Sports figures are seen as heroes, icons, gladiators; tough guys made of steel. But what is at the core of these athletes, and how did they come to rise to the national spotlight?Over the course of 15 years of the television show One on One with Jane Mitchell, more than 100 sports figures have opened up their hearts, homes and scrapbooks to reveal their moments of struggle and success, triumph and tragedy, humor and humility that shaped their lives and define who they are today. Their stories transcend a uniform.From Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn and Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees, to the last television interview before the passing of the "Splendid Splinter," Ted Williams, One on One --My Journey with Hall of Famers, Fan Favorites and Rising Stars gives readers their stories plus a behind the scenes look at the ground-breaking program including the good, the bad and the funny moments often left on the "cutting room" floor.Featuring candid reflections from the athletes themselves, Emmy Award-winning producer and host Jane Mitchell shares her own back-story, which details the many joys and risks that brought her to the enviable position of covering some of the most prolific and beloved sports figures of all time including: Tony Gwynn, Drew Brees, LaDainian Tomlinson, Adrian Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Ken Caminiti, Tim Flannery, Jerry Coleman, Larry Lucchino, Tina Mickelson, Dave Stewart, Trevor Hoffman, Ted Williams, Doug Flutie, Mark Kotsay, Ozzie Smith, David Wells, Jake Peavy, Mark Loretta, Khalil Greene, Mark Sweeney, Dave Roberts, Geoff Blum, Tony Gwynn, Jr., Ryan Klesko, Donnie Edwards, Steve Finley, Luis Castillo, Mike Cameron, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Shaun Philips, David Eckstein, Mark Merila, John Moores, Becky Moores, and the 2009 Little League World Champions.Since the eighth grade, Jane Mitchell knew she wanted to be a journalist. After seeing a network news reporter standing by an Egyptian pyramid, she turned and said to her father, "That man travels the world, tells stories, is on TV, and gets paid for it. That's what I'm going to do." Never did she imagine her journalism journey--through rattlesnake roundups in Texas, to weathering tornadoes in Oklahoma-- would lead her to the world of sports. She did not grow up a sports fan.Raised in a Navy family, she traveled to more than sixty countries, and inspired by her teacher-mother, preferred using a pen to watching a pennant race. She has faced her share of risks: life-changing surgery, leaving an on-air position to move home to care for her dying father, and quitting a full-time job not knowing that would lead her to helping create the television home of the San Diego Padres.Those risks paid off. She soon found herself falling in love with baseball at her first spring training in 1997, and has since made her mark as an interviewer whose perspective and player portraits get to the heart of the matter, garnering 27 Emmy Awards and a host of fans. Jane earned Political Science honors from the University of California, San Diego and a Master of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University in Chicago. She continues to honor her commitment to community and family by serving on the Board of the Greater San Diego Chapter of the ALS Association, in memory of her father, who died of Lou Gehrig's Disease. While full-time at Channel 4 San Diego, she ventured into the independent project of writing her first book. In these pages, she stays true to herself and her mission: "Perpetuate the Positive. Be Part of the Good Sports Story."
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