July 7, 2014 Table Of Contents
INBOX
EDITOR'S LETTER
WHERE ARE THEY NOW
Where Are They Now: Ernie Banks
Being a Cubs fan has long been a unique challenge. Luckily we have Ernie Banks to show us how to handle the losing with grace and flair. Through all the futile seasons, he never forgot how lucky he was to be doing what he loved
By Rich Cohen
He was an overstuffed teddy bear of a lineman whose colossal rear end became a John Madden obsession. But since spending 30 months in prison, the longtime Cowboy is a shell of the man he once was. And take it from his doctor: That's a good thing
With one mighty swing 40 years ago, the slugger did much more than set a home run record. Number 715 touched the lives of countless others, from the torched pitcher to ushers to fans
The inaugural NFL campaign for Tampa Bay was luckless as well as winless, an injury-plagued disaster that left emotional and physical scars—some of which remain four decades later
She won two Olympic gold medals and a World Cup title, and with retirement nearing, she was uncertain what to do next. Then the very injury that ended her career—and made life almost unbearable—gave her a new sense of purpose
By Emma Span
An unprecedented, monthslong ad campaign turned a pair of decathletes into household names before the 1992 Games. But for Dan O'Brien and Dave Johnson, the hype proved a mixed blessing
After a devastating injury left him paralyzed, the former Bills tight end fought to learn to walk again and to replace any feelings of bitterness with love for his family and friends
By Vidur Malik
THE NBA JOURNEYMAN HAD A SOLID CAREER, BUT WHAT HE'S DOING NOW, IN SPITE OF A DEVASTATING INJURY, WILL BE HIS LEGACY
By Chris Mannix
AN INJURY ENDED HIS DREAM OF PLAYING IN THE NFL, BUT HE STILL HAD PLENTY OF OTHERS. NOW THEY'RE STARTING TO COME TRUE
By Chris Mannix
BOXERS AREN'T KNOWN FOR PLANNING AHEAD, BUT THANKS TO SOME GOOD ADVICE, 'THE PUNISHER' IS NOW IN REAL ESTATE
By Chris Mannix
A movie life in three acts: How a screenwriting son of the heartland made some of the most beloved—and successful—sports films in Hollywood history
AS TOLD TO L. Jon Wertheim
The best high school running back ever became a college bust and a pro washout, then spent two decades wandering from job to job and place to place. So how did he become a happy rancher and energy entrepreneur?
By Joan Niesen
The nickname he got in college seemed appropriate for a sweet-shooting, high-jumping scoring machine. When he failed to live up to it in the NBA—who could?—he felt ashamed. Yet for Baby Jordan, a brief pro career proved to be an enduring blessing
By Seth Davis
In the dawn of the sportscaster-as-celebrity era, he was an idiosyncratic pioneer with an infectious enthusiasm. His love of the game remains just as strong as he works to regain his place in America's living rooms
The transition from professional athlete to retiree is often a rocky one, but players are figuring out how to live satisfying lives after the rush of competition and the roar of the crowd are gone
By Larry Platt
POINT AFTER
Departments
Alex Rodriguez won his last MVP in 2007, before he hooked up with Biogenesis. But a new book suggests he had a chemical boost that season too—with the consent of MLB
By Tim Elfrink
The pressure that makes the event so compelling can crush those who shoulder its burden
By Grant Wahl
A peek at the beginnings of SI's backward-looking annual Where Are They Now issues
Beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings on how to bury the opposition in the sand
By Kalyn Kahler
Edited by Alexandra Fenwick
By Interview by Dan Patrick