December 8, 1997 Table Of Contents

Buy the Cover

Browse the Magazine

Golf Plus

BOOM TIME THANKS TO TIGER WOODS AND FRIENDS, 1997 WILL BE REMEMBERED AS THE YEAR GOLF WENT MAINSTREAM

By Gary Van Sickle

MAJOR LITE TOM LEHMAN GOT A BIG KICK OUT OF STEALING THE SHOW AT THE SUDDENLY RESURGENT SKINS GAME

By Alan Shipnuck

PICTURE PERFECT PLAYING ON THE LUCRATIVE JAPAN TOUR LOOKS LIKE THE BEST GIG IN GOLF, BUT APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEIVING

By John Garrity

NEWS AND NOTES

BOTTOM LINES

COMPILED BY Gary B. Smith

STILL SWINGING

By Johnny Bench

HARD CASES IN THE TOUGH NEW WORLD OF GOLF, A MEAN STREAK IS AN ADVANTAGE

By Jaime Diaz

Faces In The Crowd

FACES IN THE CROWD

Catching Up With...

OLYMPIC SKIER SKEETER WERNER NOVEMBER 21, 1955

By Ron Fimrite

Television

SI VIEW THE WEEK IN TV SPORTS

By John Walters

Special Report

Whatever Happened To The White Athlete?

Unsure Of His Place In A Sports World Dominated By Blacks Who Are Hungrier, Harder-Working And Perhaps Physiologically Superior, The Young White Male Is Dropping Out Of The Athletic Mainstream To Pursue Success Elsewhere

By S.L. Price SPECIAL REPORTING BY Grace Cornelius

IS IT IN THE GENES? STUDIES HAVE FOUND PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES THAT MIGHT HELP EXPLAIN WHY BLACKS OUTPERFORM WHITES IN CERTAIN SPORTS--BUT SCIENTISTS ARE WARY OF JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS

By S.L. Price

Pro Football

CATCHING FIRE WITH A BLISTERING DEFEAT OF THE 49ERS, THE CHIEFS MOVED FROM AN UNDERDOG TO A FAVORITE IN THE AFC PLAYOFF PICTURE

By Michael Silver

LION KING BARRY SANDERS IS RUNNING CIRCLES AROUND NFL DEFENSES WITH AN ELECTRIFYING STYLE UNLIKE ANYTHING THE LEAGUE HAS SEEN

By Paul Zimmerman

DUMB AND DUMBER TWO SILLY ACTS BY THE SKINS' MICHAEL WESTBROOK HAVE SOILED HIS IMAGE AND SLOWED HIS ASCENT INTO THE RANKS OF THE TOP WIDEOUTS

By Michael Bamberger

Hockey

TOUGH SAVE AFTER 18 YEARS AWAY FROM THE NHL, KEN DRYDEN, HALL OF FAME GOALIE, LAWYER AND LOQUACIOUS RENAISSANCE GUY, IS CONJURING UP BRIGHT IDEAS THAT HE HOPES WILL REJUVENATE THE HAPLESS MAPLE LEAFS

By E.M. Swift

College Basketball

BASKET CASE OUR TRAVEL-WEARY CORRESPONDENT FLEW TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH--WELL, O.K., TO HAWAII AND ALASKA--TO FIND OUT THAT THE BEST TEAMS IN THE EARLY GOING WERE LOCAL RIVALS

By Austin Murphy

DID SOMEONE SAY MEEK? TENNESSEE RELIES ON THREE PLAYERS CALLED MEEK, BUT THE NO. 1 LADY VOLS AREN'T THE LEAST BIT RETIRING

By Kelli Anderson

Pro Basketball

MIAMI LIKES IKE CENTER ISAAC AUSTIN, TRIMMED DOWN FROM 340 POUNDS, CAME TO THE HEAT VIA TURKEY TO FILL IN BRILLIANTLY FOR INJURED ALONZO MOURNING

By S.L. Price

FABULOUS FILL-INS

By Marty Burns

College Football

A CUT ABOVE PAT TILLMAN, ARIZONA STATE'S HEIGHT-LOVING, TREE-SWINGING, BOOK-CRACKING LINEBACKER, IS THE BEST PLAYER YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF

By Tim Layden

DESCENT INTO THE MAELSTROM LAST SPRING, WHEN UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII KICKER SHANNON SMITH TOOK SOME FRIENDS TO SLIDE DOWN HIS FAVORITE WATERFALL, AN IDYLLIC DAY ENDED IN A TRAGEDY THAT STILL HAUNTS MANY OF THOSE WHO KNEW HIM

By John Ed Bradley

A STICKY WICKET HOW TO BRING THE SUPERANNUATED GAME OF CROQUET INTO THE GO-GO WORLD OF MODERN SPORTS

By Bruce McCall

Tennis

SWEDE SPOT DAVIS CUP HERO JONAS BJORKMAN HAS SHOT TO NO. 4 IN THE WORLD ON THE STRENGTH OF HIS ROCKET RETURNS, FORTIFIED FOREHAND AND FABULOUS FUNNY BONE

By S.L. Price

Inside College Football

SEASON'S GRIDDINGS IN THE SPIRIT OF THE HOLIDAYS, HERE'S A CORNUCOPIA OF BESTS AND WORSTS, LASTS AND FIRSTS, FROM THE 1997 SEASON

By Ivan Maisel

PULLING RANK

By David Sabino

CHRIS MCCOY NAVY'S SMALL-TOWN SENSATION

By Johnette Howard

Inside The NFL

THE BUCS MAKE A STATEMENT--THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL OF THE NFC EAST--JAGUARS' JOHNSON, A COVETED QUARTERBACK

By Peter King; David Fleming

DR. Z'S FORECAST

By Paul Zimmerman

Departments

LETTERS

CANADIAN OLYMPIC HOCKEY...LIU GETS ITS RUNUPPANCE...OTHER LI'L GUYS...DE LA HOYA'S TRAIL OF TRAINERS...PRESEASON BASKETBALL FOES RAISE QUESTIONS...CHARTING PIPPEN

EDITED BY Jack McCallum AND Richard O'Brien