Michael Smith is mos def a rising star in today’s media. He brings a very informed and easy style that is refreshing in this age of talking heads screaming and hollering NFL points so irrelevant and utterly ridiculous. Mike’s cool. The following conversation is reminiscent of the one Scoop, Dwil and I had in Vantage Point. It’s not as political, but it definitely lends itself to the constant and ever evolving discussion about the current tenor of sports reporting. Coming out of Loyola University (LA), Mike migrated north to the Boston Globe after interning there two previous summers. This was during the time the New England Patriots franchise initialized stamping the bully presence it now has on the NFL and Michael Smith was there to document it all. His attention then shifted to ESPN to realize a dream. The interview itself is a monster in size because Mike and I touch on a variety of subjects. As Mike calls, I am just finishing Bill Rhoden’s 40 Million Dollar Slaves for the third time (Go get it!). I thought it was apropos to ask Mike what Mr. Rhoden means to him personally. Enjoy.
Michael Tillery: Do you consider Bill Rhoden an inspiration?
The Starting Five 
