On the third episode of the sixth season of The Sports-Casters hosts Steve Bennett and Don Russ welcome Josh Levin (Slate, Shut Up and Listen) and David Shoemaker (Cheap Heat, ESPN). Starting the show with 3Things, Steve and Don look ahead to Super Bowl 50, riff about Blake Griffin breaking his hand on the face of a Clippers staffer, and look at the NHL's league leaders at the All-Star break. The book club formally introduces the new first book of 2016 called This is Your Brain on Sports: The Science of Underdogs, the Value of Rivalry, and What We Can Learn from the T-Shirt Cannon by Jon Wertheim and Sam Sommers. Finally, the show ends with Don earning his spot in the nerd Hall of Fame and Steve bashing Pro-Bowl replaced-replacement-replacements.
-Josh Levin is making his first appearance (0:25:56) on the podcast to talk about writing and editing at Slate.com and being the host of the awesome Hang Up and Listen podcast. Steve and Josh geek out on podcast talk covering topics such as being nervous, booking guests, and working on a panel. Josh recalls the Tracy Porter pick six, being in the house to see the Saints win the NFC Championship, and asks Steve how he became a Saints fan. Josh also talks about his relationship with Bryan Curtis, plugs a piece on Slate about Cam Newton, and explains the importance of listening.
-David Shoemaker is making his sixth appearance (01:14:29) on the podcast to talk about the business of professional wrestling and his love of the Carolina Panthers. Shoemaker talks about the Royal Rumble, the state of Divas wrestling on the main roster, trying to get over Roman Reigns and when a gimmick becomes a parody. Steve and David debate the hate of Cam Newton, David defends his switch from Cowboys fan to Panthers, and the guys agree Drew Brees is the greatest of all-time.
