The Tony Kornheiser Show — "Hominy Hail" (Dec 30, 2025)

Episode Overview

This episode weaves through Tony Kornheiser’s signature mix of sports talk, nostalgia, playful banter, and reflections on modern annoyances. The main themes include the aging of sports legends (with milestone birthdays for Tiger Woods, LeBron James, and Sandy Koufax), the NFL playoff picture, the growing pains of technology in everyday life (especially for older Americans), observations on government processes, and the rituals and foibles of sports fandom. Regulars Michael Wilbon, Bob Ryan, and Chuck Todd participate, with highlight segments on golf (especially Tiger Woods’s future), the NFL/CFB playoff races, and classic debates about sports culture and generational gaps.

Segment Summaries, Insights, and Notable Moments

Golf, Tiger Woods Turns 50, and Senior Tour Speculation

Timestamps: 02:05 – 04:09

• Discussion: Tony opens by reflecting on ESPN's TGL indoor golf series and the ongoing fascination with Tiger Woods, noting today's his 50th birthday.
• Key Insight: Whether Tiger will play senior events now that he’s eligible is debated.
• Wilbon: “If you are the PGA Tour, do you want him playing in senior events? ...you devalue everything you’ve been trying to build up.” (03:00)
• Tony: “If Tiger plays in them, things change, right?” (03:22)
• Banter: Discussion extends to the aging golf viewership and shifting fan demos toward influencer content.
• Quote: “You honestly have a better connection with the nostalgia of watching players from the 90s and early aughts who went against Tiger.” — Michael (03:37)

NFL Playoff Picture & Team Melodrama

Timestamps: 04:09 – 09:11

• Rams’ Troubles: Tony admits his preseason pick of the LA Rams is looking shaky after odd losses.

  • “Here's my problem with the Rams. They keep losing. They lose in odd ways.” (05:15)

• Kirk Cousins & Falcons Rant: Tony excoriates the Falcons' management for sabotaging Cousins with the Michael Penix pick.

  • “This is the Kirk Cousins you hired… and you allowed that to be undercut completely and sabotaged…” (06:01)

• Playoff Scenarios: Confusion reigns over NFC South and wild card tiebreakers—standings are unclear even to seasoned veterans.

  • “How can they be eliminated?” (Tony, 09:03)
  • “The average person has no idea that this is going on.” (Tony, 15:14)

On Technology Frustration: Paying Taxes Electronically

Timestamps: 09:11 – 15:53

• Listener Email: Glenn Winters draws a parallel between Kornheiser’s reluctance to file taxes online and reluctance to adopt new music composition software.

• Tony’s Riff:

  • “I suspect that with tutoring, I could learn how to do this. I suspect. But I don’t want to do it, and I don’t think I should have to do it.” (13:07)
  • He rails against the assumption that everyone should adapt rapidly to electronic filing.
  • Key Quote: “The assumption that everyone has access to computers and cell phones is an erroneous assumption.” (13:50)

• Banter: Michael Wilbon concedes Tony’s point—if a clear notice was given, adoption would be fairer.

Sports Birthdays: Koufax, Tiger, LeBron

Timestamps: 15:53 – 16:37

• Notable Moments: Trio of landmark birthdays: Sandy Koufax (90), Tiger Woods (50), LeBron James (41).
• Tony: “Koufax, LeBron and Tiger, you know, they’re in a category by themselves...” (16:16)

Framing Oddities & Show Banter

Timestamps: 16:37 – 17:44

• Tony shares his plans to frame matchbooks, with playful asides about protecting scheduling and anonymity. (16:37)
• “I have an appointment today at 10 o'clock at Framebridge.” —Tony (16:37)

NFL and College Football Playoff Picks with Chuck Todd and the “Monkey”

Timestamps: 18:29 – 38:43

NFL Playoff Races and Game Lines

• Playoff-implicated NFL games are analyzed (Carolina-Tampa Bay, Seattle-SF, Baltimore-Pittsburgh, etc.)
• Lines and picks are debated with a mix of odds analysis and classic “gut feeling.”
• Wilbon: “I don’t know how you back Tampa here. The way they're playing...” (21:18)
• On Niners: “Every time they're in the playoffs, they're in the NFC title game…” (Michael, 23:29)

Coaching Job Security

• Speculation whether Harbaugh and Tomlin remain head coaches in 2026.
  • “I would take the other side… both kind of past their sell by dates with the organization.” — Wilbon (24:33)

College Football Playoff (CFP) Lines

• Picks for Miami–Ohio State, Oregon–Texas Tech, Alabama–Indiana, Ole Miss–Georgia, etc.
• Narrative Focus: Reputation of Sun Belt vs. “northern” football power (33:36, Michael).
• Wilbon’s CFP Analysis:
  • “This is not going to be a two score game. I don’t think Ohio State’s that much better than Miami.” (29:21)
  • “This dude [DeBoer] in playoffs, you know, he was in the FCS. Look what he did at Washington.” (Wilbon on DeBoer to Alabama, 31:58)

Monkey’s Gambling Picks – Classic Bit

Timestamps: 37:43 – 41:19

• Reginald the Monkey delivers his “picks” via elaborate, absurdist vignettes involving famous athletes and surreal scenarios.
• Notable Gag: “He showed me an old photograph of him in a bobsled with Joe Jacoby, Clint Didier, and Joe Bugle.” (39:07)
• Tony: “If we gave you just Chuck Todd, it would be more than enough. But we give you a monkey.” (37:20)

Music & Show Atmosphere

Timestamps: 17:44, 41:49, closing minutes

• Episode is peppered with tracks from Eric DeLong & the Slappy Boys, drawing spaghetti-western jokes.
• “Eric DeLong and the Slappy Boys — we're just not used to that from them!” (Tony, 18:19)

Bob Ryan Interview: Boston Sports Talk & Culture

Timestamps: 42:11 – 60:13

Patriots’ Turnaround

• Bob Ryan details the dramatic change in the Patriots’ fortunes:
  • “Have you ever seen a turnaround like this?” —Tony (42:57)
  • “Not locally at all, no. Although this league, as you know, is notorious for big one season turnarounds.” —Bob Ryan (42:57)

Belichick’s Post-Coaching Persona

• Notable Quote: “No fool like an old fool. I think that’s the general attitude.” —Bob Ryan (45:57)
• Boston fans find Belichick’s May-December relationship odd.

Statues & Sports Idolatry

• Tony and Bob debate the sense of building statues for sports figures.
• “I'm better with the thing the Yankees do. Not statues, but headstones…” —Tony (48:49)

NBA – Celtics, Foreign-born Players & NBA MVP

• Bob Ryan praises Jaylen Brown’s emergence, and details the transformation of the Celtics’ young contributors.
• Tony spotlights Nikola Jokic’s dominance, noting the MVP run of foreign-born players.
• “We are now having… a legitimate debate… who’s the best American player? ...That would have been unimaginable 20 years ago.” —Bob Ryan (52:22, 53:12)

Iconic Birthdays: Sports Culture Reflection

• December 30 as the birthdate for Koufax, Tiger, LeBron, and even Ben Johnson, the “tarnished” Olympic sprinter.
• “I have been all over this for 15 to 20 years… December 30th is incredible.” —Bob Ryan (54:24)

Nostalgia & Generational Divide

• Reluctance to use self-checkout lines as a statement.
• Bob: “My wife and I, we refuse to do self checkout… It’s taken someone’s job. No, no, I won’t do it.” (59:14)

Listener Mailbag

Timestamps: 60:27 – End

• Topics range from debates over microwave bacon (“Nothing like rendering it, then using the fat…” —Steve, 70:04), Apple updates, electronic taxes, and Subarus.
• A listener offers a meteorology lesson: “Graupel… is different from sleet in that it has a coating of rime ice…” (Alan Gerard, 63:14)
• Pulitzer-worthy signoff: “As always, everyone do wear white… That means everybody just cool out, will you cool out, everybody?” —Tony (72:15)

Memorable Quotes

• “It's all about willingness to pay the price. I have no patience. Learn a new skill in 2026. Then you'll know how.”—Glenn Winters via Tony (12:42)
• “I want to write you a check. Stop.” — Tony on digital taxes (58:59)
• “No fool like an old fool.” — Bob Ryan (45:57)

Highlight Timestamps

• Golf/Tiger Woods Turns 50: 02:05–04:09
• Tony Rants on Rams/Falcons: 04:09–07:33
• Technology/Taxes Rant: 09:11–15:53
• Sports Birthdays Observed: 15:53–16:37, 54:09
• NFL/CFB Picks with Chuck Todd: 18:29–38:43
• Monkey’s Picks: 37:43–41:19
• Bob Ryan Segment: 42:11–60:13
• Listener Mailbag: 60:27–end

Final Notes

The episode features Tony at his most classic: irascible yet sentimental, mixing sharp sports insight, cultural commentary, and lighthearted gripes about the pace of technological change. His rapport with Wilbon, Ryan, Todd, Reginald the Monkey, and the music choices keep the tone lively, unpredictable, and endearing—offering plenty for sports fans and lifelong Littles alike.