September 18, 2006 Table Of Contents
SI Bonus Section: SI Fantasy Plus
There he is, gleaming on the waiver wire, that Week 1 breakout player who can bolster your lineup. Before you grab him, read this
By Gene Menez
WE LIKE THE MATCHUP
DON'T LIKE THE MATCHUP
By David Sabino
Air and Space
By Steve Rushin
SI Players: Life On and Off the Field
Padres Starter
As told to Lisa Altobelli
Edited by Kostya Kennedy
The Questions with Chone Figgins
Angels Outfielder
A young Giant learns the secrets to survival
No grains, no gain: For Redskins running back T.J. Duckett, getting solid means training on shifting sands
Edited by Kostya Kennedy
Alix Klineman is a fearsome attacker on the volleyball court and a stellar student
By Dave Krider
POWER RANKINGS: High School Football
By Jon Mahoney
Features
The NFL's opening week showcased the leaguewide upheaval at quarterback--and no one was under more scrutiny than Carson Palmer
Daunte Culpepper's knee is fine and he's in an offense he knows well, so don't fret too much about his weak Week 1
By Peter King
In a 27--0 rout, Steve McNair showed that he may be the answer to the Ravens' prayers while the Bucs' Chris Simms was brought to his knees
By Tim Layden
A rocky off-season gave way to a stellar performance for the Jets' Chad Pennington, whose commitment never flagged
Can you have a critical game in Week 2? Yes. In fact, you can have a pair of them when the four NFC East archrivals go at it
In a U.S. Open that celebrated the titans of the past, Roger Federer cemented his Tigerlike preeminence, and Maria Sharapova fulfilled her lavish promise
By S.L. Price
By guiding Ohio State to an impressive victory at Texas, Troy Smith showed he's a quarterback in every regard and the unquestioned leader of the No. 1 team in the land
A half-dozen games matching Top 20 teams this weekend will go a long way toward separating the title contenders from the pretenders
By Phil Taylor
Two springs ago, he was banished to the minors, but now Ryan Howard has turned the stretch drive into one booming blast with his epic home run binge
By Franz Lidz
Coming of age at racing speed, 21-year-old Kyle Busch battles his hothead reputation and the scorn of fans as he roars into the Chase for the Nextel Cup with a tankful of momentum
Inside
By Mark Beech
Stewart Mandel's Two-Minute Drill
Life of Reilly
A Hall Greater Than The Sum of Its Parts
By Rick Reilly
Departments
Her B sample came back negative, so the doping police told Marion Jones she can keep racing. But will she resume her habit of running with the wrong crowd?
Is the NFL in denial on steroids and human growth hormone?
By Peter King
The 56-year-old actor (Fargo) is the voice of a pitcher in the animated film Everyone's Hero, which opens on Friday
By Adam Duerson
What to watch and watch for
By Chris Mannix