If somebody asks what’s the best part of doing this site thus far, I say that’s easy: Interviewing Frank Deford.

If there was a Mt. Rushmore for great sportswriters of the last 50 years, one of those faces would belong to Deford. While it would embarrass him to hear it (or maybe not), he remains a hero to people like us who grew up turning to the back of Sports Illustrated to see if Deford had a piece in that week’s issue.

I’m not going to wax poetic about Deford’s work in SI, NPR, HBO and elsewhere, because it wouldn’t do him justice. I know he would write it so much better.

Fortunately for us, Deford decided to wrap up his glorious career in a new book: Overtime: My Life as a Sportswriter.

It’s a terrific read. Deford chronicles his early days at Sports Illustrated in the 60s, when the magazine really hit its stride and changed the face of sports journalism, thanks in part to writers like himself. He writes about covering the biggest of the big; Wilt Chamberlain, Bobby Orr, Arthur Ashe, along with his fondness for obscure tales, such as spending time on the road with a roller derby team. He also weaves in a fascinating treatise on the evolution and current state of sportswriting.

Deford writes that legendary Sports Illustrated editor Andre Laguerre once gave him a piece of sage advice. He said: “Frankie, it doesn’t matter what you write about. All that matters is how well you write.”

Nobody did it better then, and at age 73, Deford shows he still has his fastball, along with several other pitches. He elegantly sums up our craft as only he could.

I asked the bartender if there is any drink named ‘Sports Journalist’? No, he says. So I have made it up: Cheap scotch and Gatorade. Slivorice for hard-nose-ness, sherry for sentimentality, and a dash of steak sauce.

I recently did a Q/A with Deford. It was one of the best hours I have enjoyed in a long time.

Did you ever think you’d write your memoirs?

People would say to me in the last 10 years or so, ‘Hey you ought to write a book.’ I’d say, ‘Nobody wants to read about a stupid sportswriter.’

My wife, Carol, we’re having a drink, and I said, ‘Can you believe it? They want me to (write a book).’ She said, ‘All the stories you tell all the time that I had to hear…Yeah, you’ve got book in you. People are interested in the people you’ve talk to.’ It’s not the Frank Deford story. It’s Wilt Chamberlain relating to me. Or Bobby Orr when he finds out that Larry Bird worships him.

What was it like writing about yourself?

The hard part was writing about me. I think I have a pretty good idea when I write a story through the years of what the reader is going to like. When it’s you, and you’re thinking, ‘That was interesting to me, but will it be interesting to everyone else’?

For a memoir to be any good, people have to relate to you the writer. I had this idyllic life (as a writer). I didn’t have to pull myself up from the bootstrap. I just sort of drifted along.

You didn’t have a conventional career as a sportswriter. You weren’t a press box kind of guy.

I wanted to write about the people more than the games. What I got to do was what I wanted to do. Not many people get to do that. I feel blessed in that regard. And I got to do it at a time when SI was the crème de la crème.

Obviously, dealing with athletes in the 1960s is much different than today. You often were inside their circle. What was that like?

You’ve got to understand that’s the way it was when I got into it. I just assumed that’s the way it was going to be. You’d hang out these guys. They’d bum drinks off you, cigarettes off you. I chased girls with them. I was their age. Remember that too. I was just another guy.

I had an expense account. ‘Hey, let’s let Frank buy a couple of rounds for us.’ I did make a point in the book that I got in with the athletes not because I was Frank Deford. It was because I was Frank Deford from Sports Illustrated. I got more access than someone from the Bloomington Herald. I would get through to people. They would call me back.

You dedicated an entire chapter to Arthur Ashe. What kind of impact did he have on your life?

He was an incredible guy. The first thing I say about him, hey, he had a tremendous sense of humor. Everything thinks he was a serious person, which he was and because he died so tragically. But he was great company. He was fun to be with. Great laughs. I traveled all over the world with this guy. It was important for me to say that. I wasn’t just writing about this serious historical figure. When I was with Arthur, it was two guys hanging out. He happened to be a tennis player, and I happened to be a writer.

Tennis also turned into a favorite sport to cover. Why?

Tennis players were great. Now, they’re all surrounded by entourages. But then, they were delighted to see any press at all.

Tennis was the best thing I fell into. Everyone said, la-de-da, tennis anyone? Oh crap. But it was fabulous people, great places to go in the world. All of sudden, it became very popular. The world moved underneath my feet because of Connors, McEnroe, Billie Jean King. Billie Jean is like Arthur. She is this iconic figure. Back then, she was just this chubby little kid. It was like being with George Washington at Valley Forge in sporting terms. Who knew?

In the book, you write that your favorite stories were on off-beat subjects, such as roller derby. Why?

I always liked Americana, for lack of a better word. That embraces a lot. It was interesting. None of that stuff is left because it’s on TV. Even it’s an obscure sport, it’s still on TV. You can’t introduce it to the world. All the goofy stuff going on. Only people still out there are the Globetrotters. They still barnstorm.

There were only three channels back then. When I could write a story about the roller derby, it was like writing about aliens. Most people had no idea what this was. I wrote about a guy who carried a whale around. I loved that. Selfishly, it was me getting to see America and to meet people who were very different than me.

I loved obscure coaches. I remember doing a story on a guy at Idaho State. Nobody would want you to do that today. They’d say, no, you do that on Bill Self. So the characters that were out there..Nobody making any money, and a lot of them coming from nowhere. All of sudden, this guy parachutes in from Sports Illustrated. The funny thing is, they looked at me the same way I was looking at them. They were a laboratory specimen for me, but I was a laboratory specimen for them too. They were checking me out. This guy is going to write about us? In a national magazine? They always were so disappointed when I’d show up because I was so young.

While writing about yourself, you also weave in your view on the evolution of sportswriting. It includes a spirited defense of the craft. You don’t think sportswriters get enough credit.

This is important. When (it was mentioned) to do something about sportswriting, it gave me a chance to defend sportswriting. I didn’t want it to be a polemic. C’mon the Pulitzer Prize. If Jim Murray had been writing politics, he would have gotten it 10 years before. I do get ticked off when people put down sportswriters.

I came in at a time when guys still were fighting (the emergence of) TV. I’ve seen a tremendous part of that.

Dan Jenkins was a storyteller. Even though he was writing deadline pieces, they were storytelling pieces. You go to the other side. Mark Kram. He was writing almost poetry, lyric poetry about these Greek gods. And I’m somewhere in the middle.

What’s your view on the current state of sportswriting?

Unfortunately, we’ve gotten swamped by the numbers. People have gotten buried under the numbers. Statistics. That has become everything. Pitch count is more interesting than what the guy is made of. I think that’s a shame because so much of sports is drama.

There are wonderful personalities. These guys are entertainers, and a large percentage are show-offs in one way or another. They do give of themselves. They’re young and they say stupid things.

However, I don’t think there are nearly as many characters  because kids grow up seeing how you’re supposed to behave if you become a star. They learn to talk in clichés. I don’t think they give of themselves as much as they used to.

It’s partly we’re not looking for the stories of people, and the other part is, the people are a little more reluctant to reveal themselves. They’re surrounded by professionals. I can’t remember the first time I ever had to go through I had go through an agent, but I remember it was shocking. Mostly, you’d just walk up and say, “Hey, I’d like to do a story on you.’ Guy would say, ‘Yeah sure. Want to have dinner tonight?”

Did you find yourself being careful about saying, ‘It was better back then…”?

I remember when I broke in, the old guys were saying that. I said to myself, “If I ever get to be an old sportswriter, God forbid me from doing that.”

It’s always the case that the people playing and people covering it think that when they broke in that was the best time. I think it is simple enough to say it was the best time for me. I’ll stick to that.

I do think this, though, in so far as what I could write and the access I had, because TV did not dominate it, it was the best time for a writer.

This is such a personal book. This is your life as opposed to somebody’s else life. How do you feel about the reviews?

I don’t think there’s any question that if I read a review and somebody thinks I’m an asshole, I’m not going to like it. If somebody says, “Deford comes off as a blowhard, and he’s not very interesting…” We all want to be loved. It’s not like I’m a politician trying to support a point of view. It’s not an advocacy book. It’s a book of remembrances.

Yeah, I want to be loved. I want people to like me in the parts where I hope I was self-deprecating enough. There were times when I had to show off, because it worked. I couldn’t have false modesty. I tried to walk a line between making fun of myself and saying, ‘Yeah I can write a little bit.’

And one last point.

I was a natural writer, but that doesn’t mean I was better than other people. Simply being natural means you were born with a gift, you still have to play it to its fullest. I hope I did that.

Mission accomplished, Frank.

If Jim Rome talks smack in the forest, but nobody hears it, does it count as smack?

Rome is well into his second month hosting his new show Rome on CBS Sports Network. Thus far, the latest version of Rome has evolved into a fast-moving show that continues to attract big-time guests: David Stern, Aaron Rogers, Matt Kemp, Justin Verlander, Charles Barkley among others.

“It’s early on, but I am as proud of this show as any show I’ve ever done,” said Rome in his distinctive tone during a phone interview with me.

Yet having said that, Rome is well aware of the reality of his new situation. CBS Sports Network doesn’t have any ratings data for Rome’s new show, but you don’t have to be a Nielsen expert to know it is a fraction of what it was at his former home on ESPN.

I tell Rome my boys, ages 16 and 14, used to watch his show all the time. They came home from school, turned on ESPN and took in the late afternoon block of programming. So much for homework.

They haven’t altered their routine to accommodate Rome’s switch. Television viewing is habitual, I tell Rome, and at 5 p.m. (Central), they are watching SportsCenter instead of flipping to CBS Sports Network for Rome’s show.

“I get it,” Rome said. “I need a buy-in from those kids.”

Then Rome said, “If you want, I’ll tell them myself.”

Unfortunately, the boys weren’t home on this day, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they eventually get a call from Rome. He is so passionate about his new endeavor, he would go door-to-door to attract viewers.

Rome actually is counting on the conventional methods (word-of-mouth and promotion) to build an audience. He knows it will take time and that he may be playing to a mostly empty room for a while.

Rome, though, remains confident he made the right decision, and he continues to stress there is more involved to this move than just the CBS Sports Network show.

Here’s my Q/A with Rome.

What’s your assessment of the show thus far?

I was ready for a new challenge, ready for a new show. We’re hitting it hard. It’s early on, but I am as proud of this show as any show I’ve ever done.

We’re putting so much more into it. I always liked the last show that I did, but it became kind of static. Four burns off the top of the show. Then you’d get an interview. Then you’d get a panelist. Then you’d get one burn at the back end of the show.

This is much more labor intensive. We’re trying to get 7-8 burns at the top. Then we’ll do an interview. If there’s not a good interview, then we’ll double up on the panel. A lot more content. It feels like it moves faster. It feels like the 2.0 version of what I was doing.

Could you have done the same thing for ESPN? Could you have said I want to change the format of the show?

It’s a real interesting question. We just thought we were doing as much as we could do. Everyone was happy with the show. It never came up. At one point they came to me and said, instead of having two people on your panel,. go ahead and have one person. We always thought we were giving as much as we possibly could. It wasn’t until I left where we all said, ‘Look, you can’t do the same show you’ve always done. You’ve got to do more and be better.’

For the millionth time, what were your motivations for the move?

I felt like I had done same show for so long. At this point in my career, I said I could keep doing the same thing. I thought there is risk inherent in not trying to stretch and try something new. On top of that, let’s be honest. If it was just a straight swap, simply moving show to CBS Sports Network,  maybe that’s something I wouldn’t have done. They’ve offered me so many other things. They put me on Letterman. I was on the set of the Final Four; I was on the pregame show for the AFC Championship game, and there are more opportunities, including a show on Showtime. When CBS calls and offers you that, you don’t say no.

Do you consider yourself a person who likes to take risks?

Am I a risk guy?  Doing nothing would have been a greater risk. But I’m pretty calculating. Sometimes, you have to push yourself.

I’m trying to get in and hopefully make a difference. It’s a big swing. Guys like us who have done this a long time, you’ve got to take a shot.

You mention a Showtime program. What will that be?

It’s going to come out in the Fall. I’m not trying to hide anything, but there’s really not anything new at this point.

What was it like to see all the billboards and ads promoting the new show?

They had this unbelievable roll out when they made the announcement. In my entire career, I never had that kind of promotion in radio or TV. That in of itself was an incredible thing for my career, for my brand.

When I got to New York to do Letterman, I saw a billboard of myself. Somebody took a picture of me standing next to it. I emailed it to my wife. She literally cried. She couldn’t believe it. It was an amazing feeling, and a surreal feeling. It made me want to do well for these folks because they put it out there for me.

You’ve had great guests thus far.

Maybe, it’s the relationships I have with these guys that they want to come on with Rome, whatever that show might be. They’ll get a fair interview and hopefully a smart interview. But it feels good.

How do you reach the viewers who turn on ESPN and leave it on?

You’re exactly right. It’s the De facto channel. You don’t have to find anything. You just turn your TV on. My feeling is, I only can do what I can do. I’m constantly trying to say this is where we are, this is what we’re doing. I try and use Twitter and my radio show to get the word out.

Look, they’ve got a 40-year head start on us and everyone else. ESPN is ESPN. It’s a monster. I understand it isn’t going to change overnight. I’m determined to keep grinding it out every day and do everything I can to get your kids to tune into that network.

There aren’t any ratings for your show. How do you know if people are watching?

I hear from the radio listeners. I get the feedback through Twitter and the radio show. That’s how I know people are seeing the show. We have to tell people where to find it. That’s the challenge. Exactly where are you and when are you on? That’s the challenge thus far.

Do people still say to you, ‘You’re crazy, why did you leave ESPN?

Yeah, little bit. Once in a while. It’s not just the one show. It’s the whole platform. It’s been great. They were very good to me at ESPN. I had a great run there. CBS has been awesome. It’s a great company to work for. They give me a lot of support. I’ve never once looked back.

It’s a big picture thing. I’m not so locked in that it’s just the TV show. I’m reaching so many different places across the platforms. Once I made the decision, once I’m in, I’m all in. It might sound trite, but I’m trying to do the best TV show I can do every single day. That’s what I’m focused on. It’s going to take some time. As long as I can do a TV show I’m proud of, that’s the only thing that matters.

So no buyer’s remorse?

I’m not like that. I thought about this for a long, long time. Once I decided to do it, I was all in. No buyer’s remorse at all.

I know what I signed up for. I understand where I am right now. I know I’m supposed to help drive the eyeballs to this network.

The Kings have been playing in Los Angeles since 1967. Yet on the eve of their series with New Jersey, the Los Angeles Daily News felt compelled to run a story with this headline:

Hockey 101: Tips for watching the L.A. Kings in the Stanley Cup Final

The piece was written by the Daily News’ fine long-time sports media columnist Tom Hoffarth. Yep, still explaining hockey after 45 years.

I tapped into Hoffarth’s expertise to see how the Kings are covered in Los Angeles. Again, it’s not exactly like Detroit for the Red Wings or Boston for the Bruins.

“Their games are sold out, and they have a real passionate following,” Hoffarth said. “Youth hockey is bigger than you’d think in Los Angeles. You see kids in Kings jerseys. But it’s not like the Lakers or the Dodgers.”

Indeed, while the Los Angeles Times has Hall of Fame hockey writer Helene Elliott, the paper didn’t staff all of their road games. That’s better than the other papers. The Daily News has used a free lancer to cover the team at home. The Orange County Register relies mostly on wires for the Kings. The paper, though, does staff its more local home team, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

Jim Carlisle, who writes about sports media for the Ventura County Star, spoofed hockey in a column. He writes:

Mark this down somewhere. It’s a momentous occasion. It’s a column about  hockey.

I know! Amazing, isn’t it?

Next thing you know I’ll be saying something good about soccer. Well, let’s  not get too crazy now.

Of course, hockey and soccer are pretty much the same game; just in one of  them, they don’t know enough to come in out of the cold.

As for television, much was made of the embarrassing gaffe by a local TV report that used a Sacramento Kings logo for Kings story (pictured above). Easy to see how that would be confusing.

Again, all you need to know about hockey in LA.

“Very few of the TV reporters know much about hockey,” Hoffarth said. “It’s pretty humorous to see how they screw up the names. Jim Hill has been around here forever, and he still butchers the names.”

The best thing that happened to the Kings is that the Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers both lost in the playoffs. Even then, hockey didn’t surge to the top headline right away.

“Instead of stories about the Kings going to the Final, the papers all led with obits on the Lakers,” Hoffarth said.

Ah, such is the reality for hockey in LA. If you live in LA and want to learn more about the game, check Hoffarth’s story. It includes this passage about the puck:

Tip No. 1: Don’t necessarily try to focus on the puck.

Said Bob Miller, the Kings’ play-by-play voice:

“I usually tell people who watch the game for the first time just to focus on the area in front of the net. That’s where the puck will end up sometime.”

Added Jim Fox, the Kings’ TV analyst: “The camera’s focus on the puck isn’t as important as its ability to provide close enough action to see as many skaters as possible at the same time. It’s just like watching a basketball game on ice. If you can tell who’s carrying the puck, you don’t need to focus on the puck and follow it pass to pass.”

Again, they aren’t writing this story in Boston.

Maybe there’s something to do this soccer thing.

OK, I don’t think football (American, that is) will be looking over its shoulder just yet. However, soccer is starting to gain some serious momentum in the U.S. beyond the World Cup.

The latest indicator is Fox Sports Media’s decision to air 9 games of the Premier League’s “Survivor Sunday” on its outlets Sunday; a 10th will air on ESPN/Match Trax. That’s more games than viewers will see in the UK.

From the release.

Led by FX, FSMG networks SPEED, FSN,FUEL TV, FOX Soccer, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Deportes, along with digital platforms FOXSoccer.com and FOX Soccer 2Go, are carrying all nine matches live at 10:00 AM ET.

(More details below)

Naturally, the big draw will be Manchester United, which will play Sunderland on FX.

This massive soccer fest comes on the heels of ESPN attracting more than 1 million viewers for a Monday afternoon game featuring Manchester United. Fox also scored nicely with a Manchester United game on Super Bowl Sunday.

Advertisers have jumped on board for Sunday. Fox will have Pizza Hut as the presenting sponsor, and it sold out its top tier advertisers with Anheuser Busch, Volkswagen, Gatorade, Heineken, Nestle and Gillette.

I had a chance to discuss the big soccer day with Eric Shanks, Fox Sports Media’s co-president and COO.

What was behind this decision?

Shanks: David Nathanson, who runs Fox Soccer, said if he could air every game of the Premier League, he would. We’ve always said, ‘David, great idea, not possible.’ He came to us with this idea. We said, ‘Great idea. Let’s make it work.’

This is like the Sunday Ticket for soccer. Not only is it great for soccer fans, but it is a great way to educate non-fans on why there is so much interest in this weekend. It isn’t just teams playing for the top spots. Team at the bottom get relegated (to a lower league). It’s like high-low poker. It’s a great concept. Some sports here should adopt it.

Why isn’t the main network carrying a game?

Shanks: It’s just not feasible because we would have to get clearance from our affiliates. Most of them have their own programming on a Sunday morning. We didn’t want to do this if we only had 80 percent clearance.

How important is volume here in airing all the games at one time?

Shanks: It’s kind of like the last day of the baseball season when you had three big games going on at one time. We’re going to have a ticker system on every channel, telling people where to go for the games. If it’s a tight game between Manchester United and Sunderland, people will know and can go to that game.

What does your decision to air these games say about soccer in the U.S.?

Shanks: It says the availability of the best soccer in the world through TV and Internet means more people will be able to see these games. The more people have access to these games, the more they are likely to watch.

Here’s everything you need to know from the release:

WHAT: Survival Sunday – the final day of England’s Barclays Premier League, where all 20 teams face off at the same time (9:30 AM ET). The bottom three teams are relegated from the BPL (clubs 18-20), while the top four sides ensure passage to the world’s most prestigious (and lucrative) club tournament – the UEFA Champions League. Teams finishing in fifth and sixth place can qualify for the 2012-2013 UEFA Europa League.

WHEN:  Sunday, May 13 – 9:30 AM ET (except SPEED, who will join at 10:00 AM ET).

MATCHUP                                                                                                      Network

Sunderland v Manchester UniteD                       FX & FOX Deportes

Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United visits Sunderland needing a win to keep title hopes alive in the race against Manchester City.

Chelsea v Blackburn Rovers                                    SPEED

Chelsea’s midseason revival continues against recently doomed Blackburn. Rovers were relegated following Monday’s defeat to Wigan, and Chelsea needs to win in order to remain in the hunt for European qualification.

Swansea City v Liverpool                                             FUEL TV

Following FA Cup disappointment against Chelsea, English giant Liverpool and captain Steven Gerrard look to finish their season on a high note against upstart Swansea City.

West Bromwich Albion v Arsenal                                        FSN

In a vital match for Arsenal, the Gunners aim to secure their place in next season’s UEFA Champions League by winning at West Bromwich Albion.

Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham                                   FOX Soccer

Chasing an all-important UEFA Champions League position, Tottenham hosts Fulham and American superstar Clint Dempsey at North London’s White Hart Lane.

Stoke City v Bolton Wanderers                               FOX Soccer Plus

At one of the most intimidating venues in English soccer, Stoke City hosts a Bolton team desperately seeking to avoid relegation at the Britannia Stadium. Sitting in the relegation zone in eighteenth place, Bolton must win to avoid dropping into the English second division.

Everton v Newcastle United                                      FOXSoccer.com

In one of the most important clashes on Survival Sunday, Newcastle looks to secure its place in next season’s UEFA Champions League, while Everton needs to win for a shot at UEFA Europa League qualification.

Norwich City v Aston Villa                                          FOX Soccer 2GO

In its first season since gaining promotion to the Barclays Premier League, Norwich City has impressed and looks to go out on a high against Aston Villa at Carrow Road.

Wigan Athletic v Wolverhampton Wanderers             FOX Soccer 2GO

Safe from relegation after defeating Blackburn Rovers on Monday, a resurgent Wigan team celebrates its Barclays Premier League survival at home against last place Wolverhampton.

Manchester City v Queens Park Rangers           ESPN/MatchTrax

Manchester City seeks to capture its first Barclays Premier League title against a Queens Park Rangers team fighting to avoid relegation.

When illustrating a point during a baseball game, former Cubs and current White Sox TV analyst Steve Stone likes to say, “For all you youngsters out there….”

Well, for all you journalists out there, young and old, there is a valuable lesson to be learned from what happened to Sun-Times reporter Joe Cowley in recent days. Twitter can blow up in your face.

Robert Feder of TimeOut Chicago reports Cowley is on “final notice” following his sexist tweets that went viral Sunday. Feder writes:

Cowley’s reporting continued uninterrupted as his editors ultimately decided to issue a final warning through the guild process. “If he does anything again, it’s pretty much a fireable offense,” a source said.

Cowley may have a job, but his reputation is battered. Cowley has been vilified on Twitter and many high-profile sites, including Deadspin, which started the pounding with the initial posts on Sunday.

Prior to Sunday, Cowley had to be considered a success for what he accomplished via social media. His edgy tweets gave him more than 10,000 followers. He seemed to enjoy provoking and ticking off people.

I actually saw his initial tweet on Sunday morning, where he complained about a delayed airline flight:

Flight delayed because of “Mandatory Crew Rest.” God forbid anyone strains themselves handing out orange juice off a cart for an extra hour.

I then left my computer, and Cowley should have too. From there, a tweet about a “chick pilot” led to him engaging in a Twitter dialogue with sports reporter Sloane Martin. It led to the ultimate tweet that pulled the pin out of the grenade.

@SloaneMartin And when you come back, hottie up that pic a bit more. You look like the Russian icy villain from a 70s Bond movie. XOXO.

Cowley’s “Jimmy The Greek” moment eventually had him taking down his Twitter account. But it was too late. His tweets had gone viral.

What happened to Cowley is why editors are having special seminars about Twitter. They are asking–pleading–with their staffs to be careful about their tweets.

This isn’t a freedom of speech issue. Cowley’s Twitter handle was CST_Cowley. He wasn’t just representing himself. He also was representing the Sun-Times. Its editors don’t want to be known as the kind of paper that uses the phrase: “Hottie up that pic.”

As Feder notes, the Cowley controversy overshadowed news that the Sun-Times actually had an increase in circulation.

The lesson for all you youngsters: Exercise a certain degree of caution when it comes to Twitter. Know there’s a line, especially if you’re representing a news organization. And know that if you cross that line, you are risking your career, and more importantly, your reputation.

Just ask Joe Cowley.