thank you. >> smith: i'm evan smith. he's an actor, author and humorist best known for his regular contributions to the daily show and his star turn on those mac vs. pc commercials. his most recent book, that is all, has just been published. he's john hodgman. this is overheard. ♪ >> smith: john hodgman, welcome. >> hodgman: thank you very much. >> smith: nice to have you here. >> hodgman: it's nice to be here. >> smith: now, let me ask you about this book and its place in this trilogy of books that together represent complete world knowledge. >> hodgman: yes, that's correct. >> smith: this is number three. >> hodgman: it comes at the end. >> smith: it comes at the end. the last one... >> hodgman: ...that's its place. >> smith: more information than you require. >> hodgman: is this book shelving? [ laughter ] >> smith: this is a book shelving segment here on the overheard, yes, i'm going to show you how to shelve your books. >> hodgman: whatever you want to do is fine. >> smith: all right, very well. the purpose of this

thank you. >> i'm evan smith. he spent 44 years as a reporter and editor at the washington post, retiring in 2008 as executive editor - the top job at the paper. during his 17 years in charge, the post won 25 pulitzer prizes. today he's the weil family professor of journalism at arizona state university's walter cronkite school. he's len downie. this is overheard. >> we have 15 or mor. >> i realized there weren't a lot of people writing things in my voice, so i realized i had to do it for myself. >> we are a better country than we are used to do but we have more to do and we need to get out. >> i would do that and i wanted to get that buzz you get from working at the absolute top dollar pay. [laughter] smith: len downie, welcome. downie:thank you. smith: very nice to have you here. downie: my pleasure. smith: i wonder if you miss your old job. here it's a couple of years out, uh, and, and you know, bin laden dies or gaddafi is killed, um, chris christy decides not to run for president or rick perry does any number

>> funding for overheard with evan smith is provided in part by hillco partners, texas govvrnment affairs consultancy and its global health care consulting business unit, hillco health. and by the mattson mchale foundation n support of public television. and also by mfi foundation, improving the quality of life within our community. and also by the alice kleberg reynolds foundation and viewers like you. thank you. she's a veteran and mmch loved new yorker magazine wriier whose credits include the or card s.s.i., saturday night, the bull fighter checks her makeup and the children's book lazy little lowfers. her latest book and it is so incredibly good, is rin-tin-tin, the life and the legend. she's susan orlean. this is overheard. >> smmth: susan, so nice to see you. >> orlean: it's a pleasure to be here. >> smith: thank you for being back. >> orlean: couldn't be happier to be here. >> smith: good. now, i want to talk about rin-tin-tin, but i want to talk about animals first, because before we talk about rin-tin-tin, let us establish you are an animal person. >> orlean: i guess i am. >> sm

. &->> smith: i'm evan smith.'s a veteran ournaliss and prolific author whose measured, congenial presence on public television has been a welcomm respite from3 the incivility oo the world -or more than four decades. his eight billlonth book -ú i'm not sure tatts an justt-ubllshed tension city. he's jim llhrer. ú& this is overreard. >> smith: jim lehrer, welcome. >> lehrer: thank you evan. >> smith: or i should say wellome back. texas. in austin, texas and i love >> smmth: well thank youu3 good to see you, and congratulations. this book is so much fun to >> lehrer: oh, teerific. >> smith: as i grrw up watching political debates all these memories kind of accumulated, and everythiig a loo of stuff i didn't &-know. and it mmst be for you, someone who has forgotten more abbut debates than most of us will ever know, it must have been great too ortúof just unload, on all ofúthe things you'veememoriied. that'' exactly right. fortunate experiences. one was moderating all these debates. >> smith: right.3 >> leerer: the ot

and at this point people like john carlos, tommy smith, lee evans, they were face with the a choice. the choice was, well, do we just stay home anyway in the absence of a broader movement, or do we go there and actually represent our movement on the medal stand? and we know what they chose. so before the final race in the 200 meters, john carlos and tommy smith got together, and they said, okay, what are we going to do on this medal stand? we're going to wear black gloves to show our commitment to fighting racism. we're not going to wear shoes to showcase the fact that we are bringing up the issue of poverty in the african-american community, people who can't even afford shoes. we're going to wear beads around our necks to showcase the history of violence and lynching against people of african descent. and john carlos, and you can see it in this picture, in an incredible breach of protocol, decided he was going to be up there with his jacket unzipped and with the usa on his chest covered by a black t-shirt, and he was doing that as a tribute to his people back home, white and black,

smith. costly mistakes in the final minutes proved deadly. evans could not hold onto a potentially game-winning touchdown. cundiff missed his 10th field goal of the season with just 11 seconds left. the patriots go on to the super bowl with a final score of 23- 20. of course, fans are disappointed, but they are still standing by their team. it was a roller-coaster ride that ended in heartbreak, but fans are not turning their backs on the ravens. we caught up with fans and they said the team played a good and respectable game. >> the ravens clearly proved they were battle tested, and they were up for the task. they just came up short. >> i want to commend john harbaugh and the ravens. if you know sports, everybody goes through something. it happens. >> i was a colts fan. when they left, i am a raven's fan. i will be a raven span, win or lose. >> we invite you to send in some of your photographs. look at the one on the right. probably a similar site from the older fans as well. you can upload your pictures by visiting our web site, wbaltv.com. one da

. >> will smith, number four, chris evans. do you know who he is? >> yes was he superman? >> captain america. >> i had to google him. he's cute. >> johnny depp is three. number two is george clooney. number one according to men robert downey jr. >> i love robert downey jr. i don't find him sexy, but he's fascinating, brilliant and funny. he's great looking. >> maybe they mean he's a cool guy. i think guys think he is a cool guy. >> awesome. >> brad pitt, jerry says. denzel washington. i don't want to know what walter thinks. who? >> george clooney. >> why is that funny to me? walter thinks the sexiest man in the movies is funny to me. >> is it time for our favorite things? keep yours out of the green. it went through the table. >> if i put it on there -- it's crazing in the grass, in the wheat grass. >> what have you got, girl? >> the humane society of missouri's long meadow rescue ranch you can sponsor a barn buddy. i did it before a couple of years ago. i got the llama. they don't have the llamas. starting at $25, you can buy one of these. say you're an animal lover and

lee evans -- actually, this is the intersection that brady through up. jimmy smith grabs the ball and runs it out. that sets up the ravens to go down the field. flacco now and it is stripped at the very last second. this 32-yard field goal for the thaiie. a shaky snap and the polls it left. they come to the super bowl and they are crying in baltimore. >> we played a little bit bad. >> it is definitely totough to be as close as we were. >> you learn more and failure than you ever do and success. i think billy will be a phenomenal kicker in years to come. >> for me to go to him which will very quickly, do not ever drop your head. we when every team and we lose every team. there is no freaking "billy missed the kick." it happened. move on. >> giants and san francisco the linemen into mario. 17-14. the 49ers tie it up with a few gold and they go to overtime. after a turnover deep in sentences, territory this one since the giants to the super bowl. it is the second time he has done this for the giants. they will go to the super bowl and it will be a rematch of super bowl

smith. the ravens would be forced to punt and then 27 seconds left, flacco to evans. drops it. looked like a sure bet that would have won the game. unbelievable but that's okay. they can still send it to overtime with this 32-yard field goal. >> 32 yards to tie it. and the -- look out. look out. >> are you kidding me? shanks the gimme. the patriots are going back to the super bowl as they hang on to win it 23-20. >> they laid it all out there. sometimes it's just not good enough. if you play long enough you're going to have games where things just didn't good -- go your way. >> came up short at 53. 53 begin 53 lose. i'm proud of the way we did it. we didn't quite get it done. >> the games come down to one or two plays, and our defense really made some huge plays there, very critical plays, and went down to the end. it was a legal of a game. >> as we reported earlier. former penn state head coach joe paterno died of lung cancer this morning at the age of 85. he won 409 victories, winning two national titles in 46 years as head coach of the nittany lions sthefnlings all abuse sca

i say in the game, you say lee evans makes that catch with 30 seconds to go and joe flacco hits torrey smith on that big bomb and when a game's this close, how much does home-field advantage help? and you look at the losses sometimes of the teams they should have beaten. maybe if they had played better against the titans, maybe we would have the home-field and now all of a sudden maybe that close loss is a close win. it's one of those times where you reflect on everything and you see how close it was and any one little thing could have made the difference. >> we've got clearance now because of nfl rules and regulations, we can show highlights, and we want to do that for our viewers right now. let's talk about how the game developed and how we got on the joshed and how they got on the score board. >> it started with john harbaugh, would have been a great nfl story line if his team could have faced his brother's in the super bowl. joe flacco looking good, throws the touchdown to denis pitta, ties the game up. the ravens came right back and scored that touchdown and torrey smith, you can't say

smith. brady, two enter semtions but the ravens would be forced to punt. 27 seconds left. ravens driving for the win. evansps it. a sure touchdown pass, would have won the game. unbelieve everyone that's okay. they can still send it to overtime with this 32-yard field goal. >> 32 yards to tie it. and -- it's wide. it's no good. >> mike: are you kidding me? shanks the gimme. the patriots win 23-20. >> they laid it all out there. i laid it all out there. sometimes it's not just got enough. if you play long enough, you have games where things just didn't go your way. >> came up a little bit short. and 53 win and 53 lose, and i'm proud of the way we did it. didn't quite get it done. >> get a chance to redeem myself. i threw a couple picks a day but the defense stepped up, and it's a great team we played. hopefully we play better in a few weeks. >> patriots going to the super bowl. >> former penn state head coach joe paterno died of lung cancer this morning at the age of 85. the all--time winningest coach in history. won two national titles in his 46 years as head coach of the nittany lionses. but the sexual ab

smith. way to get the ball back for your ravens. >> with that fortunate, the clock would start to wind -- with that, the clock would start to wind down. lee evans has it briefly but stripped by sterling moore. no review called from the booth. should it have been? >> yeah, you definitely get a little picky. it was something where he could have had it reviewed. it looked like that second foot was down before the ball came out. that would have been a touchdown. >> billy cundiff, a 3 -yarder, trailing by three. to tie it, send the game to overtime. no good. wide left. 175 days after the start of training camp, the season ends with heartbreak and disbelief as the ravens lewis 23--- lose 23-20 to the new england patriots. flacco, 22-36, 306 yards, two touchdowns, one inter interception. boldin, 101 yards receiving. tom brady's numbers, identical passing with flacco, 22-36 but far shy of flacco in yardage. two interceptions for brady. no touchdown passes. billy cundiff 2-3 but it is the miss we will long remember, the miss from 32 yards that ends the ravens' season. cundiff was automatic, a pro bowler a year ago and certainly not feeling good today. >

smith says sorry, guys i got to go. had a good game three catches 84 yards. 4th quarter tom brady didn't throw a touchdown, he ran one. flacco to lee evansmakes the catch, no, does not complete the process. that's a drop and then billy cundiff shanked it from 32 yards. look at the faces. ed reed can't believe it. neither can joe flacco. patriots win 23-20. >> i thought our guys played their hearts out. we made plays, came up a play or two short at the end, but doesn't less han they accomplished this year or in this game -- doesn't lessen what they accomplished this year or in this game. >> we'll go inside the locker room at 11:35 on sports plus. >>> there are certain coaches that are singularly identify cab with their programs, john wood in ucla. joe paterno is like that when it comes to penn state. paterno passed away this morning the 85-year-old succombing so lung cancer. the man was a college sports giant, even nonfootball circles paying respects today. the penn state/indiana basketball game had a moment of silence. paterno was also a humanitarian. his family said his loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled. joe pa w

smith, former maryland terrapin tells moore, sorry, gotta go. great effort. 17-16 baltimore. fourth quarter, tom brady. it is cheaper to keeper. later down the stretch, lee evans appears to make the catch. they have to settle for a field goal. billy, exit left. the ravens can't believe it. they lose 23-20. >>> on the nfc side, john harbaugh's brother, jim and the 49ers taking on tom coughlin and the giants. vernon davis has been uncoverrable. he's having a great post- season. that's a 28-yarder to make it 14-10. in the fourth quarter, eli manning and the giants stepping up. small windows not a problem. he spits it in to manningham. late in the game though, overtime. kyle williams lets this punt get away from him. devin thomas, former washington redskin makes the recovery. sending the giants to the super bowl. they win it 20-17. wow, what a day. the caps and the wizards losing on sunday as well. that's going to do it for your morning sports. i'm dave owens, have a great monday, everybody. >> coming up, maryland's governor will see how his agenda plays in the twitter verse later today. >> resolving the dispute between wolf traps in another venue in northern virg

smith is a researcher with with the pew forum. almost all questioned identified their religion as christians, but it's a source of tension. 50% say evans in iowa, mitt romney didn't have evangelical support. 57% of caucus-goers were evangelical or born-again christians, but only 14% of them supported romney. it's a stark contrast to the 86% he has among mormons. only half has a favorable view of jon luntman. david buckner, a mormon church leader in new york, doesn't mind of questions. >> candidates draw a loss more scrutiny and questions. when john kennedy ran, even when richard nixon, as a quaker -- those are good questions, those are questions that i do believe are elevating an inquire audience. what does this mean? who are these folks? >> why is it a mystery? >> i don't think that we're very good as an open people inviting in. >> reporter: all told, mormons make up less than 2% of the entire population. researchers found they're similar in two ways, the surveys found two thirds of mormons describe themselves as political conservative. >>> as i mentioned leon panetta has just spoken out about the assassination of an iranian nuclear

evan makes a great point about eli. eli is a true elite superstar, one of the best, and he knows how to win on the road. but the thing about alex smithm anything more than he is, but rehabilitation under way for a while. no longer a liability, starting to win games for this team. i think it will be tough. but i like the giants. >> too much for alex smith? >> if you want to look at a game that probably encapsulates what the niners don't do well would be the ravens game from than thanksgivi thanksgiving. don't think the giants aren't licking their chops, looking at that film. and conversely, the offensive coordinate ore for san francisco knows if he doesn't fix those holes, smith will be hit early and often. >> i like giants 24-17. >> stan. >> i like the ravens 30-26, and the 49ers 43-19. >> rich. >> patriots 34, ravens 24. and then i got to agree. i'm scared of eli manning in the postseason. giants 24 -- >> you better look scared. i have a simple question. who is your daddy? it's the giants. >> rematch. revenge is coming. 23-20. giants win by a field goal and probably beat the patriots again. >> you like patriots ravens in the super b