The Lineup

DEPARTMENTS

8 Leading Off

16 Letters
Let's all sing "Oh, Manny Boy"

18 Catching Up With ...

21 Air and Space
I'm a bald sportswriter, and I play one on TV by Steve Rushin

23 Scorecard
Williams retires to Rickyland
NHL makes plans for stoppage
Dale Jr. returns to the track
Carl Lewis gets the third degree

36 Faces in the Crowd

156 The Life of Reilly
Lance was booed, spit on, slimed--and victorious by Rick Reilly

FEATURES

TOUR DE FRANCE

40 The Joy of Six
Lance Armstrong had more fun than ever winning his record sixth
Tour by Austin Murphy

BASEBALL

48 Anger Management
Randy Johnson is fed up with Arizona, but can it trade him to
a contender? by Tom Verducci

2004 Olympic Preview

58 SPRINT TO THE FINISH
A mad dash to Olympia mirrors Greece's frantic preparations
by S.L. Price

70 WHAT'S NEW
You'll see things at the Games that you've never seen before
by Kelley King

74 MEET TEAM USA
America's 531 Olympians include artists, doctors, soldiers,
physicists, high school students and even a 52-year-old
retiree by Julia Morrill

90 MICHAEL PHELPS
He'll swim for eight golds
by Tim Layden

96 OTHER STARS
Natalie Coughlin, Paul Hamm, Maurice Greene, the men's hoops
team and six alltime greats

118 AROUND THE WORLD
Stories from six nations

127 MEDAL PICKS
SI predicts all the winners
by Brian Cazeneuve

INSIDE...

149 Baseball
Ortiz keeps Red Sox in hunt

152 College Basketball
Another Rush aims at NBA

TWO COVERS THIS WEEK

The cover subjects are the same: Lance Armstrong, winning his
sixth Tour de France, and Michael Phelps, symbolizing U.S. hopes
in Athens. The difference between the covers is the emphasis. On
newsstand copies the focus is the news: Armstrong's record
victory. Issues mailed to subscribers stress the Olympic Preview,
a guide to perhaps the most important Games in history.

COVER

PHOTOGRAPH BY SIMON BRUTY (PHELPS); PETER DEJONG/AP (ARMSTRONG)

SI EXTRA

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Dr. Z, Don Banks and Peter King, go to si.com/football.

COLOR PHOTO: SIMON BRUTY SUPERSOAKER Swimmer Michael Phelps of the U.S. plans to make bigwaves in Athens (page 90).

TWO COLOR PHOTOS