Rick Reilly

  (4:58 PM)

it's rick reilly. i'm here. anybody out there.

Rick Reilly

  (5:02 PM)

Hey everybody. Thanks for chatting. Tonight is the big-ESPN debut of Homecoming. I'm the host and Josh Hamilton, the Texas Rangers slugger, is the guest.

Steven (NJ)

What future guest will appear on the show?

Rick Reilly

  (5:03 PM)

We're doing Michael Phelps in Baltimore, Tony Hawk in San Diego, Jerry Rice in San Francisco, Kurt Warner in Iowa, and Rip Hamilton in Coatsville, PA.

Mitch (Norfolk, NE)

Any chance you are writing any more books? I'm reading Slo Mo! right now but I know when I finish it there will be no more of your books to read :(

Rick Reilly

  (5:05 PM)

I'm writing one right now that's taken me three years so far. It's tentatively called Sports in Hell: My Search for the World's Dumbest Sport. Should be out in May, 2010, from Doubleday.

Andy (LA)

So, in terms of guys who probably have absolutely no semblance of a normal life, where do you rank Kobe?

Rick Reilly

  (5:06 PM)

For being a ridiculously gifted human with an unquenchable drive to win, his life is pretty normal. He doesn't have any nannies, so he does a lot of usual dad stuff. He hates missing soccer games, cooks a bad meatloaf, etc. But when you can't even walk down the street without being mobbed in LA, that's not really normal.

Andy (LA)

You said on Simmons podcast that you wouldn't say who you were taping that would make you miss the Masters because you didn't want to jink it -- who was it?

Rick Reilly

  (5:08 PM)

well, those five that i just mentioned have committed. knock on wood. i think those will be some crazy good shows.

Bob (NJ)

What person was the most interesting to cover so far?

Rick Reilly

  (5:09 PM)

The Homecoming show that airs tonight with Josh Hamilton is so raw and emotional that you almost have to look away. This was a man who had it all and lost it all to crack. Was sleeping on crack house floors. Pawned his wife's wedding rings for crack. And he made it all the way back -- an unthinkable distance -- to become the AL's leading all-star vote getter among outfielders. That's just insane. And he didn't flinch on a single question. It's a show you have to see.

Blake: (Uniontown, Ohio)

How did u become a sports columist for ESPN???

Rick Reilly

  (5:11 PM)

I won the state high school sportswriting contest in colorado. that got me a job at the boulder (co) newspaper. when i graduated college, i got a job at the denver post, which got me hired at the LA Times, which got me hired at Sports Illustrated. I began doing the back-page column every week beginning in 1998 and did it for 10 years. then in 2008 i jumped to espn and now write the back-page column for espn the magazine and i write a weekly column for espn.com ... simple!

Mike (NewYork)

Do you think the Hornets will win tonight?

Rick Reilly

  (5:13 PM)

No, I don't think so. I paid some large bucks to sit courtside tonight, so I'd love to see a good game, but I just think N.O. is too banged up and Denver too motivated to get out of the first round for the hornets to win tonight. My god, it's been, what, since 1994 since the nuggets got out of the first round? I wonder if Lil' Wayne will be there again tonight?

Blake: (Uniontown, Ohio)

wow. haha. sounds simple enough. how much differant has your life been since espn?

Rick Reilly

  (5:15 PM)

It's been a whole lot more work, but it's fun learning so much new stuff. it's like when you first come out of college and everything is new. obviously, the writing is the same but all the TV stuff, the sportscenter pieces, the Homecoming show, the ABC/ESPN golf stuff. I make a lot of rookie mistakes and i'm trying to get better.

Chuckie (Rochester)

Is Carmelo Anthony's head straight?

Rick Reilly

  (5:17 PM)

I think so. People need to put things in perspective when it comes to Melo. The kid was a pro at 19. At 19, i was still trying to burp the alphabet. at 22, he funded his own youth center in baltimore. at 23, he gave $3 million to syracuse. i think at 23, i was still driving my mom's amc pacer.

Brandon (Queen Creek AZ)

Mr. Reilly, love your work! What would you say suprised you the most about Kobe during your time with him?

Rick Reilly

  (5:18 PM)

i guess just how much he'd grown into an adult since the last time i spent a lot of time with him. he used to just be hoops 24/7. now he's less about himself and more about the world. he's scuba diving, playing golf, reading the new york times, writing his own ads, running his own business, raising his kids and not paying somebody else to raise them. i was very impressed with him.

Aaron (Michigan)

Hi i would first like to say i love your article second what are some tips for people who write sports articles

Rick Reilly

  (5:20 PM)

in any kind of writing, you have to make the words jump off the page and squirt orange juice in the reader's face. to do that you have to write word-picture sentences. my #1 rule is something oscar wilde once said: "Never write a sentence you've already read." that forces me to sit there and sweat and bleed until i come up with a new, completely original way to say something. it's very hard but it makes your writing do backflips.

Mitch (Norfolk, NE)

Do you still read SI or is that a big no-no for ESPN the Mag. writers?

Rick Reilly

  (5:21 PM)

absolutely. SI is one of the great american magazines of all time and remains so.

Scott FL

Who would be your dream guest on Homecoming??

Rick Reilly

  (5:22 PM)

Mike Tyson.To go back to the Catskills and invite all the people to the gym that he knew and who helped him. To ask him 1,000 questions. I find him amazing honest and surprisingly bright. He's just so self-loathing and self-destructive. i'd like to get to know why.

Blake: (Uniontown, Ohio)

Who is the most famous person have you ever met

Rick Reilly

  (5:24 PM)

i guess barack obama is the most famous person in the world now. unless it's tiger woods. i've met six presidents now. i have a hate letter from george bush, sr., up on my refrigerator. he didn't like what i wrote about tom kite after the u.s. blew the ryder cup in spain in 1997.

Paul Sorensen (MI)

Is Pavel Datsyuk ever going to be on the show???

Rick Reilly

  (5:24 PM)

no.

Bob (NJ)

How long do you spend writing one 800 word column?

Rick Reilly

  (5:25 PM)

it varies. if i have a great idea that doesn't require much research, i can be done in four hours. Most of them take about three days -- two days of research and calling people and a day of writing. if you have a really bad idea that you should've never started in the first place, it can take seven days. and still suck.

Matt

Assuming the show does well, do you think you may branch a little further out from athletes and maybe get into something like say, other famous people who are big fans...like our President, for instance?

Rick Reilly

  (5:26 PM)

Where would it air? ABC maybe? Hmmmm ... that would be cool i guess. never thought of that before.

Mike (NewYork)

Do you think Dikembe Mutombo is a hall of famer?

Rick Reilly

  (5:27 PM)

no. no way. didn't win enough. had absolutely zero offensive game. i admire him though, especially for his work in africa.

Steiny (NYC)

Who is the best point guard in the West playoffs?

Rick Reilly

  (5:28 PM)

chris paul. i just love watching chris paul play. i would sit naked on a block of ice if it meant i could watch him play. by the way, he's obama's favorite player.

jon (boston)

I bet you already tired, you know Simmons has done this for like 10 hours and he doesn't even have the record.

Rick Reilly

  (5:30 PM)

they keep records for chatting? who has it? besides my 19-year-old daughter, who, i swear, used to IM in high school for three days straight, seven conversations at a time. no, really, what's the record?

Nate (Pawtucket)

Why is your blog called Go Fish?

Rick Reilly

  (5:31 PM)

The original idea was you would click on a deck of cards, not knowing what was going to be under there, and out would come a one- or two-paragraph item from me. but the technical side of it didn't quite work, nor the design side, but i liked the name. it's sort of like a grab bag.

Steiny (NYC)

LeBron James = MVP?

Rick Reilly

  (5:32 PM)

yes. no question. that team isn't even the playoffs without him. god, yes. hell yes.

Steiny (NYC)

What was more interesting. Tiger against Lefty or Kenny Perry collapsing late?

Rick Reilly

  (5:34 PM)

well, tiger vs. lefty was epic but was too good to last. what was compelling to me was kenny perry's quote after he'd given up the green jacket that should've been his. he said, "i'm just a regular guy. i don't make those heroic putts. guysl ike tiger do." i can't remember just flaying themselves open that way in front of the world after such a staggering loss. but i know that's how he feels. i played three days with him at the pebble beach tournament and i swear i've never seen anybody hit the ball closer. but he made nothing. zero. and he said, "i just am not a good putter." brutally honest.

Andy (Denver)

We've read your thoughts on the Cutler saga. Do you think Josh McDaniels will get run out of town pretty quickly? If the guy is already getting migranes. . .

Rick Reilly

  (5:37 PM)

i thought mcdaniels made an incredible gaffe in getting caught shopping his star qb -- and then lying to that qb about it. i think his youth really hurt him there. i'm not sure 32 is old enough, savvy enough, experienced enough to be an nfl coach. my prediction is that he will be a bust on the order of New Coke.

Chat Record

I think Simmons managed like 8 hours once, but the record for a single chatter is over 12 hours.

Rick Reilly

  (5:38 PM)

wow. i can't imagine anybody caring what i have to say for 12 hours. or 12 minutes for that matter.

Stray Cat (Wrigley's Field)

Did I just jinx the Cubs again?

Rick Reilly

  (5:38 PM)

yes. yes, you did. you bastard.

Bob (NJ)

Are the magazine columns the same ones that appear on espn.com or are they separate?

Rick Reilly

  (5:40 PM)

the magazine only comes out every other week and yes, my columns for the magazine also run on espn.com on that day (which is every other wednesday.) the weeks when there is no magazine, i write an espn.com-only column, which also runs wednesday. got any ideas?

Courtney (Lincoln, NE)

What is your all-time favorite column you have written?

Rick Reilly

  (5:42 PM)

for what it's meant in the long run, i'd say the one where i asked people to send $10 to put malaria nets over kids in africa. thru the u.n. foundation, wi ame up with the name "Nothing but Nets" and they invented a website for it and we're now up to $24 million raised. that's a lot of kids who won't die of malaria now. it only takes 41 seconds to save a kid's life at nothingbutnets.net ...

Jon (NO)

I'm in Denver for the game tonight. Got any suggestions on a good place to eat relatively near the stadium? I'm on an expense account, so $ isn't really an object.

Rick Reilly

  (5:43 PM)

Tomayo is a great, gourmet mexican joint on the corner of 14th and larimer. then you c an just walk over to pepsi center from there.

Scott (Chicago)

What kind of golf clubs are in your bag?

Rick Reilly

  (5:44 PM)

ones that hit hooks.

Philardo (Santa Rosa, CA)

Matthew Berry has the chat record. He chatted for 12 straight hours not too long ago. Insane. How'd he go to the bathroom? Ewww, never mind

Rick Reilly

  (5:45 PM)

wouldn't your fingers blister?

Eric (Lancaster, PA)

Who is better, Albert Pujols or Ryan Howard?

Rick Reilly

  (5:47 PM)

Pujols. Were it not for steroid cheats like Barry Bonds, he'd have four MVPs by now. If he turns out to be on steroids, i thik i'll jam knitting needles in my eyes and never watch baseball again.

Brandon (Queen Creek AZ)

Have you followed Ashton Kutcher's twitter war with cnbc? I believe it resulted in a ton of money and publicity going to that same cause.

Rick Reilly

  (5:48 PM)

yes. i loved it. we're trying to get all of kutcher's followers to just donate $10 to nothing but nets. can you imagine how powerful that would be? for once malaria would get punk'd.

Paula Abdul (On The Set Of American Idol)

Had a great time last night? Was it good for you?

Rick Reilly

  (5:49 PM)

no. i thought you were a little flat at times.

Steve (Boulder)

If you had to be on a reality show, which one would you do?

Rick Reilly

  (5:51 PM)

dancing with the stars. i always wanted to be gene kelly.

Michael (New York, NY)

Hey Rick. I love your work. Any chance we will see you giving some updates from Homecoming shoots in the 140 charecter format on Twitter? It would be great to follow you through the process.

Rick Reilly

  (5:52 PM)

we just launched a Homecoming website and i'll be posting some stuff on there. did i mention the josh hamilton show debuts on big espn tonight at 7 ET. the john elway show is tomorrow night. and we're shooting next: michael phelps, kurt warner, tony hawk, jerry rice and rip hamilton. maybe i mentioned that?

Rick Reilly

  (5:52 PM)

we just launched a Homecoming website and i'll be posting some stuff on there. did i mention the josh hamilton show debuts on big espn tonight at 7 ET. the john elway show is tomorrow night. and we're shooting next: michael phelps, kurt warner, tony hawk, jerry rice and rip hamilton. maybe i mentioned that?

Max (Appleton, WI)

Who's going to win the NBA championship this year?

Rick Reilly

  (5:53 PM)

the lakers over cleveland in six.

Rich (Seattle)

You're the best sports writer in America. I firmly believe that. I'm a Marine Corps journalist and wonder if you have any tips on how to continually make mundane topics relevant and interesting?

Rick Reilly

  (5:55 PM)

it's not always easy, but i think if you dig beneath the surface to find the personal story behind the obvious story, your writing becomes more vital. everybody has a story. your job is to find it. ... thanks for your service!

Jarrett Swinger (South Carolina)

do u ever think that tiger woods will bounce back from his performance at the master's?

Rick Reilly

  (5:59 PM)

bounce back from fifth place. that's a very small bounce. i fully expect tiger to average one major a year for the next 12 years, leaving him with 26, shattering nicklaus' record of 18. but i do worry about that knee. four surgeries on one knee? that can often lead to very bad arthritis. i hope not. he is a joy to watch in person.

Scott Van Pelt (Bristol)

You're Fired

Rick Reilly

  (6:00 PM)

Damn. OK, then, i guess i'll get my pink slip and go. thanks for all the great questions. does this go down as the shortest chat in history? see you next time -- rick reilly