‘Caution’
courtesy of ‘Chris DiGiamo’
Tony Kornheiser is a plague that I wish we could end with some sort of deity sacrifice. I’m not sure what’s appropriate in this particular situation, and I welcome suggestions in the comments. Today on his radio show, Tony had a bit of a beef with the additional bike lanes (sorry, cycle tracks) that the city is putting in through downtown. Specifically, according to a transcript provided by Washcycle, Kornheiser said:
And they all wear…my God…with the little water bottle in the back and their stupid hats and their shiny shorts, they are the same disgusting poseurs that come out in the middle of a snow storm with cross country skiing on your block. Run them down.
Tell us how you really feel, Tony. Just let it all out. Jackass.
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
The “stupid hats” that protect their brains when clowns like you threaten to hit them with your car. I suppose I get why TK doesn’t understand the need to protect one’s brain…
Leave the pesty hate comments to the politicians. Go TK! Now if it was Jim Rome, I will go ballistic.
Sorry, but while I disagree that violence is the answer, bicyclists are a plague upon this city. They block traffic, ignore traffic laws, pretend that cars are the root of all evil, and act as though they are immune from common decency and good sense. Whether they’re running red lights or stopsigns or weaving or running the wrong way down one-way streets, they act with impunity and then pretend to be surprised when one of their group gets killed by a car that didn’t expect someone to be breaking the law right then.
Until the DC police start enforcing traffic laws against cyclists I’ll withhold support for any proposal that seeks to bring more of them onto DC streets.
To be fair, Mr. Tony says he doesn’t like it when bicyclists use the driving lanes as if they were motor vehicles and own the road. As a sometimes bicyclist myself, I tend to agree — stay on the shoulder or designated bike lane.
+1, to “hi, i’m james”.
PHE….nahhhminal point, RACK ’em. I am OUT.
#3 Phil: In many cases cyclists are allowed to take the lane. In many cases, taking the lane is the safest thing to do. http://www.waba.org/areabiking/bikelaws.php has the lowdown on biking laws in our region.
Is this Tony K. really fat? I’d Google him, but I’m too lazy so I’m just going to assume he is since it sounds like he hates all forms exercise, from cycling to cross-country skiing. And judging from his super-sized attitude (ZING!)…well I don’t have an ending for that one. Oh wait, yeah I do: Don’t run me over.
Not a fan of Kornheiser, and his yapping, yelling, say-outrageous-things style.
But, how do we explain his popularity?
After I get over being irritated and frustrated with this jerk (as I do with most people who advocate hitting me with cars), I mostly just feel sorry for people like him and commenter #3 above. I just picture them sitting in their cars in traffic, a tightly wound ball of rage, fuming about those darn cyclists and this and that, not getting any sunshine, and generally just being pissed off and miserable.
Meanwhile, I’m cruising along, never sitting in traffic (while still following traffic laws), getting some fresh air and exercise while still arriving where I’m going way before you will. Then I won’t have to find a place to park, or pay anything for the privilege, and I’ll be happy and in a good mood while you’re cranky, fat, and with a wallet that’s a few bucks lighter.
I’d be pissed off too if I was Tony Kornheiser, and if I didn’t have enough sense to ride a bike every day, I’d probably be mad at them too. But take that ass off the air anyway.
Too bad TK feels that way. I’m sure, though, that the Mayor welcomes us folks who make the trek from Baltimore on bicycle to see the cherry blossoms, the museums, and various monuments spending our dollars while there. Since we ride bicycle, versus getting into a car, I for one, have more expendable money to throw around the great city of Washington, D.C. while visiting.
As someone who has interacted with Tony and his wife (former wife now? I’m not sure, but it wouldn’t surprise me) on several occasions in the past, let me just state for the record: they are truly terrible people.
I hate to admit it, but I’m actually a fan of TK because of his frank/direct manner of speaking. HOWEVER, being a cyclist, I am offended at this ignorant comment from TK.
“Stupid hats”- does he call NFL football helmets “stupid hats”?
“Run them down!” – can this be considered a hate crime!?
To me, it just goes back to people in this country not fully understanding cycling as a sport.
Ignor-amous!
Mr. Tony is better than all of you people.
Contact information for Tony Kornheiser
tony.kornheiser@espn.com
(202) 842-2583
thisshowstinks@espn980.com
(301) 231-7798
#9 Joe makes some great points.
And how does this Kornheiser guy drive to begin with, that he has cyclists coming up and banging on his windows?
Having had some bones broken and a bike smashed by a car, I’m not getting his “joke.”
Let’s see…
a) He’s actually tall and thin…and bald and orange.
b) Anyone who thought he meant helmet when he said “stupid hat” is, in fact, stupid. He meant cycling caps. You know, those little ones with the flip up part in the front.
c) He’s really only a terrible person if you act like a schmuck around him.
d) This is just part of his schtick. He goes off on rants that are over-the-top. He doesn’t actually mean that you should run a cyclist down. Everyone gets so bent out of shape over EVERYTHING. RE-FREAKING-LAX!!!! Seriously, a hate crime?
e) TK is more popular than cycling…it’s a fact!
f) #2, #3, #9…you guys rule!!!!!
@16, Kornheiser Super Fan, part D. Telling his audience that they should go out and kill people while driving is part of his schtick? Sounds hilarious!
Dcer, you’re the exact type of person I’m telling to relax.
No, he obviously is not really advocating killing people while driving.
No, his schtick is hyperbole. His radio audience has ALWAYS known it. He’s a grumpy old man doing a grumpy old man rant.
You people honestly take things way too seriously.
Super Fan, I can take a joke. For example, I’m gay. Plenty of jokes about gay people are made every day. I find many of them to be funny, even though (especially?) because they use stereotypes. However, I don’t find it funny when people advocate killing gay people. My funny bone stops at murder.
I don’t find anything funny about “jokingly” advocating for the killing of cyclists, either. Imagine if he had made this joke about blacks, or Jews, or gays, or Mormons, or Catholics, or Latinos. Not so funny anymore, is it?
His popularity comes from the work on the PTI show which is seen at a perfect time on ESPN
His writing and attitude off the show are a joke that very few people like
Dear Mr. Kornhieser.
Please remember vigilante justice is a two way street. Please expect to have someone “tap” you pretty soon.