April 25, 2005 | Volume 102, Issue 17

Play Ball!

LETTERS

This season on XM satellite radio you can listen to the broadcasts of every single major league baseball game, a technological marvel that marries Guglielmo Marconi (inventor of radio) to Bye Bye...

In researching a book on steroids, the author came face-to-face with the man reputed to be the driving force behind "the clear," the drug at the center of the BALCO case

He won over finicky Philly fans. Now can Terrell Owens parlay that goodwill into a new deal?

Redeemed

45 Strikeouts in Division II Lynn's 2-1 softball win over Saint Leo last Friday; Saint Leo's Katie Heintz had 23, Lynn's Aimee Murch had 22.

Lance Armstrong, 33, who announced on Monday that this year's Tour de France will be his final race. The six-time Tour champ, who recently signed with a new team sponsored by the Discovery...

After being wounded in Iraq, a former Army lacrosse star returns to the field

The 47-year-old Hall of Fame jockey is the author of the just published Against the Odds: Riding for My Life

Good to be here. Well, I guess it was only a matter of time. Three of my friends from college have to go to Washington to explain the steroid policy in our Rotisserie League.

Though it will air on the Golf Channel, Natalie Gulbis's new reality program will feature bikinis as well as birdies. Natalie, a six-episode series that premieres on July 19, will take viewers on...

Irish bookmaker Paddy Power has taken more than $250,000 in bets on the identity of the next pope.

PAUL NEWMAN

What to watch and watch for

It's such a simple idea that you wonder why more broadcasters don't do it: selling uncut games on DVD as an alternative to overproduced, watered-down commemorative highlight reels. ABC has...

Political Pitches

Sportsmanship Edition

Patriots Wide Receiver

WHO'S Hot

[ Based on a survey of 227 NBA players ]

In last week's issue an item about Detroit Free Press reporter Mitch Albom's fabricating a scene in his column on Michigan State's Final Four game said that Albom "wasn't even in St. Louis."...

AT THE NFL combine Harvard quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick's 4.07 seconds in the 20-yard short shuttle run was second best among QBs, but his most eye-opening statistic was nine minutes. That's how...

Running back Ronnie Brown helped lead Auburn to a 13-0 record last season, and his draft stock skyrocketed: He's now projected as a top five pick (page 50). Here he shares his thoughts and...

If you get them mixed up on draft day, you won't be the first

On assignment for SI, a novelist got a crash course in the NBA

Everyone is asking if freewheeling Phoenix, league leader in points and victories, can win in the playoffs. Recent history, and a lot of experts, say no. Then again. . .

When Miami needs a locker room boost or late-game trey, it can count on Damon Jones, who seldom lets his game do the talking

In the heat of the playoffs, there's no telling what players will say--or how often their quotes will come back to haunt them

AMONG THOSE assured of making their postseason debuts this weekend, the Mavericks' Erick Dampier (above) should be the happiest. Before landing with a contender in Dallas, the 29-year-old center...

They haven't commanded the spotlight, but five players are positioned to play major roles in their teams' postseason fates

SI sizes up the playoffs (bad news, Shaq) and a big deal

And it's a resounding yea as Washington, D.C., falls in love with the Nationals, who are likely to succeed where the Senators twice failed

The most intriguing prospect in a confounding draft is Matt Jones, a college quarterback with size and speed who might line up at wideout, tight end or H-back. Consider the possibilities

Departments

You hear it everywhere: "Hardest draft I've ever tried to figure out," says Texans general manager Charley Casserly. Part of the problem is that there aren't any franchise players. (*projected trade)

A graduate of the Parcells-Belichick school of no-nonsense football, Notre Dame alum Charlie Weis is the latest coach called upon to put the fight back in the Fighting Irish

With April football winding down, these are some of the biggest issues for the 2005 season

Tyrone Willingham takes over at Washington, where the beleaguered Huskies desperately need a steadying hand

A longtime niche sport, lacrosse is the fastest-growing game in the U.S. at every level. The appeal? It's a neat composite of other sports, it's fast, it's easy to learn. And it's cool

Over the last two decades the number of male and female undergraduates playing lacrosse has risen by at least 75%

As more and more state high school associations sanction lacrosse, the sport is growing dramatically--and the girls are keeping pace

Young kids flock to lacrosse because it's fast and exciting--and their parents rarely know the first thing about it

[This article consists of photographs. See below]

Free-spirited Colorado is the center of the revolution in U.S. lacrosse

Using space-age materials and X Games attitude, one company set lax's new style

The Week In Sports

Led by a dominant Pedro Martinez, the Mets erase an 0--5 start and show up the critics with six straight victories

[Three Up]

ORIOLE BRIAN ROBERTS

WELCOME RESTRAINT

Todd Pletcher and Nick Zito took different routes to the Derby, but both will arrive with strong contenders

FOUR FAVORITES

The most popular Phoenix Sun puts his reputation on the line every night. But it's dry now, so he takes the gorilla suit down and stuffs it in his bag with three others. In 17 years--through...

SI PICKS THE FIRST 32

If you think the ball flies too far, here's a way the problem might be fixed

NEXT WEEK: BALL WARS

A course doesn't have to be crazy long to be challenging, as tricky Harbour Town proved on Sunday.

With more than 100 significant amateur championships to their credit, five generations of the Fords of Charleston have been to Carolina Lowcountry golf what the Wallendas have been to the high wire

Although Frank C. Ford Sr. was the progenitor of four generations of accomplished golfers, his mother, Anne (Sissie) Gaillard Hanahan Ford, was the family's oldest champion, and his wife,...

A survival guide to the slew of Red Sox and Yankees books

Is an English soccer stadium haunted? It wouldn't be the first time players felt spooked

A record purse awaits women's boxing's first superstar, if she can get past an old foe