The Tony Kornheiser Show – "Where’s My Cake?"

Episode 151 – August 25, 2025
Host: Tony Kornheiser
Guests: Sally Jenkins, Michael Wilbon, Steve Sands

Episode Overview

This episode features Tony Kornheiser in rare summer form, “surprising” listeners with a show packed with familiar voices. The main theme is nostalgia and change—centered on Sally Jenkins’s departure from the Washington Post—intertwined with reminiscence, sports talk, and a dash of signature banter. Key guests include Sally Jenkins (reflecting on her Post farewell and move to The Atlantic), Michael Wilbon (on the party and the fading newspaper era), and Steve Sands (wrapping the golf season and the Tommy Fleetwood saga). The episode is a rich, multi-generational inside look at journalism, sports, and camaraderie as Tony and friends reflect on endings and transitions.

Key Segments and Time Stamps

• 00:00–11:09: Sally Jenkins recounts her farewell at the Washington Post, the tradition of “cake,” and her new gig at The Atlantic.
• 11:09–17:55: Sports roundtable—Nationals, Yankees, and MLB highlights; tennis recap (Medvedev's meltdown, Djokovic, Pagula); college football musings.
• 17:55–32:13: Michael Wilbon discusses the emotional resonance of Jenkins’s farewell, the fading era of newspaper life, and his Cubs and college football excitement.
• 32:13–46:06: Steve Sands deep dives on Tommy Fleetwood’s victory, PGA/European Tour storylines, Ryder Cup selection drama, and ends with a hilarious side-story about comedian Greg Garcia golfing with Jason Day.

1. Sally Jenkins: Saying Goodbye to the Washington Post

[00:48–11:09]

Taking the Buyout and New Horizons

• Why Jenkins Took the Buyout:
  • "I took the buyout because it was a lot of money. It was a lot of money. And dumped into a pension fund that I'll be able to access pretty soon because… that little girl you knew as a college kid is now qualifies for Medicare." —Sally Jenkins [02:08]
  • She explains it's her “first smart financial decision,” but also emphasizes her excitement for joining The Atlantic Monthly, praising editor Jeffrey Goldberg: "the best magazine in the world, edited by the reigning genius of journalism." [02:38]

The Farewell Party: Old School, No Cake

• Departing Tradition Disrupted:
  • Jenkins wanted to avoid the traditional newsroom cake: “Normally they give you cake and they make a couple of toasts and say nice things about you… I just didn’t want to do that. It was going to be pretty painful to go back in the office and see people I’ve really loved for 30 years. And so I thought, you know what? Let’s do this old school.” [03:23]
• The Palm Dinner:
  • She hosted a dinner for 30–35 close colleagues, past and present—including many other buyout-takers—opting for steak, whiskey, wine, and stories over cake: "Cake is nonsense. Absolute nonsense. Cake is made to throw." —Tony Kornheiser [04:16]
• The Guest List and Spirit:
  • An “all-star lineup”—“Dan Baltz, Carol Lennig, Rick Atkinson, David von Drehle,” and heavy hitters from across the newsroom joined, "some of whom knew each other, some of whom didn't…but, you know, like, you got a chance to talk to Adam Kilgore and Jeff Culpepper." [04:41]

Heartfelt, Humorous, and Unpretentious

• Jenkins rejected making it about herself:
  • "No, it was about all of us. It was about the whole crew." [05:57]
• Tony jokes: “If I’m signing the check, they’re toasted!” [06:42]
• Tony shares: “What I liked best was, it was fabulously unorganized. The circulation in the room…it was unorganized great.” [04:12]
• Jenkins shares a highlight: Dave Sheinin (sportswriter) sang “O Sole Mio,” showing off his classically-trained voice and becoming the hit of the night. [08:15–09:41]

Reflecting on an Era

• Tony’s sentimentality: "A little sadness for me, a little sadness because it seemed… the official end for me of the sports section that I had loved so much." [09:41]
• Jenkins reassures: “The line keeps moving…all those great writers you sat with…are younger…The Washington Post sports section is as deep and as quality deep as it’s ever been.” [10:20]

2. Sports Roundtable: MLB & Tennis

[11:09–17:55]

Nationals Struggles & Standouts

• Recap of Nats’ close loss to the Phillies: “Down three nothing…bases loaded, nobody out…James Wood up, he’s their best power hitter. Into a double play.” —Tony Kornheiser [11:38–12:11]
• Critique of James Wood’s recent struggles: “James Wood, since the All Star Game, has taken a far turn.” —Tony [12:13]

MLB Standouts and Nicknames

• “The two greatest nicknames in sports right now are Big Dumper and Fairway Jesus.” —Tony [12:53]
• Cal Raleigh’s record: "Set the record for home runs by a primary catcher…might be on pace for 60." [13:01–14:07]

Tennis Highlights

• Medvedev’s US Open meltdown: “Had a psychotic reaction…He’s just not anywhere near what he was.” —Tony [14:09]
• Djokovic’s “disgusting” toe bandaging, and Jessica Pagula’s steady progress. [15:00–15:34]

3. Michael Wilbon: Nostalgia, Melancholy, and the End of a Newspaper Era

[17:55–32:13]

A Melancholy Farewell

• Wilbon’s take on Jenkins’ party: “I was thrilled to be invited…but it’s melancholy…it was my entire life…from 20 to 50, that was my life. Every day of it…that life is over.” [18:52–20:50]
• Shares a vivid memory: “George sent Sheinin and me to Los Angeles…to find out if there was any connection between the [riots] and the lack of athletic…opportunities in Southern California. It was the A1 story.” [19:22]

The End of Newspaper Times

• Tony: “It just looked like everybody was filing out the same door…nobody’s going in, everybody’s going out.” [20:50]
• Wilbon: “It’s done not just for us. It’s done for everybody. The newspaper life. It’s over as we knew it.” [21:09]

Cubs Hopefulness and Football Anticipation

• Cubs bounce back: “Six out of seven. Only two teams…have not been swept: Cubs and the Reds. Cubs have the number one starting staff ERA in July and August.” [21:51–22:37]
• On baseball fandom: "The Anaheim crowd looked like it was 70% Cubs…people are hungry again. It's only been seven years, but we haven't forgotten." [24:21]
• College football: “Isn’t Kyle Tucker hitting about a thousand in the last five, six games?” [23:25]; and excitement for the start of the season (“Ohio State–Texas…could be the first and last game of the year”). [25:22]

Tennis Night Owls and Meltdowns

• US Open chaos: “That's what to me makes the US Open…crazy things happen at night…I'm going to watch excitedly.” [26:56–27:47]

4. Steve Sands: PGA Season Wrap, Fleetwood's Breakthrough, Ryder Cup Drama

[32:13–46:06]

Tommy Fleetwood: Perseverance Rewarded

• “It’s pretty meaningful for Tommy…it was a really good FedEx playoffs…the three events…were fantastic…Tommy Fleetwood is about as popular a player, a popular a winner as I can imagine outside of… the massive big names in the sport.” —Steve Sands [34:33–34:55]
• Kornheiser: “I was really impressed. I didn’t know Tiger Woods…wrote that thing that said, you deserve this more than anybody else out there.” [37:56]
• Sands notes Fleetwood’s resilience: “30 top five finishes on the PGA Tour, most since 1983…I was at Hartford – he had a three-shot lead, gave it away…This time, finished it off, and finished it off in style.” [37:56–39:56]

Playoff Key Moments and Sherpas

• Scheffler’s struggles: “He had it out of bounds on the first tee…that was enormous. That allowed the other guys…to say, okay, hang on, he bogeyed the first as opposed to birdying…the past creeps into your present.” [36:41–38:31]
• Cantlay’s infamous putting pace: “He’s the slowest player I’ve ever seen…I tell you.” —Tony [35:56]

Ryder Cup: Captain Keegan Conundrum

• Kornheiser: “Keegan Bradley, it seems to me, has earned the right to be on the Ryder cup. But he’s the captain…What do you think Keegan Bradley should do?” [40:44]
• Sands: “If you took away the captaincy…you would take Keegan 10 out of 10 times…He played himself onto the team this past week…I think he’s going to pick himself because the other guys are going to say, hang on a second, you’re better than everybody else on that board.” [41:09–42:37]
• How Keegan could balance captain/player: “He could definitely…play alternate shot in the morning…get his match over, then go be the captain in the afternoon.” [43:38]

Bonus: Garcia and Greg Garcia vs. Jason Day

• Tony reveals Greg Garcia got to play golf with Jason Day, getting “27 shots” and still nearly gave him a run.
• Sands relays: “Jason’s like, your guy gave me a run. It was a lot of fun…Jason, by the way, is a very cool guy.” [44:58–45:48]

5. Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the changing newsroom:
  “It just looked like everybody was filing out the same door to me…nobody’s going in, everybody’s going out the door.” —Tony Kornheiser [20:50]
• On legacy and pride:
  “I’m not sad. I’m proud of all those people. I feel like I had an effect on them—just like you had an effect on me.” —Sally Jenkins [10:56]
• On resilience in sports:
  “Perseverance in sports is a real thing…The more you put yourself in that position and don’t get to the winner’s circle, it weighs on you…The more opportunities you give yourself, the better chance is you’re going to get to the winner’s circle.” —Steve Sands [39:03]
• On self-awareness:
  “I’m always the first to arrive and the first to leave…because you’re in your dotage and you go home early.” —Sally Jenkins [08:22]

Tone and Style

The conversation is personal, warm, and often comic, reflecting deep decades-long relationships. There’s a strong undercurrent of nostalgia, straightforward honesty about aging and change (“I don’t remember the 90s”), but also pride and hope for the next generation. The sports analysis remains sharp and insightful, with plenty of sidebars, running jokes, and “inside baseball” moments about both newsrooms and clubhouses.

Conclusion

This episode provides a richly nostalgic farewell to a beloved journalistic era, with laughter and pathos from insiders, while still delivering sharp sports talk and commentary. It captures generational handoffs, the bittersweetness of moving on, and the enduring bonds of shared professional life.

Fans of The Tony Kornheiser Show will especially enjoy the interplay of memory, humility, and humor—and will come away with a clear sense of why these voices and this community continue to endure.