It’s Episode 138. A true milestone for every podcast. And to celebrate, there is only one guest we could have — Joe Posnanski from The Athletic returns. 

And to celebrate, Joe breaks some news and announces what his next book will be! 

In addition to the news, Joe and Brian talk about the different mindsets that different types of writing require. Joe gives advice on how young writers can learn to loosen up a bit in their work. You have to master the notes, then master the music, then forget all that and just play. 

Joe and Brian also have a minute of meaninglessness, and come to terms with the fact that the Bills and Browns are actually good. 

Episode links:

Joe at The Athletic

Joe on Twitter

JoeBlogs

The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini

The Baseball 100

Tiger and Time

The Queen’s Gambit

Episode 4:Joe Posnanski

Episode 100: The Amazing and the Impossibe with Joe Posnanski

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The panel discussion from the 16th Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell Media Summit, hosted virtually by SUNY-Oswego on Oct. 28, 2020.

This discussion was produced in conjunction with the SUNY Oswego School of Communication, Media and the Arts and the SUNY Oswego CTS department.

Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell Media Summit

Connie Schultz

Michelle Garcia

Ava Lubell

Steve Brown

Bret Jaspers

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Tim Bontemps, an NBA reporter for ESPN, returns to talk about reporting, working at ESPN and life in the NBA Bubble.

The main topic is Tim’s 76 days in the NBA’s bubble in Orlando. Tim tells Brian about the two different bubbles in Orlando and what life was like in the Yellow Bubble. Tim described his daily routine, how he reported when he had no direct access to players or coaches, and what it was like to be in arena with no fans.

Tim also talks about his move from the Washington Post to ESPN, what advice he’d give young reporters who want to join him at ESPN, and how being a good reporter is like making friends.

Tim on Twitter

This is bad for America but great for us

Three-Ring Circus

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Sports writer, radio host, and author Julie DiCaro discusses her upcoming book, her career in sports media and more.

Julie talks about her career path from public defender to sports columnist. Julie and Brian discuss the surprising similarities between practicing law and being a sports columnist and how being a lawyer prepared Julie to write about sports. Julie also talks about representation in sports media and the notion of see it to be it.

The main topic is Julie’s book, “Sidelined,” which is scheduled for a March release. Julie tells Brian the story of the book, her writing process and what she learned about writing a book from this experience.

Julie DiCaro

Pre-order “Sidleined”

How the Breonna Taylor case went so wrong

Last

Killers of the Flower Moon

The Searcher

Caste

The New Jim Crow

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

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Author Jeff Bens joins Brian this week to talk about his wonderful new novel, The Mighty Oak.

Jeff, a professor at Manhattanville College, discusses his writing and research process for the book, why place and work are so important to his writing, and why and how he teaches his students to write from the gut and the heart, not from their brain.

The Mighty Oak

The Color of Money

The Hustler

Mrs Bridge

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Mike Freeman, a veteran NFL writer and author, joins Brian to talk about his new book, “Football’s Fearless Activists” and how the movement led by Collin Kaepernick changed the NFL and sports in America.

Mike talks about how he knew he would write a book about this movement the moment he first saw Kaepernick’s protest in 2016, and how he knew he was done reporting and ready to write. Mike discusses how his 25 years of experience covering the NFL helped his reporting on this book, what it’s like to release a book during the resurgence of Black Lives Matter protests, and what it’s like to have Donald Trump read one of his articles during a rally.

Most importantly, Mike gives Brian some much-needed advice on getting into Star Trek.

Mike Freeman on Twitter

Football’s Fearless Activists

Mike’s other books

Caste

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Jeff Pearlman, the New York Times bestselling author, is back to talk about his new book, “Three-Ring Circus” about Shaq, Kobe and the 2000 Los Angeles Lakers.

Jeff talks about where the idea for his latest book came from, what about these Lakers’ teams made them a natural subject for a book and, in the end, why the book was so challenging to write and report. Jeff details why this was the most challenging of all his nine books to write and how the culture of sports has changed over the past thirty years and made reporting more difficult.

Jeff also talks about his love of role players, spending a day in Montana with Phil Jackson, and where he was when he learned that Kobe Bryant had died. He also gives top-notch interview advice for young journalists.

Jeff Pearlman

Jeff on Twitter

Three-Ring Circus

Jeff’s books on IndieBound

The Mighty Oak

A Gentleman in Moscow

Doug Christie-Rick Fox fight

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A special little bonus episode for you about a girl and her dictionary.

(Note: I refer to the Kory Stamper episode as Episode 47 when it was actually Episode 48. Whoops.)

EPISODE 48: INTRODUCTORY LEXICOGRAPHY WITH KORY STAMPER

Dord

The Dog Eared Book

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Zach Roberts, an independent journalist who has been covering protests for more than 15 years, joins Brian this week to talk about covering the recent Black Lives Matter protests in Rochester, N.Y.

Zach, who was Brian’s student back in 2014, talks about how he got his start in freelance investigative journalism, how covering Occupy Wall Street changed the course of his career, and his experiences covering the protests of Daniel Prude’s death in Rochester. Zach discusses what he does when arrives in a city to cover a protest, his tips for staying safe while being on the ground, and what it’s like to have police officers shooting and targeting protests.

Zach Roberts on Twitter

Support Zach’s work on Patreon

Zach’s portfolio

Truth or Fiction

The Boys

Knowledge Fight

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A panel discussion from the AEJMC Conference, recorded virtually on Aug. 7, featuring Brian, Adam Hansmann (The Athletic), Dr. Molly Yanity (Quinnipiac), Ronen Shay (Fordham) and Anthony Palomba (University of Virginia).

Are digital subscriptions the way forward for online journalism? This panel examines the emergence and the growth of the subscription model in digital journalism, with a focus on The Athletic’s impact on sports journalism. The theoretical and pragmatic implications of this business model are discussed. The Athletic’s success requires us as researchers and educators to examine its business model, and similar business models in online journalism, to determine what that success means for journalism writ large. In addition, their editorial focus (less digital churn, more longer stories) is worthy of discussion from both a media sociological point of view and a pragmatic, practitioner one.

Adam Hansmann

Molly Yanity

Ronen Shay

Anthony Palomba

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