Lineup

34 | PRO FOOTBALL

MICHAEL VICK

The Eagles quarterback's rebirth as an NFL star is forcing the league and its fans to confront an uneasy question: Is it O.K. to cheer?

By S.L. Price

44 | NASCAR

JIMMIE JOHNSON

The sport's best driver won an unprecedented fifth straight Cup championship—and all it took was the greatest performance of his career

By Lars Anderson

52 | HOCKEY

STEVEN STAMKOS

The scoring prowess of the best pure shooter in the NHL has made the Lightning a contender in the Eastern Conference

By Michael Farber

56 | PRO BASKETBALL

CHRIS PAUL

Over the summer the point guard said he might leave New Orleans unless the Hornets made a commitment to get better. The team listened—and did

By Ian Thomsen

62 | SOCCER

RAPIDS ASCENT

Once an MLS afterthought, Colorado squeezed by FC Dallas to win the first league championship in franchise history

By Grant Wahl

Departments

4 Leading Off

12 Letters

14 Scorecard

• World Cup stumping

• College football flops

22 Just My Type

QB Mark Sanchez on the joy of ad-libbing

By Dan Patrick

24 Faces in the Crowd

28 Inside ...

• The NFL

The baby Bucs

• Fantasy Football

Teammates matter

• College Football

Locker's lament

74 Point After

Cody Ross's sweet ride

By Phil Taylor

The Courage of Jill Costello

After her junior season, the Cal coxswain learned she was in the late stages of cancer. The next year was her best

By Chris Ballard

p. 64

ON THE COVER Photograph by Chris McGrath/Getty Images

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ELIZABETH LEE (COSTELLO)

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