Blog
A GOOD COWBOY
T. Boone Pickens (courtesy of T. Boone Pickens) Today, T. Boone Pickens passed away at age 91. Eight years ago I had the privilege of shadowing him. Through that process, we became friends. He graciously hosted my family at his Texas ranch on numerous occasions. In his memory, I’m sharing here...
PROUD
In the preface to his opus “The Best and the Brightest” (the definitive account of America’s involvement in Vietnam), journalist David Halberstam shared the secret to writing a bestseller: “A book that burns in your belly — something that has to be written before you c...
WRITE YOUR STORY
I love writing. I do it every day. And I never know where the stories may end up. Often, I go on a journey with the people I write about. The picture at the top of this post was taken while I was interviewing New England Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy back when he was a junior at Brigham Young Un...
VIC …BROTHER
In the photograph at the top of this blog, I’m talking to one of my best friends, Vic Gaska. The picture was taken four summers ago at a softball game. Earlier this week, on Wednesday, Vic left work early, telling co-workers he didn’t feel well. He went home, he said, to “sleep it...
ENGLAND
At Heathrow, I faced a British customs agent, who inspected my passport. “What is your occupation?” he said.
EXPOSURE
Note: The William Hill Sports Book of the Year will be awarded in London on Tuesday. “Tiger Woods” by Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian is a finalist. In my first year of law school, I wrote a book about athletes and violence against women. I had no intentions of being a writer. At the t...
MERCURY
In the summer of 1985 I was 19-years-old and about to embark on a two-year mission for the Mormon Church when I heard on the radio that there was going to be a concert called Live-Aid to raise money for famine-ravaged Africa. More than 50 performers from Mick Jagger to Paul McCartney to Bob Dylan t...
LONDON CALLING
Last week the Tiger Woods biography was named a finalist for Sports Book of the Year in the United Kingdom. The winner will be announced at the end of November in London. I am headed there for the announcement.
SOMETHING TO CHEER ABOUT
A few days ago, I received an email from an editor at the New York Times, who asked if I’d be interested in writing an essay about Tiger Woods and his inspiring comeback. On the eve of the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearing, I said yes. The next day, while watching Christine Blasey Ford and...
THE BIGGEST COMPLIMENT
Last week LeBron James returned to Ohio for the grand opening of a public school for at-risk children in his hometown of Akron. Two-hundred and forty children who are under-performing in math and reading comprise the inaugural class in the I Promise School. The LeBron James Family Foundation and it...
ROPES
I was zipping down the Merritt Parkway, nighttime summer air blowing through the windows, the radio tuned to an 80s station. My 12-year-old daughter cranked up Kim Carnes. All the boys think she’s a spy. She’s got Bette Davis eyes.
TIME FOR A NEW ENDING
I’ve written a book called Little Pink House. I’ve produced a movie based on the book, which is currently in theaters throughout the country. Today I’m proposing that the City of New London do something bold and progressive — give back the land it took by eminent domain from...
AN APOSTLE AND A GENTLEMAN
News Flash — As I was putting the finishing touches on this blog post, I received an email from Simon & Schuster, informing me that Tiger Woods has reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. I was so stunned that I was sure I had misread the email. How can this be? Then more...
SEEING PINK
Tomorrow “Little Pink House” opens in theaters. The world premiere took place Sunday night at the Garde Arts Center, a historic 1,400 seat theater in New London, the city where the epic legal battle Kelo v New London was fought. It sold out, and hundreds more people were turned away at...
REAL TIME
My life is crazy right now. Crazy in a good way. The Tiger Woods biography comes out next week, and today New York Times book critic Dwight Garner compared it to a Christopher Nolan movie, calling the book “a big American story that rolls across barbered lawns and then leaves you stranded in...
