“The Corduroy Suit Story”

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Tony Kornheiser Show – “The Corduroy Suit Story”

Release Date: December 19, 2024
Host: Tony Kornheiser
Guests: Jason Lock and Fora

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1. NFL and NBA Ratings Discussion (00:00 – 05:05)

Tony Kornheiser kicks off the episode with a conversation about the declining ratings in the NBA compared to the NFL and college football. He highlights a Washington Post article on the Emirates Cup tournament, emphasizing its lack of viewership and overall quality.

• Tony Kornheiser (01:16):
  “Well, it isn't very good to begin with. It isn't very good. And B, nobody's watching it and their ratings are way down. Way down.”

• Discussion Points:

  • The NBA’s strategy to capitalize on Christmas games compared to the NFL’s dominance.
  • Adam Silver’s assertion that the NBA fan base is stronger than ever, contrasted with the reality that fans prefer highlights over full games.
  • The impact of cable television's decline on NBA viewership.

2. Tony’s Wardrobe Choices and the Corduroy Suit (07:00 – 14:25)

Tony delves into his personal wardrobe, specifically discussing his cherished caramel-colored corduroy suit. He shares anecdotes about maintaining a varied wardrobe to appear fresh across multiple shows and the sentimental value of his corduroy suit.

• Tony Kornheiser (08:31):
  “It's the tie and the jacket. You have to have a different look.”

• Notable Insights:

  • The economic aspect of wearing an older suit multiple times, reducing the cost per wear significantly.
  • The timeless appeal of corduroy in broadcasting despite changing fashion trends.
  • Personal stories about alterations and the suit’s history, including its possible purchase from stores like Lord & Taylor or Woodward & Lothrop.

3. Bill Belichick’s Potential Move to College Football (18:07 – 22:08)

A substantial portion of the episode focuses on the speculation surrounding Bill Belichick’s possible transition from the NFL to college football. Tony and guest Jason Lock and Fora discuss the implications of such a move.

• Tony Kornheiser (20:20):
  “This is tremendously exciting. I don't like Bill Belichick personally, but the notion that Bill Belichick would go and take a college job... I think it's a front page story.”

• Guest Insights:

  • Jason Lock and Fora (20:56):
    "It's an amazing sort of football sociological experiment."

• Discussion Points:

  • Belichick’s influence and potential strategies in college football.
  • The impact on player recruitment and team dynamics if Belichick takes a college position.
  • Comparisons to other coaches like Nick Saban and how Belichick’s methods might translate outside the NFL.

4. Atlanta Falcons’ Benching of Kirk Cousins (22:08 – 27:43)

The hosts analyze the Atlanta Falcons' decision to bench veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins in favor of rookie Michael Penix. They critique the timing and rationale behind the move, considering the Falcons’ playoff aspirations.

• Tony Kornheiser (22:08):
  “I have to say this. ... I think it's a front page story, and I think it's exciting. Am I overblowing this?”

• Jason Lock and Fora (25:22):
  “I saw it coming. I think it's silly on their part that the young man Penix didn't get a chance to sort of have a soft launch against Vegas.”

• Key Points:

  • The Falcons’ high financial commitment to Cousins and the implications of benching him late in the season.
  • Analysis of Cousins’ performance decline and the necessity for a change to secure a playoff spot.
  • Fan reactions and the broader impact on team morale and future contracts.

5. Jeff Ma’s Weekly Picks and Betting Analysis (33:16 – 44:54)

Jeff Ma joins Tony to provide his weekly sports picks, focusing on both college and professional games. He discusses his strategies, including the principle of "process over outcome," and shares insights into specific matchups.

• Tony Kornheiser (38:40):
  “I like the phrase process over outcome. I like that it's called a rationalization...”

• Jeff Ma (35:27):
  “But you know, if you have too many World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Texas Rangers, you're going down the drain.”

• Notable Bets:

  • College:
    • Tennessee +7.5 over Iowa State
    • SMU +8.5 over Penn State and SMU over 54 points
  • NFL:
    • Giants +8.5 over Dallas Cowboys
    • Bucks -4 over Dallas Cowboys

• Discussion Highlights:

  • Jeff's evaluation of betting lines and his confidence in underdog picks.
  • The impact of nepotism and high-profile contracts on team decisions.
  • Specific player performances influencing betting choices, such as Johnson and the quarterback dynamics.

6. Listener Emails and Mailbag (46:34 – 63:16)

In the latter part of the show, Tony engages with listener emails, sharing personal anecdotes and humorous stories submitted by fans. Topics range from travel tips and golf experiences to humorous family interactions and practical advice.

• Notable Emails:

  • Patrick from Woburn:
    A nostalgic account of golfing events and pub experiences during the Women's British Open.
  • John from Colorado:
    Tips on driving routes and avoiding traffic when traveling between the D.C. area and Charlotte.
  • Eric from Philadelphia:
    A humorous Christmas story involving a mix-up with Governor Bob Orr's phone call.
  • Sally the Knitter:
    Solutions for combating moths with Trichogramma wasps, drawing from a New York Times Magazine article.

• Tony’s Commentary:

  • Tony (52:37):
    “These emails define the show to me.”
  • He shares personal travel tips, golfing secrets, and relatable family stories, enhancing the show's personable and community-driven atmosphere.

7. Musical Interludes and Recurring Segments

Throughout the episode, Tony incorporates musical snippets and recurring segments that add a unique flavor to the show. This includes promotional reads and light-hearted musical introductions.

• Dan Byrne’s Spin-off Chant (17:00 & 63:24):
  A humorous chant criticizing Bill Belichick, accompanied by a catchy rhythm, emphasizing Tony’s critical stance.

• Advertisements and Promotions:
  While the summary omits detailed ad content, it's worth noting that sponsored segments seamlessly integrate with the show's flow, maintaining listener engagement.

8. Concluding Remarks and Final Thoughts (63:16 – End)

Tony wraps up the episode by reiterating key points, expressing gratitude towards guests and listeners, and briefly touching on ongoing sports narratives.

• Tony Kornheiser (63:16):
  “Never gonna happen. I used to hate the Cars for Kids commercial like everyone else. Then I discovered the song was deliberately written to be annoying...”

• Final Highlights:

  • Encouragement to keep engaging with the show and its community.
  • A final play on words and shoutouts to notable guests and contributors.

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Key Takeaways:

• Sports Insights:
  In-depth analysis of NFL and NBA dynamics, including team strategies, player performances, and league-wide trends.

• Personal Anecdotes:
  Tony’s relatable stories about fashion choices and personal experiences add a human touch to the discussions.

• Interactive Engagement:
  Listener emails and mailbag segments foster a sense of community and provide diverse perspectives on various topics.

• Humor and Banter:
  The show's light-hearted moments and humorous exchanges keep the content engaging and entertaining.

Notable Quotes:

• Tony Kornheiser (08:31):
  “It's the tie and the jacket. You have to have a different look.”

• Tony Kornheiser (20:20):
  “This is tremendously exciting. I don't like Bill Belichick personally, but the notion that Bill Belichick would go and take a college job... I think it's a front page story.”

• Jason Lock and Fora (25:22):
  “I saw it coming. I think it's silly on their part that the young man Penix didn't get a chance to sort of have a soft launch against Vegas.”

---

Conclusion:

“The Corduroy Suit Story” episode of The Tony Kornheiser Show offers a rich blend of sports analysis, personal storytelling, and community interaction. Tony’s engaging discussions with Jason Lock and Fora provide listeners with insightful perspectives on current NFL dynamics, while his personal anecdotes and listener interactions add depth and relatability. Whether you’re a sports enthusiast or new to the show, this episode delivers a comprehensive and entertaining experience.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey, it's Tony. On today's show, we'll go around the NFL with Jason Lock and Fora as we head into week 16 of the season. We'll also get our weekly picks from Jeff Ma Carville, who knows? But first, how about little commerce?

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[Tony Kornheiser]

Previously on the Tony Kornheiser Show. It's too early. People want to watch football, okay? Like, the story of the NBA is very simple. Ten years ago, 12 years ago, people in the NBA sat down and said, let's. Let's do a whole blowout on Christmas. Yeah, at least.

[Michael Wilbon]

At least we've got Christmas.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, we got. Let's put five, six games on. Let's make people understand. People understand. And then the NFL, which didn't pay attention for a while, somebody went to the NFL at a meeting and said, are you guys aware what's happening on Christmas? Can we crush it? And they said, yeah, we'll crush it. The Tony Kornheiser show is on now. You can't compete with the NFL. You can't compete with college football. I mean, there's a story in the Washington Post today about how good this Emirates cup tournament is, except nobody's really watching it, you know? Well, a, it isn't very good to begin with. It isn't very good. And B, nobody's watching it and their ratings are way down. Way down. The NBA. Cause no one wants to consume entire games of the NBA. This is Wilbon's theory. They just want clips of the NBA. And so someone needs to ask Adam Silver the following. It's not even Adam Silver. You sort of want to ask ESPN and Turner and NBC and all these people bidding billions of dollars for the NBA, and Silver is selling it to them. You sort of want to ask, why are you doing this? If people aren't watching it, why are you doing this? Silver said the other day that the reason for the decline in the ratings is because cable television is down. Well, why did you sell the product to cable television? Why did you do. Nobody ever asked that question. Because most of the people who cover the NBA, or toadies, most of them just say, the NBA is great. Most of the people who cover everything are toadies. The reason they do is because they really like the sport. Yeah, but it's really. It's really noticeable with the NBA. It's really noticeable now.

[Unknown Speaker]

Now the animated package, they have to tease. The Christmas games look tremendous, Terrific.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Whoever does their media, whoever does their advertisement, they're brilliant. Yeah, it looks great, but it also looks like highlights. And that's how it is. Consumed with highlights. So Adam Silver said the other day, our. Our fan base is stronger and more vibrant than ever. We just have to figure out how to get them the games. Well, I think what they're saying to you is they don't want the games. They want the highlights of the games.

[Michael Wilbon]

Did you see what Charles said? Charles Barkley? No, I believe I love Charles.

[Jason Lock and Fora]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

Charles is the best.

[Unknown Speaker]

Charles is enough on this show.

[Michael Wilbon]

He talked about how the NBA shouldn't start the season until Christmas.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Everybody feels that way except Mike. And even Mike. And even Mike honestly feels that way.

[Michael Wilbon]

He's like, you can't compete on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the entire fall, you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Know, because football is king. And, you know, and here's, you know, NBA ratings are down. Baseball had a problem outside local markets. Their national ratings were down. They got saved by the Yankees and the Dodgers. Yeah, but, you know, if you have too many World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Texas Rangers, you're going down the drain. You know, those ratings are never down. Football, they're never down. College football ratings, never down. NFL ratings, never. They're never down. They're never down. People want to take shots. Oh, they don't really care about player safety. Okay, maybe they don't. I think they care a little, but they. But those ratings are never down. So that's why golf got out of the weekend business. When the NFL resumed, it changed the entire calendar.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah. And I wish tennis, the US Open, get out.

[Unknown Speaker]

But the Skins Game is coming back, you know, save Thanksgiving.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right, Exactly. So anyway. All right, let me get to a couple of other things. So yesterday was a very busy day for me in terms of the PTI shows. We had to do two shows. We did the regular show that you probably didn't see because it was exiled to espn.

[Unknown Speaker]

Not sure I get that one.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. For some bowl game that we did that nobody was paying attention to. James Madison against someone, I think Western Kentucky. Now, it will outdraw us because live sports, outdoors, these shows. But we were shunted over to espn, too. And then we had to do a special. We had to do a special, an end of the year special in which we deal with such things as athlete of the year, newcomer of the year, biggest failure of the year, stuff like that, that Eric and Matt invent. And Mike and I go back and forth. And so I was downtown because.

[Michael Wilbon]

Greatest wizard highlight.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, the Wizards. Unmentioned in the show. Amazingly unmentioned.

[Unknown Speaker]

No turkey, but a goose of the year.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. No, didn't have turkey of the year because we do that on Thanksgiving. Didn't. Goose of the year. Anyway. And Mike and I agreed. We agreed too much, actually. I was sort of surprised that Mike went to the areas that I was going to, but those things happen. In any case, I knew I was going to be on two shows. And a long time ago, I learned from Joe Theisman, if you're going to be on different shows, wear different clothes. And Joe used to bring different jackets and different ties. And so he would do three or four shows in a day and he would have different clothes.

[Unknown Speaker]

The Maury schedule.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Right. So. Right. Maury, I don't think has different clothes because they're taped years in advance and nobody knows what's on.

[Unknown Speaker]

Forget the tie.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Nobody even remembers. So I was. I thought I would use different clothing because I'm on the show with Mike. Mike spends $85,000 a month on clothing. I mean, he's the best dressed guy in the world. Mike wore the same outfit. It didn't even occur to Mike to change because one show was yesterday and the other one is going to be next week. Well, I. I knew I had some clothes in my closet at, you know, at the office downtown. I was just hoping something still fit. And so I.

[Unknown Speaker]

The closet has not been opened in a decade.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Some of these have not. They've honestly not been worn in 20 years. The styles back, you know, But I had no. I had a couple of blazers. I had a couple of blazers and you know, I had a dark blue blazer and a black blazer and then they were fine. So I also saw that I had a couple of ties in there, a couple sweaters.

[Unknown Speaker]

Good to know there's no moths down there.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, there's no moths down there. And I brought a sweater with me to wear on the special. And so I did that. I changed clothing and I said to Wilbon, said, wow, you change clothes? And I said, yeah, you know, not much. And change my pants or my shoes because you don't see that. You just see the jacket and the tie. So did that. And it reminded me of one of my favorite things, which is something that happened on Today is Thursday. So I went down to Tuesday show and Wednesday show. On Tuesday show, for those of you who remember. And I don't suspect anyone remembers or cares what I wear, honestly, except me. I just want to make sure I don't wear the same thing three days in a row. Do that. So I, you know, hang things up in a certain order and put ties back in a certain order and hang shirts in a certain order and stuff like that. Oh, you can wear the same shirt. Nobody really cares.

[Unknown Speaker]

It's the tie.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's the tie and the jacket. You have to have a different look. So I wore a caramel colored corduroy suit and I, I need to tell you the story of the corduroy suit because James, who works down there loves when I wear the corduroy suit and.

[Unknown Speaker]

The corduroy works on tv. It doesn't look, you know, rumpled by design.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Looks fine. Looks fine on tv. Well, I mean, you're dealing with an old man who's good on you to begin with, so, you know, it looks good enough for an old man. I bought this suit. I don't know where I bought this suit. It might have been Lord and Taylor. It might have been Woodward and lothrop. Might be 30 years old. It might be Hex. I don't. When Woody's closed, Hex came in. Might be Hex the same store? Actually, I don't know. It's probably close to 20 years old. It's probably close. It's at least 15 years old. And the reason I love this so much is because wherever it is, I bought it. I bought it at a vastly reduced price. I bought it for. And I'm not sure which number is right, I think it's the higher number. But I either bought it for $60 or $80. It's no higher than 80.

[Michael Wilbon]

Either way.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's no higher than 80.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's a phenomenal.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And one of the things that the suit has. I don't know the name of the manufacturer of the suit, but on the sleeves, the buttons. The four buttons on the sleeves are different colors. I love that. It's so informal looking in its way.

[Unknown Speaker]

So academic for you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I wear this once a year to amortize the cost of this, I believe.

[Unknown Speaker]

Price per wear at this point, I.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Believe I'm down to no more than $3. $3 per wear. Now, you know, you can go out and buy a $2,000 suit easily. You can any. There's five or six manufacturers that are making suits in the 1500-2500 range. You don't just have to get Armani suits for that. You can. You can get Armani. You can get a great American heart Shafter in March. You can get all of these things. You can get Zegna, Hickey Freeman. Yeah, you can get Hickey Freeman. What you can't do animals, you can't get. What you can't do, though, no matter how often you wear this suit, unless you wear it every day for 15 years, you can't get down to three bucks a week. You can't. And so once a year, I wear this. I also wore this two years ago. I wore this to the. It's not called the Bachelor Dinner. What's it called that Elizabeth and Ron had? I don't know. At the pond.

[Unknown Speaker]

Oh, the. The rehearsal.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The rehearsal dinner. I wore it there. Now I had to get it. I had to get it altered. The pants were too big. I had to get them altered, and I got them altered, and they don't fit great.

[Unknown Speaker]

Shortened.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Nothing. Yeah, shortened. Cause I've shrunk to like, five, eight. And I look just like my father. And I have these terrible days.

[Unknown Speaker]

Let me know if you want to go visit a spice store of sitting.

[Tony Kornheiser]

In a chair and having my grandchildren around me and looking like, you know, a small Pekingese dog doll, which my dad did. My dad was not big to begin with. It's like five six to begin with. So he shrunk to about five two.

[Unknown Speaker]

Well, you can try out the chair at the beach.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. And just hit his old chair and just think of the children around me and. And they would have this picture and go, God, Grandpa, slap down an extra.

[Unknown Speaker]

20 for air condition.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Let's make it colder in here. Yeah. So. So James, who works on the show James Mirsky is always delighted when I wear the corduroy suit once a year. Just once a year. But I wear it because it didn't cost anything. I mean, it didn't. Like I got a suit. It's a great guy.

[Jason Lock and Fora]

And it's.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know, I'm pretty sure this was.

[Unknown Speaker]

Lauren and Taylor because it'd be once every couple years, you would come in with the coupon and you'd say to me, we're going shopping. I'm treating you to a blazer.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

And then you actually brought Liz along for this trip, which is why I think I can pinpoint what year it was. And I still have this red linen blazer from that shopping.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Do you like it? Do you like it?

[Unknown Speaker]

I wear it once or twice a year.

[Jeff Ma]

Just like.

[Unknown Speaker]

That's the point.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's the point. You wear things once, you know, you get in touch with the memory of them and it brings a smile to your face. And by the way, moths apparently don't eat corduroy.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's moth resistant.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know, they don't eat corduroy.

[Unknown Speaker]

Can't get through the wide whale.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right. It's not wide whale, though. It's not. It's. It's a. It's not like a lot of people have corduroy sport jackets with the patches on the sleeves. Everybody loves them. The professorial look. And those are often wide. Well, this is a thin. A thin corduroy, and it is that caramel color. And it doesn't look terrible on television. It doesn't. Well, maybe it does. And nobody tells me, but nobody has said, God, Tony, don't wear that anymore. But I'm down on going three, 350 aware.

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's so fantastic.

[Michael Wilbon]

That's a great per wear.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Just fantastic.

[Unknown Speaker]

You pairing that with like a simple reptile.

[Tony Kornheiser]

What do you always. I always wear it. I always wear it with a blue shirt. I don't wear it with a white shirt, and I always wear it with a total solid color. Dark tie, dark blue or black. Yeah, sure. You don't want to call too much attention to it because it's. It's an at most an $80 suit. And I must have had a coupon, but I don't. I have no idea how I could have gotten it that low. I have no idea. This isn't a reputable store. If it was Woody's, if it was Hacks, if it was Lord and Taylor, they don't have clearance racks, do they? No, that's not like Brooks Brothers outlet stores. They don't have clear clearance. Rats.

[Michael Wilbon]

Is it like sun damaged like the orange patch?

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, it's not. Although it is the sort of the same color. It's sort of orange.

[Unknown Speaker]

Still proudly serving the community.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, yeah, it's caramel color. It's the same color as, as the candies that Greg Garcia sent us, which were very tasty. Did you have some teeth? Didn't fall out?

[Michael Wilbon]

The teeth did not fall out.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I said to Greg, I, I wrote Greg a note that, you know, that thanks very much, but I don't want to have them because my teeth will fall out. And he said, give them to Carol. Carol doesn't need teeth. I just thought that was pretty funny.

[Unknown Speaker]

I just love the note. Share these with your wife and kids or hide them in the garage. Your call.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, no, he, he said that mine, I haven't opened mine yet, but he said mine says enjoy these dg. That's funny. That's funny. Greg's funny.

[Michael Wilbon]

Greg is brilliant, by the way. Can I just say something about Greg?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

I'm scrolling through Twitter the other day and a stand up comedian, a very young stand up comedians on my feed. I'm like, oh, oh, this is pretty funny. I think I recognize them.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It was Greg as a kid, Greg's son.

[Michael Wilbon]

And this is, there's all these comments be like, wow, this kid's brilliant. He's really funny.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's. Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

I'm so, I was so thrilled for Greg and his son.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's wonderful.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, it was really cool.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right, we will take a break. We're gonna come back with Jason. That's right, Jason Lock and fora. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

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[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Dan Byrne]

The truth can be confirmed Our suspicions are revealed We've known it all along Ballot checks a heel it's been widely understood but this seals the deal now there's no denying Ballot checks a heel Spin by gate was a pretty big clue Videotaping signals to know what they would do Then there was deflategate Air out of the ball and letting poor Tom Brady take the fall the grumpy press conferences snarky and catty I won't discuss the loss on to Cincinnati After Brady left After Brady did depart Brady won in Tampa the Patriots fell apart the truth can be confirmed Our suspicions are revealed We've known it all along Belichick's a heel it's been widely understood but this is the deal now there's no denying Belichick's a heel Belichick's a heel Belichick's a heel I'm a Tar Heel born I'm a Tar Heel bred and when I die I'm a Tar Heel dead.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's brilliant. Dan Byrne is brilliant. And I should tell you, if people don't understand this, if they don't, the double meaning of heel is sort of important. If you, if you are with anybody that went to North Carolina, they refer to themselves as heels. They like to put, you know, if they can get license plates that say heels, they get heels over Tar Heels. They would do that. Heels is what they call themselves. So it's really good. It plays in Jason Locke and for we're joined by Odyssey NFL Insider. Jason Locke and fora hosted a podcast in the Huddle covering the Entire NFL. I'll get. I'll get to the NFL and I'll get Jason to this, the Kirk Cousins thing. But as long as Dan Byrne brilliantly played us in with something on Bill Belichick, nobody. You're coughing. Are you. Are you sick? Are you okay?

[Jason Lock and Fora]

That's copper. That's copper. Oh, okay. That's an old dog being old on my lap.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. Nobody. Nobody in the NFL wanted Bill Belichick. Nobody. Right.

[Jason Lock and Fora]

Well, he wasn't willing to wait around any longer to find out for certain, but there are ways to gauge people's interest in back channels. And, I mean, he's been ever present in the media, and it's not like you'd have to look very far to see what was on his mind. And he's breaking down film and you know, what his staff's going to look like because he's working with a lot of those guys on tv. And it's. It's pretty clear, you know, that if he comes back, he's bringing the band back together. And at one point, you know, five, six weeks ago, I would have thought we were headed towards maybe as many as 10 openings. Now I think it might be more like six. And there's some owners he wouldn't want to work for, and there's some that, you know, it just might not be a fit. So I think he saw an opportunity to get pretty much everything he would want at the collegiate level. And I think his ego is also at a point where the idea that he would be sort of left with no coaching job if he waits for the NFL and these college jobs are all filled and, you know, I find out, you know, I don't know, late January, that they still pick somebody else over me in terms of the NFL cycle, I think that probably would have been a really bitter pill for him to swallow.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I have to say this. I've said this on the PTI show before, and Mike agrees with me completely. This is tremendously exciting. I don't like Bill Belichick personally, but the notion that Bill Belichick would go and take a college job because there are no more college football players. They're all professional football players playing in college at this point. They're not student athletes. Let's not kid ourselves on any level here. He's dealing with young pros, and he's selling them. I can get you to the NFL. I don't know how good they are. I don't know how good they're going to be. I think it's a front page story, and I think it's exciting. Am I overblowing this?

[Jason Lock and Fora]

I mean, if he turns that around quickly and let's be real, there's no five and six year plans here, no stage of his life. He's not going to do this till he's 83. Like, yeah, to me, it's incredibly interesting. They're going to win, but how big and how fast? And I mean, you know, I know that his buddies like, like Saban are retired, but come on, you're going to tell me they're not going to be helping him, like, just sort of how this evolves and how many people are at least, you know, to some degree or another on Team Belichick, whether it's formally or informally, how these other coaches sort of respond or do they defer to him? Is it. Is he intimidating them? Yeah, I mean, his interactions with these kids. Is he going to be out there doing goofy stuff on social media like Brian Kelly? Like, I don't think so. But I also don't think he's going to be as stoic and as reticent as he was to show any personality at the NFL level. So, yeah, it's an amazing sort of football sociological experiment.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This, to me. All right, let me get to what I think is the biggest story of the week in the NFL. The benching of Kirk Cousins. We did this on Tuesday and on pti, and Mike and I both said, well, you can't bench him. You can't put a rookie in with three games to go. You're one game behind in a division where only one team is going to make the playoffs. You can't. You waited too long. You waited too long. Can't do it. And then yesterday they did it, and Mike and I said, humming, humina, humming. What does it say to you? What does it say to you that the Atlanta Falcons benched a guy that they're paying, excuse me, $45 million a year to.

[Jason Lock and Fora]

Well, I wrote about it pretty extensively in the post a couple of weeks back, at which point a lot of the guys I talked to regularly in the league and who I bounced things off of, they're like, they got to do this now. Like, this should be happening now. And it's always easy for other people to say, but these people I'm talking to have been through iterations of this before where they had an old dog quarterback who they won a lot of games with, who, you know, clearly wasn't the same guy. But not everybody in the organization could see through the past as quickly as they Could. I've talked to people who drafted quarterbacks and that quarterback's not who we think he was going to be. And this backup looks pretty good and so they've lived it to some degree. I mean obviously no one's had quite this experience where you sign a guy to a megadeal and then draft somebody eighth overall or whatever, you know, six weeks later. So there's some uniqueness to this but nothing's entirely in a vacuum. And he played so poorly. That four game stretch to even where they're, you know, they had the buy in there like after the Chargers game that would have been it for a lot of people based on the production, based on the lack of a scheme fit, where it's clear this young coordinator wants his quarterback in the pistol all the time and he's not comfortable there. And he put him in the pistol twice as much this year as Cousins had been in it his entire career like. And again that career started in 2012 and we're sitting there in week 11 and you're asking to do something twice as many times as he's done it his entire career previously. And what he does best under center play action is no element in this offense and he doesn't, he looks like he's arm throwing and it looks like the arms dying because he's not quite pushing off the way he normally would. Then if, if you're beholden to some of this stuff then you need an athlete at the quarterback position who they're going to have to defend if pistol runs is going to make or break this thing. And that's what you think is best for Bijan Robinson. Then make them defend the quarterback in those pistol runs as well. So no, I saw it coming. I'm not surprised. I think it's silly on their part that the young man Penix didn't get a chance to sort of have a soft launch against Vegas. Now I get it Monday night, but it was a lesser Monday night game. You know, there's no Max Crosby. It's a toothless Raiders team that's going to fight for Antonio Pierce, but they lack a lot of talent. The quarterback on the other side, you know, has already crashed out in Atlanta. Like I don't know why they didn't start this process sooner. At least start running a Michael Pennock package two, three weeks prior Five times a game, eight times a game.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's exactly what I felt. I felt they were too late on this now.

[Jason Lock and Fora]

It doesn't mean it's still like look to keep doing this Thing with Cousins where it's one touchdown in six weeks and it's looking bad in the red zone and he's not looking right physically. To continue with that madness would have been totally asinine.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Jason Lock and Fora]

Is it too late to win the division and salvage anything? Maybe, but you need to start playing Michael Penix. You need to start looking at that, and you need to start giving him opportunities to get some of these first out of the way so that it's. It's not just a year of watching for him his rookie year, so. And crazy things happen in this league.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, he's got, he's got a very, very easy start home against the New York Giants, who stink. Then they flexed the game at Washington into Sunday night next week. But then he comes home for Carolina. Carolina is better than they were, but they're a bad team. So he's got that opportunity in front of him. But it, it makes me happy because it just looks like another bozo move by Arthur Blank. It really does. You know, giving Cousins all that money, then drafting panics, then not, you know, not going to somebody and saying, play this, kid. Go ahead.

[Jason Lock and Fora]

Wait till they have to eat 8 or 10 million to trade Cousins. That's.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jason Lock and Fora]

So that'll be, that'll be the next move.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Do you like them? You're only getting one team in the playoffs there. Do you like them over Tampa Bay? Or do you like Tampa Bay?

[Jason Lock and Fora]

No, I think Tampa is going to win that division. And I think if you want to look at that division, just go look at the teams, what they've done outside the NFC South. The NFC south is a weird division and none of those teams are that good. Like Kirk Cousins looked like Joe Montana against that division. The problem was, you know, he looked like Vinny Testaverde against everybody else.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right.

[Jason Lock and Fora]

So Tampa does compete outside the division. And Tampa's dealt with some injuries and some bad luck and, and have come out the other side of it. The quarterback can be a double agent, but not, you know, not often enough to a truly crippling degree that it offsets what he can do with Mike Evans, what they can do with multiplicity in the run game. The defense has some flaws, but Todd Bowles will have them, you know, ready most weeks. No, I think they're a better football operation than, than the Atlanta Falcons.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, me too. I don't know if you've talked to people about this because it's early in the process. Travis Hunter, the guy won the Heisman, who plays every down defense, offense can. He will he do that in the NFL?

[Jason Lock and Fora]

I haven't talked to people about it much. You're correct about that. But just my suspicion is I don't see why not. I mean, maybe not to this degree and maybe not right away. Some of it's going to depend on the team he goes to, what their needs are, what their strengths are. How creative is that head coach? Is he a guy, you know, trying to stave off the grim reaper, or is he somebody who's got a bit of a bully pulpit and can afford, you know, to do what he wants to do or what he believes in? I mean, I think you'd have to be pretty short sighted not to give him the opportunity to help you on both sides of the ball. Again, maybe it's more judiciously one than the other, but I mean, the best teams are looking for that edge. They're looking for a way to maximize their roster and have, you know, absolute flexibility. And if this guy is my number two wide receiver and my number two corner, then I'm going to find ways to get him on the field or number two on one side of the ball, number three on the other. Again, I don't know where he's going to land and I don't know what else that team's going to do in the off season, but I wouldn't, I wouldn't be shunning that concept. I think you'd be foolish to. If it fails, it fails. If it turns out to be too much, it turns out to be too much. If you got a Rob Peter to pay Paul because he's in one meeting instead of doing this with that position group, you know, those are things you can sort out. But I don't think you have to be a rocket scientist to rearrange your schedule a little bit to put that young man in a position where he can spend time with both position groups.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, you just put him in certain packages and he knows when he's going to go out on the field on both sides of the wall. I think it, I think not only will they try to do it, but there are going to be other players who's going to say, I can do this too. Why don't you give me a shot? That would be fun. Plug your radio show for us, Jason.

[Jason Lock and Fora]

As you can check me out 2 to 6 weekday afternoons on Inside Access on 1057 the FAN in Baltimore. You could listen to that anywhere on the Odyssey app. You can check me out on CBS Sportsline and CBS Sports hq. Handicapping and breaking down mostly NFL games, but not exclusively NFL games. You can check me out on Sunday mornings on NFL all nine BET GM Game Day breaking down the entire slate of NFL games. Sundays from 8 to 11 on Beck youl the Odyssey app and Twitch and YouTube and all that stuff and read me in the post and you find me walking my dogs and Towson Mary.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Just talk to him. Who do you like in this one? That's what you do if you see Jason. Thank you Jason.

[Jason Lock and Fora]

Yes, I'm here for you. That was thank you guys.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Ought to see NFL Insider Jason Locanfora make sure to follow in the huddle on the Odyssey app or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. We will have James Carville. Allegedly, allegedly, Allegedly. And Jeff Ma Allegedly. We're not certain yet. When we return, I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Advertisement Speaker]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show. The Tony Kornheiser Show. This is the gametime read. Did you know that gametime has a new feature called gametime Picks? It makes getting tickets to your favorite teams play live even easier. Gametime Pix filters out the fluff to show you only incredible deals on great seats so you don't have to waste time searching through thousands of tickets. So Michael, you have game time, right?

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah, in my family I have to.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Go for the pick six and you do seat views before you buy and all of that.

[Unknown Speaker]

I would say as you get older you become less willing to go into the unknown. Have to have the seat view and if only I could double click and get a preview of who I'm sitting next to.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh yes, get that too. You can't get that.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah, just arrange.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Unless it was Alan. Alan would have his permanent logo and.

[Unknown Speaker]

The Pick six reference was about bringing you to something I don't bring, I don't go to. I know. I just want to make sure I.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Don'T People understood Game Time Picks makes it easier to save more on sports, concerts, comedy, theater, etc. They're all in pricing shows the total up front with no surprise fees at checkout and my favorite feature is the seat views. This gives you a panoramic view from your seat in the app before you buy. Plus, with GameTime's ticket coverage, your purchase is covered with the most flexible customer service policy in the ticketing industry. So take the guesswork out of buying tickets with GameTime Picks. Download the GameTime app as Michael has done, as Nigel has done. Create an account and use the code Tony for $20 off your first purchase terms. Apply. Again, create an account and redeem code Tony for $20 off download. Game time today. What time is it? Game time. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show.

[Jeff Ma]

Well, you wake up in the morning, boy you hear the ding dong ring. Then you look upon the table bar you see the same darn thing. You find no food upon the table there's no fork up in the pan but you better not complain, boy you get in trouble with the man. And the Midnight special.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is James Carville's walk in music. Paul Evans midnight special But James is not walking through that door. As Rick Patino would say, James Carville's not walking through that door. No, he let us know he can't go live. I will say this about James. We have Jeff Ma waiting, which is fine. But James lost last night's bowl game but was 4 and 2 on the week. So it was a big comeback week for James. James is 42 and 49, but there's enough games left that he can get to there's enough games left that he can get there if it works out. And this week's picks with Jeff Ma are brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. Make every moment more. Jeff was 3 and 4 last week. 40, 42 and 1. Hard times continue for Jeff. Do you want to talk to that issue? Do you have a sense of why this is happening to you? Like Chuck Todd took a big dive two weeks in a row. What's going on?

[Jeff Ma]

Well, I think that Chuck Todd is no offense to him. His regression in the mean, right? Which is ultimately that he was on such a good run and you know, his whenever the name of our podcast is about the process, ultimately what we talk about is process over outcome. And when you go back and you look at a week like last week, you know, one of the things we've talked a little bit about on bet, the process for the last couple years going these bowl seasons, it's like figuring out these opt outs and figuring out motivation. That's a lot of what we're going to talk about this week. On bet the process. But you know, like South Alabama last.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Week was you lost by a half a point. You were given seven and a half. It was 30 to 23. Right.

[Jeff Ma]

But, but you know that there was also South Alabama missed the 20 yard field goal and an extra point.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I didn't know because I didn't think that game was on television in the United States.

[Jeff Ma]

Four letter network called espn. I'm not sure if you're familiar with that one, but they also have a. Yeah, anyway, so the point of that game though, if you go back and you evaluate it was when, when I bet it, it was South Alabama -7 and a half and it had gone down because of the information about certain players on South Alabama likely opting out. One was this running back we talked about, Fluff Bothwell, who was there, you know, freshman running back that entered the portal. One of the areas that there was concern was the quarterback and the quarterback was injured. Their starting quarterback, Gio Lopez, it looks like more players want to play. The line went up to minus nine. So again, when you evaluate how you did, a lot of times you evaluate it based on what we call the closing line or whether there was any value from where you bet it at. So if you bet it's something at minus seven and a half and it closes at minus nine, you think, oh, that was a pretty good bet. You do that more often than not. You will win. But what ended up happening is there was even more news about opt out. So it went down six and a half. Now I fundamentally believe that South Alabama's, you know, top players, those opt outs aren't that big and they ended up having an opt out at wide receiver and opt out at running back. And the quarterback was hurt. So they had played their backup, but their backup played really well. They had a wide receiver that stepped up and set a record and played really well. But one of the key opt outs they had was the kicker. And so ultimately it was the kicker that cost me. So it's kind of like hard to go back and say that I was right or wrong in that situation. Sometimes things are just, you know, decided by dumb luck.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's.

[Jeff Ma]

And if you look at the NFL game that I lost, one of them was the Dolphins plus three over Houston. And in the end you would look back and say like, oh, well, that wasn't even that close. Houston won by I think seven or eight. But in that game to have four, you know, Dolphins turn the ball over four times and we've talked about these turnovers having a high Amount of, you know, they determine whether people win or lose but oftentimes they're very hard to predict and they are luck. So you know, if I go back in that game, I actually think I would bet the Dolphins again that game, you know, hoping that Tua doesn't throw the ball directly to Stingley twice. So it's like it's, it's. You go back and you say, well I was three and four last week but I could very easily have been five and two. So I'm fine with the performance last week. You know, like I think Carolina was probably a bad bet. But even in that Carolina game was funny because opening drive of the game, you know, my premise was that Dallas is going to kind of quit. Opening drive of the game, Caroline goes straight down the field and then Bryce Young fumbles at the nine yard line and then Dallas goes down and that game, you know, Dallas has a lot of, a lot of hopping their stuff at that point.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I like the phrase process over outcome. I like that it's called a rationalization in the English major world. I really like it. It's good, it's good. Who you got for us this week?

[Jeff Ma]

We're going to start in college, a couple of college games that I like. I actually like the underdogs and all these games but I'm not sure beyond the fact that they're just kind of big lines and ultimately we've never seen this format so we don't know how these early round games play out at their, you know, at the home stadiums, etc. But I'm to take Tennessee plus the seven half over Iowa State. I just think it's the lines a little too high. I think, you know, Hyposkop will have this guy, these guys really ready and have an interesting game plan where they'll be able to put up some points. Nico, the Tennessee quarterback is thought to be like the most talent, one of the most talented quarterbacks. College did not play that at times, did not play like that at times this year. But I think they can keep this game within seven and a half in a game that I think there's me a lot of Tennessee fans at.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, yes, agreed. What else?

[Jeff Ma]

We're going to take SMU plus the eight and a half over Penn State and we're also going to take the SMU over 54. I think the concern here, I think SMU will be able to score the ball. Their quarterback Jennings is, is, is really athletic, really fun to watch. It'll be, it'll be great. For people that haven't watched them play this year, to be able to see them play, there's definitely what we call backdoor potential here for them, you know, to be down 14 at towards the end of the game and kind of be able to march down and get this within. We get this within the eight and a half. But I also know that they have not played very many people this year with good offenses and when they have those teams have scored against them. So I think it'll be a relatively high scoring game. So I like SMU plus the 8.5 and SMU over the 54.

[Michael Wilbon]

We actually see the over the number at 53 and a half. So can we give you that?

[Jeff Ma]

Yes, we will take that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, so I'm just going to interject one thing here. You have picked against two Big Ten teams already. Does that represent your feelings about that conference or is that just random?

[Jeff Ma]

I mean, I do think it's interesting because if you compare the Big Ten to the rest of the, to like the sec, the Big Ten had four good teams this year and then the bottom of the Big Ten was not very good. The difference between the SEC and the Big Ten is the sec bottom teams are still very good. Like, you know, you take a stander belt versus a Northwestern, it's very different. Right. So yeah, I do think like there's a potential that the Big Ten is a little bit overrated compared to the sec.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Jeff Ma]

So yeah, I would say that wasn't. That was an unconscious bias as we say in the, in the, you know, maybe another rationalization.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, okay. What did. What else?

[Jeff Ma]

And then in the pros, I'm going to go back to Carolina. I believe going into that game against Dallas they had, you know, they were on the up and up and the Dallas game was hopefully an anomaly. Plus the five over Arizona here. Their defense is playing really well and bright since his benching has played well also again with the exception of last week. So I'm going to take the plus side.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Jeff Ma]

And then there's. There's probably one principle that I would take relatively. You know, you never say I want to bet something blindly, but I'm probably going to bet against the rookie quarterback in his first start almost blindly. So I'm going to take the Giants plus the eight and a half over Dallas. I mean, I know Cousins has been bad and everyone watched that game and you know, they, Atlanta played that game last week as if they were army and it was like army, Navy, they are just, they just did not want to give their Quarterback a chance to make a mistake. And you know, obviously everyone's thinking like, oh, Pennix will be so much better. And that's why you're seeing in this line reflected eight and a half, which is a lot for a rookie quarterback. But, you know, it's the rookie quarterback and I think Penix will probably be good down the line. But in your first start, it's tough to believe that that's something you should back as an 8.5-point favorite.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I think that is the softest spot in the world that you are opening at home against the Giants. But like you, I mean, you watch people like Troy Aikman as rookies, it's very hard. Your worst games are your first few games. I mean, look at Bo Nix this year, right, Jeff? He got much better starting in the third and fourth game. Jaden Daniels is the exception to the rule this year, as CJ Stroud was last year. But by and large, look at the kid in New England, Drake May his worst games or his early starts. I agree with you on this and it would make me happy because it would make again, Arthur Blank look like a bozo, which is what I believe to be true.

[Jeff Ma]

Yeah, and then I'm going to take one more. I'm going to take the Bucks minus the four over Dallas. You know, the Bucs are an interesting team. I was with a buddy this week in Las Vegas and we're sitting there watching the games and he said to me, you know, maybe the dark horse is the Bucs to win the NFC that they've, they've already beaten, you know, Chile and Detroit and they're, you know, bigger. Mayfield's playing as well as any quarterback right now. Their defense is playing really well and I like them to win this game over Dallas and maybe to consider, you know, go back to this idea that Dallas may quit, but minus the four, take them.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm. I like Baker Mayfield. He was described earlier in the show by Jason Locanfora as at times a double agent. And I suspect that's true. But Baker Mayfield, if you got Mike Evans out there, right, Jeff? I mean, that's a big deal. Mike Evans is a first ballot hall of Famer, is he not? I think he is.

[Jeff Ma]

I mean, he is just one of those guys that if you play fantasy football, which I'm sure you don't know, you just want on your team because you just pencil him in for a thousand, you know, yards. But it's just not a sexy pick. He just does it and. But I agree with you, you look up and this guy just produces every year and you know he's, he's a great quarterback. And you know, the thing about Baker is even when he lost Godwin and Evans, he was still very good competitive. Yeah, his resurgence has been incredible. And again, like against they are a team that has, has really surprised people down the stretch and could continue to do that into the playoffs.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I agree with that. I agree with that. Thank you, Jeff. Happy holidays.

[Jeff Ma]

Thanks Tony.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Jeff Mob Boys and girls, this week's picks with Jeff Mobb and brought to you by FanDuel Sports Book. Make every moment more. We will come back with email and jingle. I am Tony Kornheiser. This is the Tony Kornheiser Show. This is the Rosetta Stone. Read this Christmas give the gift that truly keeps on giving a lifetime membership to Rosetta Stone. It's perfect for anyone looking to learn or improve their language skills. Maybe they want to immerse themselves in a new culture. Or maybe they just want to be able to yell at other cars in traffic in a totally different language. That's fun. Whatever the reason, Rosetta Stone has you covered. Rosetta Stone has been a trusted expert for 30 years with millions of users and 25 languages offered like Italian, German, Dutch and many more. Utilizing fast language acquisition, Rosetta Stone immerses you in many ways. There are no English translations, so you really learn to speak, listen and think in that language. Plus, it's convenient with desktop and app options and an audio companion that gives you the ability to download lessons offline. Best of all, it's an amazing value. Lifetime membership gives you all 25 language courses Rosetta Stone offers for 50% off, which is a steal. Don't put off learning that language. There's no better time than right now to get started. Today, listeners to this high quality podcast can get Rosetta Stone's lifetime membership for 50% off. Visit rosettastone.com Tony that's 50% off. Unlimited access to 25 language courses for the rest of your Life. Redeem your 50% off at Rosetta Stone.com Tony today for yourself or as a gift that keeps giving. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Jeff Ma]

It's time now for Tony's Mailbag. It's time now for Tony's Mailbag. It's time now for Tony's Mailbag. With hifaxes and noes. Tell Nigel to thank Bethesda Bagels and read all the smart, funny little emails. It's time now for Tony's Mailbag. It's time now for Tony's mailbag. It's time now for Tony's mailbag. It's the end of the show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Biff God. Yeah, we like Biff God. We love Biff God named Biff.

[Michael Wilbon]

Attention must be paid.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We like Happy.

[Unknown Speaker]

Good dream.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You want to do the Bethesda Bagels yet? As he said you would.

[Michael Wilbon]

Bethesda Bagels. We love them. You will as well. Just go to bethesdavagos.com for the location in the DC area nearest you. Then pop it in. You'll be thrilled. And I do believe they will be open on Christmas Day.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Of course they will be.

[Michael Wilbon]

They open every single day of the year.

[Unknown Speaker]

They have a new location.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, they do?

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

I was unaware of that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Where?

[Unknown Speaker]

I think it's up in Potomac.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Really? We're helping them. Yes. No, they're getting bigger.

[Michael Wilbon]

Expanding.

[Unknown Speaker]

The biggest one yet.

[Michael Wilbon]

Bigger than U.S. steel.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That'll do it for us today. Before we get to the mailbag, let me just say it used to seem to me that my life ran too fast and I had to take it slowly just to make the good parts last. But when you're born to run, it's so hard to just slow down. So don't be surprised to see me back in the bright part of town I'll be back in the high life again all the doors I closed one time Will open up again I'll be back in the high life again all the eyes that watched me once Will smile and take me in that's Stevie Winwood. I love that song. I loved that. And it probably is autobiographical. Yeah, it probably is. Our thanks to Jason Lochinfour, Jeff Ma. Thanks as well to today's sponsors. Remember, you can listen to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Audacy. Get the show through Apple. Please leave us a review from Peter Potke. In Southington, Connecticut, which is right near Bristol, Connecticut, in a boardroom somewhere in corporate America, a meeting commenced with the opening remarks by a clearly disheartened CEO. Well, team, he began, our bricks and mortar retail business has yet another challenge. It has come to my attention that we lost another customer to a yoga joint. He paused. A yoga joint, he said loudly, slamming his hand on the boardroom table. There was an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds before a voice from the other end of the long table meekly said, maybe he can just use our website. The CEO sighed. Brilliant. Email. Okay. From Christopher Fitzpatrick, class of 1984, at Springbrook. On Monday's show, you mentioned a town in England named after no one called Milton Keynes. Wait, I know that town. I stayed in it from 1990 through 1996. The LPGA and LET held an event at Woburn. You played Woburn? I haven't you Woburn Golf and Country Club, which was near Milton Keynes. The event eventually became the Women's British Open, which is now a major in. Milton Keynes was a pub hotel called the Swan that still exists today. This is where myself and my fellow LPGA tour caddies would stay for the week of the tournament. The event was usually held around late July on a golf course with barely any grass and only the greens would get watered. So you wanted to work for a player who could hit a low hook that would run forever. The pub was always festive at night with the locals and the pub owner Larry welcoming us with arms filled with pints. The players would join us as well, depending on what score they were on and what tee time they had the next day. For a caddy, not so much. The best night was Wednesday, which was American Trivia night for the locals of Milton Keynes and any other Brits. The teams would be in groups of three and four and they would try to come up with the right answers of the history of a country that we kicked them out of eventually. As the night progressed, a system of adding a Yankee caddy to the team seemed to be bargained over, buying us a pint or two so we could help with the questions. We would stay in the rooms upstairs in the hotel so there was no Uber needed to get home safe. There was nothing better in the morning than to come back downstairs to the pub and sit in the same chair for the night before and have the classic English breakfast and triple caffeine laced coffee to get you out on the links for your loop that day. That's Christmas. Patrick, that's a great email, isn't it? Love that. Right?

[Unknown Speaker]

If you need any short game help, Dan Grease, pro at Woburn, has a book, three releases is also all over Instagram.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Is that right?

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You've played that course?

[Unknown Speaker]

I have.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Bill Matfield, Fort Mill, S.C. formerly of Deerfield Beach, Florida and Woodbridge, Virginia. I used to live near Fort Lauderdale and I would drive from my house in Deerfield beach to Manassas once a year. My best recommendation is to spend the night in the D.C. area. Start out about 5:30 in the morning. Traffic in Northern Virginia is non existent at that time of the morning. I would arrive at my house between 7:30 and 9:30 in the evening, taking I95 the entire way. Alternate routes are going to Add time There are routes that take you down the Delmarva Peninsula. I don't know them all, but I would imagine that Virginia beach traffic would be just as bad as Northern Virginia traffic. Plus there are choke points in the Carolinas as you try to make your way back to 95, which you have to do. Taking i81 is possible if you get on 81 at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I've used Harrisburg when traveling between Cape cod and the DC area rather successfully. Use Route 15 through Gettysburg to get to DC. Take I81. You'll eventually get to Charlotte via I77. There's also another route where you take US 15 or you take I66 from the DC Beltway to Gainesville, Virginia and get on US 29. This will also get you to Charlotte via I85. From Charlotte you take 77 to Columbia, South Carolina. Get on I26, then you intersect with I95. That's how I get to Fort Myers where I still have family. I travel a lot between the D.C. area, Charlotte and Fort Myers. These alternative routes will add a couple of hours onto your drive time. There's no question about it. If minimizing your drive time is your priority, then sitting in that Northern Virginia traffic is worth it. However, the i81 and US29 routes are far more scenic. If take US29, you'll go through Lexington on i85 and get some excellent barbecue. Way better than Those joints on i95. Hope this works out. These are the kinds of emails that I love more than all.

[Unknown Speaker]

I'll be thinking of that email as like sit995 tomorrow stuck in Fredericksburg.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This these emails define the show to me.

[Unknown Speaker]

Now 81 is so stressful with all those truck off ramps.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh yeah, totally 81. Oh my God.

[Unknown Speaker]

Other cars don't realize the stopping time that a semi truck needs.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh my God.

[Michael Wilbon]

Don't calculate that well.

[Tony Kornheiser]

From Eric in Philadelphia While listening to the show today, the this was the other day I realized that I have my own Christmas themed Bobby Orr story to share. It's just not that Bobby Orr Robert D. Orr was the Governor of Indiana from 1981 to 1989. During that time, my father was an Indiana State Policeman assigned to the Governor's security detail. One aspect of the job that particularly irked my mother was that my father was rarely home for the big holidays as he was usually driving the governor around the state to various functions. One Christmas the phone rang and 8 year old me went to answer it. The only phone in the house was next to my parents bed and I just sat there chatting for what seemed like 10 minutes. My mother concluded this must be my father calling to tell her he would miss Christmas dinner again. Her anger grew as I chatted happily. Finally I yelled to the room, mom, the Governor's on the phone. He wants to talk to you. This is exactly the kind of joke my father would use to defuse the situation. So this only made her anger grow. She grabbed the phone from my hand and said in a too loud an irritated tone, what? On the other end of the line hi Carolyn, this is Bob War. I just wanted to apologize for taking Fred away from you today. He's on his way home now and we'll be there for dinner. My embarrassed mother thanked the governor, was even more thankful she did not utter the thoughts that were going through her head prior to taking the phone from me. A story that continues to delight our family and embarrass my mother. Eric in Philadelphia Brilliant. Lovely. Let's see what else we have here. John John Fitzpatrick in Colorado. Now maybe it's time to get some sweaters made out of Carol's cedar blocks. Those would fit good. Those would fit good. Sally the Knitter writes, I'm saddened to hear you have not solved the moth issue. Maybe you can access this New York Times Magazine article from November 26th. Headline is Moths were destroying my clothes. Tiny parasitic wasps saved them. Trichogramma wasps. They look like tiny black poppy seeds. Lay their eggs inside the moth eggs and destroy the larvae. You can order 12,000 eggs on Amazon for $10.33.

[Unknown Speaker]

Is that two day shipping?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I seem to recall the author mentioning you need to get used to the wasps flying around better than moths. No, I don't want the wasps. I don't want that.

[Michael Wilbon]

Fix one problem, create another one.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I just don't want that. From John in Albany, Oregon formerly John in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. No Chuck and Roxy number though I am a two and a half time emailer. One was to tell you about Cadbury Scream eggs around Halloween and not just at Easter. The other was to support Michael with mayonnaise on grilled cheese. And the half email was for well, I need to save something to talk to Chuck and Roxy about. It's a week shy of the year since I moved, but I finally managed to catch up on the podcast. Long story short, in late 2023 my family relocated from Northern Idaho to the Willamette Valley. Job hunting and online classes made me fall behind on my favorite podcast. But now I'm caught up while catching Up There been several times a topic has come up and I wanted to email, but I knew I was too far behind on the podcast to be timely, however, so I held off. But I think a comment by Michael at the end of Friday's episode has sparked a thought. I wanted to share his Seeing a moth in your house? You have a cedar chest, which should be great for keeping moss at bay. Yes, that's why we got it. Apparently it's not for you. Well, it's like 40 years old. Have you tried sanding it? I'm surprised no one has emailed in to suggest this yet. Unless I completely missed it. As cedar ages, it dries out and loses its effectiveness against moss. Sanding it can replenish the oils and scent and restore its effectiveness in repelling moss. Empty your cedar chest. Give the cedar a good sanding to refresh it, clean out the dust and replace your items. You should have a renewed tool in your fight against the moss. Good luck. John Baker from Albany, Oregon that's. That's good email.

[Michael Wilbon]

That's very good information.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Kelly Hodges, Pocatello, Idaho the proper way to fight back against the photocop ticket system is to send a photo of the cash rather than issue a credit card. That's funny. From Darrell Walter in Rehoboth Beach. Greetings from Queenstown, New Zealand, where the woman I'm related to by marriage and I are on holiday. We just listened to your Monday show about the DC Speed Camera ticket. As a former Bethesda resident, I'm quite familiar with those DC Speed camera tickets. A few years ago, I received two tickets near the K Street tunnel in a single day. I challenged them by requesting documentation of the last time the cameras were calibrated. To my surprise, simply asking that question resulted in both tickets being dismissed. Wow, that's huge.

[Unknown Speaker]

That camera is one of their biggest cash caps.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I suggest you give this approach a try. The key word to use is calibrated.

[Michael Wilbon]

I like that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Putting that in a special pile. Gary Van Giesen from the band Journey. Born and raised in South Detroit, not Detroit, but ironically there is no South Detroit. Just needed the extra syllable. Like DiMaggio, not Mantle and Mrs. Robinson. Of course, Journey is from Canada, so what would they know about the Midwest? Must have gone to school in North Scottsdale. From Bill Powell, Madison, NJ this note comes from the land of the mysterious drones, North New Jersey. Most folks find it disconcerting. There's no info on their origin and who's responsible, myself included. I took my dog for an early evening walk a couple of nights back. As we approached the house, there were a couple of neighbors gazing up at the sky, at the flashing light. Visitors. We chatted a bit about the phenomena and I threw out I wonder if they're hovering over Detroit. A pause resulted and I was asked about the hard E. I explained that Uncle Tony stated, all things music have Detroit with a hard E. My neighbors know I'm a fan with several letters read. One neighbor said, you have the makings of another letter. So here I am. Bill Powell Madison, New Jersey let's see this. Taddeo Latinsky Rossiter in the Palisades neighborhood, which I know well in Washington, D.C. as a fellow French horn player trick or treating, I had no idea that Chuck Todd was a musician as a hobby until I listened to the pod. I agree with them that the embrasure can get temporarily weakened after a long period of time not playing. I find that if I take a few weeks or even a few months off, it takes me a week to get back to playing comfortably. Then again, I practice five days a week in original in addition to piano and playing the French horn, or as we simply call it, we call it simply horn in the Mount Vernon Community Band in Mount Vernon, Virginia. Sounds like Chuck has not played in many years. On the same topic from Steve the Sycophant Chuck Todd's remarks about his embrasure problems while playing the French horn struck a chord, pun intended, in my heart. As a trumpet player for more than 70 years, I felt my embrasure slowly deteriorate from its peak when I was in my twenties. Screeching high notes are a thing of the distant past, and I envy the stringed instrument players and pianists who, if they avoid arthritis and the like, can roll in on their 80s and beyond. Last weekend, after playing back to back Christmas concerts, I could have sucked a lemon without puckering up a bit. And by the way, my hat is off to Mr. Todd, as playing a French horn requires not only a strong embrasure but the ability to force a lot of air into that instrument. One of my band directors, a French horn player par excellence, got a hernia while straining to hit a high note. Happy holidays to brass instrument musicians everywhere. From Josh Cromwell, Moselle, Mississippi, I can confirm that there is no Rockville in Mississippi. We have a Laurel, a Louisville, a Philadelphia, and even a Hot Coffee. Hot Coffee, Mississippi, but no Rockville. Happy to supply this information for life. Michael Benedetti in San Tan Valley, Arizona. You think watching the agency is confusing? Try watching it the way my dad does you see? We share several streaming accounts and my dad is unburdened by technology comprehension. Each time he watches a show, he picks up where I left off, no matter what episode he's supposed to be on. And each time this results in a phone call. The next day when my dad, utterly confused and accident accidentally revealed some spoilers. Come on, dad, what are we even doing? That's funny. That's good. From David Bradley in Sterling, Virginia. If the heat pump repair guy says he'll show up between 11am 3pm and he doesn't get there until 3:15pm, is he really only 15 minutes late? From Brian Sunox in St. Petersburg, Florida. Do you have Netflix? If you do see Christmas Day at one for Chiefs and Steelers game is it's on Netflix?

[Michael Wilbon]

I think it is on Netflix.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

I've been logged in at the beach.

[Tony Kornheiser]

If you're out there, no, Christmas Day will be with Elizabeth. So they have.

[Michael Wilbon]

I'm sure they have it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. From Reese in London. I'm not surprised. Camels spit at you. If you call them and I quote, funny looking, I probably would too. Seasons greetings from Scott Moffitt in Richmond, Virginia. Chuck Todd. Mentioning Fuzzy Zeller reminded me of my interaction with Fuzzy. I was at a master's practice round when I saw Fuzzy heading to the driving range. I told him we love seeing him on the pga. Played Kingsmill in Williamsburg. I played that course. He stopped, looked over and said, that was a fun tournament. Always hot as hell, tons of free beer. Michael Lewis. Not that Michael Lewis in Atlanta, Georgia. I finally have my David Aldrich moment. Well, listen to you and Chuck Todd extol the merits of Michael Lewis. I thought to myself, wait, I know that guy. It's me. Only after he discussed his books and many awards did I realize it was the other Michael Lewis. And my only claim to fame was I attended Corporate Quarry Bank High School in Liverpool. Never mind. Maybe my emails will win a Pulitzer. From Greg Spinelli in McLean, Virginia. Chuck and Roxy. Never gonna happen. I used to hate the Cars for Kids commercial like everyone else. Then I discovered the song was deliberately written to be annoying. I have a newfound respect for it now. I thought that fact might appeal to you. In Topeka, Kansas, I caught your PTI intro and you were talking about Scooter's Coffee Frisco bowl and heard you asked a question. What is Scooters? Coffee Scooters is a coffee franchise here around Kansas City and the Topeka areas. First time I saw one was in Lawrence, Kansas, home of the Jayhawks. Although they're known for their coffee drinks and whatnot. We took a big liking to the smoothies they offer, such as peach, strawberry, strawberry, banana and other varieties of players. They also have these wonderful cake bites with many different flavors as well. We usually go and always get scooters after my son's basketball games. He had a buzzer beater at the end of the first half in one of his games and stood up and yelled, scooters. And he knew he was gonna get a very nice treat from scooters on the way home right after he did it. They ended up winning the game as well. Love the show. Don't ever stop, you know, unless you want to. I get that. Billy Teeters and Topeka, Kansas, if you're out on your bike. Time. To everyone, as always, do wear white Laws in gain Copper Walk. It's all right.

[Dan Byrne]

Thank you.

[Jason Lock and Fora]

Thank you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thank you. Big is in.

[Jason Lock and Fora]

Take off. Mel Brooks.

[Dan Byrne]

The truth can be confirmed Our suspicions are revealed We've known it all along Ballotecks a heel it's been widely understood but this seals the deal now there's no denying Belichick's a heel Spygate was a pretty big clue Videotaping signals to know what they would do Then there was Deflategate Air out of the ball and letting poor Tom Brady take the fall the grumpy press conferences Snarky and catty I won't discuss the loss on to Cincinnati After Brady left After Brady did depart Brady won in Tampa the Patriots fell apart the truth can be confirmed Our suspicions are revealed We've known it all along Belichick's a heel it's been widely understood but this is the deal now there's no denying Belichick's a heel Belichick's a heel Belichick's a heel I'm a Tar Heeled born I'm a tar Heeled bred and when I die I'm a Tar Heel dead.

[Tony Kornheiser]

There.