I'm filling in for the vacationing Steve Kelly on Sportstalk for three days this week, and for two of those three days we'll have an Illinois soccer guest on the program.  Tomorrow afternoon I'm taping an interview with Ella Masar that will air tomorrow evening.  Ella can't do the interview live because she's involved with a US Olympic event in Chicago tomorrow evening.  She's currently out with a hip injury, but should be back in the Chicago Red Stars lineup in the next few weeks.

Then on Friday, Illinois Soccer coach Janet Rayfield will join me in the studio for the last half of the program.  Her players are scattered across the country playing for different club teams this summer, but Rayfield is hard at work recruiting and coaching at camps.  We'll talk about this fall's Illinois squad and some of the recruiting issues that she and other NCAA coaches are trying to resolve this offseason. 

As for this week's "non-Illini" guests, I'll be speaking with author Larry Tye, who has written a fascinating biography of the pitcher Satchel Paige.  That interview will air tomorrow evening at 5:30.  On Thursday, US Representative Tim Johnson and Champaign Country Clerk Mark Shelden will join me for their annual analysis of the NBA draft, which is coming up later that evening.  We'll see how close these two diehard NBA fans can come to the actual draft order in their projections.  Finally on Friday, Craig Calcaterra, author of the "Shysterball" blog at "The Hardball Times" website, will join me at 5:15, just before Rayfield's appearance.

Hope you can tune in to Sportstalk this week, and as always, thanks for reading.

bmoline@wdws.com