S1 Ep#36: Bear Brook

It started as a social experiment in 1981. You'd call a phone number and leave a message in which you would apologize for a crime or misdeed you'd committed. But to the man who created it, Allan Bridge, the “Apology Line” became a fascination.On this episode, we feature The Apology Line podcast from Wondery and speak to the host, Marissa Bridge, wife of "Mr. Apology", who details the behind-the-scenes story of the social phenomenon and the man who created it.

Chris Garcia was in denial when his father was diagnosed with dementia. Until the day his dad didn’t recognize him. So Chris did what any comedian would do – he joked about it. The result is his podcast, Scattered, from WNYC Studios. Often funny and always touching, Scattered follows Chris as he attempts to learn the story of his dad’s life and honor his last request.

Serving life in prison since the age of 17, “Suave” Gonzalez assumed he would die behind bars. But one day he met a journalist whose words gave him purpose. Then when a Supreme Court ruling set him free, he truly was given a second chance.“Suave” is a podcast about the juvenile criminal justice system, life after prison, and an unlikely friendship between an inmate and an investigative reporter.This week, David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez and journalist Maria Hinojosa are guests on The Pod Spotter.

No one listens to the last 5 minutes of any podcast. And so each week Zack and our guests use that time to reveal secrets, get something off their chest, or just share something personal. It’s resulted in some of our best audio.Unfortunately, no one has heard it because, well, no one was listening.Until now.This week we present Part 1 of "The Best of No One’s Listening."

Some of the greatest stories in sports didn’t happen between the lines, during the games, or in front of the cameras.They are the best sports stories you've never heard.This week we talk to Matt Waxman, creator and host of iHeart's Trickeration. A podcast dedicated to the best pranks, schemes and scams in the history of sports.

To some, gambling isn’t much of a gamble.Certainly no more risky than investing in the stock market.Of course, there is the chance you’ll get hassled by law enforcement, the government, or “rolled” in a convenience store parking lot for the wad of cash hidden in your shoe.Our featured podcast this week is Gamblers from The Ringer Network. Author and journalist, David Hill joins us to talk about his deep-dive into the lives of professional gamblers.

On this special Mother’s Day episode, we celebrate the realities of motherhood with a couple of moms who know that there’s no such thing as a perfect mother or a perfect kid.The Pod Spotter welcomes the Band of Mothers podcast and hosts Shayna Ferm and Tracey Tee. They know all about the joys of motherhood, but also that sometimes mommy needs some peace, quiet, and wine…not whine.

There are tons of investigative, True Crime podcasts. But how many actually contributed to solving a cold case?This week we feature Bear Brook, an investigative series that profiled, and helped solve, a 30-year old quadruple-murder.Host and reporter, Jason Moon, joins us to discuss the science, amateur sleuthing and all the details of this very complicated case.

In 2014, the Houston Astros were the laughing stock of Major League Baseball, if not all of sports. But just 3 years later, they were World Champions.Was it brilliant coaching? Exceptional talent evaluation? Superior player development? Or did they somehow cheat their way to the top?In his 6-episode podcast, The Edge: Houston Astros, sportswriter & host Ben Reiter talks to key figures and digs deep into the scandal that rocked the Astros' franchise and the baseball world. This week, Ben joins The Pod Spotter to talk about his pod and the anatomy of the scheme.

Roughly 53,000 juveniles are in some form of lockup. Nearly 60 percent are black or Latino. We all make dumb mistakes when we’re young. But for these kids, those “dumb mistakes” have a lasting impact.This week we talk to Kai Wright, host of the award-winning podcast Caught: The Lives of Juvenile Justice, which tells the stories of kids in lockup with the help of some very raw & intimate audio.