14 Destroyers
The Bears and the Packers were minor irritants for the 49ers and the Cowboys
by Rick Telander, with Peter King

20 The Last Hurrah
The AFC winner, San Diego or Pittsburgh, best celebrate this week
by Michael Silver, with Paul Zimmerman

24 Wild, Wild West
Spurred by Cat and Stanford, the Pac-10 is enjoying a basketball resurgence
by Jack McCallum

28 Putting His House in Order
Bill McCartney quit as coach at Colorado for a greater quest: healing his family
by Richard Hoffer and Shelley Smith

34 Back in Style
More mature but still flashy, Alberto Tomba has become nothing short of unbeatable
by Michael Farber

38 The Crash
Battles with players and illness have ruined Golden State coach Don Nelson's dream season
by Leigh Montville

42 A Latin Beat
With the return of homegrown stars, winter baseball is hot in Puerto Rico again
by Leigh Montville

48 Special Delivery
Colgate's freshman center, Adonal Foyle, is a big package from a tiny island in the Caribbean
by Steve Wulf

Departments

4 Letters
6 Faces in the Crowd
10 Scorecard
61 Inside the NBA
64 Point After

Cover Photographs by John Biever (Steve Young); Richard Mackson

PHOTO

BOB GOMEL

Fish Gotta Swim, Birds Gotta Fly

Vaulter Michael Holloway tries to improve his form by using a watered-down training method.