Hang Up and Listen: The Overly Lasered Edition
Slate’s sports podcast on the NBA Finals, Major League Baseball’s latest drug scandal, and lasers at live sporting events.
Listen to Hang Up and Listen with Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca by clicking the arrow on the audio player below:
Become a fan of Hang Up and Listen on Facebook here:
Hang Up and Listen is brought to you by Stamps.com. Click on the radio microphone and enter HANGUP to get our $110 bonus offer.
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 Out of Their League by Dave Meggyesy.
In this week’s episode of Slate’s sports podcast Hang Up and Listen, Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca discuss the first two games of the NBA Finals, including the media’s “Heat gaze” and Miami’s tendency to ratchet its intensity up and down. They also talk with Sports Illustrated’s Michael McCann about whether Major League Baseball will succeed in suspending Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, and others who’ve been implicated in the Biogenesis scandal. Finally, they discuss whether laser first-down lines and world-record markers should invade live sports.
Here are links to some of the articles and other items mentioned on the show:
- LeBron James didn’t understand how the Spurs could have 21 second-chance points and just six offensive rebounds in Game 1.
- James got his revenge in Game 2, partly through blocking an attempted dunk by Tiago Splitter.
- ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst writes that LeBron doesn’t care about his critics anymore.
- Michael McCann breaks down Biogenesis director Tony Bosch’s deal with Major League Baseball.
- Miami New Times first reported in January that Bosch and Biogenesis were providing banned substances to MLB players.
- ESPN’s T.J. Quinn, Pedro Gomez, and Mike Fish have reported that MLB is seeking to suspend “about 20 players” associated with Bosch and Biogenesis.
- Sports Illustrated’s Michael Rosenberg on the sample collector whose reputation Ryan Braun ruined.
- The Anthony Kennedy of the MLB grievance process is an arbitrator named Fredric Horowitz.
- Texas A&M and Florida tied for the 2013 NCAA men’s track and field championship.
- The Eugene Daily News reports on the use of lasers at the NCAA event.
- A video of the laser in action and an animation that shows how it works.
- USA Today reports that Thought Development, Inc., who developed the track and field laser system, has been engaged in talks with the NFL for a first-down laser.
- Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune explained that the first proposals for on-field lasers were made in 1932.
Hang Up and Listen’s weekly Lazar Wolfs:
Mike’s Lazar Wolf: Matt Bonner tells the tale of getting treated by the team dentist for salmonella poisoning while playing in Sicily in 2003.
Stefan’s Lazar Wolf: Les Rohr, the second overall section in 1965’s inaugural MLB draft in 1965, had his career derailed after pitching the final 2.1 innings of the Mets’ 24-inning loss to the Houston Astros.
Josh’s Lazar Wolf: Can Roy Hibbert get his release from the Jamaican basketball team? Alternately, can the Jamaicans use Twitter to recruit Andre Drummond, Ben Gordon, or Ryan Hollins to take his place?
Podcast production and edit by Mike Vuolo. Our intern is Michael Gerber.
You can email us at hangup@slate.com.