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The beautiful game meets the beautiful podcast! In the final Take A 20 episode of 2026, we revisit Zinedine Zidane’s shocking meltdown in the 2006 World Cup Final. There’s nothing Mark hates more than a French athlete who plays dirty! As this year’s World Cup prepares to kick off across North America, Josh and Mark reflect on their own status as global icons, and the legions of loyal fans who make that possible. It’s lots of gratitude, and a small dash of humility, as we sign off until 2027.

A horse winning the Triple Crown is almost as rare as the Knicks winning the NBA championship. And a whole lot less annoying. In 2006, Barbaro appeared destined to make history. After dominating the Kentucky Derby, he was lauded as an all-time great thoroughbred. But as soon as Barbaro hit the track for the Preakness, the story took a devastating turn -- and horseracing would never be the same. Ultimately, Barbaro did wind up captivating a nation, in ways that no one could have imagined.

On September 25, 2006, the New Orleans Saints returned home to the Superdome for the first time since Hurricane Katrina devastated the city a year earlier. Had enough time elapsed for a symbol of despair to become a house of healing? Two minutes after the game kicked off, the answer was a resounding “yes,” thanks to one of the most uplifting plays in NFL history — and a 13-month commitment to make the “Domecoming” a reality.

Hartford Whalers fan trigger warning! The Carolina Hurricanes, who relocated to Raleigh from Hartford in 1997, won their first and only Stanley Cup in 2006,  legitimizing the NHL’s commitment to building in the Sun Belt. After canceling the entire 2004-2005 season due to a bitter lockout, the league was in a precarious position -- seeking new fans in the South, while honoring its lifeblood in the North. A tension that remains today, as the 2026 Hurricanes have steamrolled their way into yet another Conference Finals.

The 2006 Tour de France began with the biggest doping scandal in the history of sports. And it only got worse from there. The first race without 7-time champion Lance Armstrong was supposed to be a shining moment for a new generation of riders. That included Lance's former teammate, Floyd Landis, who was on the verge of becoming the next American cycling hero. Until he wasn't. In this episode, where lots of bad things happen to lots of bad people, we are incredibly grateful that Mark and Josh remain our beacons of goodness and hope.

Believe it or not, the Celtics are not the only team who consistently underperforms in the post-season. The Oakland A's were similarly snakebit in the 2000's, often failing to capitalize on regular season success. In 2006, the A's finally won a playoff series -- but that long-awaited breakthrough was the beginning of the end of Moneyball's golden age.

It’s officially clay court season, which is as close as Mark and Josh get to red bottom shoes. Unlike our plebeian podcasters, Roger Federer was always comfortable with luxury brands. In 2006, the man who personified elegance and grace elevated his game to the highest level, compiling one of the greatest seasons ever in men’s tennis.

The NBA Playoffs are underway, the underdogs are barking, and Mark and Josh are not even thinking about pushing the panic button for the Knicks or Celtics (no, seriously, things are totally fine!). It was panic time for the Miami Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals, until everything changed in an instant. Dwyane Wade emerged as a superstar -- with some assists from a highly criticized officiating crew -- and the legacy of that series continues to cast a big shadow over the NBA, both good and bad.

“Get your popcorn ready!” Those were the words of Terrell Owens when he joined  the Dallas Cowboys in 2006. Words that Mark and Josh live by every day. When T.O. spoke them into existence, it was both a warning and a promise. The most polarizing personality in sports joined the most polarizing franchise. Everything could go right, or it could fail in spectacular fashion. The only certainty was that it would be impossible to look away.

For the first time in 32 years, the Masters is taking place without Phil Mickelson or Tiger Woods. Phil won the tournament in 2006, claiming his second Green Jacket, and setting the stage for a magical year. Everything was lining up perfectly for Phil, until it wasn't. Epic talent. Reckless risk-taking. That was Lefty in 2006. And in many ways, it remains the same today. The azaleas are in bloom, the birds are chirping, and Mark and Josh celebrate all that Phil achieved at Augusta -- while lamenting all that never was.

Despite an 83-win regular season, the St. Louis shocked the baseball world by winning the World Series in 2006. They even received an authentic, full-sized trophy, even though they were the least successful team to ever claim baseball's top title. So, were the Cardinals lucky, good, or simply smarter than everyone else in the 2006 post-season? It was a little bit of everything. And it was a return to glory for a team and a manager whose legacies had been trending in the wrong direction.

Long before Mark Davidson petitioned the DMV for a "Le Magnifique" vanity license plate, someone else in Pittsburgh claimed that moniker as his own. Unfortunately for Mark, that individual was a lot bigger, wealthier, and more handsome. Mario Lemieux was one of the greatest hockey players of all-time -- and, yes, The Great One himself would agree -- but the stories behind that greatness are even more impressive. Lemieux hung up his skates for good in 2006, leaving behind a legacy that will never be matched -- on and off the ice.

Clear eyes, full hearts, clean brackets, can't lose! Behold these magical hours of March Madness when every player is a champion and every fan is a genius. But dreams die fast in March -- except when they don't. In 2006, George Mason engineered the most improbable Final Four run in modern history. The under-sized and 11th-seeded Patriots took on the biggest names in college basketball, and by George, they kept on winning.

A funny thing happened when America's pastime set its sights on global supremacy in 2006. It turns out the rest of the world is pretty good at baseball, too. That was the enduring lesson from the inaugural World Baseball Classic, a surprisingly compelling competition that featured a dominating performance from Japan, questionable strategies from Team USA, and a whole bunch of rules that were really hard to explain. In other words, not much has changed in 20 years. The WBC is quirky, unpredictable, and more fun than you want to admit. Kind of like Josh and Mark.

"It's Kobe Freakin' Bryant!" Those four words said it all after Bryant scored 81 points vs. the Toronto Raptors on a January night in 2006. But Josh and Mark are contractually obligated to say more than four words every episode -- time to get new lawyers! -- so they dig a little deeper into that historic performance. What unleashed Kobe's superpowers that magical evening? Was it his grandmother in attendance, a carbo-loading meal of pepperoni pizza and grape soda, or the delicious knowledge that one day two trailblazing podcasters would memorialize his achievement?