REAL DEAL with Tony Reali

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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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?

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February 4, 2018. Fourth and goal. Thirty-eight seconds before halftime. Nick Foles walks over to Doug Pederson and asks, “You want Philly Philly?” His proposal: let a tight end throw a touchdown pass to a backup quarterback who has never caught a ball in his NFL career. In the Super Bowl. Against Bill Belichick. Pederson stares at him for 2.23 seconds. Then he says yes.

The great Peter King joins me to relive the Philly Special and the little details that made something so preposterous possible. Why Foles couldn’t smile in the huddle. Why Trey Burton had to keep his glove on. And why Foles turned down $150,000 before playing the greatest game of his life. Tom Brady threw for 505 yards that night. Nick Foles went home with the trophy. Eventually, even Mick Jagger had something to say about it.

Peter’s new book, THE GAME, which is out today, brings together stories from 40 years covering the NFL, and we get into a few more of them: Peyton Manning’s tanning-bed preparation for the combine, the inside help Dak Prescott got before his Cowboys interview, and the quarterback San Francisco picked instead of Tom Brady who became an actual goat farmer. Plus, Peter makes his case for the perfect football career. Brady? Manning? Madden? His answer might surprise you.

Welcome to Episode 020 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.

Subscribe to REAL DEAL with Tony Reali for more unforgettable sports moments and the people who bring them to life.

0:00 The Philly Special
0:52 Peter King joins REAL DEAL
2:11 Why this play still amazes Peter
4:35 Doug Pederson’s 2.23-second decision
7:24 Don’t smile. Don’t take off the glove.
9:26 How the Eagles fooled the Patriots
11:04 Nick Foles’ focus and the $150,000 he turned down
13:55 Mick Jagger’s shoutout to Nick Foles
15:44 How the NFL became a year-round obsession
18:17 Peter’s case against an 18th game
20:12 The trust between quarterback and coach
22:58 Mahomes and Reid vs. Brady and Belichick
24:26 What fans don’t know about the NFL
26:46 Story time: Picking up Boomer Esiason
27:59 Peyton Manning’s bizarre combine preparation
29:33 How Dak Prescott got the answers to the test
31:00 The 49ers picked a future goat farmer over Tom Brady
32:53 The Seahawks’ prank on Marshawn Lynch
34:22 Peter’s favorite story: Paul Tagliabue after 9/11
37:53 Who had the perfect football career?
42:03 Peter’s Philly Special gift
43:18 Tony’s final thought on Peter King

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Fifteen strikeouts. A playoff win. And a strike zone that still makes you wonder what, exactly, you’re watching.

Let’s go back to Game 5 of the 1997 NLCS. Livan Hernandez is on the mound for the Florida Marlins, Greg Maddux is pitching for the Atlanta Braves, and Eric Gregg is behind home plate. As the game goes on, pitches outside become strikes, Braves hitters start swinging at balls they can barely reach, and Hernandez finishes with 15 strikeouts. Then comes the final pitch to Fred McGriff. Watch it and tell me: HOW is that a strike?

Joey Duffield from Baseball Doesn’t Exist joins me to relive one of the most baffling games in baseball history. We watch the calls, debate how much credit Hernandez deserves, and argue over whether the Braves choked or got absolutely hosed. Joey has some conspiracy theories. I have some objections.

Then we take on a bigger question: Is baseball actually better with mistakes? From Jeffrey Maier’s catch to Armando Galarraga’s stolen perfect game and George Brett’s pine tar eruption, we revisit the calls that got it wrong and gave us stories we’ll never forget.

Welcome to Episode 019 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.

Were the Braves robbed? And which blown call in baseball history still bothers you? Tell us in the comments.

00:00 Intro
01:34 The Pitch That Still Makes No Sense
02:34 Joey Duffield from Baseball Doesn’t Exist Joins
03:57 Setting the Scene: The 1997 NLCS
04:38 The Numbers Behind Livan Hernandez’s 15 Strikeouts
07:33 Growing Up a Braves Fan
10:47 Rewatching the Infamous Eric Gregg Game
12:58 Eric Gregg’s Strike Zone and Career Fallout
14:00 Can an Umpire Have His Own Strike Zone?
15:04 The Theories Behind the Eric Gregg Game
18:14 How Much Credit Does Livan Hernandez Deserve?
20:07 Why Didn’t the Braves Argue More?
21:32 Were the Braves Robbed?
23:26 The Braves Dynasty That Could Have Been
28:05 Is Baseball Better with Mistakes?
28:20 Jeffrey Maier’s Controversial Catch
29:53 Armando Galarraga’s Stolen Perfect Game
32:05 Did Matt Holliday Touch Home Plate?
32:58 George Brett’s Pine Tar Eruption
34:33 Don Denkinger’s Blown World Series Call
35:59 Joey’s Final Verdict on Eric Gregg
37:18 Joey’s REAL DEAL Phone Case
37:42 Tony’s Final Take: Leaving Room for Human Error

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February 1, 2009. The Steelers and Cardinals met at Raymond James Stadium for Super Bowl XLIII.

And just before halftime, James Harrison made history.

He picked off Kurt Warner at the goal line and rumbled 100 yards the other way for a touchdown. The longest pick-six ever. This is a man who looks like he cools down at the gym by deadlifting a Toyota Sequoia, but in the span of one play, Harrison looked both superhuman and human. He had just done something no one had ever done, on the sport's biggest stage, and needed an oxygen mask just to make it to the third quarter.

The Steelers won that night, and a 15-year-old Joey Mulinaro celebrated with a Steelers cookie cake, soaking in a memory that would forever be burned into his temporal lobe.

Now Joey joins me to relive the moment and remember the Pittsburgh legends who made it happen.

Welcome to Episode 018 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.

00:00 James Harrison's legendary 100-yard pick six

00:54 Joey Molinaro joins REAL DEAL

03:43 Joey remembers watching Super Bowl XLIII

07:20 Simply Irresistible: How long did Harrison's return take?

10:28 Remembering the 2008 Steelers

15:28 Rewatching James Harrison's pick six

20:09 Harrison makes the interception

23:02 How did Harrison actually make it 100 yards?

27:28 The massive Super Bowl swing

30:33 What if Harrison never makes the play?

34:00 Who is the ultimate "Steelers Steeler"?

45:27 Joey Molinaro calls the play as Gus Johnson

Subscribe for new episodes of REAL DEAL every Tuesday. You can also listen on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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The 2021 Giants were a rough team to watch. Not much went right. There were injuries, tons of losses and, to cap off the season, one of the most baffling and embarrassing sequences in team history.

Jake Fromm was at QB, and the Giants were backed up at their own five-yard line. They ran a QB sneak on 2nd-and-11. Then, on 3rd-and-9, they ran it...again?

That’s the moment we’re covering on today’s REAL DEAL with comedian and die-hard Giants fan John Franklin. John joins me to try to explain the Joe Judge-era Giants, while also revisiting some of the other head-scratching and confounding moments in team history.

We laughed, we cried, and then we laughed again.

Welcome to Episode 017 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.

00:00 Intro

03:27 The Giants' Infamous Back-to-Back QB Sneaks

04:22 John Franklin Joins the Show

06:35 WHY Did the Giants Do That?!

09:59 The Longest QB Sneak in NFL History

12:24 Remembering the 2021 Giants

17:28 Breaking Down the First QB Sneak

19:32 The Unbelievable 3rd-and-9 QB Sneak

20:55 Is There ANY Defense for This Play Call?

23:59 Ranking the Giants' Biggest "WHY?!" Moments

24:28 Jaxson Dart's Injury

25:25 The Giants' Coaching Carousel

26:20 Ben McAdoo's Infamous Suit

27:16 Daniel Jones' $160 Million Contract

27:40 The Saquon Barkley Hard Knocks Call

28:37 Benching Eli Manning

29:42 Punting to DeSean Jackson

30:43 The Infamous Giants Boat Photo

31:14 One Medium Pepsi

32:12 John's Final Giants Ranking

33:28 John's REAL DEAL Phone Case

34:26 The Giants Surrender

34:45 The Greatest Giants QB Sneak Ever?

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Let's go back 10 years to the 2016 NFL Draft.

Fourteen minutes before the first pick, it's a normal draft night full of excitement, hope and anticipation. Thirteen minutes before, everything changes. A video of Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil smoking from a gas mask bong hits his own Twitter account, and chaos ensues.

Tunsil's stock plummets, and the Miami Dolphins take him 13th overall. Three years later, after he's turned a disastrous draft night into a Pro Bowl career, Tunsil is at the center of a blockbuster trade to Houston. The fallout from that trade reshaped the NFL for years.

The great Bill Barnwell was gracious enough to join me for this one! He remembers watching the drama unfold in real time, walks me through the full butterfly effect, explains how the leak might play out today, and makes the case that the biggest winner of the whole thing was...Laremy Tunsil.

Welcome to Episode 016 of REAL DEAL. I'm Tony Reali, and I'm so happy you're here.

0:00 The Laremy Tunsil Gas Mask Photo

4:00 How Many NFL Players Did This Moment Affect?

7:00 Bill Barnwell Remembers Watching It Unfold Live

9:13 Why the NFL Draft Broadcast Couldn’t Address It Yet

11:11 Just How Good Was Laremy Tunsil as a Prospect?

14:27 NFL Teams React to the Photo in Real Time

17:47 Who Leaked the Laremy Tunsil Video?

21:14 How Much Money Did Tunsil Lose?

25:09 Would the Same Photo Matter Today?

26:13 The Butterfly Effect Begins

30:13 How the Tunsil Trade Changed the NFL

32:25 From Trey Lance to Jaylen Waddle and Micah Parsons

33:58 How Tyreek Hill Became Part of the Tunsil Tree

35:43 Bradley Chubb and Sean Payton Join the Chain

37:20 The Most Bizarre Images in NFL History

42:04 The 36-Player Laremy Tunsil Family Tree

44:16 The Ultimate Winner: Laremy Tunsil

Subscribe for new episodes of REAL DEAL every Tuesday. You can also listen on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Welcome to Episode 015 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.

00:00 Josh Allen’s Iconic Hurdle

02:27 Was This the Moment Josh Allen Became Josh Allen?

04:35 Simply Irresistible: Josh Allen Trivia

07:00 What Did We Think of Rookie Josh Allen?

10:26 Breaking Down the Hurdle

13:42 What the Hurdle Told Us About Josh Allen

15:13 Is Josh Allen’s “Hero Ball” a Feature or a Bug?

17:02 What’s Still on the Line for Josh Allen?

20:03 More or Less: Josh Allen Edition

23:14 Brandon Perna’s REAL DEAL Gift

23:45 Does the Josh Allen Hurdle Still Hold Up?

Subscribe for new episodes of REAL DEAL every Tuesday. You can also listen on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Rams 54 Chiefs 51.

This game had everything.

There was a change of venue, from Mexico City to LA, there was a young Patrick Mahomes, slinging it all over the field, there was an ascending Jared Goff, there were touchdowns in the air, there were touchdowns on the ground, there were fumbles, there were interceptions, and there was a whole lot of Samson Ebukam!

It’s a classic NFL regular season game, one that many have dubbed the greatest regular season game of all-time.

To help me determine where this game belongs in the annals of history, I’m joined by Football 301’s Nate Tice. He broke everything down, and shared some mind-blowing insights, about how this game influenced the modern NFL, along the way.

What do you think? Is it the BEST regular season game ever played on an NFL field?

Welcome to Episode 014 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.

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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.

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A new NFL season is underway and, just like that, Week 1 is in the books. How are you feeling? Riding the high of a huge win? Proclaiming that the season is over and throwing your team’s jersey in the nearest trash can?

Overreacting to losses, especially in the NFL, is a time-honored tradition. In reality, nothing is ever quite as good or as bad as it seems…yet.

In some cases, though, losses really can be as bad as they seem. That was certainly the case for the Cleveland Browns in Week 1 of the 2002 season, when an over-exuberant Dwayne Rudd threw his helmet in celebration and helped snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

On today’s show, I relive that infamous moment with Nick Kostos, along with a bunch of other seismic NFL losses. Some were every bit as devastating as they seemed at the time. Others, as Nick points out, aren’t as bad once you add a little bit of context.

What’s the worst NFL loss you’ve ever experienced? Let me know in the comments!

Welcome to Episode 012 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.

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Seven touchdowns. Zero interceptions. 462 yards.

Peyton Manning, then the Broncos’ quarterback, opened the 2013 NFL season with one of the most ridiculous performances ever, torching the defending Super Bowl champion Ravens and kicking off what would become a record-setting season.

Was it the best start to a season by a quarterback ever? Or maybe by any player ever?!

With Week 1 finally upon us, Tony is joined by Underscore Media’s John Jastremski to relive Peyton’s perfect start and ask a bigger question: How much should we actually believe what we see in Week 1?

Tony and JJ look back at some of the greatest season-opening performances ever, debate Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady at their absolute peaks, and look at some hypothetical Week 1 overreactions for the 2026 NFL season.

Welcome to Episode 011 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.

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Out Indefinitely: Mononucleosis.

This phrase instantly evokes a memory of an ESPN graphic that was immediately added to the file of embarrassing things that have happened to the New York Jets. The graphic in question featured Sam Darnold looking locked in, if not menacing, while the text next to him announced that he was out with…mono.

The moment was a microcosm of Darnold’s career as a Jet, and everyone assumed that mononucleosis and “seeing ghosts” would be the most memorable parts of what was supposed to be a storied career.

Then, over time, the worm turned.

A successful season in Minnesota, a move to Seattle, a miraculous season out west and boom: Sam Darnold was a Super Bowl Champion.

Today I’m joined by my old friend Mina Kimes, who’s going to help me figure out if Sam Darnold’s second act is one of the most impressive in NFL history. If it isn’t the best, it’s certainly close.

Welcome to Episode 010 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.

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On September 1st, 2007, the Big Ten Network made its debut, airing what should have been a relatively uneventful game between Michigan and Appalachian State. Instead, it turned into one of, if not the biggest, college football upsets of all time!

A back-and-forth battle ended with a dramatic blocked field goal, a moment that hasn’t left my mind since it happened. And it begs the question: are upsets of that magnitude dead? Has the disparity between teams made it nearly impossible for an App State to head into the Big House and take down Michigan? Will we ever see something like this again?

To help me relive this moment and explain the viability of a shocking upset in modern college football, I’m joined by Ty Hildenbrandt and Dan Rubenstein of The Solid Verbal. We remember some guys, talk about what an upset would look like in the 2026 college football landscape, and get in our time machines to go back to 2007, when NFL legends were still in college and people were watching games on Sony WEGA televisions.

Welcome to Episode 009 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.

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Thanks The Solid Verbal. If you don’t already listen tot heir show, check it out wherever you get podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-solid-verbal-college-football/id270037732

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This week, we’re LIVE at the US Open with former Wimbledon quarterfinalist and current voice of tennis on ESPN, TNT, and Tennis Channel, Chris Eubanks.

Chris is here to help me unpack one of, if not my favorite tennis moments ever.

It was 1991. I was a little kid watching the Yankees. Shortly after the game ended, I was swallowed whole by the raucous celebrations and charismatic energy of a 39-yard old Jimmy Connors.

Connors was making an outrageous run at the US Open, upsetting one opponent after the next and slowly transforming a tennis crowd into a rabid New York crowd, one making noises normally reserved for a metal concert in a football stadium.

It was incredibly cool.

Connors didn’t get the job done that year, but the run has stuck with me, and every tennis fan who experienced that moment, ever since. More than three decades later, it remains a huge part of US Open lore.

Chris Eubanks wasn’t born yet when Connors turned Louis Armstrong Stadium into a rock concert, but he gives me his view of the moment from the perspective of a guy who’s been there. We talk about momentum in tennis, what it’s like to go viral as an athlete, and the greatest showmen in tennis history.

Oh, and I tried my best to get him to do the patented Connors hip thrust and fist pump.

I tried.

Welcome to Episode 008 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.

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As we enter the 2026 college football season, Indiana is the reigning national champion. They're kings of the college football world, led by their bespectacled and perpetually irritated savior, Curt Cignetti. Before he arrived, Indiana was known for plenty of things—its business school, Hoosiers basketball, Mark Cuban—but not football. Never football.

Since Cignetti arrived? Indiana has won a national championship, and its quarterback went first overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. Not bad for a two-year run.

Of course, it took hard work, smart roster building, and a little luck to pull it off. But it also took a shift in attitude. And I think that shift began at Curt Cignetti's introductory press conference.

"I win. Google me."

Those were the four words Cignetti delivered when asked how he would sell recruits on Indiana. For most coaches, a line like that would become the punchline to a failed experiment—the clip everyone digs up after a disappointing season. For Cignetti, it may one day be engraved beneath a statue if he keeps this up in Bloomington.

Today I'm joined by college football expert—and the woman I call the "Smiling Assassin of College Football"—Jess Smetana to revisit that unforgettable press conference. We break down the moment, retrace how Cignetti transformed Indiana into a champion, and ask one question:

Does Curt Cignetti have the most “aura” of any college football coach to ever exist?

Welcome to Episode 007 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.

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