sportsjabber.net

It’s 10 pm, and I just put the kids down after a long day at Six Flags Great Adventure. A looooooong day. I love roller coasters and, in theory, I love amusement parks. I’m a fan of crowds–check. I’m a fan of rides—check. I’m even a fan of funnel cakes and overpriced milkshakes—check, check. I [...]

Jim Abbott was, by all statistical measures, a mediocre Major League pitcher. Over 10 seasons, his lifetime record was 87-108. He had but five .500-plus runs and, besides a fantastic 18-11 finish in 1991, never totaled more than 12 wins. Although his lifetime ERA of 4.25 is digestible, it’s hardly Gooden-esque. And yet … There’s [...]

There are many keys to researching a book, from lining up the right interviews to finding the right research materials to discovering new little details that have never before been uncovered. Few things, however, are as important to me as the piles. By piles, I mean piles … … and piles … … and piles [...]

I was 13 in 1985, when Whitney Houston’s self-titled debut album arrived at my house as a Chanukah gift.

I knew only a little about Houston, whose song, “You Give Good Love,” was starting to get a lot of play on the radio and MTV. Like, for example, I knew that she sang like the most beautiful of birds. And I knew that her voice was unlike any I had ever heard. And I knew that the photograph of her[...]

Over the past few days Kyle Williams, the 49ers kick returner who had the two key turnovers against the Giants, has been receiving tons and tons and tons of hate. Hate on the radio. Hate on TV. Hate on blogs. Hate on Twitter. To these people, the haters, I offer this message of love and [...]

I am a hypochondriac who, every few months, finds a new reason to think he’s dying.

I’ve found a new reason.

Headaches.

Headaches.

Headaches.

Left side, sorta dull, but have had them every day for several weeks. [...]

A fascinating few weeks ahead for three classes of NFL quarterbacks. Who will emerge? Who will vanish? Who will make pizza on the OWN network with Gayle King?

My thoughts …

2005 Draft

Alex Smith—The first pick, out of Utah, [...]

I don’t want to hear about Joe Paterno’s legacy. I don’t want to hear about what a great coach he’s been; about the young men he’s helped; about the legacy he’s left at State College and Todd Blackledge and Chuck Fusina and Blair Thomas and on and on and on. I don’t want to hear any of it.

If we are going to blame a president for a poor economy and a CEO [...]

Appeared on ESPN Radio’s “Hardly Workin’ With Greg Burton” yesterday afternoon (I do a weekly segment), and Greg agreed to play DJ White Owl’s new song as the intro.

This might sound sorta odd—but a HUGE thrill for me. First, because White Owl is a wonderful man and a killer rapper. Second, because it’s a song about my book, and that’s pretty damn exciting. Third—well, [...]

In the course of researching my new book, Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton, I uncovered something completely, totally, 100 percent unexpected …

Walter Payton’s real age.

Here’s the deal … [...]