Fueled by superstar Josh Hamilton and ace Cliff Lee, the Rangers are serious World Series contenders. But their success is clouded by complications in the proposed sale of the team. This week on Only A Game, Bill talks to Ken Belson of the New York Times about Texas’s financial troubles. Plus, the story of Tennessee Titans draftee and Rhodes Scholar Myron Rolle, and surfing kook Peter Heller looks for the perfect wave, but finds quite a bit more.

Although Steve Ralston played 36 international matches for the USA in his career, he never made a World Cup appearance. However, that doesn’t mean his retirement from the MLS should pass unnoticed. In his weekly commentary, Bill says goodbye to a player whose professionalism and knack for setting up his teammates made him one of the best in the MLS.

Whether you think LeBron James is a selfless future NBA champion or a traitorous reality TV star, his announcement live on ESPN that he will play for the Miami Heat finally ended the circus that has dominated sports conversation for months. Saturday on Only A Game, Bill speaks with FoxSports.com’s Kevin Hench about the end of LeBronapalooza. Plus, biking in the Big Apple, Tim Kurkijan recaps the first half of the baseball season, and Bill previews Sunday’s World Cup Final. Join us.

Bill’s unyielding passion for soccer is no secret, so it makes sense that he would be a little crazier than usual during the World Cup. But he may have gone a little overboard during last week’s Spain v. Paraguay match. He explains in his commentary.

Roger Federer will turn 29 next month, but he looked over the hill in his disappointing exit from Wimbledon. This week on Only A Game, Bill speaks with Bud Collins about where Federer will go from here. Plus, baseball in the 70’s, Roger Bennett discusses the shady refereeing at the World Cup, and Only A Game’s Sadie Babits reports on a tournament showcasing some extremely creative facial hair.

Political leaders in both Nigeria and France have taken action to try to attone for the poor performance of their nation’s soccer teams in the World Cup. As ridiculous as that may be, Bill says in his commentary that FIFA has only made the situation worse by sticking its nose into these national affairs.

Even though the Women’s Professional Soccer League All-Star Game on Wednesday featured some outstanding athletes, the players still haven’t forgotten the days when they first started playing the game in the schoolyard. Bill explains in his commentary.

Who says the USA doesn’t like soccer? This week on Only A Game, Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl talks about late-game heroics from the Americans, the collapse of the defending champs, and more from the World Cup. Plus, we speak with Wimbledon’s official poet, Bill chats with David Remnick, editor of a new collection of sportswriting from the New Yorker, and Only A Game’s Ron Schachter looks at “tornado and hurricane,” two children looking to become tennis’s next superstars. Join us.

The Goethe Institut in Boston is usually a place for philosophical discussions of Marx, Nietzche and the Institut’s namesake. But when Germany plays its World Cup matches, the Institut transforms into a lively place for fans to enjoy a beer, a Bavarian pretzel and cheer on Deutschland. Curt Nickish has the story on Only A Game this week. Meanwhile, check out these photos from Germany’s rout of Australia. All photos courtesy of the Goethe Institut-Boston.

French soccer fans upset by their teams embarrasing performance in the World Cup could take some solace in the fact that Italy, the team that beat their squad in the 2006 Final, also will be going home before the elimination stage. Bill warns supporters of Les Bleus not to overreact to the team’s poor performance.