PTI - What is the BEST Story From the Olympics So Far?

Episode Date: February 19, 2026

Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser discuss the Olympics, the MLB labor deal, and college hoops. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, sports fans, the ESPN app has all of ESPN all in one place. The ESPN app is your home to thousands of live events, ESPN shows, and originals across every ESPN network and service. And now you can check if you already have ESPN Unlimited as part of your TV package for no additional calls. Visit activate.esPN.com to learn how to access your account or sign up, then start streaming in the ESPN app. It's all of ESPN all in one place. Sign up or activate now. Pardon the interruption, but I'm Mike Wilbon, on assignment in Chicago. I'm Tony Kornheiser. Is the assignment to keep the bears from leaving for Indiana, for Hammond, Indiana?

It may be. You know, I'm so sick of the topic. I'm so sick of it. They're not going to Indiana. Say it again. Okay. Not going. But you'll be going to Chicago.

Not going back to Indiana. Welcome to PTI. Welcome to PTI. and girls. In today's episode, baseball players choose a new leader. Garen Peterson taps out of another game for Kansas, and the NBA season resumes tonight. But we begin today with the last Thursday of the Winter Olympics. Among the highlights, the U.S. women's hockey team beat Canada in overtime in today's gold medal game. American figure skater Alyssa Lou went from third to first to win the goal. Jordan Stoltz's attempt for a third speed skating gold ended in silver in the 1500. And we saw the

delightfully frantic debut of ski mountaineering or schemo. Wilbon, what stood out most to you? You know where I'm going? I'm going to hockey. That's where you go. On this Thursday or any other Thursday of the Winter Olympics, the United States women beat Canada for the eighth straight time. Again, beat Canada for the eighth straight time, this time for the gold medal in overtime, Tony, after trailing essentially the entire game won nothing. Hillary Knight had the game tying goal, a little redirection in front of the net off a shot that seemed to be dying to me,

but that made Hillary Knight the five-time Olympian. It made her the all-time leading goal score for the United States. And Megan Keller, then in overtime, three-on-three, Tony, when there's so much space and it's so beautiful, the game which moves with a lot of fluidity anyway, I mean, she just puts on a classic in-and-out move to score the game winner for the gold medal. I mean, this is it.

You know, the United States men have not won since 1980. It's impossible to believe that it's been 46 years, but the women, the U.S. women, don't disappoint. They win again. I'm going to leave all the hockey to you except to echo this particular sentiment. When they go to three on three in overtime, men or women or whoever's playing, it's fabulous. It is.

It's fabulously exciting, three on three. It really is. I want to talk about Jordan Stoltz. Okay, because in his last race, he's racing against another guy. He's not racing against the guy who put up the better number to beat him head to head. He's just another guy out there. And this, I don't particularly like that. And I like speed skating. I'm not trying to knock it. But what do we like most about the Summer Olympics? We like the sprints when eight guys are lined up across the field and the first one to the tape wins. So Usain Bolt gets. to see who he is running against. Usain Bolt is running against other guys, and Jordan Stoltz was skating against the time. You know, I understand, I understand that the guy who beat him had the greatest race of his life, but he didn't beat him head to head.

He didn't beat him eye to eye. Now, you know, silver is wonderful. Two golds in the silver is wonderful, and I'm sure he's very, very happy. I just, it came up a little short to me because you're not racing against the person who you can beat and win the particular medal. do want to talk about skimo, ski mountaineering, which everybody loves. This is another invented

Winter Olympic sport. It's the first time they're ever having medals. You ski up a mountain until you can't ski up the mountain anymore. You take your skis off, you run up the mountain, you put your skis back on, and you ski down the mountain. That's too much effort for me. The label going up is too much effort. That's why I would buy a ticket on the chairlift. I wouldn't want to have to go up to mountain myself. I wouldn't want to do it. Can't anybody afford golf cart at that event? What are we talking about here? Oh, yeah. So, meanwhile, we'll turn to baseball in the Players Association

electing Bruce Meyer as interim executive director following Tony Clark's firing. Meyer is a lawyer who's been the union's lead negotiator since 2018. He says the salary cap would be the ultimate restriction on players. According to Bob Nightingale of USA Today, owners consider Meyer tenacious, unreasonable, and bad for baseball. Tony, what do you make of the players choosing him? Okay, so as you said, he's been the lead negotiator since 2018. He has experience in this particular thing.

And as you said, and I read that Nightingale piece as well. And he said that the owners specifically hate this guy. They personally hate him, hate him. Okay, if I were a baseball player, I would not care that Tony Clark is out because he's not a negotiator. He's a first baseman. This guy Meyer is a negotiator. And it seems to me, Mike, that every time the baseball players get near a strike or locket or whatever happens, ultimately, I think they win. So I would be happy with this guy as my lead voice. I mean, I would think that that's the right way to go. He's going to tell the players, look, we don't want a salary cap.

The owners want a salary cap. And anything the owners want is bad for us. That's going to be his message. And if that's his message, then there's no give there. There's no give. It's just a hard line stance all the way down the line. And, I mean, the players are not going to buy the cap. They're not. No, they're not. And Tony, his selection, it just hardens the positions.

I don't know that there's any sign that is encouraging. Like, could they have appointed somebody as interim executive director, who would have led me to say, oh, wow, I think this is the move that is going to open up negotiations and lead to a complete season in 27. No, no, I don't. I just, I think we're headed for this because it seems like, only, it seems like one, only the owners can avoid this. And it seems like this time, Tony, unlike other years where, you know, it got tabled and they moved it aside, something else was able to mollify. one side or the other. It seems like this time the owners are ready via the Los Angeles Dodgers of going to the mat and saying we want a cap and we'll lock you out until we get one.

I agree. And I will just, you know, I don't think a cap is so terrible if you have a high floor. I think that helps a lot of average players. I mean, the NBA players make a lot more money than baseball players and they have a cap. The NFL players don't make more than baseball, than baseball. players, but there's 50 of them on every team, and I have not yet heard anyone say, I'm quitting this job to go work at Mainiki. I feel like you feel that we're in a bad position here, and it's too bad because baseball in the last couple of years, by shortening the game and having great playoffs and World Series, they've made a move. Speaking of moves, let's move to college basketball. Last night saw A. J. DeBonsa, scored 35 for BYU and a loss

to number four, Arizona. A freshman named Darius Aikov Jr. scored 49. for number 20 Arkansas in their double overtime loss to number 25 Alabama. Get this, 117, 115 in college. Mississippi State Jr., Josh Hubbard, had 46 in regulation, 46 of Mississippi State's 91 points as they beat Auburn. Number five, Yukon lost at home to unrank Creighton. Darren Peterson, the star at number eight, Kansas, had 20 of his 23 points in the first half, then missed the final 17 minutes of the game against Oklahoma State because of cramping. and Iowa apologized to Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg for a fan approaching Horiburg on the court with a cell phone and a comment

and Horiburg slapping the phone out of his hand. Will Bond? Good. What did you find most compelling? 46 points, 49 points, 35 points. Tony, all of these kids, all of them, are to tithe for the next few years to Stefan Curry. The college game, it seems to me to be in a great place.

Now, I know that people have been saying people who scout for the NBA, people who send kids from high school to college, both ends of it. They've been saying for years, this group, this crop is going to be as good as you've seen. And it looks like they weren't exaggerating. It looks like they're getting it right. I mean, when DeBancis further down the list for scoring what he's scored, because you got people scoring 49 to 46. Tony, they're shooting it from the logo every shot. This is the influence of Steph Curry. People can argue about the goat all they want.

Steph Curry, to me, has had a greater influence on basketball, modern basketball, than anyone. Because little kids start envisioning, dreaming that they can be Steph Curry from the time they're three and can do that. And this is what we've got now. The game has never been more electrifying in that. that context. I want to talk about Hoyberg for a second. I want to get this straight. I know that there are other angles on the internet where you can see more closely what happened. He's in the handshake line. And a guy comes out of the stands with a cell phone camera at him and makes a comment like, great game buddy or something like that. And he slaps the cell phone out of the guy's

hands. Who would not want to do that in that circumstance? I'm glad that Iowa apologized to him. I'm glad that they did that. And by the way, Hoyberg's Nebraska team, which I think started 20 and O has lost 4 out of 6. So he's not in a good mood. But, you know, this cell phone paparazzi, they are a plague. I wanted to mention Danny Hurley

in context of Tang and Mick Cronin the other. But Danny Hurley said that his defense, he said that his defense was a joke and he called his defense dreadful. And the difference between him and them is he has two rings there. And plus he says this every game. He is the John McEnroe

college basketball. He's angry all the time every time you see him. But yeah, all that scoring is impressive. And it's good to credit Curry. Although I think there's a certain boredom in everybody taking shots

around the ring like that. Not for me. Not crazy like that. Let's take a break. Okay. Let's take a break. But coming up as the NBA season resumes tonight is an Eastern Conference

or Western Conference team more likely to win the title. And as Max Crossbush? or A.J. Brown, the more attractive trade candidate toss-up is next. 46 in a regulation 40-minute game is P. Maravichland. That's a lot of points. That's what I'm saying. That's a lot of points.

46, 49. It's time for toss-up. Two men enter. One man leaves, finishes the show, and gets excited knowing he's fewer than 48 hours away from the Nat's spring training opener. Was first. Toss up the NBA season starts back up tonight. More likely to win the title, an Eastern Conference team or a Western Conference team. So my first inclination is to say a Western Conference team because we have been talking all year

about the fact that the Western Conference is deeper and harder than the Eastern Conference because Western Conference teams have won 18 of the last 27 NBA titles and because in that span of 27 years, when they went head-to-head Eastern Conference versus Western Conference, the Eastern Conference only prevailed four times in 27 years. Now, it's closer right now, Mike. Right now, the West leads 145 to 142. But to me, the only way that you would pick an Eastern team is if you thought the playoff process would be debilitating, that it would be too hard to get through, and you would

be too tired at the end to really contest. I would not pick an Eastern team to win unless you'd be too hard. tell me Jason Tatum is coming back, but I would not do it. And here's why. Because I just watched the Super Bowl, where the best team in football had come through the toughest division in the harder conference and won easily. So I will go with the West. Tony, it's interesting reasoning, and I hear you. The problem is one game against the really tough opponent ain't the same as the seven game series and all the series in the NBA are seven. I had the initial sort of feeling you did, but, but, but there's only two teams in the West, Tony, that can win. They're just two.

OKC and Denver. The Lakers can't win. San Antonio's going to win. San Antonio's going to win multiple times. They may even win next year. They're the team to me that is most watchable in the entire NBA and they're not going to win because they're a rookie playoff team or they will be. So that takes me, and by the way, OKC can repeat. And Denver's, you know, once removed. So it's not, easy to make the argument for one of those guys. I hear you. But Tony, the East has actually got more. I mean, you've got the Knicks.

I know you're going to frown. You've got Detroit. I know you're going to sort of frown again. They are not rookies when it comes to this. And the Celtics have an asterisk because we don't know about Jason Tatum. Man, it's close to a push. But if I got to take one, I guess I really need to go with the more recent champions. and that would be either OKC or Denver,

so I too would take the West. So it took you a long time to get there after you said you'd pick the East. What's next? You had you. It's next. Toss up. More attractive potential trade candidate,

Max Crosby or A.J. Brown. Okay, they are both 28 years old. They are both multiple Pro Bowl people. Crosby has been in the Pro Bowl five times. A.J. Brown has been in the Pro Bowl three times. Crosby is a complete beast on defense. He has twice led the league in tackles for loss. And as we know from the commercial, A.J. Brown is always open.

Always open. They are both primadanas, although I think Mikey will agree with me that nobody's really a primadonna like a wide receiver is a primadonna. Agreed. Yeah, they are special primadonna's. They see my notes here. Crosby's beef with the Raiders was that they shut him down and he wanted to play. and AJ Brown's beef is always the same. Throw me the ball all the time.

Just throw it to me all the time. To me, it's do you want offense or do you want defense? I would trade them for each other even up and see what happens. Yeah, well, and, you know, sad that the Bears are going to have to give up much more than an even player, even if their player is DJ more. We're going to have to give up a lot. And yet, Tony, you're not going to win a championship if you don't have a Hall of Fame defender. and the Bears don't have that.

That's why their defense, while leading the leading takeaways, finished so close to the bottom in every other defensive metric. Crosby can make a bigger difference. Look, he's a Midwestern kid, right? He'd be returning to the Midwest. He's not from Chicago or Illinois. He's a Michigan kid. He'd be returning to the Midwest.

He already has this great friendship and seems to be completely in love with Caleb Williams. I second that emotion. and it would just, I mean, it just seems like he's ready to go to a specific place now. And the energy from that in that room, A.J. Brown can suck all the energy out of a room. He can. Yeah, yeah. Max Crosby is going to add all the energy to the room.

No Bears team has been great without a great defender. He would plug in and be the guy, and he seems to know it. That's it. Amazing how we got to a Chicago-centric conversation there. I win. Let's take one last break still to come. Will Warriors fans laud tonight's debut of the poor Zingod? Is that his nickname the poor Zingod? I thought it was the unicorn in New York.

I'm not even saying that. I'm not even repeating that. The son's owner gives a spanking like Tony to teams that embrace tanking. Yes, I hate tanking. I hate it more than you do. You hate load management. I hate tanking. Because I'm watching the team in Washington

do it for three full years. Happy time, people. Happy 84th birthday, Paul Krauss. The Hall of Fame safety for the Minnesota Vikings played 16 seasons in the NFL. He was an eight-time pro bowler and three times first-team all-pro. But the big number for Krauss is 81.

That's how many interceptions Krauss had or 45 different quarterbacks, and that's an NFL record that is unlikely to be broken. Number two on the all-time list is Emlyn Tennell with 79. Of more recent vintage, Charles Woodson had 65, Ed Reed had 64. The current active leader is 37-year-old Harrison Smith of the Vikings with 39. After him currently, Kevin Byard, 36.

After him currently, Xavier and Howard, 29. So Kraus's record looks safe, Mike. My whole childhood, I saw Paul Krauss going the other way with passes from bears. quarterbacks. And back then, people say, well, why were there so many? Because quarterbacks threw the ball down the field. There was no West Coast offense. Passes didn't go left and right. They went down the field, were riskier and easier to intercept. But Paul Krause, man, he was a great all time. Happy, happy anniversary, Oklahoma City Thunder. On this day, 14 years ago, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook teamed up for 91 points.

And Serge Abaka contributed a triple double, featured. 11 block shots as Oklahoma City defeated Denver in overtime. James Harden came off the Oklahoma City bench, posted 10 points. That team had the look of a champion, but they scattered to the four wins before that promise could be kept. In contrast, the Oklahoma City team that currently is the NBA champion doesn't have anywhere near the star power, notwithstanding Shea Gilgis Alexander, and probably not the staying power of the Durant-Westbrook Hardin Thunder.

They're all still in the league. Tony, you know I agree with every word of that, but let me ask you this. If you were voting on the greatest thunder player, the greatest OKC player of all time, how would you vote? Who's won? I would vote for somebody who won a championship, wouldn't you? I would do that. I think so. Yes, I would do that.

Happy Trails to batting second from Mookie Betz? Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says Betts is likely to drop into the third slot this season. That would make for a first four that would go Shoahatani, Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betz, Freddie Freeman. How do you like them, apples? Betz is coming off the worst offensive season of his career as he coped with a stomach illness that caused him to lose 18 pounds

and a positional change to full-time shortstop, and the Dodgers still won their second straight World Series. I know you're going to take the Dodgers to three-peat. I'll take the field. What do you think? Oh, no. No, I would take the Dodgers. I think their pitchers will be, the pitchers would be healthier this year than last year. I believe that top four is probably the best top four. Not only now, but maybe ever, because you don't like Tucker.

I like Tucker a lot more than you do. And I think he's going to have a great year. I think I do. All right, let's go to the big finish if we could. Let's do it. Christop Foursingis says he's ready to make his Warriors debut against the Celtics tonight. Are you excited? No, I'll be excited when six.

Stefan Curry is back in the Golden State lineup. That's what it looks like me. Yankees infielder jazz. Chisholm tells the athletic. He thinks he can go 50-50 this season, do you? Okay. He can get 50 steals. The most home runs he has ever hit is 31.

So good luck on 50. And by the way, with Porzengis, he may be out after the next game. The Suns owner Matt Ishbia posted that tanking is embarrassing, ridiculous, and losing behavior by losers. I agree with it. every single word in that, hey, tanking, your thoughts? I agree.

It's just not as big a problem as load management. So there, we will part company. Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson will return for a 14th season. Big deal? It's a very big deal. He's a great, great lineman. And by the way, Adam Silver says there's going to be rules against tanking. You conveniently left that out.

See how that happens. Last one. Pistons at Knicks tonight. Who you got? The Knicks lost by 38 to the Pistons. last time they played and the pistons aren't even going to have, you know, Jalen Doren, they're not going to have Isaiah Stewart tonight. The Knicks had better win, and they had better win by a lot.

What will you do? Yell at them? Will you yell at them tomorrow? I just did. Will you? We're out of time. We're trying to do better than next time. I'm Tony Cornheiser.

Mike's yelling. The team of your youth, not me. I'm Mike Wilbon. Same time tomorrow, Michael Eds.