Slate’s sports podcast on A-Rod and Jeter, the U.S. soccer team’s rocky road, and the demise of Lance Armstrong.

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Hang Up and Listen is also brought to you by Audible. Get a 30-day free trial by signing up at audiblepodcast.com/hangup. Our pick of the week is The Secret Race: Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France: Doping, Cover-ups, and Winning at All Costs by Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle.

In this week’s episode of Slate’s sports podcast Hang Up and Listen, Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca talk about postseason baseball, including the Nationals’ historic collapse, Derek Jeter’s season-ending injury, and A-Rod’s benching. Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl joins the show to talk about the bumpy road to the 2014 World Cup for the U.S. men’s soccer team. They also talk with Daniel Coyle, co-author of The Secret Race, about the culture of doping in cycling and USADA’s comprehensive takedown of Lance Armstrong.

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

• The Nationals were one strike away from advancing to the NLCS.
• The Washington Post’s Mike Wise wrote a great story on Drew Storen, who blew the save in Game 5.
• The Nation’s Dave Zirin says the Nationals’ decision to bench Stephen Strasburg was indefensible.
• The Nats missed their ace, John Feinstein writes in the Washington Post.
• On Yahoo, Les Carpenter says Strasburg wouldn’t have made a difference.
• Benching A-Rod was a gutsy decision, writes ESPN’s Ian O’Connor.
• ESPN’s Jeff MacGregor reminisces over Derek Jeter.
• FanGraphs’ Jeff Sullivan brings up the possibility of starting A-Rod at shortstop.
• Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl previews the U.S. men’s soccer team’s World Cup qualifier against Guatemala.
• Wahl on the Al Jazeera-owned beIN Sport, which acquired the rights to U.S. road qualifiers.
• Team USA escaped embarrassment and defeated Antigua 2-1 on Friday.
• Jozy Altidore was left off the roster and replaced with Eddie Johnson, who scored the game-winner.
• The team has defeated Italy, Scotland, and Mexico in friendlies over the past year.
• It hasn’t been a smooth ride for Jürgen Klinsmann 14 months into his coaching tenure.
• A New York Times review of The Secret Race, co-authored by Daniel Coyle and Tyler Hamilton.
• Coyle talked about working alongside Hamilton in Outside.
• The USADA investigation exposed Lance Armstrong as “a doping kingpin,” writes Joe Spring in Outside.
• You can read the full USADA report here.
• Joe Lindsey discusses what’s next for cycling on bicycling.com.
• Malcolm Gladwell said Armstrong “was better than everyone else at using PEDs.”
• In the Wall Street Journal, Levi Leipheimer explains why he doped.

Hang Up and Listen’s weekly Purple Hazes:

• Mike’s Purple Haze: San Marino’s only soccer victory came against Liechtenstein in 2004. Last Friday against England, they kept the game scoreless for 35 minutes.
• Stefan’s Purple Haze: CFL and NFL teams played against each other seven times from 1950 to 1961. Tom Landry was the first NFL player to be credited with a rouge in these interleague exhibitions.
• Josh’s Purple Haze: FIBA is considering adding 3-on-3 basketball for the 2016 Olympics. According to 3x3planet.com, the world’s top-ranked 3-on-3 players are Simon Finzgar, Rok Vrecic, and Adin Kavgić.

Podcast production and edit by Mike Vuolo. Our intern is Eric Goldwein.

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!