Slate’s sports podcast on the NFL’s conference title games and the deaths of Joe Paterno and freestyle skier Sarah Burke.

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In this week’s episode of Slate’s sports podcast Hang Up and Listen, Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca discuss the heroes and scapegoats—kickers and non-kicker categories—of the Patriots’ win over the Ravens and the Giants’ win over the 49ers. They also talk to the Washington Post’s Sally Jenkins about conducting the last interview with Penn State coach Joe Paterno before his death at age 85. And David Ebner of the Globe and Mail joins the show to discuss the life and death of Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke.

Here are links to some of the articles and other items mentioned on the show:

Stefan’s NFL roundtable post on what went wrong on Billy Cundiff’s kick.
Josh’s post on whether the Ravens’ Lee Evans caught a game-winning touchdown.
Mike’s report for Morning Edition on how the Patriots and Giants made it to the Super Bowl.
Seth Stevenson’s Slate post on the Patriots’ subpar performance against the Ravens.
The New York Times’ Sam Borden on Eli Manning’s great game.
Pete Thamel’s obituary for Joe Paterno in the New York Times.|Sally Jenkins’ Washington Post column after Joe Paterno’s death.
Sally’s interview with Paterno, and her Q&A with readers about the story.
Dan Jenkins’ 1968 Sports Illustrated feature on Joe Paterno and the Penn State football program.
David Ebner’s Globe and Mail story on the death of freestyle skier Sarah Burke.
The Globe and Mail’s Allan Maki and Paul Waldie on the appeal of extreme sports.
Is freeskiing too dangerous for the Olympics?
Burke wished her FHM photos would’ve faded from prominence.
Burke and her husband talk about their love of skiing in a Ski Channel documentary.

Hang Up and Listen’s weekly 1080s:

Mike’s 1080: New England Patriots radio play-by-play man Gil Santos is not on his game.
Stefan’s 1080: The U.S. women’s soccer team is cruising in Olympics qualifying, but James Galanis and Hope Solo aren’t happy about Brandi Chastain’s announcing.
Josh’s 1080: Does the ImPACT concussion test do anything to protect athletes from head trauma?

Podcast production and edit by Mike Vuolo.

You can e-mail us at hangup@slate.com.

The Hang Up and Listen T-shirt, designed by listener Todd Johnson, is now on sale. A shirt can be had for as little as $15.75, and you can choose between two color schemes—the green-and-gold “Oakland” edition or the red “Portland” edition. Support the show by buying both!