The following podcast contains explicit language, including the words, well, you'll just have to wait and see.

Hi, I'm Josh Levine, Slate's national editor, and this is Hang Up and Listen for the week of May 16th, 2022.

On this week's show, we're going to dive deep into the winners and losers in the NBA's conference semifinals.

Two segments deep, because it's going to take at least one to try to understand what befell the

suns on Sunday night. And with whatever we have left of our senses, we will discuss

Tom Brady's reported 10-year $375 million deal to call football games for Fox. I'm in

Washington, D.C., and I'm the author of The Queen and the host of the podcast one year.

Stefan Fatsis is off this week, but let's pause to praise him for two word-related accomplishments.

First, he pulled off a fantastic school Scrabble Championship here in D.C. this past weekend.

And second, he published his first-ever crossword puzzle in the LA Times on Friday.

We will link to it on our show page, and you can try to beat my time of nine minutes and 31 seconds.

That's nine minutes and 31 seconds, if you dare.

With us again, it's New Yorker staff writer and theater critic, Vincent Cunningham.

But savor it, because this is the last week of his heroic guest hosting run.

Vincent, I'm expecting you to go out hoisting, Grant Williams style.

I want a record number of takes.

It's the Vincent Cunningham game.

Here on Hang Up.

I look forward to it.

And our third this week, Slate, senior writer, Ben Mathis Lilley. He is the author of the upcoming book, The Hot Seat. If you want to know what it's about, you have to pre-order it, and you'll find out when it arrives at your door on August 30th. It's about college football. And it's very good, at least the parts I've read. I'm requesting a stamp just on the chapters I've read because I cannot provide any warranty on the others.

Hello, Ben.

Hey, Josh.

...