Sports

Writer John Krich is working on a book about baseball in Latin America. He is particularly interested in the sport's cultural role in countries dealing with armed conflicts and political upheavals.

Book Critic John Leonard will review What Ever Happened to Gloomy Gus of the Chicago Bears, the new novel by Robert Coover.

Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson, a star player for the Dallas Cowboys throughout the 70s. He fell victim to a cocaine addiction and was one of the first professional athletes to admit to his problem.

Frank Deford, senior writer for Sports Illustrated and a commentator on National Public Radio's "Morning Edition." Some of his best essays from Sports Illustrated have been collected in a book titled The World's Tallest Midget.

Mark Mathabane. He grew up in poverty in a black township in South Africa. His skill at tennis caught the attention of Arthur Ashe and Stan Smith, who brought him to the U.S. on an athletic scholarship. He's written a book about his upbringing and the horrors of Apartheid. It's titled Kaffir Boy.

Photographer Bruce Weber, who does the fashion ads for Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. He recently finished a documentary movie about young boxers. It's titled "Broken Noses" and opens at the upcoming New York Film Forum.

Red Holzman tells of his five decades in basketball as a player, coach and general manager. He's a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and was coach of the New York Knicks when they won the world championship in 1970. Now retired, Holzman had written an autobiography titled Red on Red.

Sportswriter and HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant. He discusses the world of boxing, the disintegration of neighborhood boxing clubs in the big cities and how television has changed the image of the boxer and the audience response.

Film director and actor John Sayles. His films include "The Return of the Secaucus Seven," "Baby It's You" and "Brother From Another Planet." His new film is "Matewan," about a coal miner's strike in West Virginia.

Jan Harold Brunvand explores the urban legend about the skier who stops to relieve herself, slips and breaks her arm. As she's leaving the hospital meets other skiers with broken limbs who say when they saw a woman skiing with her pants down they laughed so hard they lost their balance.

Actor Carl Weathers. He stars in the new film "Action Jackson." His first big role was as the fighter Apollo Creed in the four "Rocky" films. Before acting, Weathers played football for the Oakland Raiders.

Book critic John Leonard reviews baseball writer Roger Angell's latest collection of essays, Season Ticket. The essays, which previously appeared in The New Yorker magazine, cover the five seasons of play between 1981 and 1986.

Critic-at-Large Laurie Stone looks back at television's coverage of the women's figure skating competition at the Winter Olympics in Calgary.

Bob Ryan, basketball writer for The Boston Globe. Together with Terry Pluto, basketball writer for the Akron Beacon Journal, Ryan has written a book that takes a microscopic look at one night in the National Basketball Association by reporting on the Jan 14, 1987 game between The Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The book is titled Forty-Eight Minutes: A Night in the Life of the N.B.A., and follows every shot, every pass, and all the pre- and post-game developments. (Interview by Faith Middleton)

Baseball writer Roger Angell. His new book, Season Ticket: A Baseball Companion, is a compilation of essays published in The New Yorker magazine over the last five seasons. The essays cover subjects from spring training, Astroturf versus grass and drug abuse. Angell's previous books include The Summer Game, Five Seasons and Late Innings. Angell is the senior fiction editor of The New Yorker.

Baseball great Willie Mays, one of the most potent all-round players in the history of baseball. In his 22 seasons in the major leagues, Mays played in 21 All-Star Games, batted over .300 and hit 660 home runs. His autobiography, Say Hey, has just been published. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Novelist and essayist Harry Crews. His nine novels include All We Need is Hell and The Gospel Singer. Oftentimes, the main characters of Crews' works are outsiders; The central character of Crews' most recent work, titled The Knockout Artist, is a boxer who specializes in knocking himself out. Crews' three works of nonfiction include the autobiography A Childhood, Blood and Grits, and Florida Frenzy.

Frank Robinson, manager of the Baltimore Orioles. In 1975, he became the first black manager in baseball, and today he is the only one. As a player, Robinson was legendary. He is the only player ever to win the Most Valuable Player award in both leagues; and his 586 home runs place him behind Hand Aaron, Babe Ruth and Willie Mays on the all-time list.

Film Critic Stephen Schiff reviews "Bull Durham," a film about baseball and other matters of the heart, starring Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon.

Journalist Irvin Muchnick. His recent reporting has focused on recent developments in professional wrestling.