November 8, 2004 Table Of Contents
LETTERS
CATCHING UP WITH
Rolando Blackman, All-Star Guard
MARCH 23, 1981
AIR AND SPACE
By Steve Rushin
SCORECARD
SI Players
Chiefs Running Back
Defensive players practically wax poetic when describing the joys of making a clean, hard tackle
The Questions with Freddie Mitchell
Eagles Receiver
(Based on a survey of 354 players)
Steel yourself for a tour of the town that gave us Andy Warhol and Art Rooney
By Adam Duerson
SI PLAYERS
The Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald tells how he trained to make football's jump of the year
Baseball/Boston Red Sox
Having won their first World Series in 86 years, the Red Sox face some difficult roster decisions--and, for once, the challenge to repeat
By Tom Verducci
What's Cooking on the Hot Stove
By Tom Verducci
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
After failing to live up to their top billing last year, the revitalized Auburn Tigers have dominated the SEC this fall--and are clawing at the door of the BCS title game
PRO FOOTBALL
Playing more like a seasoned veteran than a raw rookie, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has led the surprising Steelers to the top of the AFC
PRO BASKETBALL
As an Olympic idol and the highest-paid athlete in Argentina, the Spurs' Manu Ginobili is an inspiration to his people, but an object of extreme--sometimes dangerous--scrutiny
What up, Dog? The ratings of Atlanta's 790 the Zone, that's what, after the station unleashed Ryan and Doug Stewart in the previously lily-white arena of sports-talk radio
By John Helyar
Inside
The Week In Sports
Inside The NFL
A Super Bowl contender entering the season, the mistake-prone Seahawks haven't looked like a smart pick lately
By Peter King
VICK'S RED-HOT DAY
SAN DIEGO'S CATCH
By Josh Elliott
By Peter King
DISPATCHES
Inside College Football
Suddenly potent North Carolina stunned unbeaten Miami and may have saved coach John Bunting's job
By Phil Taylor
DEFENSIVE DEMON
By Kelley King
By Phil Taylor
Inside Horse Racing
Ghostzapper took the Breeders' Cup Classic and made his Horse of the Year race with Smarty Jones a photo finish
By Tim Layden
LIFE OF REILLY
By Rick Reilly
Departments
After getting rid of Ron Zook, Florida fans would love to lure Steve Spurrier back to Gainesville. But can the ol' ball coach and the Florida faithful live happily ever after?
By Mark Beech
His wife stricken with cancer, Brett Favre has once again found a way to stay focused and play brilliantly in tough times
By Peter King
The Tour de France has again tweaked its route to slow the defending champ
By Bill Scheft
What to watch and watch for
By Julia Morrill
By Mark Bechtel
The State of Defense in the NBA
NBA Offense: Then and Now