Speaker 1Hockey on ESPN is blowing up. Hockey is back. So, what does it look like now? The kids? Hughes. Celebrini. Schaefer. That's hockey. Ovi and Crosby. That's hockey. And with access to over a thousand out-of-market games, you can watch them and the rest of the league. Holy hockey. That's more hockey to love for more fans who love it. The NHL's best on ESPN. Watch all season long on ABC, ESPN, ESPN Plus, and the ESPN app.
Speaker 2Pardon the interruption, but I'm Mike Wilbon. It's Random Acts of Poetry Day, Tony. I bet you're ready to give us one.
Speaker 3I'm Tony Kornheiser. Sure I am. Roses are red. Ben Johnson is brash. These rhymes are more fun when your teams are trash. Well, that couldn't be fun, could it? No. My team ain't trash. So, it's Ben Johnson and LeFleur, right? They plain don't like each other, right? That's this week. Yeah. You're going to go there to that? No, I'm worried.
Speaker 2You're worried that the Bears are going to lose? Because the Packers are hot garbage. Right. And for us to go up there and win three straight games with a backup quarterback? You're not sure.
Speaker 3That's asking a lot. Welcome to PTI, boys and girls. In today's episode, the Padres bounce back. The Rays go for the sweep, and Steve Young joins us for five good minutes. But we begin today with last night's baseball, National League Playoff baseball. In a marquee matchup of starters, the Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto out-dueled Atlanta's Chris Sale. Yamamoto went seven innings, allowing just one to go. Just one run, striking out 10. Sale was hit pretty solidly. Left after five innings, having given up three runs on two home runs. The Dodgers prevailed 3-1. Wilbon, what was your reaction to how this played out?
Speaker 2It had nothing to do with either team or the result. It had to do with watching October baseball. You know how I love this, and I miss it. And we are in October. We are in October. And I miss it. And I want to see two great pitchers go out there. Yeah. And let's see who can get the best of one another. And that's it. And I started thinking about. Not just the days of my youth. I don't have to go back that far. Although I could go back to Gibson-Lowlich. When Gibson is working on his third complete game of a series. Well, so is Lowlich. Lowlich was. You remember this. Yeah, so is Lowlich. On two days rest. Yeah. Okay. On two days rest. Or you can come into a more modern time, Jack Morris going 10 scoreless innings in a game seven of the World Series and going against John Smoltz, who was great himself, but he wasn't. He wasn't Jack Morris. And so now, Tony, I look at baseball and I'm disappointed. Except for last night. Yeah. When I watched that, I was encouraged. Yeah. Baseball, even if I have to hearken back 40 years, there's something I can hang my hat on because I loved watching last night. I watched every pitch of that game.
Speaker 3And first of all, let me apologize for thinking that Chris Sale was going to win, which I said yesterday on this air. There was a moment where Sale and Yamamoto are out in the outfield. Sort of just warming up, getting ready for the game. They see each other. They tip their hats literally to each other. It was a gesture of enormous respect and sincerity. I mean, it reminded me when fighters tap right before the bell rings and they go out to fight. I mean, let me see my notes here. Sale looked really good early, especially against lefties, but then Kiki Hernandez hit one out. And then Freddie Freeman, who got robbed almost going out to left field, got one out in the right field. Yamamoto was in trouble once in the fifth inning. He got out of it with just one run. He's a great postseason pitcher. He's the guy. He's eight and one for the Dodgers.
Speaker 2He's just great. Look, as much as we love the pitching, and that's what guys our age love, Kiki Hernandez. He's a great postseason hitter. My God, I'm not going to turn him into Reggie Jackson, but it's like once a series now in October, this dude comes through.
Speaker 3I now think the Dodgers are in fact going to win this series. I was. I'm sure, but I now think they're going to win.
Speaker 2I do. I mean, look, the Dodgers have been set up for this like the Ram. They're supposed to win, according to everybody. Back in California, the Padres stayed alive against the Brewers. Jake Cronenworth hit a go-ahead solo home run in the fifth. Xander Bogarts scored an insurance run on an error in the sixth. And starter Michael King went back to his future to help a depleted Padres bullpen by recording a two-inning save. Tone, what does last night's
Speaker 3result say to you about each team? Well, neither of us is particularly surprised because we sat here and we said we thought the Padres. We weren't sure about the Dodgers. We thought Chris Sale would be dominant, but we thought the Padres were going to win. This is another one-run game. All three of games in the series have been one-run games, so neither team has been dominant. I was amazed to hear this today, that the Brewers have now lost 12 consecutive road playoff games. That's inexplicable to me. I don't understand it. The Padres had to win or they were going to get bounced. They didn't have a choice here. Roughly half the time, a team is 0-2 in a five-game series. Roughly half the time, they win three and four, and they get to game five. Roughly a quarter of the time, they win five as well. So they certainly have a chance. I don't like them. I mean, I think the Brewers, because you're going to have to beat the Miz in Milwaukee in game five if it goes that far. But the Padres were the hottest team in baseball coming into this. The small side note, neither of these teams has ever won a World Series. And it would be nice to see one of them.
Speaker 2You know what it is, Tony? It's interesting. Look, as much as I like the Padres and went crazy over how hot they were, finishing like 20-3 or whatever it is, the Padres, I wonder about them and just do they have tenacity. They've never demonstrated it. Never. I mean, you can go back to 1984, the first time a team came from 0-2 down. They took the Cubs out in five games. But other than that, tenacity? And yet, the Brewers, as you mentioned, this road frustration. Where they go out. They did this last year with the Cubs. They couldn't cash in there. They had to go back to Milwaukee to win that series. Do you want to mention Michael King and what he did? Michael King. Because this
Speaker 3is bum-goner territory. Yes, it is.
Speaker 2Yes. Michael King essentially no-hit the Cubs in the first playoff series. He shut them down. He gave up an infield. Five innings, one hit. And the one hit was not a hit. One run. It just wasn't. I mean, so Michael King seems like, Tony, you're talking about agreeable. And you're talking about a guy who's taking one for the team. It seems like he has said to. Everyone involved, whatever you need, Skip, that's what we got tonight.
Speaker 3Did you like the last play of the game, the double header, the double play? When he traps the ball. It was really good. Ball guards and runs over and fires the first. Really nice. Really nice. It was. Let's stay with baseball. Let's move to tonight's game three between the Rays and the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The Rays have won the first two games by smothering the Yankees' offense, giving up just two solo home runs by Ben Rice in 18 innings. Wilbon, do you like the Rays to close out the Yankees tonight?
Speaker 2No. No, not necessarily. I mean, I don't think the Yankees are inept. I mean, I know they don't have Aaron Judge, but they got, as you mentioned, they got a big, strong dude in there who's 4-4-11, I think, against tonight's starting pitcher for the Rays. Is that right? Martinez is the starting pitcher. Look, Martinez is as good as anybody out there in the postseason right now. Martinez was 15-6 this season. And 7-3 in road starts. It's a road start for him. Yeah. But also, the Yankees have somebody going who went 14 scoreless innings against the Rays this season. 14 scoreless. That's okay.
Speaker 3No, because Martinez, three runs in 12 against the Yankees.
Speaker 2Which is fine, but 14 scoreless. Very good. 14 scoreless is better. So I'm thinking, okay, much like I thought the Padres would win last night,
Speaker 3I think the Yankees have one of them. So here's what I would say. You can make the comparison to the Padres and the Brewers. You can say the Brewers won. The Brewers won the first two at home. San Diego gets home and they win. And the Yankees can do that. There's one difference. What? That other series is a one-run series in every single game. The first game here is one run. It's a one-nothing game. But the Yankees aren't in it. They have no hits until the eighth. It's not a one-run game. But they have no hits until the eighth. The next game, you take away the two home runs by Rice, and it's a five-nothing game. I would say that in this series, one team has shown superiority compared to the Milwaukee series. That's why I'd be worried about the Yankees. Look, I'm not burdened by, you know, history here. I was a Mets fan, not a Yankee fan. I think the Yankees will win, but I'm not going to be surprised if they don't. The Yankees played a
Speaker 2little league game in game two. They made errors. They made bonehead plays. I'm not convinced that that's somehow. I think that really good teams in the Yankees are that. They're going to remember game one. And the question is, how can they scratch across two runs against Tampa and Yankee Stadium tonight, and they'll do that?
Speaker 3They're in the same division. Tampa finished five games ahead of them. They're better. And Tampa beat them seven out of 13.
Speaker 2One run. They get one game. And by the way, 7-6 is nothing. That's even. But it's not.
Speaker 3But it's actually not even. Let's take a break. Coming up, Joe Burrow dropped back 58 times. English major. In last week's loss, 58 times. Should he do it even more? We're going to ask Steve Young. We're also going to ask him, how much structure is too much for a quarterback like Justin Herbert? You know what I heard today? What's that? That Tampa is much better against righties than lefties. Isn't Freed a lefty? Doesn't he go out there as a lefty? Freed's a lefty. So that gives them advantage. And the Yankees' bullpen is better by almost a full run a game.
Speaker 2Almost. Look, if Freed goes out there and goes scoreless and continues at 14 anything, I'm rolling with the Yankees for one game. Baseball's been good. It's good. These four series.
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Speaker 3we've got nfl questions for our great friend and the man i taught to shimmy and juke hall of fame quarterback steve young let's go with this joe burrow dropped back 58 times versus just 13 runs in the bangles loss to the jaguars and he said quote let's throw it more that's what i do best and we're really past protecting really well right now unquote if you were joe burrow would you want to pass
Speaker 6more yeah i would and but but there's luckily there's coaches that won't allow a quarterback who wants to throw it a hundred times look tom brady said it best in today's game the flats are always open the middle of the field is unpatrolled and no one can hit me so this is the era of quarterback joe burrow should say to himself i am going to smash these guys and they should be able to throw it all over the field but as you throw it all over the field if you're really efficient at it the running game should be wide open behind you we did that in the 80s and 90s the 49ers we we ripped people up and we threw it all over the field and we threw it all over the field and we threw it all over with a lot with a with a passing game and then behind it we'd end up with you know 200 yards rushing behind it so it's like i think you can't just we know you don't want to throw it 75 times every week it doesn't it actually doesn't work i wish it did i know why joe wants to but in the end following up with a great running game to to compliment it and have defensive linemen worry that they don't just get to just peel off and just go kill the quarterback worry about something else i would say joe run the ball a little bit a little bit not a ton
Speaker 2speaking of gas we have some questions from the audience we have some questions from the audience we have some questions to worry about a quarterback justin herbert he's been athletic his whole career but mike mcdaniel has imposed more structure and deliberate footwork steve i think this must make you cringe but how much structure is too much structure for a guy who's been athletic his whole life we know the kings
Speaker 6of the game are the guys that can run around the dynamic quarterbacks right it's my game today and i just so this dilemma that you just asked about is the dilemma of today's quarterback when do you go when how do you coach to stay because we know to go to the super bowl patrick mahomes showed that you can play all superman sooner or later you got to sit in the pocket and deliver and so that process my process was and i think that justin could be going through the same kind of thing because i break the huddle and i might be the best option you know it's like we have a play but i you know so you rush to that you you look you look you're like oh i take a what you end up doing is you read it too fast what could be happening is that you literally i had to slow down to read defenses and read them effectively i had to calm everything down so it wasn't always on my way out and so for justin it might be that he has to slow down and just be more methodical and really believe in the play because i think mike has proven in miami i have good plays but let's get on let's sync it up with the timing and settle in and let's put 10 plays where i don't i just deliver the ball one bam bam bam bam i go 10 for 10 and we'll start to kick into gear i really do believe in mike mcdaniel i know i believe in justin herbert it has been terrible it's been odd but we've got to get it fixed i think maybe he's trying to go too
Speaker 2fast i like asking you about receivers every now and then so i'm going to that now with efton chisholm who made this crazy touchdown catch for the ages uh caught it from drake may and i'm just wondering in in you talk so eloquently about the relationship between quarterbacks and receivers can a catch when it's something like that can it change the relationship between a quarterback and receiver i i think more
Speaker 6than anything it changes actually how he feels about himself you know i mean which can now lead to because i like you can be best friends brett joe is my best friend my roommate for years he'd like throw we're best friends we have a great connection throw me the ball every time i'm like well you're not open every time so like it doesn't matter and you ask a receiver i'm always open so the relationship is is important but the truth is is he getting open because i always said look i throw on third and ten if my mom's open she's getting the ball right that's what like i don't care who it is so so in that way the relationship is important but yet are you getting open and so the i think that could help him gain confidence a great reception game-changing reception like that maybe can catapult him to being open more because that'll build a relationship if you're open
Speaker 2wait i gotta go off road for a second to follow up what is your relationship like with jerry reith now today 40 years later
Speaker 6we're better friends than we ever have been we live down the street from each other we raise tons of money together philanthropy and do a lot of charity work i saw him the other day at the game like i jerry and i it's one of the great relationships i love it but when we played together it was a transit he had to transition from joe my left-handed spin we've been through it and how to build that relationship and i had at one point you asked me the question at one point i had to go to jerry and show him jerry we played so many 25 games together this is what's happened with those 25 games and it's the best that's ever happened to you this is like well he'd read the notes he's like oh you're right our relationship's better it's great
Speaker 2we have a we have a better
Speaker 6relationship than i ever believed was possible that really made
Speaker 3a difference we're happy for both of you by the way we'll get you out of here on this lane johnson of the eagles retired to focus on his mental health four years ago he told the philadelphia inquirer that he was motivated by the anxiety of failure he felt like michael myers and halloween was behind him on every single bush you famously dealt with anxiety yourself can you identify with lane's
Speaker 6description deeply i can tell you that lane has to be a vigilant mind a beautiful vigilant mind if you wanted somebody to be out you know the scout looking for the enemy to watch for in the middle of the night i want lane out there but there's the other side to it that is that you have to be able to get a handle on it's the fear-based thinking that's a pattern probably since you're a kid on how you deal with a big moment that's coming up and you have this fear cycle of anxiety to get ready for it and you start to say to yourself i pay that's how i pay to make sure that i do well i'm gonna do well because i go through this crazy rigor thursday friday saturday in the game that's really uncomfortable and debilitating in some ways and that's how i make sure that i'm great and that's where the fallacy is that's where the fear-based thinking needs to get redirected and we because otherwise you end up i want out i'm i'm i'm broken up and torn i don't want to do it anymore because it is a fear you know a fear based thinking and a vigilant mind are not friends and you have to kind of figure out how to separate the two so that you can be ready to play but you don't have to pay this false cash into the cash register to buy your success it's just a it's a fallacy and i think it's it's it takes some it takes some work i can tell you that
Speaker 3thank you so much for being on the breath of these interviews is so fabulous thank you steve thank you much love you guys let's take one last break still to come john rom makes a decision about his golfing future let me guess what that is the phillies
Speaker 2may have no choice but to take the interim tag off donnie basecraft it is so
Speaker 3great to have steve on it's just it's wonderful it's cyclopedic as we used to say it's wonderful how about the jerry rice story jerry rice story very good as you
Speaker 4know managing maintenance repair and operations is never easy but for the ones who always rise to the challenge granger has your back from professional grade products you can count on to fast dependable delivery they're there to help you keep things running smoothly plus they're technical and they're going to help you keep things running and they're going to help you keep things running smoothly plus they're technical product specialists are here to help answer your toughest questions and because granger knows safety is always a priority they're committed to being your partner in protecting both your people and your facilities call 1-800-GRANGER clickgranger.com or just stop by happy time people happy
Speaker 341st birthday evan longoria longoria came up with a tampa bay raise in 2008 after they had drafted him in the first round in 2006 out of long beach state longoria was rookie of the year in 2008 and was on the raised world series team it was managed by your boy joe madden yeah and lost to the phillies longoria played third base in tampa for 10 of his 16 major league seasons and was so popular there that tampa bay retired his number three this past july longoria made one other world series in 2023 the one season he played in arizona longoria was a career 264 hitter 342 home runs 1159 rbr and he's still the best player in franchise history i'm going off
Speaker 2book again happy 59th birthday tony Braxton. She's become my goat for my first 50 years or so. That was Chaka Khan. Right. But not anymore. Tony Braxton, still making music, still touring. Lovely. Tony Braxton, happy birthday.
Speaker 3Lovely for you to do that. Happy anniversary, Edgar Martinez. On this day, 31 years ago, the Mariners designated hitter hit one of the most iconic home runs in Seattle history. His grand slam off the Yankees, John Wetland in the eighth inning to cap off a postseason record tying seven RBI in one game. The next day, Martinez hit an 11th inning walk-off double in the deciding game five to send Seattle to the ALCS. That double is credited with keeping baseball in Seattle as it helped rally support for a new taxpayer-funded stadium for the Mariners, now known as T-Mobile Park. Martinez played all his major league baseball in Seattle. He made it to the Hall of Fame on his 10th ballot. He is currently Seattle's senior director of hitting strategy, whatever that is.
Speaker 2I'm glad he's still there. Is that other than Fenway and Wrigley, is that possibly the best ballpark in the major leagues? Prettiest. You've been there.
Speaker 3Seattle. So you don't even count Yankee Stadium? Yeah, I do. Well, you didn't. But I do. You said Fenway and Wrigley. You were a Mets guy. You hated the Yankees growing up. But I appreciate the stadium. Oh, okay. Happy trails to Detroit's booze for Dylan Larkin. The Red Wing Center was booed at home at the start of his season debut last night. It was his first appearance on the ice since asking to be traded in the offseason and getting stripped of his captaincy. But Larkin turned the booze into cheers when he scored late in the first period and again when he was named the first star of the game after Detroit's 5-3 win. The 30-year-old Larkin has played his entire career for Detroit, which hasn't made the playoffs since his rookie season a decade ago. Man. I think fans will go back to booing him unless he scores in every home game. Also, last night, the Panthers lost another star as Brad Marchand left the game with a leg injury. Alexander Barkoff already out six to eight weeks. Going back to Detroit.
Speaker 2I've been to dozens of sporting events in Detroit in my life. Yeah. Red Wings, Pistons, Tigers, Lions. Booing? Yeah. Booing? Detroit people don't boo. It's not Philly. He has to be traded. He has to be traded.
Speaker 3One correction. Max Fried did not have 14 scoreless against the Rays this year. He gave up seven runs and two starts. Wilbon got bad info. But he did go 14 scoreless against the Rays last year. See? And now he's got a 1-8-1 ERA against Tampa. Is that good enough to 5-0? Yeah. No. So you're not dumb like people think. You're smart. You're smart. Big finish. John Rahm leaving the Lib Tour.
Speaker 2Your thoughts? You think he's going to go to the DP and not back to the PGA, don't you? He'll be back in the PGA after a year. Okay. DP, I guess until then. I'll wake up early to watch him on the DP. Alex Cora turned down the Phillies managing job for a second time.
Speaker 3What about Donnie Baseball? If you don't know what's going on, Oregon baseball coach Dana Albin. Basketball coach. Basketball. I'm sorry. Retiring ahead of this season. You surprised? Yes.
Speaker 2Dana Albin seems like he can have seven to ten years left. I don't fully understand. Lionel Messi scored in his final international game while Cristiano Ronaldo released a 1,700-word statement as to why he
Speaker 3quit Portugal's national team. Bigger news? It depends on what Ronaldo said. If he slams somebody, it's bigger news. No, it's got to be Messi. You knew Messi was going to score. You knew it. You did. Last one. WNBA playoffs. Aces and Liberty try to even their series tonight. Will they? Yes. I think each will even their series tonight. Haven't you been wrong at least half the time? At least half the time. We're out of time. Try to do better the next time. I'm Tony Kornheiser. I'm Mike Wilbon. Same time tomorrow on Knuckleheads.
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