15 Comments

My take on reviews (being primarily a football guy): If the refs can't make a decision on the play within 90 seconds, the call on the field stands. Everyone wants calls to be correct, but I'll take some inaccurate calls if it means a more smoothly flowing game.

Expand full comment

this is a great idea.. also injects some drama into the review process where the refs would have the urge to beat the clock on a borderline call. The in-arena LP feed where Scott Foster sweats a block charge call with time running out would be wildly entertaining

Expand full comment

As a former Deadspin/KSK/With Leather/etc. reader, I tried to stick with Defector but lost interest fast over its incessant negativity and sanctimony. I don't need a lecture about "late capitalism" worked into baseball free agent talk, or how awful Republicans are in a piece about the SEC. I still think David Roth is a great writer, but not enough to keep visiting the site.

Expand full comment

I echo everything you said. Roth often writes about capitalism and Republicans, but his writing ability makes all of his pieces feel fresh or at least more fun to read than his coworkers' (he's basically written the same Trump piece 20 times, but they differ enough to make them worth reading). I'm sure everyone at Defector wholeheartedly believes all of their opinions, and it probably makes business sense to keep beating that drum, but I suspect they've lost a significant number of subscribers like me who adored Old Deadspin.

Expand full comment

Stretch goal for 2024: Humanize Nate Duncan. We got more personality from Nate in 1 hour with Ethan than probably 2000+ hours I've listened to Duncd On. (Although I do admire the absolute zero nonsense ethos of his pod).

Expand full comment

This is a strange thing to have as my wheelhouse but I'm fine being the weirdo here. I'm just well versed in Nate Duncan's non-hoops podcast appearances lmao

If you want more of Nate's personality listen to his food pod called "Arguing About Food" that he does with his sister https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/arguing-about-food/id1506294446

Ever since he gave his food takes in 2017 on Kevin Pelton's pod, I knew Nate was a cool cat 😂 Here's the fast food episode he did with KP -http://sonicscentral.com/peltoncast/2017/03/08/peltoncast-fast-food-special/ and the Thanksgiving food episode - http://sonicscentral.com/peltoncast/2017/11/21/thanksgiving-food-special-with-nate-duncan/

Expand full comment

I've been listening to Dunc'ed On for years and didn't know he had a food podcast.......

Expand full comment

To the question posed by Sithembiso Duba on why the NFL doesn't go both ways. Malcolm Gladwell iirc went over this topic not too long ago by posing the question why are NFL players so huge now vs what they were 60 years ago? If you just look at the players now vs a long time ago it's clear they are just much larger specifically on the lines and it's not just we are all larger now vs then, even though that is true to an extent.

The answer is Football used to force you to play the whole game both ways, but then it changed in NFL then college (or vice versa) sometime in the 60's iirc, where you could substitute players on occasion then you could sub as much as you wanted.

Playing both ways changes the athletes skill set and endurance, you lose muscle and gain endurance, but you also gain specific skills vs general skills. You don't see soccer players ripped like an NFL player because they have to run around way more as an endurance athlete vs a sprinter, look at the body types of sprinters vs long distance runners and you'll see the difference.

I for one think soccer would be more enjoyable if you had unlimited substitutions like they have in the NFL or NBA, I can't imagine how bad football would be to see someone in the last legs of a game just not at their peak, give the guy some rest I want him back in when he's ready to finish strong. Soccer fans I know say "well endurance is part of the game" and they like that aspect which is fine but then you sacrifice something to get that.

The Philadelphia Eagles have an offensive Lineman Jordan Mailata who is from Australia and played Rugby professionally, but he's massive 6'8" 365 lbs and just his body would not really stand up to the endurance needed for Rugby but he's a great offensive lineman for the NFL (and makes so much more money than he'd ever do in Rugby).

Don't look at it as one being better than the other but as what you trade off vs what you get, I for one would not want to watch an NFL game that players played both ways or an NBA game where that was the case, there's a benefit to getting a little rest and coming back near peak powers to play in sports, but not everyone agrees with me. I often wonder how soccer would look if you had unlimited substitutions maybe more like Ice hockey...

Expand full comment

Thanks for answering my balldontstop question. I totally agree with your point about the seriousness with which he delivers his takes being something that may resonate more with nba players.

Expand full comment

Make Nate your bff and have him on the pod again please.

Expand full comment

Nate gives more pushback than any other guests.

Expand full comment

The NBA is in a weird spot. 42 players are averaging over 20pts per game. I remember when the Doug Moe Nuggets scored with reckless abandon, turning every game into a track meet, with Alex English leading the way. Now you've got not only a slippery game, but everyone shooting 3's, or going for some other 'metrics' outcome. Get off my lawn.

Good to see Max Stigma getting some burn.

Expand full comment

Somewhat related to all the NBA IST ratings mockery and your general disdain, which came up even in this mailbag, here's a hot take: did you see the first round of NBA All Star voting? Did you see where one Tyrese Haliburton is ranked? He's the #1 guard in the East. By quite a bit over Dame! I'm quite certain that's because of the Pacers IST run, even though they lost the final to Lebron. If the IST did one thing well, it was making Hali a legit star, not a twitter/NBA circles star. Casuals who only watch Lakers games know who he is now, even though he's a Pacer. His team is good and is beginning to matter again nationally (their rivalry with Bucks might suddenly be the spiciest in the league!). He's American born, and barring injury, his team is on the upswing. If the IST accomplished literally nothing else - that's actually a very big win.

Expand full comment

Thanks for answering my question (first)! Also, thanks for the link to the Canzano piece. I wasn't here yet when you published it, but it was a great read!

Expand full comment

Why not Sacramento? (other than CA state taxes). Its warm and close to both the Bay and Tahoe. From driving US 50, seems like itll be exurb all the way to Pollack Pines in the coming years.

Expand full comment