Lineup
JUNE 19, 2006
VOLUME 104, NO. 25
FEATURES
BASEBALL
42 Who's Your Papi?
What drives the Red Sox' David Ortiz is resentment of a team that did him wrong... and the fighting spirit of his late mom
by Tom Verducci
WORLD CUP
48 Oh, No!
After a devastating 3--0 defeat to the Czech Republic, the U.S. team now has amust-win match with Italy
by Grant Wahl
STANLEY CUP
52 The Invisible Finals
The inspired Hurricanes and goaltender Cam Ward were closing in on an NHLtitle. Too bad no one was watching
by Michael Farber
FRENCH OPEN
56 Crowned Prince
Second-ranked Rafael Nadal beat tennis king Roger Federer--again--in the Parisfinal
by L. Jon Wertheim
NBA FINALS
60 My Team, My Time
Mark Cuban, the ref-berating, serial-blogging face of the Mavericks, is on thebrink of (gulp!) ruling the NBA
by Jack McCallum
PLUS
Questions for David Stern
The disappearing Shaq
Departments
6 Leading Off
14 Letters
17 Air andSpace
In cities abandoned by the NHL, hockey's Miss Havishams haven't abandonedhope
by Steve Rushin
18 Scorecard
• The Fed who's stalking drug cheats
• Woman qualifies for PBA tour
• The Belmont, below the radar
28 Faces in theCrowd
33 Players
78 Life ofReilly
At the World Cup the players' moves may be artful, but the fans' chants aremasterpieces
by Rick Reilly
Inside ...
72 ArenaFootball
• Hohensee coaches Rush to title
• The AFL by the numbers
75 Baseball
• K.C. drafts fireballer with top pick
• Cards hit hard by loss of Pujols
ON THE WEB
SI.COM
GO TO SI.COM DAILY FOR SCORES, STATS AND BREAKING NEWS
WORLD CUP
After a lackluster 3--0 loss to the Czech Republic on Monday, the U.S.'smatchup with Italy on Saturday is a do-or-die affair. Do Oguchi Onyewu (right)& Co. stand a chance? Get Grant Wahl's take on the match, other tournamentnews and Cup blogs at SI.com/soccer.
NBA FINALS
In the 21 years since the league went to a 2-3-2 format for the title series,11 teams have jumped to a 2--0 lead, and each has won the title. Can DwyaneWade (left) and Miami keep Dallas from becoming the 12th in that fraternity?Read about the playoffs and the draft at SI.com/nba.
RIFFS OFREILLY
Which athlete prompts Rick Reilly to ask, "Shouldn't you have to read abook before you write one"? Find out in this week's Riffs at SI.com, whereReilly also reveals how men are ruining Michelle Wie's game and why Dallascoach Avery Johnson reminds him of David Copperfield.
U.S. OPEN
Can Phil Mickelson (right) win a third consecutive major? How rusty will TigerWoods be after his long layoff? Follow the U.S. Open at SI.com/golf with SethDavis's daily blog from Winged Foot, a live leader board and galleries.
Cover
PHOTOGRAPH BY CLAY PATRICK MCBRIDE
INSET PHOTOS (FROM LEFT): Greg Nelson; John Biever; John W. McDonough (2)
SI Extra
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PHOTO
JOHN W. MCDONOUGH
60 SWATTEAM - Miami's Shaquille O'Neal and the Mavs' Adrian Griffin flail at a looseball in the NBA Finals.
PHOTO
JOHN W. MCDONOUGH
PHOTO
ROBERT BECK
72INSIDE MAN - After Arena Bowl XX, Chicago Rush quarterback Matt D'Oraziocelebrated his team's win over the Orlando Predators.
PHOTO
DAVID BERGMAN
PHOTO
BOB MARTIN
PHOTO
FRED VUICH