PTI - USMNT Advances, Jaylen Brown Dealt, Skenes Struggles

Episode Date: July 2, 2026

Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser break down USMNT’s knockout‑round push, the Celtics’ blockbuster Jaylen Brown trade to the 76ers, and Paul Skenes’ struggles at the plate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pardon the interruption, but I'm Mike Wilbon on assignment in Chicago. I'm Tony Kornheiser. That assignment? Rib-eye with Waddle and Sylvie, right? At Chicago Cut, free food for you, right? Could be, you know, from seafood. When was the last time you paid for meal involved? Yeah.

Are you suggesting I'm on scholarship? Are you suggesting that? Scholarship, that's a good word for it. That's what I say to my children. You're on scholarship. That's good. Welcome to PTI, boys and girls. In today's episode, The Celtics send Jalen Brown for the Sixers.

Junior Camerero and Dansky Swanson are tearing it up, and Cristiano Ronaldo is back on the pitch tonight. But we begin today with the United States beating Bosnia-Herzegovina last night, 2-0 in the knockout round and advancing to the round of 16 in the World Cup. The United States' first goal was scored by Foloran Baligan, who later in the game was given a red card and tossed from the game. The United States had to play the last 30 minutes of the game down a man, even scoring their second goal with 10 men out there. Wilbon, what did you make of what you saw from the United States team last night? Well, Tom, my takeaway, as we say nowadays, is just what you ended that question with, to play that long, 30-plus minutes down, short-handed, as we would say. Yeah. You know, as if it's a power play, you know, for Bosnia to play shorthanded like that against a European team.

that is at least, you know, regarded it evenly overall as the United States team to play that way to score to win. Wow. I don't think that many people saw that coming even, I don't know, six, eight weeks ago when the United States was at the time maybe struggling with friendlies and there's all the questioning about Pochitino and what he was able to be able to get out of this group. You know, do you have all these questions, you know, coming out? you, and then the United States delivers like this.

I know it's at home. I know it's a game that everybody associated with feels that the United States should win. Okay. But the conditions of it, to me, you know, these guys may be pretty tough-minded. This could go a little bit. Yeah, I don't want to get too carried away here because I don't agree that we are on an equal footing with Bosnia-Herzegovina. I don't. We are ranked 15th in the world, and they are ranked 61st.

So I think we should win that game, particularly because it's at home. But we did win that game. We pitched another shutout. We scored multiple goals again, and we won a game when we were down a man for, you know, 30 minutes. I mean, it's hard for me not to believe this is a big deal. This is only the second time ever that the United States has won a knockout round game. But we won it. So I think there's some celebration in order.

We get Belgium next. You're more of a soccer guy than I am, but I don't think Belgium is France. I don't think they're Argentina. Belgium was lucky to beat Senegal. They had a huge comeback to do that. Maybe that's all they got. And we're going to be home again.

This is going to be in Seattle. Yeah, but we got a red card. We're missing an important player. I understand. I understand. I understand. I understand. I understand.

And you know what? And that's why they pay Pochitino the money they pay him. Because now, Pochitino has already, in one shot with this team, has more wins than any other coach ever in the United States men's national team. And after the game last night, and I was not up, but I was told about this,

Pochitino is out there singing, let me get the words right, take me home country roads to the place I belong, West Virginia. What are the odds he's ever been to West Virginia? I'm going on the under on that. But he knows what he's doing. Yeah, well, I was outside singing by Taviton Rush last night,

so that's another whole story. I hope there's no video of that. Let's move to the big trade in the NBA. The Celtics sent Jalen Brown to their division rival Sixers for Paul George, Tony's fave, two first, two seconds. As we know, Brown was your MVP choice for most of last season. And third, on my official final ballot. So, Tony, what then does this deal do for the Sixers,

and where does it leave the Cs? I'm amazed by this trade. I'm amazed that all they got for Jalen Brown was Paul George, who you know I consider to be one of the most overrated, overpaid players in the league. You got an MVP candidate, and all you get for him is this guy. And just for some numbers, Paul George, in this most recent season average 17 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Jalen Brown averaged 29 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. and you trade, you make this trade into vision? Like, to a long-time rival?

I mean, I think people remember Larry Bird and Julius Irving, and they remember Will Chamberlain and Bill Russell. I mean, it's hard for me to see how Boston is better with this trade, and I think Philadelphia is significantly better right now. If Joe L.M.B. ever gets on the court, they are a better team than the Celtics right now. So I'm thinking, Mike, I'm thinking maybe there's something else. Maybe Brad Stevens has something else up his sleeve, because you can't just get Paul George.

Paul George has now been traded for Shea Gilgis Alexander and Jalen Brown, two guys with rings. Great players. How many rings Paul George got? Remind me, I think it's less than one, I think. Yeah, there's a couple of things I care about with this deal, Tony. One of them is that people don't seem to be saying, and I said this going back to when Jaylon Brown signed his deal that was going to pay him $302 million, I think, after, you know,

a season or so, whenever it was a year, after Tatum has signed. the deal that was going to bring him $3 million. I'm sorry, $302 million. And I said then, and I'll say it now, repeat it. Anybody who thought the Celtics were going to pay both those guys, $600 million would be a fool. They were never going to pay those two guys that amount of money. One of them was going to go.

And it's Jaylon Brown who's going to go. Because if you spend any time around that team or in New England and I have during basketball seasons, all their 10 years, Tatum is beloved. Brown is respected. Tatum is beloved. Tatum's the face of the Celtics.

They were not going to get rid of him. They were going to get rid of Brown. And that's the way that went. So we'll skip all the reasons that go into who's respected, who's beloved. The trade itself, I don't get. You can't get that same deal from Denver, which needs somebody to go with Joker. You can't get that same deal from, I don't know, from Orlando, who might have a forward you might want to.

a pair with Jason Tatum. You can't get that deal from somebody trying to build something like the Bulls. Are you kidding me? You got to trade him to Philly? And like you, Tony, I look at that and I just say, my God, why would I do that? I don't want to get too deep in the weeds. If somebody pulling some strings for Philly, I think I want to call and lay great praise on later, Bob Myers, because what Philly did was a heist.

Yeah, that's what I think. And it's interesting to me. I mean, I do love Jalen Brown, but maybe there's something in analytics about this trade, because I have to continue this, Mike. There is. Jalen Brown, when he does not play for the Celtics, the Celtics are actually better. In his career there, the Celtics are 90 and 36 when he's not playing. Last three seasons, 36 and 6 when he's not playing.

Last year, eight and two when he doesn't play. I don't know how to explain that, but maybe that's a function of this trade to some degree. It gives him a big chip to put on his shoulder. He starts the season, and he should be saying, let's see how those numbers work when I have a crack at this. Let's see. Let's go to baseball and hot streaks. Junior Caminero of Tampa Bay hit another home run last night. The sixth straight game he has hit a home run. And Dansby Swanson of the Cubs had three hits, which were all homers, and eight RBI. Swanson now has a Cubs record 26 RBI in his last 10 games. Wilbon, who is on the more impressive heater, Camerero, or Swanson?

I ain't paying attention to Camerro. Sorry. So I'm paying as much attention to him as I am golf right now. Danesby Swanson on June 20th was hitting 183. He was benched. Let me say it again, 183 and benched. Reduced roll was the official phrasing of it, okay? Since then, Tony, you said 26 RBI in 10 games. That's the most ever by a cub.

He's now up to fifth in Major League Baseball in RBCL. a significant category to old people like you and me. He's among the league leaders in shortstop in war. The Cubs after, I mean, the Cubs have 182 people just on the pitching staff on the IR, but they have now won 15 to 19 with Swanson having these massive games, including three home runs yesterday and eight runs batted in. Dansby Swanson getting it done. I don't care who you got.

I'm taking him. Okay, so I tried to figure out a way to figure out a way as to which guy was on the more impressive heater. And I looked, I thought maybe one team would be doing better. In the six straight games that Camerro has hit home runs, Tampa Bay is six and O. But in the ten games where Swanson has all these RBI, 26 RBI, the Cubs are nine and one. So that's sort of a wash. And then I looked at age, because Camerro is the youngest guy to ever hit in six straight home runs. Right, he's very young.

and Swanson is 32, and so maybe that does something to do it, but it's not about age. It's about production right now. Swanson, 26 RBI in 10 games is astonishing to me. But then you look at Caminero, he's got 17 and 6. That too was almost awash. So I knew that when we got on the air, I knew what would happen, because whenever we have one of these debates, inevitably you pick the guy from Chicago. You pick Michael Jordan, you pick Mike Ditka, you pick Patrick Kane,

You pick Fergie Jenkins, you picked Gail Sairs. So I knew you would pick Danes v. Swanson, so I can pick the other guy. I can pick Camerero, who at the moment may be the greatest power hitter Tampa Bay has ever had. Because you don't think a power hitting with Tampa Bay ever. And if you voted for MVP right now in the American League, he'd be the MVP. I think because it's the best player on the best team. I think. I think I'd vote for him.

Let's take a break. Coming up, Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in his last World Cup game. So how important is tonight's match for him? And Paul Skeen's is struggling. What's the word for that? I was wrong. Camerro will be 23 this weekend. He's actually 22 right now.

Got a lot of years with this guy. Listen, the Cubs, 15 to 19. I mean, they've turned it around like the third turnaround this season, but I didn't see him coming. Time for word play with Wilbon. What's first? Tonight's game against Croatia is blank for Cristiano Ronaldo. reputational.

Wilbon, you had Cristiano Ronaldo as the goat for years, and you always said he was better than Messi. Do you know that he has never scored a single goal in a World Cup knockout game? He has 10 goals in six different World Cups, all in the group stages. Seven of those 10 are against the worst team in the group. He has played in eight knockout games. He has no goals. If Messi had come up with that resume,

said, get him out of here. So it seems to me, at 41 years old, when Bernalda was said, this is his last World Cup, it seems to me that if he wants to reverse this trend, if he wants to burnish his reputation, tonight is the night. It's a little late for that, it seems to me, Tony, but I will say ego-maintaining. That's my word. For many of the same reasons you just said, it's because all the goats, young or old, messy, Mbapé, Kane, and Holland, they're all playing.

They are all delivering. They are killing it so far in the World Cup. Rinaldo has the two goals in the last appearance. He does in a knockout game, in a knockout situation, which he's not been good in. He needs to produce, and, if he can, if 41 years old, and Tony, in the past, when the team wasn't in a position to help Rinaldo be as great as he was,

they weren't. He wasn't playing on Argentina. He was playing for Portugal, which isn't Argentina. He was really good, though not great. Now his team, Portugal, is better. They are much better than he played to a level, which is becoming of a person of his stature, ego-maintaining. We'll see. What's next?

Paul Skeen should feel blank about yesterday's start. Like hiding. I understand that that's two words. But he gave up a career high, seven earned runs, right, in four innings against the Phillies. Now, the Phillies can hit. But Skeens hasn't been very good all year. If I have this correct, the last six times he has taken Hill, the Pirates have lost. And in those six games, Skeens is 0 and 6, and his ERA, Mike, is 5.36.

He's the reigning sigh young guy. The Pirates are six and 12 when they gave him the ball this year, 37 and 33 with everybody else. So my position that he's much better than Mizorowski is insane now. I cannot maintain that position. What hurts him even more is in his first 55 starts. He averaged, I think it was, 26 pitches of 98 miles an hour or better. Average that. In the last three starts, he's only reached that number four times.

And meanwhile, the Miz is at 103. So I got to back off that statement. Thank you. I'm glad you beat me to that because I was coming. coming hard for you. He should feel miserable. Miserable about last night. I see what you did.

All right? Because he's getting chumped by the MIS right now. After you had pronounced him Nolan Ryan, all right? You had him Walter Johnson and Nolan Ryan. And being serious because, look, I'm not hating on starting pitchers who are as talented, okay, as schemes. His velocity's dropping. and you just go, oh, no, I hope this doesn't mean anything.

I hope it's just like some virus. And you can take something and get over it quickly. Because, you know, Major League Baseball needs guys like Skeens and Miz, even if they're both in my division and we got to play against them with my whole staff hurt. But right now, the Miz is making him look like a chump right now. No, you're right. And you're also right about the other thing. that you just you live in dread that there's Tommy John in someone's future

when their velocity falls off like that. No, that's the final word. Let's take one last break, but still to come, Alex Ovechkin decides whether he will keep playing. And does England's coach write that his team won't be able to adapt to the Mexico City altitude by Sunday? Yes. He is right.

He can't do that. Spoiler. He's 100% right. That's right. Yeah, he's right. Wow, that's a huge advantage. Mexico never loses there, right? Happy time, people.

Happy 47th birthday, Joe Thornton. The longtime center for Boston and San Jose was voted into the NHL Hall of Fame last year. Thornton was the number one overall picked by the Bruins in 1997 and played the most games ever by a number one overall pick, 1,714. In 2006, Thornton became the first play. ever named MVP in a season when he was traded.

He went from Boston to San Jose just 23 games into that season. In all, Thornton played 24 seasons, ending up on Toronto and Florida for a season each. Thornton scored 430 goals and had 1,109 assists, which is 7th all time, but looking at 8th because Sidney Crosby is only two assists behind him. Thornton is 14th all time in total points, but never played on a Stanley Cup winner, though he has a Stanley Cup worthy beard. Ha, such a great playmaker, Tony. Point of trivia.

The last dude on any of the four North American team sports to play in the 1990s. Old people like us like that. Respect that. Respect, you know. Absolutely. Happy anniversary, Mike Brown, on this day last year, word got out that after a prolonged search following the firing of Tom Thibodeau, that the Knicks had decided to offer the job to Brown. Brown had twice been NBA coach of the year, once in Cleveland and once in Sacramento,

but he had also been fired by those teams as well as by the Lakers. The nature of coaching in the pros is to be a vagabond. At the moment, Brown looks to be the best higher in the world. He was criticized at times for lack of defense, but as Knicks had an unprecedented playoff run and beat San Antonio for the NBA title. For his career as a coach, Brown has a 604 winning percentage in the regular season, 606 winning percentage in the playoffs. You know how much I love Mike Brown, Tony, who have known for a while.

I'm just so happy for him, given what he's been through those firings and being rehired. Just the nicest person in the world. I've been fortunate enough to be able to watch playoff games with Mike Brown at his place when he wasn't working, when he was fired. So I am thrilled to see him get that championship in New York. Happy trails to retirement for Alex Ovechkin. The NFL's all-time leading goal scorer will return. turned to the Capitals for a 22nd season on a one-year deal worth up to $8 million.

The nearly 41-year-old scored 32 goals for the Caps last season. In other hockey news, the Oilers will take another stab at solving their goaltending issues with Frederick Anderson, who had a 12-1 playoff run for the Hurricanes through the conference finals before giving way in the Stanley Cup finals to Brandon Bussie. Anderson later revealed he had suffered a knee injury. The 36-year-old played well under New Oilers head coach Mike Babcock when both were in Toronto. Was there any doubt in your mind? You followed this day to day, as we both followed this whole career,

that eight was coming back for more, or did you think, whoa, wait a minute, between finances and age and just wanting to do something else with his life, that Ovechkins could just call it a day? No, I mean, the capitals have gotten better, and they offered it to him, and he scored 32 goals last year. I don't think he thinks he was done. He was good enough to play, yeah.

Okay. Yeah, so I, I, think that means something. One omission, we talked about the Ms. earlier. He and the Brewers lost to the Reds today, seven to two with the Miz giving up five runs, yet only one earned. His ERA for the season is 1.47. That's better than Skeens at the moment. Let's go to the big finish. I'll still take the Miz. Still take the Mitz. Tim Hardaway, Sr. will not let his son wear his retired number 10 on the heat. Does that make sense to you? I get it, but I

know Tim Hardaway, Sr. If I see him in town, our hometown, this weekend, I would try to talk him out of this, I got a feeling he's going to soften. I get it. Let your son carve his own path. But the jersey, it can stay in the rafter and be on his back. I like both things. Kyle Schwabler tells S.I. He will join

the home run derby in Philly. As long as he's healthy and makes the team, you like the chances of both, though? Well, he's going to make the team. He's a coiled snake at the plate. Come on. He's got 30 home runs. He leads the majors. He'll win the home run derby at home. The NBA will test a rule in Summer League, where

one free throw would count for one, two, or three points, depending on the case, until the last two minutes in overtime when the old rules applied. Do you like this? This is frighteningly embarrassing. Even the discussion of it is disgusting. Let's ask Reggie Miller. Let's ask one of the great shooters of all time from the line or anywhere else whether he thinks this is stop with this. England's head coach says the team won't be able to adapt to the altitude in Mexico City before Sunday's game. You agree? Of course I agree.

It's a mile and a half up. It's an enormous advantage from Mexico. It's like Aspen. That's crazy. Last one. Serena and Venus are reportedly a go to play doubles at Wimbledon on Saturday. I bet you're excited. It's okay.

I mean, that's not like seeing Serena play singles. I know she didn't win. I was more excited for that, but I'll take them playing doubles. But on this altitude thing, back to that real quickly. Tony, I was hitting wedges like 165 yards in. Aspen. This is like Albin elevation. Yeah. 165 on a wedge?

Yes. Somebody's got a dope test you. That's unbelievable. We're out of time. We're trying to do better the next time. And Bill Schumann, thank you for watching. I'm Mike Loban. Same time tomorrow, knuckleheads.