Sports

Investigative sportswriter John Feinstein (FINE-steen) His new book is "Hard Courts: Real Life on the Professional Tennis Tours," looks at the inner workings of professional tennis. He traveled the circuit during 1990 and 1991. Feinstein has written for "The Washington Post," "Sports Illustrated," and other publications and he's also a commentator for NPR. (published by Villard Books). (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Writer John Strawn. Strawn's new book, "Driving the Green," chronicles the process of designing and building a new golf course. (It's published by Harper Collins).

Miller was the first executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association when it was formed in 1966. He helped form a labor union to represent the athletes, which caused the dramatic increase in player's salaries, and ended the system that bound an athlete to one team forever. To some, he's the man who depreciated the value of teams. His memoir is called "A Whole Different Ball Game."

Athlete and journalist Mariah Burton Nelson. After the passage of Title IX, Nelson played women's basketball in college and in the Women's Pro Basketball League. Her new book, "Are We Winning Yet?" examines the state of women's sports in America today.

Aldridge played in two Superbowls and started a successful career as a broadcaster. In the 1970s, he developed schizophrenia and lost his job, money, wife, family and home. Aldridge now travels the country, talking about his disease and recovery, and about our incorrect attitudes toward mental disease.

Owen Gleiberman reviews the latest in the Rocky franchise. Directed by John G. Avildsen, Gleiberman says it tries to recapture the innocence and humanity of the original, but never quite reaches its goal.

Critic Maureen Corrigan is a staunch Dick Francis fan, despite his problematic takes on race and gender. Though his horse racing-themed novels are formulaic, Francis can still weave a suspenseful story. Corrigan reviews his 29th novel, Longshot.

Sportswriter Robert Peterson's new book is called Cages to Jump Shots. It's a history of the early years of basketball.

Gregg grew up in a poor Philadelphia neighborhood, and eventually had a 13-year career as a National League umpire. He has a new memoir about what it takes to make good calls.

Commentator Maureen Corrigan is fed up with the way such writers as George Will and Charles Kerault wax romantic about baseball.

Film critic Owen Gleiberman (gly-ber-mann) reviews the home video release of "Let It Ride," last summer's comedy starring Richard Dreyfus as a man who can't stop betting on the horses.

Baseball Hall-of-Fame pitcher Bob Feller. Some call him the fastest pitcher in history---taking the mound for the Cleveland Indians when just a teenager, Feller racked up 266 wins, struck out over 2500 batters, and pitched the only opening day no-hitter in major league history. In his new book, "Now Pitching, Bob Feller: A Baseball Memoir," he recounts his more 50 years in the game. (The book is co-authored with writer Bill Gilbert and published by Birch Lane Press).

Journalist and mountain climber Jon Krakauer. His first book, "Eiger Dreams," is a collection of his articles from magazines such as Outside and Smithsonian. (Eiger Dreams is published by Lyons & Burford)

Sportswriters Alexander Wolff and Armen Keteyian. The pair have covered college basketball for years, and now they've collaborated on a new expose of college recruiting practices. It's called "Raw Recruits." (Pocket Books). Terry also talks with David Berst, the head of enforcement for the NCAA.

Photographer and adventurer Galen Rowell. Rowell has been called a cross between Sir Edmund Hillary and Ansel Adams. He's made a career out of traveling to the world's wild places and capturing them on film. An accomplished skier and mountaineer, Rowell has made more than 20 trips to the Himalayas and hundreds of climbs throughout the world.

Sports writer Rick Telander (TAL-en-der). Telander's new book, "The Hundred Yard Lie," is a scathing indictment of the college football system. Telander says college football makes millions and millions of dollars while bathing itself in a false light of amateurism. The players, meanwhile suffer physical pain, financial corruption, and educational starvation. Telander has seen college football from both sides of the fence. He's a staff writer for Sports Illustrated and a former all-conference cornerback for Northwestern University.

Character actor Vincent Gardenia.

Book critic John Leonard reviews "Take Time for Paradise," a collection of essays about sports by the late baseball commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti.

Sports writer Mike Sowell (rhymes with "powell"). Sowell's book, "The Pitch that Killed," is the true-life account of the death of Ray Chapman. Chapman was the Cleveland Indians shortstop who died after being hit in the head by a pitch thrown by New York Yankee Carl Mays. The incident occurred in late August, 1920, as the Yankees and Indians were battling for the American League pennant.