Episodes

Friday Mar 24, 2017
Episode 183: Shade in the Desert
Friday Mar 24, 2017
Friday Mar 24, 2017
Wrapping up the happenings in Indian Wells, Ben and Courtney cover the popular champs and the odd ways their matches were pitted against each other. First, is the surprising win of Elena Vesnina reflective of a current landscape of opportunity in women's tennis? And where might this title lead her? And for Roger Federer, how much is about him surging and how much is about the others atop men's tennis receding?
What to make of the impatient foot-tapping during men's tennis-centered folk during the three-set women's final? And how does how the "Group of Death" played out reflect on all of Djokovic, Kyrgios, and Nadal? And what does it say about U.S. tennis coverage that it took us this long to mention Jack Sock?
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread! Engage with other listeners!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR183!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Wednesday Feb 08, 2017
Episode 179: Making a Racquet
Wednesday Feb 08, 2017
Wednesday Feb 08, 2017
There was an eye-catching ending to Davis Cup this weekend, so Ben and Courtney open by discussing Denis Shapovalov's howitzer into the face of chair umpire Arnaud Gabas, and all the various conversations it starts. Should tennis players drastically rein in their tantrums? Should rules change? Or would an overreaction clamp down on a sport that needs big personalities?
Then, Ben chats with the founders of the gorgeous Racquet magazine, Caitlin Thompson and David Shaftel, about starting up their quarterly publication, and the ways they want to further intertwine tennis and beauty through their work. If you're interested in the world of print and prestige quarterlies and whatnot, this is the chat for you.
Then, football makes Courtney sad.
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread! Engage with other listeners!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR179!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Saturday Feb 04, 2017
Episode 178: Waking From Australian Dreams
Saturday Feb 04, 2017
Saturday Feb 04, 2017
Back home from their Australian adventures, and with time to process the "dream finals" of the Australian Open, Ben and Courtney rouse and reflect on what to make of the Serena-Venus and Federer-Nadal finals, and what they say about the current state of tennis, both for the players involved and the weekend's presumed losers (i.e. Angelique Kerber, Murray-Djokovic matches, etc).
Also, how does the relative spreading of wealth in the WTA compare to the oligarchy of men's tennis? And are these results ideal for the respective tours?
Lastly, we talk about movies, and we have strong feelings about current and recent Oscar darlings.
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread! Engage with other listeners!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR178!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Thursday Jan 19, 2017
Episode 177c: Australian Open Day 4: Djokovic Derails
Thursday Jan 19, 2017
Thursday Jan 19, 2017
Day 4 was a day of upsets in Melbourne. No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska got blitzed by Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (as Courtney flagged), but the biggest story was six-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic stunningly falling in five sets to 117th-ranked wildcard Denis Istomin.
To assess Novak's slide, as well as other perceptions of him in Serbia and the wider world, Ben chats with Belgrade-based Saša Ozmo, a journalist for Sport Klub Srbija. How did this slide start for Novak, and what are reasonable expectations for him going forward?
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread! Engage with other listeners!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR177c!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Sunday Jan 15, 2017
Episode 176: Australian Open Draw Show
Sunday Jan 15, 2017
Sunday Jan 15, 2017
Together again in Melbourne, Ben and Courtney dive right into the women's and men's draws of the 2017 Australian Open, rolling in some thoughts on the season so far along the way.
It's somewhat business as usual, with so many women relevant and so few men, but there's one particular woman who both Ben and Courtney are super geeked for. Can she break out and win her first Slam? How much or little should we read into early season stumbles by the other top women? And on the men's side, can anyone disrupt the Murray-Djokovic order? And are Roger and/or Rafa ready for runs?
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread! Engage with other listeners!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR176!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Tuesday Jan 10, 2017
Episode 175b: Still Remembering When
Tuesday Jan 10, 2017
Tuesday Jan 10, 2017
Since 2016 had so much stuff to remember, Ben and Courtney split Episode 175 into two pieces so they could make it all more manageable. Here's the second part, which covers (more or less) late April until the end of the year.
Lots in there, to be sure, so be sure to chew carefully. And if there's still something worthwhile which we forgot (and there almost certainly is), let us know on Twitter or Facebook!
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread! Engage with other listeners), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR175b!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Tuesday Nov 22, 2016
Episode 172: Stuffed With Gratitude
Tuesday Nov 22, 2016
Tuesday Nov 22, 2016
The tennis season, save for that pesky Davis Cup final, is finally over, and so Ben and Courtney digest it (before the heavier duty digestion of Thanksgiving) by discussing who the men's player of the year should be. Andy Murray is the year-end #1 after winning London, but there's a sturdy case to be made for Novak Djokovic, too.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, Ben and Courtney then serve themselves heaping helpings of thankfulness for things we treasure in tennis and beyond. It's a gravy boat of gratitude.
To close, Courtney likes a movie and Ben's rant...disappeared?
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR172!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Saturday Nov 12, 2016
Episode 171: Regime Change
Saturday Nov 12, 2016
Saturday Nov 12, 2016
The world has undergone some changes since Ben and Courtney last spoke. Firstly, as this is a tennis show, we guess, we discuss new ATP #1 Andy Murray, what his ascendancy to the top of the rankings means for his career and legacy, and also how alarmed/confused we should be about Novak Djokovic's slide and his enlistment of an unorthodox spiritual advisor.
Also, we briefly wrap up Courtney's trip to Singapore, and the unlikely winner there, Dominika Cibulkova.
Then, in an expanded rant/feelings segment, we talk about the new man soon to be atop the United States government, and our emotions about that. We have several.
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR171!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Wednesday Nov 02, 2016
Episode 170: The Boys Are Back in Town
Wednesday Nov 02, 2016
Wednesday Nov 02, 2016
After a WTA-centric episode last time, Ben catches up on the ATP side of the equation this week with special guest Ricky Dimon, fresh off his running the Marine Corps Marathon this past weekend in Washington. After a brief contemplation of the round-robin format after another champion in Singapore went 1-2 in group play, we dive into how this unusual (and underwhelming?) season of men's tennis is wrapping up, especially in regard to the unexpected disappearance of Novak Djokovic.

Thursday Oct 20, 2016
Episode 168: Sinking, Tanking, and Politicking
Thursday Oct 20, 2016
Thursday Oct 20, 2016
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR168!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.