The Lead

Chris Paul is not everyone's cup of tea. During the course of his career, the diminutive point guard has often rubbed teammates the wrong way during his career and that became an easy knock against one of the greatest players of his generation who never made an NBA Finals. Over the past few seasons, Paul has seemed to turn over a new leaf, and in Phoenix he's found a group of teammates who want to listen to the 16-year-veteran. The Athletic's Jovan Buha has been reporting on the Suns during their magical playoff run. He joined the show to talk about how Paul's leadership has matured since his early days in New Orleans and why this new approach has been so effective in The Valley.

Read Jovan Buha's story about Chris Paul's leadership: https://theathletic.com/2690467/2021/07/06/chris-pauls-leadership-has-evolved-with-suns-its-only-leadership-if-people-follow-you/

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Major League Baseball has arrived at the All-Star break, and during the first half of the season, no player has put on a more amazing all-around show than Angels slugger/ace Shohei Ohtani. Today, The Athletic’s Joe Posnanski joins us to break down some of the season’s biggest story lines, including Ohtani’s superhuman feats, Jacob deGrom’s brilliance, the return to dominance of baseball’s most controversial team — the Houston Astros — and whether MLB is finally getting its sticky substance problem under control. 

Follow Joe Posnanski’s coverage of Major League Baseball: https://theathletic.com/author/joe-posnanski/?source=theleadpodcast

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After more than 50 years of waiting, England fans saw their team reach the final of a major tournament on Wednesday after the Three Lions knocked off Denmark at Wembley Stadium. The soundtrack for this historic run is a song that debuted 25 years ago, the last time England hosted a European tournament, and produced a memorable slogan for English fans, 'It's Coming Home.' Today, The Athletic's Jack Pitt-Brooke joins us to talk about the origins of the song that led to the chant, why it's so divisive among some fans and players, and what Gareth Southgate has brought to the national team setup to get them back to the mountaintop.

Read Jack Pitt-Brooke's story about the origins of The Three Lions: https://theathletic.com/2689661/2021/07/07/its-coming-home-dream-boast-or-way-of-life/

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Two years ago, the Scripps National Spelling Bee had arguably the most dramatic -- and delightful -- ending in its nearly hundred-year history. After five rounds and forty-seven words spelled correctly, the judges threw in the towel and declared eight co-champions, much to the joy of the contestants and the millions who tuned in on television. So, now that the kids have bested the competition, the organizers have been forced to find a new way to challenge them. The Athletic’s Seth Davis recently took a break from the college hoops beat to write about Scripps' new rules this year (and people's opinions about them), a 14-year-old girl who is one of the favorites to win, and why the spelling bee is not what many people assume.

Read Seth Davis's full story about the 2021 Scripps Spelling Bee:

https://theathletic.com/2686719/2021/07/07/the-scripps-national-spelling-bee-is-approaching-its-reckoning-will-the-dictionary-strike-back/

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Heading into the 2021 MLB season, the NL West was supposed to be a showdown between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. But for the first half of the year, the San Francisco Giants stole the show. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly to look at how this team of veterans (including Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford and Evan Longoria) has managed to exceed basically all expectations, and whether they are built to keep it going.

Follow Andrew Baggarly’s coverage of the Giants: https://theathletic.com/author/andrew-baggarly/?source=theleadpodcast

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Two years ago, the Tampa Bay Lightning suffered one of the most humiliating defeats in NHL history, getting swept in the first round of the playoffs by the #8 seed Columbus Blue Jackets (after compiling the best regular season record in league history). It was the latest in a series of playoff failures for the talented Bolts, and many people began wondering if they needed a new coach and a roster makeover to start winning in the playoffs. Now, the team is on the cusp of winning back-to-back Stanley Cups, with the same core group of players and head coach Jon Cooper still at the helm. The Athletic's Joe Smith joins us today to talk about the man who decided to stay the course, and how the organization seems to have built a championship culture in Tampa.

More from Joe Smith:

https://theathletic.com/author/joe-smith/

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Fernando Tatis Jr. has been red hot lately. So, today, we're replaying an episode that originally aired back in February, after the superstar signed his massive deal with the Padres. The Athletic’s Dennis Lin joined us to look at how the idea for Tatis Jr.’s deal was inspired by a pair of statues, and how a unique bond between player and general manager helped this contract become a reality.

More from Dennis Lin:

https://theathletic.com/author/dennis-lin/

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The hottest bat in baseball doesn’t belong to Fernando Tatis Jr. or even Shohei Ohtani. No that title currently belongs to Washington Nationals left fielder Kyle Schwarber. After the worst season of his career in 2020, Schwarber has managed to get his groove back and take his game to new heights in 2021. Today, The Athletic’s Maria Torres joins us to talk about the hitting coach who helped Schwarber find his swing again and whether or not this changes how we should perceive him as a player going forward.

Read Maria Torres’ story about Kyle Schwarber: https://theathletic.com/2681453/2021/06/30/unleashed-the-beast-kyle-schwarbers-historic-home-run-streak-has-been-months-in-the-making/

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On Tuesday night, we saw yet another injury to a star player during these NBA Playoffs, as Giannis Antetokounmpo went down with a knee injury in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Today, The Athletic’s Eric Nehm on the Bucks chances for survival if they are without the two-time MVP, and why former second-round pick Khris Middleton could be the guy to carry them.

Read Eric Nehm’s full story about Khris Middleton: https://theathletic.com/2677215/2021/06/28/giannis-antetokounmpo-sings-khris-middletons-praises-after-game-3-heroics-i-trust-this-guy-to-death/?source=theleadpodcast

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The Italian men's national soccer team is off to a flying start at the 2020 European Championship, and is now one of the favorites to win the tournament. Which makes it easy to forget that, just a few years ago, the Azzuri suffered through an almost unspeakable tragedy that the Italian press dubbed “The Apocalypse" -- failing to quality for the World Cup. Today, The Athletic’s James Horncastle joins us from Rome to explain how Italy has found its way back from the end of the (footballing) world thanks to a coach with a complicated history with the team. Plus, how the Italians have had an unusual ace up their sleeve during the tournament -- a former banker with a notebook full of secret plays.

Read James Horncastle's full story about Italy's renaissance under Roberto Mancini:

https://theathletic.com/2634406/2021/06/08/italys-rebirth-and-mancinis-second-chance-how-the-azzurri-came-back-from-the-brink/

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