The Lineup
Departments
6 Leading Off
14 Letters
17 Air and Space
Satellite radio offers home-team broadcasts of all 2,430 major league baseball games, and I just may listen to every one by Steve Rushin
18 Scorecard
• Meet one of the creators of THG
• T.O. wants a new deal already?
• Radcliffe, Kenyans win marathons • Lance says he'll get off the bike
26 Faces in the Crowd
28 Players
74 Life of Reilly
Are the Suns the best team in the NBA? I don't know. I do know they have the best gorilla by Rick Reilly
Inside ...
70 Baseball
• Mets silence critics with six wins
• Roberts gives O's pop at the top
73 Horse Racing
• It's Zito vs. Pletcher at the Derby
• Four Derby picks and a long shot
PRO BASKETBALL
34 The Big Question
Can freewheeling Phoenix win in the playoffs? Recent history and many experts say no. But ...
by Jack McCallum
BASEBALL
44 The Vote Is In
And it's a resounding yea as Washington, D.C., falls in love with the Nationals
by Tom Verducci
PRO FOOTBALL
48 What's His Game?
The most intriguing prospect in a confounding NFL draft is Arkansas's versatile Matt Jones
by Peter King
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
52 Charlie in Charge
Notre Dame alum Charlie Weis is the latest coach called upon to put the fight back in the Irish
by Tim Layden
LACROSSE
58 Get on the Stick
Lacrosse is the fastest-growing game in the U.S. at every level. The appeal? It's fast, easy to learn--and cool
by Alexander Wolff
Cover
PHOTOGRAPHS BY BARRY GOSSAGE/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (STOUDEMIRE) AND VICTOR BALDIZON/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (O'NEAL)
INSET PHOTOS: John W. McDonough (Nash); David Bergman (Lacrosse)
SI Extra
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Find out who'll be caught in the NFL draft. Complete pick-by-pick coverage--including running analysis from Peter King and Don Banks, plus Dr. Z's team-by-team grades--at SI.com/football.
COLOR PHOTO
SIMON BRUTY
LAX TO THE MAX
Maryland's Michael Hartofilis gets ready to unleash the ball (page 58).