As the year prepares to turn, some NHL teams are just glad to be back...while others could do with another year off. Bill talks with Helene Elliott, who writes about pro hockey for the Los Angeles Times.

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Until very recently the sad sack of the NFL, resurgent Cincinnati is 11-3, good enough to clinch the AFC North. The Bengals will participate in the NFL postseason for the first time in 15 years. As Ron Schachter reports, that's a welcome prospect for the team formerly known as "The Bungles".

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The bovine adventures of downhill skier Lindsey Kildow.

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Since 1991, Glenn Stout has been presiding over the assembly of an annual volume entitled "Best American Sports Writing". Bill talks to Glenn and long-time New York Times columnist Ira Berkow, whose story of an unlikely sports memory graces the pages of this year's edition.

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Part sport, part adventure, canyoneering involves hiking, swimming, rappelling, and a bit of ingenuity. Its popularity continues to grow, especially in the Southwest, where sandstone slots and deep gorges are some of the sport's premier destinations. Arizona Public Radio's Ian Kraker took a recent daytrip with canyoneering guide Tyler Williams.

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Bill and Only A Game analyst Charlie Pierce discuss: Charlie's favorite bowl games, Matt Leinart's "unintentional" transgression, and Chad Johnson's latest touchdown celebration.

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A horse who wins the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, or another good payday can count on a bucolic retirement interrupted only by the rigors of the stud farm. But, for horses like Rudy, a thoroughbred who never won a race, old age is significantly more perilous. Bill visits Rudy on a Massachusetts farm, where he's found a home thanks to an organization called Canter.

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Bill offers an alternative to watching football, basketball or hockey this holiday season.