Two Writers Slinging Yang

On being inside the U.S. Capitol as the building was under attack; on what it is to be dubbed "the enemy of the people"—then have a mob of angry #MAGA loons come looking for you; on how one can simultaneously be terrified and report.

On how early Hollywood disappointment led to success; on writing Johnny Lawrence—a character who is both loved and hated; on the greatest REO Speedwagon-centered scene in TV history.

On lasting and surviving and thriving at a newspaper; on covering a very young Baker Mayfield; on what sports looks like from a pandemic viewpoint.

On making sure every page of a script includes Christmas; on the art of peppy, smart dialogue; on why Hallmark Christmas movies work.

On landing that first book deal; on tracking down Phil Knight and a Pointer Sister for interviews; on the satisfaction of sitting in an empty book shop and knowing you've arrived.

On giving up a sought-after journalism job at age 28; on working for the ruinous evil empire that is Gannett; on what it is to be a modern newspaper scribe in a crumbling newspaper world; on Derrick Henry and Mike Vrabel and life inside the NFL bubble. Search Results Web results Derrick Henry

On why one would think, "You know what demands a book? Kiss without makeup!"; on delving deep into the genius that was Blind Melon; on the 1980s New York Jets and life without a literary agent.

On the repeated torture that is the life of an author; on convincing Rudy Tomjanovich to open up; on Bobby Knight's temper, Steve Kerr's decency and being confused for the Miami Heat mascot.

On the challenges of writing in another person's voice; on landing a book deal; on covering year after year of New York Mets baseball (and living to talk about it)

On covering the 2020 presidential election; on the highs and lows of being a reporter when politicians go out of their way to make your life miserable; on writing the most important story of your life on deadline from home during a pandemic.

On covering politics during the craziest of years; on his new book, "Donald Trump V. The United States: Inside the Struggle to Stop a President"; on sharing a name with the greatest third baseman in baseball history.

On her masterful piece, "The 31-day campaign against QAnon" and all the little nooks and crannies of a one-of-a-kind profile.

On covering more than three decades of (generally awful) Jets football; on life with Adam Gase; on Keyshawn-Chrebet joy and Sam Darnold struggles and chronicling games from home in a COVID world

On the stoppage of travel for a journalist who lives to travel; on understanding COVID's impact on Houston—and writing about it; on thriving as a journalist with zero journalistic training.

On selling your soul to pimp a book; on doing 150 interviews; on $3,000 for a shitty website; on never turning down an interview; on endless bookplates

On finding herself temporarily unemployed at the start of a pandemic; on adjusting to a new beat when nothing is going on; on trying to meet Penny Hardaway and trying to cover Rick Pitino.

On the absolute pleasure-pain experience of writing a book; on eight hours in Montana with Phil Jackson and feeling the love of Shaq; on promoting a book in the aftermath of Kobe Bryant's death.

On a 10-year journey to write a single book; on developing the story of a battered, broken hockey goon; on whether people can learn to be good writers.

On making the jump from The New York Times to NFL.com; on whether we are kinder to friendlier sources; on Herm Edwards and Wayne Chrebet and covering the old New York Jets; on the awfulness of the locker room.

On the story of a midwestern kid whose love of football ruined his life; on how to interview subjects suffering from the loss of a loved one; on the power of empathy and the sorta-joy of a book launch.

On the gloriously rich days of 1990s magazine journalism; on finding a deep understanding of Whitney Houston; of her meh opinion of "The Chronic" and her love of the written word.

On covering the grand ol' game during a pandemic; on receiving a $50 tip at the piano from Dusty Baker; on introducing Washington to Bryce Harper and spending a season tracking RGIII/

On how the writing of Shel Silverstein influenced a lifelong love of words; on using the COVID pandemic to be productive without being productive; on the magic behind the song "Amazing" and teaching lessons via verses.

On having your heart broken and turning that hurt into a scathing, kick-ass memoir; on writing a first book and having it blow up; on the need to curse and the joy of self publishing.

On how one maintains sanity while going 24/7 American politics; on the jerkiness of an in-his-prime Roger Clemens; on the life and death of The National