On the Bleachers

We'll find the romance. A sports podcast through a pop culture lens. Culture critic and novelist Zan Romanoff and journalist and Scamfluencers senior producer Sarah Enni discuss MLB's MVPs; more sports brothers with podcasts; the NBA's mob ties; Nico is out in Dallas; YouTube TV and ESPN make up; and (57:00) we talk to Wide Left's Arif Hasan about JJ "Nine" McCarthy and his future with the Vikings.

Links:

Yankees' Aaron Judge wins AL MVP for third time in four years (ESPN)

Tkachuk brothers launch new weekly podcast 'Wingmen' (NHL.com)

Kylie Kelce Reveals Her Political Views After Unseating Joe Rogan (Vanity Fair)

LaMelo Ball had presidential aspirations. The Timberwolves weren't impressed (The Athletic)

Yes, the NBA Has Mob Ties (True Hoop / Substack)

Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont let Nico Harrison trade Luka Dončić. Firing the GM doesn't change that (CBS Sports)

Some ESPN Producers Fed Up With McAfee's 'Diva' Behavior: Sources (Front Office Sports)

Control room (Torched / Substack)

ESPN forced us to listen to boring Disney CEO Bob Iger on the ManningCast for nothing (Awful Announcing)

4 takeaways from the ESPN-YouTube TV deal (Awful Announcing)

YouTube TV Wins the Rights to Launch a Cheaper Sports Only Package & Include ESPN In It (Cord Cutters News)

Arif Hasan's newsletter, Wide Left (Substack)

Arif Hasan on Bluesky (BlueSky)

J.J. McCarthy and "Waiting for the Cement to Dry" (WIde Left)

We've got pucks in our pants A sports podcast through a pop culture lens. Culture critic and novelist Zan Romanoff and journalist and Scamfluencers senior producer Sarah Enni discuss LAPD's reaction to Dodgers fans celebrating doesn't bode well for the big sports events the city is set to hold; Pitchers indicted in sports gambling scandal; a Narrative Fantasy update; Cooper Flagg learns about losing; transphobic op-ed roils the NWSL; Ovechkin scored 900 goals; and (51:20) we talk to Céspedes Family BBQ co-host Jordan Shusterman about how he picked the Mariners, covering this postseason, and how to occupy our time in the off-season.

Links:

Winning Streak (Torched / Substack)

Bartenders and Innocent Bystanders Tear Gassed, Knocked Over By Horses, And Shot With 'Rubber Bullets' During World Series Night Celebrations (LA Taco)

Hiring Paul DePodesta is a Gamble the Rockies Couldn't Afford to Make (Sports Illustrated)

Indictment of Emmanual Clase and Luis Ortiz (Justice Department)

If Pitches Are Fixed, Baseball is Broken (The Ringer)

MLB, sportsbooks agree to nationwide limit on pitch bets (ESPN)

Sources: Trump wants Commanders' new D.C. stadium named for him (ESPN)

Micah Parsons trade has 'poison pill' blocking future deal to Eagles (ESPN)

Jalen Ramsey is the Steelers' best cornerback. He might be their best safety at the moment, too (CBS Sports)

ESPN Personalities Grapple with Fallout Over Blackout (Front Office Sports)

The Ballad of the Fixed Fight (Sports Politika)

Cooper Flagg coping with Mavericks' woes: 'It's the most I've lost since, I think, ever' (The Athletic)

L.A. soccer stars blast teammate's 'racist and transphobic' op-ed calling for NWSL 'gender standards' (NBC Sports)

Alex Ovechkin continues to make history, becoming first NHL player to score 900 goals (The Athletic)

Jordan Binnington: I didn't intend to keep Alex Ovechkin 900th goal puck (ESPN)

Video of the attempted puck-stealing

Cespedes Family BBQ (Twitter)

Baseball Bar-B-Cast (Apple Podcasts)

Freddie Freeman Shows Up and Shows Out on the Dance Floor (YouTube)

Dodgers' World Series Tell-All with Mookie, Kershaw, Kiké Hernández, Will Smith and More | On Base (YouTube)

How the Mariners' Logan Gilbert and Cal Raleigh developed alongside each other into foundational pieces of the team's success (Yahoo! Sports)

Cal Raleigh and Mookie Betts on 'Big Dumper' Name, Ghosts & Play Guess the Pitcher | On Base, Ep. 26 (YouTube)

We also played in the 18-inning game! A sports podcast through a pop culture lens. Culture critic and novelist Zan Romanoff and journalist and Scamfluencers senior producer Sarah Enni discuss the incredible end to the World Series and the continuation of the Drake curse; the ongoing Tyler Skaggs trial and what would it take to make an MLB owner sell; and are shirtless men at college football games curing the male loneliness epidemic?

Links:

TOOTBLAN (MLB Glossary)

2025 World Series Game 7 TV broadcast delivers more than 27 million U.S. viewers (The Athletic)

Drake Takes Shot at Shohei Ohtani After Blue Jays' Dominant Win Over Dodgers (Sports Illustrated)

Would MLB make Arte Moreno sell Angels in wake of Tyler Skaggs trial? (The Los Angeles Times)

Angels post job opening for HVAC technician after Yusei Kikuchi complains about lack of air conditioning (Yahoo! Sports)

College football's 'shirtless dudes' trend is all the rage. And could be curing male loneliness? (The Athletic)

We might be Shakespearean witches. A sports podcast through a pop culture lens. Culture critic and novelist Zan Romanoff and journalist and Scamfluencers senior producer Sarah Enni discuss the World Series and the presentation of postseason baseball; a catch up on narrative fantasy; federal indictments and mob ties rock the NBA; there is crying in sports, including hockey; and we talk to Stephanie Burt, poet, Harvard Professor and author of Taylor's Version: The Poetic and Musical Genius of Taylor Swift, about The Life of a Showgirl.

Links:

World Series Game 2 Halftime Show Recap: Year 3000 (Baseball Prospectus)

Gerald McCoy reflects on Doug Martin's death, the fifth of his former NFL teammates (The Athletic)

Will This Device Protect Athletes' Brains, or Only Make Them Think It Does? (The New York Times)

Chauncey Billups And Terry Rozier Arrested In Connection With Federal Gambling Investigations (Defector)

Who is Chauncey Billups? A look at the history of the embattled Portland Trail Blazers coach (KGW8)

Brad Marchand emotional as he watches Bruins' tribute video in his return to Boston | ESPN NHL (ESPN)

Taylor's Version: The Poetic and Musical Genius of Taylor Swift (Bookshop)

Waiting for Britney Spears: A True Story, Allegedly (Bookshop)

Girl Violence (King Princess)

How We've Misunderstood Taylor Swift (The Yale Review)

Heritage of Arrogance (YouTube)

Taylor Swift - The Life of a Showgirl (Ricardo Padua After Hours Remix) (YouTube)

We'll always remember The Bubble. A sports podcast through a pop culture lens. Culture critic and novelist Zan Romanoff and journalist and Scamfluencers senior producer Sarah Enni discuss the end of the Mariners season and the beginning of the Ddogers attempt to repeat as World Series champions; MLB managers quitting, or just quitting on their team; the NBA embraces being a media and tech company; hockey players we won't be cheering for; menstruating athletes are misled by doctors and manipulated by gamblers; and (53:05) SNL writer Carl Tart on fandoms over friends, why the Clippers are both underdogs and villains, and what storylines he'll be tracking this NBA season.

Links:

NFL Scorigami

Jon Bois's Scorigami docuseries Part 1 (Secret Base)

Exclusive: Brewers' Pat Murphy bares soul on baseball, family and past mistakes (USA Today)

Mike Shildt says decision to retire was his own, but Padres questions remain (The Athletic)

Some NFL players are trading their helmets for scrubs (New York Times)

How the NBA has evolved into a 'media and technology company' (The Athletic)

Vegas can't hide behind 'core values' in signing Carter Hart (USA Today)

Men Are Betting on WNBA Players' Menstrual Cycles (Wired)

In women's sports, athletes losing their periods was long considered normal. Not anymore (Athletic)

Carl Tart (Instagram)

The Book of Manning (ESPN)

We were anointed in a holy manner before recording this episode. A sports podcast through a pop culture lens. Culture critic and novelist Zan Romanoff and journalist and Scamfluencers senior producer Sarah Enni discuss playoff baseball, featuring unforced errors and Humpy the Salmon; an update on the narrative fantasy picks; Belichick doc nixed; Aces win thanks to... plants?; and we talk to Defector's Giri Nathan about his book about the hot new things in tennis: Changeover: A Young Rivalry and a New Era of Men's Tennis.

Links:

Phillies share the pain after Orion Kerkering's error leads to crushing elimination loss (The Athletic)

How a Dodgers-Brewers NLCS Battle Defines MLB's Labor Battle (ESPN)

Yusei Kikuchi told Japanese reporters after his final start that he asked the Angels to fix the lack of A/C in the weight room, but they never did all season. (Reddit)

Sasaki told the Dodgers that installing Japanese-style bidet toilets would influence his signing decision (Reddit)

Seattle Mariners fan's dirt-eating superstition goes viral amid playoff hopes (King5)

Travis Hunter's Rookie Mistake Wipes Away Huge Jaguars Play vs. Seahawks (Sports Illustrated)

Trevor Lawrence turns STUMBLE into GAME-WINNING TD (YouTube)

Ravens' Derrick Henry Bounces Back for Nothing (Sports Illustrated)

Jaguars' Travis Hunter gets baptized hours before Seahawks showdown (ESPN)

UNC, Hulu not moving forward with season documentary (Inside Carolina)

The Aces' Long and Bumpy Road to Reclaim Their Spot Atop the WNBA (Sports Illustrated)

Changeover: A Young Rivalry and a New Era of Men's Tennis (Bookshop)

We believe all sensuality is necessary. A sports podcast through a pop culture lens. Culture critic and novelist Zan Romanoff and journalist and Scamfluencers senior producer Sarah Enni discuss playoff baseball and why crying is more than okay; WNBA players are openly feuding with their commissioner; when sports coverage gets downright erotic; locker room miming; James Dolan is watching you right now; young Americans increasingly agree that sports betting is bad; and we talk to Alissa Walker, LA journalist covering the massive sporting events coming to the city for her newsletter, Torched.

Links:

New eyeglasses give Kiké Hernández a new outlook on hitting (The LA Times)

More crying in baseball (Twitter)

Yankees: Fix your hearts or die (Bluesky)

Napheesa Collier, Cathy Engelbert and a WNBA teetering on the brink (ESPN)

Steam Clinging to His Skin (Bluesky)

​​Shedeur Sanders Keeps Making His Biggest Problem Worse (Bleacher Report)

How MSG became Maximum Spy Garden under Knicks owner James Dolan (NY Groove)

Americans increasingly see legal sports betting as a bad thing for society and sports (PEW Research Center)

Torched (Ghost)

Fair Games Coalition (Unite Here)

The best revenge is having a solid narrative. A sports podcast through a pop culture lens. Culture critic and novelist Zan Romanoff and journalist and Scamfluencers senior producer Sarah Enni catch up on narrative fantasy; fans behaving heart warmingly; MLB erasing actual queer allies in baseball; narratives in the baseball postseason; the Lynx will not go quietly out of the WNBA postseason; FIFA's stance on Israel in the World Cup; Taylor Swift is at NFL games but not at the Super Bowl halftime show… because Bad Bunny is doing it!; how we're listening to the new album; and an interview with Los Angeles Times sports reporting legend Steve Henson.

Links:

Texans RB Nick Chubb Makes Unique NFL History vs. Titans (Sports Illustrated)

Jaguars' Travis Hunter sits on defense in 2nd half vs. 49ers (ESPN)

Manny Machado Still Thinks Padres Can Overtake Dodgers to Win NL West (Sports Illustrated)

Fans behaving… well? (TikTok)

Just connecting some dots (TikTok)

Head Coach Cheryl Reeve: Minnesota Lynx Postgame Presser | vs. Phoenix Mercury | 09.26.25 (YouTube)

WNBA sources: Data doesn't show link between injuries, missed calls (ESPN)

MLB censors Liam Hendriks' LGBTQ outreach in his Clemente Award bio (Out Sports)

Trend or coincidence? (TikTok)

Fifa banned Russia from international football. Now it must do the same for Israel (The Guardian)

Gaza: Top independent rights probe alleges Israel committed genocide (United Nations)

Taylor Swift Supports Fiancé Travis Kelce at Chiefs Game Hours After Attending Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco's Wedding (People)

Exclusive: Taylor Swift Walks Away From Super Bowl (Rob Shuter / Substack)

Bad Bunny Will Headline Super Bowl Halftime Show (NYT)

We're setting world records, incrementally. A sports podcast through a pop culture lens. Culture critic and novelist Zan Romanoff and journalist and Scamfluencers senior producer Sarah Enni discuss pole vaulter Armand Duplantis's incremental world records; Cardi and Stefon's baby; Stephen A. Smith won't shut up and you can't make him; WNBA playoff update; stone skippers are cheating; MLB gestures toward maybe helping young people not blow out their arms, unveils plot to strongarm teams for broadcast rights; the Mariners are bound for the postseason and Dodger Clayton Kershaw is bound for retirement.

Links:

How much does Duplantis get for breaking world record? (BBC)

French pole vaulter reacts to the buzz around penis that ended his Olympic dream (Metro)

Cardi B Is Pregnant! Rapper Expecting Baby No. 4 — Her First with Boyfriend Stefon Diggs (People)

Inside Stephen A. Smith's near-$40M-a-year bonanza as he launches into political prime time (The Athletic)

Cheating scandal rocks world stone skimming championships (BBC)

A Stone's Throw From Glory (Action Cookbook)

Stone Skipping Is a Lost Art. Kurt Steiner Wants the World to Find It. (Outside)

MLB To Adopt Scouting 'Dead Period' For Draft-Eligible Players (Baseball America)

MLB's plan to take over local TV rights is a huge deal. Here's why. (Washington Post)

A Major League Divorce (Vanity Fair)

The Last of His Kind: Clayton Kershaw and the Burden of Greatness (Bookshop.org)

Periods, period! A sports podcast through a pop culture lens. Culture critic and novelist Zan Romanoff and journalist and Scamfluencers senior producer Sarah Enni discuss the status of the Mariners and Sarah's mental health; Patrick Mahomes's losing streak and Taylor's secretive Arrowhead arrival; a Narrative Fantasy Football update; the WNBA playoffs have begun and the StudBudz talk about playing on their periods; FIFA: the most corrupt major event to be staged in the U.S. and that is really saying something; and why we are less likely to see baseball players out in da club.

Links:

Sports in Charlie Kirk's America (Sports Politika)

Taylor Swift arrives at Arrowhead (TikTok)

The bust files: How NFL teams break young quarterbacks (The Athletic)

The Phoenixity of J.J. McCarthy's First NFL Start (Wide Left / Substack)

The Chamber (Amortal)

Mike McDaniel: The good news is, I don't see how it could be worse (NBC Sports)

StudBudz commercial (Instagram)

Terry Horstman covering the Lynx (Bluesky)

The facts and fiction fueling the WNBA's CBA fight (Power Plays / Substack)

US cities confront FIFA over World Cup costs (Politico)

America is drinking less than ever — and the same is true for baseball players (Yahoo! Sports)