John Kerry the Sports Fan; Detroit Tiger Turnaround; Extreme Chess; U.S. Volleyball; Tevis Cup; Commentary; Elephant Polo

Tour de Lance; The Olympic Money Trail; Ashes to Ashes; Shaq’s Back with Dan LeBetard; Major League Lacrosse; Commentary; The Big Horse

A look at Bill McGinniss’s book about the adventures of P.G. Johnson, an old fashioned sort of trainer of thoroughbred race horses.

Bill remembers a time when you did not have to worry about your favorite player going to jail.

Alpe D’Huez; Commentary; The Shag Workout; Olympic Truce; Waldorf Olympics; The Black Prince of Baseball; Lawnmower Races

Olympic Trials with John Powers; NBA Free Agents; The Beautiful Robot Game; How Soccer Explains the World; Whiffleball; Lance and More with Charlie Pierce; Letters

Franklin Foer cheerfully acknowledges that his recent book was conceived mostly as an excuse to travel around the world watching soccer games.

What makes the game so different is they play it every day.

Tour de Lance; Lance’s Wheels; Hang Ten, Ken; A WUSA Revival?; Out of Bounds; Coach K and More with Charlie Pierce; Commentary; U.S. Women’s Open

Author Jeff Benedict makes the case that the culture of professional sports encourages voilent criminal behavior in athletes.