February 18, 2002 Table Of Contents

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Si Adventure

SI Adventure siadventure.com

Back on Board He doesn't need the celebrity, he doesn't need the cash. So why is Kelly Slater, the world's most famous surfer, back on the pro tour after three years away? To see if he's still the king, of course

By Austin Murphy

Powder Puff Highly popular in Finland, will the fledgling sport of Skimbatting take wing in the U.S.?

By Franz Lidz

Inside Out NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE SPORTS

By Yi-Wyn Yen

Livin' It What's a veterinarian from Spartanburg, South Carolina, doing in the Iditarod? Just racin'

By Kostya Kennedy; Sonny King

Snow Jobbed

By Austin Murphy

Golf Plus

Golf Plus golfonline.com

Bros With Mo Whether on the Senior tour (Bobby) or on the TV tower (Lanny), the Wadkins brothers are coming on strong

By John Garrity

Should the U.S. Open Be Here...Or Here? Torrey Pines and Riviera, separated by 70 miles and seven days on the Tour schedule, find themselves vying for the same prize

By Gary Van Sickle

The Week

By Sal Johnson Edited By Alan Shipnuck

Big Play Jose Maria Olazabal won the Buick Invitational because he did what J.L. Lewis couldn't: stiff a wedge on the final hole

By Mike Perpich

Catching Up With...

Larry Newman, Balloonist AUGUST 28, 1978

By Tim Alan Smith

Si View

An Intoxicating Cauldron Another opening, another great show: Why the Winter Games are sport's headiest brew

By Steve Rushin

SI View The Week in Television

By Pete McEntegart

On Your (Book) Marks Matt Bonner, junior forward and 3.97 student, Florida

Going Once, Going Twice The online auction items of the week

TV Talk

By Scott Hamilton; Richard Deitsch

Olympics 2002

Fellowship of the Rings Despite tight security and stark reminders of Sept. 11, the Games of Salt Lake City took flight with a burst of high-flying competition and international goodwill

By Richard Hoffer

Aerodynamic By taking four of the six medals in halfpipe--including both golds and a historic sweep on the men's side--the U.S. proved its air superiority

By Austin Murphy

Grizzly Bear A quiet member of the deep Austrian team, Fritz Strobl, roared down the ferocious downhill track to gold

By Tim Layden

Pro Basketball

Poll Sitters As the NBA hit midseason and turned for home, we asked executives and coaches from all 29 teams to answer our burning questions

By L. Jon Wertheim; Ian Thomsen, Chris Ballard, Jack McCallum

Baseball

Anchors Aweigh After an off-season of cruisin', peerless--but oft-injured--Rangers catcher Ivan Rodriguez is eager to prove that he's shipshape

By Jeff Pearlman; David Sabino

High School Basketball

Ahead of His Class

Ohio high school junior LeBron James is so good that he's already being mentioned as the heir to Air Jordan

By Grant Wahl

Inside

Inside The Week In Sports

Inside College Basketball

Inside College Basketball

By Seth Davis

Worthy of Attention VMI's Jason Conley, a freshman, is leading the nation in scoring

By Jeffri Chadiha

Inside The NHL

Inside The NHL

By Daniel G. Habib, Mark Beech

In The Crease

By Pierre McGuire

Inside College Football

Inside College Football

By Ivan Maisel

College Basketball

Reversal of Fortunes Missouri guard Kareem Rush is in the spotlight that once shone on his older brother, JaRon, whose poor decisions may have cost him an NBA career

By Grant Wahl

Be Careful What You Wish For

By Rick Reilly

Departments

Reinventing Himself With a new coach and a better body, Pete Sampras took a rare Davis Cup turn

By L. Jon Wertheim

Gear Check out these cool items to help you see and be seen in the great outdoors

By Mark Beech

For Better and Verse Miguel Batista is a budding star on the mound and a budding writer off it

By Stephen Cannella

The Bad Old Guy from the Good Old Days

By Charles Hirshberg

Leading Off

Letters

Scorecard

By Don Yaeger; Daniel G. Habib: Brett Martin Edited by Albert Kim and Kostya Kennedy

Faces in the Crowd

Edited by Albert Kim and Kostya Kennedy

Title Towns

Edited by Albert Kim and Kostya Kennedy