“The morning routine”

Summary

Podcast Summary: "The Morning Routine" - The Tony Kornheiser Show

Episode Information

• Title: The Morning Routine
• Release Date: March 26, 2025
• Host: Tony Kornheiser
• Guests: Sally Jenkins, Tim Kirchen
• Description: In this episode, Tony Kornheiser delves into personal anecdotes, reflects on the memorial service for his colleague John Feinstein, and engages in insightful discussions about the upcoming baseball season with guest Tim Kirchen.

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1. Tony's Morning Routine and Unexpected Disruptions (00:05 - 11:30)

Tony begins the show by sharing his meticulous morning routine, emphasizing the importance of stretching to manage his chronic back issues. He humorously reveals a personal system involving two clocks in his bedroom—one electric clock set ahead by 30 minutes to keep him on schedule.

Notable Quote:

Tony Kornheiser (05:02): "I get down on the ground and stretch because I've got a bad back. It's a faithful routine that takes about 30 minutes."

However, Tony faces an unexpected disruption when his routine is thrown off by someone altering his clock settings, causing him to arrive late for his usual show preparations. This incident leads to a lighthearted exchange with his co-hosts Michael and Nigel, highlighting the challenges of maintaining strict routines.

Notable Quote:

Tony Kornheiser (07:00): "I look up at the wall clock, it says 6:35. I go, what? So what happened? Now I'm 30 minutes behind."

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2. Memorial Service for John Feinstein (11:30 - 33:43)

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to reflecting on the memorial service for Tony's colleague, John Feinstein, affectionately known as "Junior." Tony recounts the heartfelt event, praising the efforts of John’s friends and colleagues who delivered moving eulogies.

Key Highlights:

• Organizing and Speakers: Bobby Feinstein did an exemplary job organizing the service. Speakers like Jackson Diehl, David Marinus, and Bob Woodward delivered poignant tributes.

• Personal Reflections: Tony shares anecdotes about John's larger-than-life personality, his dedication to journalism, and humorous stories that capture Junior's unique character.

• Emotional Moments: A particularly touching moment was when John’s youngest child, Jane, expressed her grief by saying, "I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to my dad," leading to an emotional response from the attendees.

Notable Quotes:

Tony Kornheiser (16:10): "It was a great send-off. His sister spoke as well. It was beautiful."

Sally Jenkins (22:10): "We had to roast him, don't we? Because that's what we always did to his face."

Tony Kornheiser (30:52): "He was remarkable in that regard."

Interview with Sally Jenkins (33:43 - 39:19)

Tony welcomes Sally Jenkins to the show to discuss John Feinstein's legacy. Sally provides deeper insights into Junior's professional demeanor and personal quirks, illustrating how his candidness and relentless pursuit of truth shaped the Washington Post's sports section.

Key Highlights:

• John's Integrity: Sally emphasizes Junior’s unwavering commitment to journalistic integrity, often challenging authority figures to maintain high reporting standards.

• Humorous Anecdotes: Stories about Junior's messy car and his habit of pulling unexpected items during TV appearances highlight his unpretentious nature.

• Impact on Colleagues: Sally speaks to Junior's influence on his coworkers, fostering a dynamic and honest work environment.

Notable Quotes:

Sally Jenkins (23:16): "John practically lived in his car. The backseat was always full of junk and old food wrappers."

Tony Kornheiser (36:57): "When you had dinner with Junior, nobody ever said, what was that guy's name again? Because he was unforgettable."

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3. Upcoming Baseball Season and Opening Day Discussions (39:19 - 53:55)

Transitioning from personal stories, Tony engages with guest Tim Kirchen to discuss the excitement surrounding the upcoming baseball season.

Key Topics:

• Opening Day Traditions: Both hosts express enthusiasm for baseball’s Opening Day, reminiscing about traditional celebrations and the significance of the event in American sports culture.

  Notable Quote:

  Tony Kornheiser (43:06): "April 1st should be national baseball Opening Day. No matter what day that falls on."

• Player Updates: Tim brings up concerns about Mookie Betts losing weight and its potential impact on his performance, blending humor with genuine concern for the athlete's well-being.

  Notable Quote:

  Tony Kornheiser (43:40): "Mookie Betts is down 25 pounds. What's the deal with Mookie Betts?"

• Team Analysis: They analyze the strengths of teams like the Dodgers and the Yankees, discussing player injuries and team dynamics that could influence the season's outcome.

  Notable Quote:

  Tim Kirchen (47:53): "I think they're the best team in baseball, and I'm absolutely certain of that."

• Rule Changes in Baseball: The conversation shifts to potential rule changes aimed at protecting starting pitchers, reflecting on the challenges and feasibility of implementing such changes in the near future.

  Notable Quote:

  Tim Kirchen (49:56): "Max Scherzer got me in a headlock two years ago... but I don't see it as something feasible for this year or next."

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4. Listener Engagement and Emails (55:20 - 65:59)

Towards the end of the episode, Tony interacts with listener emails, showcasing a mix of humor and community engagement.

Notable Highlights:

• Personal Stories: Listeners share humorous and heartfelt stories, ranging from struggles with high utility bills to creative anecdotes about family and daily life.

• Appreciation for Contributors: Tony expresses gratitude towards listeners for their supportive messages, particularly highlighting his daughter Faith’s heartfelt email, which moved him emotionally.

  Notable Quote:

  Tony Kornheiser (59:22): "Faith's brilliant writing... comes from her mom, who has degrees in education, French, and English."

• Humorous Exchanges: Light-hearted banter about potato chips preferences and the challenges of managing temptations adds a relatable touch to the episode.

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5. Musical Interludes and Closing Remarks (65:59 - End)

The episode wraps up with musical contributions from listener Dan Byrne, who performs a song celebrating Opening Day, encapsulating the infectious enthusiasm surrounding the baseball season.

Final Thoughts: Tony concludes the episode by reiterating his appreciation for the guests, sponsors, and listeners. He emphasizes the importance of community and shared experiences, leaving listeners with a sense of camaraderie and anticipation for the upcoming baseball season.

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Conclusion

In "The Morning Routine," Tony Kornheiser skillfully blends personal reflections with professional insights, honoring the memory of a cherished colleague while igniting excitement for the baseball season ahead. Through heartfelt conversations and engaging discussions, the episode offers a rich and multifaceted listening experience, capturing the essence of Tony's relatable and thoughtful approach to sports and life.

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Notable Quotes Overview:

• Tony Kornheiser (05:02): "I get down on the ground and stretch because I've got a bad back."
• Tony Kornheiser (16:10): "It was a great send-off. His sister spoke as well. It was beautiful."
• Sally Jenkins (22:10): "We had to roast him, don't we?"
• Tony Kornheiser (43:40): "Mookie Betts is down 25 pounds. What's the deal with Mookie Betts?"
• Tim Kirchen (49:56): "Max Scherzer got me in a headlock two years ago..."
• Tony Kornheiser (59:22): "Faith's brilliant writing comes from her mom..."

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Timestamps for Key Discussions:

• 00:00 - 11:30: Tony's Morning Routine and Clock Incident
• 11:30 - 33:43: Memorial Service for John Feinstein
• 33:43 - 39:19: Interview with Sally Jenkins
• 39:19 - 53:55: Baseball Season and Opening Day Discussions
• 55:20 - 65:59: Listener Emails and Engagement

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Recommendation: This episode is a must-listen for fans interested in a blend of personal storytelling, in-depth sports analysis, and engaging community interactions. Tony Kornheiser's genuine approach ensures that both longtime listeners and newcomers will find value and entertainment throughout the episode.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey, it's Tony. On today's show, we're going to catch up with Sally Jenkins, who spoke at Junior's memorial service. And we'll also talk with Tim Kirchen about the start of the baseball season. But first, let's do commerce.

[Announcer]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Michael]

Don't let the captain near that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I think you should go to that. Absolutely.

[Michael]

Will you take the boys?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Sure. Into the rabbit hutch? Sure.

[Nigel]

Again, picture of a Flemish Giant rabbit.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, my God. That's like six feet tall. Wow. That's six. Six feet tall. Yeah.

[Michael]

Knows how to take a charge.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Wow. This is General George Washington, and you're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show. I had no idea that rabbits could be that big. I mean, I guess when you call something a Flemish Giant, you're a tip off. There's a tip up on it. That thing is six feet tall.

[Nigel]

It's the largest thing you could ever imagine.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Unbelievably big. Yeah.

[Nigel]

It's like the same.

[Tony Kornheiser]

How is that possible?

[Nigel]

I am not sure.

[Tony Kornheiser]

How can you have space species diet where you have little bitty bunnies? You think it's diet? What, they're taking steroids or something?

[Nigel]

That's right on the.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Wow. That thing is. So you've seen those?

[Nigel]

I haven't seen them up close, but, you know, you see the photos, people holding them. It's like a small cow. I mean, they're just gigantic.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So Flemish is Belgium. Is that where they're grown? That's where they live? Belgium.

[Nigel]

Yeah. It's not the steel farms of Sweden.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The.

[Nigel]

The Flemish rabbit farms.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. All right. So I have a few things to talk about today. I'm not going to get to all of them. I'm just going to tell you. We are going to get to the memorial service for John Feinstein that I went to yesterday. Sally's. Sally and Mary Carrillo got up there and they killed it. Yeah, they killed it. They were so great. And so we'll talk to Sally about that, among other things. And then I did an event last night where I was, you know, nominally the moderator of an event so that Arch Campbell could talk about his book, the Accidental Critic. He asked me at one point, do you know the name of the book? And I looked at him and I went, didn't see it. Didn't want to see it. And he goes, don't want to see it? No. He's. No. See, I said I wanted to give me another chance. War and Peace.

[Michael]

Anyway, so four letter word after a missed putt.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Right. So I don't know that I'll get to that.

[Nigel]

Arch Cavill, an original member of Team Coco, right?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. Yes. I don't know that I'll get to that, because something happened this morning that I need to get to. When I. Usually the routine here is that we do the show from Uncle Benny's table in the house and that Nigel and Michael come over usually between 7:15 and 7:30. And by 7:30, we're downstairs and we're ready to go. Even if we don't start at 7:30, I, you know, I've walked the dog, I've fed the dog, I've made sure that everything is all right. And, and, and then we go.

[Michael]

One of my favorite moments of the day.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Oh, okay. That's very nice.

[Michael]

Good heart to hearts.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I have a routine that I follow in the morning, which is I get down on the ground and stretch because I've got a bad back. I've had a bad back. Thankfully it's been better in the last year, year and a half. But there is, there is a faithful routine of stretching that I follow. And I will stand up and lean against a wall, stretch my legs, get down on the ground, stretch my back. It's, you know, it takes about 30 minutes. That's what it takes.

[Michael]

And then you get to the hips.

[Tony Kornheiser]

30 minutes. Well, the hips are, you know, the hip bone's connected to the thigh bone, connected to the knee bone. So one of the things I do to prepare for this is I. And nobody would know this because nobody's in the bedroom. I have two clocks in the bedroom. I have one electric clock and one wall clock. The wall clock is set to the correct time. The electric clock is set about 30 to 35 minutes ahead. This is deliberately done so that I do the math in my head, and I know when to get up, and I know when to do the exercises, and I know when to walk the dog, and I know when I'm gonna be home. I'm always home before Michael and Nigel get here. But not today. Not today. What are you whining at? You caused this. Well, you didn't actually cause this. So today they were here before I was here. And the reason was. And I found this out. So I get up when my electric clock basically says 6:26, 25, 6:30. And I do the math in my head. And that way I know I'm always out of here by real time. 6:30, 6, 46, 45. So I'm down on the ground.

[Michael]

It's a lot of math for pre sunrise.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it's a lot of math for an English major too. But it's basically 30 minutes, and I can handle it. And it keeps me alert so that I can do the rest of the tasks during the day.

[Michael]

The similarities Here with a certain seven and a half year old.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Strike it. Okay. The older you get, the more you have in common with somebody 80 years younger than you. So this morning I get down on the ground and, you know, and I look at. And it says on my. On my electric clock says 6:35. I'm good. You know, I'm good. I'm starting everything. I know what I'm doing. Then for some reason that I haven't been able to understand yet, I look up at the wall clock, it says 6:35. I go, what? Oh, no. What? So what happened? So now I'm 30 minutes behind, and I don't get out till after 7. And I don't get back here till after 7:30. And Nigel and Michael are here, perhaps wondering. Perhaps.

[Michael]

So whenever I open the door and I look left, I don't see SportsCenter on.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I worry, yeah, nothing was on, so I wasn't in the house.

[Michael]

So in the newspaper for you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I saw that. That troubled me because I always pick up the news.

[Michael]

What troubled me was the food section was outside the fold. I don't know if someone had been messing with your paper. Maybe they just added later.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know how many sections they put in and how they do it manually and so on and so forth. So somebody, not me, because I'd remember this somebody, and I'm not sure who. Somebody in my house yesterday, thinking they were doing me a favor, changed my clock. I know who was in here yesterday. I don't want to. I don't want to use the word confrontation, but there's always that possibility.

[Michael]

Confrontation. Valjean, at last.

[Tony Kornheiser]

There's always each other played. It's always that possibility that I would be confrontational, even though I didn't want to be. So someone else is going to have to do this. Maybe Carol changed the clock. But why, after this amount of time, why somebody changed the clock and I didn't change the clock? And then I thought, could the clock have changed by itself? Could there have been a bolt of lightning that changed everything?

[Michael]

So we have a clock in our bedroom, a digital clock, and it's been losing probably two minutes a year, about.

[Tony Kornheiser]

30 minutes in a day. How about that?

[Michael]

No, that.

[Nigel]

That I'm going ahead.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, going ahead. Not going backwards. Yeah, going ahead. Somebody did this, and I need to find out who, because I need to say or have someone else as a surrogate say to that person. No, no, no. That there's A reason? Yeah, there's a reason. This. This has been happening for every single time you've been here. Every single time. So I don't know. Yeah.

[Nigel]

Leave it be.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I didn't do it. Is there any other explanation? It had to have been manually done. Yeah.

[Michael]

This is like when you, you know, you go through a hall and you see the clock set to different places in the world, and you have to have something, a plaque underneath that just goes, Tony's game clock.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right. That's what it is. And that helps me. That is. I am a profound creature of habit and routine. And that. That is there for me. Me specifically.

[Michael]

Did it ruin the walk with Chessy when you finally made it out?

[Tony Kornheiser]

No. I mean, she. I was not going to shortchange her on any level. No. It just ruined my day, you know? Just ruined my day. So I could only go. And then when I came near the house and saw your cars, I went, oh, they probably, you know, they're probably wondering, where is he? What happened? You know, where's the dog? What's going on? So. So that happened to me today. And it. It has. It has put me off kilter. It has put me off kilter.

[Nigel]

I have to say.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I find I didn't finish the routine. Oh. I had to cut the routine short by 40%. Yeah. That's to get her out. And I don't. I don't like that. No. I don't like.

[Nigel]

Gotta have the routine. That's the base for the entire day.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's how I feel. I just.

[Nigel]

I take comfort in this story because I also have my bedroom clock set forward by a lot of. Actually much more than 30 minutes. It's something like an hour and 45 minutes, which I don't know.

[Michael]

Why would you settle at an hour 45? But it's a different day.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Do it for a reason.

[Nigel]

Yes, I. And so when I get in there, I do the math, and I think the math helps me wake up.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. So. So, yeah, it's like everything about this is specifically oriented to my day. I get it. I know how to do it.

[Nigel]

If somebody's reset that clock for me, I would be late everywhere.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, I've started out this. I'm behind. I'm behind. And I had to, at my own personal, physical peril, I had to change the route. I'd stop and curtail it.

[Nigel]

Yeah, you got.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm not going to get back to it. Once you put your clothes on, that's it. You're not getting back to it. Yeah. It's as simple as that.

[Michael]

Like the first tuck you never get another first time.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's exactly right. That's right. That's right.

[Nigel]

So, okay, is Jesse feeling better? She seems it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

She never felt badly.

[Michael]

Well, she had half and half for breakfast.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, we. We put her back to half food because she did not have diarrhea this morning. Oh, good. You know, so. Yeah, so maybe she's. She always felt good. She just. She did. She had a bad week. She had two days of vomiting last week, and then she had two days of diarrhea. And I would say, I have been told, I don't know if this is true, that this is what happens when dogs eat deer poop. Well, I don't know where the deer poop is. The adult. Yeah, dogs find stuff and eat stuff, and you don't even know what they're eating. Like, if they were sitting down for a sandwich, you would know. No. So they eat stuff off the ground and you don't. You don't even notice that they're eating it. So we hope she's okay. All right. The. So June, there was the Junior memorial service yesterday. And it was really good. It was really good. And Junior's brother Bobby did a great job of organizing it. Just a fabulous job of organizing it. And the speakers there were wonderful, just wonderful. Jackson Deal, who ran the op Ed section of the Washington Post for years and was Junior's good friend because they started together as metro reporters in Prince George's county and have been close for 50 years. Close for 50 years. David Marinus, one of the great writers. Ever work on a newspaper to grace a newspaper? He's just wonderful. And he gave a very moving eulogy, in effect, of Junior. Bob Woodward. That just doesn't get any better than Bob Woodward. Now, Junior's idol was Bob Woodward. I keep going present tense. And Woodward said something that if you were a member of Junior's family or close friend over the years, you would be so gratified by this. Woodward talked about Junior's ability long before he became a sports writer to be a reporter and to cover something and to own it the way he covered it. And Bob might know something about this. Since Bob and Carl did Watergate, they might know something about this. And he said, there's a particular trial in Prince George's County. And Bob said, I tell people, now, go pull the clips. This is how you cover a trial. This is how you do it. And that was wonderful. Gary Williams got up there, was so funny. Gary was so funny. I just loved it. I mean, I Didn't. I honestly didn't expect it. And it would. Gary was great and, and Sally and Mary Carrillo got up there and crushed it. And they really did. You know, they cursed and they made fun of them. They just, just trashed him completely. And, and that was needed. All of that was needed. And Bobby put the whole thing together and did it the right way. And there were people there, people there that I hadn't seen a long time from the Post. You won't know these names. You won't know the name of Kathy Orton or Gene Wong. Gene Wang has been there almost as long as I've been there and done college basketball and stuff like that forever and ever. It's great to see him. Steve Buckantz was there. Chick Hernandez was there. Steve Colby was there. Joe Yasharoff, a sports producer on television for a thousand years, was there. Marty Kaiser, who ran the Baltimore sun when Mike Litwin was a columnist of Baltimore sun and New Junior. Well, was there. George Solomon, of course, was there. Hoops Weiss came down from Philadelphia with Fran Dunphy. I got to say hello to Fran Dunphy. He was talking to Gary afterwards, which was really nice. Jack Kavance was their local stuff. And it was Barry's Verluga was there. Yeah, it was really nice. Matt Rennie was there. I just. I felt really sort of kind of at home, you know. And some people said, why aren't you speaking? I said, well, they don't need me. They had great speakers. I wouldn't have been. I wouldn't have been any better. Wouldn't have been any good. And so it was, it was really. It was really a nice thing. It was a great send off. There was one moment where I lost it and everybody lost it. When Junior's youngest child, Jane, got up there and her first words were, I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to my dad. So you be. You begin to cry as I am now. You begin to cry when you hear that. Everybody begins to cry when they hear that. And it was poignant and beautiful and tears your heart out. But it was quite well done. Mike Krzyzewski sent a video in. Yeah, they had trouble running it for a while, but then they got to it.

[Nigel]

They got to it and it was lovely.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It was lovely. And these are all people who were influential and present in Junior's life for all that time. I mean, he started at the Post. He was a kid, 21, 22, 1977, 78, somewhere around there. And as I've said here many times, he wasn't larger than life. He was louder than life. And, and this was a great, a great send off. His sister spoke as well. And it was, it was beautiful. It was really, really nice. So I'll get to the Arch Campbell thing the next time we do a show, but we'll get out of here now. Who's first? Sally. Sally. We have Sally Jenkins when we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show. Love looks different for everyone, especially when it comes to all the ways you treat and celebrate yourself. So why don't you gift yourself the everyday indulgence of extraordinary hydration from Liquid IV powered by Liquid IV Hydro Science. Visit LiquidIV.com and fall in love with flavors like the zesty new hydration multiplier sugar free raspberry lemonade. And use the code Tony k to save 20% off your first order. Liquid IV has true to fruit flavors to keep you hydrated. You can find all your favorite hydration multiplier flavors flavors on their website like acai berry. Acai berry.

[Michael]

That's our flavor of the month right now. The boys after school, they like that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Michael]

Yeah. Dad's special drink.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. Lemon lime, pina colada. Yeah. Yeah. You drink this stuff? I do.

[Nigel]

I do.

[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Nigel]

I hike all the time. Especially out in Great Falls and we're getting into the season, it's not quite there yet where it's just ridiculously hot all the time.

[Michael]

Be careful this weekend.

[Nigel]

Yeah, this weekend. Yeah. Supposed to be hot every time I go out. You just arm yourself with a Liquid iv. It's just the best.

[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Nigel]

All the time.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Nigel]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

This comes to us from Joe Turner, who says Joe here from Greensboro, North Carolina by way of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. I'm the drummer for Greensboro, North Carolina based pop funk rock band. Listen to this name Girl Scout Riot. It's a great name. It really is a good name. Attaches a song entitled Ooh Uno from our soon to be released ep. Always appreciate your willingness to promote local music. It's only local where it's local and then it becomes national when we do this show. Girl Scout Riot. Great name. Name of the tune is Uno plays in Sally Jenkins. Sally, As I said before, Sally and Mary Carrillo got up at the junior memorial service and just killed it. Crushed it. I should also mention I was, you know, I mean, Mary and Sally came from distance to be there. Hoops Weiss came from distance. Leslie Visser came from distance. Bob Ryan came from distance. Really, really nice. You, you, you were, you guys were fabulous. Absolutely fabulous. And, and oh, I just got a message from Matt Rennie because I didn't know, you know, Sal, I didn't know the name of this sports editor who I met yesterday. I knew his first name was Jason. And so I said to Matt Rennie, what's his last name? It's Jason Murray. So he's your editor now, right? Jason Murray?

[Sally Jenkins]

Yes, he is.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, so that's good to know. So he was there, right? I think that he. I'm pretty sure he went to Syracuse. I know he ran the Syracuse Post Standard for a while.

[Sally Jenkins]

Yeah, he was a big Syracuse guy.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. So that's, that's good to know. So you and Carrillo absolutely killed it. Just since I explained how it worked and since it is a memorial service, the attitude that you brought to it was absolutely perfect. Was its. Did you sit down and say we need to crush him? It's important because we're not sure anybody else will and let's take the shot.

[Sally Jenkins]

Yes, we had dinner. Mary and I had dinner at the Bombay Club the night before the memorial. And Mary said, we have to roast him, don't we? And I said yes, because that's what we always did to his face, you know, so that was the relationship with John. You were just brutally honest with each other.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I love.

[Sally Jenkins]

And that's why we loved him, because.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He was brutally honest that you did that. Like other people were like, Gary was really, really funny, and Bob Woodward was very funny. Jackson and Dylan, David Marinus were not as funny, but there was poignant, and it was wonderful. But you killed him. It was so good. It was so good. The stories were so. If you knew him, the stories were just tone perfect. And you didn't have fears. No fears. Right. Did you clear it with Bobby first?

[Sally Jenkins]

We did. Well, sort of, yeah. I was texting with Bobby, and Bobby was funnier than anybody.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Sally Jenkins]

I mean, the great thing about Bobby was Bobby. Bobby sounds a bit like John and looks a bit like John and his attitude and his. His way of dealing with, you know, technological glitches in the sound when Krzyzewski's audio wouldn't play on the video, you know, was perfect. It was pitch perfect. So I knew Bobby's tone. Bobby told me he's like, John would have hated phoniness and false sentiment. So, you know, Bobby and I talked it out a bit a couple of days ahead of time, so I knew that Bobby wanted. We knew John, and we knew what John would have laughed at and wanted, and we wanted it to be true to him.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It was wonderful. There's certain lines we can't use here because we don't do profanity on this particular podcast, but can you tell anything that was, you know, can you just review for people who might be listening, one of the one or two things that you and Mary talked about? And if not, I'll just give you a hint. Car. His car. His filthy, disgusting car.

[Sally Jenkins]

Well, John's car was. You know, John practically lived in his car. Right. Because he drove everywhere. And so there was. The backseat was always full of junk and full of, you know, old food wrappers and all that. As Mary Carrillo said, you know, you had to watch out for the raccoons in the backseat.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So the amazing thing is now people are not going to know this because they don't know. And Junior liked to drive a Jeep, and he drove it hard. And there was. Yeah, there was just piles of junk in the back, including all of his clothing and including everything he had eaten for the last two years. 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 projected to people who are 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.

[Sally Jenkins]

Grease on it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Just disgusting. Disgusting. And you. And you'd look at him and go, where'd you get that? I got it from my car. Awful. Just awful.

[Sally Jenkins]

Now, Junior was. Junior was one of a kind. He really was. One time, John and I would have dinner about once a week. Usually I cooked for him, and it was always a steak. He always wanted a steak.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He wanted the dinner steak, not the luncheon steak. He wanted the largest steak on the menu. Yes.

[Sally Jenkins]

So we're on the way to dinner, and he says, I gotta. I have to stop off. I gotta do one. One errand on our way to dinner. You know, you'll just come with me. And I said, okay. So it was right after the season on the Brink had hit big and become a bestseller, and he'd gotten his first royalty check. And the errand was. We stopped at a car dealership, and he bought a car.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's a lot of money.

[Sally Jenkins]

He wrote a check for, like, cat. For the entire amount.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Good for him. Wow.

[Sally Jenkins]

On his way to dinner.

[Tony Kornheiser]

On his way to dinner. And within three weeks, that car looked like it was 15 years old. Looked like it had gone through the Sahara.

[Sally Jenkins]

Exactly.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Just didn't you think. Didn't I said this earlier here? It was great. The service was great.

[Sally Jenkins]

He was Linus from, like, the Peanuts cartoon.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Didn't you.

[Sally Jenkins]

You know, he attracted lint.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, dirt. Yeah, dirt. There was, like, a constant ball of dirt following him. Didn't you think the service was great? It was really great.

[Sally Jenkins]

It was great. It was the perfect mix of people. First of all, it was packed. It was huge. Like, the number. The sheer numbers of people that turned up was really gratifying because, you know, that told you how much people really liked John, even though we all made fun of him and he made fun of us, and there was so much sparring, but everybody loved him. And so to see everyone turn up, like, that was great. And then the other thing was, you know, there was a certain acknowledgment of John's magnitude as a journalist that I really loved because he deserved it. And that was, you know, the fact that Bob Woodward was a featured speaker. David Marinus, Jackson Diehl. You know, the greatest journalists in the history of the Washington Post stood up and said, this guy was one of the greatest reporters we ever saw. And I loved that because it was true. You know, no matter what stage you were in your friendship with John, no matter how frustrated you might be with him personally, I mean, you always had to acknowledge just the pureness and the energy of his reporting work. You know, everybody respected John as a journalist.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He was a dominating personality. He enjoyed that. You know, I've told the Pat Riley story before. You're loud, you're large. Don't ever change. He would have tattooed that on his head if he could have. And the other thing, I remember saying this the other day. Okay, let's say you had dinner with Junior. Let's say there's four people or six people or eight people or 12 people, right? Sally? 10, 12 people at a table at a restaurant with Junior at the end of it. Nobody ever said, what was that guy's name again? Nobody ever said that. Nobody ever said that because he was.

[Sally Jenkins]

Yeah, I had an early dinner party, and I was not yet old enough to realize that you can't make people wait two hours to eat or they'll all get drunk and start fighting, right? And I had John and my old friend Robin Rather, who's Dan Rather's daughter, Great, great friend of mine, and her. And her boyfriend, then, boyfriend, who also was named John. And by dinner time, I thought the two Johns were going to have a fist fight in my living room because John was so loud and so opinionated, and these two people, these poor Robin and her boyfriend, were just looking on in amazement and, like, trying to contradict some of his tidal waves of statements.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He was remarkable in that regard. And as you know, you didn't do this. I had to do. I had to walk away. I had to walk away for weeks or months or years or years because it just got to be too much, you know, because he's always right and you're always wrong, and it would tell the story. Just clean up the last line about. Tell that story. Because I. I love that story because I have a similar story. Tell that story.

[Sally Jenkins]

Well, he did it on more than one occasion, obviously. But so John, you know, John had no respect for authority, right? John actively shaped that authority, whether it was his sports editor or whether it was a copy. And so we're at a final four, and we're going through. We're trying to cut around the court to get back to the press room, and there's a security guard there, perhaps even A cop said, you can't come this way. You have to go the other way. You have to go around. And John said, I'm on deadline for the Washington Post, and if you stop me from getting to the press room, I could miss deadline. It'll be your fault, you know, if 2 million readers, you know, don't find out what happened in this Final Four game. And it's going to be on you. And, you know, I have to get back there. And, you know, just let. Just let us through. So the guy finally, after getting harangued by John for two minutes, you know, says, okay, just go quick, you know. So we cut through, and we're going down the hall, and John cuts his eyes over at me, and he starts grinning, and he says, effing guy didn't do his job.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This story is not simply true. It's one of a series of stories that ends with that line. I will go back to the 1984 Olympics. Junior and I are trying to get through a certain gate. I have the proper credentials. Junior does not. This is 12 years after Munich. This is the first United States Summer Olympics in a long time. Nobody is screwing around in L. A. Nobody, okay? And there's a kid. Is a kid guard. He's 19. He's 20. He's not older than that. And he says, I'm sorry, sir, you can't get through here. And he explains it patiently. And Junior does the same thing. I'm working for the Washington Post. I'm in a deadline situation here. We have millions of readers. Do you want to be responsible for the fact that they don't get this paper? And I'm just. I'm quiet, I'm silent. I've got the right credentials. I'm just. This is like a floor show to me. As Junior does this. It's something right out of Saturday Night Live. And he harangues and harangues, harasses this kid, and he destroys this kid. And the kid finally says, okay, okay, just go through one step. And he looks at me, uses that same line. Effing kid didn't do his job. I looked at him. I've never forgotten that. That's why when you had the same story, it was like a thunderclap. And I thought, my God, how he does this everywhere. And he did.

[Sally Jenkins]

He did it at Wimbledon. He did it to the. The old wing commanders at Wimbledon. I mean, you know, he had no reverence. No reverence whatsoever.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No.

[Sally Jenkins]

And, you know, in a way, don't you think, Tony, he helped set the Tone for our sports section in terms of, you know, the way we treated our editor, George Solomon, the way we treated Ben Bradlee, like we had.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No. He yelled and screamed at George. He would scream at. George is, after all, the sports editor and a brilliant sports. Nobody ever had an eye for talent like George Solomon. Right. Salary. Nobody ever.

[Sally Jenkins]

He had an eye for talent, and he let that talent run rampant. I mean, if you wanted to do something, if it was a good idea and you wanted to do something, he'd say, okay, go do it. You couldn't travel enough and you couldn't write enough for George. And you also. You could get smart with George, because John did. And like I can remember, you know, it was October 31st, it was Halloween, and we were all horsing around in the office and. And I remember saying to George, hey, George, what are you going to be for Halloween? An editor.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's funny.

[Sally Jenkins]

We were just. And it was. Because, John, you just didn't. It's hard to explain, but you know how we all talk to each other, we all made fun of each other, we all competed with each other, and we all were really high energy. And I think that Feinstein had a great deal to do with that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It was. I mean, I say this selfishly. I know I do. The Washington Post has been a great sports section for over 50 years. A great sports section.

[Sally Jenkins]

I mean, I look at Yankees of the profession.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. I look around at it, you know, in. In this. I mean, I always thought the Boston Globe and the LA Times. And then when I say that to people, they go, no, no, no, Your place. Your place was the best. The Washington Post was the best. And it's a long, long period of time. I should have asked this before. Was there a service like this for your dad that people gathered around and told stories?

[Sally Jenkins]

I mean, there was a lot of that. We had a dinner the night before where people told stories and there were. But it wasn't quite like this because my dad had been at a bunch of different publications. The thing that made Junior's memorial unique was the loyalty at the Washington Post. You know, the loyalty to the institution. The.

[Tony Kornheiser]

A place he was fired from three different times.

[Sally Jenkins]

A place he was fired from three times. I mean, Len Downey was there, right?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, Len was there.

[Sally Jenkins]

One of the great lions of journalism. I mean, the place was. It was a constellation of great historical figures in journalism, you know, and so I think that there was a. The glue of the Washington Post at John's memorial was really, I think, remarkable.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Did you tell the ESPN story that being fired by espn. You told that, right?

[Sally Jenkins]

That was Mary.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Mary Tilla. Okay, so Mary tells. This story is 100% true. It's just 100% true. And it speaks to everything that Junior is. Junior did not do well being successful. Because if you are successful, you know, you're supposed to act in a certain way. And Junior wants to be angry all the time. Okay? So he wants to. And I know, Sal, you will agree, Junior's big move is to bite the hand that feeds him. Right, Sal? Yeah, everywhere.

[Sally Jenkins]

Oh, yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Bite the hand that feeds him. Just make sure. I'm gonna bite your head. And I'm gonna do it so publicly that you're gonna hate me. It's okay. It's the way. That's the way it is. It's the, you know, it's the asp. A biting Cleopatra, the way it's gonna have to be. So he's working at ESPN here and there. We're all doing sort of freelance work. At ease. ESPN here and there. We're in the sports reporters here and there. Junior And I, when ESPN2 started, we were something called the wise guys. And we went to outdoor venues and filmed back and forths for two minutes at a time or stuff like that. Made 100 bucks, whatever it was. And every time Junior had an opportunity to go on public airwaves, he would rap. Espn, how can we work there? Had to see what they do. They have no integrity and go on and on like this. And so it's caused a crisis at espn and they fired him once or twice. And then somebody would say, no, he's really good. Like, put him back on. You know, he's. And he would. They would put him back on. And finally they got to the point and Mary tells the story that he. They had to say, that's it. That's it. We've given you more than 3 chances, 5 chances, 10 chances, and you do nothing but insult us. Right? You know, nothing but insult us. So you can't do this anymore. And people like me who know these stories, that's who he was. What you said before about authority. He hates all authority. He hates. It's not that he hates success, but he makes the assumption that large organizations that are successful are inherently corrupt. Would that be fair to say?

[Sally Jenkins]

That would be exactly fair to say. I mean, he would go on the air and he'd talk about espn, you know, jacking around with the start times of games and, you know, for audiences and for bigger audiences and what it was doing to the athletes and, you know, stuff like that. He criticized their policy right on air. And so Mike Lupica fought for him to get back on the sports reporters. And the producer fought for him. And finally, Joe Valerio. Yeah, Joe Valerio. And finally they let John back on once on the sports reporters. And he rips. He did it again on the sports reporters. And after the show, Mike Lubica comes over to him and he says, john, what the f was that? And John just looked at him and said, I couldn't help it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So the saving grace for me, I was never on the sports reporters with Junior or Wilbon, because we are of the same paper. You would never do that. Never on Sally. You know, you were on. You were the representative that day. Because if I was on with him, I'd have killed him. I just would have. Let's stop the show. What are you talking about? You can't do this. On the other hand, there was a certain ring of truth, right, Sal? In almost everything he said.

[Sally Jenkins]

Sure, yeah. Absolutely. No, I mean, he was. He was right. One of the few organizations he never really ripped was the United States Golf Association. He was good to the usga, and the USGA was good back to him because. And partly, I think this is the one area where I think John might have wilted just a little. The USGA gave him unbelievably great parking at the US Open.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, parking's important.

[Sally Jenkins]

He parked right. He had a dedicated spot right next to the media tent, which, as you know, could be an incredibly long haul. Like, you know, you had to take a medium bus from a hotel and then hike half a mile through, you know, an unpaid paved meadow. You know, get mud on your pants. By the time. We were all muddy by the time we got to the press room, except John. It was the one time John was clean because he had a great parking spot from the usga. He loved golf. Golf brought something out, maybe because it's an honor code. Golf brought something out in John that he was a little bit more decorous around golf.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So parking was important and seating was important. I have seen him. I have witnessed with my own eyes Junior taking the placard with his name on it from the fifth row, going down to the front row, putting it on somebody's. Somebody's spot who he didn't particularly like, and then taking it back up four rows and putting that guy four rows back so Junior could sit in the front. Right, Sal, you've seen that.

[Sally Jenkins]

I've seen that. I also saw we were at a Maryland game together. Early in our careers. And the ball, the ball bounced into the press row right at courtside and John caught the ball and the ref makes, blows the whistle and makes a call and gives the, gives the possession to, I think it was Marilyn Duke. And he gives the ball to Maryland. And John throws the ball at the official. The official caught it, but like if he hadn't caught it, it was going to hit him like in the face. I said, did you just throw the ball at the official? He's like, yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

These are the stories that people need to tell over and over. Sal, thank you so much. I appreciate it. Love to see you. Love seeing you.

[Sally Jenkins]

I love him and yeah, I love seeing you too. And I love talking about him.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Sally Jenkins, boys and girls. We'll take a break. Tim Kirchen when we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

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[Tony Kornheiser]

Will that be cash or credit? Credit. 4 Galaxy S25 Ultra.

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[Tony Kornheiser]

So you can do you get [e-mail] compatible with select apps. Requires Google Gemini account. Results may vary based on input. Check responses for accuracy. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show.

[Dan Byrne]

We're all undefeated. It's opening day. Everybody's shoulder feels okay. Legs are fresh ass Young ponies at play and everyone could be MVP on opening day. Uniforms shine, grass is bright green no one's made an error Eras are pristine Pen and hopes shimmer From Wrigley to Yawkey way if you're lucky, your grandpa will take you to opening day.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is Dan Byrne. You can listen to the song in its entirety at the end of the show. It is, of course, brilliant, but it's a real song. Yeah, I mean that is his musicianship and his voice and his writing. When he says everybody's shoulder feels okay, that is great. It plays in Tim Kirchen, who appreciates Dan Byrne and his sports knowledge. Opening day is exactly when. I know they played in Japan. But opening day is tomorrow or today.

[Tim Kirchen]

It's tomorrow, the 27th. And it's going to be great, Tony. You know, parents take their kids out of school for opening day. It's a big deal. You know, the Reds used to have a parade in the city of Cincinnati to kick off the baseball season. Ozzie Smith used to run out to his position in St. Louis to a sea of red and do a backflip and land at his spot at shortstop. So I don't care how corny this sounds. It's a national holiday. For those of us who love baseball, Everything starts tomorrow. Tonight's the last worthless evening that we'll have to spend.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, Don Henley reference. Very good, Timmy. Very good. Don Henley reference. So I would say this, that I'm one of those people, and you might be, too. I actually want there to be a holiday on April 1. I don't want it to be March. I don't. I don't care how many games you have to play, you know, late in the season. I think April 1st should be national baseball Opening day. I do. No matter what day that falls on, April 1st should be that. Has anybody ever tried to do something like that?

[Tim Kirchen]

We used to do stuff like that, Tony, but not anymore. Now we open in Japan on March 18, and it was sensational. Was great. I got up at the crack of dawn, as always, to watch those games, and it did. It did a great thing for baseball, for Japanese baseball, it's all good. But being 68 years old, I enjoy starting in the United States all at the same time, all on April 1st. I'm with you on that. But those days, Tony, are over. I know we are here to make money, and that's all that matters.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Let me get to something that is the biggest to me. Red flag on opening day. The biggest one. Mookie Betts is down 25 pounds. Tim. He only weighed 165 to begin with, it seems. What's the deal with Mookie Betts?

[Tim Kirchen]

Well, he's going to be near my weight pretty soon if he doesn't watch out. You know, he's a slightly built guy, and I'm worried that you get a slightly built guy and then you lose all that weight and you can't put down solid food for two weeks. And now you're going to try to play 160 games, and you're playing the hardest game in the world. I know how Great. He is. He's an amazing athlete, Tony, and he will figure this out somehow. Jerry Harrison used to play for the Orioles and a bunch of teams. He told me he's Dodger broadcaster. Mookie would play, could play slot back in the NFL right now, and he would be the starting point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers right now. I. First off, I disagree, but that's how great an athlete Mookie Betts is. And now he's really going to have to show it because he's lost a lot of weight and a lot of strength.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You got to be able to keep weight on. You have to be able to eat solid food. You can't. You can't go 162. Isn't Mookie Betts also a great bowler? Isn't great.

[Tim Kirchen]

He's had, like, nine perfect games.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Tim Kirchen]

And the last time I discussed this with him, he never had a bowling where he was one, like, one strike away from a perfect game and he missed. In other words, whenever he's had a shot at it, like with that last ball, he's always gotten it. Which explains why he's such a great bowler, why he's such a great athlete, and why he comes through in the clutch all the time.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So we want him to be healthy. We want him to be healthy. He's one of the best players out there. Okay?

[Tim Kirchen]

Yes. And he's a shortstop. He's playing a. He was the best defensive right fielder in the game. And then he said, well, I'd like to play shortstop for second base, and we're going to put him in shortstop when he gets healthy.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Do we, in fact, do we write the Dodgers into the World Series at this point? Do we say, they won last year, they got better, they're going to win again?

[Tim Kirchen]

All right. I think they're the best team in baseball, and I'm absolutely certain of that. But, Tony, the one thing that we know about baseball that makes it so beautiful is being the best team doesn't guarantee anything, even at the end. This is not like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen touching it on every possession. This is not the Dubs when they had Clay and Steph and Katie touching it on every possession. It doesn't work that way in baseball. But I saw the Dodgers twice this spring. Their depth is ridiculous in their rotation and in their lineup, and I don't see a team being better than them. But they're going to have to be really good in October if they're going to beat the Phillies and the Mets and the Braves and a bunch of other teams, the Diamondbacks in the National League alone.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I understand that. And I would say, do we write in the Yankees? But we don't write in the Yankees because their pitching is in trouble. We don't write in the Yankees. Right, Right.

[Tim Kirchen]

We can't. Garrett Cole's their best pitcher. He's out for the season. Luis Heel was the rookie of the year. He's starting the season on the injured list. They have, you know, Giancarlo Stanton is hurt. We're not sure.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Tennis elbows. What is that? Tennis elbow.

[Tim Kirchen]

And he. He hurt them in spring training. I'm still not sure how anyone that big and that strong and that athletic can get hurt that easily. So very strange to me. But, yes. And, Tony, I did a radio show the other day, and there were five people on the show, and five different people picked five different teams to win the American League East. That's how. That's how, you know, assembled the, you know, and how jumbled the American League is. There are no great teams in the American League. There are a lot of good teams, a lot of teams that are good enough to make the playoffs, but I don't see a really, really good team in the American League right now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Were you speaking of the American League east, were you surprised at all that Soto left the Yankees to go to the Mets?

[Tim Kirchen]

Yeah, I was a little bit, because I know how much he loved playing at Yankee Stadium, playing for the Yankees. But, Tony, this came down to an agent who said, you're going to break the record. You're going to get the most money ever, and you're going to go to whatever team gives it to you. And that was the Mets. If the Yankees had gone 820, then the Mets would have gone 825 and it would have been over. That thing was predetermined, when we look back at it, that the Mets were just not going to let him get away.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The only thing that I wonder about is if it appeared he was happy in the Yankees. It appeared in that uniform, he was happy in that ballpark. I know it's 10 miles. That's all it is. And I know it's the same city, and I know that the same attractions of that city can attract you in Queens as they can in the Bronx. But he was happy, it seemed, you know, why do you mess with happy? They were giving him a pile of dough. Why?

[Tim Kirchen]

Yeah, I don't know. And the chance to play with Aaron Judge. Both guys in their prime for another five to ten years. My goodness. Who Wouldn't want to do that and deliver the Yankees their first world series since 2009. I mean, that's what he was there for. So, yes, I'm a little surprised. But in the end, Tony, it came down to who's ever going to give him the most money. That's where he's going to go, happiness or not. And he's going to be really happy playing for the Mets because they have a good team and he's going to have plenty of protection in that lineup.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right, let's get to two sort of larger issues here. The first, of course, is starting pitching. We've talked about this before, that that the at the old dinosaurs, the Scherzers and the Verlanders want to protect starting pitching. Don't like bullpen games. Don't like any of this stuff. Want to see rule changes. In your opinion, are any of these potential rule changes going to take place?

[Tim Kirchen]

Well, certainly not this year. My guess is not next year either. As I told you, Tony, Max Scherzer got me in a headlock two years ago at the playoffs and he was demanding that we all do something about this and get something going to return the value of the starting pitcher, which I've been saying for years. But to tie it directly to the design, as soon as you take your starting pitcher out of the game, you lose your designated for the game. We're trying to protect the players and make sure they don't get hurt. That seems to be all that the union really, really, really cares about is that. And I think knowing we're going to lose the starting pitcher if we, you know, take him out early so we got to pitch him longer, he might get hurt. And then you, then you have to bat a pitcher because the DH is out. I just don't see it as something feasible for this year or next. It needs much more thought before we put in something that drastic.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It feels to me, and I'm totally in favor of it, theoretically, you know, everything that Scherzer and Verlander say, that you want to have starting pitchers in there longer, but it feels to me that there is a possible medical issue if, you know, if these kids are in grade school and high school and maybe a year or two of college and they're used to pitching a certain way, and then suddenly you say to them, I need you to go eight, you know what I mean? I don't know if their bodies can do it anymore. I don't know, Tony.

[Tim Kirchen]

We have conditioned them. The industry has to not go eight to go five to throw 100 pitches. I'm telling you, if we're going to change the value of the starting pitcher and get rid of openers and everything else, we're going to have to start teaching 10 year olds and 12 year olds how to get ready without having to throw as hard as you can for as long as you can. That's where the change has to begin. And then it's going to eventually filter down to the big leagues. But these pitchers are conditioned and trained by the industry to do this, to ask them now to adjust completely the way they do things. I'm just not sure they're capable of it now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I agree with that. And we'll go over another topic because I'm stunned because now it's going to happen. Two major league teams are in minor league ballparks. I'm sure they're lovely ballparks, their minor league ballparks. What are we, what are we looking at here?

[Tim Kirchen]

Well, it's, it's unique, Tony, and it's not good for baseball. And we just have to take the high road. The A's should still be in Oakland. That is a really good baseball town. I don't care what anyone says. They ownership ran that team out of there and the city of Oakland didn't help. The Rays have really good pitching. They are a dangerous team even though they have some injuries to their pitching. And they're going to play at Steinbrenner Field. And yes, they don't draw very many fans to the trough and maybe they'll sell out every game in Tampa, but it's still two minor league parks for two major league teams and both of them are pretty good. The A's were a good team the last 120 games the last year. So we just have to see how this is going to work. But in no way is this any good for baseball, as fascinating as it might be.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. And I don't think we're going to see it on national TV all that often. I mean, I don't, I don't think baseball will let that happen. I don't. Right.

[Tim Kirchen]

I, I agree. Baseball is going to go to the biggest venue and two minor league ballparks is not going to be that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Tim, thank you. Enjoy opening day and enjoy, enjoy the season. I'm geeked up. I mean, I know the Nats aren't any good, but I get to watch almost every day, except when on the west coast at night and I'm not up and I get to, I get to once again immerse myself in that team. And I think that's, I think that's the thing about baseball that is different than all the other sports. It's because of how many games are played, how often you can see these teams. You know what I mean? You know how that works?

[Tim Kirchen]

Yes. Every day. And you as a Nationals fan can watch James Wood and Dylan Cruz really advance and you can say, I saw them when they first started out. That matters for a rebuilding team like this. And that's why the fans should be engaged still, even if the Nationals aren't going to be very good this year.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thank you, Tim.

[Tim Kirchen]

Okay, Tony. See you, Tim.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Kirkjin, boys and girls, it's always a pleasure to have him. He's always so happy. Makes me happy. We will take a break. We will come back with email and jingle. I'm Tony Kornheiser. Some people just know they could save hundreds on car insurance by checking Allstate first. Like you know to check the Jumbotron first before attempting to eat a stack of supreme nachos in one bite. Now, you're just a meme that everyone shares on game day. Checking first is smart. So check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds. You're in good hands with Allstate Savings vary subject to terms, conditions and availability. Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois.

[Announcer]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's our organist friend Bill Pitcher from Pennsylvania.

[Nigel]

Love that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Wonderful. Do you want to do the Bethesda Bagel afterwards?

[Nigel]

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

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's going to do it for us today. Before we get to the mailbag, let me just say I went down to the demonstration to get my fair share of abuse singing. We're going to vent our frustration. If we don't going to blow a 50amp fuse. That is the aptly named Michael Philip Jagger and some pals of his. Thanks to our guests today, Sally Jenkins and Tim Kirchen. Thanks as well to today's sponsors. Remember, you can listen to us on Apple podcasts, Spotify audacy if you get the show through Apple, please leave us a review.

[Michael]

Michael Phillip, Good name.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it's a really good name.

[Michael]

That's pretty good, Rocky. This is an update from the ESPN Tournament Challenge. I can't seem to get lower than that first page of names either. So if we're able to update that, I'll make sure you have access to it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is Rocky Rack a bit, yeah. Oh, he comes in with.

[Michael]

He always likes to compile a list of great names, but for some reason it's not letting me go down from the first page.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Call the people at Congressional who couldn't get Krzyzewski's image up on the screen. Maybe they can help you. From Jeff barger in Hillsborough, North Carolina. As I'm writing this email, I am in 1,294th place in the TK bracket group. A suit jacket seems to be out of reach, but how many tubes of toothpaste do you have? Not that many. Dawn Ames, Kingston, Ontario and Canada after listening to Greg Garcia's rhymes last week, I'm saddened there was no team from Nantucket. That's funny. It's an old limerick that everybody knows. Carl in Oswego, New York. My bracket stinks. Greg Garcia's great. I drove through Binghamton and thought of you. Did you know that the New York State boys high school basketball tournament was played there this past weekend? I didn't, no. I didn't either. I had no idea. I didn't know that. Adam McCaslan, Mattoon, Illinois I appreciated your thoughts and your discussion with Wilbon on the life of George Foreman and how the George Foreman Grill helped rehabilitate his public image. However, that almost didn't happen. The George Foreman Grill could have been the Hulk Hogan Grill. Hogan says that he and Foreman shared an agent back then. When the idea for the grill came to their agent, he called called Hogan first, but he missed the call because he was picking up his kids from school. By the time Hogan returned the call, the agent already extended the offer to Foreman and had been accepted. Hulk Hogan's consolation prize was as a spokesman for a blender, which was called the Hulk Hogan Thunder Mixer. The product was a total failure, and the rest is history. I'm having trouble picturing Hulk Hogan picking up his kids at school. I'm having trouble with that. Joe Pearson, Indianapolis One of my favorite facts about George Foreman is he named all his sons, all five of them, George Edward Foreman. This is true. There's George Jr, George III, George IV, George V and George VI. Got to give the man credit for that. Although parceling out Christmas presents was probably a little confusion. Confusing. Not you, George. The other one. No, not him either. The other George. That one, yeah. He knew he could remember the names. It was easy to do. Dean Zanella, who is the chef and owner of The Tutori Italian Cooking School says I'm catching up on the last few shows after a nice vacation. Is wine pairings the new game? Well, let me tell you. Oh, we've got a Katie from Cake Bread story to tell down the road as well. Mike, remind me. Is wine pairings the new game? Let me tell you a story. When I was a young aspiring chef at the famous Charlie Trotter's, I dared ask the sommelier at the time, Larry Stone, about how best to pair food and wine. Although this may seem like a harmless question, I was a 24 year old no.1 and Larry Stone had already won the prestigious Grand Prix de Sulpatia title in Paris for Sommelier in the World in French wines, amongst many other accolades. In other words, he's a wine God. He immediately brushed me off, only to return a few moments later to apologize for being short as he was busy, and then proceeded to explain a few simple rules on wine pairing and food. As well as suggesting I buy a book called Red Wine with Fish by David Rosengarten, this book has helped me immensely. Larry also stated the rules are meant to be broken and if you like a pairing, then enjoy it. Don't ever be pretentious about wine. Great wisdom from an amazing individual. Now please keep on enjoying your potato chips and wine. Drink what you like. Yeah, and. And that's again, I just. We got some wine from Katie and she says potato chips. Go do it with potato chips.

[Michael]

Start watching drops of God, you know.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Jake Courville, Faith's dad. Faith Courville, who wrote that? Yes, stunning letter. Yeah.

[Michael]

Communications major.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. You all have made our family's day now. 20. By first reading my daughter Faith's email and following up with kind words from Miles, P.J. and Neil, I can say for sure her brilliant writing did cause her dad to choke up as he did the kind of words of the little who welcomed her in readily. You are all right in that she's amazing and we are proud of her. Her writing is also fantastic, but that's no thanks to me. Faith's brilliant writing and any other good traits come from her mom, who has degrees in education, French and English and has poured a love of learning and the written word into all of our kids. I'm a afraid dad only passed on a cleft in our chins, French last name and questionable taste in podcast to recruit P.S. faith and her mom are one for one on getting emails read. I'm sitting at zero for three. One for four. There you go. One for four from Paul Simon. Not that Paul Simon. Paul Simon from Atlanta, Georgia. All the Catholic girls love Paul Simon. That has not been my experience from the song we played the other day. Money for guns. Yes. Yeah. Well, where Will Salisbury has written a book with Jay Delsik.

[Nigel]

That's right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know, pretty cool. We have to talk about that at some point. Sue Hydell, Chuck and Roxy, number 189 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Oh, Cincinnati. Reminds me to tell Tony Beeson and whoever else was involved in this. I've eaten all the food that you said and most of it was really, really good. The potato chips, the Grippo's potato chips are difficult for me. They're extraordinarily thick potato chips and. And something that if you grew up with, you love. Like Lido pizza. If you grew up with Lido pizza, you love it, then it's your pizza. Yeah, but it was, you know, it's there. I like burned potato chips. I like thinner potato chips, you know, and. And the Grippo's ones, God bless them all, but it's not. And I keep eating them. I mean, like sound of a good chip. They still work. Yeah. I wrap them up, I put a rubber band around them and I say, I'm not going back. And I go back, I go back the next day, I eat about 10 more. And I'm trying, trying real hard on that.

[Michael]

Your restraint with chips, admirable.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I don't eat the whole bag right away.

[Nigel]

I'm limited to 10 anyway.

[Tony Kornheiser]

From Sue. Monday's show gave me yet another reason to love Chuck Culpepper. As he was watching the St. John's Arkansas game, he was thinking about writing his column. And how could he illustrate this battle to his readers? His mind goes to Guernica, a famous painting by Pablo Picasso, a painting that his readers have most likely seen and might be able to recall. I appreciate Chuck's broad knowledge base and his ability to pull from a wide variety of subject areas, to draw parallels or to make a point. I enjoy his thoughtful, multi dimensional approach to witnessing a sporting event. Side note, as a tour guide at my local art museum and a person who is currently seeking their bachelor's in art history, is now the time to ask if I may be the official art historian of the Tony Kornizer show. Absolutely. And then she sends a picture of Guernica that everybody knows. And this is. This is. Chuck Culpepper has lived everywhere. Yes.

[Nigel]

He's a citizen of the world.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Everywhere. He knows everything about everything. And I'll tell this and hope that he hears it. When I first started reading him, I said, what's the deal with this guy? What's he doing? You know, like, how about something a little bit more linear? How about the score apply? How about who won? How about that? It took me about a week to realize he's an artist. Yeah. And that you go to his work for the immersion in the art. He's great. He's great. And he's unique. Yeah. Just great. From Brian Byrne, Glens Falls, New York. I love Glens Falls, New York. Just thought I'd write in, try to make you feel better. Just got our electric and gas bill for the period between January 29th and February 28th. $1,012. After picking myself up off the floor, I immediately put our space heater in the garbage. P.S. if this one makes the air, I'll be 2 for 2. It's no Patrick sitter, but streaks the street. Yeah. If you combine my gas bill and my electric bill, I'm sitting at 1400, $1500. You know, I mean, and. And you call up and they say, yeah, a lot of people are saying the bills are high. That's their response.

[Nigel]

And there's nothing. We're not going to do it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Why don't you pay it? Why don't you pay it or else we'll cut you off. Okay. All right. You know, if you're out on a bike tonight, everyone, as always, do wear white.

[Tim Kirchen]

Ken, Lonnie, I'd like you to meet Muhammad Jug, Dish, Sydney and.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And Clayton. Now, just grab a seat and make yourselves at home and don't be shy.

[Tim Kirchen]

About helping yourselves to punch in cookies.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Sit over there. Give up a window Keep our laughing.

[Dan Byrne]

Stone of veering to the unknown.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Rush.

[Dan Byrne]

Into the past Prove to be a.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Fast and we can laugh.

[Dan Byrne]

Disappear like.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Daniel Facebook Would include you Even when you're by my side Would you see me brand new?

[Dan Byrne]

It take too long to decide.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But.

[Dan Byrne]

I lose Would include you even outside.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Don'T Will you see me brand new.

[Dan Byrne]

And take too long to desire.

[Tim Kirchen]

LA.

[Dan Byrne]

Just like we're all undefeated it's opening day Everybody's shoulder feels okay Legs are fresh ass Young ponies at play and everyone could be MVP on opening day Uniforms shine branches bright green no one's made an error Eras are pristine pen and hopes shimmer from Wrigley to Yucky Way if you're lucky your grandpa will take you to opening day Opening day, Opening day the visitors take the diamond in the traveling gray Opening day, Opening day. Single up the middle in your batty a thousand array? Opening day? Opening day? Gentlemen, start your engines. Up, up and away? Open? Opening day? Opening day? This is the year? It's gonna be okay? You called in sick? Got you a ticket? Can't wait to see the painted line? With the brick Popcorn and peanuts? You got your choice? Scully's at six months to rest? That golden voice? Winter coats and gloves and boots are put away? It's opening day? Man, Rookie could be the next Willie Mays? Opening day? It's really, truly finally here? Opening.