CONTENTS

32 The Way It Was and Will Be
Ladies' Day at the ball park will soon be a whole new ball game. They'll be on the field instead of in the stands, says Bill Johnson in a look at the shape of many things to come. As for the past, Ron Fimrite puts his 20 years on the beat into nostalgic perspective.

20 Buffalo, but No Shuffle
Surprising New York was off and winning until it ran into the speedy Braves
by Pat Putnam

24 For Openers, Super Bowl VIII½
The real showdown in the NFL could come Saturday when Oakland meets Miami
by Dan Jenkins

26 Bruisers and Bunny Hoppers
In Philly, the champion Flyers are both—and they are sniffing the lettuce again
by Mark Mulvoy

28 Bowl-Bound, Bowled Over
A lot of teams chosen early for postseason games fell on their face masks
by John Underwood

84 Sportsman of the Year
Down but determined, Muhammad Ali turned 1974 into the best of years
by George Plimpton

The departments

15 Scorecard
102 College Basketball
105 For the Record
106 19th Hole

Credits on page 105

Cover photograph by Neil Leifer

ILLUSTRATION

Arnold Roth

Next issue

The holidays will be happy days for two NFL teams, but there will be some unholy mayhem before the survivors emerge on the Sunday after Christmas. Dan Jenkins and Ron Reid cover the Super Bowl campaign trail.

A Nifty present for college basketball fans is the big tournament in Louisville, where the high-flying hometown Cardinals take on a field that includes the Purdue Boilermakers. Barry McDermott tells you all about it.