“McDonald’s or Afrin?”

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: The Tony Kornheiser Show
Episode: “McDonald’s or Afrin?”
Date: February 16, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Tony Kornheiser Show weaves Tony’s characteristically humorous and curmudgeonly view of modern life with sharp sports analysis and anecdotal charm. Joined by regulars Michael Wilbon, Chris Cillizza, and Doug, Tony relays misadventures at McDonald's, a botched Afrin purchase, and then pivots to lively discussions of the Winter Olympics, the NBA All-Star weekend, NASCAR at Daytona, and the drama at Pebble Beach. Special contributor Pat Forde checks in from Italy, offering Olympic insight. The tone is witty, conversational, and deeply personal, blending nostalgia, frustration with technology, and expert sports banter.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The McDonald’s Saga: Technology vs. Humanity

[01:17 - 09:03]

• Tony’s McDonald’s Ordeal:

  • Tony describes feeling alienated by McDonald's touchscreen ordering systems, lamenting the lack of human interaction.
  • He highlights being "lost" amidst the digital ordering chaos, requiring the manager’s intervention.
  • While ultimately happy (getting two Egg McMuffins, “a really good deal!”), he vows never to return.
  • Commentary on generational divides, the progress of fast food, the impact of inflation, and the increasing reliance on apps/technology in the restaurant industry.

  Quote:

  "I'm never going into a McDonald's again… I have no idea how to use the screens. None whatsoever. None. And if nobody takes my order, I got to go, I have to leave..."
  — Tony Kornheiser [03:20]

• Group Reaction:

  • Chris Cillizza and Michael Wilbon empathize, sharing similar “old guy lost in tech” experiences.
  • Chris theorizes touchscreens drive up sales (“It encourages you to buy more because no one's judging you at the checkout” [07:47]).

  Quote:

  "It is disconcerting when you walk in there, though."
  — Michael Wilbon [07:03]

• Humorous Resignation:

  • The group jokes about needing an “Old People Counter.”
  • Tony finds the experience a “big win,” but “that was my last time in McDonald’s” [09:03].

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2. The Afrin Fiasco: Aging, Ailments, and Odd Solutions

[09:03 - 13:35]

• Tony’s Quest for Ear Relief:

  • Tony recounts buying Afrin (nasal spray) for ear congestion, only to discover (after returning home and donning his reading glasses) that it was the children’s version (ages 2–6).
  • Uses the product anyway (“does nothing!”), is irritated by the cost, and eventually throws it out.
  • The group riffs on the perils of self-care, failed remedies, and humorous product recommendations (Neti pots, horseradish, shower vapor cakes).

  Quote:

  “I have bought Afrin for children two to six years old. Well, you’re young. You’re young enough to. Six years old... I’m so angry, I use it. It does nothing!”
  — Tony Kornheiser [11:46]

• Side chatter:

  • Chris: “My worry about Afrin is…it becomes habit forming because you’re so used to the clearing effect.” [11:55]
  • Michael on tech for ailments: “Yeah, we're going to wait for Passover.” [13:19]

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3. Fast Food, Aging, and Generational Disconnects

[13:35 - 15:15]

• Old versus New in Fast Food:
  • Tony bemoans changes at McDonald's and other chains.
  • Michael and Chris revisit their own touch screen misadventures.
  • Discussion about cash versus app payments: “I don't want to do that. I want to pay cash. That’s why I said. And they do. They took.” — Tony Kornheiser [14:54]
  • The group agrees technology has “passed them by” regarding the dining experience.

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4. Transition: Sports Recap & Commentary

[17:22+]

A. Kansas State Firing Jerome Tang

[17:30 - 19:44]

• Tony and Doug discuss the swift firing of Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang after a controversy. Doug isn’t surprised and likens the situation to predictable institutional accountability (“I said it should happen... This isn’t a matter of surprised. This is a matter of what took them three days.” [19:05])

B. NBA All-Star Game & Format Change

[20:09 - 21:55]

• Doug and Tony debate the new “U.S. vs. World” format, its unexpected competitiveness, and speculate if it will endure.
  • Doug: “It was the best the All-Star Game has been as a product in 15 years.” [21:33]

C. Golf at Pebble Beach

[22:40 - 29:33]

• Lengthy, enthusiastic analysis of the Pebble Beach golf tournament:

  • The impact of wind, scoring drama, and individual performances.
  • Morikawa’s win is celebrated, with praise for his temperament and clutch putting.
  • Tony and the group dissect the challenges posed by conditions and rules (slow play delays, ball movement on the greens).

  Quote:

  “It was really great to watch… 10 people within two shots!”
  — Tony Kornheiser [26:25]

  Quote:

  “Don’t give me dome golf, you know, give me the most, you know, captivating places in the world.”
  — Doug [26:42]

D. NASCAR at Daytona

[22:44 - 24:45]

• Tony discusses catching the chaotic last laps, noting Michael Jordan’s car winning (“Working for Michael Jordan, I gotta win!” [24:06]).
• The group reviews the unusual decision not to throw yellow flags during late-race crashes.

E. College Basketball Programming Misses

[29:57 - 32:15]

• Doug criticizes NCAA basketball for not maximizing TV opportunities during the Olympics/all-star lull.
• Discussion of injuries and upsets in college basketball.

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5. Winter Olympics: Recap and On-site Reporting

[35:52 - 49:28]

Pat Forde Joins from Italy

• Tony quizzes Pat about Olympic storylines, focusing on mishaps, injuries, and underdog stories.

• Discussion about the inherent greater danger of Winter versus Summer Olympic sports.

  Quote:

  “The Winter Olympics have made up stuff…there’s always some kid willing to risk his life…”
  — Tony Kornheiser [38:14]

  Quote:

  “In the Winter [Olympics], you’re scared for all of them all the time.”
  — Pat Forde [39:27]

• Injury Rates & Athlete Pressure:

  • Pat reveals harrowing injury stats for U.S. women’s Alpine team: “12 women, 11 major injuries in last five years; the 12th, Lindsey Vonn, just got one too.” [39:27]

• The Vocabulary of New Sports:

  • Tony expresses bewilderment at event jargon: “When somebody goes up in the air and the guy says…it’s a double cork 1080, I have no idea what he’s talking about.” [41:26]

• Winter Olympics' International Spread:

  • Amused surprise at the diversity of competing nations and athletes' cross-national backgrounds.

• Pressure on Stars (Shiffrin, Malinin):

  • Sympathy for athletes facing public collapse (Ilya Malinin’s falls, Shiffrin’s rough games), and the nature of individual sports pressure.

  Quote (on Malinin):

  “Every trauma thing that ever happened to me came flooding in my head. That’s a good healthy mindset. That’ll help you here. You know, it’s just brutal.”
  — Pat Forde [47:17]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

- “Can’t there be an old people counter where they say you can come up here and order something?”

Tony Kornheiser [07:14]

- “What makes me happy is you, you had been paying attention to this commercial. This is the power of advertising.”

Chris Cillizza [08:19]

- “I have bought Afrin for children two to six years old… I’m so angry, I use it. It does nothing!”

Tony Kornheiser [11:46]

- “This is a cracked egg, which we used to call in the old days a poached egg. There is an inside to it, but it is white on the outside. It is totally cooked through.”

Tony Kornheiser, philosophizing on Egg McMuffin anatomy [05:32]

- “In the Winter [Olympics], you’re scared for all of them all the time.”

Pat Forde [39:27]

- “The obsession [in golf] is just stupid. It’s annoying. It’s even more annoying than this goof taking 40 minutes.”

Doug, on slow play and rule obsessions [28:11]

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Timestamps of Important Segments

• 01:17 – Tony offers McDonald’s or Afrin stories overview
• 02:42 – Tony’s first visit to McDonald’s in years (Washington, DC location)
• 03:20 – Confrontation with technology at touchscreens
• 05:04 – Outcome: Got two Egg McMuffins, breakfast review
• 09:03 – Afrin story: Buying the wrong nasal spray
• 11:46 – Realization about “children 2 to 6” Afrin
• 13:35 – “Old” guys and fast food tech
• 17:30 – Kansas State coach controversy
• 20:09 – NBA All-Star “U.S. vs. World” format commentary
• 22:40 – Golf at Pebble Beach, conditions and outcome
• 24:06 – Michael Jordan’s car wins Daytona 500
• 29:57 – NCAA basketball’s missed TV opportunity
• 35:52 – Pat Forde from Italy, Winter Olympics wrap-up
• 39:27 – Dangerousness of winter events
• 41:26 – Olympics scoring/judging confusion
• 47:17 – Individual athlete mental pressure at Olympics
• 49:28 – Show break

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Structure & Flow

The episode moves seamlessly from anecdotal storytelling (Tony’s misadventures, health woes) to insightful, opinionated sports analysis. The tone is informal and self-deprecating, often nostalgic and exasperated about changing times, but deeply sharp when it comes to sports. The show’s blend of personal stories and commentator expertise offers a comfortably meandering but structured listening experience.

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For New Listeners

If you missed the episode, you’ll get:

• Tony’s signature blend of crankiness and warmth
• Nostalgic, relatable tales about being “left behind” by modern tech
• Entertaining group banter about real-life miscues (ordering breakfast, dealing with ailments)
• Deep-dive yet conversational analysis of pressing sports stories—NBA, NCAA, golf, NASCAR, and the Olympics—especially how sports culture, tradition, and even language is changing or "passing by" the show's veteran hosts.
• Special insight from on-the-ground Olympic coverage

If you’re a fan of classic sports talk leavened with everyday (and aging) indignities, this is a quintessential Kornheiser episode.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey, it's Tony. On today's show, we'll talk to Michael Wilbon about what he was watching over the weekend. We'll also chat with Pat Fordy, who's over in Italy covering the Olympics. But first, let's keep the sales weasel happy avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start. Thumbtack knows homes, so you don't have to. Don't know the difference between matte paint, finish and satin or what that clunking sound from your dryer is. With thumbtack, you don't have to be a home pro, you just have to hire one. You can hire top rated pros, see price estimates and read reviews all on the app. Download Today. Previously on the Tony Kornheiser Show. I watched something yesterday at great length because we were going to talk about it on the show. Had Chloe Kim won, would have been three Olympics in a row with gold medals, which nobody had ever done in half pipe because there was no half pipe until about an hour and a half ago.

[Michael Wilbon]

Jean Claude Kelly now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He didn't do it. No. Franz Klammer, 1 1/2 pipe. The Tony Kornheiser show is on now. We'll have Pat 40 on so he can explain all these things to us today. The half pipe and the double cork. 1280. Yeah, whatever that is. I don't care what that is.

[Michael Wilbon]

And the double tap controversy in the curling.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I'm just. I'm not. There's a lot of things I like and there's a lot of things that are made up. Curling is not made up, but the half pipe is made up. Oh, yeah. Okay, so I have two stories and.

[Chris Cillizza]

You'Re entering my curling prime.

[Doug]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You really are.

[Doug]

You are.

[Michael Wilbon]

You are gonna go pro.

[Tony Kornheiser]

If you have the last shot, you win. In curling. It just seems to be how it works all the time. You want to go last, you want to defer it. The coin toss. You want the ball in the second double dip. That's what you want. I have two stories. I have a McDonald's story and I have an after story. Which one do you want first?

[Chris Cillizza]

I only want the McDonald's story.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, so here's the McDonald's. The other story is better. Oh, no, it's better. McDonald's is an example of why I cannot exist in the world as it is constituted today.

[Chris Cillizza]

Touch screen.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I have. Yes. I'm going to get to this. I have gotten to the point where I've seen enough commercials on television for the McDonald's $5 breakfast meal. Which consists of an egg McMuffin, I think sausage, egg and cheese, an egg McMuffin, a cup of coffee and an order of potatoes. Those potato cakes, not fries. The hash brown, whatever they call them.

[Chris Cillizza]

The pressed hash brown.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. Okay. And I. And $5. And I thought that's gotta be a good deal. That's gotta be a good deal.

[Chris Cillizza]

I'll fill you up.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I went to the McDonald's. I will name the McDonald's. It doesn't have a name. It is at the corner of Van Nessen, Wisconsin in Washington D.C. this is.

[Chris Cillizza]

The Tinleytown McDonald's, right?

[Tony Kornheiser]

It is as you're going downtown, high.

[Chris Cillizza]

School, staple of the early aughts.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's on the right side. It's on the right hand side as you're driving downtown.

[Michael Wilbon]

Not the one on River Road?

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, I didn't go the one on River Road. I went to this one and I parked my car and I go inside.

[Chris Cillizza]

Was Luke wearing his letterman jacket?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Luke was not there. I go inside and there are, I don't know, eight, ten people there. Not. Not many. It's not a big crowd. It's about 9 o' clock yesterday morning. It's not a big crowd. There's. Nobody takes your order. I go to the place where they take the order. Did nobody takes the order?

[Pat Fordy]

No.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And they have these screens. I don't know how to use the screens. I don't have any idea how to use the screens. None whatsoever. None. And if nobody takes my order, I got to go, I have to leave. There is a manager there by one of the touch screens and she is helping some guy do the touchscreen. A guy, no more than middle aged. So a guy who I think probably knows how to do this, but needs some help.

[Chris Cillizza]

This happened to me. Need a little help. It goes faster.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I went, I waited patiently. I waited patiently and I said, I don't know how to do this. I just. Here's what I want to eat. Here's this all I want to eat. I want this special. And she says, okay, so come over here. No, I'm not. No, just touch it for me, please. I'm never going to be back here again. Please, I just want to try this.

[Michael Wilbon]

This was the store leader, right?

[Chris Cillizza]

Leader of the store?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, leader of the store manager. I assume her name. I'm sure she's the manager. So she does something I don't even. The screen is moving in ways that I cannot.

[Chris Cillizza]

You do not know what you agreed for.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, I don't know what happened. I mean, the screen is moving. Images are coming up. This is like Wilbond with streaming. I don't want to do it. And I stand and I wait. At the front, I stand and I wait. And some guy says to the manager, why is this guy ahead of me? And I said, I'm not ahead of you. I didn't even order yet. And this guy had a problem, but he got his food. And then I'm waiting, and then they give me my food, and I say, can I pay cash? Oh, now the manager is taking care of me. And she says, yes. Okay, okay. She says, it's 550. I take what's tax.

[Michael Wilbon]

Okay.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I take out two quarters and a five. And this is what I got. I didn't get what I thought I got. I got something better. I got two Egg McMuffins. I don't care about the potatoes. I got two Egg McMuffins. I brought one home. I microwaved it later. Now, their eggs on an egg McMuffin are not the eggs like you get at the bagel sandwiches. Right?

[Chris Cillizza]

That is a scrambled egg. This is a cracked egg.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is a cracked egg, which we used to call in the old days a poached egg. There is an inside to it, but it is white on the outside. It is totally cooked through. Yes. And. And it was fine. I. I felt that. That. I honestly felt two of those for five. I think that was a really good deal. And a cup of coffee. Yeah. You know, which. Which had a coffee shop is by itself. $10. Yeah, it's a joke, you know, but so that.

[Chris Cillizza]

This is Kip Sheeman's theory to get into the coffee game.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But I'm. Yes, he's right. The weather and coffee. That ought to be the name of his place. Weather and Coffee. And he goes from table to table giving weather forecasts and refilling your.

[Chris Cillizza]

Something. Something's brewing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right.

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, I like that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. So that was my McDonald's story. I was very happy. I'm never going into a McDonald's again.

[Michael Wilbon]

This is disconcerting, isn't it?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I have not been in a McDonald's in years. The last time I was in a McDonald's was in Florida, 2018, with my son on the way to play Seminole. And they had these same things. And I was lost then. I'm more lost now.

[Chris Cillizza]

So that's when we only had Bootsy, who was about a year old. I could handle the touchscreen at that point. It has gotten so complicated in the, you know, in these years since I had to have help there as well, to the credit of the store. Had someone help me immediately. And she takes you through all the options. Now, I'm convinced that the touchscreen, when you were by yourself, it encourages you to buy more because you're like, oh, would you like to add this? And it's, you know, an extra.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

Add on.

[Chris Cillizza]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

It is disconcerting when you walk in there, though.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I'm done at McDonald's. Do other. Are other fast food places the same, just touch screens?

[Chris Cillizza]

Yeah. If you're, if you were going through a, you know, let's say a restaurant.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Can'T there be an old people counter where they say you can come up here and order something?

[Chris Cillizza]

Now, to be fair, she, she came and helps you get through that. That's the same as if you were in a line of five people. That probably got to you faster.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, I got to her. But yes, they are, they are paying.

[Chris Cillizza]

Attention to the, to the ordering, but.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You can no longer order. You can't talk to a person. It's just like everything else.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yep.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And the people, this is the touchscreen is simply in terms of moving people along. It's simply to help the people making the food.

[Pat Fordy]

Right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's just goes to them.

[Chris Cillizza]

You're right. I think this is, I think this is going to try and cut off any place where mistakes can happen. So you, you order something, it immediately gets printed in the back. But again, I think this is trying to get you to buy one extra sandwich or to super size because no one's judging you at the, at the checkout.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I was so thrilled with the food I got. So that's my last visit and it's a big win.

[Chris Cillizza]

So after you leave, the boys for lunch at McDonald's got the happy Meal and the big boys got something else. But it was a delightful. You can't eat there every day, but, you know, a couple times in the.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Winter, once since 2000, 2018.

[Chris Cillizza]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

You're on pace once a decade.

[Chris Cillizza]

What makes me happy is you, you had been paying attention to this commercial. This is the power of advertising. You had been planning this trip because.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I know that that's really inexpensive relative to other things of a similar nature.

[Chris Cillizza]

The tough thing is for that industry, so many people in that post 2020, inflation moved away from fast food because it was no longer affordable. They've been trying to figure out ways to get you back into the dining room.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm telling you, there was no more than eight people in this place on, on a Sunday morning.

[Chris Cillizza]

Like many things, if you start. If you say, I'm a McDonald's family, you start using the app, you'll get more deals. You'll get, you know, free sandwiches or something.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Pushed. I can't do that. I can't use the app.

[Chris Cillizza]

So Starbucks going through this as well, where they're trying to read. I think they're trying to redo the app.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. So, you know, God bless you. You keep. But that's it.

[Michael Wilbon]

That was the final.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's the last one for me. That's my last time in McDonald's and it was a big win. Now I have my Afro store. My friend Jody, who I went to camp with when we were children, absolute, total children. Jody went to Malvern High School with Charlie Steiner. I went to Hewlett High School. Jody was a good athlete, basketball player, all that stuff. Jody became a doctor. Jody's been a doctor in Florida for, I don't know, 50 years and treats basically older people. Not, you know, like he's an arthritis doctor, you know, because in Florida everybody has. That's why they go to Florida. Everybody has arthritis. So he deals with older people.

[Chris Cillizza]

Bursitis.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He deals with people older than he and I, which is old, because we're old. Jody calls me. Jody listens. Jody calls me the other day and he says, I can solve your ear problem. I said, really? What? He says, go to the store, get Afrin. Take Afrin. It is a decongestant nasal, like a little spray bottle. Spray. Yeah, take Afrin. That will affect, he believes, my Eustachian tube. That will go to my ear. That will clear everything up. Okay, I'm going to go get Afrin. I'm going to go to the CVS because in one of these six mile long receipts, there was a bonus of $2.12 on my next purchase. So I'm going to buy. You got the big one, 2000. I have no idea, by the way, what Afrin costs. No. No earthly idea. What I do you about $500 a bottle. Do you know? Seriously, do you know?

[Michael Wilbon]

No, I would if I had a guess. Yeah, I would guess like 10, something like that. Yeah, 15.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. I go to the CVS and I say Afrin. And they said in the allergy aisle. Okay, I go to the allergy aisle, which is, I recall, is number nine.

[Chris Cillizza]

It's a little squeeze bottle.

[Jingle/Ad Voice]

Number nine.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. It's a small little thing. I don't have my glasses. This is going to be critical later in the story. Critical later in the story. I don't have my glasses. I pick Up a box of Afrin. I go to take it to check out. I hand them the coupon too. It's still $13. I go, Whoa, how much does this stuff cost? They said like $15.

[Jingle/Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Pat Fordy]

Boom.

[Michael Wilbon]

Well done, Michael.

[Tony Kornheiser]

A bottle. It's tiny. It's tiny. Allergies, suffer, whatever. Okay. Yeah. So you know what I know? I get home, I don't know how to use it, but I figure I can learn how to use it. I just press it a few times. I'll use it. I know it's a spray. I know it goes into my eye. I figure this out, I open it up, and to see the directions, I put on my glasses. I have bought Afrin for children two to six years old. Well, you're young. You're young enough to. Six years old. I open it. I'm so angry, I use it.

[Chris Cillizza]

No, I'm okay with this.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It does nothing.

[Chris Cillizza]

Well, it does nothing. My worry about Afrin is I know some people who. It becomes habit forming because you're so used to the. The clearing effect that it gives you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. Two to six years old.

[Chris Cillizza]

So maybe that's just a lighter.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Do twice in a day from 2 to 6. It's useless to me. Yeah, it's useless.

[Chris Cillizza]

I. I have unopened Nasort sprays that I think you should try. I'll bring one over later.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I threw it out.

[Chris Cillizza]

Threw it out.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Who needs it? It's from ch. I'll give it to your children.

[Chris Cillizza]

Well, you tossed it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know. No, it's. I don't want your lightly used aphrod. It's just game warn children's Afrin.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Chris Cillizza]

No, they go flown a sensimist. Come on.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So this is.

[Michael Wilbon]

Well, that wasn't the only thing you got for your congestion.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, I tried that.

[Michael Wilbon]

Did you?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Sean sent a bunch of things. A bunch of cakes that you put in a shower. Individually in the shower.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's like vapor. Like Vicks Vapor Rub, kind of eucalyptus.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Didn't do it.

[Michael Wilbon]

Didn't work.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Didn't work. Didn't work.

[Chris Cillizza]

The only thing that's really ever cleared my ears. Neti pots. I don't think you have the patience to try it. But it's a nasal irrigator.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Chris Cillizza]

It is disgusting in practice.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Not that I'm not doing it. Is it for children 6 years old?

[Michael Wilbon]

No, you, like, pull, like, from, like. It looks like a teapot.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I'm not doing that.

[Chris Cillizza]

There's been something I've been wanting to try called navage, which will clear that out.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But I'll certainly be the person you can experiment on because I'd like to get my year back.

[Michael Wilbon]

Could you try eating a lot of horseradish?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I could. And then I would start crying, sneezing and weeping because I like horse riders.

[Chris Cillizza]

Yeah, we're going to wait for Passover.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So which is, which is the best story? The McDonald's story of the Afron story. The Afro. The average. The Afro. Although I really children 2 to 6 years old.

[Chris Cillizza]

I love that, you know, better pacing.

[Michael Wilbon]

I love the John Elway aspect of the McDonald's visit. You know, you walk out with a win.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I did. Yeah.

[Doug]

That's it.

[Chris Cillizza]

That's a tough parking lot for you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, it's a parking lot on both sides. It was okay. And then I made a left onto Van Ness and, you know, and got back home on Nebraska. It was fine. No, I mean. But I can't ever go again. No, I can't figure it out.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's passed you by.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So is Burger King like that? Is Chick Fil A like that?

[Chris Cillizza]

Chick Fil A. If you go there during the rush hour, they will just meet you in line and they will go up and down the line taking your. And they predict all your questions, sauces, everything else.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Michael Wilbon]

So I didn't have that happen to me. And this is a while ago at McDonald's, but I too felt like I was too old to go at that point. I got to the. I was in the drive thru, this is years ago. And I said, yeah, I'll have an order of chicken selects and the Sprite. And they're like. So I said, we stopped. We stopped making those years ago.

[Chris Cillizza]

You have a Mr. Pib, please?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I felt so out of touch.

[Michael Wilbon]

I was like, let's give me some fries and let me cry into them. Yeah. Just felt old and insignificant.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, can you use the touchscreen? Do you know how I've, I've.

[Michael Wilbon]

I've used it once.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It felt you have to use a credit card on the touchscreen.

[Chris Cillizza]

No, it just. It goes faster.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So it doesn't go faster for someone like me. I don't know how to do it.

[Chris Cillizza]

So your, your credit card has the ability to tap to pay, which would go faster.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't want to do that. I want to pay cash. That's why I said. And they do. They took.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, let's take cash.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Not everybody takes care.

[Jingle/Ad Voice]

No, no.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Those people, the people who don't take cash, they should be. They should have more ways to lose.

[Chris Cillizza]

Money when you take cash.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. Anyway. All right, Michael Wilbon when we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show. This episode of the Tony Kornheiser show is brought to you by Wild Grain. Wild Grain is the first baked from frozen subscription box for sourdough breads, artisanal pastries and fresh pastas. Unlike a lot of store bought options, Wild Grain uses simple ingredients you can actually pronounce in a slow fermentation process that can be easier on your belly and richer nutrients and antioxidants. You can choose the variety box gluten free vegan or even the new protein box. It's made weeknight meals simpler, weekend mornings cozier and honestly just adds a little calm to my routine during the winter months. There's nothing like having an artisan bakery in your freezer to chase away the winter chill. Now is the best time to stay and enjoy comforting homemade meals with wild grain. I highly recommend giving Wild Grain a try. Right now, Wild Grain is offering our listeners $30 off your first box plus free croissants for life. Free croissants for life. Rob Stronik availed himself of that. He's thrilled when you go to wildgrain.comtonyk to start your subscription today. That's $30 off your first box and free croissants for life when you visit wildgrain.comtonyk or you can use the promo code tonyk at checkout. Look, I like this stuff. It's really good. Try it. It's really good.

[Michael Wilbon]

You like eating it and you like making it, right?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I do. Yeah. No, it's really good.

[Doug]

We heard you.

[Pat Fordy]

Nine years of bring back the snack.

[Doug]

Wrap and you've won.

[Pat Fordy]

But maybe you should have asked for more.

[Doug]

Say hel to the hot honey snack wrap. Now you've really won. Go to McDonald's and get it while you can.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show. This is a band called Hotel. This is a song called Intro. This is sent to us. I'll just read you the note. This is Tyler Majeska. First time, long time. You may remember me from my Columbia caddying days in 2014, specifically the stretch where I couldn't locate your ball in the left bushes on six. Don't worry, I've since taken my talents elsewhere. I'm writing to share the music of Hotel. When a coworker says they're in a band, usually brace yourself. But these girls are the real deal. Thank you for the decades of laugh and source of connective tissue you've brought to my family and tell my brother Ross to eat it. The ball's still lost. Left hand side.

[Michael Wilbon]

Never did find it right.

[Chris Cillizza]

Roadrunner.

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, yeah, the bocce ball, gone forever.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is hotel. They play in Liz. They play in Michael Wilbon, by the way.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's hotel. H O T E L L. Yes, yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I assume it's pronounced hotel, not hotel. Michael Wilbon joins us. I have a thousand questions, but something happened overnight that was completely unexpected to me and it's on ESPN this morning. And I wonder, I don't know if we can get it into the show. Might be Happy trails. Kansas State fired Jerome Tank. Is this. You were more outraged at what he did. I was outraged at what he did. You were more outraged. Is this the preferred ending?

[Pat Fordy]

Yes.

[Doug]

Well, no. We don't know what was said when they went into him and said, apologize now or else. And I'm not surprised at all.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, I am.

[Doug]

That day, if I was the president of the university, I would have gone into his office and say, you have it basically until the 5:30 news comes on locally to get in front of a camera and issue the, you know, most lavish apology. You know how to issue. And so I don't know what. When he was confronted with what had to be a conversation like that. Don't know what he said. He says he didn't do anything wrong, which is insane. And I told you I would fire him.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I know.

[Doug]

With cause.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I know. And they did. Yeah, and they did. And it surprised me because I thought. While I thought it was outrageous what he had done, I thought he was standing up for the school itself. Well, that's what I thought. And I am stunned at this. You're not stunned?

[Doug]

Not stunned. I said it should happen.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Doug]

Well, no, no, this is what. No, this had to happen. This isn't a matter of surprised. This is a matter of what took him three days. I mean, this is easy. You do say that about your. About your students who you recruited.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You recruited them, you brought them in.

[Doug]

What surprise.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's like at this point, you brought them in. And so. Yeah, okay. All right. I think we.

[Doug]

I hope we get Tony. Even if he. This should be Happy Trails and not a melancholy Happy Trails. Happy damn trail.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think that should be Happy Trails. All right, let me get to what. There was so much to watch. There was so much to watch over.

[Doug]

The weekend because I'm not you and I must have different television reception.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, there was so, so much to me. Because I, you know, I'm gonna get to Pebble. Cause pebble was the thing I watched most of all. How much of the All Star weekend did you watch?

[Doug]

None of the weekend I watched yesterday. I remembered in the middle of the afternoon when I was watching Law and Order SVU catching up on the season, I said, well, if I'm gonna sit here, I should at least see what the All Star Game looks like.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, this is. You've been advocating for years, us versus the world. And you didn't get a reel of that, but you got some of that, right.

[Doug]

Exactly. You got that in a light version.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Doug]

And so I turned it on and I was pleasantly surprised. Clearly there was something competitive about it. Some people were more competitive, obviously, than others. As it turns out, when Banyama and Anthony Edwards, playing on different teams were the catalyst for this. Whether it was agitating in the locker room or press conferences or actual sidelines talk, whatever it was. And then I found the formats. Okay. Was it what I would have done? No, no.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I go 60 minutes. Yeah.

[Doug]

You go Team World.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. That's what you do. It was the last gasp of it. The American teams against each other was unwatchable. It was awful.

[Doug]

It was terrible.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Just awful. And that's. That's your lasting memory because you say to yourself, wait a second, why couldn't they have had. Against the foreign players? Why couldn't. Why didn't.

[Doug]

Right. Yeah, that's right. So they didn't. That was so. And the international players had played two straight games. So in the second game, which they needed to win to advance, they were a little tired and it was a one point game, but it was, it was, it was the best the All Star Game has been as a product in 15 years.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So you think they'll keep it or you think they'll dump it like football did?

[Doug]

They should keep it. But I can't. I can't guess as to what they'll do because basically it's just cowering from probably a few agents and a couple of players. Yeah, that's what it is.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. I love.

[Doug]

Don't have the stones to say to them, here's what we're going to do. And you can like it or go skiing this weekend. We don't care.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. So let me get to another thing that you probably didn't watch because of, and this is complicated, what I'm going to say because of the travails of this Guy Bridgman on 18, down by the ocean in the rocks and the sand, because it took literally 40 minutes.

[Doug]

What are you talking about didn't watch. Watch every second? No, no, no, no, no, no.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I understand. No, but I'm going because that was taking forever and because I knew that Bridgman could not win. I got off it and I went to Daytona. I went to Daytona and I land on Daytona with three laps to go, which is the perfect. It's the perfect time. I have no idea who's winning. I have no idea what's going on.

[Chris Cillizza]

The perfect bridge, but second shot perfect.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But. But here's what happened. I've never seen this before. They're on the last lap. There were two crashes near the top, right at the top, affecting the leaders. Two crashes, no yellow flags. They just said, keep going, and they just kept going. I was amazed by that. Are you aware of this? Did you watch?

[Doug]

I'm aware of a different part of that. I only cared that Michael Jordan's car won.

[Tony Kornheiser]

His.

[Doug]

His car won, yes, but Michael Jordan's car won. And I didn't. I don't. I didn't care about the accident. No. I watched a little bit of it because I wanted to see where Michael Jordan's car was. And it was just the very end of that. After. Directly after what you're talking about that. His car. I'm drawing a blank on the driver.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Tyler somebody. Rather. It's Reddick. Tyler Reddick. Is that his name? Tyler Reddick? He had a red beard. He was fun to listen to.

[Doug]

Tyler Reddick.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, what he said was, I'm working for Michael Jordan. I gotta win. Michael Jordan.

[Doug]

Great.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, yeah.

[Doug]

It's just great. And, you know, great in the context. I am not. I'm not a gearhead, but I have actually gone, as, you know, to a couple of races for the specific purpose of watching MJ and being around it and, you know, being in his orbit. And I find it. It's irresistible because it's him.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I just.

[Doug]

I'm not gonna become a race guy.

[Tony Kornheiser]

There's an automatic with him. There's an automatic yellow. It's. These are crashes near the top. It took out eight to ten cars, each one. And they just close their eyes, just keep going. I need.

[Doug]

Good. That's what some other events should be.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Doing, too, and that's fine. And I don't have any problem with it. I just would like it explained. And this is all in the context of what I watched pretty much nonstop Saturday and Sunday, which was pebble beach, and. And on Saturday, if you don't think it was windy, the ball moved on the green. The ball moved not as Bad yesterday, but. Bad yesterday, but. But Saturday was worse. Colin Maricawa, who I know you like, he threw a 62 on Saturday and one yesterday, and it was. Ike Scheffler was spectacular, you know, about eight holes ahead of everybody else.

[Chris Cillizza]

Three eagles.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Was it in contention? I just. I loved it. I assume you did, too.

[Doug]

Watched every bit of it. I watched. I came home Friday and watched what was left. Plus the RE air. Well, not RE air. I just, you know, since I'm streaming it. I just started at a point in which I wanted to watch and watch everybody that I wanted to consume. And yeah, I had somebody that I was passionately and loudly rooting for in Morikawa. Yeah, I just. It was, it was, it was, it was. It was pretty irresistible. Particularly yesterday, we had at 1.4 people tied at 20 under before more coward birdies.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It was like 10 people within two shots. 10 people within two shots.

[Doug]

Yeah. It was cool. And people that, you know, and people that you either root for or don't root for, but have some feeling about, they've got. It's identifiable and it's pebble freaking Beach.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Doug]

And you can't replicate that, no matter what network you are with some indoor junk.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, you can't replicate Pebble Beach. Of course you can't. Of course. Right? No, you can't.

[Doug]

Don't give me dome golf, you know, give me the most, you know, captivating places in the world. In pebble beach, you know, which you and I have both played is one of those places that was top of the list.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It was really, it was really great to watch. I didn't think, I never thought 20 was going to win. I did think 22 would win. I thought 21 might win. And Morikawa, I think, birdied 14 and 15.

[Chris Cillizza]

15 and 16. 15 and 16 makes about a 30 footer.

[Doug]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And then surprise.

[Doug]

Bogeyed.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Bogeyed 17 to make it dicey because he had to. Then he's in a tie with Min Moon Lee, right?

[Chris Cillizza]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And then he's got a. Now, if you're going to end on a five, you got to expect a lot of birdies. And there were a lot of eagles as well as birdies.

[Chris Cillizza]

Well, with that breeze, you had to take it out over the ocean.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Doug]

With the wind, it was just amazing. Tony, have you played in the. In that kind of wind there?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Not there, no.

[Doug]

Yeah.

[Chris Cillizza]

They did a great graphic to show the effect of the wind with relative flight trajectories. Like if you hit a full driver up 100ft.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. It was Blowing to the right. So you did have to take it over the water. If it was blowing to the left, you would have been terrified.

[Doug]

The golf is got to get rid of this obsession with the ball moving on the green. Who moves on the green and moves on the green.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Doug]

What are you supposed to do? What do you step aside and say, hey, God, we've had enough of this?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, no, you gotta, you gotta play with it.

[Doug]

That obsession is just stupid. It's annoying. It's, it's even more annoying to me than this goof taking 40 minutes that took.

[Tony Kornheiser]

What are you doing?

[Doug]

And if you're, if you're Morikawa, how, how annoy. No, he's.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Close to an hour from the time they reached the T. Not teed off. Yeah, from the time they reached the T at 18.

[Doug]

Waiting anyway. He was waiting at 18, close to an hour.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And the pressure, there's not pressure on anybody else in that group. There's pressure on one guy in that group, Morikawa, he's got a chance to win it or end up in a playoff where you don't know if you're going to win it. It's all on him.

[Doug]

You know, luckily he's an even tempered, patient guy. You know, I mean, most, I'm not gonna say most, but you know, just a lot of players in that position, it would have affected them.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Doug]

More and, or differently or both. And so I was like, man, wow. The fact that he, that second shot, it just, you know, settles right, nestles right up to the edge of the rug.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Did you think he was going to putt it or chip it? What did you think?

[Doug]

Put it, put it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He putted it great. He putted it within a foot, particularly.

[Chris Cillizza]

After the pitch out on the par 5. And on an 18, you cannot leave it above the hole.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right, Right.

[Doug]

Do you remember last week in Arizona, Colin didn't, didn't. Chipping was not in a couple of bat, was it last weekend or the weekend before that? But in the last couple of weeks he's got a couple of dicey chips and so I thought he would put it. And I know there was debate between Dottie Pepper, who was at, who was, you know, on the course.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Who's very good. I think she's very good.

[Doug]

She's terrific.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thanks. She's very good.

[Doug]

And so I, I, it was just, it had the right amount of drama. Wasn't the most dramatic Sunday afternoon ever, but it had the right amount of drama. And yes, I watched that. I, I watched very little Daytona. Enough to know what was going on.

[Tony Kornheiser]

To watch Olympics over the weekend.

[Doug]

Jordan. Yeah. And, yeah. And I, it was saying there was.

[Tony Kornheiser]

A lot to watch.

[Doug]

No, there wasn't.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I thought there was.

[Doug]

I didn't. Because there's no NHL. There's no NBA, surprisingly. And this is where college basketball fails again. And this is where college basketball needs a commissioner. You know for years when the Olympics are going to be and when the NFL is going to end.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Doug]

And when the NHL and NBA are going to be on break. One for the Olympics, one for the all. You know that. So pack your schedule with all the best games. Just pack your schedule. On Friday night. They had nothing on Friday night. They didn't even put games on Saturday. Sunday loaded up, man. And they're too stupid to do it. So they lost an opportunity to put their product out there. Let me just tell you that right now the college product is really good. And I feel bad because BYU had an injury to their second best player who was not a bantha white kid who wears a headband. I kept drawing a blank on his name. He's really a fine player averaging like 18, 19 a game. He tore his knee up. He's out. And then Arizona's maybe not their best player, you know, Pete. No, not pimp, mispronouncing his name. But Arizona, one of their ensemble of terrific players had a lower leg injury.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They lost at home.

[Doug]

Serious.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They lost at home to Texas Tech the second game.

[Doug]

So now in a row they're going to get bounced.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Doug]

At least for the moment. Well, and so there were, there were a couple of good games on. But come on, put these games on, people. No, I didn't find much to watch because I'm not, I'm not going to watch figure skating unlike.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, do you, but do you watch. Okay, but do you watch the action sports in, in the Olympics?

[Doug]

Yeah, I watched some of them. I watched, I watched some of the hockey. But it was, it was not competitive. United States versus Germany men. So that it wasn't a competitive game. It was like 30 by the time.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So you don't, you don't watch curling or lose or bobsled or bob sled.

[Doug]

I can watch illusion bobsled, but the problem is Tony. And again, this is me. This is just me. It's not everybody. And I got all the channels. I can watch whatever I want. Everything can stream in my house. I'm not going to wade through figure skating to watch stuff. I'm just not.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, I did. There were, you know, I didn't think there was much.

[Doug]

So for me there was a ton of figure skating and.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But we got to watch Ilia Milan go down the drain. If you are not sympathetic at that point, you're not a human being. It was terrible. As a dad, it was terrible.

[Doug]

What do I want to see that for? So far the highlights have been Lindsey Vaughn screaming in agony at the bottom of a hill before being airlifted and the dude being crushed. Oh, boy. Oh, wow.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Doug]

I'm sorry. I have more laughs watching Law and Order svu.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right, I'll see you later.

[Michael Wilbon]

Can I ask Wilbur one question?

[Tony Kornheiser]

What?

[Michael Wilbon]

Wilburn, was Hamilton Berger on your television at any point over the weekend?

[Doug]

Like. Like a marathon?

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right, I'll see you later.

[Doug]

But thankfully I could go to Hamilton Berger could, you know, in Perry and Della. Not to mention the always resplendent Paul Drake. It got me to sleep around 2:30 this morning because otherwise it was tough.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right, I'll see you later. Michael Wilbong. Boys and girls, we'll take a break. We'll bring in Pat40 from the aforementioned Olympics. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Chris Cillizza]

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[Doug]

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[Doug]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show. Wow, this sounds like something from the 60s. 60s.

[Doug]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Doesn't it? It really does. It's good. Beginning back from the 60s, head banging 60s music. This once again is Hotel H O T E L L. This is a song called get in Line. We like them. Oh yes, Michael. If people, independent artists like Hotel want to send us their music to be played, how do they do Send us.

[Chris Cillizza]

Your music by emailing it to [e-mail].

[Tony Kornheiser]

They play in Pat 40 and my first I've been watching. You know in the United States you can watch live on USA when you finally get out of the weekends. You can watch on NBC as well on the weekends. But when you finally get to NBC in the evening it's a, it's a wrap up show because it's four in the morning in Italy and and they, for reasons unknown to me, they got out of the Olympics yesterday and put on the NBA All Star game which was a tough watch anyway Pat. So the first week is dominated by, by crashes in effect. I mean Lindsey Vonn crashes. Michaela Shiffrin can't hold a lead, gets no medal. The quad God falls down twice. The American pairs get hosed by the fragile French judge. Chloe Kim doesn't go three in a row even with Myles Garrett there. Is there a heartwarming story? Is there something I'm missing? Is there something that you say, okay, focus attention on this, this will make you happy?

[Pat Fordy]

Yeah, there have been some of those. I will say that, you know the Olympics is always as vast and contains multitudes and you're right that probably a lot of the headline stories for me perspective. Yeah, yeah. Oh no. Oh, that's bad. Geez, I can't watch but breathe. Johnson hitting the downhill. She was. She'd never even won a World cup race. It came out of nowhere. The curling, mixed doubles that a silver medal and became. We had the first female curler to win a medal. Jordan Stoles. He was expected to have a great Olympics. The speed skater and his won two gold medals and set Olympic records in the process. Men's hockey team looks like an absolute wagon and should be seen rolling to go. So you know it's the usual mixed bag. There's controversy, there's scandal, you know, never knew we'd be talking about the cross cut of ski jumpers, you know, but. But that's what the Olympics does. It brings you a big effect.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I mean you know I watch but the difference. And you've covered Olympics and you know your children have been in the Olympics. The Summer Olympics have sports that I recognize as sports and the Winter Olympics have made up stuff like this half pipe is a made up sport and you can do half pipe, full pipe, three quarter pipe. You can run this all day, all night if you want. Cuz there's always some kid who's willing to risk his life to do it and there are those sorts of sports in the Winter Olympics that are made up and seem to have an aspect of danger that the Summer Olympics don't have. The only really dangerous thing in the Summer Olympics is if somebody throws the javelin off course and hits you. But in the Winter Olympics, you're taking your life in your hands all the time. You notice that, right? You notice the difference in that.

[Pat Fordy]

Oh, the Rick element. Shocked in comparison of the two.

[Doug]

Yeah.

[Pat Fordy]

The stray javelin or like the platform diver who splatters. Those are kind of only two things where you're, like, actually scared for somebody in the Summer Olympics. In the winter, you're scared for all of them all the time.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Pat Fordy]

I mean, watching I'm Cortina and watching downhill was actually unsettling, first of all, with what happened with Vaughn, but then all the crashes and other people close to crashing and knowing what the effects of are. I don't like, don't let your daughters become Alpine skiers. The injury rate is incredible about this. A couple of days ago, 12 women US Alpine, a team and Olympic team, 11 of them came into 2026 with a major injury in the last five years. Blown knee, broken leg, you know, something terrible. 12th was Lindsey Vaughn, who then just saw a rupture in ACL and shatter her leg. So, like, the injury is 100%. So some of this stuff is scary. It's dangerous, and it takes mentality for people to do it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, your phone is breaking up. We'll continue to do it, but it breaks up. But I will. I will say this. It is a higher rate of injury than it is for pitchers to get Tommy John surgery, even preventative Tommy John surgery. It's really amazing. These people that are sliding through these courses, one false move, smash your head, that's it. It's an amazing thing to me. I also cannot understand the vocabulary. And this is. I don't know, when you're watching it on television, you know, I got 120 years of baseball, so I understand the difference between a ball and a strike. I know what a sacrifice fly is. But when somebody goes up in the air and the guy doing the commentary says, oh, it's a double crack 1080, or it's a double cork nine, I have no idea what he's talking about. I don't know, Pat. When I watch these people in these events, I don't know if anyone is being better than the other one. I understand if you, if you come down the mountain faster, but I don't understand the judging sports, do you?

[Pat Fordy]

Oh, and I mean in general I hate judging sports. The reason of this subject. And so even diving is a little. Understand, I don't like that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Can we. Pat, can we. Can we try to call you right back? Can we give this another try? Let's. And just see. And if it doesn't work, we will continue this way. So we will have Nigel call you right back. I could vamp for a while, but I'll just stop and then we'll resume with Pat. Everybody assumes that, you know, you can get anybody on a cell phone and maybe you can. It's thousands of miles away. It's six time zones and thousands of miles away. Let's try it again. You said you were in the ski area. How far is the ski area from the skating area? Because I take it you cannot cover both sides of the Olympics, right?

[Pat Fordy]

Yeah, I haven't. I've been solely focused here in Cortina, which is five hours drive from Milan. Yeah. I may try on Thursday to hustle in because we're about out of good events in Cortina and have a pile up on Thursday of skating, gold medal, whip hockey, gold medal, and figures, women's figure skating. So a lot is happening in Milan, the end here. But a lot has been happening early in Cortina. But it's unlike any other Olympics, Tony, because it is. So I think this is kind of going to be a wave of the future for the simple reason of having one city try to build 13 facilities and then having them not go to. So I get it from that standpoint, from a sustainability standpoint, from a fan and media mobility standpoint, it's a challenge.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's. Yeah, yeah. By the way, I'm always. When I watch the skiing and the skating. Well, not the skating so much the skiing. And I see people from Australia and New Zealand, I'm always sort of surprised. I think of these as warm weather countries. It's probably insane, right? They probably have as much snow as everybody else has. But when I see them from Australia and New Zealand, I'm always surprised. Am I wrong on their geography? I guess I am.

[Pat Fordy]

No, and I'm surprised, too. I think New Zealand certainly has mountains. Australia, I think less so. But maybe they go and train in New Zealand, or maybe all of them have money and they may represent those countries, but live in Europe and ski there, or, you know, in the United States, I'm not sure per se, but I mean, we had a men's skiing gold medal to Brazil. The guy who's from Norway, you know that dude. That one just directly translates to where he's actually from. But his mom. But you know, the old stereotypes exist. I mean, like, is still, you know, cold. They win all the, you know, they're dominating here. They're winning all the medals. But every once in a while you find more outlier. I think in modern Olympics, people who can do things wouldn't normally associate with countries.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I read about that kid because his mother is Brazilian. He's doing it for Brazil. But it's true. Look, Norway is a country of about 5 million people. And the last time I looked, Norway was leading the medal count because Norway has perpetual winter and they know how to prepare for these things. It's different. It's way different than the Summer Olympics. It has its charm though. I wonder, are you enjoying it or have you reached the point where you say, you know, enough is enough with the same stuff over and over?

[Pat Fordy]

Give me a couple more days.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Pat Fordy]

And I'm enjoying it still. This is like day 11 or 12 or something. Give me, get me to the two week point. And I will be looking up the college basketball schedule and see who I'd rather be watching on espn. You know, it's great. This is a great departure from the norm. Great stories. The international part of it is fantastic. Watching all these people come together from all over is cool. Immersing yourself in the Italian culture, which where I am is actually much German culture, if not more. I mean, we're eating bratwurst and we are eating sauerkraut.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Really? Really?

[Pat Fordy]

Yeah, yeah. A lot of people German. The hotel where I'm staying is primarily an establishment. But you know, if you want to go back to the history lesson of Italy, you know, this was all kind of free fall territory between Austria, Hungary, Germany, whatever Italy was at that point. It wasn't until after World War I that this kind of became, you know, territorialized and codified as Italy. But even now there is a whole lot of Tyrolean German influence here.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, well, I mean, the tennis player, sinner, he's from way north in Italy. And he. And you say he's Italian. Yolo. Really? Because he doesn't look anything. Doesn't look anything like that. I can't ask you about the quad God, because you're at the skiing and not at the skating. But to me, that was really sad. I felt sad at that. To see that kid go down like that. You must have watched it on tv. What'd you think?

[Pat Fordy]

Yeah, like I wanted to crawl over the covers. It was so bad to watch, you know, there is nothing, nothing enjoyable about it. And but that's the Olympics, man. It is. It's cruel. It's tough. Four and a half minutes out there on thin blades on ice by yourself. No teammates to bail you out when you're nervous, no coach to call a timeout and regroup. It's really, really tough. And you watch Shifrin on the mountain and her just kind of seizing up. And individual sports are brutal at that. I wrote about it. If they somehow channel Michael Phelps's his great gifts was to get on box. And when people say what do you think on the blocks? He'd say nothing.

[Doug]

And that was it.

[Pat Fordy]

He had a blank mind. And there's sometimes when a blank mind can serve you real times of pressure. And you know, Ilya Malinin was the quote was that he was very frank about this. Every trauma thing that ever happened to me came flooding in head. That's a good healthy mindset. That'll help you here. You know, it's just brutal situation.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He put himself in Shiffrin in the slalom. Did she do. Is that today or is that tomorrow? Is that's her last chance, right?

[Pat Fordy]

It is. That is Wednesday, you know, pre dawn United States time. She'll get two. And if she doesn't medal in that, it's a complete disaster. That's the event she has totally dominated the world. Not just here, but really every year. One of the events she bombed in Beijing four years ago, she bombed on Sunday, combined with Breezy and kept them from getting a medal. If she does it again, then this is another disaster Olympics for her.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And she's the greatest of all time. She's the greatest of all time. And it has to speak to a special kind of pressure here. It has to, has to.

[Pat Fordy]

There's no other explanation for it. She's 108 World cup races, by far the most in history. This season she won seven out of eight slaloms. She was dominating until she got here. And so you really can't chalk it up to anything else. And you talk to her. She is such a precise technician. And I just wants needs everything to be perfect. And you get perfect at the Olympics and you know, if you can't react then to imperfect bad things happen. Somebody made the point. I thought this was pretty good. Like Peyton, man wanted everything perfect, wasn't sometimes struggling John Elway hey, you know, just give me the ball. I'll make something happen. The difference in mindset, you know of how you approach things. If you need everything perfect in the Olympics, you're kind of setting yourself up for problems.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right. Thank you. We will talk to you when you get back. I appreciate very much you coming on, phone trouble notwithstanding. Thanks Pat.

[Pat Fordy]

My pleasure Tony at 40 boys and.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Girls, we apologize for the phone trouble. You know it happens. It happens. We will take a break and come back with email and jingle. I'm Tony Kornheiser. Every sip of Coca Cola brings you closer to the excitement of the FIFA World Cup 26. Because nothing compares to the joy.

[Doug]

So grab a Coke and drink in.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The FIFA World Cup 26. No purchase necessary. 13 plus in 50 US states and DC with a web enabled device. Ends March 1 with eight entry periods. [e-mail] SoccerRules this is the Tony Kornheiser show. The Tony Korneiser Show. That's our official organist, Bill Pitcher. Love that you want to do Bethesda.

[Michael Wilbon]

Bagel ad bagel sandwiches today. Very excited about that. And no touch screen kiosks to order them at Bethesda Bagels. Just go to Bethesda Bagels.com for the location in the DC area nearest you. Then pop on in and you will be thrilled.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And before we get to the mailbag, let me just say in the day we sweated out in the streets of a runaway American dream. At night we ride through mansions of glory in suicide machines sprung from cages on Highway 9 Chrome wheel fuel injected and stepping out over the line Baby this town rips the bones from your back It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap we gotta get out while we're young Cause tramps like us baby.

[Pat Fordy]

We were born to run.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Bruce Springsteen, boys and girls. Thanks to our guests today. Michael Wilbon and Pat40 apologize for the connection with Pat. Pat's a trooper. Oh yeah, Pat's a trooper. We love him. Thanks as well to today's sponsors. Remember, you can listen to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Odyssey. Get show through Apple Podcasts. Please leave us a review from Dan Walsman in Damascus, Maryland. Tony, I heard putting a shop vac to your ear may solve your problem. Bill in Ella City, Maryland after the success of the song 50 Ways to Cook a Chicken, I'm looking forward to hearing the follow up to 50 ways to clear an Eardrum. Jason Fish Ballerup in Denmark I started a new job in January at Dement, a hearing aid manufacturer in Ballarup, Denmark, just west of Copenhagen. During my first lunch with colleagues in the company cafeteria, I spotted a quote on the wall from friend of the show, Nils Lofgren. See attached photo I pointed and said I know that guy, but I don't know him. But I habitually listen to a podcast about Washington D.C. traffic, weather, and the obscure neuroses of an aging bald orange man. And Nils Lofkin wrote jingles for that show Aged and by this point, my new boss is questioning whether or not he made the right hiring decision. I've been a PTI viewer since 2004. I've listened to the pod since 2009 when I worked as a graduate student researcher on fuel cell technology in Denmark. Seventeen years later, I'm back in the land of the Danes, and immediately I find myself apologizing on behalf of my homeland for trying to buy Greenland. What times we live in. That's lovely. The quote is now I can hear what I want to. I hear the clarity and the beauty and not just on stage, but in life. I think Jason should send me a box of hearing aids. Send me a big box of that. From Dee Wagner in Bethany beach in Delaware a couple of weeks ago There's a thank you note to Michael. It says, a couple of weeks ago you and your dad were discussing golf and Tony was saying that he had good transfer with his driver but not really with his other clubs. And you gave your thoughts and I listened intently. I'm also a golfer of a certain age and my driver has always been my best club, along with my putter. Anyway, after your discussion I realized I was swinging into my driver but hitting my irons, not transferring my weight forward. Since then I've been working on my tempo, focused on swinging. It's made a huge difference. Thank you for the Love it from our friend Patrick Sitter and Sioux Falls Complicated shoelace circumstance. Gee, all these years I thought they were either tied or untied. Now, based on your experience, I fear I might run into a complicated shoelace circumstance of my own that I'm not prepared for. How am I supposed to sleep at night? P.S. just might start transitioning to slip ons. Love him. Tim Cree, our friend in Fort Collins, Colorado so the Big Ten proposed a ridiculous 2014 College Football Playoff. I can only assume that 11 teams each from the Big Ten in the SEC will be invited and the rest of the country has to fight for the last two table scraps under the card table at the end of the Thanksgiving dinner from Joe Rizzo, La Grand Orange Snowboarding is like nascar. I have no idea what they're talking about, so I'm waiting for a crash. Yeah, sure. Jeff Alexander, Salinas, California does anyone else picture Tony doing the yo yo trick, walking the dog whenever he states. So I'm walking the dog. No, just me.

[Chris Cillizza]

More of an around the world guy.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Just you. From Bruce Hauptman. Tony, longtime listener and reader of your sports and style columns. Back in the day, when you had two jobs at a the Washington Post, my dad would clip out your columns and mail them to me when I was in the army at Fort Stewart, Georgia. I would then post them on the bulletin board the barracks to share with my fellow soldiers. He had a following then, even before the cheeserie and the TK Salute. Can I please be the official bulletin board poster of the show? Sure, sure. Best wishes from the TK Green Machine Alumni Club. That's sure. Of course, from Steve Sigourney, our friend in Big Sky, Montana. Chuck and Roxy, number 288. I know you'll probably get never getting awaymo, but I was just in San Francisco and three upsides to consider when riding in one. No small talk with the driver, no tipping. And you can drink your red wine on the way to dinner you'd rather not be attending. Okay, That's a nice perfect. Mark Del Florio in Snoqualmie, Washington. Be sure to take the ice cream out, let it soften a bit before eating. 1/4 scoop and pop goes your hammet bone. Great. Hammet bone. If you're out on your bike tonight, everyone is always to wear white.

[Jingle/Ad Voice]

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, Saturday. You thought you were right when you were wrong. What was that night. They call you baby and you never thought too much Sam, You sit on the couch and no one would say you're wasting time. Just so confident no one would ever steal your life. Something. There's no one you can pay no one Holder plays play the game named on the list. You can't cut the knife with your pay. Eyes on me listen, Get in line. You're not the only one. See, baby, eyes on me. Listen, I know you are and I got. You're not the only one, Caroline. You're not the only one in line. You're not the only one. I'll say the same thing my ways to drive you crazy Take me from the backseat, baby, eyes on me Listen, I need you alive. Can I get you alive? You're not the only one.