Saturday, July 3, 2010

Bill has an update with the latest from the World Cup, including the Netherlands’ upset over tournament heavyweight Brazil. He will also talk to Roger Bennett, co-author of The World Cup Companion, about the suspect refereeing that has plagued the first two rounds of play.

Even though the South African national team was eliminated early from the World Cup, prisoners in one Johannesburg jail are still completely invested in the tournament, and that’s brought gang violence in the prison to an all-time low. Only A Game’s Anjali Nayar reports from South Africa.

We’ll have to wait a few more days until LeBron James makes his mind up about where he will play next season, but that hasn’t stopped owners from opening up their wallets for some less heralded players in the first few days of NBA Free Agency.

Bud Collins speaks with Bill to forecast the upcoming Wimbledon finals and look back at the surprises of the tournament, including the match that wouldn’t end, Roger Federer’s early exit and yet another disappointment for English sports fans.

Although AstroTurf is close to extinction, domes have collapsed into dust in favor of stadiums with retractable roofs, and no current MLB player takes the field with his cap perched atop his afro, not all developments in baseball during the 1970’s have become obsolete. Bill speaks with Dan Epstein, author of Big Hair, Plastic Grass, a look back at the strange decade that changed the game.

Charlie Pierce is not amused with soccer fans promising to run naked through the streets should their team win the World Cup, which may be a good thing since he’ll stay clothed if the Red Sox win another World Series. However, he will join Bill to talk about NBA free agency, an expensive vuvuzela, and more from the week in sports.

Whether they sported a distinguished handlebar mustache, grizzled, long beards or something more practical (why has no one shaped their beard to hold beer cans before?), hundreds of men travelled to Oregon to compete in the first ever National Beard and Moustache Championships in Oregon. Only A Game’s Sadie Babits was there and she has the story. To see Sadie’s photos from the competition click here.