The Pod Piper

1. Hang Up and Listen - "The Balls Can Ball Edition" Hang Up and Listen consistently provides alternative takes on mainstream sports as well as unearthing quirkier stories that tend to evade the headlines.  "The Balls Can Ball Edition" is quite representative on both counts, and the heavy does of basketball pushed this episode to the top of this week's list.   HUAL  capitalized on the shocking trade of Demarcus Cousins to New Orleans for basically nothing, and by inviting ESPN writer (and recent Cousins profile writer) Kevin Arnovitz to guest co-host in Mike Pesca's stead.  Add in a story about fan empowerment in decision making, an interview with basketball dad LaVar Ball, and a compelling argument for San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to run as the Democratic presidential candidate in 2020, and this edition of the show lands with a satisfying amount of whimsy, wit and analysis. 2. Kurt Vonneguys  - "Mother Night" Kurt Vonneguys combi...

1. Love + Radio - "How to Argue" The Love + Radio episode "Silver Dollar"  was one of the first pieces from the show that really grabbed my attention.  The episode is enigmatic, appropriately representative of L+R , but it also painted a picture of a person I would love to meet.  Perhaps the greatest gift a podcast can give is the illusion of an intimate conversation with an intriguing stranger, so in a way I felt like Daryl Davis and I had sat down for a chat.  Davis, musician and properly subtle anti-racist mercernary, is back on "How to Argue" to discuss discourse in Trump's America.  And true to form, Davis highlights his even-tempered message of assuming the best while observing the worst in people.  It's a crucial attitude for survival in a climate so rife with hostility and doubling down.  To paraphrase Stephen Colbert's executive producer, interviewed this week on The Gist , we must give our adversaries a chance while not allowing th...

1. This American Life - "It's Working Out Very Nicely" Amidst the hoards of Trump coverage in more traditional forms of media, the podcast world is often forced to struggle with churning out content before it is rendered irrelevant by the latest crazy-making move of the new administration.  I've enjoyed the daily and semi-weekly takes from The Gist and NPR's Politics Podcast , but was pleased to find this tight and timely episode from This American Life .  Ever the champions of human narrative, TAL reports on the implementation of the travel ban in "It's Working Out Very Nicely."  It's possible that the tenuous stays on the ban could fluctuate by the time you read this, but the structure of this episode is comprehensive and highly effective.  It's nice to see this sort of up-to-the-moment work from a show well-known for honing in on the minute kitsch of interpersonal tales.  Certainly not unprecedented, but good to see the juggernaut flex ...

It was another massive week of listening - 30 logged podcasts, and a queue of 3 not-yet-listened-to episodes after the dust settled.  In light of the volume, I'm adding a few 'Honorable Mentions' after the top episodes this week.  This is the golden age, people.  Get out there and soak up these shows! 1. The Cracked Podcast - "The Enormous Lie About Modern Life (You Likely Believe)" I'll grant that the title of this episode reads a bit like unabashed click-bait, though the knowledge that this is a podcast and not simply a listicle should assuage any doubts about the thoroughness of this piece of media.  The show is pretty lengthy, clocking in at a little over two hours, but considering the depth of the subject matter that doesn't seem so bad.   Cracked 's conceit is essentially that the world has been steadily improving in almost every measurable way, despite contrary press from any and all ideologies.  I could see this conveying as a long-winded p...