October 2, 2006 Table Of Contents
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The U.S. took time amid the buildup to assure its new status as underdog
After all the talk of fun and family, the U.S. got off to a familiar shaky start
U.S. IdleIn need of a strong day to close the gap, the Americans were stuck in neutral
The American team has witnessed this scene before, and it still stinks
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Sharing is fine on the playground, but it doesn't work in fantasy football, where the lack of a featured back drives owners crazy. Who will win these battles?
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
COWBOYS RUNNING BACK
As Told to Peter King
SI Players
The Questions With Jimmie Johnson
NASCAR Driver
Bills LB Takeo Spikes honors his dad's life and words
By Takeo Spikes
Quaint it wasn't, but this SoCal showdown got fans stoked
The best high school sites go beyond the scores and stats
Features
They were playing for a lot more than payback, but the Bengals did get some revenge against the Steelers in the best rivalry in football and set themselves up as top cats in the NFL's toughest division
By Tim Layden
NFC South foes Carolina and Tampa Bay were thought to be Super Bowl contenders, but only one of them has a real shot now
By Bill Syken
As they struggle to overtake the Colts in the AFC South, the Jaguars are learning that there are no moral victories in the NFL
In what has become a familiar sight, a deep, talented European team dominated the U.S. at the Ryder Cup
Is another Subway Series inevitable? Sure seems to be, but this is October, when there are higher powers than even the pulverizing offenses of the Yankees and the Mets
By Tom Verducci
Lightly recruited tailback Steve Slaton found a home at West Virginia and has quickly developed into one of the game's most feared--and fastest--runners
By Phil Taylor
NHL Preview 2006 - 07
Will You Tune In To These Two?
The NHL has spruced up its game and lured its core fans back. Now it hopes young stars Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby can make the league more visible in the U.S.A.
After a dramatic flight from Russia, dazzling Evgeni Malkin takes a star turn in Pittsburgh
By E.M. Swift
The Best Team $44 Million Can Buy...
SI Plays G.M. and Comes In under the Cap
Postseason surprises last spring, Anaheim and Buffalo will be the final teams skating next June
By E.M. Swift
By Yi-Wyn Yen
By E. M. Swift
By Yi-Wen Yen
Inside
By Mark Beech
Stewart Mandel's Two-Minute Drill
By Peter King
Dr. Z's Forecast: Defense Decides Two Big Games
Life of Reilly
By Rick Reilly
Departments
'We're Number 3!'has become the rallying cry for fans of the red, white and blue. Why that might not be such a bad thing
Facing prison, the Game of Shadows authors take a First Amendment stand
A week after five players were shot, Duquesne's basketball team finds a new unity
The Pro Football Hall of Famer, 70, is the author of Lombardi and Me
By Adam Duerson
What to watch and watch for
By Chris Mannix