Hang Up and Listen

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the latest on sports and the coronavirus. They also talk with the Athletic’s Ethan Strauss about his new book on the Golden State Warriors, The Victory Machine. And the Hang Up and Listen Quarantine Magazine Club convenes to discuss Bill Russell’s “How I Psych Them.”

The pandemic (03:48): ESPN televising HORSE and Major League Baseball’s insane plan to restart the season.

The Victory Machine (23:36): The decline and fall of the Warriors’ basketball dynasty.

Quarantine Magazine Club (44:29): A conversation about a classic Sports Illustrated piece about sports and psychology.

Afterballs (01:01:46): Stefan on SI’s 1963 profile of Bill Russell and Josh with some sports trivia.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the push to bring football back and the psychology around restarting sporting events with crowds. Hurdling champion Dawn Harper-Nelson also joins to discuss how her life has changed now that the Olympics have been postponed.

NFL (4:04): Donald Trump wants games to start back up again by August or September. Is that realistic? 

Dawn Harper-Nelson (26:25): Our live show guest from December returns for an update on her life and her training now that the Summer Games are off the calendar for 2020.

Afterballs (47:24): Joel on Bobby Bowden, Stefan on Fountains of Wayne’s “All Kinds of Time,” and Josh on a 1948 race between old baseball men.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by the Athletic’s Joe Vardon to talk about the push to get games back on television. They also discuss the HBO documentary The Scheme, and Josh interviews tennis player Kristie Ahn about what an athlete does when she can’t leave her house.

Sports on TV (03:16): TV networks have paid billions to televise sports. What’s going to happen to all that money? And will those dollar signs push leagues to get games on TV as soon as possible?

The Scheme (18:24): Is the HBO documentary on corruption in college basketball worth watching? And what should we think of its protagonist, Christian Dawkins?

Kristie Ahn (39:37): What’s life like for a pro tennis player who can’t be on the court?

Afterball (01:02:13): Stefan on the spitball and the Spanish flu pandemic.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about Tom Brady’s move from New England to Tampa Bay. They also discuss the increasing calls to postpone the Olympics. Finally, they interview rugby announcer Nick Heath, who has taken to providing commentary on ordinary life events.

Tom Brady (02:02): Did the Patriots disrespect the legendary quarterback? What can we expect of his tenure with the Bucs? 

Olympics (20:38): Why has the International Olympic Committee been so slow to understand the reality of the global coronavirus pandemic?

Life commentary (35:19): How a play-by-play commentator adapted to a world without sports.

Afterballs (54:50): Joel on claiming unearned national championships and Josh on the fake games played by the 1982 Saints.

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Joel Anderson and Stefan Fatsis talk about the latest on the coronavirus and sports. They are joined by former NFL player Domonique Foxworth and former NFL executive Andrew Brandt to break down the league’s new labor deal. Hall of Fame soccer player Julie Foudy assesses the women’s national team’s equal-pay fight. Finally, they interview Tegan Hanlon of Alaska Public Media about the Iditarod sled-dog race.

Coronavirus (02:25): The reality of life without sports has set in.

NFL (16:37): Did the players get fleeced by the owners?

Women’s soccer (37:52): The U.S. Soccer Federation argued that “indisputable science” proved that its World Cup-winning women’s team was inferior to men.

Iditarod (52:36): As the rest of the sports world ground to a halt, the Iditarod mushes on across Alaska.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin get together for an emergency podcast on the cascading shutdowns in the world of sports due to the coronavirus pandemic. They discuss which leagues have handled the crisis admirably and which haven’t and they talk about what to expect in the weeks and months to come.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by the Wall Street Journal’s Ben Cohen to talk about the latest on the coronavirus and sports. They also interview Cohen about his book The Hot Hand: The Mystery and Science of Streaks. Finally, they assess a chaotic week in New York professional basketball.

Coronavirus (1:52): When will our sense of American exceptionalism end and reality set in?

Hot hand (19:35): What the latest research tells us about the elusive “zone.”

Knicks and Nets (39:24): James Dolan is beefing with Spike Lee and Brooklyn just fired its coach. Yowza.

Afterballs (59:48): Stefan on team handball and Joel on Carl Crawford.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the rise of Zion Williamson. They also discuss the legends and myths of the NFL’s scouting combine and assess how the spread of the coronavirus will affect sports around the world.

Zion (3:59): Understanding the might and charisma of the teenage NBA superstar.

NFL combine (19:49): Is pro football’s annual scouting carnival actually useful as an evaluation tool?

Coronavirus (36:08): How teams, leagues, and the Olympics might be affected.

Afterballs (49:35): Stefan on a historic Penn collapse and Josh on a fateful kick over the uprights.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the push for a 17-game NFL season and John Beilein’s short, tumultuous tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Joseph Bien-Kahn also joins to discuss ultrarunner Jim Walmsley’s quest to qualify for the Olympic marathon.

NFL (01:42): The pros and cons of a longer professional football season.

Beilein (17:31): He was a great college basketball coach. How did it go so wrong in the NBA?

Ultramarathon (33:30): Can the world’s best super-long-distance runner hang with the best for 26.2 miles?

Afterballs (51:26): Stefan on Little Leagues and major-league nicknames and Josh on segregation at the Sugar Bowl.

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Joel Anderson, Josh Levin, and special guest Lindsay Gibbs talk about the fallout from the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. They also discuss WNBA free agency and the rise of Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu. Finally, they review the Netflix docuseries Cheer.

Astros (03:13): What should we make of baseball players’ anger toward their Houston brethren?

Women’s basketball (19:53): What’s the deal with all the player movement in the WNBA? And is Sabrina Ionescu the sport’s next huge star?

Cheer (38:16): What makes the Netflix docuseries great and why it’s often disturbing to watch.

Afterballs (01:01:00): Joel on the Knuckleheads podcast and Lindsay on the pioneering Immaculata women’s basketball program.

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