Hang Up and Listen: The Kneecapping on Ice Edition
Slate’s sports podcast on Week 2 of the NFL playoffs, the Baseball Hall of Fame, and a new documentary on Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan.
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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 talk about Week 2 of the NFL playoffs. They also discuss the controversies surrounding the Baseball Hall of Fame’s selection process, and the various proposals to fix it. Finally, they review the new ESPN documentary The Price of Gold, which revisits the attack on Nancy Kerrigan by Tonya Harding’s associates and its dramatic aftermath at the 1994 Winter Olympics.
Here are links to some of the articles and other items mentioned on the show:
- The Seahawks, Patriots, 49ers, and Broncos advanced in Week 2 of the NFL playoffs.
- The response to Marques Colston’s game-ending failed lateral was swift and brutal.
- In December, Grantland’s Bill Barnwell wrote that Seattle had the best home-field advantage in the NFL.
- On Wednesday, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Frank Thomas were elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Craig Biggio missed the 75 percent threshold by two votes.
- The New York Times solicited Rob Neyer, Joe Posnanski, Ed Sherman, Christina Kahrl, and C. Trent Rosecrans to rethink the Hall of Fame selection process.
- ESPN’s Dan Le Batard gave his vote to Deadspin, which filled in the ballot by polling its readers.
- Deadspin relayed that many commentators disapproved of Le Batard’s decision.
- The BBWAA removed Le Batard from its membership for one year, and permanently banned him from Hall of Fame voting.
- MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick only included Jack Morris on his ballot, arguing that all other candidates are tainted by having played in the steroids era.
- Murray Chass specifically suspects that Biggio was on steroids.
- Cartoonist Jerry Dowling didn’t vote for Biggio, explaining he “refuse[d] to vote for a guy who cheats, as Biggio did with all that armor on his arm.” Dowling voted for Barry Bonds.
- The Price of Gold, directed by Nanette Burstein, premieres Thursday on ESPN.
- Portland State University’s Sarah Marshall revisited the Kerrigan-Harding incident in The Believer.
- The Oregonian collected a bunch of pieces on Kerrigan and Harding.
- In 1992, E.M. Swift wrote a profile of Harding for Sports Illustrated.
- John Gregory Dunne’s New Yorker piece on the murders of Phillip DeVine, Lisa Lambert, and Teena Brandon.
Hang Up and Listen’s weekly testosterone troches:
Mike’s testosterone troche: In 1964, Packers halfback Paul Hornung had the worst kicking season of all time.
Stefan’s testosterone troche: On the adults who play electric football and provide helpful instruction and “tweaking” tips for other aspiring coaches.
Josh’s testosterone troche: A manifesto against gambling manifestos.
Podcast production and edit by Mike Vuolo. Links compiled by Casey Butterly.
You can email us at hangup@slate.com.