Contents

22 A Patriotic Shout
New England is excited about its Patriots—with good reason. They've won four straight NFL games.

26 In the Heat of the Fight
Los Angeles seared Pittsburgh, and Oakland warmed to Baltimore's challenge as the playoffs began

30 New Kid on the Block
In their first confrontation, rookie Bill Walton learned a thing or two about the league from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

34 The Course That Jack Built
The same determination that made him a champion underlies Jack Nicklaus' emergence in a related field

50 Into an Armada of Madness
The Coast Guard's motto is Always Prepared. Fortunately for countless boating idiots, the Guard lives up to it

88 The Easy Rider Rolls One In
Playing steadiness against speed, Emerson Fittipaldi lost the race but won the world driving crown

106 The Men and the Myth
Bodybuilding has long been the victim of calumny, but the sport is getting some strong support

The departments

19 Scorecard
61 People
76 College Football
82 Boxing
86 Bridge
88 Motor Sports
94 Baseball
98 Fishing
123 For the Record
124 19th Hole

Credits on page 123

Cover photograph by Heinz Kluetmeier

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ILLUSTRATION

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Next week

Frank Robinson tells his own story of what it means to be named the first black manager in the majors and describes the challenges he faces and how he plans to meet them.

Hockey begins its season with new teams, new playoff schemes and a drastic realignment of the two leagues. Mark Mulvoy provides a primer to bewildering complexities, ranks the NHL clubs and assesses their strong and weak points. Jerry Kirshenbaum previews the WHA. And Coles Phinizy writes of "an eagle that lines the athletes' nests." That's player czar Alan Eagleson.