“Hold on a second Sparky”

Summary

Podcast Summary

The Tony Kornheiser Show
Episode: “Hold on a second Sparky”
Date: June 3, 2026

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Overview

This episode of "The Tony Kornheiser Show" serves up a robust mix of sports analysis, anecdotes, and banter, staying true to the show’s signature blend of serious insight and witty asides. Tony welcomes a slew of notable guests—Ron Flatter on the Belmont Stakes, David Remnick about NYC’s NBA Finals fever, and Dan Graziano on major NFL trades. The episode also delivers listener emails, nostalgic musings, and music from indie artists, all while maintaining an engaging, conversational tone.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Banter & Golf Woes (00:00–05:55)

• Golf Frustrations: Tony recounts his struggles on the course, describing several “triples” and lamenting his inability to get out of sand traps.
  • Memorable Quote:

    “I can’t get out of sand. I can’t get out of sand.” — Tony Kornheiser (01:15)

• Maryland Amateur Golf Championship: Michael Wilbon shares personal stories about tournaments at Columbia Country Club, underlining the event’s prestige.
  • Quote:

    “I can go back to the 2003 junior qualifying at Columbia. That was number four. Made a triple. Tried to chase a backbend and hit it over the cart path. Real triple. Not like my triple.” — Michael Wilbon (06:24)

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2. NHL & MLB Quick Hits (01:32–05:54)

• NHL Playoffs Oddity: Tony drops a stat—road teams that lose Game 1 after leading by two goals are 0–55 all-time in the playoffs, marveling at the unpredictability of hockey.
  • Quote:

    “Bernie Wolf always says two-oh lead is the shakiest lead in hockey.” — Tony Kornheiser (02:20)

• Washington Nationals’ Struggles: Frustration flows as Tony and Michael dissect a series loss to the Marlins, managerial decisions, and lackluster attendance.
  • Quote:

    “The baby manager is in love with lefty-righty and he puts Tana up left because Tana’s lefty. He stinks in this situation.” — Tony Kornheiser (04:12)

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3. Belmont Stakes Preview with Ron Flatter (07:51–15:55)

Setting the Scene

• Tony laments the declining coverage of horse racing. Ron Flatter, from Horse Racing Nation, joins to deliver context.

  “The Washington Post has no sports section. Nobody has a sports section anymore. And even people who have sports sections do not cover horse racing anymore.” — Tony Kornheiser (07:09)

Key Belmont Stakes Talking Points

• Notable Absentees:
  For the first time since 1917, no horse from the Preakness enters the Belmont.
  • “Golden Tempo will be there, but Napoleon Solo will not. And this is the first time, 1917, that no horse from the Preakness has showed up for the Belmont.” — Ron Flatter (07:51)
• The State of the Triple Crown:
  Flatter discusses purse differences, scheduling woes, and horse participation trends.
  • “If they want to get horses to show up, throw some money at it.” — Ron Flatter (08:21)
  • “There will be no horse this year who will have run in all three Triple Crown races. Second time in four years.” (08:55)
• Belmont Favorites & Strategies:
  Renegade is the 2-1 favorite, with stablemate Power Shift expected to set the pace.
  • “Renegade, who finished second to Golden Tempo in the Kentucky Derby, is the 2 to 1 morning line favorite...he’s one of these come-from-behind horses.” — Ron Flatter (09:19)
• Venue Changes:
  The race is again at Saratoga (shorter at 1¼ miles) while Belmont Park is under renovation.
  • “Next year it will be back at Belmont...with the new grandstand open there, smaller but more opulent.” — Ron Flatter (11:00)
• Interest Level:
  Flatter sees local excitement, but less national awareness compared to other major events.
  • “There’s not an awareness about the Belmont...even on TV, you don’t see. It’s not like ESPN’s Running Stories.” — Ron Flatter (14:08)

Flatter's Pick

• Commandment:
  The 6-1 shot, finished seventh in the Derby, gets a jockey upgrade.
  • “He came into the Derby with four wins in a row and then just got an awful ride...So I’m looking at him to come back.” — Ron Flatter (15:51)

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4. Knicks & NYC Sports Fever with David Remnick (17:14–29:24)

The Knicks and Civic Identity

• David shares how New York is consumed by Knicks playoff fever, from magazine cover demand to citywide emotional investment.
  • “This is how desperate New Yorkers are for a title in the NBA. Spike Lee wants a title before he dies. And I feel the same way.” — David Remnick (17:38)
• Tony reminisces about witnessing Knicks legends; David recalls listening to the 1970 Finals on radio as a child, painting Willis Reed as a mythic hero.

Greatness Debate & NBA Evolution

• Tony and David push back on “recency bias” when it comes to Knicks history, resisting anointing Jalen Brunson as the franchise’s greatest ever.
  • “Hold on a second, Sparky...Willis Reed is the greatest Knick of all time. Or Walt Frazier.” — Tony Kornheiser (22:32)
• Remnick talks about a radically different NBA—faster pace, greater three-point shooting, positional changes.
  • “The game is immensely slower...Big men moved as if they were on stilts...now the ball is whipping around cross court routinely.” — David Remnick (23:15)

Matchups & Pessimism

• Remnick expresses pessimism about the Knicks facing the Spurs and Wembanyama, noting historical Knicks heartbreak by powerful big men.
  • “The teams they've played...to get into the Finals are not the greatest teams ever to grace the NBA...Their journey has not been the toughest road.” — David Remnick (24:58)
• Remnick playfully declines predictions, citing “native Jewish pessimism,” but Tony asserts:
  • “If they steal game one, they’re going to win it.” — Tony Kornheiser (28:56)
  • “As my mother would say, from your lips to God’s ear.” — David Remnick (29:04)

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5. NFL Blockbuster Trades Discussion with Dan Graziano (30:01–42:10)

NCAA Division Musings

• Some fun college talk on how sport divisions are decided, referencing Georgetown, Binghamton, and the forced move to D1 for large schools.

Myles Garrett to the Rams

• Tony is surprised by the Garrett trade from Cleveland to the Rams, expecting it to devastate fans.
  • “The Browns have terrible ownership. They still don’t have a quarterback. Now they’re trading away Garrett, you know, they’re ripping the guts out of their fans.” — Tony Kornheiser (33:24)
• Dan explains the logic: Garrett's contract maneuvers, trade terms (Jared Verse + 2025 first-rounder), and how this rare move benefits both clubs.
  • “...the Rams are trying to do what they did in 2021...add a guy who was probably the best player in the entire league last year and add him to their defense.” — Dan Graziano (34:11)
  • “...the more first-round picks you have, the more picks you have in general, the more you're able to kind of move around that first round, maybe move up a couple spots if you need...” (35:11)

A.J. Brown to Patriots

• Tony wonders whether Brown is a “perpetual malcontent”—Dan disagrees, citing more ups than downs and calling the deal good for both New England and Philly.
  • “I don't think perpetual malcontent is fair in this case...he was more good times than bad, certainly in Philadelphia.” — Dan Graziano (36:54)
• On Patriots’ chances: Dan cautions that last year’s Super Bowl run was aided by a soft schedule and expects a regression before renewed contention.
  • “They were beneficiaries of an easy schedule last year...I think it’s more likely they take a little step back here.” — Dan Graziano (39:48)

Other NFL Trade Rumors

• Names to watch: Brandon Aiyuk (San Francisco), Kayshon Boutte (New England), Maxx Crosby (Las Vegas).
• Dan plugs a forthcoming ESPN article on other players who may be on the move.

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6. Listener Mailbag & Show Community (42:25–53:29)

• Hilarious and touching emails from listeners sharing stories about graduation speakers, golf gear, family moments, and the quirks of regional pronunciation.
• Tony and Michael riff on old radio bits and contemporary scams, with several nods to long-time listeners and contributors (“littles”).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Hold on a second, Sparky...Willis Reed is the greatest Knick of all time."
  — Tony Kornheiser (22:32)
• “It's like Willis Reed was like El Cid...strapped dead onto a horse and led into battle. Incredibly dramatic.”
  — David Remnick on Knicks’ 1970 championship (19:01)
• “Golden Tempo will be there, but Napoleon Solo will not. And this is the first time, 1917, that no horse from the Preakness has showed up for the Belmont.”
  — Ron Flatter (07:51)
• “If they steal game one, they’re going to win it.”— Tony Kornheiser (28:56)
• “Brandon Aiyuk...I think he's on a different team one way or another...”
  — Dan Graziano (40:50)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Start | End | |------------------------------------------|---------|---------| | Opening Golf & Banter | 00:00 | 05:55 | | NHL/MLB Talk | 01:32 | 05:54 | | Ron Flatter on Belmont Stakes | 07:51 | 15:55 | | David Remnick on Knicks & NY Sports | 17:14 | 29:24 | | Dan Graziano NFL Trades | 30:01 | 42:10 | | Listener Emails & Show Closer | 42:25 | 53:29 |

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Conclusion

A classic Kornheiser episode: insightful, irreverent, and rich with both sports knowledge and the peculiar warmth of the show’s community. Whether you care about horse racing, are a long-suffering Knicks fan, or crave NFL inside baseball, “Hold on a second Sparky” delivers both substance and style—along with a healthy dash of nostalgia, laughter, and gentle grousing.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey, it's Tony. On today's show, we will talk to Ron Flatter to preview the Belmont Stakes. We'll talk to former Bullets beat reporter David Remnick about the excitement building up in New York for the start of the NBA Finals. We will also chat with Dan Graziano about a couple of huge trades in the NFL this week. But first, commerce. Previously on the Tony Kornhauser Show. I played with Jimmy Crilley and with Jed Tenove and Alex Tenno. And Alex is his son. And Alex is a contemporary of yours, the council guy. Yeah. And he was very nice to me. He's a very good player. I had four triples, and when I say give me a triple, it means I got higher than that.

[Michael Wilbon]

But this is a handicap triple.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Give me a triple. Taking it. I had four different triples starting out on one. It's a bad day when you start out on one. You go triple.

[Michael Wilbon]

Just want to go back to the box.

[Tony Kornheiser]

1, 6, 7 and 12. This is General George Washington and you're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show. And we have a haiku for this from Shad. That's bipsick. Gmat ball in pocket, sit in cart. Give me a triple. Yeah. And they were all tens. At least tens.

[Michael Wilbon]

At least tens.

[Tony Kornheiser]

At least tens.

[Michael Wilbon]

We have Father's day around the corner

[Tony Kornheiser]

to celebrate your dad.

[Michael Wilbon]

TK Triple.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Check out johnnyo.com I can't get out of sand. I can't get out of sand.

[Michael Wilbon]

All right, Square up the stance.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I got to. I'm going to call Shannon.

[Michael Wilbon]

We're going to be making a more V shaped swing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm going to call Shannon today and say, just give me a lesson. Just let me get out there.

[David Remnick]

All right.

[Michael Wilbon]

They're going to have to draw straws for this one.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We are guest loaded. We are guest loaded today. We have Ron Flatter to talk about the Belmont. We have David Remnick to talk about New York. We have Dan Graziano to talk about the trades in the NFL. So the beginning of the show is not going to be rambling. It's going to be rambling, but it's going to stop so that we can get to flatter. So let me just start with this. Let me start with the hockey because there's an amazing statistic in the hockey. Carolina was beaten last night at home. They had a 2 nothing lead. A 2 nothing lead in the first period, according to a story that I read on ESPN.com all time, all time in the NHL playoffs, all time teams that had multiple Goal leads and lost game one. 0 and 55. Oh, and 55. Bernie Wolf always says two oh lead is the shakiest lead in hockey.

[Dan Graziano]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And Vegas came back. Vegas won the game. They won the game 5, 4. Vegas had, I think 23 shots on goal. Carolina had been allowing 16 to Montreal. Now, you know, I'm not going to proclaim the series over because I don't know enough about hockey, but I will say this. Carolina in the previous series to Montreal lost game one at home and then won four in a row. That's right. So he can't. I don't think he can count them out. But Vegas is a lot better. Vegas is a different. Vegas is a lot better than Montreal. All time went down multiple goals in game one. Road teams zero and 55. That's all time.

[David Remnick]

All right.

[Michael Wilbon]

You're armed with the stats today.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, well, I read that and I thought it was a cool little stat that is Nats lose last. Last night. Nats are a series loss. Yeah, they've lost the series to the Marlins. They always lose to the Marlins. The Marlins stink. The Marlins are traditionally a worse team than the Nats. Even when the Nats are terrible, the Marlins are equally terrible or more terrible. And they've won. They beat them in Miami earlier this year and now they're beating them in Washington. It started out they put Lovelady on the mound as sort of an opener situation. I don't know how he earned that because the night before he gave up the game winning home run. I was angry at that. But he got through two innings and he was fine. He turned it over to Meatball Micklis and Meatball had a. Had a good outing. Except for the top of the fifth.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, except for four batters.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, except for the top of the fifth where he yielded back to. Back to back home home runs. Well, that's nitpicking, isn't it?

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah. Walk in there.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I guess the Nats were still in it though. The Nats had a chance to tie. They had a runner in scoring position. They were only down one when bottom was seventh. Bottom seventh. I mean, they gave up runs in the ninth, but you know, they're in a chance to tie and they put up Tana who stinks. And he strikes out le. And it's another lefty righty. The baby manager is in love with lefty righty. And he puts Tana up left because Taney's lefty. He stinks in this situation. Please, somebody look up Tana's numbers this year. Runner in Scoring position, lefty, righty. That's all I want to know.

[Michael Wilbon]

I can get to lefty, righty eventually, but overall, running in scoring position, he's at 267. This is putting.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's fine. Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

This is outperforming most of the team.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right.

[Michael Wilbon]

In scoring position. Yeah. Proven to be an offensive asset. Multiple crucial rbi, doubles. And he saw this recently with some series in the Padres. But, yes, before he even gets up, Dylan Cruz, who's, I believe, 0 for 2 when he comes in at the second, soft contact, there's a throwing error, which.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. They were so sloppy with the ball. Miami. So sloppy with the ball. They were the sloppy boys. Not the sloppy boys. Eric DeLong and the sloppy boys. Anyway, so they lose, all right, so I'm. I'm done. I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna go nuts.

[Michael Wilbon]

How about the broadcast? They were down in the good seats.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They were down in. In Mark Lerner's seats, in the owner's seats. By the first base.

[Michael Wilbon]

They let Dan hit the buffet.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I didn't understand that. Why were they down there?

[Michael Wilbon]

I think a fan experience.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Wow. So it was. It was nice to see Coco and Franson.

[Michael Wilbon]

Nobody.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They interviewed Taboni.

[Michael Wilbon]

Nobody has been at these Marlin games.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, no, you can. You can walk into Marlin games and you can say, I'll take those seats.

[Michael Wilbon]

Now, to be fair, this is the end of school, so a lot of families are busy, but, man, this, you. You always get to a game like this, and you look and you go, I should have gone to this one.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. It should have two in a row. Beautiful nights. Yes, they lost, but beautiful nights. One other thing. I'm not going to be able to play golf this weekend because the Maryland Amateur Championship is at Columbia this weekend, which everybody's proud of. It's a field of about 130. 132.

[Michael Wilbon]

More than that, probably.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, whatever. And then they, you know, you. You play. You qualify to go to match play. This is metal play, stroke play to begin with. Did you ever play in the Maryland. I have, yeah. How'd you do?

[Michael Wilbon]

So the last time I was at Columbia, I missed out on match play. Came down to a three putt on 13, which meant I had to birdie 18 left in the short bunker, bogey that, to miss out on the playoff by two.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Michael Wilbon]

But I don't remember it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Eleven, huh? No, you don't remember it. Of course you. You remember every. Every hole you've ever played.

[Michael Wilbon]

I can go back to the 2003 junior qualifying at Columbia. That was number four. Made a triple. Tried to chase a backbend and hit it over the cart path.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Real triple. Not like my triple.

[Michael Wilbon]

An actual triple. Had to put it out.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. So 11 guys from Columbia are in this thing. Oh, that'd be fun. 11 guys. Yeah. I mean, so, you know, it's. It's a. It's a lovely event. Sure. You know, it's the Maryland State Amateur Champion. The best players. Best amateur players in Maryland. I'm sure a lot of good college golfers are going to play in it. Do you have to live in Maryland or just go to school in Maryland?

[Michael Wilbon]

No, no. You just have to be part of the Maryland State Golf Association.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So there you go. So I just wanted to mention that. And now we got to get to Ron Flatter. And the introduction sort of goes like this. I forgot it was the Belmont, because the Washington Post has no sports section. Nobody has a sports section anymore. And even people who have sports sections do not cover horse racing anymore. So there's not four days of buildup like there used to be when horse racing was important. And there's you. You have to find someone like Ron Flatter, who works for Horse Racing Nation, who covers horse racing. And I should have remembered that. I did actually remember that the Belmont was this week, but I haven't read anything on it. So our friend Ron Flatter is here to answer the most important question, which is this. Will Golden Temple, the winner of the Kentucky Derby, who sat out the Preakness, and Napoleon Solow, who won the Preakness, will they both be in the Belmont?

[Ron Flatter]

Yes. And no. Golden Tempo. Golden Tempo will be there, but Napoleon Solo will not. And this is the first time, 1917, that no horse from the Preakness has showed up for the Belmont. So we're going back to Woodrow Wilson Days or Nigel King George V, if I may for you. Yeah, so. And it's just. Again, it's the spacing of the races, so.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But this is three weeks. This is not two weeks. It's three weeks.

[David Remnick]

All right. Yeah.

[Ron Flatter]

But, you know, they normally go every month to five weeks, and so that does expose the question about moving the Preakness back by at least a week. Is that going to be enough? I still think they need to throw more money at it. There's a $2 million purse for the Preakness, a $2 million purse for the Belmont, but there's a $5 million purse for the Derby. Now, if they want to get horses to show up, throw some money at it. But we'll see how that goes. But the reality is there will be no horse this year who will have run in all three Triple Crown races. Second time in four years that's happened. It happened in 2023 as well. So it's the way of the world now, and we can wring our hands about it, but there's going to need to be a greater solution to this problem. I think money's part of it. I think the spacing of the part of it, and we'll see what happens.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Is there a betting favorite established so far?

[Ron Flatter]

Yeah. Renegade, who finished second to Golden Tempo in the Kentucky Derby, is the 2 to 1 morning line favorite. And look, the Golden Tempo is going to get a certain amount of betting attention from the public that's not plugged into racing so much. Because he won the Derby. You had the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner, Cherie Devoe, who's associated with the horse. But Renegade may have been the best horse in the Derby. He was the one who came out of the one hole, got pinballed almost into the rail by three other horses and still came back. Led the race until the final strides and lost by only a neck. So he comes into this one, the Arkansas Derby winner. He is trained by Todd Pletcher, who's won this race four times, and Irad Ortiz, one of the best jockeys in the country who finished second in the Derby. He's won this race a couple. There's every reason to think that Renegade can do it, and they've even gotten a stable mate of his into the race to try to hasten the pace in front of him, because Renegade is one of these come from behind horses. You need a lot of pace out front early in the race to have success with those. And so they've entered. They say it's not a rabbit, but cynics say, yeah, you've entered a rabbit. His name is Power Shift. And so he's going to be expected to set the pace and set it up for Renegade, and we'll see if that happens.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Is this at Saratoga again last time?

[Ron Flatter]

Yeah. This will be the third of three years. So it's cut back to a mile and a quarter again.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's what I was going to ask you. So it's not a mile and a half as the normal Belmont.

[Ron Flatter]

It's not right. Next year it will be. They'll go back to Belmont and they'll have the new grandstand open there, smaller but more opulent grandstand than what they used to have. And so we'll look forward to a true Triple Crown schedule again come next year. But, yeah, this is sort of like we're running it back from what was five weeks ago. Five horses who were in the Derby will be in the nine horse field for the Belmont.

[Tony Kornheiser]

How odd is it that this year two of the three Triple Crown venues were out of play? Two of the three.

[Ron Flatter]

Very, very.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I mean, it's, it's not even really the Triple Crown at that point.

[Dan Graziano]

Right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

If you're, if you're going to Laurel and you're going to Saratoga, I mean, the only thing that really mattered then would be the Derby, it seems. Right.

[Ron Flatter]

Well, I think at least because the distance was the same at Laurel, you could say, all right, that's. That was true. I've been putting an asterisk next to the Belmont Stakes for all three years it's been at Saratoga. You know, I mean, last year's Kentucky Derby, the top three, Sovereignty, Journalism and Baeza were the exact same top three as in the Belmont Stakes.

[David Remnick]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Ron Flatter]

So it's almost like, okay, well, you run it back five weeks later for 3 million fewer dollars. It's almost like, what's the point? But, I mean, it doesn't, there's no guarantee that's going to happen this time around. But. And in fact, it can't because the third place horse, Selley, is not in the Belmont Stakes. So we'll see.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You mentioned Sherry Devoe before the first woman trainer to win the Kentucky Derby. How come. How come she hasn't gotten anywhere near the heat this year that Bill Mott got last year for pulling his horse out of the Preakness? How come?

[Ron Flatter]

Well, I think. I think one Mott kind of rubbed the nose in it because he was quoted by Daily Racing Forum as saying, I could have run my horse in the Preakness, but I didn't feel like it. Real up yours.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Ron Flatter]

Cherie Devoe has not said that, but she's caught a little bit of flack about it because the statement that was released a couple days after the Derby to say that they weren't coming almost looked like your standard form letter release that you're going to put out for not going to the Preakness, and you just fill in the name of the horse. So there's been a little blowback, but I think it's because we've been there and done that and sadly we're getting used to it, unfortunately.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Do you sense interest in the Belmont or honestly? No interest. Interest in the Belmont, certainly.

[Ron Flatter]

It's, it's an Occasion. I mean, the fact that it's a Saratoga, it's been wildly popular there.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's gorgeous.

[Ron Flatter]

And. And it's just any excuse to get to Saratoga at this time of year. You look for it. And so in from the standpoint of folks in the Northeast, yeah, it's. It's a big deal. I don't get the sense that around the country, it's going to be. I mean, you got. I mean, you got the NBA and the NHL and all that. And then, of course, you got the World cup coming up. There's a lot of stu going on. Not the least of which, too, is folks are wanting to go out and do their own summer things. And it's like you said, there's not an awareness about the Belmont coming because it doesn't get previewed. You don't see. I mean, even on TV, you don't see. It's not like ESPN's Running Stories.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No.

[Ron Flatter]

Like crazy. No. So that's a big part of it. And they got five. They got five million or so viewers for the Preakness, which was a pretty good number considering the Derby winner wasn't in there. But, I mean, imagine what it would be if the Derby winner had been in there. I mean, The Derby got 24, 25 million viewers. So I don't know. I don't know what the Belmont's gonna get. I mean, I'm kind of paid to watch, and so I will, but I'm not going. I mean, that's one of the things that, in terms of my old age now, as I travel less, when there's not a reason to go, I don't. And there's. Without a Triple Crown on the line, I decided not to try to, you know, take Mick the Schlepper to Saratoga.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Who you got in the race?

[Ron Flatter]

Well, I got the fourth place or the. Pardon me, the seventh place finisher from the Kentucky Derby commandment. He's under the radar. Six to one on the morning line. He came into the Derby with four wins in a row and then just got an awful ride from his jockey, Luis Saez. So trainer Brad Cox is switching jockeys, bringing John Velasquez, the biggest earner of jockeys in world history, actually. And he's won the Belmont a couple times. Not at Saratoga yet, but there's not been that much opportunity to do so. But this is a horse who really just did not get his way with a good ride in the Derby. And so I'm looking at him to come back. And I also think he's not as pace dependent as, say, Renegade. So I'll look forward to him coming through for me and making up for the fact that I didn't have the Derby and the Preakness. But Andy Byers certainly had the Preakness and good for him.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And we'll talk to Annie on Friday. We'll try to talk to Andy. Thank you, Ron. This is what we needed. Thanks very much. Talk to me.

[Ron Flatter]

All right. Thanks, Tony.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Ron Flatter, boys and girls, a true friend of the show. We will take a break. We will come back with David Remnick, the editor of the New Yorker and a lifelong New Yorker, to talk about the Knicks. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Dan Graziano]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is Sean Tweedley, who writes. Tony, it's been about a year since I last sent you some songs. I've been recording my first album to send you two tracks from it ahead of its release. The first one, which is the one we're playing now, is called Oolahura. O O O L A H O O O R A It's an upbeat groove that I think you might like. Anyhow, thanks again for all of your support in the past and for giving a platform to indie artists. Again, this is Sean Tweedley. It's called Ula Hora and it plays in David Remnick of the New Yorker. Full disclosure, we are taping this not today, the Today that you're hearing, but the evening before after PTI at about 5:30 in the evening. And because David's busy and you know, it's better to do this now than not do it at all. The COVID piece in the New Yorker this week is your piece, your recollections about the Knicks. I guess if you're the editor of the New Yorker, you can assign the COVID piece to yourself, right? That's how it works.

[David Remnick]

Well, we had a Knicks cover the week before and there were, I swear to God, Tony, there were lines around a block. There's a, there's a magazine store in the village somewhere called Cafe or cafa or something. There was a line around the block and we, they ran out of New Yorkers and they were taking people's address and phone number so they could get it. This is how desperate New Yorkers are for a title in the NBA.

[Sean Tweedley]

Wow.

[David Remnick]

Spike Lee wants a title before he dies. And I feel the same way. And so do, so do 10 million New Yorkers.

[Tony Kornheiser]

A lot of people feel that way. We all had, we all had a champion and a Title before we died. We had it when we were 20 years old, or in your case, 10 years old or something like that. Can you describe the illustration on the COVID that everybody wants?

[David Remnick]

Sure. It's Jalen Brunson looming over, you know, in a kind of. He's got an expression that he, you know, usually has when, after he scored a huge three pointer, you know, just absolute jubilation. And then below him is a row of nicks of, you know, times past from Charles Oakley, Dave De Buscher, Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, the whole gang. And, you know, it is a lucky and special thing to be in a city that's on a potential championship run. There's nothing like it. And especially, you know, I don't think it's any secret to you, Tony, that we're living in a time of kind of crappy news at best, from day to day. And to have this diversion that's full of joy and suspense and all good things and even memory is just wonderful. And I'm sure the same thing is happening in San Antonio.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, but on a smaller scale. On a smaller scale. How far back do you go with

[David Remnick]

the Nicks, my brothers and sisters in San Antonio? I remember very distinctly listening to game seven. And I mean listening to game seven, Knicks, Lakers, Wilt Chamberlain, Willis Reed's final game in May of 70. And it wasn't on TV for all kinds of stupid contractual reasons. So I listened to it. Willis Reed walking out onto the court with his knee pumped up with, you know, cortisone and other painkillers. That was something I had to imagine as a, you know, a 10 year old, 11 year old, whatever I was. And then subsequently, of course, saw. And it was, it was just majestic. It was like Willis Reed was like El Cid being, you know, the Castilian medieval warrior strapped dead onto a horse and led into battle. And it was incredibly dramatic. And then they won again in 73. They added Earl Monroe and that's been it. We had two more runs at the title. We lost to the Rockets and then. And lost to the Spurs. So it's a long, long time coming in a city that's obsessed with basketball.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I am so sorry you had to imagine it. I was there. I was there. My Uncle Gene had seats. I was there. I am incredibly old. And I saw Willis limp out there and I saw him pretend to jump to take the first two shots, even though his feet never left the ground. It was just.

[David Remnick]

He couldn't jump over a piece of paper.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He could not.

[David Remnick]

Yeah, even on his best night, he Was not exactly Connie Hawkins.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, he was not. But nobody, I would say nobody ever did. What I'm going to describe that year where Willis Reed in succession beat Wes Unselled, who I believe was Rookie of the Year and maybe MVP that year.

[Dan Graziano]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Lu Alcindor, later to become Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain. Nobody ever did that. So when people.

[David Remnick]

And what people forget about that game, Tony, of course, is that the real star of the game that just, you know, Willis took the heart out of. Out of the Lakers, you know, just took the psychological heart out of. But then he had to sit down because he was in such pain. And Walt Frazier took over the game. Took over the game and scored 36 points and I think 19 assists or something insane. And they never trailed. And it was, you know, we now know to think back and think and feel sorry, especially for Jerry west who seemed to go to the Finals every year and lose to the Celtics. And then he had the indignity of losing to the Knicks. But this is, you know, these are the dreams of old men. You know, my office at the New Yorker is filled with people in their 20s and 30s and they're out of their minds with excitement out of their mind. I've never seen anything like it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Wilbourne says you have tickets. Wilbourne says you have good tickets to Nick.

[David Remnick]

All right, So I saw Wilbourne at Game 2 against Cleveland. I was taken to the game by a friend who does have season tickets. I am. If anyone else wants to invite me. Anybody out there wants to invite me, I am the best guest, I gotta tell you. So beers on me, my friend.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We need to. We need to settle something. You and I need to settle it. Not that we have a point between us, but I think you'll be on my side when people say if Jalen Brunson's team wins this, and Jalen Brunson is great, he's the greatest Knick of all time. I go, hold on a second, Spark.

[David Remnick]

Hold on.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Willis Reed is the greatest Nick of all time. Or Walt Frazier is the greatest Nick of all time. Do not. Do not go there with me.

[Dan Graziano]

Right?

[Tony Kornheiser]

You wouldn't want that.

[David Remnick]

I will say this. The game is so radically different. I'm not saying that Michael Jordan wouldn't come in and dominate and all the obvious people from the past. But the game is so different. I watch films of, you know, the people we're talking about. The game is immensely slower. It's played much closer to the basket. Big men moved as if they were on stilts there's nobody like Wendy.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No.

[Ron Flatter]

Nobody.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No.

[David Remnick]

And you watch them. It used to be the cardinal sin if you were a high school basketball player. When I was high school basketball, if you threw a cross court pass, you were removed from the game. That was a giant sin. Now the ball is whipping around cross court routinely and into the corners for three pointers. It's insanely different. Again, I'm not saying that the great players of the past wouldn't do just fine now. Julius Erving would just do just fine. But the kind of mid level players that you see on the, on the better teams are really quite something. And so, I don't know Jalen Brunson, you know, he's got, you know, let him win a title first. Before we even have this discussion, I gotta say it's my native Jewish pessimism in build. I think the Knicks are gonna have a hard time against San Antonio.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's, that's interesting. I think the Knicks are better off playing San Antonio than playing Oklahoma City. Far better.

[David Remnick]

But I think both of those teams would be favored going.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, and I agree with that. And it is, it is clear that Wembanyama is a force of nature. And if you listen to him, he not only wants to win this one, he wants to win the next 50. He wants to be the face of the league. Wilbon says he is already. He wants to be the mvp. He was personally aggrieved that Gilgis Alexander was the MVP and in the first game against him just blew his doors off. I mean, Wembanyama is clearly special. But David, the Knicks have done something in the playoffs so far that is unprecedented in the history of the NBA. Their plus minus is the greatest point differential ever.

[David Remnick]

The teams they've played, again, far be it for me to, to downplay the Knicks achievement, but the teams they play to get into the Finals are not the greatest teams ever to grace the NBA. Philly was okay, you know, Cleveland is, you know, they had, God knows they have some really good players, but they're, they're, they're, they're, as they say, endlessly and nauseatingly. Their journey has not been the toughest road to the Finals. That said, they've been on fire. And that's the advantage they have. The fact they're on fire.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yep, yep. Where are you? Let me go through some names here because they're on the COVID Where are you on Ewing? Where are you on Carmelo?

[David Remnick]

You know, I like Carmelo as a player. I'm not sure we got his absolute Best years. I loved Ewing. I thought he was incredibly. I loved him as a college player, too. You know, we were together at the Post when he was in college. What a great college player. Player. And as you know, I had an ignominious career covering the NBA for the. For the Post. It was the Bullets at that time, now the Wizards, and I started covering them. And like in training camp, I mentioned to Jeff Ruland, the only legitimate sort of star in that team. I said something to him about Ewing and Ralph Sampson, and Ruland was so insulted that I would mention these guys that he wouldn't talk to me for the rest of the year. And as the beat reporter, that's bad player on the team. Did not. Did not make me look good in the eyes of the great George Solomon,

[Ron Flatter]

I'll tell you that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I have, you know, news on that. Ruland texts me all the time now.

[David Remnick]

No.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. Ruland is writing a book. He wants me to write the introduction. I said, jeff, I can't. I can't write anymore. He texts me all the time.

[David Remnick]

I'm really not so bad.

[Tony Kornheiser]

His most. His most recent. Well, he's going to want it excerpted in the New Yorker. His most recent text said to me, we'll see. We'll get you together. His most recent text to me was about Wembanyama, how he loves him and can't wait for him to develop the sky hook.

[Dan Graziano]

You know, that he thinks that's exactly right.

[David Remnick]

He doesn't have that go to.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[David Remnick]

Move. It's either he's taken threes, which is, you know, great for the highlight films, but I'm not sure he should take 10 of them a game.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right.

[David Remnick]

And then he dunks a lot and follows up his own shots because. But he's not, you know, he's hugely tall, but he's not, as the tallest player I ever covered.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, George Murraison was taller. Yao Ming was taller.

[David Remnick]

Well, the great Manute Bol was tall. Talking about.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[David Remnick]

And Manute Bol was so tall. A Dinka warrior as he was.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, yeah.

[David Remnick]

Ridiculously known in the papers. He took out the front seat of his car to. To drive.

[Tony Kornheiser]

To sit in the back seat. Yeah, yeah.

[David Remnick]

He sat in the back seat and reached up, and he was a lovely, lovely guy. Now gone, sadly.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. Yes. My problem with The Knicks beyond 53 years of bupkis is that the teams that they've lost to in the recent appearances in the finals, Elijah 1 and Duncan, I mean, they lose to big guys like that.

[David Remnick]

They lost the two great big men. That's absolutely true. And the Elijah 1 series, the 94,

[Tony Kornheiser]

that went 7, didn't it? That was the O.J. simpson series.

[David Remnick]

Yeah. I was at the Garden that night and at that point the press, everybody had a little teeny weeny TV in front of them. Suddenly OJ Simpson chase was on.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yep.

[David Remnick]

And all the hacks were like watching their goddamn TV.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[David Remnick]

The next, next hour and 15 minutes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[David Remnick]

It was wild. Wild.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, I remember that the other series, the, the San Antonio series was not a series. That was five.

[Ron Flatter]

Right.

[David Remnick]

That was, it was five games and it was lucky. It was that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, do you think they're going to win? Do you allow yourself to think that?

[David Remnick]

Tony, My sense of fatalism is that when I wake up in the morning, I check and make sure that I have 10 fingers and 10 toes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay? All right.

[David Remnick]

You hear what I'm saying?

[Tony Kornheiser]

But I'm going to tell you this. If they steal game one, they're going to win it. They're going to win it if they steal game one. I believe that.

[David Remnick]

You know what? As my mother would say, from your lips to God's ear.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. All right. It's, it's a great joy to have you. I'm sorry that it turns out out Wilm claimed you had the season tickets because I was going to ask you if you hang out with all the famous people.

[David Remnick]

Tragically, otherwise I'd be inviting you. But I'm telling you, it's your vast listenership. I can, you know, I'm easily reached at the New Yorker.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thank you, David. Thank you.

[David Remnick]

Take care.

[Tony Kornheiser]

David Remnick, the editor of the New Yorker and the winner of what we like to call the Pulitzer Prize. We will take a break. We will come back with Dan Graziano. We'll talk about what's happened in the NFL with the two big trades within the last 48 hours. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Dan Graziano]

This is the Tony Kornheiser Show. Tony Kornheiser show

[Tony Kornheiser]

once more. This is Sean Tweedley. This is a song called Craziest Times. Michael. If independent artists like Sean Tweedley want to send in their music and we'll play it on the show. How do they go about doing it?

[Michael Wilbon]

Send us your music by emailing it

[Tony Kornheiser]

to jinglesonycornizershow.com and it plays in Georgetown's own Dan Graziano, the football expert from a school that is D3, D4, D5 football. This segment with Dan Graziano is brought to you by FanDuel. Play your game. Did you ever like, did you ever go to the George? Were they club teams when you were there or were they actually in a league?

[Dan Graziano]

No, I was in the league. It was when I was there, the basketball was Division 1, the football was Division 3, but while I was there, they changed the rule. You couldn't do that anymore. So I guess a bunch of the teams from Georgetown's league kind of all went division one together and stayed in the same. Like, I don't know. My youngest son was. Is a college football kicker. He was. He was trying to get the Georgetown's attention a couple years ago. Coach. The guy I went to college with my Same year, graduated 94, but didn't work out. So we spent a little time on campus back then a couple years ago. Always enjoyed going back. But no, football was never a real big presence when we were at school there.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Why did they make you go D1? Is the rule that if you have any D1 programs, they all have to be D1?

[Dan Graziano]

I think that was my. This is outside my area of expertise, but that was our understanding at the time as folks that were not playing college athletics, but only sort of watching them.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So Binghamton had to go D1. We were D3 when I was there. And we used to scrimmage against the college that was closest to us, which was Baptist Bible institute in Endicott, New York. So we scrimmage against them. We had to go D1, I don't know, 10, 12 years ago because we had over 15,000 students and they said, you can't be D3. And our position was we. We stink. What do you mean? Why can't we be D?

[Dan Graziano]

We can't play up there like you guys want us.

[David Remnick]

Great.

[Dan Graziano]

They going to look good.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Dan Graziano]

Yeah. Gotcha.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. But now we're in the America East.

[David Remnick]

East.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And, you know, I'm glad we're in the America East. All right, let me get to these trades. The big trades were Myles Garrett going to the Rams and A.J. brown going to the Eagles. The biggest trade to me, and you can correct me, is Garrett going to the Rams. I was surprised at Cleveland trading him. And I had never heard. Not like A.J. brown. I had never heard Garrett be discontent in Cleveland.

[Dan Graziano]

Oh, well, no, wait, though. He. Last spring, spring of 25, he was. He had a very public trade request. He was going around during media row and super bowl asking, telling everybody who would listen, he wanted out. It's not about money. It's about winning. And then out of nowhere, in early March, he agrees to a $160 million four year extension. You're like, oh, okay, I'll never believe you again when you say it's not about the money. But this year he kept it quiet. They adjusted the contract to push back the date of his, of his option bonus from it was originally April 1st. I guess now it's September 1st. So that made him kind of easier to trade because that money, when it kicks in, now becomes the new team's problem and as opposed to Cleveland having to fit it under their cap. So they still kept saying they weren't going to trade him. He's a career Brown, he's on our Mount Rushmore, et cetera, et cetera. But then the Rams came, they wouldn't stop asking. And once they put the young pass rusher Jared Verse in the deal, I think that made it in addition to a first round pick next year. I think it made it very hard for Cleveland to say no.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So my first reaction, of course was the Browns have terrible ownership. They still don't have a quarterback. Now they're trading Way Garrett, you know, they're ripping the guts out of their fans. And the more I began to think about it and please tell me if you think I'm wrong. I think this is that rare good trade for both teams. I do, yes.

[Dan Graziano]

I think. Well, obviously what the Rams are trying to do is replicate what they did in 2021 when it was October when they acquired Von Miller, but they still, they kind of looked at him as like the finishing piece for a contending team. And also the end of the year, they acquired Stafford in the off season. So yeah, Matthew Stafford at 38 years old is a team that was right there last year. When you think about it like a Thursday night game the week before Christmas, if they pick up a loose ball in the end zone.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Dan Graziano]

That Seattle picked up and got for a two point conversion. You're talking about being the 1 seed in the NFC, having the NFC championship game at home, maybe winning the Super Bowl. So that's how close the Rams were. So they add veterans to their secondary, which was a weakness, and then they get a guy who was, you know, probably the best player in the entire league last year and add him to their defense. Yes. And then on the Cleveland side, I thought they did, they cleaned up. I mean, yeah, you have a first round pick next year. You have Verse who was a first round pick in 2024. So you know, that's not long ago. And you have him under control and cheap for the next couple of years. And he's played, he was Defensive rookie of the year. He's played to the level of a first round pick. Get some other picks. And now, you know you're eyeing this 2027 draft when for once and for all, you need to find your quarterback. The more first round picks you have, the more picks you have in general, the more you're able to kind of move around that first round, maybe move up a couple spots if you need to get ahead of the jets or whoever else to get the quarterback you like.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So, I mean, I appreciate that Cleveland is in a rebuild. They're in a perpetual rebuild and I think again, they're all. Ownership is terrible. But I also appreciate that the Rams go for it. The Rams do this all the time. The Rams are in an impossible division with Seattle and San Francisco and they want and they're going for it. I give them all the credit in the world, don't you?

[Dan Graziano]

100%. Look, they are, you know, their big move ahead of 21 was getting Stafford. They had reached the point with Jared Goff where they thought this is as far as we can go with this guy and we need somebody who's elite in certain areas where he's not. And it worked. I mean, that was very famously right. They talked about, you know, FM picks and all that, and this is another example of that. But they are right there. They feel like they have, they had a Super bowl caliber team last year. They feel like they addressed their weaknesses. And so it's like, what's the piece that we can get that will make us untouchable? Myles Garrett, I mean, yeah, I mean, I sat there in Foxborough last year, watch this guy. Sacked the quarterback five times in one game and they lost. Like Myles Garrett has been wasted in Cleveland. He's primed for this. If they can keep him healthy, keep Stafford healthy, there's no reason to think anything other than the highest possible outcomes for the Rams.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Let me shift over to A.J. brown. This was talked about for months and months and months. My question, look, A.J. brown is a fine receiver and the Patriots need a fine receiver. And this is good for Drake May. And this is good for the Patriots. And I watched this morning as A.J. brown said he was thrilled he'd been a Patriots guy. This, that and the other thing. Is he indeed a perpetual malcontent or do you look at him as somebody who really will help and he will be happy there?

[Dan Graziano]

Yeah, I don't think perpetual malcontent is fair in this case. And I understand where it's coming from. And certainly they didn't handle every situation well in Philadelphia, but, you know, for the most part, he did. And I think it got to a point where, you know, just the way the offense never came together last year and the way he sort of expressed his, you know, his disappointment with that just got to a point where they thought, all right, well, listen, if we can get somebody give us a first round pick, then, then this makes sense. And then they did. Important to Note, it's a 2028 first round pick the Patriots are sending. And so, yeah, the Eagles might not have done as well in this trade as they initially hoped, but they had to wait till after June 1 to make it for cap reasons. So this is what you end up with. I think he'll be fine. I mean, I think he was more good times than bad, certainly in Philadelphia with him and had a positive impact on that place that I think certainly outweighed the negative one. I think they just reached the end of the relationship and they were able to get something of value for him as he heads into probably the latter part of his career. And they had some contract decisions to make here in the next couple of years at that position. So it makes some sense. It does. It does. Take away their best receiver. Devontae Smith, a top 10 pick, a Heisman Trophy winner, has to now be the number one. No reason to think he can't be. But he's not built like AJ So you have to adjust your offense a little bit in terms of what you're asking your receivers to do. Be interesting to see on Philly's end, but on Pittsburgh, on New England's end, it is. It's a. It's a. It's exactly what Drake may needs, and he's the kind of receiver that they really didn't have last year, and I think it'll just make that offense better.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I have to say that when he does that commercial where all he says is always open, Always open. I find him very likable.

[David Remnick]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And I can.

[Dan Graziano]

I've always found him very likable when I've ever. When I've interviewed him. I mean, he's smart, he's.

[David Remnick]

Yeah.

[Dan Graziano]

I just think it was a. It was a weird situation in Philly where a lot of people were mad at each other. He expressed it outwardly, I think the most, and maybe behind closed doors. And I think the relationship with him and Jalen hurts, which used to be very, very close, is not where it used to be. And I think the Eagles, you know, are always. They're always thinking ahead. They'd rather be a year too early on these moves than a year too late.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The Patriots were in the super bowl last year. They did not show well in the super bowl, but they were in the super bowl last year. And everybody said what they need is a number one receiver. I think Drake May is probably even better than they thought he was going to be. Is it realistic? You know, is it realistic when you look at teams like Kansas City getting the quarterback back and Cincinnati bulking up the defense, making their quarterback happy, and Buffalo with a new coach, maybe that's all they need. Is it realistic to think that New England could go back to the super bowl, or is it. Do you think that was a one and done?

[Dan Graziano]

It's realistic because I think, you know, they're going about the infrastructure the right way and they have the quarterback and they have. And they have the coach. He said he's had himself a difficult off season, obviously, but I think, you know, we know he can coach. I do think that the Patriots were beneficiaries last year. The fans up there hate to hear it. They were beneficiaries of an easy schedule last year. There's no question about. And that included their playoff run where CJ Stroud showed up and looked like he forgot he was, you know, it was actually right handed and where the Broncos quarterback got hurt on the last play or whatever of the game before, and they had to play with their backs in the snow. So they got, they got lucky to some extent. So I think it's more likely they take a little step back here on their way to future continued super bowl success than that they repeat it right away.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Is there any other name out there that would not, not surprise you if he was traded or somehow moved?

[Dan Graziano]

Well, I think the one guy that stands out is Brandon Iuk, the receiver in San Francisco. They're hoping to trade him, but I don't think they can. Everybody, everybody knows they're going to have to cut him eventually. He's getting 27 million this year if they don't. And, and I don't think anybody wants to trade for that. He's coming off an injury, hasn't played since October of 2024. So I think he's on a different team. And this may be of interest in the market where you are, because that's a team that's been connected to him an awful lot. So I'd look for him to be on a different team one way or another in terms of trade. I don't know how likely that is. And, you know, there's another receiver in New England, k' Sean Booty, who was a good player for them last year that may be getting squeezed out, has one year left on his contract. He's somebody that they're going to get calls about, no question about it. And then the big name to watch, if he can get back on the field and show healthy here between now and the trade deadline, which is still almost five months away, is Max Crosby with the Raiders, who was traded at one point this offseason to Baltimore before the Ravens backed out of it over medical concerns. I think he is a guy that we'll hear about again. But, you know, check ESPN.com tomorrow for a list of 10 names that could be on the move between now and the NFL trade deadline. I hear the writer is very intelligent and very handsome.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thank you, Dan. Thank you, Dan. Talk soon. Thank you.

[Dan Graziano]

My pleasure.

[David Remnick]

Thank you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This segment with Dan Graziano has been brought to you by FanDuel. Play your game. We will come back with email and jingle. I am Tony Kornheiser.

[Dan Graziano]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show. The Tony Kornheiser Show.

[David Remnick]

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

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's one of the great opera singers of all time. These graves, Amazing, tremendous. Didn't you just walk into your studio and said, y' all record this? Do you want to do the Bethesda Bagel? Yes, Bethesda Bagels, we love them. You will as well. Just go to Bethesda Bagels.com for the location in the DC area nearest you. Then pop on in and you'll be thrilled. What is today's date? Today's date is June 3rd. And so before we get to the mailbag, let me just say it was the 3rd of June. Another sleepy, dusty Delta day. I was out chopping cotton and my brother was bailing hay. And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat. And Mama hollered at the back door, you all remember to wipe your feet. And then she said, I got some news this morning from Choctaw Ridge. Today, Billy Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge. That's Bobby Gentry. That is one of the great ones. Yes, I can do. As Nigel can attest, yes, I can do the whole song. Yes, you can. I hate myself for being able to do the whole song. It's quite remarkable. But I can do that. You absolutely can. I just never left my mind. Thanks to our guests today. Ron Flatter, David Remnick, Dan Graziano. Thanks as well to today's sponsors. Remember you can listen to us on Apple podcast Spotify and ought to see if you get show through Apple Podcasts. Please leave us A review from Peter Francesi I hope I pronounced that correctly in Vienna, Virginia Dear Mr. Tony, first time LA long time. My dad and I have been little since before I can remember. I was one of the three valedictorians at the Gonzaga graduation that Mr. Wilbon attended over the weekend. I wanted to thank him for his kind words. Oh, and I like my chances in a playoff hold tiebreaker. We'll have to set that up. That'd be great with the other valedictorians. That would be great. Kevin in Silver Spring Mike's story about Gonzaga's graduation brought back memories for me. Gonzaga Class of 88 at a client meeting a few years back, during the small tour portion of the meeting, one of my colleagues suggested that nobody could beat her grade school graduation speaker, Oprah. After allowing time for suitable oohs and ahs, I apologized to my friend and I said that my high school graduation speaker topped Oprah. The room of clients initially expressed doubt until I revealed that our speaker, who also handed out diplomas to each graduate, was Mother Teresa. That's it. Okay, that's over. I raise you Mother Teresa I've yet to meet so someone who can meet the beat Gonzaga 88 in this game, but perhaps some littles will try. From Brother Guy Consolmagno, Director Emeritus at the Vatican Observatory, who has written to us before. Listening to Wilbon talking about the graduation at Gonzaga High, I had the honor of being their graduation speaker in 2019. It is indeed a wonderful ceremony. During that graduation they had a short slideshow honoring the class from 50 years earlier, the class of 1969. Hey, I thought, that's almost my class. I went to the Jesuit School in Detroit, University of Detroit High school class of 1970. But then in the slides they showed the class in 1969 honoring their 50 year earlier class, the class of 1919. Then it hit me. To today's kids, we are as ancient as World War I was to us. Another thing I noticed, all those kids were a foot taller than I am. I swear. Yeah, we're all shrinking. And they're not shrinking. Charlie Dressley from Cincinnati Today was the first time I made a grilled cheese using mayonnaise instead of butter. The mayonnaise had avocado oil, says tell Michael and Tim Kirk chicken crust Dr. Mike Brown. After living in the south for over 25 years, I wanted to share a better golf club solution for Michael than relying on standard rain gloves. FootJoy makes a specialized glove originally marketed to Southeast Asia called the Tropicool, which is perfect for the humidity you experience during a Washington, D.C. summer. They are made of a unique fabric that significantly aids your grip when it is humid and your hands are sweaty and they tend to last much longer than a typical rain glove. I routinely get about six months of use out of a single glove here in Pinehurst, even when playing over 100 rounds a year. An added benefit is that when they get dirty, you can easily hand wash them in the sink while you eat ice cream and watch over your potato crop. On a separate note, I want to send a quick reminder that the lottery ticket for the Masters and the Augusta National Women's Amateur Open this past Monday. The application window runs through June 20 and results should be sent out later this summer. I'd like to apply to be the emergency official emergency radiologist of the Tony Kornheiser Show. I work from home here in the village of Pinehurst and always have some Jennies in the freezer if you're in need during your next golf trip. I'm also a member. Pinehurst Country Club. Would love to host you guys anytime on any of the courses legitimately can get you into one of those member wine tastings you stumbled on the last time. This is great. From Dr. Mike Brown. Yeah, so we should call Alex Podligar and we should say if you sell these gloves because Dr. Mike Brown's picking them up in Pinehurst, send Michael.

[Michael Wilbon]

I don't know. Six months I can get. I can get two to three years

[Tony Kornheiser]

out of a rain glove. Did so did you after year one.

[Michael Wilbon]

It goes to the practice, goes to short game.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm putting that on the. Oh, goes a special pile. Putting on the special pile from Betsy Delk in Wheeling, West Virginia. Your list of unavailable guests for Monday's show was like a strange stroll down memory lane. Our oldest child, a feminine child, attended Fordham University, where she majored in English. During her senior year, she had an internship at wfuv, the public radio station affiliated with the university. As a result of her work, she won a New York State Broadcasting Association Excellence in Broadcasting award for her interview regarding reading accessibility in New York City. The award was to be presented at WFUV's annual on the Record dinner and of course, parents were invited to purchase a ticket and attend. The man to whom I'm related by marriage is notoriously cheap and had no interest in traveling to New York City for the event. Even the superior Ever the superior parent, I went on our behalf to celebrate our daughter's achievement. I noticed right away there seemed to be a lot of hubbub around the step and repeat involving a rather tall gentleman. I soon came to realize that Mike Breen was being honored with the Vin Scully Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting and would be introduced by Bob Costas. The tall gentleman who was the focus of the earlier hubbub was none of the than Walt Frazier. Our daughter even participated in a panel discussion with Breen and Costas photos attached. Turn that strike. Just tremendous. Needless to say, my husband was green with envy and kicking himself for weeks afterwards. On Sunday, our daughter received a Peabody Award for her production work on the podcast Divine Intervention, which tells the story of radical nuns and priests who formed an anti war movement to sabotage the Vietnam War. Parents were not invited to attend. I can now proudly say that between the two of us, my daughter and I have a Peabody Award. Isn't that nice? And the PS tell that cheap so and so Dave Dell to eat it. That's her hubby. That's her hubby. How tremendous is this? Oh, this is just absolutely wonderful. Billy Flores in Houston, Texas yeah, lots of noteworthy discussions on Monday's podcast. I get the shift in teams emphasizing homers over base hits, but a four triple day sounds pretty good to me. Also, neither of my parents spoke at my high school graduation. If you're still looking for a guest, here's a full list of my quality qualifications. I visited New York City twice. That's the list. George Melaye it made me genuinely happy to hear you talking about the brewers and Bob Ucher. I had the chance to talk baseball with him a few times when I was reporting and anchoring in Milwaukee. He was endlessly patient with me, regaling me with stories about Harry Callis. I worked in Milwaukee, but I'm all Philly, so you can imagine my emotional conflict. One of those conversations happened to be on the same day my then 5 year old son Colton got to stand at first base with Eric Tames during the National Anthem. As a dad, that's a forever memory. As a Phillies fan, I'm still looking for a support group. My hockey star says he and the first baseman mostly talked hockey. Also, I do not have a pick in the Belmont. I got temporarily locked out of my Twin Spires account. The problem was solved by a real human being who spoke clearly and worked swiftly, which frankly felt like spotting a unicorn in the wild. Still, I am taking the lockout as a sign from the racing gods that I should not bet Saturday's Belmont until I heard from Andy Byer. And there's a picture of him with Yuk David Spence from Kingston, Ontario, who writes in parentheses. I don't have to say Canada, do I know I say it for you. Yeah, I say it for you. Dear Skipper l'. Hopitan. Here's a blurb about the legendary Dan Byrne at a local Canadian musician, Al Rankin, the father of the Rankin family musicians. According to the person whom I related to by marriage, the question was, who wrote the best song ever about Marilyn Monroe? Dan Byrne has the answer. He wrote a pretty quirky song that examines the very possibility, and it's got to be one of my favorite songs ever. Check out below. Dan Byrne is a legend in the usa but doesn't get up to Canada very much. So I've never seen him live, but that mad genius Steve Polz says Dan Byrne is his favorite artist. So I can't wait to see him next week at the Broom Factory. This is a seated show with just 100 seats available. So the legendary genius Dan Byrne is coming to Kingston, Ontario, June 10th. That's next week. Yeah. A week from today. Hopefully this can be announced. Local littles to attend especially. I believe it is Don Ames who has had many, many emails read on this stinking show. So I guess this will be my David Aldridge moment. Maybe second. I said hi to Dan Aykroyd once at Blues Fest one year. Here's to the potato. Crab. Potato crop planted mine. Squirrels dug up the next morning.

[David Remnick]

Ooh, ooh.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Planted again though. Okay. Oh, yeah. You got to keep at it. Yeah. Got to keep trying. Kelleher says varmints are eating his things. Really? Keller says chipmunks are eating him. What should he do? He's got to get the owls. Shoot them. I said owl. Get the owls. Yeah, we've got an extra one here. Mike Leonard, as one who has listened to the show for years, I've often been impressed by your loquaciousness. However, I was moved to write to you after hearing you correctly pronounced Staunton, my hometown for 70 years. During a recent email segment, I've heard everyone from Syria to look. Local broadcasters pronounce it Staunton. So I've for decades. So it was a breath of fresh air to hear it properly spoken. So it's. It's not Staunton. Stanton. Stanton. Stanton. I guess. I don't know. It's last week I don't remember last week. I remember the ode to Billy Joe from 60 years ago. I don't remember last week. Yeah, I don't remember Randy DePaul in fashionable North Bethesda. I do not wash the berries either. Kornheiser Strong. Patrick Thompson, New Orleans. Are we sure the Budapest fan wasn't just a big fan of Walgreens? Brendan Borselli, Lebanon, N.J. did you ever wonder if the people calling you for the loans and the endless spam emails are really the same group behind them both? Not bots or professional scammers, but critters over in the staging ground for the animal revolution, a place we like to call the Little House. Once you've started receiving texts from Soliza about Orioles games, you'll know that the animals have infiltrated. If your phone starts telling you traffic is fine on the Bay Bridge on Saturdays in July, you'll know you're a dead man. Refuse any offers for the best veal in the city for the foreseeable future. And for God's sakes, don't give any driving lessons of folks who can't recite the days of the week in succession. So I keep getting these. Bill Isaacson gets them too.

[Dan Graziano]

Yeah, we all.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Your loan has been approved. Call us here, you know, Stop. Great news. Stop.

[Michael Wilbon]

Stop.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Lane Wilkerson, who's the mayor of the city of Frankfurt. That's Frankfort, Kentucky. That's the capital of Kentucky. Eddie writes. What's capital Kentucky? Frankfurt. That's it. That's the list. Sincerely, the prospective official mayor of the Tony Cornheiser Show. Yes, Frankfurt, Kentucky. I've been to Frankfort, Kentucky. And one more hit my head on the golf cart the other day. Not the first time. Dg, if you're out of your bike tonight, everyone is always do wear white. All right, that's it. Let's roll.

[Dan Graziano]

Hey, let's be careful.

[Sean Tweedley]

I wake up every day, look in the mirror. I rub my father away to make it clearer. I recognize a face. The name escapes me. You live without a trace of ships into the Dead Sea. Don't take it lightly. You look the other way I'll make you find me when it's all said and done. The lessons are stupid. The. If not, I'll settle for your sister or your brother. One day we can run into each other other if I don't settle for your sister or your brother or your father or your mother. Whenever I go out, I bring a sweater outside the caution table. Nothing to see here, you people. I'll go home the second act is over LA wait. 3, 4. Let's talk there's no way around it these are the craziest times. Fate of the fly on the window Staring out Wide open skies why did I feel stuck between here and a hard place aside In a lonely demise oh, On your soul dies Fight to the cold don't worry what for? Find Love 10 is your last day these are craziest times. On your soul Just fight to the core don't worry what for all Find love and it's your last day these are the craziest times.