Jason Mackey on Career Twists, Sports Media, and Balancing Life

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Curious about the unexpected twists and turns that can shape a career? Jason Mackey's journey from math major to sports writer offers a compelling narrative about the winding paths of professional life. Join us as Jason, inspired by industry giants during his Washington D.C. internship, shares how these experiences led him to a career in sports journalism, eventually landing him at the Washington Post. His stories provide a unique lens into the evolving world of sports media, revealing the camaraderie and challenges that come with it.

The role of a sports columnist is no walk in the park, and our conversation with Jason highlights the complexities and responsibilities that come with the territory. We discuss the importance of accountability and integrity, drawing lessons from legendary figures like Bob Smizek and Ron Cook. There's a noticeable shift from the past's close-knit relationships between journalists and athletes to today's more detached dynamic. We emphasize the necessity of presence and direct engagement, as advised by the late Stan Savern, to maintain trust and authenticity in reporting.

Balancing a demanding career with personal life is no small feat, as illustrated through insights from sports writers and real estate agents alike. Whether it's managing the immediate demands of journalism or closing real estate deals, the common thread is resilience and flexibility. By sharing personal stories, our episode underscores the role of a supportive network that eases the burdens of such careers. Furthermore, we explore the creative process in writing, noting how late-night inspirations and stress-induced dreams can fuel a writer's journey. Tune in for a thoughtful exploration of the intersections between professional aspirations and personal commitments.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, we welcome you to Burn by Rocky Patel here on
the North Shore, just a fewblocks from PNC Park.
Another edition of Hold myCutter, the award-winning
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Don't laugh.
Guest Jason Mackey who, by theway, we always thank our guests
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(00:22):
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Speaker 1 (01:03):
In the midst of a baseball season.

Speaker 3 (01:04):
He did he did?

Speaker 2 (01:05):
He was riding as he was going grabbed it, wrapped it
up In the midst of a baseballseason.

Speaker 3 (01:10):
He did, he did, he was riding as he was going.
Wait, wait, wait.
I did this.
Yes, you did.
Oh, wow, well, that's what thetell is.

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Yeah, I think you got the wrong guest here, man.

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(01:48):
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(02:09):
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(02:32):
Thank you.
David.
Thank you both and thanks toour guest.

Speaker 3 (02:36):
And, of, course, eric Our guest needs no introduction
.

Speaker 1 (02:39):
You've heard that introduction before, but he
truly needs no introduction.
Long-time writer for the Postthe post cassette and a podcast
superstar in his own right hehas done many with all right you
and, uh, he have teamed up inthe past.

Speaker 3 (02:53):
Yeah, we did, we did, we're talking about j mac,
jason mackie oh j mac, I likethat.
We just saw old j mac, by theway james mcdonald jmo j mac.
Okay, remember james mcdonald.
You know he trains dogs.
Now guys I did no way yeah yeah, and you just started coaching
again at little level, but, yeah, isn't that deep jason mackie.

Speaker 1 (03:12):
Tell us, uh, why you got into sports writing.
Was it by accident?

Speaker 2 (03:19):
no, yes and no.
So I I have a really long andwinding career path.
You both have kind of heardthis.
Everybody who knows me hasheard some version of this.
So I actually started out incollege as a math major, believe
it or not.
I wanted to be a secondary highschool math teacher and I got
through my first semester ofcollege at Westminster and

(03:42):
didn't do poorly.
But I just got to a point inthe spring semester where I
tired of it.
I didn't want to do it anymore.
I said what else can I do?
What can I do?
That's fun.
And so I started lookingthrough and there was a
broadcast.

Speaker 3 (03:51):
Anything's more fun than math.
Yeah, I still like math, Istill like Fair enough.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
I don't know if I'm any good at it anymore, but I
still I like it and so I startedlooking through.
I'm like what's fun, what's alittle easier.
I settled on broadcastcommunications, talked to my
parents about it, got the buy-in, switched majors, and so I
guess I need to speed this up alittle bit.

Speaker 3 (04:13):
But not really.
And then, by the way, holydifferent avenue.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
Right oh yeah.
Numbers, numbers.

Speaker 3 (04:22):
To broadcast.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
To broadcast.
And which is another weirdthing about my training, so to
speak, where a lot of people inmy field have gone to journalism
school.
They worked at a daily paperthroughout college.
I did not.
I had basically two formaljournalism courses.
A lot of what I did was in TVand radio.
After switching from math andyou know I did announced I did

(04:44):
your job, brownie.
Frankly, like I went to schoolthinking like I want to be like
greg brown, I want to be likelandy for terry, I want to be
like bill hillgrove or whatever.
I wanted to be on tv.
And then my senior year, Iinterned at a tv station in
washington dc and so I'm goingout to redskins park and and
like, uh, some capital stuff,some wizard stuff, and I'm
seeing how the writers workedand how, like Jason Lock and

(05:07):
four was there at the timeHoward Bryant, mike Wise, barry
Sverluga, these great people atthe Washington Post and I'm like
this is how they operate.
This is what I want to do.
I want to be this person.
So that was sort of a why inthe road for me.
I graduated from college in 06and I just started doing a whole

(05:28):
bunch of random stuff to makeit in sports writing.
That started in 2007.
I won't bore you with all thosedetails, but that's kind of how
I got the real quick.

Speaker 3 (05:33):
Yeah, you said the Avenue that they were taking.
What were they doing?

Speaker 2 (05:37):
that was attractive to you Uncovering stories,
finding stuff.

Speaker 3 (05:41):
So you like the investigation side of it.

Speaker 2 (05:42):
Yeah, and just getting to know people, building
relationships, sourcing,getting people to trust you,
asking questions andoccasionally being a jerk Not
being a jerk intentionally, butlike asking what needs to be
asked.
You know driving how would yousay that?
Not like driving traffic, butdriving the news cycle

(06:03):
surrounding a team.
Like I, would watch Jason LaConfora work and this was the
time he's the Redskins beatwriter at the Washington Post
and he commanded that beat.

Speaker 1 (06:12):
Are you trying to drive a narrative as a writer,
or are you trying to reflectwhat people are interested in
knowing about that event?

Speaker 2 (06:20):
I'm not trying to drive my personal narrative.
I'm trying to drive whatnarrative?
What the team steers.
Okay, you know, if they'replaying really well.
I want to accentuate that andgive fans, readers, a closer
look into what's happening.
If they're playing poorly, I'mgoing to at least, as a beat
writer, try to report and givethem a look into why things
aren't going.

Speaker 1 (06:40):
Obviously it's different as a college.
Jason Mackey, our guest on,Hold my Cutter, have you had
relationships fractured becauseof something you have written or
even asked in a locker room ora clubhouse?

Speaker 2 (06:53):
I think it's a little different on the columnist side
.
I was a beat writer on Penguinsfrom 14 through 19,.
We'll say give or take, pirates19 to april of this year be
right or no.
I never had an issue withanybody and there really hasn't
been any issue on the columnistside either.
I think people grasp that yourjob is to criticize or levy

(07:15):
opinion or whatever.

Speaker 3 (07:16):
People are sensitive.
So I'm sure you you ruffledsome feathers.
I'm sure I have because peoplelike, when you bring out honesty
, that's usually when people getmad.
Yeah, right.
So a lot of times that's tough.

Speaker 2 (07:27):
Yeah, and so this isn't a direct way of answering,
but this is the way I've alwaysapproached that side of things
that if I've done everything theright way, if my process has
been sound, I don't really careif anybody gets mad.

Speaker 1 (07:41):
No, I'm not saying you should care.
In fact, I'm wondering I'veheard this before that some
people believe that in order todo their jobs right maybe more
so columnists, now that you areone rather than just a beat
writer that you almost have toruffle feathers in order to do a
good job.
I think some people havebelieved that over the years.
I think some of that's true.
Where else?

Speaker 3 (07:56):
does accountability come from, right, right, I mean,
even when I was a kid that'swhat it was.
I'll never forget walking intopawtucket and I'm in triple a
and there's 15 writers in there.
Yeah, and it's because we're soclose to boston.
I was overwhelmed.
And they're asking realquestions.
Yeah, and nobody prepares youfor that.

Speaker 2 (08:12):
You have to go through it I think what
brownie's talking about is areally interesting point and
frankly it's.
It's something I can admit as ayounger columnist, sort of like
getting my sea legs.
You know, I look at somebodylike Bob Smizing, who I grew up
reading and idolizing Ron Cook,gene Collier, people that have
come before me at the PostGazette who were just like
legends of media in this townand I mean we have guys like

(08:34):
that now, like Joe Starkey andPaul Zeiss.
These guys have just doneamazing, amazing work and yeah,
I think you have to kind of growinto that a little bit, like I
don't think anybody wants to seethe 40-year-old who just
started doing this be like superheavy-handed and start telling
everybody exactly what theythink.
And I can't fit my ego throughthe door, I don't know.

(08:57):
I feel like I have to kind ofearn that a little bit.
Maybe that's wrong on my part,but that's why I go to a ton of
things.
That's probably not the directanswer to your question.

Speaker 1 (09:07):
No, I don't know if there is a direct question.

Speaker 2 (09:09):
I think you need to be critical and I think I've
been critical.
I would say my criticism hasprobably been a little bit more
rooted in analysis, slashreporting, slash stuff you would
do as a writer.
Yeah, but you know, when Ireflect on it, like, I started
doing this in April and I thinkit would be really weird if I
completely grasp the entirething by like the end of August.

(09:31):
You know, like I, I'm, I'mworking, I work all the time.
I put out a lot of time.
Um, I take a lot of pride inthat and I take a lot of pride
in getting better and learningdifferent aspects of the job.
So I think there's some of itthat I've gotten gotten right
and I think the more criticalpointed stuff is an area of
growth for me where I look at Iguess I was bringing up Smizek

(09:54):
and Cook.
I think that's something thoseguys did so well where they can
rip somebody and you know youlook at that and that's that.
That demands accountability.

Speaker 1 (10:02):
It seems to me over the years, the decades, when it
comes to sports writing andwhether you're a beat writer or
a columnist, it's been a seachange over the years.
Because back in the earlystages of when baseball was in
its heyday, for example… thecolumnists, the beat writers,

(10:24):
traveled with the team on trainsand planes and so on.
They would go out and havedrinks with the players and hang
out with them.
There was that trust factor youtalked about.
So you got way better storiesProbably.
But then at some point, jason,both the columnists and the
writers did have this separationand it was strong and it lasts.

(10:50):
I think, probably until this day, that there's a bad feeling
that I sense, not between youand the current crop, but over
the years, that the writers Iprobably shouldn't mention I
guess I could.
They wouldn't care, they'dprobably be proud of the label.
But you mentioned Bob Smizek.
Yeah, they wouldn't care,they'd probably be proud of the

(11:10):
label.
But you mentioned Bob Smizek.
Yeah, bruce Kydon.
Yeah, phil Musick, pittsburghwriters who have come in and
over the years, nationally theyhave this again.
Maybe it's a proud label thatthey wear, that they were almost
.
When they entered a clubhouseyou could feel the tenseness.
Yeah, they entered a clubhouse.
You could feel the tenseness,yeah, you know, between player
and writer.

Speaker 2 (11:28):
Yeah that they were there to almost like stir some
stuff up.
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (11:34):
They were there to criticize and the players knew
it and you know they knew it wascoming Right, if you're here
you're here to get me.

Speaker 3 (11:41):
You got a bunch of sharks sniffing blood and I
don't want that.
I don't want that.
I don't want that for me.
I don't.
I don't ever.
The thing is, it's like some ofthose guys don't show up, they
write and leave.
Yeah, you always show up.
And I remember stan saverintelling me that, yep, like he
took pride in walking in nomatter what he said on the radio
, no matter what he said on tv,and he wanted the accountability
too because there are thosethat write or talk who never

(12:06):
appear, right, not in theclubhouse, but in the press box.

Speaker 1 (12:10):
Yep, they just yap either on the radio or write,
and they don't appear anywhere.

Speaker 2 (12:16):
That doesn't make me write or that I know everything.
It's not my business to tellanybody else how to do the job,
but like that is something Iwill always do.
I don't understand how to notdo that Like I.
I have to go, I have to see it,I have to talk to people, I
have to be there to experienceit.
You know, I've probably been apain in the butt with the post,
because that for a good reasonand they've been wonderful with

(12:38):
supporting me.
It's not a criticism about likewanting to go, wanting to
travel, wanting to get out andreport on things Um, wanting to
get out and report on things, Ijust I can't envision doing it
without that.
And as I like I stepped intothis job when Ron Cook retired
and so like I had a little bitof time where I knew Ron was
retiring and I could kind ofchart my path.
I actually did all of springtraining knowing that I was

(12:58):
going to transition into thisand I sort of thought about what
kind of columnist do I want tobe?
How do I want to handle thisjob?
And it's never somebody thatjust writes my opinion and then
doesn't back it up or like ripsomebody and then doesn't look
them in the eye.
Now that's maybe going to be alittle bit different.
Maybe I'm not going to writesomething that's as caustic, but

(13:18):
I want to be able to do acolumn that's reported.
I want to be able to take thereader in a place and offer my
opinion and do that withfeatures, do that with opinion,
do that with a high volume, dothat with analysis, do that with
quirky stories.
I view it this was my careergoal, where I wanted to get to
something where I could report,I could columnize, slash, give

(13:41):
my opinion, slash, basicallywrite whatever the heck I want
to, and I'm very grateful to thePost-Gazette that they've given
me that opportunity.
We're still trying to figureout how to sort of best navigate
all that and not piss off theother beat writers, not piss off
columnists, trying to figureout how to give readers what
they deserve.
But yeah, it's been a fun thing, man, it really is.

Speaker 1 (14:03):
I mean, you can be fair, you can be tough, you can
be thought-provoking, you can befair, you can be tough, you can
be thought-provoking, you canbe interesting All those things
as a columnist, right?
I mean that's the point thatshould be, I guess, maybe the
goal.

Speaker 2 (14:13):
Yeah, and there are people.
Paul Zeiss is one.
We can talk in absolutes.
I admire how much Paul can sitthere and tell you exactly what
he thinks and give you anargument for it, and he has the,
the personality and the, the,the I don't even know what you
would call it.

(14:33):
Um, to pull that off and godbless paul I'm.

Speaker 1 (14:34):
That's fantastic, because paul doesn't care what
anybody thinks of paul zeiss.
No, he could care less what youthink of his opinion and he's
very strong-minded.
Exactly he's.
No, there's no gray area withpaul.

Speaker 2 (14:45):
That's great and I he should do that, and I love that
paul does that, and so and Itry to be my own person.
You know I don't.
I would be inauthentic if I didthat, right.
You know I would be inauthenticif I tried to write like gene
collier I can't write, like notmany humans on the planet can
write like gene collier.
I try.
I think I do a pretty good job.
I've done a pretty good job ona beat building sources, getting

(15:07):
to know people, getting them totrust me, having them realize
what I'm about, having someintegrity, knowing journalism,
ethics, all that stuff, andusing that to tell a story.
And so now I get to infuse myopinion a little bit more and
analyze a little bit more,criticize a little bit more, but
yeah, to me the most to try tobe yourself man.

Speaker 1 (15:28):
Yeah, yeah, I've tried to do that.
That's the best advice of allTrue to yourself, yeah.

Speaker 2 (15:32):
Yeah, if I'm being something fake or that people
can't believe, somebody told mea long time ago Brownie, in this
field and you guys willprobably get this People need to
know that you would run intotraffic for your beat and I've
always approached my job thatway with the penguins, the
pirates, anything like that youwill always get my best.

(15:52):
I might not make every decision.
That's correct.
You can certainly criticize andI try to take criticism, take
coaching.
I'm not perfect, but I try andthat I will never shortchange
anybody on effort and like.
So far it's gotten me a decentways.
I'm 40 years old.
I started doing this in 2007.

Speaker 3 (16:10):
I worked about 9,000 jobs growing up through as a
young journalist, common themewith everybody that's in the
media industry, whether it'swriting, broadcasting.

Speaker 1 (16:18):
You grind, dude, everybody grinds and that's
dying.
That's dying Even at the majorleague level.

Speaker 3 (16:20):
Guys want it now, absolutely, that's right.
Even at the major league level.
Yep, guys want it nowAbsolutely.
That's not the way it works.
That's society.
That's ridiculous.
That's society, yep.

Speaker 1 (16:28):
Hey, but, by the way, have you ever had, over your
years in pro ball, minor leagues, big leagues, ever had an issue
with anything?
Anybody has written about you?
I mean, you're such a nicehuman.
I think people probably, overthe years, have and do have, uh

(16:48):
and and do you find that too,jason, that the nicer the player
might be at any sport, thatyou're?

Speaker 2 (16:51):
gonna be.
Maybe cut the guy some slack,oh and is that a fine line?
So I have a couple thoughts onthat.
Sorry for it, am I?

Speaker 1 (16:57):
you want, you want to get out of here.
He's thinking about that.
No, no, I think.

Speaker 3 (17:00):
I think what I would say is the depth to the story.
I I think sometimes it's toughto get the whole picture,
especially like in a short blogor whatever it be.
Yeah, I mean, when I was here Igot destroyed constantly Me and
Rod Bross didn't throw out manyguys, but he was throwing out
7%, I was throwing out 20%, butI just got wrapped into it.

(17:21):
But I was also trying to figureout how to be a big leaguer.
I was being told by the media Ineeded to be the starter and I
wasn't the starter.
Rod didn't know what to do.
Organization kind of kept me offthe side and I was lost.
It literally impacted my play.
But what nobody knew duringthat time is I had a torn labrum
.
I played for years with a tornlabrum that I had from Boston.

(17:43):
The reason I didn't get calledup is because I was rehabbing it
and then I pretend like itdidn't exist anymore.
So I didn't get called up.
So I think sometimes as aplayer you don't know what you
can share, what you should share, because organizations always
watching their back.

Speaker 1 (17:57):
Plus, you also have to watch out for you, and you've
got to watch out for you, butthey also got to do them.

Speaker 3 (18:02):
I know, and if I had to had to do over, I would
probably find someone like aJason that I would go to.
Yeah, here's where I'm at.
Here's what's going on, and lethim have the exclusive, because
I believe in his writing.

Speaker 2 (18:15):
It's not even that for it, Having like just having
reason right.
I hate that about my job, whereyou're writing saying something
and there's no way for us toknow that if I was covering that
, if I was covering you writingsaying something, and there's no
way for us to know that if Iwas covering that, if I was
covering you, the only way Iwould know that is if you told
me so.
If you told me that either, yes, I could break that story,
although I don't really care ifI'm like breaking a story about

(18:36):
your personal health, that'syour business but it does allow
to better inform my coverage,better inform what I'm talking
about.
There's so many layers to that,so many layers to that.

Speaker 1 (18:48):
And fans?
I didn't realize it until Ikind of got in the business.
But the fans, if they see a guynot running hard, automatically
lazy, whatever, run hard, theymay not know that this player is
nursing something the playerdoesn't want to tell anybody,
because then if it's somewherein print, even if it's Jason

(19:08):
Mackey, found out throughMichael McHenry.
Absolutely Teammates.
They know right away, they'llread that and go aha.
Then that tells something aboutMichael McHenry.

Speaker 3 (19:18):
And it's easy to say when you're playing well,
because you feel like playingwell.
What are they going to do?

Speaker 1 (19:23):
Get rid of me right, I'm doing fine playing well.
What are they going to do?
Get rid of me, right, I'm doingfine.
You look great.

Speaker 3 (19:27):
Look, you're playing through it, you got a torn labor
, but that also going out 45%.

Speaker 2 (19:30):
Look at Michael McHenry.

Speaker 3 (19:31):
Right, but that also goes to that ego aspect.
Yeah, like so you've got tobalance that out, and I think
that's something that's nottaught to guys anymore
especially well is like hey,it's your career.
I know this is your careerCause you're going to jump teams
, you're going to do a lot ofthings.
It's very rare to see guys likeVotto.

Speaker 2 (19:52):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (19:52):
You're just not going to see it much anymore.
It's hop around.
Guys are getting the big leagueso early and if you don't have
an attachment to the town andthe team right, there's really
only one other thing.
It's the close circle you haveand your career.
So I think being able to helpkids and try to navigate it,
especially in college with theNIL stuff, deal with guys like

(20:14):
you, because there's moreweasels than guys that actually
do it properly because they'retrying to get the clicks.

Speaker 2 (20:20):
So, yes yes, and I don't try to get clicks by
making, I get clicks by.
I'm just going to write a lot.

Speaker 3 (20:26):
I'm going to cover you aggressively and I found
that out about you real quick.

Speaker 2 (20:29):
That's great, and I've been very upfront with
readers, with the pirates, withanybody.
You have a charity event that'sfor the Miracle League, or
you're going to do somethinggreat for the community, I'm
going to go.
If there is somebody gettingfired or there's something that
needs to look into, you're notplaying well.
I'm going to write about it,I'm going to attack it.
It's going to be the same thing.
I'm going to cover youaggressively.
I'm going to hopefully do itfairly, but I'm going to cover

(20:49):
you aggressively and I thinkthat's worked out well for all
involved.
I want to tell you guys a funnystory, though, about Sidney
Crosby.
I don't know if I've ever toldit to you career, so I was
probably a couple years intocovering the Penguins and it's
off the record.

(21:09):
I don't think Sid would mindsharing this because it makes
him look really good.
But one time we were talkingabout okay, let me back up.
We're in Vancouver and I wasasking Jake Gensel about not
scoring and Sid's right next tohim.
Sid goes that's a good thing.
They'reensel about not scoringand Sid's right next to him.
Sid goes that's a good thing.
They're asking you about notscoring, you're going to score

(21:29):
and, ironically, gensel scoredthat night.

Speaker 1 (21:31):
It was funny.

Speaker 2 (21:32):
But so Sid kind of laughed about that and so that
ended up a larger discussion.
And he goes what kind ofpressure do you think that?

Speaker 1 (21:57):
you would put on me that I'm not already putting on
myself.

Speaker 2 (21:59):
Well said he goes Well said than anybody could
possibly put on me, and sothat's true.
That's an approach that I'vetaken in beat work and it's an
approach I've taken as acolumnist that if you're writing
based on fact, people don't getmad at you.

Speaker 1 (22:15):
Yeah, how can you?

Speaker 2 (22:16):
if you deal in reality, you deal in facts and
you don't make crap up for noreason.
If you're accurate in yourreporting of things which is
another thing we can get intoabout how I or other people get
scoops or how that whole processworks, you don't deal with
people getting mad if you dealin truth.

Speaker 1 (22:34):
Interestingly enough, though, in baseball and I think
it's all sports now it'screeped in there are so many
nuances because of the numbersand the science involved, and so
you could say he's one for hislast 30.

Speaker 3 (22:46):
The manipulation that's involved.

Speaker 1 (22:48):
But he's that exit velo.
So get the heck out of herewith that brownie.

Speaker 2 (22:53):
Well, that's all right.
Yeah, I know, but you know whatI'm saying there.

Speaker 3 (22:56):
I know To your point it's manipulated.

Speaker 1 (22:58):
I know that's what numbers are.
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (23:01):
Yeah, it's easy to dwell it out to the point where
I'm writing a story or a columnabout it.
It better not be manipulatable.

Speaker 3 (23:10):
I don't know if that's a word sounds good, but
even if it is Mackie, you'rewilling to sit down and talk to
somebody and hear them out, andI respect that about you.
But that's what you got to dobecause you may learn something.
It's like this is what you arenot seeing that we're utilizing.
Like that's how you get a scoop, I'm sure, but like there's a
lot more information that theteam has, it's usually not
actually, but that's all right.
Well, there's just so much morethat's not shared.

(23:33):
A lot of times that makes ittough.

Speaker 2 (23:35):
And that's one thing that irritates me.
If we talk about media today,like how thoroughly things are
vetted, you know why do youthink you see so much crap wrong
that like something comes outand you're like, oh wait, wait,
wait, wait, that's not accurate,or something like that.
You have fake news and a bunchof people who have reported on
stuff Give all of this a badname because you get one person
to say something and you all ofa sudden, that's that becomes

(23:57):
I'm going to go run to Twitterand I'm going to go tweet this
and then I'm going to go get abunch of attention for myself.
That's not how you do it.
That's not how this works, atleast not effectively, Like I,
at least on baseball, wouldmaintain a bunch of scouts, that
I talked to agents, that Italked to team people, that I
would talk to One of them, and Idon't think I'm giving away any
state secrets.
It's just like you try to stayplugged into your beat around

(24:22):
the industry.
What are you hearing?
What do you got on this guy?
Where have you been?
How's the family?
You know, just stay in contactwith people and they say, hey,
I'm hearing this.
You know if you heard this,what's going on.
Okay, Maybe you've talked tosomebody else.
Text, call some other people.
Eventually you get enough smoke.
You move to a little closer, alittle closer, a little, but by
the time you get there you'repretty darn sure that it's right

(24:46):
, Unless somebody, by the veryoff chance, tells me hey, this
is happening and don't use myname.
That doesn't happen very often.
You're often kind of working ina circle trying to narrow down
what you're looking at.

Speaker 1 (25:01):
Anyway, you know what's interesting about for me
watching.
So after games I'll often sitand do notes and kind of prep
for the next day and I'llsometimes be in that booth for
another hour after the last outyeah, sometimes longer and
walking through that press box.
I have such respect for writersbecause they're sitting there

(25:24):
in a quiet sometimes dependingon the conditions hot press box,
but just they're typing theirstories.

Speaker 2 (25:30):
Hopefully quiet.

Speaker 1 (25:31):
This is a couple of hours after the game ends and
sometimes the team is headingout of town to another city.
Those writers are stayingovernight.
They got to get up the nextmorning and go and the travel
and to get those stories out.
Now it's easier.
I'm sure now that it was 20years ago, jason, to get stories
out, but more is expected ofyou, okay.

Speaker 2 (25:51):
Explain that, explain that More but more is expected
of you.
Okay, explain that.
Explain that More is expectedof you.
You feed the beast 24-7.
Get fresh headlines on things.
Get a morning story up.
I've had breakfast with Smiziktalking about this and how
different things were.
Like he would write one storyand be done.
You know, even us talking LikeI'm seeing my phone go off.

(26:12):
I don't know what the heck ishappening, but like there's
always that threat of somethinghappening in the middle of the
night, like you're on call, nextyear on call.
And if something happens you'vegot to write it.
This is a true and sort ofpathetic anecdote about me.
Like if I go on a date with mywife or out on a family outing
still to this day I will take mylaptop, just in case something

(26:33):
happens.
I don't want to be caughtwithout it.
You might end up at a weirdsetting.
I've written stories.
You know, my kids were gettingice cream.
We're hanging out.
I'm in the car writing up astory about Ali Sanchez if you
can believe it about the pot.
Like that's what happens, and Idon't.
I don't want to turn it off,because I've always operated on
the mantra of, like peopleshould see me running into

(26:55):
traffic for my beat, I don'twant to say, oh, I'm off, it's
not my day, it's somebody else'sproblem, no, it's my problem.
I took it on, I'm accountablefor it.

Speaker 3 (27:03):
How's the balance with that?
With your family, With myfamily?

Speaker 2 (27:05):
Yeah because I know how much you love.
Well, abby's also a writer but,like she is, you love your kids
.
I do, and I see my kids all thetime and they, we live it.
We live it as a family.
Like my kids get an up-closeand personal view of what it's
like doing this and we try tomake it fun.
My five-year-old teddy walksaround the house saying he's a
columnist, he has credentialsand a laptop.

(27:28):
We watch games together.
Oh, that's great writers.
Writers are 10 year old.
He's getting more into footballand um that he cares about,
from a certain perspective,watching you guys.
Frankly, they love watchinggames because they know oh,
there's Fort, there's Brown.

Speaker 3 (27:43):
You make my day when you text me and one of them
talks about the Fort.
They do Teddy talks constantlyabout it.

Speaker 2 (27:48):
He wants you to look out for catcher's equipment if
you ever find it.
Teddy wants to be a catcher andthen he wants to show you the
catcher's equipment that he gets.
Wow, that's great.

Speaker 1 (27:57):
Sorry, that's way down the rabbit hole.
That's great.

Speaker 2 (28:00):
No, my wife is a saint.
She's amazing, and I work in aprofession where a lot of people
, I think, probably haveproblems at home, like they
don't love their wife or there'sissues or they don't have a
wife, or there's like I love mywife to death.

Speaker 3 (28:14):
I think she's the greatest person on the planet
and I've seen that.
What's so cool is she's awesome.
You guys have met her.
She's fantastic, she'soutstanding.
I think we've all married.

Speaker 1 (28:23):
Keeps me humble too.

Speaker 3 (28:24):
Yeah, we've done a good job when it comes to our
wives.
But you said something and Isee this in you too is you know
what you're getting into andit's your life.
The the job kind of moldsaround everything you do.
Sometimes that's hard, but ifyou're going to be great at
anything, that's what you haveto do, right?
Well, you flow in life based onwhat you do I've had this

(28:47):
conversation with you, brownie.

Speaker 2 (28:48):
I don't know if you've ever remembered it, but
I've taken this piece of adviceand stretch it a long way.
But you say, like in season youjust become so consumed by it,
you become almost a differentperson that you get sucked into
it and then, once the seasonends, you kind of like back off,
breathe.
It's a different stage of life,but in season the focus

(29:08):
required and that doesn't meanlike I'm just going to ignore my
family and I only do things forme, like, of course not.
That doesn't mean like I'm justgoing to ignore my family and I
only do things for me, like, ofcourse not.
But the focus it requires isintense.
There are sacrifices you haveto be made.
I don't have, you know, a tonof friends.
I don't go out and socialize alot Like.
My stuff is centered aroundthings like this going on the
road, work, stuff after work,other writers, media members,

(29:32):
that sort of thing, which I love.
It's not a complaint.
But you don't live a normallife, you can't Go ahead.

Speaker 3 (29:39):
I got a question for you.
You said you carry your laptopeverywhere.
I want to hear weirdest place,coolest place and most
ridiculous time.

Speaker 1 (29:49):
Don't forget that, because, as you're thinking
about it, speaking of movingaround.
Thank you, brown.
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negotiating and relentless inyour pursuit of happiness.
If you're buying or sellingreal estate, you need to call
Eric Katz.
She's strategic, smart andaggressive in her approach.

(30:11):
She's no joke.
When it comes to that bulldogclaim, she goes after it.
What is it again?
Fort Yep, you're the Fort.
You're J-Mac, she's the bulldog.
She's in it to win it for you.
Check out her online reviewsEra.
Like Sarah, without the S Cats,home inventory is scarce,

(30:33):
interest rates are high, high,multiple offers it's enough to
make your head spin.
Now more than ever, you need aknowledgeable real estate agent.
You need a closer.
You don't want to win the game,but you want to finish it with
the least amount of stress onyou and your family.
So call eric katz, realtor atberkshire hathaway home services
814-758-8623 for guidance.

Speaker 2 (30:55):
now back to your all right question from what that
was outstanding, that was reallygood that was really good she's
, she's got, she's got goodwriters I like it so
I'm trying to think of awkwardones and I don't know if I have
one.
That's really embarrassing.
I want to tell one that givesabby credit, because is not easy
.
I couldn't do this if the shoewas on the other foot.

(31:15):
One time we were at Mad Max inCannonsburg I think a little
down by you.
We're out to eat as a familyand something happens.
I forget I've got to write onsomething and it's gotten to the
point with Ab and I that likeif something happens we'll see
it.
I'll say you know they'vetraded so-and-so.

(31:35):
She goes, okay, I'll see youlater.
You know it's a meeting.

Speaker 3 (31:38):
Time to go.

Speaker 2 (31:39):
We know the look she goes.
All right, I'll see you in abit.

Speaker 3 (31:41):
Do you get a pat on the butt?
Sometimes, Usually not Abby.
You need to go ahead.

Speaker 2 (31:52):
Give me a little pat on the kids.
We're going, you know.
She instantly transitioned tolike all right, what?
What adventure are we going todo?
How much time are we going to?
You know, would it be like allright, text me when you're done,
you know.
And they go.
They go do their thing.
You know she'll what to.
I'm going to run things my way.
This is the way it's going togo in our house.
I've got the kids.
This is what we do.

(32:20):
We get out, we, we do things.
We're active.
We try to be an active family,not let our kids just like sit
on the couch and watch.
We try to get out and do stuffand then she'll let what?
What can you be a part of?
So anyway, there's a lot ofstuff like that where it's like
I got to go.
All right, cool, see you in anhour.
I'll text you.
Love you.

Speaker 3 (32:40):
Bye, just gets worked out.
Do you feel like that about theoffseason?

Speaker 1 (32:44):
Oh, I mean, he and I have talked about this.
I think that I tell peoplefriends, family that once we're
down in spring training and itstarts, when I'm talking to
people, I'm talking to them andI'm listening, but not

(33:05):
completely, I'm not all in andit's not intentional.
And once the season ends it'sthe great exhale.
And once the season ends, it'sthe great exhale.
And now you go into the, theperson that you are, for three
or four months where you'refully engaged and you can do
things you can't do.
You're just, you're tied.
You know that ballpark is myumbilical cord and I I can't, I

(33:29):
can't venture, far from it.
I've got family all over thecountry and and I tell them,
I'll have a cup of coffee, maybea little lunch near the hotel,
but I don't want to wander far.
And I've talked about otherannouncers.
I don't know if you guys havethis situation when the season
ends.
We all have these dreams,sometimes nightmares oh, I meant
to say this is a good point Fora few weeks afterward where

(33:51):
you're in a location where youlook up at the clock and the
pregame show is about to startin like two minutes, and there's
no way you can get from point ato the press box, or or?
I'll never forget one.
I'm in the gift shop, the hotellobby, picking up something
before I take the bus, and Irealized I missed the bus, so
anyway hey, after covid I thinkI can get anywhere.

Speaker 3 (34:15):
How messy that was.
And yeah, running around yeah,yeah, I figured out yeah, you
figured out, I think in thedream, like always figure out,
yeah yeah, so here's a versionof that applied to writers in my
position.

Speaker 2 (34:28):
I sleep horribly, horribly makes two of us yeah,
three, because I will get up attwo in the morning with an idea,
with something that I haven'twritten.
I want to write, I want to lookinto, I want to research, I
want to read.

Speaker 3 (34:40):
I can't wait to hear what you do.

Speaker 2 (34:42):
Whatever I mean, it's a pretty simple process.
I can't wait.
I get out of the bed, I godownstairs to the couch or the
dining room table and I startworking.
I don't know how many columnsI've written columns, stories,
whatever you want to call themat two in the morning, and then
I usually don't file that.
But I'll, you know, get back upin the morning, look at it.

Speaker 3 (35:01):
Like is this coherent ?
Why don't you file them?
How long, how long will that go?
I don't trust myself.

Speaker 1 (35:05):
How long will that go by the way, how long like that
process take Hour, hour and ahalf Okay.

Speaker 3 (35:11):
Usually by then I've like tired myself out yeah, so
I'm like yeah, once you get theidea out, yeah, hit the pillow
that's kind of it, yeah, like ifit's probably a great sleep
after that.

Speaker 2 (35:20):
Oh, it's great, yeah, yeah you conk out but I mean
yeah if I I'll lay there in bedand I'll fight it.
Sometimes I'd be like you can'tget out of it, you gotta.

Speaker 1 (35:28):
You gotta get to sleep like it's just not the
time and then I'll.

Speaker 2 (35:31):
Either it'll either be the version where I'm like,
just keep, I keep thinking aboutit, or then I get scared.
I'm like if I don't get out ofbed, I'm gonna lose this.
And then I'll be standing infront of a blank sitting in
front of a blank screen tomorrowsaying why didn't you just get
out of bed and write what youhad in your head?

Speaker 3 (35:48):
you know what I mean like dude, I literally like
you're making me not feel crazy.

Speaker 2 (35:53):
So I view my job and this is just me.
Maybe some writers don't dothis.
You should be creative.
I try to lean into creativity.
I'm a firm believer of puttinggood words in.
Hopefully good words come out.
I enjoy reading various writersthroughout the country.
I mentioned Barry Sverluga fromthe Washington Post.
He's now a columnist there.

(36:13):
It's my favorite writer in thecountry.
I mentioned Barry Sverluga fromthe Washington Post.
He's now a columnist there.
It's my favorite writer in thecountry.

Speaker 3 (36:16):
I read the Washington Post just for him.
What makes him your favoritewriter?
Because I always think this isinteresting.

Speaker 2 (36:21):
Yeah and it will.
I hope there's some of me inthat.
I'm not Barry, I'll never beBarry, but I was always taught
report first, write second.
If you're writing stuff that'snot reported, it's never going
to be the same.
But if you're reporting things,if you're reporting details,
narrative research, getting yourfeet under you, planning, doing

(36:42):
the proper legwork, the writingis the necessary second
component of that.
So I hope that a lot of what Iwrite has been reported, has
been.
You know, there are steps thatI've taken to make this good.
You would know this, Brownie.
You would too Derek Gould fromthe St Louis Post-Dispatch.

Speaker 3 (36:56):
He's another guy.

Speaker 2 (36:57):
I think the Post-Dispatch with Rick Hummel
RIP the commish, but they dosuch an incredible job covering
baseball.
I love reading thePost-Dispatch for that reason,
and I think Derek just does agreat job of spinning narrative
and you're not regurgitating abasic this is what happened in
the game, that's it.
You're hopefully and artfullytelling the reader what happened

(37:19):
and why it's significant.
So that's yeah.
Anyway, I guess I started onthat tangent about trying to
seek creativity in this job, andso I always do that.
I'm always trying to read orrun or balance things out
talking to people they're justlistening to music different
ways to spark creativity in allof us, but I try to be mindful
of that and try to stay ascreative as possible.

(37:40):
If I'm not being creative, I'mnot doing my job.

Speaker 3 (37:43):
And Brownie, do you know his writing process?
He's like Eminem.
He throws on his headphones andgoes to the 8 Mile.
I'm not Eminem.

Speaker 2 (37:51):
I'm basically autistic, eminem.

Speaker 3 (37:55):
I know you're a music buff.
Yeah, like, what are some ofthe like songs or artists that
you run to?
I know that.
Yeah, we've talked about musicbefore.
I think that's really neat.
Everybody has a process, yep,so so I mean god's honest truth
about me.

Speaker 2 (38:09):
I'm like noise averse .
I hate, I hate random noises.
They distract me.
I struggle with them A littlebit.
Yeah, I have a tough time andso I have noise-canceling
headphones that I'll throw on.
Turn on.
I listen to the Grateful Dead.
You guys know this.
I listen to a lot of theGrateful Dead.
When I'm writing, I'll listento their instrumental stuff.
They have these elongated jamsthere's no words, it's just

(38:32):
screwing.
So if I listen to something withwords I can't do it.
So I'll listen to Grateful Deadelongated jams, fish elongated
jams, dead Company.
I've recently really got intojazz.
Writing to jazz Nice Stuff thatjust does not have any words to
it but has good music, a goodflow and something that, frankly
, I can't hear the outside worldwhen I'm listening to it.

(38:53):
So when I'm writing, when I'mresearching, when I'm really
trying to get in the zone, I'lloften have headphones and I'm
probably like the weirdo in thepress box, kind of like swaying.
I try to not do that, butsometimes it's inevitable.
But yeah, try to listen to someto drown out the noise in the
press box.

Speaker 1 (39:08):
Of course you know, his wife has a music background
because of her father.
Yeah, trivia question.

Speaker 3 (39:15):
You know about this, I do not.

Speaker 2 (39:16):
Let's go, brownie knows this, you can pop it on
him.
Does she play the bagpipes?

Speaker 1 (39:23):
No, abby and I are both musical people, but here
I'm going to let Brownie do thisand then I'll talk about our
music.
Well, her father was part of agroup.
I don't know what years theywere.

Speaker 2 (39:33):
What would you say their years were?

Speaker 1 (39:34):
I have no idea, frankly.
70s Late, 70s Early 80s.

Speaker 2 (39:37):
What was their top?

Speaker 1 (39:37):
hit.
I'm a bad son-in-law.

Speaker 2 (39:38):
What was their top hit?
Play that funky music.
White Boy, what yeah?
So my father-in-law was in WildCherry.
You've heard of that song, ofcourse.

Speaker 3 (39:49):
That group was originated in the Steubenville
area, right Mango.

Speaker 1 (39:52):
Junction.
Was he the funky white boy?
I don't think he's the funkywhite boy.
Who is the funky white boy?

Speaker 2 (39:58):
He's definitely not the funky white boy, although
he's a great white boy.
I hit the in-laws lottery.

Speaker 3 (40:05):
You never know, maybe it's in there.
You just the in-laws lottery.
You never know, you know maybe,maybe it's in there you just
haven't got it out of them inthe 70s.

Speaker 2 (40:11):
He just but now.
So we we both have musicalbackgrounds.
I little known fact about me Iwas a band geek in high school
um played football, playedbaseball was very much a jock.

Speaker 3 (40:21):
But was also in the band both.
What do you go to halftime?

Speaker 2 (40:24):
we.
This is great.
Shout out the brentwood highschool.
I love that they did this.
They would like the band.
We had a bunch of guys on ourfootball team who were also in
the band, and so the banddirector said I don't want to
lose, you, don't worry about it,play football.
Come see me after the season.
I'd rather get part of you thantry to like make them march out
at halftime or something.
Play football, I'll see you forjazz band, concert band,

(40:47):
anything you want to do like.
I'd rather keep some music inyour life.
What instrument?
uh, all kinds I started outplaying clarinet, moved to tenor
, saxophone, alto saxophone,guitar and drums you still do
any of that at all just guitar,okay, and not as much as I would
like.

Speaker 3 (41:01):
I have one on my basement.

Speaker 2 (41:02):
I rarely play it.
Yeah, I wish I played could youteach me?

Speaker 3 (41:04):
I have a guitar that I've never played.

Speaker 2 (41:06):
Yeah, I could.
I'd love to.
I could teach you a little bit,I'd love to learn what kind.

Speaker 3 (41:10):
Whatever you want, all right.

Speaker 2 (41:12):
What kind of guitar?

Speaker 1 (41:12):
do you have.

Speaker 3 (41:14):
Oh, I have no clue.
One of my favorite artistssigned it.
All right, it's just sittingthere and it stares at me.

Speaker 2 (41:23):
It's like you can't play me.

Speaker 1 (41:25):
Before I forget the Mingo Junction tie is my uncle
was a priest.
I told you that story at theonly Catholic church at Mingo
Junction.

Speaker 2 (41:33):
for a long time he was a pastor, you and Abby had
that realization at some point,right?
Well, you and I talked about itone night and you went on and
on.

Speaker 1 (41:40):
I said Mingo Junction .
My uncle's from Mingo, whoknows where Mingo Junction is?
I know.
I didn't know that Wild Cherrywas from Mingo Junction.
Funky white boy over here, doyou have any?

Speaker 3 (41:54):
musical background.
That's another episode.

Speaker 1 (41:55):
He always does that he defers?
I want to ask this questionabout your favorite story that
you wrote or broke, okay, andwhat it was like.
We talk about his firstprofessional major league at bat
when you're're in the bigleagues, your first broadcast in
the big leagues.
What was it like to see yourbyline for the first time, and

(42:16):
did you save it, cut it out, putin a scrapbook, all right?

Speaker 2 (42:19):
all right, so those are two separate things.
My favorite story I ever wrotewas not my my first byline, but
my very first byline actuallystarted started my sports
writing career in washingtonreal quick what's a byline?

Speaker 3 (42:29):
but my very first byline actually started.
Started my sports writingcareer in Washington.

Speaker 1 (42:31):
Real quick what's a byline for people that don't
know Four, well, that's a goodquestion.
No, no, no, he's right, he'sright.

Speaker 2 (42:35):
So okay, you see an article and it says by Jason
Mackey, slash post-gazette, orby Kevin Gorman, tribune review,
or by Alex Stumpf, mlb.
That's considered the bylinethat's your byline it is by this
person.
So yes, it's your name.
So I started my sports writingcareer in Washington DC, and so
I was working for a coupleweekly papers in Northern

(42:57):
Virginia.
And then I got hired I stilldon't know how this happened,
but by the Washington Post tocover high schools, and so it's
like you know, it's a low orwrong job, but it was still
really cool.
And so I.
It's a lower rung job, but itwas still really cool.
And so I go out to high schoolfootball game on friday, I read
a story and it's going to be inthe paper the next day.
I did not sleep that night.
Wow, really could not sleep,man but you're so excited you're
so excited, wow.
And then you know, 5 am, 6 am,whatever it was the minute the

(43:20):
paper got there.
I like tore into it.

Speaker 1 (43:21):
I see my no wait, no, no, this is different now I
love this no, what year was?

Speaker 2 (43:28):
this the Post would have been, and actually that was
not my first byline.
That was my first one that feltreal.
Okay, that was my first onethat, like that's all that
matters.
You kind of made it a littlebit.

Speaker 1 (43:36):
The reason I ask when is because back in the day you
had to literally go out and getthe newspaper.
Now I don't know.
Back then Was that the case.

Speaker 3 (43:46):
I don't know, Was it in the mailbox or was it on the
Well?

Speaker 2 (43:50):
I lived in a, an apartment, but it had an outside
thing so I could like see whenthe pit I had a delivery.
I don't know if I like watchedthe truck come up and like throw
the paper.
I just remember like gettingthe paper the very early hours
of the morning without sleeping.
And I bet you caught it like awide receiver.

(44:11):
Yes, Got him, Dude.
If it would have been thrownand I had the opportunity I
would have.
That's how deep that was.
But honestly, I still do that.
I'm the oldest 40-year-old onthe planet Like I go out.
We only print Thursday andSunday.
I wish we printed seven days aweek, but the days we have a
printed paper I go out there andI grab it in the morning and I

(44:31):
read it.

Speaker 1 (44:33):
And I sip my coffee.
There's nothing better.

Speaker 3 (44:36):
Why can't society realize it's coming back?
I'm telling you, I hope so,because there's nothing like it.

Speaker 2 (44:41):
Real books, real journals, real paper, because
it's real.

Speaker 1 (44:45):
So hold it in your hand have a cup of coffee or
whatever it might be.
It feels like you actually haveit.

Speaker 2 (44:52):
Here's the greatest hack.
I've turned Teddy onto anewspaper reader.
Wow.
And so Teddy, dad, is this apaper day?
Like, yeah, it's Thursday,let's go.
And so we go out and get thepaper and he'll steal the sports
section from me and pretendhe's reading it.
He just looks through picturesand tries to find stuff about

(45:14):
the pirates or whatever, andthat's fine, They'll read the
comics.
I'll try to get them to readwhatever they can.
It's obviously my story, Abby'sstory, but I still I love it.
When I'm in a road city I try,if at all possible, to find a
local paper, buy it, try tosupport the business.
I wish it was more of a thing,but yeah, I'm still.

Speaker 1 (45:29):
I Try to support the business.
I wish it was more of a thing,but yeah, I'm still a nerd like
that.
It would be neat if it did comeback somehow.

Speaker 2 (45:33):
In my position.
You have to cover a beat forthe phone, for a tablet, for an
online audience.
I can't write once a day andjust call it good, I'll get my
butt kicked.
Everybody else is writing somuch, but I cover what I'm
covering for the web.
But me personally, I loveconsuming it.

Speaker 1 (45:51):
you know, like when I actually lose I mean vinyl
records are making a bit of acomeback, so maybe they will
history repeats itself.

Speaker 2 (45:58):
It's intentional right, like we've all probably
thought about am I looking at myphone too much?
What's?

Speaker 1 (46:03):
my screen.
Yes, yes you don't have anyscreen time to read a book.

Speaker 3 (46:06):
You don't have screen time, right, that's right.
Well, think about when.
Have you all gotten a personalletter?
Recently, like a written letter?
I found one that my grandmother.

Speaker 2 (46:15):
I sent one.
I haven't gotten one.

Speaker 3 (46:16):
I found one that my grandmother wrote me.
She passed away years ago andman did it hit me like a ton of
bricks because the intention shehad Yep, write an email.
It's like brr, and then youautomate your.

Speaker 1 (46:28):
It takes an effort and when you get that card or
letter from someone youunderstand the effort it took
them.

Speaker 3 (46:33):
And the coolest part is they sign it Absolutely,
because what do you sign?
It's so personal Things thatare important.
Yep, I think it's so, soimportant.

Speaker 1 (46:41):
So that was your first.
Now, what about your favoritestory?
My?

Speaker 2 (46:43):
favorite story would be visiting Sid in Nova Scotia.

Speaker 3 (46:47):
Plus when he's written anything about, that's
right.

Speaker 1 (46:50):
That's present company excluded and the article
he's going to write about.

Speaker 3 (46:53):
Hold my Cup, of course, right, yeah.

Speaker 2 (46:56):
I don't know if anything can ever top that I'm
racking my brain trying to thinkabout.
I always joke with people thatmy favorite story, the best
thing I ever did, was doing astory about how Jacob Stallings
and Nick Turley looked liketwins.
Oh, about how, jacob Stallingsand Nick Turley looked like
twins.
Oh my gosh.
This is not a serious.
You know it's a joke, but I'mlike I pull off a 700-word story
about how two guys look thesame with bald heads and goatees
.

Speaker 3 (47:16):
How about the?

Speaker 2 (47:16):
Brady Feigl story.

Speaker 1 (47:18):
Yeah, and Magic.
But no, but Brady Feigl hadthat doppelganger, I mean they
actually went through the DNAtesting two minor league
pitchers that look exactly like,with the exact same name Crazy.

Speaker 2 (47:31):
But you're right.
You're right though.

Speaker 3 (47:33):
I kind of wish they would have signed the
doppelganger too.
Yeah, like right afterwards,get them both.
Same guy, not guy, I don't know.

Speaker 2 (47:41):
I mean, I believe I remain one of the only, maybe
certainly the only one, to go upthere and do a big explanatory
piece on Sid, about how he liveshis life, how he functions, all
he puts into it.
Whatever, I think it was thereason they granted it or, you
know, it was honored.
Whatever is he was, I think,turning 30, something like that.

(48:04):
But you know, I went up there,stayed for two days near Sid's
house.
He picked me it was when I wasat the Trib me and Chaz Pallad,
the photographer there, pickedus up at the hotel, saw one of
his private workouts, saw one ofhis private on-ice sessions,
went to eat with him, went tohis house, did like total access
.
What year of his career?
2015.
I think it was the summer of2015.

Speaker 1 (48:29):
But it was a really neat insight into Sidney Crosby.
Did you have to sell?

Speaker 2 (48:31):
the idea.
If so, to the peddlers I did.
I mean, I don't know, that'snot all.
You pitch ideas all the time, Iknow, but you're talking about.

Speaker 3 (48:39):
Sidney Crosby, I know and you're talking about access
that I know and I say this thebest I can.

Speaker 2 (48:45):
That's the process.
That's just how it works.

Speaker 3 (48:47):
Well, just think about the curtain that's up now.
Yeah, and those stories are soimportant because you don't know
.

Speaker 2 (48:53):
But I mean, that's something I took a lot of pride
in.
On hockey, where I went andvisited Mike Sullivan after they
won the Cup, spent time withhim, went and visited Matt
Murray after they won the Cup inThunder Bay, ontario, did stuff
with him.
Haven't done the same onpirates Uh, the Dominican
Republic thing was cool.
I did that this winter.
Um what else?
There was a Minnesota trip withMatt Cullen and Jake Gensel on

(49:14):
hockey.
But like those, go to gosomewhere, embed yourself, learn
and then come out on the otherside with a written thing.
That's one of my favoritethings about this because it's
still, even as I get older andI've done this for longer and
longer it's still never not coolto see something you've worked
so hard and there being atangible product, even now, like

(49:36):
if I look at the column I'vewritten off today's game, I'll
read it, I'll criticize myself,I'll think about things I could
have done differently, but itstill means a great deal to me
that like I worked and I canpoint to that and say, hey, look
at what you created.

Speaker 1 (49:48):
You know, look at what you created or analyze what
you created.
Try to get better from what youcreated, self-criticism,
self-awareness.
But do you have others that areobjectively critical of you?
I hope so, and who would theybe?
My?

Speaker 2 (50:00):
wife.
My dad, when he was alive, wasjust the absolute greatest.
My dad was like the consummatesports fan.
It's how I got where I'm at.
He taught me about newspapersand sports and lovingness, but
he would follow everything thatI would do and it's not like
he'd comb through it with afine-tooth comb, but you know
he'd talk to me about this, lookthis way.

(50:22):
Or, you know, just debate yourwork with somebody.
But my wife, editors, otherwriters, beat writers,
columnists.

Speaker 1 (50:35):
I got a text from Zeiss.
Have you always been okay withcriticism?

Speaker 2 (50:38):
I love it, please.
Have you grown, please?
I mean, yeah, I've probablygrown in some areas.
I've certainly built upcalluses over time doing this
job.
Yeah, like I got a text, zycelast night where he was talking
to me about a column that Iwrote.
He's like I hope you don't takethis the wrong way.
I'm like not at all, man, Iappreciate it.
Please, if I can get better.

Speaker 1 (50:58):
You do the same thing to Zyce.

Speaker 2 (51:00):
Sometimes I don't feel as comfortable talking to
him.

Speaker 3 (51:03):
Maybe I should.
That's not as much yourpersonality.

Speaker 2 (51:06):
Maybe not, but if I wanted I should give it, that's
unfair.

Speaker 3 (51:09):
If I asked you, you would tell me, but you're not
the person that's going to belike.

Speaker 2 (51:12):
Hey.

Speaker 3 (51:13):
Michael, you sounded like a moron the other day on
the pregame show.
Maybe think about this.
That's not your personality,but if I asked you like what do
you think about this?
You'd give me all I've spent it.

Speaker 2 (51:34):
I'm sure I have enemies.
I'm sure people speak poorlyabout me and get mad at me.
I'm not naive.
I know I can be a nut, butdon't go on Twitter and start
bashing people.
That happens.

Speaker 1 (51:45):
It really drives me crazy.

Speaker 3 (51:50):
Among people in the business it's different than
fans.
It goes back to you only knowthis much the perceived reality
to the actual reality ofsomeone's life.
How many times someone'sgetting destroyed on Twitter?
And it's a teammate of mine andI'm like they have no idea
what's going on in this man'slife right now.

Speaker 2 (52:04):
It's a bit of a brotherhood.
Like being a player, exactly.
It's so darn hard to play thisgame, man.
If you're playing, you don'twant to hear somebody from the
Dodgers talking about how thisguy is taking these feeble
swings and he doesn't know whathe's doing.
Right?
No, you're trying to earn aliving.
You're trying to do your job.
I don't want to hear somebodyfrom another outlet telling me
what I should or shouldn't do orhow I should act, or I'm this

(52:26):
type of way or I haven't beenenough.

Speaker 1 (52:30):
Sure, hope you enjoyed that episode of Hold my
Cutter.
We come your way.
Every week Another episodedrops Been a lot of fun.

Speaker 3 (52:36):
Yeah, the only way we can do this is because of you
guys, so please like, subscribe,follow us and send in any
questions you have.
You can do it with an email orjust in the comments below.
Thank you.