“Lathered in Disappointment”

Summary

The Tony Kornheiser Show – "Lathered in Disappointment"

Date: April 8, 2026

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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.

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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)

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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.

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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)

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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.

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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)

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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

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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).

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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).

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End of summary.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

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]

Previously on the Tony Korniser Show.

[Michael Wilbon]

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]

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]

The Tony Kornheiser show is on now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

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

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, yes, definitely.

[Tony Kornheiser]

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

[Liz]

Do you take them off halfway through the walk?

[Tony Kornheiser]

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.

[Liz]

It was the first Question where you just saw him relax into a scene and go, yep, we're in for an essay.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, that was really good. I wrote him, I said, that was really good. And he said, I tend to go on too long. I said, no, no, it's really good.

[Liz]

Made up for the rest of the show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Because the rest of the show's me and Wilbon. Nobody really wants to see us.

[Michael Wilbon]

I wish you guys could have worked in some conversation about Kip Sheeman on the air.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, it was off air. Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

He wanted to know about talking about his drives.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

Off the tee.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, because he faces do, right. And then he comes across the ball. I mean, he. If you watch a pull cut. Yeah. If you watch him play, you watch his stance, you go. You can't get the ball anywhere near the fairway.

[Liz]

But no, no, he's a forward facing golfer looking for the next bet.

[Sabine McCalla (Singer)]

Yeah.

[Liz]

Great to get the. The child care updates from team Wilbon last night during the show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. Yeah. Wilbon talked about changing diapers. Okay, let's stop.

[Liz]

We're doing dinner prep. She's like, what?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. We didn't think of him as a diaper changing guy.

[Michael Wilbon]

No, not really.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Nobody in the show thought of him that way. A lot of great pitchers were on the mound last night. Not in the Nats game. I'll get to the Nats in a second. Paul Skeens went out there, threw six and a third for the Pirates, allowed two hits, six strikeouts, one earned. He won a game. Terence Goble, the equal of Paul skeens the last two years. They're the two best pitchers in baseball. Had a rocky night. Four and two thirds, eight hits, four earned. Lost the game. Crochet for Boston, six and a third, two earned, seven strikeouts against the Miz Mizorowski for Milwaukee, five and a third, two hits, 10 Ks, but three earned runs. Sandy Alcantra, Miami, who went nine the other day and allowed, I think three hits, went eight and a third, allowed three hits, two earned, had six strikeouts. Alcantara is an old school pitcher or Miami just doesn't have anybody else. So four of the five guys had pretty good games and they're excellent, high quality pitchers. The Nats did not have that last night. The Nats blew another lead. They blow leads whenever they get a lead. They blow the lead. It's not like this is unusual. Whenever they get a lead.

[Liz]

Reason and this is their third game. Giving up, third game in a row. Giving up an eighth inning lead.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The ball, the bullpen stinks. Okay. It's Terrible. Now they got rid of Granillo. Good. They got to get rid of Perez. They haven't gotten rid of Perez. They bring in. They're up two runs in the eighth inning last night. Andy Poli has just pitched. He just closed the seventh with a four pitch walk.

[Liz]

Yep.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Six walks by the Nats relievers. Come on.

[Liz]

I think every reliever opened their.

[Tony Kornheiser]

With walks. Yes, with walks. And then Andy Poly got a strikeout and got out of the inning.

[Liz]

So they set it up.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They go into the eighth up, too. Now, I have to tell you something. I really like watching baseball, but I am not one of those people that has to watch the whole game because it's 162 games. I'm going to watch about 120. I'm going to watch them for a while and then I'm going to say, I've seen enough baseball. I really like baseball. This is two nights in a row I've left the game and the lead has changed. And I don't know what happened in the morning. I'm not upset with that. I'm not, I'm not going to be rigorous about going to the end of the game. It's okay. I don't mind. But the Nats, they surprise you all the time. They're hitting very well. James Wood hit another, hit another home run last night.

[Liz]

C.J. abrams piling up a lot of RBI.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, a lot of RBI. Can't field, but can do a lot of other things and is worth having out there. This kid Mead, never heard of him. Hit a home run yesterday, his first as a national. Joey Weimer I never heard of until last week. Got another hit. It's not their hitting, it's their pitching. And I read a quote today. What is their manager's name? Butera.

[Liz]

Blake Butera.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Blake butera. The kid 33. I read a quote from him and it's exactly what he's supposed to say. That's exactly what it's supposed to say. He says, well, we're hitting pretty good and when we get the pitching squared away, we're going to be good. It's very optimistic. It's very managerial. It's not like the coach at Tennessee saying, we have a lot of quit in us. Oh, it's terrible. No, it's not like that at all. It's exactly what Blake Butera, that's his name, Blake Butera is supposed to say. It's unrealistic.

[Michael Wilbon]

Pronounced Balake.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, it's, it's, it's unrealistic. They have the worst era at the end of last year, their bullpen had the worst ERA in baseball.

[Liz]

Well, they're off to a fast start then.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Who did they sign?

[Liz]

So their bullpen. Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's still the worst in baseball in NL was 589 ERA last year.

[Liz]

All right, well, we're working that. It's 6.39 right now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

6.39.

[Michael Wilbon]

Didn't they sign the meatball?

[Tony Kornheiser]

The meatball? Mikolis. But he's a starter. He's a starter.

[Liz]

They got who far ahead with 31 walks. They had 10 walks last night.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, terrible.

[Michael Wilbon]

10 is.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's terrible. It's gonna happen.

[Liz]

And again. So you stopped when it was. I believe it was two after the. Okay, so you were giving that up a little bit. But you see in the seventh, you give up the solo shot, I believe. And then in the eighth, it's the walk that then. Yeah, the two run shot precedes the two run shot.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Who was the pitcher at that point?

[Liz]

That was Gus Varland.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Gus Varland. You know, you read these quotes. They said, yeah, you know, I just left it up a little high. It's no big deal. It's no big. You lost. You lose all the time. What is their era? 6.39. The bullpen era. It's terrible.

[Michael Wilbon]

That's tough.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's terrible. So Butera's confidence is aspirational. It's not real. It's not real. They haven't had a bullpen ever. A new gm, new manager, same bad bullpen.

[Liz]

I just thought it was like, well, I wasn't seeing this in spring training. We weren't issuing these walks. Then you're like, yep, welcome to the actual regular season.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And relievers come in and immediately walk people. Yes, immediately walk people.

[Michael Wilbon]

Which is the absolute worst thing a reliever can do. It's like, here's some gasoline. Let me just put.

[Liz]

And they've had. They've had Zimmerman up in the booth for the, you know, for this home series. And it's just, you know, last night, through tonight, just. You cannot open innings with free passes to first.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I don't understand why Butera believes that this is going to change so far. I mean, bodies in motion tend to remain in motion. 6, 39 era, the worst in baseball by the right.

[Liz]

You feel like it's. It's more likely that the hitting slows rather than the relief pitching.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Gets better. Yeah, gets better. But you're happy with me that I stop at some point.

[Liz]

It's such a healthy way to watch sports. And again, I Just. I finally get downstairs, I get to enjoy. I'm. I'm watching the worst part of the game and I can't turn it off.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. So. Yeah, I mean, I. It wasn't. I didn't leave the game because I was confident they would win. I'm not stupid.

[Liz]

No, I.

[Tony Kornheiser]

What.

[Liz]

It was interesting last night because it's a. It's a cold night in D.C. yeah. They were bundled up, both teams run out of challenges. And it looked like on the plate, they're like, all right, we're gonna, we're gonna widen the strike zone here to try and get this thing finished. Get it on under an hour 45.

[Tony Kornheiser]

There was, there was nobody there at the beginning of the game. There couldn't have been 5,000 people involved.

[Liz]

Well, if you looked at the stands in the 10th inning, it was crickets.

[Tony Kornheiser]

There's nobody there. Nobody. It's. It's very.

[Liz]

I don't think the players wanted to be.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, they're all wearing those masks. Not the people in the stands, the players are wearing masks.

[Liz]

Is that not distracting if you're pitching and you see walk around the cards like wearing the full ski mask?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it's. It's an odd look. I don't even know how does it

[Liz]

affect your peripheral, like, I don't know,

[Michael Wilbon]

look like bank robbers.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't know. So. But it was. Yeah, it wasn't a night to go out. And if you stay till the end, then you're lathered in disappointment. Six, three nine bullpen.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

You.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You don't. If a pitcher has a 639 ERA, you send him down, you don't keep him. But obviously if the collective era is 639, there's a lot of people with more than that. Right? They're more than that. There's just. No, they're no good. As Linda Ronstadt would say, you know good. You know good. You're no good. You're no good. You know. All right, we'll take a break. You're probably wondering why we are doing Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday this week. It's cuz I get couple of days off and I wanted to be have them unencumbered. So we will come back with Steve Sands.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

That's right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

As we concentrate on Sansi.

[Tony Kornheiser Show Announcer]

I'm Tony Kornheiser, this is the Tony Kornheiser show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Steve Sands]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Tony Kornheiser Show Announcer]

this is the Tony Kornizer Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is a woman named Sabine McCullough and Stephen Good in Fayetteville, Arkansas sent our music in and he said thank you for playing the two songs I sent in by Garden Snake the other week. Today I'm sending in more music by another band of which I'm not a member. My friend Kurt runs Garhole Records, an independent music label that started in Fayetteville, recently moved to New Orleans. My favorite artist There is Sabine McCalla. I got the opportunity to see her play live in December of 2025. Incredible show. Sabine and Gar Whole Records have shared two songs with this high quality podcast entitled sunshine kisses and two of hearts. This is Sunshine Kisses. Sabine McCalla. We'll play another song later in the show. She plays in Steve Sands who was in the pristine Augusta. And this segment with Steve Sands is brought to you by FanDuel. Play your game. They got a new slogan. It's not make every moment more. No, now it's play your game. I'm going to ask you what I ask everybody we talk to, you know, talk to everybody about the Masters and the headline going into the Masters and when they drop the puck, it's different. I understand that, but the headline going is it's a Masters without Tiger and Phil. What are your thoughts about that?

[Steve Sands]

Well, before we talk about that, Tony, as a born and raised Washingtonian and a massive sports fan from the nation's capital who always wanted to grow up and be a sports writer because of people like you and Michael Wilbond at the Washington Post, I just want to say how tragic it is that every day of my life as an adult, I've read the Washington Post sports section.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, there is none.

[Steve Sands]

And what's happened to that is just tragic for all things journalism, sports fans, the area. It's just awful and 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. And I just want to say for all of us sports fans, thank you, Michael. Every single person who's been a part of that sports section for all those years, making it great for all of us sports fans who love D.C. sports.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's very kind. And by the way, just to say it also, though, keeps you from looking at a Gnats box score and looking at the bullpen and looking how terrible they are.

[Steve Sands]

Sadly, unlike sadly, just like Michael and you, I still look at those box and it really is aggravating. My gosh. 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.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Steve Sands]

Than the National. My gosh.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

Yeah.

[Steve Sands]

Just awful. Anyway, 1994. Yeah, 1994 is the last time there was a Masters held without Tiger or Phil in the field. I think it's just a kind of natural passing of the torch that's happened about six or eight years ago with the two best players of the generation, kind of passing it along, you know, to the next great guys like Rory, like Scotty Scheffler and those guys. But, man, did not have them here at Augusta with this special venue and this special tournament for the first time in 30 years, it truly feels like there is a complete and utter passing from one generation of greats to the next.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Do you. I mean, maybe they will try to play. Phil, I assume, will try to play continually. I don't know about Tiger, but are they done? In other. If you. If you sat in a room with them, would you say, okay, stop. Don't do it anymore. Don't try.

[Steve Sands]

Yes, I would. I am not a fan, and you know this, Tony. I'm old and I'm old school. I am not a fan of seeing Joe Namath in a Rams uniform. I'm not a fan of seeing Willie Mays in a Mets uniform. I'm not a fan of that type of thing in professional sports. Now, it's their prerogative, and they can do whatever they choose. That's perfectly fine. I just don't love seeing the greats of all time kind of wither away in sports just because they still have the opportunity to go out there and play. Tiger can't play against these guys. Tigers. The greatest player of his Generation. There's no debate on that. His legacy is cemented in the sport forever. But he can't compete against these guys right now. And to be a ceremonial golfer after being the greatest of your generation, to me just looks funny as far as Phil is concerned. Man, who knows what's going on with Phil, you know, you know, his game is not there. Clearly he can't compete against these guys. But like Fred Couples, who's the oldest player in the field this week at 66 years of age for the first time in his career, this might be his last Masters. You have the prerogative to go out there and play at Augusta and that's okay. Phil wants to come here and play, that's perfectly fine. But if those guys want to go out there and compete again in the other major championships against the best players in the world, when they truly are just ceremonial golfers at this point in their careers, I don't like seeing that from the best and the second best player of their generation.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Today, I think, is the anniversary of the Tiger Slam. I think it's when he completed it. Do you remember that?

[Steve Sands]

Oh, yeah, yeah. I mean, it's incredible, an amazing feat. I don't think it gets kind of put in the forefront when you talk about all the things that Tiger has done, because there's so much that's happened in his career on and off the golf course. But, you know, to win consecutive majors is amazing. You know, to win four consecutive majors, really something is ridiculous. It just doesn't happen. It doesn't happen in tennis and it doesn't happen in golf. It didn't happen in a calendar year. So people have that little caveat. But there's no way you can take away the incredible dominance that he had over that course of time. It was truly remarkable feat.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This was 40 years ago. This was Nicholas's last big win. Right? This was. And that, I assume that is going to be celebrated because it's 40. I assume that will be celebrated this week. Yes, it will be.

[Steve Sands]

He's, he's part of the, the honorary starters tomorrow morning with Gary Player and Tom Watson like he usually is. The sixes are great at the Masters, Tony. It's the 30 year anniversary of the Norman Faldo crazy.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, okay.

[Steve Sands]

It's the 40 year anniversary of Jack becoming the oldest masters winner at 46 years of age in 86. It's the 50 year anniversary of Raymond Floyd's win in 1976. And it's just kind of cool to come back here every year and kind of relish in the, in the, in the place, the venue, the event, but also the history. There's just so much history here. And Jack's win in 86 was probably the biggest moment in the history of this event. Maybe 97, when Tiger won for the first time, time of his five. But 86 at 46 years of age, being Jack Nicklaus winning for the sixth time, that's a remarkable thing. And it will reverberate around the grounds here over the course of the last two days and certainly the next five days as well.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You've watched a lot of Masters. I don't, I don't know if this question is answerable in a positive manner. I'm not certain. It just may be that the answer is no. But the question is, is there a type of player who is inclined to win here? A type of golfer where you say that's the kind of guy, not the individual, not the personality, but the golf game that tends to win there?

[Steve Sands]

Yeah. High ball hitters tend to do very well here because you want to put it on the proper side of the fairway to give yourself a chance where there are chances with hole locations here on these greens that are so difficult to navigate. To be able to hit a high ball into these greens and able to have it come to rest where you like is a huge advantage. You know, people who can, you know, move the ball also have a big advantage here. You know, there was that time in 2003 when Mike Weir became the first lefty to win the Masters all the way to 2014 when Bubba Watson won his second Masters. Phil Mickelson won three in between. So you're talking about two from Bubba, three from Phil, one from Mike at six left handed players winning in a 12 Masters span. So if you can move the ball and hit a high ball, you are going to succeed here. And obviously the chipping and pitching and putting are key, but that's key everywhere to me. If you can manage your golf ball at this golf course, especially if the wind is up, you will succeed here at Augusta National.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Are there players you can rule out because they don't have an Augusta game?

[Steve Sands]

Yes. Low ball hitters, guys who don't necessarily have a lot of confidence with their putter coming in. I've told you this before, it's a great line from Jack Nicklaus at the Masters more than anywhere else. You don't find your game at Augusta National Golf Club. You bring your game to Augusta National Golf Club and if you don't have confidence in your putter you can be ruled out right away. If you don't have any distance, you can pretty much be ruled out. Except the forecast this week, Tony, is firm and fast conditions because it's going to be dry. I don't remember a better forecast in all the Masters I've ever been here. This is my 23rd masters. I don't think I've ever seen a better forecast at Augusta National. It is going to be really, really nice throughout the entire week, and I'm talking about the last couple of days as well. It sprinkled a little bit on Sunday after the drive, chip and putt, but other than that, there has not been a drop of rain here in a while, and there won't be this. And this golf course is going to be cooking come Saturday and Sunday. So that means that the guys who hit it shorter have a little bit of an advantage because they'll be able to roll the ball out a little bit farther than normal. But for the most part, if you don't have distance, you're going to have a hard time here in Augusta.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I wanted to tell you that I stole all your stuff that you told me about Gary Woodland and how you admired him. And we put on Ron Green Jr. And he talked about it in great depth. I did credit you. I said, you know, I'd gotten this all from Sands. But if you'd like to talk a little bit about Gary Woodland, because I found that so interesting that you think he's. He's someone that everyone on the Tour really, really likes and is happy that he won.

[Steve Sands]

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]

It's a very nice story. I'm glad you were able do that. And thank you for telling me about it originally. Get you out on anybody you think you want to take three names and say, I want any one of these three names to win the Masters.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

We're going to go with an Andy

[Steve Sands]

Byard try box here, huh? Let's see. I think. I think Xander Shoffley is going to play really well here. I think Jon Rahm is going to play really well here. I think Scotty Scheffler is going to win his third Masters. Kind of like Arnie, 58, 60, 62, 64, Scheffler 22, 24. I think he's going to add a third one here in 26. I think Fitzpatrick will play well as well. I think Cameron Young will play well. Last two players, champions. Tony, they're going on to win the Masters. Now they were Rory and Scotty, a little bit different category than Cameron right now, but I would say Scotty Xander and John Rom would be my try box.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Love to, love to have you on the show. Thank you. Thank you, Steve. Enjoy the Masters. All right.

[Steve Sands]

So all right, Johnny, Be good. Take care.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Steve Sands. This segment with Steve Sands has been brought to you by FanDuel. Play your game and we will come back with Pat 40. I'm Tony Kornheiser. To realize the future America needs, we understand what's needed from us to face each threat head on. We've earned our place in the fight for our nation's future. We are Marines. We were made for this.

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[Steve Sands]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Once again, this is Sabine McCalla and Stephen Good writes. In 2025, she released her first full length album, don't Call Me Baby. Her version of multicultural American roots music pulls everything from Brazilian samba and trapa kelia to Southern soul and British rock and roll into its orbit. She has two upcoming shows in New Orleans on April 22nd and 23rd at the Joy Theater and Music Box Village, respectively. Thank you for supporting independent artists. It's just wonderful and you can listen to our music without me yapping at the end of the show. Michael if people like Sabine McCallough want to send in their original music for us to play it, how do they do?

[Liz]

So send us your music by emailing it to jinglesonyquanizershow.com and it plays in

[Tony Kornheiser]

Pat 40 and we need to talk about, you know, what. What happened in the tournament, the last tournament game. 69, 63. Neither team shot particularly well, but I mean, I thought it was probably a worthy game. What were your impressions of it?

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

Yeah, I mean, it was a mess of a game, but it was very competitive and compelling. And it was just a question, I think, of whether, you know, UConn could come up with a little more voodoo magic from Danny Hurley and find a way to win a game where they were definitely not the best team. I think 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.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, I mean, UConn's defense held a team that had rolled to 90 plus points in every single of the five games in the tournament so far. They held them to 69. So if they shoot, they win. But Michigan plays defense, too. They know what they're doing.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

Michigan's the best defensive team. Yeah, I mean, that was the biggest common denominator there. UConn shot 30.9% from the field, which is, I think, fourth worst or fifth worst in tournament history. But that's the way everybody shot against Michigan. When you got inside, you couldn't score.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

And then they couldn't make enough threes. And. And the game stayed interesting because Michigan couldn't make any threes. They were 2 for 15 from 3 point range. So, you know, it's just really. It was a. It was an inevitability, I think that Michigan was going to win. But I credit UConn with being resourceful and plucky enough to keep it at least in doubt into the last minute.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It was the worst shooting performance all year by UConn, and Michigan has a lot to do with that. What are your impressions? Wilbon railed against Michigan yesterday and said, don't tell me they're as good as the Fab Five. Don't tell me they're any as good as Ramil Robinson's team with Glen Rice and other guys that went to the pros. What are your impressions of that team as a champion?

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

I mean, I think it's a really good champion team. 37 3, incredibly dominant for stretches, completely destroyed number one seed Arizona, completely destroyed Tennessee. You know, we'll see. Comparing them across eras is always difficult. There were, you know, there were three very good NBA players on the Fab Five team. There were, you know, Glenn Rice was a very good NBA player. Emil Robinson wasn't. Terry Mills, you know, okay. This team, I, you know, I think Jax, Linda Borg's an NBA player. I think probably some of the guards are. And then Mara, the 7 foot 3 center, I think is an NBA guy now. You know, is he going to be a great NBA player? I don't know, but I think this is. I think it's a legitimately good team.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I hate to do this because it makes Wilbourne feel so good, but this tournament completely validated the Big Ten. It's just they had five or six teams win at least two games in this tournament. Right?

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

Yeah. No, look, it's Wilbon's world. We're just going to have to adjust to it. They've won three straight football championship with three different schools.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

They finally won a men's basketball championship and their PAC12 annexation won the, the women's championship. So, you know, the. I said this yesterday on our podcast, the other great American podcast out there, that maybe, maybe Kevin Warren did some good things as the commissioner of the Big Ten. He brought in a massive influx of new money and he brought in those west coast schools who are contributing now to the league.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I was amazed that UConn had never lost in the finals. They were 6, 0. I was amazed by that. Is there, I. Is there anyone else who's never lost in the finals?

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

Boy, I don't know. Did UCLA ever lose in the final? I'm not sure. I mean, they lost in the semifinal.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, they lost in the semis.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

David Thompson.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, Walton. Yeah, they lost in the semis. Maybe not, but I'm.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

I don't know what they.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, after, but after Wooden did. Larry Brown got to the finals. Larry got to the finals and lost.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

Yeah. Right, to Louisville.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Yeah. So they got. Yeah, they lost. I. I need to say this, and again, I'll bring up Wilbourne. Wilbourne doesn't like Danny Hurley. Says he's a great coach. Doesn't like him personally. I find I like him personally. I, I think he's a terrific coach. Coach, what are your thoughts on Danny Hurley over the whole spectrum of Danny Hurley isms?

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

It's a broad spectrum, Tony. It's a very broad spectrum. I mean, he's a brilliant coach. There is no doubt. I mean, that guy is a great, great coach. He's great at every element of coaching. His personality truly runs all over the place when he's not being a raving lunatic. Yeah, he's incredibly interesting, self deprecating, funny, well read. You know, I. There's just a lot to him. There are times I think that he's just insufferable. And there are times I think this guy's really cool. So I like my opinion about him. Vacillates as much as his moods do.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's. That's fair to say. Michigan won with five starting transfers. You know, this. I bring this up because maybe it bothers you. And even if it bothers you, though, I mean, this is the way college basketball and college football is right now. Right? This is what it is.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

Yeah. No, it doesn't bother me. You know. Yeah. One Namari Burnett had been there for a couple of years. He was not a new transfer. The other four were new. And I give Dusty May incredible credit for pulling a team together with four new guys, all of whom came with perceived limitations. Elliott Cadell was a disappointment for two years in North Carolina. Adai Mara couldn't stay on the court or get on the court at ucla. Jaxson Lindeborg was a high energy rebounding fanatic who couldn't play on the perimeter. Whereas Johnson was talented but raw at Illinois. They all went there and got better. Yeah, I mean, he improved them and then he put them together and they played incredibly well together. So that is the, the way college sports works now. And they. Yeah, the twin narratives are. This is a bunch of mercenaries. You know, they money whipped everybody. Well, welcome to college sports.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

2026.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

Secondly, this was not like the highest paid payroll by any stretch. Wasn't even close. You just did the best job putting together a well compensated, talented payroll, making it a great team.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This guy took Florida Atlantic to the Final Four. Come on. All right, let me get off this. Tennessee. The Tennessee women's team.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

What?

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is a disaster beyond words. How can they not have changed coaches by now?

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

I don't know. I mean, it's astounding. There is a lot of, I guess, blame being cast at athletic director Danny White that he just doesn't care about women's basketball. And one of the great, you know, programs of all time is just falling into disrepair on his watch because he's more concerned about football and men's basketball and baseball. But, I mean, it's ugly. And, you know, again, they have such a devoted fan base and such a great alumni list that they're all up there up in arms. They can't believe what's happening down there and they're wondering who actually does care. I.

[Tony Kornheiser]

When we talked about the story Yesterday at about 11 in the morning, Matt Kelleher, our producer, and I were both convinced that coach would be fired before we went on the show. So we would. We would. We would do the story because there's not necessarily a new coach, but they got rid of this person who had clearly. Pat. Alienated every player on the team. Everyone.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

Literally. I mean, Yes. I mean, you know, it is weird in the transfer culture that we have now, you know, like, once. Once it starts to rock a little. It rocks a lot. And you can go from losing two people to those, to the other nine, saying, you know what? No, it's getting bad here. We got to get out, you know? And is that all directly a reflection of the coach? Might be. It might be, yeah. But the fact, I really just do think that once you get any hint of negative momentum in terms of your roster, you can all of a sudden lose, like, almost everybody. We've seen it a lot of places in men's basketball. We've seen it in football as well. And all of a sudden, you are in massive rebuild territory.

[Tony Kornheiser]

What are your thoughts on Gino Oriemma and Dawn Staley?

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

I'm glad they finally put it to bed yesterday with the dual statements. You know, Dawn, Don basically let Gino off the hook, said, we talked. It's good. Let's move on. And then Gino came out with the second improved statement.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, at least it mentioned her name. The first one did not.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

At least it did. The first statement was atrocious.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

I mean, it was like, I'm taking the blame, but I'm not crediting her because I hate her whose name I shall not mention. And I mean, it was so obvious, like, the way that was worded, that there was still that pettiness involved. And so, you know, they had to get past that, and now they have. And you know what? Look, Gino Auriemma is so important to women's basketball and really the college sports that I don't think, you know, his. Clearly his worst moment should. Should be his defining moment. But, boy, it was bad. It was really bad. And for a minute there, I honestly, I was like, his whole career is going to implode right there on the court. I thought it was that. That bad in the moment. Unfortunately, it didn't escalate any further, but still, it was a terrible moment. And this. They needed to have some closure on this, first of all, because they're both too big and too important. But secondly, it completely cheapens a tournament that neither of them won. Yeah, UCLA won by a thousand points and deserves the credit.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And wasn't the story. Wasn't the story at all. UCLA went into the Final Four and demolished Texas and South Carolina, held them to half. Half what they normally score. Half ucla. It was awful. It was a terrible game because UCLA was that good. All right. One other thing. Michael Malone. I didn't see that coming at all. I just didn't see that coming. What are your thoughts on this? Is North Carolina. What are your thoughts on that?

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

I might have believed Karl Malone or Post Malone before. Yeah. Michael Malone.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

And there he is. You know, I mean, just very strange. Very, very strange. And I think hints at a couple of things. One, I think there was some panic going on when they couldn't get any of the top four or five, I don't know, college coaches, they went after panic over the portal opening, the transfer portal, which opened on Tuesday, and players can start putting their names in. And I think they. It's Carolina. We've got to get somebody with who's won a championship at something. Go find a resume with somebody who won a championship.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

Him, you know. You know, I think he was around in the program. His daughter's a volleyball player.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

And, you know, had his chance to at least pitch himself. But I'm still shocked that he's the guy. I mean, he did win an NBA championship. He, I guess, gets credit for developing Nikola Jokic, but maybe the credit should be the other way around. That Nikola Jokic made Michael Malone a championship coach. You know, it's like Brady and Belichick, who gets credit for what. So I don't know. This is a big, big, big. Let's see what happens. I have no idea. But a very strange, surprising hire.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thank you for mentioning Belichick, the last pro coach they hired. Only disastrous last year. Only disaster. I mean, I would think somebody sits in a room and say, wait a second. You sure you want to do this? You sure

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

we're going pro again? The Last one went 4 and 8 and his girlfriend was an issue all year. So we're going to do this again.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. I mean, so it comes on the PTI show and I just sort of look at Mike. I mean, we're split screen. I just go. I don't know what to tell you. I don't have anything on this. I didn't see this coming at all, you know, so, anyway. All right. Plug your podcast.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

Yeah. Others receiving votes, si.com check it out. It's weekly. We just taped yesterday on the Final Four. And Gino and dawn and everything else. And Michael Malone. So available wherever you get your podcasts.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thank you, Pat. Thank you for always being there. Thank you.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

You bet. Thank you, Tony.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Pat 40. Boys and girls, we go away for a little bit and come back with email and jingle. I'm Tony Kornheiser, Toogood and Company.

[Tony Kornheiser Show Announcer]

Coffee creamers are made with farm fresh cream, real milk, and contain 3 grams of sugar per serving. That's 40% less than the 5 grams per serving in leading traditional coffee creamers for a rich, delicious experience. Whether you enjoy your coffee hot, cold, bold or frothy, two good coffee creamers make every sip a good one. Two good coffee creamers. Real goodness in every sip. Find them at your local Kroger in the creamer aisle. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

Here comes Tony's mailbag. Got your email, faxes and your notes. Here comes Tony's mailbag. Gotta read some for all you folks.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Gary Braun.

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Bracket champion. And by the way, we have a lot of junk to send out. We're finding more of it. Boxes. Yeah.

[Liz]

Thank you. Well, I'm actually going to send out some gift cards as well, I believe. Digital gift cards. Thank you to those who've sent.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Not sending gift cards, we're sending junk. This is not.

[Liz]

This is a Michael decision.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Liz]

Thank you for sending in your screen grabs. Probably won't get those out for another week or so while we wait for people to send all those in. But yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Do you want to do the Bethesda bagels?

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, that's right. Bethesda bagels.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We love them.

[Michael Wilbon]

You will as well. Just go to bethesdabage.com for the location in the DC area nearest you. Then pop on it and you'll be thrilled.

[Liz]

The disappointment on your face when I mentioned gift cards.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, because we're throwing. I have these shirts. I have all this stuff.

[Michael Wilbon]

We also have slightly used Chessy toys.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Stuff Chessy toys she doesn't like. Yeah, send her. Before we get to the mailbag, let me just say call me Mr. Pitiful baby, that's my name now call me Mr. Pitiful that's how I got my fame but people just don't understand now what makes a man feel so blue so they called me Mr. Pitiful because I lost someone just like you the late, great Otis Redding. Thanks to our guest Today, Steve Sands. Pat 40. Thanks as well to today's sponsors. Remember, you can listen to us on Apple podcasts, Spotify and Odyssey. Get show through Apple. Please leave us a review.

[Liz]

The best was Liz goes to ups and the guy hears her name, looks at her and goes, are you related to she goes, oh yeah, well, he's my father. No, the other one. He goes, michael. Yeah, he's usually in here around this time of year sending out a lot

[Tony Kornheiser]

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?

[Michael Wilbon]

By the way, a Wasco is just southeast of Auburn, New York.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Liz]

In Cayuga County.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. Yeah. Okay. That's in the middle of the the state. It's in the middle of state. From Scott Foster in Manchester, Maine. Not the referee. Nice touch piping in the bird sounds for Doug Ferguson's interview from Jeff Piggott, West Des Moines, the official golf club fitter of the show. Great to hear that Liz will be making her first trip to the Masters. What is she most excited about? Admiring the dogwoods and azaleas around 12 or 13? Sampling a pimento cheese sandwich or maybe lying on her back in the tub to rinse her hair under the spigot?

[Liz]

How many years ago was that?

[Tony Kornheiser]

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?

[Michael Wilbon]

That's really.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Tim Raederstorf Columbus, Ohio if any littles have a path to one of this year's gnomes, please let me know. I'd love to track one down from my old man and then sends pictures. Just great. Tim Gombas Louisville, Kentucky One standout example of a pro basketball coach moving to college and having success is of course your former camp counselor Larry Brown. He coached in the ABA and NBA before going to UCLA in 1979, then back to the NBA after which he coached Kansas to the 1988 NCAA title. He later won championships with the Pistons in the NBA. Remains the only basketball coach to win championships in college and the pros. Yeah I don't include Larry cuz Larry has ants in his pants. Larry goes everywhere. Larry's coach 30 different places, pro college, doesn't matter and he's the best coach any of these people have ever had. Yeah he's the best to love Larry but I can never use Larry as an example because he's the outlier.

[Michael Wilbon]

He could take a rec league to

[Tony Kornheiser]

the final Four from Larry Gendler in Valley which is suburban Omaha Valley, Nebraska I'm a longtime Blue Jays fan since the days of Paul Silas. One of the fan favorite coaches to hate over the years has been Dan Hurley is on court antics are legendary. However, all Creighton fans now have a different take. Josh Dix transferred from Iowa to Creighton for a senior season because his mom was battling cancer and she lived across the river in Council Bluffs, Iowa. His mom recently passed and dicks never missed a game towards the end of the season coinciding with her death, Creighton was playing UConn prior to the game. This is great. Hurley arranged with the staff in the arena before the game started to have a minute of silence for Josh and his mom. Beyond classy and Coach Mack in his postgame said that was the Hurley he knows. I love Danny Hurley. Wil Bond does not. I love Danny Hurley.

[Michael Wilbon]

That's a great moment.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Sometimes there's more to the book than the COVID That's right. Jeff Barger Hillsborough, N.C. what is the greatest harbinger of spring? Warmer temperatures? Daffodils blooming? Maybe. But I truly know it's spring when the first pronouncement of a Nats player needing to be DFA comes from the Oracle of Uncle Benny's Table Depart Winter Luke in New York City Would love to give a shout out to my brother and new sister in law Keith and Lisa from Sag harbor who got married in Tortola. Tortola.

[Michael Wilbon]

Tortola, I believe.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't know what that is. I assume it's out of the country this past weekend. Lisa's a die hard TK show listener. More importantly, as a fan of the 49ers and Oregon Ducks, she's giving my long suffering jets fans a rooting interest in not one, but two playoff bound teams that aren't completely devastating to his mental health. Congratulations, British Virgin Islands okay from Elliot Olshansky, our friend On Monday's show you said you were rooting for UCLA to win the women's NCAA championship because you wanted to see a team from west of the Mississippi finally win one. For what it's worth, Stanford has won three championships, most recently in 2021, although I'm not entirely sure they count as west of the Mississippi now that they're in the acc. I'm so stupid about these things. I'm sure you're also familiar with Cheryl Miller and the NCAA title she won with USC in 1983 and 84. Other NCAA women's basketball champs from west of the Mississippi include Texas in 86, Texas Tech 93, Texas A&M in 2011. As you mentioned on Monday, Phil's mom's beloved Baylor in 2005, 2012 and 2019. Best regards for Albany county, where Nate Bargetzi is performing at MVP arena on Friday, May 15th. That's coming up. Make sure you go a couple of months, a month or so. After your rave reviews on Monday, I would consider taking the woman to whom I'm related by marriage and our two masculine children, but only if Greg is hosting the show. From Tim Creeve, Fort Collins, Colorado. You still have ear popping and that emailer returned from Australia and suffered popping. I wonder what those poor guys on the Artemis will have. They may not get their ears back to normal until next year's Masters. Josh Berkowitz, North Potomac, Maryland what does the parking look like on Mars? Inquiring minds want to know. Kenny Ray, Fort Walton Beach, Florida can you ask Nigel if he was able to find any authentic New York pizza in Rome?

[Steve Sands]

That's funny.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's funny. Joe Rizzo While at an Italian cafe, did any of Nigel's friends asked to meet with the owner and with Fabrizio translating, apologize for offending the owner? And did Nigel's friend introduce himself, let the owner know there were a lot of people who had paid money for that information and offered to meet the daughter under the supervision of the family. From Peter Potke. He hasn't emailed in a while. In Southington, Connecticut. Tony, you like Key lime pie Ice cream with chunks of graham cracker crust Ice cream with schmutz in it? I don't feel I even know you anymore. Yes, it's a shocker for me it was a complete shot shocker. And from Steve Gilmore in San Angelo Texas. Dear potato captain, if you didn't get out of the back seat of the car next to Nate's tour bus in front of a crowd of people in a cape and a captain's hat, that a huge opportunity was missed. P.S. regarding your position that we can't get to Mars in an hour and a half, allow me to introduce you to one Michael Ray Wilbon. If you're out on your bike tonight, everyone is always to wear white.

[Steve Sands]

How much weight do you think I could bench press? Just make a guess. Ballpark figure.

[Sabine McCalla (Singer)]

Don't call me baby. Don't call me baby. You don't call me no more. Don't call me baby it don't call me baby you don't call me at

[Pat Forde (Pat 40)]

all

[Sabine McCalla (Singer)]

Phone line is ringing Phone line is ringing. You don't answer my call. I'm lost wondering so lost and wondering what has been on your mind Sam. I'm lost and wondering so lost and wondering what has been on your mind time don't call me baby don't call me baby you don't call me no more. Don't call me baby don't call me baby you don't call me no more. Sam. Call me baby don't call me baby you don't call me no more. Me is my lonely beating while we stare. So bad and mad and all I want see us like a d lighting in your eyes Sing me a song and to sing me a song to sing along a moment in your eyes feeling down I spine a kiss in front you yes that feel. Out the two of hearts and I'll gamble that this could be love love I think I fallen in love. I think I falling in love. Would you gamble on this? I don't think that we have much time I've been waiting on this didn't know who. Coming to view sweetness lingers and always hiding I've been waiting on you didn't know that. Sam. Sa.