Two Writers Slinging Yang

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.