Two Writers Slinging Yang

On her dazzling new piece, "When a man with a pistol shows up outside a congresswoman’s house"; on the lessons of her legendary father; on transcription hell and the importance of place and time.

On the glorious days and wild nights of American magazines; on the insanity of the 50 Greatest Athletes (from every state) issue; on the famous bakeoff to become managing editor.

On how fewer and fewer sports photographers are able to make a living; on running out of film during an epic Derek Jeter home run; on shooting for Sports Illustrated and The National; on what makes Buster Posey an ideal subject.

A soup-to-nuts deep dive into reporting on tragedy; on asking people to discuss the worst pain of their lives; on second guessing your efforts; on driving nearly 4,000 miles across the state of Texas.

On his past life covering women's semi-professional football in Laredo, Texas; on working for a newspaper in Seattle and receiving (literally) no editing; on introducing himself to a new readership and working to be accepted.

On the joys of having made "Bull Durham" and the hell of making it; on whether "Cobb" is a misunderstood classic; on how his minor league baseball career impacted his filmmaking. 

On the complexities and jots of writing a book about your father; on how to join "Boys in the Boat" and "Seabiscuit" as runaway best-sellers; on the art of the celebrity profile and Chris Pratt grilling Costco steaks.

On why one writes a book 30 years after his career ends; on the mistreatment of African-American players by the sports media; on why retired athletes hate the NFL; on being looked at as a piece of meat.

On the perils of children and their first cell phones; on why it's incredibly important for kids not to sleep near their phones; one how someone without a journalism background landed two book deals.

On putting e-v-e-r-y-t-h-I-n-g out there in a revealing memoir; on having your story featured on HBO's Real Sports—and then Real Sports failing to mention your book; on why covering America's prisons is a passion.

On the strangeness of a city that doesn't seem to want a baseball team; on Josh Hamilton's demise and Elijah Dukes' threats; on covering Sweet Lou and Joe Maddon and Carl Crawford; on surviving—and thriving—for decades in the biz

On how to research the lives of people who died centuries ago; on whether it's accurate to say, "History will judge a person"; on the impact of Donald Trump on the office of the president and whether Joe Biden should run again.

On the truth behind the Jason Kidd/Jim Jackson/Jamal Mashburn hostilities; on what it's like to cover Luka Dončić on a day-to-day basis; on how the changing sports landscape impacts the ability to chronicle the modern games.  

On June 15, Jeff was asked to speak to a group of senior citizens at the Covington in Southern California. The chat was recorded, and touched on a large number of topics related to this pod.

On why Rickey Henderson fascinated him as a book subject; on what to do when a subject agrees to talk—then backtracks; on what people misunderstand about baseball's greatest base thief.

On driving to Uvalde, Texas on the day after the school massacre; on writing opinion pieces concerning the craziness of America's gun obsession; on attending the NRA Convention as a member of the press; on transitioning from military to media.

On why the quarterback dad is such a unique modern phenom; on why covering Frank Thomas was better than covering Sammy Sosa; on Albert Belle's terror and the joy of placing a bet.

On what it is to write a book that involves a unicorn and have folks assume you're promoting "the gay agenda"; on the best way to respond to negativity; on battling back from a brain tumor and embracing life

On life as America's only (we think) nostalgia reporter; on being young and asking older subjects to share their painful memories; on reporting on hardship with compassion and empathy.

On whether writing about familiar people was at all uncomfortable in "August: Osage County"; on why real life is too boring to be portrayed literally; on why he still uses a typewriter and what he tried to bring to the character of Jack McKinney.

On the detailed reporting that led to the dismissal of the Gators' women's soccer coach; on using different branches of social media to track down sources; on whether Tim Tebow remains relevant. 

On the torture of writing a screenplay and watching everyone add their thoughts and notes and opinions; on how he became the "Luke Cage" executive producer; on having a member of Wu-Tang punch him in the face and steal his tape recorder; on his involvement in "Creed II."

On surviving 45 years at a single newspaper—and loving it; on covering Earl Campbell and Bum Phillips and Dan Pastorini; on whether it's still worth pursuing a career in journalism.

On feeling compelled to write about Jackie Robinson; on dissecting the details from long-ago newspaper articles; on the joy of the deep dig; on pissing off an NHL player and living to tell.

On how his love of baseball has lasted for decades; on the joy of Ken Griffey, Jr. and Joey Votto (and the walking annoyance that was Brandon Phillips); on taking a job at a dying newspaper.