Two Writers Slinging Yang

On why a sports writer would think himself worthy of chronicling Tupac Shakur. On the highs and lows and hardships of book reporting. On Tupac's amazing journey.

On whether the publication payoff is worth the grind of book reporting. On Warren Moon and Tom Brady and the dudes who throw balls very far. On deciding which superstars to cover.

On what it was like to cover the Bronx Zoo Yankees of the 1970s. On Reggie and Billy and George. On what he learned from the legends of the business. On why baseball stopped being so fun.

On the pleasure/pain of the bookstore event. On why baseball seems so dull and listless; on meeting with the greats of the game; on living in book hell.

On making the jump from Yahoo to ESPN after decades in one spot. On surviving as a top-shelf sports journalist in a hellish age. On the highs and lows and lows and highs of the gig. On early pizza-making days.

On the similarities and differences between covering women's basketball and football at a major university. On life with Dawn Staley, and whether she would make a good NBA coach. On coming up in the modern era of adjusted journalistic dreams.

On how he made the transition from football to social media. On why he likes Donald Trump way, way, way more than I do. On whether it's OK to own past mistakes—and how to do so. On decency with those who disagree.

On the details and doggedness of a lengthy look at the aftermath of the 1988 New Orleans Saints. On interviewing people after a tragedy. On life on the mid-2000s Kansas City Chiefs beat.

On the challenges and joys of covering the WNBA in 2025. On what it's like to cover a painfully bad team after always covering great ones. On the differences between Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma

On the daunting task of line editing some of the all-time great sports writers. On how to improve a piece and how to back off. On the glory days of magazines. On covering Harvard football as an alum.

On what prompted her to write a book with. former football phenom Todd Marinovich. On how to capture the voice of another person. On what she's learned about the intricacies of the game from being married to an NFL veteran.

On throwing himself into the world of motor sports without having a PhD in motor sports. On whether media can be saved—and how. On chatting up Laurence Fishburne when Laurence Fishburne has been chatted up to death. On whether this biz is worth it.

On covering an NBA team vs. a WNBA team. On the phenomenon of Angel Reese and the joy of DeMar DeRozan. On whether she knew what she was talking about back in college. On whether writing can be taught, or is strictly natural.

On how one writes a biography on a young superstar entering his prime. On the wild boredom of Las Vegas summer league. On Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns. On working as an openly gay journalist in 2025 professional sports.

On his spectacular 5,000-word deep dive into Texas Tech football and the power (and limitations) of NIL dough. On creating content in a confusing time for content creators. On whether the writing dream still lives. On a Sri Lankan dude covering college sports in the deep south.

On covering the Los Angeles ICE raids. On the legality and morality behind masked agents arresting brown men. On going from a 1.7 GPA to dropping out of community college to a career in journalism. On the (sustained) hope of America.

On how a 23-year-old kid out of New Jersey landed on the Celtics beat for the Globe. On battles with Tom Heinsohn, tragedy with Len Bias. On his time covering the Red Sox and Don Zimmer. On today's journalism landscape.

On what it is to be a young singer/songwriter trying to make it in 2025. On writing about an ex-girlfriend without pissing her off. On whether a rocker's talent is truly no illusion.

On what draws him to chronicling the highs and lows of 1990s New York baseball. On why the 2000s Mets are more interesting than the 2000s Yankees. On the blissful joy of Dave Mlicki. On how he survives these awful times in America.

On how one wins a Pulitzer Prize. On the moment he learned of the victory. On the impact the Pulitzer has on a career.

On what he misses (and doesn't miss) from life in sports television. On Chris Berman and Stuart Scott and Rich Eisen. On how media has changed and what he thinks of 2025 journalism. On the highs of the World Cup and lows of a terrifying flight.

On the rise of Houston as a hip-hop powerhouse. On the impact of a rapper writing about his home turf. On whether students in 2025 feel the music they listen to. On teaching ... folklore.

On being based in Dublin and digging into American hip-hop. On how Tupac's world view was impacted by the Black Panthers. On the value of "Juice" and "Poetic Justice." On the greatness of Tupac's music.

On the glory days of Sports Illustrated. On the rise and legacy of Grant Wahl. On when he began to see the magazine business change for the worse. On running a college media program and giving students hope.

On fighting back even after the heartbreak of 2024. On why local politicians fear him. On the highs and lows of being confrontational. On running a long-shot campaign for congress.