Episode 96: A Little Kelly Tripucka with Tyler Dunne

June 20, 2019 Brian Moritz

One of our very first guests on The Other 51 (Episode 3), Tyler Dunne from Bleacher Report returns to kick off our summer season.

Tyler and Brian spend the first several minutes reminiscing about early 1990s NBA basketball, including Brian’s home-economics class gamesmanship involving Chuck Person and Tyler’s origin story as a Charlotte Hornets fan.

Then they get around to the business at hand. What does this time of year look like for an NFL features writer like Tyler? Tyler talks about how this time of year is important to him, helping him lay the foundation for the stories he’ll work on in the fall. Tyler talks about how to approach players as people, not as sources, and how many players appreciate having to think in an interview and having someone really listen to them.

Brian and Tyler then do a deep dive into that fantastic story about the Packers that Tyler wrote in April. What’s it like when Aaron Rogers calls you out? How do you report and write a story like this?

Tyler Dunne’s stories

Tyler on Twitter

What Happened in Green Bay

Tecmo NBA Basketball

INSIDE GANG TERRITORY IN HONDURAS: ‘Either They Kill Us or We Kill Them’

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Episode 95: Marvel Nitpick Podcast with Travis Clark

May 23, 2019 Brian Moritz

Travis Clark was never actually Brian’s student at SUNY Oswego. But he was, in his own words, “student adjace.” Travis, a SUNY Oswego graduate and now a media and entertainment reporter for Business Insider, joins Brian this week. They start with the requisite Oswego talk, and Travis talks about how much working for the student paper helped prepare him for his career.

Travis talks about his journey from kid writing movie reviews in his high-school paper to covering the media and entertainment industries for Business Insider. He and Brian discuss the juggling of being a fan of these properties vs. covering them, how entertainment writing has some analogies to sports writing, and how covering the business side of entertainment influences how you watch movies and TV shows.

About 20 minutes in, they get super nerdy in their breakdown of Avengers: Endgame. If you haven’t seen the movie and don’t want it spoiled, bail then.

Also, Travis breaks some exciting Hawkeye news to Brian.

Travis Clark at Business Insider

Travis Clark on Twitter

The Oswegonian

‘Avengers: Endgame’ directors describe the 100-hour workweeks and tremendous pressure of making their $2 billion blockbuster

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

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Episode 94: Thinking About Your Audience with Dr. Kathy Roberts Forde

May 16, 2019 Brian Moritz

In the summer of 2018, Brian heard Dr. Kathy Roberts Forde from UMass speak on a panel at the annual AEJMC conference. The panel’s title: “So You Wanna Write A Book”

This week, Kathy joins Brian to demystify the book-writing process.

Kathy discusses her research into literary journalism and her first book. What is literary journalism, what’s interesting about that field, and how do we read older pieces when we know a lot of what was presented as fact was more fiction?

Kathy and Brian also talk about the book writing process itself. How do you turn a dissertation into a book? How do you find the narrative thread? Why is thinking about your audience so important? Kathy recommends a book that all would-be authors should read, and she also talks about how one of her upcoming projects is the most important book she’ll ever be a part of.

Dr. Kathy Roberts Forde

Kathy on Twitter

Literary Journalism on Trial: Masson v. New Yorker and the First Amendment

Thinking Like Your Editor

Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David Blight

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Episode 93: Move Through the World Differently with Quinn Rose

May 2, 2019 Brian Moritz

Writer and podcast Quinn Rose joins Brian this week.

First off .. .there is a TON of musical theater nerdery this week. Brian finally saw Hamilton, Quinn has seen it twice, so they talk A LOT about the show, about what it’s like to see it after listening to the cast recording so much. They also talk about the shows they’re going to see soon. Quinn’s got Be More Chill coming up. Brian’s talking his 8-year-old to see Book of Mormon. It’ll be fine.

That segues into talk about Quinn’s podcasting and writing career. She talks about her excellent four-part series, Setting the Stage, about a community theater in rural Maine. Quinn talks about where the idea for the story came from, how the story evolved as she was reporting it, and why transcribing all of the interviews proved to be such a necessary step. That leads into a bigger discussion on storytelling and podcasting, and what the future holds for the medium.

Quinn Rose

Quinn on Twitter

Quinn’s blog on the 2019 Tony nominations

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Episode 92: Paying Close Attention with Steve Politi

April 11, 2019 Brian Moritz

How did Arnold Palmer order an Arnold Palmer?

Who dry cleans the green jackets for Augusta National members?

What’s it like to play Augusta National when you are … not a very good golfer?

Steve Politi, who was recently named the top sports columnist in the country by the Associated Press Sports Editors, joins Brian this week to talk about column writing. Steve traces his career path from the Nutley Sun to the Star Ledger, with a detour to cover hockey in North Carolina.

Steve and Brian do deep dives into the four columns that won the APSE top honors, from his fun columns from the Masters, to taking Bob Hurley Sr. to a high school basketball game to spending 24 hours with Eric LeGrand. Steve talks about his reporting process, the importance of a good idea, the value of zigging when others zag, and why he thinks more reporters aren’t willing to break away from the pack.

Steve Politi at NJ.com

Steve Politi on Twitter

His Private Struggle

I played Augusta National and had my own Masters meltdown

Masters 2018: The green jacket dry-cleaning secrets of Augusta National

It takes $2 and a pizza to get Bob Hurley Sr. into a HS hoops game these days

I found the saddest spot in N.J. sports at the state’s wrestling championships

This will be my 17th Masters. Here are the stories I enjoyed writing the most

The Day the Dinosaurs Died by Douglas Preston

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Episode 91: It's My Job to Know with John Wawrow

April 4, 2019 Brian Moritz

Of all the writers Brian has had on this podcast, you’ve probably read more words more often by John Wawrow than any other guest.

You just didn’t realize it.

John has spent nearly 20 years as the AP sports writer in Buffalo, covering primarily the Bills and the Sabres. He joins Brian this week in an episode recorded at the Village Bakery in Pittsford, N.Y.

John talks about his long career path from journalism school in Toronto, to a pair of small-town weekly papers in Canada and eventually to Buffalo. He talks about how his time at those weekly papers showed him that he truly loved journalism. John discusses the unique challenges presented by writing for the AP, how unlike most of the people around him every day, he’s writing for an audience that is in, say, Alabama. John also talks about the favorite teams he’s covered, how he’s able to put informed perspective into his stories, and he breaks down just what happened the night he shot down a report that Antonio Brown was being traded from the Steelers to the Bills.

Most importantly, John tells Brian where he should start listening to The Replacements.

John Wawrow

Jonn on the Antonio Brown deal

Gore looks forward to sharing Bills backfield with McCoy

Tim by The Replacements

‘Touch with the past’: Inside the homes of Harry Jacobs and Al Bemiller, Buffalo Bills champions living with dementia

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Episode 90: America's Best Cereal Podcast with Dr. Jeremy Littau

March 28, 2019 Brian Moritz

Bob Costas served as a perfect opening act for this week’s guest. Dr. Jeremy Littau.

Jeremy, an associate professor at Lehigh University, joins Brian this week to talk about his experience earlier this year when he legitimately went viral on Twitter. How did it happen, what was it like, and when did Jeremy’s notifications finally become manageable again. That yields into a discussion about public scholarships and why academia, as a whole, does not typically value it.

They also swap stories about life in newsrooms in the early 2000s, and how woefully unprepared newspapers were for the digital age.

But most importantly, they break down the travesty that was the SB Nation Breakfast Cereal Bracket.

Jeremy Littau

Jeremy on Twitter

Jeremy’s vial thread

The SB Nation Breakfast Cereal Bracket

The Guardians and the War on Truth

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Episode 89: Unintended Consequences Might Ensue with Bob Costas

March 21, 2019 Brian Moritz

When Brian was growing up, his dream was simple — move to New York City and be a broadcaster for NBC Sports. He wanted to be Bob Costas.

That didn’t happen. But this week Brian gets to interview his boyhood idol, as Bob joins him to discuss writing, broadcasting and sports media.

Bob and Brian talk about Bob’s memories of Syracuse University, and his mentor Stan Alten (1:35); the uneasy relationship between sports television and the leagues they cover, and how that has gotten harder to navigate over the past decade (5:45); how writing plays a role in his job, his process for writing commentaries, and how Bryant Gumble was a master at writing to a specific time (11:00); the sports writers he looks up to (16:34); the newspapers he read growing up (all 5 of them) (21:05); Bob’s legendary story about Goldie Goldthorpe, the inspiration for Ogie Oglethorpe in Slapshot (22:15); and the best thing Bob’s read lately (27:02).

I Wanted to be Bob Costas

K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches by Tyler Kepner

You Gotta Play Hurt by Dan Jenkins

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Episode 88: The Anti-Hype with Drew Montreuil

January 24, 2019 Brian Moritz

There is no website Brian relies on more during the winter than Finger Lakes Weather. It’s the best weather forecasting site in upstate New York.

This week, Drew Montreuil — the brains and the voice of the site - joins Brian to talk all things weather (and SUNY Oswego).

Drew talks about his lifelong obsession with weather and how and why he turned that into a site about the Finger Lakes. He and Brian discuss the unique nature of the region, both from a meteorological and a media point of view. Drew discusses what goes into his weather forecasts, what frustrates him about mainstream media coverage and what he learned from his most recent storm forecast.

Finger Lakes Weather

FLX Weather on Facebook

Scott Steiger at SUNY-Oswego

Fantasy Life: The Outrageous, Uplifting, and Heartbreaking World of Fantasy Sports from the Guy Who's Lived It

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Episode 87: Nobody's Two Dimensional with Michael Rosenberg

January 17, 2019 Brian Moritz

In our first episode of 2019, Michael Rosenberg of Sports Illustrated joins Brian for a deep dive into his excellent feature story on Todd Marinovich that appeared in the Jan. 14 edition of the magazine.

Michael recounts how he first got interested in the story, how he reported the story and what it was like when the story turned out to be very different than the one he expected. He talks about when he knew he was done reporting the story, why he believes this story is accurate, and why structure is everything when it comes to writing.

TODD MARINOVICH IS LEARNING TO BE HUMAN AGAIN

War as They Knew it Note, this is Michael’s book that he didn’t want to promote but I’m happy to promote.

The Nix by Nathan Hill

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Episode 86: Hard Harbor to Find with Sam Fortier

November 29, 2018 Brian Moritz

Six months ago, Sam Fortier was a college student at Syracuse University. Now, he is the Los Angeles Chargers beat writer for The Athletic.

Sam joins Brian this week, to rub it in about the nice weather and talk about being an NFL beat reporter in 2018. Sam talks about what it’s like to start your career on a pro beat, the challenges he’s faced starting a new beat in a new city. What’s it like to work a locker room when you’re the same age (or younger) than the players?

Sam talks about working for The Athletic and the opportunities and challenges that come from writing for an organization that stresses different kinds of coverage. He shares his best Jim Boeheim story, and tells Brian what he wish he had learned in journalism school.

Sam Fortier on Twitter

Sam Fortier at The Athletic

St. Anthony’s Unanswered Prayer

Drew Brees is Hiding in Plain Sight

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Episode 85: Get Out Of Your Seat Journalism with Mike Waters

November 21, 2018 Brian Moritz

Mike Waters, who has covered the Syracuse University basketball program since 1989, who is the vice president of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and one of the best and most generous beat writers in our business, joins Brian this week.

After the requisite talk about how Syracuse is doing this year (there’s a George Costanza theory involved), Mike traces his career path from the University of North Carolina to Nashville and to a loaded Syracuse team in 1989. How has the job of beat writer changed over the past 30 years, and how has it not?

Mike describes how he builds relationships with sources, why you have to put the notebook away sometimes, and why he doesn’t like to hang out around the media room.

He also answers the big question: What’s Jim Boeheim like to cover?

Mike Waters on Twitter

Mike on Syracuse.com

Nothing on this page is real

This is how the Maui Invitational became an institution

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Episode 84: Director's Cut, plus The Secret Life of Words

November 1, 2018 Brian Moritz

This week, Brian has collected bits and pieces that didn’t make it into previous episodes but are collected here in a kind of deleted scenes collection of The Other 51.

Tanya Marsh of Wake Forest University (1:25) and Jeff Pearlman (4:23) offer their single best pieces of writing advice.

Doug Schneider (7:40) talks about what he writes about when he’s not covering Making a Murderer, and how he learns the skills needed to do those projects.

And, in the debut of a new segment, Jen Moritz (16:30) joins me for The Secret Life of Words. You know where the word “Halloween” comes from, right? Turns you, you probably don’t.

Special music this week from Ellie Moritz & Andrea Peters.

Episode 79: Live and Die with Tanya Marsh

Episode 80: Labor of Love with Jeff Pearlman

Episode 83: For Real — Did Steven Avery Do It? with Doug Schneider

Episode 45: You Podcast? with Jen Moritz

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Episode 83: Did Steven Avery do it? with Doug Schneider

October 25, 2018 Brian Moritz

What’s it like when an actual phenomenon happens in your backyard?

That’s the position Doug Schneider found himself in a few years ago. A projects reporter for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, Doug found himself writing about Making a Murderer, the Netflix documentary that is set a county near his offices in Green Bay.

Doug, who worked with Brian at the Press & Sun-Bulletin in Binghamton, joins Brian this week to talk about reporting and more. Topics include Why Binghamton was the best news town Doug has ever worked in (6:08); covering Making a Murderer (12:00); what it was like when the documentary became A Thing. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever been a part of.” (18:30); The biggest challenge in writing about a phenomenon like this (23:30); the history of #ScannerSquawk (27:00); the best things Doug and Brian have read lately (33:20).

Doug Schneider

Doug on Twitter

Making a Mania

NY Times on Donald Trump’s wealth

Unintended Consequences

A Place, a people and their team

Football for a Buck

Shots on the Bridge: Police Violence and Cover-up in the Wake of Katrina

Chasing Phil: The Adventures of Two Undercover Agents with the World's Most Charming Con Man

Grant

Teachers in America

All-22: Former UB quarterback Joe Licata breaks down Allen’s biggest flaws and Peterman’s pick-six

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Episode 82: Not Those Kinds of Doctors with Dr. Shannon McCarthy

October 18, 2018 Brian Moritz

Mental Illness Awareness Week was last week (Oct. 7-13, 2018), but in recognition of this, Brian’s good friend Dr. Shannon McCarthy joins him for a special episode. Shannon and Brian talk about their own mental health struggles and how it affects and impacts their writing (2:15). They also talk about knowing when you’re really struggling vs. when you’re just being lazy (9:40), how they deal with imposter syndrome (16:20), some of their strategies to beat back the demons and get stuff done (24:00), how they use humor to help (31:26) and the best thing they’ve read lately (34:26).

National Suicide Prevention Hotline

Call 1-800-273-8255

Shannon McCarthy on Twitter

Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House by Alyssa Mastromonaco

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Episode 81: Write What You See with Bucky Gleason

September 27, 2018 Brian Moritz

Two weeks ago, Brian and Bucky Gleason recorded what might have been the perfect podcast. It was witty, insightful, entertaining, everything you’d want from this medium and more.

And, then Brian went and messed up the recording but good.

But Bucky, a former Buffalo News sports columnist and now the editor of Buffalo Maven, is a mensch. He joins Brian again this week. They talk a lot about the Buffalo Bills and what this team is like to cover. Bucky talks about how he writes columns about the team without having press credentials, and the challenges and opportunities that presents.

Bucky details his career path from the Wellsville bureau of the Olean Times Herald to being a columnist at his hometown Buffalo News. He remembers the influence Jim Kelley had on his career (including the infamous Dominik Hasek incident) and discusses the challenges presented of writing what he calls “grossly unpopular” columns about bad teams for the past 10 years.

Bucky Gleason on Twitter

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Episode 80: Labor of Love with Jeff Pearlman

September 6, 2018 Brian Moritz

Nearly two years ago, Jeff Pearlman joined Brian in the early days of The Other 51. This was just after Jeff’s biography of Brett Favre came out, and Jeff was working on his next book - a history of the USFL.

That book — Football for a Buck — is out this month.

Jeff is back to talk about why he always wanted to write a book about the USFL and what makes that league so interesting to him. He talks about his reporting process — featuring 700 Word docs and his son, Emmett — as well as the challenges of structuring this book compared to his other works. Jeff also discusses the challenges of keeping this book from becoming all about Donald Trump. and how his reporting on the USFL helps him make sense of what’s happening in the world in 2018.

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Episode 79: Live and Die with Tanya Marsh

August 30, 2018 Brian Moritz

Tanya Marsh and Brian have been internet friends for a few years now, but this is the first time they’e actually spoken to each other.

Tanya is a professor of law at the Wake Forest School of Law. She’s is also as much of an Avett Brothers fan as Brian (she’s seen them 53 times in concert, which puts Brian’s concert count to shame).

Tanya and Brian talk a lot about their favorite band, how they discovered the Avett Brothers and what makes their lyrics so powerful and meaningful. Why did this band stick when the Mumford and Sons of the world did not?

They also talk about Tanya’s writing, her career as a law professor and her fascinating research into cemetery law. They discuss the pressures that young academics can feel to study what’s popular instead of what they’re interested in, the importance of grounding yourself in research, and how you know you’re ready to stop research and start writing. Tanya also answers the question of who owns a grave and the body inside of it?

The Law of Human Remains

Cemetery Law: The Common Law of Burying Grounds in the United States

Is the Cemetery Dead?

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Episode 78: The Voice of my Anxiety with Dr. Jenn Billinson

August 16, 2018 Brian Moritz

It’s (yet another) Syracuse University Ph.D. program reunion, and Brian’s good friend and classmate Dr. Jenn Billinson joins the podcast this week.

Jenn, an assistant professor at Christopher Newport University, talks in detail about her research into the use of music and media as a coping mechanism for tragedy. Jen discusses how people used music in tribute videos following the Virginia Tech massacre and her fieldwork in New Orleans post-Katrina. What makes music such a unique media format? Is the way music has become so personal changed the way we collectively experience music?

There’s also some old-school Hamiltalk (including a brutal hypothetical that Brian poses) and some Aretha Franklin memories.

Dr. Jennifer Billinson

Jenn Billinson on Twitter

Hamilton at The Kennedy Center

Aretha Franklin—Musical Genius, Truth Teller, Freedom Fighter

I’ve Never Loved a Man the Way that I Love You

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Episode 77: So You Wanna Write a Book with Dr. Andy Billings

August 9, 2018 Brian Moritz

Dr. Andy Billings had written or edited 18 books. He has two coming out this year. He’s published more than 130 journal articles and book chapters.

The Director of the Alabama Program in Sports Communication and Ronald Reagan Chair of Broadcasting in the Department of Journalism and Creative Media, Andy was also a part of a wonderful panel discussion at the AEJMC conference in Washington this week, where he talked about what it takes to write a book. He joins Brian on the podcast to recap that discussion and talk about the book writing process. How do you go from “hey, I’d like to write a book some day?” to publishing?

Andy talks about the importance of de-limiting your topic, making sure it’s not too big or too small. He discusses why the table of contents is such and important part of the process, why you have to think two years out when you’re writing a book, how he learned what writing schedule worked for him and how his background as a public speech coach informs his writing.

Andrew Billings

Andy on Twitter

Tiger Woods

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