From left, New Jersey Devils' Travis Zajac, Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise and Dainius Zubrus celebrate Zajac's game-tying goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, Feb. 5, 2010. (AP Photo)

Let the madness begin! March is upon us, and that means college basketball’s big dance is right around the corner. Bill talks with Pat Forde of ESPN.com about what to expect in the tournament.

The New Jersey Devils haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 2003, but the franchise has returned to its winning ways in 2010. With the acquisition of Ilya Kovalchuk, the Devils have garnered one of the best records in the NHL and are poised for postseason success. Only A Game’s Ron Schachter reports.

The NFL won’t start up again until September, but the football world is buzzing with news. Bill talks with Peter King of Sports Illustrated about the league’s uncapped season, and gets his thoughts on overtime reform.

Cooties are a well-known pathogen among toddlers, sometimes used to justify boys and girls playing separately at a young age. While most children eventually grow out of this phase, Bill realizes that most professional sports have continued to separate the genders. He reports on the lack of “battle of the sexes” in today’s sports.

Bill opens up the mailbag and inbox to read some of our listeners’ comments.

It’s been another exciting week in sports, and Bill and Only A Game analyst Charlie Pierce are ready to break it down. They’ll cover the desperate measures of the Nets administration, another NHL blunder, and some fisticuffs in women’s college basketball.

In the 1950 World Cup, Haitian immigrant Joe Gaetjens scored the lone goal in America’s shocking upset of England. While he might have been glorified in most nations, he was largely ignored in the U.S. and was later abducted in his native country of Haiti. Bill talks with Alexander Wolff of Sports Illustrated about the vanished hero.

Quarterbacks Peyton Manning, right, and Drew Brees will meet in Miami for Super Bowl XLIV.

After two weeks of talk, hype, and anticipation, the Colts and Saints are finally ready to just play the game. With Super Bowl XLIV upon us, Bill talks with Gregg Doyel of CBSSports.com about what to watch for on Sunday.

It’s that time of year again. Time for commercials, football, and of course, Super Bowl Haiku! You’ve waited all season long, and here it is: our 16th annual edition of pigskin poetry.

While many former NFL players go on to have happy and healthy retirements, the same cannot be said for everyone. Dr. Gay Culverhouse, former president of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has created an organization dedicated to helping ex-players in need. She joins Bill to discuss the Player Outreach Program.

After a long legal battle, the 33rd America’s Cup has finally been scheduled for February 8 in Valencia, Spain. Although the two-and-a-half-year delay frustrated sailing fans worldwide, Only A Game’s Karen Given reports that as the race approaches, the excitement is mounting.

Bill dives back into the mailbag and takes some time to read our listeners’ comments.

Sure, they’ll talk football, but Bill and Only A Game analyst Charlie Pierce will also discuss a big NHL signing, the Pistons’ real-estate rumors, and a lesson on non-violence from Gilbert Arenas. And yes, Charlie will make his Super Bowl prediction.

Last weekend, South Boston’s Harpoon Brewery hosted 281 cyclists with a thirst for competition, victory, and beer. As Only A Game’s Doug Tribou reports, the Harpoon Indoor Time Trial brings bikes and beer together.

That fans throughout the Super Dome would send aloft together,
While no one in the building had to think about the weather.
But such is not the case, of course, and to the Saints’ dismay,
Miami is the venue where both teams will come to play…

(See, “come to play” might be cliché, but don’t respond with sorrow,
Until I say that for these teams there will be no tomorrow.)
Now you can wail and cry aloud that for the next ten days
You’ll hear about the Super Bowl: predictions, bets, and praise

For Manning, yes, and for Drew Brees, and for the brilliant men
Who’ve led their teams to glory’s brink, as in the old days when
Such geniuses as Belichick, Lombardi, Welch, and Noll
Achieved such fame they knew for whom the bell would likely toll…

From now until the Super Bowl, the airwaves will be full
Of wise and not-so-wise predictions and a lot of bull.
The papers, likewise, those remaining, will be weighing in
And not just on the question of which team will likely win…

They’ll tell you of the cousins, first and second, of the end
Who’ll only play if someone else is injured, and the friend
Who nearly knew the kicker when they lived in the same town,
And how the safety’s fav’rite color once was almost brown.

I know, I know, I’m guilty, too. By writing this I’ve sunk
Into the depths of foolishness, and by providing junk
Like this slow-limping doggerel, this less-than-super verse,
I’ve mounted that bad wagon that is daily getting worse.

But in the land of mad excess, where football is the king,
And where the brightest jewelry is the Super Bowler’s ring,
A fellow who would write of any other game would be
A laughing stock forever. I don’t want that to be me.

Reggie Bush (left) tries to evade Ben Leber in New Orleans, Monday, Oct. 6, 2008.

With MVP Peyton Manning at the helm, no one’s surprised to see the Colts in the Conference Finals. But this year’s NFL playoff underdogs won’t go down without a fight. The Saints and Vikings are looking for their first Super Bowl wins, and the Jets are trying to break through 41 years of frustration. Bill talks with Dave Cariello, blogger for the Canal Street Chronicles, and Ian O’Connor of the Bergen Record.

In the 1980s, the Houston Rockets boasted Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson as The Twin Towers, although the two centers weren’t related. Today, the NBA has two sets of actual, towering twins: Robin and Brook Lopez and Jarron and Jason Collins. As KJZZ’s Steve Goldstein reports, they’re all making their mark on the pros.

The NFL schedule has begun to wind down, but not to worry sports fans: the U.S. Figure Skating Championships are just heating up! The Olympic showcase features Sasha Cohen and Mirai Nagasu, both jostling for the American spotlight. Bill talks with John Powers of The Boston Globe about the event, and what to expect next month in Vancouver.

As a child, Henry Cejudo wrestled for ice cream. In 2008 at Beijing, he became the youngest American ever to win Olympic wrestling gold. Now he’s sharing his story in his new book American Victory. Bill talks to Henry about his fight for survival and his journey to the top.

Earlier this week, lesser-known Chinese tennis player Zheng Jie made an impressive run in the Australian Open, which would make for a great story if Bill knew how to pronounce her name. Fortunately, he’s called in the Two Chinese Characters to help him out.

With the Winter Games on the horizon and plenty of news on the home front, Bill and Only A Game analyst Charlie Pierce have a lot to cover as they discuss the week in sports, including NFL playoff predictions, some trouble on the Olympic front, and an all-white basketball league?

Dave Cummings is a man on a mission. He wants to hit 1,000,000 free throws by Veterans Day 2011 to raise money for American soldiers and their families. After hitting number 100,000 earlier this week, he’s right on track. Only A Game’s Doug Tribou reports.

The Dallas Cowboys really need a playoff win. Saturday night America’s Team will be hosting Philadelphia and trying for their first playoff victory since 1996 and the first one in their brand-new stadium. Bill and Todd Archer of the Dallas Morning News will discuss Dallas’s chances.

Faisal Faisal is a man competing in an unusual sport (skeleton), which is even more unusual in his home country (Iraq). Brian Mann reports on Faisal’s long quest to qualify for the Winter Olympics and the motivation behind it.

The National Hockey League is fresh off another successful Winter Classic and teams have settled into midseason form. Only A Game hockey maven and Los Angeles Times writer Helene Elliott joins Bill for an update on the league’s best and worst, plus a look at the NHL players heading to the Winter Olympics.

Ice dancers Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto won silver for the US in Turin in 2006. Now the pair is one of Team USA’s best hopes for capturing Olympic gold.  Only A Game’s Ron Schachter caught up with Belbin and Agosto during their preparations for the upcoming 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

The Gilbert Arenas / Javaris Crittenton incident has fueled a lot of a headlines … and opinions. In addition to the legal troubles both men might face, the NBA and the Washington Wizards are still sorting out the on-court ramifications for the players.  After a wild week of news, Bill looks at the locker room dispute in a larger context.

There will be plenty to discuss when Bill and Only A Game analyst Charlie Pierce convene for their weekly round, uh … make that linear, table: Alabama’s BCS victory over Texas; Gilbert Arenas’s future; the NFL playoffs; and much more.

Twelve and Counting is a new book about the history of Alabama’s football championships. And it just might set a record for the shortest amount of time in bookstores before needing a new title. The Crimson Tide beat Texas for number 13 on Thursday night. The book’s editor, Kenneth Gaddy, and Bill will talk the rich history of ‘Bama football.

Alabama QB Greg McElroy will lead the Crimson Tide against Texas in the BCS championship game on Jan. 7.

This year the college football bowl schedule boasts 34 games, far too many for one man to handle.  Unless that man is Greg Doyel of CBS Sports.com.  Bill Littlefield checks in with Doyel to find out which of the remaining bowls are worth watching.

In the past decade, the game of ice hockey has gone back to its roots, and outdoor games have become a phenomenon in the professional and college ranks.  Only A Game’s Doug Tribou attends the sport’s latest al fresco offering, the NHL’s 3rd Annual Winter Classic at Boston’s Fenway Park.

The NFL season has entered its 17th week, when the winners sit their starters and the less fortunate scramble for playoff spots.  Bill is joined by Yahoo Sports columnist Dan Wetzel for a league round-up.

From the time she was in grade school, Elena Delle Donne was expected to do great things on the basketball court.  But, after earning a full-ride to one of the nation’s top basketball programs, Delle Donne abruptly took a year off from her chosen sport.  Now she’s back playing basketball for her hometown team, and Joel Rose has the story.

Only A Game listeners are an observant bunch.  Bill responds to a few comments from the Only A Game mailbox.

Bill Littlefield and Only A Game analyst Charlie Pierce discuss:  bowl games they wish they’d seen, equipment best left out of the locker room, and the telling of tall tales.

Each year, series editor Glenn Stout scours the sports pages for entries worthy of inclusion in the Best American Sports Writing anthology.  This year, Glenn was joined by guest editor and author Leigh Montville.  Bill chats with Glenn and Leigh about this year’s edition.

On Any Given Sunday by Robert S. Lyons

Given (on Sunday or any other day) what a colossus the National Football League is today, it’s hard to believe that when it began, pro football was a week-to-week proposition in which most of the owners struggled to meet payroll.

One of those owners was Bert Bell, who began running the Philadelphia Eagles in 1933. When his players complained that they couldn’t afford to live on what he was paying them, Bell invited them to sleep on the floor at his house. To the delight of Bell’s two young sons, lots of the players accepted the invitation.

Bell became Commissioner of the NFL in 1946. He’s credited with coming up with the phrase “On Any Given Sunday, any team can beat any other team.” This had not been true of Bell’s Eagles. They almost always lost, in part because Bell had named himself coach of the team and he wasn’t very good at it. But he was good at holding the league together, and he saw it grow from a joke into a phenomenon.

On Any Given Sunday provides lots of stories about the days when Bert Bell had to get special permission for his team to even play on Sunday…when college football drew ten times the fans the pros drew…when nobody could have imagined the partnership between the NFL and network television that would eventually change the landscape of sports in the United States.

Peter Aaron told me that, and he should know, since he is the owner of the soon-to-be-relocated Elliott Bay Book Company, where baseball and soccer fans in Seattle sometimes browse, and into which football fans in Seattle often desperately stumble on their way to and from games.

“Raiders fans are the worst,” Peter Aaron said. “People dressed as Goths and zombies, drunk at nine in the morning, nobody wants to get into the middle of that traffic.”

This is not to say that if it were not for the proximity of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, the Elliott Bay Book Company would be flush. The crowds passing through on their way to watch baseball have sometimes been a problem, and the Pioneer Square neighborhood has been slipping for some time. Beyond that, the Elliott Bay, like all independent bookstores, has been pressured by the chains and the internet. Still, Aaron could have done without the added strain on his bottom line resulting from the presence in his neighborhood of tens of thousands of non-book buying football fans during at least eight fall and winter weekends.

“Fortunately, our team has not been in the playoffs,” he said this week. “But this Sunday, December 20th, five days before Christmas, the Seahawks are home, playing Tampa Bay. That will cost us between thirty and fifty thousand dollars.”

Why? Because the football fans will not only take up all the parking spaces, according the Peter Aaron, they’ll also scare potential book-buyers off the streets.

Unlike a lot of independent bookstores, the Elliott Bay Book Company will survive, at least for now. Peter Aaron is moving his operation to a neighborhood where proximity to two college campuses should help. There, he’ll try to re-establish the ambiance provided by an extraordinarily large and eclectic collection of books, a welcoming venue for visiting writers to read their work, and a comfortable café where nobody seemed to be in a hurry to finish a cup of coffee or a discussion.

As somebody who cares about our games and loves old, independent book stores, I’m rooting for The Elliott Bay in its new location…though “rooting for” might be the wrong phrase to use in this tale that I trust will no longer be a sports story.

President Obama golfing this summer on Martha's Vineyard.

The global countdown to the World Cup kicked into high gear on Friday with the announcement of the tournament’s opening round matchups.  Bill talks with Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl about a re-hashing of the Revolutionary War, which African team has the best chance to advance, and the Group of Death.

As in many cities with NFL teams, fans stream toward the stadium on Sundays in Cleveland.  Though still passionate supporters of the Browns, these fans go more for the party outside of the stadium than the embarrassments inside it.  WPCN’s Eric Wellman reports on the sad state of the Browns and the sadness among their fans.

On the campaign trail President Obama was often presented to the public as a fit, young, energetic politician with a mean jumpshot.  But is the President leaving the hardwood in favor of the green?  Bill talks with The Wall Street Journal’s Elizabeth Williamson who wrote about the President’s golf game. (Check out the article here.)

Whenever a player points to the sky after a great play or thanks God at an award ceremony, the worlds of religion and sports become further intertwined.  In his new book, Onward Christian Athletes, author Tom Krattenmaker examines the role of religion in today’s sporting culture.

As a fresh-faced PGA Tour rookie, a young Tiger Woods spoke with Charlie Pierce for a profile in GQ.  After Tiger’s recent scandal, Bill gets Charlie’s updated opinion on the world’s greatest golfer.  And, of course, the futile New Jersey Nets, the Heisman Trophy, and a billboard in Oakland.

The story on the Lingerie Football League on last week’s show inspired a multitude of responses.  Bill responds to the critics and the devotees.

When the University of Cincinnati football team takes the field for their bowl game they’ll be lead out of the tunnel by a 12-year old boy.  Not just a fan, Mitch Stone has been adopted by the Bearcats thanks to an organization dedicated to improving the lives of children fighting brain cancer.  Only A Game’s Keith O’Brien reports on the Friends of Jaclyn.

But Sunday gave them reason to trot out a different song.
The Pats ran circles ‘round the Jets. The coach did nothing wrong.
When disappointment rarely raised its head, he pulled no stunt…
Coach Belichick remembered it was no disgrace to punt.

There may be doubt in other cities housing football teams.
In some, there may be dreadful nightmares trampling the dreams
Of fans who see post-season play as nothing but their due…
There are such cities and such teams. I can’t deny it’s true.
But no such nightmares trouble fans of our New England crew.
Once more the lads are confident in doing what they do,
For on the sideline, in his sweatshirt, Belichick restored,
Has risen like a phoenix over that which was untoward…
In football terms, he has redeemed himself with Sunday’s win,
And turned each doubtful frown around New England to a grin…
It may not be the greatest thing yet done among the living,
But is it not a reason now to celebrate Thanksgiving?