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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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PHOTO
ELIZABETH LEE (COSTELLO)
FIVE PHOTOS
