There’s nothing like fan traditions in sports, especially when it comes to college football.

This episode of REAL DEAL takes us back to October 5th, 2024, down in Nashville, where an unranked Vandy was taking on number one-ranked Alabama. Everyone knew how this game was supposed to go. Alabama wins by a bunch, uneventful night, maybe some hot chicken as a late-night snack, and we all go home.

But that’s not what happened.

Vandy won! For one night, and one night only, Diego Pavia was the most famous Commodore, briefly supplanting Lionel Richie.

The fans went nuts and, as is tradition, stormed the field and ripped down the goalposts. But it didn’t end there. They marched the goalposts out of the stadium, all the way down Broadway, and hurled them into the Cumberland River!

Fan tradition at its finest.

College Football Happy Hour’s Lucy Rohden joins us this week to relive all the madness from that night and talk through some of the best traditions in all of college football.

Welcome to Episode 013 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.

There&rsquo;s nothing like fan traditions in sports, especially when it comes to college football.
This episode of REAL DEAL takes us back to October 5th, 2024, down in Nashville, where an unranked Vandy was taking on number one-ranked Alabama. Everyone knew how this game was supposed to go. Alabama wins by a bunch, uneventful night, maybe some hot chicken as a late-night snack, and we all go home.
But that&rsquo;s not what happened.
Vandy won! For one night, and one night only, Diego Pavia was the most famous Commodore, briefly supplanting Lionel Richie.
The fans went nuts and, as is tradition, stormed the field and ripped down the goalposts. But it didn&rsquo;t end there. They marched the goalposts out of the stadium, all the way down Broadway, and hurled them into the Cumberland River!
Fan tradition at its finest.
College Football Happy Hour&rsquo;s Lucy Rohden joins us this week to relive all the madness from that night and talk through some of the best traditions in all of college football.
Welcome to Episode 013 of REAL DEAL! I&rsquo;m Tony Reali, and I&rsquo;m so happy you&rsquo;re here.

REAL DEAL with Tony Reali is a sports culture podcast built around one irresistible moment at a time. A play. A clip. A photo. A legend. The cultural touchstones of sports that never leave us. Every episode starts small and goes deep into the story behind the story, the feeling behind the moment, and the human truth that explains why it's still living rent-free in our heads years later.

 

Hosted by longtime ESPN personality Tony Reali, REAL DEAL blends storytelling, humor, nostalgia, emotional insight, and unpredictable energy with guests who complete the story. Athletes, broadcasters, superfans, comedians, journalists and the people nobody else would think to call.

 

This is neither a debate show nor a recap show. It’s an evergreen sports culture format built around the moments, stories, and emotional chaos that keep sports alive, always.

 

REAL DEAL with Tony Reali is a sports culture podcast built around one irresistible moment at a time. A play. A clip. A photo. A legend. The cultural touchstones of sports that never leave us. Every episode starts small and goes deep into the story behind the story, the feeling behind the moment, and the human truth that explains why it's still living rent-free in our heads years later.
&nbsp;
Hosted by longtime ESPN personality Tony Reali, REAL DEAL blends storytelling, humor, nostalgia, emotional insight, and unpredictable energy with guests who complete the story. Athletes, broadcasters, superfans, comedians, journalists and the people nobody else would think to call.
&nbsp;
This is neither a debate show nor a recap show. It&rsquo;s an evergreen sports culture format built around the moments, stories, and emotional chaos that keep sports alive, always.
&nbsp;

REAL DEAL with Tony Reali

The Night Vanderbilt Beat Alabama and Took a College Football Tradition to Another Level

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/be46ad69-8f58-4721-8115-b4c80165eab7/transcript

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.

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&rsquo;s a perfectly reasonable explanation for the Stat Boy stool, the story behind Wilbon&rsquo;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&rsquo;s games, from Good Cop, Bad Cop and Oddsmakers to Food Chain and Role Play. Which ones worked? Which ones didn&rsquo;t? And how did an enormous cutout of Shaq&rsquo;s big toe become part of the show?
Twenty-five years of arguments, friendship and finding ways to make each other laugh. That&rsquo;s worth a little more time. Even if Kornheiser disagrees.
Welcome to Episode 023 of REAL DEAL! I&rsquo;m Tony Reali, and I&rsquo;m so happy you&rsquo;re here.
00:00 Kornheiser would like to go home
00:13 PTI reunion, Part 2
01:03 Food Chain returns: Ranking TV&rsquo;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&hellip;
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&rsquo;s games
24:33 Fortune Teller, Time Machine and the games that didn&rsquo;t last
25:29 Word Up! and Oddsmakers
26:24 Food Chain vs. Role Play
28:48 Coming next: Sarah Spain and the Cubs&rsquo; World Series win
Subscribe to REAL DEAL with Tony Reali for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday, celebrating the most irresistible moments in sports.

PTI Reunion Pt. 2: Stat Boy Brings Back One of Kornheiser and Wilbon’s Favorite Games

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/0fcdb4ad-aeec-492e-8b1c-b4ec003ff788/transcript

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?

Subscribe to Tony Reali’s channel for more REAL DEAL: unforgettable sports moments and the people who bring them to life. You can also listen on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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&rsquo;m back with two people who helped shape my life, revisiting the stories they&rsquo;ve been telling for as long as I&rsquo;ve known them. We go back to the 1988 Olympics, a knockout Wilbon saw coming and Kornheiser didn&rsquo;t, and the Marvin Gaye national anthem that Tony decided was more important than the All-Star Game itself. There&rsquo;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&rsquo;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&rsquo;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&rsquo;m Tony Reali, and I&rsquo;m so happy you&rsquo;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&rsquo;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&rsquo;s anthem and Kornheiser&rsquo;s column
32:54 Why Kornheiser thought PTI wouldn&rsquo;t last
35:27 Wilbon left his engagement party to shoot a TV pilot
37:14 &ldquo;We are newspaper sportswriters&rdquo;
38:48 Kornheiser&rsquo;s clock and Wilbon&rsquo;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&rsquo;s gotten angrier
48:11 &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not my world&rdquo;: Getting older as everything changes
49:47 If PTI ended tomorrow, would they still see each other?
Subscribe to Tony Reali&rsquo;s channel for more REAL DEAL: unforgettable sports moments and the people who bring them to life. You can also listen on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Kornheiser. Wilbon. Stat Boy. The PTI Reunion You’ve Been Waiting For

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/96a5952a-b396-4e54-bc32-b4e80149b9be/transcript

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?

Subscribe to Tony Reali’s channel for more REAL DEAL. You can also listen on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 &ldquo;the Tank&rdquo; Fleming joins me to relive the final out of the 2006 NLCS, and if you think you know what he&rsquo;s going to say about Beltran, you might want to hear him out. We watch the at-bat, revisit Endy Chavez&rsquo;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&rsquo;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&rsquo; 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&rsquo;m Tony Reali, and I&rsquo;m so happy you&rsquo;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&rsquo;s curveball
08:32 The other side of the story: Wainwright and Molina
10:08 Endy Chavez&rsquo;s catch and the opportunity the Mets wasted
12:01 Why wasn&rsquo;t Billy Wagner pitching the ninth?
15:25 Bases loaded, two outs, Beltran at the plate
17:27 Rewatching Beltran&rsquo;s final at-bat
18:39 Why Frank doesn&rsquo;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: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m beyond anger&rdquo;
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&rsquo;s dropped pop-up and Frank&rsquo;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, &ldquo;Pink Pony Club&rdquo; and Edwin Diaz
37:09 The childhood Mets loss that still hurts
39:18 Would Frank trade away his Mets fandom?
40:16 Frank&rsquo;s wish for Edwin Diaz and the Dodgers
41:08 How Frank&rsquo;s life and relationship with sports have changed
42:31 Frank&rsquo;s weight loss and feeling better at 50
43:30 Frank&rsquo;s REAL DEAL gift
43:45 Tony&rsquo;s final thought: Who gets the blame?
Subscribe to Tony Reali&rsquo;s channel for more REAL DEAL. You can also listen on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Did Carlos Beltrán Really Choke in the 2006 NLCS? Frank the Tank’s Answer Might Surprise Mets Fans

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/f4d8dfab-d4ae-4636-9a4e-b4e4017cf9f0/transcript

The Night Vanderbilt Beat Alabama and Took a College Football Tradition to Another Level

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