Hang Up and Listen: The Kissing the Pitcher Edition
Slate’s sports podcast on Derrick Rose’s torn ACL, Bryce Harper’s major-league debut, and Barcelona’s Champions Leaguer ouster.
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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 talk about Derrick Rose’s torn ACL, LeBron James’ image makeover, and other happenings at the start of the NBA playoffs. They also discuss the major-league debut of Washington Nationals wunderkind-slash-super-villain Bryce Harper. And Franklin Foer joins the show to ruminate on Barcelona’s ouster from the Champions League as well as the Premier League showdown between Manchester United and Manchester City.
Here are links to some of the articles and other items mentioned on the show:
- The Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose is out for the season with a torn ACL.
- ESPN’s Michael Wilbon writes that “Rose was doomed the moment the owners and the players' union signed that agreement.”
- NBA commissioner David Stern says injuries were down this season.
- In Basketball Prospectus, Kevin Pelton concludes that NBA injuries were relatively flat.
- Lee Jenkins’ Sports Illustrated cover story on LeBron James.
- ESPN’s version of the same story, “The Mistrial of LeBron James.”
- The 10 best moments of Bryce Harper’s major-league debut.
- The mooning behind Harper’s first major-league hit.
- Harper’s alleged crimes against baseball: an ejection, another ejection, a blown kiss, a salute to the opposing dugout.
- In GQ, Will Leitch writes that Harper is “exactly what baseball needs.”
- SI’s 2009 cover story on a then 16-year-old Harper.
- Harper aspires to be Joe Namath.
- Harper’s weird hair.
- The Guardian’s live blog of the Chelsea-Barcelona Champions League semi.
- The legacy of Pep Guardiola, who has resigned as Barcelona’s manager.
Hang Up and Listen’s weekly derbys:
Mike’s derby: Hofstra University’s Mets convention, featuring such presentations as “How Should the Mets of the Late 1980s Be Remembered?”
Stefan’s derby: The Federation Internationale de Volleyball’s new uniform rules for women’s beach volleyball. (Here’s Debbie Schlussel’s post arguing that “the Munich Olympic massacre worked.”)
Josh’s derby: Justin Bethel’s 60-inch box jump, Steve Langton’s 62-inch box jump, and tales of box jumps gone horribly wrong.
Podcast production and edit by Mike Vuolo.
You can e-mail us at hangup@slate.com.
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