Hang Up And Listen

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin discuss NBA playoff beefs with Slate’s Nick Greene. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski joins to talk about the NHL playoffs. Finally, Sports Illustrated’s Jack Dickey assesses Jeopardy! genius James Holzhauer. NBA beefs (4:07): Durant vs. Beverley.Dudley vs. Simmons. Westbrook vs. Lillard. What’s the best NBA beef, and which postseason beef needs more seasoning? NHL playoffs (24:12): How did the Tampa Bay Lightning get bounced after putting together one of the best regular seasons ever? James Holzhauer (40:52): The secrets of the quiz-show savant who’s destroying the Jeopardy! record books. Afterballs (57:09): Stefan on Kate Smith and the Flyers and Josh on the first player to palm a basketball. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin discuss Tiger Woods’ Masters win with Slate’s Jim Newell. The New Yorker’s Vinson Cunningham joins to talk about Kyle Korver’s essay on white privilege. Finally, ESPN’s Jeff Passan explains the logic behind Ozzie Albies’ awful contract. Tiger Woods (1:55): His win at the Masters was an all-time great sports moment. Here’s how we’ll remember it. Kyle Korver (24:32): What he got right in his Players’ Tribune essay on race and the NBA and what he left out. Ozzie Albies (44:55): If the young Braves star is happy with the “worst contract ever” then do other players have the right to complain? Afterballs (1:01:09): Stefan on the photographer Robert Riger and Josh on the Claudine Longet Invitational. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin discuss the women’s NCAA tournament with Lindsay Gibbs of ThinkProgress. Sports Illustrated’s Chris Ballard also joins to talk about Giannis Antetokounmpo. Finally, Slate’s Jim Newell assesses Donald Trump’s cheating on the golf course. NCAA tournament (2:01): How did Baylor beat defending champ Notre Dame? And what should we make of Baylor coach Kim Mulkey and Notre Dame’s Muffet McGraw? Giannis (25:59): How coach Mike Budenholzer helped transform the Milwaukee Bucks and gave the Greek Freak space to become the NBA MVP. Trump and golf (40:44): Does Rick Reilly’s reporting on Trump’s cheating tell us anything about the president that we didn’t already know? Afterballs(58:50): Stefan on the history of the participation trophy and Josh on burning infields. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis and Mike Pesca break down the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four and are joined by Lindsay Gibbs of ThinkProgress to discuss the women’s tournament. Ben Lindbergh of the Ringer talks about the new Major League Baseball season. And author Wayne Coffey comes on to discuss his new book, They Said It Couldn’t Be Done, about the miracle New York Mets of 1969. Basketball (2:40): Despite one of the greatest collections of young talent ever, Duke didn’t make the Final Four. Despite a perceived snub of a No. 2 seed, the Connecticut women did.  Baseball (28:14): Major League Baseball has a labor problem: It has stopped overpaying older free agents but isn’t compensating its best young players at market rates. Mets (48:38): Fifty years ago, the New York Mets went from one of the worst franchises in the history of pro sports to World Series champs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin discuss Duke’s crazy NCAA Tournament win over UCF. They also talk about Michigan State coach Tom Izzo’s sideline behavior, and Ian Eagle joins the show to explain how play-by-play announcers call buzzer-beaters. Duke-UCF (1:14): How the Blue Devils pulled it out, and how Zion vs. Tacko lived up to its advance billing. Tom Izzo (14:20): Assessing the national conversation about Izzo’s anger issues and how coaches should treat players. Buzzer-beaters (34:48): CBS’ Ian Eagle describes how he calls game-winning plays and explains the elements of a memorable call. Afterballs(57:32): Stefan on the origins of the term “punch drunk” and Josh on Canadian superjocks and immigration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Ben Mathis-Lilley talk about the field for this year’s NCAA tournament and Zion Williamson’s return to the court. They also discuss the college admissions scandal and the Giants’ move to trade Odell Beckham Jr. to the Browns. March Madness (1:55): Did the selection committee get it right? Will Zion dominate the tournament? Should you root for LSU or Yale? College admissions scandal (22:00): The best tidbits from Operation Varsity Blues. Plus: Is the bribery at issue here a massive problem or a minor issue? Odell Beckham Jr. (39:50): Why the Giants traded their best player. (Spoiler alert: It makes no sense.) Afterballs(54:48): Ben on Terance Mann and Sam Malone, Josh on Raycom Sports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin talk about the basketball recruiting scandal at LSU. The New York Times’ Joe Drape also joins to discuss the deaths of 21 horses at Santa Anita Park. Finally, the Ringer’s Bryan Curtis assesses the sportswriter Dan Jenkins, who died last week at age 90. LSU (1:48): Should webe outraged about what we heard basketball coach Will Wade say on an FBI wiretap? Is Wade a villain or a victim? Horse racing (21:53): Why have so many horses died at Santa Anita in such a short period of time? What can be done to stop the epidemic? Dan Jenkins (38:14): What made the sportswriting legend a sportswriting legend. Afterballs (58:30): Stefan on Marxist sportswriter Mike Jay and Josh on the NCAA’s NET rating system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Jemele Hill of the Atlantic to discuss what’s gone wrong with LeBron James and the Lakers. They also talk about Bryce Harper’s $330 million deal with the Phillies and Jason Witten’s return to football after a year in the broadcast booth. LeBron (1:18): We knew the Lakers star would have a tough road in the Western Conference. We didn’t know it would be this tough. Bryce Harper (17:04): Was the Phillies’ record-setting outlay wise or foolish? Will Philly fans embrace Harper or boo him? Jason Witten (29:31): The Cowboys tight end had a rough first year on Monday Night Football. Is that why he’s hanging up his microphone and heading back to the field? Afterballs (45:56): Stefan on Bill Walton and Jack Scott and Josh on a crazy high school basketball ending. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Damon Young to discuss Zion Williamson and the NCAA. ESPN’s Scott Eden also joins to talk about disgraced NBA ref Tim Donaghy and Deadspin’s Dvora Meyers assesses whether breaking should be an Olympic sport. Zion Williamson (1:24): In the aftermath of his shoe explosion and knee injury, should the 18-year-old superstar leave college basketball for good? Tim Donaghy (19:46): ESPN investigated the referee for two years and found evidence that he fixed games. What should we make of his (and the NBA’s) continued denials? Breaking (40:51): If it becomes an Olympic sport, what will it look like and who will profit from it? This episode is brought to you by Capterra. Try it today, for free, at Capterra.com/HANGUP. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Levin is joined by Robert Lipsyte to discuss the settlement between the NFL and ex-49ers Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid. Sean Forman also joins to explain how he built Sports Reference and Tom Junod talks about his article on his father and sports gambling. Colin Kaepernick (3:10): Robert Lipsyte opines on whether Kaepernick or the league emerged victorious and what the next step is for the quarterback. Sports Reference (25:57): Sean Forman’s network of sites gets more than 1 billion pageviews per year. He explains how it got started and how it works as a business. Gambling (44:54): Tom Junod details how illegal sports betting helped bring his father to ruin and brought his family closer together. Afterball (60:05): Josh on the pioneering 7-footer Elmore Morgenthaler. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Levin, NPR’s Gene Demby, and the New Yorker’s Vinson Cunninham discuss the big moves and non-moves at the NBA trade deadline. They also talk about Steven Soderbergh’s new NBA lockout movie High Flying Bird and the nascent Alliance of American Football. NBA trades (1:25): Anthony Davis isn’t going to the Lakers (yet) and Markelle Fultz is leaving Philly. How does that shift the league’s balance of power on the court and between players and management? High Flying Bird (22:05): A rare movie about sports and business with a pro-labor point of view, and that thinks seriously about race. AAF (39:56): Did this new spring football league learn from the XFL’s mistakes or is it doomed to repeat them? Afterball(51:45): Josh on the best comparison for Zion Williamson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Slate’s Ben Mathis-Lilley discuss the Patriots’ putrid Super Bowl win over the Rams. The Ringer’s Bryan Curtis also joins to assess Tony Romo’s performance. Finally, they critique the Knicks’ Kristaps Porzingis trade. Super Bowl (1:32): It was a bad game. Very bad. How did the defenses muck things up in such an offense-dominated season? Tony Romo (21:21): The CBS star didn’t have much great material to work with. Did he shine anyway? Porzingis (39:23): Ben says the Knicks’ move to deal their best player was “fandom-destroying.” Some smart analysts disagree. Who’s right? Afterballs (52:55): Stefan on Chip Oliver and Josh on “left, right, left, right, sit down!” This episode is brought to you by Capterra. Try it today, for free, at Capterra.com/HANGUP. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Courtney Nguyen to talk about Naomi Osaka’s Australian Open win. The Wall Street Journal’s Louise Radnofsky also joins to assess the U.S. figure skating championships, and the Washington Post’s Candace Buckner discusses NBA players’ feet. Naomi Osaka (6:22): The 21-year-old backed up her U.S. Open victory with a second grand slam title. Has Osaka matured in the last five months, and how should we reconcile her shyness and on-court toughness? Figure skating (22:50): What you need to know about U.S. champions Alysa Liu (she’s 13!) and Nathan Chen. Plus, Gracie Gold opened up about her battle with depression. NBA feet (44:01): Everything you maybe don’t want to know about basketball players’ disgusting toes. Afterballs(58:55): Stefan on the Dane who invented modern team handball and Josh on the biggest feet in NBA history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by The Gist’s Mike Pesca to discuss the NFL’s conference championship games. ESPN’s Steve Fainaru also joins to talk about the collapsing football insurance market, and Ben Lindbergh of the Ringer assesses baseball’s ice-cold free agent market. NFL playoffs (3:51): The Saints got robbed. Does that mean the NFL should institute instant replay for pass interference? Also: Is there anything new to say about the Patriots? Football and insurance (32:44): It’s getting harder and harder for the NFL and other football entities to get insurance coverage. Does that mean the sport is on the verge of collapse? MLB free agency (50:01): With spring training getting closer, superstars Bryce Harper and Manny Machado remain unsigned. What’s going to break the impasse? Afterballs (68:05): Stefan on “good from 70” and Josh on Mike Tice’s Super Bowl ticket scalping. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Levin is here to introduce you to What Next, Slate's new daily news podcast. UCLA’s Katelyn Ohashi wowed the internet this week with a viral video of her college gymnastics floor routine. As Ohashi’s star rises, the U.S. women’s gymnastics program is imploding. Fans of the sport wonder: What is the price of being world-class? Slate contributor Rebecca Schumann joins What Next host Mary Harris to investigate. Subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts or sending an email to whatnext@slate.com. Follow us on Instagram for updates on the show. Podcast production by Mary Wilson and Jayson De Leon, with help from Danielle Hewitt.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by The Football Girl’s Melissa Jacobs to discuss the NFL playoffs. They also talk about the state of black coaches in the NFL and Racquet’s Caitlin Thompson helps assess the career of the (possibly) retiring Andy Murray. NFL playoffs (1:16): What we saw in the divisional round—Pats! Chiefs! Rams! Saints!—and what to expect in the conference championship games. Black NFL coaches (23:18): There were recently 7 black head coaches in the NFL. Now there are 2. What happened, and what should be done to increase minority representation on the sidelines? Andy Murray (36:27): Is the fourth member of men’s tennis’ Big Four really done with the sport? And why does everyone love the three-time major champion? Afterballs (53:51): Stefan on Penn basketball player Matt White and Josh on odd football tiebreakers. This episode is brought to you by Capterra. Try it today, for free, at Capterra.com/HANGUP. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Slate’s Nick Greene to discuss the NFL’s wild card weekend. Jonathan Tjarks of the Ringer also joins to talk about James Harden and Roger Bennett of Men in Blazers assesses Chelsea’s acquisition of Christian Pulisic. NFL playoffs (1:56): Lamar Jackson was bad, Cody Parkey doinked another field goal, and more happening from the opening weekend of the pro football postseason. James Harden (21:30): The Houston Rockets guard is shooting 3-pointers at a record-setting rate. Can he possible sustain this pace? Christian Pulisic (36:38): How much did marketing factor into Chelsea’s decision to sign the young American? And is the English mega-club the right place for the 20-year-old to develop his game? Afterballs(47:25): Stefan on ties (they’re OK!) and Josh on college football’s targeting rule (it’s bad!) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin take listener questions in a special year-end call-in show. Topics include which sports movies are the most realistic, what sports story would make for a great season of Slow Burn, and what would happen if women’s sports were the only ones broadcast on television. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Shirley Wang to talk about her dad’s friendship with Charles Barkley. Jane Leavy also joins to discuss her Babe Ruth biography The Big Fella, and ESPN’s Joel Anderson helps assess the Mike Tyson-Buster Douglas documentary 42 to 1. Lin Wang and Charles Barkley (1:50): Why Shirley Wang’s story about their unlikely friendship had such a profound effect on so many people. Babe Ruth (14:20): Jane Leavy explains how the Bambino changed sports and celebrity culture, and how she debunked myths about Ruth’s childhood. 42 to 1 (34:42): Looking back at one of the greatest upsets in the history of sports, and pondering what we should make of Mike Tyson and Buster Douglas today. Afterballs(53:54): Stefan on Babe Ruth’s best nickname and Josh’s continuing Pat Summerall / House of Buggin’ quest. This episode is brought to you by Simplisafe. Start protecting your home today at simplisafe.com/HANGUP. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the New Yorker’s Vinson Cunningham. They discuss Raheem Sterling and racism in English soccer, the 25th anniversary of the FOX-NFL alliance (with the Ringer’s Bryan Curtis), and Stephen Curry’s comments about the moon landing being a hoax. Raheem Sterling (2:26): How an Instagram post started a much-needed conversation about race, society, and soccer. Fox and the NFL (21:57): Rupert Murdoch’s $1.6 billion deal changed the network and pro football forever. What were the biggest repercussions and missed opportunities? Stephen Curry and the moon (39:10): Does Curry really believe that the moon landing was faked or was he just trying to go viral like Kyrie Irving? Afterballs(51:04): Vinson on the “modern NBA,” Stefan on the origin of the game ball, and Josh on Pat Summerall and House of Buggin’. This episode is brought to you by the following advertisers: SimpliSafe, protect your home today with twenty-four seven monitoring for just fifteen dollars a month, visit sim