Sports

Journalist Bill Buford. He traveled for eight years with "soccer thugs" -- England's hardcore soccer fans known for their violent outbreaks surrounding England's soccer games. Buford witnessed "lads" urinating on fellow spectators, commuter trains being demolished, a pub being robbed, and saw stabbings. He wanted to understand the violence that has caused many deaths (including the death of 66 fans asphyxiated in a crush of people trying to get out of a stadium in Glasgow in 1971).

Architect Joe Spear. He was the principal designer of the Baltimore Orioles new ballpark. He's also worked on many other football and baseball stadiums.

Writer and Director Ron Shelton. His latest movie is a movie about basketball, "White Men Can't Jump," starring Woody Harrelson, Wesley Snipes, and Rosie Perez. SHELTON is a former professional baseball player. He also was writer and director of the films, "Blaze," and "Bull Durham." (Interview by Amy Salit)

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews "White Men Can't Jump."

Baseball great Tom Seaver. He was recently voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the largest vote in baseball history. His new book is "Great Moments in Baseball."

Nancy Lieberman-Cline dominated women's college basketball and was the youngest woman ever to play on the women's Olympic basketball team. She was also a star of the short-lived women's pro basketball league. She also spent several years as companion and trainer to tennis star Martina Navritilova. She has a new autobiography called "Lady Magic." (Published by Sagamore). (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

In the final few hours before the Super Bowl, linguist Geoffrey Nunberg compares the literary language of football and baseball.

We talk with Washington Post sports writer Mike Freeman about yesterday's revelation that basketball great Magic Johnson has tested positive for the AIDS virus.

Basketball great Wilt Chamberlain. Chamberlain has a new memoir of his career on the court, and his sometimes controversial life off the court. It's called "A View From Above."

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.