logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2024
39m 13s

The Nice Guy, the Bully and the Kiss

Pushkin Industries
About this episode

Leo Durocher would stop at nothing to win. The baseball player-turned-manager was a skilled tactician and famously tough. But he also cheated, intimidated umpires and was violent; he was even known to beat up fans. Durocher was famous for coining the phrase "nice guys finish last" - but is that really true?

Tim Harford and David Bodanis examine lessons from the life of a ruthless, pugnacious baseball star. This is the first episode of a four-part series about how to succeed without being a jerk. It's based on David's book The Art of Fairness: The Power of Decency in a World Turned Mean.

For a full list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Aug 22
Paradise Poisoned: How Utopias Fall Apart
Dore Strauch and Friedrich Ritter make an unconventional couple, united by their contempt for shoes, root vegetables and, above all, society. In 1929 they leave Germany and begin anew on the deserted Galapagos island of Floreana. At first, it feels like a paradise, but soon crack ... Show More
41 m
Aug 15
"Genius Still Unrecognised" - The Worst Poet in the World
William McGonagall's poems are something else. The jarring meter, the banal imagery, the awkward rhymes: they made him a laughing stock in 19th Century Scotland and are still derided to this day. How does someone get that bad at poetry? Or have we been misunderstanding McGonagall ... Show More
40m 3s
Aug 8
Office Hell: The Demise of the Playful Workspace (Classic)
In the early 90s, cutting-edge advertising agency Chiat/Day announced a radical plan, aimed at giving the company a jolt of creative renewal. They would sweep away corner offices and cubicles and replace them with zany open spaces, as well as innovative portable computers and pho ... Show More
38m 40s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 13
Carl Sitter: When Faith Led the Fight
The Chosin Reservoir was one of the most brutal battles of the Korean War, with overwhelming enemy forces and deadly weather. Into that fight came Captain Carl Sitter, a pudgy guy who wasn’t even supposed to be there. His inspiring leadership in the face of terrible odds came dow ... Show More
33m 14s
Jul 2024
Lance Armstrong: Tour De Fraud | 116
Lance Armstrong’s determination to win helps him survive cancer and become cycling’s biggest star in the early 2000s. But his ruthless desire to be the best leads him to create a secret cheating scheme. It fuels him to a historic Tour de France winning streak—but requires an elab ... Show More
44m 34s
Nov 2024
Nigel Benn | "I have never said one derogatory thing about your son!"💥
This episode contains issues that some people might find distressing. If you need support or advice on any of the matters raised within the programme, please visit: https://www.samaritans.org/Our guest on the latest episode of Up Front is the Dark Destroyer - Nigel Benn. A fan fa ... Show More
1h 21m
Feb 2025
OFH Throwback- Episode #24- Did Ty Cobb Kill a Guy?
In this throwback episode Sebastian take you back to Season One and Episode #24. Ty Cobb has been remembered as one of baseball’s greatest villains. Despite being universally recognized as one of the game’s most talented players, Ty Cobb is mostly remembered as a violent racist w ... Show More
57m 23s
Jul 12
CLASSIC: The Ridiculous Story of the World’s First (Documented) Serial Killer
Locusta of Gaul, also known as Locusta The Poisoner, was one of the most infamous criminals of ancient times. Alternately sponsored and betrayed by the noble class, she committed crimes with impunity for years — even, at one point, opening an academy to teach her poisoning skills ... Show More
35m 31s
Jun 2023
Gut instinct
The Skeptic Editor Michael Marshall talks to Matthew Sweet about how we judge actions and truth. They're joined by New Generation Thinkers Elsa Richardson, who is a historian of the emotions at the University of Strathclyde working on a popular history of the gut-brain connection ... Show More
45m 58s
Apr 2025
Season 4, Episode 8: Prof. Lauren Benton, They Called it Peace: Worlds of Imperial Violence
Send us a textJoin Professor Jeffrey Sachs and American historian Lauren Benton for a discussion on the hidden histories of empires and the lasting impact of imperial violence. In her book, They Called It Peace: Worlds of Imperial Violence Benton uncovers how European powers buil ... Show More
46m 17s
Jul 2024
A Black Man (Jesse Owens) and a Nazi: A Friendship Forged in Competition & Courage
On this episode of Our American Stories, the story of United States Olympic legend Jesse Owens' and Nazi long jumper Luz Long’s friendship demonstrates how sports can unite people even in the toughest circumstances. Here to tell the story is the Jack Miller Center’s editorial off ... Show More
9m 59s
Dec 2024
Who was the "Elephant Man"? Joseph Merrick's True Story
The life of Joseph Merrick, the man they dared to call "The Elephant Man", will fill you with pain and anger. He was treated so cruelly by society that he found becoming a freak show exhibit preferably to the life available to him elsewhere. Yet alongside darkness there is light ... Show More
47m 14s
Feb 2023
Benedict Arnold: Before They Went Bad
Before his name became synonymous with treason, Benedict Arnold was a bonafide hero of the American Revolutionary War. At critical moments Arnold inspired the Patriots with his grit and determination and earned the admiration of George Washington. Despite his popularity and battl ... Show More
41m 30s