Can't Win 4 Losing

A podcast about losing*. Host King Kaufman brings you narrative stories about losing in sports, in all its forms—including as a prelude to better things. As Tolstoy may have almost written: Every champion is the same. Every loser is a loser in their own way. Can't Win 4 Losing tells their, which is to say our, stories. *also about winning.

Anthony Hembrick: Godfather of “Showboating Fighters KTFO” 05/03/2020

Anthony Hembrick: Godfather of “Showboating Fighters KTFO” "Showboating Fighters Get KTFO" — that's knocked the F out — is a popular YouTube genre. But before the internet, Anthony "Hollywood" Hembrick practically invented the form. An undefeated light-heavyweight, Hembrick danced up a choreographed storm with his cornermen before getting KO'd in the first round of a fight on national TV. The former U.S. Olympic captain eventually challenged for the world title, but he'll always be best remembered for that one humbling night. Originally published Dec. 9, 2017. /episode/index/show/cantwinpodcast/id/14255651

You’ve Got to Lose to Learn How to Win: Diego Luke’s Story 05/03/2020

You’ve Got to Lose to Learn How to Win: Diego Luke’s Story Diego Luke was a promising youth hockey player in Minnesota until kidney disease forced him to step away from the game. His comeback was interrupted by a bout with cancer. Yet he returned to the ice again. Luke recounts his traumatic journey back to hockey, which included a bench-clearing brawl in the hospital that brought the cops. Plus: King Kaufman introduces a new song by his former band The Smokejumpers: "If My Heart Was an Elbow, I'd Need Tommy John." Originally published Dec. 2, 2017. /episode/index/show/cantwinpodcast/id/14255636

Killer Weight Loss Secrets: Fighters Cutting Weight 05/03/2020

Killer Weight Loss Secrets: Fighters Cutting Weight Weight cutting. It's hard. It's painful. It doesn't really give fighters a competitive advantage. And it can be deadly. Andrew Stelzer on some fighters' toughest battle, the one fans never see. Plus: King Kaufman on Billy Conn, "The Pittsburgh Kid," who gave Joe Louis all he wanted — and then gave him a little too much. Featuring the Bible Code Sundays. Originally published Nov. 25, 2017. /episode/index/show/cantwinpodcast/id/14255615

We Kicked It Like National Champions 05/03/2020

We Kicked It Like National Champions An expanded version of a story that was featured on NPR's "Only a Game": As a football player in high school and college in Houston, Michael Porter played on teams that went a combined 0-77. So what did he do next? Became a coach at his alma mater. This year (2017) was a rough one for his team, starting with Hurricane Harvey. But they've got a coach who's been through a few things. Originally published Nov. 18, 2017. /episode/index/show/cantwinpodcast/id/14255609

Fútbol Americano 05/03/2020

Fútbol Americano Football in Mexico. Not soccer. American football. Jonathan Tinajero is chasing his NFL dreams in Mexico City. How did a small-college defensive back from East L.A. end up playing pro ball south of the border? Juan Reyes reports. Plus: Paulie Soda, a loser among losers at Fat Nick's candy store in the Bronx, 1953. And: A talk with our theme song singer, Johnny Rawls. Originally published Nov. 11, 2017. /episode/index/show/cantwinpodcast/id/14255603

My Fault: The Trey Junkin Story 05/03/2020

My Fault: The Trey Junkin Story New York Giants fans—and almost no one else—remember Trey Junkin. He was a long-snapper in the NFL longer than anyone, ever. For 19 years he was an anonymous perfectionist working in the game's trenches. Until his very last snap. In the playoffs. As host King Kaufman reports, Junkin's been living with that bad snap for 15 years. He owns it. But there's more to him than that. Originally published Nov. 4, 2017. /episode/index/show/cantwinpodcast/id/14255594

Zippy Chippy: Legendary Loser to Champion of Champions 05/03/2020

Zippy Chippy: Legendary Loser to Champion of Champions Zippy Chippy ran 100 races and lost 100 times. But he was a star, one of People magazine's 50 Most Intriguing People. And so many fans bet on him that he routinely went off as the favorite. Now, in retirement, champion thoroughbreds who earned millions of dollars owe their lives to this ornery old cuss. King Kaufman reports from Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Originally published Oct. 28, 2017. /episode/index/show/cantwinpodcast/id/14255588

Breaking Up: San Diego’s Life After the Chargers 05/03/2020

Breaking Up: San Diego’s Life After the Chargers One of the most painful ways to lose in sports is a city losing its team. San Diego Chargers fans were heartbroken when their team moved to Los Angeles. But not all of them. Maya Kroth reports from San Diego. Plus: King Kaufman on one of several teams that have left St. Louis, the Browns, who are now the Baltimore Orioles. Originally published Oct. 21, 2017. /episode/index/show/cantwinpodcast/id/14255579

At Long Last: The Cavaliers, the Warriors and the Cubs 05/03/2020

At Long Last: The Cavaliers, the Warriors and the Cubs You spend a lifetime as the long-suffering fan of a losing team. It shapes who you are. And then: They win it all! Authors Scott Raab ("The Whore of Akron," "You're Welcome, Cleveland") on the Cleveland Cavaliers and Barry Gifford ("In the Neighborhood of Baseball," "Wild at Heart") on the Chicago Cubs. Plus: Host King Kaufman visits yet another championship parade for his once-hapless Golden State Warriors. Originally published Oct. 14, 2017. /episode/index/show/cantwinpodcast/id/14255555

Casey Stengel: How to Learn By Losing 05/03/2020

Casey Stengel: How to Learn By Losing With the Yankees in the '50s, he had the greatest run in managerial history. But before that, Casey Stengel skippered a series of relentlessly terrible teams. Host King Kaufman asks: Did the Old Perfessor learn to win by losing? Plus: What if the worst player on the worst team in a league met the best player on the best team in that league 40 years later? And what if one of those guys was the host of a podcast about losing? King Kaufman meets Vince Beringhele. Originally published Oct. 7, 2017. /episode/index/show/cantwinpodcast/id/14255540

The Stanley Can: The Washington Capitals and the Worst Season Ever 05/03/2020

The Stanley Can: The Washington Capitals and the Worst Season Ever The Washington Capitals were the worst team in NHL history in their inaugural year. By late March they'd played 37 road games without earning so much as a point, and they'd lost 17 straight overall. Then they got a win. "The reaction was totally frickin' crazy," says goalie Ron Low, who with teammates Ron Lalonde and Jack Lynch helps tell the story of the Stanley Can Caps. Plus: Steve Paulo's No Whine Timeline lets you know when it's OK to complain about your lousy team. Originally published Sept. 30, 2017. /episode/index/show/cantwinpodcast/id/14255504

The Mighty Casey: Casey at the Bat 05/03/2020

The Mighty Casey: Casey at the Bat It appeared on Page 4 of the San Francisco Examiner one day in 1888, and yet, somehow, "Casey at the Bat" survived to become one of the few 19th century American poems most Americans have even heard of. King Kaufman talks to official MLB historian John Thorn and others in search of the story behind the remarkable staying power of a poem about a baseball player who (spoiler alert) struck out, written by a writer who wanted nothing to do with it after it was published. Originally published Sept. 24, 2017. /episode/index/show/cantwinpodcast/id/14255480

Can't Win 4 Losing

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