REAL DEAL with Tony Reali

Tony Kornheiser. Mike Wilbon. And the kid they called Stat Boy. Back together, with a few things to clear up.
Before Pardon the Interruption, there was press row. Typewriters. Deadlines. A Washington Post newsroom full of extraordinary writers who could argue about anything and make each other laugh doing it. Kornheiser and Wilbon spent years in that world before anyone put a television camera in front of them. I wanted to know how their friendship began. They wanted me to stop trying to turn it into a screenplay.
As PTI turns 25, I’m back with two people who helped shape my life, revisiting the stories they’ve been telling for as long as I’ve known them. We go back to the 1988 Olympics, a knockout Wilbon saw coming and Kornheiser didn’t, and the Marvin Gaye national anthem that Tony decided was more important than the All-Star Game itself. There’s also the night Mike slipped away from his own engagement party to shoot a television pilot. Tony was supposed to help cover for him. You can imagine how that went.
Then there’s PTI: why Tony thought it would be off the air in three weeks, why they let a 22-year-old correct them on television, and what they make of the sports debate industry today. Through all of it, they keep coming back to the work, the newsroom and the people who made them better. After 25 years on television, they still describe themselves the same way: newspaper sportswriters.
They also reveal that they rarely go more than two days without calling each other. Usually because they’re watching the same game and have something to say. Naturally, I have one more question: If PTI ended tomorrow, would you two actually see each other?
Welcome to Episode 022 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.
03:50 Before PTI, there was the newsroom
05:01 REAL DEAL, Stat Boy and the nickname dispute
06:21 Kornheiser and Wilbon’s old photos
08:40 The 1988 Olympics and the knockout Wilbon saw coming
10:48 The Great Wall, a flight home and a face in the soup
13:46 Simply Irresistible: Their Washington Post bylines
15:10 Is PTI an old married couple?
16:37 How did Kornheiser and Wilbon actually become friends?
19:37 The Washington Post newsroom that shaped them
22:55 Do they hang out? Have they ever really fought?
26:48 Sharing the spotlight and welcoming Stat Boy
27:43 Why PTI let a 22-year-old correct its hosts
31:05 Marvin Gaye’s anthem and Kornheiser’s column
32:54 Why Kornheiser thought PTI wouldn’t last
35:27 Wilbon left his engagement party to shoot a TV pilot
37:14 “We are newspaper sportswriters”
38:48 Kornheiser’s clock and Wilbon’s arrival time
40:06 The phone calls that never stopped
41:23 Darko, LeBron and getting predictions wrong
43:12 PTI, hot takes and the state of sports debate
46:14 Fatherhood, grandfatherhood and who’s gotten angrier
48:11 “It’s not my world”: Getting older as everything changes
49:47 If PTI ended tomorrow, would they still see each other?
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Bases loaded. Two outs. Game 7. Carlos Beltran at the plate, with a trip to the World Series still within reach. Adam Wainwright throws a curveball, Beltran never swings, and an entire stadium goes silent.
Twenty years later, Mets fans are still looking at that pitch. And looking for someone to blame.
Frank “the Tank” Fleming joins me to relive the final out of the 2006 NLCS, and if you think you know what he’s going to say about Beltran, you might want to hear him out. We watch the at-bat, revisit Endy Chavez’s incredible catch, and get into the missed opportunity Frank thinks really cost the Mets the game. For a man with a list of his most hated Mets, he has a surprising amount of understanding for the guy who kept the bat on his shoulder.
Then we climb the Mets misery ladder. Tom Glavine and the 2007 collapse. Kenny Rogers walking in the winning run. Luis Castillo dropping the pop-up that sent Frank’s kitchen table flying. Matt Harvey going back out for the ninth. And yes, Frank has thoughts about letting Pete Alonso walk.
But we also talk about the kid who carried the burden of the Mets’ 1988 NLCS loss for years, the life Frank has built around being a fan, and whether he would trade any of it to make the frustration go away.
Welcome to Episode 021 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.
00:00 Intro
01:34 Carlos Beltran caught looking
02:34 Frank the Tank joins REAL DEAL
03:16 Where Frank watched Game 7
04:40 The injuries that changed the 2006 Mets
06:09 Simply Irresistible: Wainwright’s curveball
08:32 The other side of the story: Wainwright and Molina
10:08 Endy Chavez’s catch and the opportunity the Mets wasted
12:01 Why wasn’t Billy Wagner pitching the ninth?
15:25 Bases loaded, two outs, Beltran at the plate
17:27 Rewatching Beltran’s final at-bat
18:39 Why Frank doesn’t blame Beltran
19:15 Beltran, Gary Carter and retiring Mets numbers
22:08 A great pitch or a hitter choking?
22:47 Piazza, Clemens and the 2000 World Series
25:32 Frank on Mets fandom: “I’m beyond anger”
26:50 Why letting Pete Alonso walk infuriates Frank
28:20 The Mets misery ladder
29:17 Tom Glavine and the 2007 collapse
30:39 Was sending Matt Harvey back out the right call?
31:20 Kenny Rogers walks in the winning run
32:24 Luis Castillo’s dropped pop-up and Frank’s flipped table
33:27 Trading Tom Seaver and the Generation K disappointment
35:46 Frank called the Pete Crow-Armstrong trade
36:30 Pete Alonso, “Pink Pony Club” and Edwin Diaz
37:09 The childhood Mets loss that still hurts
39:18 Would Frank trade away his Mets fandom?
40:16 Frank’s wish for Edwin Diaz and the Dodgers
41:08 How Frank’s life and relationship with sports have changed
42:31 Frank’s weight loss and feeling better at 50
43:30 Frank’s REAL DEAL gift
43:45 Tony’s final thought: Who gets the blame?
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February 4, 2018. Fourth and goal. Thirty-eight seconds before halftime. Nick Foles walks over to Doug Pederson and asks, “You want Philly Philly?” His proposal: let a tight end throw a touchdown pass to a backup quarterback who has never caught a ball in his NFL career. In the Super Bowl. Against Bill Belichick. Pederson stares at him for 2.23 seconds. Then he says yes.
The great Peter King joins me to relive the Philly Special and the little details that made something so preposterous possible. Why Foles couldn’t smile in the huddle. Why Trey Burton had to keep his glove on. And why Foles turned down $150,000 before playing the greatest game of his life. Tom Brady threw for 505 yards that night. Nick Foles went home with the trophy. Eventually, even Mick Jagger had something to say about it.
Peter’s new book, THE GAME, which is out today, brings together stories from 40 years covering the NFL, and we get into a few more of them: Peyton Manning’s tanning-bed preparation for the combine, the inside help Dak Prescott got before his Cowboys interview, and the quarterback San Francisco picked instead of Tom Brady who became an actual goat farmer. Plus, Peter makes his case for the perfect football career. Brady? Manning? Madden? His answer might surprise you.
Welcome to Episode 020 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.
Subscribe to REAL DEAL with Tony Reali for more unforgettable sports moments and the people who bring them to life.
0:00 The Philly Special
0:52 Peter King joins REAL DEAL
2:11 Why this play still amazes Peter
4:35 Doug Pederson’s 2.23-second decision
7:24 Don’t smile. Don’t take off the glove.
9:26 How the Eagles fooled the Patriots
11:04 Nick Foles’ focus and the $150,000 he turned down
13:55 Mick Jagger’s shoutout to Nick Foles
15:44 How the NFL became a year-round obsession
18:17 Peter’s case against an 18th game
20:12 The trust between quarterback and coach
22:58 Mahomes and Reid vs. Brady and Belichick
24:26 What fans don’t know about the NFL
26:46 Story time: Picking up Boomer Esiason
27:59 Peyton Manning’s bizarre combine preparation
29:33 How Dak Prescott got the answers to the test
31:00 The 49ers picked a future goat farmer over Tom Brady
32:53 The Seahawks’ prank on Marshawn Lynch
34:22 Peter’s favorite story: Paul Tagliabue after 9/11
37:53 Who had the perfect football career?
42:03 Peter’s Philly Special gift
43:18 Tony’s final thought on Peter King
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Fifteen strikeouts. A playoff win. And a strike zone that still makes you wonder what, exactly, you’re watching.
Let’s go back to Game 5 of the 1997 NLCS. Livan Hernandez is on the mound for the Florida Marlins, Greg Maddux is pitching for the Atlanta Braves, and Eric Gregg is behind home plate. As the game goes on, pitches outside become strikes, Braves hitters start swinging at balls they can barely reach, and Hernandez finishes with 15 strikeouts. Then comes the final pitch to Fred McGriff. Watch it and tell me: HOW is that a strike?
Joey Duffield from Baseball Doesn’t Exist joins me to relive one of the most baffling games in baseball history. We watch the calls, debate how much credit Hernandez deserves, and argue over whether the Braves choked or got absolutely hosed. Joey has some conspiracy theories. I have some objections.
Then we take on a bigger question: Is baseball actually better with mistakes? From Jeffrey Maier’s catch to Armando Galarraga’s stolen perfect game and George Brett’s pine tar eruption, we revisit the calls that got it wrong and gave us stories we’ll never forget.
Welcome to Episode 019 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.
Were the Braves robbed? And which blown call in baseball history still bothers you? Tell us in the comments.
00:00 Intro
01:34 The Pitch That Still Makes No Sense
02:34 Joey Duffield from Baseball Doesn’t Exist Joins
03:57 Setting the Scene: The 1997 NLCS
04:38 The Numbers Behind Livan Hernandez’s 15 Strikeouts
07:33 Growing Up a Braves Fan
10:47 Rewatching the Infamous Eric Gregg Game
12:58 Eric Gregg’s Strike Zone and Career Fallout
14:00 Can an Umpire Have His Own Strike Zone?
15:04 The Theories Behind the Eric Gregg Game
18:14 How Much Credit Does Livan Hernandez Deserve?
20:07 Why Didn’t the Braves Argue More?
21:32 Were the Braves Robbed?
23:26 The Braves Dynasty That Could Have Been
28:05 Is Baseball Better with Mistakes?
28:20 Jeffrey Maier’s Controversial Catch
29:53 Armando Galarraga’s Stolen Perfect Game
32:05 Did Matt Holliday Touch Home Plate?
32:58 George Brett’s Pine Tar Eruption
34:33 Don Denkinger’s Blown World Series Call
35:59 Joey’s Final Verdict on Eric Gregg
37:18 Joey’s REAL DEAL Phone Case
37:42 Tony’s Final Take: Leaving Room for Human Error

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February 1, 2009. The Steelers and Cardinals met at Raymond James Stadium for Super Bowl XLIII.
And just before halftime, James Harrison made history.
He picked off Kurt Warner at the goal line and rumbled 100 yards the other way for a touchdown. The longest pick-six ever. This is a man who looks like he cools down at the gym by deadlifting a Toyota Sequoia, but in the span of one play, Harrison looked both superhuman and human. He had just done something no one had ever done, on the sport's biggest stage, and needed an oxygen mask just to make it to the third quarter.
The Steelers won that night, and a 15-year-old Joey Mulinaro celebrated with a Steelers cookie cake, soaking in a memory that would forever be burned into his temporal lobe.
Now Joey joins me to relive the moment and remember the Pittsburgh legends who made it happen.
Welcome to Episode 018 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.
00:00 James Harrison's legendary 100-yard pick six
00:54 Joey Molinaro joins REAL DEAL
03:43 Joey remembers watching Super Bowl XLIII
07:20 Simply Irresistible: How long did Harrison's return take?
10:28 Remembering the 2008 Steelers
15:28 Rewatching James Harrison's pick six
20:09 Harrison makes the interception
23:02 How did Harrison actually make it 100 yards?
27:28 The massive Super Bowl swing
30:33 What if Harrison never makes the play?
34:00 Who is the ultimate "Steelers Steeler"?
45:27 Joey Molinaro calls the play as Gus Johnson

Subscribe for new episodes of REAL DEAL every Tuesday. You can also listen on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.