CONTENTS

28 The NCAAs
Louisville's Cardinals defeated Duke in the championship showdown to become the rulers of all college basketball
by Alexander Wolff

36 Nipped At The Wire In The TPC
John Mahaffey made up four strokes in the last eight holes at Ponte Vedra to take a big one from faltering Larry Mize
by Rick Reilly

44 The Bird Fell To Earth
A decade ago, Mark Fidrych lived a fairy-tale year as the pitcher-king of baseball. It was a painfully short reign
by Gary Smith

71 A Crashing Success
This master of theatrical falls, Detroit's Bill Laimbeer is one of the NBA's most disliked players—and its top rebounder
by Jack McCallum

98 The Masters

A photographic essay offers a fresh perspective on the "glorious piece of real estate" that is Augusta National
Photographs by Brian Lanker

Even in an off year for the azaleas, the Masters is a beautiful though enigmatic event, as the author discovered 113
by Frank Deford

DEPARTMENTS

23 Scorecard
80 Horse Racing
87 Bowling
92 College Hockey
94 Women's Basketball
123 For The Record
124 19th Hole

PHOTO

JOHN OWENS

LEADING OFF: Proving provident in Providence, Michigan State goalie Bob Essensa made this save on Harvard's Tim Smith and enough others like it to enable the Spartans to defeat the Crimson 6-5 for the NCAA hockey championship.

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