Jim Rome Show

In terms of audience influence, he's the Oprah of the sports world. Love him or hate him (there's no in-between), Rome is single-handedly raising the social consciousness of the average sports fan through his sports radio and TV shows. If you have a problem with Rome, you have a problem with yourself. See local sports radio and cable listings.

Events - When is the...

Super Bowl XLVI February 5, 2012 in Indianapolis. Patriots (Tom Brady) vs. Giants (Eli Manning). Televised on NBC.

Spring Training baseball, baby! March 2 - April 4 in AZ. See you there!

Frozen Four (college hockey) April 5 & 7 in not-so-frozen Tampa, FL.

26th Annual Tour of the Gila April - May. See photos from 2009. In 2008, Horner told me about the Gila, "It's always well done. You're at altitude, too. They're kind of limited on the roads but it's a really well put-on race and a great little city."

Giro d'Italia May 5-27, beginning in Denmark despite rumors of a start in Washington DC. No surprise here: Alberto Contador won his second Giro d'Italia title in 2011. It was a very, very sad day for cycling Day 3 of the 2011 Giro d'Italia as Belgian cyclist Wouter Weylandt died after crashing on a mountain descent. He apparently clipped a pedal, sending him over the handlebars and causing a head injury. Still plugging photos of the 2006 Giro.

Tour of California May 13-20, beginning in Santa Rosa. The 2011 ToC kicked off with a snow storm, causing the cancelation of Stage 1. Levi Leipheimer witnessed teammate Chris Horner step to the highest podium position, while Leipheimer settled for second.

Tour de Suisse June 9-17. Catch a healthy number of big names cycling through breathtaking scenery in preperation for the Tour de France. Typically broadcast on Versus.

Tour de France June 30-July 22. In 2011, the rivalry between Schleck and Contador fizzled as Cadel Evans became Threat No. 1, eventually winning overall. Andy and Frank Schleck took 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Olympic Games 2012 July 27 - August 12 in London. Paralympic Games August 29 - September 9.

USA Pro Cycling Challenge 2012, Colorado, August 20-26. Begins in Durango and visits Telluride, Crested Butte, Aspen, Breckenridge, Boulder, etc., finishing with a time trial in Denver. Traversing the Rockies and broadcast on Versus, the 2011 edition featured Tour de France champion Cadel Evans, runners-up Andy and Frank Schleck, and Americans Tom Danielson, George Hincapie and Levi Leipheimer, who won the race overall. Albuquerque-born Brent Bookwalter was there, too!

Vuelta a Espana Tour of Spain, mid-August - mid-September. Juan Jose Cobo took top honors in 2011.

2012 World Series (baseball) October. The Cardinals and Rangers took it to seven games in 2011, with the Cardinals emerging as victors while the Rangers suffered second-best in two consecutive World Series appearances.

World Cup 2014 (soccer) June - July. Viva Espana 2010! They did what Brazil couldn't. The past few years have been good ones for Spain, with Nadal typically on top of the tennis world and Contador leading the pack in cycling's Grand Tours. And now the World Cup!

Movies

Bull Durham - minor league baseball, way funny

The Triplets of Belleville - animated cycling, unique

Mystery, Alaska - pond hockey vs. the NHL, humor

Moneyball - more than a baseball movie (though it does that well), it's about reassessing life decisions, challenging priorities, and acting on intuition.

Breaking Away - oldtime cycling drama

American Flyers - oldtime cycling drama

Fight Club - "No fear. No distractions. The ability to let that which does not matter truly slide." Certainly not for everyone, the first 3/4ths of the movie is a highly entertaining, thought-provoking, cultural commentary with some brutal street fighting mixed in.

SportsSlant Book Club

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, 2009

OPEN An Autobiography by Andre Agassi, 2009

We Might As Well Win by Johan Bruyneel, 2008

The Agony of Victory: When Winning Isn't Enough by Steve Friedman, 2007

Gimp: When Life Deals You a Crappy Hand, You Can Fold - or You Can Play by Mark Zupan, 2006

Lance Armstrong's War by Daniel Coyle, 2005

Downhill: The Life Story of a Gravity Goddess by Marla Streb, 2003

Bobke II by Bob Roll, 2003

Not by Accident {Reconstructing a Careless Life} by Samantha Dunn, 2002

The Punch by John Feinstein, 2002

Zamboni Rodeo: Chasing Hockey Dreams From Austin to Albuquerque by Jason Cohen, 2001

It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life by Lance Armstrong with Sally Jenkins, 2001

Tropic of Hockey: My Search For the Game in Unlikely Places by Dave Bidini, 2000

Open Net by George Plimpton, 1985