“We would’ve been D 4”

Summary

The Tony Kornheiser Show

Episode: “We would’ve been D 4”
Date: March 25, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode features Tony Kornheiser’s signature blend of sports talk, humor, and personal stories. Tony dives into NCAA basketball with special guest Hakeem Jeffries (House Minority Leader and fellow Binghamton alum), discusses Opening Day of baseball with ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian, and shares typically irreverent takes on TGL “bedsheet golf,” Tiger Woods’ return, and the current state of the Knicks and Wizards. Key themes include the changing landscape of college basketball, the evolution of baseball’s rules, and the ongoing quirks of professional and simulated sports.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. March Madness, Sweet 16, & College Hoops

• Tony & Wilbon warm up: They discuss the slow sports week before the Sweet 16 kicks off (03:00).
• NCAA Tournament Favorites:
  • Tony expresses interest in Duke vs. St. John’s and UConn vs. Michigan State. He’s dismissive of Houston, despite their advantages.
  • “Houston caught a great break. They’re playing at home … Pencil them in for another Final Four.” (03:20 – Tony)
• Big East & ACC Disrespect:
  • Tony & Hakeem discuss how the Big East, once dominant, now receives little respect.
  • Hakeem: “There was a time the Big East … was right there with the ACC. Another conference that has been downgraded lately.” (19:21)

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2. Victor Wembanyama for NBA MVP

• Wemby’s Self-case:
  • Tony notes Wembanyama's boldness in publicly stating he deserves MVP—a rarity for American athletes (04:00).
  • “All the great players think ‘I should be MVP.’ Nobody actually says that … but he does.” (04:30 – Tony)
• Performance:
  • Since Feb 1, his team is 22–2—the best NBA record.
  • “If Victor Wembanyama … they’re the best team right now in the NBA.” (05:28 – Tony)
• Wilbon’s Take:
  • Votes Jaylen Brown for MVP “right now,” but Tony sees Wembanyama as generational: “You are looking at somebody special.”

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3. TGL & ‘Bedsheet Golf’

• Tony’s Recap:

  • Tony breaks down TGL’s (simulated indoor golf) finals, focusing on Tiger Woods’ participation after his coaching years (07:00).
  • “Is he playing? Playing has to be in quotes.” (07:19 – Tony)

• Tiger’s Return:

  • Wilbon highlights the benefit of not walking/hitting every shot—and Tiger’s visible rust.
  • “First thing he does is miss a short putt that you would never see Tiger miss.” (07:45 – Wilbon)

• Conspiracy & TV Drama:

  • Tony jokes about ESPN fixing results for programming drama. “I began to text Matt Kelleher saying this is a boat race, this is a fix…” (08:33 – Tony)
  • But LA rallies, tournament ends early, leaving filler time for Scott Van Pelt.

• Critique of TGL:

  • Fun, not a real competition. “I do not think it’s a golf match. I think it can be charming, can be fun. I like it at night in the winter … but this is bedsheet golf.” (10:00 – Tony)
  • On Tiger’s coverage: “They spent 20 seconds showing Tiger walking into the building. And I was excited.” (12:00 – Tony)

• Team/Expansion Disinterest:

  • Tony & Michael Wilbon both unmoved by team branding or merch—viewers just want Tiger, not club loyalty.
  • “No one seems to be excited for the team aspect of it … you just want to see Tiger.” (13:58 – Wilbon)

Notable Quote:

“I think this is a little bit of a promo for Tiger.” (12:09 – Wilbon)

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4. Interview: Hakeem Jeffries on College & New York Sports

[17:34 – 30:56]

St. John’s Renaissance & Big East Legacy

• Hakeem’s NYC Basketball Fandom:
  • Grew up rooting for St. John’s (from Brooklyn), representing NYC’s team despite borough differences.
• Rick Pitino’s Arc:
  • “He has become the great comeback kid in terms of his coaching journey.” (21:12 – Hakeem)
  • Pitino’s maturity, style, and visionary traits highlighted.
• Binghamton U Memories:
  • Both Tony & Hakeem joke about their alma mater’s lackluster D3 basketball history (“We would have been D4, but there was no D4…” – 23:00, Tony).

Bracket Controversy & Tournament Seeding

• Big East Underrated:
  • Tony & Hakeem frustrated St. John’s is only a 5-seed after winning regular season and tournament.
  • “You cannot … win the Big East regular season and tournament … and be a 5 seed.” (24:30 – Tony)
• Coach K’s Critique:
  • “He’s never seen the NCAA place the two best teams in a major conference in the same region.” (24:00 – Hakeem)

Knicks Mania & City Sports Culture

• Knicks’ Resurgence:
  • Knicks’ improved defense unites NYC. “When the Knicks are good … it brings the whole city together in such a phenomenal way.” (27:16 – Hakeem)
• Jets’ Perpetual Struggle:
  • "Everybody is a long suffering Jets fan ... their one highlight ... was fifty, sixty years ago." (27:42 – Tony)

Wizards’ Tanking & NBA System

• D.C. vs NYC Basketball Culture:
  • Wizards intentionally lose; Tony rails against tanking. “They are attempting to lose and succeeding at it … At the very least, flatten the ping pong ball odds.” (30:28 – Tony)
• Barkley’s Ticket Proposal:
  • Hakeem relays Barkley’s idea: “If teams are consecutively losing ... they shouldn’t be allowed to raise ticket prices ... perhaps they should be compelled to drop them.” (29:15 – Hakeem)

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5. Interview: Tim Kurkjian on Baseball’s Opening Day & Rule Changes

[32:37 – 46:21]

Early Start & TV Drama

• Unusual Opener:
  • Yankees at Giants is a strange, early Opening Day. “This is a bit of an odd … the Yankees are always a great draw, but Dodgers … would be the first team on.” (34:35 – Tim)
• Automatic Ball Strike (ABS):
  • The challenge system starts this year.
  • “This is designed to help the umpires … to get more calls correct ... if it doesn't work, we’ll have to make an adjustment.” (35:11 – Tim)
• Strategic Impact:
  • Managers worry about strategy for saving challenges becoming bigger than gameplay itself.

Automated Strike Zone Controversy

• Tradition vs. Tech:
  • “I worry as an almost 70-year-old man that too much technology might not be the greatest idea in the world.” (36:22 – Tim)

WBC & International Baseball

• Enthusiasm for World Baseball Classic:
  • “Baseball’s in love with it and should be ... the energy and emotion … was obvious.” (41:10 – Tim)
  • No plan to move it from Spring Training.

Unconventional Managers & Youth at the Helm

• College Coaches & 30-something Managers:
  • Giants’ new manager straight from college, never managed professionally. Nationals’ manager only 31.
  • “I am older than the GM and the manager combined.” (43:29 – Tim)

On Prospects: Dylan Crews

• Promising but not ready:
  • “It’s the hardest game in the world to play ... light goes on at different times for different players, and it will for Dylan Cruz, but it hasn’t yet.” (44:29 – Tim)

Podcast Plug:

• Tim shares podcasting from his son’s new studio; Tony recognizes the familial fun of the podcasting grind.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Bedsheet Golf:
  “I do not think it's a golf match. … I think it can be charming. … but this is bedsheet golf.” (10:00 – Tony)

• On Wembanyama:
  “All the great players think ‘I should be MVP.’ Nobody actually says that … but he does.” (04:30 – Tony)

• Hakeem Jeffries – Comebacks:
  “A setback is nothing more than a setup for a comeback. … Rick Pitino has become the great comeback kid.” (21:12 – Hakeem)

• On Wizards’ Tanking:
  “They are attempting to lose and succeeding at it.” (30:28 – Tony)

• On Tech in Baseball:
  “I worry as an almost 70-year-old man that too much technology might not be the greatest idea in the world.” (36:22 – Tim)

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Important Segments & Timestamps

• [03:00] – Discussion on NCAA Sweet 16, TV scheduling quirks
• [04:00] – Wembanyama’s MVP candidacy and unique personality
• [07:00] – Recap of TGL finals, Tiger Woods’ return
• [17:34 – 30:56] – Interview: Hakeem Jeffries discusses college hoops, Pitino, Knicks, New York sports, and Wizards’ tanking
• [32:37 – 46:21] – Interview: Tim Kurkjian on baseball Opening Day, ABS rule, youth in MLB managing, and the state of prospects

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Tone & Style

The episode keeps Tony’s trademark mix of cranky sports curmudgeon, old-school skepticism, quick quips, and affectionate banter with regulars and guests. Both interviews with Hakeem Jeffries and Tim Kurkjian feature a relaxed, self-deprecating look at sports fandom, nostalgia for “the good old days,” and critical curiosity about the new directions of major leagues.

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Bottom Line

This episode is a must for listeners who enjoy smart, offbeat takes on major sports stories, fresh perspectives from high-profile guests, and the comfort-food familiarity of Tony and his crew debating everything from tanking to the virtues of traditional baseball umpiring. It’s equal parts irreverent and thoughtful, and suffused with the kind of conversational warmth that keeps “This Show Stinks” fans coming back every day.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

Hey, it's Tony. On today's show, we'll talk about the NCAA tournament with my fellow Binghamton alum House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries. And we'll talk about opening day of baseball with Tim Kirkjian. But first, Commerce. Okay, quick question. Why should your energy boost taste boring? The new Fruity Rainbow shots from five Hour Energy are proof that caffeine can actually be a treat. These bring an explosion of fruity flavor with a tasty caffeine kick. Think sweet, colorful candy vibes, but in a tiny bottle, think that gives you the perfect boost. Caffeine just got a serious flavor Upgrade. There are 17 flavors in the full five hour energy lineup. 17. So you've got options depending upon your mood. But this Fruity Rainbow launch is all about bold, playful candy flavored chaos. And somehow all that big flavor fits into a portable 2 ounce shot. No bulky drinks, no sugar crash. No sticky wrappers. It's a zero sugar treat that's totally sweet tooth approved which makes it feel indulgent with without slowing you down. If you want your pick me up to actually taste fun, this is it. Get candy flavored Chaos with fruity rainbow 5 hour energy shots available online at 5hourenergy.com or on Amazon.

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[Tony Kornheiser]

Previously on the Tony Kornheiser Show. I went to Rehoboth. I came back. I don't have much. Just say I played some golf. Is the snow melted? Yeah, all the snow's melted. I played well. I have a story to tell, but

[Michael Wilbon]

I think if anything, Eddie Bauer.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Eddie Bower is out of business. Gone. Well, no, it's still there. They're waiting to sell all their remaining inventory, but they didn't have any line pants. I mean, I had three pairs of line pants.

[Michael Wilbon]

What size, though?

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know, 48 and 22. You know, so they were useless to me. This is General George Washington, and you're

[Hakeem Jeffries]

listening to the Tony Kornheiser show.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So it's a very slow week, and it's a very slow week because our attention is on the Sweet 16. And all those games.

[Michael Wilbon]

The finals of TGL.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, well, I'm gonna get to that because that's what I watched last night. So our attention is on the sweet 16. They don't start till Thursday, so. Right. We have Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. That's right. You know, and then. Then there's next week.

[Michael Wilbon]

The Houston game basically starts on Friday to tips after 10.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's so late. It's a late tip. So late. Almost all the games are attractive.

[Michael Wilbon]

But appreciate Friday, the kids can actually watch Duke, because I think that's in the sevens.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's Duke St. John's that's. That's a game you want to see. And I Want to see UConn, Michigan State as well. I want to see those games. I don't care much about Houston. Houston caught a great break. They're playing at home in the home city. They're in Houston, Texas. And they don't have to play Florida because Florida was eliminated. So you pencil them in. I mean, Houston's going to be in the Final Four again, and they've been in the Final Four a bunch of times with Kelvin Sampson. They have not won yet, but, you know, eventually, I think that they're going to win. So I don't have basketball to talk about. I don't care about the NBA this week, and I cannot get involved with the NBA this week. Except for one thing, and I do find this interesting, and that is Victor Wembanyama the other day said he wanted to be the mvp, and he literally laid out his case as to why he should be the mvp. His influence on defense, his influence on offense, the way the team has come together, the amount of wins they have this year as opposed to other years. I don't know. It has been suggested to me that Victor Wembanyama will say things like this because he is not curtailed by having grown up in the United States of America, where this is not said. Everyone thinks all the great players think I should be mvp. Nobody actually says that. Yeah, they wait for someone else to say that. They all want to say that, but they don't say that. I don't know that I can Attach this to the fact that Victor Wembanyama grew up elsewhere. I think it's just who he is. Victor Wembanyama is a very young man, Generational. Yeah. Of extraordinary skills, who, when you hear him after games, is fabulous to listen to. It is very clear that at a callow age, he wants to be the leader of that team. He says, so I want. I mean, we don't hear this as well. He's a special talent and he may well be a special personality. I don't know.

[Tim Kirkjian]

I.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We'll bond. And I talked about this yesterday, how. Who would you vote for right now? And Wilbourne said right now he would vote for Jaylen Brown. I would vote for Jaylen Brown right now. But Victor Wembanyama has led his team since February 1st to a record of 22 and 2. 22 and 2. Amazing. The best record in the NBA. They're the best team right now in the NBA. They're better than Oklahoma City. And by the way, they beat Oklahoma City like four to five times. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, they're. They are making the statements that you are supposed to make at this time. If Victor Wembanyama, if they were to do that, I mean, it's a regular season award. But if they catch Oklahoma City, then again, if Boston catches Detroit. But Boston has to worry about the Knicks.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Knicks breathing on their heels. But I mean, when Benyama, he has numbers. He has more than three and a half blocks a game. And when he makes the first block in the first minute of the game and you look at the other teams, demoralized, they don't want to go inside anymore. What's the point? You'll have 53 blocks. Yeah. So I think we are looking at somebody special. I don't want to say that because Wilbourne's been saying it for three years. I want him to be wrong, but I think he's right.

[Tim Kirkjian]

You may be right on the side.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I do. I think he's right. So I didn't watch. I. Maybe NBA was on last night. I didn't even look. I didn't care one way or the other because I. I was sitting down to watch Bedsheet Golf Night 2. TGL was in the finals. I did not know. Right. Yes. I did not know. Who won the first day, apparently. The LA golfer Justin Rose team. Yeah, the Justin. It's Justin Rose and Sathi and Tommy Fleetwood. And they are against Tom Kim, who's fabulous to watch and really gets what this is all about.

[Michael Wilbon]

To just have a camera on Him?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, and Max Homa and Tiger Woods. Tiger woods who has not played competitively. He's been coaching over two years and he's been captaining and coaching and being enthusiastic, throwing the hammer. Yeah. Now he's playing. You know, playing has to be in quotes. Is he playing? He's Michael, explain what it's like to go to a simulator, which is what this is, and hit blocks.

[Michael Wilbon]

So the first takeaway here is he doesn't have to walk. So his biggest issue is he's always talking about recovering. He doesn't recover. He doesn't recover as quickly as he used to. So you don't have to walk and you're not hitting all of the shots. So yesterday you see him come out of the box. The first shots he hits is a fairway wood from about 280 and he pipes it. But he doesn't have to play the course in its entirety. So I think that's the biggest difference. But you also see some rust because then he immediately misses a short putt that you would never see Tiger miss.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Missed a 3 foot 6 inch putt. That's the turning point in the match. 3 foot 6 inches. This is Tiger Woods. I don't know how Wilbon feels. Wilbon's probably gloating because he doesn't like this.

[Michael Wilbon]

They were prepared to have another, a third match between these two teams had there been a split after the first two and they barely could fill programming because it was know such a runaway.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, so now this is what I want to talk about from a television standpoint and you know, and a conspiratorial standpoint. The Jupiter Golf Club, which is what Tiger belongs to, went out to a two nothing lead. And I began to text Matt Kelleher saying this is a boat race, this is a fix. ESPN has fixed this so they can get a third match so they can go from seven at night to 11 at night.

[Tim Kirkjian]

Right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And then in the blink of an eye, it wasn't fixed anymore. And L. A went up 6, 2 and then Tiger threw the hammer and they lost that hole in LA went and it's over. It's over. At 8:30, Scott Van Pelt is out there talking. He's filling time.

[Michael Wilbon]

I mean he's about to call you

[Tony Kornheiser]

35 minutes, you know, and talk to everybody on the podium and give out this trophy, you know, and all of that. And I was saying, what are they going to do at nine? Put in a 30 for 30. What are they going to do?

[Michael Wilbon]

Rear BTR.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, what are they going to do now, now the question for me, I, I enjoy watching it. Yes. I do not ascribe to it things that it isn't. I do not think it's a golf match. I do not think it's that sort of competition. I think it can be charming. I think it can be fun. I like it at night. In the winter, I don't want to see it. In the summer when there's real golf, I don't want to see it. But I buy in for a little while. I don't buy into the degree that I'm going to buy hats and shirts from these teams. I don't know who's on any of the teams unless they're right.

[Michael Wilbon]

Boston Common Golf.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I don't remember Newton Keegs. I don't remember keegan, Bradley and McElroy. I mean, by the way, what was Fleetwood wearing?

[Michael Wilbon]

He's a free agent still, I think

[Tony Kornheiser]

just wearing a regular old black shirt. It didn't seem to belong to any particular club. No chatter gear or anything. You know who was there? Serena Williams was there. Serena Williams's husband owns the LA team. I didn't know anybody owned the teams.

[Tim Kirkjian]

Wow.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I didn't know how that worked.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, they're some of the biggest names in golf or in all of sports. It's what their biggest names in all of sports are. The, are the reps for these teams. I mean, and they're still trying to grow.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I don't know, maybe there'll be more teams next year. Maybe there. I don't know.

[Michael Wilbon]

Well, there is talking about this ratings

[Tony Kornheiser]

determinant, an expansion franchise to dc.

[Michael Wilbon]

So but here's a question for you. The ratings have been down overall year two. They're still talking about growth, but. So the, the biggest thing for your conspiracy theory is just getting Tiger woods in the building to warm up. There is, there's 30 second clips of him going through the bag on the turf into the screen. And that is more important than the actual golf that happens because that now exists in the ethos and now that's tied to will he playing the Masters. The swing looks great. Speed is still up. He's got that swagger back.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I wanted to see Tiger. Sure. I had my eyes glued on Tiger and even though I sit here and I say he's hitting it into a bed sheet, you have no idea where it's landing. You have no idea if this is legit.

[Michael Wilbon]

Stinger.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I thought, I actually thought, I really thought it was fixed. Like with Patrick Ewing. It was fixed for Patrick Ewing. Last year was fixed for Cooper Flag in the house, right? Yeah. It's pretty obvious what's fixed and what's not fixed. So I thought it would be fixed and they'd get a second match out of it, and they didn't.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, unless you think that the.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The fix was Scott Van Pelt down there.

[Michael Wilbon]

The fix was just getting Tiger in the building to hit shots. And they're going to run that promo, and that's worth more than trying to fill the second or third, you know, hour there.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They spent 20 seconds showing Tiger walking into the building. Oh, yeah. And I was excited.

[Michael Wilbon]

So this is. This is a nod to tournaments of past where you'd always see Tiger walking out of the car with the shades, hat back, see what he's wearing. And that's always been part of every sport. But it's the drama building up to that. And again, you're trying to sit there going, can he play in the Masters? And you're sitting there going, you might as well have live, you know, links on your TV to the Sunday red gear that he's wearing, because that's what this is. It's a promo for Tiger.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So what did you think of it?

[Michael Wilbon]

So here's what's tough for me. We've. We've had another round of what appears to be flu in our house, so I was a little bit late getting downstairs. I have it recorded. By the time I'm caught up, it's already over. I have to rewind all the way back. So I. I go to it, and it's. They've done a better job of making the holes watchable. They've brought in actual architects to make these look like real holes. But Stinger is a perfect example of it. You see Tiger set up to hit his signature shot. Does it beautifully. And Tommy Fleetwood does it just a little bit better.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Better. A little bit better. Tommy Fleetwood, all five, seven of them, does it a little bit.

[Michael Wilbon]

Two degree launch angle.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Yeah. They. It's.

[Michael Wilbon]

But not nearly as saucy as Tiger with that whole.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I would hit it on the ground.

[Michael Wilbon]

Well, you just top it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They hit it 250 yards straight as an arrow, 5 inches off the ground.

[Michael Wilbon]

Yeah, you wouldn't tee it up.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You just so you know. What did you. But did you enjoy it Again, I

[Michael Wilbon]

think you have to try and look at this as a. As the product in its entirety. And it is fun. But now that you're seeing the promos for the majors, for the Masters, you're

[Tony Kornheiser]

coming off of, do you think it'll be back next year. Do you think the players want it? Do you think there's.

[Michael Wilbon]

I think this is a. I think if you interview the players involved, it's probably. Probably 50, 50. I think they're happy to be involved in between other events. But now that you have a change in the Tour schedule, it's probably pretty difficult to be going coast to coast to play in something where there's a bit more demand on what your face, what your affect looks like in between shots. I think they have incredible trust that the production team's going to make them

[Tony Kornheiser]

look good, and they do.

[Michael Wilbon]

I think they're probably sitting there going, we're not seeing a big return on this. To your point, no one's. No one seems to be excited for the team aspect of it. You're looking at the same singular personalities. It doesn't even matter what team they play for. You just want to sort of see the excitement of Tom Kim. You want to see Tiger. You want to see.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I think that Justin Rose is a great addition to it. He gets excited. They had three eagles in a row, if you believe.

[Michael Wilbon]

Right. So that's the question of golf. Do you believe you have three eagles in a row?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, if you believe that. Wilbon hates it. I like it and Wilbon hates it, but I don't. I think they're probably not happy about me calling it bedsheet golf.

[Michael Wilbon]

I'm surprised they haven't checked you on that one.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They haven't. They haven't said stop.

[Michael Wilbon]

Well, you're still talking about it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Talk about it. Sure. It's more exciting. I didn't know if the Wizards played last night, but if they did, I guarantee you TGL was more thrilling than that match. Oh, sure.

[Michael Wilbon]

Do you think Tiger plays?

[Tony Kornheiser]

No. Do you?

[Michael Wilbon]

I think he tries.

[Tony Kornheiser]

He tries.

[Michael Wilbon]

I think he tries.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, it's two weeks. We'll see.

[Tim Kirkjian]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You know, it's the course he is most famously associated with. It's the most important thing on the calendar. It'll get plenty of eyeballs. Plenty of eyeballs. We will take a break. We are going to have not my classmate, but my schoolmate, in effect, Hakeem Jeffries, graduate of Binghamton University. Incredibly accomplished. He is the minority leader of the House of Representatives of the United States of America, and he wants to talk basketball. So we will come back and do that. I am Tony Kornheiser. It's Charles Barkley here with Wayfair. And let me tell you, game day is serious business at my house. If I'm grilling chilling and watching hoops. My outdoor setup better be ready to play. That's where Wayfair wins. From patio seating and umbrellas to grills and grill accessories, Wayfair's got it all and it shows up fast. I'm talking fast and easy delivery. So level up your grill game and your outdoor chill game and head to Wayfarer.com to get your outdoor space ready for the season.

[Michael Wilbon]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

Offer valid March 12 March 29, 2020.

[Michael Wilbon]

Exclusions and additional charges may apply for licenses.

[Tony Kornheiser]

See Home Depot.com license numbers. You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show. Dr. Phil Chaff from Dexter, New York, originally from St. John's Newfoundland, has sent in more music. The other day he sent in stuff from Evan Retello, which everybody liked. Yes, today he writes, I want to share an incredible young, talented singer songwriter with you in your audience. Another light of day performer from the Asbury park area of New Jersey by the name of Bobby Mahoney. His music is high energy, true rock and roll in every sense, with lyrics to match. My wife Laurie and I have had the opportunity to see Bobby perform a number of times, speak to him frequently, sometimes in the wee hours of the morning. Great young artist, great future. The first song is called Another Deadbeat Summer, which is, I think, how a lot of people feel when they're teenagers and when they get older they think, no, no, okay, it's Bobby Mahoney. We'll talk about him later. He plays in the minority leader of the United States House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, who is the most accomplished graduate ever of Binghamton University. But not the most famous because Flo is the most famous. Right? We're agreed on that. That Flo is the most famous.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

Yes, Flo is the most famous, but that would exclude Tony Kornheiser. So it's a close situation there.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But you're the most accomplished because neither of us any actual say in the government or anything like that. So let's talk. We're going to talk about basketball. We're going to talk about pro and college because I know you're excited because the Knicks won again last night, which Is six or seven in a row. How's your bracket? What are your thoughts on the Sweet 16? Has your bracket been blown up yet?

[Hakeem Jeffries]

Well, unfortunately, I didn't get an opportunity to fill out a bracket this year. However, I am in a good place relative to who I am rooting for because as you know, being from the city, I know who you are. St. John's is the city team.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

And it's been 25 years or so since they've been relevant. We're so thankful for the fact that St. John's is back. You know, I grew up in the Chris Mullen, Walter Berry, Mark Jackson, Bill Winnington era.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

And it's good to see their return to glory.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Are you from Queens or are you from Brooklyn?

[Hakeem Jeffries]

I'm from Brooklyn, so.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So is was it ever hard to root for St. John's because it's a different borough? Did you think, well, you know, it belongs to somebody else. It's out in Queens. It's near Long Island. It's not from me.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

Yeah, you know, it's interesting because they're playing in the Garden. Barkley center, of course, didn't exist at the time. Mullen was from Brooklyn, Mark Jackson was from Brooklyn. And so, you know, it was a natural thing as St. John's City team. And of course, those were the heydays of the Big east as well. So we're rooting for St. John's were rooting against Georgetown, rooting against the other big time teams from the Big east and just proud of what St. John's was doing at the time under the iconic coach Louis Carneseca.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And I understand, I understand all of that and I'm sort of amazed, and you probably are too, the lack of respect that the Big east gets now. They had three teams in, two of them, I guess. Well, two of them are still in. UConn is still in. St. John's is still in, but they only got three teams in. And there was a time, the time that you're talking about when Dave Gavett was the smartest guy in America because he said, no, we're not going to play on campus. No, we're not. We're going to play in pro arenas in big cities. That's what we're going to do. There was a time when the Big east for you and for me and for other people was right there with the acc, another conference that has been downgraded lately. What do you make of that?

[Hakeem Jeffries]

Yeah, it's very interesting. Right. Because there's only one ACC team left and certainly Back in the days, the ACC was viewed sort of as the premier conference in terms of longevity. Big east, new kids on the block.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yep.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

Dave Gavitt, of course, was brilliant. I mean, I remember, you remember 1985, three teams had three teams in the Final Four. And by the way, what a lot of people forget is that Boston College almost made the Final Four. I think they were in the Elite Eight, and I think they lost to Memphis. Memphis became the fourth team they also ran that was in the Big East Final Four.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And one of those guys who was coaching Providence at the time is on the sideline now. Now, this is an interesting question. Rick Pitino had some stuff in his life that we would consider sort of kind of icky. We would. And he needed to be rescued. And he was rescued twice by Catholic schools. He's rescued by Iona, and then he's rescued by St. John's whatever one thinks of Rick Pitino, he's a great basketball coach. And I think the longer he goes in a tournament, the better his team gets time after time after time.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

That's right. Great basketball coach, great visionary. And what's fascinating about Pitino is that he has spanned multiple eras. I mean, I guess when he began at Boston University, there wasn't even a shot clock in college basketball. Then it went, I think the 45 seconds, there was no three point shot. He became a pioneer of the three point shot, of course. So he's been a brilliant coach. And look, having grown up myself in the Cornerstone Baptist Church, I was taught at a young age there are going to be setbacks in life. But a setback is nothing more than a setup for a comeback. And Rick Pitino has become the great comeback kid in terms of his coaching journey.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And two things I would mention. One, I claim him because he's a Long island boy, so I get to claim him. And two, he dresses like an adult. And too many coaches, Hakeem, too many coaches on the sideline look like children in these dopey sweatsuits. And Rick Pitino looks like an adult.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

He looks like an adult. And you know, it's interesting because you've also got Izzo old school coach who's in the Washington D.C. eastern region. That's incredible. I guess at the point, Coach Cal would be considered at this point a seasoned state's person in coaching, which is an amazing thing because I think you and I both remember him as the new kid on the block.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, he's a kid. He's a kid. You know, there's no question. I probably have asked you this before the school we went to, we don't get much run in the ncaa. We were there once for one game, and we're out. Did you used to go to the games on campus? Did you go to Binghamton games?

[Hakeem Jeffries]

I went to one or two games, but I graduated in 92. And so at that point, they weren't even Division 1. They didn't become Division 1 until after the fact. I think they were Division 3 when I was there.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, me, too. We would have been D4, but there was no D4, so we were D3. The only school we beat every year was Baptist Bible. That we killed them. We killed Baptist Bible, but, you know, those guys weren't going. They were not going pro. Do we need a whole new makeover on the Binghamton team? We had a bad year.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

Well, it was a terrible year. I think they won less than 10 games. You know, it was interesting. The new president came to see me and she. I mean, you know, she's.

[Tony Kornheiser]

She's from UConn.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

She's from UConn. I said, can you bring some of that magic to Binghamton University's campus? She said she's going to try.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I noticed that. That she was at UConn, and they've got, you know, multiple men's and women's champions, and I don't know how many schools have multiples like they've got. All right, you're rooting for St. John's St. John's has Duke next. You nervous?

[Hakeem Jeffries]

I'm a little anxious, but, you know, I mean, I think, as you said, Pitino's teams get better as things go on, and defense, of course, travels, and it's a great defensive squad, and these kids have a lot of heart. So I'm excited about it. I do think, going back to your point, Tony, about the Big east being disrespected, the notion. And Coach K said this, I thought it was an interesting observation, him being a legend and an ACC guy. He said in his time in college basketball, which of course has spanned more than 50 years, he's never seen the inside. CAA placed the two best teams in a major conference in the same region. How is it that St. John's and UConn are in the same region?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, St. John's was completely disrespectful. You cannot. Don't tell me that you can win the Big east regular season and the Big east tournament, defeating a team that just beat you by 32 points, defeating them by 20 and be a 5 seed. Hakeem it can't be a 5 seed.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

It can't be a 5 seed. And if UConn is a 2, appropriately, that's legit.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's legit, right?

[Hakeem Jeffries]

That's legit. But if UConn is a two, to your point, Tony. And St. John's beat him in the regular season, won the regular season title, and then smoked him in the Big east tournament. Why would you underrate St. John's that makes no sense. You know, I wonder, is this a Patino thing? Who knows? I mean, I thought the coach handled it well. He said, look, we're just going to play who's in front of us. They, they went out there, they beat Kansas. It was a great game and I'm excited about, you know, the Duke game and we'll see what happens.

[Tony Kornheiser]

So I would, I, my daughter in law went to Duke. I root for Duke. Although I know Patino 45 years, I know him an awfully long time. But Duke is not what Duke was. You cannot take two starters out and even put one back as half a starter at this point. Duke is not the team that beat Michigan right now. I think they're vulnerable to St. Joe. I do, I think they're vulnerable.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

I think that's right. And what's also interesting is that what happens when you and St. John's I think experienced this last year when as a 2, Arkansas beat him, was clearly they beat him and Arkansas was undeceded. There was no way Arkansas should have been a 10. When you under seed someone, you also create a problem for the team that they play early, you know, in the tournament. And so Dukes has got to face this behemoth in St. John's that's playing well and they're not even at full strength. It's going to be fascinating. I mean, I think duke travels, so St. John's I think will travel because it's in such close proximity. We know UConn Travels and Michigan State has a great fan base. It's almost like a final four in the eastern region right now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It is by far the hardest bracket. It's not even remotely close. You cannot argue anything else. Look at the coaches in that bracket. Look at the teams in that bracket. It's a hellacious bracket. It really is. I mean, if you get tickets to those games, those games, I'm personally looking forward to UConn, Michigan State more than any other game. I think that's the best game on the board.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

This is a great izzo team and so it'll be fascinating and you can never Count Izzo out. He makes Final Fours on a regular basis. No.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And the other guy's a loon. Danny Hurley's a loon. I love him, but he's. He's a complete loon. All right, let me go to the Knicks. Knicks win again last night. Knicks have that bad patch in the middle of the season where they play no defense at all. People are scoring 130 against them. Suddenly, right when they're supposed to, they're getting very good. Your thoughts on the Knicks?

[Hakeem Jeffries]

Well, definitely excited about the Knicks. And the thing that's interesting is I'm a Yankees fan. And when the Yankees are good. And the Yankees are always good, although they've fallen short in terms of a World Series ring. Yeah. The city does get excited. We get excited for the Jets. We get excited for. Although, you know, it's rare when the jets are actually good.

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, they stink.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

They stink.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Come on, let's be fair.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

I'm a long suffering jets fan. Unfortunately, I passed that on to my oldest son.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Everybody is a long suffering jets fan. They have one highlight. It's Namath's right finger in the air. That's 50, 60 years ago. They're one highlight. Come on.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

Yeah, I mean, I'm kind of like, look, just give me the Richard Todd Freeman McNeil days. I mean, I'll just take that at this point. So. But I do think that when the Knicks are good, the city is on fire. And, you know, sports is unifying. And that's a beautiful thing about sports. It brings together folks from all walks of life, you know, regardless of race or religion or political affiliation. That's the great beautiful thing about sports. When the Knicks are good, it just brings the whole city together in such a phenomenal way. And, you know, I'm excited now. The fact that Tatum is back.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They're good.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

Expected development. The Celtics are good.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They're good. And Harden, whatever you think about Harden in the playoffs, and it remains to be seen if he gags again, but Harden has made Cleveland a lot better. A lot better. So, I mean, the east is tougher now. I think Detroit may fade, but those three teams are good. So I need to ask you this. You live in two cities. You can't represent the United States of America and not live in Washington. And you also live in New York. There's a tremendous contrast in pro basketball teams in these two cities. The Knicks actually try to win and the Wizards actually try to lose. My position is very clear. They should not be rewarded for trying to lose for three straight years. They should not get any ping pong balls. Go to try to win. What are your thoughts on the Wizards? Cuz you have to. You look at them. I'm sure you look at them.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

Yeah, it's a total disaster what they've become. I mean, I mean, it's a train wreck. And I do think that Adam Silver is going to have to figure this out in terms of. I mean, you just can't intentionally tank. It runs against everything that is part of the competitive nature of what sports should be. And. But, you know, I do think stripping a draft pick is also harsh. So it's interesting. Barkley, I thought, had a suggestion that I thought was at least, you know, worthy of consideration. He said, look, you know, if teams are consecutively losing in the ways that the Wizards, for instance, are losing, they shouldn't be allowed to raise ticket prices. In fact, I think he suggested that perhaps they should be compelled to drop them. And maybe that will actually incentivize teams to start winning who have been losing because, you know, at the end of the day, you follow the money. Financial dynamics also play a role or should. And incentivizing people to engage in more competitive behavior. I thought it was at least an interesting suggestion that he threw into the mix. Silver's gonna have to figure something out because, you know, it's just watching this wizard situation.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Awful. They are attempting to lose and succeeding at it. At the very least, flatten the ping pong ball odds. You know, don't give them more ping pong balls for what I would consider to be defrauding their fans. And it goes all the way up to ownership because an owner could stand up and say, no, we're not going to do this. We're going to try to win. We'll do the best we can. It's a pleasure to. Pleasure to have you on. Thanks for being on the show. Now go do the important work. This is not the important work.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

Always appreciate you. Thanks for having me on.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Be good. Hakeem Jeffries, the minority leader of the United States House of Representatives, A very much important human being compared certainly to the thing that we're doing. We will take a break. Tim Kirchen will join us to talk about baseball, which actually opens tonight. The Yankees are at the Giants. It's tonight. It's tonight. Are you kidding me? What? I'm Tony Kornheiser. Nothing brings people together quite like Team USA at the Olympic Winter Games. From NBCUniversal's iconic storytelling to the innovative

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[Tim Kirkjian]

Yeah.

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This is real live rock.

[Michael Wilbon]

Windows down.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, windows down. Top down. If you have no top, do that. Absolutely, yeah. Bobby Mahoney. Wonderful. Michael. If independent artists like Bobby Mahoney want to get their songs played on this high quality podcast, how do they do it?

[Michael Wilbon]

Send us your music by emailing it to Jingles at Tony Kwanizer show and

[Tony Kornheiser]

he plays in Tim Kirkjean and I. Amazed is too strong a word. Let me read this. This segment with Tim Kirchen is brought to you by fanduel. Make every moment more. And again, amazement is too strong a word. But I guess I wasn't prepared for the fact that the baseball season opens tonight, that the Yankees are at the Giants tonight. Does it seem, it just seems early? Is it not early?

[Tim Kirkjian]

It is early, Tony. Especially when we're starting in the United States like this. We started overse and then and you take a week off and then of exhibition games and you play more regular season games. But yes, this is early and I think it speaks to the changing landscape of different, you know, networks broadcasting games. They want to have their own big show, one night only game, Yankees at the Giants. But it's hard to keep track. But yes, this is early. It didn't sneak up on me, but it's, it's a little bit odd. Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Any thoughts as to why it's the Giants and Yankees? I mean, to me, if you're going to open and you want the stage all to yourself, you put Mr. Ohtani on that stage.

[Tim Kirkjian]

To me you would think they're the defending champs two years in a row and they've got the Diamondbacks and. But that's again, I don't even understand how tell how games on TV work anymore, who schedules them and how they go. But yes, this is a bit of an odd. I mean, the Yankees are always a great draw planned in San Francisco. It's pretty cool. You know, the Giants manager is a college football coach.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Tim Kirkjian]

Who is going to manage his first major league game. So it's an intriguing matchup, but it's just the Dodgers you would think would be the first team on.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. I mean, if you ask me, I don't know that I speak for most fans in this. I think most fans will be completely unaware, maybe charmed, maybe appalled, I don't know. But the automatic ball strike starts tonight and none of us have seen it. We've never seen it. We've seen it in tennis. We haven't really seen it in baseball. What are your thoughts about it? What are players saying about it and are you excited by it?

[Tim Kirkjian]

Well, I'm certainly not excited by it, but I am realistic enough to know that this is here now. It's probably going to be here to stay. I had a major league manager tell me that he says this is worth a try. But he said, I think you should either do the whole thing or not do it at all. This is kind of a middle ground kind of thing. Let's see if the challenge system works. Hitter doesn't like the call, taps his helmet. Catcher doesn't like the call, taps his shin guard, and suddenly we have a very quick review. This is designed to help the umpires. This is designed to get more call correct. Tony, it's really hard to umpire a major league game involved coming at 103 miles an hour and umpires do a really good job in my mind. But you miss a pitch by an inch and people are outraged. So that's what we're going to try. We're going to see if it works. All I'm saying, Tony, is if it doesn't work for some reason, we're going to have to make an adjustment and do it better.

[Tony Kornheiser]

When you say the whole thing, explain to people what you mean by that.

[Tim Kirkjian]

Well, someday, like in tennis, we're going to have a completely automated strike zone where lasers and everything else are going to call every pitch and the umpire is only going to be there to make out and safe calls and keep control of the game. But somehow a robot, computers, whatever we're going to call it, are going to call all the balls and strikes in a game and the umpires are not. Now, that's not coming this year, obviously, and maybe won't happen for another few years. But this is what. This is where we're headed, I think. And again, I Worry as a almost 70 year old man that too much technology might not be the greatest idea in the world.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. Because we grew up with baseball and there's the human frailty factor in baseball. Now. It is true that when a call is missed it becomes more famous or infamous than a call that is made. But I think they get it right like 98% of the time. I do. I think they're amazing.

[Tim Kirkjian]

I do too. I think they're great. And. But you miss one call and as we know, Tony, with this box on the TV screen, the viewer at home can see it. That's as good a look at the strike zone as the umpire does. And he's, he's two feet away.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Tim Kirkjian]

So that's part of the issue. I'm still a little bit, bit confused about a few things. I had a major league manager tell me this spring that this is really going to help the short guys in the game. And which means if I were playing today I would hit 340. Not the point. So he told me a guy in our team who was listed at 6ft tall last year is now listed at 5:11 trying to get an advantage with the ABS system. And yet another manager told me, no, no, no, these guys get measured. Everybody knows it's put into the computer. Nobody's going to fool the strike zone because he's crouching down or he appears shorter than he really is. So this is in progress, Tony. I would have given it another year, let it work through spring training again, try it again in the All Star game, see if it works. I think this is a little bit early for me, but again being realistic, this was coming sooner that rather than later.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The call in the World Baseball Classic that, you know, that was the call that says to people out there, don't worry in the future this won't happen again. We're going to something new. Don't you think that that played a major part? The American team beating the Dominican Republic on an obvious low strike?

[Tim Kirkjian]

Yes, again, the mechanism was already in place before that game to put it in. But yes, that game, that final call game ends on a pitch that missed by an inch and a half or so. That that won't happen in the major leagues this year. Unless of course you completely run out of challenges. I had a manager tell me, Tony, he's a little worried about this because the strateg of when you challenge, you gotta wait. Might become bigger than the actual playing of the game. And that that just doesn't follow that that should happen in the Game. The playing of the game should be all that matters, not the strategy. On when do we challenge?

[Tony Kornheiser]

You have to save one. You have to save one for something tight in the late innings. If you, if you're done by the third inning, you look like a fool. There is more pressure on managers now and on because managers are going to relay signals to somebody obviously from the dugout. Pressure on catchers, pressure on pitchers. I sort of think that pitchers have a better view than catchers. What do you think?

[Tim Kirkjian]

Yeah, the catcher has the best view and the catcher to me should be in charge of the challenge. And that's what they're doing with most teams, staying to the catcher. You're the one receiving the ball, you know, if it's a ball or a strike. So again, there's still so many things that are going on here. It's, it is undoubtedly a work in progress. And you know, the thing is, Tony, about saving a challenge, I totally agree, but let's say the bases are loaded in the first inning.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, then you go, if it's a run, you go, sure.

[Tim Kirkjian]

And ball four comes in and you. And it's called a strike. And you say, no, no, no, that's the wrong call. You may blow your challenge in the first inning, but you could also blow the game open.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's right.

[Tim Kirkjian]

First inning with a bases loaded walk. Next guy hits a grand slam, it's five to nothing. So again, that strategy on when you challenge is going to be really interesting to watch.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I think runs have to be involved. Me personally, but we'll see how that works. By having mentioned the World Baseball Classic, everyone loved it. Is it, I assume it's here to stay, but will we see it more often? Is there a plan for it? Is baseball in love with it?

[Tim Kirkjian]

Baseball's in love with it and it's should be. Because the energy and the emotion that we saw from all the teams, including the United States, was obvious. And the way Venezuela won and the way they celebrated and the way all the teams played, I don't think there's going to be a change in this. I find it odd, Tony, that we just had this amazing WBC and people are now saying, well, we have to run this now during the All Star break. Well, if it really worked well, I think we need to keep it where it is. I think we need to keep it every three years and do it properly and don't make any changes because putting it during the All Star break, I think it's going to lead to more problems than doing it during spring Training.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right. You mentioned early in the conversation the Giants have a manager who has been a college coach. He's about to manage his first official major league ball game, the Washington Nationals. Close to my heart. Have a child, some manager. He's 31 years old. I don't know his name. I don't want. It doesn't even matter. He's 31 years old. Which of the two is more intriguing to you? Which of the two has more potential to win?

[Tim Kirkjian]

Well, the Giants are a better team than the Nationals, but I don't see either one of those teams going to the playoffs. I don't think the Giants are a playoff team. I think Tony Vitello is more interesting than Blake Butera in part because he's never managed, he's never done anything professionally and no one, this has never happened before. And a college coach, you know, I'm told, well, he's a great recruiter. I'm not sure how that plays when you're managing a major league team, but they brought him in to bring energy and enthusiasm and he has. The Giants went 19 and 9 this spring, even though I never pay attention to one loss records in spring training. So it's worth a try here. But I think it is. You know, there are all sorts of red flags when a guy who's never managed a major league team, never managed a professional baseball game, is now managing a game on opening night against the New York Yankees. It's different than coaching the University of Tennessee.

[Tony Kornheiser]

What about the 31 year old kid? Come on, we have clothing older than this kid.

[Tim Kirkjian]

Come on, Tony. I think he's 33. But that's hardly the point. It's hardly the point. I am older than the GM and the manager combined.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, me too.

[Tim Kirkjian]

I'm 69. They're 68. Now look, we're going to give them a chance because these guys are wicked smart. That's all we ever hear. But Tony, I'm sorry, I'm an old man. Now the thought that these young people in the game are going to come up with an idea or a system or something, a teaching lesson that has never been thought about before. I'm sorry, I just can't go that far. Maybe they have some great new ideas, but I don't think it's an idea that no one has ever heard of.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is about me, this question. But it might be about you too. The Nats option. Dylan Cruz. This kid was the number two overall pick in the draft. They looked at him as a 12 to 15 year outfielder. Just Pencil it in. It's never going to change. What do you make of that?

[Tim Kirkjian]

Well, Tony, I say this way too often, but I believe it with all my heart. This is the hardest game in the world to play. And guys who have every skill in the world and every athletic thing in the world don't can't play this game. The light goes on at different times for different players, and it will for Dylan Cruz, but it hasn't yet. Number two pick in the 2023 draft. He's going to be a really good major league player, but he hasn't found it yet. As opposed to a great college point guard who leads the league in assists and everything else and has size and speed and everything. He's going to play in the NBA as a rookie. It doesn't work that way in baseball. Given the degree of difficulty it takes to play this game, every player is different. Just when you think you understand a player, you realize maybe he's not ready. And then maybe he is. And when that light goes on, you gotta be ready. But there's no telling when it's gonna go on or off.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. All right, plug your podcast for us.

[Tim Kirkjian]

Yeah, I drove up to Philadelphia this morning. This morning at 3:30 in the morning. I left my house at 3:30 in the morning to get to my son's house because tomorrow is our big opening day podcast. So we want to do it right from his new studio. So I got to his house at 7:00 in the morning. He's fast asleep. I'm sitting in the driveway of his house waiting for him to wake up. Point is, this is our third year of the podcast. We're actually going to make some money this year. We're having the time of our lives doing this. I'm kidding about all things. I love doing my podcast with the sun. But doing it right next to him in his new studio down in the basement, that's gonna make it even better.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I go through this three days a week. It's lovely. Thank you, Tim.

[Tim Kirkjian]

Okay, Tony, See you.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Tim Kirchhoin. This segment with Tim Kirchen has been brought to you by fanduel. Make every moment more and we will come back with email and jingle. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

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[Tony Kornheiser]

You're listening to the Tony Kornheiser Show.

[Bobby Mahoney]

Here comes Tony's mailbag.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Got the email. Favorite band name of all time, Eric DeLong and the Slappy Boy. Really good favorite. You want to do the Bethesda bagel ad? Yes, Bethesda Bagels. We love them. You will as well. Just go to bethesdabeagels.com for the location in the DC area nearest you. Then pop on in and you'll be thrilled. And before we get to the mailbag, let me say when I think of those East End lights, muggy nights, curtains dropped, drawn, the little room downstairs, prima donna lord, you really should have been there. Sitting like a princess perched in her electric chair. And it's one more beer and I don't hear you anymore. We've all gone crazy lately. My friends out there rolling around the basement floor. Someone saved my life tonight, Sugar Bear. That's Elton John. That's. It's, in my opinion, his finest song. Yeah, someone Saved my Lifetime. It's just a great. And it's a happy birthday to Sir Elton. Is that right? That's right. Okay, good for him. Thanks to our guests today, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. And two, Tim Kirkjin. Thanks as well to today's sponsors. Remember, you can listen to us on Apple podcasts Spotify and Odyssey. Get the show through Apple. Please leave us a review.

[Michael Wilbon]

Tim Kirchen, definitely on babysitting duty.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, sure. Oh, sure. Jack Gerhard, Manchester, Connecticut. Tony, concerning your golf course grounders. And that's all I'm hitting now. Two options. One, at address, focus on one dimple until it's gone. Or two, add a fungo bat to your bed.

[Michael Wilbon]

I like the fungo idea.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Adam McCaslin in Mattoon, Illinois, on the Monday show you were talking about playing golf. You said, I had a good time, but I was miserable. I think we may have found the top contender for the epitaph on your tombstone. Yeah, I had a good time. I had a good time. Gary Bailey in Gross isle, Michigan, your 77 year old island listener. Thank you for making my morning walk quite enjoyable. Quick update on the snow in Marquette, Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula, 265 inches this year. No, thank you. And counting. I need to, by the way, about four feet short of the record by comparison. Syracuse, 145 inches. Almost double. Syracuse. That's almost double. Well, that's the. That's the up that's way up there. Scott Foster, not the referee in Manchester, Maine. I was listening to your talk about spring. I had to snap a picture for you. Perhaps the Capital Weather gang should have come to Maine with Wilbourne. We got 4 to 6 inches of snow yesterday. You might be right about the three month golf season. And this is picture of hole number six at Augusta Country Club. Augusta Main Country Club. Yeah. The trees are covered with snow. Yeah. Yeah. J. Grant McGuire in Huntington, West Virginia. I thought you'd like to know how influential your show can be in odd areas. I used to not eat cottage cheese and if I did, it was low fat milk, small curd. After hearing you talk about large curd, I started trying it. Now I eat one or two pints per week of the 4% milk fat variety. Yes, yes, sure. About a year ago, Nigel mentioned he liked his pizzas with sausages, green pepper and onion that planted in something my in my head. And that's how I order everything.

[Michael Wilbon]

Classic combo.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't think that's. I like pepperoni. Well, he likes it this way. So now so do you. Ben Sandler, who's a doctor of dental surgery. I didn't mention golf in the Ironwood Cafe email because we ate there on the evening we arrived at Pinehurst on Friday we played Pinehurst number five and then the putting course. Afterwards we had a nice meal at the deuce overlooking the 18th green on two while watching the Players Championship on TV in between foursomes playing the 18th. Saturday was a double round at Mid Pines Lovely. And Sunday was around at Southern Pines Lovely. We were going to play the Cradle on Sunday after Southern Pines but decided to head home to avoid driving back to Maryland in the storms on Monday. Overall, terrific golf weekend. I enjoyed Southern Pines the most. My partner Brian and I won all of our high low matches against the other pairings. Most importantly, I only lost two balls over four rounds. The pine straw areas were interesting. Our local participant Brian taught us to clear the area below our feet of the pine straw. This made hitting the ball much easier. Of course this had to be done carefully to make sure your ball doesn't move on your next visit. You need to check out Handel's ice cream shop. It's only a mile or so from both Piners and Southern Pines. They have a couple of dozen flavors all made freshly on site. It became our go to each night. Thanks again for the Ironwood recommendation. Hopefully you will be as grateful with my handles recommendation. I will be there because Alex Podligar is a friend and he is the PR director of of Pinehurst and we love going there. From Tim owens in Lakeland, Florida. As a surprise Christmas and 38th anniversary gift for the woman to whom I'm related by marriage, I pieced together a trip to Asheville in Atlanta to see her new favorite band, Rat Boys, a week or so before the aforementioned trip. My surprise? Imagine my surprise when said band was the featured artist on my favorite podcast. My wife was thrilled to be front and center for both shows and even had a shout out and requests played by the band. I was thrilled when I had the chance to flash a TK salute and offer a hearty lecheserie. As they wrapped up their sound check in Asheville, the songwriter Julia Steiner returned the favor and yelled, yeah, Mr. Tony. I've since learned she wanted to be a sports journalist growing up and attending Notre Dame. Alas, mid major rock and roll seems like a pretty good plan B. Thanks for the connective tissue. Isn't that nice? From Neil Ayervase I thought you might be interested in a recent story about how the piano saved the warrior God's career. Beginning in 2023, Max Scherzer began to have issues with the thumb on his pitching hand, which became so painful and resistant to treatment they impacted his ability to pitch. He believes that those issues caused an injury to a muscle running to his elbow, which sidelined him at the end of the 2023 season, and shoulder fatigue that cost him six weeks in the second half of the 2024 season. He made one start last season before going on the IL with right thumb inflammation. He tried needling cortisone shots and other treatments, none of which were effective. Scherzer details how he was one poor bullpen session from walking away. Even after rejoining J Staff in June, the pain in his thumb became so intense he had to leave starts at that point. The piano saved his career. Shortly before the All Star break, he started teaching his children to play piano, although he hadn't played since taking piano lessons as a child. However, the first time he gripped a baseball after piano lessons, he found his thumb felt better. He started playing every day, even finding pianos to use on road trips, once getting the staff at the Ritz Carlton to unlock the piano in the lobby at 10.30pm he attributes the piano cure to his unique positions of his hands and how they work different muscles to strengthen his thumb. On top of that, he actually has become a competent pianist. Tony Perhaps piano lessons might be the cure to all of the ground balls that produced by your golf clubs. The chopin of chip shots.

[Michael Wilbon]

Did you know that about Scherzer has a piano. A real producer would have that clip ready.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Has a piano. First time, long time, little here. The other day you and Wilbourne were talking about the era of nil and the disappearance of amateurs. They still do exist in NCAA Division 3. No athletic scholarships and you still have to get into college on your grades. The kids play for pride, not millions. My alma mater, the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where I was a student athlete, competes at the D3 level and our men's basketball team is still dancing. We're headed to the NCAA Division 3 National Championship against Emory, another fine school from Atlanta, on April 5th in Indianapolis. No seniors on the roster, just a group playing for each other in school pride. Two of our starters, starters from Patriot High School in Bristol, Virginia, have played together since middle school through high school and now college. When one hit the game winner to send the team to the title game, the other one was the first there to celebrate. A version of the nostalgia you're missing is still out there. It's just a bit further down on the bracket on ESPN where the amateurs still are and where Michael might have to help you find it. That's very, very lovely. She's assistant director of media and public relations at Mary Washington, which is a fine school. Rob Werhoftig in Newport Beach, California Vis a vis Tony's comments about Gonzaga not being battle tested via their current conference plane, next year they move to the region reconstituted PAC 12. The new conference will consist of Oregon State, Washington State, Boise State, Colorado State, a lot of states, Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah State, Texas State and Gonzaga joining for non football sports. While certainly not the Big 12 or ACC, from a basketball standpoint, it should be an improvement over the current West Coast Conference where they play now. I don't know. I don't know. They don't have St. Mary's they don't have Santa Clara that are tournament teams. I don't know. Again, what I said yesterday was wake me when UCLA and Arizona Join this Pac12. I don't think it's going to help. I'm back in New Jersey. I'm glad to be home, although the weather is iffy. My whole family's leaving New Jersey this weekend, going to LA for the holidays. I'll give Greg Garcia a call. My golf course is in remarkably good shape considering the winter they had. Happy Passover and Easter to all. Dg, of course.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

Of course.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Thank you DG from John Buchanan in Annapolis, Maryland. The timing of the traffic lights at baydale drive and old bottom road stinks. Okay, that's good to know. Yeah old mill bottom road rather and from Drew Allen hear me out what if in November we set the clocks back half an hour and just leave it got on your bike tin everyone as always do wear what I have a piano Tony be.

[Bobby Mahoney]

They don't care about me don't give a damn about me but I guess it's just as well because we're down alone cast all my bulls thrown and I guess I'm feeling all right I just wanted to say good night to the senior the raiders and good night to the non believers and here's to another deadbeat suffer. And then she'll match me up and run up with some guy that'll hit her and quit her after just one night and girl good night to the senators and good night to the non believers that there's to another dead big summer. Sam. Addicted to to nicotine television and caffeine high sex in the parent I just wanted to say good night to the send stone. Another wasted night another wasted night another wasted night. Burning but still could be faster riding give them the finger highway let the memories linger on oh you were enough for me. You were enough for me. Woke up to the broken pieces still stuck in my favorite sh I wrote a letter over no one reason punch back if you realize good w up to another reason to back it up and if I done it time to see where we can take this spend a life making this let's put it on the. You get me faster. Out with my favorite demons still still stuck in my favorite songs I don't know what I've been chasing so london scroll stepping out in a dazzling fashion cashing with a cannon stand if we just get together maybe baby we can d it on o we're running out of time remember. You were enough for me. You're enough for me. You were not for me.

[Tim Kirkjian]

Been burning since the morning editor scene

[Bobby Mahoney]

you know how I am and know how to find me come back in

[Tim Kirkjian]

town I can let you know

[Hakeem Jeffries]

been

[Bobby Mahoney]

burning since the morning headed towards the se and now where I am have nowhere to find me come back to town I can let you know you are not for me. Way. We were. Shame I let the memory you are not.