Mike Pesca

Mike Pesca appears in the following:

The Fallout From Benching Eli Manning

Wednesday, December 06, 2017

Mike Pesca opines on the benching of Eli Manning and the subsequent firing of Giants Coach Ben McAdoo.

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Why Some Sports Teams Don't Play To Win

Wednesday, November 08, 2017

Commentator Mike Pesca talks about the strategy behind some pro sports franchises that go through "rebuilding" seasons of frequent losing, and the pitfalls for fans.

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Trump And The Truth About NFL Ratings

Wednesday, October 04, 2017

Commentator Mike Pesca talks about President Trump's attack on NFL players who kneel during the national anthem and his claim about the NFL rapidly losing viewers.

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Remembering Sportscaster Bob Wolff

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Sportscaster Bob Wolff is believed to be the only announcer to call a championship game in all four major sports. He died on Saturday at the age of 96.

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Chris Christie Tries His Hand At Sports Radio

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is looking to his career after politics. Commentator Mike Pesca has his take on Christie's turn as a sports radio host.

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A New Way To Watch Basketball

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Commentator Mike Pesca has some advice about how to watch the Final Four of the NBA playoffs. Here's a hint: don't watch the ball.

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Mike Pesca Makes The Case For James Harden As MVP

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Mike Pesca, host of The Gist podcast, says James Harden of the Houston Rockets should get basketball's MVP trophy this year.

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March Madness: It's All About The Bracket

Wednesday, March 08, 2017

Commentator Mike Pesca thinks the popularity of March Madness, the NCAA's annual basketball tournament, has less to do the game and a lot do to with the structure.

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Lose Lose

Friday, December 30, 2016

This episode we look at a high profile sporting event where, thanks to a quirk in the tournament rules, the best shot at winning was … to lose. 
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Let's Play Ball: Who's Who In The Baseball Playoffs

Sunday, October 09, 2016

Rachel Martin and Mike Pesca of Slate's The Gist podcast talk about the trend of under-performing pitchers in baseball's post-season.

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Olympic Level Sexism

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Criticisms of media coverage of the Olympics, including complaints of sexism, emerge as women athletes dominate the Olympics this year.   

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True Confessions Of A Ballpark Food Vendor

Monday, May 11, 2015

What's the worst gig in the ballpark? What's the best way to eat peanuts in the shell? We explore baseball foods with a former Shea Stadium food vendor and a North Carolina peanut man.

Is Free Office Coffee More Valuable Than Healthcare?

Monday, March 30, 2015

Slate's Mike Pesca and I discuss what you can tell about a workplace based on the kitchen. Then I offer Mike a detailed critique of his sandwich construction methods.

"Ebola: What It Is"

Friday, October 10, 2014

Inspired by CNN's chyron "Ebola: The ISIS of Biological Agents?" photographer and novelist Teju Cole wrote about what else cable news thinks Ebola might be.

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Eat Me Some Peanuts and Cracker Jack

Tuesday, June 03, 2014

Baseball season is in full swing and if you're eating peanuts and Cracker Jack, you should know what you're in for. 

Who to Watch In Sochi: A Crowdsourced Guide to the Olympics

Thursday, February 06, 2014

We're building a listener-powered guide for who to watch at the Sochi Olympics, starting with Friday's opening ceremonies. If you have a favorite athlete, from any country, tell us why you're rooting for them and why others should care too. Mike Pesca, NPR sports correspondent and panelist on Slate's Hang Up and Listen, helps take you suggestions and discusses his favorite story lines.

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5 Points To Help Simplify Sunday's Super Bowl

Sunday, February 02, 2014

The chatter, hype and jargon in the weeks leading up to Sunday's Super Bowl XLVIII is more impenetrable than the Seahawk's secondary.

Perhaps you've heard the Seattle Seahawks have a running back who enters "Beast Mode." Maybe you've heard that the Denver Broncos' counter to Beast Mode is a defensive ...

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When Athletes Sing: The 'Super Bowl Shuffle' And Other Greatest Hits

Friday, January 31, 2014

We hear the story behind the Super Bowl Shuffle -- and a brand new all-star remake. Plus, a look at other famous examples of athletes who've decided to make a go at a musical career. 

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A-Rod Storms Out

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Yesterday, Alex Rodriguez stormed out of his arbitration hearing after being informed that Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig would not be testifying in the case over his use of performance enhancing drugs. Later, a lawyer for Rodriguez told WFAN's Mike Francesa that "there is no legal forum in the United States where a man doesn't get to face his accusers." NPR's Mike Pesca discusses whether A-Rod has a point, and whether Selig should have to state baseball's case in person.

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