April 25, 2005 Table Of Contents
SCORECARD
A survival guide to the slew of Red Sox and Yankees books
Sports Illustrated Bonus Section: Golf Plus
With more than 100 significant amateur championships to their credit, five generations of the Fords of Charleston have been to Carolina Lowcountry golf what the Wallendas have been to the high wire
If you think the ball flies too far, here's a way the problem might be fixed
By Evan Rothman
STIK: Life and Times on the PGA Tour
By Chris Eliopoulous
Sports Illustrated Bonus Section : Golf Plus
Although Frank C. Ford Sr. was the progenitor of four generations of accomplished golfers, his mother, Anne (Sissie) Gaillard Hanahan Ford, was the family's oldest champion, and his wife, Elizabeth (Betsy) Coker Ford, taught their sons the fundamentals of the game. Here's an accounting of the family's many championships.
LETTERS
Air and Space
By Steve Rushin
SI Players
Patriots Wide Receiver
By Deion Branch
[ Based on a survey of 227 NBA players ]
If you get them mixed up on draft day, you won't be the first
By Ben Reiter
By Ronnie Brown
On assignment for SI, a novelist got a crash course in the NBA
By Michael Grant Jaffe
Pro Basketball
Everyone is asking if freewheeling Phoenix, league leader in points and victories, can win in the playoffs. Recent history, and a lot of experts, say no. Then again. . .
When Miami needs a locker room boost or late-game trey, it can count on Damon Jones, who seldom lets his game do the talking
In the heat of the playoffs, there's no telling what players will say--or how often their quotes will come back to haunt them
They haven't commanded the spotlight, but five players are positioned to play major roles in their teams' postseason fates
By Ian Thomsen
SI sizes up the playoffs (bad news, Shaq) and a big deal
By Ian Thomsen
Baseball
And it's a resounding yea as Washington, D.C., falls in love with the Nationals, who are likely to succeed where the Senators twice failed
By Tom Verducci
Pro Football
The most intriguing prospect in a confounding draft is Matt Jones, a college quarterback with size and speed who might line up at wideout, tight end or H-back. Consider the possibilities
By Peter King
You hear it everywhere: "Hardest draft I've ever tried to figure out," says Texans general manager Charley Casserly. Part of the problem is that there aren't any franchise players. (*projected trade)
College Football
A graduate of the Parcells-Belichick school of no-nonsense football, Notre Dame alum Charlie Weis is the latest coach called upon to put the fight back in the Fighting Irish
By Tim Layden
With April football winding down, these are some of the biggest issues for the 2005 season
By Kelley King
Tyrone Willingham takes over at Washington, where the beleaguered Huskies desperately need a steadying hand
A longtime niche sport, lacrosse is the fastest-growing game in the U.S. at every level. The appeal? It's a neat composite of other sports, it's fast, it's easy to learn. And it's cool
Free-spirited Colorado is the center of the revolution in U.S. lacrosse
Using space-age materials and X Games attitude, one company set lax's new style
Inside
The Week In Sports
Inside Baseball
Led by a dominant Pedro Martinez, the Mets erase an 0--5 start and show up the critics with six straight victories
By Albert Chen
By Albert Chen
ORIOLE BRIAN ROBERTS
By Albert Chen
By Tom Verducci
Inside Horse Racing
Todd Pletcher and Nick Zito took different routes to the Derby, but both will arrive with strong contenders
By Tim Layden
LIFE OF REILLY
By Rick Reilly
Departments
A record purse awaits women's boxing's first superstar, if she can get past an old foe
By Aimee Berg
Is an English soccer stadium haunted? It wouldn't be the first time players felt spooked
By Rebecca Sun
In researching a book on steroids, the author came face-to-face with the man reputed to be the driving force behind "the clear," the drug at the center of the BALCO case
By Will Carroll
He won over finicky Philly fans. Now can Terrell Owens parlay that goodwill into a new deal?
After being wounded in Iraq, a former Army lacrosse star returns to the field
By Bill Scheft
The 47-year-old Hall of Fame jockey is the author of the just published Against the Odds: Riding for My Life
What to watch and watch for
Edited by Mark Bechtel
Sportsmanship Edition
By David Sabino