Two Writers Slinging Yang

On being (cruelly) let go by ESPN The Magazine and engaging upon a tough road of rediscovery; on sitting in a bar with an alcoholic relief pitcher and urging him not to drink; on the 1995 Yankees-Mariners classic; on life as a baseball glove entrepreneur.

On spending a season observing a college football team; on the love/hate relationship between Jackson and Coach Prime; on the affection Deion has for his players; on breaking in as an NFL scribe with the wild 1990s Dallas Cowboys.

On why society might be better off not chalking everything up to God; on the complications of admitting one believes in no higher power; on snagging a book deal on an unorthodox topic.

On what one should think about Division I college coaches and their pronouncements; on covering the expansion Cleveland Browns and the first-year Baltimore Ravens; on diving deep into C.J. Stroud and teaming up with Cardale Jones.

On why the history of basketball can (and can't) be told in 15 sneakers; on whether Michael Jordan was more accidental tourist than genius; on Dee Brown and the Reebok Pump; on why Russ has eternal love for Milt Palacio and Lucious Harris.

On the frustrations of modern NBA coverage; on a punch-throwing Rod Strickland; on the diva-like behaviors of Jerry Rice; on a frustrated Chris Webber and a furious Don Nelson.

On NFL locker rooms v. MLB clubhouses; on the pettiness of Bruce Allen; on nearly coming to blows with former Dodgers outfielder Milton Bradley; on professionalism and accountability in modern media.

On the tiny bits of decision-making that go into every column; on finding the nuance in Adam Wainwright's 200th win; on why long dashes are different than commas, which are different than ellipses.

On why re-writing is more fun than writing; on how a novelist comes up with the end of a story; on whether fictitious characters become real; on the orange couch and soggy pizza of a long-ago college newspaper.

Emotions, feelings as the show (based on my book, "Showtime") vanishes; the highs and lows of adaptation; the white party and 150-year-old Dr. J and memories that will last.

On how opposing candidates should go after Donald Trump and the MAGA nutties; on the highs and lows of the John McCain 2008 presidential campaign; on how elections have changed for the worse.

On why one would write a book on writing and failure; on the craziness of Rob Ford, former Toronto mayor; on why essays are so important in modern storytelling.

On how covering a habitually mediocre NBA franchise can still be interesting; on saying farewell to Bradley Beal and missing the frankness of John Wall; on a long-ago Frank Beamer piece (that needs to vanish).

On the joys of reporting from an Alabama Waffle House; on whether corporations ever do good deeds for the sake of helping people; on how a racist incident in college impacted her life and career; on having people open up when they'd rather not open up.

On the Ron DeSantis campaign banning him from an event; on covering the craziness of the Iowa State Fair (aka: The Super Bowl of Iowa politics); on why candidates for office should never pose eating a corn dog; on being one of his state's lone Black journalists.

On how he can dread all things climate change and still focus on amazing TV/film; on the joys of "Winning Time," the rethinking of "Veep," the small regret in "Anchorman," the highs of entertaining people; on whether bad reviews result in sleepless nights.

On why backup catchers are the coolest people on earth; on having David Wells and Jeff Juden loathe you; on covering the Shaq-Kobe Lakers; on being laid off as a columnist and bouncing back as an author; on not being Raiders WR Tim Brown.

On the magic of two words: Booty and Call; on the impact of cleaning bank toilets at 4 am; on the charisma of Tupac and the odd rear-end decisions of Madonna.

On her memories of being a young girl in a concentration camp; on how to put those memories into a book; on the pain of writing on trauma; on becoming an 85-year-old TikTok phenom.

On being let go by your beloved newspaper—then suing for age/health discrimination; on approaching athletes confrontationally; on Memphis as a rat hole and Milton Bradley as a human; on the feelings of journalistic mortality.

On the joys of covering Tony Gwynn and Kobe Bryant; on a cruel Kirk Gibson, a showering Tommy Lasorda, a furious Raul Mondesi; on the ill-advised Gabby Douglas piece; on the gazillion steps taken to reach journalism glory.

On creating greatness out of a seemingly meaningless late-season Eli Manning game; on covering Len Bias' draft night ... and the tragic aftermath; on resisting the call of hot takes; on a young Kwame Brown and an all-time great profile.

On finding her late father's ancient bucket list on a piece of crumped paper and living it out—then turning the odyssey into a book; on the desperate efforts to meet a U.S. President; on why one shouldn't eat an apple before skydiving.

On the old, glorious Sports Illustrated days of $400 hotel rooms and hanging with R.E.M.'s bass player; on gaining—and losing—a friendship with M. Night Shyamalan; on whether if matters if Tiger Woods likes you.

On creating and hosting "Killed"—the podcast about amazing articles that (sigh) never become articles; on Dakota Johnson's single salad and an angitated Kardashian sister; on whether there's any sort of future for magazines; on whether we can count on podcasts in the future.