The Tony Kornheiser Show — “It Was In the Tank!”

Episode Date: October 17, 2025

Overview

This episode of The Tony Kornheiser Show delivers its signature blend of sports analysis, life musings, and gentle ribbing among regular guests. The conversation pivots from dramatic MLB and NFL recaps to the saga of Tony’s leaking toilet, while also offering betting tips and picks courtesy of James Carville and Jeff Ma. Esteemed guests include Jason La Canfora, who helps unpack a wild Thursday Night Football, and the show closes with listener emails, whimsical tangents, and more echoes of Tony’s idiosyncratic worldview.

Main Segments & Key Discussion Points

MLB Postseason Recap & Insights

Start: 01:47–07:26

• Dodgers vs. Brewers Recap:

  • Tony highlights the Dodgers’ smart roster-building: “The Dodgers are the smartest team in baseball because they have money and spend it wisely.” (04:03)
  • Mookie Betts’ defensive brilliance and impact: “Mookie Betts backhands the ball, jumps in the air, turns his body around in mid flight and throws a one hop. Beautiful strike. Perfect to Freddie Freeman at first.” (03:37)
  • Sasaki’s closing performance: “Sasaki had a great outing… three outs, three up, three down, Dodgers win.” (04:32)
  • Dodgers built for the postseason, seen as likely to advance to the World Series.
  • Chuck Todd and Jeff Ma chime in on pitching performances and Dodgers’ consistency.

• Blue Jays & Mariners:

  • Recap of Seattle’s early lead and the bomb by Josh Naylor off Max Scherzer (05:12).
  • Tony compares Toronto’s power to the Dodgers, predicts a likely Toronto-Dodgers World Series: “Toronto probably has more power than the Dodgers…feels like they have this under control now.” (06:46)
  • Anecdote: Seattle stuck repeating history in the ALCS, unable to advance.

Notable Quote:

“The Dodgers are built for this. They are. And the Dodgers are better. And the Dodgers are going to go to the World Series.”
— Tony Kornheiser (04:13)

NFL Recap & Thursday Night Football (“Old Guys Still Got It”)

Start: 07:27–13:01

• Tony and the crew riff on old players excelling: "It was a night for old guys... Rodgers and Flacco and Scherzer all over 40, all doing very, very well." (07:35)
• Quick debate: “Is Joe Flacco elite?” — Chuck Todd’s ongoing, tongue-in-cheek obsession. (07:48)

Tony’s Plumbing Saga (“It Was In the Tank!”)

Start: 07:50–14:54

• Tony recounts a water usage alert; no visible leaks; plumber finds issue inside the toilet tank.
• The minimal-seeming leak could result in “hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on your water bill.” (08:31)
• Plumber fixes the tank; DC Water unsympathetic to his “evidence of repair.”
• Tony reflects ruefully on the unknowable intricacies of homeownership:

  “If I could be a plumbing major, why would I be an English major?” (10:23)

• Crew humorously analyzes gallons wasted by silent toilet leaks, noting running toilets can waste "anywhere from 60 to over 300 gallons per hour." (14:07)
• Tony’s bewilderment: “Am I using up water? If it’s spinning around, am I truly using up the water? It’s the part that I don’t understand.” (14:39)

Notable Moment:

"It’s not like a cascading waterfall of water. It is such a minor ripple of water, and it is causing this damage."
— Tony Kornheiser (08:46)

Tony on Signs of Aging & Memory Glitches

Start: 11:02–14:54

• Tony worries about “signs of dementia” after blanking on an NFL name on PTI, then forgetting how to tie a shoe (obstructed by golf club).
• Jeff Ma gently reassures him, referencing Tony’s musical memory:

  “I feel your mind is a steel trap high…” (13:19)

• Tony, irrepressibly himself, pivots to Johnny Rivers lyrics mid-conversation.

Music Break & Fan Mail

Start: 16:00

• Listener music submission: “Is it Coming Again?” by The Antics.
• Tony provides background on the artist and connections to show regulars (16:03).

Jason La Canfora Segment – NFL Deep Dive

Start: 16:54–33:39

Bengals–Steelers Thursday Night Game

• Mike Tomlin’s woes on the road in division games: “He cannot win on the road away from home on Thursday night. He just can’t do it.” (23:15)
• Bengals’ surprising resilience and running game; Flacco and aging QBs performing well.
• Steelers’ inability to take advantage of Cincinnati’s weaknesses signals trouble.

  “If you couldn't take out Cincinnati, …I just think that’s a bad loss for them. Right. Don’t you? It's a bad loss.” — Tony Kornheiser (23:15)

State of the Bills & Falcons

• Bills’ defensive shortcomings, injuries, and forecasting a rough path ahead.
• Atlanta’s ascendance (“the defense is legitimate”) but skepticism on sustainability given historic inconsistency.

Dolphins Woes, Tua’s Leadership

• La Canfora critical: “Their football culture sucks…you gotta sell wholeheartedly…” (31:53)
• Suggests Miami need to offload Tua and build for the future.

Betting & Wannabet Plug

• Jason plugs his betting show, trades, and touts "three lobster nights" for big wins. Offers Tony exclusive swag (“I'm just sort of afraid if I wear it, I’ll be arrested…” — Tony Kornheiser, 19:14).
• Responsible betting versus “betting smarter”:

  “Use the L word, Lock. And there’s no such thing as safe or guaranteed. It is gambling. It is inherently gambling risky.”
  — Jason La Canfora (33:08)

Picks & Gambling with Carville & Jeff Ma

Start: 34:04–47:21

• Recap of Carville’s tough week; his new picks (includes obscure college games).
• Tony and the crew chuckle at Carville’s penchant for “college games that nobody’s ever heard of.” (35:12)
• Jeff Ma discusses:
  • Explosion of coach salaries, impacts of the transfer portal (Indiana’s rise, Texas Tech’s recruitment).
  • Betting strategies: “So much of like sports betting has to do with how do you balance what you’ve seen short term versus like looking at a longer term perspective.” (41:04)
• Jeff’s picks for the week include UNC +10 over Cal, Oklahoma -5 over South Carolina, Akron +1.5 over Ball State, Colts +2 over Chargers, Atlanta +2.5 over San Francisco.

Notable Quote:

“The money trumps loyalty almost always. Like, money’s undefeated in this equation.”
— James Carville (42:39 via Jeff Ma)

Mailbag & Listener Interaction

Start: 49:28

• Listener questions about Tony’s background bookshelf (the blue book behind him: “Midlife Metamorphosis”).
• Potato and apple harvest emails, the hazards of using homegrown “rock-like” spuds for seed.
• A callback to an old rodent-in-the-toilet episode, and speculation on whether it was the same toilet that recently broke.
• Lovely tangent on favorite song lyrics, sports trivia, and whimsical suggestions for a “Nigel and Reginald Stomp” for homemade wine.
• Tony closes with gratitude for musical submissions, personal stories, and the show’s running jokes.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Tony, incredulous at home repair:

  "It’s in the tank. It’s not even… it’s in the tank. It’s not going down. Right?” (09:54)

• On aging and memory loss:

  “I’ve reached that point in my life…where I worry about signs of dementia.” (11:02)

• Sartorial critique of Jason’s swag:

  “Why don’t you call my high school friend Donna Karen and have her design it? Because this isn’t. It’s not as pretty as. As it could be.” (18:15)

• On betting responsibly vs. betting honestly:

  “What I like most is you don’t say, we’re trying to teach people how to bet responsibly. I don’t like that you say bet smarter. Good. Let’s make the acknowledgment that that's what it’s about." (32:57)

Segment Timestamps & Structure

• MLB/NFL Recap & Musings — 01:47–07:26
• Old Guys in Sports — 07:27–13:01
• Plumbing Saga & Life Talk — 07:50–14:54
• Memory, Music, & Aging — 11:02–14:54
• Music Break: The Antics — 16:00–16:50
• Jason La Canfora NFL Deep-Dive — 16:54–33:39
• Picks Segment: Carville & Jeff Ma — 34:04–47:21
• Listener Mail & Sign Off — 49:28–end

Tone & Style

• Conversational, dryly humorous, sometimes self-deprecating.
• Tony’s rambling yet incisive style is buoyed by his rapport with guests and their willingness to play along (and sometimes push back).
• Quotes and stories often veer into tangents, but always circle back to sports or the show’s in-jokes and catchphrases.

For New Listeners

This episode delivers everything that makes The Tony Kornheiser Show a cult favorite: deep-dive sports conversation, relatable life hassles, and the sense you’ve been dropped in the middle of witty, well-lived friendships. Whether Tony is dissecting a baseball playoff miracle or the existential dangers of a leaky toilet, the result is always engaging, affable, and unmistakably Tony.