The Tony Kornheiser Show

Episode: “Put it on my tab”
Date: October 20, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features Tony Kornheiser, with recurring guests Michael Wilbon and Mark Feinsand, as they dive into a lively blend of sports commentary and life musings. The show opens by previewing Shohei Ohtani's historic baseball performance, recapping the wild NFL and college football weekend, and riffing on Halloween season shopping. The second half is heavy on baseball, with an in-depth discussion on Ohtani’s unprecedented game and a look at the postseason landscape. The tone is conversational, witty, and self-deprecating, with the hosts’ long friendship providing both humor and insight.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Updates & Musings

Golf Frustrations and Mental Hiccups

• Tony kicks off with a humorous riff about his poor performance on the golf course, connecting mental focus to athletic outcomes:
  • "I just wasn't into it mentally... I’m a range player. I’m good on the range and I’m bad. I’m a gagger when it comes to everything else." (00:48)
  • Wilbon jabs: "It’s dangerously close to an apology." (01:26)

Halloween Shopping Anxiety

• The crew discusses Halloween preparations, with Kornheiser confessing he’s unprepared for “the great national American holiday.”
• Michael Wilbon shares his “sweet tooth for the gummies,” and warns about candy shopping logistics:
  • "Because week of, they'll have nothing left. At least now you have the...bags." (03:35)
• The ongoing Wilbon-Kornheiser tab for shared purchases (wine, candy, pumpkins) becomes a recurring joke:
  • Tony: "Just put it on my bill." (02:58)
  • Wilbon: "We have a running tab that apparently you're trying to itemize." (02:59)

Aging, Favorite Candies, and Dental Woes

• Tony laments that his favorite candy, Tootsie Rolls, are now off-limits:
  • "I can't. I love my favorite candy of all time. I can no longer eat because it takes my teeth out. Tootsie Rolls. Oh, I love Tootsie Rolls." (05:03-05:09)
• The banter on dental hazards of various candies, especially as one ages, adds a touch of vulnerability and humor.

2. Weekend Football Recap (06:16–12:31)

NFL Drama: The Denver-Giants Thriller

• Tony recounts the improbable fourth-quarter comeback:
  • "Denver had no points going into the fourth quarter...they got 33 points in the fourth quarter. The Giants got 12...that’s 45 points in the fourth quarter. Has to be a record." (07:35)
• Wilbon and others debate game-changing plays, kicker failures, and questionable penalty calls.

Contenders & Pretenders

• Tony calls out perennial underachievers:
  • "There have been three teams...the Chargers, the Falcons and the Jaguars. And they’re no good. They’re just as bad as they’ve been." (10:09)
  • "You know who’s good? The Kansas City Chiefs. They’re still good." (11:27)
• Discussion of surprise improvements (Patriots, Indianapolis Colts), and unraveling teams (Miami Dolphins).

College Football Quick Hits

• Wilbon notes upsets and coaching turmoil (Miami, Texas A&M, Florida).
• Tony ponders Notre Dame’s shrinking playoff odds given the dominoes of other teams’ losses and national perception.

3. Broader Issues in College & Pro Football

The Coaching Carousel

• Kornheiser is awed by the frequency and swiftness with which major programs jettison head coaches:
  • "It’s an unbelievable waterfall of college coaches at big time programs are getting fired. I’ve never seen anything quite like that." (24:20)
  • Wilbon: "No big schools too now. We’re not talking about directionals. Penn State and Florida." (24:31)
• They speculate on Maryland football and administration willingness to make coaching moves, noting the influence of massive media rights deals in the Big Ten.

Pro Football Turnover Mirrors College

• Tony: "The pros are different. That’s strictly transactional...We hire you, we give you money. If it doesn’t work out, we fire you." (27:53)
• Wilbon: "Everyone’s getting fired. They’re going to do this until they think they get it right. The answer to all your questions is: money." (28:53)

Delusions in College Football Fandom

• Wilbon: "Nobody’s as delusional as college football fans. Everyone thinks they can go get Joe Montana by Friday from the portal." (29:45)

4. Shohei Ohtani’s Record-Setting Performance (16:40–22:56, 35:44–40:29)

Historic Game Breakdown

• Kornheiser: "Ohtani just had the greatest game in the history of baseball. The greatest game. Does that make him the greatest baseball player ever? No. Babe Ruth is the greatest player ever. But Ohtani is now on the road, where he has a chance to do that." (20:33)
• Wilbon and Tony compare Ohtani’s achievements to immortal greats (Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson), noting Ohtani’s unique dual pitching/hitting feats:
  • Wilbon: "Shohei did something that, look, some of us are pretty old and we’ve never seen it—for a reason. Because it’s never happened. Damn it." (18:19)

Comparisons to Other Sports Legends

• Mark Feinsand agrees that Ohtani’s feat—pitching 6 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts and hitting 3 home runs in one playoff game—is in a class of its own, even when considering performances like Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game or Bob Beamon’s Olympic long jump:
  • "This was the single greatest individual game that any player has ever had. I don’t think this is recency bias." (35:44)
• They compare and discuss, but agree:
  • "He was never both a dominant pitcher and a dominant hitter in the same game. Nobody was." (39:35, Mark Feinsand)

Impact and Legacy Talk

• Feinsand notes Ohtani’s context—doing this against modern competition, in the era of specialization, and as both a hitter and ace-level pitcher:
  • "What Ohtani is doing is something that nobody thought was possible in this era of specialization." (40:21)
  • "He’s not just attempting it. He’s going out there and pitching at a Cy Young level and hitting at an MVP level." (40:29)

5. MLB Postseason Analysis (41:43–48:31)

Dodgers’ Dominance

• Tony on the Dodgers:
  • "Where did this pitching come from? When did the pitching say, here we are? Our bullpen stinks, but we're going to give you enough that we're never losing again." (41:43)
• Feinsand credits offseason signings and late-season health, noting their October run is fueled by everyone (Snell, Glasnow, Sasaki) being at peak form.
  • "If they're healthy and they’re pitching the way they’re pitching, I don’t care who wins Game 7 tonight. I have a hard time believing anybody’s going to beat the Dodgers." (43:05)

Anticipating the World Series Matchups

• Tony and Mark discuss the unpredictability of the Seattle-Toronto series with run-heavy games and the impressive play of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
  • Feinsand: "If the Mariners give Vlad Guerrero a pitch to hit tonight, I’d be surprised... He is just in a zone that we see very few hitters get to at this stage of the season." (44:14)
• Despite high scoring, both agree that neither AL contender matches up to LA’s firepower or pitching in a seven-game set.

Iconic Players & Final Curtain Calls

• Tony hopes for sentimental World Series moments:
  • "I'm just sort of hoping that if that is the World Series, that Scherzer gets a start and Kershaw gets an appearance…both probably going out…I'd like to see that, wouldn't you?" (47:12)
• Feinsand supports:
  • "If they have a three or four run lead... I would not be surprised if you see Kershaw in there, get him one last appearance on the big stage and let him… get just a thunderous ovation." (47:40)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Halloween Candy Economics:
  Tony: "Candy. It's very expensive. These bags are like $40, $50, and there's always tiny candy." (03:42)
• On Greatness and Old Age:
  Tony: "I can’t. I love my favorite candy of all time. I can no longer eat because it takes my teeth out. Tootsie Rolls." (05:03)
• Surreal Fourth Quarter:
  Tony: "That's 45 points in the fourth quarter. That's got to be a record, doesn't it?" (08:01)
• Ohtani’s Place in History:
  Mark Feinsand: "This was the single greatest individual game that any player has ever had. And I don’t think this is recency bias." (35:44)
  • Wilbon: "Shohei did something that... it’s never happened. Damn it." (18:19)
• On Coaching Job Security:
  Wilbon: _"The answer to all your questions is: money." (28:53)
• On the College Football Arms Race:
  Wilbon: "Nobody’s as delusional as college football fans…thinks they can go get Joe Montana by Friday from the portal." (29:45)
• Wistful World Series Hopes:
  Tony: "I'm just sort of hoping... that Scherzer gets a start and Kershaw gets an appearance…both probably going out…I'd like to see that, wouldn't you?" (47:12)

Timeline of Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic | |---------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–02:59 | Open, shoe-tying anecdote, Halloween prep, pumpkin shopping, running tab jokes | | 03:32–06:16 | Halloween candy, favorite/least favorite candies, dental woes, potato snack tangent | | 06:16–12:31 | NFL (Denver-Giants epic finish, Commanders, Colts, fading teams, Chiefs) | | 12:31–16:40 | College football: upsets, Notre Dame, coaching carousel, Tulane misadventures | | 16:40–22:56 | Wilbon joins: sports weekend “cornucopia,” Giants-Denver, Shohei Ohtani’s historic performance | | 22:56–30:15 | Ohtani as greatest, comparisons to Mays, Ruth, college/pro coaching drama, Maryland’s woes, Big Ten money | | 30:15–34:34 | NFL and college coaching volatility, fan delusions, Dabo Sweeney speculation, quick Colts analysis | | 35:44–41:43 | Mark Feinsand on Ohtani: historical context, comparisons to Wilt, Beamon, Ruth, uniqueness in modern era | | 41:43–48:31 | MLB Playoffs: Dodgers’ rotation, ALCS preview, Vlad Jr.'s dominance, World Series matchups, Kershaw/Scherzer| | 48:31–end | Listener emails, mailbag, show close, musical interludes |

Additional Notes

• Email segment (48:31–end): Full of inside jokes and listener engagement, including “It’s in the tank” as a new catchphrase, candy recommendations, haiku, and playful self-mockery about memory and aging.
• Musical Interludes: Features new music by Megan Burt (songs: “Unfinished Business” and “Drugstore Brand”).
• “Put it on my tab”: Becomes an episode-wide punchline referencing favors, gifts, and group dynamics.

For listeners new and old, this episode masterfully balances sharp sports talk with droll life commentary—highlighted by Shohei Ohtani’s baseball immortality and Kornheiser & Wilbon’s enduring friendship.