“uh, yeah”

Summary

The Tony Kornheiser Show — "uh, yeah" Date: April 20, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Tony Kornheiser is joined by Michael Wilbon and Mark Feinstein to dive into a mix of sports and trademark show banter. The discussion highlights Matt Fitzpatrick’s dramatic win at the Hilton Head golf tournament, the first games of the NBA playoffs (including the significance of Victor Wembanyama), persistent woes of the New York Mets, and some classic listener email fun centered around the recurring “name game.” The show maintains its familiar, conversational tone, with personal anecdotes and sly humor woven throughout discussions of current sports headlines and cultural observations.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Listener Emails & Show Lore

• Emails Celebrate Show Culture: The episode opens with listener tributes, reflecting on Tony and Michael Wilbon’s camaraderie and the unique blend of sports and humor that makes the podcast engaging, even outside of football season. Listeners comment on the “PTI energy” of the show and joke about the spread of Tony’s jokes to other popular shows like Jeopardy!
• The “Name Game”: Banter continues about the proliferation of certain first names (Tim, Mark, Steve, etc.) among listeners, with listeners jokingly claiming official titles ("Official Tim #001", etc.) and sharing humorous personal emails.

Notable Quote — Email from Listener:

"You’ve successfully captured the same energy, pace, humor and efficiency of PTI… I found myself appreciating the stories behind those sports more than the actual sport itself." (03:09)

(Listener email – "The sole reason I tune in, of course, being you and Wilbon, making every second of your show enjoyable..." 03:09–04:24)

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Jeopardy Shout-out and PTI's Cultural Reach

• Pop Culture Crossover: A listener recounts a Jeopardy! moment where a contestant references Tony Kornheiser, linking his trademark Uranus joke to PTI’s broad reach. Tony and Wilbon revel in the moment, underscoring how the show’s humor lands even on prime-time TV.

Notable Moment:

"Kornheiser is going to be very disappointed in you." (05:44 - Timothy Simons, as recounted by listener)

Tony: "It's great. That's just great. That's brilliant. It's fantastic." (05:47)

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Washington Nationals & Sports Interview Filler Language

• Nats, Base Running Woes: Tony recounts a crushing Nationals loss, with humorous exasperation at their “historically bad” base running.
• "Uh, Yeah" in Sports Interviews: A meta-take occurs about modern athletes’ tendency to start answers with filler words like, "uh, yeah," suggesting leagues might coach players to use this technique as a buffer on air.

Tony (on TV interview filler language):

"There must be a national firm that is hired by the tours or the leagues that sits down with you and tells you how to answer questions—filler phrase, buy a little bit of time..." (07:36)

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Gripe with Streaming Services

• Prime Video Frustrations: Tony grumbles about the technical difficulties and freezes when streaming sports on Prime Video, jokingly blaming Jeff Bezos and comparing the server lag to “mice on a wheel.” (10:08)

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NBA Playoffs & Star Narratives

Play-In and First-Round Insights (21:22–32:00)

• Play-In Format Debate: Wilbon and Tony analyze whether the NBA play-in tournament prepares teams or simply drains them, centering discussion on LaMelo Ball’s underperformance.
• Orlando’s Atypical Success: The Magic’s rise (anchored by Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner) is dissected; Wilbon credits coach Mosley and notes the East’s openness.
• Victor Wembanyama’s Playoff Debut:
  • Wilbon describes the excitement of witnessing Wembanyama’s playoff arrival, likening the moment to the debut of all-time NBA greats.
  • The suggestion: Wemby may become as must-see as Tiger Woods in golf.

Wilbon on Wembanyama:

"Victor Wembanyama is worth watching, the way those other guys I just named were worth watching...it could be a few years, no more, where we're looking at him every week like we looked at Tiger Woods." (26:36)

LeBron Retirement Rumors & Current Greats

• LeBron Speculation: Tony expresses skepticism over renewed rumors of LeBron’s retirement, asserting that LeBron “loves being out there” (30:31).
• Comparisons & Wishful Trades: Wilbon fantasizes about Giannis joining Golden State to fortify veteran squads, sparking more playful debate.

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Matt Fitzpatrick’s Hilton Head Victory

(16:36–21:22)

• Wilbon’s Joy as an NU Alum: Wilbon shares genuine pride at seeing Northwestern’s Matt Fitzpatrick seize victory with a clutch playoff shot. The dialogue spotlights Fitzpatrick’s childhood ties to Harbor Town, the leap from world #85 to #3, and the emotional peaks of fandom.
• Broader Golf Context: Tony and Michael contextualize Fitzpatrick’s rise and contrast “one-and-done” in NCAA golf versus basketball, underlining his increasing stature.

Wilbon:

"...to win [Harbor Town] yesterday, to hold off Scottie Scheffler when he left last year ranked 85 in the world. And today he’s ranked three." (18:59–19:07)

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MLB: The Mets’ Misery and Early Surprises

Mets Analysis with Mark Feinstein (33:29–47:01)

• Mets’ Dysfunction: Feinstein dissects the Mets’ 11-game losing streak, off-season roster missteps, injuries (notably to Juan Soto), and ill-fitting positional choices. The conversation questions front office/GM management more than coaching.
• Other Slumping Teams: Toronto, Philadelphia, Seattle, Houston—all enduring rough starts. Feinstein cautions against reading too much into April standings but notes that early patterns reveal real issues, especially with health and pitching depth.

Feinstein:

"You look up and down their lineup, it’s a bunch of guys with OPS in the 500s and 600s and a couple in the 400s...not a winning formula." (34:11)

• Positive Surprises: Colorado Rockies’ relative improvement (“miraculous” to reach 9 wins so early!); Arizona’s strong start after recent struggles.

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Shohei Ohtani & Mike Trout

• Ohtani’s Uniqueness: Both Tony and Feinstein marvel at Shohei Ohtani’s status as a true baseball unicorn – dominating both as pitcher and hitter, rendering him an annual MVP favorite.
• Trout “Resurrected”: Mike Trout’s return to devastating form and questions about his loyalty to Anaheim round out the MLB chat, underlining the joy when perennial stars are healthy.

Feinstein on Ohtani:

"There's just nothing he can't do...It's impossible to say that any player in baseball…is more valuable, given what he does at the plate and on the mound." (45:31–46:55)

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Personal Anecdotes & Miscellaneous

• Golf Heroics: Tony shares witnessing a friend’s hole-in-one, describing the communal joy such a rare moment inspires (13:02–13:52).
• Weather & DC Flora: Neighborhood small talk — azaleas, dogwoods, and the impact of brief cold snaps.

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Listener Mailbag & Jingles (48:11–58:40, select highlights)

• Emails address:
  • The “name game” continues, with Steves, Joshes, and even an Abraham vying for honorary show status.
  • A funny story about a job interview gone awry due to overenthusiastic Bethesda Bagels references.
• Local DC Discussions: Shoutouts to Rehoboth food and Bethesda Bagels, and a brief aside on famous baseball towns.
• Survivor Behind the Scenes: Listener Rick Devens explains the realities of Survivor filming, including the absence of food, WiFi, and time to listen to Tony's podcast while on the show.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Prime Video as a Platform:

  "If Jeff Bezos had this much problem delivering packages, he wouldn't have a business..." (10:08 – Tony Kornheiser)

• On Baseball Spending:

  "It’s proof that just having a lot of money and spending a lot of money doesn’t equate to necessarily winning. The Dodgers spend a lot of money, spend it as wisely as any team in any sport..." (35:55 – Tony Kornheiser)

• On Wembanyama’s impact:

  "This was that. I mean, Wembanyama, it's a show. You just want to stop what you're doing and watch it." (26:36 – Michael Wilbon)

• On Jeopardy and Cultural Impact:

  "Kornheiser is going to be very disappointed in you." (05:44 – Timothy Simons as recounted in a listener story)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Listener Email Appreciation & Jeopardy Story: 03:09–05:51
• Nats’ Base Running Lament / ‘Uh, Yeah’ Discussion: 06:23–09:39
• NBA Playoff First Impressions / Wembanyama Hype: 21:22–27:47
• Fitzpatrick’s Hilton Head Victory: 16:36–21:22
• Mets’ Struggles & MLB Surprises (with Mark Feinstein): 33:29–47:01
• Ohtani & Trout Analysis: 43:06–46:55
• Listener Stories, Name Game, Bethesda Bagels: 48:11–58:40

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Conclusion

This episode blends the lively, free-flowing discussions the Tony Kornheiser Show is known for—mixing sharp sports analysis, curmudgeonly riffs on modern media, genuine moments of awe for emerging sports stars, and the warm community found in its mailbag. Whether you’re dropping in for the baseball talk or the NBA playoff takes, the tone is unmistakably Tony: wry, amused, and anchored by a lifelong love of sports and storytelling.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey it's Tony. On today's show we will talk to Michael Wilbon about Mattie Fitzpatrick winning the Hilton Head tournament. Also about the first games of the NBA playoffs. And then we'll talk to Mark Feinstein about what's going on with the Mets. Can't be good. But first commerce.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Mark Feinstein]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

exclusions like taxes and fees apply.

[Commercial Announcer]

CT mobile.com this is the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Michael Wilbon]

I think I'll get an invite again, but I don't know, it just was everything coming together, coming out of COVID massive soccer fan, all of this. And now I'm just like. I look at the mail every single day hoping the invite comes again. And here we are in 2026. So as ask him for it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So this is five years ago. I thought maybe this was just recently. This was.

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh no, no, no. I'll tell you right now, I'll quit

[Mark Feinstein]

my job if I get the invite again.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay,

[Commercial Announcer]

the Tony Korniser show is on now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Such a great story by Taylor Twelman. That was fun. From Jason Poulin. Not Andy Poy. Jason Poin. Not the pitcher for the pitcher. Not the pitcher for the Nats either. From Sudbury.

[Caller/Listener]

Oh my.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Ontario and Canada. My life has been consumed by football for over 30 years. I've always had time for hockey and baseball, but football is my passion. Basketball, soccer, horses, bath. PTI has always been in my rotation, especially during football season. But I still found it digestible when I had to endure months of no football coverage. Baseball fills the gap and your fleeting coverage of hockey suits me just fine. The sole reason I tune in, of course, being you and Wilbon, making every second of your show enjoyable with your camaraderie, humor, the obvious passion for your craft, and the efficiency of the show. I found your podcast about two years ago. Not unlike pti. The long span between football season is something I simply need to endure. I was curious as to how I'd absorb the hour long format of your show without football. Let me just say it's been as easy as watching pti. You've successfully captured the same energy, pace, humor and efficiency of pti. The woman to whom I'm related by marriage has had to endure many Tony was so funny today. Followed by a who's Tony you shows. Last week's Spotlighting Baseball podcast, naming horses in the World cup would normally have me heading for a darts tournament on ESPN Ode show. However, your guests were informative, witty, and most of all, excited to speak to you. I found myself appreciating the stories behind those sports more than the actual sport itself. Thank you for everything you and the team do for all of us. Tell Sherman Oil, Nike and the Nats bullpen to eat it. It's a lovely, lovely thing. Very lovely.

[Caller/Listener]

It captures the show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, this is. This is more personal what I'm going to Read now. This is from Joe Pearson in Indianapolis. So Friday night I was watching Celebrity Jeopardy. Don't judge me. And Mina Kimes was one of the contestants. Anyway, there was a clue about the seventh planet and no one rang in, of course. The proper response was, what is Uranus? One of the other contestants, Timothy Simons Simmons. Simmons. Because it only has one. That's right. Yes. Timothy Simmons, best known as Jonah Ryan on Veep. He was so funny. He was so funny. Leans over to Mina and says, kornheiser is going to be very disappointed in you. To which Mina gives a very defeated. I know your reach is ever expanding, grandpa. Clearly Simmons is at the very least a PTI watcher. Now your name has been spread to all the Jeopardy. Watchers. Come to think of it, that probably won't move the needle as Jeopardy. And PTI both seem to target the 70 to dead demographic. Regardless, keep spreading the gospel of Uranus jokes spreading. Uranus.

[Michael Wilbon]

Ha.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Chuckles. It's wonderful. Would you like to hear it? Yeah. Here we go. Love to hear it.

[Commercial Announcer]

Let's do meet the planets for 800.

[Mark Feinstein]

This seventh planet is named for a

[Tony Kornheiser]

lesser known deity, the son and husband of Jea. Not coming up with it.

[Mark Feinstein]

You missed your chance to say it on national tv. What is Uranus? Uranus. Never Wrong.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Back to you, Mina.

[Michael Wilbon]

Oh, God.

[Commercial Announcer]

Let's.

[Caller/Listener]

Hornheiser is going to be disappointed in me.

[Michael Wilbon]

Great.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's great. That's just great. That's brilliant. It's fantastic.

[Caller/Listener]

You finally made Jeopardy.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

That's really good.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, wow. It's wonderful. But I went. I went through to try and so this. In. In recent times, I've made Jeopardy. And the Olympics. Yes, Made the Olympics. It's pretty good. Yeah, pretty good. I went through. I wanted to give a bunch of the nicknames that Jonah had on Veep and they're all. We can't say them on the air. They're very funny. That was a wonderfully funny. It was terrific. Wonderful. Just the best I saw. I just something observational here. I was watching the Gnats. The Gnats had a terrible, terrible loss on Saturday. They're in.

[Caller/Listener]

Should have won a couple of times.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They have. They got out of the 10th without yielding a run to the Giants. They have bases loaded, nobody out. Oh, and they didn't score. Oh, that's terrible. Dalen Lyle struck out on a high pitch. Some other guy came up and struck out and then they hit a ground ball to second base. You cannot let that chance go by. It was just terrible. Just terrible. But yesterday they did fine. I don't usually use a sentence. Their bullpen was great. It was three nothing game. The bullpen was great.

[Caller/Listener]

It was interesting. The home run meadow first baseman is one of the baserunners who made a costly mistake in the previous game.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. Yeah. They are the worst baserunning team in the history of baseball.

[Caller/Listener]

It's another one of those series. Should have won the series.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Three or four guys get caught every game. Every game get picked off and thrown

[Caller/Listener]

out of the spin league stuff run through the bag.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's just awful. They are the. I mean, no one who watches them. You might be able to say something good about the bullpen yesterday, which I just did. Their base running is horrific. Absolutely horrific. They get trapped every single game. Nunez, it seems to me, is thrown out five times a game. He gets on base, gets thrown out.

[Caller/Listener]

Anyway, big series with the base.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Anyway, they're interviewing somebody after the game and maybe it was that guy Mead. I'm not certain who it was. And after the interviewer finishes the question, this person starts out by saying, yeah. And then goes into an answer. I've seen Rory McElroy do this. Ask the question.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And then goes, and I've seen basketball player. I don't have any firsthand hockey knowledge of this, but I've seen basketball players and baseball players and golfers. Yeah. There must be a national firm that is hired by the tours or the leagues that sits down with you and tells you how, how to answer questions and basically says filler phrase, buy a little bit of time. Give yourself time to make an answer. Yeah. So you can digest what the question is and then come up with this. Got to be. Because you see everybody do this.

[Caller/Listener]

Well, particularly with Rory, you have somebody who is oftentimes too expansive. So if he actually starts to give the answer that's in his head, he might sit, he might look back at it a day later but say, well, I shouldn't have done that. Now the other question is you have. You sometimes have interviewers who are basically giving you an answer, right. Repackaging it as a question. So you're sitting go, oh, yeah, you. You basically got the answer already.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But it. That's. I made a note of it because it has become something that is predictable and very annoying to me. I mean, I don't go, oh yeah. I mean, I listen to the question, your answer, but yeah, I might say, well, or something like that. I might say a first word that gets me on my road, but oh, yeah, seems to. I'm. Feels like it's Taught, doesn't it?

[Caller/Listener]

It does. And some of that is when you. When you have the microphone and oftentimes the camera as well, that's going to change the pace of the response. Because the psychological way you might win that is by having a longer pregnant boss to give yourself time to win your interviewer over.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And you don't really want to do that on television because it looks like you're too dumb to understand the question. Yeah, okay. It's another thing I'm watching. I drifted back and forth in basketball.

[Caller/Listener]

He had a busy afternoon.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, I.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Now stay away.

[Caller/Listener]

What was your rotation like? You're primarily on the basketball and then dipping back and forth.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Got a lot of golf, baseball, and golf.

[Caller/Listener]

You could skip for like an hour.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Baseball until we got to an inning change. And then I went over to golf or the basketball. But I've stopped on. I'm not doing prime video anymore. I'm not doing it because it not only takes 10 minutes.

[Mark Feinstein]

Yeah.

[Caller/Listener]

You got to get out of the. To get streaming.

[Tony Kornheiser]

10 minutes. Minutes to get to. And then it freezes up. No, freezes up for 30 seconds to a minute, to a minute and a half. Just freezes up. What are they doing? If Jeff Bezos had this much problem delivering packages, he wouldn't have a business. It. Am I wrong? It freezes up. Yeah. Who's doing that? They have, like mice on a wheel. Is that their power source? What are you doing anyway? In one of the games yesterday in the Detroit Orlando game, it is at Detroit. And in script, in two different places on the court in script are the words Platinum Equity. Obviously some sort of sponsor. Maybe the owner has something to do with Platinum Equity. You think. Think about this for a second. Do you think of Detroit as. As a city where everybody's gonna hire Platinum Equity? Detroit, the Motor City. Don't forget the Motor City. Now, it's not a Platinum. When you see the roster of the Platinum Equity cities, Detroit is not going to be on there. It's just not. Seems so incongruous to me. Right?

[Caller/Listener]

Seems incongruous. Yeah. Except that you look at a city that had a downturn and you wonder if some equity groups came in and bought everything.

[Michael Wilbon]

Maybe.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Maybe just. It just seemed odd to me. That did seem. That was the only true upset. Will Bottle talk. God help us, Will, by talk about everything that happened. Well, I mean, it's. I mean, the playoffs are almost through right now. Right. We're almost done with them. If you think that June is tomorrow, then we're almost done with them. But May comes between and there's a lot of April left. A third of April left. It's quite a bit. Yes. So. No, we're not done with. No.

[Caller/Listener]

Well, you get the AJ Brown trade by then.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So. Yeah, by then AJ Brown will be traded. By the way, you know what else I noticed? Remember how Aaron Rodgers said, you know, I'm gonna make a decision by the draft. Yes. I think you have to move on without. You have to. You say, look, we've waited. Yeah. We're gonna make our plans. Make your own deal. Because we, we. Yeah. We have a business here and we have a team to field and we can't. He's playing Hamlet, you know, just make a decision. That's not really what he does. By the way, for people who are interested in Washington weather, it's getting. It has gotten colder here. It's getting much colder tonight and tomorrow night.

[Mark Feinstein]

Yeah.

[Caller/Listener]

But the extended forecast looks pretty nice.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's nice Tuesday and Wednesday. Yeah. The.

[Caller/Listener]

And I know your azaleas are past. They still look beautiful. Your azaleas are past. Mine are just entering.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. And then they're going to be. The cold weather is going to extend them around an extra two or three days. Yeah. But there's a freeze warning here and

[Caller/Listener]

we've had a great Dogwood season.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Really?

[Caller/Listener]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I didn't know that they were ranked. Yep. Like how good a dog would see my top five. What do you think? I'd say the white dog would see him. Yeah. You see him. I know what a dog would.

[Caller/Listener]

They've not pulled the Mets, I'll say that.

[Michael Wilbon]

Okay.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. One other thing. I'm just saying this fleetingly. I was witness on Saturday to a friend of mine getting a hole in one. Gary Williams, Hole in one. Oh, that is hole in one. His third. Which makes me angry. That's just greedy, isn't it?

[Caller/Listener]

But good coaching.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He was so happy. Oh, that's in that moment. And we are all so happy for him in that moment.

[Caller/Listener]

Wasn't complaining about the strike.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Not. No. It's a hole that he actually plays pretty well. I. I have been witness. Now, I think that was the fourth one I have been witness to. And you are almost as excited as the guy who makes the hall in one. It's just so wonderful. It's a wonderful moment. So congratulations to Gary Michael Wilbon. When we return, I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Commercial Announcer]

This is the Tony Kornheiser show.

[Mark Feinstein]

Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Commercial Announcer]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show. This guitar work comes to us courtesy of Matthew Schell, who writes, I would like to share with you my nostalgically futuristic new flamenco guitar driven smooth jazz album that dropped this past Friday. Titled Spiritually Speaking two Far Away But Always Near. Hope you enjoy this. If there's anything here that you like, please feel free to share on your show. Feel free to ping me with any questions about the inspiration for each song. The album is inspired by the beauty of nature. Since everyday life is so crazy now for all of us, hope this can be a nice escape for people who need music to get their mind off the insanity going on in the world today. This is called Where Clouds Kneel Before Our Feet. I'm not a jazz guy, but I can sit and listen to this. Oh yeah, like in a certain kind of mood. I Can sit for a half hour and listen to this. It's freeing. Yes.

[Caller/Listener]

Could you wait on the phone for about 30 to 40 minutes?

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, I would kill myself. No, I would.

[Caller/Listener]

In line for some socks.

[Michael Wilbon]

No, I would.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, no, no. Absolutely not.

[Michael Wilbon]

Not going to do it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We can tell that Jared story later about the socks. This plays in Michael Wilbon and normally we would start with the NBA because Wilburn watched all of it, all eight games, all 20 games, all 80 games. But no, we're going to start with the agony and the ecstasy of Michael Wilbon watching Northwestern's own though only for one year. Matty Fitz, Matthew Fitzpatrick win a tournament yesterday that you thought he had lost, right?

[Michael Wilbon]

Well, I told you that we were both right in a weird way. By the way, that is. That is a real corner of my music. That's my music. Okay, good Jazz is what that is. A big, you know, Brian Culberson, I'm gonna get you turned on him so people can stop thinking of it as elevator music. But anyway, because it's more brilliant than that, it's more fun than that. It's hotter often than that. Anyway, your stated opinion in the moment was Matty Fitz is gonna hold off Scotty Shepard. And mine was Scotty Scheffler is going to catch, I'm afraid, Matty Fitz. Well, he did catch him.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He did on the 18th.

[Michael Wilbon]

But ultimately, you know, Matthew Fitzpatrick with an absurd shot.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Second shot.

[Michael Wilbon]

A second shot.

[Tony Kornheiser]

First playoff to like 10ft, less than 10ft. Wow.

[Michael Wilbon]

And so it was, it was thrilling. It was a great day for Northwestern. You say, look, I, I apologize for Matty Fitz. One and done. So is every, so is every basketball player now in the last 20 years. They're all one and done and they're yet alumns of their institutions and often go on to become very intimately involved with their institutions. So yes, Matthew Fitzpatrick, he wasn't like Luke Donald, by the way. Another guy in that tournament, David Lipsky, finished I think top 20 and he was a four year and done in the Big Ten champion. But Matt Fitzpatrick, wow, he's having quite a summer. He left Harbortown and by the way, his family would leave Europe and go to Harbor Town for vacation when he was a little kid. And that's the tournament he wanted to most win. He didn't know what Augusta was. He didn't know what the US Open was he Harbortown. And so he's won it twice now. And to win it yesterday, to hold off Scotty Shepler when he left last year, when he left Hilton head, North, South Carolina. He was ranked number 85 in the world.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's five now.

[Michael Wilbon]

And today he's ranked three.

[Tony Kornheiser]

A three. Okay, three. I thought he was three to five. I thought he was five. He made a great par save on 11 that I think. I think kept him, you know, away from Scottie Scheffler, who then got two birdies late and put the pressure on Matty Fitz on 18. And Matty Fitz came and he bogeyed the hole. And at that point, you were distraught.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yes, yes, I want to see him win. You know, I started mentioning yesterday was a great day. Women's lacrosse won again. A big. Another Big Ten championship. We got bigger fish to fry.

[Mark Feinstein]

That's arrogant to say that, but it's true.

[Michael Wilbon]

So that between that and Matthew Fitzpatrick, who, you know, I've talked to a couple times, I don't know him as well as I know other guys on the golf team, historically on that program, men's and women's. And so it's just. It's like, wow, this is great that Matt Fitzpatrick is having this kind of career, but also this kind of summer, specifically. It's his second win this summer. Scottie Sheffield doesn't have two wins this summer.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, he doesn't.

[Michael Wilbon]

This season. No, he doesn't. He's got one. And so. And I'm not saying that Mattie fits a Scottie Scheffler, but you can have a year. You can have a run in a career, which he's not yet 30 years old. I don't know how Matthew is. He's probably like 27 or 28 by now. Maybe there are.

[Tony Kornheiser]

There are golfers. There are golfers who bubble up and have great years, and maybe it's sustainable, maybe it isn't. JJ Spawn last year had a great year at an older age than Manny Fitzpatrick. Chris Goderup came in and people went, wow. Chris Goderup, 31. 31 years old.

[Michael Wilbon]

That's not 31 already. Wow. Time, time, time goes a little.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I should also point out, for people who think. Think, you know, they always talk about golf. Stop already. This is not Matty Fitz's first rodeo. He won the U.S. open.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Country Club in Brookline. And he, too, I think, you know, and he. He's a. He's a fine player. He is a fine player, but I'm sure.

[Michael Wilbon]

But it was, you know, in live time, sitting there rooting. Yeah. You know, I was nuts yesterday.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I know. We spoke of the phone 100 hours.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, I'm aware.

[Michael Wilbon]

Not for the last time either.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No. So that was nice. So good for Northwestern. Good for you. Good for.

[Mark Feinstein]

Thank you.

[Michael Wilbon]

Thank you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

NBA first round. Before that, before we get to the first round, your thoughts, what are your thoughts on teams that have to go through the play in to get in the playoffs? Do you think there's countervailing evidence here? One team won yesterday and, you know, other teams lost yesterday. Do you think that the play in prepares you better or just sort of drains you? And feel free to mention what a dog lamelo Ball was in that particular game against Orlando.

[Michael Wilbon]

He wasn't up. He wasn't up to that moment. And I'll give you credit for saying this game is going to hinge on whether he is or not up to a circumstance where everybody's looking at him for the first time in his career

[Mark Feinstein]

after, you know, like Christmas.

[Michael Wilbon]

And he wasn't. He just wasn't up to it. And so, you know, and Orlando, Tony, to be, to be fair, I mean, Paula Panchero and Franz Wagner, this was expected of them. Okay. I'm not saying it's expected of them to beat Detroit, but they were expected to be good this year.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right. That's right.

[Michael Wilbon]

Mosley is a hell of a coach.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's coaching for his job. He's coaching for his job.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah. Now he is.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yep.

[Michael Wilbon]

But you know what if he. You know what, Tony? Other people know when it's the players who failed the coach the other way around in that league.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Wagner missed 45 games with injuries.

[Michael Wilbon]

Well, Wagner and Barker. And then when they're out there, all of a sudden these two guys are major talent.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes.

[Michael Wilbon]

They're, they're people that you would say, I'll take him in free agency and get rid of who I got. So they are, they are big. These guys are 6, 9, 610 wings who can do it all, who can defend. Defend. There's no reason that they should be playing second fiddle to Cade Cunningham, even though he was an MVP candidate and the first player on my all second team. That spot should be contended for by Bankero and Wagner. And they failed all year. They sabotaged their coach and so whatever criticism they get, they've earned. But they knocked Charlotte's head off.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, they did.

[Michael Wilbon]

In game in the, in the, in the, in the winter take all game that you mentioned.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And you didn't think, you thought Charlotte was going to win in a rooting for Sean?

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, I just figured, you know, if we ever seen Orlando break through after 82 games, why now?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right.

[Michael Wilbon]

But they kept it Good. Look, yesterday that's what, that's what we expected. You know, I didn't have Orlando coming out of the east, but I had him a top four. I had Orlando like in fourth place this, this regular season and they were just dogs and so they weren't. They, they haven't been lately. So for what, three games in a row. So let's see what they got. I mean they, they have the personnel, the know how the veteran players, young veterans, talent to challenge, you know, not only Detroit but the Knicks. You know, I don't know that I want to go as far as saying Boston. But Cleveland, they do have that. So the playoffs, you know, you want to see something early besides the 1 seeds, you know, play like the NCAA 1 seeds. I like a little more drama in my, in my basketball in my NBA playoffs than that. And we got some last night.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, that was the one game with drama. Detroit failed to win. They are reintegrating Cade Cunningham into the team. They've been without him for about 15 or 20 games. I don't, I don't think Orlando will win that series. But that was the one, that was the one moment where you go, well, that was interesting. And the rest of the games and certainly the rest of the high seated games and pretty much the rest of the games were dreadful. That looked like mismatches. Did anything surprise you in any of those games?

[Michael Wilbon]

No, it's, it's, you know, I mean it's just like. It's like the first. It's like the Thursday and Friday in March. Yeah, it was like. It's like March Madness was. Things went to form. It was not upset it heaven like the DNC tournament used to be. We got. But, but, but the NBA. We got time. I, I said to you and our friend David Israel last night in the text that I think four of the teams that lost this weekend are going to come back and win game twos.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

Including the Atlanta Hawks. That's what I believe will happen. So I believe there's some. You're not judging the. I don't, I don't judge the games in NBA playoffs. I judge the series. And so. And I want to see Victor Wembanyama because last night he did he. Look, I'm lucky enough and you are too. And we're old enough that we have been and we have been to attendance at courtside for the debut playoff games of a great many players who are on that list of greatest players of all time. We have seen. You know, we can go backward. We can do it this way, Lebron and Shaq and Kobe and Jordan, Allen Iverson and Jordan and Bird and Magic. And you go back further than that with Kareem, we've seen them. And this was that. I mean, when Banyama, it's a show. You just want to stop what you're doing and watch it. I don't care what the other team did. I don't care who the other team was. I don't care what the margin was. Victor, when Banyama is worth watching the way that those other guys I just named were worth watching, did I put Michael Jordan in that category? Because he needs to be in that category too. Because that's what Winvanyama, he had 33 and I stopped counting. And so the variety of his scoring and the defense and people being. People were shooting the ball like they were shooting it over a small building when Wembanyama came flying at them. And you're looking at this going, come on, man. I mean, maybe this kid can't win this year, and I don't really think they can. Maybe he can't win this year. But people better account for him because he's coming to get everybody. Like a monster and a pleasant one and an intelligent one, even eloquent one, a fascinating one. And I don't know, maybe, you know, it could be a few a year or so. No more where we're looking at him every week like we looking at Tiger Woods. He could be that guy for the NBA.

[Tony Kornheiser]

There are two people out there that actually have the potential to be the greatest of all time at what they do. Wembanyama and Shohei Ohtani. And if you get a chance to watch them, you go watch them. You go watch them. They are that good. I want to just close on a story that we did on Friday, a story that annoyed me Friday and annoys me now. A story suggesting that LeBron James is going to retire. What? What? Why? Why would he retire? Why exactly?

[Michael Wilbon]

Maybe if he's tired of doing it or he knows they can't if he takes the court. I mean, for, you know, for so many years, I mean, LeBron took the court, getting to the finals, whatever it was, nine times in a row. He took the court every year thinking he could win. And like three or four of those years, they could have won three or four. So it's been like it was like a 13 year stretch in there where LeBron James started the season knowing he can get to the finals and win a championship. That's not the case anymore. He can't control the action to that degree anymore. Even though he can still go out there and diagnose, as you and I talked about, he can diagnose any situation and figure out how to enhance the team to get them to the brink of it. Now, you can make the case that with a healthy Doncic and Reaves don't go anywhere. Let it be up to the Lakers to get one more piece. A rugged big. A guy like Jalen Duran, who doesn't have to score, but who can defend and lead and be a tough guy. Maybe you can find that guy, identify him early, maybe even in the draft, and you and LeBron could stay and he could have that feeling again. Tony, I don't know, because I haven't. I haven't done a sit down with LeBron in a couple of years now. We just sit and talk on and off camera about these things. I don't know, maybe he just says, you know what? There's other stuff in the world to do, and I want to do that. I mean, every. You know, he's not. He. LeBron is actually. To me, this is crazy to say. Maybe he's playing better from an individual standpoint at 41, than Tom Brady was. Now, Brady won a Super bowl in his 40s. It doesn't seem like LeBron, unless he just goes out and gloms on with the team, will do that from where he sits right now. But, you know, again, what would the Lakers look like if those two guys, Reeves and Doncic, were healthy on the court? And can they do that late in the season? Can they be there with LeBron in that way, like next year? Otherwise, then if he said, you know what? It's been great, who can fault him for that? Who can fault them?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm not gonna fault him. I'm gonna say, when he's out there, he looks like he loves being out there. Loves it.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yes, he does.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And that's why you play.

[Michael Wilbon]

Clearly does.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's why you play. Cause you love it.

[Michael Wilbon]

I couldn't agree with you more. And it's, it's a, it's a joy at this point to watch him. It is to watch Steph Curry. And I want, you know, I'm lobbying already for Giannis to go to Golden State. We talk about LeBron, by the way, being the guy who goes to Golden State. But either one of them. But, but more Giannis. Giannis goes to Golden State and Giannis is out there with Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Steph Curry. You can sign me up for thinking that the old dudes, the YMCA dudes have a real chance at any playoff series if Giannis is on that team because then you, you have at least a counter to the young bigs that are out there, the young, great wings. So. But LeBron, the LeBron story is interesting. They got game one. Kevin Durant was out. I do think the Lakers can win that series, depending on what Kevin Durant level of. Tony, if Kevin. Let me ask you something.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic, what has been. What's the historical difference between the two of them? The answer is nothing.

[Mark Feinstein]

None.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right.

[Michael Wilbon]

So. So if Kevin Durant's not out there, anybody else on Houston scare me? No. And the Lakers could advance. Now, the thing about the number three speed advancing is they get the number two seed. Hello, Victor.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, you got to play them. You got to go through everybody to win if you're going to win.

[Michael Wilbon]

That's right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right, I'll see you later. All right, Tom Michael Wilbon, boys and girls. We will come back with Mark Feinstein. We'll talk about baseball. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

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[Michael Wilbon]

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[Mark Feinstein]

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This is the Tony Kornizer Show. Tony Kornizer Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Once again, this is Matthew Schell, Matt Shell with jazz guitar work. This is called where the Fireflies Dance. It's nice to know that that Wilbon likes this kind of music very much. I was unaware of that. Michael. If people like Mr. Shell want to send us their original music for us to play on this show, which can be heard without me talking over it at the end of the show. How do they do?

[Caller/Listener]

So send us your music by emailing it to jinglesonyquanizershow.com and it plays in

[Tony Kornheiser]

Mark Feinstein and I mean, because I could get bogged down here. I could get bogged down here with the Gnats. And how terrible they were leaving is. Except for yesterday when it was great. How they are the worst baserunning team I've ever seen in my life. They're worse than a little league team. They're just so terrible. But their hitting has been so good this year. The hitting has been. I could get bogged down. I don't want to do it. I have. You need to start with the Mets. You need to start with. They keep losing and losing and losing. It's going to get spent a lot of money and they're going to get booed out of Shea or whatever they call that thing now Citi Field. They get what is going on there. What?

[Mark Feinstein]

Yeah, that's not going to go well for them as they return home on an 11 game losing streak. I don't know what's going on there. You know, you look at them and the pieces look like they should all fit together.

[Michael Wilbon]

You know, they, they made a couple

[Mark Feinstein]

of moves this offseason that were not popular with the fan base. They let three of their most popular players leave. And you know, Alonzo is a free agent. He has as a free agent. And Brandon Nimmo, they traded, they brought in Marcus Semian, who's seen, you know, still a great fielder, but he seen his better days already as a hitter. But then they brought in Boba Shet, who, you know, was one of the top hitters available in the market. But they decided to play him at third base. They were going to play him out of position and they brought in Jorge Polanco, who is a lifelong second baseman, and they decided to play him out of position. So it's almost like this team was just a little disjointed, a little bit cockeyed. You know, they've been without Juan Soto for three weeks, which certainly doesn't help. He was there, is their best hitter, was their best hitter and will be their best hitter. So when he comes back, that will help. But when you look up and down their lineup, it's a bunch of guys with ops in the 500s and 600s and a couple of them in the 400s.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We like to call that Keebert Ruiz territory here.

[Michael Wilbon]

Exactly.

[Mark Feinstein]

So that's, you know, this is not a winning formula. You look at the pitching, I mean, Sanga has been terrible, Peterson's been up and down.

[Michael Wilbon]

But the other guys have been, you

[Mark Feinstein]

know, Nolan McLean's been great. Clay Holmes has been outstanding. Freddie Price has been mostly good. He had one, one with clunker in there. But, you know, this team was 7 and 4 in their first 11. And now they're oh and 11 in their last 11. And they scored 19 runs in those 11 losses. So, you know, I think only twice they scored more than two runs in a game. You're not going to win no matter how good your pitching is. Because, you know, to ask your pitchers to hold the opponent to one or zero every day, not realistic.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They spend a lot of money. It's proof that just having a lot of money and spending a lot of money doesn't equate to necessarily winning the Dodgers. Spend a lot of money, Spend it as wisely as any team in any sport has ever spent a lot of money. There's a big difference there. That seems to me to fall on general manager, or am I wrong?

[Michael Wilbon]

I would agree.

[Mark Feinstein]

I mean, there is a big, you know, movement amongst Met fans right now. The Carlos Mendoza's got to go. They need a change in the manager's office. I've told you this many times before. I'm not a big believer in blaming the manager and making them the scapegoat because he's not up there swinging the bat for these guys. He doesn't have a.485 OPS. You know, you want to change your hitting coach and get somebody else working with these guys, okay. But you know, the idea that the manager is the reason that, you know, he managed the same way during the 7 and 4 start as he has during the 0 and 11, you know, he handed his balls, the ball to his closer with a one nothing lead the other day and he blew the save. That's the manager's fault. What's he supposed to do? I think the GM is the one or president of baseball operations in this case. David Stearns certainly should be taking more heat for this right now. But look, Steve Krohn's not going to fire David Stearns mid season. He's not going to fire him a month into the season. He's going to get this year, but still make the playoffs this year for a second straight year. I wouldn't necessarily be shocked if there was a change at the top of the, at the top of the front office. Because when you're an owner spending over $400 million a year on your team and paying exorbitant luxury taxes and, you know, giving him Juan Soto and going out and spending all this money, you, at the very minimum, expect to be in the post season and two years in a row out of the postseason. I'd be very interested to see what happens at that point.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The Mets are the worst team to talk about in terms of losing because of the current streak. But Toronto is losing a lot. I think they're 7 and 12 or something like that. Philadelphia is losing a lot. Seattle is losing a lot. Houston is losing a lot. Which one of those teams or maybe all of them surprise you?

[Mark Feinstein]

I think all of them surprise me. You know, we're not used to seeing Houston and Philly and, you know, those two in particular. You know, Houston's 8 and 15, Phillies 8 and 13. These are teams that have been contenders on an annual basis. And, you know, I never like to really rant and rave about standings in April. You know, you think back, you think back to 2019, your beloved Nationals were 19 and 31 through 50 and they won the World Series. So things can turn around. But, you know, like Yogi used to say, it's getting late early here. So I think, you know, there are certainly, I don't like to make big, big judgments off the early parts, but I was talking to executives last week for a story and they said you can see pockets of, of play during the first 20, 30 games that tell you what your problems are. Some of the things that are not working, you say, all right, the back of the baseball card. They'll even out a guy who's hitting.150, who's a career to 80 hitter, even going to hit.150 for the whole year as long as he's healthy, you know, in all likelihood. Right. So you're not going to worry about that. But there certainly are, you know, issues that are going to have to be dealt with with some of these teams. I mean, the Phillies are waiting to get Zach Wheeler back, and in the meantime, you know, Jesus Losado has an 8 ERA and Taiwan Walker has a 9 ERA. And that's not really helpful when you're trying to win baseball games, when you're throwing them out two out of every five days. The Blue Jays at 8 and 13, surprising. Now yesterday it seemed like maybe they finally woke up. They started the game with eight straight men reaching base and just, just put the hurt on. And, you know, they've been, they're the one team that I wouldn't say has anything to worry about except getting healthy. I mean, they're without George Springer, they're without Addison Bardwood, they're without Alejandro Kirk, you know, Cody Ponce, who was brought in to help with the rotation depth already done for the year after one start, two innings. So, you know, the Blue Jays have just had some bad injury luck early on. You know, they brought in villain fees for $210 million, and he's been worth every penny of it so far. Kevin Gosman's been really good, but they need to get healthy.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, I understand that. Do I have to worry about our friend Matt Catarro at Kansas City? They're at the bottom of a division as well.

[Mark Feinstein]

They are. I think that division is. Is winnable. I think. I don't think there's any juggernaut in that division. The Tigers have the ability to be that juggernaut, especially with, you know, Tarek Scubal and Fran Revaldez at the top of that rotation. But they sort of stumbled out of the gate as well. They've righted the ship since then. But, you know, I feel, you know, they've won, I think, eight of their last nine or something like that after starting out four and nine. So, you know, the Royals need to get on one of these little streaks, and it would certainly be helpful for them to do that soon. But I think in that division, you know, these teams play each other so much, and there's still. There was only 140 games left, so I think five games, they could still make that up. At this point, I don't want to

[Tony Kornheiser]

make judgments because it's way early. We're still in April. But you do see teams, Cincinnati and Arizona winning. They didn't win last year. Well, Cincinnati won last year, but Arizona didn't win last year.

[Mark Feinstein]

You know, but Arizona's in the World Series a couple years ago.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right.

[Mark Feinstein]

So we've seen a team that had some, you know, some, some players on their team have had some winning in their blood. They've experienced that. And so they're not gonna, you know, they're not gonna get out of sorts off of a bad start. Now. Give them a good start, and you might give them some. Some irrational confidence and that. No, west, right now, you're gonna need all the irrational confidence you can find because, you know, the Dodgers, the Padres and the Diamondbacks are all really, really good teams. And even the Rockies, who were last year the worst team by like a mile. And they were, I think, within a game of matching the most losses in history. They're 9 and 13. And you're not going to say, well, you know, you were just talking about the Phillies at 8 and 13 and the Blue Jays at 8 and 13 is beating these terrible starts. But for the Rockies, it's pretty good. 9 and 13. That's miraculous. I mean, if you think about it a year ago, when they were among the worst teams that baseball history has ever seen. They didn't get their ninth victory of the year until May 23rd. We're talking about five weeks from now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Mark Feinstein]

Is when they would have gotten their ninth victory of the year. They were 9 and 42. Right. So when you look at them at 9 and 13, you're like, well, they're only 30 games ahead of pace from last year. So, you know, I'm not saying they're going to make the playoffs. They're not going to make the playoffs. But I think, you know, Paul D. Podesta, who used to work in baseball under Billy Beane, came back after 10 years working for the Cleveland Browns to take over the Rockies. He's. He's working things in the right direction in Colorado, and it's nice to see, you know, a team that's not sitting here at 11 in 21.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So if we are talking about resurrection stories, the number one story in baseball would have to be Mike Trout. Is he, in fact, fully healthy? He's killing the ball. Do we think he's going to stay with the Angels? Do we. What is, what are our thoughts about Mike Trout right now?

[Mark Feinstein]

Well, he certainly seems fully healthy. I believe he's played in every game that the Angels have played this year, and he's scoring a run a game. He's got seven home runs already. He's got an OPS almost of a thousand, which is what we were used to seeing from him during his heyday. MVP, you know, eight, nine, 10 win seasons. The question with Mike Trout always is and will be, can he stay healthy? If he can, there's no reason to think he's not going to be an All Star again. And potentially in the, in the MVP conversation, if he's able to put up Mike Trout numbers, I don't think he's going anywhere. He has never shown any interest in leaving Anaheim. He likes it there. He's comfortable there. I think there's a part of him that wants to. To win there. Whether that can ever happen, I don't know. Certainly it doesn't. You know, there's been no evidence to show us that they can win there. But if we're going to talk about early season standings, I mean, they're 11 and 12 per half came out of first place.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it's the best years. Yeah.

[Mark Feinstein]

You know, it's tough to think they had Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani for all those years together and never made the playoffs. It's almost baffling to think, but Ohtani wasn't the first handful of years. Ohtani wasn't the Ohtani that we know now. And then Trout wasn't healthy. So it's great to see my Trout healthy. It was great to see him come to Yankee Stadium and just bash the ball around and become the first visiting player in what, 50 years. They had four home runs and four straight games. Any iteration of Yankee Stadium, the game is in better shape when Mike Trout is healthy and playing well.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thank you for mentioning Ohtani. What are we looking at here? I mean, the pitching has been, you know, great. You have to step back and say this to people. When he wasn't able to pitch, when he was in recovery from Tommy John, he said, maybe I'll steal some bases. And stole 59 bases with 54 home runs, which had a low. Never been done. You follow baseball. What do you see when you see this sky?

[Mark Feinstein]

The big giant unicorn? I mean, there's no. There's nothing else you can say about him. I've run out of words. You know, if you want to say one thing about his game that's taken a step back, he hasn't tried to steal a base this year. So, you know, what's he doing? We're in the 50, 50 season. He's unbelievable. I mean, he's got a.5 ERA and three starts, and he's just. Just killing people on the mound. He's still killing people at the plate. There's just nothing he can't do. I was talking to somebody the other day. We were talking about the NBA MVP rates and how fascinating it is between SGA and Wemby and Jokic. And there's really legitimate arguments for each of them. I said, I wonder when the next time we're going to have a legitimate argument in the National League MVP race is going to be. Because as long as Ohtani is healthy and doing both things, I just don't see how anybody can make a legitimate case to say that there is a more valuable player. No matter how you describe it, the fact that he's doing it for the best team in baseball, strength only strengthens this case. But, you know, the fact that he is pitching and hitting at the level he is doing, there's just. It's impossible to say that any player in baseball there may be. You could say Judge is a better hitter than Ohtani. That's fine. You know, if you want to argue Juan Soto is a better hitter than Ohtani, okay, that's your argument. You can't say there's a more valuable player in baseball. Given what he does at the plate

[Tony Kornheiser]

and on the mound, it's absolutely remarkable. Mark, thank you so much. We will talk soon. Thank you, Tony.

[Mark Feinstein]

I hope this was was okay because I was told that for all the marks out there, I have to be better than Kirkjin now going forward, it's

[Tony Kornheiser]

the Mark and Tim playoffs. It was great. Thank Mark Feinstein. Boys, we'll take a break, come back with email and jingle. I'm Tony Kornhouse. Nicer. You can't reason with the sun. Trust us, we've tried. This summer, it's time to put that angry ball of fire on mute. Columbia's Omnishade technology is engineered to protect you from the sun's harsh rays that can burn and damage your skin. The sun is relentless, but so is our gear. Level up your [e-mail] to spend more time outside and less time slathering on aloe lotion. You're welcome Columbia Engineered for whatever

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you're listening to the Tony Cornheiser Show,

[Tony Kornheiser]

Squeeze Box, Kelly Vickstrom, Hoyt. Yes. Love it. You want to do the Bethesda bagel ad for us? Yes, Bagel sandwiches today. Always happy about that. Just go to Bethesda Bagels.com for the location in the DC area nearest you. Then pop on in and you'll be thrilled. Before we get to the mailbag, let me just say I was born in a crossfire hurricane and I howled at the morning driving rain but it's all right now in fact it's a gas it's all right now I'm jumping Jack Flash It's a gas, gas, gas. Michael Philip Jagger, thanks to our guest today, Wilbon Fine Sand. Thanks as well to today's sponsors. Remember you can listen to us on Apple Spotify in order see if get showed through Apple Podcasts. Please leave us a review Rick Devins has written us. Yes, okay. This will clarify my position. I will know what to say from now on. He says thanks for another shout out. I felt compelled to write in and answer some of your Survivor questions. Questions. The show is in fact filmed on a collection of islands in Fiji, but we filmed back in May, June, July. Which is how I'm able to access the podcast now as the season finally airs on tv. As you guessed, we don't get anything out there including wi Fi. No shelter, no bathrooms, and unless we win a reward, no food except from what we can scavenge from the jungle like the rare papaya or pull from the ocean. The first time I played I lasted the 38 days in the game and lasted 31 pounds. Lost 31 pounds. I was a news anchor at the time. An ironclad NDA which non disclosure agreement. Which I should have. Yes. Keeps us from even telling people we played the game until they announced the cast months after filming when the show's ready to air. So my news viewers had many theories as to why I disappeared for seven weeks and come back 31 pounds lighter. Some thought I was suffering from a deadly disease. Other thought I'd been to rehab for the seven weeks we're of in front Fiji. There's absolutely no contact with family or friends and even worse, no way to download new episodes of the Tony Kornheiser show. So there's a lot of catching up to do when I get back to the United States. Hope this clears things up. Yes, it does.

[Michael Wilbon]

Thank you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thank you so much. And we're still pulling for Rick. We are from Glenn and Allen in Norwegian. Soft Kitten Kitten. The sharing of official titles is Balderdash. As the official band of the Tony Kornheiser show that has Norwegian in its name but isn't actually from Norway, we're in no mood to share that title with anyone else. So all you bands out there who have Norwegian in your name but aren't actually from Norway, don't you dare even broach the topic of sharing this title with us. You can just eat it. From our friend Tim Wildsmith in Nashville, Tennessee. I'm not sure what's happening, but I like it. That's the Tim title. That's. Yes, about the Tim. Yes. We got a number falling. This from Tim. Ratterstorff. Yeah, Ratterstorff. Raedersdorf, I'm sure. Sorry. Raiderstorf. And Columbus, Ohio. I want to thank Tim for the Midwest for finally bringing all of us Tim's out of the shadows and into the light where we belong, little darlin. It feels like years since we've been here. Georgetown. Who needs a Chuck and Roxy number when you've got a Tim number? Since my letter was the first read on that fateful April 8 episode, I believe that makes me the official Tony Kornheiser Show. Tim number 001. Tim Galmas. Congratulations on 002. Tim Creed. Welcome in at 003. I'm not sure Tim from the Midwest even needs a number as he holds the far more prestigious title of Official Tim of the Show. I would encourage all fellow Tims to count yourselves in accordingly. I'm especially excited to meet our James Bond, whoever tit lands. Tim 003.

[Caller/Listener]

Can't wait for you to explain this to Kirchen.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, that's right. Yeah. From Reese in London. Dear Captain doctor My name is Reese, but I'm willing to change it to Tim if it means having more of my emails.

[Mark Feinstein]

Red.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'll hang up and listen. From Mark Becker, board member, Summit Group. Mark. Mark Bobar, Banana Banner Faux park me My Momark. Mark Shirley Ellis. Right. Do I have that? Shirley Ellis, the Name Game Mark Finer, Greenwich, Connecticut. I never thought twice about having a common name until last week. My stepsister, with whom I am on good terms but don't speak with frequently, recently started dating a guy named Mark. When she inadvertently text the wrong Mark me with a report on the size she just had, I ignored it. But then yesterday I received a text from her which said I'm sending you a photo having some idea what passes for flirting on the single scene. Today I was to put it lively. Alarm. I called as fast as I could yelling don't send. Don't send. Into the phone. Alas, I was too late. The picture came through and her kitchen renovation is proceeding nicely. That's funny. Still, I asked her to change my name in her phone. You can't be too careful. From Steve Gilmore, San Angelo, Texas. Dear Captain Sockman, I see the Tims and Marks are looking for trouble. So it's time for the Steves to assemble and claim the title. Please let all the Tims and Marks know to get their shine boxes ready. It's very funny. From Goodfellows. Josh Cromwell, Moselle, Mississippi. All this chatter about Tims and Joe's is fine, but none of them will ever know the struggles of being a Josh of a certain age. The fewer in high school and the early and someone yelled the name Josh down the hallway. 17 of us turned and looked because there were so many of us. We were all forced to turn to our surnames or nickname just to survive. Michael K. Yeah, the Jennifers had a very similar experience among the girls, but at least their name lent itself to more variations than ours. So I should say this. I just remembered it for the first time in a million years. My friend Jody, who listens all the time, who was a doctor in Florida like you, Southern Florida, but he's a real medical doctor. His older brother Steve went to college, went to Princeton. In the time that he was in Princeton, the entering class had so many Steves that they all began to go by their middle names. And that's when Steven Forstadt became Lance Forstadt and was Lance his whole life. Because there was in the door there were 20 Steves, you know. Right. Makes sense. Makes sense. Speaking of Steve from Steve Hawk, North Fond du Lac in Wisconsin. My name is Steve. Okay, There you go. Michael Norwood, who we know from UNC and from Pinehurst.

[Caller/Listener]

Yeah, this will do.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Can I be the official Michael from unc? That is, unless you can think of another one. That's funny. That's funny. Abraham in Silver Spring. I'm almost sure. 99.9% sure there isn't another Abraham. That's a little. Especially one that spells it the way that I do. This is my formal application to be the official Abraham of the Tony Kornheiser Show. Got it from Earl Brewer, the men's lacrosse coach at Coastal Carolina University. First in reference to the Tim name game. I really did not like my name. Growing up, Earl the Squirrel was a frequent barb thrown in my direction by the neighborhood hooligans. Then along came a flashy guard from Winston Salem State who went on to star for both the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knickerbockers. Being called the Pearl was much better than the Squirrel. A short time later, a great manager made the O's, the best team in baseball in the late 60s and early 70s. But then the coup de grace was when my fellow Bobcat, Frostburg state class of 78, wrote the Totally underrated show My name is Earl. Well, I grew up to love being an Earl. So much so that I named my oldest Earl as well. By the way, he is Earl a Brewer iv. But no pressure on him. If someday he is blessed with a masculine child. This insanity must stop eventually. From Reese Knott. DG is Dave Grohl, right?

[Michael Wilbon]

Inquiring minds want to know.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Might be. We don't think so. We don't think so. Might be Grant Evge F G. Maybe Montana. He's in Montana. The woman whom I'm related to by marriage and I recently vacationed in Victoria, British Columbia. We winded into a 711 exotic experience for those of us from West Yellowstone, Montana, about 90 miles south of Buster. Only country for geographic credibility. There, for roughly five Looney Tuney Monopoly money, I discovered a Japanese style egg salad sandwich. Tony. This was the egg salad cloud. Soft white bread, perfectly balanced filling, just enough MSG laden kewpie mayo to make me question everything I thought I knew about sandwiches. Now I'm home, 711 less and chasing a ghost. I. I can't recreate it, but I can't stop thinking about it. It's inescapable. From the master's egg salad hat to your closing song. I fear that I've entered a full blown case of egg salad delirium. If you have answers or supplier, I'm listening. I'd love to have that.

[Mark Feinstein]

Sam.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Sounds good. I do love the. The hats have gone over the side, but I loved it. Egg salad. Come on.

[Caller/Listener]

But who made it?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Good point. Oh, this is regarding the fine for Lamello Bell. Who again Lamelo ball. No points in the first half. They're down 30 at the end of the half. So he got 23 in the game. So what? Yeah, so what he says about the fine. $60,000 would buy a lot of propane, says Mark lynch and Cambian Mark Hughes in Ashton, Maryland. Dear Skipper, of course you don't know Frank and Louie's now renamed Pazza Italiano. It is located one block north of Rehoboth Avenue and has no parking. I realize that no parking is a deal breaker, but the food is great, the sandwiches are as good as the desserts. Give it at least a shot or send Michael to pick up some great sandwiches.

[Caller/Listener]

Takes time though.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He might be able to figure out a parking spot. You've had it.

[Caller/Listener]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Pazzo Italiano.

[Caller/Listener]

Yeah, no, it's great. But it does take a while to

[Tony Kornheiser]

get to hold on to this. Yeah, let's hold on to this. This is from Mike in Canton, Ohio. Hey, Rob Lowe in North Royalton. Thanks for the update on the Wallings Road bridge. I'm tired of having to get off at the Pleasant Valley Road exit on my way to my parents house at I thought the end was near, but obviously not. Appreciate the update from Dr. Jeff Karen in Jackson, Mississippi, where I've been today. You rightly told everyone that Stan Musial was from Donora, Pennsylvania. Did you know that Ken Griffey Sr. And Ken Griffey Jr. Are also from Donor? I did not know. I had no idea. As Tim Kirchen likes to tell people, Ken Griffey Jr. Holds the title of second best left handed hitter ever from Donora, Pennsylvania. And from Charlie or Chuck in Seattle, longtime listener, first time writer, I wanted to share a story I thought you'd enjoy. I was recently interviewing virtually for a sales weasel job based out of D.C. while attempting to banter with the interviewer, I learned he was from Bethesda. In my immediate excitement, knowing far too much about Bethesda for someone living in Seattle who has never once been there, I blurted out, I know Bethesda. I hear they have the best bagels. He stared at me, completely emotionless. So naturally I doubled down, started talking about Bethesda Bagels in your podcast. Suffice to say I flushed the mouse. I didn't get the job. In hindsight I don't want to work for someone from Bethesda who isn't a Tony, Kay or Bagel fan anyway. I've since landed a great sales role in New York and will be relocating there shortly. In a small way you help this life changing event. Thank you for everything you do. I've been watching since the 90s on TSN in London, Ontario. Feel fortunate to still get to hear your insights and jokes daily.

[Mark Feinstein]

Very kind.

[Tony Kornheiser]

If you're out on your bike kind everyone as always do wear white.

[Michael Wilbon]

Okay we wound up 5 and 11. Not very good but there was some worse than us. I guess that's one positive way to look at it. We weren't the worst team in the league.

[Mark Feinstein]

Sa. It.

[Michael Wilbon]

Sa.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Sam.

[Mark Feinstein]

Oh. Sam. Sa. My.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Sam.

[Mark Feinstein]

It. Sam. Sa.

[Commercial Announcer]

Mar.

[Mark Feinstein]

Sa. Sa.