April 4, 2011 Table Of Contents
LEADING OFF
NCAA TOURNAMENT: FINAL FOUR
By Tim Layden
BASEBALL PREVIEW
Fascination with the fastball (a.k.a. smoke, cheese, cheddar, heat, gas) is as old as baseball itself. But now everyone—scouts, fans, Little League dads—is obsessed with differentiating between fast and faster. It's the golden age of speed freaks: one nation, under the gun
By Tom Verducci
By Gary Smith
This winter the Yanks were rejected and the Rays were rebuilt. But the Red Sox reloaded and are primed to be the beasts of the East
By Ben Reiter
Remember the Comedy Central awash so long in mediocrity and midsized payrolls? It's now a high-rent district—and the Twins rule
By Albert Chen
The Rangers can score, but can they pitch? The A's can pitch, but can they score? They'll settle those questions in a tight race
By Ben Reiter
Can anyone beat the Phab Phour? With an aging Philadelphia lineup and the Braves improving, the race will be closer than you think
By Ted Keith
Something's brewing in Milwaukee and the Cards still have Albert, but the Reds, loaded with rising stars, are the class of the division—perhaps for years to come
By Joe Lemire
Three things are certain in the wild West: Games will be taut, the race will be even tighter and the Giants have the pitching to repeat
By Matt Gagne
Bartman never interfered, Alou made the catch, and the Cubs won the National League pennant and went to the 2003 World Series
Point After
Departments
A report on financial misconduct at the Fiesta Bowl reflects a broken BCS system
The U.S. soccer team is moving up—at least in the company it keeps
By Grant Wahl
A newspaper icon breathes life into a classic MLB tale
By Ben Reiter
By Dan Patrick
Edited by Alexandra Fenwick
Is Blade Runner back on an Olympic track?