YOU ARE CURSED if you leave the Astros

Summary

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Payne & Pendergast: "YOU ARE CURSED if you leave the Astros"

Date: July 24, 2026
Hosts: Sean Pendergast & Brandon Scott (with references to Seth Payne)
Podcast: Houston’s go-to sports talk on SportsRadio 610

Episode Overview

This episode dives into a tongue-in-cheek, yet data-backed theory: players who leave the Houston Astros are doomed to mediocrity, ill fortune, or at least a sharp decline in career trajectory. Sean and Brandon take a trip down memory lane, analyzing recent high-profile departures—either via trade or free agency—and judging whether each former Astro is “cursed.” The show blends statistical breakdowns, humor, pettiness, and relatable Houston fandom.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Kyle Tucker Trade as the Catalyst

(01:05–02:34)

• The impetus for the segment is the underwhelming season by former Astro Kyle Tucker, recently traded to the LA Dodgers.
• Sean: “[The Dodgers] are not only paying him $60 million a year, they are paying about almost another 60 in luxury tax to have Kyle Tucker… And he is putting up numbers that are not drastically different than Cam Smith’s numbers. …Cam Smith actually has more home runs than Kyle Tucker, almost double the number… Kyle Tucker only has seven home runs on the year. He’s batting like .230-something.” (01:49–02:26)
• Tucker’s struggles prompt a larger review: does leaving Houston doom a player’s career?

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2. The “Curse” List: Tracking Astros Who Left

A. Garrett Cole

(05:16–06:36)

• Left for Yankees in 2019, massive contract.
• Good initial seasons (including a Cy Young), but: recent Tommy John, missed 2025, now a “pedestrian” 3-5 record, near-4 ERA, not worth $36M/year.
• Most damning: did not deliver the Yankees a championship.
• Sean: “He was brought in…to get them over the top… He’s not done that.” (06:21)
• Brandon: “He is cursed.” (06:36)

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B. George Springer

(06:36–08:13)

• Signed with Blue Jays in 2020; once the “heart and soul” of Astros.
• “Very up and down with Toronto,” now in the final year. OPS under .700, OPS+ of 88.
• Brandon: “As much as I love Springer… it is not going great.” (07:09)
• Notable moment: lighthearted jab at his hair loss.
• Sean: “George Springer, you are cursed.” (07:53)
• Counterpoint: “Maybe the curse cuts both ways—Astros have struggled at center field since his departure.” (08:13)

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C. Carlos Correa

(08:16–09:11)

• Correa’s contracts with Mets and Giants fell through due to medical issues; returned to Astros and got injured quickly thereafter.
• Injury-plagued stint in Minnesota, too.
• “The departed Astro curse may actually be negatively impacting the Astros directly.” (08:54)

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D. Justin Verlander

(09:42–10:51)

• Left after 2022 Cy Young season; Mets and Giants stints labeled as “complete non-factors”; final “resting place” in Detroit, disastrous season.
• But: by hosts’ standards, he escapes the curse.
• Brandon: “Everything after the Cy Young in 2022 was house money… Not cursed at all.” (10:37)
• Teams that paid Verlander might be cursed, but he—living the dream, big checks, supermodel wife—is “not cursed.”

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E. Alex Bregman

(10:59–12:20)

• Signed with Red Sox, now with Cubs: “Not been good,” OPS under .706.
• Chicago fans and media frustrated—rumors of clubhouse tension.
• Sean: “He’s a below average baseball player for them right now.” (12:04)
• Brandon: “How could I go with anything other than him being cursed if he’s playing like this?” (12:20)

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F. Framber Valdez

(13:06–14:52)

• No offer from Astros, signs with Tigers (three years, $114M).
• Stats: 5-7, 4.57 ERA, “Detroit feels the same as Chicago about Bregman: what the hell are we doing?”
• Brandon: “My man is cursed!” (digs at Valdez for hair extensions and beaming his own catcher) (14:54)

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3. Extensions & the Inverse “Blessing” for Staying

• Comparing those who stayed (Altuve, Alvarez, Javier, McCullers): All enjoying money, success, or at least some security.
• Brandon: “Meanwhile, the guys that have signed extensions are living pretty good.” (04:38)

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4. Astros' Petty Cast Persona

(04:06–04:11)

• Explicit embrace of pettiness: “You have a franchise within this show called the Petty Cast…that’s your brand.”
  —Direct admission that part of following these players is about satisfaction in their post-Astro struggles.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Kyle Tucker’s performance:
  “[He] is a light hitting, good defensive out…he’s Jake Marisnick in right field is what he is.” —Sean (02:28–02:34)

• On Garrett Cole:
  “I don’t know if I’ve ever been more turned off by an athlete that played for my team than I was in that moment.” —Brandon (06:11–06:21)

• On Justin Verlander’s late career:
  “Poor guy has to go home to his supermodel wife with all those 4 and 11, all those losses in San Francisco… I’m so cursed.” —Sean (16:03–16:11)

• On the ‘Curse’ as a running joke:
  “There you go. You’re unnatural when it comes… I have no patience for it for anybody with extensions.” —Sean (15:01–15:07)

• Cultural callback:
  “Someone just texting can Danhausen…uncurse Carlos Correa? …That’s Danhausen’s gimmick. He curses things.” (12:20–13:06)

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Key Timestamps

• 01:05–02:34 – Opening of the “curse” segment, Kyle Tucker’s stats post-trade.
• 05:16–06:36 – Garrett Cole’s “cursed” Yankees tenure.
• 07:02–08:13 – George Springer’s struggles in Toronto.
• 08:16–09:11 – Carlos Correa’s contract snafus and injuries.
• 09:42–10:51 – Justin Verlander’s post-Astros journeys.
• 10:59–12:20 – Alex Bregman’s difficulties post-Houston.
• 13:06–14:52 – Framber Valdez’s disappointment with the Tigers.
• 12:20–13:06 – Pop culture moment: wrestling character Danhausen “cursing” teams and players.
• 15:01–16:11 – Wrap-up of the curse theory, jokes about hair extensions and living “cursed” like Justin Verlander.

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Tone & Style

• Language: Direct, irreverent, with plenty of wit and self-deprecating Houston fandom.
• Atmosphere: Playful, sometimes petty, but always insightful and rooted in stats.
• Dynamic: Brandon and Sean riff off each other, with a focus on relatable, “fan-first” sports talk culture.

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Conclusion

Verdict: With the exception of Justin Verlander, every significant player who’s left the Astros since 2019 has indeed been “cursed”—statistically, reputationally, or at least as measured by the show’s standards and fan schadenfreude.

The hosts wryly reinforce the wisdom of staying in Houston, as those who have signed extensions are living well. The whole segment is a love letter to Houston sports pettiness—and a warning to Jeremy Peña and any other Astro considering leaving: the curse is real.

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Next Up: “Five reasons I hate you” for the Chicago White Sox. (Teased at 16:14, but not in this summary.)

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

And now Campus Files is back for another season. There's a guy screaming into his phone. He's like, I just saw Charlie Kirk get assassinated right in front of me. Every week is a new episode and a new story. It was so chaotic, it's almost like a university under siege.

[A]

Listen to and follow Campus Files available now wherever you get your podcasts here.

[B]

Sports Radio 610 presents Payne and Pendergast I Payne and Pendergast. We are going to do a five reasons I hate you in the next segment, which might pull B. Scott in front of a bus here. I hate to do it this way, but you. We, as we outlined earlier, you have ties to the Chicagoland area.

[A]

I do, I do. But for now, they are behind enemy lines. Behind enemy lines.

[B]

Okay, good.

[A]

I am Houstonian.

[B]

Okay, excellent. We're going to do five reasons I hate you for the White Sox. We got to make sure the Astros keep this game face on right now.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know what I mean. So yesterday we did a segment where we got talking about the Kyle Tucker trade, and I don't know how many Astro fans have been following Kyle Tucker to see how it's been going for him in Los Angeles as a team. It's going great for the Dodgers. And if Kyle Tucker's goal is to win another ring, you know, to go with the one that he's got here, then he's on track to do that. They've got the best record in baseball. At least as of yesterday they did.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So he's, he's in a. He's in a good place to go ahead and do that, but he's having a terrible year. If the LA media is at all as vindictive as the New York and Philly.

[A]

Boston.

[B]

Boston when it comes to baseball players underachieving, then life should be hell for Kyle Tucker because they are not only paying him $60 million a year, they are paying about almost another 60 in luxury tax to have Kyle Tucker on their team. And he is putting up numbers that are not drastically different than Cam Smith's numbers. They're both really good defensive outfielders. They both have Ops under.700. Cam Smith actually has more home runs than Kyle Tucker, almost double the number of home runs Kyle Tucker has. Cam Smith's got 12. Kyle Tucker only has seven home runs on the year. He's batting like 2:30 something.

[A]

It's not good he is a light hitting outfield.

[B]

It is. He is a light hitting, good defensive out. He's Jason. He's Jake Marisnick in right field is what he is.

[A]

He's Jake Marisne.

[B]

Kyle Tucker, would you have given. Okay, Brandon, would you have given $60 million while being over the competitive balance tax to Jake Marisnik? Give me a hot take and say you're not sober. Okay.

[A]

You're not.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. How drunk would you have to be? Oh, I give Jake Marisnik $60 million.

[A]

Blackout drunk. Heroin. I don't know. Probably stuff that I. Drugs that I have not tried.

[B]

Right. Probably drugs you didn't even know you were taking. Like that you. Yeah, like there had to be one or two that got laced with something that you didn't know.

[A]

Yeah, I would have had to have

[B]

been combined with eating lettuce that might have been on your tacos.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Not going to say which establishment because I don't want the station to get in trouble.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We don't want that to create enemies.

[B]

All those things plus explosive diarrhea. We get to Jake Marisnik on 60 million bucks. So it got me thinking, like, okay, Kyle Tucker was a trade. They traded him away. But they traded him away, I think, with the same spirit, the same esprit de corps as all the free agents they let walk. If they had kept Kyle Tucker in 20, 20, 2025 going into the last year, then he would have walked the same way that Garrett Cole, George Springer, Carlos Correa, you know, Correa is back now Verlander, I know he came back. But these guys, Bregman, they've from. They've all walked in free agency. So it got me thinking, like, and you know what I haven't done, which is a little strange? I haven't done this because I'm as petty as it gets when it comes to guys who leave my teams and how difficult it is to root for those guys for me, sometimes some more than others.

[A]

You have a franchise within this show called the Petty Cast.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. Like nobody. Thank you.

[A]

It's your brand.

[B]

Thanks for the reminder. So it got me thinking, like, how are all these guys doing? And, boy, I went and looked. I think if you're somebody who's thinking of leaving the Astros in free agency or you're thinking of driving a hard bargain on your deal, Jeremy Pena, look out, because Jeremy Pena hired Scott. He's about to sign a deal here, and he hired Scott Boris and then doesn't sign a deal. So, Jeremy Pena, you may not be long for the Astros. Maybe he gets traded in the next two weeks. Maybe he gets traded in the next six months.

[A]

Meanwhile, the guys that have signed extensions are living pretty good.

[B]

Not too bad.

[A]

Jordan Alvarez looks like he might win an mvp.

[B]

Right?

[A]

Jose Altuve is a legend.

[B]

Legend, yeah.

[A]

Christian Javier feels like he might. And then Lance McCullers feels like they might have stolen some money. Yeah. But paid nonetheless.

[B]

At the very least, she got paid.

[A]

There you go.

[B]

Way more than you probably should have got paid. It seems to have worked out for all those guys. So I started. Started going a little trip down memory lane. So you tell me, were these guys cursed? The guys that left Garrett Cole? I'm going to go chronologically. Let's go back to 2019. It's crazy to think there's only two years left on Garrett Cole's nine year deal he signed with the Yankees.

[A]

Man, life just happens. Fat. The time flies, Dud.

[B]

Time flies.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Your call. Signed that deal. Heading into the COVID season, he's been largely good for the Yankees. He won a Cy Young Award a couple of. Two, three years ago.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But since that Cy Young Award, Tommy John surgery. Missed a whole season in 2025, and he's come back. And in 11 starts, he's. This year he's three and five with. What I would say for someone with a $36 million salary is a very pedestrian. Nearly 3.4.00 ERA, 3.92 ERA. Yeah.

[A]

So this one, for me is the easiest one to say is curse. Cause he is the one guy on this list that we're going to go over who I just straight up dislike. Like. Like Kyle Tucker. I can kind of have fun with you and laugh at. I don't really dislike Kyle Tucker.

[B]

He's not.

[A]

He's just not. There's not enough there to really like or dislike.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Garrett Cole and the way things ended there with the hat and the representative of myself. I don't know if I've ever been more turned off by an athlete that played for my team than I was in that moment.

[B]

I'll pile on here. One more thing. He was brought in by the Yankees the year after they lost again to the Astros in the alcs. He was brought in to get them over the top and win them a championship. He's not done that.

[A]

They have not done that.

[B]

So he's not done that. So you say he's cursed.

[A]

He is cursed.

[B]

You are cast. Yep. All right. George springer left in 2020. The heart and soul of the Astros, back when he. If you're picking a heart and soul game. Maybe he wasn't their best player. He was good. He's an all star a couple of times. You know, Altuve was the best player during that time, but he was the heart and soul of that team. Leaves for Toronto after the 2020 season. He's now in the final year of his Blue Jays deal.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Well, he could bring Springer back next year if they wanted to, but he's been very up and down with Toronto. Yeah, I'd be very up and down. Yeah.

[A]

I'd actually be good on. On. As much as I love Springer. Right. And I know. I imagine that Seth and Brandy aren't listening, but I know that they love Springer to, like, this is a Springer friendly show, whether Seth's here or if I. Or if I'm here. Right. Like, we. We love Springer, but it is not going great.

[B]

Well, yeah. Got to a World Series last year. World Series and was better with them. But he's back now. He's. He's an OPS under.700.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I. OPS plus of 88. Yeah.

[A]

And Sean, this is not a shot, but he's also balding now.

[B]

That's okay. You know what I mean?

[A]

But, but, but like for Springer, you know, it just. It when you watch somebody bald, it's like, okay, and then they're not playing well.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, things are going the wrong direction there.

[B]

I know where you're going with this. George Springer. You are Cash.

[A]

Yeah. Sad to say. I think so, man. Yeah.

[B]

I mean, the Astros, I don't know if they offered Cole, they offered Springer. I mean, maybe if you take it, you'd still have a full head of hair. You have a OPS of 850. Who knows?

[A]

To be fair, on the. The cursed ledger center field has not been the same since he left.

[B]

That's true. Yeah. I would say maybe the curse cuts both ways.

[A]

It could.

[B]

Could cut both ways. These next two, I'm not going to spend a ton of time on because they both came back to the Astros. But I do think it's interesting that Carlos Correa leaves the Astros, has not one, but two contracts with the Mets and the Giants, both nullified by an injury he suffered like a decade before that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And then comes back here, and then in 32 games, he. He injures himself in the batting cages.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Batting cages. And so this is a weird one. So weird one for me, because the departed Astro curse may actually be negatively impacting the Astros directly, you know?

[A]

Yeah, I think.

[B]

But I think he might be cursed.

[A]

I Think he might be.

[B]

I missed a bunch of games in Minnesota too.

[A]

Yeah, I feel like he was cursed even.

[B]

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[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[A]

Before he came back and now it's

[B]

only confirmed you are cast.

[A]

Oh, man. We're. We're. We're. We're batting a thousand here.

[B]

I think we're on.

[A]

I think we're on a thousand here so far.

[B]

Justin Verlander left after the 2022 season in which he won the Cy Young, went to the Mets, the Mets stunk. The Astros trading get Justin Verlander back. And he did some good things in 2023. Couldn't get him over the hump. Obviously. They lose in the ALCS and then in 2024, he's a complete non factor. He then goes to the Giants for a year. Complete non factor. Goes four and 11 for the Giants. Goes for his final resting place as a baseball player in Detroit from whence it started. And I mean, he's. He's the definition of a non factor. He's pitched one game and he was terrible in that game for the Detroit Tigers. He's made a lot of money. Probably paid a lot more money these last couple years than he should have been paid. Yep. But is Justin Verlander, from an overall standpoint, is he cursed?

[A]

Nah. Everything after the cy young in 2022 was house money. House.

[B]

Not cursed.

[A]

Not cursed at all.

[B]

He's not cursed.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Not. Not this one. To come back after Tommy John and have the year that he had and to kind of just go out getting paid. I mean. Yeah, honestly. I mean, I would say every team that's paid him has been cursed, you know?

[B]

Right. I was just gonna say, you know who might be cursed? The Detroit Tigers. Yeah, you are. Cash. Cause they're going to show up again here in a minute.

[A]

Stay tuned.

[B]

Alex Bregman. Alex Bregman left after the 2024 season in free agency. Signed it. One of those deals. Like a Correa deal. Like Correa first signed with the Twins three year deal for a lot of Money annually that you could opt out of after each year. Chooses to opt out after one year with the Red Sox. Had a good year with the Red Sox, and I was banged up at times with them. I think made the All Star team. He certainly put up All Star numbers before he got hurt. Yeah, but then the Red Sox didn't really do anything. He's not been good with the Cubs. And people in Chicago are mad at Alex Bregman. Yeah, we've played some audio through the first part of the season where there were some of the streamers up there intimating that there's clubhouse issues over this. Like, this guy got 30 million a year or whatever. And you know, those streamers would go on to talk and you'd learn like, this is just them speculating about it. But the fact of the matter is it summarizes an overall vibe with Bregman up there. That and I talked to a couple of Chicago buddies of mine yesterday and they're like, yeah, they're not happy. His OPS is under.706. 92. OPS. He's a below average baseball player for them right now.

[A]

Yeah, this one is the toughest one for me because I love me some Alex Bregman. This is one of the ones that I wish was actually still around, except not playing like that. I don't wish that this was still around. How could I go with anything other than him being cursed if he's playing like this?

[B]

Man, you are cursed. Someone just texting can Danhausen. By the way, that. That's Danhausen. Everybody saying that. I've got my Danhausen T shirt on. If you're watching on YouTube asking if he can uncurse Carlos Correa. He's got a cameo. Danhausen does, where he curses and uncurses things for people all the time. Yeah, that's how the Knicks got uncursed. Yeah, I forgot about that. He had cursed them before the playoffs because of Stephen A. Smith. He's like, Stephen A. Smith, I hear you are Knicks fan and you are very rude to Danhausen. And he's cursed them. And then after two games, he uncursed him. And then they went on to win all but one of the games after.

[A]

See, I saw the young cursing. I didn't know the background.

[B]

That's why he was on a float in their parade.

[A]

So this was a Stephen A. Smith origin story with the curse. I didn't realize that.

[B]

Yeah, that's Danhausen's gimmick. He curses things.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Last one from her Valdez. Now he left in free agency. But it's not like he was one of these guys that the Astros gave, you know, an offer to like they made competitive offers. I thought to Bregman, to Correa. I know with Carlo. I know both of them were looking for longer deals than the Astros may have offered from her. They just didn't make an offer to. Which tells me that things behind the scenes with Fromer were probably as bad as we speculated last year. Do you know you make an offer to a guy who's been your most consistent pitcher over the previous half decade?

[A]

Yeah. Was your ace at one point before Hunter Brown?

[B]

Yes. And that he got only three years out there on the market with the Tigers would lead me to believe there weren't a lot of people out there forking over seven or eight years like we've seen pitchers like Garrett Cole get. Three years. 114 million though for fromer. I can tell you they feel the same way about Fromer in Detroit that Chicago feels about Bregman right now. Like what the hell are we doing? And Detroit doesn't have as much of the. To use a Danhausen term, the human monies that a Chicago does.

[A]

Right.

[B]

They operate much more like a upper mid tier team than a. Than a have have.

[A]

Yeah. They're much more selective with who they give that kind of. Yes.

[B]

Five and seven with a four five seven era. It's framer Valdez cursed.

[A]

So I know earlier I said that Garrett Cole was the only person on this list that I just straight up did not like. Oh, from is really, really close to the Garrett Cole status now. He didn't I like he didn't do the what Garrett Cole did to to kind of like when it once he got his way out of here. But we're talking about a man that disrespected all who grow their hair out and wore hair extensions and intentionally, I believe intentionally beamed his own catcher. Those are two things that I just cannot abide by.

[B]

I think I know where this is going.

[A]

My man is cursed.

[B]

Cursed. You are cast. All right. There you go. You're on natural when it comes.

[A]

Yeah. No, no, I cannot.

[B]

I have no patience for it for anybody with extensions.

[A]

Men.

[B]

Men with extension.

[A]

Men with extensions. Women, do your thing. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Men if you're going to have it looks good. If you're a man with long hair, you damn sure better grow.

[B]

I love that.

[A]

Come on now. Or cut your frickin hair.

[B]

I love. Byron, you need to come in with extensions on Monday. Chat on. Do it or don't Byron's like the nicest guy in the building ever, until

[A]

he puts extensions in his hair. And then all of a sudden, my man is cursed.

[B]

I think my dad will look at

[A]

me crazy as he should.

[B]

It's usually like, I'll let him know,

[A]

hey, I'm leaving for work and stuff.

[B]

I'm pretty sure he'll just look back and go, where are you going?

[A]

Yeah, yeah, going to work. He figured he raised you right, and then all of a sudden, you're a grown man out here with hair extensions.

[B]

I got me a B. Scott. I got to go. Piss off.

[A]

Yeah, man. All right.

[B]

So there you go. So the theory holds for all but Justin Verlander, who's just basically living out his old man dream of cash and big checks. Yeah, I live with that.

[A]

Look, all of us want to be Justin Berlander fashion in a lot of be overpaid in your last three years or whatever it is you do.

[B]

Right?

[A]

Let's do that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Poor guy has to go home to his supermodel wife with all those 4 and 11, all those losses in San Francisco.

[A]

I'm so cursed. I'm 100 millionaire. Yeah.

[B]

With Kate Upton. Kate Upton is my wife.

[A]

I do all right.

[B]

Five reasons I hate you. We haven't done one in a while, but we got to keep this vibe going with the Astros. Five reasons I hate you. Chicago White Sox. We will do that. Coming up next, the Second World War is the largest event in human history. Part series with Tom Hanks. No part of the globe was untouched. No life unchanged. Experience. The ultimate account of World War II. Every single person had a story. These are the stories that make us who we are. Listen to World War II with Tom Hanks on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.