CONTENTS

14 It Was Boom! Boom! Boom!
Lightweight champ Ray Mancini made short work of Bobby Chacon, bloodying him in the first, beating him in the third
by Pat Putnam

18 Bigger But Not Necessarily Better
Ralph Sampson sure is tall and he's unquestionably talented, but don't expect him to revolutionize pro basketball
by Anthony Cotton

22 There's Gold in Them Thar Hills
Trouble is, the members of the U.S. Olympic ski teams are having big problems finding it on the World Cup circuit
by William Oscar Johnson

28 He Was Good to the Very Last Drop
A dazzling drop shot helped John McEnroe win the Masters championship and nail down the No. 1 ranking for 1983
by Curry Kirkpatrick

32 Man with a Streak of Sheer Genius
Wayne Gretzky broke his own record by scoring at least a point in each of the first 46 games he played this season
by Jack Falla

38 Super Bowl Preview

Our expert picks the L.A. Raiders to win Super Bowl XVIII, particularly if the game comes down to the fourth quarter
by Paul Zimmerman

After many a year Joe Theismann still has a Heisman bone to pick with Jim Plunkett; he gets his chance in Tampa
by Rick Telander

56 Foot Soldiers of Fortune
To warring sneaker-company execs, the best way to the heart of America is through the soles of basketball players
by Jack McCallum with Armen Keteyian

DEPARTMENTS

9 Scorecard
50 TV/Radio
53 College Basketball
71 For the Record
73 19th Hole

Credits on page 71

Cover photograph by Paul Bereswill

PHOTO

LEADING OFF: Even the best have the worst of times. Jim Plunkett, who'll lead the Raiders into Super Bowl XVIII, loses his grip against Seattle; Wayne Gretzky has a great fall in Buffalo; while Magic Johnson clearly has basketball on his mind.

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PHOTO

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PHOTO

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