Hang Up And Listen

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Slate’s Jim Newell to discuss Tiger Woods’ near-win at the PGA Championship, SB Nation’s Spencer Hall talks about toxic college football cultures, and ESPN’s Sam Miller assesses the effectiveness of shifts in baseball. PGA (2:15): Brooks Koepka won the PGA Championship, but all eyes were on runner-up Tiger Woods. Is Tiger really back? And will Koepka finally get his time in the spotlight? College football (20:25): Has DJ Durkin coached his last game at Maryland? And why are we only hearing about the program’s abusive culture now? Defensive shifts (42:25): Shifts have been around for decades, but their use has skyrocketed in recent years. How effective are they? And do they suppress offense or boost it? Afterballs (58:19): Stefan on a recent Scrabble triumph and Josh on a teenage pole-vaulting prodigy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Levin is joined by Deadspin’s Laura Wagner and the New Yorker’s Vinson Cunningham to talk about Urban Meyer’s possible ouster at Ohio State, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees Terrell Owens and Ray Lewis, and the NFL’s new helmet rule.Urban Meyer (1:40): Ohio State has placed its head coach on administrative leave. Does that signal a societal shift in how institutions handle domestic violence?Pro Football Hall of Fame (23:36): Terrell Owens’ solo ceremony was a strange spectacle. So was Ray Lewis’ long speech in Canton, Ohio. What should we make of both players’ performances on stage and in their careers?Helmet rule (40:10): Will the NFL’s new ban on leading with the head change the game or will the league forget about enforcing it once the regular season begins?Afterballs (49:39): Laura stumps for the demise of five-set tennis matches, Vinson revels in watching NBA players destroy small children, and Josh describes the joys of the 2016 Classic Tetris World Championship. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/

Live from the airwaves of WRNT, the 50,000 watt scorching (yet fictitious) voice of Boston sports radio….it’s The Dougie and The Donk Show. On today’s episode we take a trip to a fantastical football universe. A new TV special about a notorious 2001 Patriots game asks a lot of crazy questions. Like what if quarterback Drew Bledsoe, the hero of Pats Nation, had been pulled and replaced by benchwarmer Tom Brady? And what if Bill Belichick took over for the Big Tuna? It’s a bunch of malarkey but we’ll give our guest Steve Kornacki a chance to explain before The Donk destroys him. And as always, we’ll take your calls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Dallas Wings star Liz Cambage to discuss the state of the WNBA. VeloNews’ Frederick Dreier talks about the Tour de France. Finally, Keith Barnes of the Mamie Johnson Little League talks his history-making team.Liz Cambage (1:42): The All-Star center has spoken out against basketball's gender wage gap and WNBA officiating. Will the league listen?Tour de France (19:25): What do we know about Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas? Is it good for cycling that the Chris Froome era is winding down? And what should we make of Lance Armstrong’s latest apology?Little League (38:04): A squad representing the Mamie "Peanut" Johnson Little League just became the first all-black team to win the Washington D.C. city championship. The league president explains how they got there. Afterballs(51:15): Stefan on a beloved Boston journalist who wrote about the ravages of the NFL and Josh on what LeBron James Jr. can learn from Michael Jordan’s kids. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by ESPN’s Howard Bryant to discuss the militarization of sports, Slate’s Christina Cauterucci talks about Jaelene Hinkle, and Deadspin’s Dom Cosentino assesses the future of flag football.Sports and the military (1:56): From flags the size of football fields to veterans throwing out the first pitch, sports and the military have become so closely tied since 9/11 that some forget it wasn’t always this way. What do veterans think of these patriotic pre-game displays?Jaelene Hinkle (19:08): Last year, the pro soccer player turned down a spot on the women’s national team because she didn’t want to wear a rainbow jersey during LGBTQ Pride Month. What should we make of U.S. Soccer’s decision to extend her another invitation?Flag football (36:39): The American Flag Football League just concluded its first complete season. As more and more kids are choosing not to play tackle football, is the flag version the future of the sport? Afterballs(56:12): Stefan on the Icelandic club V

Henry Grabar and Josh Levin are joined by Men in Blazers’ Roger Bennett to discuss the World Cup. Racquet Magazine’s Caitlin Thompson talks about Wimbledon. And Sports Illustrated’s Emma Baccellieri assesses the terrible Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals. World Cup (2:33): France won the World Cup with an average age of 25 years and 10 months. Is this the beginning of a French soccer dynasty? Wimbledon (20:12): Is Serena Williams’ remarkable comeback truly unprecedented: Also, Kevin Anderson and John Isner’s semifinal match lasted 6 hours and 36 minutes. Is it time to bring fifth-set tiebreakers to Wimbledon? Should men play three sets instead of five? Baseball (39:40): The Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals are on pace to be some of the worst teams of all time. Is that a problem the major leagues needs to try to solve? Afterballs(55:18): Henry on horse racing tracks and Josh on the bizarre shooting of Cubs shortstop Billy Jurges. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nick Greene and Josh Levin are joined by Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl to discuss the World Cup. The New Yorker’s Vinson Cunningham also joins to discuss Stephen A. Smith. Plus, an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim about Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.  World Cup (1:25): How will a young French team fare against Belgium’s front three? Will England’s reliance on a set piece–heavy offense end its tournament run? And is Croatia headed to penalties for the third straight game?  Stephen A. Smith (18:20): How did the talking head go from being one of the most hated people in sports media to becoming the face of ESPN? And what’s he really like in person? Federer-Nadal (38:04): Ten years ago, the pair went head to head in the greatest match ever played. The new documentary Strokes of Genius looks back at the 2008 Wimbledon final and their 15-year rivalry. Afterballs(55:22): Nick on a Chilean soccer scandal and Josh on flipping the order of penalty kicks and extra time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Slate’s Ben Mathis-Lilley to discuss LeBron to the Lakers, Sports Illustrated’s Luis Miguel Echegaray talks about the World Cup, and the Political Gabfest’s Emily Bazelon assesses the controversy over Luke Heimlich. LeBron (1:16): How will the NBA’s balance of power shift now that the league’s best player is on the West Coast? What does LeBron’s departure mean for Cleveland? And will the Lakers be able to compete with the Warriors? World Cup (27:26): How disappointed should Mexico be after yet another Round of 16 departure? Also, does Russia have a chance to win it all? Luke Heimlich (44:43): The Oregon State baseball star went undrafted after it came out that he’d pled guilty to a sex crime as a juvenile. Should he get a chance to play in the major leagues? Afterballs(1:11:58): Stefan on Pele in America and Josh on a new perspective for the penalty shootout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin discuss the World Cup with Ken Early of the Irish Times, the fate of the DH and Major League Baseball expansion with Ben Lindbergh of the Ringer, and killing the NBA draft with Jay Caspian Kang of Vice News. World Cup (2:00): Ken Early joins for a conversation about Argentina’s fall from grace, England’s impressive play, and Neymar’s meltdowns.Baseball (20:20): Ben Lindbergh explains why likely expansion and realignment in MLB will lead to the welcome death of pitchers hitting.  NBA draft (38:27): Jay Caspian Kang talks about how replacing the NBA player draft with an open auction would end tanking and empower players. Afterballs (58:05): Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin discuss the World Cup with Slate’s Nick Greene and Slate’s Jim Newell joins to talk about golf’s U.S. Open. Plus, an interview with BuzzFeed’s Ken Bensinger about his book on corruption in soccer, Red Card.  World Cup (2:20): Stefan, Josh, and Nick Greene discuss the start of the men’s World Cup in Russia, including exuberant Spanish-language goal calls, the World Cup debut of replay review, and whether American fans should root for archrival Mexico. U.S. Open (25:28): Stefan, Josh, and Jim Newell assess Brooks Koepka’s back-to-back wins at the U.S. Open, Phil Mickelson’s weird, possibly unethical putt, and everyone’s whining about the difficulty of the Shinnecock Hills course. Red Card (43:00): Stefan and Josh interview Ken Bensinger about how the U.S. got involved in investigating FIFA and what it was like to hang out at Sepp Blatter’s house. Afterballs (1:01:12):  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin to talk about LeBron James' next stop; by Bruce Arena to discuss why the U.S. missed the World Cup; and by Slate's Jayson De Leon for a conversation about who to root for in Russia.LeBron's future (2:21): Nobody knows where the world's best player will end up. But where should he go? (Josh thinks New Orleans.)U.S. soccer (21:52): Former U.S. men's national team head coach Bruce Arena shares his thoughts on why Team USA missed the World Cup for the first time in 1986. Who to root for in the World Cup (39:28): Slate's Jayson De Leon stumps for Peru. How about Argentina? Perhaps Egypt?Afterballs(57:48):  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin discuss the NBA finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors and the crazy story of anonymous Twitter accounts linked to Philadelphia 76ers GM Bryan Colangelo. Hockey writer Greg Wyshynski of ESPN joins the show to discuss the Stanley Cup finals between the Washington Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights.NBA Finals (3:10): Stefan and Josh talk to Ethan Strauss of The Athletic about the first two games of the NBA finals.Bryan Colangelo (34:27): Stefan, Josh, and Ethan discuss the fallout from the discovery of Twitter burner accounts that revealed details about inner workings of the Philadelphia 76ers.NHL Finals (54:08): Stefan and Josh talk to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski about the Stanley Cup finals between the Washington Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by ESPN’s Kevin Pelton to discuss the fourth straight Cavs-Warriors NBA Finals. NPR’s Gene Demby also joins to talk about the NFL’s anthem policy, and Deadspin’s Laura Wagner comes on for a conversation about her piece “So Who Is Barstool’s PFT Commenter?”Warriors and Cavaliers (2:16): Kevin Pelton explains whether the Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics should’ve stopped shooting 3-pointers, how to predict playoff outcomes when teams don’t try their hardest during the regular season, and what to watch out for in the latest Warriors-Cavs championship series. NFL’s new anthem policy (21:46): Gene Demby talks with Stefan and Josh about the motivation behind the NFL’s new stand-or-else national anthem policy and how the league’s players will respond. PFT Commenter and Barstool Sports (41:32): Deadspin’s Laura Wagner assesses why media outlets haven’t revealed Eric Sollenberger’s identity and how his PFT Commenter character helps make Barstool Sports palatable. Afterballs (6

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Athletic’s Marcus Thompson to discuss the Warriors and Steph Curry. Bloomberg’s Ira Boudway also joins to talk about legalized sports betting, and John Swansburg helps assess Tom Wolfe’s classic piece on NASCAR driver Junior Johnson. Golden State Warriors (4:20): With Steph Curry looking spry and healthy, can anyone stop the NBA’s best team? And what’s the deal with Curry’s mom fining him for cursing? Legalized sports betting (26:15): The Supreme Court’s huge ruling will change how leagues operate and how fans wager. Bloomberg’s Ira Boudway explains the ramifications. Tom Wolfe on Junior Johnson (44:35): Tom Wolfe’s Esquire piece “The Last American Hero Is Junior Johnson. Yes!” is a classic of new journalism. What did Wolfe get right about Johnson and NASCAR and what did he miss? Afterballs (1:11:40):  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stefan Fatsis and guest host Mike Pesca discuss the start of the NBA conference finals and the debate over the debate over who’s the greatest, Michael Jordan or LeBron James. Stefan talks to Roger Bennett of Men In Blazers about Wayne Rooney’s reported move to America and Roger’s new book, Men in Blazers Present Encyclopedia Blazertannica. And Stefan and Mike are joined by Nate DiMeo to discuss his essay in Mike’s new book, Upon Further Review, about the alternate history of tug-of-war. NBA (1:42): Stefan and Mike discuss Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, Michael v. LeBron, and Charles v. Shaq.Wayne Rooney (22:04): Stefan and Roger Bennett of Men In Blazers talk about English striker Wayne Rooney’s reported move to D.C. United of Major League Soccer.Tug-of-War (40:24): Stefan and Mike talk to Nate DiMeo about imagining what would have happened if tug-of-war hadn’t been kicked out of the Olympics a century ago.Afterballs (56:01):  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stefan Fatsis is joined by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin to break down the epic buzzer-beater by LeBron James in Game 3 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference playoffs and by hockey writer Sean McIndoe to discuss the Stanley Cup playoffs. Slate’s Christina Cauterucci and Juliet Macur of the New York Times talk about the exploitative treatment of NFL cheerleaders. And ESPN’s Sam Miller explains how there were more strikeouts than hits in the major leagues in a month for the first time ever.LeBron (3:15): Stefan and ESPN’s Dave McMenamin conduct a forensic breakdown of LeBron James’s seemingly impossible game-winning shot against the Toronto Raptors.NHL playoffs (21:39): Stefan and hockey writer Sean McIndoe discuss the Vegas Golden Knights, the Winnipeg Jets, a rare playoff suspension, and Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins licking his opponents.Cheerleaders (43:50): Slate’s Christina Cauterucci and Juliet Macur of the New York Times talk with Stefan about Juliet’s reporting on the treatment of cheerleaders for Washington’s

Josh Levin, Wosny Lambre, and Ethan Sherwood Strauss discuss the NBA playoffs. They also talk about Meek Mill’s release from prison and his relationship with the 76ers, and they ponder quarterback Josh Allen’s old, racial-slur-laden tweets. NBA playoffs (2:20): Josh, Wos, and Ethan assess the state of the Oklahoma City Thunder and the NBA’s most polarizing player, Russell Westbrook. They also examine LeBron James’ latest triumph and check in on the state of the Golden State Warriors. Meek Mill (22:35): Upon his release from prison, the Philadelphia rapper headed straight to the Sixers’ game against the Miami Heat. How did Mill forge such a tight connection with the team, and how did he become a cause célèbre for criminal justice reformers? Josh Allen (37:23): The Wyoming quarterback’s tweets were publicized the night before the NFL draft. Should we care about Allen’s social media misadventures, and how should we think about athletes’ old tweets more broadly? Afterballs (56:00):  Hosted on Acast. See acast.co

Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis discuss the NBA playoffs with Slate’s Nick Greene. The Irish Times’ Ken Early joins to talk about Arsene Wenger’s departure as Arsenal’s manager, and the MMQB’s Tim Rohan explores the history of the mock draft. NBA playoffs (2:00): The hosts are joined by Nick Greene to assess the first round, which has featured standout play from the Philadelphia 76ers, a shocking sweep by the New Orleans Pelicans, and LeBron James’ efforts to drag a subpar supporting cast past the Indiana Pacers. Arsene Wenger (21:25): Ken Early explains why the legendary Arsenal manager’s tenure went south and what his legacy will be in the Premier League. Mock drafts (40:30): Where did mock drafts come from and how have they eaten the world? Tim Rohan, who did an oral history of the mock draft for Sports Illustrated’s MMQB, comes on the show to explain. Afterballs (53:25):  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis discuss the musical Small Ball with Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell joins to talk about why the NFL is bad at scouting quarterbacks, and The Good Place’s Mike Schur explains his love for Dan Le Batard. Small Ball (1:55): The day after the Rockets’ win in Game 1 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, general manager Daryl Morey talks about his passion for musical theater, which led him to commission a basketball-themed musical. Quarterbacks (18:00): Why can’t the NFL separate the Akili Smiths from the Carson Wentzes? Bill Barnwell crunched the numbers for ESPN and joins the show to theorize about why the league can’t figure out which signal-callers to draft. Dan Le Batard (37:39): Mike Schur, the creator of Parks and Recreation and The Good Place, discusses why he’s obsessed with the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz and what makes it such a special radio show. Afterballs(57:17):  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis discuss Patrick Reed’s Masters win with Slate’s Jim Newell. The Toronto Star’s Bruce Arthur also joins to talk about the Humboldt bus crash, and the Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh helps assess Shohei Ohtahi’s amazing week. Masters (1:36): Jim Newell explains why first-time major champion Patrick Reed is so widely loathed, and they discuss whether we should be repulsed by Reed or feel bad for him. Canadian hockey tragedy (20:43): The bus crash in Saskatchewan that killed 10 youth hockey players and five adults joins a long list of horrifying sports accidents. Bruce Arthur and the hosts talk about the legacy of those events and the special place junior hockey holds in Canadian society. Baseball (31:26): Ben Lindbergh prognosticates about whether Los Angeles Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani can keep up his amazing pitching and hitting. They also chat about Giancarlo Stanton’s slow start and Gabe Kapler’s bizarre managing decisions. Afterballs(51:37):  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m