Saturday, July 25, 2009

One inductee only had to wait the minimum five years.  The other?  An agonizing 20 years.  However, the prize for both is the same: membership into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  For Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice, induction marks the culmination of remarkable careers.  With help from ESPN’s Peter Gammons and the two newly-minted Hall of Famers, Bill reflects on all things Cooperstown.

In his conversation with Bill, Zev Chafets, author of "Cooperstown Confidential: Heroes, Rogues, and The Inside Story of The Baseball Hall of Fame," provides a detailed account of the inner machinations of the Hall, along with a solution on how to fix the imperfect institution.

On Thursday afternoon, Mark Buehrle was perfect.  With the help of a spectacular catch in the 9th inning, Buehlre defied both old-school superstitions and the new-school infatuation with pitch velocity to throw the 18th perfect game in baseball history.  ESPNChicago.com’s Jon Greenberg joins Bill to discuss.

The people who brave the Vermont 100 Endurance Race come from different backgrounds and have varying professions, but they characterize themselves as one thing: runners.  The race is nearly four times longer than a marathon.  Many runners take nearly 30 hours to finish and they share the course with horses along the way.  Only A Game’s Doug Tribou has the story.

Bill gives voice to letters from listeners across the country.

Only A Game analyst Charlie Pierce joins Bill to discuss a baseball player disgusted with what he sees in the mirror, the possible reinstatement of Michael Vick, and the sorry state of the New York Mets.

The World Championships in swimming, diving, water polo and synchro are taking place in Rome in a complex built by dictator Benito Mussolini.  As Only A Game’s Nancy Greenleese reports, the restoration of the venue has spurred controversy because of its fascist artwork.