Lineup

Features

BASEBALL

22 St. Louis Cardinals

There they are—game after game, year after year

By Ben Reiter

26 Pittsburgh Pirates

Keeping pace with a new-age approach and an old-school ace

By Albert Chen

GOLF

32 Jason Day

So close so often at major championships, he broke through in a big way at the PGA

By Alan Shipnuck

PRO FOOTBALL

38 John Urschel

Why would a mathematician delay his Ph.D. to be a lineman?

By Emily Kaplan

PRO BASKETBALL

44 Elena Delle Donne

A league beset by scandal needs a transcendent star

By Andrew Lawrence

BASEBALL

50 Brian Cashman

The GM is one of the finest—and most fearless—Yankees ever

By S.L. Price

Departments

2 SI Digital

4 Leading Off

10 Inbox

12 Scorecard

18 Faces in the Crowd

19 Just My Type

Dan Patrick: Just the Big Unit being the Big Unit

60 Point After

Steve Rushin: Playing the dating game

On the cover: Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

PHOTO

Photograph by Fred Vuich for Sports Illustrated