“The Thanksgiving Show”

Summary

The Tony Kornheiser Show — “The Thanksgiving Show”

Date: November 27, 2025
Host: Tony Kornheiser
Guests: Michael Kornheiser (son/co-host), Jason La Canfora, James Carville, Jeff Ma

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Episode Overview

This special Thanksgiving episode blends sports talk, holiday reflections, family banter, and expert analysis. Tony Kornheiser and his regular guests discuss NFL and college football, share personal stories, give betting picks, and reflect on traditions, all interwoven with characteristic warmth and humor. Familiar voices like Michael Kornheiser, Jason La Canfora, James Carville, and Jeff Ma contribute to the lively atmosphere. While the show anchors itself on sports, much of its charm stems from personal anecdotes and relatable Thanksgiving moments.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Thanksgiving Reflections & Kornheiser Family Updates

• Tony’s Holiday Routine:

  • Used to working on holidays and comfortable with it.
  • Contemplates a vacation, admitting, “I haven’t been on a vacation in a long time where I went somewhere.”
  • Misses PTI during its holiday break, feeling out of sorts without it as part of his daily structure.

• Thanksgiving Golf “Shotgun” at Columbia Country Club:

  • Setup: Michael arranged a family/friends golf round for Thanksgiving week.
  • Guests: Mark Chalaba (baseball insider) and Dan Kolko (sports broadcaster) join the Kornheisers.
    • Michael tries to build a fun group: “It’s like trying to create a dinner seating… you’re together for four hours.” [08:55]
  • Highlights:
    • Tony, self-deprecating about his golf skills, gets encouragement from Michael.
    • Mark’s athletic prowess impresses everyone—“There were times when Mark’s drive went 30 yards past Michael.” [11:15]
    • Fun group dynamic: everyone has “highlight holes, low lights.” [10:48]
    • Michael’s hosting instincts kick in: “I want to make sure you’re comfortable. I want to make sure my friends have a good time with you.” [10:35]
    • Positive note about the club and community: “Columbia’s done such a good job of creating these events, and it’s so fun to introduce the club to friends.” [13:53]

• Thanksgiving Dinner Logistics:

  • Tony jokes about negotiating arrival time, mindful of his dog, Chessy, and banters about attending only briefly: “I know who’s there. I know the names. I don’t really have to be there for any length of time.” [13:33]

2. NBA Observations & Farewell to Anthony Rendon

• NBA Officiating and the State of Basketball:

  • Tony watches Celtics vs. Pistons and criticizes NBA referees:
    • “Nobody calls walking…they don’t call offensive fouls anymore. Every contact’s a defensive foul, even when it’s not.” [04:29]
    • Outcome decided on a contentious foul call; Tony disputes it.

• Anthony Rendon’s Expected Retirement:

  • Tony reflects on Rendon’s time in Washington and subsequent struggles in LA.
  • Saddened that “nobody cares about Anthony Rendon outside of Washington. He never had any impact with the Angels.” [07:14]
  • Rendon’s lack of passion for the game is noted: “He would repeatedly say out loud, ‘I’m good at it, I don’t really care about it.’” [07:40]
  • Michael contextualizes the fans’ perspective: “We still view that through the eyes of childhood.” [08:14]

3. Baltimore’s Turkey Bowl Tradition [18:10]

• Jason La Canfora explains:
  • The annual Loyola vs. Calvert Hall high school football rivalry, dating back over 100 years, “the longest running consecutively played Catholic high school football rivalry in the country.”
  • Pays tribute to the late Joe Brune, legendary coach and mentor.

4. NFL Week—Game Breakdowns & Playoff Implications

• Kansas City Chiefs & Detroit Lions:

  • Tony and Jason discuss whether their thrilling overtime wins were “season-savers.” [19:25]
  • Jason notes KC’s must-win scenarios and the importance of stringing together wins:
    • “Kansas City needs to, you know, probably…try to get to 10 wins. Anything other than that…you’re really looking at tiebreakers and math.” [21:15]
  • Both agree Dallas/KC game could be “a mutual elimination game from the playoffs.”

• Thanksgiving Football Ratings:

  • Tony predicts, “This is going to get the highest rating in years.” [21:52] Jason agrees and adds that KC, thanks to Taylor Swift, “has kind of become the AFC's America’s Team.” [22:20]

• Burrow & Chase Return to Bengals:

  • Discussion on Jamar Chase’s controversial spitting incident and Joe Burrow’s return from injury.
  • On spitting, Jason: “I just don’t get it. It’s an indefensible, shameful thing to do.” [24:18]
  • On the Bengals: “Joe Burrow…is wired a little different…he believes until we’re mathematically eliminated, we’ve got plenty to play for.” [25:00]

• Ravens-Bengals Matchup:

  • Preview of Thursday night game.
  • Jason notes: “Jamar Chase’s last two games against the Ravens—21 catches, 457 yards, 5 touchdowns.” [27:03]

5. Jason La Canfora’s “Plug” & Betting Content [28:24]

• Jason promotes his handicapping show—covering NFL, college sports, NBA, international soccer, and more. “We’re trying to make people money and doing a pretty decent job of it.”

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6. James Carville & Jeff Ma: Betting Picks and Banter

James Carville’s Picks

• Candid about a recent rough patch: “I always feel bad if he had a bad week. He had a bad week. He was 1-3-1…But now we want to sprint right now.” [31:59]
• Picks:
  • Georgia -13.5 vs. Georgia Tech [32:28]
  • UTSA -7 vs. Army: “Army is not…Army is looking forward to Army/Navy. They’d rather go 1-11 and beat Navy.” [33:10]
  • Washington +7 vs. Oregon (“Washington is a pretty good team.”) [33:36]
  • Penn State -13 vs. Rutgers: “As much as I love Rutgers, you’re not gonna make any money there.” [33:55]
  • NFL: Lions -2.5 vs. Packers; Steelers +3.5 (opponent not specified). [34:11-34:44]

Jeff Ma’s Insights & Picks

• Explains why betting college is easier than the NFL: “College, there’s still a lot more information asymmetry…there are teams that are better than you think.” [36:53]
• Betting Regulation & Insider Trading:
  • Discusses gray areas in college athletes betting with insider info and urges the need for clearer regulations. “There probably needs to be much more of a concept around it.” [37:30-38:48]
  • He predicts eventual federal regulation, especially to curtail micro-bets like “betting on every pitch.” [39:10]
• Picks:
  • Penn State -13 vs. Rutgers [40:12]
  • Virginia Tech +9.5 vs. Virginia (“Just a big number in a rivalry game.”) [40:47]
  • Louisiana Monroe +8.5 vs. Louisiana Lafayette (“Ode to Carville, the Battle of Louisiana not named LSU.”) [41:24]
  • Bears +7 vs. Philly (“Seven points is a lot… Philly has some struggles offensively.”) [42:07]
  • Texans +4.5 vs. Indy [43:05]
  • Tony, learning the nuances of point spreads: “The threes and the sevens are the ones you want the hook on, right?” [43:12]
  • Jeff: “I love it. You’re learning, Tony.” [43:23]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Self-Deprecation on Golfing:

  • Tony: “I stink.”
  • Michael: “No, you played well. You drove the ball well.” [10:14]

• On Pro Sports and Passion:

  • Tony: “Those of us who are not athletes think, wow, if I could be a pro athlete, I would love it.” [08:16]

• On Refereeing:

  • Tony: “Nobody calls walking…they don’t call offensive fouls anymore. Every contact’s a defensive foul, even when it’s not…” [04:29]

• On Thanksgiving Family Dynamics:

  • Tony: “I know who’s there. I know the names. I don’t really have to be there for any length of time.” [13:33]
  • Michael’s “host mode”—catering to everyone during golf [10:35]

• On Spitting in Football:

  • Jason La Canfora: “I just don’t get it. It’s an indefensible, shameful thing to do. You cost yourself $500,000 and a chance to play a game...” [24:18]

• On the Grind of Sports Betting:

  • Jeff Ma: “The NFL is a very efficient market… it’s almost like flipping a coin, generally.” [36:16]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Thanksgiving Show Introduction & Scheduling: [01:50–03:00]
• NBA Thoughts (Celtics/Pistons, NBA officiating): [03:45–06:25]
• Anthony Rendon Retirement Reflection: [06:28–08:16]
• Golf Story at Columbia Country Club: [08:40–14:10]
• Baltimore Turkey Bowl Tradition (La Canfora): [18:10–19:10]
• NFL Deep Dives (KC, Dallas, Detroit, Ravens/Bengals): [19:25–28:24]
• La Canfora’s Betting Show Plug: [28:24–29:33]
• James Carville’s Picks: [31:59–34:44]
• Jeff Ma’s Picks & Betting Analysis: [36:16–43:30]

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Tone and Style

Richly conversational, candid, humorous, and occasionally wistful. Tony’s blend of acerbic observation and sentimental storytelling creates a show that feels both like an insider’s club and a family living room on the holidays. Regulars bring expert opinion with a friendly, approachable style, and even the betting segments have warmth and levity.

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Summary for New Listeners

If you missed this episode, you missed an inviting mix of sports chat, expert analysis, Thanksgiving family color, and a window into how traditions and routines shape Tony Kornheiser’s world. You’ll hear thoughtful gambling insight, gripes about NBA officiating, nostalgia about baseball, and a celebration of community—reflecting all the reasons The Tony Kornheiser Show is both singularly enjoyable and powerfully relatable to sports fans and non-fans alike.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey, it's Tony. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. We hope you're all getting ready for a great time today with lots of food, football, hopefully not too many annoying relatives on the show. Today, we will talk to Jason Locanfora, James Carville, and Jeff Ma. But first, commerce. Avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start. Thumbtack knows homes, so you don't have to. Don't know the difference between matte paint, finish and satin or what that clunking sound from your dryer is. With thumbtack, you don't have to be a home pro. You just have to hire one. You can hire top rated pros, see price estimates and read reviews all on the app download today. Your perfect style is more than a fit, It's a feeling. When you step into any maurices, our stylists are dedicated to helping you find the perfect outfit because there's no better feeling than looking your best. Shop at one of our 800 plus stores or online at maurices.com for new items arriving daily and holiday flash deals. Maurices. That styled feeling.

[James Carville]

Previously on the Tony Kornheiser show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Jose Mourinho, who's a very famous soccer coach, grabbing the other coach by the nose, grabbing him by the nose. And the other coach did what soccer players do, went down in a heap and, you know, was looking for a.

[Jeff Ma]

Red card for 20 seconds and see if there was a red card.

[Tony Kornheiser]

When did that happen? How cool was that? What, do we like Mourinho or do we think he's a dope?

[Jeff Ma]

Oh, no, I love Mourinho. I love anyone that's polarizing and that gets my attention.

[Jason La Canfora]

I'd also just ask a simple question. How big was the nose for him.

[Jeff Ma]

To be able to grab it? You know what I mean?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Like, you're a pretty good honker.

[James Carville]

The Tony Kornheiser show is on now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. This is our Thanksgiving show. It's not particularly special. We're just doing it on Thanksgiving.

[Michael]

Every show's special.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, well, to a degree. I'm used to working on holidays and it's okay with me. And if Jason Lockinfor and Jeff Ma and James Carville are willing to be on, you know, before their day really starts, that's great. So that's. That's what we're doing here. We like to do three shows a week. Though I will say there's a certain iffy quality to the Christmas season. I may take a week off. I may. I may have, you know, I take just one week off twice. A year. And that may be it this year. You know, in the. Early in the. In the calendar year. Because we.

[Michael]

Let's decide sooner than later. There's partners who'd like to know.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, we start in September. That's when we. That's when our calendar year starts. Yeah, we will decide soon. I. Because I think I'd like to. I haven't been on a vacation in a long time where I went somewhere. Yeah, it's been a while. I think I'd like to go.

[Michael]

So we tease vacation a lot of that. It never happens.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No. So. But I mean Alan has said let's go play. So you know, maybe I will. I mean, I'm thinking about it. Don't worry about it because the next week we'll have five shows if you want. Don't worry about it. It'll be fine. All right. So what happened yesterday? There's something happening during the morning and afternoon with me that involved Michael and we will get to that in a second. I will just make a couple of early comments. Here I am lost without pti. I don't know what to do. Four days in a row there's no pti. I don't really know what to do. I don't know how to plan my days. I'm.

[Michael]

At least you have football today. As your North Star.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, I can do that. Yes. Yesterday was tough. When I got back from the thing we will talk about, I really had nothing to do. And at night I didn't want to watch college basketball. I'll confess this. I love college basketball. It's just too early for me. I don't know anybody on any teams. I don't any. I just don't know it. And I'm going to. You know, I like to wait for January or February when they start playing.

[Michael]

There's enough time for conference conference games.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I just don't. I didn't watch it. I watched some of it, but I didn't care. And that's fair to say I just didn't care. And I sping into playing last night. No, I don't. I don't think so. So then. But at night I was wandering around the dial because a lot of college basketball and I ended up on Boston and Detroit, the Celtics and the Pistons and that was a good game and it held my attention all the way through. And Derrick White and Jalen Brown for the Celtics. It just seemed like they made every three they took. And the Celtics finally won. They won late and they won basically on. On a disputed foul call. I would dispute the foul call. Kate Cunningham was coming up the court. Boston is up by three. You want to foul. You don't want it to be a shooting foul because it only gives them an opportunity for two. And you're going to win the game because there's like two seconds left. A couple of guys go over to Kate Cunningham at mid court and they attempt to foul him. And as they get their hands on him, he jumps up in the air and throws the ball and they give him three. My, you know, the intent is not that. It. Come on, stop. It's like referees in the NBA. They don't forget walking. Nobody calls walking. These people take six steps, forget that. They don't call offensive fouls anymore. They're no off. Every single contact going to the basket is a defensive foul. Even when it's not, and it's not 30 to 40% of the time, they don't even call it. Like, I don't even think. When you're a referee now, you have to take a test to explain what an offensive foul is, because they don't call it. They just don't call it anyway. Kate Cunningham was a great player. And the Detroit Pistons, great young player in the league. The Detroit Pistons have won, I don't know, 15 games in a row. 18 games, whatever. They've won 13 years. They won a lot of games in a row. This is at Boston, and Kate Cunningham is giving three shots, and I haven't seen him miss all night. On the hardest possible drives to the bass, he doesn't miss. He makes the first two. He misses the third. So they don't tie the game. Boston inbounds. You just have to inbound the ball that you're going to get fouled. And so that's what happened. And so Boston won the game. So that. That held my interest, but it wasn't the highlight. We'll get to the day. We'll get to the shotgun at Columbia. This thing was the highlight of my day in sports. And highlight is probably the wrong word. It's not low light. It made me. It stopped me in my tracks.

[Michael]

The roast chicken mom made.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, that was not. Had nothing to do with sports. That was a good roast chicken with. With orange in it. It was a very good roast. I'm very happy. We have a lot more left over, which is good. No, there was a note on the crawl. I was watching ESPN and there was a crawl and it said, anthony Rendon in talks with California Angels to void contract. And so I looked that up. Anthony Rendon they're going to try and buy him out. He's in the last seventh and last year of his contract. I had no idea it was that long. 7th and last year, Anthony Rendon. And it said Anthony Rendon is expected to retire. Yeah. Wow. Anthony Rendon was great in Washington.

[Michael]

A reluctant star.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He. He. Okay. He was a great player. He was in the middle of it. He was a good enough third baseman and he was a good hitter. He was young. Yeah. And he left and without a care in the world. He had no loyalty. He wanted money. He'd said this publicly. I'm going to the most money. And he went to the Angels. And what happened to Mike Trout has happened to him. You know, just.

[Michael]

I would pull hosts.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Anybody that goes physically. Physically, you don't hold up. And he's. He didn't play any games last year. If they buy him out, the total amount of games he could have played as an angel over that seven years, he will have played in less than half. I mean, it was sad for me because nobody, nobody cares about Anthony Rendon outside of Washington. I just don't think they care. No. He never had any impact with the Angels. So, you know, just sad moment. It was sad because he was on the World Series team. Yeah. A brilliant player. And it just all. Yeah. Also. And expected to retire. Yeah. And without. And by the way, would repeatedly say out loud, I am baseball. I'm good at it. I don't really care about it. Don't care about it. I don't care about it. Like, yeah, it's a job. It's just my job five days a week. Rocket man. So, I mean, you know, to me, to me, that was always a terrible thing to read. Maybe it's true for a lot of these guys, but those of us who are not athletes think, wow, if I could be a pro athlete, I would love it.

[Jason La Canfora]

Right.

[Michael]

We still view that through the eyes of childhood.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. I would love it. I mean, I think of Max Scherzer. I want to get out and play as much as I can. He wants to play again next year. Yeah. So anyway, so. But okay, so the big news for me. And we bring Michael in on this. Michael signed us up at Columbia. There are two shotguns. There was a Wednesday shotgun, which was yesterday. There's a Friday shotgun tomorrow. The Friday shotgun is going to be a lot colder than yesterday. That's going to be.

[Michael]

We were targeting the Wednesday in case we had some travel over the weekend.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right. Because you were thinking of going about.

[Michael]

Going out the door.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So where it's going to be like, I don't know, two 10 degrees and windy. So Michael signed us up. Explain who we played with, because this is a treat.

[Michael]

So we had the ability to bring guests to this event. So I knew I was going to play with dad, and I was trying to figure out how to round out that four ball. And it's like trying to create a, you know, a dinner seating or, you know, just who you want to have over to a small party because you're together for four hours. So I wanted to bring one of our friends from, you know, that we know from school and just living in the neighborhood, Mark Chalaba. And I wanted to bring Dan Kolko. I did not tell dad about either of these guests. When I had Mark secured. I told you about him just because I thought you'd enjoyed talking baseball.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Michael]

Because he's been on the player development side for so long and knows all the players that we knows them personally.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Michael]

And then I didn't do that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I didn't want to intrude.

[Michael]

I know.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And then I wore my gnats shirt.

[Michael]

I got to tease our fourth, you know, which was Dan. When I found out he was in town and able to join.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, what did you say? You say you've seen this guy in the last month?

[Michael]

We've had him on the show. Yes. So we go out and we see him every night.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And it's. It's lovely. I mean, it's. It's just wonderful. Turned out to be a beautiful day. Oh, honestly. Shirt sleeves. Yeah, shirt sleeves.

[Michael]

Probably the last nice day of 2025, without question, just because of the sun and. And it got warm.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It was really nice. We had a really good time. Total delight. Now I don't. I'm in a car, so I drive with them. But it's, you know, you're not really playing, and I stink. I was just.

[Michael]

No, you played well. You drove the ball well.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I stick.

[Michael]

And so the tough part for me is you're trying to manage different pockets of the group, so dad normally just zips off and drives away. You understand the role that you have, which is got to make a couple jokes, comment on some shots.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. But also, it was hard for you as a player because you were explaining everything that was going on, and you were like. I was in, like, the mother hen.

[Michael]

I was in host mode. And I honestly, this is. Maybe it's where I am approaching 40, but I'm looking at you. I want to make sure you're comfortable. I want to make sure My friends have a good time with you. I want to make sure the entire group's happy.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It was really nice and I got.

[Michael]

To see everybody in the group except for me had highlight holes, low lights. If Dan's would allow us to go to the tape. Putt it off a green a couple of times.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Putt it off the green at severe slope, but putt it off green and then just at one point. On one, Mark hit three putts of over 20ft.

[Michael]

Yeah, he started getting, he started to feel it. At one point, Dan puts off the green and just has this blank look as if Bob has tossed him to do the post game. And they've just lost a four run lead.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So it was total delight. And Mark, Mark's big. Okay. Mark is a big guy. He played high school football, high school baseball, college baseball. Williams, smart guy. Went to Williams. There were times Michael is. Michael can hit driver. There were times when mark's drive went 30 yards past Michael.

[Michael]

Yeah. So we had the chance. We were in a sim room in last spring and I saw ball speed numbers that are very good at the elite amateur level.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I mean, he really hits it far. And, and I got to say this sentence. Is that your drive? Because it was like on 12, he hit it over the trap by 30.

[Michael]

What I love about Mark 2, playing with him because he's always, I mean, he's, he's an athlete, so he's always trying to figure it out. And when he misses, he misses big. And he's always trying to figure out, like I tried to come too much of the inside.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And it was, it was a total delight. And for the first, we started on 11, so tough. First 15 holes that we played, we were on a great pace. And then on a par three, on the number eight, par three, it slowed down. And these things happen. You know, there's. The shack is there, and people stop and get something. It's okay. But by and large, I would say we had a. Just a wonderful, wonderful time. I was so happy to do it because I, you know, I think that's sort of it. That's sort of it. Without lined pants and five jackets for the rest of the year.

[Michael]

No. And you have a great. You have a great habit, a tradition. Your exercise is going out to play golf. So throughout the winter you will. But, you know, it's one of those. The high never feels like it reaches the high. The sun goes down a little bit earlier than you think. This felt like. It didn't even feel like a nice October day. It felt like An April day.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It was really nice. It was really nice. And. And it was a great. A great treat. It was just a great treat. I had a really good time, and.

[Michael]

I got to ask you in the middle of the round if you're okay with our starting time for the holiday dinner tonight. And there was some back and forth, and I think at one point you threatened not to come.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, what I said was, we have the dog. We have Chessy. I have to make sure Chessy is walked and everything is okay with Chessy, and then I'll come over and, you know, but it's not.

[Michael]

We're going a little bit earlier than you'd like.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Michael]

So just change your clock.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's just not good enough. You start banging the table with your shoe. I didn't do it like that.

[Michael]

I'll make you to go. I'll make you to go. Bag.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. You know, I know. I know who's there. I know the names. I don't really have to be there for any length of time.

[Ian Warrington]

So.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I mean, I'm being threatened. Feeling. Feeling threatened by all this, but we. We had a. We had a very good time. No, I'm grateful to everybody, including Columbia, for putting. You know.

[Michael]

Yeah. Columbia's done such a good job of creating these events, and it's so fun to show the chorus and introduce the club to our friends.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it's really nice.

[Michael]

And Dan's gonna go see Wicked 2 on Friday.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Oh, based on your review.

[Michael]

No, he's not heard my review yet.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. No, he probably wouldn't. Based on my. Michael was lukewarm to say the highest.

[Michael]

No, I was very satisfied to see it and to see it in theaters.

[Ian Warrington]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So. All right, so we will take a break. Jason. Jason Lucken for when we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser. This is the Tony Kornheiser Show. You know how there's always that one person in the family who somehow wins Christmas every year? The one whose gifts make everyone else's look kind of basic? Yeah. This year, make sure that person is you, because aura frames are basically the cheat code for winning the holidays. I have an aura frame. I really love it.

[Michael]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Michael]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Michael]

Give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront payment.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month required new customer offer for first 3 months only. Speed slow 135 gigabytes of networks busy taxes and fees extra. See mint mobile.com you're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show. This is a song called the Postman Thinks of His Letters. And it comes with this letter. Greetings. For the first time in a while, I have some music to share. But this time it's not mine. I was only a minor contributor on this one. This is the opening track to an album called a trip to Mr. Z's. Available on all major digital platforms. It's a collection of 10 songs, all of them written by my brother Ben Warrington and our mutual oldest friend, Pete Doll. They started writing songs 25 years ago when they were camp counselors together. Been writing ever since, largely to amuse their kids. None of their songs had ever been properly recorded. We hadn't seen each other a while, so we arranged a four day gathering to catch up and record an album. Aside from the three of us, the group of musicians include my sister Lucy, Pete's wife Angie, and old camp friend Pete Weiss. On this track, Pete and Angie are the primary vocalists. My sister and brother sing harmonies and I play the violin. Happy Thanksgiving to one and all. You're wondering who sent this. It's Ian Warrington, who is a great musician. A great musician. More importantly, he's an emergency room doctor. Right. Those. Those are his two Vocations musician and doctor. Okay. I go on television and talk to Wilbur. Doesn't really mean much. Plays in Ian Warrington's band, you know, his brother and his sister and all of those people. They play in Jason Lock and Fora. We have a note for Jason from Jonathan Shapansky in Beltsville, Maryland. Since you are going to work on Thanksgiving and you are going to make Lochinfoura work too, please ask him to talk about Baltimore's Turkey Bowl, a tradition that is over 100 years old when his tired Loyola dons play my vaulted Calvert Hall Cardinals every Thanksgiving morning. And please tell Debbie Chapman to eat it. And by it, I mean the turkey and a mountain of side dishes. This is a tradition unlike any other in Baltimore, I assume.

[Jason La Canfora]

Well, I think it's the longest running consecutively played Catholic high school football rivalry in the country. Yeah. I will be there at Towson University about an hour from now to watch the loyal Nadan's role for the third straight year over the school that's across the street from the Red Robin. It's just what we do. And especially, especially now Joe Broom, Coach Brune, who our football field is named after, who was my college guidance counselor and creative writing teacher and who led the mighty gones to 19 Turkey Bull victories. He passed away a day ago at age 91. So everybody's thinking of Coach Bruun and the Loyola Blakefield family. And I'm sure he will be in everybody's thoughts today as we head over to Turkey Ball. Absolutely. It's a tradition like none other.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's wonderful to know. It's wonderful to know we will get to pro football. Now. I made this note the other day. I don't know if it's true. You would have a better perspective on this. The two most thrilling games last week were Kansas City and Detroit winning in overtime. Totally thrilling.

[Jason La Canfora]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Did they save their seasons?

[Jason La Canfora]

Well, sir, I mean, I think Kansas City did and perhaps Detroit as well. Now, they saved them temporarily, yes. This week it's fleeting, but yeah. I mean, Kansas City, if they go to 5 and 6 there with the schedule they have to play, I think, you know, things could have got incredibly dicey. Now they've got to follow it up with a win on short rest against Dallas today and they got to take the show on the road. They've been one thing at home and quite another on the road and not in a good way, but I suspect that they do that. I suspect it's not the crazy super high scoring game that people are projecting and that The Vegas line is intimating, but yeah, I mean, that was a huge win for them and they kept getting in the red zone. They kept settling for three. It's been their story with far too much regularity the last few years. It looked like the Colts might boat race them. The defense then buckled down and, you know, the Colts couldn't run the ball, which is their superpower. Jones was fine. I mean, he was fine, but Spagh's hemmed him in. Yeah, that would have been devastating loss for Detroit as well, especially with them facing what appears to be, if not a must win, then you better damn site win if you want to win a division game against Green Bay today. What Jameis did to them, though, has to. Has to leave, you know, has to be some concern there.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I agree with, with both those things. I think the Dallas, Kansas City game, just by the numbers, is probably a mutual elimination game from the playoffs. Yes.

[Jason La Canfora]

I mean, look, if Dallas loses and is under.500. Yeah, I think. Yeah, yeah, I think so. And yeah, I mean, Kansas City needs to string together a bunch of wins here. I mean, Kansas City needs to, you know, probably. I mean, I'm sure they're thinking about trying to get to 10 wins. You know, I think that's probably a pretty comfortable number, but anything other than that and you're really looking at tiebreakers and math and maybe even coin flips and nobody wants to go down that road.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I am. I've said this a couple of times. I'm thinking that because it's Thanksgiving and because Dallas is involved and they're playing Kansas City and it actually is a meaningful game, I think this is going to get the highest rating in years. What do you think?

[Jason La Canfora]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right. Yeah.

[Jason La Canfora]

I mean, that is the window that does the best. Like if you just look at raw numbers, the 425 window outdraws, even the NBC window.

[Jeff Ma]

Yeah.

[Jason La Canfora]

I think that game just sets up incredibly well to get a lot of people involved. I think all three of these games are going to do quite well, to be honest with you. I don't think any of these networks is going to be whiny when the spreadsheets come out. But yes, I think there's just a lot there. And Kansas City, with the Taylor Swift of it all, has kind of become the, you know, AFC's America's team. Yeah, to some degree. And they're a team that's also become kind of hateable over the years. Maybe probably not quite as much as the Patriots, but I think there's a lot of people who enjoy watching the Chiefs lose. And there's certainly a lot of people who are captivated by what they've done. And everything about Dallas resonates. It is bigger in Texas when it comes to that team from a. From an optic standpoint and just from a buzz and marketing standpoint. And yeah, it does. Look, I think it's an under game. That doesn't mean. I think it's going to be 10 to 9. And if it. If it's what Vegas is projecting, 53, 54 points, then that, you know, people. People get into that stuff.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Joe Burrow plays tonight. Yes. Joe Burrows out there with Jamar Chase. With Jamar Chase back from spitting. These are two separate issues. The spitting bothers me. Jamar Chase bothers me. I. All of these people who stand up there and say, I don't care if you like me or not, that's a lie. It's always a lie. They're always looking at social media and being depressed and then angered by the fact that people claim not to like them. People don't want to actually be disliked, and neither does Jamar Chase. But I am excited. I'd like you to talk about the plague of spitting in all football, not just the NFL, but also the notion that Chase and Burrow are out there. And does. How much, if at all, does that change the dynamic of the game?

[Jason La Canfora]

Yeah, I mean, the spitting thing, I just don't get interpretible, shameful thing to do something like that. You cost yourself $500,000 and a chance to play a game that you don't get to play forever. This isn't golf. You're not on the tour for 20 years. I mean, how many wide receivers play that long? I mean, a few. Jerry Rice, but. Yeah, I. I don't understand that inclination or where that. That sort of trigger comes from. I understand people can say things that are horrendous as well. There are ways that people are provoked. But, you know, spitting on somebody's.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Jason La Canfora]

Never.

[Jeff Ma]

Never.

[Jason La Canfora]

It's. It's never the answer. You know, I think the way Mike Tomlins spoke about that is. Is. Is pretty true and pretty revealing. But look, Joe Burrow coming back, I think is a big deal. He's. He's wired a little different now, even by NFL standards. So I don't think he's coming back to hand the ball off and show people that he can stay healthy. I think he's coming back as Joe Burrow believes that until I look at the standings and there's an X next to our name, we've got plenty to play for and I think Joe Burrows had a lot of time to watch a lot of film and see a lot of flaws in the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers and that's really the only tunnel like that's the top.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right. We got to win the division.

[Jason La Canfora]

That's the portal through which the Bengals view the league because that's all that matters because that's the only way they're getting in the playoffs. And there are a lot of flaws with those two teams even during the Ravens five game win streaks. And he was pissed off that the Raven that the Bengals have to go to Baltimore on a Thursday night like seemingly every year in November. He was complaining about that when the schedule came out. So this game was circled for him before it became oh yeah, that's also the game. You're going to play football for the first time in two months. You're going to finally win a couple games early in the season. You're not going to look great doing it, but you're finally not going to start a year 04 and then you're not going to play for two months. Then you're going to come back against Baltimore. Oh yeah. When you come back, Lamar is going to have looked like really bad for a month and is clearly not healthy. That doesn't mean Lamar doesn't put on the show tonight. But this is not, I mean Lamar Jackson with average legs, less than average legs. It's just a different version of him than I've ever seen before and it's not like it was a blip again. It's, it's been since he came back and now he has to play on short week and yes, the Bengals defense sucks but, but there's still NFL athletes out there. So yeah, it's an incredibly interesting game. Jamar chase, his last two games against the Ravens has 21 catches for 457 yards and five touchdowns. Wow.

[Jeff Ma]

Yeah.

[Jason La Canfora]

And he lines up in the slot quite a bit. And even during this Ravens five game win streak where the defense is certainly righted itself, they're still for the season. If you you look at it, a lot of metrics on the whole they're bottom, bottom quarter of the league and probably more like bottom five of the league defending all different types of body types in the slot from little receivers to little and running backs to big running backs to tight ends to bigger receivers. Kyle Hamilton also is somebody to keep an eye on in this game. He keeps leaving games with great regularity and then coming back and then playing the next week, but this is a real short turnaround. That injury happened late in the last game, so I'm sure he's going to be tested early as well. I think the Bengals are going to score some points here tonight. I do. I think Chase Brown catches a bunch of balls. There's a real factor out of the backfield. I think obviously Jamar, Chase and Joe. Joe. Joe Burrow might start a little rusty. That would be normal. But I think he's going to get it cranking against a team that has a suspect pass rush and who he's, you know, he's put up some incredible numbers against in the past because, what, 12 passing touchdowns his last four games against the Ravens. So I think that's a pretty entertaining game, too.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All three are going to be good. All right, Plug Plug one a bet for us. Tell people how they can get involved.

[Jason La Canfora]

Thank you. We're handicapping myself and my buddy Beltway Ben. Beltway Ben hall. He's kids up almost 50 units in six months. We're handicapping college basketball, college football, NFL, NBA, international soccer, even a little bit of MLS. Pretty much anything you might be interested in. WNBA if we see a potential advantage there in the way something's priced. We're going to go on our little show around noon every day. It's up right now. We taped last night for Thanksgiving. While we didn't take my life. But you got to want to bet with us, get all our content there, all of it for free. And we're trying to make people money and doing a pretty decent job of it. So, yeah, check us out. We're not paid many sports books. We're not shilling for baloney bets that we know won't ever cash. We're working every single day again to try to find value in these lines and maybe entertain you a little bit along the way. Maybe smash some crab melons, maybe eat some lobsters, maybe steal a bit OR 2 from PCI. That's what we do.

[Michael]

That's good.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's okay. It's perfectly okay. We're pals. It's okay. Thank you, Jason.

[Jason La Canfora]

Serious form of flattery.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Have the. Have a nice time at the football game and have a good holiday.

[Jeff Ma]

I will. As long as we roll on. Roll.

[Jason La Canfora]

Thank you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Bye. Jason Lock and for our kids. Yeah, Lobster night with Jason Lock and Fora. We will be back with James Carville and Jeff Ma. We think. We hope we did get word from James. We think he'll be there. Okay. James will be there. And we think Jeff Ma will be there as well. Yes, we think so. Okie dokie. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

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[Tony Kornheiser]

This is the Tony Kornizer Show. This is the 97th String Regimental Band. This is the Battle Hymn of the Republic. Alan Sherman once changed it from the grapes of wrath to the drapes of wrath and did a very, very funny song about that. Just very funny song. Alan Sherman was, of course, brilliant. Was he? Hello, Mother. Yeah. Hello, mother. Okay, totally put this plays in James Carville. James is my friend. I always feel bad if he had a bad week. He had a bad week. He was 1, 3 and 1. He is at 534, 34 and 2. But now, now we want to sprint right now. We want to make some money. Yes.

[James Carville]

Yeah. We're closer. We're close. And just a little historical anecdote. The battle him in the Republic. My great grandfather actually served in the Union Army.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Wow.

[James Carville]

And the first president of LSU was General W.P.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thurman, who's also.

[James Carville]

Dave Bruce. Played baseball. Yeah, he was in the Civil War.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Wow. All right, what do you got? What do you got? You got college and pro. Go ahead.

[James Carville]

I got college and pro. All right, Georgia. I like Georgia. Laying 13 and a half now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They played Georgia Tech. Georgia covered last week by a half a point on a 35, 33 point spread. He covered. Yeah.

[James Carville]

Georgia Tech is a good Georgia Tech team.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[James Carville]

Yes, Georgia. And that's that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[James Carville]

And then we're going to go to the great University of Texas at San Antonio.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Utsa.

[James Carville]

Yeah, they're getting laying seven against army.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right Against Army.

[James Carville]

Against army, yeah. Army is not.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No. An Army's looking forward to Army, Navy. They're not looking forward to this.

[James Carville]

They'd rather go 1 in 11 and beat major than go 11.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right. That's right.

[James Carville]

What's next in Washington? University of Washington is getting seven. I think Oregon.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oregon is a top five team. You sure you want that?

[James Carville]

Washington is a pretty good team.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Jeff Ma]

Okay.

[James Carville]

And they're getting seven points.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. And Oregon had a big win against USC and might let down a little bit.

[James Carville]

Mike, that's the hope that we're going for in Kent State is minus 13. Rutgers. I think it is.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. Rutgers.

[Jeff Ma]

Yeah. Man.

[James Carville]

As much as I love Rutgers, you're not gonna make any money there. I'd go with the Lions.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I think the Nittany Lions have a good shot in this one. I think they've gotten past firing a coach a little bit. What do you got in the pros for us?

[Jeff Ma]

I'll remember.

[James Carville]

Got some big games. The Lions and the Packers.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[James Carville]

The Lions are gonna roar later. Two and a half.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You like the Lions at home over Green Bay to avenge the first game of the season, if I'm not mistaken.

[James Carville]

I think so, but this is one of my favorite. I love watching.

[Tony Kornheiser]

What else you got?

[James Carville]

And I got the Steelers in the Bills. I got the great Maria Sino here, but I'm going to take the Steelers.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Really?

[James Carville]

Plus three and a half.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Do you hear the skepticism in my voice? The way I said, really? You're going to take the Steelers? Okay.

[James Carville]

I'm going to take Steelers.

[Jason La Canfora]

Okay.

[James Carville]

That's it. And Happy Thanksgiving and have a good.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Have a good holiday with everybody. Thank you. James.

[James Carville]

We're out of this 500 box.

[Jeff Ma]

We're going.

[James Carville]

We're going to do a great thing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Good. That's good. Everyone's rooting for you. Let's roll. Thank you. James. James Carville. We'll try and get Jeff. Ma. Now, James had a great year last year. I'm not mistaken about that. James is about 25. No. Yeah. He was on fire. Like, he was killing it last year. But the last two weeks, James is 3, 7 and 1. And I can't help but think that has something to do with LSU and the way they're handling this coaching search. This is just frosted James.

[Michael]

And it feels like the last two weeks he's moved away from his, you know, halftime bets, quarter bets, all that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well. Yes. And I would. I would go away from. Sometimes he makes those over. Under bets that I don't like. And. And he's stayed away from that. So do we have Jeff? We did. Okay. We have Jeff. Mom, I forgot to say this. Let me say this. This. This week's picks with James Carville and Jeff Ma, brought to you by FanDuel Spring Sportsbook. Make every moment more. And then when Jeff's done, I'll read the outro, which is the exact same thing. Jeff had a great week. Jeff was 4, 0 and 1. Jeff is 37, 24 and 1. He's beating all humans. He's beating all simians, all primates. Jeff is winning 37, 24. One again, three. And. Oh, in college, the college betting is going to diminish probably after this week. Well, no, they'll be. There'll be a championship week. Yeah. Why you do it? Is it. Is that Rufus or you? On college, you've been doing great.

[Jeff Ma]

It's mostly Rufus and, you know, I mean, generally, college is much easier to beat than the NFL. The NFL is a very efficient market. You know, like, everyone wants to bet the NFL. So, you know, there's a lot of great opinion. So the lines get shaped in a way that they're pretty hard to beat. You know, it's almost like flipping a coin, generally. But college, there's still a lot of. There's a lot more games. There's a lot more information asymmetry. There's a lot more teams are better than you think they are based on what their performance is or vice versa. So, yeah, there's.

[Jason La Canfora]

There's.

[Jeff Ma]

There's opportunities there, for sure.

[Commercial Voice 1]

You were.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You were so hot last week. You won by a half a point on Ohio State. You won by a half a point on Duke. It was just great. I mean, you must have been so happy with those.

[Jeff Ma]

Yeah, no, I mean, I was more happy to hear you talk about it. That's what makes me happy, because of the excitement that brings you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Just. It was wonderful you had on a law professor. I'm interested in this. You let us know about this on bet the Process. You had Gabe Feldman, who's a law professor, and I am interested in talking. You mentioned he talked about insider trading. What did he mean by that? What do you mean by that?

[Jeff Ma]

Well, I mean, I think we have this whole concept, right, of, you know, Manuel Clothier and, you know, John Porter and all these kind of things. Like, clearly, those were cases of insider trading.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Jeff Ma]

There isn't quite the, you know, the stipulate, the regulations and the clear lines that there are in, you know, corporate world. Right. Obviously, in the corporate world, we have this concept of insider trading, and there's been people that have been tried for it. And, you know, if you are an officer of a company with material information, you know how to use that. I don't think players have that same knowledge of what it is. And so I think there probably needs to be much more of a concept around it. Like at the college level, you see this also where, you know, the college players are very educated about it. But let's say you're the roommate of a player or the roommate of a roommate of a player player, and you have information that that person hasn't been going to practice or that person's been living around campus and you bet on that. Is that insider trading and is that using information? So it's a gray area. And I think that's the area that I think we're all going to have to get, you know, some level of regulations around or some framework so we understand how people should be behaving in those situations.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Do you think that the league leagues, do you think the leagues are powerful enough to say to the, you know, fan duels of the world, we can't have these kinds of bets anymore. We are too afraid of these kinds of bets. You have to stop doing it. Do they have that power?

[Jeff Ma]

I think they do. It is their ip, you know, the problem is, I don't know. I think one of the challenges with sports betting is that it is state regulated right now. So every state, different rules have a different rule, right? When it becomes. If it becomes federally regulated, which I think it probably will be in the next 10 to 15 years, in that case, the government can actually make those kind of calls. Because I think one of the things we know is that some of these micro bets just show, shouldn't be allowed, right? Betting on every pitch, there's no reason for it and it's too easy to manipulate. And it's not what the nature of sports betting should be, at least in my mind. So, I mean, I think it's a good question. The real. I don't think leagues are in a position to do that. Meaning I don't think they want to necessarily do that. They don't want to play that role. But I think if they did, they could probably push and say that we don't want you guys doing this.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, give us your bets for this coming week.

[Jeff Ma]

We're going back to Penn State. The problem now with these is we're putting these up on the process and these lines are moving. When we talked about this, about the process, Penn State was minus 12. They're minus 13 and a half over Rutgers. But I still like them to cover that big number. Their team that, you know, again we talked about going into the season, highly, highly ranked, have not had a great start season, but have played very well the last few weeks and have been covering big spreads.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We gave that, we gave it to Carville at 13. We'll give it to you at 13.

[Jeff Ma]

Sounds good.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Jeff Ma]

We're going to take Virginia tech plus the nine and a half over Virginia. This was I think 10, 10 and a half when we talked about it on bet the process. Just a big number in a rivalry game.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Virginia Tech, I mean they've just hired James Franklin. I don't know if that helps or hurts. You know, in the active season now, Virginia's had a really good year. They have. If Virginia Tech loses this game, they're not going to be in the ACC championship, right?

[Jeff Ma]

In Virginia.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No.

[Jeff Ma]

Yeah, probably not.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. All right, that'll help.

[Jeff Ma]

Miami still got a lot of points though.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yep, nine and a half. Okay, go ahead.

[Jeff Ma]

An ode to Carville. The Battle of Louisiana team is not named lsu. We're going to take University of Louisiana Monroe plus the 8.5 over the university of Louisiana Lafayette.

[Tony Kornheiser]

University of Louisiana Lafayette.

[Jeff Ma]

Go find that one on your dial.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It'd be tough to watch out, but you know who's from Lafayette, Louisiana is Ron Guidry. Oh, that's where he's from. That was his hometown, UL Monroe. Which is. Is this. Yeah, UL Lafayette is Ulala, Right. Isn't it LA Lafayette? Yeah, yeah. What else you got?

[Jeff Ma]

But did Ron Guidry had a 253 season, right? Was that his best season?

[Tony Kornheiser]

He won everything that year. Yeah. Late 70s. Yeah. Yeah.

[Jeff Ma]

I'm going to take the Friday Black Friday instead of shopping, watch the Bears plus the seven over Philly. I think you know, in Wilbond's. For Wilbon's credit, the Bears are pretty good team. Much better than we thought. And getting seven against the Philly team that has. Has some struggles offensively. Certainly I think that their defense is great, but the seven points is a lot.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You're going to take the Bears. I mean we root for the Bears to be crushed. So we can just look at Wilmot and say Bears were terrible, they were crushed. You can take the Bears. It makes me rethink everything. Okay, what else?

[Jeff Ma]

And then I would take the Texans plus the four over Indy Texans defense, probably best, best in the league, you know, plus the four over an indie team that obviously is, you know, they're, they're they're good. But are they as good as they played the first 10 weeks of the season?

[Jason La Canfora]

Maybe not.

[Jeff Ma]

So I'm going to take them plus the four.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We can give you. Plus four and a half. We can give you four and a half. We gave Chuck Todd four and a half.

[Jeff Ma]

All right, Sounds good.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. I mean, the half point doesn't hurt. Although, I don't know. I mean, three and a half, you'd want more than four and a half most of the time. Right. Because that's the. The threes and the sevens are the ones you want the hook on. Right.

[Jeff Ma]

I love it. You're learning, Tony.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I'm trying my best. All right, Jeff, have a great holiday. Go back to sleep. It's early.

[Jeff Ma]

Happy Thanksgiving, guys.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Jeff Mobb, boys and girls. And this week's picks with James Carville and Jeff Mobbing brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. Make every moment more. We will come back with email and jingle. I am Tony Kornhouse.

[Commercial Voice 1]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

This is the Tony Kornheiser show.

[Ian Warrington]

Sam.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Ian Warrington, who you've heard from today already. Yes, and again, it would be fine if he were just a musician. He's an emergency room doctor. He went to medical school. He's a doctor and he does this. What are you doing? And I believe he emailed and he's working like a six or eight hour shift today. So you can hear us in the holiday. Do the Bethesda bagel ad for us, please. Yes, Bethesda bagels. We love them. You will as well. They are open today on Thanksgiving. Just go to BethesdaBaggles.com for the location in the D.C. area near Stew. Then pop on in and you'll be thrilled. Before we get to the mailbag, let me just say we skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels across the floor. I was feeling kind of seasick when the crowd called out for more. The room was humming harder and the ceiling flew away When I called out for another drink the waiter brought a tray and so it was le Yay when the miller told his tale that her face at first just ghostly turned a whiter shade of pale. That's Proko Harem. That's one of the greatest tunes of all time. It's one of the greatest tunes of all time. Thanks to our guests today, Jason Locke and Ford, James Carville, Jeff Ma, thanks as well to today's sponsors. Remember, you can listen to us on Apple Podcast, Spotify and Odyssey if you get the show through Apple. Please leave us a review. Let me just say to James from on Capitol Hill, I agree with everything you've said. Everything you've said, and it makes me very nervous. From a haiku from Shad for Thanksgiving Happy Thanksgiving, family, friends, feasting and elastic waistband yeah, people are going to eat today. Dina Dear Dinor, Dina Near Dinora Eating an avocado over the sink made me think of both you and Tim Kirkjin. That's weird. So are a lot of other things. I go to Syracuse to watch a minor league baseball team in the middle of September. I've seen the Rockettes numerous times when I'd only been to New York City once before and I lived in New York State. A person I've never met came to my house for Summer of Littles and I thought nothing of it. Someone I know only because of your show got married at my house. Like at my house officiated by another person I only know because of your show. I went to Milwaukee to see Xanadu perform because a Little was involved with it. I own barbecue sauce made by a Little. You've created the strangest of communities and we all thank you for it and that's lovely. And thank you, Dina. Thanks. Lovely. From Patrick Sitter, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Just in case it comes up, Garrison Keiller's popular pumpkin pie quote is below. Quote Pumpkin pie is a living symbol of mediocrity. The best pumpkin pie you ever ate wasn't all that much different from the worst pumpkin pie.

[Michael]

The Hammer's looking forward to it today.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Garrison Keeler Genius, Genius. Walter Thomas Alexander writes. Hey Uncle Tony, how's it going? First time caller here. I'm a clerk at a post office in Smyrna, Tennessee. No, I can't help with any signal mailing questions. I had a customer come in sending a piece of mail to Sioux Falls, S.D. for some stupid reason I said out loud, hey, I know someone from Sioux Falls and instantly regretted it because I Do not know anyone from Sioux Falls. I only know a guy who writes into a podcast that's hosted by a boat captain who talks about local parking issues and weather in the D.C. area. So now, thanks to my own panic, I've invented an uncle who lives in Sioux Falls named Patrick Sitter. Thanks for taking my call. Happy Thanksgiving. It's just wonderful. He's from, by the way, Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He works in Smurf. Ed Butt for about a dozen years, we rented a house in northwest Boulder for several months each winter. It was in a subdivision set right at the base of the mountains. Wildlife was abundant, both adorable and scary. One day we were walking down a steep road towards where it crossed a stream coming out of the mountains. Until that day, I didn't know foxes ever made any noise. But 30ft in front of us, headed towards the culvert under the road, was a beautiful red fox. It kept turning around and barking at us as if to say, back off buster. You better not follow me home. Her bark was a high pitched yip. It was similar to the so called barking of one of those little yappy dogs, but more truncated and a couple of octaves higher. Ed Butt P.S. one of the winters in Boulder, a rare black fox kept visiting our backyard. I attach a photo for you and the viewers on News Channel 8. He isn't thrilled that I was taking his picture, is he? It's gorgeous. That is. It's a beautiful animal. And the eyes say Go. Get out. Get out before I make a move.

[Michael]

Ed will want to know we have the Domain Serene Pinot Noir for tonight's dinner.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, okay. That's good. Well done. In the 1980s, Tanuki was popular in the fur industry as coats. PG has one in her closet. Regards, DG. His emails are just make me so happy. From Rob in Chantilly. Tony, did you ask if Nigel's cats talk to him? Nigel gets NFL bets from a chimpanzee every week. I'm guessing his cats are betting the spread on cricket. Adam Blaney, Athens, Ohio. Isn't that where. Athens, Ohio? Is that the University of Ohio, isn't it? I think it is. I think that's the University of Ohio. Yes. The shine in segment was wonderful. You asked about royalties and it reminded me of my old friend from Springfield, Missouri. He was a young touring musician and he was asked by the local auto parts company to write a jingle and just offered him something like $1,000. He was thrilled to get any cash, took the deal and wrote and recorded them a song. Turns out he may have flushed the mouse because though his voice is heard only like a million times a day on the radio and TV singing oh, oh, oh, O'Reilly's Auto Parts, he gets exactly zero in royalties. You know, what are we doing out here, man? He's made a decent living, though, touring the world. As of all people, Tony Orlando's guitarist.

[Michael]

How about that?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Isn't that nice? Lee Gordon, Boynton Beach, Florida, Formerly West Hartford, Connecticut. When your excellent interview with Dave Shinen got around to the man who wrote the Sports center theme, John Colby, I said, I know that composer. In fact, I was a little surprised that you seem not to. John is good friends with Charlie Steiner from the days at ESPN when John and his wife Bev performed with their eponymous band, the Colbys, at various venues in the Hartford area, Charlie would join them on stage to lend his baritone voice to the song Mother in Law. Mother in Law and if you would go, that would be the solution. Don't come round no more Mother in Law. And apropos to your pre Male Quote of Springsteen lyrics pre Email Quote of Springsteen lyrics Colby produced both Asbury park albums for the late Clarence Clemens and was the Big man's last keyboardist and musical director. I didn't know any of that. That's why I've never met him. I don't know him at all. By the way, you had that. Ohio University, Athens, Ohio Yeah, I knew I had that. Clay Mason Lawrenceburg, Kentucky as the official private investigator of the Tony Kornheiser Show, I did some work years ago for Michael Meredith, the son of Don Meredith. He told me that whenever Dandy Don sang Turn out the Lights of Parties over on Monday Night Football, he always sang long enough for his great friend Willie Nelson to get a residual. That's great. Clay Mason Lawrence for Kentucky. That's just great. Glenn and Allen, Norwegian Soft Kid Our guitarist Glenn knows what Dave Shinen means when Dave said he feels like a hack. As a piano player, Glenn feels like a hacked guitarist. And the critics who have reviewed Norwegian soft kitten albums would agree with using terms like abysmal, horrendous, underwhelming, and pathetic to describe Glenn's guitar playing skills. However, Glenn recently played a 12 minute set of nursery rhymes for a local kindergarten class. And after the set, Glenn saw one child turn to another child, shrug his shoulders and say, meh. And just moments later, a child.

[Ian Warrington]

The.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hell was that, Mrs. Jenkins? As you can see, to the general public, Glenn is almost a notch above hack. These things make me laugh so much and just reminds me of what sandwich? Mark Larson Salt Lake City, Utah and reading my email and reading my email on Microwave Bacon Michael had an aside wondering about the power level and the wattage of the microwave. My home microwave is a thousand watts. I cook it at 100% power. I've used our 700 watt microwave in our vacation home for the same purpose. I just have to adjust it for more time, usually two minutes more per slice. The quality of paper towels is important though. If you use cheap paper towels, the bacon can stick and even fuse to them, making them inedible. I have meant to try using parchment paper for the bottom layer but is yet to test it. It really is the easiest, least messy way to cook bacon. I do it almost every day. People respond yes. Billy Crist, University of Maryland Track and field may not be historically outstanding, but they did have one. Yes, I forgot this. They did have one of the greatest hurdlers of all time. Ronaldo Skeets Nehemiah. He broke the 110 meter hurdler hurdles record twice in two weeks, running 13.16 and then 13.00 in his sophomore year in 1979. The prohibitive favorite to win the 110 meters hurdles in the 1980 Summer Games, he was unable to compete due to a 65 nation boycott of the games. Nehemiah received one of 461 congressional gold medals created for athletes despite never playing football in college. This is true. He signed with the 49ers in 1982. During his three years as a wide receiver, he caught 43 passes for 754 yards, a 17.5 average and four touchdowns. Nehemiah was deemed expendable in 1985 when the 49ers drafted Jerry Rice in the first round and he returned to the track in 1986. Keats Nehemiah is one of the all time greats. Yes, one of the all time greats. And Bill Walsh signed him. Yeah, Bill Walsh said. We're looking for let's see if it works. And it sort of kind of worked. Gary Rice is great as well. Yeah. From Brandon Borzelli in Lebanon, New Jersey. While I am blessed with an athletic daughter who has frequented Spooky Nook, remember when Wilbond talked about, oh, that's right, the promised land of limited parking and too many basketball courts. Her older, 6 inches shorter sister was a 3 sport athlete in high school. Her chosen sport? Lacrosse. She continues to play in college. Her winter sport was wrestling. Yes, wrestling. Her fall sport was field hockey, having never played it until high school. We had no idea the rules, the field of play or anything related to it. I learned quickly and it's easily my favorite sport to watch. The game is similar to that of lacrosse, with players four defenders, three in the middle and four on the attack. With a goalie, the game is much more strategic. My daughter was fortunate to play on a team, North Hunterdon, that was among the best in the state. Twice they won the state tournament for their size for their group and once lost in the title game. The basics are that the three in the middle are looking to take away any pass in their zone and get the ball up to the back forwards who then take a shot while the front forwards are on the post waiting for a ricochet to tap in. The strategy comes on corners. If a ball is in the large rectangle in front of the goal 15 yards or so. If it touches a defender's foot, comes to a stalemate or is hit with the back end of a stick, only one side of the stick can be used. It results in the corner. The corners are limited players on each side. The offensive knocks the ball into play from the side of the goal to one of their teammates waiting in a line while the defenders charge out of the goal to disrupt the play. From there, anything can happen. A bullet shot, a pass to the side while the others charge in a fake shot with a tap to a teammate ready to make a blast. Watching this unfold is better than a punt return, a shootout or any other stop play. The college game is faster with stronger players and with much more drama. The added bonus is that the college game is played on blue turf with a bright orange ball perfect for watching on tv. Of course you need to have Hulu to watch it. Larry would approve, I'm sure. The vaunted Patriot League doesn't have a contender yet, but they are getting close. That's a long. That's long from Brandon and explains it perfectly. He does. I'd like to see one game. Bill Matfeld Fort Mill, South Carolina Any truth to the rumor that Reginald is organizing your exploratory committee for D.C. mayor? No. Is he test folding your positions on free parking, run down vans parking on random streets and prosecuting the wizard's management for fraud? Is he doing a tour of the big donors showing pictures of Tony with Mark Rippon and Joe Gibbs in the bandwagon on the way to the Super Bowl? Is he establishing Tony's street cred with young voters by posting TikTok videos of Tony on stage playing bass for Norwegian at the 9:30 club? Looking forward to your upcoming campaign. Have a Happy Thanksgiving from Steve Gilmore in San Angelo, Texas. Oh Captain, my Captain. Sure you can microwave bacon just like someone can eat a Kit Kat. It doesn't make either of these things right. Happy Thanksgiving to you all and eat it. Solicit team Bake one more from Mark in Jersey while mentioning Reginald's turn as a backing vocalist on the way that you do the things you do with the primes and the primates. You could have added the primate. I'll see myself out out on your bike tonight. Everyone, as always, do wear white and Happy Thanksgiving. I'm done, I'm done, I'm done. And you, I hope you got your great Thanksgiving video. What a great family this is.

[Ian Warrington]

The postman thinks of the letters the postman thinks of the weather too he checks to see if it rains or snows should he wear his pants or shorts just to bring my letter home to you. The mayor thinks of the people he worries bout what the city will become Clears the roads and counts the times Keeps the buses running on time just to bring me home to you. Barista wakes in the morning, grinds up the coffee before the day begins. Good to see you today, she says and grins. Caffeine makes up for last night since just to keep us chugging along. Now we come to the children growing up strong and still coming up in years. Read your books, learn a little French. Your ideas make a lot of good sense. Just make the time to sing some song. Sam.