July 14, 2008 Table Of Contents
SI Bonus Section: Golf Plus
On the condition of anonymity, a PGA Tour pro ponders a major without Tiger, calls out Kenny Perry and picks a homegrown winner
Just about everyone agrees that AT&T National winner Anthony Kim has the game to be a great one. Time will tell
The pros limp toward Birkdale
By Jim Gorant
Golf's proudest moment took place in Muirfield's men's room
SI.com
SI Players: LIFE ON AND OFF THE FIELD
An NFL-embedded writer finds being a player isn't the kick of a lifetime
The Patriots' receiver buys a NASCAR team
Injury-plagued Matt Leinart steels himself for his third season
As told to Lisa Altobelli
What to watch and watch for
By Sarah Kwak
By Dan Patrick
WHERE THE MONEY GOES
The top earners in each league (above) seldom reflect the best-managed franchises or win-loss records
TENNIS
Imposing his game on grass, Rafael Nadal ripped powerful topspin and sidespin shots to dethrone Roger Federer in a Wimbledon marathon that was the greatest match of all time
U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS
Led by double winner Bernard Lagat, foreign-born runners swept the 1,500 at a tribulation-filled trials that saw one sprint star go down, another emerge and a strong team take shape
By Tim Layden
SWIMMING
Youth, as expected, was served at the swim trials, but the epic splash was made by 41-year-old Dara Torres, who became the oldest American swimmer ever to qualify for the Games
Ninth Annual Where Are They Now?
The Great 8's WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
1958 WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
It's been half a century since the Say Hey Kid led the national pastime on its move to the West Coast. He's still a baseball man at heart, as monumental—and enigmatic—a legend as American sport has ever seen
By Phil Taylor
From his first race 50 years ago to his last in the blue number 43 and on through his long tenure as an owner, NASCAR's winningest driver has been sovereign of the speedways
By Mark Bechtel
Petty Enterprises makes its move for modernity
By Mark Bechtel
By Sarah Kwak
By Mark Beech
By Chris Mannix
1968 WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
One of the fiercest players of his generation, he crossed over in Paper Lion 40 years ago, kicking off a second career in Hollywood. Now he's finally stopping to smell the roses
He was on the receiving end in the Jets' magical season
By Joe Lemire
Party to one of the most incendiary moments in the history of sports, he's gone from pariah to hero over the course of four decades—but not without paying a high cost
By Joe Lemire
1978 WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
One home run changed a season, outraged a Nation and defined a career—then and now. Hey, Red Sox fans, doesn't the wall at Bucky Dent's Baseball School look familiar?
By Ben Reiter
The first man to win the Boston and the New York 26-milers in the same year has fought through cancer and is on track to go the distance one more time
By Adam Duerson
By Rick Lipsey
1988 WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
He pitched the U.S. to Olympic gold two decades ago, then spent 10 seasons in the majors. Even now, he's an inspiration to athletes trying to overcome their disabilities
By Lee Jenkins
Crash and Annie didn't last, did they? Would Mötley Crüe really destroy Nuke's dreams? And how did that ritually slaughtered rooster go over in Milwaukee?
Ron Shelton remains master of the sports movie
By Adam Duerson
By Adam Duerson
By Adam Duerson
By Adam Duerson
The hard-knocks lives of Robert Edwards and John Avery, two friends and fellow first-rounders, who fell on hard times and finally found redemption in an unlikely place
By Ben Reiter
You may not know their names or their faces just yet, but you will—and soon. These 15 teens are among the best in their sports in their age groups, and each one is on track to be a star at a major college, earn professional riches or go for gold at an Olympic Games. (In some cases, maybe all three)
By Text by Joe Lemire
1998 WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
A decade after hijacking tennis as a brash teen, she's matured in attitude and in style, content with the phenomenon she was and the woman she's become
By Sarah Kwak
Point After
By Phil Taylor