The Lineup

BASEBALL

40 Stealing the Show
Scott Podsednik has the White Sox racing toward their first Series in 46 years
by Daniel G. Habib

TRACK AND FIELD

44 Two Fast
Justin Gatlin and Lauryn Williams gave the U.S. a 100-meter sweep at the Worlds
by Tim Layden

PRO BASKETBALL

46 Hello, Cleveland
Larry Hughes was sure he'd re-sign with the Wizards, until he played free-agency roulette
by Ian Thomsen

Departments

6 Leading Off

12 Letters

14 Catching Up With ...

19 Air and Space
Nine ways to stay interested in baseball when your favorite team is 30 games out in the middle of August by Steve Rushin

20 Scorecard

• Can Beckham make the MLS hot?

• The Atlanta Hawks are burning

• Plus-size golfers heat up links

30 Faces in the Crowd

33 Players

124 The Life of Reilly
It's time for writers to strafe Raffy and all other cheaters by Rick Reilly

Inside ...

53 Motor Sports
Gordon's still in the Chase chase

56 Baseball
Astros have a new dynamic duo

60 The NFL
Broncos willing to let Clarett age

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2005

66 Danger Is His Game
Pity the poor defender charged with shutting down USC's Reggie Bush
by Austin Murphy

70 Texas Time
Vince Young could be the guy to finally get the Longhorns back on top
by Tim Layden

76 5 Minute Guide
The games, players and zaniness that will make the season great
by Gene Menez

78 The Next Big Thing
Florida's Urban Meyer has the hottest offensive scheme in football
by Stewart Mandel

84 SI's Top 25
Scouting reports, in-depth analysis, key returnees and gamebreakers

120 The Rest, 26-119
Can Florida International (No. 119) get past Florida Atlantic (No. 117)?

123 Divisional Powers
Top 10 rankings for powerhouses in Divisions I-AA, II and III

Cover
PHOTOGRAPHS BY PETER READ MILLER (BUSH); JOE ROBBINS/ US PRESSWIRE (LEAK); ICON SMI (YOUNG)
INSET PHOTOS: G. Newman Lowrance/WireImage.com (Young); Peter Read Miller (Bush); Joe Robbins/ US Presswire (Leak); John Biever (Podsednik)

SI Extra
To sign up for Sports Illustrated's free subscriber-only e-mail newsletter, go to sicustomerservice.com/siextra.

SI.COM
Stewart Mandel breaks down college football's five hottest offenses, and offensive gurus such as Urban Meyer and Steve Spurrier provide an inside look--complete with audio narration--at their best plays.

COLOR PHOTO

JONATHAN DANIEL/GETTY IMAGES

FLEET IS IN

He was out on this play, but Scott Podsednik has been a safe bet for the White Sox all season (page 40).