The Rumor

Introducing The Rumor

An unlikely conversation at a birthday party sends two friends on a madcap quest to find out if a salacious sports rumor is true. As their investigation circles the legacies of baseball Hall of Famer, Cal Ripken, Jr., and Hollywood legend, Kevin Costner, they find themselves re-examining their deepest-held beliefs about belonging, believing, and what makes a hero. While the truth proves more elusive than a well-thrown knuckleball, one thing is certain: their lives will never be the same. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Rumor

A seemingly innocuous conversation at a birthday party starts Sam and Mac down a long and winding road of rumors, conspiracy theories, and legends, all connected to a mysterious power outage in 1997. Along the way, they meet a shock jock, a disgraced journalist, and a very creaky mailbox. By the time they pause to consider how far they really want to travel down this treacherous path, they realize it’s too late to turn back. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Something Magic Happens

As their investigation picks up pace, Sam and Mac land on the trail of a former Baltimore cop with the menacing-sounding nickname of Mad Dog—someone they’ve been told might have insider intel about the rumor. And after parsing a 1997 police report from the Ripken residence for clues, Sam and Mac head for the wealthy Baltimore exurb that appears to have more horses than people. Meanwhile, Sam reveals his intimate connection to the Kevin Costner oeuvre. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Stories You Don’t Hear About

Sam and Mac go around the horn with three of Cal’s teammates who were there the night everything went down—especially the lights. And they obsessively scrutinize an intriguing piece of evidence from Oriole Park on August 14th, 1997. Does it contain definitive proof of an elaborate conspiracy? Or will obsessively examining it finally unravel Sam and Mac’s already-tenuous grip on reality?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Old Box

To finally uncover why exactly the lights went out that fateful summer night in Baltimore, Sam and Mac search deeper, down in the basement of Oriole Park at Camden Yards. There, the ballpark’s head electrician gives them a tour of the elaborate system that keeps the lights on—and turns them off. Feeling as much like invaders as investigators, Sam and Mac learn who had access to the lighting controls back in 1997, and they stumble upon a key detail in the case. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices