Press Box Access

Part 2 of my conversation with Paul Hoynes picks up with a wild story about Albert Belle and a corked bat. “Hoynsie” shares tales from the 1990s when a new ballpark, powerful lineup, and sterling run of success caused baseball fever to erupt in Cleveland. And you can hear why one of his columns in 2016 sent him into Lake Erie before another World Series run ended in a legendary Game 7. If you missed it, make sure to go back and listen to our part 1 episode with Hoynes, who has been covering Major League Baseball in Cleveland for more than four decades: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/press-box-access/paul-hoynes-part-1-im-sweating-bullets-shaking-trying-to-calm-myself-down#episodeContent Hoynes has been a Guardians/Indians beat writer since 1983 for The News-Herald (1983-84), The Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com (1985 to present). His “Hey Hoynsie” column has been a longtime favorite of readers in northeast Ohio. He is past president of the Baseball Writers Association of America, and The Press Club of Cleveland inducted Hoynes into the Club's Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame in 2013. Before becoming a baseball writer 41 years ago, he covered the Browns, Cavaliers and high school sports for The Cleveland Press, News-Herald, and Painesville Telegraph. Hoynes was born and raised in Cleveland, and he earned a journalism degree from Marquette University. You can follow Paul on X: @hoynsie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the first of a 2-part conversation with Paul Hoynes, who has covered Major League Baseball in Cleveland since 1983. We hit some of the “Hoynsie” greatest hits, including the Hawk Call and the tale of two belts. He tells us about working in hometown, competing (and laughing) on the beat with friends, and riding the rush of deadline. Hoynsie puts us in cavernous Municipal Stadium when the stands were mostly empty and the team was awful in the 1980s. Hear about advice he took from Joe Carter, scuffling with Mel Hall, and sailing the choppy waters around Albert Belle. We even work in a football story: Red Right 88. Sorry, Browns fans. Part 2 comes out April 24 and that episode will pick up when the Indians, now known as the Guardians, began their glorious run in the 1990s. Hoynes has been a Guardians/Indians beat writer since 1983 for The News-Herald (1983-84), The Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com (1985 to present). His “Hey Hoynsie” column has been a longtime favorite of readers in northeast Ohio. He is past president of the Baseball Writers Association of America, and The Press Club of Cleveland inducted Hoynes into the Club's Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame in 2013. Before becoming a baseball writer 41 years ago, he covered the Browns, Cavaliers and high school sports for The Cleveland Press, News-Herald, and Painesville Telegraph. Hoynes was born and raised in Cleveland, and he earned a journalism degree from Marquette University.  You can follow Paul on X: @hoynsie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Celebrate college basketball with this compilation of stories told on Press Box Access by 12 sportswriters who covered some of the greatest moments in NCAA tournament history. Magic vs. Bird. Jim Valvano looking for someone to hug after Phi Slama Jama falls. Villanova takes down mighty Georgetown. The Laettner shot. David Thompson soaring over the Walton Gang. Mario Chalmers forcing OT. Kris Jenkins for the win. The Dream Game in the Bluegrass State. Saint Joseph's over top-ranked DePaul.   Thanks to Malcolm Moran, Mark Whicker, Dick “Hoops” Weiss, Bob Ryan, Terence Moore, Jerry Tipton, Bud Withers, Tony Barnhart, Geoff Calkins, Dick Jerardi, Mike DeCourcy, and Wendell Barnhouse for their time and stories. Rock on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We welcome back Jerry Tipton to Press Box Access to share stories from his new book: “Déjà Blue—A Sportswriter Reflects on 41 Seasons of Kentucky Basketball.” He takes us behind the scenes with the Wildcats, as he did with his fair, objective and relentless reporting during four decades on the pressure-packed beat. Rick Pitino. Tubby Smith. John Calipari. Eddie Sutton. The Mardi Gras Miracle. Players who thrived in the spotlight. SEC coaches who were characters and Kentucky foils. And there's more about the Laettner shot, which Jerry detailed in our first episode with him on Aug. 17, 2022: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/press-box-access/jerry-tipton-every-once-in-a-while-you-feel-like-youre-witnessing-history#episodeContent Tipton served as the Kentucky basketball beat reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader from 1981 until his retirement in July 2022. In that time, he covered three national championship teams ('96, '98, '12), nine Final Four teams, six head coaches – Joe Hall, Sutton, Pitino, Smith, Billy Gillispie, Calipari – and more than 1,200 games played by the Wildcats. He also covered the university's football team for six years before turning exclusively to basketball in 1987. A Lexington website once listed the Top 100 Most Influential People in University of Kentucky Sports History and ranked Tipton at No. 74. He has been enshrined in the U.S. Basketball Writers Hall of Fame, the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame, and the Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communication Hall of Fame. He was the 2018 winner of the Tom Hammond Kentucky Sports Media Award. Tipton also worked eight years for the Huntington (W.Va.) Herald-Dispatch from 1973-81. There, he was the beat reporter on Marshall University basketball for two seasons, covered Ohio and West Virginia high school sports, and wrote a Sunday column about bowling. The native of Hamtramck, Michigan earned a journalism degree from Marshall University after first studying math in college. “Déjà Blue—A Sportswriter Reflects on 41 Seasons of Kentucky Basketball,” is scheduled to be released in late April. You can order Jerry's book online at https://www.acclaimpress.com/books/deja-blue/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're paying a special salute to Helene Elliott by once again publishing my conversation with her in an episode from February 2022. She recently accepted a buyout and ended her stellar 34-plus years at the Los Angeles Times, where she was a sports columnist for the last half of her tenure. Elliott became the first female journalist to be honored by the Hall of Fame of a major professional sport in North America when the Hockey Hall of Fame recognized her in 2005 as winner of the esteemed Elmer Ferguson award. Helene earned widespread respect from her peers and those she covered while also helping to pave the way for other women in sports media during her 47-year career.   In this episode, Elliott recounts how Wayne Gretzky set 61 NHL records and triggered a hockey boom in Southern California as an ambassador for that sport. She also has a funny tale about the Great One's fear of flying. Elliott tells us why the Stanley Cup is the most difficult trophy to win in sports, how great players rise to the occasion like Mark Messier did for the '94 Rangers, and what it was like to cover the “Miracle on Ice” at the 1980 Olympics. And we hear how Helene overcame barriers faced by female sportswriters to become a Hall of Famer. Oh, and she has a story about Lenny and Squiggy from the old “Laverne & Shirley” TV show.   Elliott began writing for Los Angeles Times in 1989. She was a beat reporter for the Lakers and Angels, then spent many years covering hockey and Olympic sports before becoming a columnist in 2006. Helene has covered 17 Olympics, the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, Wimbledon, men's and women's World Cup soccer tournaments, and nearly every Stanley Cup Finals since 1980. She won the Best Breaking News Story award from the Associated Press Sports Editors for her story on the labor agreement that ended the NHL lockout in 2005. Her career began at the Chicago Sun-Times in 1977. She moved to New York City in 1979 and wrote for Newsday for the next 10 years before going to the West Coast. A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Elliott is a 1977 graduate of the Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, which inducted her into the Medill Hall of Achievement in 2020. Follow Elliott on Twitter: @helenenothelen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We head to the rink for hockey talk with Dave Molinari, a Hall of Fame writer who has covered the Pittsburgh Penguins and NHL since 1983. His legendary dry, sharp wit comes through in tales about superstars Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby, as well as other great players who have produced five Stanley Cup championships during his tenure on the beat. Molinari tells us about coaching legends Herb Brooks and “Badger” Bob Johnson, a playoff game lasting five overtimes, and old arenas that made the hair stand up on his neck. You'll laugh about Gene Ubriaco's escape tunnel, Lou Angotti's epic rant, and witch doctors entering the press box. Molinari was enshrined in the media wing of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009 when he received the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for print journalism, which is given each year by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. After beginning his journalism career at the McKeesport Daily News, Molinari joined the Pittsburgh Press as a copy editor in 1980. That paper assigned him to cover the Penguins and NHL in the summer of 1983. When the Pittsburgh Press folded at the end of 1992, Molinari moved to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and continued covering the Penguins and NHL until 2017, when his primary responsibility became Penn State football. He returned to hockey writing and the Penguins beat in June 2019 when, after 39-plus years at newspapers, he joined DK Pittsburgh Sports, a subscription website. Molinari began writing for a different website, Pittsburgh Hockey Now, in May 2022. After growing up in the McKeesport suburbs of Glassport and Elizabeth Township near Pittsburgh, Molinari earned a journalism degree from Penn State. He is the author of two books: “Mario Lemieux: Best There Ever Was,” written along with Ron Cook and Chuck Finder. “Best in the Game: The Turbulent Story of the Pittsburgh Penguins' Rise to Stanley Cup Champions” You can follow Dave on X: @MolinariPGH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We travel to the Big Apple and beyond as New York Post sports columnist Mike Vaccaro shares tales from 35 years of living his childhood dream job. Isiah Thomas depicted in a tabloid clown suit. John Calipari's colorful language in a full rant. A postseason run by the Yankees in the wake of 9/11. Badminton (yes, badminton) at the Olympics. Fifty-nine hockey columns in 61 days. Six newspapers on the daily beat of Arkansas sports. That time he was fired. Vac recounts all this and more. He also discusses returning to work since his left leg needed to be amputated below the knee in 2022 because of health issues. Welcome back Vac. Vaccaro has been the lead sports columnist for the New York Post since 2002, and he has been named New York Sportswriter of the Year four times by the National Sports Media Association. He has covered the Olympics, World Cup soccer, Super Bowl, NBA Finals, World Series, Stanley Cup playoffs, Final Four and college football championship games numerous times. Vac not only writes about local, national, and international sports, he also writes a Sunday column called “Open Mike.”   The Associated Press Sports Editors, the New York State Publishers Association, the New York Press Club, and the Poynter Institute are among those that have awarded Vaccaro more than 100 journalism honors during his career, which began in 1989 at the Olean (N.Y) Times Herald. He became the sports editor of the Northwest Arkansas Times in 1991, then wrote sports columns for the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record, Kansas City Star, and Newark Star-Ledger before joining the New York Post in November 2002.   Vaccaro is the author of three books: “Emperors and Idiots” (about the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry); “1941 – The Greatest Year in Sports”; and “The First Fall Classic” (about the 1912 World Series).   A native of West Hempstead, N.Y., Vaccaro graduated in 1989 from St. Bonaventure University, where his name was added to the Jandoli School Wall of Distinguished Graduates in 2022.   You can read Vaccaro's columns for the New York Post at this link: https://nypost.com/author/mike-vaccaro/  Here is Vac's column about how past personal struggles helped make 2023 a glorious year: https://nypost.com/2023/12/23/sports/past-personal-struggles-helped-make-2023-a-glorious-year/  @MikeVacc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're saluting Muhammad Ali on his 82nd birthday with a compilation of stories told on Press Box Access by sportswriters who crossed paths with The Greatest. Dave Kindred, Jerry Izenberg and other veteran scribes share their personal memories of Ali going as far back as 1960. They put us ringside at Ali's greatest fights such as “The Rumble in the Jungle” and “The Thrilla in Manila.” They take us on trains, into hotel rooms, and onto the banks of Africa's Congo River. We even go to the circus with the heavyweight champ and world-renowned activist and humanitarian. Enjoy our treasure trove of Ali tales.   Dave Kindred, on my Mount Rushmore of sportswriters, covered 17 of Ali's fights, dating back to when he wrote for The Courier-Journal in the champ's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.   Jerry Izenberg, who began his amazing journalism career in 1951, covered more of Ali's fights than any sportswriter, including epic bouts with Joe Frazier and George Foreman that live on in boxing history.   Tom Archdeacon has covered more than 200 fights as a columnist and honored boxing writer in Ohio and Florida, and he not only sat ringside at Ali's final three bouts but also went to the circus with him.   Tim Smith covered the fight game for many years at The New York Times, New York Daily News, and Cincinnati Enquirer, and he now works for Haymon Sports, a boxing management company.   Thom Loverro, sports columnist at The Washington Times and an honored boxing writer, first met Ali as a young reporter visiting training camp in the late 1970s.   Vito Stellino is best known as a longtime NFL writer, but he was ringside at Madison Square Garden in 1971 as a reporter covering the legendary Ali-Frazier I.   Mary Schmitt Boyer puts us in Atlanta, Georgia on the night when Ali lit the Olympic torch, providing her a most treasured memory of the many Olympics that she covered.   George Diaz had encounters with Ali as a longtime Florida boxing writer, and he's also the ghostwriter of legendary fighter Roberto Duran's autobiography, “I Am Duran.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our show's 75th episode has a special guest in Jayson Stark, one of the most well-respected, well-liked baseball writers for more than 40 years. His passion for the game and craft shines through as he discusses growing up as Stan Hochman's pen pal, studying Peter Gammons early in his career, and mentoring other young reporters. Jayson has some wild tales – including a near punch by Dickie Noles, and Dallas Green's special gift – from being a beat writer covering the early '80s Philadelphia Phillies. Hear how Jayson developed his weekly baseball column, renowned since 1983 for humor, oddball stats and offbeat facts. He tells us about a World Series game that he considers the best in history. And there's even a story connecting a Sammy Sosa homer and a certain Frenchman. The Baseball Writers' Association of America named Stark the 2019 winner of its Career Excellence Award, which he received at the Hall of Fame induction weekend in Cooperstown, New York. Jayson worked 21 years at his hometown Philadelphia Inquirer, first serving as the Phillies' beat reporter (1979-82) and then becoming the paper's national baseball writer and columnist in '83. His Baseball Week in Review column proved so popular in syndication that it continued after he was hired by ESPN in 2000. For the next 17 years, Stark served as a senior baseball writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine while making regular appearances on the cable network's TV shows “Baseball Tonight,” “SportsCenter” and “Outside the Lines,” as well as regular ESPN Radio guest spots on “Mike and Mike” and as co-host of a weekly radio show during the baseball season on ESPN Radio's affiliate in Philadelphia. His TV work includes appearances on Major League Baseball Productions, NFL Films and Philadelphia's Comcast SportsNet. He is also a former baseball analyst for the Sports Fan radio network and a commentator on the Phillies' pregame radio show. Despite his popularity and proficiency, Stark was laid off by ESPN in April 2017. He has been covering baseball at The Athletic and MLB Network since 2018. Jayson also served as a columnist for Baseball America for 16 years and has written for Sports Illustrated, Sport, Inside Sports, Sporting News, Men's Fitness and Athlon. His first job in journalism was at the Providence Journal (1975-78). Stark has won an Emmy for his work on "Baseball Tonight," has been inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame and is a two-time winner of the Pennsylvania Sportswriter of the Year award given by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. He was a finalist for that group's National Sportswriter of the Year award in 2017. Stark was honored by Penn State's Foster Conference for Distinguished Writers in 2010. He has won several awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors, and he was inducted into the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2017. That year, Topps issued a Jayson Stark baseball card. Jayson is the author of three books: “Wild Pitches: Rumblings, Grumblings, and Reflections on the Game I Love” (2014) “Worth The Wait: Tales of the 2008 Phillies” (2011) “The Stark Truth: The Most Overrated and Underrated Players in Baseball History” (2007) Stark earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Syracuse University in 1973. He was born in Philadelphia and grew up in the city's Northeast section. His mother, June Herder Stark, wrote for the Philadelphia Record and worked alongside legendary sportswriter Red Smith. She later edited the Philadelphia edition of Where Magazine. You can follow Stark on X: @jaysonst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike DeCourcy puts us courtside with tales from his distinguished career covering college basketball for nearly four decades. He tells us about the greatest game he ever covered and the first machine he ever filed a story on. Mike gives insight from time spent with coaches such as Mike Krzyzewski, Bob Huggins, Nolan Richardson and Skip Prosser. We discuss how national narratives follow certain people and programs. And we get a dose of college football as Mike recalls working the Penn State beat when Joe Paterno was at the height of his power.   DeCourcy, a member of the United States Basketball Writers Hall of Fame, is in his 37th season of covering college basketball, including 29 seasons for The Sporting News. He'll be working his 34th Final Four in 2024. Mike has been a studio analyst at the Big Ten Network since 2010 and an NCAA tournament bracket analyst for Fox Sports since 2020. His career began in 1983 at the Pittsburgh Press, where he spent the next 10 years. Mike then moved to Memphis at the Commercial Appeal (1993-97) before joining the Cincinnati Enquirer (1997-2000).   While working in Cincinnati and Memphis, DeCourcy also served as college basketball columnist at The Sporting News, beginning in 1995. He joined The Sporting News fulltime in 2000. Besides college hoops, Mike also writes frequently about the NFL and soccer in his role as senior writer. He writes magazine-length features, enterprise, analysis, and covers breaking news.   DeCourcy is the author of two books: “Legends of College Basketball: The 100 Greatest Players of All Time” and “Inside Basketball: From the Playgrounds to the NBA.”   Mike was born in Pittsburgh and graduated from Point Park University there in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication.   You can follow him on X: @tsnmike Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Diane Pucin recalls with pride and joy how the sports calendar served as the rhythm of her life for nearly 40 years. Bob Knight throwing a chair. Jimmy Connors sending the U.S. Open crowd into a frenzy. The distinct sound of Pete Sampras' racquet when he hit a tennis ball. An emotional Dan Jansen finally winning a gold medal. Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding going full soap opera. Pucin tells us what it was like to be at these moments and chronicle them. She also discusses breaking barriers for female sports journalists. Shame on Jim Fregosi. And Diane shares her 9/11 experience, including what nearly happened to her on that horrific morning. Pucin covered multiple Olympics, Super Bowls, Final Fours, World Series, all four major tennis tournaments, college football bowl games, and the Tour de France. She was a sports columnist, sports media critic, and an Olympic and tennis writer for the Los Angeles Times from 1998 to 2014. She had previously worked 12 years at the Philadelphia Inquirer, where from 1986 to '98, she covered Olympics, college basketball, tennis and became a columnist. That paper nominated her coverage of the Barcelona Olympics for the Pulitzer Prize. In Philly, she also won awards for column writing and a first-place award from the Associated Press Sports Editors for a game story. From 1978 to '86, Diane worked at the Louisville Courier-Journal, where she was a beat reporter on Indiana University football and basketball. She also was a sports reporter at the Cincinnati Post, as well as the Columbus (Ga.) Enquirer. Pucin graduated from Marquette University in 1976.   Follow her on X: @DianePucin Fun fact: Diane's husband, Dan Weber, is a longtime sportswriter and was my first professional editor in 1987 at the Kentucky Post in Covington, Ky. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Part 2 of my conversation with Charles Pierce continues with more discussion about basketball icon Larry Bird. Pierce, lead political writer for Esquire, also shares in this second of two episodes why covering the NBA in the 1980s was a highlight of his nearly 50 years of writing about sports. He provides anecdotes about Tom Brady and Bill Belichick that illuminate their grand NFL partnership. Pierce recalls the crazy and memorable days at The National Sports Daily. And he breaks down how he reported and wrote his famous GQ magazine profile of the young Tiger Woods. Make sure to check out part 1 with Pierce. In that first episode, we discussed bars, Bird, Bill Buckner's error, Ben Johnson's drug scandal, and 1980s Big East basketball: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/press-box-access/charles-pierce-part-1-they-rolled-the-champagne-out-of-the-red-soxs-locker-room#episodeContent Pierce has been the lead political writer for Esquire since September 2011. He worked nine years for the Boston Globe as a reporter, sports columnist and staff writer for that paper's Sunday magazine starting in 2002. He had previously been a sports columnist for the Boston Herald. Pierce left the Globe in 2011 to join Esquire fulltime after having been a contributing writer for that magazine since 1997. He was a feature writer and columnist for The National Sports Daily in 1990 and '91. His articles on sports and politics have also appeared in GQ, Sports Illustrated, the New York Times Magazine, the Los Angeles Times Magazine, The Nation, The Atlantic American Prospect, Slate, the Chicago Tribune, ESPN's Grantland, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, and the Media Matters blog Altercation. Pierce has made appearances on ESPN's “Around the Horn” and often co-hosted NESN's “Globe 10.0” with Bob Ryan. Pierce was a longtime regular panelist on the NPR quiz show “Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!” and has made appearances on the NPR program “Only A Game.” The Massachusetts native began his journalism career in 1976 at his hometown Worcester Magazine before moving to Boston two years later to write for the alternative publication, The Phoenix. In 2018, the United States Basketball Writers Association inducted Pierce into its Hall of Fame. He won a National Headliners Aware in 2004 for his Boston Globe Magazine piece, “Deconstructing Ted.” He has been named a finalist for the Associated Press Sports Editors' award for best column writing on several occasions. Many of his stories have been featured in the annual compilation, “Best American Sportswriting.” Pierce was a 1996 National Magazine Award finalist for his piece on Alzheimer's disease, “In the Country of My Disease.” He was awarded third place in the Pro Basketball Writers Association's Dan S. Blumenthal Memorial Writing Contest. Pierce is the author of four books: · “Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue In The Land Of The Free” · “Moving the Chains: Tom Brady and the Pursuit of Everything” · “Sports Guy: In Search of Corkball, Warroad Hockey, Hooters Golf, Tiger Woods, and the Big, Big Game” · “Hard to Forget: An Alzheimer's Story” Pierce earned a degree in journalism from Marquette University in 1975. His alma mater honored him with a “2021 Alumni National Award – Byline Award,” to which Pierce responded: “I'd like to think that my getting this award might encourage students who don't feel like they fit in and show them that this profession still values ferocious eccentricity.” Here's a link to Pierce's political blog for Esquire: https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/ You can follow him on X at: @CharlesPPierce Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charles Pierce takes time away from his job as lead political writer for Esquire to reflect on his nearly 50 years of experiences as a sportswriter. In this part 1 of a 2-part episode, Pierce recalls covering Bill Buckner's error, Ben Johnson's drug scandal at the Seoul Olympics, and the rollicking days of Big East basketball in the 1980s. He also provides insight into Larry Bird as a person and basketball icon. Oh, and we discuss bars, too. Sportswriters understand.   Part 2 of my conversation with Pierce will be published on Nov. 8 and include more stories about Bird and discussion about Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, the NBA of the 1980s and early '90s, the National Sports Daily, and other tales.   Pierce has been the lead political writer for Esquire since September 2011. He worked nine years for the Boston Globe as a reporter, sports columnist and staff writer for that paper's Sunday magazine starting in 2002. He had previously been a sports columnist for the Boston Herald. Pierce left the Globe in 2011 to join Esquire fulltime after having been a contributing writer for that magazine since 1997. He was a feature writer and columnist for The National Sports Daily in 1990 and '91. His articles on sports and politics have also appeared in GQ, Sports Illustrated, the New York Times Magazine, the Los Angeles Times Magazine, The Nation, The Atlantic American Prospect, Slate, the Chicago Tribune, ESPN's Grantland, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, and the Media Matters blog Altercation. Pierce has made appearances on ESPN's “Around the Horn” and often co-hosted NESN's “Globe 10.0” with Bob Ryan. Pierce was a longtime regular panelist on the NPR quiz show “Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!” and has made appearances on the NPR program “Only A Game.” The Massachusetts native began his journalism career in 1976 at his hometown Worcester Magazine before moving to Boston two years later to write for the alternative publication, The Phoenix.   In 2018, the United States Basketball Writers Association inducted Pierce into its Hall of Fame. He won a National Headliners Aware in 2004 for his Boston Globe Magazine piece, “Deconstructing Ted.” He has been named a finalist for the Associated Press Sports Editors' award for best column writing on several occasions. Many of his stories have been featured in the annual compilation, “Best American Sportswriting.” Pierce was a 1996 National Magazine Award finalist for his piece on Alzheimer's disease, “In the Country of My Disease.” He was awarded third place in the Pro Basketball Writers Association's Dan S. Blumenthal Memorial Writing Contest.    Pierce is the author of four books:   · “Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue In The Land Of The Free” · “Moving the Chains: Tom Brady and the Pursuit of Everything” · “Sports Guy: In Search of Corkball, Warroad Hockey, Hooters Golf, Tiger Woods, and the Big, Big Game” · “Hard to Forget: An Alzheimer's Story”   Pierce earned a degree in journalism from Marquette University in 1975. His alma mater honored him with a “2021 Alumni National Award – Byline Award,” to which Pierce responded: “I'd like to think that my getting this award might encourage students who don't feel like they fit in and show them that this profession still values ferocious eccentricity.”   Here's a link to Pierce's political blog for Esquire: https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/   You can follow him on X at: @CharlesPPierce Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Terence Moore joins us again to share more stories from his 45 years as a ground-breaking and award-winning sports journalist. He takes us behind the scenes of his encounters with Paul Brown, Woody Hayes, Ara Parseghian, John McVay, Walter Alston and other legends who are featured in Moore's new book, “Red Brick Magic: Sean McVay, John Harbaugh and Miami University's Cradle of Coaches."    This is Moore's second appearance on Press Box Access. Check out his first episode with us from Aug. 18, 2021 when Terence discussed challenges that he faced in breaking down racial barriers in sports media, being a pallbearer at Hank Aaron's funeral, covering the epic Marvin Hagler-Thomas Hearns brawl, watching Billy Martin trash his office, and more. You can listen to that first episode here:   https://evergreenpodcasts.com/press-box-access/terence-moore-you-could-almost-feel-the-punches#episodeContent   Moore has covered 30 Super Bowls, numerous World Series and NBA Finals games, Final Fours, several Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500 and other auto races, major prize fights and golf tournaments, college football bowl games and more. In 1999, he was honored by the National Association of Black Journalists for ranking as the longest-running black sports columnist in the history of major newspapers. Terence currently works as a national columnist for Forbes.com, writes opinion pieces for CNN.com, and is a contributor to ESPN.com, MLB.com and MSNBC.com. He also does work for the NFL Network, has a YouTube channel called Atlanta Sports Unlimited, and makes TV appearances every week on Sports Zone Sunday for the local ABC affiliate in Atlanta, the most-watched ABC affiliate in the country. That's the city's top-rated sports show. His national TV appearances include a guest spot on The Oprah Winfrey Show, regular commentaries on CNN-SI, and five years as a panelist on ESPN's Rome is Burning. Terence spent 25 years as a general sports columnist for the Atlanta-Journal Constitution before becoming a national sports columnist for AOL Sports in 2009. He later served as a national columnist for SportsonEarth.com. Before moving to Atlanta in January 1985, Terence spent five years as a reporter at the San Francisco Examiner, where he covered the San Francisco Giants, the Oakland Raiders, the Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco 49ers. That followed three years as a sports reporter at the Cincinnati Enquirer, which hired him eight days after he graduated from Miami (Ohio) University in 1978. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sheldon Ocker reflects on more than four decades of being a sportswriter in northeast Ohio with his customary wit and dry sense of humor. He takes into the clubhouse and behind the scenes during his 33 seasons of covering Major League Baseball in Cleveland for the Akron Beacon Journal. The Hall of Fame writer shares anecdotes from when the then-Indians were miserable in the 1980s and from when they morphed into memorable mashers in the '90s. Hear about the time Albert Belle raced Ocker in their rental cars, about Manny Ramirez asking him for a $60,000 loan, and about what pitch call Jose Mesa shook off in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the 1997 World Series. Sheldon also has some great tales from his 10 years of covering the NBA as a Cavaliers beat reporter in the 1970s. His story about a day spent with infamous Cavs owner Ted Stepien is one of the best we've heard in nearly 70 episodes.   Ocker was honored with the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing. He was presented with that award in July 2018 at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum's induction in Cooperstown, N.Y. Besides his stellar reporting, Ocker was known for rarely taking a day off during a season when he covered baseball from 1981 until his retirement after the 2013 season. Sheldon was named the Ohio Sports Writer of the Year in 1997 and 2000 by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. He served as the president of the Baseball Writers' Assocation of America in 1985 and as chair of the Cleveland chapter 11 times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Filip Bondy describes his four decades as a sportswriter as being “crazy, stupid, frustrating, wonderful and a wild ride.” This episode explains why. Fights between writers. Lou Piniella flipping the bird. The Pine Tar Game's connection to Rush Limbaugh. Billy Martin at his worst. John McEnroe relaying a message for Howard Cosell. Spying on Bernard King. Riding shotgun with Hubie Brown. Travel horror stories. The British press at Wimbledon. An infamous Olympic question. Nancy and Tonya. A mugging near Shea. Oh, and that rental car and . . . a portable toilet. The Associated Press Sports Editors named Bondy one of the top ten sports columnists in America during a career that took him to 48 states, 40 countries, six continents and regular assignments at the Olympics, World Cup and Wimbledon. He also covered the Super Bowl and World Series multiple times, as well as several NBA and Stanley Cup finals. Besides being a columnist, he was a beat writer on local Major League Baseball, NBA and NHL teams for four different newspapers in the New York City market. Bondy spent two stints at the New York Daily News, first from 1983 to '91, and then as a regular columnist from 1993 until 2015. In-between, he worked two years at the New York Times, primarily as an Olympic and hockey writer. His career began in 1973 as a City Hall reporter, theatre critic and basketball writer for the Paterson (N.J.) News. After leaving to earn his M.A. in Communications at the University of Pennsylvania '76, Bondy returned to the Paterson News in 1976 as a sportswriter. Four years later, he joined The Record of Hackensack, N.J., where he covered baseball and basketball until moving to the Daily News for the first time in 1983. Bondy is the author or co-author of eight books: “The Pine Tar Game: The Kansas City Royals, the New York Yankees, and Baseball's Most Absurd and Entertaining Controversy” “Tip-Off: How the 1984 NBA Draft Changed Basketball Forever” “The Selling of the Green: The Financial Rise and Moral Decline of the Boston Celtics” – co-author of Harvey Araton “Who's on Worst?: The Lousiest Players, Biggest Cheaters, Saddest Goats and Other Antiheroes in Baseball History” “Bleeding Pinstripes: A Season with the Bleacher Creatures at Yankee Stadium “Dreams of Gold” – co-author with Wayne Coffey “Chasing the Game: America and the Quest for the World Cup” “The World Cup: Players, Coaches, History and Excitement” You can follow Filip on X: @filipbondy. His son, Stefan Bondy, currently covers the New York Knicks for the New York Daily News. @SBondyNYDN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Geoff Calkins takes us to Memphis, where he has been a high-profile fixture in the sports media scene for 27 years. He tells us about the indefatigable Hubie Brown, a voicemail from the volatile Jerry West, and what the view was like from atop John Calipari's enemies list. Geoff explains the torture of writing on deadline at an overtime NCAA championship game. He recalls his struggles as a baseball beat reporter and what it was like to cover a Mike Tyson heavyweight championship fight. And he shares a tale involving exotic food at an Olympics. Oh my. Geoff also explains how his childhood leukemia led to writing, and why sports journalism lured him out of a career in law. Calkins has been named the best sports columnist in the country four times by the Associated Press Sports Editors and is a member of the Scripps Howard Hall of Fame. He recently moved to general news columnist at The Daily Memphian, where he had been writing a sports column since 2018 after spending the previous 22 years as the sports columnist for the Commercial Appeal in Memphis. He still hosts “The Geoff Calkins Show,” his sports radio program since 2010, five days a week. His 2016 book, “After the Jump,” chronicles how the Memphis sports scene grew over two decades. Before moving to Memphis, Calkins covered the Florida Marlins for the Sun-Sentinel of South Florida from 1994-96, and he was a high school sports reporter at the Anniston Star in Alabama for two years. Geoff had previously been a clerk in the U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, and a labor and employment attorney in Washington D.C. Switching from a law career to sports writing at age 31 eventually took Calkins to eight Olympics, multiple Super Bowls, World Series, and Masters golf tournaments. He has won various journalism awards, including a first-place honor in the 2022 APSE contest for a feature story looking back 20 years at Tyson's loss to Lennox Lewis in Memphis. Calkins graduated from Harvard in 1983 and from Harvard Law in '87. He served as editor-in-chief for the school's paper, The Harvard Independent, and worked summer internships for Time Life and the Miami Herald. He earned a master's degree from Columbia University's School of Journalism. Calkins grew up outside Buffalo, New York as the eighth of nine children. You can follow him on X: @geoff_calkins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We trek into the Pacific Northwest and catch up with John McGrath about his 40 years of writing about sports. He puts us in Dodger Stadium for Kirk Gibson's famous home run and recounts other deadline horrors. We're on the field for The Drive, and with John as he stumbles unexpectedly into memorable Olympic moments. He recalls time with a young Michael Jordan, John Elway in his prime, and Bo Jackson playing baseball. Hear about John butting heads with Ken Griffey Jr., and how a magic run by the Mariners saved baseball in Seattle. Oh, and John shares his reaction behind the keyboard as the Seahawks lined up to pass from the one with a Super Bowl on the line. McGrath was the sports columnist at the Tacoma News Tribune from 1991 until his retirement in 2018. He was a fixture in Seattle, 45 minutes away, and at national and international sporting events. John covered six Olympics and a slew of World Series, Super Bowls, All-Star Games, Final Fours, and championship boxing matches. Prior to his 27 years in Tacoma, McGrath was a columnist, based in Chicago, for the National Sports Daily from 1989 until that paper folded in 1991. Before that, he was a sports columnist for the Denver Post from 1984-89. John was a general assignment sports reporter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution from 1981-84 after working a year at the Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi. His journalism career began at the Columbia Daily Tribune in Missouri in 1978-79. John is a native of Elmhurst, Illinois, outside Chicago. He graduated from the University of Missouri in 1976. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peter King enters his 40th year of covering the NFL by sharing tales from his distinguished career. He recalls giving a car ride to rookie Boomer Esiason, being questioned by Bill Parcells as a young reporter, and watching an old movie at the home of Brett Favre. Peter tells us about being around Lawrence Taylor daily and what made L.T. special. Hear how Mike Holmgren granted King unlimited access to the Packers for a week. And Peter talks about owning up to mistakes like the one he made while reporting on Deflategate, how he has balanced working relationships with sources, and much more. King is a prolific NFL analyst for NBC Sports, which he joined in 2018 after 29 years of covering professional football for Sports Illustrated. He has been named national sportswriter of the year three times (2010, '12, and '13) in a vote of his peers by the National Sports Media Association. Peter has been a member of the Board of Selectors for the Pro Football Hall of Fame since 1992 and he became a Hall of Famer himself in 2009 when the Pro Football Writers of America named him recipient of the Dick McCann Memorial Award. Peter writes a Monday morning NFL column each week for NBCSports.com, makes weekly appearances on “Pro Football Talk Live” with Mike Florio, and, as he has since the station's Sunday night studio show debuted in 2006, contributes to “Football Night in America.” He also appears on “The NFL on NBC” YouTube Channel and hosts “The Peter King Podcast.” In addition to his pro football responsibilities, King reports on NBC Sports' high-profile events, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The nearly three decades King spent at Sports Illustrated were highlighted by the widely popular “Monday Morning Quarterback” column that he wrote from 1997 through 2018. The column morphed into “The MMQ,” a pro football microsite for which he also served as editor-in-chief, overseeing a staff of reporters during his final five years at SI. Besides appearances as an NFL insider on NBC, King has worked on television for the HBO show “Inside the NFL” as a managing editor and reporter, was a halftime correspondent on ABC's “Monday Night Football,” and served as an NFL reporter for CNN. After an internship at the Associated Press, King's career began in 1980 with a five-year stint at the Cincinnati Enquirer, mostly as a general assignment reporter before taking on the Bengals' beat in 1984. A year later, he moved to Newsday, where he covered the New York Giants until leaving to join Sports Illustrated in '89. King earned a bachelor of science degree from Ohio University's E. W. Scripps School of journalism in 1979. He was born in Springfield, Mass., and grew up in Enfield, Conn. Follow him on Twitter: @peter_king Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the second and final part of my conversation with the great storyteller Patrick Reusse, who looks back with humor and irreverence at his 60 years covering Minnesota sports. He takes us on journeys to small towns throughout his home state, recalls the world champion Twins managed by Tom Kelly, and puts us there when Roger Staubach's Hail Mary Pass caused a whiskey bottle to fly. The longtime sports columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and a member of the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame also recounts the heat and humor in an epic rant by Vikings coach Jerry Burns. And Pat talks about contrition and lessons learned in his coming around to appreciate women's athletics. Reusse, 77, is senior columnist for the Star Tribune and is also the host of two popular podcasts: "Reusse Unchained" and "Monday Night Sports Talk with Patrick Reusse and Joe Soucheray." Patrick's newspaper career started in 1963 as a copy boy for the Minneapolis Morning Tribune. Two years later, he began writing for the Duluth News-Tribune and Herald, then quickly moved to the St. Cloud Times. In 1968, Reusse joined the St. Paul Pioneer Press, where he went on to cover the Twins from 1974-78 before serving as that paper's sports columnist for nine years, beginning in 1979. He moved to the Star Tribune in 1988 as sports columnist. The native of Fulda, Minnesota also became a fixture in Twin Cities talk radio and television. He was inducted into the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2019. Patrick has done radio and podcast work with KSTP-1500 since 1980, when he partnered with Soucheray on “Sunday Night Sports Talk.” They shared the airwaves together or independently on “Sports Talk” in various forms nearly every year since. Patrick also hosted “Reusse & Company” for that station (2009-10) and co-hosted “Reusse & Mackey” with Phil Mackey from 2010-14. His show “The Ride with Reusse” appeared weekdays from 2014 until September 2018. Reusse began his radio career at KFAM-AM in St. Cloud in the mid-1960s, Reusse was also a 20-year panelist on “The Sports Show,” which aired on WUCW-TV, Fox Sports North, and Victory Sports One. Other panelists included Hartman, Mike Max, and George Chappel, better known by his nickname Dark Star. Books: · “Tales from the Minnesota Sports Beat: A Lifetime on Deadline.” - Co-authored with Chip Scoggins. Dan Barreiro (foreword). · “Tony Oliva: The Life and Times of a Minnesota Twins Legend” – by Thom Henninger. Reusse (foreword). · “Minnesota Vikings: The Complete Illustrated History” – by Reusse. Amy Klobuchar (afterword) · “Sid! The Sports Legends, the Inside Scoops, and the Close Personal Friends” – co-authored with Sid Hartman · “Minnesota Twins: The Complete Illustrated History” – co-authored with Dennis Brackin and Harmon Killebrew · “Minnesota Sports Almanac” – by Joel A. Rippel. Reusse (foreword). · “Michael Jordan Super Sports Stars Series (Stars of the Court series)” – by Reusse Follow him on Twitter: @Patrick_Reusse Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is part 1 of a rollicking two-part conversation with Patrick Reusse, longtime sports columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and a member of the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame. Reusse looks back at his 60 years covering Minnesota sports in his engaging, irreverent, and self-deprecating style. In this first episode, he recalls Glen Sonmor's hockey goons, offers his classic explanation to Vikings general manager Mike Lynn about his philosophy for covering the team, and tells us how the idea for his Turkey of the Year Awards column originated and grew into a much-anticipated Thanksgiving tradition. Patrick provides some humorous tales, as well as a poignant moment with Gene Mauch, from his years as a baseball beat writer covering the Twins. Reusse also goes deep into his complicated relationship with Sid Hartman, another Minnesota media legend who was still working at age 100 when he died in 2020.   Reusse, 77, is senior columnist for the Star Tribune and is also the host of two popular podcasts: "Reusse Unchained" and "Monday Night Sports Talk with Patrick Reusse and Joe Soucheray." Patrick's newspaper career started in 1963 as a copyboy for the Minneapolis Morning Tribune. Two years later, he began writing for the Duluth News-Tribune and Herald, then quickly moved to the St. Cloud Times. In 1968, Reusse joined the St. Paul Pioneer Press, where he went on to cover the Twins from 1974-78 before serving as that paper's sports columnist for nine years, beginning in 1979. He moved to the Star Tribune in 1988 as sports columnist. The native of Fulda, Minnesota also became a fixture in Twin Cities talk radio and television. He was inducted into the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2019.   Patrick has done radio and podcast work with KSTP-1500 since 1980, when he partnered with Soucheray on “Sunday Night Sports Talk.” They shared the airwaves together or independently on “Sports Talk” in various forms nearly every year since. Patrick also hosted “Reusse & Company” for that station (2009-10) and co-hosted “Reusse & Mackey” with Phil Mackey from 2010-14. His show “The Ride with Reusse” appeared weekdays from 2014 until September 2018. Reusse began his radio career at KFAM-AM in St. Cloud in the mid-1960s,   Reusse was also a 20-year panelist on “The Sports Show,” which aired on WUCW-TV, Fox Sports North, and Victory Sports One. Other panelists included Hartman, Mike Max, and George Chappel, better known by his nickname Dark Star.   Books: · “Tales from the Minnesota Sports Beat: A Lifetime on Deadline.” - Co-authored with Chip Scoggins. Dan Barreiro (foreword). · “Tony Oliva: The Life and Times of a Minnesota Twins Legend” – by Thom Henninger. Reusse (foreword). · “Minnesota Vikings: The Complete Illustrated History” – by Reusse. Amy Klobuchar (afterword) · “Sid! The Sports Legends, the Inside Scoops, and the Close Personal Friends” – co-authored with Sid Hartman · “Minnesota Twins: The Complete Illustrated History” – co-authored with Dennis Brackin and Harmon Killebrew · “Minnesota Sports Almanac” – by Joel A. Rippel. Reusse (foreword). · “Michael Jordan Super Sports Stars Series (Stars of the Court series)” – by Reusse   Follow him on Twitter: @Patrick_Reusse Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Liz Clarke looks back on her “accidental career” as a sportswriter with the same thoughtfulness she always put into her stellar work. Much of our conversation focuses on NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. Hear how she gained his trust in part by not being in awe of him, how his tough-guy exterior hid a soft heart, and how covering his death in the 2001 Daytona 500 shook Liz. She takes us along for “pinch-me moments” – such as the crowd's emotional response to seeing Nelson Mandela at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa – from years of traveling the globe for The Washington Post. And we talk about the stress, the challenges, and the special camaraderie shared in a job that captured her heart amid sport's wide range of emotions.   Clarke retired in April 2023 after 37 years as a reporter, the last 25 of them at The Washington Post, where she focused on enterprise stories, the Olympics, college sports, auto racing, and tennis. She also spent eight seasons covering Washington's NFL team and the scandals surrounding team owner Dan Snyder. Liz covered nine Summer and Winter Olympics, three World Cups, multiple Super Bowls, NCAA Tournament Final Fours, more than a dozen Daytona 500s, a half-dozen Indianapolis 500s, Wimbledon, the French Open, and thoroughbred racing's Preakness and Belmont Stakes.   Before joining The Washington Post in 1998, Liz worked as a sportswriter at USA Today, the Dallas Morning News and The Charlotte Observer. She covered NASCAR for those three newspapers, and she is the author of the 2008 book, "One Helluva Ride: How NASCAR Swept the Nation." Liz was twice named National Motorsports Writer of the Year, in 1996 an '98. Her other honors and awards include best sports feature in 2017 from the Society of Features Journalism, and best game story from the Associated Press Sports Editors in 2009.   Clarke began her career as a news reporter for the Raleigh (NC) News & Observer, covering higher education. She earned a BA in history at Barnard College, Columbia University; and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduate studies in journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thom Loverro says boxing has the best stories, and he shares some favorites from many years inside the fight game. He takes us to Muhammad Ali's training camp, puts us ringside for Mike Tyson's ear chomp, and takes us behind the scenes on the day Riddick Bowe defends his heavyweight title. Hear about Las Vegas, George Foreman's power and preaching, and the wisdom of trainer Eddie Futch. Thom also shares moments from other sports he has covered, including memorable baseball highs and lows involving Cal Ripken Jr. and Roberto Alomar. In 2019, Loverro was honored with the Nat Fleischer Award for lifetime achievement in boxing journalism by the Boxing Writers Association of America. Three years earlier, he was inducted into the Washington, D.C. Boxing Hall of Fame. Thom has been featured on several HBO Legendary Nights programs and ESPN's Sports Classics about boxing. He has covered numerous world championship fights over the past three decades, as well as three Olympics, the World Series, the NFL, NBA, and NHL playoffs. In 2005, Thom was one of just three sportswriters to be invited to the Oval Office in The White House to interview President Bush about baseball. Loverro has won more than 40 national, regional, and local journalism awards, including an honor from the Associated Press Sports Editors association for his 2014 article in which he revealed, through the Freedom of Information Act, that the FBI believed the first Sonny Liston-Cassius Clay fight was fixed. Thom was voted Maryland Sportswriter of the Year in 2009 by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. His other honors include first place in the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and being named best sports columnist in the Virginia Press Association competition three times. Loverro's journalism career began in 1977. After working for a couple of small newspapers in Pennsylvania, he a joined the Baltimore Sun in 1984. There, he spent eight years as a news editor and reporter, covering crime, politics, and government. Thom moved to sports in 1992 when The Washington Times hired him to cover the then-Redskins. A year later, he switched to baseball and served three seasons as the paper's beat writer on the Baltimore Orioles. The Washington Examiner hired Thom as a sports columnist in 2009. Four years later, he returned to The Washington Times, where he remains the lead sports columnist. He is co-host of The Kevin Sheehan Show podcast. Check out past episodes of Loverro's “Cigars & Curveballs” podcast, which featured guests such as Ripken; Foreman, Larry Holmes, Sugar Ray Leonard, Joe Theismann, Dusty Baker, and the creator of “The Wire,” David Simon. Loverro is the author of 11 books: · Washington Redskins: The Authorized History (1996) · Home of the Game: The Story of Camden Yards (1999) · Cammi Granato: Hockey Pioneer (2000) · The Quotable Coach (2002) · The Encyclopedia of Negro League Baseball (2003) · The John Mackey Story, Blazing Trails: Coming of Age in Football's Golden Era (2003) · Oriole Magic: The O's of '83 (2004) · Hail Victory: An Oral History of the Washington Redskins (2006) · The Rise and Fall of Extreme Championship Wrestling (2006) · Eagles Essential (2006) · Orioles Essential (2007) Loverro received a Bachelor of Science degree in Liberal Studies from the University of Scranton and a master's degree in Journalism and Public Affairs from American University in Washington. He has taught journalism courses at Georgetown University, Towson State University, and American University. Follow him on Twitter: @thomloverro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sit down, strap in and go for a thrill ride with Al Pearce as he recounts more than five decades of writing about motorsports, particularly NASCAR. Al talks about his early days around stock car racing and how he's covered 54 consecutive Daytona 500s. He puts us alongside iconic drivers such as Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr., and he recalls the courage and persistence of Wendell Scott, the first African-American driver to race full-time in NASCAR. Al also takes us to Montreal for Formula One racing, and he discusses how all drivers deal with the danger of their profession.   Pearce has covered thousands of races of all types: NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula One, NHRA and IHRA drag racing, APBA powerboats, SCCA, international sports cars and weekly short-track races. Motorsports has taken him to 50 states and a half-dozen countries on assignment including Japan, Australia, Mexico, Canada, and Le Mans, France. Al covered motorsports for the Times-Herald and Daily Press in Newport News, Virginia from 1969 until his retirement in 2004. He is still a NASCAR contributing editor for Autoweek magazine, which he has written for since 1973. Besides racing, Al also wrote about professional, college and high school sports throughout his 35 years in newspapers.   The Media Wing of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame at Talladega, Ala. Inducted Pearce in 2003. That same year, he received the Henry McLemore Award, the highest recognition for a motorsport journalist. He's also been honored by Langley Speedway, Pocono Raceway, Martinsville Speedway, and by the Peninsula Sports Club. Al won eight Virginia Press Association Awards, and he's a member of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.   Pearce has written 16 books about motorsports. “NASCAR 75 Years” is his latest. It was co-authored with Mike Hembree and published in April 2023. Al is a native of Rocky Mount, Virginia, graduated from Presbyterian College, and served in the Vietnam war as an officer before beginning his journalism career in 1969. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wendell Barnhouse recalls the pressure of trying to find the right words in the immediate aftermath of the famous Duke-Kentucky basketball game. The overwhelming magnitude felt on press row at that 1992 NCAA tournament classic still lingers. That's one of many anecdotes Wendell shares in this episode from his three-plus decades as a national college basketball and football writer. Hear about traveling to 27 cities in one season, how Bob Knight made a telephone jump, why Bill Snyder made a call with a surprising reaction, and where Wendell had to write from as a Fiesta Bowl erupted with Boise State's trick plays. Wendell's tales from his 50 years in the business also include typewriters, an intimidating first Major League Baseball game, waging an old-fashioned newspaper war alongside legendary sports editor Dave Smith, and finding himself in a unique argument with the copy desk on deadline. Barnhouse was a media fixture on the national scene of college sports for more than 30 years, beginning in the mid-1980s. After three years as assistant sports editor at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Wendell became that newspaper's national college basketball writer during the 1985-86 season, which concluded with the Final Four being held in Dallas. He added national college football to his duties in 1994 and covered both beats – as well as writing a television-radio column – until his 25 years at the Star-Telegram ended in 2008 with the acceptance of a buyout. Wendell served as president of the United States Basketball Writers Association in 1995. He covered 26 Final Fours, 343 NCAA men's tournament games, two women's Final Fours, and 14 college football national championship games.   Wendell grew up in Columbia, Missouri, where his first journalism job was a summer part-time gig at the Columbia Daily Tribune in 1972. A year later, he was hired as the sports editor (one-person staff) at the Hannibal (Mo.) Courier-Post. Wendell spent four years as a sports reporter for the Quincy (Ill.) Herald-Whig beginning in 1974. He joined the sports copy desk at the Arizona Daily Star in 1979 for one year, then spent 18 months at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where he served as assistant sports editor. He moved to Texas in 1981 to edit sports copy and layout pages for the Dallas Morning News. That led to his job in 1983 at the Fort Worth-Star Telegram, where he eventually returned to writing. Wendell worked as a correspondent (writer, TV/video host) for the Big 12 Conference from 2008 until 2015. He then freelanced for seven years, including one season of covering college basketball for The Athletic, before retiring in 2022.   Follow him on Twitter: @WBBarnhouse Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the second of our two-part conversation with Claire Smith, who broke down barriers for women and journalists of color during her esteemed four decades of covering Major League Baseball. We talked a lot about the pioneering aspect of her career in the first episode, including the time she was thrown out of a team clubhouse. This second episode focuses on some of Claire's favorite baseball stories and people. She takes us to Cuba with President Obama, as well as to London with the Yankees and Red Sox. Claire tells us about her special connection with the great Sandy Koufax. She recounts tales of the Niekro brothers, Joe and Phil. Claire also shares heartfelt memories of Don Baylor, the much-respected player and manager she co-authored two books with. You can listen to part one of my conversation with Smith here: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/press-box-access/claire-smith-part-1-how-you-used-those-barrels-of-ink-mattered#episodeContent Smith spent 32 years in the newspaper industry, starting in Pennsylvania at the Bucks County Courier Times. In 1979, she moved to The Philadelphia Bulletin, where she mostly covered college basketball and football. When that paper folded in 1982, she was hired by The Hartford Courant. By mid-season that year, she was put on the New York Yankees beat, making her the first woman to cover a Major League Baseball team, full-time. Claire covered the Yankees for five years before serving as the Courant's national baseball columnist for three years. She became the New York Times' first national baseball columnist in 1990 and held that role for eight years. In 1998, she moved to the Philadelphia Inquirer, where she was a columnist and assistant sports editor until 2007. Claire left newspapers in July 2007 to become a coordinator editor and baseball remote news editor at ESPN. She worked for the “Sunday Night Baseball” crew and the production team on MLB game broadcasts until November 2021.   In December 2016, Smith was named the 68th recipient of the Baseball Writers Association of America's Career Excellence Award (formerly known as the J.G. Taylor Spink Award) – the highest honor a baseball writer can receive. She was the first woman to win the award, and the fourth African American, joining Sam Lacy, Wendell Smith and Larry Whiteside. Claire was honored at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum's annual induction in July 2017. She was also presented the 2017 “Robie Award” for Lifetime Achievement by the Jackie Robinson Foundation.   Smith was named the inaugural winner of the Sam Lacy-Wendell Smith Award for the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism at the University of Maryland in 2013. Other milestones: Sports Journalist of the Year from the National Association of Black Journalists (1997); the Mary Garber Pioneer Award from the Association for Women in Sports Media (2000); the Sam Lacy Award at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (2010); and SAbR's 2021 Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award. Smith was a member of the NABJ Hall of Fame's Class of 2021. Claire was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, and she was winner of three New York Times Publishers' Awards.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the first of a two-part conversation with Claire Smith, a pioneer for women and journalists of color. She discusses breaking barriers while covering baseball for 39 years, including her worst day: When the San Diego Padres physically removed her from their clubhouse during the 1984 National League playoffs. Hear how Steve Garvey helped her in that moment, and how Claire's love of baseball powered her through a career that led to her being honored at Cooperstown in 2017. Claire shares tales of George Steinbrenner, Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson from her time covering the Bronx Zoo Yankees. Claire also recalls her years of working with Joe Morgan, and how Jackie Robinson influenced her career, which has impacted so many others.   Smith spent 32 years in the newspaper industry, starting in Pennsylvania at the Bucks County Courier Times. In 1979, she moved to The Philadelphia Bulletin, where she mostly covered college basketball and football. When that paper folded in 1982, she was hired by The Hartford Courant. By mid-season that year, she was put on the New York Yankees beat, making her the first woman to cover a Major League Baseball team, full-time. Claire covered the Yankees for five years before serving as the Courant's national baseball columnist for three years. She became the New York Times' first national baseball columnist in 1990 and held that role for eight years. In 1998, she moved to the Philadelphia Inquirer, where she was a columnist and assistant sports editor until 2007. Claire left newspapers in July 2007 to become a coordinator editor and baseball remote news editor at ESPN. She worked for the “Sunday Night Baseball” crew and the production team on MLB game broadcasts until November 2021.   In December 2016, Smith was named the 68th recipient of the Baseball Writers Association of America's Career Excellence Award (formerly known as the J.G. Taylor Spink Award) – the highest honor a baseball writer can receive. She was the first woman to win the award, and the fourth African American, joining Sam Lacy, Wendell Smith and Larry Whiteside. Claire was honored at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum's annual induction in July 2017. She was also presented the 2017 “Robie Award” for Lifetime Achievement by the Jackie Robinson Foundation.   Smith was named the inaugural winner of the Sam Lacy-Wendell Smith Award for the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism at the University of Maryland in 2013. Other milestones: Sports Journalist of the Year from the National Association of Black Journalists (1997); the Mary Garber Pioneer Award from the Association for Women in Sports Media (2000); the Sam Lacy Award at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (2010); and SAbR's 2021 Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award. Smith was a member of the NABJ Hall of Fame's Class of 2021. Claire was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, and she was winner of three New York Times Publishers' Awards.   A 1979 graduate of Temple University, Smith returned to her alma mater in July 2021 as an assistant professor with Klein School of Media and Communications. With the assistance of the Black Women in Sports Foundation, Smith has long awarded Temple students The Bernice A. Smith scholarship, named after her mother, a Jamaican immigrant and Temple alum. In 2014, Temple honored Claire with a Lew Klein Alumni in the Media Award and inducted her into the School of Media and Communication Hall of Fame.    In October 2021, Temple announced the creation of The Claire Smith Center For Sports Media. Claire co-directs the center with John DiCarlo, managing director of student media at Temple. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tim Kurkjian's love of baseball radiates as he recounts his four decades of covering our National Pastime. The ESPN stalwart takes us to his early days as a newspaper beat reporter when terrible teams couldn't extinguish his joy. Tim recalls Don Zimmer's wisdom, Earl Weaver's unforgettable greeting, and Cal Ripken Jr.'s ferocious competitiveness even off the field.. He puts us there for a Game 7 that Jack Morris wouldn't leave, and a Game 7 when the Cubs broke a curse. We hear about Tony Gwynn's favorite bat, an odd request from Mickey Rivers, and a shared fascination for the APBA board game. There's a memorable moment with Johnny Bench sitting lakeside in Cooperstown. And, yes, that sausage mascot race . . . Yikes. Kurkjian was named the 2022 Baseball Writers' Association of America's Career Excellence Award winner (formerly the J.G. Taylor Spink award), presented annually to a writer “for meritorious contributions to baseball writing.” He was recognized at Baseball Hall of Fame ceremonies in July of '22. Tim has been a senior writer for ESPN.com and a baseball writer, analyst, host and reporter for ESPN TV since 1998. He has served as an analyst for “Monday Night Baseball” and “Wednesday Night Baseball.” Tim earned an Emmy Award in 2002 for his work on “Baseball Tonight,” and he was honored with a second Emmy for his contributions to “SportsCenter” in 2003-04. Tim was one of the first sportswriters to appear on TV as an analyst. He spent the first half of his career at newspapers and at Sports Illustrated, where he was a baseball senior writer for nine seasons (1998-97). He also worked as an on-air reporter for CNN-SI in his final two years at the magazine. His journalism career began at The Washington Star in 1978. He then worked briefly for the Baltimore News American in 1981 before joining the The Dallas Morning News to cover the Texas Rangers as a beat reporter beginning in the 1982 season. Tim moved to The Baltimore Sun in 1986 and covered the Baltimore Orioles as a beat writer through the 1989 season. Kurkjian is the author of three books: “America's Game” (2000), “Is This a Great Game or What?” (2007), and “I'm Fascinated by Sacrifice Flies” (2017). He grew up in Bethesda, Md. and attended Walter Johnson High School, named for the great Washington Senators pitcher. Tim graduated from the University of Maryland with a BS in journalism in 1978. Follow Tim on Twitter: @Kurkjian_ESPN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff Jacobs is a writer who bleeds on the keyboard, and his passion for the craft has never wavered during 46 years in the business. You'll hear it as Jeff recalls his first big career moment when he unexpectedly became part of the story at a minor league hockey fight. He puts us there in January1980 when the Philadelphia Flyers' record 35-game undefeated streak ended, and he provides other hockey stories that depict the sport's unique culture. Jeff brings the Hartford Whalers back to life with vivid anecdotes and a few bars of the defunct NHL team's fight song. And he shares details and tales of dustups from many years of covering Geno Auriemma and Jim Calhoun, two Hall of Fame basketball coaches at the University of Connecticut. Hear about heart attacks, hate mail, and a memorable phone call from a particularly cranky senior citizen.   Jacobs has been named Connecticut Sportswriter of the Year 11 times (including 2022) by the National Sports Media Association. He has been honored four times by the Associated Press Sports Editors as one of the top-10 columnists in the country. Jeff spent nearly 34 years at the Hartford Courant before becoming sports columnist for the Hearst Connecticut Media Group in January 2018. He was the Hartford Courant's sports columnist for 22 years after covering the Whalers and NHL as the paper's beat reporter. Jeff has covered all four of the UConn men's basketball national championships and 10 of the 11 NCAA titles won by Auriemma's women's program. He's also covered multiple Olympics, World Series, Super Bowls, and Stanley Cup Finals.   Jacobs was born in Kirkwood, Mo., grew up in Newport, R.I., and is a 1977 graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. He began his career as a hockey writer at The Times Herald in Port Huron, Michigan, and then covered the Flyers for The Courier Post (New Jersey) before joining the Hartford Courant in 1984.   Jeff likes to say that his hobby is surviving heart attacks. He had a double bypass surgery after his second one in 2019. His first heart attack, in 2005, required a quadruple bypass. Here's to wishing Jeff great health and many more years of writing.   Follow Jeff on Twitter: @jeffjacobs123 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We head down South on this episode with Rick Cleveland, who has been named Mississippi Sportswriter of the Year a record 14 times. He discusses how sports helped to finally end segregation in his home state during his career of nearly 60 years. Rick shares anecdotes about Walter Payton, Brett Favre, and Archie Manning – father of Peyton and Eli – before and after they left Mississippi and became NFL stars. He recalls witnessing Tiger Woods winning the Masters for the first time. He tells us about point guard Ruthie Bolton, one of 20 children in her family, winning an Olympic gold medal. And Rick shares memories of the bitter and historic Egg Bowl rivalry between Ole Miss and Mississippi State.   Cleveland, a native of Hattiesburg and resident of Jackson, has received more journalism awards than any sportswriter in Mississippi history. In January, he received his record 14th honor as the state's best sportswriter from the National Sports Media Association. Rick was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 and into the Hattiesburg Hall of Fame in 2018. He received the Richard Wright Award for Literary Excellence in 2011 and was inducted into the University of Southern Mississippi Communications Hall of Fame in 2018. In 2000, he was honored with the Distinguished Mississippian Award from Mississippi Press Association.   Rick has covered sports since 1966. His first story was published at age 13 for the Hattiesburg American, where he worked throughout high school and college. After earning bachelor's degrees in journalism and history from the University of Southern Mississippi, he joined the Monroe (La.) News Star World for one year. Rick then returned to Mississippi at the Jackson Daily News before moving to that city's Clarion-Ledger as a beat reporter covering Ole Miss and Mississippi State. He later became the paper's sports editor and columnist. Since 2016, Cleveland has been writing a syndicated sports column for Mississippi Today after serving four years as executive director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Rick has covered 29 Super Bowls and has chronicled the NFL careers of Mississippi natives such as Payton, Favre, Manning, Jerry Rice, Steve McNair and Ray Guy. He has also covered several Masters tournaments, the 1996 Summer Olympics, the U.S. Open in golf, and Finals Four and College World Series appearances by Mississippi teams.   Three generations of Rick's family have covered sports in Mississippi since 1946. His father, “Ace” Cleveland was a longtime sportswriter and editor at the Hattiesburg American before spending 33 years as sports information at Southern Miss. Ace worked 325 consecutive football games for the Golden Eagles, and he's enshrined in the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Rick's brother, Bobby, spent 30 years as the outdoors writer for the Clarion-Ledger. Rick's son, Tyler, has covered Mississippi sports for more than a decade.   Cleveland and his son, Tyler, host the podcast “Crooked Letter Sports,” which centers on Mississippi sports talk and stories. New episodes come out each Thursday. https://mississippitoday.org/crooked-letter-sports-podcast/   Rick has authored four books: ·   “It's More Than a Game” – a collection of Cleveland's columns. ·   “Vaught – The Man and his Legacy” about Ole Miss football coach Johnny Vaught. ·   “Boo – A Life in Baseball, Well-Lived” about former Boston Red Sox player Boo Ferriss. ·   “Mississippi's Greatest Athletes”   Follow him on Twitter: @rick_cleveland Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lenn Robbins is a go-go-go Big Apple guy, but the Brooklyn native pauses on this episode to appreciate the people and places that form a mosaic of memories from his sportswriting career. Emotions bubbling at the ancient Olympic stadium in Greece. Riding with abandon at the Great Wall of China. The pressure felt by his young self in covering the Jets' final game at Shea Stadium. Vince Dooley burning hot after a loss. A moment in a Montreal bar with Mark Messier. A foiled, shattering upset bid in the NCAA basketball tournament. Typing on deadline in the surprisingly chilled desert air. A marathon runner winning despite taking a wrong turn. And Lenn discusses how his battle with cancer in recent years has impacted his reflection on these and other moments from his four decades as a New York sportswriter.   Robbins spent 16 years of his career at the New York Post, beginning in 1997. He was that paper's national college writer, wrote columns, and covered the NFL, NBA and the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. He appeared regularly on ESPN, FOX, NY1, SNY and YES. Prior to the Post, Lenn worked two stints at The Record in New Jersey (1985-90 and 1992-97), where he had several beats, including the New York Rangers, the NFL, and national college sports. He covered the NFC East and the NBA's Atlantic Division for The National Sports Daily from 1990-92. His journalism career started at Greenwich Time in Greenwich, Connecticut after his graduation from Stony Brook University.   In 2013, Robbins left the New York Post to work for BrooklynNets.com and Barclays.com, where for two years he covered the Nets, the New York Islanders, championship boxing and college basketball. He also contributed stories for the Nets' All-Access game programs, did weekly segments on Barclays Center Television, and made guest appearances on Nets' game broadcasts on YES Network and WFAN. Lenn then joined MSGNetworks.com as the in-house, multi-media reporter for the Brooklyn Nets until 2017. He's currently content director at BetBasics.com after previously serving as Editor-in-Chief of TheNYExtra.com.   Lenn is a former president of the Football Writers of America Association, and he's a two-time winner in the Associated Press Sports Editors awards. In 2011, he received the Metropolitan College Football Writers Association's Good Guy Award and the Jim Murray Outstanding Sportswriter Award.   In 2017, Lenn was diagnosed with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH), a rare form of cancer in his head and neck, as he began studying for his Master's degree in journalism. Despite undergoing treatments and suffering three relapses, he went on to earn that degree from the Craig Newmark School of Journalism at City University of New York in 2019. His cancer is in remission thanks to targeted gene therapy. He teaches journalism at the Newmark J-School, as well as at other universities in the New York City area.   Lenn wrote about his battle with cancer in hopes that chronicling his experience might help others: https://lennrobbins.wixsite.com/facetocancer   Follow Lenn on Twitter: @LennRobbins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bernie Miklasz is synonymous with sports in St. Louis, where he has been writing stories and offering on-air opinions for nearly 40 years. Hear about Tony La Russa calling him at 7 a.m. the morning after a World Series game. Bernie tells us about the engaging personality of Whitey Herzog, the toughness of Kurt Warner, and how Albert Pujols changed on his return to the Cardinals. We're with Bernie for his first-ever story (about Gordie Howe), and he puts us in the press box during a crazy deadline at an October ballgame. Bernie reflects on the 1998 home run race and his evolving feelings about steroids, Mark McGwire, and judgment. There's his scoop about NHL coach Mike Keenan, and a revelation about where Bernie had to file his column from after the earthquake at the 1989 World Series in San Francisco. Bernie was the lead sports columnist at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for 26 years (1989-2015), where he also blogged for the newspaper's website STLtoday.com and produced many podcasts, including “Breakfast With Bernie” and the “Best Podcast in Baseball.” He left the Post-Dispatch to join 101 ESPN in St. Louis to host a three-hour, weekday radio talk show. Bernie currently writes for ScoopsWithDannyMac.com and he contributes podcasts and videos for that website. He also hosts a weekday afternoon radio talk show on “590 The Fan” KFNS. Bernie began his career at the Baltimore News-American in 1979 and later moved to St. Louis in 1985 to cover the NFL Cardinals for the Post-Dispatch. When that team moved to Arizona in 1988, he also left to join the Dallas Morning News, where he covered Tom Landry's final season as coach of the Cowboys, the sale of the team to Jerry Jones, the hiring of Jimmy Johnson, and the drafting of Troy Aikman. Bernie returned to St. Louis the next year to become the lead sports columnist at the Post-Dispatch. He has been that city's top sports voice ever since. Bernie has provided extensive coverage of the Cardinals, the NHL Blues, two St. Louis NFL teams (including the Rams) and their departures, local college sports, and soccer, as well as more than 30 Super Bowls and multiple Olympics and World Series. Follow Bernie on Twitter: @miklasz Fun Fact: Miklasz has attended more than 125 concerts by Bruce Springsteen since the 1970s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bob Ford likes to say if he has 10 good stories to tell sitting around a bar, Charles Barkley is the subject of 7 or 8 of them. Hear a few of his greatest hits from covering Sir Charles, each told with Bob's wit and dead-on voice imitation. He also shares other memorable moments from his long, distinguished career in Philadelphia that took him around the world and made his columns must-reads. Only Bob could bring us Pete Rose, Doug Moe, Prince Albert, a Finish sports talk radio debate over ski jumping, and wolf urine – yes, wolf urine – all in one episode. You'll understand why other sportswriters always enjoyed Bob's company. He's a real treasure. Ford was an award-winning writer at the Philadelphia Inquirer for nearly 33 years – the final 18 as a columnist – until his retirement in 2020. He was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in commentary. Bob was a general assignment feature writer, with an emphasis on Olympic sports and long-form narrative from 1994 until his promotion as columnist in 2003. He previously covered the NBA and 76ers as the paper's beat reporter for six years. Bob was named Pennsylvania Sportswriter of the Year seven times by the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. He covered six Olympics, three World Cups, numerous NBA Finals, the Tour de France, Wimbledon, the British Open and other major sporting events. He wrote stories from 14 countries and throughout the U.S. His work was also recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, the Associated Press, and the Keystone Press Association. He was twice named a top 10 columnist in the large circulation division of the AP Sports Editors competition, and he also won the 2005 Eclipse Award for outstanding feature writing on thoroughbred racing. Prior to joining the Inquirer in 1987, Bob worked six years at the Delaware County Daily Times outside of Philadelphia, where he covered the Phillies as a beat reporter for three seasons and later served as columnist. Bob began his journalism career as sports editor of the Easton (Md.) Star-Democrat (1976 to '81) following his graduation from the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland. His alma mater's Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism honored Bob in 2017 with a “Distinguished Terrapin” award. Ford is a fellow of the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism. Bob is a native of College Park, Md. His wife, Bonnie Ford, was an award-winning sports journalist at ESPN, the Chicago Tribune, The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, the Detroit News, and the Ann Arbor News. She was a previous guest on Press Box Access: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/... Stories from early in her career were written under her maiden name, Bonnie DeSimone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us on January 18th, 2023 for the 50th episode of Press Box Access with guest Bob Ford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mary Schmitt Boyer helped pave the way for other women in sports journalism with her excellence and professionalism. Hear about her experiences as a scribe, and why her own career plans changed after a year in Al McGuire's circus atmosphere at Marquette in the mid-1970s. She recalls his showmanship, his welcoming personality, and how the Hall of Fame basketball coach set her on a path that took her around the world. Mary explains why Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic torch is the top sports moment she covered, and why Kyrie Irving is the most difficult athlete she dealt with. We talk a lot about the NBA, which Mary covered for more than two decades, including 18 years in Cleveland. She offers a front-row perspective on LeBron James after documenting his rise from phenom to immortality. Mary specialized in the NBA and Olympics at The Plain Dealer in Cleveland from 1996 until she retired from the newspaper business in 2014. She previously worked at the St. Paul Pioneer Press (1989-1995), the Milwaukee Journal (1978-1988), and the Minneapolis Tribune (1977-78). She was also an intern reporter at the Washington Post, the Kansas City Star, and the Eugene (Oregon) Register-Guard. In 2008, the Association for Women in Sport's Media presented Schmitt Boyer with the Mary Garber Pioneer Award. The honor has been given annually since 1999 to those who have distinguished themselves in the field while reflecting and advancing the values and mission of AWSM. Mary served as AWSM president in 1993-94. She was president of the Professional Basketball Writers Association in 2013-14. Mary has written or co-authored seven sports books: · “Inside Game: Race, Power, and Politics in the NBA” – written with Wayne Embry and Spike Lee · “The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly: Cleveland Indians – Heart-Pounding, Jaw-Dropping, and Gut-Wrenching Moments from Cleveland Indians History” – written with Terry Pluto · “The Complete Encyclopedia of Basketball” – written with Ron Smith · “Indians Essential: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Real Fan!” – written with Thomas Hamilton · “Welcome to the Jungle” · “Browns Essential: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Real Fan!” – written with Doug Dieken · “Kobe Bryant” Mary graduated from Marquette University in 1977 with a degree in journalism after serving as sports editor of the student newspaper, the Marquette Tribune. She's a recipient of the Diederich College of Communications Award: the Journalism By-Line Award. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gary Shelton is someone you want to sit by in the press box or on a media bus. Laughter is sure to follow. Gary takes us back 45 years to when his career began in the long shadow cast by Bear Bryant. He tells us about Don Shula's brown chair, and how that NFL coaching icon made him a better journalist. Hear about the many personalities of Sam Wyche, how Bobby Bowden was your favorite uncle, what made Warren Sapp so entertaining to cover, and why Dan Marino was like a beer league softball player. Gary recalls serving as governor of Idiot Island in the press room, covering the Nancy & Tonya soap opera, and the worst deadline that he ever faced. And he shares poignant Olympic moments when the power of sports shone through all the silliness. Oh, and about that meal in Athens, Greece . . .   Shelton has twice been named the No. 1 sports columnist in the country by the Associated Press Sports Editors. He was ranked in the APSE Top 5 five times, and the Top 10 eight times. Gary has been writing about sports in Tampa Bay since 1990, including a tenure of nearly 25 years at the Tampa Bay Times when the area grew into a huge sports market. He has covered the Buccaneers winning the Super Bowl, the Lightning winning the Stanley Cup, and the Rays in the World Series. He has also covered college football national championships won by Florida, Florida State and Miami, as well as 29 Super Bowls, 10 Olympics, 11 Final Fours, and the Masters seven times.   Prior to moving to Tampa Bay, Gary covered the Dolphins, the NFL, and college football for the Miami Herald from 1984-90. He has been named best sportswriter in Florida six times by the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. He has also won several Green Eyeshade, Florida Sports Writers Association awards, and other honors. Shelton began his journalism career writing about sports – including Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, and Georgia Tech – for the Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer in 1978. He likes to say that he graduated from Auburn University and the Don Shula School of Having My Face Yelled Into.   Shelton took a buyout from the Tampa Bay Times in 2014 and has since been writing for his own subscription website. You can read Gary's columns at: https://garysheltonsports.com/   Contact Gary at GarySheltonSports@gmail.com   Follow him on Twitter: @Gary_Shelton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Damon Hack reflects on his 16 years as a sportswriter and how those experiences informed his work in the past decade as a TV journalist at the Golf Channel. Learn protocol lessons taught by the San Francisco 49ers of Steve Young, Jerry Rice and Chris Doleman. Damon takes us to a Super Bowl party with Peyton and Eli Manning, into Adrian Peterson's home, overseas for the Olympics, and into the mascot costume of Ricky the River Rat. Damon also discusses being a Black reporter covering the predominantly white world of golf for 20 years, and how Tiger Woods has impacted the sport's diversity. And he shares his favorite Tiger moment, as well as his own score the first time he played golf.   Hack has spent the past decade at the Golf Channel, where he's co-host of “Golf Today.” He also works as an on-site reporter for the network's live tournament coverage and for Golf Central at select PGA Tour tournaments. And he contributes to Golf Channel digital as a writer. Besides his responsibilities with NBC Sports Group's Golf Channel, he covered biathlon events at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea for NBC.   Damon joined the Golf Channel and NBC Sports Group in 2012 after covering the PGA Tour and the NFL for five years as a senior writer at Sports Illustrated. Prior to SI, he covered golf and pro football as a New York Times staff writer from 2002-07, and he covered golf and the New York Knicks as a beat reporter for Newsday (2000-02). Damon also previously covered the San Francisco 49s during his tenure at the Sacramento Bee (1996-2000). He was born in Los Angeles, earned a bachelor's degree in history from UCLA and a master's degree in journalism from UC Berkeley. Damon and his wife, Suzanna Yip, have triplet sons.   You can read Damon's powerful column in response to the death of George Floyd that he wrote for golfchannel.com on June 1, 2020: https://www.golfchannel.com/news/damon-hack-can-i-be-both-thankful-and-horrified-can-i   That column led to Damon giving a TEDx talk: “Reimaging Race in America.” You can watch it here: https://www.ted.com/talks/damon_hack_reimagining_race_in_america   Read Damon's articles in Sports Illustrated: https://www.si.com/author/damon-hack   Read his New York Times articles: https://www.nytimes.com/by/damon-hack Follow him on Twitter: @damonhackGC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We surf waves, climb mountains, and dive into odorous media mixed zones with Elliott Almond. He has earned a reputation as one of the top Olympic writers and sports investigative reporters during his adventurous career of nearly 50 years. Elliott explains how Edwin Moses led him to break a major story about steroids before the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games. He recalls the bunker mentality needed to report on the tragic death of Hank Gathers. Why did Marion Jones talk to Elliott after a failed relay despite despising him? Hear about the craziness of writing about figure skating on deadline, how surfing with quarterback Todd Marinovich led to Elliott taking the Wonderlic test, and how climber Alex Honnold paused to provide a unique perspective. And there's the time a Secret Service agent pointed a gun at Elliott when he was chasing Richard Nixon . . . For nearly 50 years, Almond has been a sports journalist on the West Coast, noted for his enterprise work and Olympic coverage at the Los Angeles Times (1974-1996), the Seattle Times (1996-98), and the San Jose Mercury News (1998-2021). He has been recognized by such organizations as the Associated Press Sports Editors, Best American Sports Writing, the California Newspaper Publishers Association, and the Society of Professional Journalists. Elliott has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize three times. He is currently an outdoor columnist for the Cascadia Daily News in the Pacific Northwest.   Elliott covered 14 Summer and Winter Olympics, as well as the 1999 and 2007 Pan American Games. His investigative work includes reporting on the BALCO drug scandal, steroids in international track and field, Gathers' death, Magic Johnson and the issue of HIV, and cheating in college sports at Washington, USC, UCLA, and UNLV. He wrote about such diverse subjects as the Tour de France, social issues in sports such as abuse in women's sports, crime in college and professional sports, and concussions and the consequences of traumatic brain injuries.   A life-long surfer, Almond spent much of his youth traveling the Southern California and Baja California coastlines. He is the author of the book “Surfing: Mastering Waves from Basic to Intermediate.”   From 2009-13, Elliott was an instructor for San Jose State University, where he served as an editor overseeing the production of a broadsheet newspaper by teenagers participating in a high school journalism workshop.   Elliott graduated from California State-Fullerton in 1975 with bachelor's degrees in communications and political science. He completed a master's program, except for the dissertation, at California State-Long Beach.   Follow him on Twitter: @ElliottAlmond Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's much to unpack from Art Spander's joyful journey of six decades as a sportswriter. The indefatigable Bay Area legend recalls the rise of young Tiger Woods and offers an intriguing theory. Art recounts covering iconic games such as The Catch, and The Miracle on Ice. He puts us at the Cal-Stanford game when “the band is on the field!” Art shares his love for major sporting events, especially the Rose Bowl. And he laughs about receiving a special delivery from Candlestick Park's sod squad, and about being threatened by three athletes in a five-day span. Art explains how he ended up with Kyle Shanahan's backpack and Super Bowl game plan. He takes us to training camp with the motley Oakland Raiders of the 1970s. Rules? What rules? Oh, and Art covered Marilyn Monroe's funeral. What? Seriously. Hear about that and more. What a trip.   Spander has been a fixture in the Bay Area sports scene since 1965, and he has practically lived at major sporting events. He attended or covered 67 consecutive Rose Bowls beginning in 1954 when he sold game programs. He has covered the Masters 55 times, including 54 in a row, and nearly every U.S. Open golf tournament since 1966. He has worked more than 40 Super Bowls, and more than 50 tennis Grand Slam events, including Wimbledon about 30 times. Art has covered more than 30 Final Fours, more than 30 British Opens, and the World Series nearly 20 times. He has also covered multiple Summer and Winter Olympics, the Ryder Cup, each of the Triple Crown thoroughbred races, the Indianapolis 500, nearly every Crosby/AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am for more than a half-century and every Cal-Stanford football game since 1968. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Take a trip around the world with Alexander Wolff, one of the most lyrical writers of his era. He shares some gems from chronicling basketball's international growth during his 36 years at Sports Illustrated. We're in a car with him, Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra at 3 a.m. We tag along to remote Asia where royalty wasn't keen on man-to-man D. We hear about Jerry Tarkanian making an offer that Alex refused. Go to Tobacco Road and learn the differences between Dean Smith and Mike Krzyzewski. Alex recounts the college version of Michael Jordan, and how MJ helped spread hoops around the planet. We also talk a little football as Alex explains the backstory of his open letter to The U and its blowback from outraged Miami fans.   The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame recognized Wolff with its 2011 Curt Gowdy Media Award for lifetime contributions to the game as a print journalist. Alex joined Sports Illustrated as a researcher in September 1980 after earning a bachelor's degree in history with honors from Princeton, where he had served as a freelance writer for the Trenton Times. Wolff became a writer at SI in 1982, at age 25, and the magazine named him a senior writer in 1985.   Besides basketball, Wolff also covered the Olympics, the World Cup, the World Series, every Grand Slam tennis event, and the Tour de France before leaving Sports Illustrated and SI.com in 2016 as the longest-tenured writer on staff. He reported from China, Cuba, Russia and Iran, and often wrote about issues where and sports and society intersect.   Wolff's work has been anthologized in The Best American Sports Writing, Best Sports Stories, Sports Illustrated's Fifty Years of Great Writing, and The Princeton Anthology of Writing. In 1996, Alex collaborated with Hoop Dreams filmmakers Peter Gilbert and Steve James to make Team of Broken Dreams, which detailed the impact of the Yugoslav crisis on basketball players from the Balkans. The documentary, based on one of Wolff's Sports Illustrated articles and broadcast on NBC, was nominated for an Emmy and won the International Olympic Committee's Olympic Media Award. When he served as president of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, Wolff helped found the USBWA's Full Court Press journalism scholarship and seminar program. He is the former owner of the now defunct Vermont Frost Heaves, which won American Basketball Association championships in 2007 and 2008.   Wolff is the author or co-author of seven books about basketball: Wolf also edited and introduced a collection of basketball writing for the Library of America in 2018 called “Basketball: Great Writing about America's Game.”   “Endpaper: A Family Story of Books, War, Escape, and Home” is Wolff's latest book, published in 2021. He explores the lives of his grandfather and father, who were both born in Germany and later became American citizens.   Check out Alex's website: https://alexanderwolff.com/   Read articles that Alex wrote for Sports Illustrated: https://alexanderwolff.com/stories-for-sports-illustrated/   Follow him on Twitter: @alexander_wolff Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Steele recounts the many twists and turns in his nearly four decades as a sportswriter. He takes us to Maryland in 1986 when the death of Len Bias shook the sports world. Go into the Garden on the night Anthony Mason sat in the upper deck during a Knicks game while he was suspended. Hear how David got the first print interview with Latrell Sprewell after the player choked his coach P.J. Carlesimo. David tells us about the greatest moment he ever covered: Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals when Michael Jordan made his final shot with the Chicago Bulls. And we discuss David's latest book, “It Was Always a Choice: Picking Up the Baton of Athlete Activism,” which chronicles the long tradition of athletes speaking out against racism, injustice, and oppression.   During his 36 years in sports journalism, David has covered the Olympics, the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, NCAA Final Four, and the playoffs in every major professional and college sport. He has worked for the Sporting News (2011-19), AOL FanHouse (2009-11), the Baltimore Sun, (2004-09) the San Francisco Chronicle (1995-2004), Newsday (1992-95), the New York Post (1988-89), The National Sports Daily (1989-91), and the St. Petersburg Times (1986-88). David was a sports columnist in Baltimore and San Francisco, and prior to that he spent 11 years covering the NBA as a beat reporter in New York and the Bay Area. He covered the NFL and Major League Baseball for the Sporting News and was an NFL beat reporter in St. Petersburg. He has also written for ESPN's The Undefeated, the Washington City Paper, the NAACP's The Crisis and several other publications. While he college, David worked internships at the Washington Post, Newsday, and the Raleigh News and Observer. He is currently writing for Law360.com after a brief stint at Inside Higher Ed. Follow David on Twitter: @David_C_Steele Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices