Hang Up and Listen

Joel Anderson and Josh Levin are joined by the Washington Post’s Ben Golilver to talk about the NBA’s conference semifinals. Jackie Powell of the Next also joins to preview all the big storylines leading into the most-anticipated WNBA season ever. Finally, one of the WNBA’s top draft picks in 2023, Maddy Siegrist, explains what the 2024 rookie class can expect in their first year as pros.

NBA playoffs (3:29): The Nuggets aren’t dead yet and the Knicks are held together with duct tape.

WNBA (21:25): Caitlin Clark’s debut, the Aces going for three in a row, and the rollout of charter flights.

Siegrist (39:49): The second-year player for the Dallas Wings on adjusting to the WNBA.

Afterball (56:22): Joel on the seeming demise of the Arena Football League.

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Joel Anderson, Josh Levin, and NPR’s Gene Demby look back at the epic first-round series between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers. They also check in on the chaos inside Deion Sanders’ Colorado football program. Finally, Alex Prewitt joins Joel, Josh, and Stefan Fatsis to examine why Korean basketball players bank in their free throws.

Knicks- Sixers (2:25): How New York came out on top and what’s next for Philly.

Colorado (19:03): What happened to all the players Coach Prime booted?

Banked-in free throws (34:26): A deep dive into a mysterious phenomenon.

Afterball (49:15): Josh on the Shaq-Kobe NBA (and rap) beef. 

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Joel Anderson, Josh Levin, and Slate’s Alex Kirshner discuss the quarterback frenzy at the top of the NFL draft and Anthony Edwards’ star-making performances in the NBA playoffs. Then, Josh and Stefan Fatsis are joined by cross-country skiing broadcaster Chad Salmela to talk about the remarkable Jessie Diggins.

QBs in the NFL draft (4:23): Was the Falcons’ Michael Penix pick a big mistake?

Edwards (18:44): The Timberwolves guard looks ready for the spotlight.

Diggins (34:06): Why everyone should root for the American skiing sensation.

Afterballs (56:38 ): Joel on "Machine Gun" Molly Bolin and WNBA.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by writer Tom Haberstroh to discuss Jontay Porter’s lifetime ban from the NBA for gambling. The Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh also joins to talk about the scourge of pitcher injuries in Major League Baseball and what MLB should do to get the crisis under control.

Jontay Porter (2:51): What his ban augurs for the future of pro sports and betting.

Pitcher injuries (26:17): What is MLB doing about them? Is it too late?

Afterball (47:02): Stefan on why the Ivy League’s best basketball players are transferring.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin, discuss the death of O.J. Simpson and everything his life and his murder trial dredged up. They’re also joined by Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports for a breakdown of the NBA playoffs.

O.J. Simpson's legacy (2:05): Reckoning with the meaning of O.J.

NBA Playoffs (23:45): Breaking down the upcoming playoff picture.

Afterball (41:42): Joel on O.J. Simpson’s long and not so successful sportscasting career.

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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Athletic’s Chantel Jennings to talk about South Carolina’s victory over Iowa. They also ponder Caitlin Clark’s WNBA future, John Calipari’s reported move to Arkansas, and Tennessee’s decision to move beyond the Pat Summitt coaching tree. Finally, Sam Koppelman joins to discuss Hunterbrook Media’s new report on Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia’s mortgage company and how Hunterbrook is trying to use journalism to make money in the stock market.

South Carolina-Iowa (1:42): How the Gamecocks took down the Hawkeyes.

Caitlin Clark and big coaching moves (14:45): How will the Iowa star perform in the pros? And what’s next for the Kentucky men’s and Tennessee women’s basketball programs?

Ishbia (34:26): Breaking down a new story on the NBA and mortgage lending and assessing a new journalistic business model.

Afterball (55:51): Josh on Sports Illustrated’s 1955 baseball preview, featuring Willie Mays, Leo Durocher, and Laraine Day.

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Joel Anderson and Stefan Fatsis are joined by USA Today’s Lindsay Schnell to talk about the NCAA women’s college basketball tournament and by Buzzer’s Eamonn Brennan to discuss the men’s tournament. Finally, the Washington Post’s Kent Babb joins for a conversation about his profile of Kim Mulkey.

NCAA women (5:55): Can anyone beat South Carolina?

NCAA men (23:02): Why everyone loves North Carolina State’s DJ Burns Jr.

Mulkey profile (38:31): Kent Babb on his reporting process and everything that came after.

Afterball (1:00:33): Stefan on chess pioneer Lisa Lane.

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Want more Hang Up and Listen? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page, or visit slate.com/hangupplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Joel Anderson, Josh Levin, and Ben Mathis-Lilley talk about whether college hoops has passed by John Calipari and why Oakland’s Jack Gohlke became a folk hero. They also discuss Kim Mulkey’s preemptive strike against the Washington Post and what to make of the strange story of Shohei Ohtani, his interpreter, and massive gambling debts.

NCAA tournament (4:06): The strangeness of tourneys that have mostly gone to form.

Mulkey (23:07): The LSU women’s basketball coach goes on the attack … over a story that hasn’t been published.

Ohtani (39:24): Trying to make sense of a very confusing series of events.

Afterball (50:56): Josh on Kobe Elvis.

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Want more Hang Up and Listen? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page, or visit slate.com/hangupplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the top storylines going into March Madness. They also assess the NFL’s big quarterback moves. Finally, they discuss the greatest Scrabble play of all time and the fascinating Kiwi who made it.

March Madness (5:20): Brown’s Ivy League loss, the possible showdowns in the women’s bracket, and more.

NFL QBs (26:56): Were the Steelers smart to get Russell Wilson AND Justin Fields?

Nigel Richards (41:44): A singular moment of Scrabble genius from a singular player.

Afterball (51:23): Joel on the Mississippi Valley State men’s basketball team’s lone victory and the student announcers who called it.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by Great Expectations author Vinson Cunningham to talk about the fracas between the LSU and South Carolina women’s basketball teams. They also discuss Steve Garvey, DEI in Florida, and other intersections between sports and politics in 2024.

Women’s hoops (3:24): In so many ways, this weekend showed that this sport has the juice.

Sports and politics (22:07): How athletes are influencing politics and policy this election year.

Afterball (43:01): Josh on the U.S. women’s national team’s Gold Cup victory and what it all means.

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