September 22, 2008 Table Of Contents
SI.com
SI Players: LIFE ON AND OFF THE FIELD
Are two Hall of Fame coaches hurting their legacies by refusing to retire?
By Phil Taylor
TWINS FIRST BASEMAN
As told to Ben Reiter
Beware of "stars" met in bars
Michael Phelps makes a splash on SNL
By Adam Duerson
SI. Sept. 15, Point After Update
By Joe Lemire
What to watch and watch for
By Sarah Kwak
By Dan Patrick
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
35--3 for USC (Déj√† Vu for OSU)
With new passer Mark Sanchez and an unproven offensive line performing well in their first important test, top-ranked USC was its usual brilliant self in becoming the latest team to expose Ohio State in a big-game situation
Three matchups featuring SEC teams will help shape the national title race
By Ben Reiter
Judging by the play of the rest of the Pac-10 last weekend, USC should cruise to the BCS title game
By Phil Taylor
PRO FOOTBALL
Shaken by the injury to Tom Brady, nursing a bad knee and suddenly vulnerable behind a patchwork offensive line, Peyton Manning is confronting the greatest challenge of his career
By Lee Jenkins
If it's just the boos that are bothering Vince Young, does he really have the temperament to lead an NFL team?
By Jim Trotter
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Davidson's Stephen Curry was the breakout star of the Big Dance, but even after hobnobbing with LeBron, he's still adjusting to his sudden celebrity—and to his new position
By Grant Wahl
YANKEE STADIUM
The last home run in the House That Ruth Built will be hit this week; then the wrecking ball will take its cuts at Yankee Stadium. The walls of this American monument do talk, and it has a few final secrets to share
By Tom Verducci
Inside
Andrew Friedman brilliantly added all the right pieces to the Rays, and for that, he is SI's top executive of '08
By Jon Heyman
Baseball Prospectus Unconventional Wisdom
By Joe Sheehan
A trusted scout persuaded the Patriots to take a chance on Matt Cassel in April 2005—and the payoff comes now
By Peter King
It's still early, but two games can go a long way toward separating the stars from the stiffs
By David Sabino
In a hole after one race of the Chase, Kyle Busch can prove that he has, in fact, matured enough to find a way out
By Mark Beech
Slowly but surely, coach Bobby Johnson has stocked Vanderbilt with the talent needed to end 25 straight years of losing
Stewart Mandel's Three-Point Stance
