March 14, 2005 | Volume 102, Issue 11

Midwinter Heat Wave

Literature gave us the three Brontë sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne. Comedy gave us the three Howard brothers, Curly, Shemp and Moe. And somewhere between these high and low arts, in a crouch,...

A Busch Series race in Mexico was the first step in Brian France's grand plan to turn all the world (even New York City) into NASCAR Nation

In a basketball career spanning five decades, the ever-upbeat Johnny Kerr has done almost everything--except gain induction into the Hall of Fame

Ralph Sampson's son checks into an Alabama school--and wins a state title

17 Players who have started at least one game for the Pacers, most in the NBA this season.

A Bay Area cycling team tells its newest member to clean up his act

Detained By U.S. immigration officials, jockey Stewart Elliott, who won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness aboard Smarty Jones last year. In 2001 the Toronto native pleaded guilty to an...

Canseco's revelations in Juiced, his best-selling tell-all, caught the attention of lawmakers at the county and federal levels. Canseco was among a group of former and current major leaguers...

Hilary Swank's sparring partner is a favorite to win the Golden Gloves

Before we begin, is this true? I heard they let Martha out 10 days early so she could get her brackets in on time.

The former White House press secretary--and devout Yankees fan--is the author of a new book, Taking Heat

The latest trend in greenlighting films, is naturally, producing soccer movies. Spike Lee is making a film about a Brazilian prodigy, The Goal--not to be confused with Goal, a trilogy about a...

What to watch and watch for

Early in High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story, Ungar meets an elderly New York gangster who's considering bankrolling the brash teenage card shark. "If Gus likes you, there will be no problem," Stu is...

Breaking news, scores, schedules and fresh, original Web-only stories and columns 24/7

Maurice Smith

Chowing down with the Rockets' Yao Ming, Dikembe Mutombo and Patrick Ewing

Georgia Tech's Jarrett Jack may be the best-connected player in college hoops

The Mets and Yankees' newest stars get grilled on Big Apple life

WHO'S Hot

[Based on a survey of 227 NBA players]

They're not the Expos anymore, they're the Nationals, and in Frank Robinson they've got the right man to lead them into Washington, D.C.

Jose Guillen, who wore out his welcome in Anaheim, tries to put his troubles behind him

No moment in sports is as bittersweet as Senior Day. Last week the emotion flowed freely, from a moving oration at Kansas to a tear-jerking upset at Ohio State

BASEBALL

A dream matchup featuring the game's two biggest names lived up to expectations as Tiger Woods rallied to beat Phil Mickelson and regain the world's No. 1 ranking

A coach's alleged dirty deeds at the high-flying Barton County Community College program in Kansas raised fears that the very core of juco hoops may be rotten

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

In five days as a major leaguer, the author saw the splendors of baseball--and its hard reality-- from the best perspective: inside the game

The Week In Sports

After unloading Antoine Walker two years ago, Celtics G.M. Danny Ainge brought him back, slimmer and better

On the deceptiveness of defensive statistics:

UNSUNG SHANE BATTIER

AROUND THE RIM

Though two players nearly died and the team struggled early, UConn is ready to try for another NCAA title

An NBA scout evaluates the potential of Florida forward David Lee, a 6'9", 240-pound senior who averages 13.3 points and 8.8 rebounds and shoots 52.4% from the field.

UCLA'S FRESH FACES

FLAWS EXPOSED

They mean more than anything else in sports. "I'm all about the ring," athletes say. Sure, Dan Marino set hundreds of records, fans gripe, but he never got a ring. After 18 years Karl Malone left...

Feb. 22

IN

A young surfer takes on the big boys--and the big waves--at Mavericks

FREESTYLE SNOWMOBILER

Former pro surfer Jack Johnson continues to ride a wave of carefree, ethereal tunes in his third and latest collection, In Between Dreams. The upbeat melodies and tighter lyrics, as in the new hit...

What kind of nut runs 200 miles at a time? Dean Karnazes answers that question in the fascinating Ultramarathon Man, an engaging memoir from the 2004 Badwater Ultramarathon winner. The 42-year-old...

47 Surfers who rode a 40-foot longboard off Australia's Gold Coast last Saturday, which would be a Guinness world record for the most people on one board. Hang 470!

Winter-weary New York City riders take it to the street in their own indoor skatepark

An interscholastic mountain biking league in California gives high school kids a freewheeling winter sports option

AT AGE 15, KYE PETERSEN IS TEARING UP THE FREESKIING WORLD--AND CHASING THE LEGEND OF HIS FATHER, WHO DIED IN AN AVALANCHE NINE YEARS AGO

COLLEGE HOOPS: TEARS AND CHEERS ON SENIOR DAY

There's a simple reason why Tom Kite, 55 and a Hall of Famer, traded the sure-thing senior circuit for a long-shot return to the PGA Tour: He might not get another chance

A hot spot for India-Pakistan battles and ethnic violence for more than 50 years, Kashmir is far removed from its Shangri-la past but remains a golfing wonderland for the adventurer

PLUS

When it comes to keeping score, the golf industry could learn a lot from golfers

Doral's use of corporate outings with big payoffs to draw an elite field will accelerate a troubling trend on the PGA Tour.

After eagling the 72nd hole to come from behind and win in Dubai, Els spoke about Tiger, tees and flying first-class

What golfers are talking about

84% - Increase in the TV ratings for the final round at Doral on Sunday over the last round in 2004.

On My Own may be a misnomer for Amy Lepard's debut album. Renowned hip-hop producer Mike Mosley (Tupac, E-40, Master P) and pianist Mike Mani (Santana, Temptations), a Grammy winner, probably...

WHO: Tiger Woods

Did Tiger Woods win the Ford Championship at Doral or did Phil Mickelson lose it?

Former PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman, who has recently been campaigning for a limited-flight ball to be used in professional events, will be unable to fly for at least four months because of a...

Amy Lepard, a.k.a. Mrs. Chad Campbell, is taking a big rip at a music career with a self-produced album due this spring

Velocity Sports Performance, a national chain of workout facilities, gets young athletes focused on phys-ed essentials

After half a century of discovering stars from Zelmo Beaty to Ben Wallace, master scout and storyteller Marty Blake is still sizing up every NBA prospect out there

Look for these foreign players to go high in the NBA draft in June

Five years after fleeing war-torn Sudan, shot-blocking sensation Deng Gai is close to fulfilling his hoop dream

Speed skater Shani Davis, a pioneering star in both long and short track, aims to make Olympic history

With a year to go, the '06 hosts face some Athens-like challenges

A biography of Bob Cousy makes the case that the Celtics great all but invented modern pro hoops

The 1971--72 Lakers won an NBA title and set records with a 33-game winning streak and 69 regular-season victories. But there was more to the team.There was Flynn Robinson, who wore a toupee...

Where to get loose with the Red Sox, the Yankees and eight other major league teams

Some big hits outside the parks