“Was it freeing?”

Summary

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The Tony Kornheiser Show

Episode: "Was it freeing?"

Date: December 23, 2025
Host: Tony Kornheiser
Guests: Michael Wilbon, Chuck Todd, Chuck Culpepper

Episode Overview

This episode of "The Tony Kornheiser Show" blends Tony’s characteristic blend of sports talk, life anecdotes, and playful banter among his network of friends. The conversation covers NFL news and controversies, stadium relocations, playoff scenarios, a humorous look at sports betting, and a deeply engaged discussion with guest Chuck Culpepper about the College Football Playoff system. The episode is suffused with Tony’s wry observations, memory-lane strolls, and the distinct rhythm and camaraderie loyal listeners expect.

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Main Discussion Segments

1. Life Updates, Tech Grievances, and Emails from the Past

[01:12 - 06:01]

• Tony opens with a classic rant: his phone is failing to deliver emails, causing daily anxiety and a sense of lost connection.
  • "There are thousands of emails stacked up and flying around the atmosphere somewhere. Average daily intake, 250 at least." – Tony ([02:29])
  • He jokes about missing bills and being blamed for technological errors beyond his control.
• Michael echoes the frustration with "inbox zero" and the anxiety of digital life.
• Tony shares a warm anecdote about receiving an email from an old camp friend, Alan Legotte, after 70 years, highlighting the pleasant surprises of aging and longevity.
  • "He's the oldest man still working. Because I'm the oldest man still working." – Tony ([05:38])

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2. NFL Roundup: Game Recaps, Surprises, and High Stakes

[06:01 - 13:02]

• Recap of Monday Night Football: Brock Purdy throws five TDs for San Francisco in a decisive win over Indianapolis.
  • "San Francisco handily defeated Indianapolis." – Tony ([06:02])
  • Discussion about the strength of the NFC West: 49ers, Seahawks, and Rams all strong playoff contenders.
• Dissection of DK Metcalf's two-game suspension for taking a swing at a fan in the stands:
  • "You can't take a swing at a guy in the stands. Doesn't matter what he says, you walk away." – Tony ([07:20])
• Cheerful complaints about being bumped from ESPN by the Idaho Potato Bowl running over, poking fun at TV scheduling chaos.

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3. Stadium Relocations: Kansas City Chiefs and "Regional Identity"

[08:00 - 13:02]

• Tony expresses disbelief and dismay at news that the Kansas City Chiefs may leave Arrowhead Stadium (Missouri) for Kansas.
  • "To me, I don’t understand this...to leave Missouri, to go to Kansas?" – Tony ([09:09])
  • Recalls the pain of the Jets and Giants leaving New York for New Jersey, emphasizing the gravity of sports and city identity.
• Guests discuss the complex identity and rivalry between Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas.
  • "The regional identity of Kansas City, Missouri versus Kansas City, Kansas. If there is any animosity..." – Michael ([10:56])
• The contrasting fates of city names, capitals, and a humorous suggestion to rename cities for clarity.

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4. Weekly NFL Picks with Chuck Todd & Reginald the Monkey

[14:46 - 30:15]

Banter and Betting Records

• Chuck Todd celebrates a week over .500: "He's 58, 57, and 1." – Tony ([14:47])
• Ongoing inside joke and debate: the "over/under" direction of toilet paper rolls.

Game Picks Breakdown

• Picks include analysis and skepticism about playoff scenarios, team motivations, injuries, and playoff odds.
  • Dallas-Washington: "You look at the Christmas Day lineup. Netflix wants a refund." – Wilbon ([17:45])
  • Texans-Chargers: "I love this Texans defense...I think if anybody gets to the Super Bowl, that isn't Josh Allen in the AFC, I think it's these guys." – Wilbon ([19:04])
  • Jacksonville's resurgence and Trevor Lawrence's growth: "In the last four games, Trevor Lawrence has accounted for 14 touchdowns, running and passing, no interceptions. So he's closing like he is." – Tony ([21:17])
  • Philadelphia-Buffalo: both teams lack urgency, "Looks good on paper but..." – Wilbon ([23:45])

The Monkey’s (Reginald’s) Picks

• Reginald the Monkey, a running comedic bit, selects his "bets" based on whimsical stories—like attending charity balls in Monaco or showing photos with celebrities.
  • "It’s a lost season." – Tony, on the Monkey's betting record ([28:02])
  • Chuck Todd spins yarns about zoo adventures, random encounters (Snooki, Helen Hunt), and dancing to the Vogues, all in service of Football picks.

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5. College Football Playoff and Guest Interview: Chuck Culpepper

[31:01 - 44:17]

Road Wins and Coaching Carousel

• Discussion of Alabama and Miami winning tough road playoff games.
  • "It interrupted that little mini trend of the first year." – Chuck Culpepper ([31:37])
• Kaylin DeBoer’s coaching brilliance, future at Alabama, and rumors about Michigan's vacant position.
  • "I would be stunned if that happened...would it be a good pick for Michigan? I think yes. But would he do it? That's shocking to me." – Chuck ([34:27])

Notre Dame’s Missed Opportunity

• Tony and Chuck lament that Notre Dame could’ve beaten both Miami and Texas A&M based on recent play.

Playoff Structure: Power vs. Group of Five

• Tony argues against including Group of Five teams like Tulane and James Madison, preferring a purely meritocratic 12-team playoff.
  • "I don't think it's a charity tournament. I would have put Texas and Notre Dame over Tulane and James Madison." – Tony ([38:29])
• Chuck responds that variety and access are part of what makes American sports playoffs magical:
  • "I just like the idea of the variety. Picking the best 12 teams is always going to be impossible." – Chuck ([38:34])
  • Compares football to basketball, noting why upsets are less feasible in football.

Who’s Vulnerable?

• Discussion of the top four playoff seeds, with speculation that Texas Tech may be most at risk.
  • "Even though Ohio State lost to Indiana, I still don’t see many vulnerabilities there." – Chuck ([41:31])
• The effect of lay-offs before playoff games and how it might disadvantage higher-seeded, idle teams.

Preview and Assignment

• Chuck will cover the Alabama-Indiana semi-final as his marquee assignment.

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Best Quotes & Moments

• On aging and memory:
  • "I can remember song lyrics. And I can remember to be nervous that my dog probably has to go out right now." – Tony ([13:04])
• On technological anxiety:
  • "I want to slam the phone down and break it into a thousand pieces, but I still need it as a phone." – Tony ([03:51])
• On Bowl Game Overload:
  • "There are so many bowl games that are nonsensical." – Tony ([16:56])
• On KC Chiefs Moving to Kansas:
  • "To me, you know, it’s unthinkable. I’m not saying it’s bad. Like, I lived with this when the Jets and Giants left New York to go to New Jersey, and it’s over 50 years and still stinks." – Tony ([10:08])
• On NFL Parity:
  • "It’s the best season the NFL has had in years. It is." – Tony ([26:16])
• Humorous take on betting monkey:
  • "It’s a lost season, you know." – Tony ([28:02])

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Notable Timestamps

• 00:00 – 01:12: Tony’s comedic cold open and add spot (skip for main content).
• 01:12 – 06:01: Rant on tech, memories of old friends, and generational connection.
• 06:01 – 13:02: NFL week recap, league standings, Arrowhead stadium controversy.
• 14:46 – 30:15: Chuck Todd’s NFL picks, how to handle toilet paper, and Reginald the Monkey’s comic predictions.
• 31:01 – 44:17: Chuck Culpepper on college football playoffs, playoff expansion philosophy, and game previews.

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Conclusion

"Was it freeing?" is a classic installment of The Tony Kornheiser Show: lively, unscripted, and unfiltered. Tony, Michael, Chuck Todd, and Chuck Culpepper mix deep sports analysis with irreverence, humor, and reflections on nostalgia and aging. The episode is a great snapshot of current NFL and college football topics – particularly the debate over playoff composition – but it’s equally about the joys (and pains) of everyday life in the Kornheiser universe.

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For more music by Alexa and the Old Fashions (as featured in this episode), check out the closing tracks.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey, it's Tony. If you're hearing this, it means that Nigel has flushed the mouse and forgot to have me record something new. So who knows who our guests will be today? Maybe Mick Jagger, Sandy Koufax, Dalai Lama? Long hitter?

[Michael Wilbon]

The lamb?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Probably not, but I guess you'll have to tune in to find out. But first, let's keep the sales weasels happy.

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[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

Previously on the Tony Cornheiser Show. The wind was, I would say brisk. Not overwhelming, but brisk. And the temperature was, you know, reasonable. Like 41, 42, 43, something like that. But by the time we got to the fourth hole we played, I was freezing to death. The wind had really picked up.

[Nigel]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And the temperature, though, it got to 45. Every time you looked at a, you looked at your phone, it said, feels like 28. And I was really cold. And by 14, I was, I finished. But I was not only terrible, I just wanted to stop. This is General George Washington and you're.

[Michael Wilbon]

Listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So as I said, we're gonna do Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday this week. What had. Sometimes I get mail from people who I haven't seen in a long time, haven't heard from in a long time. The mail comes in and Nigel looks at it and he. When we sit down to do the show in the morning, he just says sort of quizzically, do you know? And then he gives me a name. And more than half the time, I know the name. Yeah. And I go, oh. So I got one, right? Yeah, I got one.

[Michael]

Because your personal email has been my Personal email.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, I get no email. This is now the fourth day I get no email. There are thousands of emails stacked up and flying around the atmosphere somewhere. Average daily intake, 250 at least.

[Chuck Todd]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So about.

[Chuck Todd]

Yeah, pushing it out this time of year.

[Michael]

It's got to be more with all the holidays.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Maybe. I don't know. I mean, because I won every time. Yeah. I am missing nuts.com every time that I get an email that says unsubscribe and I unsubscribe. That comes the next day anyway. I mean, they're lying to me. That's how they know you're subscribing. Yeah. So, you know, it doesn't really matter. And I get all these emails and I have not had an email in four days. So I know something is wrong with my. I hate my phone in any way. No, it's not. It causes anxiety. That's awful. And I want to slam the phone down and break it into a thousand pieces, but I still need it as a phone to. I can text, I can phone. I just don't get any email. And you know somebody's going to say, well, yeah, we sent you this bill and you never paid the bill. I don't get the email and somehow I'm going to be responsible. This is how it always works. People say, well, we sent it to you. I go, well, I never got it. Well, that's not our fault. Why is it my fault? How did it become my fault?

[Michael]

So I hate the inbox zero.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I just hate the phone. Yeah, I hate it. I hate the fact that it's Apple. Right. It was AT&T. Apple can reach out into my house, life, background, anything they want, and change things anytime they want, you know, and it's a. That's lousy. That's one of the things I wake up with. And then the. And then the dog had diarrhea at 5 in the morning. The dog wanted to go out. It was. This is not a good day so far.

[Michael]

At least it's not rainy.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It is raining. It's raining and sleeting. Yes, it is. It's not raining in South Carolina. It's raining here. So anyway, let me get back to the story I was going to tell. So I get these emails every once in a while from people I haven't heard from in a long time. Some months back, I got one from Danny Gaston. Nobody knows who that is. I know who that is. He was when I first started at Newsday and I covered high school sports. He was a player on the south side high school basketball team. Good player, went to hofstra. Fine player, D1 player, Danny Gasman, wrote me a note. A friend of mine from college who I went to the Kentucky Derby with, Glenn Eisenstein, he wrote me a note. So, you know, I mean, I get these every once in a while and Nigel will say, do you know so and so and often I'll say, yeah, yeah, I do. So today he says to me, do you know someone named Alan Legotte? And I go, yeah, I went to camp with him and he hands me this email and just says this. Tony, absolutely no idea if you will receive this. Recently read a letter my sister sent to me years ago regarding a Camp Cuma reunion. She truly enjoyed speaking with you. Difficult to believe how many years have passed. I do note we are both working. Hope you're well. Alan, it's fantastic. It's fantastic. He's a lawyer in San Jose. Yeah, he's the oldest man still working. Because I'm the oldest man still working. I mean, I Met Alan, it's 70 years ago. I mean, honestly, I have a sense of him as a 10, 12, 14 year old kid. I don't have any sense of him now. That's great. I mean, people send these things and every once in a while I go, wow. I don't respond because I don't have email, you know, but really nice to get that.

[Chuck Todd]

It's always lovely.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, couple of things in sports. Monday Night Football, Brock Purdy, last guy ever drafted, you know, in the year he was drafted. Through five touchdowns last night, San Francisco handily defeated Indianapolis. Philip Rivers was great.

[Nigel]

Yeah, it was.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Philip Rivers scored 27 points. You should win if you score. 27 points, 23 for 35 with two touchdowns. Look great, one pick. Okay, 44. Yeah, he's 44. He's a grandfather. But they're not as good as the, you know, as the 49ers. 49 is the Western Conference, the Western Division, NFC west, the NFC Conference. 12 and 3 for Seattle, 11 and 4 for San Francisco, 11 and 4 for the Rams. They're really good. Yeah, I mean, they're all going to make the playoffs. They're really good. And they're going to shut out a lot of other people from making the playoffs. So I was. It wasn't much of a game in the sense that every time San Francisco got the ball before I went to sleep, they scored in 10 seconds. So I just said, well, what am I? Yeah, what am I doing here? But, you know, that was.

[Michael]

Well, river gets, you know, One score before the half. And then of course, they make that like 65 yard field goal or they, they don't.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That one, you know, I, I, they're, they're good. They're good. Yes. You know, the Rams are good. Seattle is good. Are the Bears good? Wilbon thinks the Bears are good. Are the packers good or not good? Without Jordan Love, I don't know what the state of his injury is, but the Detroit Lions aren't going to make the playoffs. And I thought they were really good. Yeah, I think they're the most disappointing team in the league because I thought they were really good. And I don't think they're going to make it. In other news, everybody knows about DK Metcalf getting two games. He'll appeal. It'll probably be knocked down to one. You can't take a swing at a guy in the stands. It doesn't matter what he says, you walk away. You walk away. You don't involve yourself with it.

[Chuck Todd]

You never come out well in that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It just doesn't look good. Doesn't look good. Here's the thing I wanted to talk about, by the way. We were knocked off ESPN yesterday by a bowl game going late. The famous Idaho potato bowl ran six and a half hours. You know, so we were, and we thought we were going to be on ESPN yesterday and ESPN2 today, which we will be today. But the opening line was, Wilbur says to me, we're on ESPN1 today and ESPN2 tomorrow. And I say something like, why would we even do the show tomorrow? Or something. Something like that. And we were on ESPN too. When I said that. Nobody knew at that time. Just we're on a lot on ESPN too. Anyway, it's not what I wanted to talk about. What I wanted to talk about, the Chiefs are leaving Arrowhead Stadium. Yeah, Chiefs have been in Arrowhead since 1971, you know, in Kansas City. Kansas City, Missouri. The Royal Stadium is right next to the Chief Stadium. That's where everybody goes to see professional sports in Kansas City. And they're lovely stadiums. And yes, it's old. It's been there for, you know, over 50 years. I think it's the third oldest stadium. Yes. I think that Soldier Field and Lambeau are older.

[Chuck Todd]

Soldier Field, 1924. Lambo, 1957.

[Tony Kornheiser]

57. I would have thought it was older than that. Yeah. So, you know, this is, to me, I don't understand this. I don't understand why you'd leave Arrowhead. It's not that, you know, I understand why you could leave Arrowhead. Arrowhead. I understand why you'd leave Arrowhead, but to go across the state line.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

To leave Missouri, to go to Kansas. Is there a Kansas City, Kansas of prominence? Yes, but Kansas City, Missouri, is the bigger town, you know, and of course, Wilbourne says it'll never happen because Wilbourne says it'll never be the Indiana Bears. And then Wilbourne started screaming about how, you know, the Capitals and the Wizards didn't move to Virginia, but. But they almost did. Yes, they announced they wanted to. And the. And it was villainous. Yes, it was villainous. You know, and Mike seems to. I don't know, he seems to be taking the Arrowhead thing completely in stride. I don't know how people feel in Kansas City, Missouri. I don't know. But I mean, to me, you know, it's unthinkable. I'm not saying it's bad. I. Like, I lived with this when the jets and the Giants left New York to go to New Jersey, and it's over 50 years and still stinks. You know, if you're from New York, it's those things. Is it close? Sure, it's close. And people have gotten used to it. And they even call themselves the New York Giants and the New York jets, which, you know, you really shouldn't do. It should be the New Jersey Giants and New Jersey Jets. Yeah, but, you know, you get Washington.

[Chuck Todd]

Football, team plays in Maryland.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, but it. But it belongs to the Washington area. It's.

[Chuck Todd]

It's sort of different, I guess it's true.

[Nigel]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know, I mean, D.C. small, and a lot of things were in Maryland.

[Chuck Todd]

Or in Virginia, but it was cool when the stadium.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, now it's coming back. It's coming back, and everybody rejoices because. Because it's coming back.

[Chuck Todd]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know. So what do you think, Michael? What do you think of this? I don't know.

[Michael]

The regional identity of Kansas City, Missouri versus Kansas City, Kansas. And if there is any animosity or if that just does feel like it's part of the same general metropolitan area.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I guess it does. I don't know. But, I mean, always when I was a kid and I found out it was Kansas City, Missouri, that that was the big one, not Kansas City, Kansas. That registered with me, that I remember this for a long period of time, that it's Kansas City, Missouri, which is odd. It's odd. But everyone seems to have. I mean, that was the one that grew bigger. Kansas City, Missouri. Maybe they should have changed their name to Missouri City, Missouri or something like that. You know, or use a name that hasn't. Invent a name, you know, and. And make that Missouri. It's not the capital.

[Nigel]

Right?

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's not the capital, Missouri. The capital is Jefferson City.

[Chuck Todd]

Jefferson City, Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. I mean, Kansas said the two biggest cities, St. Louis and Kansas City, neither is the capital, and they're on other sides of the state, if I'm not mistaken.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Yeah.

[Chuck Todd]

Not sure what the capital of Kansas is.

[Michael]

You know, when I first heard about this, I couldn't. I couldn't quite figure out if this is the best possible time, just given the. The success the team has had over the last decade, or if it's the worst possible time. Again, you think about that lasting shot of Mahomes walking down the tunnel, and you look at all those AFC west championship flags and you look at all the, the, the hosting that they've done, and you just want to go. No matter how old the stadium is, you can't replicate that recent history.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's a great stadium. It's a great, loud stadium. You didn't. Wasn't your roommate in college in Kansas City? We. We went with you to one of.

[Michael]

The Monday night games there.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. So was he from Kansas City, Kansas, or Kansas City, Missouri?

[Michael]

Kansas City, Missouri.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. And Kansas City Country Club, the Tom.

[Michael]

Watson City is in Kansas.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's in Kansas.

[Michael]

Yes.

[Chuck Todd]

Your country's very confusing.

[Nigel]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes. Oh, so. So that's a place where everybody has to wear high socks, if I recall correctly.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The long side, you know. Yeah. And. And so that's in Kansas. Yep.

[Michael]

Mission Hills.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Right. His name is Dean. Right. His roommate's name was Dean. Yeah. Okay. So see, I can remember some things. Not many.

[Chuck Todd]

That and song lyrics.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I can remember song lyrics. And I can remember to be nervous that my dog probably has to go out right now. She's okay. In the backyard. She's okay. Yes. All right, we will take a break. Is Chuck Todd our first guest?

[Chuck Todd]

Chuck Todd is our first guest.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Chuck Todd. Last week you just closed it out. Last night was 6, 4 and 1. He is over 500. He's 58, 57 and 1. Chuck Todd will pick games for us. Is he picking college games, too?

[Chuck Todd]

He didn't indicate that he was going to college.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Wonderful. So we'll talk to him when we return. I am Tony Kornheiser.

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[Tony Kornheiser]

This is the Tony Kornizer show. This is sent to us by Alexa Lash, who says, I've been sending you new south Florida musicians, so I hope they reach out soon. Second, here are two latest releases, including today's holiday release, just in time for the holiday season. A Miami holiday is the name of this song. This is Alexa Lash. Alexa and the old Fashions. Yes. Which is a very nice name for a band. It is. And this is called a Miami holiday. We give this to Chuck because he's a Miami boy and he had a good week. 6, 4, 1 closed it out with San Francisco winning last night. 58, 57 and 1 overall over 500. Congratulations.

[Michael Wilbon]

Huge.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Got it.

[Michael Wilbon]

I want to. To me, you can't really be a credible playoff picker if I can't get over 500.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, you. You are over 500. Of course, you have two more weeks to go. I know you don't want to fall under. You don't want to fall under. This week's picks with Chuck Todd and Reginald the monkey are brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. Make every moment more. So let's start.

[Michael Wilbon]

The only thing I'm for, an over versus the under. But I'll just leave it at that. That's a little easier for show partisans on the, you know. Over and under. On your toilet paper.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, over and under toilet paper.

[Michael Wilbon]

You have no idea how often I.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Get stuff about this.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Really? Because you're an under guy. You're an undercut.

[Michael]

Always follow the house rules.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So do you want to pick college games or no.

[Michael Wilbon]

Do. Are there many this week? You want to wait to the plate next week?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Is it. Is it this week or next week? Are there four at the end of this? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know when they are.

[Michael Wilbon]

31St. 30.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, then we'll wait.

[Michael Wilbon]

You know what, by the way, you've just pointed out a little bit of a problem. And I think some of it is we have no rhythm yet on these college.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No. On these championships, right? No.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, we don't know. Oh, so when is it now? And then after that you're like, well, when are the next round? And then it's like in a kind of eight or nine day. Everything is like eight or nine days away.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Approximately I have no sense of it. I have no sense of it whatsoever. You were two and two. You picked two. Did you have. You had Miami and you had Miami, James Madison.

[Michael Wilbon]

I think I had jmu. Did I? Did I? And yeah, you picked.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You picked both teams. You picked two Lane and JMU to cover. And they didn't. You know, one did and one didn't. Anyway, all right, so let's go to this week.

[Chuck Todd]

Are you guys sure you don't want to cover the game above Sports bowl with Central Michigan and Northwestern?

[Tony Kornheiser]

We're not doing that. Northwestern, not Wilbones, Northwestern, Wilbond's, Northwestern.

[Michael Wilbon]

There is nothing like, you know, those games are fantastic when it's one o' clock in the afternoon on a Tuesday and you're like, hey, there's football on, you know. You know, you're not complaining that it's Central Michigan and Northwestern at 1:00 clock on a Tuesday.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No. We get booted off ESPN for that. And we go to ESPN too, and I affirm that. I mean, live sports. I'm for that. I just think that there are so many bowl games that are nonsensical. All right, here we go. Dallas minus six and a half at Washington on Christmas Day. Washington. Philadelphia hosed them. I mean, it just. Come on. Philadelphia beat them badly. They don't have their number one quarterback. It looks bad, but it's home. And it's Dallas. And Dallas is out of the playoffs as well. I don't know. I don't know.

[Michael Wilbon]

Quarterbacks. Aren't they down?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Oh, that's right. Yeah. Mariota down too. So they got some other guy.

[Michael Wilbon]

There's no more Taylor Heinecke, right? We don't have that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, he's not there anymore.

[Michael Wilbon]

We're gonna, I think, long for the days of Taylor Heinecke on this one.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You look, Dallas has nothing to play for. Dallas.

[Michael Wilbon]

You look at the Christmas Day lineup. Netflix wants a refund.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, it's bad. And they spent a lot of money on drag.

[Michael Wilbon]

Is there a single playoff team?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't know. I don't think so. It's bad. Yeah, that's bad. It'll still outrage the NBA by. By 20 times.

[Chuck Todd]

Well, there's one playoff team, the Broncos, the Lake, but it's against the Chiefs.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know, just. It just not figured to be good.

[Michael Wilbon]

I'm going to sound like Wilbon here, but I confess, I want to see the Wemby Thunder game, which will be a watchable game on Christmas.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay.

[Michael Wilbon]

You know, I know it's regular season, but it's Wendy. I'm curious.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

You know, he's a lot of fun to watch. I guess you have to get Dallas here because Washington just won't score points.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I don't. I think it's. Yeah. I think it's a game nobody wants to watch. I do. I think it's going to have.

[Michael Wilbon]

I just. You're going to think in this. But. Yeah.

[Chuck Todd]

The Netflix game.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You'll take Dallas.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. The Houston Texans are getting two and a half at the Chargers. These are playoff teams in the afc. They are playoff. This is Saturday game. Playoff teams that have been under the radar more than the other AFC playoff teams. Texans won seven in a row and eight out of nine. Charges of one. Seven out of eight. They're hot teams. Right now. It's at the Chargers. Who you got get two and a half. If you take Houston.

[Michael Wilbon]

I just. I love this Texans defense. I have a. I have a little fly. I think they're. I think if anybody gets. If anybody gets to the super bowl, that isn't Josh Allen in the afc. I think it's these guys. I think. Okay, give me Houston.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So you'll take Houston. Okay. Baltimore, which has collapsed and we don't know if they have a quarterback, is at Green Bay, which hasn't collapsed, but we don't know if they have a quarterback.

[Michael Wilbon]

They don't have a quarterback.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Exactly.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We don't know. Saturday game, Baltimore plus two and a half at Green Bay. Baltimore. I can, I think, technically make the playoffs. I think they can, but it takes. They have to win both and Pittsburgh has to lose both.

[Nigel]

So.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, that was a. They had a bad weekend. Yeah, it was the worst possible outcome. Somehow Pittsburgh won and somehow they. And they blew that game with two and a half. I trust lafleur with Malik Willis in a week to sort of turn it into just a. Just an ugly game that. That. That they can essentially win by a field goal, which is what this line says. Don't give me the Packers.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yep. Okay. Take the Packers, Jacksonville.

[Michael Wilbon]

And they only have to win one. They have to win. That's one of their next two.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And they get in. That's right.

[Michael Wilbon]

Pittsburgh did them a favor by knocking off Detroit as well.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Detroit, sure. Jacksonville at Indianapolis. Jacksonville giving now six and a half points at Indy. Philip Rivers has been great. It's great to see him, but Indy, they're done. They're out. It's. You know, they have nothing to play for, and Jacksonville does. Six and a half is a lot, but not the way they're playing. Lately they've won, I think seven in a row and eight out of nine. They're really hot.

[Michael Wilbon]

You know, I think Philip Rivers is going to get a lot of middle aged men hurt this week.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You do?

[Michael Wilbon]

He's going to make us. Yeah, he's going to make people.

[Tony Kornheiser]

People are going to think they can do this.

[Michael Wilbon]

Hey, I could do this. Come on, son, let's go throw. Let's go throw the ball around. I'm, I'm with you.

[Chuck Culpepper]

I.

[Michael Wilbon]

Give me Jacksonville. Speaking of, are we, are we supposed to buy into them? Do you buy into it or.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm not yet. Bob, that was very impressive beating Denver at Denver like that was very impressive. And Liam Cohn is a coach of the year candidate along with Mike Vrabel and along with Ben Johnson. That and, and, and Trevor Lawrence who was underachieving for a couple of years. Trevor Lawrence has looked great in the last. We had this stat yesterday. In the last four games, Trevor Lawrence has accounted for 14 touchdowns, running and passing, no interceptions. So he's closing like he is.

[Michael Wilbon]

It's amazing what a good coach can do. You're so point out when you just pointed this out, you're like, Jacksonville looked like a franchise in mud. The Patriots were just terrible. One coach brings some discipline and it flips the script.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Exactly. It's exactly true. Those guys. Yes. Yes. All right. Seattle at Carolina. Carolina kicked the can down the road by beating Tampa Bay. He's going to have to beat them again in Tampa Bay in the last week. Seattle is minus seven and a half at Carolina. That's a large number. But Seattle's the number one seed in the NFC right now. Will you give that many points?

[Michael Wilbon]

And I think I'm thinking about it because I believe this game means nothing to Carolina. Correct. Like I don't think it matters.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, because they have to be Tampa Bay.

[Michael Wilbon]

No matter what. They have to be Tampa. Boy. Because of that, I think they co. I think you, I think you're careful how you coach, aren't you? And you're careful with which players you play and all that. Well, that, that's. Give me Seattle.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. We will take Seattle. Philadelphia had a nice win over Washington, but a nice win. They're getting one and a half at Buffalo.

[Michael Wilbon]

If you call a brawl a nice win. We're not.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, that was all. Well, no, that was late, wasn't it? That was late in the game. Yeah, I, you know, I don't know about this game. Philadelphia, Buffalo. I don't really have a good sense a Philadelphia Buffalo at all. I mean, I don't know what another one. I don't know if he's going to get in. No, they don't need it.

[Michael Wilbon]

I mean it's, it's the, it's. I guess you're playing for a two seed or a three seed, right? That's the only thing you're playing for if you're Philly, right?

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right. You get, you're going to get one home game. You're going to finish ahead of the Carolina Tampa Bay winner. You know, I don't know. I don't. You know, not much to play for. Buffalo's in. Buffalo's not going to catch New England. Not much to play for. Not much to play for. What will you do?

[Michael Wilbon]

You're right. This is a, this is a game that, that looks good on paper, but.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

I guess I expect Philly to turtle up more than Buffalo. So give me Buffalo.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, we will take Buffalo. And the last game is a Sunday night game. Two very good teams. Chicago, Chicago's hot right now. Chicago's getting three at San Francisco. San Francisco is hot right now. This is Sunday night. San Francisco can be the number one seed if it wins its two remaining games. I don't think Chicago can be.

[Michael Wilbon]

But Chicago, there's a way for them to get the one. No, no, there's the two seat and.

[Tony Kornheiser]

There is the Wilbond factor which makes me root for San Francisco in this one, obviously.

[Michael Wilbon]

Can I just tell you, you know, look, I did. My son gets mad at me. I care. The Hurricanes playoff game was more important than the Packers Bears game. He doesn't like that I said that.

[Chuck Culpepper]

But it was true.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The game was brutal.

[Chuck Culpepper]

I was.

[Michael Wilbon]

The thrill of victory in the day and the agony of that defeat. Like 10 things had to happen for the packers to lose that game.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And yes, impossible, as Wilbourne said, impossible for Chicago to win that game. And they won the game. Yes.

[Michael Wilbon]

In fact, I thought Chicago made a mistake when they didn't go for two and they. Yes, I was weirdly relieved.

[Chuck Culpepper]

But.

[Michael Wilbon]

I give me the Niners there, you know, is this the quietest 13 win team that the Niners have ever had? Like is there an afterthought this year?

[Tony Kornheiser]

It feels that way.

[Michael Wilbon]

They just rack up the wins. Do we think they're not good? Do we? Do we?

[Chuck Culpepper]

Do we?

[Michael Wilbon]

Do we think the Mac Jones sort of mid season replacement thing there like detracts from Purdy. Although Purdy was pretty good last night.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Pretty. Had five touchdowns last night. I don't. I like San Francisco, but they have a lot of injuries. Kittle just hurt his ankle. I don't know. I don't know. Yeah. I don't know how good they are. I don't know how good anybody is. Because every time you focus on a team, they then lose. They then lose all season long.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, you're so right. That season in years, 12 teams this year, at one point or another, you said, oh, they're the team.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right. That's right. It's the best season the NFL has had in years. It is.

[Chuck Todd]

It's been fantastic.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Because Kansas City. Because Kansas City is not dominating it. It's the best. Look at it.

[Michael Wilbon]

Look at the 27 seats right now. Right. Aren't they the Packers? And who's the seventh seed in the afc?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Is it probably the Chargers?

[Michael Wilbon]

The Texas Chargers?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Texans. Be the Texans. Yeah. Yeah. Because they're 10 and five Texans, both of them.

[Michael Wilbon]

If they were in the super bowl, would it totally shock you? Right?

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, not this year. Not this year. Because there's no real dominant team. There's none. So.

[Chuck Culpepper]

So.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right. Good luck with this.

[Michael Wilbon]

When the committee, do they put the Chiefs in, how does that work? Is they're going to fell the.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They're going to caucus and they're going to say that even though the Chiefs lost twice to one team, we're going to put the Chiefs in.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Because we like to sit around with them.

[Nigel]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right. So next week you'll pick college games.

[Michael Wilbon]

Next week. Next week. Next week. But I do like. I do like Northwestern over Central Michigan, if you care. Anyway. I'm just kidding.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Going. We're going the other way on that. I'm taking the Chippewa. All right. Talk to you, Chuck Todd, boys and girls. And if we just gave you Chuck Todd, that would be enough. But we give you a monkey. See the monkey, he's screwed. Scritch scratching, watching his iPad.

[Chuck Todd]

Smoking and laughing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hanging with Bud Grant Tap, tap, tapping on his purple. Sing along everybody. And he's had too much Johnny Walker. All right. What do you got?

[Chuck Todd]

Another tough week for the month.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

1 and 2, 17 and 31.

[Chuck Culpepper]

He.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's a lost season. It's.

[Chuck Culpepper]

It is.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's a loss season, you know.

[Chuck Todd]

So I went down to the National Zoo. I was expecting to be morose, but I wasn't. He was. It was the middle of the annual winter Winter Ball charity that he throws. So there was lots of people. You know, everybody was dressed in black ties and gowns.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, nice.

[Chuck Todd]

Very, very lovely.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Nice.

[Chuck Todd]

Some of the. And you Know what this is?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Charity for?

[Chuck Todd]

Of course. This is the big project he does every year to help repatriate monkeys to the native homeland of Monaco.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, Monaco. It's a big yes.

[Chuck Todd]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Because he liked to live in Monaco. Who wouldn't like to live in Monaco?

[Nigel]

Right.

[Chuck Todd]

And the cavalcade of celebrities that were there. I know you're always interested in who he was hanging out with. Helen Hunt was there. Butch Winagar also. And Snooki from Jersey Shore.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Snooki, yeah. That show was awful. That show was plague upon humanity. Really was awful.

[Chuck Todd]

And Jim Tan Laundry.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Exactly.

[Chuck Todd]

And you'll be happy to know the Vogues were performing as the entertainment.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So, yeah, it's five o' clock world for the Vogues. Five o' clock world. When the whistle blows no one owns a piece of my mind and there's a long haired girl awaits for me to ease my trouble mind yeah, I know I help myself. So what are the games with?

[Chuck Todd]

First match we gave him was Dallas giving six and a half of the Washington football team.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I took Washington last week. He did down. Went down on it.

[Chuck Todd]

He showed me an old photograph of him on the set of Dallas alongside Larry Hagman. Apparently he was a frequent guest star on that television program. Tells me he will take the Cowboys and lay the points.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Chuck took the Cowboys too.

[Chuck Todd]

The next match we gave him was the Chargers at home giving two and a half to the Texans. And this is again a very old picture he showed me in the newspaper of him racing stock cars with Dan Fouts, Charlie Joyner and Ladanian Tomlinson.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So he will take the Chargers.

[Chuck Todd]

Tells me he's going to take the.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Home team even though it's not a big home field advantage.

[Chuck Todd]

People go, yeah, but he likes the Chargers.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I shouldn't say very few people go. They're just not loud.

[Chuck Todd]

Yeah, it's not.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They're not for the Rams. It's the other team.

[Chuck Todd]

It's Los Angeles. And the last match gave was the Eagles getting one and a half at the Bills. And this is a lovely picture he showed me of him at a flapjack eating contest with Steve Carlton, Allen iverson and bake McBride.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So he will go Philadelphia. Yes.

[Chuck Todd]

And take the point and a half.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's wonderful. This week's picks with Chuck Todd and Reginald the Monkey have been brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. Make every moment more. We will come back with Chuck Culpepper. It's an old Chuck day on this show. Chuck Culpepper. We'll talk about college Football in the playoffs when we return. I'm Tony Kornheiser. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show. Once again, we're going to play the music of Alexa and the Old Fashions. This is a song called this is It. You can listen to this in its entirety after we're done yapping. Michael, if independent artists like Alexa and the Old Fashions want to send in their music, how do they do it?

[Michael]

Send us your music by emailing it to jinglesonyconnizershow.com and it plays in Chuck.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Culpepper who has been following all the college football that has been going on. I have a million questions here and I'm going to start with Alabama and Miami winning on the road in the first round this year. Last year the road teams were.04. This year they were two and two. But the, you know, the two most watched and anticipated games without the group of five teams in them. Those two times, Alabama won on the road and Miami one on the road. Do you have an explanation for that? Is this meaningful or is it not or don't we know yet?

[Chuck Culpepper]

I think we don't know yet. I think it's, it's meaningful in the sense that it, it interrupted, you know, that little mini trend of the first year. And, but those are, it's meaning and it's also meaningful in the sense of Oklahoma and Texas A and M. The places that they won are places that are, you know, notoriously really hard to win. And I was in Oklahoma for that game and just the amount of energy that was in town Friday afternoon, that game was Friday night. The amount of energy was there. It just, I don't know if in their hundred and odd years of football if they had ever had anything that was as, that was quite like that. So the idea that Alabama would come in there, fall behind 17 to nothing.

[Tony Kornheiser]

17 to nothing.

[Nigel]

Yes.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Is something. Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. I mean that was, that was, it was so surprising that they went down by that amount and so surprising the way they came back. I think they, you know, a punt got blocked or missed or, and then it was a pick six. And suddenly at the half that was, the game was tied. And I just, you know, the, the other ongoing thing is Kaylin DeBoer and how difficult it is to coach at Alabama if you don't win every single game by 50 points. So this is the overall question. Michigan does not have a coach. Everybody seems to think that Kaylin DeBoer would be a good fit at Michigan. Is there any way you can See Alabama, even if they win the national championship, Kaylin DeBoer would leave and go to Michigan because Michigan doesn't have anybody yet.

[Chuck Culpepper]

I think he's a tremendous coach, and maybe even you would say great. I think he's the kind of coach that sort of goes to a place. In the most recent case, it was Washington, and. And suddenly everything is efficient and everything is, you know, everything is running on time, so to speak. I cannot see that reality at all, especially after the win at Oklahoma. I just. I'd be stunned if that happened. Would it be a good pick for Michigan? I think yes. But would he do it? I just think that's the kind of thing that sticks with you for the remainder of your career, really, that you. That you. That you sort of made that leap after a, you know, after a big, you know, crescendo at Alabama. And so, you know, we could always say Nick Saban kind of did the same thing in 2007 when he suddenly turned around and left the Dolphins for Alabama. And that he won so much at Alabama that people that Del used, you know, that whole story, we all kind of forgot about it after a while. But this one, I just think would be shocking to me.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, but it'd be such a great story. That's why I bring it up. I mean, if, in fact, he wanted to go because he felt more at home, you know, in. In the Midwest of America than in the south of America, and if. Especially if he won a title and he walked, you know, nobody could blame him anyway. It's just, you know, it would make a great story. Let me get to the Miami A and M. A and M game. That game was brutal. That was torture for 57 minutes. That game was so bad, without any offense whatsoever. It had a great close. I don't know if anybody was awake anymore. But what were your thoughts about that game?

[Chuck Culpepper]

Well, I confess that this would rank among my several oddities about myself, but I love games like that. I love nobody scoring. Remember Super Bowl 53, the Rams and the Patriots in Atlanta, and it was three.

[Michael Wilbon]

Three after 13.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Three game or something like.

[Chuck Culpepper]

That's right. It's still the lowest scoring one, probably always will be. And I. I just love sitting there thinking about what's gone on in the film room. And of course, that day in Atlanta, my colleague Adam Kilgore did a brilliant job of explaining what it was, what the Patriots had figured out about the Rams and so on. But with Miami and Texas A and M, I was thinking the same thing. What have they Found out about each other, and of course they're not going to tell you, but what, you know, what is it that has enabled both sides and factoring in Miami's missed field goals, you know, so they did move the ball.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Sweet. Yeah.

[Chuck Culpepper]

But it's enabled both sides to sort of just shut off the. The other like this. And I love watching it, to see sort of where it will go. And I realize that that places me among probably few.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, yeah, I mean, I watched it. I watched it sitting there saying, if I played for Notre Dame, I would say I'll beat them both today. You know, this is the reason I'm not in. We lost to them. We lost in August by a total of four points and we would beat them today. Both teams on the field.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Notre Dame's got to feel that way, don't you think?

[Chuck Culpepper]

Oh, they absolutely watched that game. If, if they could bring themselves to watch that game. They watched it in that, in that manner, for sure. Especially as. As, you know, sort of humming as their machine got after. After those two losses, you know, the 440 points in the last 10 games to 143 against. So they. Yeah, they had to watch that. They had. If I were from Notre Dame and I watched it, I would have to shut it off at some point because it's. It would be just agony.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Do you think Notre Dame right now could beat both those teams?

[Chuck Culpepper]

Yes, I do. I also think they could lose to both of those teams because the Notre Dame, you know, the 10, the 10 wins that they got after the two losses.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Not great. They're not great.

[Chuck Culpepper]

There were three, two and 10 teams in there, Purdue, Arkansas and B.C. so it's hard to read, but sure, I think so. As.

[Michael Wilbon]

Especially.

[Chuck Culpepper]

As much as they got it going, especially with having, you know, just enough players around who, who did this last year and went all the way to the title.

[Tony Kornheiser]

To the final game. To the final game.

[Chuck Culpepper]

That matters. Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right. I read you. I read your piece in the Washington Post yesterday. It's a wonderful piece. I'm afraid you're going to call me a whiner because I am on the other. I'm on the other side of you on this piece. I look at Tulane and James Madison, God bless them, but I don't think. I don't think they were competitive, particularly. I think these were basically walkover games for the teams that they played. I don't understand why there has to be group of five team in there. I don't. I just don't. I don't get it. I think with the 12 teams, you ought to try and get the best 12. I don't think it's a charity tournament. And I would have put in Texas and Notre Dame over Tulane and James Madison. And now you tell me why I'm wrong. And it's okay. It's okay.

[Chuck Culpepper]

I just like that idea of the variety of. And also picking the best 12 teams is always going to be impossible. It has been for 150 years. Or, you know, in the sport, it's so sprawling, not everybody can play each other. You know, sorting that out is always going to be an argument, I think, and they're always going to be capable arguments on both sides. And I think that with the, you know, the NCAA tournament, which we all love, I guess all but a few of us, maybe, but it's. But it's. They don't choose the best 68, and they don't aim to choose the best 68. And that sort of mix that they put into it has been one of its fabrics, to me, that make it, you know, so beloved and so cherished. And now that's when we start getting into maybe matters of. Is football just different as a concept from basketball? You know, I'm sure you've seen a lot of talk about this. Maybe, maybe having the smaller schools in there in football is not as sort of viable an idea as it is in basketball, just because of the way the two sports are played. You know, you can remember one player in basketball can make such a.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Can change everything. Yes.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Steph Curry. That Davidson suddenly there in the Elite Eight. You know, so. So we have. You have to think. I think of it that way, too, as the counter argument to mine, which is maybe it's just a sport that doesn't work that way. And the leading evidence of that would be the glaring difference in speed in the Oregon James Madison game. My good.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. I mean, these teams scored. You know, they scored the first three times they got the ball in both of them. Okay, so. But we'll agree to disagree on this one. Which of the top four teams to you seems most vulnerable? And that would be, you know, Ohio State and Indiana and Texas Tech. And who am I leaving out? Georgia.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, Georgia, I guess.

[Chuck Culpepper]

I think. I guess it's Texas Tech. There are a few troubles on offense. Oregon. That's going to be a fabulous thing there in Miami between those two. So I think Oregon versus Texas Tech kind of is an idea that makes Texas Tech the most vulnerable of the four. I just. Even though Ohio State lost to Indiana, I still don't I can't spot many vulnerabilities there and I'm going to stop. I have vowed to stop trying to spot any vulnerabilities with Indiana because, you know, you sort of think along the way it's going to falter at some point. But they've reached this point now of such sort of overall competence that while normally I would say Bama going into the Rose bowl is going to beat them and certainly could, I just think they are the best team.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. I mean, they've proven it this year. The doubts we have about them is about history. It's not about. It's not current. It's not current.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's about history, though. I will tell you that for Alabama to win the national championship, given all of this all year, would be a cool story. That's a cool story. The only other question I have is they sit idle for a long time. This is not the bowl game structure, you know, where you sit idle for two months and then you play in a bowl game. This is more meaningful than a bowl game. And I, I don't know if this is great to be idle. What is it, as many as three weeks? Right.

[Chuck Culpepper]

You mean before. Between the end of the regular season.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And the beginning of the playoff and one of the seeded teams to play? Yeah.

[Chuck Culpepper]

And I really believe that that factor right there helped was a big part of explaining why Texas A and M and Miami couldn't score. I really do. Yeah.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Chuck Culpepper]

And it was on the good side, you know, things that they figured out rather than things that they blundered. So I. Yes, I think, well, we were so accustomed to what it used to be. Remember the end of November, for example, Ohio State and Michigan would play and then New Year's Day, one of them would play in the Rose Bowl. It is an old, old tradition. And one of them would play in the Rose bowl often with a chance to, to win the national championship. So I guess we've actually probably shortened that duration and maybe we'll shorten it more when there's a 16 team playoff as inevitably there will be.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And that's fine. But what I'm saying is in those situations, both teams waited the same amount of time. And in this situation, there's a team that's playing in between. You know what I mean? They get their sea legs back. I don't know if it's fair. Although last year it seemed to be.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Oh, I see what you're saying. And last year, all that. Remember the, this round coming up last year, quarterfinals, the five six, seven and eight beat the one, two, three, and four. Now that conference title thing there where SMU and. And Boise State had higher seeds than Penn State and, you know, and so I think it's. It's definitely a factor of it looks like it. Again, just probably too small of a sample size so far, but it is true that all of those lower seeds who had played, they won first weekend, they won the next.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So where will you be? What's the definite game you're going to go to? I assume it's Alabama, Indiana.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Yes, it is. Yes, it is.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. That's. I mean that to me. That's. Yeah. If I'm. If I'm a sports editor and I got one guy, I'm sending him to the. To that game. Sure. Okay, Chuck, enjoy. We'll talk to you. We're on the other side of it. Thank you.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Thank you so much, Tony. Thank you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Chuck Culpepper is a great writer. Kids. Washington Post. Chuck Culpepper. We will take a break. We will come back with email and jingle. I am Tony Kornheiser. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser show. Here comes Tony's mailbag. Got your email, faxes and your notes. Here comes Tony's mailbag. Gonna read some bold books. Hey, Nigel and Michael, you guys been good or what? Nigel, you want Santa to bring you a new email machine? Michael, you asking for a new pony? I think this is a terrible, terrible idea. You know, I'm not Ronnie Neumeyer and his best Bruce Springsteen. It's pretty good. Wonderful. Yeah. Do you want to do the Bethesda bagel ad?

[Chuck Todd]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Michael's legs were on the ground. Sitting on the pony. Sitting on the pony.

[Chuck Todd]

Bethesda Bagels. We love a mule as well. Just go to Bethesda Bagels.com for the location in the DC area near Student. Pop on in and you will be thrilled.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Before we get to the mailbag, let me just say it's all cold down along the beach. The wind's whipping down the boardwalk. Hey, band, you know what time of the year it is? What time? Huh? Oh, Christmas time. You guys all been good? Practicing real hard. Clarence, you've been rehearsing real hard now. So Santa will bring your new saxophone, right? Everybody out there been good or what? Oh, that's not many. Not many. You guys are in trouble out there. That's Bruce Springsteen, kids. Thanks to our guests today. Chuck, Todd, Chuck Culpepper. Thanks as well to today's sponsors. Remember, you can listen to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Audacy. Get the show through Apple. Please leave us a review. Here we go. Tim Fitzgerald Seattle, Washington for the last 23 to 4 years I've been trying, wildly, unsuccessfully to explain to my 80 year old mother in law the difference between cellular and Wi fi on her phone. Kind of like you in the Physics of Electric toothbrushes. Now that we've settled on cellular comes from the sky and Wi fi comes from the walls. What is the definition of insanity again? So please remind Michael that not all heroes wear capes and says Please enjoy this AI rendering of Wilbourne in his newest bear swag and picture of Wilbon. It's not really Wilbourne looks more like Don than Mike and he's wearing bears in Inside the Outline of the State of Indiana, which is funny. Kurt Unruh Fort Wayne, Indiana Speaking of Indiana, thank you for mentioning my fair city last night on pti with the relocation of the Bears to Fort Wayne get you to visit our city. You could hang out with Glenn from Norwegian Soft Kitten and myself at Club Soda while sharing a glass of Johnnie Walker Blue and see the new stadium from the patio. While it will never happen, it is a nice location for a stadium right across from our lovely courthouse and other government buildings. Luke Russert even visited us a few months ago, though we don't have a memorial for foreign Liebowitz. Keep on potting and Happy Holidays, which is very nice from Steve the Sycophant My thanks to you, Michael and Nigel and the entire staff for providing me for hours upon hours of entertainment. I hope your holiday season is great as the New year approaches. I must note that Mr. Mike Todlin, Town Wilbond just made the quote of 2025 while talking to Wilbourne about the Bears packers game. You said did you meet the mayor? His immortal reply meet the mayor. I know the Mayor wishing happiness to one and all Kelly Pierce or Kelly Pears or Kelly Pierce, Ph.D. alexandria, Louisiana. I was delighted to hear Mr. Wilbourne filled with joy on Monday's podcast. It was a nice way to start the Christmas week rather than his usual rants of how stupid people are. Although I usually agree with his rants and rather enjoy watching reactions and wow, what an ending to the Bears game. Wilbon keeps touting Richard Dent as the only defensive player to win super bowl mvp. Hang on Sparky. Here is a list of such players. Super Bowl 5 Chuck Howley, linebacker, Dallas Super Bowl 7 Jake Scott, safety, Miami Super Bowl 12 Harvey Martin and Randy White, Defensive Line, Dallas Super Bowl 20 Richard Dent, Super Bowl 30 Larry Brown that's what I was thinking of. Cornerback, Dallas Super Bowl 35 Ray Lewis linebacker, Baltimore Super Bowl 37 Dexter Jackson cornerback, Tampa Bay Super Bowl 48 Malcolm Smith linebacker, Seattle Super Bowl 50 Von Miller linebacker, Denver My wife and I are going to Chicago for New Year's. Thought it'd be fun to go to the Bears game the first week of January. Since we live in Louisiana and don't own such things as parkers and overcoats, could you ask Wilbon if we can sit with him in the luxury box? I'm sure it'll be nice and toasty in there. Thanks for all that you do to keep us Littles entertained and informed. That's very nice. Mark Gudelski North Bethesda, Maryland your recent discussions about collecting matchbooks reminded me of my father's pension for taking ashtrays from restaurants and hotels. He didn't smoke, but this was in the 60s and 70s, when smoking was common and he would pocket them as souvenirs. They usually had the name of the establishment on them, but some were just decorative. This was the case on a trip to Charlottesville, Virginia, where he took a pretty ashtray from the hotel my parents were staying at with my aunt and uncle. Later, after the four of them were leaving a tour of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, my father reached inside his coat, pulled out the ashtray, and said to my uncle, look what I just took from inside. Monko was beside himself and insisted it had to be returned to Monticello. He didn't calm down until he was convinced that it came from the hotel. When my father died, we had to dispose of five or six boxes of purloined ashtrays. Wow, Tony T. In Brooklyn. In D.C. so many folks on board with the matchbooks. It's great. Now I can fanboy over most of Mr. Tony even more because I saved them as well. I've attached a picture of one of my favorites that I had made for a bar I ran. I opened that bar in 1996. It's where I served drinks to the Indianapolis crew members. I I believed I moved on to open my own bar. Mr. Soliza hosted trivia nights there and one of my sort of David Aldrich moments. Every couple of weeks During Sunday brunch NFL game shifts, Mr. Carver would be walking down the block. He would pull open the front door, look in, and ask, who's winning? He never came in, but he always made my day. Lately, I'm curious if he called T Boy after he took a quick glance at all the games. Happy Holidays. And this is pictures of where he'd been, you know, the restaurants that he'd opened, Capitol Lounge being one of them. From Brandon Borzelli in Lebanon, New Jersey. So much talk about where and what to do with the matchbox collection. Do you frame your best memories and add them to the living room? Display the themes of your life, sports related personal favorites, fanciest places, etc. Do you line the elevator in Delaware with them? Do you sign them with a little story about where and when they came from? You can sell them as column nets. Do you add them to the Emmy display? The Emmy displays in a closet. The real question is where is the matchbox from the Lilly Hammer jacket purchased? There is none. If the jacket had gotten this mileage over 30 years, then the matches could be strikeless, waterproof and hurricane proof. If the Russians had the Lilly Hammer jacket with the Russian had the Lillehammer jacket when he escaped Chris and Paulie, he surely would have survived the Pine Barrens incident. Brett Hobbs Linton, Indiana your recent story about your winter coat brought to mind my own favorite piece of winter gear. When I joined the Navy in the 70s, I was issued a standard Navy pea code. Of all the uniform items I received back then, it's the one thing I've held onto after all these years. Paired with a wool cap, that coat has kept me warm in every kind of weather. Plus, with my beard and aged face, I've noticed I look less like a veteran and more like I should be captaining captaining a crab fishing vessel in the Arctic. Isn't that nice? Drew Allen for years I imagined Lillehammer jacket was some awful 1990s red, white and blue Olympic Team USA jacket. I was way off. Oh yeah, way off. Chris Band Sells Forest Hill, Maryland Did I hear Michael correctly? Teaching at this time of year is on cruise control. You've clearly never taught in an elementary school in December. Friday afternoon featured candy cane and scented vomit. How's that for cruise control? Neil Airvase in Colorado as you were reading the email from John Stieglitz on yesterday's show about the greatest living baseball player, I started yelling Sandy Koufax. Before you validated my opinion. The mention of Sandy Koufax reminded me of a wonderful story shared with me by another lifelong Dodger fan who was attending a game at Dodger Stadium when He fortuitously encountered Mr. Koufax on the concourse. After timidly introducing himself, sharing that Mr. Koufax was a childhood hero, and praising his on and off field contributions to the game and Society. My friend asked if he might shake Sandy's hand. Hand. When Mr. Koufax obliged and held out his right hand, my father responded, no. The other one offered his left. Lefty. Sure. Gracious as always. Mr. Koufax smiled and accommodated him. Eric from McLean I find myself driving my teenage daughter here, there and everywhere around the dmv. On occasion she might passively hear some of your podcast. I value that time where we might have some conversation. As a clueless middle aged dad, I asked her, what does 6 and 7 mean? She said, it means nothing. Nothing. I don't get it. She responded Defiantly, what does 5 and 11 mean? A touche. B. I've never been so proud. Mark becker Silver Spring, Maryland I've been a Washington Football fan for all 68 years of my life. My father had season tickets going back to Griffith Stadium. The game this week gives us a great opportunity. If the Commanders win, their record will be 5 and 11. I know all of us Littles are praying hard for this. Happy holidays Adam Benson, St. John's Newfoundland Please tell Dave I won't be able to meet up with him at the Farmer's Market on Saturday the 27th. I'll be in Gander at my mother's house for Christmas, but I'll be back in Town on January 1st. P.S. i have a second cousin named Adam Benson as well. Why is everybody in Newfoundland named Adam Benson? Why is that? And from Jeff Simpson in Arlington, Virginia, Too cold for a Club sandwich A new meteorological standard for the Capitol Weather Gang's Winter Fork. If you're out of your bike tonight, as always, everyone do wear white.

[Chuck Culpepper]

Well, that's about it from me. I'd just like to say all the best for Christmas and a happy New Year.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thanks, Ringo. Mommy, how come there are no songs about a Miami Christmas?

[Alexa Lash]

Used to know the holidays, now I love the many ways you love me Avoiding all the twinkle lights for many solo silent nights at home. Blame the warmth of flower dyed Seem so allegorical for how I've been feeling Childhood with mixed reviews took 20 years to learn the truth Started healing.

[Nigel]

Sweat.

[Alexa Lash]

When the cold air blows I'll be your baby in the land where it doesn't snow does it snow? Canceled all our family plans to build a snowman out of sand Gather shells for mountain ice Sing songs about such snowy days While bathing under endless rays of sunshine Streets and beaches lined with art Paper mache broken hearts painted neon and br deck the holes on rented docks Rock sandals with a parasite so wrong, so right when the cold air blows I'll be your baby in the land where it does it snow where does it snow? Let's go buy a Christmas tree that.

[Nigel]

Fits in our apartment let's drink hot.

[Alexa Lash]

Cocoa while we build our balcony garden Our W blankets by on Netflix you on fire.

[Nigel]

Can'T wait some more Miami.

[Alexa Lash]

Holidays with you.

[Nigel]

With you.

[Alexa Lash]

Used to love the holidays Now I love the many ways you love me. Little does he know he doesn't own.

[Nigel]

You.

[Alexa Lash]

Little does he know you won't be the kind that day he tries Little does he know he can't destroy.

[Nigel]

You.

[Alexa Lash]

He should not take over someone else's body, soul and mind he probably doesn't know it even break your luck it holds not aware you're doing better than before you met he probably is afraid he can replace you.

[Nigel]

Cuz now.

[Alexa Lash]

You turn the page and he's still trying to forget But I tell you I'm sorry for today.

[Nigel]

But this is it I'm done I tell you I feel some type of way that this is it I know that this is it I'm done.

[Alexa Lash]

Tries to be your.

[Nigel]

Friend but you won't study study don't.

[Alexa Lash]

Need that type of person in your you took that time of now you.

[Nigel]

Know you're ready to move on to.

[Alexa Lash]

Go take hold of your new found.

[Nigel]

Peace of mind I tell you I'm sorry for today but this easy I love I tell you I feel some time away this is I know.

[Alexa Lash]

This is I know.

[Nigel]

Try to understand the let's. Away.

[Alexa Lash]

But this is you I'm done I only tell you I'm sorry for.

[Nigel]

You nothing but this is it I'm so so dying sometime I tell you I feel sometime but this is it I love Jesus.