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“Lathered in Disappointment” - The Tony Kornheiser Show | Wave AI Podcast Notes

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“Lathered in Disappointment”

The Tony Kornheiser Show

Wed Apr 08 2026

Summary

The Tony Kornheiser Show – "Lathered in Disappointment"

Date: April 8, 2026

Overview

This episode of "The Tony Kornheiser Show" takes listeners on a familiar journey through sports (both on the field and off), media nostalgia, and thoughtful commentary peppered with humor and the unique chemistry between regulars Tony, Michael Wilbon, and Liz. The main themes include the collapse of the Washington Nationals’ bullpen, a preview of the upcoming Masters without Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, NCAA tournament recaps, and broader thoughts on the current state of college and professional sports. Special guests Steve Sands (from Augusta) and Pat Forde bring expert insight on golf and college basketball, respectively.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Weather, Apparel, and a Cold, Disappointing Nats Team

00:41-10:08

Washington, D.C. Weather: Tony and the crew talk about bundling up in cold, windless D.C., setting a cozy scene for sports banter.
Nationals Bullpen Woes:
- Tony details another frustrating Nationals loss; bullpen collapses have become routine.
- “Whenever they get a lead, they blow the lead. It’s not like this is unusual.” (Tony, 04:24)
- New manager Blake Butera’s optimistic comments are lampooned as “aspirational,” not real.
- The bullpen ERA stands at a dismal 6.39.
- Pitchers like Paul Skenes, Terence Goble, and others are dissected.
- The crew pokes fun at relievers consistently opening innings with walks, drawing analogies to pouring gasoline on a fire.
- Attendance at Nats Park is so low that Tony jokes: "There couldn't have been 5,000 people involved." (09:27)
- Cold weather leads to players wearing ski masks: "They look like bank robbers." (09:53)

Memorable Moment

Tony coins the show’s title: "If you stay till the end, then you’re lathered in disappointment." (09:54)

2. The Masters Preview, Media Nostalgia, and the Absence of Tiger & Phil

14:03-28:12 – Guest: Steve Sands

Washington Post Sports Section’s Demise: Steve opens with an homage to the recently gutted Post sports department:
- “It has robbed me of one of my favorite things all year to do, which is chat with Barry for Luga inside the press building here at Augusta National Golf Club, because he's not here this week for the first time in a long, long time.” (15:36)
Nationals’ Post-Championship Collapse:
- Steve: “There’s never been a team in a history of professional sports that I can think of in our lifetime who got less of a bounce after a title than the Nationals.” (16:18)
A Masters Without Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson:
- First time since 1994, signaling the full passing of the torch to the next generation (Scheffler, Rory, etc.).
- Both agree it’s perhaps time for Tiger and Phil to step aside to preserve their legacies.
- Steve, on legends aging poorly:
  - “I’m not a fan of seeing Joe Namath in a Rams uniform … I just don’t love seeing the greats of all time kind of wither away in sports ... To be a ceremonial golfer after being the greatest … just looks funny.” (17:36)
Masters History and Anniversaries:
- 40 years since Jack Nicklaus's 1986 win; 30 years since Norman-Faldo; 50 since Raymond Floyd; “the sixes are great at the Masters.”
- The event’s pull is built on reverence for history and the venue.
What Makes a Winner at Augusta National?
- High-ball hitters and players who can shape shots excel. Confidence with the putter is a must.
- “You don't find your game at Augusta National Golf Club. You bring your game to Augusta National...” (22:44)
- Firm & fast conditions could help shorter hitters this year, but distance remains crucial.

Notable Quote

Steve on Tiger’s ‘Tiger Slam’:

“To win four consecutive majors? Really something is ridiculous. It just doesn’t happen. ... There’s no way you can take away the incredible dominance that he had over that course of time.” (19:10)
Gary Woodland’s Comeback Story:
- Steve provides a poignant account of Woodland fighting through a brain lesion and returning to the sport — a reminder of athletes’ humanity.
- “He wrote personal letters to his three children so that if they grew up one day ... they could hear the words through the written word from their father, who was no longer alive.” (24:23)
Masters Picks:
- Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm, and Scottie Scheffler highlighted as favorites.

3. NCAA Tournament Recap & College Sports Landscape with Pat Forde

29:55-43:35 – Guest: Pat Forde

Michigan’s Title and the Championship Game:
- Defensive slugfest; Michigan’s defense held an explosive UConn to their worst shooting performance all season.
- Pat: “Michigan was clearly the best team, not just in the tournament, probably all season. And they were destined to win unless something went really crazy, and Michigan kept it from getting crazy.” (30:12)
Comparing Champions Across Eras:
- Wilbon not impressed by Michigan; Forde says the team is legit but cross-era comparisons are tricky.
- Debates about NBA talent on past Michigan teams vs. current champions.
Big Ten Validation:
- Multiple Big Ten teams had strong tournament performances, bolstering the conference’s reputation.
On the Transfer Portal Era:
- Michigan won with five starting transfers; the nature of “mercenary” teams is debated but seen as a reality of 2026 college sports.
- “Welcome to college sports — 2026.” (36:49)
Tennessee Women’s Coaching Disaster:
- Pat is blunt:
  - “One of the great programs of all time is just falling into disrepair ... It’s ugly.” (37:21)
  - Player exodus signals a “massive rebuild.”
Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley Statement-after-incident:
- Recent tension is resolved with “dual statements” but Forde is critical of Auriemma’s initial, dismissive apology.
- “The first statement was atrocious ... There was still that pettiness involved.” (39:38)
UCLA Women’s Basketball Domination:
- UCLA demolished Texas and South Carolina, holding them to half their normal offensive output.
Michael Malone's Surprise Hire at UNC:
- Tony and Pat express shock at the NBA coach’s college jump.
- “I might have believed Karl Malone or Post Malone before Michael Malone being the guy.” (41:18)

Memorable Interchange

On transfers winning titles:
- Pat: “Twin narratives are, this is a bunch of mercenaries ... Well, welcome to college sports — 2026.” (36:49)

4. Listener Mailbag & Community Notes

44:21–57:00

Fun, wide-ranging listener email segment: from sports insights to Binghamton Bearcat pride to stories of fans at Augusta and medical advice.
Highlights:
- Tony’s influence (or lack thereof) on current generations, a Binghamton student’s journey, and a doctor’s advice for Tony’s longstanding ear issues.
- Stories and inside jokes from loyal listeners, ranging from pimento cheese at the Masters to playful digs at show regulars.
- Anecdotes about sports coaches’ humanity and character, e.g., Danny Hurley’s behind-the-scenes kindness after a player’s family loss.

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

"If you stay till the end, then you're lathered in disappointment."
– Tony Kornheiser, summarizing the Nats’ dispiriting bullpen and the episode's title. (09:54)
"I'm not a fan of seeing Joe Namath in a Rams uniform … I just don’t love seeing the greats of all time kind of wither away in sports ... To be a ceremonial golfer after being the greatest … just looks funny."
– Steve Sands on aging sports icons. (17:36)
"You don't find your game at Augusta National. You bring your game to Augusta National..."
– Steve Sands (quoting Jack Nicklaus). (22:44)
"His personality truly runs all over the place ... There are times I think that he's just insufferable. And there are times I think this guy's really cool. So, like, my opinion about him vacillates as much as his moods do."
– Pat Forde on Danny Hurley. (34:51)
"Welcome to college sports — 2026." – Pat Forde, on transfer-driven rosters and new realities. (36:49)

Timestamps for Important Segments

00:41–10:08: Nationals’ bullpen blow-up; cold weather; attendance woes
14:03–28:12: Steve Sands live from Augusta: Masters without Tiger/Phil; Gary Woodland story; historical context; favorites for the week
29:55–43:35: Pat Forde on NCAA tournament, transfer portal, Big Ten validation, Michigan’s run, Tennessee women’s program, women’s basketball drama, Michael Malone’s new job
44:21–57:00: Listener mailbag; music features; anecdotes from the show’s community

Tone & Style

Conversational, candid, and self-effacing; a mix of sharp sports criticism and genuine warmth for guests and listeners.
Humor comes from long-running bits and banter, especially on the inadequacy of D.C. sports and aging (both teams and panelists).
Occasional thoughtful, emotional moments (e.g., Gary Woodland’s recovery, the loss of the great Washington Post sports section).

For New Listeners

If you’re new to "The Tony Kornheiser Show," this episode is a rich mix of:

Insightful yet irreverent sports talk,
Reminiscing about the best (and worst) of media and fandom,
Thoughtful guest experts,
and a strong listener community spirit. You’ll get both the laughs (lathered in disappointment) and the feels (legends aging, personal comebacks, and community support).

End of summary.

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Transcript

Tony Kornheiser (0:00)

Hey, it's Tony. On today's show, we will see how things are in Augusta when we talk to Steve Sands. And we'll take one last look at the NCAA tournament with Pat40. But first, commerce.

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Tony Kornheiser Show Announcer (1:12)

Previously on the Tony Korniser Show.

Michael Wilbon (1:16)

I don't want to say, oh, you've got to go to Rome, because I know it's difficult and it's expensive, but if you get a chance to go, how is food? The food is brilliant. You can't have a bad meal there. I mean, you just.

Tony Kornheiser (1:26)

Well, unless you go to Sbarro's or something like that. Great local spot, Papa John's. I would imagine if you opened up a Papa John's nibbly, you would be arrested.

Tony Kornheiser Show Announcer (1:38)

The Tony Kornheiser show is on now.

Tony Kornheiser (1:41)

Cold in Washington, D.C. this morning at freezing line. Pants, lined pants and Lillehammer jacket.

Michael Wilbon (1:47)

Oh, yes, definitely.

Tony Kornheiser (1:48)

And I overdid. I mean, I didn't need these, like tearaways.

Liz (1:51)

Do you take them off halfway through the walk?

Tony Kornheiser (1:52)

No, no, because I didn't have anything on underneath that would. That would sustain me. But there was no wind, so it was not. Yeah, yes, it was not bad, thankfully. No, but it was. It is truly cold. It'll be truly cold tomorrow in the morning as well. I just wanted to mention this. I don't usually do this. We had Scott Van Pelt on the PTI show yesterday from Augusta. He was lyrical. Yeah, he was. He was. He was. Steve Young. Steve Young's the best. Every time Steve Young is on, you're done with Steve Young. You go, oh, my God, he's great. Van Pelt was in the Steve Young class.

Steve Sands (24:23)

Tony, I'm not just someone who's a guest on your show. I'm also a loyal little. I listen to every one of these podcasts, and I heard Ron Green, who's a dear friend, who's a great guy, his father, like you in D.C. a legendary journalist in Charlotte, fabulous, fabulous sportswriter in Charlotte, and Braun himself, a great, great sports writer as well, and a terrific guy. I heard him speak so eloquently about Gary the other day with you, and I just think people need to realize that when they're rooting for athletes or rooting for teams, you know, remember that they're human beings. And yes, they make millions of dollars. Yes, they have all the fame and fortune, yes, they have all the accolades and they get all the attention, but they're human beings at the end of the day. Gary Woodland had a lesion on his brain, and he wasn't sure if he was going to live. He wrote personal letters to his three children so that if they grew up one day when they learned how to read, they could hear the words through the written word from their father, who was no longer alive. That's the point in which Gary Woodland got to in his life with that brain lesion. And then he had the surgery. And they told him, just like Ron told you and your audience, they told him that there was going to be a risk that perhaps he might have some feelings that might not be so great when you get past this. But the success of the surgery was more important at the time than what might come later. And what has come later is some fear and a lot of trepidation in his life, a lot of ups and downs. Known him a long time. He's a really, really nice guy and just a terrifically genuine human being. And Garon told that great story to you about the girl in Scottsdale, Amy, who he's become friends with, who stayed friends with him. And it's just. He's that kind of guy. Gabby is that kind of woman. She's been incredibly supportive. And he'll tell you right to your face, and he's not lying. It's been harder on her than it has been on him. He wakes up every day, Tony. He doesn't know whether he's in a good mood, a bad mood, a mean mood, a nice mood, whether he's gonna make it through the day. And that's because of all the things he's dealing with, that PTSD after that brain surgery to get that lesion off his brain. So everybody's rooting for him. He's a terrific guy. And, you know, we're not supposed to root in the press box. They told us, you know, when we were kids in journalism school, it's really hard to not root for Gary Woodland. And I can tell you, being in the booth that Sunday in Houston, yeah, they're very. I cried everything, Tony. You know, Val Sands will tell you I cry when the national anthem is sung well at a sporting event. And it was really hard, really hard to keep it together when Gary was playing on that Sunday in Houston. It was. It was really cool to see him win.

Tony Kornheiser (45:54)

of stuff that's interesting. Here's a long one. This is from Jay Varanasi. I believe I pronounced that correctly in a Wasco, New York. And I don't know where Owasco is. Maybe it's near Owego or Oswego. I don't know. I'm a longtime fan of pti. I've been listening to the podcast for the past few months. I recently heard you say you were not a big deal when a Binghamton student hadn't heard of you. A few months ago I was trying to encourage my 17 year old daughter to consider Binghamton University after high school. Her response was lukewarm at best. Perhaps I should have told her not to consider Binghamton University. My next idea was to introduce her to Binghamton's most famous graduate via podcast. Certainly she would listen to someone even older than me. How could that strategy possibly go wrong? I mentioned that Tony Kornheiser went to Binghamton. She responded, who? I responded, he's one of the two guys that does that show. I watch where they scream about sports. She said oh, and went back to whatever she was doing while driving in the car. I played the podcast. We listened to your feelings about an iPhone update, the customer service at your gas company and the irs, among others. She was unmoved and thought you may need to chill. Then we got to the music. I explained that you allow independent musicians to share their music for free. As a senior graduating from a performing arts school, my daughter was very impressed. She said we need more people to give young artists a chance. This seemed to draw her attention even more than flow from the TV commercial or house Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Apparently, supporting unknown artists is her kind of vibe. She acknowledged her benevolence and perhaps subliminally associated it with the university. Long story short, she accepted an offer for admission to Binghamton and will be a bearcat in the fall. She's willing to listen to your podcast, but prefers to fast forward to the end of the music to end when the music starts. I would argue you can still count this as a widening of your podcast demographic. By the way, I'm a cardiologist who has also suffered from Eustachian tube dysfunction. Several other doctors have written in and given you this diagnosis and I agree. Adult dose Afrin or an over the counter oral decongestant like phenylephrine or pseudoephedrine can provide relief. However, if you have high blood pressure, either an oral or nasal decongestant may not be advisable as it works by constricting small blood vessels. This helps decrease fluid in the middle ear but could potentially increase blood pressure. That's an important detail that I had not heard mentioned on the podcast of note, the descent before landing during airline flights can be painful as well, with Eustachian tube dysfunction due to pressure changes. Thus, there may be a medical reason for you to avoid flying. Can I be the podcast official interventional cardiologist with eustachian tube dysfunction? Yes, sure. Isn't that a nice email?

Tony Kornheiser (48:59)

That's a long time from Tim Ratterstorff or Raiderstorf in Columbus, Ohio. This is long. It was a thrill of a lifetime to send my dad last Monday's episode and watch his reaction to hearing you share our master story with the Littles. That is something we will both hold on to for a long time. Maybe forever. My pops and I made it back to Augusta on Monday, where our good luck streak continued. The drive down was filled with great golf and even better car company. Our host treated us like kings with a green egg, smoked brisket in Charlotte and steaks in Colombia big enough to satisfy even junior sized appetites. When we pulled onto those hollow grounds at 6:10 Monday morning, we thought we were early. Augusta politely disagreed. This year's legendary gnome, complete with a working umbrella, was already gone by the time we made it through the gates, our only disappointment of the trip. Still, the day was perfect. I got to take more than 25,000 steps alongside my dad and two good friends, David and Randy, now fully converted Littles. We saw Magnolia Lane, the par three course, walked the course from the tips. We consumed a responsible yet memorable number of peach ice cream sandwiches and Crow's Nest Beers. Yeah. We even got a nod from fellow Columbus resident Jason Day and found ourselves next to 18 year old amateur Mason Howell's girlfriend as she beamed watching his media interviews. Young love at its finest. The kind of stuff Brian Wilson and Tony Asher must have had in mind when they wrote Wouldn't It Be nice? We spent the afternoon cheering on attempt after attempting as players skip balls across the pond. Jake Knapp's that guy's got huge arms. Jake Knapp's caddy mustered up the courage to give it a go and nearly took out Harry hall and a few patrons with his effort. You have to admire his courage. Just like last year, every volunteer and staff member treated us royally. Every step felt carefully designed to evoke joy. As the sun began to set, three golden moment hours stood out. First, our way back to the North Gate, we found Frank, a gallery volunteer from New York who's working on his 38th Masters tournament. We met Frank during our rain soaked visit last year and he greeted us again like old friends. He shared more stories about the course and reminded us that even a short date, Augusta can stay with you for a lifetime. Second, my dad insisted we find a club member so we could personally thank them for allowing those of us who are rained out to come back again this year. We were lucky enough to thank Mr. Stevenson in his green jacket. They wear jackets? Yeah, the members wear jackets. Who made it clear just how much it meant to him to share his club with us. And then, as if Augusta needed one more perfect detail to cap the day, who walks right in front of us. But my third favorite ESPN personality who sometimes calls the DMV home, Scott Van Pelt himself could not have been more gracious. Stories, autographs and reminder that the magic of Augusta extends well beyond the ropes. Pictures included for your viewers on News Channel 8. The game of golf has long been a thread that binds my relationship with my father, just as it has for you and Michael. Thank you for always reminding us how truly special special that relationship is. Wishing Michael and the woman to whom he is married, related by marriage, what will surely be a memorable trip to Magnolia Lane. And thank you to Augusta national for every one of those 25,000 steps together. Isn't that great?