Saturday, July 4, 2009

Bill previews the Tour de France.  And on the topic of the legendary race, Bill reviews the book Lance, and finds that enjoyment of the book depends largely on preconceived notions of cyclist Lance Armstrong.  Armstrong fans will admire author John Wilcockson’s insider look at the famous and controversial athlete, while detractors will point to the character traits Wilcockson fails to mention.

The storylines are flying fast and furious at Wimbledon this weekend.  The women’s final has a familiar-and familial- feel to it, and the men’s final has plenty of talent and star power of its own.

The landscape of sports, and sports coverage, shifts radically as the age of New Media progresses.  But change isn’t always for the best.  Keith O’Brien chronicles the impact that a dying newspaper industry has on fans who crave news from personalities they trust.

Bill remembers a time when dinosaurs roamed the earth-and newspaper beat writers were the only voices young boys could count on to cover their favorite teams.

Only A Game analyst Charlie Pierce joins Bill to talk about the latest sports news.  On tap for discussion is a Cuban defector, an unusual baseball delay, and a disgruntled soccer star.

Only A Game’s John Kalish is in New York to spend time with Billy “The Greek,” a fisherman with a reputation as big as some of the fish he catches.