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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the likely and unlikely heroes of the 2020 World Series. ESPN’s Myron Medcalf also comes on to talk about how the pandemic is affecting college sports “have nots” like UC Riverside. Finally, the hosts are joined by … a mystery guest!

World Series (02:02): Where did Brett Phillips come from? And how did Clayton Kershaw transform his postseason legacy?

UC Riverside (20:34): Why this Division I school is considering eliminating sports entirely.

Mystery guest (37:31): A sports innovator joins the show. Will Joel and Stefan be able to guess who he is?

Afterball (55:14): Josh on Andrew Giuliani’s failed lawsuit after he got kicked off the Duke University golf team.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by the Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh to discuss the World Series matchup between the Dodgers and the Rays. They also discuss Billy Beane reportedly leaving the Oakland A’s and Daryl Morey departing the Houston Rockets. Finally, they assess an Atlantic piece on rich white parents using niche sports to get their kids into Ivy League schools.

World Series (02:12): What do the Dodgers and Rays have in common, and what are the differences between baseball’s best teams? 

Beane and Morey (21:09): What’s the legacy of the sports world’s best-known analytically inclined executives?

Rich parents and niche sports (39:12): On the culture of high-level squash and college admissions.

Afterball (58:20): Joel on Derrick Henry, the rare star high school running back who made it in the NFL.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Louisa Thomas discuss the end of the NBA’s bubble season, quarterback Alex Smith’s return from a gruesome 2018 leg injury, and the French Open victories of Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek.

NBA finals (02:42): LeBron James won his fourth NBA title, this one with the Los Angeles Lakers.

NFL (20:29): Is Alex Smith’s return to the NFL an inspiring comeback or a moral dilemma?

French Open (37:32): Rafael Nadal won his 20th major and Iga Swiatek won her very first tournament. 

Afterballs (52:44): Louisa on the mysterious life of tennis great Alice Marble and Stefan on when athlete deaths start to hit home.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about Jimmy Butler’s masterful performance in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. They also discuss the NFL’s first big coronavirus outbreak and the opening week of the baseball playoffs. Finally, they’re joined by Chantel Jennings of the Athletic for a conversation about the WNBA Finals.

NBA (02:47): What makes Jimmy Butler tick? Will he lead the Heat back against the Lakers?

NFL (13:03): How has the league responded to its first big COVID challenge?

MLB (25:19): Assessing the weird, unprecedented pandemic postseason.

WNBA (37:01): Why are the Seattle Storm so dominant?

Afterball (54:11): Josh on the strange endurance of Norm Van Brocklin’s single-game NFL passing yardage record.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the NBA Finals matchup between the Heat and the Lakers. They also discuss why they’re watching college football and life inside the NHL bubble. Finally, they’re joined by Father Edwin Leahy to discuss the documentary series Benedict Men.

NBA (02:11): How did the Heat rebuild after LeBron left? And do they have a chance against LeBron now?

College football and the NHL (16:22): Why we can’t shake an immoral sport, and what we’ve learned about the pro hockey postseason.

Benedict Men (33:44): Why does a critic of big-time high school basketball preside over one of the nation’s top basketball programs?

Afterball (47:54): Stefan on Brian’s Song, which has not aged well.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the Lakers’ win over the Nuggets and the Seahawks’ win over the Patriots. They also discuss the Big Ten’s decision to play football this fall. Finally, Slate’s Jim Newell joins to assess U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau.

Sunday in sports (02:24): Four good teams, two great finishes. Are sports normal again? 

Big Ten (20:36): Is it surprising that the conference uncancelled the fall football season?

DeChambeau (37:47): What you need to know about golf’s weirdo tinkerer.

Afterball (57:01): Joel on Deion Sanders, a bad coaching hire.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the NFL’s opening weekend. They also discuss Naomi Osaka’s victory and her outspokenness at the U.S. Open. Finally, they survey happenings in college football, the NBA, and the Premier League. 

NFL (02:56): The protests, Tom Brady’s interceptions, and everything else that happened on and off the field.

U.S. Open (20:56): How Naomi Osaka found her voice.

Sports mania (40:32): What we watched and thought about on one of the biggest sports weekends ever.

Afterball (01:00:21): Josh on the worst punts in football history.

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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Washington Post’s Ben Golliver to talk about the NBA playoffs. Tennis player Noah Rubin also joins to discuss Novak Djokovic’s disqualification and life in the U.S. Open bubble. And finally, Dom Cosentino of theScore comes on for a conversation about the start of the NFL season.

NBA playoffs (01:52): What’s gone wrong for the Bucks? Are the Clippers still title favorites? Should the Rockets build a statue of P.J. Tucker?

U.S. Open (22:38): Did Djokovic deserve to get tossed out? What’s going on behind the scenes in pro tennis during the pandemic?

NFL (47:56): What will the league’s social justice protests look like, and what will the Patriots and Bucs do on the field?

Afterball (01:05:10): Stefan on Stefanos Tsitsipas tweeting his feelings.

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Joel Anderson, Josh Levin, and special guest Vinson Cunningham of the New Yorker discuss the aftermath of last week’s NBA strike. They also talk about the life and legacy of Georgetown basketball coach John Thompson. Finally, the Athletic’s Lindsay Jones joins to assess the latest reporting on the toxic culture of the Washington football team.

NBA strike (01:40): Why did the players decide to come back? What did they gain?

John Thompson (21:51): How he changed college basketball.

Washington Football Team (41:38): What will it take for the NFL to have a #MeToo reckoning?

Afterball (01:04:30): Joel on Cliff Robinson and the 1990-1991 Portland Trail Blazers.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin get together for a special podcast on NBA players’ decision to boycott playoff games after the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. They discuss how the strike spread throughout the sports world, whether the NBA season will be cancelled, and how the pandemic might have factored into this unprecedented protest.

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