Gregg Easterbrook Talks ESPN Grade, The King of Sports, & Football Safety

I've been contemplating starting a recurring feature here on the site called "The Indispensables." Those things that you simply can't live without. Those things that just flat-out make life better.

Well, if and when I get around to starting that list, Gregg Easterbrook and his TMQ column at ESPN.com will be on it. For the uninitiated, TMQ is "Tuesday Morning Quarterback," which appears weekly during the football season. As the logo says it covers all things "On field, off field, and far afield." It's a football column, yes, covering the NFL, colleges, and even high school. But it also delves into politics, science, sci-fi, TV, pop culture, and more. I've been reading TMQ for more than a decade and it is indispensable to me. I love printing out the 16-20 pages each week (sorry, environmentalists), taking it home, and relaxing on the recliner while reading and watching college football on Saturdays. The arrival of a 17-month old boy (and another daughter on the way) only has disrupted that routine slightly.

I love the column. I love Gregg's new book, "The King of Sports" (available in paperback next month). And though I don't always agree with everything he writes, Gregg is correct when he tells us it is a "thinking man's" football column.

Two topics that have repeated often through the years in the column, and are featured in the book, are making student-athletes live up to both descriptions and the continued push for a safer game. The first subject is explored as we discuss the new ESPN Grade. We measure the latter subject in how far we've come in talking about helmet upgrades and concussion treatment.

Really, it's not to be missed. I highly recommend listening to all of our conversation with the great Gregg Easterbrook: