LINEUP

DEPARTMENTS

6 Leading Off

14 Letters

16 Editor's Letter

21 Scorecard

It's time to reexamine the rules in sports

30 Faces in the Crowd

33 Just My Type

Clayton Kershaw on his pitching influences

BY DAN PATRICK

34 Inside ...

NFL

Why the Lions are 3--0

College Football

No D in Oklahoma State

NASCAR

The streaking Stewart

84 Point After

One man's quest to fulfill a boy's dream

BY PHIL TAYLOR

FEATURES

42 MLB PLAYOFF PREVIEW

POSTSEASON PITCHING

The story of October baseball begins and ends with aces and closers, and Detroit has this year's best one-two punch

By Tom Verducci

46 MLB PLAYOFF PREVIEW

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

For Phillies Nation, every game has felt like October since Cliff Lee's return. Now a growing fan base wonders: Is it still O.K. to boo?

By Gary Smith

56 PRO FOOTBALL

THE BILLS

Buffalo is 3--0 thanks to a Harvard-bred quarterback

By Ben Reiter

60 PRO HOCKEY

SIDNEY CROSBY

The NHL star believes alternative medicine has helped his recovery

By David Epstein and Michael Farber

64 COLLEGE FOOTBALL

WISCONSIN

Behind a massive front five, the Badgers are playing classic ball

By Lars Anderson

THE HERO NO ONE KNEW

The mystery of Walter Payton deepened in his final years

BY JEFF PEARLMAN P. 70

"The next eight months would be the toughest of his superb career, sending him from darkened rooms and doctors' offices to an unlikely salvation at a community ice rink in suburban Atlanta.

—David Epstein and Michael Farber, on Penguins star Sidney Crosby (left)

P. 60

This week SI has three covers: the Bills, Walter Payton and the Phillies.

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ON THE COVER PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAMIAN STROHMEYER (BILLS); AL TIELEMANS (PHILLIES); JONATHAN DANIEL/GETTY IMAGES (PAYTON)

PHOTO

ED ZURGA/GETTY IMAGES (VALVERDE)

MOTOWN ARTIST Jose Valverde has converted 49 straight save opportunities for the AL Central champion Tigers.

PHOTO

FRED VUICH (CROSBY)

FOUR PHOTOS