In Conversation with Lesley Visser

Lesley was with John Feinstein in 1986 for his promotional tour of “Season on the Brink.” It was the Tip Off Classic in Springfield, where 17th-ranked Navy, with David Robinson, was upset by NC State, led by Jim Valvano. She and John went to a bookstore in a mall and waited for people to stop by and maybe buy a book. Sales were slow that day, but the book went on to become iconic, one of the best-selling sports books of all time. His latest book, “Raise a Fist, Take a Knee – Race and the Illusion of Progress in Professional Sports,” is a rigorously researched series of conversations with people who’ve been handicapped by racism. Feinstein, who is white, admits he will never know how to walk a mile in their shoes, but he talked to more than 100 people to help bring all of us into the arena.

When Lesley first met Dan Shaughnessy in 1974, they were covering high school football for the Boston Globe and going to dive bars on Boston’s old waterfront. Dan went on to become one of the greatest writers of his generation, authoring “The Curse of the Bambino” and being elected to the prestigious writer’s wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Dan writes about every sport, sometimes with a twinkle, sometimes a hammer, but his latest book, “Wish it Could Have Lasted Forever – Life with the Larry Bird Celtics” is a joy, filled with anecdotes you couldn’t possibly get today – from travelling with the team, sharing meals, and getting to know the players everywhere from hotel bars to baggage claim.

When Doug Flutie went to Boston College, he was so far down in the depth-chart as a quarterback that he was known as the back-up punter. But the day after Thanksgiving in 1984, his mythic last-second “Hail Mary” to Gerard Phalen against powerhouse Miami, with Brent Musburger on the call, cemented Player of the Year and the Heisman Trophy. Doug said he’s just seen footage of the play from a new angle, and that he had a man open on the 10-yard line, but fortuitously, didn’t see him. Doug’s pro career was equally unpredictable. He said Mike Ditka made him “play tight, the opposite of what’s best for me,” but he loved the CFL, where he became one of the greatest players in history. In his return to the NFL, he was beloved in Buffalo and earned enough of Bill Belichick’s respect in New England that Belichick let him drop-kick an extra point. Doug shared how that was his last play in the NFL.

In February of 2015, sportswriter Ivan Maisel got a call that brought the worst possible news. The abandoned car of his son Max had been found in a parking lot next to Lake Ontario, not far from where Max was in college. Two months later, the body washed up. Ivan and his family knew it was suicide and decided to share what had happened; not pretend it was something else. The book “I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye” is about mental health, the stigma of suicide and one family’s journey of getting through the unfathomable grief of losing a child.

No one had ever seen a national NFL pre-game show until 1975, when CBS President Bob Wussler put together four of the most unlikely people to create the ground-breaking and enduring “NFL TODAY.” Brent Musburger, Jimmy “The Greek,” former Miss America Phyllis George and former player Irv Cross have come to life in technicolor in Rich Podolsky’s “You Are Looking Live!” which was Brent’s signature line for every stadium look-in, a sneaky way to show gamblers what the weather was. It’s all in Podolsky’s book, the egos, the drama - even the time Brent and The Greek got into a fistfight in a popular New York bar.

Christian McBride is considered the best Jazz bassist in the world, a composer and arranger who’s won 7 Grammys himself and played with everyone from Herbie Hancock to Sting, The Roots and Sir Paul McCartney. He was speechless the first time he met his idol, James Brown, at the Apollo Theater, but years later they performed together at the Hollywood Bowl. A prodigy from Philly who went to Julliard, Christian spent much of his youth either celebrating or despairing over his Philadelphia Eagles. Since then, he’s become an expert at the intersection of sports and music.

Producer Mark Ciardi should be the subject of his own much-beloved movies. He’s been a Major League pitcher, a European model and a go-to producer for all things sports. After spending years in the minor league, in places like Beloit, Wis., El Paso and Stockton, California, Mark was called up by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1987. After lasting for a cup of cocoa in the Major Leagues, he became a model, working the runways of Paris and Milan for seven years. After that chapter, he became a Hollywood producer, bringing us “The Rookie,” “Invincible” “Secretariat” and “Million Dollar Arm.” And now he’s working on the Kurt Warner story – but I think he should be working on his own!

In the midst of the baseball playoffs, who better to talk to than a three-time MLB General Manager? Dan Duquette oversaw the Montreal Expos, the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles. And he has very strong opinions. The Astros, in his view, should not be considered the World Champions of 2017, and the same scandal tag – stealing signs and banging on trash cans - still hangs over Red Sox Manager Alex Cora. A native New Englander, Duquette grew up having his heart broken by the Red Sox of 1967, ’75, ’78 and ’86 – so he was thrilled to help build the 2004 World Series Championship team by signing Manny Ramirez (the World Series MVP,) Pedro Martinez, Tim Wakefield, Johnny Damon and bringing both Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe from Seattle. Dan says he would take a look if another opportunity came along.

Drew Bledsoe never complained, even when he thought he deserved another chance. How was he so composed the entire year after being replaced by Tom Brady, following a devastating injury in 2001? “I’m the son of two teachers from Walla, Walla, Washington,” he said, “I wasn’t raised to complain.” It’s been 21 years since Drew, who’d signed an NFL record $103 million contract with the Patriots, was annihilated by Jet linebacker Mo Lewis - a sideline collision that changed the course of sports history. Drew and Lesley talked about that week, that year – when the Patriots won their first Super Bowl – and Drew’s thoughts on seeing Brady return to Foxboro. He had a kindred experience when he returned to New England with the Buffalo Bills, a day he called “completely nerve-wracking.” Now the successful owner of Doubleback Winery, Drew calls selling cabernet sauvignon and the NFL “equally competitive, just different playbooks.” The study of wine and wine-making have taken Drew and his wife Maura all around the world, with Argentina next on their list. And in the ultimate irony, the name of Drew’s winemaker is Josh McDaniels.

He’s a father, a husband, a gentleman, a legend – but just an OK karaoke singer. It’s a tough crowd. Ray Allen’s wife, Shannon, is a former professional singer, and Ray said it’s hard to have confidence when you’ve heard your wife’s song on the radio. Every fan knows about Ray Allen’s heart-stopping step-back 3 against the Spurs in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals, but Lesley and Ray also reminisced about his winning shot for Connecticut against Georgetown in the ‘96 Big East Championship. Allen’s off-balance jumper over Allen Iverson in the closing seconds became a memory for the ages. Ray talked about his two NBA titles, with Boston and Miami, and the status of his fallout with former teammate Kevin Garnett. In retirement, Ray and Shannon are raising four boys. One son, Walker, has had Type 1 diabetes for 13 years, but a glucose monitoring system now means Walker won’t have to prick his finger seven times a day. Ray did note that living with the disease has not affected Walker’s cross-over dribble.