Listen carefully.  Just beneath the jingle of the bells and the jolly carolers begging lustily for figgy pudding, are those the mid-December strains of anxiety, desperation, and panic?

Don’t cover your ears!  There’s hope, even now, as the days before the holidays dwindle down to a precious few.  Assuming some of the people for whom you have not yet found gifts are sports fans, the 16th Annual Only A Game Holiday Gift Guide is just what you’ve been waiting for.

Last month, the winners for the 2009 Dance Your PhD contest were announced.  Only A Game was not first with the story, but we will not be the last.  There’s something mesmerizing about watching science geeks (of varying artistic abilities) dance their hearts out in the name of educating YouTube viewers on scientific research.  Above, Graduate Student Sue Lynn Lau dances her dissertation, "The role of Vitamin D in beta cell function."

The rest of the winners…

 Audio for http://www.bu.edu/wbur/storage/2008/11/onlyagame_1129_4.mp3

Even in the best ski resorts, there are several months when the powder gives way to mud or the run is completely dry.  But, imagine a mountain where you can ski nearly every day of the year, including those 90+ degree days in the middle of summer.  Beverly Amsler of member station WVTF in Roanoke, Virginia has the story.

On Friday, the Phillies celebrated their first World Series win since 1980 with a four mile parade through the city center to the Citizens Bank stadium in South Philadelphia.  Lillian Hawkins was there with her camera…

Click here to view photos.

Only A Game’s Gary Waleik also happens to be quite the music aficionado and recently had the chance to review the band The Baseball Project and their debut album "Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails." A band that devotes an entire album to a sport is rare, and Gary believes The Baseball Project brings a breath of fresh air to the sports music genre.

With March Madness in full swing, it’s only fitting to talk College Hoops.  With that in mind, Bill Littlefield has the review of Quantum Hoops, a film documenting Caltech Basketball.  As Bill says,  Director Rick Greenwald tells an entertaining story about a below average basketball team made up of above average young men.