September 14, 2009 Table Of Contents
LEADING OFF
Inside: THE WEEK IN SPORTS
By beating the colts (again) in a historic Woodward, Rachel Alexandra cemented her status as Horse of the Year
By Tim Layden
Poised, polished and just 19, Jozy Altidore looks set to reach heights unprecedented for an American
By Grant Wahl
A cluster of top-seeded women succumbed to self-doubt and shaky mechanics during a volatile first week at the Open
By S.L. Price
Buffalo became the third team to fire its offensive coordinator on the brink of the season. Can it work?
By Jim Trotter
By Peter King
Who's up, who's down
By David Sabino
After a win at Wake, QB (and world-class hurdler) Robert Griffin has Baylor aiming for its first bowl bid in 15 years
By Mark Beech
Even nursing a fractured foot—injured playing Frisbee!—Carl Edwards is ready to kick it in gear for the Chase
OPENING WEEK
After manhandling Georgia for its biggest opening win, then seeing Oklahoma and Sam Bradford get flattened by BYU, Oklahoma State is the team to beat in the Sooner State
By Albert Chen
New quarterback Greg McElroy and sophomore running back Mark Ingram needed two quarters to get the Alabama offense rolling over Virginia Tech
The first true freshman to start a USC opener at quarterback, Matt Barkley was his usual unflappable self in a rout of San Jose State
Showing it can play a little defense too, Boise State stifled high-powered Oregon and made an early BCS statement
BASEBALL
Inspired by the memory of Nick Adenhart—and the remarkable recovery of his friend Jon Wilhite—L.A. has overcome a bleak start to seize control of the AL West
By Lee Jenkins
Point After
Departments
The best way to rule the NL? Start signing AL players
For New England's draft-loving coach, there's no time like the future
By Peter King
Minnesota's prized draft pick from Spain decides to put off his NBA dreams
By Chris Mannix
Exploring what can go wrong when you're too true to your team
By Sarah Kwak
What smart fans should do this week
The R&B star and Ohio native is on tour this fall
As told to Sarah Kwak
By Dan Patrick
SI's fearless NFL expert opines on all the latest news, buzz and inside information. This is just a taste of what you'll get online.
By Peter King