Mike Pesca

Wrestlers Grapple To Save Sport From Olympic Chopping Block

Mike Pesca — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:24:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

How often do you find Iran, Russia and the United States united behind a single message? Well, representatives from all three countries were in New York City yesterday rallying support for the sport of wrestling, which could be excluded from the upcoming Olympic Games. It was quite a show of sportsmanship and diplomacy. Of course, there was time for some conflict among the wrestlers.

Not Even Instant Replay Could Prevent These Bad Calls

Mike Pesca — Fri, 10 May 2013 21:45:00 +0000

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Major League Baseball has admitted that umpires have made some big mistakes in the last few days. On Wednesday, umpires ruled even after looking at television replays that Adam Rosales of the Oakland A's hit a double. The ball clearly left the park with the game on the line. And last night in Houston, umps botched a fairly simple rule about pitchers. NPR's Mike Pesca joins us now to second-guess the men in black. And, Mike, everyone makes mistakes, right, even umpires.

Always In The Zone, Syracuse Is Hard To Beat

Mike Pesca — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 15:46:00 +0000

Any recreational league basketball team, any police athletic league squad and every group of 8-year-olds who wear the same uniform are, on the first or second day of practice, introduced to the 2-3 zone defense.

The coach will say, "On defense, you two short guys stay near the foul line, and you three bigger kids, you go down near the basket.

Why College Basketball Celebrates Final 4 Teams

Mike Pesca — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:40:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

The NCAA men's basketball tournament resumes tomorrow. Louisville plays Wichita State and Syracuse faces Michigan. On the women's side, it's Louisville again. They're playing California. Notre Dame is playing Connecticut. These quartets of teams, of course, are known as the Final Four, and this stage in the tournament is a resume booster for teams and coaches.

Personality Of Each Coach Reflected In NCAA Men's Basketball Teams

Mike Pesca — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 21:42:00 +0000

To achieve a deep run in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, players have to be skilled and well-trained but also well-motivated.

Deflections: The Unofficial Stat That Measures Success

Mike Pesca — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 07:44:00 +0000

The Louisville Cardinals are among the teams dominating at this year's men's Division 1 NCAA basketball tournament, which resumes Thursday night. The team credits harassing, active defense for its wins.

But there's something else at work, too: deflections. The team puts a lot of stock in them, though deflections aren't an officially tracked statistic.

The way Mario Batali thinks about black truffles, the penchant Quentin Tarantino has for quoting Hong Kong martial arts films in his own movies — that's the way University of Louisville coach Rick Pitino talks about deflections.

Rhymed Wrap: NCAA So Far, In A Poem

Mike Pesca — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 12:13:00 +0000

NPR's Mike Pesca rhymes his way through the 32 opening-round games of the NCAA basketball tournament.

College Basketball Teams Hope For More Money By Leaving Big East Conference

Mike Pesca — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:39:00 +0000

For years, the Big East conference has been an elite force in men's college basketball. That ends this weekend. Realignment has dramatically transformed the Big East, as major powerhouse teams are moving on to other conferences.

Major League Soccer Finally On Solid Footing, But Hasn't Reached Big Time

Mike Pesca — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 22:01:00 +0000

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AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

The Major League Soccer season starts tomorrow. Superstar David Beckham is gone and there aren't any new teams to get excited about this year. But the MLS is on solid footing, and as NPR's Mike Pesca reports, the league has big ambitions.

MIKE PESCA, BYLINE: Having just turned 18 years old, Major League Soccer is now in its own demographic. Young people are drawn to the league. It's very popular among Hispanics and lots of women watch, too.

Summer Olympics To Drop Wrestling After 2016 Games

Mike Pesca — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 22:28:00 +0000

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

Finally this hour, an unexpected announcement from the world of Olympic sport. The International Olympic Committee Executive Board has decided to drop wrestling from the games beginning in 2020. It is a major blow to the sport, which is among the world's oldest. Today, wrestling is represented on every continent. NPR's Mike Pesca reports on fallout from the decision.

MIKE PESCA, BYLINE: The slogan of USA Wrestling is where the Olympic journey begins.

49ers' Coach Questions Ref's Call On Pass Interference At Super Bowl

Mike Pesca — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 22:55:00 +0000

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

Twenty-four hours after Super Bowl XLVII, the headlines are: superstar Beyonce and a midgame power outage. But in addition to the hip-shaking and the strange third quarter intermission, there was also some pretty good football played last night in New Orleans. The Baltimore Ravens proved they were no fluke. They held off a come-back by the San Francisco 49ers to win the pro-football championship, 34 to 31.

NPR's Mike Pesca was at the game and he's with us now. And, Mike, let's start with the power outage.

Super Bowl Cheat Sheet: Key Phrases To Keep You In The Game

Mike Pesca — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 10:28:00 +0000

Sure, you can go to a Super Bowl party and be That Guy. The one who gleefully lectures the crowd on the merits of running the inverted veer out of the pistol in order to freeze the weak-side backer.

Or you could be That Other Guy, who nervously stabs tuna rolls into a football made of wasabi, and hopes no one asks which Harbaugh is which.

Former Football Player Jim Brown Among The Game's Best Running Backs

Mike Pesca — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 22:17:00 +0000

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MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Melissa Block.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And I'm Audie Cornish. With the Super Bowl this weekend, football fans are renewing a perennial debate about the game's best players, but not just this year, of all time. Jerry Rice is arguably the best wide receiver. Linebacker Ray Lewis, who will play Sunday for the Baltimore Ravens, gets mentioned, alongside Mike Singletary and Dick Butkus, even Lawrence Taylor.

BLOCK: But one name in the greatness debate stirs little argument, and that's Jim Brown.

Ravens Are Super Bowl Underdogs, But Are Stats On Their Side?

Mike Pesca — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 11:09:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

The Baltimore Ravens are the underdogs in this Sunday's Super Bowl, going up against the San Francisco 49ers. Now, there have been bigger underdogs. And yes, the Ravens are not the lowest-seeded team to make it to the Super Bowl. But the Ravens have beaten the odds in another way. NPR's Mike Pesca talked to some football numbers guys and has this report.

MIKE PESCA, BYLINE: The Ravens embrace the role of the underdog at the same time that they scoff at the very notion.

How Do You Solve A Problem Like Colin Kaepernick?

Mike Pesca — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 08:17:00 +0000

There's always a question surrounding San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Years ago, people wondered whether the talented athlete would be good enough to start in college.

Then there was the question of what role he would play in the NFL. And after the 49ers took him, fans questioned whether he could throw enough to be more than a backup.

Now, the only question is: How do you stop Colin Kaepernick? The second-year quarterback out of Nevada is making just his 10th NFL start and is perhaps the most important player in the Super Bowl.

Who Is The Real Victims Of The NHL Lockout?

Mike Pesca — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 10:37:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

The lockout is over and the much delayed National Hockey League's season is now set to begin on Saturday. The regular season will run 48 games instead of the usual 82.

So what's the economic effect of missing almost half the season? NPR's Mike Pesca finds, not as bad as you might think.

MIKE PESCA, BYLINE: We've all seen the reports during the lockout, the empty bar near the arena should be brimming with Bruins backers or a Washington Avalanche acolytes. Or maybe it's not a bar.

Baseball Hall Of Fame Shutout A Ringing Verdict On Sport's Steroid Era

Mike Pesca — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 22:16:00 +0000

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And I'm Melissa Block.

JEFF IDELSON: Time to open up the envelope.

(SOUNDBITE OF PAPER)

BLOCK: The envelope revealing the results of this year's vote for baseball's Hall of Fame. We're hearing Jeff Idelson on the MLB Network.

Superstorm Sandy Didn't Sack High School Football Team

Mike Pesca — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 10:39:00 +0000

The city of Long Beach, on Long Island's Nassau County was one of the hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy, with entire neighborhoods ravaged by floods and wind. It seemed unlikely that the high school's football team would get to finish its season. But the Long Beach Marines saw action over the weekend.

Football Player-Turned-Actor Alex Karras Dies

Mike Pesca — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 20:46:00 +0000

Alex Karras played defense for the Detroit Lions in the 1960s. He turned to acting when he retired his cleats, landing a number of character roles in television and film. He was 77.