TheLineup
Departments
4 Leading Off
10 Letters
Air and Space
Steve Rushin is on vacation
12 Scorecard
• Kevin Kerr, hockey's Crash Davis
• New rants from Bobby Fischer
• Farrelly Brothers do the Curse
24 Faces in the Crowd
142 The Life of Reilly
Annika Sorenstam has out-Tigered Tiger, but she might as well be in the witness protection program for all the attention that gets her
by Rick Reilly
Inside ...
31 The NBA
• Kidd is demanding Nets gains
36 The NFL
• Can Saban be a draft savant?
37 Golf
• Sorenstam's very special high five
38 Soccer
• High and dry in Mexico
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
40 Take the Shot
The fate of each of the four teams in St. Louis is in the very hot hands of their best shooter
by Grant Wahl
• Final Four Scouting Reports
How to Beat Illinois, Louisville, Michigan State and North Carolina
• Hoop Thoughts on the Women
UConn bows out; Power in the post
BASEBALL PREVIEW
2005
51 Batter Up!
Filling out a major league lineup card requires savvy, guts and a pencil with a big eraser
by Tom Verducci
• Batting by Numbers
Deconstructing a batting order, one spot at a time
• Memorable Moments
Billy Martin pulls one out of his hat, and other lineup highlights
• Where to Bat Bonds
The obvious answer--cleanup--isn't necessarily the right one
• Leading Man
If you want to see the ideal leadoff hitter, watch Ichiro Suzuki slap it around the yard
• Perfect Order
A fantasy league's dream lineup: power, speed ... and Jim Edmonds
66 Bad Blood
Nothing makes a game more entertaining than a little hatred
by Tom Verducci
68 Scouting Reports
SI ranks all 30 teams
Cover
PHOTOGRAPHS BY WALTER IOOSS JR.
INSET PHOTOS: John Biever (Illinois, Michigan State); John W. McDonough (Louisville); Manny Millan (North Carolina)
SI Extra
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SI.com
• Get the scoop from St. Louis: Daily, on-scene Final Four analysis from SI.com experts Seth Davis, Stewart Mandel, Luke Winn and B.J. Schecter at SI.com/basketball/ncaa.
COLOR PHOTO
JOHN BIEVER
COLLEGE BOARDS
Spartans forward Alan Anderson hopes the ball bounces Michigan State's way this week in St. Louis (page 40).
COLOR PHOTO
TIM PARKER/REUTERS (SUZUKI)
Ichiro is No. 1 when it comes to hitting first.