On writing a book with Digger Phelps and projecting the greatness of Clint Hurdle; on the golden era of print magazines; on Dan Jenkins and Frank Deford and Mark Kram; on watching his beloved publication morph and change; on the legendary editor who smelled of body odor.
On the rise of the WNBA; on covering Angel Reese as she blooms into a League star; on the complications of Caitlin Clark; on where women's basketball is heading.
On the intricacies of his latest article, "A Republican Election Clerk vs. Trump Die-Hards in a World of Lies." On how to convince subjects to open up to a media outlet they don't trust. On working with a photographer.
On Kendrick, Drake and a fool's opinion of their beef; on a beautiful piece between Black-Italian cinematic ties; on Don Lemon as a voice for inspiration; on teaching those who can't write how to write.
On the joys of writing about prospects on their way up. On why Kerry Lightenberg and the 2004 Blue Jays drove him to drink. On how a non-journalist from Harvard became one of the best. On dealing with editors.
On why Gannett did what Gannett does and wrongly fired her for bullshit corporate reasons. On the importance of local media. On a bunch of crazy right-wing zealots overtaking a town's government. On the transition to Substack and the need to report.
On proudly being recognized as "The queer writer ...". On the Manhattan prison that inspired a book. On writing about people and issues who have been largely ignored and scorned. On writing and self-discovery.
On the anger of Bobby Knight and the love of Christian Laettner. On why John McEnroe was a brat and why Dean Smith only gave five minutes. On the magic of Sports Illustrated in the 1960s and the splendor of Frank Deford.
On finding joy in the aggregating of NBA info. On the fight for survival in the modern media landscape. On long-ago hockey fights and BYU-Wyoming games and dog sled races.
On whether being close to politics causes one to look less terrifyingly at politics. On whether CNN is still a worthwhile spot. On why one is better served covering sports than government. On the transition to Substack.
On the weird coolness of the Westminster Dog Show. On having an open mind to unique scenes and people. On why one writes a book about dogs. On writing through hell.
On the word-choice decisions one must make when writing a children's book. On the (gasp!) Dodger-loving grandma who inspired a character. On why we should cut Barry Bonds a break and why Will Clark is a lovely dude. On the hyper-criticized hug of a Major League pitcher.
On the highs and lows of chasing around Barry Bonds for six days (and being blown off repeatedly); on what it was to cover Mike Tyson in his prime; on the death of boxing writing; on why he left the business and never looked back.
On the lengths he went through to track down and corner a master scam artist. On whether podcasts have a future as a journalistic medium. On what happens when you don't use material from people you interviewed.
On the heyday of the blogger and what became of the genre. On why James Van Der Beek earned her scorn. On how one becomes less cruel (for sport) with age. On whether blogs have a place in 2024.
On covering the Lady Vols as they approach yet another NCAA Tournament; on making the leap from Ferris State to the big leagues; on women athletes and the passion of self expression; on landing a sweet gig out of college.
On wrapping a career after decades of chronicling the NFL; on picking up Boomer Esiason from the airport as a rookie Bengals beat scribe; on breaking the news of Lawrence Taylor's drug suspension for Newsday; on what is good and bad about modern beat writing.
On the untold story of Indiana high school basketball and the team you need to know about; on the brilliance of a young Oscar Robertson; on whether we can still dig, "Hoosiers"; on nearly coming to blows with a Hall of Fame point guard.
On the inspiration behind the Commodores' "Nightshift" and Selena's "Dreaming of You." On that first big song for Diana Ross. On the big winners of "We Are The World." On being credited as a writer on Tupac's "Hit 'Em Up."
On the brilliance of her latest piece, "How Nikola Jokić Became the World’s Best Basketball Player." On how she navigates a subject who doesn't speak with her. On the beauty of tiny details. On whether bad writers can learn to be good writers.
On coming up through small daily newspapers. On whether quotes bog down stories. On dealing with prep coaches. On whether athletes read newspapers.
On knowing from a young age what he wanted to do and how he wanted to do it. On a string of irksome and weird conflicts with Dana White. On why interviewing UFC fighters is the best gig in the world. On the difference between wanting a career and craving a career.
On being named the first Black news columnist in the newspaper's lengthy history. On what the population misunderstands about Houston's Third Ward. On finding humanity in the recently deceased homeless man. On transitioning from fashion to news after the murder of George Floyd.
On the dispiriting demise (and end?) of his beloved magazine; on the curious case of Sidd Finch and the decision to tell Michael Jordan to bag baseball; on defending the Swimsuit Issue and a bitter divorce from Frank Deford; on Dan Jenkins and George Plimpton and William Nack and Pat Putnam and Rick Reilly and the world's greatest sports writers.
On why former Expos manager Dick Williams physically assaulted him; on the bliss of writing NHL game stories; on the Canadian appeal of Gary Carter; on the demise of a beloved magazine.
On why so many Colorado-based media outlets kneel before Coach Prime; on a long and trying fight to stay afloat as a journalist; on our weirdly combative days as Nashville prep writers; on infuriating Steve Alford and Corey Dillon.
On what it's like to cover an NBA team as it loses 27-straight games; on how to approach players when they have no interest in talking; on the empathy of Cade Cunningham; on working a locker room.
On what a Black man learned about America from white Christianity; on what football players need to know about the system they occupy; on how a Facebook screed became a terrific manifesto; on the book he dreamed of writing.
My dad, Stan Pearlman, died today of pancreatic cancer. He was 81 and a great man—as well as a beautiful writer. This is his final interview, conducted last week in South Florida.
On why Barry Bonds was such a monumental asshole; on a young Aaron Rodgers soaring at Cal; on the unique decency of Dusty Baker; on the wild, wacky Los Angeles Express of the USFL.
