Podcast Summary: Pablo Torre Finds Out

Episode: "The Hall-of-Famer (and 'One Shining Moment') That Fans Deserve"

Release Date: April 4, 2024
Host: Pablo Torre (with Le Batard & Friends)
Key Guests/Co-hosts: Charlotte Wilder, Ryan Cortez, ESPN’s Mike Breen, Jackie MacMullan, Mark Spears, Jay Bilas, David Aldridge, Red Panda (Rong Niu), David Fleming

Overview

This episode of "Pablo Torre Finds Out" kicks off with a listener question about why halftime performers—like dancers, mascots, and legend Red Panda—are not represented in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The show evolves into a campaign for Red Panda's Hall of Fame induction, a surprising history lesson about performance enhancing drugs in baseball, an origin story for the “One Shining Moment” tradition, and some classic Le Batard Show silliness and camaraderie.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Should Halftime Performers Be in the Basketball Hall of Fame? (00:43–08:00)

• A listener asks why halftime performers and mascots aren't recognized in the Hall.
• Charlotte Wilder was dispatched to investigate and spoke with Matt Zeysing, lead historian at the Hall.
  • "A performer like Red Panda would be eligible for the Hall under the Contributor category." (07:37, Charlotte quoting Zeysing)
• The hosts debate the cultural impact of acts like the Miami Heat’s “Golden Oldies” as well as more physically demanding performances.

2. Making the Case for Red Panda (05:36–15:52)

• Red Panda’s act described: Rong Niu balances herself on a 7-foot unicycle, in heels, and flips bowls onto her head.
• Pablo and crew strategize a Hall of Fame campaign for Red Panda, enlisting media support.
  • "It's the gold standard. It is the obvious case for the first halftime performer to be in the Hall of Fame." (06:25, Pablo)
• Process revealed:
  • Nominations are open to all; nominees go through a “screening committee,” then an “honors committee” (24 members, including executives and media).
  • Needs 75% of the vote for induction.
• Red Panda herself joins via phone, shocked and humbled at the support:
  • "Never thought about being in the Hall of Fame... I will be grateful, I will be speechless even." (15:21, Red Panda)
  • She describes fans' enthusiasm: "I can feel this positive energy... it’s amazing how supportive they are." (16:26, Red Panda)
• The team commits to launching a petition and campaign.

3. The Red Panda Hall of Fame Endorsement Montage (12:03–14:21)

• Media luminaries like Mike Breen, Jackie MacMullan, Jay Bilas, David Aldridge, Mark Spears deliver heartfelt endorsements:
  • "There’s only one person who can go into any basketball arena in the world and get a standing ovation every time, and that’s Red Panda." (12:32, Jay Bilas)
• Red Panda, clearly touched, gives her blessing: "I'm humbly proof. I am so stupid, I'm speechless." (15:00, Red Panda)

4. Petition & Tactics (18:03–21:00)

• Records recreated—hosts balance bowls on their heads, emulate Red Panda; Pablo and Charlotte discuss ramping up outreach, leveraging media, and encouraging public support.
• Direct call to action: "I want signatures. I want… everything we can get." (19:02, Pablo)

5. Voicemails & Oddities: Spit in Sports (21:14–30:17)

• Mike from NY asks: why can pro athletes spit so well?
• David Fleming ("Phlegm") traces the centrality of spit:
  • Scientific role: aids digestion, speech, homeostasis, social signaling.
  • Evolutionary theory: marking territory—rejected since female athletes don’t spit as often.
  • Psychological theory: self-soothing, oral fixation, especially in high-failure sports like baseball.
    • "Players are self-soothing; there's an infantile need to calm themselves in a sport where there's so much failure." (25:25, Dr. John Hayes, Penn State)
  • Social theory: it’s learned & imitated, much like pilots emulating Chuck Yeager's radio drawl.
• Fun moment: Fleming acts out putting in chewing tobacco and spitting, to the team's raucous disgust. (29:43)

6. Early Performance Enhancing Drug Use in Baseball (30:37–40:27)

• Dennis from Queens asks: When did PEDs start in baseball?
• Fleming uncovers a wild history:
  • Athletes tried “elixirs of life,” including raw animal testicles and a concoction with “water, blood, semen, and the juices from pigs, dogs, monkeys.”
  • Babe Ruth and others believed such consumption improved performance.
  • Pud Galvin, 19th-century ace, was likely the first juicer—used “Brown-Séquard Elixir,” a testosterone-rich mix.
    • “He turned to the elixir of life to rejuvenate his career…[which] contained the juice from the testicles of guinea pigs, dogs, and monkeys.” (33:39, Fleming)
  • Pud's family maintains it was only a one-time thing and not comparable to modern steroids.

7. March Madness Tradition: “One Shining Moment” Song (41:09–49:10)

• Kwesi from Brooklyn calls the song “corny,” wonders why it’s never changed.
• Charlotte confesses she doesn't even know what it sounds like!
• Pablo traces the classic’s origins to songwriter David Barrett:
  • Barrett was inspired in 1986 after failing to impress a “Helen of Troy”-like waitress at a bar while talking about Larry Bird—immediately wrote the lyrics on a napkin and had the song finished within a day. (42:25–45:12)
  • “The face that launched a thousand montages… I did not know the origin story is a horny dude at a bar.” (45:37, Charlotte)
• Attempts at updates/remixes discussed; tradition has prevailed because CBS resisted change.
  • “No one was trying to kill it. CBS really wanted to maintain it.” (46:22, Pablo)
• As a capstone, Pablo debuts a “remix” of One Shining Moment with permission from Barrett and DJ Steve Porter—a blending of classic and “banger.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On halftime performance:
  “I really believe these types of performers are crucial to the game.” (02:33, Charlotte)

• Hall of Fame process revelation:
  “Red Panda would be eligible for the Hall of Fame under the contributor category.” (07:37, Charlotte quoting Zeysing)

• Red Panda's humility:
  “Never even thought about being in the Hall of Fame…but I will be grateful." (15:21, Red Panda)

• Red Panda campaign spirit:
  “We’re the campaign staff you have not asked for, but we’re now going to be working on your behalf to get you into the Hall of Fame.” (14:41, Pablo)

• Baseball spit wisdom:
  “Spit is one of the most important liquids of the human experience…and it’s a key to sports.” (22:24, David Fleming)

• Performance enhancement history (on Pud Galvin):
  “He was injecting [an elixir] made of water, blood, semen, and juices from pigs, dogs, and monkeys.” (36:34, Fleming)

• One Shining Moment origin:
  “I jotted on a napkin…wrote the lyrics while waiting for a friend, then went home and wrote the music in half an hour.” (42:32–45:12, David Barrett)

• March Madness tradition:
  “The face that launched a thousand montages… the origin story is a horny dude at a bar.” (45:37, Charlotte)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Listener question & Hall of Fame investigation: 00:43–08:00
• Red Panda campaign & phone call: 10:47–17:54
• Red Panda’s perspective: 15:00–17:54
• Hall of Fame endorsement montage: 12:03–14:21
• Petition, tactics & call to action: 18:03–21:00
• Spitting in sports: 21:14–30:17
• Performance-enhancing history (Pud Galvin): 30:37–40:27
• ‘One Shining Moment’ / March Madness: 41:09–49:10

Conclusion

This episode is a mix of reporting, debate, and celebration of basketball’s overlooked contributors—halftime performers—culminating in a genuine movement for Red Panda's Hall of Fame induction. Along the way, listeners get hot takes on mascots, delight in sports lore's weirder corners, and get an exclusive remix of one of sports television’s most beloved traditions.

Call to action: Support Red Panda’s campaign using the show’s petition and hashtag, and call 51385-Pablo with sports questions for future episodes!