Contents

38 Joe Bites the AstroDust
The Jets got ambushed in Houston—and now they have to face Miami, the only undefeated team left

42 Waking Up from a Nightmare
Out of obscurity skated Paul Henderson with the goals that salvaged some dignity for Team Canada

44 Man with a Key to a Championship
Trainer Elliott Burch's record of three Horses of the Year is unrivaled, and now he has a fourth, Key to the Mint

Baseball's Extra Innings

46 Cincinnati and Pittsburgh square off for a pennant row
54 The Oakland A's win the AL West for Charlie O

62 Hockey Launches a New Season
An already chastened NHL takes the ice in a state of war with an emerging league, the free-spending WHA

84 The Swiss to the Swift
America's best cyclists raided California for records and, pedaling madly, made off with a slew of them

96 Soundings from Titanic
The gambler who for half a century cut a figure in fact and fable now tells the tales of his sporting life

The departments

35 Scorecard
76 People
78 College Football
84 Cycling
88 Boxing
93 Harness Racing
115 Baseball
116 For the Record
118 19th Hole

Credits on page 116

Cover photograph by Neil Leifer

PHOTO

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ILLUSTRATION

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ILLUSTRATION

96

Next week

The roundball bounces again and the stars of the game (well, most of the stars) are suited up as pro basketball—league-jumpers, holdouts and all—moves into a new season.

Trojan Warriors have made USC the top-ranked college football team, but beating two-time Rose Bowl champion Stanford may just turn out to be a horse of another color.

WHAT MAKES ILIE TICK—or is it more of a buzz? Curry Kirkpatrick explores Nastase's personality as the Rumanian prepares for the Davis Cup final round against the U.S.