October 25, 2004 Table Of Contents
SCORECARD
Seattle won its first WNBA title and is poised to win more
It's not the oldest rivalry, but Boston College--Notre Dame creates enough passion to make it one of the best
By Chris Mannix
LETTERS
AIR AND SPACE
By Steve Rushin
SI Players
Steelers Quarterback
Based on a survey of 354 players
Broncos tackle Luther Elliss and his wife are raising a regular expansion franchise
How Seahawks DE Chike Okeafor prepares to face big linemen
The Questions with Brock Marion
Lions Safety
Where Jack London worked on The Call of the Wild, Al Davis found a home
Baseball Playoffs
The Yankees and the Red Sox took their cuts at conventional October wisdom by slugging it out in a classic and contentious American League Championship Series
By Tom Verducci
Showcasing their power, the Astros' Carlos Beltran and the Cardinals' Albert Pujols carried their teams by bashing home run after home run in a tight NLCS
As the stakes get higher and runs grow increasingly important late in postseason games, teams are calling on their closers to pitch more than one inning
PRO FOOTBALL
A unique bond between coach Herman Edwards and quarterback Chad Pennington has helped propel the Jets to the best start in franchise history
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Braylon Edwards is the best wideout in the nation and the unquestioned leader of resurgent Michigan. But it took four years for his head to catch up to his talent
College Football
The new, improved Bowl Championship Series formula was supposed to solve the problems of last season. So why is Oklahoma--No. 2 in both polls--on the outside looking in this week?
By Kelley King
NBA Preview 2004-05
The arrival of Shaquille O'Neal in Miami shakes up two franchises, shifts the balance of power and puts a title within the Heat's grasp
Relentless in his racing around the court and tireless in his ambition to improve his game, Richard Hamilton is an old-style scoring force
By Ian Thomsen
A basketball vagabond who considered a career change a year ago, Brian Cardinal now finds himself a wanted man
Can you turn a flashy, slashing, scoring guard into a selfless, Stocktonesque team leader? Well, yes, says Carlos Arroyo
RETURN OF THE STRAIGHT SHOOTERS
Stars from the glory days are riding herd in front offices. Can they get the young'uns to play the game right and revive the league?
NBA Preview 2004-05: Scouting Reports
HOW WE RANK THEM
Wretched excess: The reigning champs reel in yet another versatile big man
By Ian Thomsen
The pressure is on a quiet 7-footer to make some long-awaited noise
(Cue the violins!) Could this be the beginning of a beautiful friendship?
For the new coach, it's great to be home (and have a lineup full of scorers)
By Bill Syken
The incoming power forward is out to refute his disagreeable reputation
Another scorer in the backcourt might be too much of a good thing
By Bill Syken
What does the club that had the worst record do next? Unload four starters
By L. John Wertheim
With two stars gone and one on the mend, this team is in for a long season
By Chris Mannix
A rebuilding team's fortunes will depend heavily on one rebuilt knee
By Ian Thomsen
By Bill Syken
On a team lacking veteran muscle and post-up scoring, enter the thin man
By Marty Burns
A 290-pound rookie will help lighten a rising star's load in the frontcourt
By Chris Mannix
The road back to the playoffs is long. Can MJ's new protégé pave the way?
By Marty Burns
By Marty Burns
There's hope for winning hearts and minds--but little for winning games
Is a sharpshooting journeyman the final piece they need to win it all?
By Ian Thomsen
A lack of depth at point guard won't be the rap on this title contender
Same old story: How will they overcome injuries and off-season losses?
Starting afresh, the NBA's top scorer has a few points he wants to make
By Ian Thomsen
A former Clipper gets a chance to see how the other half lives in L.A.
A skilled big man joins the lineup, but a little man's exit creates a huge void
By Ian Thomsen
The new tough guy on the block will push this club back into the playoffs
By Chris Mannix
A prize Turkish import will seem exotic because he's a center who can score
The embodiment of the team? An unsung forward who keeps getting better
They could be on the rise, thanks to young legs and a wise old head
Not even a shot-swatting solid citizen at center can hold this gang together
What do you learn from a year on the sideline? That your team needs help
The Big Cat has made big strides, but he'll have his paws full this season
There's a fine new leader at point guard, but does he recall how to pass?
The second-year pivot shows promise--so he may not be long for L.A.
Inside
Inside College Football
Since taking over as Florida State's quarterback, unheralded sophomore Wyatt Sexton has been unflappable
By Kelley King
TEXAS TURNAROUND
By Kelley King
By Phil Taylor
Inside The NFL
Redskins coach Joe Gibbs came back to a different NFL, a league in which the defenses are dictating the play
By Peter King
TEXANS' RECEIVERS
By Josh Elliott
CHICAGO'S QB WOES
By Peter King
DISPATCHES
By Peter King
LIFE OF REILLY
By Rick Reilly
Departments
Yao Ming's life story (so far) shows him to be a nice guy who can only smile at the strange world he's entered
After more than five decades as a coach, general manager and president of the Boston Celtics, Red Auerbach has a storehouse of entertaining tales to share
Led by the goalkeeping exploits of Dan Kennedy, UC Santa Barbara has become a national power
By Josh Elliott
Democrats and Republicans have been playing a hardball version of Who's the Bigger Sports Fan. But there's an excess of spin on their political pitches
Larger-than-life Arena Football League commissioner David Baker won't let anything keep him from his son's college football games
The best years of his career lost to a 24-year ban, a fixer returns
By Bill Finley
Ray Boone was the patriarch of baseball's most stellar family
By Bill Scheft
The 40-year-old former patent lawyer is the World Series of Poker champion and a spokesman for PokerStars.com.
What to watch and watch for
By Julia Morrill
Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback
By Peter King