The Lead

Fernando Tatis Jr. has been red hot lately. So, today, we're replaying an episode that originally aired back in February, after the superstar signed his massive deal with the Padres. The Athletic’s Dennis Lin joined us to look at how the idea for Tatis Jr.’s deal was inspired by a pair of statues, and how a unique bond between player and general manager helped this contract become a reality.More from Dennis Lin:https://theathletic.com/author/dennis-lin/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The hottest bat in baseball doesn’t belong to Fernando Tatis Jr. or even Shohei Ohtani. No that title currently belongs to Washington Nationals left fielder Kyle Schwarber. After the worst season of his career in 2020, Schwarber has managed to get his groove back and take his game to new heights in 2021. Today, The Athletic’s Maria Torres joins us to talk about the hitting coach who helped Schwarber find his swing again and whether or not this changes how we should perceive him as a player going forward.Read Maria Torres’ story about Kyle Schwarber: https://theathletic.com/2681453/2021/06/30/unleashed-the-beast-kyle-schwarbers-historic-home-run-streak-has-been-months-in-the-making/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On Tuesday night, we saw yet another injury to a star player during these NBA Playoffs, as Giannis Antetokounmpo went down with a knee injury in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Today, The Athletic’s Eric Nehm on the Bucks chances for survival if they are without the two-time MVP, and why former second-round pick Khris Middleton could be the guy to carry them. Read Eric Nehm’s full story about Khris Middleton: https://theathletic.com/2677215/2021/06/28/giannis-antetokounmpo-sings-khris-middletons-praises-after-game-3-heroics-i-trust-this-guy-to-death/?source=theleadpodcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Italian men's national soccer team is off to a flying start at the 2020 European Championship, and is now one of the favorites to win the tournament. Which makes it easy to forget that, just a few years ago, the Azzuri suffered through an almost unspeakable tragedy that the Italian press dubbed “The Apocalypse" -- failing to quality for the World Cup. Today, The Athletic’s James Horncastle joins us from Rome to explain how Italy has found its way back from the end of the (footballing) world thanks to a coach with a complicated history with the team. Plus, how the Italians have had an unusual ace up their sleeve during the tournament -- a former banker with a notebook full of secret plays.Read James Horncastle's full story about Italy's renaissance under Roberto Mancini:https://theathletic.com/2634406/2021/06/08/italys-rebirth-and-mancinis-second-chance-how-the-azzurri-came-back-from-the-brink/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In April, less than a month after their team was eliminated from the 2021 NCAA tournament, eleven players from the Syracuse Women's Basketball program had announced that they would be transferring from the program -- the most of any basketball program in the country. Head coach Quentin Hillsman said it was nothing to be concerned about and indicated that the new NCAA transfer portal, which allows players to move more freely between schools, was to blame. But when The Athletic's Chantel Jennings and Dana O'Neil started speaking with former members of the program, they heard a very different, and much more troubling, explanation for the mass exodus. They join us today to explain what they found during their two-month investigation.Read Chantel and Dana's full story:https://theathletic.com/2678410/2021/06/29/why-the-mass-exodus-from-syracuse-womens-basketball-ego-manipulation-fear-tactics/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Stanley Cup Finals begin tonight, with the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning hosting the upstart darlings of Quebec, the Montreal Canadiens. For the Lightning, all eyes will be on their superstar who missed the entire regular season, only to come back and lead them in scoring during the playoffs -- former Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov. The Athletic's Joe Smith has been following the Lightning up close all season, and he joins us to discuss how Kucherov managed to regain his red hot form after five months off, what we learned about Kucherov and the Lightning during a hard-fought seven-game series against the New York Islanders, and why NHL legends like Doug Gilmour and Scotty Bowman think the Russian star is so special.More of Joe Smith's Lightning coverage:https://theathletic.com/author/joe-smith/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When Albert Pujols was released by the Angels, it seemed like it might the unceremonious end to a decorated career in Major League Baseball. Then Pujols raised eyebrows by signing with the Dodgers, a team in the National League with no designated hitter slot. People around the league wondered if Pujols had any gas left in the tank, and the man with over 670 home runs to his name has proven that he's not yet out of fuel. Today, The Athletic's Molly Knight joins us to talk about Pujols' play with the Dodgers and why his biggest impact on the team might be something that has nothing to do with the power left in his bat.Read Molly Knight's story about Albert Pujols: https://theathletic.com/2650671/2021/06/14/the-albert-pujols-signing-is-paying-off-for-dodgers-on-the-field-in-the-clubhouse-and-in-the-stands/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Four years ago, BIG3, the 3-on-3 basketball league founded by hip-hop artist Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz, was rolled out amidst a healthy dose of skepticism. But now, after a year off because of the pandemic, the league is still alive and is trying to pick up steam. The Athletic's Tashan Reed recently spoke with Ice Cube, Kwatinetz, and NBA legend Clyde Drexler (BIG3's commissioner) about their hopes and goals for the league, and Tashan joins us today to discuss how BIG3 is shaking things up, and whether or not they're here for the long haul.Read Tashan Reed's recent story about BIG3:https://theathletic.com/2633929/2021/06/09/we-got-the-hottest-league-in-the-summer-the-big3-basketball-league-demands-to-be-taken-seriously/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On Monday, Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib made history by becoming the first active NFL player to publicly come out as gay. The 28-year-old Nassib, who had previously played for the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (and who was one of the breakout stars of HBO's Hard Knocks in 2019) made the announcement in a one-minute video on Instagram. The Athletic's Steve Buckley faced many of the same questions that Nassib now faces when he came out in 2011, while working for the Boston Herald. Steve joins us today to discuss why Nassib's act was so momentous and what lessons from his own story might apply to Nassib.Read Steve Buckley's recent column about Carl Nassib:https://theathletic.com/2666196/2021/06/22/buckley-the-raiders-carl-nassib-makes-a-statement-not-just-for-today-but-for-tomorrow/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Phoenix Suns have been the most dominant team in the playoffs so far. Despite being without their star point guard, Chris Paul, due to COVID-19, the Suns won their eighth straight playoff game on Sunday in Game 1 of their Western Conference Finals matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Athletic's Jovan Buha has been covering the Suns remarkable postseason run and he joins us today to talk about how good fortune, steely defending and a couple of star performers have fueled Phoenix's rise to potential NBA Championship favorites. Read Jovan Buha's Phoenix Suns coverage here: https://theathletic.com/author/jovan-buha/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.