Leading Off

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Legal Use ofHands

Escorted by youngsoccer players onto the field at Giants Stadium, European champion Barcelona,led by Ronaldinho (with headband), and the Red Bulls of MLS met last Saturdaynight. Barcelona completed its preseason tour of the U.S. with a 4--1 winbefore 79,002 fans. Ronaldinho scored twice.

House of Cards

A sellout crowd of63,400 turned out last Friday for the unveiling of Cardinals Stadium in thePhoenix suburb of Glendale and to watch the home team beat the Steelers, 21-13,in a preseason game (page 54). The $455 million facility, whose exterior design(inset) was inspired by a barrel cactus, features a retractable roof (shownhere closed) and a natural-grass field built on drawers so that it can beremoved to help the grass grow and for nonfootball events.

Octuple Jump

HeptathleteCarolina Klüft, a 23-year-old Swede, placed first in the long jump with a leapof 6.65 meters en route to winning her seven-event specialty on Aug. 8 at theEuropean Athletics Championships in Göteborg, Sweden. Her total of 6,740 pointswas a meet record.

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Photograph by David Bergman

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MIKE MOORE/WIREIMAGE.COM

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Photograph by Robert Beck

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Photograph by Vincent Curutchet/DPPI/Icon SMI