October 28, 2002 Table Of Contents

Author:
SI Staff

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Scorecard Extra

A Shining Son Inspired by his late father, Joe Buck has become Fox's No. 1 voice for both baseball and football

By Richard Deitsch Edited by Kostya Kennedy and Richard Deitsch

The Robinson Effect Two new tomes reexamine the legend of Jackie Robinson and what his breaking the color barrier meant to baseball and America

By Stu Hackel

Red-faced Sox A sportswriter describes the Boston Red Sox' long and shameful history of racial prejudice

By Charles Hirshberg

Golf Plus

Golf in the Magic Kingdom The late-season Disney Classic has become a must-play event for Tour members with children

By Alan Shipnuck Special reporting by Scott Gummer and Chris Lewis

By Gary Van Sickle Edited by Alan Shipnuk

Big Play Rock-solid fundamentals in crunch time helped Bob Burns hold off a charging Tiger Woods and earn his first victory at the Disney Classic

By Robert Baker Edited by Alan Shipnuk

Bottom Lines

By Sal Johnson Edited by Alan Shipnuk

The Notorious P.G.A.

By Kevin Cook

Catching Up With...

Matt Biondi, Swimmer SEPTEMBER 14, 1988

By Bill Syken

Who's Sorry Now?

By Steve Rushin

Baseball

World Premiere In their long-awaited debuts on the sport's biggest stage, both Barry Bonds and the Angels lived up to their billings--and made the Fall Classic a showstopper

By Tom Verducci

Mighty Kingfish Tim Salmon is letting loose--so watch out

By Stephen Cannella

College Football

What's Up With Joe Pa? Penn State coach Joe Paterno is letting loose on refs and letting it rip on offense. Is that any way for a 75-year-old legend to act?

By Michael Bamberger

Horse Racing

Horse Power With War Emblem and a flock of fleet 2-year-olds entered in the Breeders' Cup, trainer Bob Baffert, like him or not, is the king of his world

By Tim Layden

Pro Football

All Business The Eagles' dominant defense is led by cornerback Troy Vincent, who works as hard at making money as he does at making plays

By Josh Elliott

Missing Persons Tampa Bay's offense continues to struggle because Jon Gruden doesn't have the personnel to make his system work

By Jeffri Chadiha

NBA Preview 2002-03

The New Mr. Big The search for an answer to Shaq continues. Can the latest entry, mammoth Rockets rookie Yao Ming, measure up?

By Ian Thomsen

The Start Of Something Big Staking the future on two raw 7-footers--TYSON CHANDLER and EDDY CURRY--the Bulls hope the growing pains are brief and the payoff is huge

By Chris Ballard

Frankenshaq

By L. Jon Wertheim

The Big Show He's a solid center and a team leader, but it's in his role as the Kings' body-flopping, lip-flapping court thespian that Vlade Divac really stars

By Jack McCallum

Scouting Reports HOW WE RANK THEM

1 New Jersey Nets After being swept in the Finals last season, the team brings in a familiar face to help out on defense--while sticking with its trademark motion offense

By Ian Thomsen

2 New Orleans Hornets The new fans are revved-up, the top scorer is healthy, and the supporting cast is battle-tested. Any reason this transplanted team shouldn't be a contender?

By Chris Ballard

3 Indiana Pacers A young team will lean on a 22-year-old swingman with something to prove--and could go deep into the playoffs or cost the coach his job

By L. Jon Wertheim

4 Detroit Pistons One high-scoring guard was sent packing and another, younger one arrived, but the heart of the team--stultifying defense--hasn't changed

By L. Jon Wertheim

5 Washington Wizards There's a new, tough-minded running mate in the nation's capital, and he's eager to soften up foes so that His Airness can swoop in for the kill

By Chris Ballard

6 Milwaukee Bucks With Glenn Robinson gone, Tim Thomas has a chance to prove that he's worth his big contract--and that he can fetch more wins than Big Dog

By Marty Burns

7 Boston Celtics A questionable trade for an underachieving big man puts more pressure on a franchise that would love to reach the Eastern finals a second straight year

By Ian Thomsen

8 Philadelphia 76ers In trading for sharpshooter Keith Van Horn, the team gets a much-needed second scorer--at the expense of some of its vaunted grit

By Pete McEntegart

9 Atlanta Hawks With a new forward and a healthy center, the front line is packed with promise--but not enough to make good on the guarantee of a playoff berth

By Chris Ballard

10 Orlando Magic Thinner in the wallet but still hefty in the waistline, Shawn Kemp seems ill-equipped to carry this center-starved franchise

By Chris Ballard

11 Toronto Raptors When Vince Carter went down last season, Toronto's fortunes went up. Now he's healthy--and he'll take the fall if this team fails

By L. Jon Wertheim

12 Miami Heat How the mighty have fallen: Pat Riley is forced to turn to a rookie--Caron Butler of UConn--to lead his team

By Chris Ballard

13 Chicago Bulls Youth will be served in the Windy City, where a rookie takes charge of a club on which half the players are under 24

By Marty Burns

14 New York Knicks With the addition of Antonio McDyess, the season looked shaky at best; with his loss, it looms as a disaster

By Chris Ballard

15 Cleveland Cavaliers An off-season makeover brought in a potential breakout player, but playoff contention remains Miles away

By L. Jon Wertheim

1 Sacramento Kings They've done fine without Chris Webber, and they can make do without Mike Bibby--at least until they get another shot at the world champs

By Jack McCallum

2 Los Angeles Lakers Even after Shaquille O'Neal returns from an injury, the champs will rely on the leadership of the increasingly Michael-like Kobe Bryant

By Jack McCallum

3 San Antonio Spurs There's not a lot more that a franchise can ask of reigning MVP Tim Duncan--although his coach still sees room for improvement in one crucial area

By Ian Thomsen

4 Dallas Mavericks For all the fun in run-and-gun, the Mavs learned that there's no substitute for strong defense. Can these guys get serious about clamping down?

By Ian Thomsen

5 Portland Trail Blazers One of the game's deepest benches got deeper, but with no leading man to complement a talented supporting cast, the result could be deep trouble

By Mark Bechtel

6 Houston Rockets For a leaner, hungrier Houston team, the future is Yao, with a new offensive system designed to take advantage of the center's lofty view of the court

By Ian Thomsen

7 Minnesota Timberwolves While the seasoned point guard sits injured on the sideline, it will be up to his live-wire young replacement to try to keep things moving on offense

By Mark Bechtel

8 Utah Jazz As the tandem of Karl Malone and John Stockton makes (perhaps) its last stand, the Jazz considers variations on an old theme at shooting guard

By Mark Bechtel

9 Seattle Supersonics High-flying, hardworking Desmond Mason gets a shot at forming a dynamic backcourt with Gary Payton and perhaps becoming the team's next star

By Mark Bechtel

10 Los Angeles Clippers The ever-revolving door brought in Andre Miller, another young star left to wonder: How long can this team keep it together?

By Jack McCallum

11 Memphis Grizzlies The franchise player here is new boss Jerry West, who is trying to re-create the magic (and Kareem) he possessed with the Lakers

By Chris Ballard

12 Phoenix Suns Just as fate brought them together last season, Johnson and Johnson are linked in the team's drive to regain its playoff form

By Mark Bechtel

13 Golden State Warriors An enthusiastic rookie coach is loaded with fresh ideas. It's just that he lacks the on-court talent to execute them

By Jack McCallum

14 Denver Nuggets A massage room, yoga lessons, a new coach and a lot of tall, young talent won't be enough to avoid another miserable year

By Ian Thomsen

Inside

Inside The Week in Sports

Inside The NHL

Inside The NHL

By Daniel G. Habib

In the Crease

By Pierre McGuire

Inside The NFL

Inside The NFL

By Peter King

King's Corner

By Peter King; Flozell Adams

Dr. Z's Forecast

By Paul Zimmerman

By Rick Reilly

Departments

Leading Off

By Bill Syken

By S.L. Price; Grant Wahl; Kelvin C. Bias Edited by Kostya Kennedy and Richard Deitsch

By Bill Scheft Edited by Kostya Kennedy and Richard Deitsch

By Richard Deitsch; Marv Levy Edited by Kostya Kennedy and Richard Deitsch

Sports Beat

Edited by Kostya Kennedy and Richard Deitsch

Faces in the Crowd

Edited by Kostya Kennedy and Richard Deitsch