Lineup
THE YEAR INSPORTS 2006
40 ELSEWHERE
Photos that illuminate 11 sports on five continents
THE BESTOF...
68 THE NFL
by Michael Silver
74 BASEBALL
by Tom Verducci
78 THE NBA
by Jack McCallum
82 COLLEGEFOOTBALL
by Phil Taylor
86 COLLEGEBASKETBALL
by Grant Wahl
90 TENNIS
by L. Jon Wertheim
92 GOLF
by Alan Shipnuck
94 THE NHL
by Michael Farber
96 THE REST
Other sports
101 TOO TRUE TOBE GOOD
by Steve Rushin
106 GAME OF THEYEAR
by Chris Ballard
118 FAREWELL
by Mark Bechtel
Departments
12 LeadingOff
18 Letters
21 Air andSpace
'Tis the NFL season: A Who's Who of stars has made every day Christmas for anailing teen
by Steve Rushin
22 Scorecard
Division II's answer to Bob Knight
SI's holiday gift guide
In appreciation of Lindsay Davenport
35 Faces in theCrowd
154 Life ofReilly
That Christmas letter telling [in mind-numbing detail] what a family [you couldcare less about] is up to
by Rick Reilly
Inside...
138 The NBA
The biggest loser in the New York brawl
140 Baseball
Did Toronto overpay Vernon Wells?
143 The NFL
End-of-the-year awards
148 CollegeBasketball
Jeff Bzdelik puts the buzz in Air Force
150 The NHL
A blue line blueprint for success
Cover
PHOTOGRAPH BY PETER READ MILLER
INSET PHOTO:Chuck Solomon
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NCAABASKETBALL
Arron Afflalo (left) and No. 1 UCLA could go undefeated, writes Grant Wahl atSI.com/collegebasketball.
NBA
Is LeBron James (left) overpaid or underpaid? Check out every player's salaryat SI.com/nba.
PRO FOOTBALL
Can Rex Grossman (left) lead the Bears to a Super Bowl? Get Peter King's answerat SI.com/nfl.
COLLEGEFOOTBALL
It's decision time for Adrian Peterson (right) and other juniors. Which onesshould go pro? Find out at SI.com.
NFL VIDEO
Get original video at SI.com, including Dr. Z and Brooklyn Decker (right) in ZSays/She Says.
2006RETIREMENTS
Andre Agassi (right) wasn't the only star to retire this year. See the top 25at SI.com/photo.
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AL TIELEMANS (HENNE)
PASSIN' IN PASADENA To learn more from Stewart Mandel about Rose Bowl QBs Chad Henne of Michigan (left) and John David Booty of USC before their Jan. 1 showdown, go to SI.com, which will have predictions and complete breakdowns for all 32 bowl matchups.
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JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (BOOTY)
[See caption above]
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NICK UT/AP (AFFLALO)
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BILL FRAKES (JAMES)
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BILL FRAKES (GROSSMAN)
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ROBERT BECK (PETERSON)
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MEL LEVINE (SHE/Z)
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BOB MARTIN (AGASSI)