ESPN Daily

If you’ve ever been to a sporting event, you’ve probably held your breath, closed your eyes, and had the shared human experience of using a porta potty. But behind this unglamorous, stomach-turning necessity are the companies and people responsible for supplying and cleaning them, especially on NFL gamedays. Ryan Hockensmith traveled to Orchard Park for a Buffalo Bills game and tailgate, and went behind-the-scenes with a sanitation company on a typical Sunday. He shares his reporting with us, and takes us inside the industry: the sights, sounds, smells, and sucks of porta potties. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kyrie Irving is expected to play his first game of the season for the Brooklyn Nets tonight, after missing 35 games because he is not vaccinated for Covid-19. New York City has a vaccine mandate, meaning Irving is prohibited from playing home games in Brooklyn. But now, after initially saying they would not allow Irving to play part-time, the Nets have reversed course, and the team is allowing him to play on the road. ESPN’s Brooklyn Nets reporter Nick Friedell explains the Nets’ game plan, how they arrived at the decision to bring Kyrie back, and what the rest of Brooklyn’s season could look like with Irving playing only on the road. We also ask Nick about his past life covering the Golden State Warriors, and Klay Thompson’s impending comeback. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Practice, practice, practice. The theory goes that with enough repetition, time, and hard work, anyone can become the master of their craft. The 10,000-Hour Rule was derived from performance research and then Malcolm Gladwell made it famous everywhere from sports to investing. But best-selling author David Epstein joins the show to put the theory to the test. He explains why the concept of 10,000. hours to mastery is so appealing, and so wrong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NFL regular season is hurtling to a dramatic finish, as the playoff picture became clearer in Week 17. The Bengals and the Chiefs rang in the new year with fireworks from both offenses, culminating in a division-clinching, game-winning field goal for Cincinnati. Tom Brady showed us that he’s still Tom Brady. He led the Buccaneers to a comeback win over the Jets, after Antonio Brown suddenly fled the game. In the NFC West, Kyler Murray led the Cardinals to a win over the Cowboys, while Matthew Stafford overcame his first half struggles against the Ravens to lead the Rams to victory…with some help from a couple of LA’s mid-season acquisitions. Our Monday QB Alex Smith breaks down what he saw and gives insight on Baker Mayfield ahead of Monday Night Football’s matchup between the Steelers and Browns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Susan Francia's mother, Dr. Kate Karikó, has seen her lifelong work come to fruition in the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Dr. Karikó’s dedication to her research amidst adversity inspired her daughter, who became an elite rower and Olympian. In a re-air of one our favorite episodes, ESPN’s Julie Foudy once again takes us through the story of Dr. Karikó’s perseverance, her mRNA breakthroughs behind the vaccine, and the mother-daughter relationship at the center of the E:60 feature “What We’re Made Of.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Olson is a quiet, Midwestern father of three, living an ordinary life. That is until one day this summer, when doing some home renovation, he discovered some bowling balls buried under the steps leading to his backyard. And not just two, or three, or 10 or 20 bowling balls. In total, Olson uncovered a whopping 162 bowling balls from his property, and ended up going viral with his story. Where had the balls come from? How did they end up at Olson’s house? Ryan Hockensmith re-tells this stranger-than-fiction story of man’s unexpected discovery…and the unexpected way in which it ultimately transformed his life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bob Voulgaris turned his career as a professional, data-driven NBA bettor into a dream job when Mark Cuban made him Director of Quantitative Research and Analysis for the Dallas Mavericks. But tension built between Voulgaris and then-GM Donnie Nelson, and relationships with players got muddy. Reports in The Athletic this year claimed the former bettor was running the show behind the scenes in Dallas. Then, during the offseason, the GM, coach and Voulgaris all left the team. Today, we respin our October conversation with Bob Voulgaris––his first interview since leaving the Mavs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Italian town of Bergamo is fiercely loyal to its soccer team, Atalanta B.C. As the perennial underdogs made a run to the Champions League 2020 quarterfinals, Atalanta drew tens of thousands of Bergamo fans to hug, cry, sing and celebrate for their win. No one knew then it was the last time they’d gather like that. Just as fans returned to their homes, Bergamo became an epicenter of coronavirus infection that led to thousands of deaths. Sam Borden tells the story of how a tight-knit culture and fandom made Bergamo vulnerable to the pandemic. And how that very closeness, along with the hope of cheering Atalanta again, offers a path forward from devastating loss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cats made many cameos in sports in 2021, from a stray at Yankee Stadium to a dangling feline in Miami. But ESPN’s Liz Merrill has the original wild and twisting tale of the St. Louis Cardinals’ Rally Cat. When the kitten crawled onto the field during the bottom of the sixth in a 2017 game against the Kansas City Royals, Yadier Molina proceeded to hit a go-ahead grand slam on the very next pitch. Hear the story…once again…of the all-out search that followed for the Rally Cat, and the heated fight over where it should live. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s one of the most infamous fan stories in sports history: when Eagles fans booed Santa at halftime of a game played at Franklin Field. But who was the Santa in question - and why was he booed and pelted with snowballs? As our annual ESPN Daily Christmas tradition, we re-air this episode featuring Outside the Lines’ Jeremy Schaap and Mina Kimes, and their reflection on the enduring legacy of the Philadelphia Santa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sports leagues, media outlets and more used to look down on betting as corrupting the supposed purity of athletics. But in 2018 the Supreme Court dealt a new hand, allowing all states to legalize betting. Now gambling is a fast-growing part of mainstream sports. Betting lines on games appear on ESPN’s own news ticker. Sports books are opening everywhere and phone-based apps keep evolving. But Las Vegas is still the nerve center of it all, and global sports correspondent Sam Borden takes us inside the Westgate sportsbook to see how the pros who make the odds find their perfect numbers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Momentum: it’s a concept used by coaches, players, and announcers alike to describe the shift in energy in a game or play. Ask any coach - if your team has the momentum, that’s a good thing. But momentum has its fair share of doubters. What exactly is momentum? Is it measurable? Or do you just know it when you see it? David Hale is a momentum skeptic, and decided to embark on a personal quest to separate fact from fiction regarding the most overused word in sports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Storming the field: it’s a time-honored sports tradition where players, coaches, and fans in the stands descend upon the field after a victory. This year we’ve seen it in record numbers in college football, spawning countless Instagram posts and fuming turf managers. So, why are we seeing it happen so much more, and what’s the larger impact? ESPN’s Dave Wilson takes us inside this misunderstood ritual. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sports leagues around the world have seen a surge of positive coronavirus tests, leading to postponed games and hollowed out rosters. But we are a long way from March 2020, on several levels. With vaccines, boosters and rapid tests, leagues are rewriting their policies and taking concerted action to curb the spread of the omicron variant. ESPN’s Stephania Bell lays out impacts and changes in the NFL and other leagues. Then Dr. Joseph Allen, author of the book “Healthy Buildings” and public health expert at Harvard University, weighs the risks ahead for sports and society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the end, the Urban Meyer era in Jacksonville lasted just 13 games. Meyer was fired with a 2-11 record in Jacksonville, but it was issues off the field that ultimately doomed his tenure with the club. There was the video of woman dancing near his lap that went viral, there were the reports of him calling his assistant coaches “losers,” and then this week, reports surfaced that he kicked and berated former Jags kicker Josh Lambo. Bill Barnwell explains what the firing means for Meyer, Jacksonville, and the rest of the NFL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tiger Woods is poised to return to the golf course this weekend at the PNC Championship. It’s been less than a year since his horrific car accident. The highlight of this father-son tournament might just be watching the best golfer of his generation play alongside his son, Charlie Woods. ESPN Senior Golf Analyst and host of “America’s Caddie,” Michael Collins, tells us about the dynamic between Tiger and his son, some striking similarities, and what’s next for the legend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It took SEVEN YEARS into Jim Harbaugh’s tenure for the Michigan Wolverines to finally beat their bitter rival, the Ohio State Buckeyes. And with another win over Iowa, the Wolverines are, at last, Big Ten Champions. But the hard work is just beginning, as college football’s giants, Georgia and Alabama, stand between the Wolverines and a CFB title (sorry, Cincinnati). ESPN’s Tom VanHaaran joins the show to discuss the excruciating build up to this monumental moment for Harbaugh and Michigan, and whether “Michigan’s Messiah” can erase seven years of pain with just two more wins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The world of NASCAR doesn’t have anyone else like Bubba Wallace. The 28-year-old is the only Black driver in NASCAR’s Cup Series, the highest level of the sport — making Wallace both an athlete and an ambassador, whether he likes it or not. Millions across the country learned his name in 2020 when he emerged as a leading voice for racial justice, successfully lobbying his sport to ban the Confederate flag. But for a name that is familiar to so many, Wallace’s story and journey are not as well-known. Ryan McGee interviewed Wallace for E60’s special, “Fistful of Steel – The Rise of Bubba Wallace,” which airs tonight at 7:30pm ET on ESPN, and McGee joins ESPN Daily to share his insights on an athlete whose life has become a window into the evolution of his sport, and of America itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Formula One’s grand finale on Sunday shocked the world, and ESPN’s Laurence Edmonson was there as Max Verstappen got the title by passing Lewis Hamilton in a controversial final lap. Edmonson joins the show from Abu Dhabi to share the utter soap opera of it all, and where the sport goes from here. Then Alex Smith shares how the Dallas Cowboys earned their role as first in the NFC East after fending off a late Washington Football Team surge, and sets up Monday Night Football’s Rams-Cardinals clash. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Heisman Trophy is college football’s most prestigious individual award. Its list of winners are a who's who of the most legendary names in the sport’s history: Doak Walker. Roger Staubach. Bo Jackson. Barry Sanders. Charles Woodson. For years, the annual Heisman race debate was the center of the college football season, a topic that drew almost as much attention as rankings and bowl appearances. But in recent years, as the College Football Playoff has become the center of all conversation in the sport, the Heisman’s status seems to have dimmed somewhat. And perhaps no season has seen less anticipation surrounding the trophy than this one. So, with the Heisman ceremony tomorrow night, Ryan McGee answers every question we have about college football’s most famous trophy, and how relevant the award is today. Then, hear why Ryan describes this Sunday’s Formula One grand finale in Abu Dhabi as “the greatest driver versus driver showdown in the history of the sport,” where Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are set to race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NFC is anyone’s for the taking at this point in the NFL season. Teams like the 49ers and Washington Football Team are on the fringe, with the Eagles threatening. Further down in the standings, the Falcons and Panthers might be long shots, but their postseason hopes aren’t dead…yet. Bill Barnwell assesses the NFC playoff picture, and shares his insights on how the college football coaching carousel could impact the NFL’s coaching jobs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Extra, extra, read all about it! Maroons Championship STOLEN! The Pottsville Maroons were one of the greatest early NFL teams, but the league stripped them of their 1925 championship and gave it to the (then) Chicago Cardinals. Thus, a curse was born. Almost a century later, could the stolen championship be behind the Arizona Cardinals’ lack of Super Bowl success? Dave Fleming wrote the book on it, called Breaker Boys: The NFL’s Greatest Team and the Stolen 1925 Championship. He takes us inside the story, and his mission for NFL justice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kevin Durant is playing some of the best basketball of his career. He’s leading the league in scoring and has led the Brooklyn Nets to the best record in the Eastern Conference. But his recent success is due largely to something that is practically extinct in the modern NBA: the midrange jump shot. Kirk Goldsberry dissects why it’s made him more exciting to watch than ever. Then, ESPN Daily producer and resident bark-aeologist Erin Vail shares her paw-er ranking of the NHL’s best team dogs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Detroit pride was strong on Sunday: the Lions finally won their first game of the season (their first win in 364 days) thanks to a game-winning touchdown pass from Jared Goff. Meanwhile, Bengals-Chargers was a battle between sophomore quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert, where Herbert soared with over 300 yards and three touchdowns, and Burrow slumped with two interceptions. And the Chiefs climbed back up in the very crowded top of the AFC, with their win over the Broncos. Plus, Louis Riddick tells us how Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots can continue their streak of success, headed into Buffalo for a battle of the AFC East vs. the Bills on Monday Night Football. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

College football’s championship weekend is here. And after marquee matchups like the SEC title game, between #1 Georgia and #3 Alabama, and #2 Michigan vs. #13 Iowa in the Big Ten Championship, the College Football Playoff committee will decide who is in, and who is out of this year's playoff. But beyond determining this year’s finalists, the committee is also coming off a meeting where they discussed the potential of expanding the playoff. And, in the midst of everything, several big name head coaches made moves to take new roles, like Lincoln Riley to USC and Brian Kelly to LSU. Heather Dinich explains who we could see in the playoff, what changes were discussed, and when a decision on reformatting the CFP could actually happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

JJ Redick doesn’t consider himself a “take person” or “talking head.” At least not yet. As a player-turned-analyst who just retired after 15 seasons in the NBA, Redick says he doesn’t miss the game. The newly minted ESPN studio talent joins the show to tell us who’s looking like the best in the league, measure the NBA’s entertainment quotient, and weigh in on the importance of athletes’ mental health. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s been a wild few days across Major League Baseball, with a flurry of free agents signing massive deals with new teams. Max Scherzer to the Mets. Javy Baez to the Tigers. Corey Seager to the Rangers. But the reason for this flurry of spending is maybe the last thing you’d suspect: a looming labor stoppage. Tonight, at midnight, MLB’s collective bargaining agreement expires, meaning owners could begin a lockout that would effectively put a halt on the entire baseball industry until a new deal is struck. Jeff Passan takes us inside the high stakes negotiations between the owners and players, shares what’s at stake for both sides, and brings plenty of Diet Mountain Dew along for the ride. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Badwater ultramarathon is known as the world’s most impossible run. From grueling mountain climbs to scorching, 100+ degree temperatures in the middle of Death Valley, it’s a 135-mile race that only a select group of individuals have ever finished. Enter Kelaine Conochan, who pushed her mind, body, and soul to its limit in pursuit of completing the race in July 2021. She wrote about her Badwater experience for ESPN.com, and shares what she lost - and found - in her 37 hours of running, chafing, chugging flat Coca-Cola, and flat out surviving. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The further we get into the NFL season, the more questions we have. But after Week 12, the playoff picture is coming into frame...kind of. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens grinded out a win in a defensive matchup with their major rivals the Cleveland Browns. Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers appear to be back in form after thrashing the L.A. Rams, who have suddenly lost three in a row after starting the season 7-1. Bill Belichick’s revenge tour is picking up more steam after the New England Patriots picked up their sixth straight win...and Carson Wentz’s Hail Mary attempt wasn’t enough to beat Tom Brady and the Bucs. Our Monday morning QB Alex Smith tells us what we’ve learned this week...and gives a nod to his former coach, Jim Harbaugh. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When arguably the world’s most popular athlete, Cristiano Ronaldo, took the pitch for arguably the world’s most popular soccer club, Manchester United, two truly global sports brands were reunited on the legendary pitch at Old Trafford. Months earlier the same iconic stadium was literally stormed by Man United supporters fighting against the globalization of the sport they love. Wright Thompson was there for Ronaldo’s return to the team, and explains why emotions and identities around this team run so deep, in a re-spin of one of our favorite episodes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When an unknown 25-year-old named John Daly showed up at the 1991 PGA Championship literally the night before - as the ninth alternate - he pulled off biggest upset in golf history and became an instant icon. That was 30 years ago. What’s less well known, but no less significant, is the story of another man who attended that tournament. During the first round, Tom Weaver, a spectator and father of two, was struck in the chest by lightning and died at the scene. ESPN’s Bob Harig shares the story of Tom Weaver, and the gift the Daly sent his family afterwards, that lives on to this day, as we re-spin this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanksgiving weekend is all about one thing: the sports. From the NFL to the NHL to the National Dog Show and beyond, it’s a weekend to stuff yourself silly with on-the-field action. Emily Kaplan and Domonique Foxworth have examined the full smorgasbord of athletic options, and offer up a guide to maximize your sports gluttony. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is having his best season yet, having already netted a pair of viral highlight goals that have broken the internet. But looking beyond the mind blowing moves and hockey accolades and comparisons to Edmonton’s last Great One, who is Connor McDavid? Emily Kaplan asks John Buccigross to give us Connor McDavid 101, and tells us why this might finally be the year the hockey megastar brings the Stanley Cup back to Edmonton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai is a three-time Olympian and former number one in the world for women’s doubles. Earlier this month she accused a powerful Chinese political figure of sexual assault, and then was not seen or heard from for weeks. This past weekend the public saw and heard Peng via a video clip of a Chinese tennis competition, and a video call between her and sports officials, including IOC President Thomas Bach. ESPN’s Dan Murphy shares the latest, and why big questions remain about Peng’s safety. Then, we call up our Monday Morning QB Alex Smith to recap the NFL action in Week 11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Once upon a time, if you were an NBA 7-footer you played center, in the paint, with your back to the basket. But over the past decade, the NBA has been invaded by a new type of big man…one who is increasingly rendering the entire concept of “positions” obsolete. Players like Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who can play like guards on offense, and match up with anyone on the floor on defense. And now, a new generation is emerging, with the Cavaliers rookie standout Evan Mobley, and likely lottery pick Chet Holmgren from Gonzaga. ESPN’s Mike Schmitz breaks down just when this trend of alien big men began, what makes them so valuable, and the alien prospect that NBA teams are already clamoring to draft. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Patriots face the Falcons tonight, after their fourth consecutive win on Sunday, and Mac Jones is playing at a level that is making the rest of us look silly for doubting him. Bill Belichick’s team enters the second half of the season hot on the tails of a playoff spot, so Louis Riddick explains what we all missed with Jones at draft time, and how The Patriot Way is leading to success yet again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s the most important piece of gear for a basketball player: the shoes. And one of the most popular, iconic basketball shoes, Kobes, are no longer being mass produced by Nike. So what’s an NBA player to do once his favorite shoe stops being made? Brian Windhorst takes us inside the wild secondary market that’s developed, and tells us why the shoe is so coveted, especially if you’re a size 17. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dead money: it’s the money a college or university still owes a coach after they’re fired. And over the past decade, there has been more than half a billion dollars worth of it paid out in college sports. But where does that money come from, and which schools are the biggest offenders? ESPN investigative reporter Paula Lavigne looked into the outsized spending of dead money across college programs, and explains what’s behind it. Hear the findings from Lavigne’s and Mark Schlabach’s reporting on buyouts for coaches in college football, and men's and women's basketball Power 5 programs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NFL continues to redefine our sense of normalcy from week to week, and our Monday morning QB Alex Smith is here to ground us. The Chiefs took sole possession of first place in the wild AFC West. Elsewhere, Russell Wilson couldn’t shake off the rust in his return with the Seahawks, as Aaron Rodgers and the Packers gave Seattle its first shutout in a decade. And every football fan’s nightmare is coming true, as the New England Patriots won their fourth straight, with rookie QB Mac Jones delivering a signature win over the Cleveland Browns. Plus, the first tie of the season between the Steelers and Lions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Warriors all but disappeared from any conversation about a title, after losing the 2019 NBA Finals. But ESPN’s Nick Friedell assures us the Warriors are back, with star point guard Steph Curry and former Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green bringing their unique synergy. Friedell tells us how coach Steve Kerr is experimenting with lineups this season, how the rebuilding of the program is altering the Warriors’ place in a crowded Western Conference, and what the revamped team could look like once Klay Thompson returns. Plus, ahead of Friday's World Cup qualifying match, Sam Borden discusses the cherished USMNT vs. Mexico rivalry that is set to change forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Presbyterian college football head coach Kevin Kelley never punts. It’s a philosophy that brought him major success at the high school level in Arkansas, where his unconventional thinking resulted in nine state titles in 18 seasons, and an innovation award presented to him by Robert DeNiro. But Kelley’s leap from high school to college landscape has been met with its fair share of criticism. Hear Ryan McGee discuss why, after a 72-0 loss that shook the NCAA’s smallest Division I program, Kelley continues to search for angles and advantages that work in favor of a program that admittedly has nothing to lose. Then, Paolo Uggetti shares his report on San Diego State’s Matt Araiza, a left-legged kicking phenomenon who booms punts, nails field goals, and crushes kickoffs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An ESPN investigation, featuring interviews with more than 70 current and former Phoenix Suns employees, reveals accusations of racism and misogyny against Suns owner Robert Sarver -- and a toxic workplace many employees believe was emboldened by his behavior. The allegations range from racially insensitive and lewd language to conduct some employees felt was inappropriate and misogynistic. ESPN’s Baxter Holmes shares his reporting on this story, the NBA’s response, and what happens from here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 2021 college basketball season tips off tonight and so much has changed since Baylor was crowned the national champion. ESPN’s Myron Medcalf breaks down the top seeded teams, including what it’ll take for Gonzaga to rebound from last year’s heartbreak. Plus, there’s Duke’s legendary Coach K beginning his farewell tour, and coaches getting used to how the transfer portal - along with name, image and likeness rules - are truly changing the game. We have all you need to get ready for the season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Jordan Love’s disappointing debut as Green Bay Packers QB1 to the L.A. Rams getting dominated by the Tennessee Titans at home on Sunday night, the NFL saw more than its fair share of big upsets and strange moments in Week 9. So we bring our own starting QB, Alex Smith to discuss. Plus, how Aaron Rodgers’ vaccination status loomed over the weekend...and what we think of the ManningCast curse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Barry Bonds’ baseball achievements are staggering: from home run records to MVP awards to Gold Gloves to mind-boggling slugging and on-base percentages, the numbers place him squarely among the game’s all-time greats. But Bonds’ successes have been tarnished by what is known about his use of performance-enhancing drugs. For the last nine years, Bonds has been eligible for enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame and each year, when the ballots are tallied, has come up short. Now he is in his final year on the writers’ ballot, making the issue of his worthiness for selection more urgent than ever before. Jeremy Schaap joins the show to ruminate on Bonds’ career: the stupendous feats of his youth; his relationship with managers, teammates and the media; his late-career performance surge; and the steroids controversy, all of which is chronicled in the new E60 special BONDS, which Schaap hosts this Sunday at 9:30 pm ET. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s been a head spinning week in the NFL. On Wednesday, reports surfaced that Packers QB Aaron Rodgers tested positive for covid, and will not play in Sunday’s marquee matchup vs. the Chiefs. Rodgers previously told the media and his team that he was “immunized,” and has undergone other treatments that did not include the vaccine. So QB Jordan Love will see his first NFL start against a Chiefs team that seems beleaguered by turnovers and bad defense. Elsewhere, Browns receiver Odell Beckham Jr. may be coming to the end of his career in Cleveland, after his father Odell Beckham Sr. posted a video on social media blaming QB Baker Mayfield for Beckham’s poor performance. And, the New Orleans Saints are dealing with two massive injuries to QB Jameis Winston and WR Michael Thomas. Bill Barnwell takes us through all of these NFL storylines and more at the halfway point of the season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Atlanta Braves are World Champions! So Tim Keown joins us from Houston, where he takes us through how the Braves got here. Then, when the Brooklyn Nets host the Atlanta Hawks tonight, two of the most divisive players of the modern NBA will face off. James Harden and Trae Young are two of the best players in the league, thanks in part to their skill with the dark arts of drawing fouls. But this offseason, the NBA decided to crack down on offensive players engaging in so-called “foul hunting” and the results are being felt across the league. Brian Windhorst explains why many think the new rules are changing the game for good, even if not everyone is happy about them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When pro hockey player Kyle Beach reported his sexual assault by a Chicago Blackhawks video coach in 2010, the team failed to act. Beach filed a lawsuit against the team as “John Doe” and a 100-plus page report on his experience, as well as the team’s handling of the incident, has led to resignations from team leaders who were involved. Emily Kaplan tells us how the Blackhawks and the National Hockey League failed one of their own by covering up abuse, and what happens next as the truth is told. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Halloween fell on the eighth Sunday of this NFL season, and it belonged to backup QBs. Cooper Rush put on his Dak Prescott costume and led the Dallas Cowboys to a last minute game winning TD. The Saints’ Trevor Siemian stepped in for the injured Jameis Winston and defeated Tom Brady, and Mike White performed arguably the most unlikely feat of the day, in breathing life into the Jets’ fan base by leading them to an upset win over the Bengals. ESPN Daily’s QB-1 Alex Smith breaks down how a bunch of backups managed to trick everyone on a very strange day of football. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You might know about Freddie Freeman, first baseman for the Atlanta Braves, who you’ll see take the field tonight in Game Three of the World Series vs. the Houston Astros. Freeman’s also the Gold Glover and four time All-Star...who battled back from covid to win NL MVP last year. But the Freddie Freeman you don’t know is even more remarkable. In a re-air of our episode from April, Buster Olney takes us inside the E:60 documentary Full Circle: The Freddie Freeman Story, and presents an exclusive and emotional portrait of one of the game’s best players. Freeman opens up as never before about the loss of loved ones, as well as the struggles he and his wife have endured in starting a family of their own. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices