The HEARTLAND book tour begins, unshaven and way too early, on a bus headed south through the snow. But for this tour, starting Monday night in Terre Haute, Indiana, I think I chose the proper headwear. Hope to see you on the road in the next two weeks! We’ve got some fun events on the schedule. 🏀📚

Absolute banger of an episode this week, with books by three authors who are NOT on bluesky and @keithob.bsky.social - who we'll be chatting with March 10, at the Beverly Farms Library! Larry Bird! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...

If you like books, and you’re not listening to the Four Books podcast by @bfbookshop.bsky.social, then what are you really doing, anyway?! Thrilled to have HEARTLAND get a little love here. Come see me at the Book Shop of Beverly Farms on 3/10!

We are days away from the launch of HEARTLAND in Terre Haute on Monday, March 2, at 6 pm. Register today to attend what will be far more than just a book event. Most of the 1979 miracle Indiana State team will be in attendance & in conversation about this story. www.eventbrite.com/e/heartland-...

Here's a great new book by Keith O'Brien--it focuses on the crucial period in Larry Bird's life, around ages 18-22. Brilliant writing, great story. @indianastateuni.bsky.social @hoosierhoop.bsky.social @keithob.bsky.social @espn.com @sethdavishoops.bsky.social

Come see the author, @keithob.bsky.social, talk about it with Chad and Bob Ryan at my shop on March 11th!!! Event info: silverunicornbooks.com/events/49134

This book is so good.

I’m so thrilled that Ellen Adair will be the audiobook narrator for HEARTLAND. If you enjoy listening to your books, I’m sure you will love this one! 🙌🏀🔥

HEARTLAND comes out on March 3. So what are you waiting for? Preorder your copy today! www.tiktok.com/t/ZP89GrYuN/

It's been a blast recording @keithob.bsky.social's HEARTLAND, about Larry Bird & the 1979 Indiana State Sycamores -- a Cinderella season held aloft by more miracles than any fairy godmother could give. And maybe the biggest miracle of that season was...it saved basketball? Out 3/3! Pre-order now!

Register today to attend the HEARTLAND book launch on Mon, March 2, at the Terre Haute Convention Center where I will be in conversation with several members of Indiana State's 1979 miracle team. It'll be a night to remember. Hope to see you there! 🏀📚🔥 www.eventbrite.com/e/heartland-...

Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos says nothing as 1/3 of paper's staff is laid off. CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss says nothing after a newly hired contributor appears in over 1,700 documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. Read this on how terrible leaders are destroying journalism. loom.ly/f_FqSFk

With the Washington Post layoffs this morning, I’m reposting my Atlantic piece from 2024. In the past month alone, we’ve had gambling scandals, allegations of fixed games & owners in the Epstein Files. Who’s going to cover it, if no one is there? www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Oh, man—look what made an appearance on Pardon the Interruption … Thanks for the subtle shout-out, Tony Kornheiser! Your copy of HEARTLAND sure looks good on your shelf. 🎉📚🙌

College sports was never innocent. But man, has it changed. I can show you how in four simple slides. Check them out and preorder HEARTLAND today wherever books are sold! It's the Larry Bird story like it's never been told before, coming on 3/3/26 @atriabooks.bsky.social.

We need to be honest about what we witnessing: the Indiana Hoosiers aren’t true underdogs. They’re a reflection of our wild and moneyed times in college sports. My latest for @theatlantic.com in advance of Monday night’s championship game. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Yet another gambling scandal in sports—an alleged, widespread scheme among college basketball players to manipulate outcomes for profit. According to federal prosecutors, it involved 16 different schools. Makes you ask a simple—and alarming—question: what’s happening right now that we don’t know?

Football in Indiana is having a moment. But basketball remains the most important sport in the state. Why? I actually know this answer. I swear it's better than staring at the lower half of my face below. Check it out ------> 🏀🔥 www.tiktok.com/@obrienstory...

Shout-out to the late, great Stuart Scott @espn.com whose signature phrase made it into the @nytimes.com games today. #iykyk

I love the cover for HEARTLAND. But man, I really love the back jacket. Thanks to all these great writers for their support and thanks to the brilliant design team ⁦‪⁦ @atriabooks.bsky.social for turning vision into reality. Book drops on 3/3 and preorders are open now!

On this date in 1991, Pete Rose was released from federal prison in Illinois, after serving a five-month sentence for failure to pay his taxes. He had just weathered one of the darkest periods in his life. But he emerged on this day unchanged, defiant and bold and lying about betting on baseball.

The older teenager got me a Christmas gift. It is perfect. And with this mug at the ready, I am back at it, closing out the year with (hopefully) another productive day at the Word Factory. #amwriting

Massive preorder sale happening right now @barnesandnoble.com … Check it out and preorder your copy of HEARTLAND today at a serious discount! www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heartland-...

Fans have been complaining this month about the death of the college bowl. Turns out, the men who created the first real national title game back in 1998 predicted this future. We should have seen it coming all along. My latest for @theatlantic.com www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...

Philip Rivers is every dad. Ever.

If you’ve never seen Larry Bird in a cowboy hat, you have now. My new book, HEARTLAND, comes out on 3/3/26. Preorder your copy today wherever they sell books. 🏀🤠🔥 www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8yM1bbh/

Dear readers: If you are looking for personalized gifts this holiday season, my local independent bookseller is ready to help. Order your signed copies today. Water Street Books ships for free. Your books will arrive in time for Christmas, and everyone wins! waterstreetbooks.com/keith-obrien...

The great Traci Thomas—the heart of The Stacks podcast and one of best literary voices out there today—has named HEARTLAND as one of her “most anticipated” books of 2026. And apparently, I am now the “Larry Bird of sports biographers." Amazing! Truly. Wow. shereads.com/traci-thomas...

This is a no-brainer, folks. Vote him in! And while you’re at it, vote in Roger Craig too. If you watched football in the 1980s, you know.

My new book HEARTLAND has a trailer! Watch, enjoy, share with friends, spread the word, and preorder your copy today. It comes out on 3/3/26 from @atriabooks.bsky.social, and I can’t wait for you to read it. Thanks, everyone! 💙🏀💙 www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H6_...

I am thrilled that my home state of Ohio has selected Charlie Hustle as a community read in 2026! Thank you to the @statelibohio.bsky.social, the Ohio Center for the Book & the Ohioana Library for this honor. This book just keeps chugging around the bases... library.ohio.gov/home/news-an...

The best story you’ll ever hear about softball and two future Hall of Famers. Check out my TikTok account to give it a listen. 🥎🏀🏈 #heartland www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8UhvRos/

In the summer of 1978, two future Hall of Famers—Larry Bird and Joe Montana—squared off for a state title in slow-pitch softball. Can you guess who performed better that weekend on the dusty fields of Indiana? Make your choice in the comments. I’ll reveal the answer later this week. #heartland

Nothing made me feel older today than the death of the penny.

In an age of gambling scandals, this is just another. Prop bets are dangerous to all the sports you love.

Quietly, the NCAA has banned six players in yet another sports gambling scandal. Just another day in America. www.espn.com/mens-college...

The switch to standard time means one thing: it already feels like winter in New Hampshire. This is a live view of the sky at 4:53 p.m.

Baseball. There’s nothing like it.

Devastating loss for Toronto. Amazing World Series for baseball fans around the world. Pitchers and catchers report in 101 days.

Gotta hand it to Derek Jeter … He called this in the pregame. He said Bo Bichette would come up with runners on as the Dodgers tried to pitch around Vlad. Shohei intentionally walks Vlad to get the Bichette. And—boom—Canada explodes. 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

It’s been 32 years since the Stanley Cup resided in Canada. But the World Series champs could reside there tonight—and Toronto is so excited for it, they might be getting ahead of themselves. 🇨🇦⚾️🇨🇦 torontosun.com/sports/baseb...

When did I get interested in writing about Larry Bird? I guess you can say 1987—when we visited Terre Haute and stopped at Bird’s restaurant. This is me with my brother and sister that day. I regret nothing—except for that Ohio State hoodie. Check out HEARTLAND, coming 3/3/26. Preorders are open!

Things get messy once you open Pandora's box... Now that college athletes are cleared to bet on professional sports, it's only a matter of time before the NEXT sports gambling scandal hits. It's not if, but when. www.espn.com/college-spor...

We should all channel the fortitude and determination of this tree, trapped in an abandoned suburban parking lot, but still releasing its glory into the great wide world. 🌳🍁💙

If you pray, pray for Jamaica. There should not be a hurricane this strong in the Caribbean this late in the season. #ClimateCrisis #HurricaneMelissa

Given the latest sports gambling scandals, I’m not sure this fan is the image that MLB wants behind home plate tonight. But I guess this is what you get in a world of legalized gambling.

Wait—which team was heavily favored to win this World Series? 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

Yesterday's sports gambling bombshell isn't an outlier. Actually, it's alarmingly normal. Gambling scandals are the new American pastime. But there is an easy way to head off the next crisis: Take prop bets off the board. My piece for the @theatlantic.com www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Another sports gambling scandal is unfolding in Florida—allegedly involving prop bets yet again. This should surprise no one and worry everyone who cares about the integrity of the games we watch. www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/m...

What a fun night at the Ohio Book Awards—with Gov. Mike DeWine, the First Lady Ohio, my date for the evening (my mother!), great writers like @timothysnyder.bsky.social, and people fighting to defend books.