“I eat meat, I don’t cook it”

Summary

The Tony Kornheiser Show: “I Eat Meat, I Don’t Cook It” – Episode Summary

Release Date: March 24, 2025
Host: Tony Kornheiser
Guests: Michael Wilbon, Chuck Culpepper

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1. NCAA Tournament Overview

Discussion Highlights:

Tony Kornheiser opens the episode by delving into the current NCAA basketball tournament, focusing on the first two rounds and the overall seeding. The primary contention is the absence of traditional "Cinderella" teams, which historically add unpredictability and excitement to the tournament.

Key Points:

• Seeding Dominance:
  Kornheiser emphasizes the overwhelming presence of major conference teams, specifically the SEC, Big 12, and Big Ten, holding 15 out of the final 16 spots.

  Tony Kornheiser (03:03): "There's not a single Cinderella. Like you could tell me that Arkansas is a Cinderella because they're a 10 or BYU is a Cinderella because they're a 6. I'm going to laugh at you."

• Lack of Underdogs:
  The predictable nature of the tournament this year detracts from its traditional allure, which thrives on unexpected upsets and underdog stories.

• Guest Insights:
  Michael Wilbon and Chuck Culpepper echo Kornheiser’s sentiments, discussing the impact of the transfer portal on team cohesion and the difficulty in maintaining traditional powers in college basketball.

  Chuck Culpepper (18:07): "It's been legislated down by the transfer portal and I guess the transfer portal and NIL. That ultimately kids transfer around so much that the blue bloods, at least for right now, we don't know where this is going."

2. The Legacy of George Foreman

Discussion Highlights:

The show transitions to a heartfelt discussion about the passing of boxing legend George Foreman, reflecting on his multifaceted legacy both inside and outside the ring.

Key Points:

• Boxing Career:
  Kornheiser and Wilbon reminisce about Foreman's achievements, including his Olympic and world championships. They discuss his infamous fight against Muhammad Ali, known as the "Rumble in the Jungle," where Foreman adopted the "rope-a-dope" strategy.

  Tony Kornheiser (06:31): "George Foreman was. Had a second act, was champion a second time, quit when he was 28 years old. Came back when he was in his 40s and became a champion again. Sort of remarkable..."

• Entrepreneurial Success:
  The conversation shifts to Foreman's second career as an entrepreneur with the George Foreman Grill, highlighting how it became more synonymous with his name than his boxing achievements.

  Michael Wilbon (07:10): "The George Foreman grill... Well, entrepreneur."

• Personal Transformation:
  Foreman's personal growth from a controversial figure to a beloved personality is underscored, paralleling the transformation seen in other sports figures like Andre Agassi.

  Tony Kornheiser (07:56): "Foreman was a bad guy. When he first became the champion, nobody liked him. By the end, everybody loved him."

3. Officiating in College Basketball

Discussion Highlights:

Kornheiser critiques the current state of officiating in college basketball, particularly pointing out the minimal calls on walking violations and charges, which he feels diminish the defensive aspect of the game.

Key Points:

• Walking and Charging Calls:
  There's a shared frustration regarding the inconsistent or absent refereeing on walks and charges, leading to a less competitive and more offense-centric game.

  Tony Kornheiser (22:35): "Nobody ever calls a walk... and worse for me, nobody calls a charge."

• Impact on the Game:
  This lack of defensive calls is perceived to make the game less authentic and more similar to sports like football, where officiating frequently influences the flow and outcome.

  Chuck Culpepper (24:05): "This is the legislating of defense out of basketball. To me."

• Possible Reasons:
  Culpepper suggests that changes in officiating standards aim to balance past over-calls, yet the current approach may inadvertently strip the game of its defensive rigor.

  Chuck Culpepper (43:28): "They sort of tweaked the way they viewed that a few years back... more hesitation being in that."

4. Coaching Dynamics and Team Performances

Discussion Highlights:

The episode delves into the influence of legendary coaches like John Calipari, Bill Self, and Rick Pitino on their respective teams, examining their strategies and the challenges posed by evolving team compositions due to player transfers.

Key Points:

• John Calipari’s Strategies:
  The debate centers on Calipari’s decision to bench key players like Lewis despite their performance issues, which some view as malpractice, while others see it as a necessary strategic move.

  Tony Kornheiser (41:23): "He kept his best player out in the last 4 minutes and 56 seconds. I was stunned to hear..."

• Legacy and Influence:
  The discussion highlights how these coaches, stemming from the Bob Knight coaching tree, struggle to maintain greatness in an era dominated by frequent player transfers and short team tenures.

  Chuck Culpepper (30:22): "He's not the only maniac. He's a maniac guy... They are loaded."

• Performance Predictions:
  Predictions about team performances are made, with Calipari’s Arkansas considered a significant contender despite the lack of traditional underdogs.

  Unknown Analyst (45:15): "And you have... This is the first tournament where all the final 16, the sweet 16, are major conferences."

5. Mailbag Highlights

Discussion Highlights:

Tony engages with listener feedback, sharing humorous and insightful comments that reflect the show's diverse audience.

Key Points:

• Listener Brackets and Predictions:
  Fans submit their bracket predictions and humorous takes on the tournament, showcasing the community's engagement and the unpredictable nature of sports fandom.

  Listener Jeff Simpson (51:45): "From Brian Granger in Charlotte... Greg Garcia, Channel Carville and Louise Gluck and pick whatever rhymes."

• Personal Stories and Humor:
  The mailbag includes light-hearted anecdotes and playful critiques, adding a personal and relatable touch to the episode.

  Listener Tom (57:21): "I feel it. The Hawkeyes are gonna win it all. They're not in the tournament."

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• On Lack of Cinderella Teams:

  Tony Kornheiser (03:03): "There's not a single Cinderella... The SEC actually has seven of the top 16."

• On George Foreman’s Legacy:

  Tony Kornheiser (07:36): "I eat meat. I don't cook it."

• On Officiating Issues:

  Tony Kornheiser (22:35): "Nobody ever calls a walk... and worse for me, nobody calls a charge."

• On Coaching Challenges:

  Chuck Culpepper (18:07): "It's been legislated down by the transfer portal..."

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Conclusion

In this episode, Tony Kornheiser and his guests provide a comprehensive analysis of the NCAA tournament's current landscape, lamenting the predictability due to the dominance of major conferences and the scarcity of underdogs. The passing of George Foreman serves as a poignant reminder of the multifaceted legacies athletes can leave behind. Additionally, the ongoing debate about officiating standards highlights a broader conversation about maintaining the integrity and competitive spirit of college basketball. Through engaging discussions and listener interactions, the episode offers a deep dive into the evolving dynamics of sports, coaching, and athletic performance.

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Note: All timestamps correspond to the moments within the provided transcript and are intended to guide listeners to specific segments of interest.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey, it's Tony. On today's show, we'll talk to Michael Wilbon to get his thoughts on the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, as well as the passing of George Foreman. And we'll talk more college hoops with Chuck Culpepper, who was at the Pitino Calipari game on Saturday. But first, commerce. This is the Hyundai Reid. With over 120 IIHS top safety awards since 2006, Hyundai helps keep you safe on the road. Picture yourself going for a drive. What comes to mind? Potholes. Lane splitting, bikers sleep, sleepy truck drivers, red light runners, distracted pedestrians crossing the road where they shouldn't. Yeah, sometimes it feels like the road is out to get you. But thankfully, Hyundai's available advanced safety technology is designed to help keep you protected against the many challenges the road throws your way. With available class exclusive advanced safety features, Hyundai's are designed to help you enjoy your journey with confidence, style and above all, safety. We put your safety first, everything else second. You can change lanes with much more confidence thanks to the available Blind Spot view monitor, which actually shows you a live video feed of your blind spots. The standard forward collision avoidance assist can help prevent or mitigate accidents by alerting you of an imminent collision and automatically applying the brakes if you don't. Your Hyundai is equipped with a standard driver attention warning system which constantly monitors your attention levels. Once detected, it sounds alerts and visual cues help bring your focus back on the road. Learn more About Hyundai@Hyundai USA.com Call 562-314-4603 for complete details.

[Unknown Announcer]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Unknown Announcer]

The Tony Kornheiser show is on now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, Illinois. Kentucky. Ucla. Okay, Houston. Gonzaga. Gonzaga will try their best, but the.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Bulldogs won't have a hero. Houston is as sure to win as I am to always be.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Chuck and Roxy, number zero. Okay, Clemson. High Point Tony, I'll take high point would upset my blue plate double play.

[Chuck Culpepper]

And that's straight from the mouth of.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Nolan's own T boy. Laughter light.

[Unknown Announcer]

The Tony Kornizer show is on now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right, so let's catch up after the first weekend. Phil's mom. Louisville went out first. Went out early. Louisville out first game. So who had St. John's anybody have St. John's to win?

[Unknown Analyst]

Yes. Greg Garcia.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's out. That's tough.

[Michael Wilbon]

By the way stuff as we speak of Greg.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I. Greg, I know you got something wrong with Greg.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yes, I did not speak up. We talked about people that have won this vaunted tournament twice.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We thought Pat40 and Spike Braun.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yes, but. But Greg Garcia has also won two.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's going to be tough to win this year if you have St. John.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's going to be tough to get three.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's going to be tough. Yeah. What does everybody else have? Michaels. Anybody? Everybody else.

[Unknown Analyst]

Reginald is in the lead and I think now you're starting to look forward to max points that remain. So he does not have the highest max remaining.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right.

[Unknown Analyst]

We're looking at a lot of DU picks. So Sean Sherry was leading through the first couple rounds.

[Tony Kornheiser]

What about Sands? Sands had to sweat that one out. Sans took seven steps still made a shot walking. Yeah.

[Unknown Analyst]

Made a shot crab walking to the next round.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. So they're in the he those he was involved with that because Colorado State.

[Unknown Analyst]

It was setting up for another Maryland last second loss.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Which they do all the time out.

[Unknown Analyst]

Go for the three to win to.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Do all the time. You know they got a coach who.

[Unknown Analyst]

Sort just wants a practice center kicked.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Out the AD and he says a lot of things have to change if you want to keep me. And had he lost that game they would have said there's the door pal. You know, don't let it hit you on the way through.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I will just start by saying this, that the seating committee did a great job. The 16 teams that are left, there's not a single Cinderella. Like you could tell me that Arkansas is a Cinderella because they're a 10 or BYU is a Cinderella because they're a 6. I'm going to laugh at you get from major conferences. Big east has nobody left. ACC has. These were the two greatest leagues in the country for 20 years. The ACC and the Big East. Big east has nobody. The ACC has one team, Duke. The SEC has seven of their 14 in the final 16. So anybody. I will have Wilbur on a little bit but anybody who wants to say that The SEC didn't live up to it would simply be wrong. They've got seven out of the last 16. The Big 12 has four. Arizona counts as a Big 12 school even though it's their first year. BYU, a Big 12 school. The Big Ten has four. Maryland, Michigan State, Michigan and Purdue. Michigan, really exciting game and they won that game on Saturday to get there. Purdue without Zach Edie has gone further than. They've gone with Zach Edie a couple of times. You can't name anybody on Purdue and they've gone further. So there's no Cinderellas. There's no one to root for. There's no underdog. There's just no underdog. It detracts to me from the sort of sociological allure of the tournament that there's always an underdog. That the first weekend there are all these upsets and there weren't. There were some. There were.

[Unknown Analyst]

Does that make it harder for the selection committee to try and make the tournament interesting with some other narratives, you know, regional, big school versus small school to try and make.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I mean, it doesn't happen all the time.

[Unknown Analyst]

You're not going to have chaos.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, it doesn't happen all the time. It's happening more. It will happen more and more as conferences get larger and larger and the big schools go to the same conferences. But I mean, they got 16 out of 16 from major conferences from four and only one from the ACC. So 15 out of 16 from the SEC, the Big 12 and the Big 10. I mean, that. That makes for. It's probably great for Wilbon because he's a Big Ten guy, but for the rest of us, it's. It's really not all that good. We'll get to all of that with Chuck Culpepper and with Will Bond. Don't worry about that. I should mention George Foreman passing away on Friday, maybe.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, I think it was Friday.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I will ask Mike about that. George Foreman was. Had a second act, was champion a second time, quit when he was 28 years old. Came back when he was in his 40s and became a champion again. Sort of remarkable, but I think most people would say that the most. And he was an Olympic champion as well as a world champion. The most famous fight he was ever in, he lost. He lost Ali. It was the rope a dope.

[Michael Wilbon]

It was at the Rumble in the Jungle.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I think so, Yeah. I think that was the Rumble in the Jungle. Was that in Zaire? Yes, that was a year. And that's the most famous fight he was ever in. I watched a Lot.

[Unknown Analyst]

You're gonna bring up the grill. Yeah, the lean, mean grill.

[Michael Wilbon]

The George Foreman grill.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

Well, entrepreneur.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's how millions, many more people know of George Foreman through the grill than through his boxing. Yes, many more.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The grill was an enormous success. It put lines on your food. So you thought it was on an actual grill, but it wasn't. It was a little thing pressed together. Yeah. Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

Made him a lot of money, though.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Good for him.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hundreds of millions of dollars.

[Michael Wilbon]

Can I just say, I had never seen. I guess maybe a long time ago, I'd forgotten about it, the film of.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Him with Frasier and down goes Frasier. He. I mean, this is just best call.

[Michael Wilbon]

It really is this brilliant call. That was Joe Frazier. He's a champion in his own right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. But he was also 5:10 or 5:11. And Foreman was a big man.

[Michael Wilbon]

I mean, he just knocks him around.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Foreman was a bad guy. When he first became the champion, nobody liked him. By the end, everybody loved him.

[Michael Wilbon]

Everybody loved him. Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He had changed utterly. Sort of like Andre Agassi had changed completely. Became a much nicer person, better, more approachable person, Lovely person by the end. Whereas at the beginning of his career. Not so much. Yeah, not so much. So I watched a lot of the golf. The Valspar, which I think is named for a paint can. I think that's Paint Valspar. Didn't that used to be in New Orleans? The Valspar, now it's in Florida.

[Unknown Analyst]

Yeah. This tournament has always been in Florida, but you might be. Sponsors might have changed around with it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So for the first two days of the tournament, there's nobody you've ever heard of on the leaderboard? Seriously, nobody like nobody you've ever heard of. By the end of Saturday, you have two people you have heard of. You have heard of Justin Thomas and you've heard of Victor Hovland. Justin Thomas is going to win this tournament. He shoots 65 on Saturday and he's going to shoot 64 or 65 on Sunday and he's going to win. He's up two shots with three to go. He's playing great. He's going to win and he doesn't win. And with somebody like Justin Thomas, who is a two time major champion, he's won two PGA's. When he has two bogeys of the last three holes, that's a gag, right, Michael? That's a gag.

[Unknown Analyst]

Yes. I would say for this, you'd say he has the pedigree where he should run away with this.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right. He's got he had two bad tee shots, could not recover on 16 and 18. Two bad tee shots. Victor Hovland birdied 16 with a spectacular second shot and birdied 17.

[Unknown Analyst]

Big win for Aimpoint and took the lead.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Took the lead. Those. Those people make his shirts. Who makes his shirts?

[Unknown Analyst]

Oh, that's.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't like.

[Unknown Analyst]

Yeah, no. Aim point's just a style of putting that has been attacked for being one of the contributors to slow play.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, okay. Well, what about the shirts?

[Unknown Analyst]

That. Was it Jay Lindbergh or.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't know. I'm not crazy about his shirts. Victor Hovland. But Victor Hovland performed like he is a champion. He's a great player. Yeah. Hasn't won a major yet, but he's kid. It's the oddest thing. He's a pro from Norway. Like, how many days can you play in Norway?

[Michael Wilbon]

It's a quick season.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's really a quick season. So he went to Oklahoma State. Yeah.

[Unknown Analyst]

And had a lot of success with the usam. Jay Lindenberg is the shirt maker that you were thinking of. But you have to sort of rewind and wonder, why are two of these household names playing in this event? They're both trying to get back into form and trying to play their way back to form.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Justin Thomas hadn't won since PGA three.

[Unknown Analyst]

Years ago, and Victor Hovland is admittedly a swing sort of a geek, where he goes down the rabbit hole into YouTube golf instruction. He's had a famous split with his former golf instructor twice now. So he is clearly searching for something.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, he doesn't have to look far for the check because he did that. That was probably a million dollars that he. Yeah. I mean, and he played very, very well. He's. He's worthy. He's worthy. But Justin Thomas is supposed to win that tournament.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Supposed to win that tournament. So. All right, that. So, I mean, my.

[Unknown Analyst]

You know, sometimes you find ways to watch afternoon golf on the weekend when there's much. And I. I just find it well.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Because when I switched around, it was. First of all, I switched to commercials.

[Unknown Analyst]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And second of all, the games were maybe out of hand. They were not going to be close.

[Unknown Analyst]

And they had. They had an interesting balance where it felt like they. They were definitely putting the games later yesterday. There's more. The evening starts. Duke was the end of the morning wave.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is my objection. My objection is on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, they only gave you one game. You had to watch the one game and in the evening, then you flipped around two and three channels Two and three games at a time. I think you should do that in the afternoon to give people a chance to see something other than a game that may be out of hand. It just may not be the world's greatest game or you may not even like the game. Right. You know, but we're in that. We're in a situation where I give a lot of credit to the people in the seating, you know, who invited the teams and seeded the teams. But again, you know, 1, 2, 3, 4. Who's. Who's outside the four? BYU is a six, Arkansas is a ten, Mississippi is a six or a seven. Is there anybody else outside the top four? Maybe there are. I'm just not looking at it. So you got Duke is a 1. Again, Mississippi is probably outside. Arkansas is outside, but Kentucky is a 3, Arizona is a 4, Houston is a 1, Texas Tech is a 3, BYU is a 6, Maryland is a 4, Michigan State is a 2. Michigan, I thought was a 3, but they might be a 6 and I don't.

[Michael Wilbon]

And Purdue, I think, is a. Michigan's a five.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah. And Purdue is a four.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So this is what I'm saying. Yeah. I mean, they're really.

[Michael Wilbon]

Arkansas. Is that. Is that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, is a 10.

[Michael Wilbon]

Is a 10. But.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But Arkansas has John Calipari. We're going to talk to Chuck Culpepper about that at length. So to me, you don't. You certainly don't have a Cinderella. You certainly don't have a Cinderella here. And, you know, this is not like a St. Peter's this is not like a VCU. This is not like a Florida golf course. This is not anything like often, if not regularly, you get in the Sweet 16, the first round of the Sweet 16, you get somebody that's exciting and you want to root for. They're out by the eighth. But that's what it's about.

[Michael Wilbon]

And it's great for them because you have all week as that school to sort of get excited, be happy with what you've done. The anticipation for that game, even if you lose in that match.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Did you see a picture yesterday? It was either in the. I think it was in the Baylor game. Baylor, Duke game, Baylor. Of the four guys who played last year at Baylor, like a starter at Baylor, a starter at Duke, a starter at, I think Alabama and a starter at Maryland. They all played in that. You know, those academies right, where they claim they teach, you know, Greek and Greek history. No, they don't teach anything. They teach basketball. That's why you're. If you're good enough to go to that place. You're good enough to play pro somewhere.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And so who's kidding who? What are you doing? What. What point is there to take biology? There's no point, you know, and I don't, I don't begrudge them that. And all of those people. Cooper Flagg was on that team. Queen was on that team. It's two others and they're, you know, they're starting and starting with tremendous impact right away.

[Unknown Analyst]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But in terms of romance. No, there's. Right. Don't you feel that way? Not a lot of romance.

[Unknown Analyst]

Yeah.

And I just wonder, going forward, because of the portal, are all these moves happening a year or two before you'd actually see those teams develop some sort of sense of identity that would lead to the upsets?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Very rare that a team stays together. Oh yeah, very rare. I mean, lower level team might stay together, but then if they got a couple of good players, they'll be poached by upper level teams. All right, we'll get out of here. We will get Michael Wilbon when we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Unknown Analyst]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

18 bus dancing supply yeah, sure thing. Hey, you sold that car yet? Yeah, sold it to Carvana.

[Unknown Announcer]

Oh, I thought you were selling to that guy.

[Unknown Analyst]

The guy who wanted to pay me.

[Tony Kornheiser]

In foreign currency, no interest over 36 months. Yeah, no.

[Unknown Analyst]

Carvana gave me an offer in minutes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Picked it up and paid me on the spot.

[Unknown Analyst]

It was so Convenient, just like that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yep. No hassle. None. That is super convenient. Convenient.

[Unknown Announcer]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

Pick up.

[Unknown Announcer]

These may apply.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is the Tony Kornheiser show. These are the Babblers. Yes, we've played them before. This is a song called Together Forever. What makes the Babblers interesting? They're from Finland. They're a Finnish guitar pop super group. They got an April 25th CD coming out called like the First Time. It's a new version of something they, you know, they released years ago, but was only played in Japan and Finland. And you can interview the band's guy, Ardo Tamermin. You can interview him in English, which would be better for us because Finnish as we know, Suomi, we don't really understand it. Yes, we're grateful to the Babblers for their music they play in Michael Wilbon. There's a few things that I think we have to talk about. If you watched a lot of the big basketball. One is a sort of technicality of the. What has now become endless replays. It's like football now. These games last so many hours. We can talk about that. We have to talk a little bit about George Foreman. But let us start with something. I don't know if you feel the same way that I feel. And my expectations for the tournament are similar to yours. The people who seeded this tournament did a great job. There are no Cinderellas. There's nobody. If you came in rooting for a team, okay. But if you did not and you wanted to pick up a team, it is remarkable. The SEC actually has seven of the top 16. They were seated to have six. Big 12 has four, Big 10 has four, ACC, one ACC and Big East. I said this at the top of the show. They were the best basketball tournaments, best basketball conferences in the country for 20 years. Big east has nobody. ACC has one team. What are your thoughts about the lack of Cinderella?

[Chuck Culpepper]

Well, Tony, I think they've. It's been legislated down by the transfer portal and I guess the transfer portal in nil. That the. That ultimately kids transfer around so much that the blue bloods, at least for right now, we don't know where this is going.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Too short a time, right, to tell. They have. They have gained at some point the best players. And so now you. You actually have. You get. You got a few teams that are going about it without one and done. And they've actually got experienced teams. They've got some grad students.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They've got, yeah.

[Chuck Culpepper]

You know, multiple players.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Houston. Houston has a lot of older guys.

[Chuck Culpepper]

So those teams are loaded. They're just. They're loaded. And they've got the best talent right now. Again, don't know. You know, don't I. It's hard to sort of make absolute decisions on this because I don't think any of those teams that I'm looking at that you're talking about are great.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I agree.

[Chuck Culpepper]

I don't.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I agree.

[Chuck Culpepper]

I don't think any of them are great. And so. So how can both things be true? They're not great because still not enough players nationally stay in one place and play together to be great. So I don't see any, you know, 1990 UNLV teams or 1985 Georgetown.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Duke could be great. Two years from now, they could be the greatest team of all time, but it's not going to happen.

[Chuck Culpepper]

That's right. But they're not right. Exactly. So I'm watching it, and I'm sort of wistful, of course, but also thinking from a real basketball standpoint, there's nobody great that I'm watching. And I think we all like to sort of watch greatness. And I'm like, okay, you know, I gotta walk. I gotta rock and roll with this, because this is what we have right now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So. And I'm not saying there weren't some great games.

[Chuck Culpepper]

The Yukon game, some great game.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yukon game was a great game. The Michigan game was a great game. The Maryland, Colorado State. These were great games. Yeah, they were great games, but you know what I'm saying.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Now I'm looking at 16 teams. And honest, and I don't want to say this, but I don't really care that much because it seems predictable. Right? Seems predictable.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Yeah. Yeah. And in the first couple of days, you know, you had. I did pick McNeese State. I actually had them beat Clemson because I think Clemson was any good. And I had Drake winning, which was an 11 seed. So there, you know, the Cinderellas have to actually go beyond the first. They have to go beyond one round.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They got to go to the 16.

[Chuck Culpepper]

So you get George Mason.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Chuck Culpepper]

At some point. And so McNeese and Drake were two of those schools as an 11 and a 12 that actually had the makings of it. But it, you know, couldn't sustain it. Couldn't sustain it through the weekend. So, again, Tony, I don't know what it means. I think we'd have to have more data. We're going to have to, you know, live with it longer and see how it plays out. Which Means now, you know, three seasons, probably three marches with real. You know how there was a kid on McNe State who they. He played four different places.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, four years. Yeah, yeah.

[Chuck Culpepper]

And you're like, really? This is what it is.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And so they're pros.

[Chuck Culpepper]

You going in. One of the reasons why I didn't care as much is I didn't know there's no affiliation that everybody's rebranded every year. And for, for us, you know, that means nothing to somebody like my son who's 17 and it was like what he did. What are you talking about? Well, you know what I'm talking about.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Absolutely.

[Chuck Culpepper]

But it doesn't mean anything. Probably anybody under 27, 28 and in three years, 20, so they're going to be 30. And if it means nothing to the people who are then consuming the product, it means nothing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I agree with that. It leaves me longing for, you know, something that I used to have, but it will sort itself out at some point. What about this other thing? The two things stand out to me about officiating and I'm not an anti officiating guy. I'm really not. I think that's a very hard job. And I think mostly they do a good job. Nobody ever calls a walk. Derek Queen took 10 steps. Nobody ever calls a charge. These guys are in perfect defensive position and everything is a block. And then you go to the table for an hour and a half. Do you feel like I feel about this? Yeah.

[Chuck Culpepper]

And we have to. It's every sport. I mean, they do this. They do this on NFL Sundays. They do this on NBA whatever nights, Saturdays and Sundays. So Gene Steerator was on the set with, you know, with, with Ernie and Charles and Clark. And I forget whether Kenny was. Yeah, Kenny was on last night at that point. And you know, they were talking about the Maryland kid and the traveling and Charles said okay, but the thing is, in real time I was not offended by what happened because people are calling up and going crazy on Internet, but they've seen it 22 times in 4K on an 85 inch television, which is a brilliant point that Charles makes. And he's like, in real time, was there an advantage gained? I'm not feeling it in real time now, now that I've seen it that many times in 4K and 85 inches. Yeah, I know. You could have called travel. Yeah, it's a great point. It's, it's a, it's a. I'm sitting there first thinking, oh, that's a travel. And then when Charles says that I'M thinking he's got a really good point here.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And I don't mind that as much, Mike.

[Chuck Culpepper]

That's what it gives us tone.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't mind. I don't mind the walking as much as I mind. You can't get a charge anymore. These kids are there, they're in position, they get hit.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Yeah, but they don't want. See, you're offended by that. I'm offended by NFL Sunday with no defense because you can't hit Tom Brady.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, okay. Well, this is. This is.

[Chuck Culpepper]

By that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is the legislating of defense out of basketball. To me.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, to me.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Out of all sports. Out of all sports, Tony, they took the defensive shift out of baseball.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Chuck Culpepper]

No sport wants that. They want every game to be, you know, an offensive showcase. This is not. This is not arguable.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You get that? I'm just saying that if you are a coach and you teach a kid to take a charge and he sells out and takes it, and then the officials immediately go, both hands on the hips, always block, and you go, no, it's not a block. It's not.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Again, I see. It's funny you feel that way about this. And I'm constantly screaming at you on Sundays.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I know.

[Chuck Culpepper]

What do you. What do you mean? That's 15 yards because you hit Brett far. What are you talking about?

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, I know.

[Chuck Culpepper]

So you know, first of all, yes, I hear you. And I'm not only am I not disagreeing with you, I'm signing off and co. Signing on what you're saying 1000%. It's every sport and it's by design.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know, you're probably right. Now, in baseball, I would disagree because I would say that that defensive shift was egregious. It was too much. It was.

[Chuck Culpepper]

But okay. But the point is, in every sport, the fathers of that sport, a legislating pro office defensively is too much.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, you're right. Yeah, you're right. All right, George Foreman. George Foreman. Your thoughts on George. It's too. We're not. I don't think we would do. Happy trails today, cuz it's four days out. But your thoughts on Foreman and that and the fact that he remade his career, he remade his personality, made a bunch of money with the grill, and still the most famous fight he was ever in. He lost.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Yeah. Yes, he was, Tony. I watched. So I was trying to explain again in my house, who George Foreman was in the context of heavyweight boxing, going back to when all These people were 18 years old, and I was explaining to them. Well, Floyd Patterson begat Ali, who begat Foreman, who begat. You know. And I was trying to explain the sort of lineage of this and how famous these people were at the time. At the time they did what they did. And George, who was. George was on the way to being Sonny Liston Part 2.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He was a terrible human being for a while.

[Chuck Culpepper]

He was on the way to being that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, you're right.

[Chuck Culpepper]

And then he wasn't.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right.

[Chuck Culpepper]

He wasn't. Because of a grill. It's unbelievable. I don't grill. I've never grilled anything. I eat meat. I don't cook it. Okay.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Chuck Culpepper]

So I don't. That doesn't have any. Any meaning to me personally, but it has plenty of meaning to me historically, because I watched George Foreman. So last night, there's. There's the clips that I. I would send you all this stuff, except you're on no social media, so you can't actually receive it. There's a clip of. Is it. It's. I guess it's Foreman and Ernie Shape and Shavers.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Maybe.

[Chuck Culpepper]

There'S a round. And everybody thinks that the one round between Hearns and Hagler is the greatest whatever, first two rounds ever. No, no, no, no, no. It's not even close to a fight where Foreman. Is it Ron Lyle, they knock each other down onto the canvas in a heap where both of them appear to be deceased in the round, heavyweights pounding each other. There's no way that fight gets beyond a minute and a half in today's world of boxing, whatever's left of it. And these guys hit it. I'm gonna have to have someone show it to you so you can. Because here's what. I know what your reaction is gonna be. Your reaction is gonna be, my God, this happened.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I am unfamiliar with it. My favorite George Foreman moment of all time was when he won the Olympics and he carried the little American flag around the ring. And then he became a terrible person. And then he became a good person. He had a lot of changes. He had a lot of changes.

[Chuck Culpepper]

He did. And he was. The career played out over so many.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Years in his 50s.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Listen, we are so. Look, I understand that the reasons that the great Howard Cosell, who we love dearly and you knew.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I knew that.

[Chuck Culpepper]

The reasons Cosell himself bailed on boxing. I understand. I get it. It was barbaric and there were a million reasons to have to curtail it and.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But it's the best.

[Chuck Culpepper]

It was. We are so much less. As sports fans and as Consumers of sports. Because there's no boxing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. To put it back in the Olympics, at least.

[Chuck Culpepper]

You know what, Tony? I'm talking about prize fighting.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Really, it's gone. It's gone. And it's been placed by this animalistic nonsense. Much worse. Much worse.

[Chuck Culpepper]

And so Foreman was at the center of this thing. I mean, the highlights of Ali talking about why he went into rope a dope and imitating George Foreman lifting Ali off the ground with these punches from the moon. It's so. It's so priceless, and yet people don't know what it is.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No.

[Chuck Culpepper]

They want to talk about legislating.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's been canceled. It's been. Boxing's been canceled. It's simple.

[Chuck Culpepper]

And so George Foreman, who gave us. Let me ask you something. How many sports have given us Muhammad Ali and George Foreman at the same time in overlap?

[Tony Kornheiser]

And Joe Frazier. And Joe Frazier.

[Chuck Culpepper]

And Joe Frazier same time. Speaking of Frazier in that lineage.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Because.

[Chuck Culpepper]

By the way, so. So it was Ali in 60, Frazier in 64. Format in 68.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Mexico City, 72. I don't know. I think there was probably was ray Leonard in 72. That was 76. That was Montreal, so I don't know, 72. So, look, I'm gonna get you out of here. I need to ask you one thing. I need to ask you this thing. Who is this maniac coach at Illinois? Who is this guy?

[Chuck Culpepper]

He's one of. He's not the only maniac. He's a maniac guy. So is Fran. What's his name at Iowa.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But he's out. Yeah, Fran McCaffrey.

[Chuck Culpepper]

He's out. But he's just out. He's just out. A minute and a half. These guys get on the floor because they are. They're from the school of Bob Knight.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Wow.

[Chuck Culpepper]

That's the bad thing. That Bob Knight, wow. He begat some great. Bob Knight also gave the world, you know, great coaching and great teams and passing and teamwork like you've never seen. And he also gave the world, you know, the coach at Iowa formerly and the coach at Illinois who do this thing that just wears you out. And you wish someone.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You're looking at this guy.

[Chuck Culpepper]

I have said to people, coaches that I'm close with, I have said to them, I would just walk out on the floor at the end of the anthem. I would walk over to each one of them in a game where they were facing off. Now, I'll say, hey, you guys, let's meet at half court for a second while they were still cordial and I was like, here's the deal. You got a tech and you got a tech.

[Tony Kornheiser]

One more, you're out. Yeah, the 20.

[Chuck Culpepper]

We would be. So who's the guy who. What NBA ref from years gone by? I was gonna say Mindy Rudolph, but not Mindy Rudolph.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Who.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Who was so honorary they would have done that?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I have. No. I mean, there are some.

[Chuck Culpepper]

I guess college doesn't have that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, they used to. They don't anymore. It's just. No, no, they. You need a referee who stands up there like hockey in football and says, really?

[Chuck Culpepper]

Yeah, really.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Because this guy's screaming, who was.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Who was that that said once 15 yards for giving him the business. I mean, you would just.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, you would just.

[Chuck Culpepper]

You would. You would go to the screen. You would look into the screen now and say, the coach from Illinois is a fool. And people are going to say, okay, you signaling the guy because he's your rival. No, I'm not, actually. I just mentioned the Iowa guy. You could say they're both rivals. No screaming, I'll take it. And this is what they do. And it's like, no, no, no, no, we don't. Why don't we legislate that out?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it's no good. All right, I'll talk to you later. Have a good day. All right, Tom Michael Wilbon, boys and girls. We'll take a break. Chuck Culpepper will join us when we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

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[Unknown Performer]

I feel it. The Hawkeyes are gonna win it all. They're not in the tournament. Iowa City is gonna be a ball. They're not in the field. Kevin K. Will lead the Hawkeye guy. I feel it. The Hawkeyes are gonna win the prize. BJ Armstrong will lead the Hawkeye group. Pass the loose. Garza standing by the hoops. He'll flip to Don Nelson, then over to Fred Brown, then back to Ronnie Lester from downtown. Can't wait to see the Hawkeyes storm through the feet. Their obvious talents will soon be revealed.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The season's over.

[Unknown Performer]

Champagne ready? Have no fear. Done. The Hawkeyes are go win it all this year. You're out of your gourd. You think they actually have a chance?

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's brilliant. Tan burns. Totally brilliant. Recreates all of these people who played at Iowa.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He must have grown up in the Midwest, right? He must have grown up.

[Michael Wilbon]

I think he must have. I'm not sure where his.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He wouldn't know all of these people if he hadn't grown. That's just brilliant. It plays in so good. Plays in Charlie. He writes, can't compete with Garcia. What a tour de force that was. This might be fun. Anyway. Plays in Chuck Culpepper. You know, I was just on the line with Will Bond, and I'm going to talk to you at some point about the fact that nobody calls walks and worse for me, nobody calls charges. We'll get to that. You were in a spot where three coaches, Bill Self, John Calipari and Rick Pitino were. And it's the only spot in the NCAA is this year where coaches dominated over players. You would not say that about any other place. What. What were your thoughts about all of them and ultimately your thoughts about Calipari beating in succession as an underdog? Self and Patino, two of the only three people who are active coaches to have more than one national championship. The other is Danny Hurley, who just got it in the last hour and a half. Right. So what are your thoughts on that?

[Unknown Analyst]

I thought that it was a kind of a throwback in a way to where coaches were stars. And then we. I don't know, along the line, when Williams and Chefsky and. And Wright, you know, and so on behalf, left the sport, you know, we. That kind of became a little less true. I think coaches in general, maybe to the public that follows, only casually became less familiar with the coaches in general. But here Were three in one place who are still known, you know, ages 72, 66 and 62. And you know, between them I think they had 17 final fours. And then as for Calipari, I think he's had one of the most confusing careers to figure out. Some of his UMass teams in the early 90s, mid-90s, were exquisitely coached and the way they played, you know, I think of the two, two guards they had one year, Trevieso and Padilla, and you know, they were just magnificent to watch it and played so hard. And then some teams that he's had, you know, in recent years, he had gotten all the way to 20, 25 while having coached Kentucky before Arkansas and had won only one tournament game this decade.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Unknown Analyst]

So here he comes. Here he comes with this 10 seed which has had a bumpy year. Started off the SEC, 05 injuries, all of it. And in some ways maybe it was the best role for him. Maybe he likes being the outsider in some, in some ways and boy, and the way they played was just. They. They care about their coach, I tell you that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

What a terrible looking sport jacket. Oh my God. Was that. That a technical foul just for wearing that thing? Right. A lot of people were saying that it was just awful looking. On the other hand, he. John Calipari is not well liked by his peers. He is not. I'm not saying that Bill Self is or that Rick Pitino is. John Calipari is not. I thought he behaved admirably with both of those guys and there was nothing he did that could call attention to himself in a negative way. Or am I wrong on that?

[Unknown Analyst]

No, I think that's just right. I think. And I think he had a whole. Through the, you know, it was in Providence. And the whole air he carried was one of gratitude and gratefulness. And I think, you know, I think he's. I've wondered this since the game on Saturday. It was so intense in there. In some ways the team's trying too hard and you know, if there's such a thing. 4 for 41 from 3 point shooting, the combined, the worst ever in a tournament game. And I've wondered if. And you could tell it meant a lot to, I think to both coaches and Pitino just looked distraught afterward and actually felt bad for him. And then, and then I wondered if Calipari, you know, when he, when he's by himself, if he's just, you know, ecstatic over this.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Gloating and I would think probably.

[Unknown Analyst]

Gloating, right?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I would think so. I mean that's you just beat two guys in a row who got two of these things. Come on. It doesn't happen. You don't get that opportunity. That game, the St. John's Arkansas game was a terrible performance of shooting and a great game. Chuck. It's a great game, right?

[Unknown Analyst]

Yes, yes, yes. At one point, I was. My friend sitting next to me said, why are you looking up. I was looking up the painting Guernica by Picasso.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Unknown Analyst]

And that's how it kind of looked. That game, you know, it just. The effort and the energy and the. You know, it wasn't a war. I'm not saying that. But, you know, it was just the energy and the effort that they were giving was just of another level.

[Tony Kornheiser]

How did St. John's win all those games? If this is how they shoot, how do they win these games? I mean, they are known as a terrible shooting team. This was not an aberration. Right.

[Unknown Analyst]

And this was the thing that was always going to trip them up at some point, you know, and people were to win it or putting them in the final four. This was the biggest pause you had to have while doing that was to say, well, they don't. They don't shoot very well. And that. That's odd because, you know, Pitino, he invented the three. Having these great. Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

In Providence, I imagine. I shouldn't. Let's say, I imagine. How was he received in Providence? I would think like a hero.

[Unknown Analyst]

Well, I think the removal of St. John's from the tournament, the exit, is a little bit sad because it was this sort of fresh sound. You know, they haven't been good for a while, and you could just feel sort of the starvation he had through the years in their sound. You know, it was a very pro St. John's audience, you know, almost a home game in some ways. And he is just. I mean, they are so grateful to him and so excited about this that I think it's kind of a bit of a bummer that they're not still adding this kind of energy they brought to the tournament. They are completely enthralled with him and grateful to him.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So let us talk about what he did. He kept his best player out in the last 4 minutes and 56 seconds. I was stunned to hear Steve Lapis, who won, I don't know, 15, 20 games as a coach at some point over his career, say, I can't believe Patino's not in the game, that he didn't put Lewis into the game. And you don't hear that coach on coach. You don't hear that. And I heard that. And that seems to have a certain amount of legs. Jalen Rose said it. I don't know why, the day after. But he said it the day after. What were your thoughts on that in the moment? And let me just provide this background for people. Rick Patino is a New York boy. He would have known the John Starks game. And starks was like 3 for 18 or 3 for 19 and hurt the Knicks terribly in a playoff game. And he might have said, look, my kid doesn't have it tonight. He just doesn't have it, and I'm keeping him out. What were your thoughts on it?

[Unknown Analyst]

I think that's exactly what he did. Lewis was 3 for 17.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Unknown Analyst]

And I think, you know, I have colleagues I admire very much who thought it was coaching malpractice, but I sort of say in that situation, it's not working, and you gotta try, you know, fiddle around and try something. And I don't know, maybe that would have been the case where a certain combination on the floor near the end, or maybe a surprise player, which happens sometimes in the tournament, somebody comes in and does something. Wow. You know, so I didn't have that much of an issue with it because not only was it a 3 for 17, but it looked like a desperate one. It looked like a loss.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, for three from three. Not close. Not close to it, right? Yeah. I'm glad you feel that way. All right, let me get to this other thing. You watching these games live, they go to the table for hours at a time. It becomes a college football game. It takes so long. Nobody calls a walk. No. But worse to me, nobody calls a charge. These kids are in perfect position. And the ref immediately, no matter what happens, both hands on the hips, block. See you go to the line. What is going on with this?

[Unknown Analyst]

Well, they sort of tweaked the way they viewed that a few years back. I'm trying to remember exactly when. But, you know, to. Because they were, in some. In some sense, there were complaints that people had. The referees had gone, you know, over the edge the other way with calling the charge.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Unknown Analyst]

So I think now I like the fact that they do seem to allow more contact and let it. And let it go by on those particular situations and, you know, without just, you know, calling the charge right away. So I think there's more. Maybe there's more hesitation being in that. Being put into that right now. And I think. Yeah, I think. I think the game, to me, that there were a lot of cheap charge calls. Through the years that, that it was good to get rid of.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. From what you've seen, and you were isolated in one particular region, from what you've seen over the course of the year, is there a team you say to yourself, this is the team. That won't surprise me if they win.

[Unknown Analyst]

Well, obviously Duke is the best, has the best roster, I think. But if you look through everybody who's, who's in there right now, Florida is a hip pick to win. They were in real trouble yesterday.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Terrific game. Terrific game to watch. Really was.

[Unknown Analyst]

Yes, yes. And there's a fabulous game coming up in Newark. It should be a really pretty game between Alabama and byu. And I don't think either one of those can win the tournament necessarily, but that's going to be, that's going to be something to watch.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I think the ongoing narrative was, can the SEC be this good? They got seven of the final 16, right? I mean, isn't that proof, isn't that proof? Seven of the final 16?

[Unknown Analyst]

Yes. They got half of their 14 through the first two rounds. And you know, this is the first tournament where all the final 16, the sweet 16, are major.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Unknown Analyst]

Conferences.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No. Cinderella. And so sort of dull in that regard, but, you know, yeah, we think.

[Unknown Analyst]

About the charm of the double digit seed, you know, and there's only one left and it's Arkansas, which is a big program that's been to six Final Fours and won a national title under the great Nolan Richardson, you know, and so it's a little bit, you know, tepid that way.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's how it feels to me. I'll ask you one local question. Ryan Odom taking the Virginia job, your thoughts on that?

[Unknown Analyst]

Well, when I was in school there, his father was an assistant coach to Terry Holland and I guess he started his childhood around there. And what a narrative. I mean, what a, what a plot that he would become. You know, he's the choreographer, as my friend David Thiel put it in his story. He's the choreographer of Virginia's biggest nightmare. And now he's going to be their coach and he has the background in Charlottesville. It's, it's fascinating, I think.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. I mean, when, when Belichick talked about having a background in Chapel Hill for a year or whatever when his dad was an assistant there, you know, you think, you think maybe that's a stretch that Belichick is using, but in Odom's case, it's totally true. I mean, he's. Yeah, yeah, it's totally true. Totally true. All right, thank you. As Always. And we'll talk to you. Getting closer to the finals. Thank you, Chuck.

[Unknown Analyst]

Okay. Thank you so much, Tony.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thank you, Chuck Culpepper, boys and girls. Just love Chuck. We'll take a break, email and jingle when we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Unknown Advertiser]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show. Here comes to mailbag. Email, faxes and notes. Here comes Tony Mail bag. Gonna read some for all of you folks. He's gonna read some for all of you so you'll pat bass. We love that.

[Michael Wilbon]

That's a good one.

[Unknown Analyst]

Straight out of Tin Cup.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We love that.

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, yeah.

[Unknown Analyst]

The golf ball dance. Bouncing down the highway.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Dan Burns song. Fabulous.

[Michael Wilbon]

Wasn't that great?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Just. Yeah, just fabulous. Okay, do the Bethesda bagel ad for us.

[Michael Wilbon]

Bethesda Bagels, we love them. You will as well. Just go to BethesdaBaggles.com for the location in the DC area nearest you. Then pop on in and you'll be thrilled. Just as we would sandwiches. Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Fantastic. Fantastic. Before we get to the mailbag, let me just say let the river run. Let all the dreamers wake the nation Come the new Jerusalem Silver cities rise the morning lights the streets that lead them and sirens call them on With a song. That's Carly Simon. That won the Academy Award.

[Michael Wilbon]

I believe it did.

[Tony Kornheiser]

From that movie I loved Working.

[Michael Wilbon]

Working girl. Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Love that. I think it's called Let the river Run.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yes, that's the name of it.

[Unknown Analyst]

In high school, did you. Yeah. Our magical school group.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Just fabulous. Just fabulous song. Thanks to our guests today. Wilbon Culpepper. Thanks to today's sponsors. If you listen to us on Apple podcasts, Spotify and Odyssey and you get it through Apple, leave us a review if you would. This is from Brian Granger in Charlotte. You keep saying Cooper Flag will have to play against men next year, but LeBron James is the only 40 year old in the NBA. From Jeff Simpson, Arlington, Virginia. For those who don't have time to listen to all the guest bracket picks on this week's show I appreciate provided the following summary Bob Ryan 107 not really an upset. Wilbon I don't care what Billis says. Spike Braun, the Crab five, Tony, Phil's mom, Baylor and the Catholics. Chuck Todd I hate success. Steve Sands I really hate Duke. Pat40 the winners and sinners Corner of the bracket Jeff Meyer, Calipari and Patino the same person Greg Garcia, Channel Carville and Louise Gluck and pick whatever rhymes From David Bradley in Sterling, Virginia. Five hours into the tournament and both my brackets are ranked 2,323rd. Opening Day cannot come soon enough. Opening day is Thursday. Yes, Thursday is opening day. Fabulous. From Will Jackson in Mumbai in India. Ooh, Penham right now. Now it was not before it was Mumbai. It was something else.

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, I'm not sure what it was called.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Bombay. Wasn't it Bombay?

[Michael Wilbon]

Was it Bombay?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I thought it was Bombay anyway. From Will Jackson Greg Garcia's bracket Rhyme no one can beat it. The Littles will all try and repeat it. I picked Duke with my hope in Shire in April. He's going to lift that trophy higher and tell your friend Sands to eat it. Now that's pretty good. Yeah, that's pretty good. Limerick from Jerry Haga or Haga in Johnson City, Tennessee. The appearance of Phil's mom is a highlight of the annual bracket shows. Michael nailed it when commenting on the near tenderness tenderness with which Tony handles that yearly interview. The comic irony is that her surprise choice to win the tournament, Louisville, got knocked out by her heretofore selection staple, Creighton in what I believe was the first game finished in Round one. Had me laughing to the point. Point. Some of my coworkers were discussing a call to emergency services from Paul Keeley in Birmingham, England. The og not the one in the colonies that Okay, I was catching up on Wednesday's podcast when I heard you read out an email from a Newcastle United fan detailing his team's first domestic trophy in 70 years. As an avid follower of this podcast and PTI, I thought, great. I'm glad someone else who listens to this high quality podcast from Nigel's home country had the same thought as me. Unfortunately, your emailer then flushed the mouse as they completely forgot to mention that One of the two goal scorers in 2 to 1 win was Dan Byrne. Spelled a little bit differently. B U R N but Dan Byrne Kind regards and thanks for the laughs and insight into American life and sports.

[Michael Wilbon]

By the way. Mumbai? Yes, formerly Bombay. As in I laid traps for Troubadours.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Who get killed before they reach Bombay. From Andy in Apopka, which I believe is in Florida. Breaking news. Dom Smith has opted out of his contract with the Yankees. Oh yes, that's right. Dom Smith has decided the team that went to the World Series weren't up to snuff. Is anyone smelling a reunion with the Nats? Just in time, Steve the Sick of Fan. In case your darling wife hasn't briefed you on the Hallmark Channel's latest, here's an update to keep the holiday spirit alive. There's Operation Nutcracker. As an antique nutcracker set to be auctioned goes missing, and a demanding event planner and an heir to the family fortune have to track it down as sparks fly. Even better, a small town Christmas when Neil's last stop on a nationwide book tour takes her to the hometown of Emmett, a young man she met when they were both junior copy editors. Sparks fly and and there's love in Glacier National National Park. Romance where sparks what else fly? When an expert in avalanche forecasting. Female Faces opposition from the director of Mountain Rescue Male I'm almost positive this last one was filmed before the federal budget cuts. Regardless, everything is buckets of molten love pouring down into a valley of happiness. Keep on potting. P.S. if Canada becomes our 51st state, can Hallmark afford to keep filming there? Michael Benedetti in Santan Valley, Arizona I do the dishes too while listening to your podcast. Just thought you'd like to know. Dave Morrow, Denver, Colorado Top or Bottom Rack Next Double A affiliate Binghamton will play three games this year as the spicy meatballs. Yes, from August 14th through 16th. What does that mean?

[Unknown Analyst]

They're not going to be the just an alternate logo.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The Spicy Meatballs? Yeah, for sure they're not going to be the horses.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Rumble Ponies. Ponies, yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

No, they switch it up.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Spicy Meatballs.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, that's a spicy meatball.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Nathan Ackerham Charlotte, North Carolina Hope Bob Ryan's gig as a dishwasher lasts longer than yours as a department store clerk. From John Fergly Fergly in Boston Spa, New York A couple of weekends ago I visit Binghamton to visit a few friends and run in their St. Pat's Four Mile Road Race. Surprisingly, it was a very sunny day, a rarity for the Treasure of the Southern Deer in March. Afterwards, we went out for a Chicken Speedy, a must if you visit the city. We usually go to the Ribbon Speedy Pit in Vestal, a stone's throw away from your beloved alma mater, Harper College. This year we hit up Nurchi's right across the street from Broome Community College. They opened in 1967. During your college years, have you ever been? I have not. I have not. My Speedy was delicious. A cut below the ribbon. Speedy pit, but still worth it. We used to hit up Lupos, but as you probably know, they closed their doors in 2023 to focus on their wholesale business. All their sauces and stuff like that. It doesn't look like Binghamton will rally to win the 202425 Golden Snowball Award. This year. They sit third with 76.9 inches of snow. Syracuse running away with it, 112. Rochester and Silver, 85.6. From Ted Kenniston Mason, Ohio, number 164, titled under qualified dead weight. Dear Captain Tony Beer and M&Ms. Thank me later.

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, that's a nice parent.

[Tony Kornheiser]

From James Austen, A U S T G E N Austin in Glenmont, Maryland. As a member in good standing of the National Capital Rabbit Breeders Association. What? And the father of two children in rabbit 4h. I write in to comment about your statements regarding capybaras and rabbits. Although capybaras are rodents, members of the order Rodentia, I must point out that rabbits belong to the order Lagomorpha and are of a higher class and snuggle factor than some filthy rodent. Also, please tell Michael to bring you and the boys to the Montgomery county agricultural fair this August 9th through 17th, where the rabbit barn will play host to real, live Flemish giants and other rabbits. So cute you'll just lose it. You may even get to pet one. But please don't stick your finger in the cages.

[Unknown Analyst]

Yeah, don't let the captain near that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I think you should go to that.

[Michael Wilbon]

Absolutely.

[Unknown Analyst]

Will you take the boys?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Sure. Into the rabbit hutch? Sure.

[Michael Wilbon]

Again, picture of a Flemish Giant rabbit.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, my God. That's like six feet tall. Wow. That's six feet tall. Yeah.

[Unknown Analyst]

Knows how to take a charge.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Wow. Patrick Sitter, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Sad to hear you lamenting your looks the other day. I remember you once shared a story. You were at a restaurant at an event. Maybe it was at the Palm and George Clooney entered. It was at the Palm was George Clooney you described. The reaction from those in the room was a quiet, almost mystical admiration. I'm guessing you're not getting that. Thank you. From Tony in Portland, Oregon. This has been weighing on my mind. I'm a little lost right now, and it has me feeling despondent. I keep asking myself the same question over and Over. Are we absolutely sure that Sands hates Duke? Duke Jack Badgett. Richmond, Kentucky. Kentucky, formerly at the dmv. And have been a fan of all TK Iterations on the radio since the wtem days. I want to say that I've. That I've have two quotes. I follow two quotes. To lead a good life and a happy life. 1. There is only one way to happiness. And that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will. Epictetus. I guess that's a Roman or a Greek name.

[Unknown Analyst]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Epictetus. To he is. He who is contented is rich from Lao Tzu. Yeah, yeah. Now I have a third. As I tell my children, hate, anger and jealousy are wasteful emotions. Unless it's about dupe. Steve Sands. Go Louisville. He writes. Please tell Mike Scarretta of Lexington, Kentucky to eat it. If you're out on your bike tonight. Everyone, as always, do wear white.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Come on now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Cool out, everybody.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Just cool out, will you? Cool out, everybody.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, they didn't.

[Unknown Performer]

Back before her you were beautiful. Long before I lived down here. Beneath these cries of these lovers. Long s d all the things you cannot quite. This year you're walking faster. Cause you're colder out now if I told you not to come down here. But I isn't real nice just to catch this life with just a handful of thought. Must have been our mighty skyline. To keep you silent all that way. January left me very cold. But I decline to shake that way pink these perfect pictures makes it easier to take. And I got this brand new dad failing far from all these days of out and out. You used up all your good stuff so long ago. Just to find a better ways. My damping and mighty skylines. Thought I keep you silenced all that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

While.

[Unknown Performer]

Sought you right to still be waiting right here just laughing. Still forget these days oh well elsewhere else don't don't want to see these places that you go. Cuz darkness wins over everything. Leaves you shining just the same Mustang in the mighty skyline. Keep you silence all this while shoe waiting. Still be waiting right here I just lie there still. My cabin, my caravan.

I feel it. The Hawkeyes are gonna win it all. They're not in the tournament. Iowa City is gonna be a ball. They're not in the field. Kevin Cooner will lead the Hawkeye guy. I feel it. The Hawkeyes are gonna win the prize. BJ Armstrong will lead the Hawkeye Group. He hasn't been there for past the loose Garza standing by the hoops. Hit a flip to Don Nelson then over to Fred Brown then back to Romney Lester from downtown can't wait to see the Hawkeye storm through the feet. Trophiest talents will soon be revealed and for champagne ready? Have no fear. Done. The Hawkeyes are gone. I'll win it all this year. You're out of your gourd. You think they actually have a chance?