Grandstanding by Yahoo Sports

In this deeply weird 2017 season, this past week was a high (or low) water mark. Deshaun Watson out for the year, Papa John starting a pizza war with the NFL, Ezekiel Elliott suspended and then not ... it was as strange as they come. Today, we talk about those stories, as well as why everyone is always so down on the NFL as compared to, say, the NBA. Plus, we offer up our picks for the week ahead. It's all the prep you need for Week 9, all in one handy package. Enjoy!

It's October, the weather is (mostly) cooling, and postseason baseball is upon us! We're in World Series-heavy mode here at Grandstanding today; we begin with a breakdown of the Dodgers-Astros World Series. Who do you root for if you don't know who to root for? From there, we talk with Sridhar Pappu, author of "Year of the Pitcher." It's an outstanding look at 1968, a tumultuous year in both baseball and the country, with two figures--pitchers Denny McLain and Bob Gibson--serving as avatars for the tensions tearing apart the country. (Sound familiar?) It's an exceptional look at a difficult time in American history, and we highly recommend it. Thanks for listening, and enjoy the World Series!

You've probably heard how the NFL's ratings are diving, how the NFL's no longer America's most popular sport, how the NFL will be gone in five years, blah blah. It's all nonsense...or, at least, it's not nearly as dire a situation as the NFL's detractors would like. Yahoo's Frank Schwab is here with us to break down the NFL's ratings issues, and starting at the 3:30 mark, he blasts apart the narrative that the NFL is somehow in the throes of a ratings crisis. (Spoiler: if ratings are down, it's not by much, and the NFL is still the biggest show in town by a huge margin.) It's a heavy dose of fact amid all the overheated opinion, and we believe you'll enjoy it. Also in this ep: which quarterback will win the most Super Bowls over the next 10 years, how far Tom Brady can keep going, memories of the great Cowboys-49ers rivalry, and a rundown of Week 7. All right here, all for your listening pleasure.

Muhammad Ali is one of the landmark figures of the 20th century, and now he has a complete biography worthy of his stature. Jonathan Eig spent three years writing Ali: A Life, and the result is a sprawling, fascinating story that touches on every element of the life of The Greatest. Today, we talk to him about the process of writing, the challenge of chasing down reluctant sources, the exploding of myths surrounding Ali, and the ways Ali would have thrived in this hypercharged political environment. It's a great book, and we believe you'll enjoy our interview. If you enjoy the podcast, leave us a nice review on iTunes, and why not tell a friend? Catch you next ep!

We finally got a couple of decent playoff games! Today, we run down Dallas-Green Bay, Houston-New England, Seattle-Atlanta, and Pittsburgh-Kansas City. We decide which teams' windows are closing and which are already closed. We also break down the great Aaron Rodgers, and handicap each team's chances for a win next weekend. Enjoy!