If you’re a fan of in-depth sports talk podcasts, you will like Slate’s Hang Up and Listen with Josh Levin, Stefan Fatsis and Mike Pesca. Ascots are optional.

Josh Levin joins the show to talk about his show, writing at Slate and a whole lot more.

First, we start out with the most Jewish conversation ever in the history of the show -- and this is a show that once did a segment on our favorite foods at Passover -- by figuring out why Josh pronounces his name “Le-veen” and not “Le-vinn”. Coming from a “Lee-vee” and not a “Lev-ee” this conversation should be riveting...for two of you.

We talk about Hang up and Listen, the logistics of the show, and what it’s like doing a sports show for a site like Slate. What exactly is the audience for the show -- Josh says its for smart people who are bored at work -- but is the sports show, specifically, geared toward sports fans for Slate fans? How much cross-over is there? And do they have to focus more on the chess, tennis and golf results of the world? Oh, and with Fatsis, Scrabble.

We talk about more and more non-sports outlets developing sports-specific endeavors from his show to TMZ Sports and everywhere in between. Sports sites rarely (sometimes, but rarely) delve outside the world of sports, but news and entertainment sites have been flocking into the sports world to capitalize on how popular the off-the-field stuff has become. We debate if this trend is new, or if it’s been around for years -- especially in magazines -- and it’s just more obvious now because of TMZ.

Josh is the technology editor at Slate as well, so we talk a great deal about 3DTV and if it will work in the home. Will we all have to wear glasses to watch the screen? What if we invite friends over and don’t have enough glasses? What will Joe in the Corner have to do to watch the game? And yes, Josh suggests that Joe in the Corner become the 3DTV equivalent to Joe the Plumber. Let’s get that movement started.

Somehow we go into a conversation about Avatar and how great the effects were but stupid the overall movie is and how James Cameron was more concerned with making a billion dollars than actually telling a real story or giving an actual social commentary on the military in America. Look closely, and it’s a total cop out. But oooooh, flying dragons!

And Josh tries very hard to make the parallel between Avatar and Bill Simmons’ new basketball book. I’m not sure I buy all the analogies, but it’s a very compelling argument.

Last, we touch on the New York Times decision to start charging for some content -- or multiple visits -- in 2011. Is it a viable model for success online? And we discuss why websites can’t charge ISPs just like the cable networks charge cable providers to carry their networks? It’s the model that will work...I think. But there are too many ISPs who are connected to news outlets at this point (Cablevision/Newsday) (Comcast/NBC) that it may be too late for that.

Thanks to Josh for taking the time.

Housekeeping:

CONGRATS TO JOSH ZERKLE for winning the poll between he and Matt Sebek to see who will be joining me in Vegas over Super Bowl weekend for the Trash Talk Championship of the World. Thanks to all who voted.