Two Writers Slinging Yang

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.

On writing his 25th—and last—book; on his early job answering Mickey Mantle's fan mail; on Reggie Jackson and Joe DiMaggio and Sparky Lyle and Dick Young and Satchel Paige's lost uniform.

On chronicling one of America's all-time most fascinating and influential families, the Shakurs; on what the world needs to know about Tupac's mother, Afeni; on attending an exorcism and keeping a straight face; on the Seattle-based Jewish rapper who warranted a profile.

On the amazing rise and career of Fernando Valenzuela; on trying to convince a shy, guarded man to speak for a book; on what it's like interviewing our heroes as they age and decline; on why people still care about a saga from 40 years ago.

On his funky journalist odyssey from small-town upstate New York newspaper scrub to one of Australia's elite long-form scribes; on following a band's raucous path and chronicling every move; on whether it's OK for a writer to bond with a subject.

On watching the Vandy football team take back-to-back ass kickings from Alabama and Georgia—and trying to write humanely of the massacres; on leaping into a beat and learning on the fly; on whether people care about college print; on why she dreamed of newspapers; on covering Jim Harbaugh.

On whether the sports writers of today are better or worse than the sports writers of a decade ago; on the brilliance of Peter Gammons' World Series chronicling; on the Red Sox manager who committed suicide—and the writer who jotted down the details.

On what it is to tackle the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; on the hells of promoting a book pre-release; on the highs and lows and greater highs of authorship.

On putting everything you have into a book, then watching the publishing company mangle the release and price; on frustrations over seeing America's Covid response turn political; on chronicling the life of a famous football-playing father.

On the craziness of 2022 Indianapolis Colts and head coach (cough, cough) Jeff Saturday; on making his father proud by following the dream; on why a lifelong NBA fan left the Pacers beat to chronicle the NFL; on angering a linebacker and living to tell.

On surviving a childhood where she was beaten and molested; on what it is to run away from home and live on the streets; on how Tupac Shakur served as a bright light; on writing your way through pain and hurt

On more than two decades of covering Cardinals football; on digging into Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury; on making the transition from newspaper to team website; on the mystery that was David Boston.

On recently being laid off and leaving New Jersey without a single congressional reporter; on why covering politics is so important on the local level; on the story of his uncle's mid-pandemic funeral; on whether journalism is still a worthy field.