Saturday, May 9, 2009

Manny didn’t say it wasn’t so when the news broke on Thursday that he’d be suspended for 50 games for violating Major League Baseball’s substance abuse policy.  Bill Littlefield talks with ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian about Manny Ramirez and other baseball news.

About 32 acres of public parkland were lost when the Yankees built their new stadium in the Bronx, and so far, the team and city haven’t made good on promises to replace them.  Only A Game’s Kirk Carapezza visits with the varsity baseball players at the All Hallows School in the shadows of Yankee Stadium, as they hold baseball practice in the cafeteria.  View photos of All Hallows School and the new Yankee Stadium.

On Tuesday, the Phoenix Coyotes filed for bankruptcy.  The NHL says the league, not titular owner Jerry Moyes, has had control of the team since November.  At issue is whether the team will be sold to a Canadian billionaire and moved north of the border.  Bill speaks with Ray Ratto, who’s been following the story for the San Francisco Chronicle.

About 150 years ago, Williams College and Amherst College played the first intercollegiate baseball game.  Only A Game’s Doug Tribou was present last weekend for a commemorative reenactment.  View photos of the 1859 baseball reenactment.

Our games are many things to many people.  For one of commentator Elissa Ely’s relatives, sport is a matter of life.

Bill and Only A Game analyst Charlie Pierce discuss:  Manny being Manny, a basketball punishment that fits the crime, and all the Queen’s horses aren’t quite what they seem.

Cricket is popular in places like the United Kingdom, India, and Pakistan. It is not especially popular, or even much evident, in Bulgaria, Slovakia, or Serbia.  That circumstance didn’t stop author Angus Bell from traveling around Eastern Europe in search of great cricket stories.  Bill talks to Angus Bell about the result, Batting on the Bosphorus:  A Liquor-Fueled Cricket Tour Throughout Eastern Europe.