Saturday, November 29, 2008

It’s still early in the NBA season, but most of the teams seem to be playing according to the traditional script. The Lakers are surging, and the Clippers are not. LeBron is wowing crowds, and Stephon is angering his teammates. For these and the rest of the stories in the NBA, Bill Littlefield turns to Kevin Hench, who covers the league for Fox Sports.

The story of this season’s Atlanta Hawks really begins at the end of last season, when they grabbed the final playoff spot in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, and then took the eventual champion Boston Celtics to seven games before falling in the first round of the playoffs. This year, Atlanta is off to a strong start, and, as Only A Game’s Ron Schachter reports, the Hawks and their fans are ready to put a decade of basketball futility behind them.

The NFL playoff picture is still a bit cloudy. Can the Cowboys keep it together long enough for a playoff run? Will the Cardinals collapse in the stretch? Can the Patriots overcome the loss of The Brady with the surprising Matt Cassell? Matt Crossman looks into his crystal ball and offers his insights with Bill.

Even in the best ski resorts, there are several months when the powder gives way to mud or the run is completely dry. But, imagine a mountain where you can ski nearly every day of the year, including those 90+ degree days in the middle of summer. Beverly Amsler of member station WVTF in Roanoke, Virginia has the story.

Bill comments on the Ted Williams Auction last week.

Bill Littlefield and Only A Game analyst Charlie Pierce discuss: the NFL’s Thanksgiving day turkeys, LeBron’s big welcome to the big apple, and Charlie’s greatest disappointment.

In his new book, Four Kings, George Kimball writes of Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, and Roberto Duran that "they didn’t set out to save boxing from itself in the post-Ali era. But they did." George Kimball joins Bill to discuss his new book.