Hang Up and Listen: The Screwing the Kicker Again Edition
Slate’s sports podcast on Stephen Curry’s head, the NFL’s feet, and Sepp Blatter’s tyranny.
Update, May 27, 2015: Just hours after Hang Up and Listen posted an interview with ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap, in which he speculated that Switzerland might play a role in investigating corruption inside the world’s biggest soccer organization, Swiss authorities arrested several FIFA officials in conjunction with a U.S. Department of Justice investigation. (Swiss authorities are also investigating bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup.) Read the latest on Slate and listen to Hang Up’s interview with Schaap.
Listen to Hang Up and Listen with Richard Deitsch, Stefan Fatsis, and Mike Pesca by clicking the arrow on the audio player below:
Become a fan of Hang Up and Listen and join the discussion of this episode on Facebook here:
In this week’s episode of Slate’s sports podcast Hang Up and Listen, Stefan Fatsis, Mike Pesca, and special guest Richard Deitsch discuss Stephen Curry’s head injury, LeBron James’ dominance, and other stories from the NBA playoffs. They’re then joined by retired NFL kicker Nate Kaeding to assess the league’s decision to make the extra point 15 yards harder. Finally, ESPN correspondent Jeremy Schaap talks about his recent E:60 report on Sepp Blatter’s scandal-ridden tenure as the president of soccer’s international governing body, FIFA.
Here are links to some of the articles and other items mentioned on the show:
- Richard Deitsch’s SI.com author page and his Twitter feed.
- Stephen Curry landed on his head but returned to Golden State’s Game 4 loss to Houston in the Western Conference finals.
- Curry’s injury raises questions about the NBA’s concussion protocols.
- Sports Illustrated’s cover story on Curry.
- The Warriors are a very efficient offensive team.
- Crossover Chronicles on LeBron James’ simultaneously mediocre and remarkable playoff statistics.
- FiveThirtyEight created Elo ratings for every NBA team ever.
- The NFL increased the length of extra points to 33 yards from 20.
- Nate Kaeding’s career statistics and his new career.
- Stefan’s 2008 Sports Illustrated story on the rise of the placekicker.
- On FiveThirtyEight, Benjamin Morris wrote that kickers will continue to make almost all of their extra points.
- NFL coaches probably still won’t go for two points after a touchdown.
- Jeremy Schaap’s E:60 report on FIFA President Sepp Blatter.
- Jeremy’s 2014 E:60 report “Qatar’s World Cup.”
- A list of FIFA scandals during Blatter’s tenure.
- The Wall Street Journal examined how Blatter has stayed in power for so long.
- European soccer officials criticized Blatter, but they won’t break away from FIFA.
- Qatar has refused to let Nepalese workers return home to attend earthquake funerals.
Hang Up and Listen’s weekly Yepremians:
Richard’s Yepremian: Bill Simmons, or part of his empire, could wind up at Fox Sports.
Mike’s Yepremian: University of Chicago behavioral economist Richard Thaler on his dealings with the Washington NFL team’s owner, Dan Snyder
Stefan’s Yepremian: Former New York Knick and former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley deflated basketballs in 1970 and 1973.
On this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Stefan Fatsis, Mike Pesca, and Richard Deitsch discuss the hiring of Isiah Thomas, who in 2007 was found by a jury to have sexually harassed a Madison Square Garden executive, as president of MSG’s women’s basketball team, the New York Liberty. Visit slate.com/hangupplus and try it free for two weeks.
You can email us at hangup@slate.com.