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Hour 2: Knicks Ring Night & The Yankees' "Cowardly" Zoom Call artwork

Hour 2: Knicks Ring Night & The Yankees' "Cowardly" Zoom Call

The Carton Show with Craig Carton & Chris McMonigle

October 20, 2026

Craig and Big Mac celebrate the Knicks' opening night banner ceremony while pushing back against pessimistic callers. They dive into the WNBA's anthem controversy and debate whether the Yankees' Zoom press conferences are a "cop-out" for ownership during an interview with beat writer Pete Caldera.

Speakers Craig Carton, Chris McMonigle, Pete Caldera

TopicsSports

SPEAKER_1 (0:06)

Sixers in town.

Craig Carton (0:09)

The good thing for LeBron is that he got to sleep at home tonight.

SPEAKER_3 (0:16)

No need for the helicopter.

SPEAKER_4 (0:18)

That's right.

SPEAKER_3 (0:20)

It's great.

Chris McMonigle (0:21)

Where's Tom Petori on that, by the way? Have we gotten to the bottom of the-

Craig Carton (0:23)

Well, Adam Silver was asked about it today. I guess he was making some of the media rounds. And he said, I don't know how to make this any clearer. There's no violation.

Michael Rubin does not own a percentage of the Sixers. And if his company wants to give LeBron James, who endorses their products, a helicopter, he's well within his rights to do so. Which is what I said from Minute One, that this is a ridiculous investigation. I guess you can't get them all right.

Do I want to hear the audio of Adam Silver? Not really. I just say what he said. Thank you for asking, though. I appreciate that. Yeah, like, it was a nothing burger from Jump Street.

Chris McMonigle (1:00)

Yeah.

Craig Carton (1:00)

And now the commissioner just confirmed it is still a nothing burger.

Chris McMonigle (1:04)

Nothing burger.

Craig Carton (1:04)

Everyone talks about Pablo Torre like he's the greatest investigative reporter of all time. He broke one story. And he owns it. It's his story. And he won a Pulitzer for it. So I'm not saying he's not good at that. Where's all the other stories?

Right?

SPEAKER_4 (1:20)

Yeah, I don't know.

Craig Carton (1:21)

Oh, that's right. Magicians don't really cut women in half. They got that one. Oh, the mentalist doesn't know everybody's pin code. Oh, wow. I'm so glad you write that ship. I was unaware.

Like, where's all the other great, brilliant, investigative reporting? Oh, I heard the Wu-Tang album. Because they called you and invited you over to listen to it.

Right? Like, what are you doing?

Chris McMonigle (1:45)

Is he trying to pretend like he found it somewhere and like a fat shelf of some...

Craig Carton (1:48)

Martin Screlli owned it, the Pharma boy guy that went to prison for changing prices of drugs or whatever it was. And I'm not sure who else owned it, but that person said, do you want to hear it? I'll play it for you.

SPEAKER_3 (2:01)

Wow. Oh, wow.

Craig Carton (2:06)

Like, it's like, oh, you win.

SPEAKER_3 (2:09)

Nothing.

Craig Carton (2:11)

Anyhow, I'm just excited. Perpetual smile on my face all day. Getting ready for tonight's Knick game. Here's Sebastian and Ron Conkama on the fan. Sebastian, good afternoon. How are you?

SPEAKER_4 (2:24)

What's up, guys? Happy opening day. That's right. I can't believe we're champions, man. I can't believe it.

Craig Carton (2:31)

It's the biggest opening night in 50 years.

SPEAKER_4 (2:33)

Yeah.

Yeah. So I wanted to ask you guys a question. So I see two happenings, two possibilities going on with this season. Either we run it back, we're great. There's no championship hangover, none of that, because we're ballers and we run it back and we do have a good season. Or on the flip side, we have a championship hangover and, you know, maybe at the trade deadline, we're not that good. That record is below 500 or something.

SPEAKER_6 (2:58)

It's impossible for that to happen.

Chris McMonigle (3:00)

Yeah, that would be-

SPEAKER_4 (3:01)

Or not below 500 or maybe we're a little underwhelming and front office hasn't extended Cat yet and they talk about-

Chris McMonigle (3:09)

I'm sorry, are you calling in today? Yes, he is. As we're about to crown them champions and give them rings and voice the banner, are you suggesting that we could be in a place where they trade Cat at the deadline? Is that the call?

Craig Carton (3:25)

That's where he's at.

Chris McMonigle (3:26)

He wanted to ask if there's a place they could be halfway through the year at the deadline where moving Cat would be possible?

Craig Carton (3:33)

Carl Anthony Towns has signed this year.

SPEAKER_3 (3:35)

He's got an option next year.

Craig Carton (3:37)

He's not going anywhere right now.

Chris McMonigle (3:38)

They just won the NBA Championship. They're not going to be under 500, and that can't be a Nick fan. That cannot be a Nick fan calling right now saying, what happens if they're not good this year? We should trade Cat.

SPEAKER_3 (3:48)

Tonight's a celebration.

Craig Carton (3:50)

That's what tonight is. Tonight's a celebration.

Chris McMonigle (3:53)

Oh, my God.

Craig Carton (3:55)

And here's the other good thing about tonight. While the Knicks are favorites now against the Sixers by four and a half, the late night game tonight out in San Antonio is Oklahoma City against San Antonio, which I also like because after watching the Knicks raise the banner, get the rings and beat the Sixers just to kind of plant their flag that I don't care how many 50-year-olds you bring in onto your roster, you still have Old Man and Bede and you have Old Man and LeBron and we're not that worried about you. I get to go from watching the Knicks win their opener against the Sixers to watching Oklahoma City go into San Antonio and get revenge for the Western Conference Finals last year and put Wembe back to his French love himself.

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