CONTENTS

Across the Sea to Glory 14
Braving ups, downs and the dread cold sink, three balloonists rode Double Eagle II to a historic Atlantic crossing
by Clive Gammon

Close Encounter of the Worst Kind 20
When Affirmed cut off Alydar in the backstretch of the Travers, he became a loser even though he finished first
by William Leggett

Exhaustion and Elation 22

Diana Nyad gave it a game try in her swim from Cuba to Key West, but rough seas ended her effort after 42 hours
by Dan Levin

John Kinsella shattered the record for a swim across Lake Ontario, triumphing over a storm and some bad spaghetti sauce
by Ron Reid

Speed Is All the Rage 30
Where coaching leaves off, chemistry steps in with encapsulated fury for football players. Part 3 of a series
by John Underwood

Just Name Your Game 42
Wow 75, Oswald Jacoby will bet you on backgammon, chess, bridge, poker, or who can multiply 647,992 by 435,638 fastest
by Roger Dionne

Raised by Women to Conquer Men 90
Jimmy Connors, who once bestrode the world of tennis, no longer wins the big ones, but he refuses to change his game, to grow up
by Frank Deford

The Departments

Scorecard 11
Baseball 75
Pool 84
For the Record 104
19th Hole 106
Credits on page 104

Cover: AP Photo

Next Week

Pro Football unveils its new 16-week season, giving Dan Jenkins, who has been known to make a small wager, two more games in which to rail against German placekickers with big mortgages who blow field goals, as he acerbically notes in our annual special issue. In other features, Joe Marshall teams with Bud Goode and his magic Univac 1106 to assess each team's chances; Ron Reid explains why a tight end has to play loose; and Robert F. Jones profiles peerless Roger Staubach.