The regular season is in the rearview, and the NBA Play-In Tournament is officially knocking on the door. With the Pistons and Thunder sitting pretty, the rest of the bracket in total flux. Joel Lorenzi helps us break down who’s a contender and who’s just a pretender fighting for their life. Then, the "Robot Ump" revolution has arrived, and MLB veterans are feeling the heat. We discuss Sam Blum’s latest reporting on the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS). Is a mathematically perfect strike zone progress, or is the "humiliation" of public overturned calls ruining the soul of the game? In our main story, the Athletic’s prediction guru Austin Mock joins the show to crunch the numbers on the NFL Draft. Austin, Robert and Jason play "Mock with Mock," a high-stakes simulation of the first six picks for the Raiders, Jets, Cardinals, Titans, Giants, and Browns.

Hosts & Guests

Zena Keita @itszenakeita

Robert Mays @robertmays

Jason Goff @Jason1Goff

Joel Lorenzi @JoelXLorenzi

Sam Blum @SamBlum3

Austin Mock @amock419

Mix: Matt Shilts

Executive Producer: Maggie Burbank

Producers: Jen Bradley, Stephen Lorenzo

A Production of The Athletic, Ode Studios, and Banner Studios

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Athletic Show, Zena, Robert, and Jason break down a week of sports history in the making. Braylon Mullins’ stunned Duke with an absolute "bonkers" buzzer beater to send UConn to the Final Four. We debate whether Mullins has officially dethroned the "Laettner Moment" as the greatest in NCAA history. Then, we explore the "Victims of Circumstance." Inspired by recent reporting on NFL legend Doug Flutie, the crew discusses the athletes who were simply born in the wrong era. Who are the stars of the past that would be undisputed #1 picks in today's modern schemes? Finally, we go behind the scenes of the technological arms race threatening the soul of golf. The Athletic’s Brody Miller joins the studio to take us inside Callaway’s HQ to ask the big question: Is innovation making the game too easy?

Hosts & Guests

Zena Keita @itszenakeita

Robert Mays @robertmays

Brody Miller @BrodyAMiller

Mix: Matt Shilts

Executive Producer: Maggie Burbank

Producers: Jen Bradley, Stephen Lorenzo

A Production of The Athletic, Ode Studios, and Banner Studios

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The MLB regular season officially kicked off Wednesday, and we are getting you prepped with the help of Keith Law, senior baseball writer for The Athletic, who joins the show to break down the three most striking storylines heading into Opening Day and what they reveal about the trajectory of the upcoming season. Then, the crew discusses how the high volume of transfers, NIL money and the introduction of NBA-style offenses has fundamentally reshaped college basketball. Finally, olympic sprinter Jordan Lyles sits down with Marcus Thompson to pull back the curtain on his polarizing public persona and share his ambitious master plan to elevate track and field to the same commercial heights as major American team sports.

Hosts & Guests

Zena Keita @itszenakeita

Robert Mays @robertmays

Marcus Thompson @thompsonscribe

Keith Law @keithlaw.bsky.social

Mix: Matt Shilts

Executive Producer: Maggie Burbank

Producer: Jen Bradley

A Production of The Athletic, Ode Studios, and Banner Studios

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.