March 24, 2008 Table Of Contents
SI Players: LIFE ON AND OFF THE FIELD
Major League Baseball tries to make inroads into China
By Alan Paul
A West Point cadet may fulfill his Army obligations by playing in the NFL
By Clay Travis
Sports stars weigh in with presidential picks
High-stakes poker gets spoofed in The Grand
By Adam Duerson
By Adam Duerson
What to watch and watch for
By Sarah Kwak
SI Bonus Section: Golf Plus
While most of the world is focused solely on Tiger, a foursome of young pros and a couple of resurgent veterans have quietly emerged as players to be reckoned with as the first major of '08 approaches
It took dunkin' Dustin Johnson, one of the new, athletic breed of pros on the PGA Tour, only two months to make a case for rookie of the year
First-year man Dustin Johnson has made this year's biggest initial splash on the PGA Tour, but these six fresh faces (presented alphabetically) also have shown they are worth keeping an eye on.
Bryant brothers left to wonder
By Jim Gorant
If the WGCs never leave the U.S., they should turn in the W
Dan Patrick
By Dan Patrick
2008 NCAA TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
In a field loaded with tall, talented front lines, at least half a dozen top contenders are smaller teams that have offset their lack of stature with speed and versatility—weapons they hope will cut the behemoths down to size
By Grant Wahl
When Giants Ruled the Tournament
By Text by Elizabeth McGarr
After four straight wrenching losses in the national semis, LSU—led by senior center Sylvia Fowles and a new, veteran coach—is poised to break through
A passel of post players could be the key to postseason success for these title-hopeful teams
UConn's the team to beat, but again the Vols stand in the way
Start Xeroxing those brackets, strike up the Siena fight song, tell the boss you're taking a long lunch: 65 teams and 65 reasons that prove this is the best basketball month of the year
The Bruins win their 12th national championship by imposing a slow half-court tempo, throttling Kansas's perimeter threats and riding the coattails of superlative freshman Kevin Love to victory
By Grant Wahl
Nine years after his father threw in the towel as Georgetown's coach, John Thompson III has assumed his mantle and made the Hoyas once again a threat to win the national championship
HOCKEY
Being the first to hit that scoring milestone since 1996 would place Alexander Ovechkin in the company of greats. Would it also be a sign of an offensive renaissance in the NHL?
For these stars, reaching the coveted plateau was a feat to be repeated
By Sarah Kwak
PRO BASKETBALL
By embracing a supporting role and livening up the locker room, Shaquille O'Neal has fit right in with the Suns. But so far they don't seem to be a more formidable title contender
MOTOR SPORTS
NASCAR wild child Kyle Busch runs on the edge, and after moving from straitlaced Hendrick Motorsports to the just-win world of Joe Gibbs Racing, he's on top of his game
GOLF
After pouncing on the leaders in the third round, Tiger Woods snatched his sixth win in a row with a brilliant approach and a perfect putt on the 72nd hole
BASEBALL
Not long ago, the Angels' second baseman could barely scare up interest from a junior college—then an Angel showed up in his life, and the career of a future batting champ was born
Inside
By Chris Mannix
By Jon Heyman
By Jon Heyman