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In the 1980's, Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini wasn't merely the lightweight champ. An adoring public considered him a national hero and a savior to boxing. But it all came apart November 1982. Macini's obscure Korean challenger, Duk Koo Kim, went down in the 14th round and never regained consciousness. The death would haunt Ray and ruin his carefully crafted image, suddenly transforming boxing's All-American Boy into a pariah. Jeremy Schaap speaks with author Mark Kriegel about his book "The Good Son." Listen

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Jeremy Schaap speaks with author Nick Hornby about his recently released e-book "Pray" detailing the previous season in the Premier League, looking at specific games in which the significance was more than just the score. Listen

Former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Steve Blass was once a 19-game winner, an All-Star, and the runner-up World Series MVP to Roberto Clemente. Then, one day, he couldn’t throw a strike. Jeremy Schaap speaks with Blass regarding the eponymous disease that has plagued players like Rick Ankiel, Chuck Knoblauch, and Steve Sax. Blass is the author of the book "Pirate for Life," released earlier this year. Listen

Bryan Christie Design; reference imagery: Purdue Neurotraua Group / Purdue University

Jeremy Schaap speaks with 3-time Super Bowl champion Mark Schlereth and ESPN the Magazine Sr. Writer Peter Keating about the link between the NFL and brain trauma. Among the topics discussed: the NFL’s PR management, the ethos to play through pain, technological advancements, legal & financial impacts, and the future of the sport. Listen

Before there was Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali, there was Floyd Patterson, one of the greatest, kindest, and most-overlooked heavyweight champions. Jeremy Schaap speaks with author W.K. Stratton about his new biography, "Floyd Patterson: The Fighting Life of Boxing's Invisible Champion." Listen

As part of the Summer Reading Series, Jeremy Schaap speaks with Chris Ballard, the author of "One Shot at Forever: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season." The book takes readers back to 1971 where a rural high school baseball team defies the odds to become the smallest school in history to make the Illinois state final. Listen

Before there was Mike Tyson, before there was Muhammed Ali, before there was Jack Johnson, there was Joe Gans - boxing's first African-American champion. Many people came to Goldfield, Nevada, America’s last gold-rush town, to seek their fortune. However, on a searing summer day in September 1906, they came not to strike it rich but to watch what would become the longest boxing match of the twentieth century—between Gans and "Battling" Nelson, a vicious and dirty brawler. It was a match billed as the battle of the races. In "The Longest Fight" author William Gildea tells the story of this epic match, which would stretch forty-two rounds and last two hours and forty-eight minutes. Jeremy Schaap speaks with Gildea about his just released book about the forgotten champion. Listen