TheLineup
Departments
4 Leading Off
12 Letters
14 Catching Up With ...
17 Air and Space
Why don't we just tattoo corporate logos on all athletes' foreheads? by Steve Rushin
20 Scorecard
• Should Spurrier want back in?
• Favre's new family setback
• Remembering Bobby Avila
• Woody Harrelson on the grill
32 Faces in the Crowd
35 Players
88 The Life of Reilly
Yellow bracelets 1, anal-retentive rules freaks 0 by Rick Reilly
Inside...
78 The NFL
• Those up-and-down Seahawks
82 College Football
• Miami trips over Tar Heels
84 Horse Racing
• Ghostzapper romps in Classic
BASEBALL
44 Now, the Hard Part
The world champion Red Sox face difficult roster decisions--and the challenge to repeat
by Tom Verducci
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
50 They're for Real
After failing to deliver last year, Auburn's Tigers are clawing at the door of the BCS title game
by Austin Murphy
PRO FOOTBALL
54 Ben There, Done That
Rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger has led the surprising Steelers to the top of the AFC
by Michael Silver
PRO BASKETBALL
58 A Hero in Hiding
The Spurs' Manu Ginobili is an inspiration to Argentina but an object of dangerous scrutiny
by Chris Ballard
64 Funk Brothers
What up, Dog? The ratings of Atlanta's 790 the Zone, after it unleashed Ryan (left) and Doug Stewart in the once- lily-white arena of sports-talk radio
by John Helyar
Cover
PHOTOGRAPH BY
WALTER IOOSS JR.
COVER BACKGROUND PHOTOS: BACKGROUND COMPOSITE BY SI IMAGING (AP, GETTY IMAGES, CHUCK SOLOMON)
COVER FLAP PHOTOS: Bob Rosato (Auburn, Steelers); Jeffery A. Salter (Stewarts); Al Tielemans (Eagles)
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COLOR PHOTO
JOHN BIEVER
PITTFALL
Steelers wide receiverPlaxico Burress makes a diving catch for six against New England (page 54).
TWO COLOR PHOTO
COLOR ILLUSTRATION