Echo of the Whistle

Harry Swartout
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Sports

Echo of the Whistle goes beyond what happens on the field of play to trace sports’ ripples across time and culture. What can one statistical anomaly tell us about the most difficult position in sports? How did the 1975 Chicago Blackhawks end up facing off against Sesame Street characters? Why did a Hall of Fame baseball player end up dead at the bottom of Niagara Falls? Let the chat shows chat and the hot takes get cold because this show tells sports stories that stay with listeners after the clock hits double zeroes.

  1. 3d ago

    Stirring the Melting Pot

    In 1926, the New York Rangers weren't the first pro hockey team in New York. They weren't even the first one to play their home games at Madison Square Garden. So how do you put butts in seats when the other guys have a head start? You appeal to the millions of underserved Italian and Jewish New Yorkers...even if you have to invent some skaters to do it. CHAPTERS Intro (:00) Madison Square Garden New York Sports Mecca (2:52) The New York Americans (5:10) A City of Immigrants (9:03) Marx Brothers Influence (10:40) Harry Bruno's Big Ideas (12:16) Building Chabotsky and Rocco (14:17) Butts in Seats (16:24) The End of the Ruse (19:43) Learning the Truth (22:32) Saving the Story (25:55) SOURCES Who Was Chabotsky? Glad You Asked (Stan Saplin the New York Times 1/14/1979) Incredible But True, From Chabot to Chabotsky and Reinikka to Rocco (Stan Fischler The Hockey News 06/09/2024) Betcha Didn't Know: The Almost Kidnapping of a Rangers Hall of Famer (Stan Fischler The Hockey News 02/25/2024) Guardians of the Goal: A Comprehensive Guide to New York Rangers Goaltenders, from Hal Winkler to Ed Giacomin, Henrik Lundqvist, and All Those in Between by George Grimm Special Thanks to Stan Fischler STAY CONNECTED Patreon: Echo of the Whistle YouTube: @EchooftheWhistle Instagram: @echoofthewhistle Threads: @echoofthewhistle Bluesky: @echothewhistlepod.bsky.social TikTok: @echo_of_the_whistle Twitter: @echothewhistle Website: echoofthewhistle.com

    Stirring the Melting Pot

  2. Sep 28

    Inventing "Rusher Rating": Extra Time with JP Acosta

    NFL's passer rating is CLEARLY a broken stat, but what if we made a GOOD stat for running backs called rusher rating? Harry is joined by CBS Sports NFL Analyst JP Acosta to talk about how messed up it is that Gardner Minshew has a higher passer rating than Dan Marino, the fairness or lack thereof in retroactively applying stats , and how watching the tape is the true path to understanding quarterback play. CHAPTERS Intro (:00) Passer Rating as a Tool (2:38) QB/Punter Hybrids (4:45) It's Hard to Be Bad (6:32) NFL Refuses to Adjust for Era (11:29) Stats That Hurt Your Brain (12:37) Proprietary Stats (17:16) Fixing Completion Percent (21:42) The Dawn of "Rusher Rating" (25:30) Not All Tackles Are Equal (29:17) Retroactive Stats (33:42) Questions for Nate Peterman (38:38) Turnover Worthy Plays (41:48) Receiver Score (46:06) The WORST QB Stat (48:15) Where to Find JP Acosta (50:36) STAY CONNECTED Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/echoofthewhistle Instagram:@echoofthewhistle Threads: @echoofthewhistle Bluesky: @echothewhistlepod.bsky.social TikTok: @echo_of_the_whistle Twitter: @echothewhistle Website: echoofthewhistle.com

    Inventing "Rusher Rating": Extra Time with JP Acosta

  3. Sep 21

    0.0

    Throwing a 0.0 passer rating in the NFL means the quarterback had a BAD day...but is it really the worst a QB can play? The list of players who have thrown the ignominious stat contains rookies, backups...and Hall of Famers. Born in the 1970s and left untouched since then, passer rating doesn't tell the whole story the game, it only shows us the early NFL had a LOT to learn about statistics. CHAPTERS Intro (:00) Double Goose Eggs (1:52) The Birth of Passer Rating (4:50) How Passer Rating Works (6:47) Staying in the 60s (11:38) Throwing a 0.0 (14:56) The Story Behind the Stat (17:30) Fixing Passer Rating (21:56) The Age of Analytics (24:52) Telling the Whole Story (28:53) SOURCES How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Don Steinberg GQ 10/2001) Defending traditional passer rating (Kerry Byrne Sports Illustrated 08/03/2011) NFL's Passer Rating (Pro Football Hall of Fame 01/01/2005) NFL Quarterback Rating Formula (NFL.com 08/04/2011) Special Thanks to Ed Feng, Connor Groel and Nate Peterman STAY CONNECTED Patreon: Echo of the Whistle YouTube: @EchooftheWhistle Instagram: @echoofthewhistle Threads: @echoofthewhistle Bluesky: @echothewhistlepod.bsky.social TikTok: @echo_of_the_whistle Twitter: @echothewhistle Website: echoofthewhistle.com

    0.0

  4. Sep 14

    Designing a "Stinker" Mascot: Extra Time with Christopher Bruce

    Yeah, people love a mascot you see when GOOD things happen, but what if there was a real stinker mascot only coming out to rag on the team? Harry is joined by Mascot Hall of Fame Co-Founder and Curator Christopher Bruce to talk about being able to perform in a trash bag, the difference between 2d and 3d mascots, and having Project Runway design some big and tall mascot fashions. CHAPTERS Intro (:00) Mr. Celery and a "Stinker" Mascot (:16) Mr. and Mrs. Met (2:44) 2d vs. 3d (4:41) Project Runway for Mascots (10:17) You Can't Hug Paper (13:19) Mascot Accessories (18:02) European Mascots (20:59) 3 Mascot Criteria for Success (24:57) Gritty the Great (30:05) Absurd is the Word (34:07) Mascots are Athletes Too (38:31) Giant Heads (43:25) Talking Mascots (48:43) Mascot Recognition (56:01) Where to Find Christopher Bruce (58:15) STAY CONNECTED Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/echoofthewhistle Twitter: @echothewhistle Instagram:@echoofthewhistle Threads: @echoofthewhistle Bluesky: @echothewhistlepod.bsky.social TikTok: @echo_of_the_whistle Website: echoofthewhistle.com

    Designing a "Stinker" Mascot: Extra Time with Christopher Bruce

  5. Sep 7

    Mascot Masters

    Everybody knows their favorite team's mascot. Almost NOBODY knows the person who DESIGNED that mascot. These are the stories of Carlo Bergoglio, Art Evans, Ava Buric and Charles Palminteri: Mascot Masters that changed the game by creating the characters at the center of fandom. CHAPTERS Intro (:00) Mascots for Knights (1:25) Carlo Bergoglio's Heraldry of Football (3:10) Icons to Mascots (7:34) A Worthy Mascot Master (9:23) Art Evans and Ava Buric (10:31) Art Evans' Signatures (14:51) Disney Influence (16:43) Making Modern Mascots (18:55) Who Drew Mr. Met? (25:30) Disney Influence (16:43) Making Modern Mascots (18:55) Who Drew Mr. Met? (25:30) The Search (29:55) Charles Palminteri, Mr. Met's Dad? (31:19) Here's to the Mascot Masters (37:15) SOURCES Cartoons are Just His Business (George Comroe Anaheim Bulletin 07/31/1963) Decals Are Sticky Business - Fullerton Firm Makes It Pay (Hank Davis Anaheim Bulletin 10/01/1968) Multiple Personalities (Dick Anderson Occidental Magazine 02/11/2013) L’ARALDICA DEI CALCI, LA PACIFICA “RIVOLUZIONE” DI CARLIN (Marco Cianfanelli Pennants Museum 08/01/2019) The mystery of Mr. Met solved sort of (Paul Lukas ESPN.com 08/09/2012) What's in a Nickname? Exploring the Jungle of College Athletic Mascots by Ray Franks Mascots: the History of Senior College and University Mascots/Nicknames by Roy E. Yarbrough Special Thanks to Ava Buric, Paul Lukas and Marco Cianfanelli. Visit Marco's pennant museum at www.pennantsmuseum.com STAY CONNECTED Patreon: Echo of the Whistle Twitter: @echothewhistle Instagram: @echoofthewhistle Threads: @echoofthewhistle Bluesky: @echothewhistlepod.bsky.social TikTok: @echo_of_the_whistle YouTube: @EchooftheWhistle Website: echoofthewhistle.com

    Mascot Masters

  6. Aug 31

    Rooting for the Story: Extra Time with Jordan Rizzieri on Premier League Match Fixing

    Jordan Rizzieri LIVES for the Premier League upset because it's always a better story. Harry is joined by Unfiltered Soccer Podcast Producer Jordan Rizzieri to talk about the Prem losing its hooligan roots, if you could still fix Premier League matches with three guys and a garage door opener, and whether Kevin Hart is to blame for America's gambling problems. CHAPTERS Intro (:00) The Sublime Pain of an Upset (1:13) Stories are the Best Wins (5:46) Finding Soccer in the States (7:58) The End of Hooliganism (12:12) Choosing a Premier League Spokesperson (19:27) Match Fixing is Always Unexpected (21:43) Do you Trust the Prem? (27:00) Gambling Pressure on Young Players (29:13) Blame Kevin Hart? (34:29) We're Not Vegas People (37:51) The Next Match Fixing Scam (42:03) Rigging Prediction Markets (45:48) Where to Find Jordan Rizzieri (46:40) STAY CONNECTED Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/echoofthewhistle Twitter: @echothewhistle Instagram:@echoofthewhistle Threads: @echoofthewhistle Bluesky: @echothewhistlepod.bsky.social TikTok: @echo_of_the_whistle Website: echoofthewhistle.com

    Rooting for the Story: Extra Time with Jordan Rizzieri on Premier League Match Fixing

  7. Aug 24

    Who Turned Out the Lights?

    In the late 90s, a string of power failures at Premier League games... didn't cause a stir at all. The grounds were ancient, and leaks, cracks and even darkness were part of the charm. That was until police received a tip that something nefarious was going on. Their investigation revealed the outages to be part of an elaborate match fixing scam by Far East syndicates that still reverberates in today's instant gambling world. CHAPTERS Lights Out (:00) Premier League Goes Global (3:17) Old Grounds (7:33) The Sting (9:25) Tipped Off (11:15) The Syndicate's Match Fixing Plot (12:33) Dodged Consequences (17:15) The Rise of the Instant Micro Bet (21:25) Modern Match Fixing (22:55) 1999 or the Future? (26:40) SOURCES Floodlights scam to beat bookies (Vivek Chaudhary and Linus Gregoriadis The Guardian 08/20/1999) Soccer floodlight plot gang jailed (The Guardian 08/25/1999) The floodlights went out and an Asian betting syndicate raked in a fortune (Mark Hughes St. Louis Post-Dispatch 08/30/2010) UK Man guilty of floodlight plot (BBC News 08/20/1999) Special Thanks to Peter Kenny Jones, Andy Sellers, and Jon Cohen STAY CONNECTED Patreon: Echo of the Whistle Twitter: @echothewhistle Instagram: @echoofthewhistle Threads: @echoofthewhistle Bluesky: @echothewhistlepod.bsky.social TikTok: @echo_of_the_whistle YouTube: @EchooftheWhistle Website: echoofthewhistle.com

    Who Turned Out the Lights?

  8. Aug 17

    Creating Thanksgiving Eve: Extra time with Trey Wingo on The St. Louis Stallions

    How did Trey Wingo end up at a St. Louis Stallions rally in 1993? Harry is joined by sports broadcasting legend Trey Wingo to talk about the St. Louis' warring Stallions bids, Walter Payton dissing Jacksonville, and the NFL's bid to create a new holiday - Thanksgiving Eve. CHAPTERS Intro (:00) Trey Wingo's 90s-tastic Sweater (:27) St. Louis' Stallions Hubris (3:16) What Killed the Stallions (7:26) Cash Rules the NFL (10:26) Stallion Merch Contraband (12:40) NFL Creates "Thanksgiving Eve" (18:07) LA's "Homefield Disadvantage" (20:26) London Before St. Louis (23:12) NFL wants Jacksonville? (27:20) Yes Money, No Lawyers (30:44) Find Trey on the Wingo Network (32:02) STAY CONNECTED Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/echoofthewhistle Twitter: @echothewhistle Instagram:@echoofthewhistle Threads: @echoofthewhistle Bluesky: @echothewhistlepod.bsky.social TikTok: @echo_of_the_whistle Website: echoofthewhistle.com

    Creating Thanksgiving Eve: Extra time with Trey Wingo on The St. Louis Stallions
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5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

Echo of the Whistle goes beyond what happens on the field of play to trace sports’ ripples across time and culture. What can one statistical anomaly tell us about the most difficult position in sports? How did the 1975 Chicago Blackhawks end up facing off against Sesame Street characters? Why did a Hall of Fame baseball player end up dead at the bottom of Niagara Falls? Let the chat shows chat and the hot takes get cold because this show tells sports stories that stay with listeners after the clock hits double zeroes.

Information

  • Creator
    Harry Swartout
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Harry Swartout
  • Show Website
    Echo of the Whistle