Saturday, April 12, 2008

Let the Quest for the Cup Begin

Get your playoff beards and your mullets ready, because it's time for the NHL's second season,  and some of the game's brightest young guns have their sights set on the Stanley Cup.  Only A Game's NHL guru Helene Elliott of the L.A. Times checks in to talk all things hockey, including one of the oldest rivalries in the game, and some stellar first-round matchups.

Toothless Tigers
138 million just doesnt buy what it used to.  The Detroit Tigers, coming off an active off-season, were the pick of many baseball brains to snag their first World Series Championship since 1984.  However the best moment of the Tigers' season to this point may be Ms. America throwing out the first pitch on opening day, as they have have flopped out of the gate, losing seven games before winning one.  Ron Schachter reports on the MLB's biggest early season bust, and whether or not the Tigers can turn it around.

Olympic Discord
The global procession of the Olympic Torch has created quite a stir among human rights activists, with protests aimed at the Summer Games host nation of China.  So much controversy surrounds the symbol of the games that its only stop in the United States was cut short.  Karen Given has an update on the torch's abbreviated journey through North America.  Also, Karen talks with Professor Joseph Fewsmith, Director of East Asian Studies at Boston University about the protests, and the implications they will have on foreign policy.

"Sneaker Wars: The Brothers Who Founded Adidas and Puma and the Family Feud That Changed The Business of Sport"

All brothers fight.  It's something ingrained in the DNA of siblings that at some point, they will inevitably disagree.  But in Sneaker Wars, Barbara Smit tells the story of a sibling rivalry that goes far beyond a backyard brawl.  Karen Given talks with Ms. Smit about her new book, and the battle between the brothers responsible for creating Adidas and Puma, and for pushing the concept of endorsements in professional sports.

The Great Crystal Ball and More, With Charlie Pierce

Karen Given and Only A Game analyst Charlie Pierce Discuss: Charlie's uncanny ability to pick the NCAA basketball winners, the final rush for playoff berths in the NBA, and why you don't mess with Chuck Norris.

The Sports World Takes Over Manhattan
Did you ever wonder what it's like to be an NHL Goaltender or a referee making the game deciding call in the NFL?  The Sports Museum of America, opening in May, hopes to give visitors a chance to experience this first hand.  Alongside sports memorabilia, the museum gives fans a unique look inside games they can't get anywhere else.  Karen Given reports on the interactive endeavor located in Lower Manhattan.