August 24, 2009 Table Of Contents
GOLF PLUS
Imagine that the PGA Championship was the 2016 Olympics. Y.E. Yang's improbable victory might have touched off the next golf boom, and even Tiger Woods could've found a silver lining in his most crushing defeat
Only 12 players made the cut in all four major championships this season. Here's how they rank based on average finish.
By Sal Johnson
Should we tut-tut about those on-course expletives? Hell, no
By Jim Frank
LEADING OFF
Inside: THE WEEK IN SPORTS
After the 2--1 loss in Mexico, the U.S. suddenly faces a make-or-break stretch in World Cup qualifying
By Grant Wahl
The most exciting races in both leagues are for wild cards, and four unlikely teams are in hot pursuit of them
By Jon Heyman
After spending three seasons as Pat White's backup, big-armed QB Jarrett Brown takes the reins at West Virginia
By Mark Beech
Can Britain's Jenson Button and his upstart team continue their winning ways amid a topsy-turvy season?
PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
At the PGA Championship, South Korea's Y. E. Yang stunned the golf world by overtaking sports' greatest front-runner to become the first Asian male to win a Grand Slam event
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
A towering figure in hoops-crazed Kentucky, Louisville coach Rick Pitino has weathered sordid revelations of an affair with a woman accused of trying to extort him. The Cardinals, after all, need him
By Tim Layden
PRO FOOTBALL
Until he does, that is. Welcome to Chicago, a tough football town with a history of eating up and spitting out Bears quarterbacks
By Albert Chen
Michael Vick began practicing with the Eagles, with plenty of questions still hanging in the air
By Ben Reiter
BASEBALL
Twenty years ago one teenager made a bet on the stardom of another teen, whose rookie card would become one of a kind. It would also signal the beginning of the end of a once-thriving industry
By Luke Winn
Three Lives, Two Hits, One Happy Ending
Fate chose Marc Buoniconti to be the one left a quadriplegic, but he became the force behind a research center that has saved or improved the lives of other spinal-cord victims. He also brought peace of mind to Henry Mull and Herman Jacobs
By S.L. Price
Point After
Departments
Tiger in the Olympics? It's about time
Usain Bolt didn't showboat—he just crushed the world 100-meter record
Eunice Kennedy Shriver 1921--2009
Altruist and athlete, the Special Olympics founder saw the uplifting power of sports
What smart fans should do this week
By Dan Patrick
SI's fearless NFL expert ponders all the latest news, buzz and inside information. This is just a taste of what you'll get online.
By Peter King