MEMO FROM THE PUBLISHER

Yankees vs Dodgers? Redlegs? Braves?

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED has planned all year on two issues which, because of the circumstances of fall sport, must follow one after the other like a horse and carriage.

One is this one, the Special Football Issue; the other, next week's World Series Preview.

However, a look at the team standings tells quickly enough the problems of the planning for this year's World Series Preview. For as this issue went to press only one thing seemed as sure as things can ever be in sport: the Yankees and Casey Stengel, who have got in a rut, would be playing the games for the American League.

There was a familiar and crowded look about the National League—but it meant simply that our editors, along with the fans, players, managers, groundkeepers, peanut vendors and bat boys, were having to keep a really firm grip on themselves and an anxious eye on the day-to-day struggle of Braves, Redlegs and Dodgers.

At this moment what we can say about next week's SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is that, whatever happens, we'll have, right in the middle of the rest of The Wonderful World of Sport, scouting reports on both teams in the Series. To make sure of that, the way it's going, our editors, like the Yankees themselves, are busy preparing their reports on two other teams that won't be there.

It will be fun holding on to our hats. And one safe Series bet now, I think, is that SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S Preview will be as good a companion at the games, wherever played, as we hope this Football Issue will be all the way through the football season.

And right row is certainly a pretty good time to get ready for that.

FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS

P.S. This Special Football Issue tells the story for college football, but hold on to your hats again: the 1956 professional football season comes in for its preview in our issue of October 8.