The following podcast contains explicit language.

This is Slate's sports podcast. Hang up and Listen for the week of November 4th, 2019.

I'm Stefan Fatsis, the author of Word Freak, A Few Seconds of Panic, and Wild and Outside.

On this week's show, we're ditching the usual format.

Sorry, Nat's fans.

Tell your team not to win the World Series on a Wednesday next time.

Instead, we'll have an extended conversation with some former writers and editors at Deadspin,

the sports website that effectively died last week, when its entire editorial staff was either fired or mostly resigned

after a protracted conflict with its new owners about, among other things, sticking to sports.

Josh Levine is Slate's national editor and the author of The Queen.

He joins me from New Orleans.

Hey, Josh.

Looking forward to providing a Southern perspective on the proceedings today, Stefan.

What are you doing down there?

I had a book thing, also just doing some scouting of Alabama for Saturdays LSU, Alabama.

I had an idea about that, by the way.

Sort of a light bulb moment because you were in Baton Rouge scouting.

What's that?

I was looking at the polls. I didn't realize LSU was number one in the AP poll. Congratulations, Josh. You shouldn't realize that, but thank you. We should just stop the regular season right now. Sorry, LSU Alabama. Take the top 16 teams. Start the playoffs. It's a little tricky on the scheduling, but you've got the bracket, which would go on for four weeks. So the final two teams who play 12 games.

Everyone who's eliminated resumes regular scheduling after they're out.

So next Saturday would be LSU, Wisconsin, Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan.

I'm excited.

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