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Josh Levin interviews the Athletic’s John Hollinger about his career inside and outside the NBA. Topics discussed include the rise of Luka Doncic, how Hollinger came up with player efficiency rating, his tenure with the Memphis Grizzlies, and trading Marc Gasol.
Luka Doncic (02:15): How the 20-year-old became a star and how he could keep getting better.
PER (07:55): The birth of the NBA’s most popular all-in-one statistic.
Grizzlies (24:15): The highs and lows of the 2013 and 2015 playoffs.
Marc Gasol (44:17): The ins and outs oftrading one of the Grizzlies’ franchise players.
Afterball (51:25): Josh on the inventor of the Nerf football.
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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Nate Jackson to discuss Colin Kaepernick’s workout and Myles Garrett’s helmet smash; the Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh assesses the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scheme; and Asif Kapadia talks about his documentary Diego Maradona.
Kaepernick and Garrett (02:58): Did Kaepernick hurt his chances to play in the NFL? And what should we make of Garrett’s burst of anger?
Sign-stealing (24:59): Did the Astros do anything that other teams didn’t do? How effective is sign-stealing anyway?
Diego Maradona (49:49): The director of Senna and Amy on how he made a film about Diego Maradona and what he learned about the soccer legend.
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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Banner Society’s Spencer Hall to discuss LSU’s win over Alabama; by Slate’s Joel Anderson to chat about the NCAA going after Ohio State’s Chase Young and Memphis’ James Wiseman; and by the New York Times’ Lindsay Crouse to talk about runner Mary Cain’s allegations of abuse against Nike and coach Alberto Salazar.
LSU-Alabama (02:17): How the Tigers broke their losing streak against the Tide.
NCAA (22:51): The foolishness of amateurism enforcement is on display in the Young and Wiseman cases.
Mary Cain (43:53): How the young runner’s allegations could change women’s sports.
Afterballs (01:05:16): Stefan on Jeff Bezos and the NFL and Josh on Don Cherry’s “you people” rant.
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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by former Deadspin staffers Megan Greenwell, Tom Ley, and Barry Petchesky to discuss the site’s demise and what caused it. Topics covered include the conflicts between writers, editors, and management; journalism and private equity; and how Deadspin evolved.
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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh to discuss the Astros’ massive World Series comeback. Deadspin’s Laura Wagner also joins to talk about Houston’s front office debacle, and the New Yorker’s Vinson Cunningham assesses Week 1 of the NBA season.
World Series (03:37): How Houstonturned it around and how Max Scherzer’s neck undid Washington.
Astros front office (22:34): What the Astros’ arrogance reveals about the culture of baseball.
NBA (39:22): Overreacting to the Warriors’ awful start, rookie Ja Morant’s star turn, and more.
Afterballs (57:16): Stefan on the last gasps of segregation in baseball and Josh searches for a seven-game series without a home win.
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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by ESPN’s Jeff Passan to discuss the World Series matchup between the Astros and Nationals. The Ringer’s Kevin Clark also joins to talk about the Rams’ deal for Jalen Ramsey, and Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl assesses the U.S. men’s national soccer team.
World Series (01:45): How Houston and Washington made it and what to watch for when they square off.
Jalen Ramsey (19:47): Are the Rams outsmarting the rest of the NFL or outsmarting themselves?
U.S. soccer (34:59): Gregg Berhalter’s gotten off to a rough start. Is it time for the USMNT to cut bait and start over?
Afterballs (53:18): Stefan on the genius of @DonZemmer and Josh on a baseball walk-off conundrum.
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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Athletic’s Ethan Strauss to talk about LeBron James’ comments on China; the Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh discusses the Nationals’ playoff run and why baseballs aren’t flying as far; and Ed Caesar assesses marathon record breakers Eliud Kipchoge and Brigid Kosgei.
LeBron, the NBA, and China (02:19): Why the league’s travails are getting worse, and what the NBA can (and should) do about them.
MLB playoffs (20:50): The Nationals’ starting pitching triumphs and the decline of home runs in the postseason, explained.
Marathoners (40:03): How Eliud Kipchoge broke the two-hour barrier and Brigid Kosgei shattered the women’s world record.
Afterballs (58:59): Stefan on CTE romance novels and Josh on shaking press boxes.
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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Slate’s Joshua Keating to talk about the NBA’s China kerfuffle. ESPN’s Sam Miller also joins to discuss the baseball playoffs and David Epstein assesses Alberto Salazar’s doping suspension and the world track and field championships in Qatar. NBA and China (02:02): How Daryl Morey’s tweet about the Hong Kong protests instigated an international incident and what the NBA should do about it. MLB playoffs (17:29): Does the Nationals’ bullpen strategy make sense? Can anyone beat the Astros? Salazar and Qatar (35:42): Why the legendary track coach got suspended, and what to make of the hot and poorly attended world track and field championships. Afterballs (55:26): Stefan on carrying jockstraps and Josh on a DVR patent war.
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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Slate’s Allison Benedikt to answer your questions about youth sports. Topics covered include whether and how to teach your kids how to talk trash, how to balance sports time with family leisure time, and whether it’s ethical to watch football if you don’t want your child to play football.
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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Undefeated’s Jesse Washington to talk about the latest allegations against Antonio Brown and the story of a high school wrestler who was instructed to cut off his dreadlocks. The Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh also assesses the disappointing Cubs and Red Sox and the surprising Twins. Antonio Brown (01:17): What we should make of the latest twists in the Brown saga, and what the Patriots should be forced to reckon with after signing Brown and then releasing him. Andrew Johnson (21:15): The high schooler went viral after a referee told him to cut his dreadlocks or forfeit his match. Here’s the story behind that story. Cubs, Red Sox, and Twins (36:05): What went wrong for the Cubs and Red Sox and how can they fix their problems? And what went right for the Twins? Afterballs (58:20): Stefan on powder-puff football and Josh on the Cubs on WGN.
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