“The bullpen or the bats?”

Summary

Summary of "The Tony Kornheiser Show" Episode: “The bullpen or the bats?”

Release Date: March 28, 2025

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Introduction

In the episode titled “The bullpen or the bats?”, Tony Kornheiser navigates a spectrum of topics ranging from Major League Baseball’s bullpen challenges to the strategic acquisition of Juan Soto by the New York Mets. Additionally, the show delves into NCAA basketball’s Sweet 16 with guest Pat40 and features engaging listener anecdotes. The episode skillfully balances in-depth sports analysis with personal stories, providing listeners with both entertainment and insightful commentary.

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Nationals’ Bullpen Analysis

The show kicks off with Tony expressing his frustrations over the Washington Nationals' bullpen performance. He dissects the managerial decisions that have led to repeated bullpen failures, directly attributing recent losses to these shortcomings.

• Bullpen Ineffectiveness: Tony vents his dissatisfaction, stating, “I blame the loss completely on the bullpen. And this is a deja vu situation year after year…” ([05:00]).

• Reliever Performance Breakdown: He critiques specific relievers, mentioning players like “Sims,” “Jose A. Ferreira,” and “Pooch,” highlighting their underwhelming performances and questioning their reliability on the mound.

• Strategic Missteps: Tony emphasizes, “Six walks in four innings. You don't bring relievers, the worst thing you can do as a relief pitcher is walk people” ([05:10]), underscoring the detrimental impact of poor bullpen management on the team's success.

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Interview with Jeff Passon: Juan Soto's Move to the Mets

A significant portion of the episode features an insightful interview with sports analyst Jeff Passon, who delves into the intricacies of Juan Soto’s decision to join the New York Mets.

• Soto’s Decision Factors: Jeff explains, “Juan Soto was perfectly happy with the Yankees. But I think, when you’re in a position like Juan Soto was, you’re going to be signing one more contract for the rest of your career” ([18:32]). He discusses how Soto evaluated the Mets as a team with higher potential for future victories compared to other contenders.

• Steve Cohen’s Influence: The conversation explores how Mets owner Steve Cohen has transformed the team's perception, making it an attractive destination for top-tier players. Jeff remarks, “It shows how the perception of them has changed so demonstrably under Steve Cohen” ([19:08]).

• Financial Considerations: Tony challenges the notion that financial incentives alone drove Soto’s move, questioning, “Isn’t it as simple as Scott Boris saying you have an obligation to take the most money?” ([20:54]). Jeff counters, “The money wasn’t really all that different… It’s ignoring the facts” ([20:58]), highlighting that the contracts offered by the Mets and Yankees were comparable.

• Ownership Strategy: Jeff praises Steve Cohen’s strategic approach, stating, “He shares a lot more qualities with the good owners than he does the bad” ([28:28]). He credits Cohen for making astute hires like David Stearns and Carlos Mendoza, which have positively impacted the Mets' trajectory.

• Clubhouse Dynamics: The discussion touches on potential clubhouse resentment due to Soto’s high-profile contract. Jeff acknowledges, “Jealousy is kind of an inherent part of sports” ([30:22]), suggesting that while some may harbor resentment, Soto’s professionalism likely mitigates major conflicts.

• Soto’s Ambitions: Jeff underscores Soto’s personal goals, saying, “I think he wants to go win championships. I want to go win multiple championships” ([25:37]), indicating Soto’s drive to contribute significantly to his new team’s success.

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NCAA Sweet 16 Basketball Insights with Pat40

Transitioning from baseball, Tony engages with guest Pat40 to analyze the ongoing NCAA basketball Sweet 16 tournament, providing detailed breakdowns of key games and coaching strategies.

• Texas Tech vs. Arkansas Game Analysis: They examine a thrilling matchup, with Pat40 praising Arkansas’ performance while critiquing coach John Calipari’s game management. Pat40 notes, “They blew a 13 point lead with four minutes to play” ([34:43]), highlighting the late-game falter.

• Alabama vs. BYU Performance: The duo discusses Alabama’s impressive three-point shooting, with Tony stating, “Alabama does not hesitate to shoot it from three. They made 25 threes, 25 for 51” ([35:54]). Pat40 adds, “BYU was perfectly fine playing Alabama style” ([35:54]), acknowledging BYU’s adaptability despite Alabama’s shooting prowess.

• Florida vs. Maryland Excitement: Focusing on the Florida-Maryland game, Pat40 commends Florida’s versatility, saying, “They have so many good big guys, and you just keep throwing them out there” ([38:21]). The conversation highlights Florida’s ability to play multiple styles, making them a formidable opponent.

• Coaching Strategies and Upset Potential: Tony and Pat40 speculate on potential upsets and coaching decisions, with Pat40 suggesting, “Michigan can beat Auburn” ([42:18]), reflecting on the unpredictable nature of tournament play.

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Listener Letters and Personal Stories

A heartfelt segment where Tony reads and responds to listener letters, sharing personal stories and humorous anecdotes that resonate with the audience.

• Clock Adjustment Mishaps: Several listeners humorously recount their struggles with adjusting clocks, leading to playful banter between Tony and his guests about the absurdity of these mishaps.

• Fishing with Ted Williams Story: A touching letter describes a personal story of fishing with the legendary Ted Williams, highlighting the profound impact of sports icons on individual lives. Tony reflects, “Knowing that Williams was an avid fisherman, my dad invited him up to Vermont to do a little fishing” ([56:10]).

• High School Championship Praise: Listener Brian Sunnocks shares the success of Binghamton High School Patriots in winning the boys double A championship, celebrating local sports achievements and the emergence of standout players like Zubair Griffin.

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Conclusion and Musical Performance

Wrapping up the episode, Tony reflects on the day’s discussions, reiterating key insights from both MLB and NCAA basketball analyses. He transitions to a soothing musical performance by independent artist Abby Morgan, who performs her song "Road to Nowhere," providing a melodic closure to an engaging episode.

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Notable Quotes

• Tony on Nationals' Bullpen: “I blame the loss completely on the bullpen…” ([05:00]).

• Jeff on Soto’s Move: “It shows how the perception of them has changed so demonstrably under Steve Cohen.” ([19:08]).

• Pat40 on Alabama's Three-Point Shooting: “They made 25 threes, 25 for 51. It’s a remarkable percentage from three points.” ([35:54]).

• Listener’s Fishing Story: “Knowing that Williams was an avid fisherman, my dad invited him up to Vermont to do a little fishing…” ([56:10]).

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Overall Insights

This episode of "The Tony Kornheiser Show" masterfully intertwines detailed sports analysis with personal narratives, offering listeners a nuanced perspective on MLB team dynamics, strategic player acquisitions, and the ever-exciting NCAA basketball tournament. Through candid conversations and relatable listener stories, Tony delivers an episode that is both informative and deeply engaging, catering to passionate sports enthusiasts and casual fans alike.

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Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey, it's Tony. On today's show, we'll talk with Jeff Passon about his story on how Juan Soto wound up going to the Mets. And we'll also check in with Pat40 to get his thoughts on the first batch of games in the sweet 16. But first, let's keep the sales weasels happy.

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[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, sure thing.

[Sponsor/Advertiser]

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[Unnamed Speaker]

Yeah, sold it to Carvana.

[Sponsor/Advertiser]

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[Unnamed Speaker]

The guy who wanted to pay me in foreign currency, no interest over 36 months. Yeah, no.

Carvana gave me an offer in minutes.

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[Tony Kornheiser]

Just like that.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Yeah.

[Sponsor/Advertiser]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

Hassle.

[Sponsor/Advertiser]

For convenience, pick up. These may apply previously on the Tony Kornheiser show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And then when Junior would get on a show, a television show, this is television now, I'm talking about, not radio, where your image is produced, projected to people who were watching television. Junior would pull a sport jacket and a tie out of the wheel well of his car that had motor oil, Sally. You know, that's true. Motor oil. Grease. Grease on it. Just disgusting. And you'd look at him and go, where'd you get that? I got it from my car.

[Sponsor/Advertiser]

The Tony Kornheiser show is on now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Sally was great. Oh, Tali was great talking about Jason. Absolutely great. I had a couple of things to talk about in the open. One is. Cause I said I would mention this the other day that I. I introduced Arch Campbell at Columbia. Arch has a book out called the Accidental Critic. And I introduced him and he would. He kept saying, you know, I'm sorry if you feel imposed upon. I didn't want to impose upon you. And I said, you're my friend. Don't worry about it. It's fine. And people would say to me, well, how much did you prepare for this? And I go, not at all. Well, why didn't you prepare? Well, Because Arch is a pro. You just say, ladies and gentlemen, Arch Campbell. And then you can go get something to eat for an hour because he knows how to do this. And he would tell these stories that are in the book and they were very, very funny stories. And, you know, he would then look at me and say, ask me a question. I go, no, keep talking. This is no particular question that you have to ask. I mean, that's how good he is. If you get a chance locally, I guess the book is everywhere, but maybe it's simply local. I don't know. The Accidental Critic. I mean, the stories he told were very funny. And he is a dear friend and I love Arch Campbell. And so I was. I was very happy to do that. And now I'm going to get in a fight with my son. And this is going to be exciting for everyone because we are going to take Diamond. Diametrically opposed views, foes. You know, on the Hamilton reference for you, right? The Nats lost last night. I just. The Nats got. In the history of the Washington nationals, which is 20 plus years. It's not 100 years.

[Unnamed Speaker]

20 years.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They're not the Yankees.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They're not the Dodgers. They just sort of happened. Okay. But in the history of the Nat Washington Nationals franchise, Mackenzie Gore just went out and pitched one of the five greatest games they've ever had. And that includes the no hitters. I'm talking about the no hitters. And includes the Strasberg debut. This was a. This was. This was comparable to the Strasberg debut. Different in the sense that nobody had seen Strasberg. And you went, wow, this is going to be great. You'd seen Gore for a couple of years, but he went out there against a playoff team. A. A team with, I believe, the best 1 through 9 lineup in all of major league hitting. I believe that since they have two.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Teams in the division who would disagree with you, but. Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Playoff team.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, they're a playoff team. The Phillies are a playoff team. And he went out there in six innings, he gave up one hit, no runs, no walks, and struck out 13.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Lucky number 13.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He didn't win. He didn't win. And why didn't he win? According to Tony. According to Tony, he didn't win because that bullpen stinks again. Again and again and again and again. They bring in the first guy, some guy named Sims. All I know is it's not Dave Sims and he sticks.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Dave Sims would have got more out, right?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Then they bring in Jose A. Ferreira, who should be dfa the moment that game ends. Because you've seen him. He's not Sims. He's a guy you've seen here. He was awful. They bring in a guy named Pooch. I don't know who this guy is. Pochi, poochie, Poche. He was awful. They bring in Finnegan, drives you crazy. Finnegan, two walks in a hit, a lot of pitches, doesn't give up any runs, but drives you crazy and should have walked in.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Why get ahead of the game?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Walked in? Yeah. Three. He's three. Oh, to everybody. He should have walked in the go ahead. We should have walked in the go ahead. Run. But the guy swung. The guy swung. And then they got Finnegan out of there. And then they brought in Salazar. I don't know when he was. It doesn't matter. Okay, the relievers, the guy goes. Gore goes six innings. The game is a 10 inning game because they give up four in the top of the 10th. The Nats do.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Was it 93 pitches? I think when he was taken out.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right. Whatever it was, it was less than Finnegan in one inning. Less than that. And in the four innings, the four innings that the Nats relievers pitched, and I went. I was going crazy texting people about this, including Saliza and Chuck Todd. In the four innings that the Nats relievers pitched, they had six walks, six walks. Six. Six walks. You don't bring reliever. The worst thing you can do as a relief pitcher is walk people. Six walks in four innings. And I blame the loss completely on the bullpen. And this is a deja vu situation year after year after year after year. And I went into a tirade. And now I will let my son talk because he said essentially, dad, you're an idiot. You're wrong.

[Unnamed Speaker]

I don't think you're an idiot. And I love this side of you. Welcome back to baseball. Going back to opening day, I get this. The kids come home from school, we sit down for the first pitch, and I'm looking at my boys just so happy because of what the Nats have meant for our relationship. I was at opening day in 2005 when the NATS went to Philadelphia for their first regular season game. You a college student? Yeah. It was. It was a fun, emotional afternoon. You have to break this game down to three different sections. The third section I won't even get to. That's the extra endings. They should have won the game in the regular. So we'll give you the first six innings. Mackenzie Gore, amazing start. Just like what you're saying. Wheeler on the opposite side, frustrated with some calls. Really odd, you know, umpiring behind the plate.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's a good person.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Also visibly angry at some of this. So you're not going to win that game One nothing. And you look at when you come in, you give up single shots to Bryce Harper, who is hunting anything to hit out of the park as he's being booed, rightfully.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So that's Sims, whoever Sims is.

[Unnamed Speaker]

And you have Schwar bombs getting something up into the upper atmosphere. I don't know how it goes out, but it just keeps carrying.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's poochie.

[Unnamed Speaker]

So then you look at the offense. You bring in a first baseman and a third baseman to try and drive in some runs.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Low at first and De Jong at third.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Yes, you have better than what they had last year. Now starting up in the bigs with James Wood and Dylan Cruz. Yes, you have in the seventh and the eighth, gifts of runners in scoring positions with less than two out. And you see terrible situational hitting.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So James Wood looked at a third strike. He looked at it. Don't tell me how good he is. You don't look at a third strike.

[Unnamed Speaker]

So, yes, I would love to. You have other ways to come back when you get to the 10th inning. But at that point, the game should have been won. The the Phillies made the same amount of mistakes when you think about outset should have happened in the sun. So it's easy for you to say the bullpen sort of blew it again. But you have to score runs to ever maintain a lead.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I guess the hardest part is the two people who hit the home runs. This is before the game. Former Nats, right. Bryce Harper, who gets booed a little bit. I would not boo him.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Yeah, you guys don't hold it against.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't. I don't personally.

[Unnamed Speaker]

I only hold it against him for words that he said in the first months he went to Philly that were very dismissive of a fan base that protected him. When the Philly fans booed him for everything and named him the most overrated.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Player in the first pitch. Yeah, first pitch.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Yeah.

When he gets into the box and you see his eyes darting into the upper right stance, you go, oh, no, he's feeling 2018 All Star Game.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Feet he opposite.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Yeah. I have to say, like he is darting around and he hunted a lot of home runs there.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And. And that one, the guy goes back to the wall and you think maybe, I don't know, the Schwaber one is out. Yeah, that's the Schwaber one is out before the pitch is thrown. It's out.

[Unnamed Speaker]

It kills a driver that's been skied and just kept going.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right. And you just say to yourself, well, you know, it hurts more that their former Nats. One game. There's no game today. It's one game. I'm already upset. I'm already.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Well, you should be upset just because of how difficult their first month is with. You have the Dodgers, you obviously have the Phillies here. So it would have been very nice to. It would have been very nice to just sort of put that stamp on that starting pitching.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Are you not. Are you not chagrined, at least by the. By the terrible bullpen again, year after year after year?

[Unnamed Speaker]

So again, you're going back to Cal Fitigan, who is an all star closer. I mean, this is. It's the steps that get you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He was the best of them. He didn't give up any runs. He's the only one.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Sure. I'm more disappointed in the hitting. You have to try and take advantage, especially when you're going against a perennial Cy Young candidate in Wheeler, somebody who knows how to work counts, and can get through innings very quickly, as you saw in those first couple.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Tom Boswell threw out the first pitch. I didn't see it because we were doing a show when the game started. Did you see it, by any chance?

[Unnamed Speaker]

That's very cool.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's a great honor to do that.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Didn't hit the mascot as you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I. I deliberately hit the mascot, but that was over 20 years ago. I don't know that I have. I don't know that I could get on the slab and reach home plate with a real pitching motion. Now I'd have to practice.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Yeah, we got to stretch 20 minutes, do a long toss.

You said that when you did that, you were in the pin, like, warming up 20 minutes. Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I was 25 years younger, and I could do it. And, yes, I was warming up because I knew what I wanted to do.

[Unnamed Speaker]

You have to ice afterwards?

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, I know. I wanted to just. I'm on the mound, I want to turn towards third. I want to hit the mascot. And I did. I'd never heard of a four seamer in those times. I'd never heard of anything like that. So anyway, you know, and you might say, oh, he's so disappointed. He'll never watch again. No, no, no.

[Unnamed Speaker]

I watch every day.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Watch every game.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Is there a win total that you guys have in your head for the season for the Nats?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I think. I think anything I think anything below 75 is terribly disappointing. Sure I do. Yeah, they're a tough division.

[Unnamed Speaker]

I'd say that's a very tough. Anything 75 or above is. You're very happy. And the danger is the dangers with the young team. Do you get to late July, August and all of a sudden what looks like a 70 win season turns into six?

Yeah, they sort of hit this. Yeah. Run out of gas.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Everybody's looking at Wood. Everybody's looking at Cruz. That's an outfield. Jacob Young is a great outfielder. That is an out. It's a 10 year outfield.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Or.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Or by August you go, oh, they're not any good.

[Unnamed Speaker]

And Gore, if he can pitch you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I mean that's great.

[Unnamed Speaker]

This just fan. It was electric.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, Gore was. Gore was absolutely great. And I do think they have more at the corners. Low got it. Didn't Low get a hit at one point? You know, wasn't it second and third with no outs or second and third one out?

[Unnamed Speaker]

Yeah, no, he got that there.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Speaker]

So you're not driving in the run.

[Tony Kornheiser]

De Jong did not. No, he didn't.

[Unnamed Speaker]

And who's the kid that was. And I think I read this story a couple places. Was working at like Home Depot last.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Year as a pitcher and he's a.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Pitcher on the team. Have you heard this? Yeah, it's a great.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Not sim. He's not pooch.

[Unnamed Speaker]

I'm not sure.

Is he working on the Garden Center?

[Tony Kornheiser]

These guys. I know you watch him.

[Unnamed Speaker]

I think it's the store lead.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I was texting and I just kept texting again and again and again and again. Does anybody hold Rizzo accountable on these things? I mean he's the gm, you know, and then they never. It's early. Let me just say it's early. It's only game one. But if the, if the bullpen is this way again. Because bullpens are more important as years go on than any other pitching. More important than starting pitching.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Agreed. But then again, you come off of what the start by Gore does to the offense on the other side and it makes it that much harder for your bullpen to get a couple outs there in those key spots.

[Tony Kornheiser]

A lot of people listening to the show going, is he doing this again? Is he still on the mats? Do we have to look at this for six months?

[Unnamed Speaker]

Brad Lord is the fella's name. Brad Lord was a seasoned employee at Home Depot. This is the Post from the Washington Post. Primary responsibility. Shuffling about in an orange smock, moving bags of mulch, helping shift Christmas trees. And then 29 hours shy of the opening, you know, opening day gets the call up to the bigs. First time ever. That's just a great wait.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Did he go to spring training or was he at.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Yeah, I think he had.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Was he at a garden center in Florida?

[Unnamed Speaker]

He was at spring training, like just, just this winter that he was doing it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right, we will take a break. We will have Jeff Passon when we return to talk about Juan Soto. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Unnamed Speaker]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Unnamed Speaker]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Unnamed Speaker]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Unnamed Speaker]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Unnamed Speaker]

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[Unnamed Speaker]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

We get this letter from a Little Aaron Smith, who writes, I'm hanging out with a friend of mine. Mid conversation, he casually drops the fact that his daughter is a musician and has recorded an album. It continues to astound me how much talent is out there right under our noses. The talent in this case is Abby Morgan. Her album is just beautiful. Be an honor to hear her songs played on your podcast. I think the Littles would enjoy it. Thank you for all you do to share such rich and rewarding music with your audience. Abby Morgan. She's just called Persephone. We've had a lot of guesses as to what Persephone is the goddess of, and everybody seems to be right. She seems to be an all purpose goddess, Persephone. She plays in Jeff Passon, whose laughter you hear. And Jeff has written a long and detailed and wonderful story on Juan Soto in the ESPN website. And it's not like most of the stories on the ESPN website where you get three paragraphs in and they say, you want to keep reading, 10 bucks. And I go, no, I don't. I don't want to keep reading. I mean, really, I get to a point where I say 10 bucks more and I go, that's okay, it's okay. But Jess, you can read the whole thing. It has richness to it. It has situations in various homes owned by the owner of the Mets, Steve Cohn. It's got Soto, it's got Boris. It's got everything. And I recommend it to you. But I just. To me, there's one question that I think needs to be shared with everybody. One answer, anyway. Why did he leave the Yankees? He seemed perfectly happy with the Yankees.

[Jeff Passan]

He was perfectly happy with the Yankees. But I think, Tony, when you're in a position like Juan Soto was, you're 26 years old, you're going to be signing one more contract for the rest of your career.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right.

[Jeff Passan]

And what, and what you want to know, or what you want to take into account is who's going to win the most over that time. And I think Juan Soto's calculation, after meeting with all of the ownership groups, after meeting with the managers, after meeting with the decision makers and the people who essentially are going to be stewarding his career over the next decade and a half, was that the New York Mets are going to be the team that wins the most over that time. Which is. I never thought I would utter those words.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it's hard to hear those words just.

[Jeff Passan]

And that's, I think that's the big takeaway from this. It's that among the most coveted free agents ever, the guy who had his absolute pick of teams believe that the Mets were the best option. And that just shows how the perception of them has changed so demonstrably under Steve Cohen. It's just, I mean, it's almost like a funhouse mirror. And the Mets used to be like the unsightly creature that would show up when you looked at it, and now it's the reverse of that. It's like you walk up to it and it's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen because you know he's going to spend, you know he's going to invest, you know that he's the richest person in Major League Baseball and that he is going to take advantage of that and leverage that. I think Juan Soto was the perfect example of how he's going to do so, because it's not just selling players on the money, it's selling them on the idea that he really wants to win. And money's not going to be an impediment toward that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So let me do some pushback here. Say this. As a Mets fan, my whole life, I know the history of that team as well as anybody knows the history of that team. So you're saying it's not just as simple as Scott Boris, who may or may not be the devil. It's not just as simple as Scott Bors saying you have to, you have an obligation to take the most money for all the players that come after you. That is your obligation. And that is why you're going to the Mets. Cuz you're staying in the same city. You're staying in the same city where the influence, the Latin influence, is going to make you happy anyway. You're not moving out of the city, you're doing it for the money. That's my pushback and you're going to tell me no.

[Jeff Passan]

I mean, the money wasn't really all that different, Tony.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right, right.

[Jeff Passan]

Like that's the, you know, was money a factor? Sure, of course. It's always going to be. It would be ridiculous to suggest to somebody that money shouldn't be a factor. But the idea that the 765 million that was offered by the Mets and the 760 million that was offered by the Yankees are demonstrably different, they're not. It's ignoring the facts. And beyond that. Now there was never a firm offer on the table, but there were suggestions from the Boston Red Sox that they would have gone beyond where the Mets wound up going. Now, Soto didn't want to go there, you know, so if he says, I turned down more money, I don't know if that is, I don't know if that's factual, but I think he definitely turned down the opportunity for more money when he cut Boston off the list, even though they had said they were going to eventually be willing to go potentially to an 800 million plus dollar deal.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So, I mean, I keep me personally because I see the history of the Washington Nationals, which is a limited history, we can all understand it. And I see the influence of Scott Boris, which I think is profoundly negative. That's just my personal opinion. How much of this is Boris in your opinion, as opposed to Soto?

[Jeff Passan]

That's a very fair question and I don't think it's easy to assign percentages. What I will say is this. Juan Soto turned down three large long term deals from the Washington Nationals under the advice of Scott Borris, that if he waited and if he was patient, he was going to make demonstrably more money. Now, Juan Soto, you know, is 21, I think at the time of the first offer and 22 at the time of the second and 23 at the time of the third. And if you want to suggest that at that age, you know, maybe you are not in a position to be making those sorts of decisions, well, okay, but that's, that's where he was, right. And as time went on, I think not only did he buy into what Scott Borris was selling, but I think he embraced it as he matured and got into his mid-20s and lived life a little bit. And this is not to say that Juan Soto knows everything, but I think the idea of him as a puppet of Scott Boris is just not true. He's a smart guy and he is, you know, he spends Time thinking about decisions like this. And it was not just his agent in his ear, it was his family. Like, he is extraordinarily close with his family, with his parents who are around often with his brother who plays in the Nationals organization, with his sister. You know, he's got a pretty big extended family, and they were in the middle of all of this as well. Now, SCOTT BORIS, VOICE Carry outsized weight. Sure, of course it does. But I think that through Juan's eyes, it's been earned, because look at what happened. Like, it seemed crazy at the time, Tony. $440 million he turned down. It would have been the largest contract in Major League baseball history. He almost got Mike Trout's 426 and a half million.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Exactly.

[Jeff Passan]

And he almost doubled following following the Boris playbook. And yeah, what. What Scott. What Scott Boris does, Tony. It works for the stars of stars. It just doesn't work sometimes for. For lesser players. But when you have a guy like Juan Soto at that age with that production, that is a playbook that everyone should follow.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Let me say again that this is a really rich story. It's a wonderful tapestry. Jeff has done a great job. I am particularly attuned to this because I watch Soto in his formative years and I know what has happened to him. He says in the piece he wants to be the greatest hitter ever. We all want to be the greatest hitter ever. But I mean, I watch him. He's got a great eye. He's got a great eye. Is he Ted Williams? Not yet. He ain't Ted Williams. Is he Mike Trout in Mike Trout's first six years? Oh, no, no, he's not yet. He's not. So, you know, is that just braggadocio on his part or is it something that you think is achievable?

[Jeff Passan]

I think it depends on health. I mean, the chances of him being the greatest hitter of all time, it's not great. There are just so many guys ahead of him. But Tony, when you've been among the best, where do you find motivation? Where, like motivation for him needs to come from the collective and the individual and the collective. It's very simple. I want to go win championships. I want to go win multiple championships. But, you know, when. When you have been near the top of MVP voting and when you have a career for 20 plus on base percentage, 13th, I believe, all time. And. And when you're coming off a season in which you hit 40 plus home runs and carried your team through the playoffs, lofty goals don't bother me. You know, if somebody sets an extraordinarily lofty goal and doesn't achieve it, I don't think that makes him or her a failure.

[Tony Kornheiser]

As long as you strive for it, as you know, as long as you're out there working.

[Jeff Passan]

To me. To me, that's a dreamer, and I'm okay with that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Let me get to the calculation, what you said early in this piece. Why did he go to the Mets? Because he felt the Mets were going to win more than any other team. Some of the other teams I would mention. The only other teams I would mention are the Yankees and the Dodgers, who have won a lot more than the Mets, you know, for a long period of time. So what does success look like for Juan Soto, and what does failure look like for Juan Soto?

[Jeff Passan]

I think the second you get a big, fat, gold diamond studded ring on your finger, that's about as close to achieving success as you're going to get. Right? We're not going to know. Hold on a sec. Can I shout out FDNY baseball team next time I'm on the air? I'm going to do that right now, actually.

[Tony Kornheiser]

There you go. There you go.

[Jeff Passan]

Nice to meet you. There we go. FDNY baseball team on the Tony Kornheiser show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Good. All right, go back.

[Jeff Passan]

He's very excited.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Sorry.

[Jeff Passan]

He came up to. I'm walking around in the airport right now, and he walked up to me with his phone and had a message typed out fireman.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Fireman or heroic.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Absolutely.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Fireman or heroic.

[Jeff Passan]

They are. They could. They can play ball as well. So I think. I think when you win a championship, that just changes the calculus of everything. What is. What does failure look like?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Jeff Passan]

Not winning. Not winning. Not staying healthy. There's. And even the not staying healthy part, because, like, I look at Mike Trout, and I don't feel like Mike Trout has failed.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, no, no, no. He was unlucky. He had the. Yeah, he had Albert Pujols years, six of them, not 10 of them, but that's what he had. You know, he's. He's a great, great player. Do you think Steve Cohen knows what he's doing? Do you truly think he knows what he's doing?

[Jeff Passan]

I do think he knows what he's doing. And I say this, Tony, because I've seen what bad ownership looks like, and I've seen what good ownership looks like, and he shares a lot more qualities with the good owners than he does the bad. And it's not just his willingness to go and spend money. I think getting David Stearns there and hiring Carlos Mendoza. We're going to look back on this era of the Mets and it's going to be a couple of profound hires that he got. Right. Let's not forget, like, the Mets have made some. Some really bad hires.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, but he also stumbled his first year. He threw a lot of money at the kitchen sink and he looked dopey, Right?

[Jeff Passan]

Yeah, of course. And yeah, like, the early Cohen years, they were not successful.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right.

[Jeff Passan]

Like, I also think that he is somebody who learns his lesson and that he sees. Like, I love the way that Steve Cohen looks at the Major League Baseball universe. It's almost like he sees it as an array, array of different stocks the same way that he does as a trader. And he's just looking for value. And if it means splashing the pot a little bit, yeah, he's going to do that in cases like Soto and otherwise. But David Stearns has proven very adept at being a talent scout and bringing in the right kind of guys. You know, Milwaukee, they haven't been to the playoffs six out of the last seven years by accident, Tony. Like, they know what they're doing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And no, they're very good. They don't win in the playoffs, but they don't spend a lot of money and they win, they max out. It's like Tampa. They know what they're doing. One last question. I'll get you out of here. Do you find. Do you think there will be resentment of Soto on the Mets by other players?

[Jeff Passan]

Yeah, I think that could happen. Like, I don't. I don't discount that possibility. Like, jealousy is kind of an inherent part of sports. You know, there are players who are jealous of the ones who are best on the team, the ones who are treated best by the management, the ones who the media like. Like, that's just, that's normal. And it's going to be exacerbated when you make that level of money that you do. But one tends to get along pretty well with guys in the clubhouse.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Didn't seem he did in San Diego, but he did in Washington and the Yankees.

[Jeff Passan]

He didn't with some in San Diego. He did with others with the Yankees. Very much so in Washington. Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Jeff Passan]

And Sandy. San Diego. San Diego, the tricky clubhouse.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So he's got Manny Machado. Any place that has Manny Machado is not the smoothest ride. Right. Fair to say.

[Jeff Passan]

I think it's changed. Certainly changed from his younger years, you know, like, Manny was at the forefront of the Roki Sasaki recruitment. And a number of people who I talked to said the Padres actually had like the best meeting and get together of everybody who was involved in that and so we can all grow up and we can all change.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Tony, I can't. Thank you, Jeff. Talk soon. Thanks, Jeff. Jeff Passon, boys and girls, we will take a break. Pat 40 when we return. Yes. Pat 40 when we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

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[Tony Kornheiser]

Alonzo Ball for buzzballs. Ready to go. Cocktails take 12 buzzballs just dropped their biggest blue balls. The script says Biggie's blue balls. Lonzo take 13 blue balls just dropped their biggest buzz balls. Ugh. Let's try a vocal exercise. Buzz balls. Biggies. Blue balls. Buzz balls. Biggies. Blue balls. Big balls. Just drop. Get blue balls this season with buzz balls, please.

[Unnamed Speaker]

You're responsibly.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Buzz balls available in spirit, wine and malt, 15% Alcoa by volume.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Buzz Balls LLC. Carrollton, Texas.

This is the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Tony Kornheiser Show. Once again, this is Abby Morgan. This is a song called Road to Nowhere. You can listen to Abby at the end of this podcast without me interrupting her. Michael, if people like Abby Morgan who have they're independent artists and they have music they want to put on this show, how do they do it?

[Unnamed Speaker]

Send us your music by emailing it to jinglesonykoenizershow.com I'm really not sure why.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Everybody with a podcast doesn't do this and give these people some exposure.

[Unnamed Speaker]

The amount of talent, Abby Morgan included, is astonishing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, she plays in Pat 40, currently.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Tied for fifth in the the bracket.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Pat 40, tied for fifth at the moment. Who does Pat have winning the whole thing?

[Unnamed Speaker]

Florida.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Florida. So he's still alive.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Looking good.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So, yeah, we'll get to a lot. Let's just start with the general question. There are four games last night which stood out, you know, most for you last night.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Well, certainly the most entertaining was Texas Tech in Arkansas. Heck of a game. Really, really fun, well played. And, you know, it's amazing how far Arkansas has come during the season. Yes, but at the end. And give credit to John Calipari for how far they've come. But at the end it also looked like a John Calipari operation when they blew a 13 point lead with four minutes to play. You know, game management has never been his strongest point and they let it get away. Credit to Texas Tech for making the plays and digging deep and finding ways to win after a really kind of a brutal performance for the first 35 minutes. But if you're Arkansas and Caliper, you wake up this morning saying, wow, we let that one get away.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And as a result, the four teams that have moved on into the eighth are 1, a 1, a 2 and a 3. You can't ask for much more than that right. From the seating committee. Can't.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Yeah, no, no, they, they're there. It's a chalky tournament, which kind of seemed like it was going to be that way. Certainly, you know, when I was picking it, I thought it would be. But the best teams, according to the committee have been the best teams. They really have. And you know, you look, I mean, Alabama, that incredible bombardment and Duke has been Duke, Florida's been Florida. And I think we are headed to a big time regional final set and then a final four.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Let me get to the Alabama BYU game. Alabama does not hesitate to shoot it from three. They made 25 threes, 25 for 51. It's a remarkable percentage from three point. It's absolutely remarkable. BYU was completely with them in the. BYU missed all their three point shots. But BYU, I thought in the first half, because I watched that really gave them a game. I mean, I thought BYU was better, you know, than I thought originally going in. What are your thoughts on that? They're not as good as Alabama. But they gave him a game.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Yeah, no, no. I mean that was, you know, horses for courses. And that was two teams that wanted to play that way and it was really entertaining just watching them go.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Speaker]

And you know, I mean, BYU was perfectly fine playing Alabama style. They just, they occasionally should have maybe gotten a hand up on defense. But you know, to be even in a game where the other team is so blazing hot was impressive. And you know, that that is the style that I think people will are playing and will continue to play more and more in the years to come. It's going to be fast. There's going to be a million threes, not that much defense. But it's fun to watch.

[Tony Kornheiser]

If I was the coach of BYU and you came to me before the game and said the other team's going to shoot 51 threes. How are you with that? I would say great, because I wouldn't imagine they would make 25, right, Pat? I wouldn't imagine that.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. You know, you're totally right. Although Alabama is capable of making 50% of their threes on a given night. And so, yes, if you're going to say they're going to shoot 51 of them, boy, got to get a hand up on some, as I said. But, yeah, you know, and that. That will be a completely different animal against Duke. A great defensive team. And, you know, you wonder whether, to a degree, Alabama might have punched themselves out or maybe they're just having the hot weekend of their lives and they'll play that way again on Saturday.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Duke got 100. They got 100. Really, 100.

[Unnamed Speaker]

It was a wild night. It really was. I mean, a lot happened. And I mean, they're capable. They're totally capable. That's that. And that's the scary thing, too, for Alabama is like, okay, if we get them going up and down, we can beat them. Well, maybe not, because they can win going up and down, too. They're going to guard better than byu, but they can. They can shoot and they can run and they're okay playing faster if need be. That's. I mean, it's a great, great team.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right, let me get to the game that I said on PTI last night was the most compelling game for a variety of reasons. And that's Maryland and Florida. That's an even game for the first half. It's a totally even game. Florida ends up winning because Florida is better, right? Florida's a better team.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Yeah. Yes, they just are. I mean, that was my pick to win it, and I'm totally fine sticking with that. And I thought Maryland played well to be in the game for pretty much the whole game. And, you know, I mean, it was, I thought, another example of why Florida's incredibly. I mean, they're good, their guards are really good, but they've got so many good big guys. They got four good big guys, and you just keep throwing them out there. And that's another team that I think can play whatever style you want to play. You want to slow it down, they're okay with that. You want to go fast, they're okay with that, too. They're going to just be very hard to beat.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So let me get to the coaching situation at Maryland. My personal opinion with what Kevin Willard did last week when he essentially began to hold the University of Maryland hostage, saying, look, I'd like to stay here, but you're going to have to get more money from my basketball team. He said this publicly. He said, before the AD announced he was leaving, he said, the AD is leaving, which I don't really think you do. On an organizational chain, I don't think you do that. But he did it. And my position was, if I was the chancellor, the University of Maryland, I would have called Ralph Willard that day, and I would have said, if you don't like it here, there's the door. Don't let it hit you on the way out, because Ralph Willard. Not Ralph Will. Kevin Willard. Ralph woods is. Dad. Kevin Willard has won nothing there. What does he want? He got. Okay, got the sweet 16. What does he want? He has won absolutely nothing. Now, my friend Gary Williams thinks he's a great coach, and maybe he is a great coach, but I would have said, are you kidding me? You're doing this publicly now? Maybe I'm wrong, Pat. So how do you read that situation?

[Unnamed Speaker]

Yeah, I mean, that was very interesting, and I think he's a very good coach. I'm not sure he's a great coach, and he played a very strong hand there. And we'll see what happens today because, I mean, I agree that it's kind of like, you gotta go, but are we sure Villanova is going to offer him the job? Because I don't think he's the only candidate. You know, you may have put yourself into a corner of, I need to take this job. What if this job isn't offered and we'll see how it plays out. But, you know, look, I understand thinking you have leverage and all that, and.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Publicly, to do this publicly, it was pretty surprising.

[Unnamed Speaker]

It really was. But, I mean, I think the writing was on the wall with Damon Evans that he was going.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right. Right.

[Unnamed Speaker]

But still, it was out of turn, I guess you would say, for him to basically declare that to be the case and say, all right, school president, board of trustees, what do you got? I mean, it was. It was pretty brassy.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I told one of the editors at the Post, if you hire me for today, I will light this guy up like a firecracker. I was stunned. I was stunned. It's one thing if you've won a national championship, you know, what exactly have you done? And Villanova may. May look at that public position and say, do we want this guy? Right. It could hurt him.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Yeah, I mean, it's possible. I think at the end of the day, you're going to say we don't have an ad. We don't really want a job search. We didn't like the way you did it. But yeah, we'll be glad to keep you. But this is why we need you on that wall, Tony. We want you out there to light people up like a firecracker.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I would have.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Need columnists that still. And. Or talkers who still light people up.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So that's outrageous. And. And he got support from other people, writing support about how, you know, I played this big hand and it, you know, really, I don't know. I wouldn't. All right, tonight's games. You got an upset for us tonight. You got one game you're looking at specifically.

[Unnamed Speaker]

I kind of think Michigan can beat Auburn. You know, I'm here in Atlanta. I'll be at those games and I wouldn't be surprised if we get mitten Armageddon Michigan against Michigan State. You know, I think they match up very well. They are huge. Like, Auburn is huge. And their guards are playing much better after not playing well at the end of the regular season. Dusty May, great coach and, you know, Auburn is full of confidence. That's. I think Bruce Pearl's greatest gift is he gets his teams to play like they should win every game. But that may come with a little bit of cavalierness, you know, where they're a little sloppy, a little bit not attuned to the details. And I think Florida Atlantic has a chance, or, I'm sorry, Michigan with Florida Atlantic's coach. Best player has a chance to take them down.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I think that I like the position Houston is in because nobody's paying attention at all. They're a one and nobody's paying attention. And they can sort of slide into the Final Four, it seems to me, without anybody caring one way or the other. I sort of like that.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Yeah. Yeah. No, I mean, like. And it. There's a good us against the world sort of chip for Kelvin Sampson because they're playing in Indianapolis against Purdue, who will have a gazillion fans there. And then almost assuredly in the championship game, if they beat Purdue, they will also be playing a team with a gazillion fans there, whether it's Kentucky or Tennessee. So, you know, he can play that card. And they're. But they're really good. They've been consistently good. I mean, they could lose either game, but I would be surprised if they did.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Let me get you out of here on this. I was stunned when I learned this about Shaka. Smart in writing. You know a happy anniversary thing about Shaka Smart. His school Marquette and he as a coach are the only big time power conference schools and coach to not take at least one D1 transfer kid in the last three years. What do you make of that dinosaur?

[Unnamed Speaker]

And I don't say that necessarily negatively, but that is not the way the game works anymore. And you know, I wrote actually this week that 37.5% of the starters in the Sweet 16 are transfers up from a lower level. And there's more transfers than that beyond those guys. Like I like the idea. I really do. In theory it's laudable. Noble, kind of like Dabo Sweeney in football, Clemson of like, I'm going to get my guys and I'm going to make my guys as good as I can so that you know, we win with them. Great. Laudable. But again, that's not how it works. You got to go get some people. You've got to have some ability to help your roster year over year and say, you know what, we need this, we need that. Let's go see who's available and go get them. So I like Shocker Smart a great deal, but I think that's a outdated way of building your roster.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it's certainly something. It would be that kind of thing. That if I ever sat with him, I would want to talk about that for a long time because it's different and it may be putting his head in the sand. It may be. Unless he wins. Unless he wins this way. Plug your podcast, even if it's on hiatus.

[Unnamed Speaker]

College Football Inquirer with Dan Wetzel and Ross Dellinger. Hopefully coming off hiatus soon, but we're still hopefully out there on the Yahoo Sports platform. And if not us, then listen to Tony.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thanks, Pat. Pat 40 boys and girls. We will take a break. We will come back with email and jingle. I'm Tony Kornheiser. You don't wake up dreaming of McDonald's fries. You wake up dreaming of McDonald's hash browns. McDonald's breakfast comes first. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show. The Tony Kornheiser Show. That is world Champion Whistler.

[Unnamed Speaker]

World champion.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Binghamton's own Chris Ullman. Yes, World champion. What have you done lately? He's the world champion. You want to do the Bethesda bagel?

[Unnamed Speaker]

Yes, 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 it in and you'll be thrilled.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's it for us today. Before we get to the mailbag, let me just say now, roll them cases out and lift them amps and haul them tresses down and get them up them rams. Because when it comes to moving me, you know you guys are the champs. But when that last guitar has been packed away, you know that I still want to play. So just make sure you got it all set to go before you come from my piano, piano, piano that is Jackson Brown A song is called the Loadout that was recorded live at Meriwether Post Pavilion. Yes, 100 years ago and it's a great song. At the end when they do stay when they do stay at the end it is fabulous. Thanks to our guests today. Jeff Passon Pat40 thanks as well to today's sponsors. Remember, you can listen to us on Apple Podcasts Spotify and Audacy. Get the show through Apple Apple Podcast Please leave us a review Michael Benedetti San Tan Valley, Arizona Is it possible someone let the BMW service department in your room accidentally? Here we go again. Mr. Tony can't even change the clock in his own home. Better change it for him. Ruck from The Soviet Safeway. Mr. Tony Two words. Time elves. That's funny. Time Elves. Steve the Sycophant Your story of your malfunctioning clock and the resultant late walk for Chessy reminded me of my late lament, Chloe and our inability to adjust to the end of Daylight savings time. Our morning walk was etched in stone. Up at 6am, out the door at 6:05. Business done quickly thereafter. When the change to standard time came, Chloe didn't care what the US Government and I said. We were walking rather at the same time, that is an hour earlier. I finally solved the problem by setting my alarm 10 minutes ahead each day. So we were back to normal after one week. One year. I tried 15 minutes minutes a day, but that failed. 10 minutes was the max. There's nothing like a yearly reminder of who's really in charge of the household. From Ken Scudder and Takoma Park, Unchuck and Roxy, it's obvious who adjusted your clock. It was either an eclipse of moths who wanted another 35 minutes before you got up to continue their fine work on your sweaters, or a scurry of squirrels hoping, excuse me, to get a head start on your tomatoes. And yes, I did Google what you call groups of mall moths and squirrels before writing this email. An eclipse of moths.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Eclipse of moths.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I've never heard.

[Unnamed Speaker]

What was the squirrel one again?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Scurry of squirrel scurry Squirrels.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Great term.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's. Yeah, I love that. Wow.

[Unnamed Speaker]

You forgot about the mice.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Jason Ingleton in Eureka, California. Y R E K A. Not Eureka. But you know Eureka. I don't know that town. No. Dear Mr. Tony, is this the new game? I set my bedroom clock ahead 10 minutes and half for years. I figure it's better to be 10 minutes early than 10 minutes late. By the way, I'm in 260, first in the bracket brackets. Challenge. Fingers crossed I'm still in the running for toothpaste. We don't have that many. Yeah, we've got a lot of toothpaste. Got a lot. We don't have that many. That's interesting, that. I guess some people do this like I do. So I've set it to 35 minutes now. Two days in a row was okay. Ezra Fisher in Arlington, Massachusetts. Never. Arlington, Virginia. You have an electric clock and a wall clock. What makes the wall clock go? Does it commune with your toothbrush? Have you hired a small carload of Langer monkeys to intimidate it? Please provide us, Laura Littles with this important information for life. The wall clock. You just said it. It's battery powered. It's battery powered, right? It's battery powered. From Bill Matfield. Bill. Matt Feld, rather. Excuse me. Fort Mill, South Carolina. Sure Chuck Todd didn't show up and correct your clock where all the rolls of toilet papers changed to the under configuration. If so, then you know who the culprit is. From Glenn Winters, Chuck and Roxy, 237 Newport News, Virginia. I've narrowed down the list of suspects who may have tampered with your clock to these three. One, Reginald, do monkeys have fingerprints? Two, Bootsy, kiss that inheritance goodbye. And three, the shade of Feinstein from Scott Moffitt in Richmond, Virginia. Tony's game clock would have been a great name for my mediocre bracket. This is a long one. Coming up, Mike from North Hero, Vermont, a story in honor of opening day. My father passed away in 2020, but a few years before he died, I sprung him out of his assisted living facility for the afternoon and took him out for a drive through our beautiful mountains of Vermont. It was late summer of 2018, and we started chatting about the incredible season the Sox were having. This was the year of their last World Series victory. He mentioned that while he was originally a Red Sox fan, as a kid growing up in Keene, New Hampshire, he changed his allegiance to the Yankees when he was in junior high school school, a fact he was clearly not proud of. When I asked him how he could defect to the enemy. He said it might have been because his dad was a lifelong Yankee fan, although I suspected it might have had something to do with the fact that the Yankees won a lot more than the Red Sox did back in those days. Yes, I then asked him when and why he switched back to the Sox, and he told me it was around the time he attended college at the New England Conservatory, which is located just a few blocks from Fenway. Then he said, and I'm not making this up, quote, of course it may have had something to do with the time I went fishing with Ted. To which I replied, ted, he said, I never told you about time I went fishing with Ted Williams. Turns out my dad used to play piano at a bar near Fenway that was frequented by several members of the Red Sox, including Ted Williams. Knowing that Williams was an avid fisherman, my dad invited him up to Vermont to do a little fishing, which they did over a weekend, just the two of them. According to my dad, they had a terrific time. Ted told lots of great stories. They both came home with quite a few fish. Moral of the story? Keep asking your parents to tell their stories. Even if you think you know them all, chances are you probably don't. Mike From North Hero, Vermont P.S. i'm a former director of the President's own U.S. marine Band. Thanks so much for all the kind words you've offered about the band on recent podcasts. I may be a little biased, but they don't come any better than that outfit. They're great. They really get a chance to see them. Put down what you're doing and go see them. From roop Sharma, number 48.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Oh humble brag.

[Jeff Passan]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Chuck and Rocks, Lebanon, Ohio Please let Tim know that the Findlay Market Opening Day Parade is still a staple of Opening Day here at Cincinnati. That parade has been around since 1890 and has been sponsored for the last 105 years by Finlay Market. The Grand Marshal of 2025 parade was 1988 NL Rookie of the Year and 1990 World Series Champion Chris Sabo.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Oh wow.

[Tony Kornheiser]

From Brian Sunnocks in St. Petersburg, Florida. On Wednesday's pod, you commented how you couldn't imagine Hulk Hogan dropping off his kids at school. I said, I know. I can imagine that because I went to high school with his daughter Brooke. Picture Wow. Picture this. A tall, attractive blonde young lady steps out of a 2003 Hummer to draw the attention of a plethora of pimple faced male teenagers who scatter when her masculine 67 father steps out to wish her a good day at school. Joking aside, I spoke to the Hulkster a couple of times and he was friendly, jovial man. Wow.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Hogan knows best.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's a wow. Luis Quintero, Spring Hill, Florida didn't take you for a lint man. I'm more of a Nestle man. Still love the podcast. I said this yesterday on pti.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Pablo was talking about Toblerone. Yes, that's right, Toblerone. I know what it is. I've had it. To me, it's got a lot of stuff.

[Unnamed Speaker]

It's got some schmutz in it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. You know, it's got a lot of almonds. It's got a lot of stuff in it.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And I said, if I'm going for a chocolate thing, and I couldn't think of the name of it. And then as Pablo kept talking, I wasn't paying attention. Pablo I realized it was Lindt. L I N D T. You know, that's a really good chocolate that comes with like raspberry and strawberry inside, sometimes nougat inside, you know, caramel inside. The American equivalent of that I would assume is Ghirardelli, which is very good. And I couldn't think of that either.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Well, if the folks from Lent are listening, you know.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Kelly Pierce, Kelly Pears, Pears of Pears Alexandria, Louisiana I was out for a walk. As I listened to you and Sally Jenkins talk about John Feinstein and his memorial service. I found myself smiling and laughing out loud at your stories. I felt like I was out to dinner with old friends. Reminiscing about the good old days was very sweet and very funny. Thank you for that. I'm not aware of his work, but we'll soon get one of his books. Any suggestions for a first and, well, the biggest seller of all time, on the Brink about him and Bobby Knight. I'm also contemplating an online subscription to the Washington Post. My dad was the general manager of our local CBS affiliate for 30 years. Although not a journalist himself, he demanded journalistic excellence and unbiased reporting. I think of him often when listening to your show, particularly when you and Wilbon are discussing being reporters and chasing down stories. Also, I love Michael's comment about his favorite time of day talking and visiting with you. Thank you, Michael. Enjoy these talks. They don't last forever, but people trying to bury me. By the way, these are the good old days. Yes, they are. John for Golly In Boston Spa, New York one of the littles correctly referenced that Binghamton hosted the 2025 New York State Boys high school championships. Last week weekend, the hometown Binghamton High School Patriots won the boys double A championship, defeating Albany area Niskayuna in double OT. The Pats were led by Zubair Griffin, who scored 40. Wow. 40. And were named tournament MVP. I wonder if he'll go to Binghamton. I doubt it. If he scored 40, he's probably high D1. It was probably his first state championship for Binghamton since they won back to back titles in 1985 and 1986. Those teams were led by, and I know this name, MVP King Rice. He went to North Carolina. He played for Dean smith. He played 140 games for Dean Smith at North Carolina. King Rice, the greatest basketball player who ever came out of Binghamton. I think Griffin has come. Oh, has committed to play his college basketball at Monmouth University. The head coach at Monmouth, King Rice. Okay, how about that? I get it.

[Unnamed Speaker]

That's great.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I get it. That's great. It's Wednesday evening. I just finished packing the car for a pickup tomorrow when PG and I are closing the house down. Flying in New Jersey. It's a fabulous season, as they call it down here in PGA. Weather was great in 5 months. Didn't miss a morning walk, swim almost every day. Played around 50 rounds of golf, 10 different courses. Looking forward to being home in New Jersey for a bit, then going to LA for a few weeks in April. Took the same house next year. Regards, dg. It's just these are the best. These are the best. Yes, you know. Neil Ayerves, as Captain Tony views the Flemish Giant rabbit eyeing his garden, he opines, we're going to need a bigger owl.

[Jeff Passan]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

From Patrick Sitter in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Was it the deer poop diet or did Jesse have some of Carol's salmon? P.S. two days of vomit, two days of diarrhea. Deer poop diet. Dan Byrne, are you listening? If you're out on your bike tonight, everyone, as always, do wear what?

[Unnamed Speaker]

Ladies and gentlemen, the evening is over.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We hope you all enjoyed yourselves and.

[Unnamed Speaker]

We'Ll see you all again in 1974.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Good evening. Thank you, Elton.

[Abby Morgan]

I've been a terrible liar Always leaving clues behind Heart tattooed on my sleeve Metaphorically speaking in these rhymes you're like a chink in the armor an accidental am I And I'll run away and pretend on my face While silently I die and the weeks will go by the weeks will go by Send my heart down the Persephone Blanket of snow falls over me I know the spring will come around again I pushed it away Send my Heart down with Persephone Watch the ice freeze over the gold leaves out of spring come around again I pushed it away Way I pushed it away One oak tree on the hillside Swaying all along Sit in the shade with the mess that I made the fall stood still as a statue Solitary confined towards the light Every time that it shines Watch it sink back out of my sight Until I run out of time I guess I ran out of time Send my heart down with Persephone Blanket of snow falls over me I don't know Spring will come around again I pushed it away Send my heart down with Persephone as the ice freeze over the gold leaves.

[Jeff Passan]

I.

[Abby Morgan]

Pushed it away I pushed it away Sleep the ha somewhere far away Far away from me so send my heart down Persephone Blanket of snow falls over me I don't know Spring comes around again I pushed it away Set my.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Heart down.

[Abby Morgan]

Winter catches right back up with me I scream Will come around again Know I don't know I don't know I don't know oh I know I pushed it away there's an old broke down road Very few go Afraid of the destination But I like it there with the wind in my head Path lit by constellations Cause it's quiet I know what I've heard before Pleasant sensation and nobody says you're behind or ahead Free of expectation I don't have a plan I don't have care Life moves fast so I'll spend my day on the road to no, there's no nowhere on the road to no no, no there's peace in my my mind that I struggle to find Changes with the season there's an underlying faith that never goes away Keeping me believing that I don't have to know the places I go Before I'm meant to see this and I don't have to race for fortune's man made beyond any meaning I don't have a plan, I don't have this so I'll spend my day on road to know no, no.

[Jeff Passan]

On.

[Abby Morgan]

The road to no no Taking my time because it's mine today so I roll like tumbleweeds Stumbling from place to place don't ask about my future don't ask about my past Ask me how I'm feeling what about that? Don't ask about my future don't ask about my past Ask me how I'm feeling Whatever happened to that? Whatever happened happen to them I don't have a plan, I don't have a care Life moves fast so I'll spend my day. Want to know Sa?