March 06, 2006 | Volume 104, Issue 10

Steel the One

This week, as Fat Tuesday feasting yields to Ash Wednesday fasting, let us pause for a moment in defense of gluttony, because sports and unhealthy ingestibles are nearly inseparable. (Literally...

To his job as host of the Oscars this Sunday, The Daily Show's Jon Stewart brings wit, showbiz savvy and an obsession with sports

In what should be its breakout season, the LPGA got off to a sputtering start

Won By Shane Mosley, a junior middleweight bout with Fernando Vargas in Las Vegas last Saturday. It was the first major victory in three years for the former champ, who won by TKO when the fight...

Eager to show an appealing face to the West, Dubai discovers tennis, golf and horse racing

1,001 Career victories for Gene Bess of Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Mo.; he's the first college basketball coach at any level to win 1,000 games.

Seventeen Negro leaguers are voted into the Hall of Fame, including its first woman

In 13 big league games, Glenn Williams hit nearly twice his minor league average. Then disaster struck

THE EARLY days of spring training are a time to loosen stiff muscles, reconnect with teammates and, if you're Jeff Bagwell, try to ignore the fact that your bosses would rather you weren't around....

Snowboarder Shaun White shredded his way to a men's halfpipe gold medal in Turin on Feb. 12, but night owls in New York City are speculating that the Flying Tomato has landed an even bigger prize....

For most teams the dog days don't hit till August, but they came early for San Diego this season. Gussie, a black Labrador belonging to righthander Scott Linebrink, had the run of the outfield...

A Romanian soccer player retired after he found out he had been traded for 33 pounds of meat.

CURT SCHILLING, Red Sox pitcher, on being named to GQ's list of The 10 Most Hated Athletes:

What to watch and watch for

Lincoln Gordon

RED SOX CENTERFIELDER

WHO'S HOT

MARCUS CAMBY Nuggets Forward THE UPPER tattoo on his right arm means strive to be the best. The one below it means clan--which for Camby shows love for his family. "I was one of the originators of...

[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]

What was your welcome-to-the-NBA moment? As a rookie [with the Kings] I had a good preseason--averaging about 15 points. Then my first regular-season game in San Antonio I had two points....

To tune his body, Cubs catcher Michael Barrett has taken the path of most resistance

Fighting off the doldrums, Julia Mancuso attacked the giant slalom and won gold, bringing some luster to a much-maligned U.S. team

Her gold medal chances ended with two early stumbles, but the way Sasha Cohen bounced back gives her something to build on

After an easy route to the finals, the Swedes won--and celebrated--gold medals that they wrested from their Nordic neighbors

The enduring images from Turin include America's most generous winner and a naked man doing the rubber-chicken circuit

IOC head Jacques Rogge has ably run three Games, but his biggest test is ahead, in China

Forget every nasty crack you've ever heard about the Clippers. Led by All-Star forward Elton Brand, the team once known as the worst franchise in sports is erasing decades of futility

More pro basketball coverage, including Chris Ballard's Inside the NBA, at SI.com.

Because of the timing, the World Baseball Classic may get a cool reception in the U.S., but MLB is looking to capitalize on the big picture-and interest abroad is heating up

[This articla consists of photographs. Please see hard copy or pdf.] Floor Show

Linked at the top of the scoring race and the AP poll, shooting stars Adam Morrison of Gonzaga and J.J. Redick of Duke can't both be the best in college basketball.  Or can they?  SI's panel of...

TOUGHEST PLACE TO PLAY (TIE) Duke ... 36% "It's loud, it's congested, and a lot of people are on top of you. It feels like the floor is moving--and like you're playing five-on-eight when...

Tyler Hansbrough, UNC ...36% "He has great hands, he's strong, and he has a ton of desire." ... "He works so hard, he's everywhere the ball is. Offensively, he's a horse." ... "He's [remarkably]...

TOUGHEST PLACE TO PLAY Oklahoma State ...55% "You can't see the backboards--everything behind them is orange." ... "The student sections are on both ends of the court, and the fans don't sit down...

Taj Gray, OKLAHOMA ...45% " When he gets the ball, I think defenses just want to run away from him. He's fierce-looking too."

TOUGHEST PLACE TO PLAY Pittsburgh ...36% "The fans get there early to start heckling you. It's like a zoo." ... "They have a nice, new arena. The student section is next to the court, and the fans...

Rudy Gay, UCONN 73% " He's so athletic, and he can do so much. He's 6'9" and can play a guard position." ... "He can shoot, he's a slasher, and he can rebound."

TOUGHEST PLACE TO PLAY Illinois ... 55% "When their team goes on a run, it gets so loud, the floor starts shaking." ... "The Orange Krush section messes with your head."

Brent Petway, MICHIGAN ...73% "It's pretty much all he does. His warmups are like a dunkfest." ... "He's a human highlight film. I've never seen anyone like him." ... "They call [the Atlanta...

TOUGHEST PLACE TO PLAY Florida ... 50% "I have to go with the O'Connell Center. You can't even take the ball out-of-bounds there without getting hassled." ... "It's a hostile crowd, and the fans...

Chris Lofton, TENNESSEE ...75% " He has an unbelievably quick release." ... "His range is all over the court. He has taken Tennessee to a new level." ... "He can shoot off the dribble or off the...

TOUGHEST PLACE TO PLAY Oregon ... 50% "McArthur Court is crazy. It's been there for 80 years. The stands go straight up, and the band plays the fight song on every dead ball." ... "The fans dig up...

Arron Afflalo, UCLA ... 30% "He's strong, he's quick on his feet, and he does a great job on the other team's best player."

The NFL

A Cut Above?

Green Bay's new coach, Mike McCarthy, spent 45 minutes talking football with Brett Favre recently, much of it about the nuts and bolts of McCarthy's offense. "I think he's going to play [in...

The Race Is On

1 It's time to give Ohio State's Terence Dials his due. The unheralded 6'9" senior center is the Buckeyes' leading scorer (15.0 points a game at week's end) and rebounder (8.2 a game)--he had 22...

Gambling Man

THE HOTLINE

Uh, boss, just a little heads-up that you'll be hearing very soon from Cherie Davis, the mother of U.S. speedskater Shani Davis.

Exclusively on Verizon Wireless V CAST and SI.com.

Like many other Tour pros, Adam Scott followed a Match Play week tradition by dropping in on his clubmaker's West Coast test facility for an early-season tuneup

The cast members of the latest Big Break have great golf résumés, but do they make good TV?

The Chrysler Classic goes out in style

WHO: Geoff Ogilvy

There was more to the Fields Open than Meena Lee's playoff win

Geoff (Not Joe) Ogilvy (Not Ogilvie) Finally Makes a Name for Himself with a Grueling Victory at La Costa

Behind the Scenes at Big Break V page G16

During the pro-am in Tucson, I saw how the other half lives

[This article consists of an illustration. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]

Michelle Wie's closing 66 was the clincher--she'll win an LPGA event this year.

A Tar Heels fan travels into the heart of darkness to see if Coach K and the Dukies are truly evil

LAST DANCE: BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE FINAL FOUR