REAL DEAL with Tony Reali

Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer’s late-season chase up the all-time strikeout list got me thinking: Are some of baseball’s most meaningful numbers going extinct? TJ Mathewson and Lyle Goldstein of @BullpenBanterBaseball join me to revisit that chase and figure out which pitching milestones still have a future. Another 300-game winner? A 300-strikeout season? Twenty strikeouts in one game? We rank the achievements we’re least likely to see again. Some feel impossible. Others might surprise you. Then, what does a Hall of Fame pitcher look like when the old benchmarks are slipping out of reach? We get into Félix Hernández, Jacob deGrom, peak greatness versus longevity, and why one number can never tell the whole story. Plus, a Simply Irresistible trivia question that leaves my jaw on the floor, a trip through Mariners history, and a game of “The Last to Do It.” Which pitching milestone do you think we’ll never see again? Let me know in the comments. Welcome to Episode 027 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here. 00:00 Verlander, Scherzer and baseball’s disappearing numbers 01:10 Bullpen Banter joins REAL DEAL 02:16 The strikeout chase that started this conversation 04:37 Could today’s pitchers ever catch them? 07:00 Tony’s Félix Hernández argument with Kornheiser and Wilbon 08:20 Simply Irresistible: Matching two legends’ strikeout totals 11:02 Bullpen Banter nails the answer 12:21 Naming the season’s 200-strikeout pitchers 13:27 Does 3,000 strikeouts still mean immortality? 15:05 How the baseball trivia obsession began 15:55 The Mariners teams Tony envied 18:18 Ranking the pitching milestones we may never see again 19:26 Could one pitcher strike out 20 in a game? 20:29 Will we ever see another 300-game winner? 21:03 Complete games and the end of the 300-inning season 23:22 Félix Hernández and the changing Hall of Fame standard 24:24 Peak greatness versus longevity 25:36 Jacob deGrom’s Hall of Fame case 26:12 Who gets in after Verlander, Scherzer and Kershaw? 28:20 The Last to Do It: Pitching trivia 32:28 Bullpen Banter’s REAL DEAL gifts 33:29 Tony’s final thought: Why the numbers matter Subscribe for new episodes of REAL DEAL every Tuesday and Friday. You can also listen on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One second. A 57-yard field goal. And Chris Davis, waiting for his moment. Spencer Hall of The Shutdown Fullcast joins REAL DEAL to relive the Kick Six, Auburn’s unbelievable finish against Alabama in the 2013 Iron Bowl. We rewind past the return to everything that made it possible: the game-tying touchdown, the second put back on the clock, and the decision that left Nick Saban’s team chasing a man nobody on the field could catch. Was it an Auburn miracle or an Alabama mistake? Spencer and I revisit Saban’s call, the timeout that helped set up the return, and the little details that make this ending even better every time you watch it. There’s also Spencer’s Alabama-fan father, whose reaction pretty much says it all. Then, we put the Kick Six up against college football’s wildest finishes. Trouble with the Snap. The Bluegrass Miracle. The band on the field. Which ending is the most improbable, and which one best explains why we love this ridiculous sport? Because even the greatest coach of all time can prepare for almost everything. Almost. Welcome to Episode 026 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here. 00:00 The Kick Six: How did this happen to Nick Saban? 01:16 Spencer Hall and the story behind “Bum Chillups” 03:05 Why the Kick Six can never be duplicated 04:29 Watching with an Alabama fan: Spencer’s dad 06:19 Tony watched the Iron Bowl on a plane 07:35 Simply Irresistible: How long did the Kick Six actually take? 10:00 The broadcast silence that made the moment 11:35 Rewatching Auburn’s game-tying touchdown 15:32 The miracle before the miracle 16:49 Alabama’s dynasty meets Auburn’s chaos 19:40 Setting up the final second 20:57 Should college football use a more precise clock? 23:37 Chris Davis made BOTH plays 24:18 Rewatching the Kick Six 25:32 The timeout, the holder and the big fellas 28:05 Did Nick Saban make the wrong decision? 29:06 Auburn miracle or Alabama mistake? 31:31 The Auburn band’s incredible reaction 33:13 Peak Twitter and Spencer’s dad’s perfect response 34:44 Imagining how Nick Saban felt 36:26 Ranking college football’s most improbable endings 40:13 The Kick Six vs. the band on the field 40:55 Spencer Hall’s REAL DEAL gift 41:34 Tony’s final thought: Preparing for the improbable Subscribe for new episodes of REAL DEAL every Tuesday and Friday. You can also listen on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One pitch. One catcher’s mitt in A-Rod’s face. And a photograph Red Sox fans would hang on their walls forever. My friend Joon Lee joins REAL DEAL to relive the 2004 brawl between Jason Varitek and Alex Rodriguez, a moment I’ve spent more than two decades trying not to watch. We go back to the pitch from Bronson Arroyo, the benches clearing, and everything underneath it: A-Rod trying to find his place on Derek Jeter’s team, Boston refusing to back down, and a rivalry ready to boil over. Then we put Joon’s case to the test. Was this fight really a bigger turning point than Dave Roberts’ steal, David Ortiz’s heroics or Curt Schilling’s bloody sock? And did Boston finally beating New York help change the very thing that made the rivalry special? That brings us to a harder question: What happened to the Red Sox? Joon explains his criticism of John Henry and ownership, from trading Mookie Betts to treating Fenway like a tourist attraction, and why his concern goes beyond wins and losses. It’s about what happens to a city when the team that brings people together gives its fans fewer reasons to care. Welcome to Episode 025 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One throw. One catch. A baseball in Anthony Rizzo’s back pocket. And 108 years of waiting, finally over. My friend Sarah Spain joins REAL DEAL to relive the Cubs’ 2016 World Series win, ten years after she was there for every game. We go back to the Rajai Davis home run that made the worst seem possible, the rain delay, and the final out that still brings it all back. Sarah also tells the story of a night in Cleveland after Game 6 with Bill Murray, Eddie Vedder, John Cusack and Chris Chelios. We get into Eddie delivering Cubs news straight from Theo Epstein, “momentum mai tais,” and a rain-delay proposal that could have pushed Game 7’s finish to the next night. But what stays with me is Sarah’s gratitude: for being there, for sharing it with people she loves, and for getting to experience something generations of Cubs fans never got to see. Welcome to Episode 024 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here. 00:00 The throw that ended 108 years 00:53 A friendship episode with Sarah Spain 04:08 What happens when the Cubs finally win? 09:23 Simply Irresistible: 108 years of waiting 11:54 Remembering the feelings, not the box score 13:20 The Wrigleyville sign, Game 7 tickets and staying hopeful 21:02 Rewatching Game 7 and the Cubs’ clubhouse stories 23:14 Dexter Fowler’s dream start 24:29 David Ross and a team built for the moment 29:03 A wild night with Bill Murray and Eddie Vedder 31:53 Eddie Vedder delivers the Schwarber news 34:23 Rajai Davis, LeBron and the Game 7 gut punch 40:04 The rain-delay proposal Tony can’t believe 42:15 Call It: the Cubs’ final out 44:33 Bryant’s grimace and Rizzo’s back-pocket move 47:13 Blind Food Chain: who deserves the most credit? 53:52 Sarah’s personalized Cubs phone case 54:16 Sarah Spain calls the final out as Eddie Vedder 55:20 Tony’s final thought: gratitude, not revenge Subscribe for new episodes of REAL DEAL every Tuesday and Friday. You can also listen on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kornheiser. Wilbon. Stat Boy. One more game. The PTI reunion continues as Tony Reali brings back Food Chain with Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon to rank the greatest TV duos of all time. From Siskel and Ebert to Madden and Summerall, Muhammad Ali and Howard Cosell to the guys doing the ranking, everybody has a case. And Kornheiser would very much like to go home. Then, Tony takes you behind the reunion, answers your comments and shares what it felt like to pick up right where they left off. There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for the Stat Boy stool, the story behind Wilbon’s colorful language, and a little more on the friendship that keeps Kornheiser and Wilbon talking even when the cameras are off. Finally, Tony ranks PTI’s games, from Good Cop, Bad Cop and Oddsmakers to Food Chain and Role Play. Which ones worked? Which ones didn’t? And how did an enormous cutout of Shaq’s big toe become part of the show? Twenty-five years of arguments, friendship and finding ways to make each other laugh. That’s worth a little more time. Even if Kornheiser disagrees. Welcome to Episode 023 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here. 00:00 Kornheiser would like to go home 00:13 PTI reunion, Part 2 01:03 Food Chain returns: Ranking TV’s greatest duos 03:00 Muhammad Ali, Howard Cosell and an unforgettable insult 04:33 Where do Kornheiser and Wilbon belong? 06:02 How Siskel and Ebert showed them what was possible 08:05 Welcome to REAL DEAL 09:02 About that Stat Boy stool… 10:15 Being a kid again around Kornheiser and Wilbon 11:38 Simply Irresistible: How many games has PTI played? 12:29 Mail Time: Hearing Wilbon swear 13:52 Growing up with PTI 16:12 What Tony hoped to learn about their friendship 18:38 A correction for Stat Boy 19:37 Why Kornheiser and Wilbon still matter 21:32 An Around the Horn reunion? 23:05 Ranking PTI’s games 24:33 Fortune Teller, Time Machine and the games that didn’t last 25:29 Word Up! and Oddsmakers 26:24 Food Chain vs. Role Play 28:48 Coming next: Sarah Spain and the Cubs’ World Series win Subscribe to REAL DEAL with Tony Reali for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday, celebrating the most irresistible moments in sports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.