PTI turns 20

I'll take PTI over the faux argument shows on Fox and ESPN in the mornings.

 

PTI was must-watch TV for me back when Mike and Tony followed sports and had some clue about what they were talking about.

That was a long, long time ago.

 

Yeah, same here. And Kornheiser was much better in print and on radio in the years before TV reeled him in.

 

It’s the best of this format, with those cigar smoking geezers and the “kid” second.

Tony and Mike don’t try to score points or say the popular things. They are at their best, especially Tony, when talking about events that are momentous. Tony understands tone and place very well. They use common sense so much more than other shows who keep trying to say “gotcha” lines or hot takes.

If you cannot watch, the podcast is very good. I need to listen to it more.

 

Wilbon said once that Sportscenter producers were the ones who wanted him on camera with the jersey.

I still listen to Tony's podcast for what it is. It's comfort food.

 

Wilbon did say that he was only there as a fan and wasn’t expecting to be on camera.

I am a loyal Little, but Tony in the podcast era and especially in the Uncle Benny’s table era has been a sharp decline.

 

Ah yes, sports writers on TV with Bill Gleason,Bill Jauss, Rick Telander, and moderated by Ben Bentley who was pretty big deal in Chicago boxing IIRC! Watched just about every episode.

 

I think I watched SWOT before I saw Sports Reporters.

The newspapers on the floor were a great touch.

It's weird now to think of Telander as a 40-ish "young fucking stud."

The others are long gone. Bill Jauss' kid is retired, I think, after coaching for a long time in the majors.

 

The retrospective on PTI was pretty good.

I watched it pretty much every day when it started. Fit into my schedule. Now just occasionally but it usually like it when I see it.

 

Watched religiously in college when it first came on. Aside from the Wilbon homer stuff, it became clear years ago that Kornheiser doesn't like or care about sports anymore.

 

I heard Kornheiser on Simmons' podcast a while ago. He was beyond free-market in terms of his grumpiness.

I wonder how much of his motivation for keeping on is the fact that his son works for him now. That seems like something that is both a blessing and a curse.