
LINEUP
BASEBALL 2013
(RE)PREVIEW
34 Pirates Treasure
There are sharks in the bullpen and hope in the Steel City
BY BEN REITER
The Cases for ...
The Red Sox, The A's, the Braves
42 5-Minute Guide
Revised predictions, breakout players, surprise teams and things to watch for during the dog days
BY JOE SHEEHAN
48 Buster Posey
A country boy who shuns the spotlight has become a poster boy for the team in the nation's most progressive city
BY TOM VERDUCCI
FEATURES
54 THE WIZARD OF KABUL
How a Peace Corps volunteer turned Afghan teens into a national team—and a winner
BY CHRIS BALLARD
DEPARTMENTS
4 SI Digital
6 Leading Off
12 The Mail
15 Scorecard
The NCAA's growing threat
21 Faces in the Crowd
25 Just My Type
Victor Cruz rues a tweet
BY DAN PATRICK
64 Point After
The death of a boarder
BY RICHARD O'BRIEN
SI HAS REGIONAL COVERS THIS WEEK: Photographs by John Burgess for Sports Illustrated (Posey); Hunter Martin/Getty Images (Grilli); Ryan Pierse/Getty Images (shark)
PHOTO
CHARLES LECLAIRE/USA TODAY SPORTS (MCCUTCHEN)
HIGHER ASPIRATIONS With Andrew McCutchen in center, the high-flying Pirates are one of several teams that have vaulted into the pennant race.
PHOTO
JUSTIN K. ALLER/GETTY IMAGES (GRILLI)
THREE PHOTOS