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Lineup
FEATURES
SOCCER
40 Beckham in America
The English superstar is bent on lifting the sport's profile in the U.S. while blending in with his Galaxy mates
By Grant Wahl
GOLF
48 Host with the Most
Tiger Woods showed he knows how to throw a party, drawing a strong field while celebrating America's birthday
By John Garrity
BASEBALL
52 Party's Just Starting
Shrewd management and promising young talent make the Angels SI's pick to win it all. Plus, first-half awards
By Tom Verducci
TENNIS
60 Venus Almighty
Redeeming the wettest Wimbledon ever, Venus Williams won her fourth title and Roger Federer his record-tying fifth
By L. Jon Wertheim
JERRY JONES
The Cowboys' owner is spending a billion dollars on a new stadium—a lasting symbol of his reign over the NFL's marquee franchise
By Richard Hoffer
P. 64
The King of Texas
Departments
8 Leading Off
16 Letters
18 Players
• First Person: Wladimir Klitschko
• The sinking value of home run balls
• Freddy Adu stars in the U-20s
• A goodbye to NFL Europa
• Pitchers who excel after the break
• Elton Brand on the Rescue Dawn set
• Questioning Joey Chestnut
39 Faces in the Crowd
84 Life of Reilly
A Yankees fan gets a special first—and perhaps last—look at the Stadium, thanks to his best friend by Rick Reilly
Inside ...
79 NASCAR
• Clint Bowyer buoys Childress Racing
• Dale Jr. is no Kyle Busch
80 The NHL
• Front-loaded deals: a rich team's edge
• The Canadiens come up empty—again
Cover
PHOTOGRAPH BY SIMON BRUTY
INSET PHOTOS: Simon Bruty (Federer); Bob Martin (Williams)
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FEATURED COLUMNS
JON HEYMAN
> Damaged Goods?
Jose Contreras's trade value is compromised by low radar gun readings. Some competing execs are wondering how healthy the White Sox righty is.
> Read more of this column at SI.com/heyman.
CORY MCCARTNEY
> Devine Intervention
This is the story of West Virginia running back Noel Devine, a spectacular talent who is no stranger to heartbreak and tragedy.
> Read more of this column at SI.com/mccartney.
TRAFFIC REPORT
> MOST VIEWED
1. Derek Fisher leaves Jazz to care for child
2. Photo Gallery: Top 20 NBA free agents
3. Caught in the Act: Unexpected pictures
> OUR PICKS
1. Bucky Brooks's NFL training camp reports
2. Gary Sheffield's Tigers top Baseball Power Rankings
3. Daily 10 Spot blog
SPECIAL THIS WEEK
The Best Athletes by Jersey Number
> To see the complete list from 00 to 99, go to SI.com/numbers.
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PHOTO
LUIS LOPEZ/CAL SPORTS MEDIA (WILLITS)
52 SMALL CHANGE Pesky hitters like rookie Reggie Willits have turned the Angels into a team to be reckoned with, despite their lack of power.
PHOTO
DARREN CARROLL (JONES)
PHOTO
JAE C. HONG/AP (ODEN)
PHOTO
MEL LEVINE (HEYMAN)
PHOTO
JOHN BIEVER (CONTRERAS)
PHOTO
JOHN BIEVER (SHEFFIELD)
PHOTO
KINFAY MOROTI/THE NEWS-PRESS (DEVINE)
PHOTO
ROBERT BECK (FISHER)
PHOTO
JERSEY NUMBER: JOHN BIEVER
PHOTOMONTAGE
JERSEY NUMBER: VERNON BIEVER/WIREIMAGE.COM; AP
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