Lineup
FEATURES
PRO FOOTBALL
42 Bringing ItHome
Trusting in each other and in their history-making coach, Peyton Manning andthe Colts came together to vanquish the Bears and lay claim to greatness
by Michael Silver
• A Father's Wish
by Peter King
• Possession Obsession
by Paul Zimmerman
PRO BASEBALL
54 Smash Hit
Carlos Delgado's convictions, like his power stroke, were forged in PuertoRico
by Karl Taro Greenfeld
HOCKEY
62 The FightingDuck
Anaheim is the NHL's most pugnacious team, led by its Princeton-educatedgoon
by Michael Farber
KNICKS
64 Lord Jim
For the NBA's most baffling franchise, the spotlight is on the tempestuousowner, Jim Dolan, and a much-maligned coach who will either build a winner orlose his job
by S.L. Price
Departments
10 Leading Off
18 Letters
21 Air andSpace
He's a 6'10", shot-swatting high school junior. So what if he has no lefthand—literally? by Steve Rushin
22 Scorecard
The NFL's concussion conundrum
Sammy Sosa's back in Texas
Iona finally wins a game
31 Faces in theCrowd
37 Players
First Person: Candace Parker
Emmitt Smith reflects on his SI covers
78 Life ofReilly
The Bears may be good enough to win a Super Bowl, but they never will without aRexorcism
by Rick Reilly
Inside...
76 CollegeBasketball
Reggie Theus revives the Aggies
77 The NBA
The No. 1 pick starts to pay off
Cover
PHOTOGRAPH BY AL TIELEMANS
INSET PHOTO: NickLaham/Getty Images
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EDITORS' PICKS
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JOHN BIEVER (COLTS)
42 INDY-FATIGABLE Peyton Manning (18) and the Colts' offense were not to be denied a victory over Chicago in Super Bowl XLI.
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TODD PLITT/GETTY IMAGES (DOLAN)
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DAVID BERGMAN (THOMAS)
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RICK WILKING/REUTERS (NUGGETS)
77 WORK IN PROGRESS Since his return from a 15-game suspension, Carmelo Anthony has struggled to mesh with Allen Iverson in Denver.
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DAMIAN STROHMEYER (BRIGGS)
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GEORGE TIEDEMANN/GT IMAGES (NASCAR)
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JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (PUJOLS)
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CLAY PATRICK MCBRIDE (REILLY)
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JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (NASH)
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BILL FRAKES (BARBARO)
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