A March Without Madness

Hosts Alex Kirshner , Lindsay Gibbs , and Ben Lindbergh recap a chalky March Madness marked by coaching drama and uncertainty about college basketball’s future. Then Alex and Lindsay ask Ben about the early MLB season, from the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system to a new wave of impressive rookies. Finally, the panel speaks with author and soccer journalist Ryan O'Hanlon about the real story behind Wrexham A.F.C. and how high the celebrity-owned club can realistically climb. Ben also has an Afterball on Kenny Albert's impending record for most national broadcasts called. In this week’s bonus episode for Slate Plus members: Saudi Arabia makes a big push into esports and fighting video games. March Madness: (6:29): Was relatively mild MLB ABS (22:50) : “You can’t challenge the robots!” Wrexham AFC (43:34): The aging Welsh TV stars need to win now Afterballs (1:00:33): Kenny Albert has called almost 1480 national games (Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad-free.) Get more Hang Up and Listen with Slate Plus! Join for weekly bonus episodes of Hang Up and Listen and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts.

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A March Without Madness is an episode from Hang Up and Listen.

This episode is 1:16:33 long.

This episode was published on Apr 7, 2026.

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