On capturing Billie Jean King's voice via the written word; on weird times in the Detroit Pistons locker room with Mark Aguirre; on sexism in journalism and sustaining a long career
On her amazing, important piece on Kentucky hospitals and the awful impact of COVID; on interviewing people experiencing the worst days of their lives; on the Kentucky mistrust of the vaccine; on the amazing rabid raccoon and his tragic/non-tragic drowning.
On the blissful art of great food writing; on techniques to have people open up; on the oft-exhausting New York Times editing.
On the weird world of covering the Donald Trump White House; on why members of the administration were so willing to talk; on the pure hell of being an author during a pandemic.
On the nerves and anxiety of a first book release; of the greatest timing in the history of sports biographies; of what to do when an NBA team locks you out.
On the nerves and excitement of covering his first-ever Major League Baseball game; on deciding how to approach Joe Maddon; on laughing at the jokes of nearby writers; on failing to eat before languishing inside the Angels press box; on tie or no tie.
On making an in-his-prime Larry Bird quite angry; on the changing nature of the newspaper sports columnist; on David Oritz and PED; on covering the 1986 World Series and not caring who won.
On overhearing Barry Bonds' grand jury testimony—and debating whether he could report on it; on the wonderland of Bobby Valentine and the early-2000s New York Mets; on calling it quits at 10 pm because (yawn) we're old.
On his explosive Sunday piece exposing a football scandal at KU; on calling people who r-e-a-l-l-y don't want to hear from you; on covering year after year of brutally bad football.
On chronicling her late father's ALS—and the accompanying emotions; on leaving behind the world of ESPN and discovering some inner zen; on the craziness of the last-gasp Iverson 76ers.
How how his Nicaraguan culture impacts his journalism; on how to make clubhouse time useful; on the general manager who wasn't so happy to see him; on the awfulness of writing short pieces.
On how every cliche about aging is painfully true; on the brilliance of David Stern and the joy of the 1984 men's U.S. Olympic basketball trials; on the bliss of book PR
On going from anonymity to one of America's biggest authors; on finding a literary agent via Twitter; on writing in the voice of others and uncovering inspiration via real-life experiences.
On writing and reporting the saga of Drew Robinson, the Giants outfielder who attempted suicide—and lived; on knowing when to include details and when to leave details out; on having the world's sweetest first name.
On spending days and days in Schenectady, N.Y. to follow around a frustrated landlord and a frustrated tenant; on the keys to embedding and observing; on having reluctant subjects open up; on the trials of writing a screenplay based upon an article.
On taking someone else's thoughts and converting them into his written voice; on submitting (yikes) 229,000 words to a publisher; on 1970s ballplayers and the desire to be remembered.
On running a student newspaper via Zoom during a yearlong pandemic; on leaving the house to cover a white lives matter protest; on the Trump-beholden professor who made life weird.
On convincing people to talk when they have no desire to talk; on the ethical dilemma of feeling sorry for those who committed terrible acts; on how to investigate a podcast
On leaving his true love, journalism; on reporting during a pandemic; on the mystifying saga of the stranded donkey.
On whether it's OK to savage a restaurant; on discovering the best pizza crust and steak; on feuding (and making peace) with Anthony Bourdain and on the great baseball hepatitis scare.
On what it's like to have Tucker Carlson and his douche legions attack; on why we keep writing mean things about neighbors; on the rare journalist who actually (gasp) loves Twitter
On why tacos with an Astros catcher didn't sell him on a career covering sports; on the complexities and nuances of free speech; on having Talib Kweli as a sibling; on the fairness of new restrictive voting laws.
On how sports journalists used to receive such tremendous access; on Tiger Woods' parents; on understanding Johnny Unitas via his former teammates.
On delving into his family's past and not fearing what he might find; on writing an open letter to the University of Miami and urging the school to give up football; on why Milt Wagner should have been the next Dr. J; on the sad decline of magazines.
To celebrate the 200th episode, I go back in time 26 years and reflect upon a weird, funky, amazing, cool, stressful run inside the Sports Illustrated Bullpen–where rivalries were fierce, opportunities were golden and journalism careers could be made (or broken).
On the highs and lows of first-time authorship; on trying to get a book to Jerry Seinfeld; on tracking down the catcher with the yips; on having a book release delayed and living to tell about it.
On how we, as an industry, are covering LGBTQ-related issues; on earning the trust of two teen athletes; on describing a scene without having witnessed the scene; on the importance of Sue Bird coming out.
On transitioning from a mainstream publication to starting his own shop; on why the modern athlete is willing to talk to reporters from nontraditional outlets; on his moment in the spotlight with Aaron Rodgers.
On fighting her way into locker rooms and press boxes; on flying with Denzel Washington and having Paul Newman slam the phone; on how to respond when Mickey Mantle passes a note that says, WANNA FUCK?
On tracking down the reclusive Shelly Duvall; on Pee Wee Herman and a diner; on getting celebrities to open up.
