Sports

Jamie Moyer, shown above pitching for the Colorado Rockies in May 2012, made his major league debut back in 1986. He says that after decades in the major leagues, he'd occasionally have to remind himself that "in baseball terms, I really was old, but in e

At 49, Jamie Moyer's Pitching Career Goes Into Extra Innings

12:57pm October 02, 2013

In a new memoir called Just Tell Me I Can't Moyer explains how he became a better pitcher in his 40s than his 20s. Moyer's story isn't just the tale of a talented guy who hung on a little longer than others; with the help of a sports psychologist, he managed to gain control of the mental side of his game.

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The Straight Dope: The use of steroids and blood doping traces back at least into the 1970s.

Sports

Love Of Victory In The Time Of Steroids

12:18pm October 02, 2013

by Frank Deford

On Sept. 27, 1988, Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson was stripped of his 100-meter gold medal when tests showed a performance-enhancing drug in his system. As Alex Rodriguez appeals his illegal doping ban from Major League Baseball, Frank Deford reflects on a historical moment of drug use among athletes.

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Examining The Psychology Of Sports Fans

6:35am October 01, 2013

Some sports fans' lives depend on how well their teams are doing. In one theory, sports allow us to deeply identify with the athletes so it feels like we are playing the game.

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Hockey's Ovechkin Helps Move Olympic Torch From Olympia

6:35am October 01, 2013

Hockey superstar Alex Ovechkin was among the first torch bearers for the 2014 Olympics that will be held in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. David Greene talks to Ovechkin about the various challenges ahead for the Winter Games, as well as the upcoming hockey season.

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Sports

Yankees Say Goodbye To Rivera And His Cut Fastball

7:44am September 30, 2013

by Mike Pesca

This was the final season for New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera. His number is being retired by the only team he has ever played for during his 19-year Major League Baseball career. Rivera with his signature pitch, the cut fastball, was one of the most successful closers in baseball history.

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Sports

Rangers, Reds, Indians Battle For AL Wild Card Spot

11:16am September 28, 2013

On the last weekend of regular-season baseball, Howard Bryant of ESPN joins host Scott Simon to talk about the playoff possibilities, plus big changes afoot in how college athletes get paid for their likenesses.

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Will Qatar get a red card (a soccer official's way of signaling a player has been ejected) for labor practices at World Cup-related construction sites?

Sports

Will Qatar's World Cup Games Be Played Over Workers' Bodies?

5:17pm September 27, 2013

by Mark Memmott

As work begins on the infrastructure, stadiums, hotels and other things being built in Qatar for soccer's 2022 World Cup, a disturbing number of immigrant workers are dying. There are reports of food, water and pay being withheld. Officials vow to change things.

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Cuban Athletes Can Finally Go Pro (Outside Of Cuba)

5:17pm September 27, 2013

For the first time in over 50 years, Cuba is letting its athletes sign professional contracts in other countries. Sportswriter Stefan Fatsis talks to Robert Siegel about the historic announcement.

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Sports

Bream's Slide Decades Ago Dashed Pittsburgh's Playoff Hopes

6:25am September 27, 2013

David Greene speaks to Sid Bream, the former Atlanta Braves player whose dramatic slide into home plate ended the Pittsburgh Pirates last playoff run in 1992. A Pennsylvania native and former Pirate, Bream is now cheering for the Pirates as they return to the post season for the first time in 21 years.

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Sports

Fans Experience The Thin Line Between Winning And Losing

6:16am September 27, 2013

It's not just sports teams that win championships. It's also their fans who endure long seasons hanging on every pitch, touchdown or basket. David Greene finds out what it's like to be on the cusp of either a championship — or a disaster.

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