April 4, 2005 Table Of Contents
LETTERS
Inside
The Week In Sports
Inside The NBA
With the Nets' playoff hopes fast dwindling, Jason Kidd intends to hold management's feet to the fire
By Ian Thomsen
By Ian Thomsen
CHICAGO'S EDDY CURRY
By Ian Thomsen
By Ian Thomsen
Minor League Might Have Major Role
NBDL'S FUTURE
By Ian Thomsen
By Ian Thomsen
Inside The NFL
Nick Saban may have made the jump to the pros, but he'll rely on his college connections to prep for his first draft
By Peter King
Inside Golf
Annika Sorenstam nearly lapped the field at the Nabisco, fueling talk of a Grand Slam. Is she the best ever?
By Josh Elliott
Inside Soccer
Though its captain made a heartening return, the U.S. bowed yet again in the 7,200-foot altitude of Mexico City
By Mark Beech
SI's Grant Wahl predicts the order of finish in MLS.
By Grant Wahl
MLS PREVIEW
By Mark Beech
2005 Final Four
As a frenetic NCAA tournament reaches its finale, the national champion is likely to be determined by a showdown among deadeye marksmen
By Grant Wahl
Baseball Preview 2005
The season can't start until the lineup card is filled in, and that's a lot more complicated than you would think
By Tom Verducci
Like big-city neighborhoods, each batting-order spot has its own flavor, and some areas are higher-rent than others. Here's a Fodor's guide to the regions of a lineup card.
By Tom Verducci
Deciding on the most beneficial spot in the order to place Barry Bonds--and pleasing the most fearsome slugger in the history of the game--isn't as easy as it might appear
By Tom Verducci
The job of the leadoff hitter is to get on base, and who does it better than Ichiro Suzuki? Problem is, few other players measure up
By Tom Verducci
By Tom Verducci
Here are the 20 most contenious feuds in baseball
By Tom Verducci
If a retooled rotation lives up to its billing, they will end their championship drought
After 86 years the curse is over, but do they have enough pitching to repeat?
Sammy Sosa makes a potent lineup stronger, but the rotation will be their downfall
Eric Hinske's return to rookie-year form is Step 1 of a plan to get out of the cellar
Their top picks are starting to come of age, but youth will not be served this season
A rare spending spree has a model organization well-armed for years to come
By Peter King
Using the blueprint of the NFL champs, this team is climbing back into contention
By Peter King
Unless an iffy rotation produces, small ball translates to a fall in the standings
By Peter King
They found a closer, but an improving club could still use some finishing touches
By Peter King
Some good-looking kids, but their prospects for avoiding 100 losses? Not so good
By Peter King
New shortstop Orlando Cabrera is a good fit in a potent lineup of free swingers
By Tom Verducci
The lineup and the bullpen are solid, but there are still holes to fill in the rotation
By Tom Verducci
With two thirds of the Big Three traded away, the onus shifts to the offense
By Tom Verducci
Two new sluggers punch up the offense, but who will shut down the opposition?
By Tom Verducci
Back in the rotation, John Smoltz is looking to recapture past October glory
New first baseman Carlos Delgado balances the power in an already loaded lineup
A franchise resistant to change has been overhauled, but there are still holes to fill
Contender or also-ran? Depends on the health and effectiveness of the pitchers
With a new home and euphoric fans, an evolving team will try not to disappoint
An offensive juggernaut appears to have added the missing piece: a frontline pitcher
By Albert Chen
There's plenty to worry about: pitchers' injuries, no closer and run production
By Albert Chen
Finally, a full-time closer has emerged to finish what the stellar rotation starts
By Albert Chen
They might not play like a winner, but at least now they're spending like one
By Albert Chen
Carlos Lee is a cornerstone of a club that has been stuck in building mode
By Albert Chen
Two young players with star potential emerged last season--that's a start, at least
By Albert Chen
With its star knee-deep in rehab and turmoil, a contender plays the waiting game
By Phil Taylor
Even in the midst of an extreme makeover, the West champs are still contenders
By Albert Chen
One season at Petco Park put a premium on speed and a trade for Dave Roberts
By Phil Taylor
The Big Unit's gone, but a remade rotation offers some hope for a desert revival
By Phil Taylor
Even for an optimist, it can't get much worse for this up-and-down franchise
By Phil Taylor
LIFE OF REILLY
By Rick Reilly
Departments
Troy Bergeron never played a down in college, but now he's tearing up the Arena league--and eyeing the NFL
By Bill Syken
Indian sensation Sania Mirza is breaking down barriers in her home country as she climbs in the rankings
Happy to be riding the bus and taking his lumps for $750 a week, minor league hockey king Kevin Kerr could be an inspiration to some sullen superstars
Chess champ Bobby Fischer emerges from a Japanese prison, spewing hate
By William Nack
Get your mind out of the gutter: One woman proves she can bowl with boys
By Yi-Wyn Yen
Former pitcher Rick Ankiel, 25, is trying to make the Cardinals as an outfielder. How's he doing? SI's Ankielometer tells all.
Behind the game's most prolific scorer, Minnesota won another NCAA title
The brothers directed Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon in Fever Pitch, about an obsessed Red Sox fan, opening on April 8
Giants punter Jeff Feagles has mastered the secondary uniform market, in which players swap numbers with covetous colleagues. In the past two years he's gotten a Florida vacation (from Eli Manning) and a new kitchen (Plaxico Burress). Here's how the number exchange has fluctuated.
What to watch and watch for
By Nancy Ramsey
Breaking news, scores, schedules and fresh, original Web-only stories and columns 24/7
By Mark Bechtel