Car Talk Producer and former Only A Game Senior Producer David Greene takes a photo with his PMC pedal partner, Henry Fenollosa, who was diagnosed with cancer before he was even born. (Photo by Karen Given)

Only A Game’s Karen Given reports on the joys and the difficulties of running what may be the world’s most effective sports-related fundraising event, the Pan-Mass Challenge. To see Karen’s photos from the event, click here.

Bill recollects his brief and unexpected trip to a minor league mound. STEEEEEE-RIKE ONE! Now, sit down, son…

Only A Game’s Nancy Greenleese brings us into Il Foro Italico, the sports venue famous for its art and architecture and infamous for containing Mussolini’s pool.

Practice supposedly makes perfect, but is it also what makes sports superstars and artistic geniuses into what they are? Author Matthew Syed thinks so. He speaks with Bill about his book Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham and the Science of Success.

Sure the Boston Marathon is great, but have you ever thought it would be better if it was four times longer and horses shared the course with the runners? If so, you’d probably enjoy the Vermont 100. Only A Game’s Doug Tribou reports on the popular endurance race. You can also check out Doug’s photos from the race here.

At The Lebowski Fest, fans of the Coen Brothers’ cult classic “The Big Lebowski” get together once a year at bowling alleys across the country to bowl with The Dude…at least in their minds. Only A Game’s Charlie Schroeder attended the 2009 festival and he has the story.

Josh Hamilton and the Texas Rangers could be playing in the World Series in October, but who will own the team? (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

 160 million Americans tuned in to ESPN’s coverage of the World Cup. Roger Bennett talks about the future of the MLS as it tries to keep America’s attention fixated on soccer.

Across the country, kayakers and canoe paddlers are looking to access more rivers in remote wilderness areas. This has upset landowners who argue allowing boats through their rivers violates their private property rights. North Country Public Radio’s Brian Mann reports on the dispute. 

For the first time in a decade, the Texas Rangers, perennial bottom-feeders in the AL West, find themselves in a position to make a playoff run. But the team’s success has been overshadowed by complications in their sale that culminated in team president (and potential buyer) Nolan Ryan suing his own team. Bill talks to Ken Belson of The New York Times to try to make sense of the Rangers’ financial mess. 

Most NFL players think about careers in announcing or coaching after their playing days come to an end. Not Tennessee Titans draftee and Rhodes Scholar Myron Rolle. He plans become a neurosurgeon after his time in the NFL. Incredibly, these plans have some doubting his commitment to football. Only A Game’s Ron Schachter reports. 

Bill responds to listeners in Only A Game’s Electronic Mailbag. 

Cheating in college football has gotten so bad that even Nick Saban has called out agents as “pimps.” Bill speaks with Charlie Pierce about what the NCAA should do, and Charlie comments on Brett Favre’s agent joining the rest of the human race by becoming fed up with the quarterback’s retirement waffling. 

Bill talks with Peter Heller, author of the new book Kook, which describes how Heller threw himself into the strange culture of surfing and how he discovered a newfound appreciation for the ocean during his six month journey trying to find the perfect wave. 

(For our Boston area listeners, please note that our evening broadcast time has changed on 90.9 WBUR. We now air at 7:00am and 7:00pm every Saturday.)

Andy Schleck of Luxembourg, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, rides in the pack during the 11th stage of the Tour de France Thursday, July 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Bas Czerwinski)

Lance Armstrong will not win his eighth Tour de France this year. In fact, he won’t even come close. Bill asks Joe Lindsey if this year’s race will be Lance’s farewell tour.

Michael McGuire won’t take his driver’s test for about 2 years, but it’s safe to say he’ll only need one shot at it. The 14-year-old from Virginia is already eyeing a spot in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup series. He may be able to take corners at 100 miles per hour, but do you think McGuire can parallel park? Only A Game’s Beverly Amsler has the story.

The last time you saw Marion Jones was most likely in the courtroom. Her conviction for lying to federal prosecutors cost her a six month prison term and all of her Olympic medals in sprinting. Now, Jones is competing again. But you won’t see her running at the 2012 Olympics in London. Jones chose basketball instead, and joined Coach Nolan Richardson with the WNBA’s Tulsa Shock. Only A Game’s Greg Echlin reports from Tulsa.

On September 22, 2008, Terry Kneiss guessed the exact amount of The Price is Right showcase for the first time in the game show’s 38-year history and walked away with more than $50,000 in prizes.  Bill speaks with Esquire’s Chris Jones, who wrote the article explaining how Kneiss was able to outsmart the show.

Bill provides his commentary on the first two rounds of The British Open, and he explains why a curious golf rule has made the strong winds at St. Andrew’s more of a problem than you would think.

Charlie Pierce has a word of advice for New York Red Bulls newcomer and French soccer mainstay Thierry Henry: stay out of the Irish pubs. He’ll also speak with Bill about the Big House getting bigger, the NBA’s strange finances and more from the week in sports.

Bill talks to Dave Zirin, author of Bad Sports: How Owners are Ruining the Games We Love, about George Steinbrenner – an owner who was a godsend for Yankee fans, a nightmare for co-workers, managers and Dave Winfield, and a pioneer of the hands-on approach adapted by current owners like the Washington Redskins’ Dan Snyder. An approach that Zirin says is turning fans away from the franchises they love.

LeBron James and Chris Bosh chat on the bench during a USA men's basketball game during the 2008 Summer Olympics. LeBron will join Bosh and Dwayne Wade with the Miami Heat next season. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

Paul the Octopus put his perfect record on the line and chose Spain to win the World Cup Final. Paul didn’t have much to say on the subject, but Bill will get the predictions from some others (including the “Dutch Prophet”) and he will offer his own thoughts on Sunday’s match.

In the course of one hour, LeBron James turned from likeable star to NBA super-villain to everyone except Miami Heat fans. Kevin Hench of FoxSports.com shares his thoughts with Bill about the death of loyalty and competitive balance in basketball.

ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian speaks with Bill about the “year of the pitcher” and how the rest of the MLB season will play out. Although the first half has changed some of Tim’s preseason predictions, you probably won’t be surprised by the team he picks to win the World Series.

NCAA basketball coaches can scout high school freshmen in 14 and under AAU leagues. Tennis ranks its players even before they even reach their teens. Coaches say the early scouting is necessary to get an advantage over the competition, but are they recruiting players too young? Only A Game’s Scott Graff reports from a middle school football combine in North Carolina, where 7th and 8th graders can show off their skills for NCAA scouts and vie to become future college football stars.

Bill responds to listener’s questions from the Only A Game electronic mailbag.

Charlie Pierce joins Bill to discuss the aftermath of the LeBron saga, Peruvians finding a new (and possibly more practical) use for vuvuzelas, and more from an exceptionally strange week in sports.

In his new book and on his wildly popular blog, Bike Snob Eben Weiss cleverly attacks New York bikers, pedestrians, drivers and anyone else unlucky and pretentious enough to end up in his crosshairs. Bill speaks with the author about biking in the big city.

Somebody cleaning out his or her attic recently in the vicinity of Hertford, north of London, bundled up four old books and dropped them off at an Oxfam shop.

On Tuesday, those four books sold at auction for more than 8000 pounds…a bit over $12,000 dollars. That’s because the books were the first four Wisden Cricketers Almanacks, published in 1864, 5, 6, and 7. Even the World Wars failed to interrupt annual publication of the Almanack, which is regarded as Cricket’s Bible. The Oxfam shop’s manager, Pauline Wilby, recognized the prizes immediately. 

“Of course I knew what Wisden was,” she said later. “I was sorting out everything in the kitchen, and I knew immediately they were valuable.

Of course a clean attic is valuable, too, right?

Read more about the rare cricket books.  

All Aquiver with Love

Couples have been married at home plate, of course, baseball is the sort of sport that lends itself to that sort of thing.

But what about bow hunting? Yup, that too, according to Kim Silver and Marvin Hunter, if that really is his name. The two exchanged vows atop a tree stand platform at the Anamosa Bowhunters Archery Club in Iowa on June 27. The groom wore a camouflage shirt and trousers, while the bride was resplendent – albeit a little difficult to make out – in a silk camouflage gown.

The bride and groom interrupted the ceremony several times to shoot arrows at targets. Marvin Hunter – yeah, right – said he and his bride had always joked about getting married on a tree stand because “it just seemed like the right thing to do.”

See a photo of the ceremony and read more about the hunters’ wedding from MSNBC.

Roger Federer wipes his face during his quarterfinal loss to Tomas Berdych at Wimbledon, Wednesday, June 30, 2010 (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Bill has an update with the latest from the World Cup, including the Netherlands’ upset over tournament heavyweight Brazil. He will also talk to Roger Bennett, co-author of The World Cup Companion, about the suspect refereeing that has plagued the first two rounds of play.

Even though the South African national team was eliminated early from the World Cup, prisoners in one Johannesburg jail are still completely invested in the tournament, and that’s brought gang violence in the prison to an all-time low. Only A Game’s Anjali Nayar reports from South Africa.

We’ll have to wait a few more days until LeBron James makes his mind up about where he will play next season, but that hasn’t stopped owners from opening up their wallets for some less heralded players in the first few days of NBA Free Agency.

Bud Collins speaks with Bill to forecast the upcoming Wimbledon finals and look back at the surprises of the tournament, including the match that wouldn’t end, Roger Federer’s early exit and yet another disappointment for English sports fans.

Although AstroTurf is close to extinction, domes have collapsed into dust in favor of stadiums with retractable roofs, and no current MLB player takes the field with his cap perched atop his afro, not all developments in baseball during the 1970’s have become obsolete. Bill speaks with Dan Epstein, author of Big Hair, Plastic Grass, a look back at the strange decade that changed the game.

Charlie Pierce is not amused with soccer fans promising to run naked through the streets should their team win the World Cup, which may be a good thing since he’ll stay clothed if the Red Sox win another World Series. However, he will join Bill to talk about NBA free agency, an expensive vuvuzela, and more from the week in sports.

Whether they sported a distinguished handlebar mustache, grizzled, long beards or something more practical (why has no one shaped their beard to hold beer cans before?), hundreds of men travelled to Oregon to compete in the first ever National Beard and Moustache Championships in Oregon. Only A Game’s Sadie Babits was there and she has the story. To see Sadie’s photos from the competition click here.

Landon Donovan (left) and Edson Buddle (right) of the USA national soccer team celebrate after Donovan's game-winning goal against Algeria in Pretoria, South Africa, Wednesday June 23, 2010 (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

The elimination round of the World Cup will begin without some traditional European powers. Bill talks with Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl about the surprising first stage and how the rest of the tournament will shake out.

The Goethe Institut in Boston usually offers the opportunity for intellectual stimulation – people can come in to learn German or discuss Nietzche. But during Germany’s World Cup matches the Institut provides a different sort of excitement. It transforms into a raucous venue for the nation’s fans to gather and show their passion for Deutschland. Only A Game’s Curt Nickish has the story. To see photos courtesy of the Goethe Institut from Germany’s first match against Australia, click here.

Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, full of traditions like all-white uniforms and strawberries with cream. But it’s not all about high-brow culture only fit for the Royal Family. They also have poetry! Bill speaks with official Wimbledon poet Matt Harvey.

The Williams sisters are currently ranked as the top two women’s tennis players in the world and they have no plans to loosen their stranglehold on the sport anytime soon.  Once they do, two young sisters in Florida who call themselves Tornado and Hurricane hope to step into that spot. Only A Game’s Ron Schachter reports.

Bill responds to listeners’ questions in Only A Game’s electronic mailbag.

Charlie Pierce is so mad he could SCREAM! And he will. In between, he’ll talk with Bill about the NBA Draft, Wimbledon’s never-ending match and more.

Henry Louis Gates, John Updike, Malcolm Gladwell…the list of accomplished and talented writers won’t surprise anyone reading a collection of pieces from The New Yorker. What may be surprising is that all these authors are featured in a collection of the magazine’s best sportswriting. Bill chats with David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker and the new book, titled The Only Game In Town.

Tiger Woods hits a tee shot during a practice round for the U.S. Open golf tournament Wednesday at the Pebble Beach Golf Links. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

After a slow start, goals are flying into the back of the net in bunches as the action heats up in South Africa. Bill checks in on three national squads in a World Cup pinwheel.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson struggled early, but there is still plenty to talk about from Pebble Beach. Bill has an update on the U.S. Open.

Father’s Day is tomorrow, so Bill chats with daughter, mother and former basketball superstar Rebecca Lobo about a collection of essays called Fathers and Daughters in Sports.

Is it a race? A car show? Whatever you want to call the Hunnewell Hill Climb, there is no doubt that it features some of the most beautiful antique cars around. Only A Game’s Bill Littlefield reports. Check out his photos from the event here.

Bill gives his take on the Los Angeles Lakers’ 17^th NBA Title and the surprising player (no, not MVP Kobe Bryant) who was the key to their game seven victory.

Charlie Pierce joins Bill to quietly reflect on the NBA Finals and forecast the changes in the league this summer. Ah, who are we kidding? He’ll let more spittle fly than Kevin Garnett and Glen Davis do on the basketball court.

A squad from the British consulate won the mini World Cup last week over teams from various foreign consulates in the Boston area. Will their victory inspire their countrymen in South Africa to end their 44 year World Cup drought? Only A Game’s Karen Given has the answer. If you’d like to see pictures from the tournament, click here.

Bill provides his commentary on Argentina’s dominance, a lackluster effort from the French and more from the first week of the World Cup.

In this photo taken on June 2, 2010 South African kids play soccer in an open field in Soweto, South Africa. A democracy for just 16 years, the country will be thrust into the global spotlight when the World Cup kicks off Friday, June 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Bill has an update on the NBA Finals, which are down to a best-of-3 series after unlikely heroes Glen Davis and Nate Robinson led the Celtics to a much-needed Game 4 victory.

With the World Cup underway, millions of soccer fans have fixed their attention on South Africa. But the significance of the once-divided country playing host to the tournament isn’t just felt in Cape Town or Johannesburg, it is important to Africans all over the continent. Only A Game’s Anjali Nayar reports from Africa.

Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl joins Bill to discuss early matchups for the World Cup favorites, a hot start from the hosts and more from the first weekend of action in South Africa. For more on the World Cup, check out WBUR’s coverage here.

The World Cup isn’t the only international sporting event happening this week. Golfers from Great Britain and Ireland are facing a team from the United States on one of America’s oldest golf courses. Only A Game’s Doug Tribou reports on the future stars of women’s golf competing in the Curtis Cup.

Bill looks into the Only A Game electronic mailbag to answer listeners’ questions.

Charlie Pierce takes a break from chasing the Stanley Cup around Chicago’s crowded streets and even more crowded bars to talk with Bill about another week in sports.

Helped by international superstars like Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol and Yao Ming, the NBA has made a determined effort to spread its influence globally in recent years. In Pacific Rims, Rafe Bartholomew looks at basketball’s surprising rise to popularity in the Philippines. Bill chats with the author about his new book.

LeBron Moves On

It’s official!

LeBron has decided to move on.

Well, not “decided,” exactly, since the decision was made by his handlers, who’ve worked a deal that will find LeBron next doing his thing in Melbourne, Florida.

Fans in Akron and nearby Cleveland are predictably disheartened, since they had enjoyed visiting the big cat at the zoo. This is not a knock on Quicken Loans Arena, where the Cavaliers play, because the LeBron to which I’m referring is a jaguar, who has been shipped to the Brevard Zoo in the hopes that he’ll father little cats.

Whether LeBron James will follow his namesake out of Ohio remains unclear.

 Unlikely Winner 

Anthony Gaskill has says he didn’t mean to mislead anybody at the London Marathon.

“I simply walked through a short cut to the end of the course where my belongings were waiting for me,” he said.

Mr. Gaskill’s belongings were unavailable for comment, but the 69 year old runner’s appearance at the finish line of the marathon certainly confused the timers, who were initially prepared to celebrate him as the fastest retired competitor. Then, based on observations made throughout the race, they figured Mr. Gaskill would have to have run the last 13 miles in under an hour. This would have made him the fastest marathoner of all time, regardless of age.

They would have told him to pick up his belongings and go home, but of course he’d already done that.