The Lead

For more than two decades, Kim Ng has been expected to become the first woman to be named general manager of a Major League Baseball team. On Friday, that happened when the Miami Marlins announced that she would be leading their franchise. The Athletic’s Molly Knight, who got to know Ng during her time with the Dodgers, joins us to reflect on the veteran's long journey to becoming a sports pioneer, why it took so long for a franchise to hand her the keys, and how she’s more than equipped for the challenges ahead.

Read Molly Knight's column on Kim Ng:

https://theathletic.com/2196689/2020/11/13/kim-ng-first-woman-gm-marlins-dodgers/?source=theleadpodcast

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A last-minute Hail Mary pass to pull out a dramatic victory, a quarterback catching a touchdown pass, and an NFL team stranded on the tarmac for over seven hours -- Week Ten of the NFL season was all totally, perfectly normal. The Athletic's Robert Mays joins us to break down the drama of an unforgettable weekend, and to offer his expert analysis of Kyler Murray, Tom Brady, the surging Miami Dolphins, and more.

More from Robert Mays:

https://theathletic.com/author/robert-mays/?source=theleadpodcast

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Last weekend, the world lost an icon when legendary Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman, who recently spoke to Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers about his lifelong love of the show, his admiration of Trebek, and his experience meeting him as a Celebrity Jeopardy! contestant in 2015.

Read Matt Schneidman’s story about Aaron Rodgers and Alex Trebek: https://theathletic.com/2188517/2020/11/10/aaron-rodgers-remembers-his-jeopardy-moments-with-host-and-goat-alex-trebek/?source=theleadpodcast

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Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers are the NFL’s only remaining undefeated team, but they’ve had a number of extremely close games this season, including a narrow escape against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly to look at how Roethlisberger and the Steelers have managed to keep winning, and just how easily the whole thing could fall apart.

Follow Mark Kaboly’s coverage of the Steelers: https://theathletic.com/author/mark-kaboly/?source=theleadpodcast

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Portland Trailblazers guard Gary Trent Jr. turned heads in this year’s NBA playoffs with a breakout performance and impressive shooting from behind the arc. But not a lot of people knew about the journey he was embarking on off the court. The Athletic’s Jason Quick has the story of the rising star's relationship with his childhood best friend, who suffered a terrible accident two years ago, and how the two of them keep pushing each other to get better at their respective pursuits, through communication, encouragement, and a heavy dose of smack-talking.

Read Jason Quick's story about Gary Trent Jr. and Jordan Bolton:

https://theathletic.co.uk/2158071/2020/11/02/gary-trent-jr-determined-to-help-paralyzed-lifelong-friend-move-again/?source=theleadpodcast

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On Sunday night, in a much-anticipated showdown against Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints, Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost 38-3 — the most lopsided loss of Brady’s NFL career. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Greg Auman to break down what went wrong for Brady and Bruce Arians on Sunday night, whether or not it was a sign of things to come, and why the team is taking a chance on controversial wide receiver Antonio Brown.

Follow Greg Auman’s coverage of the Buccaneers: https://theathletic.com/author/greg-auman/?source=theleadpodcast

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Four years ago, Notre Dame was 4-8. Two years ago, when they squared off against Clemson in the Cotton Bowl, they got scorched 30-3. But even as the Fighting Irish have struggled lately, head coach Brian Kelly and his staff have quietly been putting the pieces in place to compete with the country's top programs -- and on Saturday, they did just that, defeating #1 ranked Clemson 47-40 in double OT. The Athletic's Pete Sampson joins us to break down what went right for Notre Dame in the game, what to expect in a likely December rematch, and what the team's first victory over a #1 ranked team in 27 years signals for the program.

Follow Pete Sampson's Notre Dame coverage:

https://theathletic.com/author/pete-sampson/?source=theleadpodcast

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After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government did something that it later apologized for and called a grave error: it rounded up and forcibly relocated tens of thousands of Japanese Americans, moving them to internment camps, where they lived in extremely harsh conditions for years. Inside one of those camps, near Topaz, Utah, a high school football team was formed and surprised many of the local teams it played against. Christopher Kamrani has the story of Topaz High, and how a group of high school kids used America's most beloved sport to show that they, too, were Americans.

Read Chris Kamrani's story about Topaz High:

https://theathletic.com/2162093/2020/10/30/topaz-internment-camp-football-team/?source=theleadpodcast

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So far in 2020, one of the most exciting players in college football has been Kansas State’s 5-foot-5, 168-pound running back, Deuce Vaughn. Today, The Athletic’s Max Olson on what makes the freshman phenom so difficult to stop, how he ended up at Kansas State, and whether he — like former Wildcats star Darren Sproles — has the potential to land in the NFL.

Read Max Olson’s story about Deuce Vaughn: https://theathletic.com/2164884/2020/10/28/deuce-vaughn-kansas-state/?source=theleadpodcast

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Mookie Betts is known to be one of the most competitive people in sports, and that drive helped him lead the Dodgers to their first World Series title since 1988. So, how did the star outfielder end up that way? And what makes him tick? The Athletic's Pedro Moura takes us inside the mind of Mookie Betts, and explains his unusual approach to baseball and his obsession with bowling. This episode first aired on July 27, 2020.

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