Sports

Fred Waitzkin has written two books about chess. His first, "Searching For Bobby Fischer," is about his young son Josh's gift for the game. The book was made into a movie of the same name. Waitzkin's latest book is called "Mortal Games." It's a portrait of the world chess champion Garry Kasparov as he prepared, in 1990, to defend his title against sworn enemy Anatoly Karpov.

John Helyar's new book, “Lords of the Realm,” looks at the corporate world of baseball. Instead of tracing the history of the game through its players, Helyar focuses on the behind the scenes people-- the agents, owners, and general managers-- who shaped baseball. He's is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal and co-author of the New York Times bestseller, Barbarians at the Gate.

The biggest event in soccer, the World Cup, takes place in the United States this month (June 17 - July 17), in nine different cities. Journalist Pete Davies will talk with Terry about the game so few Americans know about. He's written a new book about the game and the upcoming event, "Twenty-Two Foreigners in Funny Shorts: The Intelligent Fan's Guide to Soccer and World Cup '94." (Random House).

Phil Niekro, Manager, and Lisa Martinez, pitcher for the new all female professional baseball team, the Colorado Silver Bullets. This is the team's inaugural season. The Silver Bullets are the first all-female team to be recognized by the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues and the first to compete only against men. Manager Niekro says, "Every time they make an error, they say 'I'm sorry.'"

Teresa "Terry" Phelps. Author, law professor and wife of Digger Phelps, former head basketball coach at Notre Dame. Terry Phelps has written a memoir called "The Coach's Wife" (Norton). In 1991, Digger Phelps left Notre Dame and not one Notre Dame official attended his farewell address. Terry Phelps says her husband was the victim of the clashing demands placed on college coaches--be an educator, but be a money maker and entertainer too. She writes about her role as the "lovely wife," as coach's wives are often called in the world of college sports.

Former Major Leaguer Keith Hernandez. Called by some baseball purists the finest First Baseman in the game, Hernandez played with the St. Louis Cardinals, the New York Mets, and the Cleveland Indians. He is the winner of eleven consecutive Golden Glove Awards for fielding, and played in two World Championships. Hernandez's new book is "Pure Baseball: Pitch by Pitch for the Advanced Fan" (Harper): analysis of two 1993 match-ups, with play by play commentary, based on his seventeen years in the game.

TV critic David Bianculli will review the television coverage of the Olympic skating showdown.

Bill Littlefield. He's a writer and regular sports commentator on NPR's "Morning Edition." Littlefield has a new book about baseball, "Baseball Days: From the Sandlots to the Show" (Bulfinch Press). Littlefield has been in love with the game since he was a kid, "Baseball Days" is a sentimental look at America's favorite past-time.

Defensive lineman for the Atlanta Falcons, Tim Green. Green's written a novel, "Ruffians" (Turner), about a football star who's NFL experience is dominated by money and steroids. During football season, Green writes a weekly column for the "Syracuse Herald-Journal". Off season, Green attends law school. His sports commentaries can be heard occasionally on NPR.

There are fewer second basemen in the Baseball Hall of Fame than players in any of the other positions. Joe Morgan is one of the few. Today we rebroadcast an interview with the former Houston Astro and Cincinnati Red. Morgan was with the Reds in the 70's, along with Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, and Tony Perez, when the team was so successful it was known as the Big Red Machine. In 1975 and 76 Morgan was named most valuable player, leading the Reds to the world series championships both times. Altogether, Morgan spent 22 years in the major leagues. (REBROADCAST FROM 4/21/93)