentleman and talking and said his name was Mark Feinstein. I thought I know that guy. I don't know him. In fact I've heard him talk and now I've seen him talk but I've never seen him and heard him talk at the same time. Yeah, well now you can.

[Nigel]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

From Barry the rum guy sent us the Rum in Panama City. In Panama. I don't know what an ear of corn costs in Panama, but on my way back from the park, I bought a coconut for $1. Coconut water is a refreshing drink, especially after exercising. However, they're a bit more challenging than potatoes to grow in D.C. so you'll have to settle for the packaged bottles of coconut water, which will probably cost about the same as your organic magic ears of corn. Coconut water is very popular now.

[Nigel]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I've never had it.

[Nigel]

I don't think I've ever had it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Is it, Michael, is coconut water come from the coconut and do they get the milk out of the water or does it contain milky substances?

[Michael]

It would look a little bit cloudy to you, but it's just the water. Now. I'd love to see you try and open up a coconut.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I know I would throw the coconut against the ground and see if it opened up on its own. I would not open a coconut. From Mark Hughes in Ashton, Maryland. Your farmer, Ron. The consensus from last week's email regarding the $30 charge for a few ears of corn and three or four tomatoes seems to be that the city slicker got taken by the locals. The good news is with your robust potato operation, the $30 is likely a write off. When you open up your pop up potato standing. Greenwood, Delaware. Simply write it off as market research on the economics of dynamic pricing. I think it will fly with your accountant, Greenwood. That's from Matt Turnbowl from Montreal, Quebec. In Canada. The 2027 Canadian Open is happening in Toronto. Let Wilbur know the PGA hasn't totally abandoned the Midwest. That's funny. That's funny. And one more. I grilled a really good New York strip last night and PG served corn on the cob. It was really good. And I asked, where'd you get the corn? PG replied, Walmart. I asked, how much? He said, 25 cents an ear. I said, really? DG, if you're out on your bike tonight, as always, do wear white.

[Show Announcer]

Let's try this. Your line, Just say it as I say. Say your line exactly as I'm about to.

[Michael]

Okay, sure.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Would that it were so simple. Would that it were so simple.

[Show Announcer]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thank you.

[The Websters (Band)]

Just spin the wheel. What can you lo. After a night like this, it's easy to get confused. There can be no turning back. Turning back, I was seeing red. Suddenly everything went black. Unrequited. I invited. Don't mind. I'm not extradited. We've all done things we might regret. It's up to you. Roulette. Just a feeling past the fuse. And after a couple apple drinks. How can you refuse Just before it all goes out? Sometimes you walk away, sometimes you double down. Unprotected, uncollected. This song's been disconnected. Life turns in waves. You change. I don't expect that to you Roulette. Do you ever think about? Just spin the wheel. What can you lose? Can you lose? Just spin the wheel. Just spin the wheel. Unprotected, unelected. This phone's been disconnected. Unrequited, uninvited. Hope I'm not extradited. They may forgive but they won't forget. It's up to you. Sa. Till it fell from the sky. Had an ocean view. Till it started to rise. Had a happy home. Now it's a beautiful for sale. Had a drink with a friend. I hope the fun ever ends. Cuz when it's gone, it's gone, it's gone, it's gone. When it's gone, it's gone, it's gone, it's gone. You can smile and wave. As it slowly drifts away. Bye bye, bye bye. In another town, in another place. They found the perfect church that had a save the day. Had a sunny day. Till it started to rain. And they were still holding hands.

[Tony Kornheiser]

When it all went up in place.

[The Websters (Band)]

Cause when it's gone, it's gone, it's gone, it's gone. When it's gone, it's gone, it's gone, it's gone. You can smile and wait. As it slowly drifts away. Sam. Stayed up all night, Took a joy ride. Had a drink with a friend. I hope the fun never ends. Cause when it's gone, it's gone, it's gone, it's gone. When it's gone, it's gone. When it's gone, it's gone, it's gone, it's gone. You can smile and wait. As it slowly drifts away. Bye bye bye.