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.

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.

Boston Celtics center Kendrick Perkins (43) reacts after making a basket in the second half of the Celtics' victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in February. Kobe Bryant sat out for this game with an injury, but the Celtics will have to find a way to stop him as the two teams face off in the NBA Finals. (AP Photo/Lori Shepler)

Ted Green of KTLA in Los Angeles and Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe join Bill to talk NBA Finals. The Celtics and Lakers have combined to win more than half of all NBA titles, so Green and Ryan will answer the question: Is this really is the best rivalry in sports?

Thoroughbred horse racing is in trouble. Many tracks are experiencing financial issues, some have closed, and there are no big-name horses out there to bring the sport back to the public’s attention. Only A Game’s Brian Mann reports on racing’s fall from prominence.

Bill checks in with the Boston Globe’s Bud Collins in Paris to discuss the surprising matchup in the women’s French Open final. And on the men’s side, Bud offers his thoughts on what’s wrong for Roger Federer.

Fans of the England National soccer team always bring high expectations into the World Cup, but the team has failed to bring home a championship in 10 straight tournaments. Only A Game’s Ron Schachter reports from London on whether this year’s team can escape their disappointing past.

When umpire Jim Joyce blew a call at first base and cost Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game, things could have very easily turned ugly. Instead, both ump and player responded with grace and humility. Bill provides his commentary on the painful mistake that turned into an inspiring story.

Bill talks with Only A Game analyst Charlie Pierce, who gets mad about basketball refs and baseball umps. Plus, Charlie will tell you his favorite Stanley Cup-themed baked good.

Basketball, hockey and soccer may have the spotlight at this time of year, but Bill still has a few minutes to talk golf with John Feinstein. Feinstein’s new book, Moment of Glory: The Year Underdogs Ruled Golf, looks at how four relative unknowns each won major championships in 2003 when Tiger Woods was out of contention.

Tiger Woods during a practice round at the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga., Tuesday, April 6, 2010. (AP Photo)

The action is underway at Augusta National, and the early rounds have produced a star-studded leader board. Bill will get the latest on the Masters Tournament from New York Times reporter Bill Pennington and Golf Magazine Senior Writer Cameron Morfit. He might even find time to mention that Tiger Woods fellow while he’s at it.

The UConn women’s basketball team defeated Stanford earlier this week to complete its second straight undefeated championship season. The Huskies have certainly had an impressive run over the years, but does it compare to the UCLA men’s teams of the 60s and 70s, who strung together as many as 88 wins in a row? Bill has the story.

The NHL’s regular season ends on Sunday, which means the Stanley Cup Playoffs are in sight. Bill talks with Helene Elliott of the L.A. Times about a postseason packed with storylines including the Sharks efforts to stay afloat, the Capitals chances at winning the Cup, and the team with best home ice advantage.

Wednesday will mark the 25th anniversary of the Kansas City Kings‘ move to Sacramento. To celebrate the occasion, Only A Game’s Greg Echlin caught up with some former Kings who still live in Kansas City and remember the days of basketball in Missouri.

The NBA’s 2010 Hall of Fame class was stacked with superstars, including Karl Malone, Scotty Pippen, and the famed 1992 Dream Team. However, many fans are celebrating the induction of Dennis Johnson, a three-time Finals champion who passed away in 2007. Bill shares his thoughts on the life and legacy of DJ. 

Bill opens the Only A Game virtual mailbag to read some of our listeners’ comments.

Bill and Only A Game analyst Charlie Pierce are set to cover another week in sports, as they’ll discuss Tiger’s new commercial, college hockey’s Frozen Four, and an umpire’s criticism of the Yankees and Red Sox.

Josh Wilker has always been an avid collector of baseball cards, but in his new book, Cardboard Gods: An All American Tale Told Through Baseball Cards, he takes his passion to a new level. Bill talks with the author about the book and the cards that define his life.

It was my father who introduced me to the game. My only club on that day was a discarded five iron that had been cut down and re-gripped by an alcoholic assistant pro named “Joe.” I don’t remember how many holes we played – perhaps only one – but one shot I hit lives in infamy. It left my five iron, climbed improbably toward the fairway of the hole to the left of the one my father and I were playing, and bounced off the windshield of the jeep a groundskeeper had parked in the high grass between the two holes. 

Golf balls are hard. Even one hit in the wrong direction by a flailing child can do some damage, and this one did. It cracked the windshield on the old jeep. Unless that windshield was already cracked, which, in retrospect, seems likely. But that wouldn’t have been much a story for my golf-playing father, and so our first day on the course together became the day I hit a ball that broke the greens keeper’s windshield. 

In a world of neater stories and tidier father-son relationships, the day of the cracked windshield would have begun a string of sunny afternoons on a series of green golf courses which I’d eventually have played with expertise, perhaps even with joy.

But in the late fifties and early sixties golf seemed to me slow and boring. I associated it with long waits, blisters, and drunks in the locker room telling jokes I recognized as witless and insulting by the time I was nine. Besides that, I’d developed a slice.

By the mid-sixties, I knew with a hard certainty that I can just remember that golf would soon go the way of colonial empires and letting them eat cake. Golf courses would be appropriated for organic farming. The paneled playhouses of the aristocracy – the country clubs – would be turned over to the bent and broken men who had previously carried the clubs of the barons and moguls, desperately hoping for adequate tips.

So I had not swung a club in several decades until a few years ago, when a story I was writing about night golf required me attempt to hit a glowing ball into the invisible reaches of a school playground. For sentiment’s sake I chose a five iron. Improbably, in the dark my swing felt right, and the shot was straight as a string.

A golfer who makes an eagle is often surprised at his good fortune, and almost certainly proud. Making an eagle means you’ve holed out in three on a par five…or mastered a par four in just two shots.

So why did a certain golfer in Wabasso, Florida feel so bad after his eagle on the second hole of the Sandridge Golf Course on Tuesday that he didn’t want to reveal his name?

Because the still-unidentified linkster’s golf ball collided with an actual eagle, knocking the stunned bird to the fairway, whence it flopped into a pond. The chagrined marksman recovered the fowl, which is now recovering at the Treasure Coast Wildlife Hospital in Fort Pierce.

Unlucky birdie, that eagle, but he’ll apparently rise again.

Read more and see photos of the unlucky bird here.

Record Setting Beard

Sameer Mehta spends about two hours a day with his barber.

Together, Mr. Mehta and that barber have created 57 different beard designs over the past four years…enough beard designs for Mr. Mehta to gain recognition from the Limca Book of Records, which is India’s version of the Guinness Book of same.

But all has not gone smoothly in Mr. Mehta’s pursuit of fame, notoriety, or whatever it is he has achieved. His first beard design, which he called “a six half eggs beard,” so embarrassed his wife that she refused to be seen with him, and there is no indication that this was his intention.

Read more and see photos of Mr Mehta’s beard creations here.

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer throws in the fourth inning of his first Grapefruit League start in Clearwater, Fla., Sunday, March 21, 2010. (AP Photo)

The Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies are on everyone’s lists to contend for the World Series in 2010, but the new-look Mariners could give those teams a run for their money. Bill talks with Larry Stone of the Seattle Times about Ichiro, Cliff Lee, and the team’s chances in the AL West.

They say “you’re only as old as you feel,” and Philadelphia pitcher Jamie Moyer can certainly attest to that. At the age of 47, he’ll take the mound in his 24th major league season and try to help the Phillies return to the playoffs. Only A Game’s Ron Schachter has the story.

March has come and gone, but there’s still plenty of college basketball madness to go around. Yes, the Final Four is upon us, and the men’s and women’s tournaments are up for grabs. Bill is joined by Only A Game regulars Pat Forde of ESPN.com and Michelle Smith of AOL Fanhouse to discuss the home stretch of college hoops.

Tired of hearing about Tiger Woods and his recent scandal? We don’t blame you. That’s why we’re turning back the clock and exploring an old golf mystery: the death of J. Douglas Edgar, the man who developed the modern golf swing. Bill talks with Steve Eubanks, author of To Win and Die in Dixie, about the remarkable life and puzzling death of one of the best players of the early 1900s. 

As an April fool’s joke, we told Only A Game analyst Charlie Pierce that he had the week off, but he wanted to cover the week in sports with Bill anyway! They’ll discuss the NCAA’s proposal to expand the men’s basketball tournament, Ron Artest’s reality show, and the proposition of spring training in Italy.

Pole dancing might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of competitive sports, but the US Pole Dance Federation thinks otherwise. As Only A Game’s Karen Given reports, competitive pole dancing combines athleticism, grace, and a respectable amount of clothing.

But the story of “the movement” that Mr. Edgar found in his own golf swing and taught to his students is only part of a new book titled To Win and Die in Dixie. Author Steve Eubanks is at least as concerned with the death of this largely-forgotten golfer as he is with Edgar’s legacy. Although it was initially assumed that he’d been killed in a hit-and-run accident, at least one of the four men who came upon the dying golfer on West Peachtree Street in Atlanta on August 8th, 1921, came to believe that J. Douglas Edgar had been murdered. Such was the burden of Comer Howell, a twenty-year-old newspaper reporter through whose person the author explores the circumstances surrounding the demise of J. Douglas Edgar.

Steve Eubanks can’t claim to have solved the mysteries inherent in this ninety year old crime story, but he has built an engaging book out of J. Douglas Edgar’s short but intriguing life and the puzzle of his death.

New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera autographs baseballs for fans at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., Monday, March 8, 2010. (AP File Photo)

Bill has an update on the wild opening round of the men’s NCAA basketball tournament. Also, just about everybody is picking UConn to take home the women’s title, but Nebraska has other ideas. After going undefeated until the last game of the regular season, the Huskers are poised for a run to the Final Four, and have turned some heads at a normally football-oriented University. Only A Game’s Greg Echlin reports.

With spring upon us, the 2010 Major League Baseball season is right around the corner. To celebrate the vernal equinox, Bill joins Tim Kurkjian of ESPN to discuss America’s pastime and what to expect in the upcoming season.

It’s a good time to be a basketball fan. College hoops are currently in a state of madness, and the pros are hurtling towards the playoffs. Bill talks with Kevin Hench of FoxSports.com about the NBA’s home stretch, and gets his Finals prediction.

Tiger Woods will return to the PGA Tour next month at the Masters Tournament in Augusta. Bill shares his thoughts on Woods, and wonders if golf’s former cover boy can overcome a four-month layoff and an ugly shadow of controversy.

Golf is one of the world’s most challenging sports. It can frustrate even the most composed athletes, so Josh Karp visited guru after guru in search of golf enlightenment. His new book is titled Straight Down the Middle: Shivas Irons, Bagger Vance, and How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Golf Swing. Bill talks with the author about the trials and tribulations of improving one’s golf game.

Some sports fans call this “the most wonderful time of the year,” which means Bill and Only A Game analyst Charlie Pierce have a busy week of sports to cover, including some bracket busting woes, football drama in the Meadowlands, and the chances of MLS actually playing soccer in 2010.

While most people think about budding baseball seasons or wild basketball games at the start of spring, the small town of Waterbury, Vermont, has something else in mind: The Intergalactic Winter Croquet Tournament. Each year, dozens of Vermonters partake in the event to celebrate the final weekend of winter. As Only A Game’s Karen Given reports, the tournament combines croquet, snow, and somehow, the extraterrestrial.