World Series obstruction call: Hang Up and Listen on the strange Red Sox-Cardinals series, Calvin Johnson’s brilliance, and the NBA’s statistical revolution.

Is Calvin Johnson the Greatest Athlete in the History of the Universe?

Is Calvin Johnson the Greatest Athlete in the History of the Universe?

Hang Up and Listen has moved! You can find new episodes here.
Slate's sports podcast.
Oct. 28 2013 6:06 PM

Hang Up and Listen: The Huge YAC Man Edition

Slate’s sports podcast on strange World Series conclusions, Calvin Johnson’s brilliance, and the NBA’s statistical revolution.

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:

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Buy your tickets for the Hang Up and Listen live at Manhattan’s City Winery! The show is on Monday, Nov. 11, at 7:30 p.m. and will feature special guest Bob Costas. There’s also a special VIP meet-and-greet beforehand.

Gelf magazine's Varsity Letters, New York City's monthly sports reading series, returns Thursday, Nov. 14, with a night devoted to college football. Featured readers include New York Times columnist Samuel Freedman and author Jim Lefebvre. For more information, visit Gelf magazine.

Hang Up and Listen is brought to you by Audible. Get a 30-day free trial by signing up at audiblepodcast.com/hangup. Our pick this week is The Kid Stays in the Picture by Robert Evans.

In this week’s episode of Slate’s sports podcast Hang Up and Listen, Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca talk about the strange endings to Games 3 and 4 of the World Series and parse our fixation with second-guessing managers. They also discuss Calvin Johnson’s 329-yard performance against the Cowboys and whether the Lions receiver is the greatest athlete in sports today. Finally, they’re joined by Grantland contributor Kirk Goldsberry to discuss his visualizations of NBA shooting and the state of pro basketball analytics.

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

Hang Up and Listen’s weekly Myer "Whitey" Skoogs:

Mike’s Skoog: On Lou Reed’s passing, and his connections to sports.

Stefan’s Skoog: Remembering Carlton Fisk’s role in another controversial World Series interference call, Fisk’s ads for chewing tobacco, and Bobby Murcer’s “hit” single “Skoal Dippin’ Man.”

Josh’s Skoog: Some final thoughts on the BCS computers before they leave us forever.

Podcast production and edit by Mike Vuolo. Links compiled by Casey Butterly.

You can email us at hangup@slate.com.