Jeff Pearlman, the best-selling author of The Bad Guys Won!, about the 1986 New York Mets, and Boys Will Be Boys, about the Dallas Cowboys’ dynasty of the 1990s, is a prolific writer and blogger. His January 2000 profile of then-Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker is famous for capturing the pitcher’s attitudes towards racial minorities, gays and New Yorkers.

1) This might be like asking you to pick a favorite child, but as an author, do you have a favorite among the several books you’ve written?

Honestly, it’s nothing like picking a favorite kid. I have two children, and to me they’re precious. But I look back at all four books, and the flaws tends to jump out more than the good stuff.

That said, I’d say Love Me, Hate Me is my favorite. It sold about four copies — my worst seller, by far — but I feel like I really found out who Barry Bonds was ... without any help from the man. That’s also the one book I wrote that received zero bad reviews. Just a victim of poor timing, coming out two or three weeks after Game of Shadows. Such is life.

2) How much time, in research and writing, goes into one of your full-length books?

Depends. Ideally, I like to have two years. I’m currently working on a Walter Payton biography, and that’s the time span I’ve been given. It’s perfect, because it really allows you the space to travel, dig, research, report, etc.

My last book, the Roger Clemens biography, was a nightmare. I initially had a little more than a year. Then, because they wanted it out sooner, it was reduced to, oh, seven months. Way too little time. I’m still very proud of the book, and I think it holds up. But I had no life writing that thing. A nightmare.

3) Do you think you’re reaching a larger or more diverse audience now as a blogger and freelance writer than you did working strictly for ESPN or a publication like Sports Illustrated?

Sort of. I mean, you write for SI, you get 3 million readers. I love that. But the thing about writing for si.com or espn.com is the linkage. You write something, it’s linked by this blog here, and then that blog, then that blog.

Then, throw in jeffpearlman.com, which I really do for kicks more than anything. My base readership isn’t large — maybe 1,000 hits per day. But then my posts run on Facebook, and that adds an additional 1,000. Then much of the stuff is picked up by other blogs ... suddenly, a s--- load of people are reading your thoughts on gun control. Weird, but sort of empowering.

4) If you were graduating college today, would you still see journalism as an attractive profession?

Hmm ... not really. Sad, but true. I mean, I love my job. But I was lucky enough to enter the profession in 1994, when newspapers were hiring, when internships were plentiful ... when the business was thriving. It’s still attractive, because I love writing and I never wear shoes. But is it thriving? No.

5) What advice would you give someone looking to break into sports journalism as a career, given the current state of the industry?

Two things. First, bust your ass. Bust. Your. Ass. Pitch to everyone. Apply everywhere. Learn every nook and cranny of the biz — multimedia, print, broadcast. Be as diverse as possible, because that’s where it’s at. There are very few pure writers anymore. You write, you blog, you do a video segment, etc.

Second, be creative and make your stuff stand out. Right now, the sports editor of the Chicago Tribune, for example, is digging through resumes and clips for the paper’s single opening. There are hundreds upon hundreds of clips, and 99 percent of them follow the “The X football team beat the Y football team by a score of X-Y yesterday behind the standout play of X.” Don’t, don’t, don’t do that. Be creative. Take risks in writing. Go for broke. It won’t always work, but you’ll learn, and you’ll stand out.

6) On your blog, you write unapologetically about a number of contentious issues that aren’t related to sports, including politics. Are you worried you might alienate some of your readers who are primarily interested in your views on sports?

Not really. I am who I am. And, truthfully, sports sorta bore me. Not the history and the meaningful stuff and great games, but the daily banal bulls---: Will Favre sign? Do the Phils have enough pitching? Yawn. So I dig into politics, because I’m fascinated by it, and it’s fun to write about. If that results in the loss of some readers, I’ll live. I think back to when Michael Jordan was asked why he doesn’t endorse candidates, and he said, “Republicans buy shoes, too.” Pitiful. I never want to live like that.

7) Would you ever be interested in writing a book or regular columns about non sports-related topics?

Most definitely. My dream is to write a biography of Shannon Hoon. It’ll probably never happen, because it’ll sell three copies. But I’d be thrilled. And if the New York Times calls with an editorial page position, I’m all ears.

8) What other writers do you respect and appreciate the most?

Well, in sports, Steve Rushin — my former SI colleague — is my all-time favorite. Also love Steve Buckley from the Boston Herald, Leigh Montville, Mark Kriegel, Jonathan Eig, Jon Wertheim, Greg Orlando — all greats.

Otherwise, my two favorite, non-sports writers are Frank Rich and Gail Collins of the New York Times. Both just brilliant in their abilities to weave narratives. Breathtaking.

9) Do you ever feel that some stories, such as your Sports Illustrated feature on John Rocker, unduly overshadow the rest of your work?

I used to worry about that, especially Rocker. It happened for a while — a long while. But then I think I established myself as a book guy, and everything sorta just vanished.

Now I look back at Rocker with pride. I like how I handled that whole experience. It was a nightmare — all-consuming, uncomfortable. I’m from the school that writers aren’t the story, and I sorta became the story. Or part of it. But I moved on.

10) Given all the details — savory and unsavory — you unearth in the course of your writing and research about sports, is it still possible for you to be a fan and root for these people?

No.

— Interview by Editorials Editor Asher Smith