December 06, 2004 | Volume 101, Issue 22

Its origins lie in kids' games, but there's nothing immature about the booming Paintball industry

Many fans just can't believe that Jeremy Wariner, the Olympic 400-meter champ, is white--and they've argued it out on the Web

The Week in Sports

Seattle is off to a scorching start thanks to Ray Allen, who's having so much fun he might just stick around for a while

On the Grizzlies, after coach Hubie Brown retired last Thursday:

Wake Forest's Justin Gray showcased his toughness--and talent--in leading the Demon Deacons to the NIT title

1 Washington is more than just Nate Robinson. The dynamic 5'9" junior point guard is one of six players averaging at least eight points for the 5--0 Huskies, who defeated Utah, Oklahoma and...

Eleven coaches have stepped down or been fired in the last month. How many more will follow--and who will they be?

1 Why on earth do we need 28 bowl games? A rash of upsets, coupled with South Carolina's and Clemson's self-imposed bans, means there could be exactly 56 eligible teams once the dust settles. As...

GAMES TO WATCH

Despite a tragedy that rocked his team, Jimmie Johnson roared to the most Cup wins and is SI's Driver of the Year

Microphone in hand, Jeff Gordon stood on a deck outside the Marriott in South Beach on Nov. 19 and threw down the gauntlet. "I can't wait to get to Paris," Gordon told the crowd of 100 fans, "and...

The Vikings' hopes of winning the NFC North hinge on whether game-breaker Randy Moss can stay healthy

COLTS' PASSING GAME

VP PIOLI STAYING PUT

HOT TOPIC

David Binn remembers. Who is David Binn? He's the San Diego long snapper and the only Charger who remembers the last time the team was any good.

The Chargers moved to 8--3 on Sunday largely because of backup wideout Kassim Osgood's terrific hustle on the second-half kickoff in Kansas City. The Chiefs' Dante Hall was headed for an apparent...

So the Sportsmen of the Year are the 2004 Boston Red Sox? Big freakin' beans. You want to know who deserves the Sportsman urn more?

Steel Home

LETTERS

TWO WEEKS after the Red Sox won the World Series, senior writer Tom Verducci traveled to Boston to look at their mail. He was fascinated by the unique bond between the team and its fans--"I...

At Harvard football alumni have a choice. They can one day run the West Coast offense or one day run the actual West Coast. In the last six years seven Crimson ballers have signed with NFL teams....

Why do so many coaches who look like geniuses in college seem to lose their faculties in the NFL? Going pro isn't easy, but here's how it can be done

Star players like Landon Donovan are leaving MLS for Europe. Is this a disaster--or a sign that American soccer is coming of age?

The ugly incident at The Palace of Auburn Hills is still sending out ripples

$300,000 Average monthly salary for NHL players last season.

After 81 years one of the Babe's bats is back

Died at 85, after a long illness, Gunder Hägg, who set the world record in the mile in 1945 and held it until Roger Bannister broke the four-minute barrier in 1954. The son of a forest...

Harry Statham found a home, and a pile of wins, in the NAIA

The 77-year-old artist's The LeRoy Neiman Sketchbook: 1964 Liston vs. Clay 1965 Ali vs. Liston is out on Dec. 30

Happy holidays. I hate to get tough, but beginning with this column, alcohol sales will be cut off after the third joke.

Brett Favre popped up onstage during the taping of Tim McGraw's Here and Now NBC special in Green Bay on Nov. 24, but the Packers quarterback wasn't about to take a pass at one of the country...

A minor league hockey player in West Virginia was suspended indefinitely for mooning fans during a game.

"NASCAR driver, on why the NBA brawl couldn't happen in his sport: "None of our fans would ever let go of a beer for any reason, much less throw it at somebody."

What to watch and watch for

Forget political commentary and stuffy British dramas--we're approaching You Go, Girl! week on PBS. In the documentary Girl Wrestler (Dec. 14, 10 p.m.) 13-year-old Tara Neal of Austin is...

If money were no object, which free agent would you sign?

Kelley King Hunts For Hidden Gems

Who's going where in January.

Sarah Huffman FLOWER MOUND, TEXAS > Soccer

Falcons Defensive End

Based on a survey of 354 players

WHO'S Hot

Expert advice from a newly booted punter

RICHARD ALSTON/ Browns Wide Receiver

Ravens Defensive Tackle

Richard Seymour is the best dressed player on the NFL's best team

Richie Anderson, Dallas Cowboys Fullback

Twenty years after they came over on the Mayflower (moving vans), the Colts are happily part of the Hoosier landscape

The Titans talk about what they like to do in Indianapolis

MUCH MIST When he walked away from the NFL at age 30 in 1998, Barry Sanders didn't apologize or explain. He wasn't angry though; after rushing for 15,269 yards, he was just finished with...

The 2004 Boston Red Sox staged the most improbable comeback in baseball history and liberated their long-suffering nation of fans

1901

Good things have come in pairs this season as three of the nation's top four teams have two bona fide candidates for the Heisman Trophy

A steady passer and a spectacular back, each making the other look good, have USC sitting pretty

Cal's Aaron Rodgers and J.J. Arrington have the numbers, but not the national profiles

The man who runs the offensive show for unbeaten Utah, quarterback Alex Smith stands alone as a Heisman candidate

After five ankle operations and four lost seasons, forward Grant Hill has returned to the Magic, exhibiting a familiar all-around brilliance

• For daily Web-only Leading Off galleries, go to si.com/scorecard.

After a near-fatal accident, Jay Williams is on his feet and in a rush to play again

It's been a long fall from the top for the once-mighty Dolphins and 49ers, who met in a game devoid of playoff implications but with plenty of draft-day importance

Pickings could be slim at the top of the 2005 draft

NBA scouts, college coaches and shoe reps have been enamored with 7-foot center Greg Oden for two years--and he's still only halfway through high school

On June 27, 1981, Charles Gaines and some friends went into the New Hampshire woods to settle an argument by shooting paint at one another. Look what they came back with

A former pro surfer is reinventing adventure fashion with an eclectic blend of art and commerce

By championing his sport's asphalt roots, one skater is rolling up a sizable fortune

Freeride champion Tanner Hall, cofounder of Armada Skis, is just one of a new generation of action sports entrepreneurs who know the future belongs to them

A daring jump over Tour riders in France in 2003 has helped a clothing line soar

From moviemaking to fashion design to Maxim exposure, a snowboarder finds ways to keep busy

[This article consists of photographs--see below]