Daily Southtown's Bill Gleason and former boxing promoter Ben Bentley. Telander was 25 years younger than the three other panelists. The show, the first of its kind, was nationally syndicated and developed a cult following before concluding its run in 2000 Sports Illustrated. While with the Sun-Times, Telander continued writing for Sports Illustrated until 1998, when he signed a deal with ESPN. Telander would regularly contribute to ESPN: The Magazine and ESPN.com, appear on ESPN television shows like The Sports Reporters (which some critics viewed as a knockoff of the Sportswriters on TV), and host a radio program on ESPN radio. After the multi-year deal expired, Telander sporadically would contribute to Sports Illustrated, and host a radio show on WSCR. Telander has won eight Illinois Sportswriter of the Year awards as voted by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. He has had his work collected in The Best American Sportswriting Anthology eight times and over two dozen other anthologies. He has won nine Peter Lisagor awards for sports journalism. He is the author of eight books, one of which, Heaven Is A Playground, was named one of the Ten Best Sports Books of All Time by Playboy Magazine, and one of the 100 Best Sports Books by Sports Illustrated. 2008 Hall of Fame ballot controversy In January 2008, Telander caused controversy by refusing to submit a 2008 baseball Hall of Fame ballot, citing frustration with steroid issues troubling baseball. He mentioned in his January 9, 2008 Chicago Sun-Times column how he could not trust, and therefore could not vote, for anyone on the ballot. Telander used Andre Dawson as an example of someone he does not believe ever used steroids, but could not be certain about. Of note is the fact that Telander voted for two known steroid users, José Canseco and Ken Caminiti, in the previous year's Hall of Fame ballot. He did this, as he wrote in his Sun-Times column, as a protest, arguing that the shame of steroid users and the "Steroid Era" should be preserved this way for all generations to witness. The fury erupted very publicly after Chicago sports-talk radio show host Mike North took Telander to task while interviewing Andre Dawson on January 9, 2008. Telander eventually called Dawson personally, read his column to the former star, and the issue was laid to rest. Telander wrote an article that Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens