Lineup

Author:
SI Staff

FEATURES

COLLEGEBASKETBALL

32 March Madman
Nobody has done more to make his team a winner than Tyler Hansbrough of No. 1North Carolina. Which is why he's SI's pick for player of the year
By Grant Wahl

PRO FOOTBALL

38 EducatingChris
Thanks to his Hall of Fame dad, Chris Long had it all growing up—including thedesire to prove he isn't soft and the skills to become a top draft pick
By Lee Jenkins

HOCKEY

44 Big Banger
Bully defenseman Mike Komisarek has transformed the Canadiens into the meanest,most Cup-worthy team that Montreal has had in years
By Michael Farber

BASEBALL

48 Little TownBlues
Having endured so many departures, Cleveland fans are expecting the worst asthe 2007 Cy Young Award winner, C.C. Sabathia, approaches free agency
By Ben Reiter

SKIING

52 SmashingSuccess
Once known for her highlight-reel crashes, Lindsey Vonn started relying more ontechnique and developed into a dominant force on the World Cup circuit
By Austin Murphy

PRO BASKETBALL

56 What Crash?
The red-hot Rockets figured to plummet to earth after Yao Ming's injury. Buttheir ascent has continued thanks to Tracy McGrady and a balanced attack
By Chris Mannix

THE PRIDE OF THEGAME

Luminous paintingsby Kadir Nelson re-create the power and majesty of the Negro leagues, in a timewhen some of the game's greats played in undeserved obscurity—but withundiminished passion
BY PHIL TAYLOR
Page 58

Departments

8 Leading Off

14 Letters

18 Players
• Giants experience Barry-free bliss
• Bush yuks it up with the Red Sox
• Farewell to W.C. Heinz
• Remembering Myron Cope
• First Person: Jacoby Ellsbury
• Review: blind climbers at Everest

27 Faces in theCrowd

30 Just My Type byDan Patrick
• Bruce Pearl's brief time at the top

70 Point After
When Shannon Veal died on the court during the Louisiana 4A playoffs, opponentsfelt it as deeply as teammates by S.L. Price

Inside ...

68 CollegeBasketball
• A late bloomer lifts UCLA

69 NASCAR
• What victory in Vegas means

Cover
PHOTOGRAPH BY STREETER LECKA/GETTY IMAGES

INSET ILLUSTRATION:Kadir Nelson

INSET PHOTO: BobDonnan/US Presswire

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PETER KING

Free-agentFrenzy
Two pockmarked defensive tackles and a non--Pro Bowl end coming off a one-sackseason (Tommy Kelly, Raiders) get big contracts. Wow.