Press Box Access, 1406 Westwood Avenue , Suite 101, Cleveland, OH (2025)

05/13/2024

In other news . . . I’m taking a hiatus from recording new episodes of my podcast Press Box Access.
The plan is to pause for a few months and catch my breath after cranking out 82 episodes in the past three years. I appreciate the co-producers at Evergreen Podcasts for honoring my request for a break.
My intent has been to create oral history with sportswriters from the past 60 years about what it has been like to do their job. And share some laughs, too. The process has allowed me to collect stories from some of my favorite journalists, many of them longtime friends and travel companions from my own three decades in the sports circus. Damn, I miss ’em.
I can’t thank the following writers enough for being so kind as to to grant me their precious time by being guests on the show:
Bob Hunter, Tom Archdeacon, Kevin Blackistone, Dick Jerardi, Christine Brennan, Bob Ryan, Dennis Dodd, Marla Ridenour, Mark Purdy, Sam Farmer, George Diaz, Randy Harvey, Jerry Crasnick, Terence Moore, Mike Lopresti, Joan Ryan, Bud Withers, Bob Kravitz, Bill Livingston, Dick Weiss, Timothy Smith, Bonnie Ford, Jerry Izenberg, Rick Telander, Helene Elliott, Hal McCoy, Austin Murphy, Ron Higgins, Vahe Gregorian, Malcolm Moran, Jarrett Bell, Vito Stellino, Johnette Howard, Dave Kindred, Dan Wetzel, Tony Barnhart, Bud Shaw, Melissa Isaacson, Jerry Tipton, Mark Whicker, Bill Koch, David Steele, Alexander Wolff, Art Spander, Elliott Almond, Damon Hack, Gary Shelton, Mary Schmitt Boyer, Bob Ford, Bernie Miklasz, Lenn Robbins, Rick Cleveland, Jeff Jacobs, Tim Kurkjian, Claire Smith, Wendell Barnhouse, Al Pearce, Thom Loverro, Liz Clarke, Patrick Reusse, Peter King, John McGrath, Geoff Calkins, Filip Bondy, Sheldon Ocker, Charles Pierce, Diane Pucin, Art Thiel, Mike DeCourcy, Jayson Stark, Mike Vaccaro, Dave Molinari, and Paul Hoynes.
I’d also like to thank everyone at Evergreen Podcasts in Cleveland for their support and work on this show, especially producer Bill Huffman and chief content officer Gerardo Orlando.
Most of all, thanks to anyone who has taken time to listen to even one episode. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed hearing from the guests as much as I have.
We’ll return with new episodes at some point. There are so many more writers I know, respect, and want to capture on tape.
In the meantime, you can listen to all 82 episodes of Press Box Access here: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/press-box-access/episodes...
You can also find them on any platform, such as Spotify or Apple Podcasts, where you enjoy podcasts.
If you like the show, please hit the subscribe button. As Bluto Blutarsky said: “Don’t cost nuttin’.” Tell a friend. And write a quick review of the show, which helps spread the word. Five stars, and I buy the beers.
Also, check out the Press Box Access channel on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gjrWkPeR
There, you’ll find short clips on topics from the guests, as well as full episodes. Thanks to Dave Jingo for his work on that channel.
Hit subscribe while you’re on the YouTube channel. Again, it’s free.
Email the show at [email protected]
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Instagram: pressboxaccess
Rock on.

05/06/2024

Part 2 of my conversation with Paul Hoynes, legendary Cleveland baseball writer, on this latest episode of Press Box Access: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/press-box-access/paul-hoynes-part-2-those-teams-probably-saved-baseball-in-cleveland

Our talk picks back up when the Indians, now known as the Guardians, began their glorious run in the 1990s. “Hoynsie” starts off with a wild story about Albert Belle and a corked bat. He shares other tales from when the new ballpark and powerful lineup caused baseball fever to erupt in Cleveland. And you can hear why one of his columns in 2016 sent him into Lake Erie before the team’s third World Series appearance of his tenure on the beat ended in an epic Game 7.

Hoynes has been a Guardians/Indians beat reporter 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.

If you missed it, make sure to go back and listen to our part 1 episode with Hoynes: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/press-box-access/paul-hoynes-part-1-im-sweating-bullets-shaking-trying-to-calm-myself-down

You can follow Paul on X:

You can listen to all of our 82 episodes here https://evergreenpodcasts.com/press-box-access/episodes or on any platform where you enjoy podcasts.

If you enjoy the show, please hit the subscribe button. As Bluto Blutarsky said: “Don’t cost nuttin’.”

And while you're there, please write a review of the show. Five stars, and we buy all rounds. A review helps to spread the word.

Check out our show’s YouTube channel https://lnkd.in/gjrWkPeR where can find short clips on topics, as well as full episodes.

Hit subscribe while you’re on the YouTube channel. Hey, it’s free.

You can also listen to this episode at:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/paul-hoynes-part-2-those-teams-probably-saved-baseball/id1548780678?i=1000653435489

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5II5idZeQLOLNedPCdNyC5?si=z4VExyF1RtOuKsnIQEmyfA

Email the show at [email protected]

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04/24/2024

Part 2 of my conversation with Paul Hoynes, legendary Cleveland baseball writer, on this new episode of Press Box Access: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/press-box-access/paul-hoynes-part-2-those-teams-probably-saved-baseball-in-cleveland

Our talk picks back up when the Indians, now known as the Guardians, began their glorious run in the 1990s. “Hoynsie” starts off with a wild story about Albert Belle and a corked bat. He shares other tales from when the new ballpark and powerful lineup caused baseball fever to erupt in Cleveland. And you can hear why one of his columns in 2016 sent him into Lake Erie before the team’s third World Series appearance of his tenure on the beat ended in an epic Game 7.

Hoynes has been a Guardians/Indians beat reporter 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.

If you missed it, make sure to go back and listen to our part 1 episode with Hoynes.

You can follow Paul on X:

You can listen to all of our 82 episodes or on any platform where you enjoy podcasts.

If you enjoy the show, please hit the subscribe button. As Bluto Blutarsky said: “Don’t cost nuttin’.”

And while you're there, please write a review of the show. Five stars, and we buy all rounds. A review helps to spread the word.

Check out our show’s YouTube channel where can find short clips on topics, as well as full episodes.

Hit subscribe while you’re on the YouTube channel. Hey, it’s free.

Email the show at [email protected]

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04/10/2024

New episode of Press Box Access is out. This is the first of a 2-part conversation with Paul Hoynes, who has covered Major League Baseball in Cleveland since 1983: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/press-box-access/paul-hoynes-part-1-im-sweating-bullets-shaking-trying-to-calm-myself-down

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:

You can listen to their full episodes here https://evergreenpodcasts.com/press-box-access/episodes or on any platform where you enjoy podcasts.

If you enjoy the show, please hit the subscribe button. As Bluto Blutarsky said: “Don’t cost nuttin’.”

And while you're there, please write a review of the show. Five stars, and we buy all rounds. A review helps to spread the word.

Check out our show’s YouTube channel https://lnkd.in/gjrWkPeR where can find short clips on topics, as well as full episodes.

Hit subscribe while you’re on the YouTube channel. Hey, it’s free.

You can also listen to this episode at:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1pqpjhgO5SMzR5JRzzYThF

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/paul-hoynes-part-1-im-sweating-bullets-shaking-trying/id1548780678?i=1000652063899

Email the show at [email protected]

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03/28/2024

Our 80th episode of Press Box Access celebrates March Madness with a compilation of stories from 12 sportswriters who covered some of the greatest moments in NCAA tournament history: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/press-box-access

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 sharing these stories on their previous episodes of Press Box Access.

You can listen to their full episodes here https://evergreenpodcasts.com/press-box-access/episodes or on any platform where you enjoy podcasts.

If you enjoy the show, please hit the subscribe button. As Bluto Blutarsky said: “Don’t cost nuttin’.”

And while you're there, please write a review of the show. Five stars, and we buy all rounds. A review helps to spread the word.

Check out our show’s YouTube channel https://lnkd.in/gjrWkPeR where can find short clips on topics, as well as full episodes.

Hit subscribe while you’re on the YouTube channel. Hey, it’s free.

You can also listen to this episode at:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4JiG2nuKDmepzFOsmqPb9e

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/writers-bear-witness-to-memorable-moments-from-march/id1548780678?i=1000650592429

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03/13/2024

With college basketball in full bloom, we welcome back Jerry Tipton to Press Box Access on this new episode: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/press-box-access
Jerry shares stories from his upcoming 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

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/

If you enjoy the show, please hit the subscribe button. As Bluto Blutarsky said: “Don’t cost nuttin’.”

And while you're there, please write a review of the show. Five stars, and we buy all rounds. A review helps to spread the word.

Check out our show’s YouTube channel https://lnkd.in/gjrWkPeR where can find short clips on topics, as well as full episodes.

Hit subscribe while you’re on the YouTube channel. Hey, it’s free.

You can also listen to this episode at:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6hCkwgIfE40hhLhKtwfCOj

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jerry-tipton-you-could-just-walk-into-the-kentucky/id1548780678?i=1000649029157

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02/28/2024

We’re paying a special salute to the trailblazing sportswriter Helene Elliott by once again publishing my conversation with her in a Press Box Access episode from February 2022:
https://evergreenpodcasts.com/press-box-access

Helene recently accepted a buyout and yesterday 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.

Many thanks to Helene for all she did to make sports journalism better.

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02/14/2024

New episode of Press Box Access is out: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/press-box-access/dave-molinari-lemieux-taxed-the-limits-of-my-ability-to-describe-what-i-saw
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:

01/31/2024

New episode of Press Box Access:
https://evergreenpodcasts.com/press-box-access
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.

Follow Mike on X:
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/

Here are other links to this episode:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1BpESQ2YRRmUVxl4tdjJIm

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mike-vaccaro-isiah-thomas-is-on-the-back-page-in-a/id1548780678?i=1000643643147

If you enjoy the show, please hit the subscribe button. As Bluto Blutarsky said: “Don’t cost nuttin’.”

You can also write us a review. Five stars, and we buy all rounds. A review helps to spread the word.

Check out our show’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/ where can find short clips on topics, as well as full episodes.

Hit subscribe while you’re on the YouTube channel. Hey, it’s free.

Email the show at [email protected]

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01/25/2024

Tribute to Muhammad Ali on latest episode of Press Box Access: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/press-box-access/the-greatest-media-share-memories-of-muhammad-ali-in-and-out-of-the-ring

This is a treasure trove of Ali tales from writers who encountered The Greatest. Jerry Izenberg, Dave Kindred, Tom Archdeacon, Thom Loverro, Tim Smith, Vito Stellino, Mary Schmitt Boyer, George Diaz.

Photos courtesy of Archdeacon and Izenberg.

These 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.

Here are other links to this episode:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4aWqKANX6HHkS05x3srr5V

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-greatest-media-share-memories-of-muhammad-ali-in/id1548780678?i=1000641950395

If you enjoy the show, please hit the subscribe button. As Bluto Blutarsky said: “Don’t cost nuttin’.”

You can also write us a review. Five stars, and we buy all rounds. A review helps to spread the word.

Check out our show’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/ where can find short clips on topics, as well as full episodes.

Hit subscribe while you’re on the YouTube channel. Hey, it’s free.

Email the show at [email protected]

Follow this podcast on Facebook at: https://lnkd.in/diA4nNv4

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01/17/2024

We’re saluting Muhammad Ali on what would have been his 82nd birthday with a compilation of stories told on Press Box Access by sportswriters who crossed paths with The Greatest: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/press-box-access/the-greatest-media-share-memories-of-muhammad-ali-in-and-out-of-the-ring

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.

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.

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.”

If you enjoy the show, please hit the subscribe button. As Bluto Blutarsky said: “Don’t cost nuttin’.”

You can also write us a review. Five stars, and we buy all rounds. A review helps to spread the word.

Check out our show’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/ where can find short clips on topics, as well as full episodes.

Hit subscribe while you’re on the YouTube channel. Hey, it’s free.

Email the show at [email protected]

Twitter:

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Here are other links to this episode:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4aWqKANX6HHkS05x3srr5V

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-greatest-media-share-memories-of-muhammad-ali-in/id1548780678?i=1000641950395

Photos courtesy of Jerry Izenberg and Tom Archdeacon

01/12/2024

Thanks to Jayson Stark for his great baseball and journalism stories as the latest guest on my podcast Press Box Access: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/press-box-access
Our next episode will be a compilation of stories about Muhammad Ali, which will drop on his birthday, Jan. 17th. You'll hear from writers such as Dave Kindred, Jerry Izenberg and Tom Archdeacon among others.
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.

Stark 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.

If you enjoy the show, please hit the subscribe button. As Bluto Blutarsky said: “Don’t cost nuttin’.”

You can also write us a review. Five stars, and we buy all rounds. A review helps to spread the word.

Check out our show’s YouTube channel, where can find short clips on topics, as well as full episodes.

Hit subscribe while you’re on the YouTube channel. Hey, it’s free.

Email the show at [email protected]

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Instagram: pressboxaccess

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