July 2, 2007 Table Of Contents
Inside Cover
SI Bonus Section: Golf Plus
Winning was just a matter of time for a can't-miss 25-year-old like Hunter Mahan, but for journeyman Jay Williamson, contending in Hartford may have been a once-in-a-lifetime experience
Tech student wins the British Am
By Jim Gorant
Mr. Dad has some words of wisdom for new pop Tiger
By Armin Brott
SI Players: LIFE ON AND OFF THE FIELD
As told to Chris Mannix
The secret's out: Players no longer pretend their teams are big, happy families
Top NBA and NHL draft picks rarely lead their teams to titles
A slight winger leads a U.S.-heavy NHL draft
NHLers brush up their broadcasting skills
THE QUESTIONS WITH Miguel Tejada
ORIOLES SHORTSTOP
Angel Kelvim Escobar gets into yoga
What to watch and watch for
By Sarah Kwak
ESPN's miniseries The Bronx Is Burning fails to catch fire
By Adam Duerson
The actor and die-hard Chicago sports fan stars in 1408
Where Are They Now?
By Ben Reiter
Fourteen years after he became the poster child for cystic fibrosis, Boomer's son is playing three sports and helping his dad fight for a cure
One of many former jocks who've found a second career in wine, this 13-year veteran of the NFL trenches proves that size doesn't preclude sophistication
By Adam Duerson
Once accustomed to crushing ballcarriers, Terry Hoage now crushes grapes for his much-sought-after vintages
By Adam Duerson
Skating star Peggy Fleming's venture in the vineyard includes a surprising partnership
By Adam Duerson
He feasted on quarterbacks for 12 seasons. Now the Lions' alltime sack leader is inviting Motown to chow down at his three highly acclaimed restaurants
By Adam Duerson
Infused with a passion for architecture and guided by his Islamic faith, the Hall of Fame center has scored big as Houston's most distinctive real estate magnate
Former big league slugger Mo Vaughn is transforming blighted developments into livable communities
By Ben Reiter
Led by inimitable coach Al McGuire, the '77 Warriors had a style of their own--and they weren't above a little infighting on their way to the title
By Julia MorrILL
Swinging from the heels, and often at each other, Charlie Finley's club became baseball's most entertaining spectacle--and its most forward-looking
By Phil Taylor
One of Oakland's less vocal stars, Joe Rudi now makes his voice heard as a ham radio buff
By Gene Menez
Sal Bando, the hard-nosed captain of the firebrand A's, is all dolled up
By Ben Reiter
Thirty years after Slap Shot vaulted three minor league tough guys into hockey immortality, they're still playing their parts. And why not? They came by them naturally
America's downhill rebel is pushing for children's rights with the same passion she channeled into conquering the mountain
A quarter century after their contentious bout, the champ and the challenger are still going at each other--but these jabs don't hurt
The shortstop synonymous with big league futility--Mendoza Line, anyone?--maintains a reputation well north of respectability in his native country
He was the first to undergo Tommy John surgery, and decades later his name lives on in the lingo of the game
By Gene Menez
Their talent is undisputed, their potential enormous. Their ultimate destinations? Unknown. But rest assured you'll be watching these promising athletes make their mark somewhere--and soon
COMPILED BY Joe Lemire
Baseball
The Backstop of Notre-Dame-de-Gr√¢ce
With a cool demeanor and a hot bat, Montreal-raised Dodgers catcher Russell Martin is an All-Star favorite whose coming-of-age story could be straight from a novel
The Beautiful Losers: An Oral History of the Philadelphia Phillies
By Franz Lidz
Cycling
Are They All Dirty? Does It Matter? Should We Care?
On the eve of the 2007 Tour, new revelations about doping in cycling, including a book that implicates Lance Armstrong, have removed the last vestiges of the sport's credibility
Soccer
Remaining undefeated under new coach Bob Bradley, the U.S. won the Gold Cup by beating archrival Mexico (yet again) in a match that served as a young midfielder's coming-out party
By Grant Wahl
Track and Field
Sprinters Tyson Gay and Torri Edwards hit their stride at the U.S. championships, blazing to emphatic--and cathartic--victories
By Tim Layden
2007 NASCAR Midseason Report
He's 35 and a father now, but thanks to a storybook marriage and a new crew chief, Jeff Gordon has recaptured the bloom--and vroom--of his youth
By Mark Beech
Where Are They Now: Lost & Found
One of the NBA's premier sixth men now provides hands-on instruction in the art of the perfect jumper
By Chris Mannix
Willing herself across the line in the '82 Ironman, she helped push triathlon into the mainstream
By Julia Morrill
He was a Cowboy to the core, so it's fitting that this Hall of Famer's photography reflects the spirit of the West
By Bill Syken
One of the alltime great Olympians, he finds common ground between athletics and aesthetics
The Heisman runner-up turned television idol aims to fill a void with movies that appeal to his generation
By Gene Menez
The dog days of summer get a splash of excitement when this pitcher's high-flying pooches come to town
By Joe Lemire
For a quarterback well-schooled in many an offense, getting a handle on ancient languages has been a snap
By Bill Syken
As an admissions director, the hat-wearing hero of the 1972 Games tries to spot students with hidden potential
Notorious for baseball's trippiest mound exploit, he turned his experiences to the good by helping substance abusers
Folks around Boston don't mind a trip to the dentist when the man behind the drill is a legend of '67
By Julia Morrill
Still speedy after all these years, the college track star and NFL wide receiver is a sprint champion once more
Life of Reilly
By Rick Reilly