Table of Contents

12
BASEBRAWL
Nolan Ryan's pummeling last week of Robin Ventura epitomizes a baseball season marred by bench-clearing incidents
BY STEVE WULF

18
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
In its quest to become a worldwide enterprise, the NFL wowed the crowds with exhibition games in Berlin and London
BY STEVE RUSHIN

30
A ROSE IS A ROSE
Four years after getting banned from major league baseball, Pete Rose is still hustling—but now to get back into the game
BY RICK REILLY

54
TRIUMPH OF THE SWOOSH
With a genius for mythologizing athletes to help sell sneakers, Nike bestrides the world of sport like a marketing colossus
BY DONALD KATZ

DEPARTMENTS

4
LETTERS

6
FACES IN THE CROWD

9
SCORECARD

40
SPORTS PEOPLE

46
BASEBALL

50
ROLLER HOCKEY

74
POINT AFTER

COVER PHOTOGRAPH BY BURK UZZLE

PHOTO

DAMIAN STROHMEYER

Turn Out the Lights: Come Sept. 4, when the final out is made at Durham Athletic Park, the only place the storied stadium will live on is in the movie Bull Durham (page 74).