After a compressed National Basketball season due to a labor lockout, the playoffs have been full of exciting basketball. Robert Siegel talks with sportswriter Stefan Fatsis about the NBA conference semifinal matchups.
Keelin Godsey is raising questions about how transgender athletes can compete in sports. Godsey recently qualified for the women's track and field Olympic trials in the hammer throw. Godsey was born female, identifies as male, but competes in the female division. Host Michel Martin talks with Sports Illustrated reporter Pablo Torre.
Ray Ewry is an all-but-forgotten Olympic great from the early 1900s with a remarkable story. Before winning his 10th gold medal in 10 tries, Ewry accomplished something truly remarkable: He learned to walk again.
Audie Cornish talks to pilot Felix Baumgartner, who plans to freefall from 120,000 feet above the earth and break the speed of sound with his body. He will attempt to break a 50-year-old record held by retired Air Force Colonel Joe Kittinger which is nearly 103,000 feet.
Michael Phelps has won more medals, and more gold medals than any U.S. Olympian. But how many people have heard of Ray Ewry, perhaps the all time greatest Olympic athlete on land? Ewry entered 10 events and won 10 gold medals. That his events no longer exist, and that he won his last gold 104 years ago are what contributes to Ewry's relative anonymity.
Don Waters' father abandoned him and his mother when Don was three years old. Years later, before he died, Don's father sent him a copy of a short autobiography he hoped would help his son understand who his father was. In the stories, Don discovered his father and a shared passion for surfing.
Jessica Ennis is the poster girl of Britain's Olympics team. But Sunday in Manchester, someone really messed up and what she thought was her best-ever run of the 100-meter hurdles can't be counted as her best.
Over the weekend, Hikaru Nakamura won the 2012 U.S. Chess Championship in St. Louis, Missouri. He's the top-ranked chess player in the country, and is now 2 1/2 points away from beating Bobby Fischer's all time record. For Tell Me More's series, "In Your Ear," Nakamura talks about the music that gets him pumped up for competition.
If life is a ballgame, then NPR's Mike Pesca is the guy in the stands, carrying his own stat-sheet and searching out empirical evidence. Host Rachel Martin speaks with Pesca about what the numbers have to say about injuries.
The flame for the London Olympics, which was ignited by the rays of the sun in the 2,800-year-old Temple of Hera in Greece, arrives in the UK Saturday. It was carried from Olympia in a lantern that flew aboard a gold-painted plane. Vicki Barker has more on the flame's relay race to London.
In the NBA, the Miami Heat have a lot to prove against the Indiana Pacers, and in the NHL, the L.A. Kings are proving it. Plus, a farewell to Cub pitcher Kerry Woods. Host Scott Simon talks to ESPN columnist Howard Bryant about the week in sports.
Melissa Block speaks with Matt Lerner, co-founder of the websites Walk Score and Bike Score. Bike Score allows people to see block-by-block scores of "bikeability" based on four factors — presence of bike lanes, hills, proximity to things you need and social aspect. They discuss the rankings of the most bikeable cities. Minneapolis is number one, followed by Portland, San Francisco, and Boston.
For many people, Bike to Work Day is a reason to put air in their bike's tires and see if the chain's too rusty to get them to work. For Grant Petersen, it's just another day — he's been riding his bike to work for three decades.
The prosecution's star witness underwent a withering cross-examination on Thursday at Roger Clemens' perjury trial. Brian McNamee is the only person with firsthand evidence that contradicts the baseball-pitching ace, but is he a believable witness?
The key witness in the perjury trial of baseball star Roger Clemens is on the stand this week testifying that he injected Clemens with performance-enhancing drugs. Nina Totenberg talks to Melissa Block.
Bike to Work Day is this Friday, May 18. And that prompts a question: Do you bike to work? If so, is there a part of the trip that makes your day — or do you just like to ride your bike? Post a picture of what makes your ride special, and we'll consider it for our Bike to Work Day gallery.
Aly Raisman started gymnastics like millions of other kids — in a toddler tumbling class. Now 17, the Massachusetts athlete is considered one of the best tumblers in the world. And she's on track to make the 2012 U.S. Olympic gymnastics team.
In Los Angeles at the Staples Center, it may be a case of too much of a good thing. Two NBA teams and one NHL team all call the Staples Center home and now the Clippers, Lakers and Kings have all made it to the playoffs. That means this weekend, the three teams will play a total of six home games in about 80 hours. Robert Siegel speaks with Lee Zeidman, senior vice president and general manager of the Staples Center, about the challenges of converting from ice to wood, stocking concessions and making sure there is parking for all those fans.
Rich Cohen believes the only way to end nearly a century of losing for the Chicago Cubs is to destroy Wrigley Field. Fans blame the decades-old billy goat curse for the team's rotten record, and in the Wall Street Journal, Cohen says leveling the stadium is the only way to turn things around.
Manchester City's soccer team are now champions of England, having won the Premier League title on Sunday. It's a stunning and delightful development for die-hard fans. Manchester City, which is not to be confused with Manchester United, hasn't won a championship for 44 years. Melissa Block talks with Jim White, sports columnist with the Telegraph and native of Manchester.
