“Nuts!”

Summary

The Tony Kornheiser Show – Episode: “Nuts!” Summary

Release Date: July 2, 2025

In this vibrant episode of "The Tony Kornheiser Show," host Tony Kornheiser navigates through a myriad of topics, blending sports analysis, heartfelt tributes, and engaging listener interactions. Here's a comprehensive breakdown of the key discussions, insights, and memorable moments from the episode titled “Nuts!”.

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1. Opening Segments and Initial Banter

The episode kicks off with a humorous exchange between Tony and Pat 40, involving time-traveling scenarios related to selling a car to Carvana. This lighthearted introduction sets the tone for the show's blend of humor and conversational style.

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2. Wimbledon Coverage and Tennis Insights

Timestamp: [01:50] – [04:09]

Tony delves into the recent broadcasting decisions surrounding Wimbledon, expressing his respect for the prestigious tennis event despite disagreements with some network choices. He remarks:

“I have deep respect for Wimbledon” ([01:50])

Tony discusses the implications of moving Wimbledon coverage to ESPN2, comparing it to other events like the US Open. He touches on logistical aspects such as curfews and stadium features, highlighting the differences in how events are managed.

The conversation shifts to emerging tennis talents, with Tony cautioning against prematurely elevating young stars like Coco Gauff to the status of all-time greats. He emphasizes the achievements of established legends such as Serena Williams, Billie Jean King, and Martina Navratilova:

“Serena Williams is one of the five all-time greats... She didn’t get bounced in the first round.” ([03:04])

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3. NBA Free Agency and Player Contracts

Timestamp: [04:08] – [08:59]

Transitioning to basketball, Tony and Michael Wilbon dissect the tumultuous NBA free agency landscape. The primary focus is on Damian Lillard's departure from the Milwaukee Bucks, exploring the potential motivations behind the trade and its impact on both the player and the team. Tony speculates on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future with the Bucks, drawing parallels to historical player movements in the league.

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the astronomical contracts securing players like Shea Gilgamesh Alexander:

“Shea Gilgamesh Alexander just signed the largest contract in the history of the NBA. It’s a four-year, $285 million.” ([07:36])

Tony critiques the trend of lucrative sports contracts, questioning the sustainability and fairness of such deals, especially highlighting concerns about performance and team contributions.

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4. Tribute to Dr. Joseph Giordano

Timestamp: [15:21] – [17:43]

The show shifts to a poignant tribute as Tony honors the late Dr. Joseph Giordano, a revered surgeon known for his heroic efforts in saving President Ronald Reagan after the 1981 assassination attempt. Tony reads excerpts from a detailed obituary, underscoring Dr. Giordano’s pivotal role in establishing the Level One Trauma Center at George Washington University Hospital and his swift actions during the Reagan incident:

“He made an incision in Reagan’s midsection and inserted a plastic tube, which immediately filled from internal bleeding.” ([15:21])

Tony extends heartfelt sympathies to Dr. Giordano’s family, particularly his son, Andrew Giordano, highlighting the profound impact of his medical legacy.

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5. Tribute to D. Wayne Lucas – Horse Racing Legend

Timestamp: [35:19] – [50:37]

A significant segment features co-host Michael Wilbon paying homage to D. Wayne Lucas, a legendary horse racing trainer who recently passed away at 89. Tony and Michael reminisce about Lucas’s illustrious career, his resilience, and his lasting influence on the sport. Michael shares personal anecdotes, including a memorable encounter in 1994 when Lucas overcame professional setbacks with unwavering determination:

“You can strip me naked and drop me in East LA at midnight, and I’ll be back in a month with a full stable...” ([40:01])

The discussion covers Lucas's training philosophies, his strategic expansion across multiple racing locations, and his competitive nature. Comparisons are drawn between Lucas and contemporaries like Bob Baffert, highlighting their mutual respect despite past rivalries.

“Lucas was one of the first believers in having horses dead fit and not coming in softly.” ([44:28])

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6. Baseball Discussion with Richard Justice

Timestamp: [51:21] – [67:06]

Guest Richard Justice joins Tony to discuss the current state of baseball, focusing on superstar talents Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge. Both hosts laud these players as potential all-time greats, drawing parallels to legends like Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle.

“Ohtani is in a category we have never seen before.” ([23:08])

Richard emphasizes Ohtani's unique dual-role prowess and Judge’s formidable presence on the field. The conversation delves into their training regimens, strategic gameplay, and the advanced analytics that enhance their performance.

Additionally, the hosts analyze A.J. Hinch’s managerial impact on the Detroit Tigers, praising his leadership and strategic acumen in transforming the team into a formidable contender.

“He is one of the nicest, classiest, most dignified people that have ever played the game.” ([23:58])

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7. Listener Interactions and Miscellaneous Segments

Throughout the episode, Tony engages with listener contributions, including song requests and humorous anecdotes. Julia Alcareville shares her personal story and musical contributions, adding a heartfelt and community-driven dimension to the show.

A humorous segment involves discussing gardening challenges, particularly critter invasions, and the intriguing topic of "pomato," a grafted tomato-potato hybrid. Tony humorously navigates these topics, blending informative content with his signature wit.

Listeners also share stories about lost items, such as golf towels and tumblers, prompting both laughter and relatable chuckles from the hosts.

“The average person loses or misplaces approximately 33 items a year.” ([54:09])

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8. Memorable Quotes and Highlights

• On Carvana's Future:

  “It is the future.” ([00:54])

• Tribute to Dr. Giordano:

  “Today we're all Republicans, Mr. President. Obviously the surgery was successful.” ([15:21])

• On D. Wayne Lucas’s Resilience:

  “You can strip me naked and drop me in East LA at midnight, and I’ll be back in a month with a full stable...” ([40:01])

• Praise for Shohei Ohtani:

  “Shohei Ohtani is in a category we have never seen before.” ([23:08])

• A.J. Hinch’s Leadership:

  “He is one of the nicest, classiest, most dignified people that have ever played the game.” ([23:58])

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9. Insights and Conclusions

Sports Evolution and Player Impact:
The episode underscores the evolving landscape of both basketball and baseball, highlighting how standout players like Ohtani, Judge, and Lillard are reshaping their respective sports. The discussion emphasizes the balance between athletic excellence and the strategic decisions that influence team dynamics and league trends.

Legacy of Medical and Sports Legends:
Through heartfelt tributes to Dr. Giordano and D. Wayne Lucas, the show celebrates individuals whose dedication and expertise have left indelible marks on their fields. These segments highlight the importance of resilience, leadership, and passion in achieving greatness.

Community Engagement and Relatability:
Listener interactions and shared anecdotes foster a sense of community, making the show relatable and engaging. Tony's ability to seamlessly blend serious discussions with humor and personal stories enhances the overall listening experience.

Humor and Lightheartedness:
Throughout the episode, Tony’s humor and playful banter with co-hosts and guests add levity, ensuring the content remains entertaining and accessible to a broad audience.

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Conclusion

"The Tony Kornheiser Show – Nuts!" masterfully balances in-depth sports analysis with personal tributes and community interactions. Tony Kornheiser, alongside his co-hosts and guests, delivers a rich and engaging narrative that appeals to both avid sports fans and casual listeners. The episode not only informs but also connects on a personal level, celebrating the legacies of influential figures and the dynamic nature of modern sports.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey, it's Tony. On today's show, we'll talk some baseball with Richard Justice. And we'll talk about the passing of horse racing. Legendary trainer D. Wayne Lucas with Pat 40. But first, commerce. Oh, hey.

[Michael Wilbon]

Hey.

[Pat 40]

Thanks for meeting me here. It's just you're my only lawyer friend and I need your professional opinion. Do you see that brand new Hyundai Tucson out there? That's all I paid for it.

[Commercial Voice]

Ah, let me get back to you on that deal. So right, it almost feels wrong. At the Hyundai getaway sales event, get 0% APR for 60 months plus 0 payments for 90 days on all Hyundai Santa Fe models. And check out our other great deals at your Hyundai dealer today. Offer ends September 2nd. Call 562-314-4603 for details.

[Pat 40]

Thanks for selling your car to Carvana. Here's your check.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Whoa. When did I get here?

[Pat 40]

What do you mean?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I swear it was just moments ago that I accepted a great offer from Carvana online. I must have time traveled to the future.

[Pat 40]

It was just moments ago. We do same day pickup. Here's your check for that great offer.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It is the future.

[Richard Justice]

It's.

[Pat 40]

It's the present and just the convenience of Carvana. Sorry to blow your mind.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's all good. Happens all the time.

[Pat 40]

Sell your car the convenient way to Carvana.

[General George Washington]

Pick up.

[Pat 40]

Times may vary and fees may apply.

[Nigel]

Previously on the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I called Wilbot yesterday when the golf playoff was going on, because I. I was watching. I wasn't familiar with the golfers who were in it. I knew their names. I'd watched them this week. I didn't know anymore than that. And I said to Mike, we. We. We've got nothing for tomorrow's pti. And you said, what? Do you remember what you said?

[Michael Wilbon]

We got nothing for nine weeks.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's. That's right. For nine weeks.

[Nigel]

This is General George Washington, and you're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And you're seeing it. If you watch the show, you got to find it on espn, too, because we're bumped for Wimbledon, which is not. There's a lot of decisions that are made that I don't agree with, but I think if you bought the rights to Wimbledon, which is the premier tennis event of the world, and you can show it, I'm okay with that. I'm okay with being bumped to ESPN2 for that. There's other events I'm not okay with where they say, well, we are contractually obligated to show this thing. I mean, it Might even be dogs jumping into a pond. But Wimbledon, you're not going to hear.

[Nigel]

Such a good summer. Reset.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, you're not going to hear me complain about Wimbledon. I mean, I covered Wimbledon. You know, I have deep respect for Wimbledon. All right. And by the way, everybody's being bounced out of Wimbledon. I'll just say this briefly.

[Nigel]

What about the curfew?

[Unknown Speaker]

Oh, yeah, could use that in New York.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I mean, what time is it for them?

[Unknown Speaker]

It's 11.

[Tony Kornheiser]

11Pm Okay. I would have said you can go to midnight. The US Open has gone to two in the morning. Yeah, it is going to that straight.

[Nigel]

Up in a town. It's just, it's in a town, so it makes sense.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, yeah. So. And, and yeah, they have a roof at Wimbledon.

[Unknown Speaker]

They now have a retractable roof.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And so that would muffle the noise a little bit, it would seem to me.

[Nigel]

One would think it's Centrae Court.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Centric. Thank you. I would just say to hold on before you anoint Coco Gauff as the next Serena Williams, just hold on. Because the really, really great players don't get bounced in the first round of a major after having won two majors before. It doesn't happen. Carlos Alcaraz went to five. He didn't get bounced. He won six, one in the fifth. I don't think Borg or McEnroe or Connors or Sampras or Lendell. I don't think they got bounced first round in Wimbledon after winning a couple. I don't think so.

[Nigel]

Wimbledon was sharing great photos of Alcaraz practicing his golf swing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, it's got to have a. Looks pretty good at backup care. So, I mean, just, just, just hold on. Yeah, it is. Serena Williams is one of the five all time greats. Everybody knows the all time greats. Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Groff, Serena Williams. That's it. That's the list. She didn't get bounced in the first. I don't think. Maybe, but I don't think so.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah, I'd have to check it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Yeah, check that. Okay, moving on. Wilbon loves free agency in the NBA. I just put an arrow through my head rather than do it. But there was something big yesterday. The big thing was that the Milwaukee Bucks dropped, jettisoned, dumped. Game time. Dame time. Damian Lillard, who I've never liked probably because Wilbourne likes him so much. I don't know what he's ever done. Yeah, I just, you know, I just don't. He spent two years in Milwaukee and they just said, we got to get out of this. We're going to pay him all the money that we owe him, but we're going to cut him $122 million is what they owe him over five years. The biggest news in Milwaukee is very simply whether or not Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to stay or whether he will force himself out as NBA players can do. You know, you've seen it for years and years and years. You see it virtually every year with Kevin Durant. It's, I'm done here. Here's where I want to go. Make it happen. So they want to know if Antetokounmpos is going to want out. Big story, big conversation. It is impossible for me to believe that the Milwaukee Bucks would not have run this by Giannis Antetokounmpo and said, this is what we would like to do. How are you with it? We'll protect you. We will never say anything that you told us, but how are you with this? I just don't believe that wouldn't have happened. I just don't believe it. You know, I don't believe that. If the Dodgers ever wanted to trade Mookie Bets, they wouldn't say to Shohei Ohtani, well, how are you with this man? Just, you know, it's hard for me to believe that such a thing would happen, you know. So I think that Giannis Antokounmpo was consulted and gave his approval, and Damian Lillard is probably happy because it didn't work at all. Two first round exits in the playoffs. It was a waste of money, a waste of time, a waste of energy. Didn't work. He'll go somewhere else when he's 36 years old because he's not going to play this year. And you'll see what he's got left. You'll see because somebody's going to want him. A lot of teams are going to want him. They're going to bank on the fact that he's got one or two years left. You'll see. A little harder for a guard than a big man, I think, because of the speed of the position. But Chris Paul is an effective player at 40 years old. So Damian Lillard can be an effective player. A very good player at 36 years old. I thought I would mention those things. Shea Gilgamesh Alexander just signed the largest contract in the history of the NBA. It's a four year, $285 million. Just think about this. It averages $72 million a year to play basketball. His last year is going to be $80 million to play basketball. Now, why would you send your kids to med school? And why, if you could play basketball and make that kind of money? The four most lucrative contracts in the history of the NBA are. 1, Gilgis Alexander, 2, Jayson Tatum, 3, Steph Curry, 4, Joel Embiid. What do they all have in common? They've all won championships. Oh, wait. Joel Embiid hasn't won a championship. He hadn't gotten to the finals. Hadn't gotten to the conference finals. I know Everybody in Washington, D.C. where this show is broadcast and created, loves Josh Harris, the new owner of the Washington football team. Loves him. He also owns the 76ers. He is paying Joel Embiid and Paul George. Unbelievable sum of money for people who don't do anything. Half the time they don't even play. They don't win anything. They don't. I think you gotta ask yourself about that a little bit. Let me get to the peanuts here. This is the big deal. Michael, can you explain the enormous trove of peanuts that we have?

[Nigel]

Yes. So if you listen to the show, you know that occasionally we have reads where we try things or we're supposed to say we've, you know, we've looked for. And we're happy to.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And we're happy to.

[Nigel]

Yes. And certain products bubble up to the top. You know, Nigel and I obviously drink a lot of the liquid iv, particularly this time of year. So you were out of town. We get a box sent to our house. And my wonderful wife is always angling to see. Is that something for the show? Is it something that we order for the kids? This is birthday season, and it's something for the birthdays. We gotta hide it quickly. No, this happens to be a box of peanuts. How many do you think are in that bag?

[Tony Kornheiser]

About 10 or 12.

[General George Washington]

Okay.

[Nigel]

I think it's. I think it's 12 plus. And we had to get the box out for recycling. So we have a box of peanuts from Virginia Diner with assorted flavors. The first one Liz pulled out, she just looks at me, smiles, and goes, this is mine.

[Tony Kornheiser]

She kept it.

[Unknown Speaker]

Which.

[Nigel]

That was the honey. Honey roasted almonds.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The almonds. Everything else is peanuts. And she kept the almonds.

[Unknown Speaker]

Like a warlord.

[Nigel]

Yes. These are mine now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Yeah. So we have a whole bunch of things. We have fabulous flavors. I mean, fabulous in a sense that you go, wow. I didn't expect that.

[Nigel]

Didn't expect that on a preview.

[Tony Kornheiser]

For example, dill pickle, Virginia peanuts. Dill Pickle. Peanuts.

[Unknown Speaker]

Really?

[Nigel]

So, Mama. Dill pickle. Triscuits. I'm excited for that one.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. We have. There's salted peanuts. There's swaracha. Do I pronounce that correctly?

[Nigel]

Swaracha never change.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right. There's savage hot peanuts. Savage, savage, raging inferno. Peanuts. Look, it's like you have to put.

[Nigel]

These out for a party and not tell anyone what they are to see where people gravitate.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I eat peanuts. I mean, I like peanuts. One of those things that you put them out in a dish. I'm going to eat them. And I have heard of the Virginia Diner, which is south of Richmond. I looked it up. It's south of Richmond. And they manufacture. They are indeed a diner, but they also manufacture cans of peanuts. Right.

[Nigel]

When I think of Virginia peanuts, though, I think of boiled peanuts.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They. Most people think of the Virginia peanuts as the ne plus ultra of peanuts, other than the ones that you shell yourself.

[Unknown Speaker]

Oh, right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know, that you take out of the ground. And they're in the ground, aren't they? Like potatoes. Aren't peanuts in the ground or are they on trees? I don't think they're on trees in the ground. I think they're in the ground.

[Unknown Speaker]

I've seen. I want to say I've seen a cashew tree and I think I've seen cashews grow on trees.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm not talking about cashews.

[Nigel]

Oh. Emerging above ground to form stems and oval shaped green leaves.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, okay. So they're above, but they're low down.

[Nigel]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They're not. They're not trees. There's no peanut tree.

[Unknown Speaker]

Is it potentially a new product?

[Nigel]

It looks like a potato that you'd pull out of the ground.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Maybe we could plant peanuts. But I've heard of Virginia Diner and I've heard of their peanuts and I think that they are like the highest possible quality. And we are going to try to eat these things and see how they work. If we get our intern in here, we may force feed the intern to see how it works. But I'm very excited about this. I actually do want to try the.

[Nigel]

They have Old Bay ones. They have spicy buffalo peanuts.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. They got free taco, so they sent us a whole bunch. And I don't know that we're going to be able to eat all of them.

[Unknown Speaker]

Ginger. Do we have any of those?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm not eating ginger, but we could.

[Nigel]

Goes right through us.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We could have. This could be a prize. A can or two. Could be a prize or a punishment. Yeah. Or we could all right.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Or if I ever get invited to someone's house, which is very rare, and I go, which is far more rare. I could bring a tin as you walk in.

[Nigel]

I can't stay very long.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Here, here's for you and here's for everyone. So we'll. We're very excited about it. I have them all. I have the names we have.

[Nigel]

Anyway, I just love that I didn't tell you about this at all. I brought it over to your house to surprise you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. I didn't know what it was.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. You were questioning me.

[Tony Kornheiser]

What is this? I didn't know. It's a lot of them. So it makes me very happy. Those of you waiting for a NATS update, you're going to have to wait. NATS got rained out yesterday. We got.

[Nigel]

According to the preemptive rain out is.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, there'll be a double header today, 4 and 8 or something like that. According to the email that I get every day on the course conditions from Columbia. Columbia took 1.2 inches of rain yesterday. We didn't get that at our house. Not 1.2.

[Nigel]

Yeah. You probably got between a half inch to 0.7.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Nigel]

But a reminder. Yes, it is. It is farther around the bend of the Beltway. And oftentimes things that just miss us clobber that part of Montgomery County. And then on the flip side, when you think about what happened, Maybe it was 13 years ago, you get the derecho. This what would have been this past weekend just absolutely clobbers. You know, the other side is get closer to the river.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Took a roof off a house in our neighborhood. Literally. The derecho took a roof off a house around the corner from us. No roof. No roof. See you like you look into the house, there's no roof. That's. That's when kids. I do. I want to mention at the end of this that we send our sympathy to our friend Andrew Giordano, who lost his dad last week, Dr. Joseph Giordano. Now, you may not know that name, but if I read you a couple of these paragraphs from a fabulous obituary in the Washington Post today by Matt Schedel, you might remember the circumstance. Joseph Giordano, the former head of surgery and director of the trauma center at George Washington University Hospital, who helped perform life saving measures on President Ronald Reagan after he was shot during an assassination attempt in 1981, died June 24, two days after his 84th birthday. He died at MedStar at Georgetown University Hospital of complications from an infection, said his son, Christopher Giordano, Dr. Giordano, a vascular surgeon who had previously worked at Walter Reed Army Medical center, joined the staff at GW Hospital in 1976. One of his first responsibilities was to revamp the hospital's emergency department. You don't know how bad the system was in the 1970s, he told the Washington Post in 2012. There was no 911, no trained ambulances. There was nothing. Drawing on his experience as an army doctor and from studying other hospitals, including the University of Maryland Shock Trauma center in Baltimore, Dr. Giordano organized the new trauma unit at GW Hospital. They oversaw elements including facilities and equipment, ambulance services, staffing and, perhaps most important, procedures to be followed by emergency medical teams. In 1979, the American College of Surgeons certified the unit as a Level one trauma center, providing the highest level of surgical care to trauma patients. That preparation proved to be crucial when the hospital received perhaps its most urgent call. Most urgent case, rather. On the afternoon of March 30, 1981, after addressing labor groups, Reagan was leaving the Washington Hilton near Dupont circle at about 2:30pm when six shots were fired in sudden succession. Several people were wounded and fell to the sidewalk. It was unclear if Reagan had been struck, but Secret Service agent Jerry Parr pushed him into the presidential limousine and climbed in the back seat with him. Reagan complained of a pain in his chest and had blood on his lips. Par then ordered the limousine to proceed to GW Hospital. Instead of returning to the White house Less than 10 minutes later, Reagan walked it.

[General George Washington]

Walked.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Here's the verb. Walked into the emergency room under his own power. I have to turn pages here. It's going to take me a while, okay? Under his own power before falling to the floor, Dr. Giordano was with patients in another part of the hospital when a message went out on the intercom asking him to report immediately to the trauma unit. Reagan was lying on a gurney when Dr. Giordano first saw him. How you doing, Mr. President? He asked, according to journalist Delquinten Wilbur's Rawhide Down, a book about the shooting. I'm having trouble breathing, reagan replied. When First Lady Nancy Reagan was brought into the emergency room by Secret Service agents to see her husband, the one time Hollywood actor tried to make light of the shooting, saying, I forgot to duck. Working quickly to stabilize the president's deteriorating condition, Dr. Giordano made an incision in Reagan's midsection and inserted a plastic tube, which immediately filled from internal bleeding. He was seriously injured, Dr. Giordano told the GWU publication in 1981. I think he was Close to dying, he determined that the bleeding was a result of a gunshot wound and asked a colleague, cardiac and thoracic surgeon Benjamin Aaron, to help find the bullet. Before he was given anesthesia, Reagan quipped to the doctors surrounding him, please tell me you're all Republicans. And here's the line. Here's Giordano's line. Today we're all Republicans, Mr. President. Obviously the surgery was successful. Obviously, Ronald Reagan resumed being the president and a chapter in American history was written conclusively by those people. Again, our sympathies to the entire family, especially to our friend Andrew Giordano. And we will come back with the show and who's first? Richie Richard justice when we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show. This is the Game Time read. Game Time is the official ticketing partner of the Tony Kornheiser Show. If you're thinking about going to a baseball game, look no further than Game Time to get your tickets. Game Time makes getting tickets even faster and easier. Prices on the Game Time app actually go down the closer it gets to the first pitch. Plus, they have phenomenal last minute deals in their lowest price guarantee. Now, if you know me, you know that I don't know how apps work, but Michael and Nigel have used Game Time a lot. They've been really happy with it. You've used it?

[Unknown Speaker]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Unknown Speaker]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

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[General George Washington]

This is the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is Julia Alcareville in Troy, New York, which is right near Albany and right near Rensselaer, upstate New York. And Julia writes. My childhood friend Sarah Pogliano, a huge sports fan, has been listening to your show for many years, encouraged me to send and give you permission to play my song Won't feel it in 2020. It aired in December that year. And it turns out you've got a big following where I live because people here keep reaching out to say they heard the song on your podcast. I have a new song called 7:37, which was recorded after my dad passed away from cancer. It was released on his birthday. I've been really grateful to hear from folks that has provided them with comfort through their own grief. I'd love it if you could share it with others on Your show. That is Julia Alserraf, who's got a beautiful voice. A beautiful voice. And it plays in Richard justice, to whom we want to talk about baseball. Richie covered everything, but he covered baseball more than everything else. And I am struck by this. And I wasn't going to begin with this until I looked at SportsCenter and Shohei Ohtani hit another one out. It was 30 rows deep. I mean, it was just a bomb. The other day, Aaron Judge hit two out, which he has done before. July 1 started five different times. Aaron Judge had multiple home runs this year. I find it hard, like everybody who's aging and old find it hard to think that the stuff that goes on now is better than the stuff when I was watching and I was watching Maze and Mantle and Aaron. But Richie, how great are Shohei and Aaron Judge? They just appear to be all timers.

[General George Washington]

I agree with you 100% that Ohtani. Well, first of all, Ohtani is in a category we have never seen before. And I watch a ton of Dodger games and, and I listen to the other teams announcing team and they just routinely say, look, this is the greatest player we've ever seen. There's never been a player. You know, guys like the Giants announcers, Dwayne Kuiper, Mike Ruko have seen a lot of baseball and know what they're talking about. They say, we've never seen anything like this before. And it's just, I think there are certain players in our lifetime that if they come to your city and you have a chance to go see them, and I think Paul Skeenes is going to be there someday, maybe there now you want to go see them. You want to see. Tell your kids I saw this guy play. Well, I remember Sean Casey told me one time when he was about to face Roger Clements, he goes, whoa, whoa. This is not like other days. This is a day you tell your grandkids about dad, did you. Yes, I faced that guy.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[General George Washington]

And Aaron Judge is very much like that. And the thing is, and I think you've mentioned this before, he. He looks apart. They. Both of those guys look the part. Ohtani is a big dude. Aaron Judge is a very big dude.

[Michael Wilbon]

You know, one of the.

[General George Washington]

I always think one of the reasons they put Stanton and Judge side by side is because they wanted the other pitcher to look over there before the inning and see who the two guys that were swinging the bats in the on deck circle. And also I have connections to Aaron Judge. A kid here played with him in the minor leagues. He is One of the nicest, classiest, most dignified people that have ever played the game. You have never heard a bad word about Aaron Judd.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's true.

[General George Washington]

And so when they come to your town, you go see them play, because you may never. Just as people around the. You know, you hear older, older people. I saw Ted Williams play or, you know, once upon a time. And you, you and I knew people that say, I saw Garrick, I saw Ruth, Clay. That's what we're seeing in these two guys.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All timers that see, this is what I think. I mean, you can look at this and you can say Garrigan, Ruth. And you can say DiMaggio and Williams, and you can say Maze and Mantle. And everybody knows. Everybody knows that these are all timers. And I know that the analytics will tell us now that Ohtani and Judge are. But what. You've seen them. What do your eyes tell you? You are willing to put them in that pantheon, right?

[General George Washington]

Yeah. And I think the game is better than it's ever been before. I think the pitching is harder and more sophisticated. I think pitchers now are throwing pitches that Ted Williams and babies never saw. I mean, this thing you call a sweeper, which is the sliders. Now, you have guys throwing cutters and sliders that are in the range of 100 miles an hour. And when you slow the camera down and look at it, you go, it's unhittable. I was watching a kid the other night was throwing. He was saying, jake Misarowski from the. From the brewers, throws 100 miles an hour. Six, seven. They measured that. When he releases the ball, he's 52ft from home plate. And he throws routinely throws pitches that are 100. I don't. I can't even comprehend. I know sometimes the best. One of the. Some of the best days of spring training are when the pitchers come out and throw batting practice. And it's the first chance people like me and you get to be up close in the cage when a real live major league pitcher is throwing real live stuff and you can't see it. You can only hear it. And to have guys like Judge and Ohtani dominating what is being used today by pitchers. And not just that, the scouting reports, they know every weakness a guy has. These guys don't have any weaknesses. And if you watch Yankee games, Michael K. And those guys, there are nights where they just go, oh, my goodness. I mean, it's like they've seen it before. They know it's going to happen, and still they are amazed. And it's. It's one of the beauties of sports.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I can't stress this enough, the. How fast the pitch is on you. You know, it's, It's. It's so fast, your reflexes. The average person would not see it. Would not see it, and would bail out immediately thinking it was going to hit him in the head. And these guys are great athletes, and these are the most superior hitters. Ohtani and Judge are the most superior hitters. Right. They get it.

[General George Washington]

Yeah. When, when A.J. hinch was in the Diamondbacks front office, he was sitting up in the suite one night and the analytics team was going, how can he take that? How did he swing at that? And he said, fellas, meet me down on the field at 2:00 clock tomorrow afternoon. And he set the pitching machine at 90 miles an hour.

[Michael Wilbon]

90.

[General George Washington]

Not 100, not 100, 2, 90. And said, okay, just stand there and look at what this guy is looking at. And, you know, they were backing out. And he goes, no, no, no, no. You gotta be close enough that you can feel it on the hair of your arm. And it's. It's terrifying to watch. I once watched Brad Osmos took BP off Brad lynch when he was throwing the baddest slider in the game. And I. It was, it was. It was painful to watch. And I said to Brad later, I said, what did you see? He goes, what did I see? Hell, I didn't see anything. I could only. I could only hear it. And. And to have guys dominating that kind of stuff is pretty special.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. You mentioned A.J. hinch. I know how much you like him. I know how much you respect him. I have no sense of him. I have no sense of his voice. I have a sense of Tommy Lasorda. I have a sense of Tony La Russa. You know, I. I have a sense of a lot of people. I have a sense of what they were like. I got nothing with Hinch. He is tarred by the fact that his team cheated. And whether he knew it or not, he did not. He did not act on it. He did not blow the whistle, he did not end it. But he goes to Detroit from Houston. And by the way, the people who were left behind at Houston, really good because they sign the right people all the time. He goes to Detroit, a moribund baseball team. They now have the most wins in Major League Baseball. And one of the truly dominant pitchers, Tarek Skubal, in Major League Baseball. Your thoughts on the tie? Are they are the Tigers for real? And how much is Hinch?

[General George Washington]

They are for real. And he's that guy that if you met him, Tony, if you met AJ Hinch, he would convince you that the three minutes or the five minutes he spent with you was a three or five minute, best minutes of his day. He had a bad reputation when he got the Diamondbacks job. It was the front office was screwed up. He was not accepted in the clubhouse. He was looking at, looking as he was looked at as the young punk who was a product of the front office, which, I mean, that's probably fair. He had some really bad interactions. And when the Astros hired him, I remember I got a call from, I believe it was Josh Burns, who's assistant GM with the Dodgers now, and he said, hey, I screwed that up. Give this guy a chance. I want you to sit down with him and talk to him and just listen to what other people say about him. You will be captivated by him. He is one of the, he has people skills through the roof. He has a way to say the right thing to players. He has a knack for combining the front offices now. And Detroit has a great general manager in Scott Harris. But he's very analytically driven that. You know what Scott would tell you about AJ My manager can do anything he wants, but I would like for him to have a reason for doing what he does, not just I had a feeling and AJ Makes it all work. I'm telling you. He, I. We have a broadcaster down here, Bill Brown, who's with the Reds for years. And he said, he and I were talking one day and he said, you covered Weaver. EARL WEAVER HALL of Fame MANAGER I covered. I got to know Sparky Anderson, a Hall of Fame manager, intimately. He said, have you ever dealt with a guy better than this guy, better at running a game, better at dealing with players, better dealing with the media, better dealing with the front office, all this stuff. And the thing about AJ that makes him so great, he's self deprecating. He will go, go in front of the team and say, that one's on me. One day he was giving the front office a lecture on we got to go out and get a left handed picture. And he points to the TV in his office and says, that guy, if you get me that guy, we're in business. And they, the next pitch was hit for a three run homer. And yeah, that's why you do what you do. And AJ Told that, has told that story dozens of times. What you have in Detroit is the blueprint for building a team. And it's, you know, lots of things have gone right Spencer Torkelson's had a breakout year. Riley Green is fantastic. Javi Bias is good. But they just, they hit on their first round draft picks and Torkelson was a middle round draft. I mean, Skubal was a middle round draft.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Drafted 200th something like that, right? Yeah.

[General George Washington]

And they spent money with Javi Baez and Torres and Jack Flaherty. They've just done it all the right way. And Detroit, as you know, is a great, great baseball town.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And they don't have to use the lights tonight because it's still light. It's still light for the night game.

[General George Washington]

That's true. Yeah. I watched a game at Coors Feel last night and the lights were in the first baseman's eyes until about the fourth inning. So, yeah, the sunsets, tougher. Walking your dog in the morning, I guess.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it's a. Yes, it's a great place. They have the best uniforms. The block, the Gothic, block D. That's the. They have the best uniforms. They do.

[General George Washington]

And there's a history there. For years I would go there and Al Kaline would walk up and go, how you doing there? How's it going there? There was just a history of what the franchise was, what it has been for baseball. And when they win in Detroit, they're winning in a baseball city.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I get you out of here on this.

[General George Washington]

Dan Campbell. Dan Campbell's doing pretty well.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's doing great. You know, they're all tapping into what, what Detroit is about and, and they will be supported by fans there more than most cities, if not more than all cities. Let's get you out on this. If you were Tampa Bay, I understand that Manfred is wrestling with this. You're going to make the playoffs because you always make the playoffs. You're playing in a 10,000 seat minor league stadium, George Steinbrenner Field. And baseball is going to say, well, how do you feel about going to a neutral site? If you were Tampa Bay, Richie, would you say yes or no?

[General George Washington]

Well, I think you have to say. I think you have to go. And the backdrop to this is they've started playing their best since the announcement of the sale of the team. They're about to have great ownership. Ownership that's going to get a beautiful ballpark built in Tampa, not a St. Pete in Tampa. And I think there's an optimism about the franchise. But the reality of what they're dealing with right now, as the A's are in Sacramento, is that it's not major league quality. And you want more than this now The Braves are going to say, first of all, it's going to be a lame duck owner because the new owner is probably not going to get the deal closed in time for the playoffs. It's a very tough, it's a very tough thing. I think you, what would you do?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I would want to stay. I wouldn't be as vitriolic as Wilbon who said he would say to baseball, go to hell. That was one of the angry moments last week. You know, just. Yeah, you know, I, I think for the good of the game I'd change it. But for the good of the team, I'd want to keep it there. I would.

[General George Washington]

Yeah. And by that time you have people that are invested in the team. It's kind of cool seeing no empty seats at a race game. You don't get that very much.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, you don't even get it all the time at the Rays game. They haven't had all sellouts at a 10,000 seat stadium.

[General George Washington]

But it is for the players. It's a first class facility. Yankees just redid. You know, the New York Yankees train there. They don't go to the other side of the tracks. They are on this side of the tracks. So that's a hard one. But in the case of the Blue Jays and Rays, it would be pretty cool if both of them got in the playoffs somehow because they're fun teams to watch.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thank you, Richie. Thank you. Talk soon. Thank you, Tony Richard Justice. Boys and girls, we will take a break. We will come back with Pat40. Pat40 is going to talk about the passing of D. Wayne Lucas, one of the great horse trainers of all time. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Pat 40]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You've heard me talk about Collars and company makers of the amazing dress collar polo. Well, now they've taken things to the next level with their brand new Maverick performance blazer. And you have to check this out. These blazers are sharp, perfect for travel. Why? Because they're wrinkle resistant. Just throw it in your bag. When you get to your destination, slip it back on. No wrinkles, no stress. Finally, no more figuring out how to travel with a blazer. And it's not just about convenience. The Mavic Performance blazer is made with stretch fabric so you can move comfortably all day long. Plus it's packed with smart features inside security zip pockets, a built in optional pocket square and even a sunglasses loop. While you're at it, pair the blazer with The Collars & Co. Famous Dress Collar Polos. They've already sold over a million of these comfortable polos with the signature dress collar on top. So visit collars and co.com use the promo code Tony for 20% off today. Use the code people. That should send me one of these. Yeah, I'd like to see this. A non wrinkle blazer. Yeah, because then I don't have to carry a steamer around with me all the time.

[Pat 40]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

This is sent to us from Big Stir Records and I'll read it. With the new album Mob due next month, Splitsville, the revered Baltimore indie rockers and power pop hall of famers return after a two decade hiatus. Bring you the new single A Glorious Life, which is out on Friday, July 4, cleared for airplay and review. Now a powerful slice of ear candy wrapped around lyrics hinting at the ambitious song cycle of the new album follows the band's recent indie hit Beth Steel Could Be Bethlehem maybe in setting the stage for the full record. This is big. Yeah, this is big. It's a band called Splitsville. Pretty good, this. Yeah. It's got some noise here.

[Unknown Speaker]

It does.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I like this, Michael. If Splitsville or any other independent groups want to get their music played on this show, how do they do it?

[Nigel]

Send us your music by emailing it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

To jinglesonyquoanizershow.com and we are playing in Pat 40. Normally we would talk to Pat 40 about college sports. We're not doing that this time. We're drawing on where Pat lives. And one of the things Pat has covered for a million years and that is horse racing. First. And we want to talk about Wayne Lucas. But first I think we have to talk about tomatoes in your garden. They seem to be being attacked by varmints. Do you want to bring us up to date on this?

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah. The war is resumed. Hostilities have convened again. It's. It's that time, Tony. You know, we. Last year we discussed it. I was moderately successful. We, at least we reached kind of a ceasefire, kind of A truce where I was at least getting most of them before they did. But the resumption is on and is vicious so far. We left town on Friday, came back on Monday, and the sneak attack had happened. Devastation was widespread. And we're regrouping now. We're regrouping.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So Nigel bought me something. It's a stand of sorts with a light. The light flashes every once in a while, which he believes will scare away critters. I think the only thing that scares away critters is a dead critter on a stick. That's me. But you can't. I can't even get to the critters to have that happen. So I wish you luck. By the way, have you ever heard of a plant called the pomato? Have you ever heard of this?

[Michael Wilbon]

I have not.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is a half. Half man. It's half tomato, half potato. Grows tomatoes above ground and potatoes underground. Just look it up. Just look it up. Because I think, to me, it doesn't seem like it could be real. I know they show us pictures, but it seems like AI. It doesn't seem like it could be real.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, no. This was definitely created in a laboratory somewhere.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's just so weird. It seems so weird. All right. D. Wayne Lucas dies earlier this week. 89 years old. Was still riding, you know, riding around the horses that he trained. In his deep 80s, he was doing that. How well did you know D. Wayne Lucas?

[Michael Wilbon]

I think pretty darn well. I certainly covered the heck out of him from, really the late 80s until last month. And, you know, there was no such thing as covering the Kentucky Derby without a stop at Barn 44 at Churchill Downs. That was his barn, immaculately kept, as always. Plaques everywhere commemorating all his successes. And he was just a presence for a very long time and kind of an evolving presence, from domineering, arrogant, kind of overpowering, really, to this sort of avuncular, you know, curator of racing history and appreciator of the sport. And it was, you know, things happen. People mellow when they get older. That was definitely him. And he was a fascinating guy. The most competitive, irrepressible person I've ever come across in horse racing. Real quick, I'll tell you. In 1994, I remember talking to him when he was at a very low point, frankly, by his standards. He had not won a Grade 1 stakes race in more than two years. He had had a fatal breakdown of Union City in the Preakness in 1993. His son Jeff, who was his assistant, had been seriously injured by a Horse named Tabasco Cat. And I was asking him kind of how he got through all of that. And his quote, I've never forgotten it to this day. And I used it in my story last week. He said, you can strip me naked and drop me in East LA at midnight, and I'll be back in a month. I'll be back in a month with a full stable, some nice clothes, and a nice place to work. I was like, that is Dwayne Lucas.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I was amazed that at 88 and 89 years old, he was still getting up on a horse every single day. I read that in the Obitz. He still did that, right?

[General George Washington]

He did.

[Michael Wilbon]

He did. He, you know, became kind of a little bit stooped in the saddle, but he went out there. He was on the track as recently as early May, and he was a little bit kind of disgusted that he had to use a footstool to get himself up and onto the horse these days. But by golly, there was no stopping him. He said, the day I can't get on the horse anymore is the day I stop training. And those two things pretty well coincided.

[Tony Kornheiser]

How great a trainer was he and what made him a great trainer?

[Michael Wilbon]

He was an outstanding trainer. Fifteen Triple Crown wins, which at the time was far and away the most. 51 Derby entrance, 20 Breeders cup wins. What made him great, first of all, I think, was sheer ambition is like, let's go for everything. He became the first trainer to have a national stable, really, to have, you know, current 40 horses in at Santa Anita in Southern California, 40 horses at Churchill Downs, 40 horses at Oak Lawn and Arkansas, 40 horses in Florida or New York. You know, he. He wanted to be wherever the big races were. At the same time, most people just simply didn't operate that way. They didn't have the funds, and they really didn't have the ambition to do it. Dwayne's like, yeah, I want all of it. So that was part of it, I think a real competitive fearlessness of all. My horses are great, and I'm putting them in every big race. And he. He pushed his horses hard, and he absolutely pushed them too hard sometimes. And he had very high attrition rate going in for Triple Crown races amongst his young horses. He ground up, frankly, a lot of them. So that was a major criticism of him. But he also. He was one of the first believers, I think, in having horses dead fit and not, you know, just coming in bait, you know, coming in softly or like, oh, well, we'll be. We'll be closers. And We'll. We'll try to pick up something as this race unfolds. He wanted his horses fast and ready to go and ready to compete.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Did he give jockeys instructions? Very specific instructions, race by race, or did he leave it to the jockey?

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, one of the great lies in horse racing. They all say they leave it to the jockey. They never leave it to the jockey.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's what I thought.

[Michael Wilbon]

They all tell the jockey what to do, and then, you know, the race starts and mayhem happens and the jockey then has leeway and then it becomes, you know, the giant. Well, you know, we were here and, you know, we had to do this and that, but no, the trainer always gives instructions. And Lucas probably more than any of them in terms of, here's exactly how this race is going to unfold and here's where I want you to put our horse. And then he was not shy about criticizing the jockey if it didn't unfold the way that he thought it should.

[Tony Kornheiser]

With all of these, you know, I tend to believe that trainers have a barn and they have a location and they work out of that location. Unless, you know, it's. It's a Triple crown race and then you move the horse. You're saying he had horses all over the country. I read that he was the first guy ever in that business to get on private jets on a daily basis and go crisscrossing the country looking at his horses. Is that right? Who paid for all that?

[Michael Wilbon]

D. Wayne off the plane. That was the thing in handicapping was, you know, if he's dropping in with a horse, he's flying the horse in, look out, it's probably ready. So, I mean, his owners paid for it. He had extremely deep pocketed owners and he charged him a lot. And of course, he won them a lot of money. So, you know, that was a win win. But I think he probably had to talk some of them into it early on. But Gene Klein, Eugene Klein, who owned the Charger, the Chargers, yeah, yeah, he was. He was a big early owner. When Wayne was really riding high in the late 80s, early 90s, W.T. young, who's a peanut butter magnate, was a big owner. So he found the way to get the big money guys on his side and he made him money.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Can we compare him to Bob Baffert? Bob Baffert, I believe, is the only one who has saddled more Triple crown winners than Wayne Lucas.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yes, we can have a. The similarities are incredible, somewhat profound. They both started in quarter horses, not, you know, natural thoroughbred, you know, silver spoon. On a big farm sort of guys. So they came up kind of the rough and tumble side. They both hit it big in Southern California. They were both your. You're kind of a little bit flashy, you know, gray hair, silver hair, sunglasses.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, they had a look. Oh, they had a look. Oh, for certain. I mean, Baffert looks like a jewel thief. Come on. They had a look. And Lucas always wore the hat and the glasses. Come on. That was deliberate, right?

[Michael Wilbon]

You know, I mean, Baffert I don't think has ever copped to saying, I'm just gonna completely copy Wayne Lucas style, but it sure seems like he did.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And, I mean, we have a mutual friend, David, who says they were pals. You would think they would be rivals, but they were pals.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yes, they were both. So they really disliked each other in the 1990s when Baffert hit the scene and really started to challenge Lucas for supremacy, especially out west, they did not like each other at all. And Baffert was a wise cracker. You know, Lucas had a very good sense of humor, but Baffert was a jester. Lucas thought he was flippant. Lucas would comment, you know, some of us get here at 4am and other people roll in at 8. And that was true. Lucas was there at 4, and Bob did sometimes roll in at 8. And so they were really big time rivals through the latter half of the 1990s. Pretty bitter. And then it just slowly changed. You know, it's like Baffert. As Baffert continued to morph into Lucas light, they just started getting along better. And I think the fact that Lucas was no longer a daily dominant threat helped. But by the, you know, shoot, I don't know. By the early to mid, you know, 2000 decade, the first decade of the 2000s, they struck up a friendship and became fast friends. You know, Lucas was very supportive of Baffert when he was suspended from the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs. And it's remarkable, really, the evolution that they went through. And that part of that is Lucas really. Lucas was a hard guy, but he didn't stay mad at people. He got over stuff. He was really mad at me. Wanted to fight one time in the parking lot at Churchill down, but he never stayed mad. It's like he had pretty thick skin. I give him credit for that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Wow, these are good stories. I mean, we all have people like this if we're sports writers whose company we enjoy. Like, I would imagine every time you had a chance to be around him, it was sort of fun for you.

[Michael Wilbon]

Definitely. And especially in his latter years when, you know, I think he really, he relished the chance to, you know, lean against the sawhorse in front of his stable and to tell his stories and impart his wisdom. And we wanted it. And it's like it was, it was a rite of spring. You know, the Kentucky Derby was coming when you got a chance to stand out there and to talk to Wayne Lucas after he got off his pony. And, you know, that was. You learned a lot about horse racing and a lot about how he did his business and how to compete in that business. So definitely a fascinating character. You know, one of the best interviews you're ever going to have. One of the most interesting people seen in that sport.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right, when does the podcast resume?

[Michael Wilbon]

We're not sure.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We're close.

[Michael Wilbon]

We're still hiatusing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Michael Wilbon]

But stay tuned. That and squirrel updates to come.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thank you, pat.

[Michael Wilbon]

Thank you, Pat.

[Tony Kornheiser]

40 boys and girls. We'll take a break. We'll come back with email and jingle. I am Tony Kornheiser.

[Commercial Voice]

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[Richard Justice]

Here comes Tony's mailbag.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Eric DeLong and the Slappy Boys. It's so good. Slappy Boys. You want to do the Bethesda Bagel ad for us, please? Yes.

[Unknown Speaker]

Bethesda Bagels. We love them. You will as well. Just go to BethesdaBaggles.com for the location in the DC area nearest you. Then pop on in and you'll be thrilled.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right, that's it for us today. Before we get to the mailbox, let me just say she always wears charms, diamonds, pearls galore she buys them at the 5 and 10 cent store. She wants to be just like Zaza Gabor Even though she's the girl next door they call her Donna Donna the prima donna. That's Dion Dimucci who made a point of saying Zaza Gabor even though her name was Zsa Zsa Gabor. He called her Zaza Gabor. He's still with us.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

If I ever got to talk to him, I'd say, hey, what's the deal with Zazaga Gabor? Thanks to our guest today, Richard justice and Pat Ford and people, I now easier to say myself that nobody knows who the Gabor sisters are. Ava Gabor was in Green Acres and Zsa Zsa Gabor and the mother, I think, was Magda Gabor. And there was a Jolie. This is from the 1950s. Nobody knows what I'm talking about. Nobody knows. Thanks to our guests today, Richard justice and Pat 40. Thanks as well to today's sponsors. Richard, remember, you can listen to us on Apple podcasts, Spotify and Audacy. If it gets you through Apple. Please leave us a review. The Gabor sisters, I believe, were Hungarian.

[Nigel]

Budapest.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, yes. This was after World War II. They became glamorous sex symbols.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. Sort of like the Kardashians. Before the Kardashians.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Nigel]

Mag was married six times. Zaza, as I now know it's pronounced nine times and nine times five.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right. Yes, I did. So what. What is your occupation? I get married. Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

That's what I do.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's what I do. Yeah. All right. From Kelly Piers in Alexandria, Louisiana, Not Alexandria, Virginia. Alexandria, Louisiana. Dear Tony Thermos. It's called a thermos. That's all. That's it. Okay. I lost it. It's not in my field of vision, like a watch or a phone. I didn't keep track of it. It's an orca. It was really good. It was the mli, last year's mli from Bernie in Durham, North Carolina. So, old Kindergarten Solution. Black market. Right name on cup. Black marker. Right name on cup. Kornheiser, please take to pro shop. I bet a hundred emails have said the same thing. I don't know why I love these day and Tony's life vignettes, but I do. Thanks for all the laughs and story. And Wilbun is wrong about almost everything, except he's right about hocus pocus junk. Yeah, I should have written my name on it.

[Nigel]

We have name tags.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Should have said something and take it to the pro shop.

[Unknown Speaker]

Get him a label gun.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Maybe take it to the limit one more time. Rich Barajas, El Paso, Texas. My version of you losing cups and tumblers would be golf towels. In the last 20 years, I'm conservatively estimating I've lost 15 towels. And I go big on towels as far as cost. Scotty Cameron, towels or no laying up towels. Ask Michael about That brand.

[Nigel]

These are. These are a flex. This is why I just go straight Club white.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I steal them from the. From the shop. I wet my towel to clean my clubs after each shot, but I don't like to attach to my bag because then the bag gets drained.

[Nigel]

Drape over the top.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Inevitably, it falls off the cart. And of course, never returned to the shop. So last month, I finally got smart. I went on Amazon. I bought a $9 magnet to attach the towel to, then stick to the cart. It worked beautifully. My playing partners loved it. Where'd you get that? I'm ordering one, too. I was basking in my genius. 25 minutes into the car ride home, it hit me. Yeah, I left it attached to the cart. Of course. I called the course. It was nowhere to be seen. Even though through the years, these lost towels have been at many different courses around the country and even once in South Africa. In my mind, I like to think that the same guy or gal has found them and now has a collection when they return home. Honey, that idiot lost another towel. A haiku for water vessels from Shad. For most, it's just a tumbler type situation. For others, pure dread. From Neil Ervais in Littleton, Colorado. While I often blame my age and constant constate state of distraction for losing and misplacing items, statistics demonstrate that we are far from alone. Studies show that on average, people lose or misplace up to nine items every day. Really? Estimates are that the average person loses or misplaces approximately 33 items. 3,300 items a year. What? The average person spends 2.5 days a year looking for lost or misplaced items. 33% of lost items are never recovered. Wow. From David Bradley in Sterling, Virginia. Tony, I'm sure the tomato plant is for real, but I don't have time to research it right now. I'm on my way out to the garden to weed my pineapple patch and trim my coconut meg tree. From Kevin King in Durham, North Carolina. Second one from Durham today. Right. Official pepper breeder of the TK show here. The Frankenstein plant you call the pomato is also commonly called a french fry plant and is used in horticulture classes to demonstrate grafting. Grafting is a very common technique to help with traits such as disease resistance, resource uptake, plant height, and many others. It works between tomatoes and potatoes because they are both part of the nightshade family, along with other crops such as peppers, eggplants, and tobacco. In almost every fruit or vegetable you can think of, you could find examples of grafting. It is a key process of modern agriculture, and I never knew that. I never knew that. From Chris Ngarski in eastern Pennsylvania. That's where Larry Holmes is from.

[Unknown Speaker]

Eastern Assassin, that's right, yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Official chemical engineer of the Tony Corn as a show and he writes I'm writing with a cautionary tale inspired by the recent Pepsi truck debacle that halted Route 1 traffic in Rehoboth on a cold day in February 2018. Colder than Bill Belichick's press conference after losing to Nick Foles in Super Bowl 52. My friend and bandmate Dan not that Dan Dan Byrne debated whether to spring for the optional insurance coverage on his Penske moving truck rental. With family in tow and US friends following close behind, Dan checked the box, paid for insurance, and set out blissfully unaware that he was about to create a road clogging spectacle that rivals a sidewalk blocking Rivian. As Dan pulled into the mouth of his new neighborhood, A1 Road cul de sac on the slope of a small hillside, he felt the moving truck stammer and assumed the steepness of the hill was to blame. So he hit the gas and pressed on for 10 more feet. You see, the incline wasn't the issue. An electric utility wire had sagged from a recent snowstorm and Dan caught it with the truck. The wire sliced cleanly through the roof like a laser guided deli slicer image attached and eventually lodged into the heavier metal garage components at the rear of the truck. With one final unknowing push on the throttle, Dan pulled down the nearby telephone pole, causing all power to be lost in the neighborhood. The truck, now mired at the only entrance, made it impossible for anyone to come or go for nearly two days. Talk about making an entrance. Thankfully, Dan and his family were not injured, nor were the first friends who approached and touched the truck before realizing the wires might still be energized. For just a $75 policy premium, Dan saved himself from paying for a moving truck, a utility pole, and enough heating oil to thaw the icy stairs of his new neighbors. That's a bargain Tony you might even appreciate. Dan's lovely home features 11 kitchen outlets but tragically, zero potatoes in the front yard. And his neighbors have mostly forgotten about losing power and autonomy in the middle of the winter, probably because their ice cream was not at risk of melting. Let this be a lesson for loyal Littles and Pepsi truck drivers. If you aren't accustomed to piloting a large vehicle, pony up for the insurance and watch the low hanging wires. Otherwise you might find yourself blocking traffic like Sonny at the toll booth. And we all remember how that ended. P.S. weather has cooled and scattered storms are expected on Thursday. Please tell Michael Matt Wells St. Paul, Minnesota I got to go see Dan Byrne play a pop up show at a record store here in St. Paul with two local favorite singer songwriters, Dan Israel and Martin Devaney, trading stories and songs and we all had a great time. Thanks for introducing him to me. This is from Matt Wells. Oh, and he shows pictures. Yeah, how about that? Tremendous. This is tremendous. It looks like they're jamming in a garage, doesn't it? Yeah, just great. Alex Schwarm Glen Ridge, New Jersey Listening to the Monday Pod I had my first David Aldridge moment when you spelled out Greg Collins hometown Iuka I UKA Illinois. I said. I know that town. My dad, brother and I would drive through that small town in Southern Illinois, population 494 with a trailer full of bulls and heifers on the way to Florida. Show our cattle at the Southern Illinois Junior Angus Association Show. When I was a kid, that was always an interesting drive going through metropolises like Xenia, population 372 Alma, population 305 and Kinmundi, population 716 from my hometown of Loughti, population 68. As you can imagine, my icebreaker fun fact is that I grew up in a place where there's more cows than people. My family have raised angus cattle since 1902. Certainly contributed to that start. Leches to you Greg Collins. I hope you feel seen by a fellow small town Southern Illinois native, now New Jersey suburbanite Noah in Austin, Texas Given his Red Sox fandom, I must have simply missed Nigel's mention of Jason Veritek during your listing of Switch Hitting Catches with Dave Sims on Monday show Tex.256 batting average on his career may not have lit up the world on fire, but he was clutch. While on the subject, Veritek has tied with Carlos Ruiz from most no hitters. Caught with four, he is criminally underrated and deserves to be mentioned with the all time greats. Not to mention giving a rod a face full of mitt.

[Unknown Speaker]

Boston legend that was actually the best.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, Steve the Sycophant While channel surfing, I hit a site that's giving the Hallmark Channel a run for its money in the Christmas Overkill category. Here's just a list of some of the TV movies you can view on the Great American Family Channel. Christmas on Candy Tree Lane I'm Glad it's Christmas. The Art of Christmas, Santa maybe and Jingle Bell Princess, I'm not going to bother with synopses. Although I'm willing to bet that Jingle Bell Princess has won sleigh bells and 2. At least 1. Princess, please inform your wonderful wife so she may take a break from the Hallmark Channel. Happy Christmas in July. She's been watching that. Yeah. Christmas in July, height of the season. From Phil Destito in Rome, New York. And he writes upstate. Like I didn't know that. Like, really, Mr. Tony, don't know if you have heard, but reports are that Jim Cantore is retiring from the Weather Channel. Maybe a sigh of relief knowing now he will not be showing up with a live broadcast from your front door, bringing the worst of of the storm with him. Looks like you will be relying more on the Capital Weather Gang now. Is this a true fact?

[Nigel]

Time to hang up the jacket.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's the toughest guy in the world. Oh, yeah, he's the toughest. He chains himself to the fence if he has to.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yes, he says. Yeah. He looks at the storm and says, let's party.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

Jim Cantore retiring.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Let's see this radio we actually have.

[Unknown Speaker]

I know, it's loading. Yeah, we're not.

[Nigel]

No fake news. He did not retire. He has responded to fake news claiming he was retiring due to health issues.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, so he's not.

[Nigel]

Yeah. This is fake news by Cantore himself.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is good news. And from Justin Johnson in Arlington, Virginia. I went to a sandwich shop today to order a turkey sub, but the guy ahead of me ordered a Philly cheesesteak. And for some reason, when I walked up to the counter, I immediately said out loud, philly cheesesteak, please. Completely botched my turkey. Subway. Got on your bike tight. Everyone, as always, to wear what?

[General George Washington]

I'm pleased and happy to repeat the news that we have in fact caught and killed a large predator that supposedly injured some bathers. But as you see, it's a beautiful day. The beaches are open and people are having a wonderful time. Amity, as you know, means friendship.

[I]

The first time I saw your face Staring out the window of a plane we were only 18 then never thought we'd find another way out.

[Richard Justice]

Who would.

[I]

Have known it then? That's when you said who's going to catch you when you fall? Who will bring you home? Who won't forget you when you're gone? Who will sing Sing your song.

[Michael Wilbon]

We.

[I]

Were always busy then Never found the time to take a ride into the town Another chance another smile Another maybe For a while I should have known it then how could I know it then? That's when you turned to me and said. Who's going to catch you when you fall home? Who will bring you home? Who won't forget you when you're gone? Who will sing your song? The last time I looked at you staring through the window of a room. You were only 60 then. We were only waiting for the news. If I could have known it then. If I could have held you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And.

[I]

That'S when you turned to me and said. Who's going to catch you when you fall? Who will bring you home? Who won't forget you when you're gone? Who will sing your song? I won't forget you when you you're gone.

[Richard Justice]

It was a glorious night. And for the rest of my life it haunts me, haunts me. It was a glorious life. Me, don't waste your time checking me. I'm just a part of the scenery. With Belvederes nature and deep a simple cock in the machinery. But long ago for too brief I was the king of Chon City. Now known me here in my dreams out on the dance floor holding a closer to the tide. It was a glorious night. And for the rest of my life it haunts me, haunts me. It was a glorious night. It was a wonderful dream. But tell me now, what does it mean if I can't have you? It was a glorious night. Dear Nadia, you crossed the sea to serve the Queen of Romania. 300 roses build a sweet. I got a help to entertain her. And when my heart skipped a beat. You played the part of that dj. You took my hand, you didn't speak. But on the dance floor you were the laugh to my right. It was a glorious night. And for the rest of my life. It haunts me, haunts me. It was a glorious night. It was a wonderful dream. Tell me now what would it mean if I could find finally be with you, Be with you, Be with you, Be with you, Be with you. Be with you. Be with you, Be with you, Be with you, be with you sat.