#93: What-Ifs

In politics, like sports, moments arise that beg the question, “What if?” In baseball, some think, “What if the runner on third had made it home?” Politics is not quite different. Winners and losers in both, pivotal moments leave us wondering: what if it had happened differently? Joining this week’s episode to discuss the great what-ifs - of both sports and politics - is Mike Pesca, a radio journalist who is host of Slate magazine's daily podcast, The Gist. Pesca recently published a book, “Upon Further Review: The Greatest What-Ifs in Sports History,” about a number of counterfactual sporting scenarios. The book includes a number of historical and political essays, including one penned by Julian Zelizer, co-host of Politics & Polls with Sam Wang.