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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 discuss the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, including Duke’s loss to South Carolina and whether poor seeding contributed to a predictable start to the madness. They also talk about the charm of the World Baseball Classic and Adam Jones’ home-run–robbing catch in the USA’s win over the Dominican Republic. Finally, Josh and Stefan celebrate Mike’s departure from Hang Up and Listen with a game of Pesca Jeopardy!
Here are links to some of the articles and other items mentioned on the show:
- FiveThirtyEight examines the normalcy of the first day of March Madness.
- Sports Illustrated’s Pete Thamel argues that poor seeding was to blame for a lack of first-round upsets in the first round.
- ESPN critiques the NCAA’s “outdated metrics” and seeding methods.
- The internet rejoiced in South Carolina’s elimination of Duke.
- The final perfect bracket busted after Iowa State lost to Purdue in the Round of 32. It lasted 39 games, an all-time record for verifiable online brackets.
- Adam Jones’ home-run–robbing catch highlighted an American win over the Dominican Republic at the World Baseball Classic.
- Listen to how the catch was called on MLB Network and ESPN Deportes.
- Sports enthusiasts analyzed the instant-classic photo of Jones snatching Manny Machado’s would-be homer.
- Viewership for the World Baseball Classic is up, according to Forbes.
- Mike has hosted Hang Up and Listen since the inaugural episode in July 2009.
- Mike appeared as a contestant on Jeopardy! in 2006.
- Mike recounted drawing the attention of a fellow airplane passenger while watching Marcus Dupree highlights in the 2010 episode “The $500 Handshake Edition.”
- Mike analyzed the lyrics of the song “Who Do You Like Better, the Knicks or the Nets?” in 2013.
- Matt Bonner appeared in a Mike afterball in 2013 to recount having a head wound stitched up by a team dentist.
- For a 2016 afterball, Mike invented the player “Bob Wyoming” to test whether Joe Montana has a good name.
Hang Up and Listen’s weekly Lambs:
Mike’s Lamb: Revisiting a few of Mike’s worst sports predictions.
Stefan’s Lamb: Mike claims to be a fan of the Mets, Jets, and Knicks. Is that a betrayal of his Long Island roots?
Josh’s Lamb: Two of Mike’s college friends weigh in on his athletic prowess.
On this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Stefan, Josh, and Mike reminisce about Mike’s seven-plus years with the show.
Podcast production and edit by Patrick Fort.
Our intern is Adam Willis.
You can email us at hangup@slate.com.