Lineup
FEATURES
SPORTS CRISES
34 Disaster in Threes
Game-fixing, dogfighting ... and Barry Bonds. How will commissioners cope?
By Jack McCallum
GOLF
40 Agony and Ecstasy
Padraig Harrington skirted disaster at Carnoustie to win the British Open
By Michael Bamberger
BASEBALL
44 It's Gonna Happen
No, it's not a prediction that the Cubs will win it all. But they believe they can
By Michael Farber
TOUR DE FRANCE
48 Uphill Climb
Despite isolated doping allegations, riders might be cleaning up their acts
By Austin Murphy
TOUGH STUFF
THE BIG HIT
Players live for it, fans love it, the media celebrate it—and all bemoan its devastating consequences. The brutal collision is football's lifeblood, and a huge concern for the NFL
by Tim Layden • p. 52
Departments
6 Leading Off
12 Letters
15 Players
• Athletes polish their stand-up acts
• First Person: Carlos Lee
• The U.S. mile mark shattered
• Pols and their sports gaffes
• The unbeatable checkers player
• How it feels to crash a race car
31 Faces in the Crowd
70 Life of Reilly
For those who like seeing golfers implode, it's Xanadon't: the 18th hole at Carnoustie
by Rick Reilly
Inside ...
66 Baseball
• Who'll break the bank for A-Rod?
• David Ortiz: not so clutch
68 NASCAR
• Tony Stewart's strong home turn
• Nextel racers ruling Busch
Cover
PHOTOGRAPH BY BILL FRAKES
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PHOTO GALLERY
>> BARRY BONDS'S ROAD TO 756
>> SEE SHOTS OF BONDS'S MILESTONE HOME RUNS AT SI.com/bondshomerpics.
FEATURED COLUMNS
PETER KING
> From Bad To Worse
If Michael Vick does not play for any reason relating to the dogfighting case, the Falcons will try to keep some of the $6 million in salary he's owed in '07.
> Read more of this column at SI.com/king.
IAN THOMSEN
> The Enemy Within
Some NBA referees fear that Tim Donaghy, if he is charged, will unfairly try to implicate them in a larger betting scandal.
> Read more of this column at SI.com/thomsen.
TRAFFIC REPORT
> MOST VIEWED
1. Joseph Addai's Colts top Peter King's NFL power rankings
2. Rugby player finds tooth in forehead
3. Photos: Strike a pose
> OUR PICKS
1. David Feherty's Fly on the Ball videos
2. Richard Deitsch's Media Circus column
3. Jon Wertheim's Ad-In, Ad-Out on tennis
SI/TAKKLE PHOTO CONTEST
Jonathan Brownfield won the SI/Takkle Amateur Photo Contest with this shot of a St. Louis high school player safely sliding back to first.
> To see a gallery of all the finalists, go to SI.com/photocontest.
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PHOTO
RON VESELY/MLB PHOTOS/GETTY IMAGES (PINIELLA)
44 FIRE STARTER In a set-to that sparked the Cubs back to life, umpire Mark Wegner gave manager Lou Piniella an earful (and brimful) before ejecting him on June 2 in Chicago.
PHOTO
MICHAEL HICKEY/WIREIMAGE.COM (BIG HIT)
PHOTO
JAMIE SQUIRE/GETTY IMAGES (BONDS)
PHOTO
SIMON BRUTY (VICK)
PHOTO
ROCKY WIDNER/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (DONAGHY)
PHOTO
MEL LEVINE (KING)
PHOTO
MEL LEVINE (THOMSEN)
PHOTO
MICHAEL HICKEY/WIREIMAGE.COM (ADDAI)
PHOTO
GOLF.COM (FEHERTY)
PHOTO
JONATHAN BROWNFIELD (PHOTO CONTEST)