Saturday, August 23, 2008

If you build it, it will be expensive! This week on Only A Game, we'll consider the enormous costs of the Beijing games. Also, John Powers previews the final weekend of the Olympic competition, and synchronized swimmers have their day on the big screen.

With all its amazing victories and crushing defeats, the 2008 Beijing Games are drawing to a close. The Boston Globe’s John Powers joins host Bill Littlefield to talk about the last weekend of competition.

The Birds Nest and the Water Cube have become symbols of the Beijing Games. Sure, they are amazing feats of architecture, but were they worth it? The Games cost more than the last five Olympics combined, and Beijing still isn’t totally sure what will be done with all of the venues. Bill reports on the effects the Games will have on China’s future.

Sure, it lacks the adrenaline rush of competitive swimming, but there is a certain art and beauty to the event of Synchronized Swimming. Even though it’s been an Olympic event for almost 25 years, many still do not understand the sport. Only A Game’s Jon Kalish attempts to shed some light on this graceful competition.

Who said the days of John McEnroe’s temper tantrums on the court were over? Certainly the display he put on at the Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island last week showed that McEnroe still has every bit of that signature temper pent up inside of him. Nicolas Dawidoff, who wrote a piece on McEnroe for the New York Times Magazine talks to Bill.

After all his accomplishments in Beijing, just what will Michael Phelps do with his new found fame? Maybe he will find himself on the big screen. The Only A Game players explore that idea.

Bill and Only A Game analyst Charlie Piece discuss: The NBA capitalizing on Beijing glory, remembering Gene Upshaw and congratulating "El Ingles."

Author Stefan Fatsis came about as close as any average guy could come to playing in the NFL. Fatsis spent time with the Denver Broncos at their training camp, kicking and punting along with the rest of the team. He wrote about his experiences in his new book A Few Seconds of Panic. Stefan joins Bill on the show.