TheLineup

SUPER BOWL XXXIX

42 Meeting of the Minds

The big game will be a battle between the innovative staffs of Bill Belichick and Andy Reid

by Peter King

PRO BASKETBALL

50 Catch 'Em If You Can

With a pedal-to-the-metal attack led by MVP favorite Steve Nash, the Suns sizzle

by Jack McCallum

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

54 There's Joy in 1llinois

Ignited by three guards, the top-ranked Illini have blown through opponents with ease

by Grant Wahl

TENNIS

62 Digging Down Deep

Serena Williams and Marat Safin won the Australian Open with gut-check performances

by L. Jon Wertheim

SPORTS BARS

67 The Perfect Bar

You can't watch the Super Bowl just anywhere. SI found the 25 best sports watering holes in the land

by Chris Ballard

Departments

4 Leading Off

12 Letters

17 Air and Space

Hiyo! Carnac saddles up his camel and rides into the great beyond by Steve Rushin

18 Scorecard

• Cubs unload Sosa on Orioles

• Damn! A cleaner Super show

• Olympic gold medalist's tragedy

• Sharapova is 17. That's 17.

28 Faces in the Crowd

33 Players

86 The Life of Reilly

I schmooze celebrities during Super Bowl week, therefore I am by Rick Reilly

Inside ...

82 Skiing

• Miller is golden at worlds

• Mancuso's breakthrough bronze

• Kildow's Super G setback

85 The NBA

• Nuggets turn to George Karl

• Scout's take on Cuttino Mobley

Cover

PHOTOGRAPH BY BOB ROSATO

SPORTS BARS ILLUSTRATION: MIRKO ILLIC

SI Extra

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SI.com

• Get the Super Bowl scoop from Jacksonville, including breaking news and daily Web-only columns from Peter King and Don Banks, plus Dr. Z's position-by-position breakdown, at SI.com/football.

COLOR PHOTO

MICHAEL J. LEBRECHT II/1DEUCE3

MOUTHY GUARD

Dee Brown (11), with Deron Williams (left) and Luther Head, isn't shy about talking up the dominant Illini (page 54).

COLOR ILLUSTRATION

MIRKO ILLIC (COCKTAIL GLASS)