Michael Weinreb
@michaelweinreb.com
Bay Area-based journalist/historian/screenwriter. One Party Town podcast on Wondery Plus. The Ringer, The Atlantic, Grantland, ESPN, The Athletic, and many other places. https://linktr.ee/mweinreb
Read my newsletter for free: throwbacks.substack.com
Read my newsletter for free: throwbacks.substack.com
Pinned
Michael Weinreb
@michaelweinreb.com
· Oct 24
The Gambler and the Ballplayer (1950)
Seventy-five years after the biggest scandal in basketball history, here we are again.
open.substack.com
Latest newsletter: 75 years after the biggest scandal in basketball history, here we are again. open.substack.com/pub/throwbac...
Hey, good luck, you lovely people
December 10, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Hey, good luck, you lovely people
Latest newsletter: Jake Plummer retired at 32 rather than be someone he wasn't. Justin Herbert is trying to maintain a sense of self at a position that demands you sell everything. throwbacks.substack.com/p/justin-her...
Justin Herbert Doesn't Want To Perform
On refusing to sell every moment at the position that demands you sell everything.
throwbacks.substack.com
December 10, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Latest newsletter: Jake Plummer retired at 32 rather than be someone he wasn't. Justin Herbert is trying to maintain a sense of self at a position that demands you sell everything. throwbacks.substack.com/p/justin-her...
Why would you expect a sport that’s riddled with dysfunction on every level to suddenly make logical decisions about a playoff bracket
December 7, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Why would you expect a sport that’s riddled with dysfunction on every level to suddenly make logical decisions about a playoff bracket
It is truly unfathomable that they continue to allow Gus Johnson to broadcast games that actually matter
December 7, 2025 at 1:29 AM
It is truly unfathomable that they continue to allow Gus Johnson to broadcast games that actually matter
Latest newsletter: 'Congratulations on saying the biggest number, you fucking morons.' How Penn State's coaching search became a real-life episode of Succession. (And on a brighter note, a plug for new podcast.) throwbacks.substack.com/p/congratula...
"Congratulations on Saying The Biggest Number"
Plus, a new podcast to check out.
throwbacks.substack.com
December 5, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Latest newsletter: 'Congratulations on saying the biggest number, you fucking morons.' How Penn State's coaching search became a real-life episode of Succession. (And on a brighter note, a plug for new podcast.) throwbacks.substack.com/p/congratula...
Latest newsletter: Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU before the playoff. He didn't break college football—he just stopped pretending it wasn't already broken. open.substack.com/pub/throwbac...
Lane Kiffin Didn't Break College Football. He Just Stopped Pretending (2008)
This is Throwbacks, a newsletter by me, Michael Weinreb, about sports, history, culture, and politics—and how they all bleed together.
open.substack.com
December 3, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Latest newsletter: Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU before the playoff. He didn't break college football—he just stopped pretending it wasn't already broken. open.substack.com/pub/throwbac...
Can an athletic director get himself fired mid-search? Let’s find out
SOURCES: BYU coach Kalani Sitake is expected to remain with the Cougars after receiving strong interest from Penn State, @theathletic.com has learned.
BYU is expected to commit more resources to Sitake and the FB program, which plays for the Big 12 title/CFP on Saturday (ESPN 1st)
BYU is expected to commit more resources to Sitake and the FB program, which plays for the Big 12 title/CFP on Saturday (ESPN 1st)
December 2, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Can an athletic director get himself fired mid-search? Let’s find out
Why not end the weirdest dumbest season in Penn State history with an inexplicably silly game against an annoying opponent
November 29, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Why not end the weirdest dumbest season in Penn State history with an inexplicably silly game against an annoying opponent
Latest newsletter: the myth of the rattlesnake-hunting quarterback who became a one-hit Thanksgiving wonder, sucker-punched Roger Staubach...and then disappeared.
The Triumph of the Uncluttered Mind: Clint Longley and Thanksgiving, 1974
This is Throwbacks, a newsletter by me, Michael Weinreb, about sports, history, culture, and politics—and how they all bleed together.
throwbacks.substack.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Latest newsletter: the myth of the rattlesnake-hunting quarterback who became a one-hit Thanksgiving wonder, sucker-punched Roger Staubach...and then disappeared.
I would be more than happy to move into the “Where was this Penn State team all season” phase
November 23, 2025 at 12:37 AM
I would be more than happy to move into the “Where was this Penn State team all season” phase
Latest newsletter, on the dumbest sports controversy of 1994, and Gen X’s (slight) return…
The Alright Guys: Todd Snider, Ken Griffey Jr., Ethan Hawke, and the Gen X Ethic
In 1994, refusing to sell out was a virtue. Thirty years later, we're still figuring out what we lost.
open.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Latest newsletter, on the dumbest sports controversy of 1994, and Gen X’s (slight) return…
Reposted by Michael Weinreb
Had an absolute blast chatting with @michaelweinreb.com for this week’s @i80club.bsky.social Football Show! Nebraska/PSU, the coaching search, and Matt Rhule.
Available now!
YouTube: youtu.be/erZ2txKCkyo?...
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i...
Available now!
YouTube: youtu.be/erZ2txKCkyo?...
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i...
November 20, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Had an absolute blast chatting with @michaelweinreb.com for this week’s @i80club.bsky.social Football Show! Nebraska/PSU, the coaching search, and Matt Rhule.
Available now!
YouTube: youtu.be/erZ2txKCkyo?...
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i...
Available now!
YouTube: youtu.be/erZ2txKCkyo?...
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i...
Reposted by Michael Weinreb
Very excited to share the cover for my next book, HANNIBAL LECTER: A LIFE, coming in February from Simon & Schuster! It's about how Thomas Harris created one of the most beloved bad guys of all time, and a look at the making of such hits as THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, MANHUNTER, and NBC's HANNIBAL.
November 18, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Very excited to share the cover for my next book, HANNIBAL LECTER: A LIFE, coming in February from Simon & Schuster! It's about how Thomas Harris created one of the most beloved bad guys of all time, and a look at the making of such hits as THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, MANHUNTER, and NBC's HANNIBAL.
Are they just floating all these third-rate candidates to make us happy with whoever we get
There has been a lot of speculation about Penn State's interest in potential coaches.
One wild card in the mix: former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll: http://dlvr.it/TPGbfb
One wild card in the mix: former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll: http://dlvr.it/TPGbfb
November 14, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Are they just floating all these third-rate candidates to make us happy with whoever we get
Latest newsletter, on Ralph Sampson, Bo Jackson, and the fragile wondrousness of Wemby. throwbacks.substack.com/p/victor-wem...
Victor Wembanyama Doesn't Make Sense (1985)
On watching an evolutionary leap in real time...and hoping it lasts.
throwbacks.substack.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Latest newsletter, on Ralph Sampson, Bo Jackson, and the fragile wondrousness of Wemby. throwbacks.substack.com/p/victor-wem...
Latest newsletter, on how Victor Conte (1950-2025), shameless steroid peddler, pioneered the logic of our cynical age. throwbacks.substack.com/p/victor-con...
Victor Conte and the Triumph of Shamelessness (2000)
How the BALCO founder pioneered the logic of our cynical age.
throwbacks.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Latest newsletter, on how Victor Conte (1950-2025), shameless steroid peddler, pioneered the logic of our cynical age. throwbacks.substack.com/p/victor-con...
Reposted by Michael Weinreb
A Quick Take on Team Cave’s Big Win talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/a-qui...
A Quick Take on Team Cave’s Big Win
I have what I suspect is a somewhat counterintuitive take on the...
talkingpointsmemo.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:51 AM
A Quick Take on Team Cave’s Big Win talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/a-qui...
The thing you realize being forced to watch Fox’s college football coverage on YouTube TV is that Fox’s college football coverage is largely unwatchable. throwbacks.substack.com/p/gus-johnso...
Gus Johnson, Fox Sports, and the Exhaustion of Bro Culture
Is the era of screaming gimmickry finally subsiding?
throwbacks.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:06 PM
The thing you realize being forced to watch Fox’s college football coverage on YouTube TV is that Fox’s college football coverage is largely unwatchable. throwbacks.substack.com/p/gus-johnso...
For a sport that’s been so ineptly governed for so long baseball still has it
November 2, 2025 at 3:41 AM
For a sport that’s been so ineptly governed for so long baseball still has it
Latest newsletter: Strange Brew, the Blue Jays, and how America learned to stop worrying and annex Canada. throwbacks.substack.com/p/blame-cana...
Blame Canada (1980)
Strange Brew, the Blue Jays, and how America learned to stop worrying and annex Canada.
throwbacks.substack.com
October 31, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Latest newsletter: Strange Brew, the Blue Jays, and how America learned to stop worrying and annex Canada. throwbacks.substack.com/p/blame-cana...
Latest newsletter: It is still illegal to pull a runner but it literally hasn't been called in 35 years. Meanwhile, it is legal to push a runner, but it is now becoming unenforceable. In an era of blatant moral relativity, welcome to the party, NFL. throwbacks.substack.com/p/why-wont-t...
Why Won't The NFL Enforce Its Own Rules? (1992)
On selective enforcement, the Tush Push, and what happens when rules become suggestions.
throwbacks.substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Latest newsletter: It is still illegal to pull a runner but it literally hasn't been called in 35 years. Meanwhile, it is legal to push a runner, but it is now becoming unenforceable. In an era of blatant moral relativity, welcome to the party, NFL. throwbacks.substack.com/p/why-wont-t...
Reposted by Michael Weinreb
Latest newsletter, on Shohei Ohtani as everything and nothing. open.substack.com/pub/throwbac...
Shohei Ohtani Is a Hero For the AI Age (1977)
This is Throwbacks, a newsletter by me, Michael Weinreb, about sports, history, culture and politics, and everything in-between.
open.substack.com
October 22, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Latest newsletter, on Shohei Ohtani as everything and nothing. open.substack.com/pub/throwbac...
Sure, James Franklin may have been inscrutable and annoyingly opaque at times, but Brian Kelly is just a jerk
October 27, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Sure, James Franklin may have been inscrutable and annoyingly opaque at times, but Brian Kelly is just a jerk
The Tush Push is the anarchic metaphor we’ve been seeking
Oh boy that forward progress call on the tush push is weapons grade take fuel
October 26, 2025 at 5:47 PM
The Tush Push is the anarchic metaphor we’ve been seeking
Latest newsletter: 75 years after the biggest scandal in basketball history, here we are again. open.substack.com/pub/throwbac...
The Gambler and the Ballplayer (1950)
Seventy-five years after the biggest scandal in basketball history, here we are again.
open.substack.com
October 24, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Latest newsletter: 75 years after the biggest scandal in basketball history, here we are again. open.substack.com/pub/throwbac...