Bill Littlefield with NPR's Scott Simon and Car Talk's Tom and Ray Magliozzi during the programs early years. (Courtesy WBUR)

Thanks For Listening

Only A Game has ended its run after 27 amazing years.

Only A Game

Sep 30, 2020

El hijo de Christian Figueroa, Christian, en el césped del Salón de la Fama de Naismith sosteniendo una foto de Leo Ferris. (Cortesía de Christian Figueroa)

¿Por Qué Leo Ferris Todavía No Está En El Salón De La Fama De Naismith?

El co-creador del reloj de lanzamiento de 24 segundos en baloncesto.

Only A Game

Sep 28, 2020

Why Is Leo Ferris Still Not In The Naismith Hall Of Fame?

The contributions Leo Ferris made to the NBA are well documented, so why is he still being snubbed?

Only A Game

03:54Sep 25, 2020

OAG Staff Picks: Peter Sagal, Tup Holmes, Leo Ferris And More

For the very last week of Only A Game, we're bringing back some of our favorites. NPR host Peter Sagal drops by with a story about running and male body...

Only A Game

48:39Sep 25, 2020

Littlefield: A Rhyme About Sports During A Pandemic

Bill Littlefield returns for one last view of the sports landscape ... in verse.

Only A Game

02:50Sep 25, 2020

Pedro Martinez hangs his head after giving up a home run in the game that sent the New York Yankees to the 2003 World Series. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

The World Series Apocalypse That Never Was

Transport your mind back to 2003 and imagine what it would have been like if the Red Sox and the Cubs had met in the World Series.

Only A Game

03:56Sep 25, 2020

OAG's Most Memorable: Barkley's Friendship, Syracuse 8, The Carewlands And More

This week we’re bringing back some of our most memorable, most requested stories. Reporter Shirley Wang tells the story of her father, Lin Wang, and his friendship with NBA Hall...

Only A Game

48:41Sep 18, 2020

The Universal Pictures basketball team from 1935. Back in the mid '30s, the studio's basketball team helped promote its films. And in 1936, the team earned the right to go to the Olympics. (Courtesy NBC Universal)

Universal Pictures Basketball, Diving Inside An Iceberg And Running With Sherman

It's Only A Game book club day, as we bring back three listener favorites from three great books. First up, the story of how the Universal Pictures basketball team went...

Only A Game

48:49Sep 11, 2020

Bob Cousy and Bill Russell celebrate their 1963 NBA title. (Ed Widdis/AP)

Bob Cousy's Regrets, Devo And Chi Chi, Tacko Fall Learns To Swim And More

Bob Cousy and Bill Russell won six NBA championships together on the Boston Celtics. This week on Only A Game, Cousy says he regrets not doing more for his teammate...

Only A Game

48:37Sep 4, 2020

Author and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin shares how baseball influenced her life. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Why Doris Kearns Goodwin Says Baseball Made Her A Better Historian

Author and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin says the Brooklyn Dodgers were her childhood love, but she ended up married to the Red Sox.

Only A Game

10:16Aug 28, 2020

Cari Champion and Jemele Hill talks about their friendship, working in sports media as Black women and their new show. (Jasmine Durhal)

Cari Champion And Jemele Hill Won't 'Stick To Sports'

"We have to stop with this lie of: Sports is happening over here, and the rest of the world is happening somewhere else. They're in the same world," Hill says.

Only A Game

11:00Aug 28, 2020

The court sits empty after the Milwaukee Bucks didn't take the floor in protest against racial injustice and the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (Ashley Landis/AP)

Athlete Activism Against Police Violence Reminds Ken Shropshire Of '85's 'Sun City'

"If the prize is ending racism in America, that's not going to happen with one action," Professor Kenneth Shropshire says.

Only A Game

03:51Aug 28, 2020

'You Do Know Who His Wife Is, Don’t You?': My Brush With Mia And Nomar

At the Cheesecake Factory with his parents in the early 2000s, producer Martin Kessler got a tip: Nomar Garciaparra was there.

Only A Game

11:44Aug 28, 2020

'And Finally, Charlie...': Bill and Charlie, One More Time

Bill Littlefield returns for one last romp through the sports landscape with Charlie Pierce.

Only A Game

06:35Aug 28, 2020

Bill Lee pitches to Pete Rose to open the seventh game of the 1975 World Series. (AP)

How Only A Game's First Story Helped Lay The Foundation For A 27-Year Run

Our very first episode featured a story about an eccentric former MLB pitcher. It set the stage for many stories to come.

Only A Game

03:04Aug 28, 2020

The Farewell Show: Revisiting Our First Episode, Bill Littlefield Returns, And More

On the last new episode of Only A Game, producer Martin Kessler revisits a childhood meeting with Mia Hamm and Nomar Garciaparra. Also, Doris Kearns Goodwin explains how baseball made...

Only A Game

48:36Aug 28, 2020