Today at FishBear Sports, we have an extremely special guest: New York Times bestselling author Jeff Pearlman , whose most recent book, Boys Will Be Boys: The Glory Days and Party Nights of the Dallas Cowboys Dynasty , has peaked at No.7 on the prestigous NY Times list. Jeff's previous books include Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Antihero and one of my absolute favorite books ever, The Bad Guys Won! , a great book about the hard-partying 1986 New York Mets. Jeff is a former senior writer for Sports Illustrated (you may remember his great 1999 piece on John Rocker where Rocker went off on just about every nationality in the world), and is a current columnist on ESPN's Page 2, where he regularly blows me away with his great profiles. Jeff was gracious enough to give FishBear Sports a few minutes of his time to talk about his newest book, the thrills of being a New York Times bestselling author, and the emotional investment writing a book requires.
FishBear Sports: I think people tend not to realize the amount of research it takes to put out a non-fiction book like this. How much time did you put into researching for Boys Will be Boys? How brutal was that process?
Jeff Pearlman: Brutal, times 1,000. Writing a book is a nightmare. An oft-joyful nightmare, but a nightmare nonetheless. There's always another person to track down; another article to find; another clip to read; another tape you need to transcribe. For two years, I lived and dreamed the Dallas Cowboys. That can't be especially healthy.
FB: You've said Michael Irvin was the most difficult interview to track down for Boys Will be Boys. But of all the interviews you conducted, which was the most enjoyable?
JP: I'd say Robert Jones, the middle linebacker. We met at the Cheesecake Factory in Austin, and Robert just told me very personal, very painful details of his youth. I arrived knowing little about the man, and left respecting everything about him.
FB: What's the most outrageous story you came across while doing the interviews for Boys Will be Boys?
JP: Probably Charles Haley masturbating in the locker room during team meetings . Just such a bizarre thing to do—and yet so typical Haley. I've been saying if there's ever a sports movie with a chronic masturbator, I know I'll be able to sue.
FB: In your books, you really are able to get readers inside the minds of the subjects. When you go into an interview what kind of approach are you going in with that is going to get this person to open up to you?
JP: To be honest, I just strive to have a conversation. I rarely have a notebook in front of me—try and research the person as much as possible beforehand, but having a list of questions is a huge turnoff. Also, I attempt to know a little about their personal lives–religious; geography; political. Never hurts to kick off an interview with, "so you're from Ft. Lauderdale? I actually spent a lot of time there as a kid ..."
FB: I saw the cheapshot Emmett Smith pulled on you on ESPN. Have you had any interaction with Emmett since then? [note: watch the last 25 seconds of the linked video]
JP: No. He's lucky—I've watched the Karate Kid at least 10 times, and have the crane move down pat.
FB: When you saw Boys Will Be Boys hit the New York Times bestseller list, what was running through your head? Especially since you're only one spot behind the immortal storyteller that is Tori Spelling.
JP: Very emotional. I'm not a big believer in writing awards; have won a few here and there, but they don't mean much to me. This, however, did. You work for two-plus years on a project, you want people to read it; to acknowledge it. That's what it meant to me. Also, my wife Catherine is my partner in all these projects, and I know it was very impactful for her, too. I called her as soon as I found out. She was giddy.
FB: For me, even when I sit back after writing a magazine-length piece, you get that feeling of accomplishment mixed with a bit of panic (did I get everything right? sort of thing). What was it like for you when you finally finished Boys Will Be Boys?
JP: Sadly, it never ends. Or never seems to. You go from finishing the writing to massive editing; massive editing to final edit; final edit to release; release to promotion; promotion to paperback; paperback to more promotion. It's exhausting, and leaves little time to celebrate or bemoan things. You just need a really, really long nap.
FB: I've seen you mention that you are indeed living your "dream job". But how did that dream begin? And how did you get to where you are now?
JP: Dream began at Mahopac High School in Mahopac, N.Y. I wrote for the student newspaper, The Chieftain. Still remember my first-ever published story—a very lame profile of the boys' cross country team. I was hooked very early—loved the attention that came with writing; the power of the pen; etc (all things that don't particularly interest me now). I went to the University of Delaware and, as a senior, was an editor at the college paper, The Review. Got hired as a food and fashion writer at The Tennessean in Nashville, gradually moved to sports ... the highly coveted high school wrestling beat. After 2 years I was hired as a scrub fact checking loser at Sports Illustrated. Worked my way up to senior writer over a few years—and that put me on a faster track.
FB: What sort of feedback do you get from the subjects of the books you write? I'm sure it varies, so what were some of the more memorable ones?
JP: Well, after the Mets book came out I was booked to appear on the Best Damn Sports Show. I arrived, and Ron Darling was a fellow guest. He looked at me and said, "Jeff, you nailed it. You really nailed it." That blew me away—easily the most memorable reaction.
FB: Now that you have three books out, which one was the most enjoyable to write and why?
JP: Probably "The Bad Guys Won." I'm a New Yorker. These guys were my heroes; that team was very influential in my development as a sports fan. So it had the most personal relevance. Plus, those guys mostly looked back as frat dudes do on their old days at the Pi Lamda Phi house—giddily; joyful. They were New York.
FB: Any ideas for your next book? Will you again focus on a single team as the subject?
JP: I have already begun. I'm researching the life and times of Claudell Washington.
[Editor's note: Jeff is actually doing a biography on Roger Clemens...don't let him fool you!]
