“It’s 1 am, where is Wilbon?”

Summary

The Tony Kornheiser Show – Episode Summary
Episode Title: “It’s 1 am, where is Wilbon?” – April 29, 2026

---

Overview

This episode of "The Tony Kornheiser Show" blends Tony’s signature style—casual banter, inside-jokes, and sharp commentary on sports, current events, and daily observations. The episode’s main themes include a lively discussion with Brian Windhorst about NBA coaching trends and Steve Kerr’s controversial suggestion about eliminating the three-point shot, a Kentucky Derby preview with Ron Flatter, and classic interludes featuring Tony, Michael Wilbon, and the crew riffing on topics like tech woes, golf stories, and generational change in sports.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. MLB Manager Firings & Coaching Trends

• Tony opens (00:51) by focusing on the major story: the firing of Rob Thompson by the Phillies, with Alex Cora also fired by the Red Sox—both World Series-level managers.
• Tony’s skepticism: "It's pretty early. You fire this guy… you're firing this guy? And we're not gonna say anything new." (01:16)
• Discussion morphs into the influence of front offices (esp. Dave Dombrowski's reputation for impulsive decisions): "Dave Dombrowski does everything. Dave Dombrowski is to baseball what Lou Lamoriello is to hockey. He fires people whenever he feels like it." (02:30)

2. NBA Firing Culture & Star Power — Guest: Brian Windhorst (19:21)

• Windhorst on early MLB firings: Rare, given baseball’s slow pace; "It's unusual for snap judgments in baseball because first off, you know, the whole thing about it is this such a long, long season..." (19:21)
• NBA management contrasts:
  • "This year we had a relatively calm year. We only had one coach fired during the season." (20:33)
  • "Every situation is different... sometimes a coach… will get more of a rope, but it’s not always." (22:30)
• The role of ownership, GMs, and especially player power:
  • "The power of the NBA star is greatest other than maybe the super duper star quarterback in the NFL." (24:48)
  • Notably, LeBron James’ influence detailed: "LeBron has fired four to five coaches. Giannis Antetokounmpo keeps firing coaches..." (24:30)
  • Story of Pat Riley defying LeBron on Spoelstra: "Pat Riley said, yeah, I'm the boss here, not you." (25:18)

Memorable Wilbon Moment

• On NBA playoff games’ lack of drama: "They're not good games. Regardless of what Wilbourn says. They're not good games. They're not exciting on any level." (01:17)

3. State of the NBA Playoffs

• Tony’s Critique: Disappointment with recent playoff games: "Virtually none of these games have been close. Maybe one a night… What does that say to you?" (26:51)
• Windhorst Pushback: "I do, I will push back a little bit on that, Tony. There have been quite a few high level games… I think the play has been pretty good so far." (27:45)
• Wilbon’s everywhere: Windhorst: "He was on the 1am… Eastern Sports Center." (27:38)

4. Steve Kerr & the Three-Point Shot Debate

• Steve Kerr’s statement to eliminate the three-point shot discussed at length, with Tony expressing agreement but doubt about change.
• Windhorst’s firm rebuttal: "Absolutely not. We are in an era in sports where everything is bigger, louder, stronger..." (28:32)
• Illustrated with trends in all major sports—(kids are taught to swing for the fences, golf distances, etc.)
• On potential rule-change: "No, we’re not headed in that direction at all." (32:07)
  • Related note on courtside seat revenue making any court-widening (à la Phil Jackson’s suggestion) impossible: "You're not, you're not familiar with crypto.com arena... They added an entire row of courtside seats…" (32:54)

---

5. Insider Golf Talk—PGA of America & Club Pros (05:48)

• Discussion of PGA club pro qualifiers at Bandon Dunes, Oregon and the possibility of local pros making the big tournament.
  • Tony’s self-effacing golf humor: "To which Michael can attest. I stink in the sand. I can't get out. I don't know how to get out. Give me a lesson." (09:02)
  • Wilbon: "These players are working professionals. They're not sitting at the range or the putting green working on their game. And to see them get around that course… you just see that they still have it." (08:33)
• Anecdotes about local pros and the personal significance if someone from their club qualified: "If you qualify for the PGA Championship… that's like winning the Pulitzer." (11:37)
• Side tangent: Tony’s recurring tech frustrations & therapy offer from a helpful listener, Derek, outlining steps for easier Apple TV and streaming (13:17–14:46).

---

6. Kentucky Derby Week — Guest: Ron Flatter (35:20)

• Early Derby favorite Renegade’s tricky post position: "He drew the dreaded one hole… I think the only place with worse traffic… is around Columbia Country Club…" (35:38).
• Betting angles: Further Ado in post 18, and classic Baffert underdog narratives.
• Jockeys/Trainers to Watch: "If there's a jockey who can make a horse go and look experienced, it is Flavian Pratt." (40:03)
• Moving Derby stories: Flatter recounts horses and trainers racing with heavy hearts—recent family tragedies, the Barbaro story (42:00).
• On the Derby broadcast spectacle: "I think it's one of the greatest TV shows ever… so much going on." (43:23)
  • Flatter: "You got 20 horses in this race. You got 20 really good stories... TV has the opportunity to tell them." (44:23)

---

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps & Speaker Attribution)

Tony Kornheiser:

• “You just can’t put up a sign that says, if you think you have a gambling problem, call this number. Because they’ll gamble on what the number is.” (04:32)
• “If you qualify for the PGA Championship, you’re not going to make the cut. Nobody expects you to make the cut. But to make the field and play in a major tournament, I mean, that’s… yeah.” (11:41)

Brian Windhorst:

• “It’s unusual for snap judgments in baseball because...such a long, long season…” (19:21)
• “The power of the NBA star is greatest other than maybe the super duper star quarterback in the NFL.” (24:48)
• “Absolutely not [about eliminating threes]. We are in an era in sports where everything is bigger, louder, stronger.” (28:32)
• “Widen the court, Phil, you can say it for 15 more [years].… They’re not doing that.” (33:47)

Ron Flatter:

• On the Derby’s favorite: “Early betting, he is still the favorite, but it’s gonna waffle… because he drew the dreaded one hole.” (35:38)
• On jockey Flavian Pratt: “If there’s a jockey who can make a horse go and look experienced, it is Flavian Pratt.” (40:03)
• On Derby stories: “You got 20 horses in this race. You got 20 really good stories… TV has the opportunity to tell them.” (44:23)
• On Barbaro: “The research that was done as a result of his being kept alive to this day is beneficial for thoroughbreds.” (42:46)

---

Segment Timestamps

• 00:00 – 03:31: Opening riffing on MLB manager firings and programming decisions
• 05:48 – 15:17: Golf talk—PGA club pros, personal anecdotes & technical woes
• 19:21 – 34:14: Brian Windhorst interview—MLB & NBA coaching culture, playoff analysis, Steve Kerr’s thoughts on the three
• 35:20 – 44:47: Kentucky Derby preview with Ron Flatter—betting angles, Derby stories, and TV spectacle
• 45:00 – end: Listener mailbag, sponsor reads, and show-closing musical interludes

---

Memorable Moments & Show Tone

• The show’s signature warmth and irreverence is especially present in the tangents about cooking rice, tech annoyances, and the parade of listener letters.
• Michael Wilbon’s TV omnipresence gets a running joke: "He was on the 1am... Eastern Sports Center." (27:38)
• Tony’s affection for the “little people” at clubs and in sports, and his self-deprecating humor, keeps the tone relaxed and familiar.
• The show transitions smoothly from hard sports news to lighter personal anecdotes and back, leveraging the camaraderie and history among regular guests.

---

Conclusion

This episode is a quintessential Kornheiser mix—sharp sports insight, high-quality guests, and plenty of laidback conversation. The discourse on coaching dynamics in MLB and the NBA, as well as the Kentucky Derby preview, are both timely and entertaining. Alongside lively banter about everyday topics and listener engagement, Tony maintains a unique blend of expertise, humor, and connection with his audience.

---

For new listeners or those who missed the episode, this recap delivers the key themes, moments, and insights that make “The Tony Kornheiser Show” a classic in daily sports podcasting.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey, it's Tony. On today's show we will talk to Brian Windhorst about the NBA playoffs and also about Steve Kerr saying the league should do away with three point shot. And then Ron Flatter calls in to preview the Kentucky Derby. But first, let's do some commerce, boys and girls. Previously on the Tony Kornhauser Show.

[Brian Windhorst]

So I walked in the clubhouse one day and saw him in the manager's office and he looks at me and he goes, you never make two batches of pilaf in one pan. And I went, what? Pilaf is an Armenian delic, which I actually know how to make because my father's side was Armenian. I said, how could you possibly know that? And he goes, I live with an Armenian guy in Fresno, California. So that's how he said hello to me on a certain day, never make two loads of pilav in one pot.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is General George Washington and you're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show. So let's do some inside baseball about what Tim Kirchen was talking about yesterday. Rob Thompson was fired by the Philadelphia Phillies. I believe I had that the day before on the PTI show. I said the first thing I thought about was how does the Mets guy keep his job? And the second thing I thought about,

[Michael Wilbon]

because they have the gnats on the schedule, right?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Is Rob Thompson in trouble in Philadelphia? Okay, so he gets fired. So to me, that's the big story of the day yesterday. It's not the NBA playoffs. The NBA playoffs go on every night. There's three more games every single night. None of them are ever close. They're not good games. They're not good games. Regardless of what Wilbourn says. They're not good games. They're not exciting on any level. I'm not going to do the hockey. We're not going to do the hockey because Wilburn and I don't know anything about hockey. Today we're going to pk subin on. He's great because he knows about hockey. He's terrific. He's going to help us. So to me, the big story is that. And Kelleher says, I wasn't even going to put it in the A's, you know, because we just did it the day before was Alex Cora. And it's true. Mike and I are gonna say the same thing. It's pretty early. You fire this guy, Scott took you to the World Series. You're firing this guy. And we're not gonna say anything new. We're really not gonna say Anything new? Now there's some intrigue because Don Mattingly takes over. And Don Mattingly's son is technically the general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, which is why Don Mattingly was on the bench with Rob Thompson, who was an old friend of his.

[Michael Wilbon]

And the Nebraska quotes, don't just assume that Core is gonna be the coach next year while we have this fantastic fill in guy who seems pretty confident with who he is within the game.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So. But ma son, no. Dave Dombrowski does everything. Dave Dombrowski is to baseball what Lou lamarillo is to hockey. He fires people whenever he feels like it. So I could have said all of that, but we had no room for it. I mean, the decision was made not to put it in the show. And the substitute story was actually a better story. It was Steve Kerr saying, let's get rid of the three point shot in an interview with the New Yorker. So last night I texted Remnick and he said something about. I said, who did this? And he said he gave the guy's name and wrote to me the Atlantic. And I said, the Atlantic. I thought it was the New Yorker. And he said, no, Atlanta. He got that wrong. And it was in the New Yorker. And I was thinking about putting the guy on and Remini said to me, why don't you put Steve Kerr on? Which is the right question for me.

[Michael Wilbon]

Harder. Get.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, well, because of the time zone.

[Derek]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know, you can't ask Steve Kerr to get up at 4 o' clock in the morning and be on a podcast. You can't. But it was, it was. That was a very interesting story to me.

[Michael Wilbon]

What a wonderful position that the time zone is. The difficulty with getting Steve career.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Well, for me, I wouldn't even ask because it's just the day before, far away. We could. Anyway, so that was what was running through my head.

[Michael Wilbon]

I thought, you're gonna give us, you know, instructions about how you cook rice.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I cook rice the way everybody cooks rice. I put it in the rice making machine and I wait for the light to go on and that means the rice is done. How do you cook rice?

[Michael Wilbon]

No, I just, I feel like every time Kirchen comes on, we have a lot of rice. Because one little piece of information that someone's going to share with him the next time they see him at Harris Teeter.

[Derek]

Right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Something like that might be. We also pit bull. It's another story we didn't do yesterday and I don't know what to do with it. Damon Jones intends to plead guilty. If he hasn't already pleaded guilty?

[Derek]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't know what to do with that because for me, the next part of that is. Is Chauncey Billups going to jail? Wilbourne loves Chauncey Billups, so a great guy, great coach. Well, have fun coaching in jail, you know, because if Damon Jones pleads guilty and you're named in all of these indictments, how are you getting out of this?

[Derek]

Does not look good. No, no.

[Tony Kornheiser]

How are you getting out? But we. But that's conjecture and we're not lawyers, so that was not something that we could do. I. I don't gamble. I've said this a hundred times. I mean, I get no thrill out of winning. And I hate losing, so I don't do it. My friends do it. My high school friends do it. They go to Atlantic City on the way to Delaware when we play golf. Fine. That's fine. But it has become a plague among young men in this country. More than any other group. Young men the ages of 18 to 30, they gamble and they get in trouble and they lose more than they have. It's. And there's a responsibility here that the leagues have and that ESPN and other networks have for getting into bed with these gambling companies. We do it here on this show. You know, we're all responsible for this. You just can't put up a sign that says, if you think you have a gambling problem, call this number. Because they'll gamble on what the number is. It's just, you know, doesn't work. All right, what else? What else do I have? The big thing, okay. Oh, Cooper Flagg, by the way, not Con Knipple, not Wilbond. Well, but I don't like Cooper Flack. He doesn't like him. Cooper Flagg should have been the rookie of the year. He led his team in every category. You know, he's 19 years old.

[Derek]

Didn't he drop 50 plus in a game?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Con Canipa was a good shooter who when it counted most in the play in games, couldn't get on the court because he couldn't make a shot. Cooper Flag is an all corporate. Wilbourne doesn't like him. You know, he just doesn't like him. He says he does, but he doesn't like him if he would vote for somebody else. Anyway, here is the big thing to talk about here right now. And I know this on my own because I look at the Golf Channel and because Mallory Crossing called the other day because she's looking for a shout out down the road, which she's going to get The PGA of America, which represents the golf pros at your club or at your public course. Golf pros, people.

[Michael Wilbon]

The industry.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, People who teach golf. Not touring pros, club pros, Club pros, PGA of America. They have the PGA coming up soon in Iran. Ick. In right outside of Philadelphia, of course. Michael, you've played a number of times.

[Michael Wilbon]

I played it twice, yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So you like it?

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, yeah. Beautiful.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. So that's where the PGA is. And there are always spots reserved for PGA club pros who play their way in through a tournament that's held a month before, a couple of weeks before, whatever it is. The actual pga. This year it's being held in Bandon Dunes, one of the spectacular resorts of golf.

[Michael Wilbon]

Just have it on TV.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's gorgeous.

[Michael Wilbon]

24 hours a day.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Just gorgeous. That's like 90 mile an hour wind, but it's gorgeous.

[Michael Wilbon]

I'll have to mark this one.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's just gorgeous. Off the coast of Oregon. It's in Bend, Oregon or something else.

[Michael Wilbon]

Get it wrong every time.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Band and Dunes and you know, everybody I know has played. I haven't played it. Everybody knows played.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's in Bandon, Oregon.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Once again, band in Oregon. Okay. Band. That's why it's called Bandon Dunes, I guess.

[Derek]

Makes sense.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, two of the pros that made the cut, two of the club pros that made the cut are the head club pro at Columbia, Steve Delmare, and one of his assistants, Alex Hoffman. And Alex Hoffman didn't just make the cut. Alex Hoffman was on the leaderboard.

[Michael Wilbon]

He was high on the leaderboard.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Alex Waffen at one point was T2

[Michael Wilbon]

on the leaderboard, giving updates to Wilbourne and Tony.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I mean, I'm reading about response

[Michael Wilbon]

to all of them, but, you know. Well, he lost the number.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Wilburn was. No, he was, you know, at NBA stuff last night. He was on any 87 NBA shows and watched the Knicks game. Anyway, so Alex didn't have a great day yesterday. Fell off the leaderboard. He is plus one, but he's still inside number. He's still inside the line that if he has a good day today, even if he shoots, we think if he shoots par today in the wind at Bandon, he's going to make the PGA tournament. Like, that's.

[Derek]

That's tremendous.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Absolutely tremendous. You know, and we love Del Mar. We hope he shoots great. We hope he shoots four under and he'll make it if he does. But he's at plus five at the moment. But he made the cut. He made the cut. So this Is the topic of conversation,

[Michael Wilbon]

Even if you're just a general sports fan.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's.

[Michael Wilbon]

These are wonderful stories that are developing. If you remember the PGA that was up in Rochester a few years ago, we had Michael Block, one of the professionals, who ended up being a big story, the Cinderella, which I think is related to another story that you might bring up later with the tournament. But they do these interviews, and these are. These players are working professionals. They're not sitting at the range or the putting green working on their game. And to see them get around that course, it's. It's awesome to see golf in that way. The ball bounces, it moves, and you just see that they still have it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And there's. Yeah, there's not 50,000 people there. There's three people following their friends. Yeah, that's how it goes. But you can walk right there. You can walk right on the green. You know, there's. It's okay. Nobody says anything. So if Alex or Steve were to make the cut and were to appear, I am going to try and film a segment with them in which I say, I totally tell the truth. To which Michael can attest. I stink in the sand. I can't get out. I don't know how to get out. Give me a lesson. Now this is going back to how to get out of five years.

[Michael Wilbon]

Do you remember at the old Kemper Open, this was held at TPC Avenel before, you know, turned into the new rebrand. You would take me early on a Sunday, and we would find one of the first groups going out, and you would just go up to a pro in a bunker and be like, I can't do that. No one's there.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's quiet.

[Brian Windhorst]

It.

[Michael Wilbon]

You just go, I can't get on. The guy gave you a lesson from, you know, he's on the other side of the road, but he gave you a lesson.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I can't get out. I never learned it. I never learned how to get out.

[Michael Wilbon]

You just got to simplify your swing. You can play with a mostly square face and just let the club do the work.

[Derek]

I'd love to see the video because it would make. Hopefully it will be like the Bob Knight one.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm not gonna curse. I'm not.

[Brian Windhorst]

No.

[Michael Wilbon]

There's gotta be two versions.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm not gonna curse, but I'm gonna. But they know. Like, you think Alex and Delmar don't know I stink? I play there all the time.

[Michael Wilbon]

They know I'm telling ISO cam on the pro's reaction. Like, oh, God, another one.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, I got to teach. I can't teach him. He's too old.

[Derek]

You're almost there.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So wouldn't that be. So. That would be fun. Because if you notice, I don't know that anybody watches this on the Golf Channel. I'm not sure, because this is not a Golf Channel thing. This is PGA of America thing. They have little anecdotal stories that they're playing throughout the tournament. They're playing these things. So it's conceivable that this could go out there.

[Michael Wilbon]

One of the other leaders happens to be a teaching professional at Arona Mink, so it'd be a great story to see him get a. I'll pull up his name.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And there's one. The guy from Seminole, Chet Maxson, was telling me he's in it, too.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, Seminole. Like some of these clubs always have these great players, and it's part of their, you know, their brand and. And it's.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But it's wonderful if somebody from your club made it.

[Derek]

Oh, yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's just so wonderful, I think. Wasn't there a guy who played at Penn named Chris Something who used to be a club pro at Columbia and made it one year when he had left. He was about 10 years away from Columbia, but he made it one year, I think.

[Michael Wilbon]

So. You could also be thinking of Hutzel, who is an assistant.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I remember him, Dave Hutzell.

[Michael Wilbon]

And he still goes through some of these. He made these qualifiers.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I mean, this is like. To me, this is like winning the Pulitzer.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

If you. If you qualify for the PGA Championship, you're not going to make the cut. Nobody expects you to make the cut.

[Derek]

But to make the field and play in a major tournament, I mean, that's. Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I want to do one more thing. Do I have time?

[Derek]

You sure do.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, I'm eating this. And I should just say Marty west, who you've heard me talk about constantly on this show, because he's the greatest amateur golfer in the history of this area. Just the other day, they named an award for Marty west, the best amateur in Maryland. Player of the Year in Maryland. Amateur Player of the Year is going to. It's getting the Marty West Award. I wrote him a note. I said, congratulations. This is. How great is this now? You should go out and win the award the first year yourself by beating all these punks. So he said. He laughed and he said, I'm on my way to Helen. Cause, you know, we both got hell.

[Michael Wilbon]

Did he give you his plank time?

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, it's way, way more than mine. I get this Mr. Tony. As a long term pod listener, brother of Harvard dean Marty west. Not that Marty west, and son of that Marty west the singer, I have always assumed that I. That those I'm related to by birth would be far more useful to you with golf tips and general brilliance than I would ever be. However, as we littles journey alongside you toward the inevitable convergence of your particular neuroses and the advance of modern technology, I'm suddenly aware that my double threat as a mental health therapist in Nashville and part time IT support staff from Marty west may have finally found its one shining moment. As any good therapist would say, your frustration and anxiety make sense to me. And there is absolutely no reason for it to take 10 minutes to change from one service to another. We're talking about cable now. We try to get on.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know, Prime. Yeah. Amazon takes 10 minutes. Additionally, freezing similar to human cashiers at McDonald's is simply not a thing in 2026. If Wilbonds Derek and his 4TV command center is too intimidating, perhaps this Derek can assist you so you aren't left staring at spinning circles putting in hand. Yes, they just spin. There's nothing going on. Yeah. To this end I propose a three step solution. 1. Fix your dang Internet. You must have Comcast business for PTI which is blazing fast. So something is seriously wrong with how your TV is connected to it. That's 1. To buy and install an Apple TV box. They cost under $150. I'll set up the GoFundMe. 3. Add a simple two button HDMI switch for streaming versus cable. What does HDMI mean?

[Michael Wilbon]

It's the chord. How it gets from the Apple TV box to your TV.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Do these three things and we can cut your switch time from 10 minutes to about 5 seconds and eliminate the freezing. I'd be happy to help anytime with the implementation. It's the least I can do after years of entertainment, hometown updates and the connection you've given me to my dad, my brother, and now my not so little little my 14 year old son Paxton. I promise my tech support is better than my golf game. Let's keep you out of Ingleside for another year, Derek. How great is that?

[Derek]

That's.

[Tony Kornheiser]

How great is that? That goes on the save pile.

[Derek]

Oh sure.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And let's try to implement this. Yes, and by let's, I mean YouTube. Not me because I don't know how to do it.

[Derek]

Well, you've got to make some phone calls. We can't.

[Michael Wilbon]

You know, you just have to move your TV closer To your Internet router.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Where is the Internet router?

[Derek]

It's in the garage.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, what am I doing with a TV in the garage? I have to go sit in the garage to watch tv.

[Derek]

Just kidding. No, but you, you will have to do some of that. You'll have to call Comcast and say, I want the business version of this instead of the whatever we've got here at the house.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Now, I thought we have the business version in order to do the PTI show.

[Michael Wilbon]

You do a different provider for pti?

[Derek]

Oh, yeah. So we should.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That.

[Derek]

That has to come through you. But then, yeah, we'll. We'll push the rest through.

[Tony Kornheiser]

How great is this family? Terrific. Fantastic family. All right, who's first? Windhorst.

[Michael Wilbon]

The pros name, I believe, is Riley Wheeldon from Ironimy. Yep.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. Brian Windhorst. When we return, I'm Tony Cornell. This is the Tony Kornheiser Show. Let's be honest. Mother's Day gifts can get a little predictable. They're nice, but they aren't home runs. And the older you get, the more you realize how much moms actually do the stuff you didn't fully appreciate growing up. So it feels like they deserve something a little more lasting. And that's where Aura Frames comes in. Instead of something that fades after a few days, it's a gift that keeps evolving. You can keep adding photos and videos over time so it never feels static. It's also super easy to set up, and it comes packaged beautifully so you don't have to overthink the presentation. It's just a more meaningful way to say thank you for everything past and present. Make Mother's Day special with Aura frames named number one by wirecutter. You can save on the gift Mom's love by visiting auraframes.com for a limited time. Listeners can get $25 off their best selling Carver mat frame with code Tony K. That's a U R A auraframes.com promo code Tony K. And when you check out, let them know you heard about or frames from us. Terms and conditions apply. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show. Mother's Day is coming up. And you know, when you're a kid, you don't really notice everything moms did for you, like helping you buy socks and making sure they were the right size or helping to plant potatoes every spring all the time. You may not have appreciated it, but now you get it. She's always in your corner. She always will be. So, yeah, Mother's Day matters You got to get it right. And honestly, the easiest way, books. That's short for bouquets. And how about this? You can get 25% off your order just for listening to this show. These aren't just flowers. They're cut fresh from the best farms. They're bigger, brighter, they last way longer. Some even grow on the side of a volcano. You can send a vibrant bouquet or even go big with a monthly subscription. So mom gets a little moment of joy again and again. And when she smiles, you'll know you nailed it. Plus, There are over 55,000 five star reviews, so you know it's legit. It'll take you like two minutes to get it all done. Pick the bouquet, set the delivery date and you're set. And with 25% off, you can grab something for your wife, your aunt, your grandma. Cover all your bases. Mother's Day is May 10th. Don't wait. Go to bux.com use code Tony for 25% off. That's B O U Q S.com promo code Tony Booz.com we've had these things. They're good. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show. This is Jack Keys. This is a song called to the Moon. That could be from the Honeymooners. Bang zoom, Alice. Bang zoom. I have a letter from Jason Laurel. Laurel Little says. Oh, Captain, my Captain, it's my pleasure to introduce you to my friend Jack Keys. He's an independent singer songwriter from Louisville, Kentucky, currently living in Dublin, Ireland where he's teaching at University College. He's an incredible talent. His music has a chill vibe with thoughtful lyrics. Part of a great family. His father Mike and I work together at Brown form and selling Jack Daniels around the world. They're big Bob Dylan fans. It should all make sense. You might find Jack playing at a pub in Dublin in between teaching and enjoying everything that is Ireland. His cover of Wilko's Jesus etc. Is an all time favorite. I'm unfamiliar with that. Enjoy and thank you for celebrating artists like Jack. We have more to talk about after this. About Jack Keys again. This is to the Moon. It plays in Brian Windhorst. And the segment with Bryan Windhorst is brought to you by FanDuel. Play your game. I'm going to get off book for a second. What do you think People should know this? People have become sports writers even if they specialize in something like Brian now specializes in the NBA. They like sports. They follow all sports. They don't just follow the thing they talk about. What do you Think about Alex Cora and Rob Thompson being fired in April. What do you think about that?

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, the thing is, it's unusual for snap judgments in baseball because first off, you know, the whole thing about it is this such a long, long season that, you know, you have a bad April and you say, well, let's see how May and June goes and maybe half of July before we decide anything. And it's not really a. It's sort of a much slower, more calm measure. So it's unusual. You know, I'm not adept enough about baseball to know. Did the Red Sox have enormous expectations this year?

[Tony Kornheiser]

They couldn't have because they were not a playoff team of any consequence. Philly has enormous things. Both these guys took their teams to the World Series. It just. Wow. It seems then.

[Brian Windhorst]

Then Philly tried to then hire Alex Cora.

[Jack Keys]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Dave Dombrowski, who's a wild man. He's a wild man. He tried to hire him. Yes, he did. And he might still next year. Buster only thinks Alex Cor is going to manage his team next year. But it struck me as wildly early, with 135 games left. Do they do this in the NBA? Do they fire early in the NBA?

[Brian Windhorst]

So there this goes in waves. This year we had a relatively calm year. We only had one coach fired during the season. That was Willie Green in New Orleans. Actually, there was an expectation that there could be six or eight coaches let go. And I talked about it with people behind the scenes for weeks. As soon as the trade deadline ends in February, behind the scenes, people say, well, what front office is going to come open and what coach is going to come open? And what's happened, Tony, is that some teams that were, I think, very likely to fire their head coach, including your hometown Washington captain Brian Keefe, and have not done it. And then, like, I'll just be honest with you, a lot of, you know, the Orlando Magic underachieved so significantly during the season that a lot of people felt that Jamal Mosley, their coach, would be fired within 48 hours of the end of the year because people didn't think they were even going to get out of the play.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Not now. Not now.

[Brian Windhorst]

And. And now, you know, maybe he should ask for an extension. He's about to pull off one of the great upsets in league history.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Brian Windhorst]

So, you know, sometimes projecting and guessing coaching stuff, you can, you know, it cannot go the way you think are

[Tony Kornheiser]

these things when guys are fired. In this case, it was Dombrowski in Philadelphia who decided to get rid of him. It was Breslow the general manager in Boston who decided to get rid of Cora. You got to be backed by ownership. If you're not backed by ownership, it's not going to happen. So they were GM generated in the NBA. Are they GM generated, owner generated, or unlike baseball star player generated all of that?

[Brian Windhorst]

Every situation is different. Every team has a different thing. I think one of the things that happens in the NBA, sometimes a coach, because of how much money he has left on his contract, he sometimes will get more of a rope, but it's not always. Two years ago, the Pistons hired Monty Williams, gave him $80 million, fired him in an hour. Yeah, yeah. So if there's no one size fits all, I will say that you do tend to see them happen in, in, in packs, you know, and right now there hasn't been much activity. But I will just say the off season hasn't really begun yet. There's still a majority of teams that are, still think we will see more activity. And also one of the things that you sometimes see in the NBA, coach teams will fire their coach when another coach might become available. And I'm not sure Billy Donovan has reached that stage. But Billy Donovan, despite not having a ton of success in the NBA, he's had a couple of good years and you know, he's done okay in Chicago and okay in Oklahoma City. He is a coach that a lot of teams really like. And so I will be interested to see where Billy Donovan is next year and whether the team that, if he is in the league, if the team that hires him controversially fires their coach to hire him because a lot of people like him. He, Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the, of the Bulls, was begging him to stay. Yes, they were saying, please don't leave Billy. Do you want to be the team president? Whatever you want. And it's not, I mean, I'm not saying anything negative about him at all, but I would not say that, you know, he made Phil Jackson and Red Hourbox record books a quake with his performance. So, you know, you sometimes see trans. Unexpected transactions like that in the NBA.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I brought up the star generated thing because LeBron has fired four to five coaches. Giannis Antetokounmpo keeps firing coaches. You know that and that, that does not happen in baseball. It's, it's too many people. It doesn't happen. There's nobody that important in baseball except maybe Ohtani, but he's not going to fire a manager.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah, I would agree. Well, the power of the NBA star is greatest other than maybe the super duper star quarterback in the NFL. The interesting thing is the coach that LeBron didn't get fired. He really wanted Eric Spoelster fired. Not so much. I think he wanted Pat Riley to be the coach because I think he thought they would be better. But he, you know, he absolutely wanted Eric Spoelstra fire his first year in Miami. And Pat Riley said, yeah, I'm the boss here, not you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Brian Windhorst]

And that decision, I remember this vividly. I mean, we're far afield here, Tony, but I remember this vividly. I thought there was going to be a day or two where I think the Spolster's not going to survive this. He's done. He'll be fired in the next 48 hours. Because I had just seen this and Spoelster was in his second year as coach. We know we didn't know much about Eric Spoelstra at the time. And I remember him arriving to speak to the media. Defiant, almost like he was an inch taller. He was so defiant. And I remember thinking, boy, he really, you know, he really has the backing of management. It turned out, I mean, the story's been told for years that, you know, that Riley and Spoelstra Both, like, told LeBron, it ain't happening, buddy. And I think it set the stage for the success of that season. It set the stage for Spoelster's success of his career, quite frankly. And that's rare. That's very rare that you stand up to a star player. But the situation in Miami is unique.

[Tony Kornheiser]

As you know, I do a television show with the world's biggest NBA fan, who loves. Who loves the NBA so much that he says, well, this could be a good series. They could win three. And I go, what does it matter how many they win if they don't win the ultimate, what does it matter? And he loves the NBA that much. So it gives me great pleasure to mention to you that none of the games last night were close. None of. Virtually none of these games have been close. Maybe one a night. And other than that, we're having double digit spreads all over the place. What does that say to you?

[Brian Windhorst]

First off, are you paying attention to the schedule that Wilbon is keeping this week?

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's on television 43 times a day. He was on. He was great last night with Jack and Ernie and Kenny and Chuck. He was great. He was standing courtside at the Garden. He was just great. He's on a thousand things.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah, yeah, it is. I don't know if I should pull back the curtain here it is 5am right now in Los Angeles. Yeah, I was supposed to be on get up right now but I, I was canceled off this hour very happily. Please do not get. Because Wilbourne said no, no, I'm going to do the eight o'. Clock. I would always yield. Yeah, Wilbon was at the Garden last night. Last night when I went to bed he was on the 1am you know, Eastern Sports Center.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Sure, yeah, you can't get enough of it. But the games stink, that's all. That's my point.

[Brian Windhorst]

Okay, I do, I will push back a little bit on that, Tony. There have been quite a few high level games in the. And even in the play in there's been some high level basketball. Yes, I agree if you just watched San Antonio or if you just watched Oklahoma City. But there have been, you know, and you know, yes, I agree last night wasn't, wasn't the brutal. But I think there's, I think that the, I think the play has been pretty good so far.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Let me get to the issue that I love and I didn't know about it. I didn't know about Steve's curves, comments about the three point shot that maybe it's time to get rid of it. I think the same thing. Maybe it's time to get rid of it. What do you make of what Steve Kerr said and would there be any drumbeat for that at all in the NBA?

[Brian Windhorst]

Absolutely not. We are in an era in sports where everything is bigger, louder, stronger. You know, my son is 8 years old. He, I take, I have him sent to a hitting coach and the hitting coach who's well, respect comes very well recommended. You know, played minor league baseball, what have you. He teaches him to swing for the fence and all of these kids have this sort of. They teach him to elevate the ball. When I was a kid, you, if you dropped your back shoulder, the, the coach would come in and you know, put a, you know, a bat on your one shoulder so that you kept it level. They wanted everybody to line drive. If you had a home run, it was by accident. No, no, they want the kids to elevate the ball and swing for the fence. You know, you look at these pro golfers, swing so hard that you, you know, Scott, Scotty Scheffler almost falls down, he's swinging so hard. Justin Thomas comes up off the air. Arguably Rory McIlroy won the Masters. He's hitting the ball into the trees every other time, Tony, but he hits the ball so far that when he can recover out of the trees because he's kept the ball past all the trouble. They didn't design Augusta national to handle it. The, you know, the, the just the nature of sports right now is, is swing for the fence at all times and you go watch basketball games. You know, again, I go watch my 8 year old son play basketball games. The coach of the best teams, the best coaches are hoisting three pointers. Eight years old and you know, if you watch the Celtics play, the Celtics are a team that could win the championship this year. I don't think they're a strong favorite, but they are the eastern favorite. And basically their games are decided by whether they hit threes or not.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They missed their last 14 shots last night.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah, correct this. So if you're talking about the idea now, now it's different from the philosophy of whether it's good for the game. That's a different discussion. I loved, for example, I loved last night Joel Embiid played old school basketball. He couldn't hit an outside shot. It was an elimination game. So he's like, all else fails. Let me do something insane. Let me turn my back as a 7 foot 3 guy and catch entry passes and shoot off the block. And all of a sudden he started making baskets on the interior. I think he made something like seven or eight baskets in and around the paint. In the second half they started bringing double teams and then he started passing the ball out because that's, you know, that's the way the game is meant to be played. You, you score from, you create three point shots from the inside out. And I loved watch. It was very old school game that the, that the 76ers played last night, relatively speaking. I mean it's not going to remind you of Wilt vs Russell, but you know. Yeah, no, it's not going anywhere. The teams frankly that shoot the best threes are, are more successful. And a lot of times, you know, by the way, like this isn't the 70. The 76ers last night would argue that despite indeed success, the reason they won was because they took more threes than the Celtics. The Celtics last Night only took 39 threes for the first time the entire series. The 76ers actually got up more of them. They made more threes in that game. Now I would argue they made more because of Embiid unlocked them playing inside out. But no, we're not headed in that direction at all.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's too bad. I mean, and I said on the air, I said, look, I'm old. This is going to sound like it off my lawn, but it's not the basketball that I started with the Phil Jackson suggestion of at least having an honest arc the same distance all the way around, at least.

[Brian Windhorst]

But, you know, that's a, that's, with all due respect to Phil Jackson, that's a ridiculous, it's not going to happen

[Tony Kornheiser]

because you take out a couple of rows of courtside seats that you're getting $2,000 a pop for.

[Brian Windhorst]

So that's not 2,000, way more than that in place. Like Los Angeles teams have meetings and they go, how can we find more courtside seats? In fact, the Lakers, you know, they have a new owner this year, Mark Walter.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. And Northwestern Zone. Yeah. Wilbourne loves him, too. Yeah.

[Brian Windhorst]

You're not, you're not familiar with crypto.com arena. I've never seen you in all the years I've been coming here. But, but, you know, the Lakers have the highest volume courtside seats in the league, you know, high, most expensive. And one of the first things Mark Walter did was he said, wait a minute here, there's a lot of room down here. You know, these, these pathways are a little wide. You know, it's kind of like the airline executive. He was like, why would we have nine seats across when we could fit 10 on the big jet? And, you know, and they added an entire row of courtside seats, they just sort of came up with it. Like they're figuring out ways to add more courtside seats. So, you know, when Phil tweets, I've been saying for 15 years, widen the court, Phil, you can stay for 15 more. May you remain healthy and with us for 15 more. They're not doing that. So just, you know, let's just be honest about that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

What a delight to have you on. Thank you, Brian. Thank you.

[Brian Windhorst]

Thank you. Thank you, Tony. I hope you enjoy some wonderful basketball and I think it would be great. On the 1:00am Sports center tonight, you and Will Bond giving your, your take on, you know, on the games of the day.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I would happily go on the 4am Sports center, but not the 1am Sports Center. Thank you, Brian. Enjoy.

[Brian Windhorst]

All right, take care.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Brian Windhorst, just fabulous. The segment with Brian Windhorst has been brought to you by FanDuel. Play your game. Ron Flatter about the Kentucky Derby when we, when we return. It's Derby week. I'm Tony Kornheiser. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show. The Tony Kornheiser show once again. This is Jack Keese, who's from Louisville but is in Dublin now. This is called I Am the Ground and his friend Jason Lohr writes. P.S. if there's an opportunity to talk marathons. Jack Keys flew over from Ireland and ran the Boston Marathon last weekend. He was doing his best Sonic the hedgehog impression, running 22935 marathon at a 5:43 mile pace, finishing 303rd overall, which is incredible.

[Derek]

That is truly incredible.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It is incredible. It's amazing.

[Derek]

Not sure I could drive it that fast.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's amazing. Michael, if people like Jack Keys want to send their independent original music to the show to be played, how do they do it?

[Michael Wilbon]

Send us your music by emailing it to jinglesonyquinozzoshow.com I'm not sure your convertible make it a part Break Hill.

[Derek]

It certainly would not. No.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right. I mentioned it was Derby week. Ron Flatter, who was with us a couple of weeks ago, is with us again from Horse Racing Nation. At the time we had you on, you said that Renegade, I remember this, I wrote down some of these names that Renegade was the favorite. Is Renegade still the favorite?

[Ron Flatter]

Yes. Early betting, he is still the favorite, but it's going to waffle a little bit because he drew the dreaded one hole. If you want to talk about Nigel trying to get his convertible around anywhere, I think the only place where there's worse traffic than the one hole in the Kentucky Derby is around Columbia Country Club. I think those are the only two places on earth you're going to find bad traffic coming out of an inside post. And that's what Renegade's got. And I think what's going to happen is bettors are going to look at that as more money pours in and is the horse good enough to overcome that? And even trainer Todd Pletcher said he had gotten the word about where the draw was while he was flying and the moment he heard he was in the one, he reached for the air sickness bag. So that's where they, that's how they feel about it. And that's the that is going to be one of the big storylines coming up this week.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I assume that if you're in the one hole, there's two choices. You can drop back and try and go around if you have closing speed or you can set the world on fire in the first quarter. I don't know what else you can do. Right.

[Ron Flatter]

Well, the problem is he's kind of a tweener. He's an off the pace horse, but he's not a dead stone closer.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right.

[Ron Flatter]

So he's Gonna. He's in danger of getting either pinched or he's gonna have to work out a trip from behind traffic or both. There that. We have a new gate here with 20 stalls in one unit. It used to be at 14 and

[Tony Kornheiser]

one, and they had to bring in

[Ron Flatter]

another gate and had another right. And they had this. And basically, if you ran straight out of the one hole, you'd run into the rail. If you. If you didn't veer in.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Ron Flatter]

Now you can run a straight line, but other horses are going to have something to say about that. So we'll see. He's going to have to work out a trip. He's got Irad Ortiz Jr. Who's won a zillion Eclipse Awards, as top. As the top jockey in the country. But he's never won a Kentucky Derby. So he's got that. That's the. That's the issue. But he looked great winning the Arkansas Derby, so if he can carry that race with him into this race, then he's going to be a threat.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Who else do we look for? And who, because of a more favorable post position, has improved his odds in your eyes?

[Ron Flatter]

The horses that are belonging to Brad Cox, two of them, you have Commandment, who won the Florida Derby, and that traditionally is the best way to get to a Kentucky Derby victory. No prep race has produced more winners of the Kentucky Derby than the Florida Derby. And he's drawn closer to the inside in a more ideal post, but one I like a lot and I think could either be a super horse or. I mean, this is an all or nothing play and this is the horse I'm keying on. His name is Further Ado, and he'll be in post 18, which actually might advantage him because he'll be away from some of the traffic, working to the inside and. And he'll be able to work out a trip. Going to that first turn. He. All he did was win the Bluegrass Stakes by 11 lengths in his last race. And he got the best buyer speeds that you're coming into this race of 106. The fear is he could do what's called bounce, which is regress to a mean. And then all of a sudden, if that mean is just sort of ho hum, he finishes up the track. The other side of this, though, he may be the best horse on merit in the race just off of that. And if he duplicates even 90% of his bluegrass Stakes, he wins the Kentucky Derby. And that's what I'm banking on.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's not. It's not just how fast the horse is. The horses are not running without humans on top of them. They're not running with monkeys. They have jockeys. Is there a jockey or two that you say, I would bet on this guy in the Kentucky Derby more than anyone else?

[Ron Flatter]

Well, there is. If you. If you go based on just the way they have raced and the way they have performed in recent times, then you have Flavian Pratt, who's a native of France, and he's on Emerging market for Chad Brown, who also has never won the Derby, but Flavian Pratt has, and he's on emerging market, who's a horse who's only raced twice ever. Only one other horse has ever won the Kentucky Derby on his third start, and that was in 1883. You and I weren't even around for that one.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Barely alive.

[Ron Flatter]

Barely alive, yeah. Leonidas was that horse. And so if any. If there's a jockey who can make a horse go and look experienced, it is Flavian Pratt. He. He had a great year a couple of years ago that won him an Eclipse Award. He's now among the mix now of the. Of the best younger wave of jockeys coming along. And you can put him on a horse and know that you're going to get a competent ride almost every time. So he's. He would be that jockey.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. Is there a trainer who you say, this guy is worth a couple of bucks anytime he's got a horse in this.

[Ron Flatter]

Well, Baffert, yeah. The question is, does he have the horsepower in this case, he has two horses in the race. He has a horse named Potente who finished second in the Santa Anita Derby, and he has a horse named Litmus Test, who just was a disaster last time out in the Arkansas Derby. In that race, they took the blinkers off of him. He didn't like it. He broke out of the gate poorly. He finished seventh out of eight. Now the blinkers are back on, and he looks like he's been working well. And Potente had a blinder of a workout the other day. And so, yeah, Bafford, all he's done is win six of these things. He's coming in under the radar. Those two horses in the morning line were 10 to 1 for potente and 20 to 1 for litmus test, because they're not coming in off wins. And, and, and also, I would say about Potente, he didn't finish his last race with the greatest of speed. And you really need to show that you can accelerate late in the race because you're going to add a furlong for most of these horses to get the mile and the quarter. And he didn't really show in that last race that maybe he could get that extra furlong. But we'll find out Saturday. It is Bob Baffert, after all.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Our friend George Melay did a television piece on a horse called Barbaro that won the Derby about 20 years ago. Are you familiar with Barbaro and the conditions under which he died? Because they. They were. It's really poignant. It's really point.

[Ron Flatter]

Very familiar. Yeah, that was in 2006, and he broke down on the front stretch the first time by in the Preakness. And then the owners really went out of their way to try to bring him back to health beyond anything they were going to be insured for. They thought, we want to save this horse. And the horse looked like he was going to live. But one of the cruelest things that happens with horses is a disease called laminitis.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, he can.

[Ron Flatter]

And he developed that. Yeah, they got that in recovery. And finally it was just. That was. It was too much to put the horse through any further. But they got almost a year more out of him. And the research that was done as a result of his being kept alive to this day is beneficial for thoroughbreds.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's a lovely piece. I mean, if you get a chance to see it, it's a lovely piece. You go to the Derby a lot because that's your job to be there. I've gone numerous times in my life, but I also think, and I say this all the time, I think it's one of the greatest TV shows ever. They have so much going on. When you consider that it's, you know, the culmination of this three or four hour television show is two minutes on the track and they go to so many people, talking to so many trainers and betters and horse people and making predictions. It's really good. Do you ever get to watch it? It's really good.

[Ron Flatter]

So my wife always records it for me and I always forget to program, and then I come back home and then I'll watch it sometimes. And then sometimes I'm already, you know, into a bottle of something in a cigar. But I do eventually get to it. It is a wonderful show. One of the things that they capture is the fact you got 20 horses in this race. You got 20 really good stories. You can find a good story with every one of them. For instance, you've got so happy who won the Santa Anita Derby? Mark Glatt here for the first time as A derby trainer, he lost his wife to a sudden illness and she passed away in February. So he's here with a heavy heart. Bill Mott's son, Riley Mott, they had a two year old daughter who died of cancer last year. He's got two horses in this race for owners who just bought a farm. And the patriarch of that group passed away recently. And so you got some heartstrings being tugged for this race and that's just the top of the tree. There's a million of these stories around here and fortunately, television has the opportunity to tell them.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, you do some research and you tell these stories and you prepare packages and then you, then you do the thing that's most important. You ask people who you got, who you betting on. I mean, that's, you know, and then you look at the hats. It's just really, it's a very, it's a very good television show. All right, thank you, Ron. We hope you win. We hope you win.

[Ron Flatter]

I hope. Yeah, yeah. Hook them. Hook them. Further ado. Absolutely.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okie dokie, Ron. Flatter. Boys and girls, we will take a break. We will come back with email and jingle. I am Tony Kornheiser. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Jack Keys]

Well, here comes Tony's mailbag. We got your emails, your faxes and your notes. It's time for Tony's mail

[Tony Kornheiser]

bank.

[Jack Keys]

We're going to read some.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All you folks, John Ross, that's just lovely. It really is lovely. You want to do the Bethesda bagel ad, please?

[Derek]

I'm glad. I'm, I'm very happy that Chessy's come over here to help me do the read. Bethesda Bagels, we love them. You will as well. Just go to Bethesda Bagels.com for the location in the DC area, then pop on and you'll be thrilled. And I want to say a quick word.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Steve, the sycophant's got a concert.

[Derek]

Yeah. The Herndon Regional Wind Ensemble concert is this Saturday, May 2, at Westfield High School in Chantilly, Virginia. Dr. Lawrence Walker is going to lead it. Concert starts at 4:30. Admission is free.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Free. Go watch it.

[Derek]

Go watch it. You'll be. You'll be thrilled.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You did all right. Before we get to the mailbag, let me just say I want him, I need him and someday some way I'll meet him he'll be kind of shy and real good looking too and I'll be certain he's my guy by the things he likes to do like walking in the rain and wishing on the stars up above and being so in love. That's the Ronettes. They lost Nedra Talley, the last surviving member of the Ronettes, over the weekend and they are great. Their songs are great. Thanks to our guests today, Brian Windhorst and Ron Flatter. Thanks as well to today's sponsors. Remember, you can listen to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Audacy. If you get the show through Apple Podcasts, Please leave us a review from Darius Unwalla, the Chuck Todd interview of the White House correspondent and if you only had Chuck Todd, it would be enough, but you have a monkey. Was Reginald at the dinner? What table was he at? Did he go to the after party? Does he know the Fettermans? Fabulous email from Jordan Shantz in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, formerly of Lindenhurst, New York, which is on Long Island. Chuck Todd cuts through the kitchen like he's Henry Hill at the Copa, slipping twenties into the pocket of every member of the staff on the way through. Yeah, good fellas. From Matt Genovese in Jackson, N.J. on Monday, during the Wilbon segment, Tony said the Bears haven't been in an NFC Championship game in over a decade and Wilbon interrupted and emphatically said yes, they have. So now, by using Wilbonian mathematics, 2011 is within 10 years of 2026. This is why we love him. Never change. Wilbon from Peter Jennings. Not that Peter Jennings. I was ecstatic to see Tim Fitzpatrick win on Sunday. Amazing finish. Truly life changing for Alex Fitzpatrick. Like Tim Duncan, Alex stayed four years at Wake. I'm sure Wilbon will say one year at the Harvard of the Big Ten is equivalent to four years at Wake in higher education terms. I don't know Matt, but he appears to be a class act. Alex is one of the most polite, kind, humble and gracious people anywhere. So happy to see his success and think this is just the beginning. So proud he once repped the three generations Jennings law firm Go Deeks Love Spot in my heart and Michael, tell us why about Wake Forest. Why I got an award there.

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh nice. Got an award there which was very nice from Brett Hogs got picked up

[Michael Wilbon]

by his brother those last four holes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah yeah. I've begun a road trip to explore the desert Southwest. Can you ask Mike Wilbon if I can park my camper in front of his house in North Scottsdale for a few nights?

[Derek]

Sure.

[Tony Kornheiser]

While I do some sightseeing. I know I'm the only emailer named Brett with 1T those two breads, 2T brets are just posers. So I will just declare ownership victory now unless Brett Maverick writes well.

[Derek]

Yeah, he would trump that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. Yeah. Steve Gilmore, San angelo, Texas. Dear Dr. Sockman, I never had Arnold Palmer asked me to play around or JFK Jr asked me to play touch football. But Billy Idol once gave me the TK salute. That's funny counts. From Michael Benedetti in Scottsdale, Arizona. Dear Captain, 1261. I'm on it with the Nats. I walked out. It's. I don't know, 8:15. Last night I took the dog for a walk. I was gone less than 10 minutes. It went from one nothing to eight nothing. Little. Get out. DFA. Get out. You can't pitch in the majors. Can't.

[Michael Wilbon]

Inning ending, double play. Couldn't get the ball.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Just can't. The third baseman stinks. Get a third baseman in a first baseman.

[Michael Wilbon]

You still like that Papa John's commercial?

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, I hate it. Things go boom.

[Ron Flatter]

I hate it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Dear Captain, 1261. Helping you get ahead of this before you bring it up on the pot. That's Kevin Bacon in the New T Mobile commercial, not Humphrey Bogart.

[Brian Windhorst]

You're welcome.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I knew it was Kevin Bacon. I heard you complaining about allergies on pti, you know. Come on, you know. You went to sleepaway camp. Everybody had allergies. Regards, DG John Moransky, Santa Rosa, California. Before Johnny Mathis and I did know this became a world famous singing icon. He was an excellent athlete competing in the high jump for San Francisco State. While competing at San Francisco State, he beat his friend and fellow San Francisco Bill Russell in a high jump at the conference meet in Reno in 1956. Math. Excuse me. Was asked to compete in the high jump at the US Olympic trials. But he had another commitment that week, a trip to New York to record his first record. Tough choice, but he seems to have made the right decision. I would love to be the official school librarian at the Tony Korn as a show. Please tell Jacob Yarra to eat it. John Moransky in Santa Rosa, California. I did know that. That he was a high jumper. Wow. I told you that. Oh, I told you it was a high jumper.

[Derek]

Must have slipped my mind. That's fantastic.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Here's a haiku for the love of dogs from Shad. Thank you for sharing the viscosity of your dog's bowel movements. Bill Matfeld, Fort Mills, South Carolina. I like pilaf, but whenever I've made it doesn't come out very good. Can you ask Kirkjin for his recipe? And Mike Roseberry in State College, Pennsylvania. So is it a Lillehammer style jacket? The same way you can get a slice of New York style pizza in Iowa? Sbarros. Yeah, it's funny if you're out on your bike, Tiny, everyone is. Always do wear white.

[Brian Windhorst]

Here's the thing. We're not the wonders right now.

[Ron Flatter]

We're Captain Geech and the Shrimp Shack.

[Brian Windhorst]

Shoot.

[Jack Keys]

You told me to pick a hand, I chose the left. You showed me. Give me a grippy bobblehead. You kissed and said love you too. To the moon, back to earth, to this very room and back to earth too. You didn't win the lotto scratch. You stole the doc's prescription pads. Even with you refill. I love you, still love you. To the moon, back to earth. If we're not out of fuel. Back to earth. If there's no back, will you leave a footprint up there so I can still see your tribes? I made my bobblehead say no, but now his neck is crooked. Though you ask me why you break your toy, you silly boy. Love you to the moon, back to earth. And do you love me too? Do you, do you love me too? There's no path will you even feel up there so I can still see your track? I push the daisies down and find I'm left with a field of weeds And I hope that you don't find the solace you try to take from me. We laid the flowers to cover the spot where you had been slain. Until the rain and wind and time came to blow them all away. Falling down, Falling down. I am but the ground. My best teacher and my least favorite master are one and the same. Loyal and evil, wise and deceitful. I've learned the most from pain.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Sam.

[Jack Keys]

Falling down, Falling down. I am but the ground.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Sam.