Hang Up and Listen
A weekly sports discussion from Slate.
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451
The Balls Can Ball Edition
Josh Levin, Stefan Fatsis, and Kevin Arnovitz discuss the DeMarcus Cousins trade and the Salt Lake Screaming Eagles, the football team whose fans call the plays. LaVar Ball also joins to talk about parenting and how his three sons will change basketball.
53 min
452
The Cupcakes Aren’t Soft Edition
Josh Levin, Mike Pesca, and Dan Steinberg discuss Patriots players spurning the White House. They also analyze Kevin Durant’s return to OKC and Dolan v. Oakley, and high school coach Kyle Allen joins to explain his effort to revolutionize basketball.
59 min
453
The Super Bowl of Super Bowls Edition
Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca discuss the Patriots’ epic Super Bowl comeback and the Falcons’ amazing collapse. Charles P. Pierce joins to discuss Tom Brady, and SB Nation’s Spencer Hall explains why the game was quintessentially Atlanta.
53 min
454
The He Still Hate Me Edition
Stefan Fatsis, Mike Pesca, and Josh Levin break down the Australian Open. Tim Layden also joins to discuss the sports ramifications of Trump’s refugee ban, and Rod Smart and Charlie Ebersol talk about the 30 for 30 documentary This Was the XFL.
67 min
455
The Lot of Ways to Lose Edition
Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Jack Hamilton talk about the Falcons’ and Patriots’ conference title game wins. Sports Illustrated’s Chris Ballard also joins to discuss the streaking 76ers, and they assess the Baseball Hall of Fame’s new inductees.
65 min
456
The Real Locker Room Edition
Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and special guest Nate Jackson talk about the NFL playoffs. They’re also joined by Don Yee to discuss his proposed pro football minor league and ESPN’s Ethan Sherwood Strauss to assess the 35-6 Golden State Warriors.
72 min
457
The Gitanic Edition
Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca talk about the New York Giants’ playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers and Odell Beckham’s pre-game boat trip. They also discuss the legacy of ESPN’s Chris Berman and the 2017 World Darts Championship.
66 min
458
The Triple-Double Entendre Edition
Josh Levin and Mike Pesca are joined by the Ringer’s Bryan Curtis to discuss the college football playoffs and the quarterback crisis in the NFL playoffs. They’re also joined by ESPN’s Kevin Pelton to examine the NBA’s sudden surge in triple-doubles.
66 min
459
The Legends of HUAL Edition
Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca talk with their favorite guests of 2016: Leicester City beat writer Rob Tanner; Mina Kimes of ESPN the Magazine, author of a profile of Martellus and Michael Bennett; and Ann Beaty, the widow of Zelmo Beaty.
51 min
460
The Most Cleveland Thing Ever Edition
Stefan Fatsis and Mike Pesca discuss the Minnesota football sexual assault invesigation with journalist Jessica Luther. They also talk about Ronda Rousey's UFC return with Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, and the year in Cleveland sports with writer Scott Raab.
68 min
461
The Dark Scorigami Edition
Stefan Fatsis and Mike Pesca are joined by ProPublica's David Epstein to discuss the Russian doping scandal. They also examine MLB offseason moves with ESPN's Sam Miller and discuss rare NFL final scores with Jon Bois of SB Nation.
73 min
462
The Japan's Babe Ruth Edition
Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca are joined by Yahoo’s Jeff Passan to discuss baseball’s new labor deal and Japanese star Shohei Otani. They also assess the Cavs’ J.R. Smith and George Dohrmann joins to talk about the NFL’s marketing to children.
66 min
463
The Call on the Field Does Not Stand Edition
Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca discuss Ohio State's double overtime victory over Michigan with Slate writer Ben Mathis-Lilley; US Soccer's firing of Jurgen Klinsmann; and the World Chess Championship with FiveThirtyEight's Oliver Roeder.
66 min
464
The It's Like a Whole Other Quarterback Edition
Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca discuss the success of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, talk with FiveThirtyEight's Neil Paine about Randall Cunningham's legacy, and speak with Puck Daddy's Greg Wyshynski about teenage NHL stars.
69 min
465
The Popovich for President Edition
Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca discuss post-election critiques from NBA coaches and Ernie Johnson's call for unity on Inside the NBA.
62 min
466
The Stick to Everything Edition
Josh Levin, Mike Pesca, and The Ringer's Bryan Curtis discuss the intersection of sports and politics, Alabama's college football dominance, and Harvard's cancellation of its men's soccer team’s season due to lewd “scouting reports” of women players.
62 min
467
The Cubs Win?!? Edition
Josh Levin, Stefan Fatsis, and Mike Pesca record a special emergency episode to discuss the Chicago Cubs’ Game 7 win over the Cleveland Indians.
27 min
468
The Kevin Hustle Plays Kabaddi Edition
Josh Levin, Stefan Fatsis, and Mike Pesca discuss the first five games of the World Series. They also interview Shaun Assael about The Murder of Sonny Liston and talk about the Kabaddi World Cup with writer Jemayel Khawaja and Team USA’s Kevin Hustle.
79 min
469
The Joy Is Retroactively Applied Edition
Josh Levin, Stefan Fatsis, and ESPN’s Pablo S. Torre discuss the Cubs-Indians World Series match-up and interpersonal drama in the NBA. Deadspin’s Diana Moskovitz also joins to talk about Josh Brown, Derrick Rose, and sports leagues and criminal justice.
73 min
470
The She's Big League Edition
Stars of the baseball playoffs, theories on the decline of the NFL’s television ratings, and the Fox show Pitch with former minor league baseball pitcher Ila Borders.
76 min
471
The Locker Room Talk Edition
Josh Levin, Stefan Fatsis, and Mike Pesca talk about the MLB playoffs and Donald Trump’s concept of “locker room talk.” They also interview Sports Illustrated’s S.L. Price about his book Playing Through the Whistle: Steel, Football, and an American Town.
70 min
472
The Humid Urgency of the South Edition
Stefan Fatsis and Mike Pesca talk about the Ryder Cup, MLB playoffs, and the wild weekend in college football.
63 min
473
The Short, Joyous Life of Jose Fernandez Edition
Stefan Fatsis and Mike Pesca talk about Jose Fernandez, the politics of Cubs' ownership, and Nate Jackson's new book on fantasy football.
62 min
474
The Fear of Flying Edition
Slate’s sports podcast on the whiteness of baseball and football players celebrating too early. Plus, an interview with Steph Davis about deaths in BASE-jumping.
65 min
475
The Zelmo the Hall of Famer Edition
Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca discuss whether the NFL’s on-field product is getting worse. They also speak with Paralympic goalball player John Kusku and interview Annie Beaty about her husband Zelmo’s induction in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
67 min