November 14, 2005 | Volume 103, Issue 19

Pacers Edge

SEPTEMBER 11, 1989

Lou Holtz, buying snacks at an airport newsstand, can hardly believe his good luck. "Three ninety-nine?" he says, repeating the total to me, the stranger behind him in line. "It's never $3.99....

As success transformed the Red Sox into an Evil Empire, Theo Epstein came to see his dream job as an untenable position

Daly and Trimspa? Sherman and phones? A brief history of product misplacement

Won By Justin McBride (above), the Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough world championship, earning the 26-year-old rider a $1 million bonus at the circuit's World Finals in Las Vegas....

July 1-3, Sonkajarvi, Finland Rodman attends the Wife-Carrying World Championships, but declines to compete, saying he lacks proper training, not to mention an able wife. (His had a broken leg.)...

3,907 Career yards gained on the ground by Missouri senior Brad Smith, who set an NCAA rushing record for quarterbacks in a loss to Colorado last Saturday.

Another concussion could force scrappy receiver Wayne Chrebet to call it a career

Kenya's Paul Tergat battled to the tape in the closest finish in New York City Marathon history By Brian Cazeneuve

The 41-year-old British actor (Croupier) stars in Derailed, which opens on Friday

In 2001 he played cornerman Drew (Bundini) Brown to Will Smith's Muhammad Ali. Now Jamie Foxx wants to be the main event. Foxx, who last year won a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Ray...

The clothes that Len Bias wore at the 1986 NBA draft, two days before he died of a drug overdose, were sold on eBay for $6,000.

Maybe Malik Rose should concentrate on giving his own teammates a pick-me-up. Rose--who dragged the Wizards' Chucky Atkins to his feet during a defeat in New York--and the Knicks lost their first...

BRENT BARRY, Spurs guard, on the reason for his improved shooting touch:

What to watch and watch for

SI's writers offer their picks for the magazine's Sportsman of the Year

SI.COM

Cory Mehl SEATTLE > Golf Cory, a sophomore at O'Dea High, shot a 10-under-par 60 at Jefferson Park, a course record from the white tees, to help the Irish win the Metro League boys' golf...

IT MAY feel as if your NBA draft just ended, but astute fantasy owners never stop tweaking their rosters. Here are two players who may have gone undrafted in your league but, a week into the...

BEARS QUARTERBACK

WHO'S HOT

Learning to stay awake during game film, and other rigors of being an NFL rookie

Rookie punters are all over the NFL map

The Colts have sprinted to the best record in football behind a combination of precision offense and an eye-popping defense with seven stars 25 or under--and they aren't the only team riding a...

Versatile, hard-hitting and oozing confidence, the next generation of defensive stars is disrupting game plans and creating a new blueprint for building winners

He's soft-spoken and self-effacing off the field, but when Steelers safety Troy Polamalu hits the gridiron, his hair comes down and the rampage begins

Some young stars have risen to prominence in the first half of the season. An inside look at who's ready to break into the 2005 all-star lineup

Who were those impostors in the dark uniforms on Sunday night? They couldn't have been the Eagles. These guys spent the whole first half sitting back, letting Mark Brunell take his time completing...

After the latest--and last?--confrontation between Terrell Owens and the Eagles, the reigning NFC champions are floundering at .500 and facing an uphill battle to salvage their season

Martell Webster is only 18, but the Trail Blazers' rookie is mature beyond his years thanks to a wise old lady who raised him after the mysterious disappearance of his mother

Jack McCallum's NBA Insider and more opening-week analysis at SI.com/NBA.

Under the critical eye of coach Charlie Weis, the transformed Brady Quinn has led a big turnaround at Notre Dame. Now he looks good to the NFL

See where Brady Quinn ranks on Gene Menez's Heisman Watch at SI.com/collegefootball.

Last season these guys, like Notre Dame's Brady Quinn, were either invisible or underused while playing in a major program. What a difference a year can make.

Heave Hokie Miami defensive backs Randy Phillips (left) and Brandon Meriweather gave Virginia Tech receiver Josh Morgan an unwelcome pick-me-up last Saturday in Blacksburg, Va., during the...

No NHL player is better suited to the glamour of Hollywood than Jeremy Roenick, who is already a celebrity for his new team, the first-place Kings

Former Colorado wideout JEREMY BLOOM, the world's best moguls skier, hopes to jump straight from the Olympic medal stand to the NFL

These pre-Olympic encounters could provide almost as much drama as the Games

With fewer than 100 days to go until the flame is lit on Feb. 10 to begin the 20th Winter Games, here's an early overview

College Football

Looks like the end of the run for the Kings, who have reined in their up-tempo attack to accommodate Shareef Abdur-Rahim

Miami's no-name defenders showed why they're tops in the nation in a resounding upset of third-ranked Virginia Tech

HOT TOPIC

Note to our readers: We have eliminated the middle man so that you will not have to wait a week between Rick Reilly's column and the hate mail that inevitably follows.

NOTRE DAME QUARTERBACK BRADY QUINN

After 10 months and 48 tournaments, this season will be remembered for these deeds and words, which we honor here

He conquered his inner wimp, then stared down Tiger Woods to win the Tour Championship

2

WHO: Bart Bryant

Did Phil Mickelson have a responsibility to show up for the Tour Championship?

TOMMY ARMOUR III on ...

A bad ticker couldn't stop my dad, who has golf in his blood

To make TV happy, the Tour must--and will--go further than the FedEx Cup.

Bart Bryant rocked as the Tour Championship rolled out a bold plan for its future

Despite his nickname, pool hustler John Macias often plays for large sums--50 or 60 large, to be exact

Trainers are turning to a new device to help depleted muscles recover and improve performance

That's the main reason athletes and coaches compete--and thrive--in the backwaters of NCAA Divisions II and III, where there is little scholarship money and even less individual glory

The quest for an athlete's autograph is not always an easy one--for the hunter or the prey. Some veteran signature seekers reveal the ins and outs of getting that elusive scribble from a hero

John Feinstein's season with the Baltimore Ravens gives an intimate look at the pressure of NFL life

Christine Sinclair, the nation's top scorer, leads Portland into the NCAAs in search of a second national title

Senior defensive end Tamba Hali had to flee war-torn Liberia, but he's found a home at Penn State