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TABLE OF CONTENTS
October 14, 2002 | Volume 97, Issue 15
October 14, 2002 Body LanguageSports take, and make, all kinds of bodies, from tiny to towering, from buff to beefy. On this and the next two spreads are 72 of the 130 men and women—swimmers and shot-putters,...
On a team in search of star power, Brad Isbister is ready for his close-up
A need for goals overrides the concerns about signing the volatile Theo Fleury
Chris Osgood's 2.50 goals-against average last season was the best for an Islanders netminder (minimum 20 games) since Chico Resch's 2.28 GAA in 1976-77.
Last season the Blackhawks had only seven home losses, the fewest by the club since the NHL expanded the schedule to 80 games in 1974-75.
An organizational overhaul results in help—finally—for star wing Paul Kariya
Thanks to José Théodore, the storied franchise has playoff potential again
The Ducks scored 175 goals in 2001-02, the second fewest in the league and the lowest full-season total in team history.
Last season goaltender José Théodore became the 12th different Canadien to win the Hart Trophy since it was introduced in 1924.
What happens when a team loses two important free agents? Wait and see
Murphy's law is the rule for a team that gets a lot of breaks—all of them bad
Brian Rolston's nine short-handed goals last season were the most since Mario Lemieux set the single-season record (13) in 1988-89.
In 2001-02 Johan Hedberg became the third goalie in 26 years to have as many as 25 wins and 34 losses in a season, joining Tony Esposito (1976-77) and Felix Potvin ('96-97).
Patience is a virtue for a promising club playing in a hockey-mad state
To end a playoff drought, the young team has to learn to sustain its focus
The Wild was one of three clubs (the Wings and 'Canes were the others) with at least three players—Andrew Brunette, Marian Gaborik, Sergei Zholtok—who scored 10 or more PP goals each.
Last season Jarome Iginla scored 11 of his 52 goals in the 20th minute of a period. He was the only player in the league with more than seven such scores.
Here's a guarantee: This undermanned club won't make the postseason
This talent-poor team is hurting even when it's healthy—which isn't often
Barry Trotz has coached the Predators since they joined the NHL in '98-99, a span of 328 games. The only man to guide an expansion team from its start for longer was Terry Crisp (Tampa, 391 matches).
Peter Worrell and Brad Ference ranked first and second in the league in penalty minutes last season, the first teammates to do so since Philadelphia's Dave Schultz and Andre Dupont in '74-75.
G.M. Doug MacLean reels in the young talent needed for future success
The Expos of hockey face an uphill battle to fix their tarnished franchise
In its two NHL seasons, Columbus has rallied to win just one game in which it was trailing at the start of the third period.
Miroslav Satan, who had 37 goals in '01-02, led the NHL in special-team scores with 20—two more than Peter Bondra of the Caps.
Last year's worst team has a pair of young cornerstones to build upon
Is this the season that ultratalented Vincent Lecavalier finally breaks out?
The Thrashers' Dany Heatley was the first rookie to lead his team in scoring since Daniel Alfredsson topped Ottawa in 1995-96.
The Lightning was shorthanded 273 times last season, the second lowest total in the league. Just two years earlier Tampa Bay was at a disadvatage 422 times, which ranked 27th.
October 14, 2002 College Football
The Deep SouthAny of seven teams could win the SEC title as Georgia and Mississippi staked their claims in a wide-open race
Miami TE Kellen WinslowversusFlorida State LB Michael Boulware
The Third One's a CharmIt was rookie Patrick Ramsey's turn at quarterback in Washington, and he succeeded where two vets failed
TRADING E-MAIL WITH...Panthers guard Kevin Donnalley
The most prestigious and interesting division in the NFL is the AFC West, where every team has a winning record. Going into last weekend, the division boasted the league's only two undefeated...
Yo, Mr. Cop, Mr. Bagel Baker, Mr. High School Shop Teacher. Were your football dreams hijacked before takeoff? Do you watch the pros on Sundays and know you could still do that? Do you throw...
October 14, 2002 The QuarterbackFrank Deford wrote his best article ever when he captured the spirit of professional football—Johnny Unitas (The Best There Ever Was, Sept. 23). Even the occasionally snowy picture...
October 14, 2002 LETTERS
Here's proof that sportswriters really do have hearts. On July 17, while vacationing with his family in Nantucket, Mass., SPORTS ILLUSTRATED senior writer Michael Farber (left, with statue of...
NOVEMBER 29, 1965
"Strangest thing I ever saw in the Dome was Herbie and Gant in the World Series," says Dan Gladden, who still wears the mud flap of hair that fluttered behind him as he scored the winning run for...
The NFL has packed a historic amount of points into its first five weeks
Roy Jones tries to move up in class
October 14, 2002 Lech Walesa's sharp wit and blue-collar sensibilities helped him rise from a shipyard electrician in Gdansk, Poland, to a beloved union leader (in 1983 he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts...
$8,100Amount spent on tiger care for the months of May and June 2002, according to the accounts-payable ledger at Mike Tyson Enterprise Inc.
October 14, 2002 FinedA quarter million dollars, by the Knicks, forward Latrell Sprewell, for failing to tell the team that he had broken a bone in his right (shooting) hand two weeks before training camp....
Dropped
October 14, 2002 | Bill Scheft Thank you. I know you're out there, I can hear you signaling for a beer vendor.
The 54-year-old shock rocker and restaurateur—he owns Alice Cooper'stown sports bars in Phoenix and Cleveland—contemplates the Hall of Fame, Little League baseball and his hometown Phoenix Suns.
October 14, 2002 OCTOBER 11-17
Dominican Dreams, Radio on TV, Ninth-inning Pains
October 14, 2002 Andre Agassi is happily married to Steffi Graf. Pete Sampras and actress-wife Bridgette Wilson are expecting. And now another American tennis star has found herself in a love match. Last month,...
October 14, 2002 Florida State canceled two days of classes because of concerns about campus congestion brought on by a Thursday night home football game against Clemson.
October 14, 2002 Thigh masters Yoo Dong Young of South Korea (in red) and Malaysia's Mohd Azman Nasaruddin go heels over head in a sepak takraw semifinal at the Asian Games. Sepak takraw is a soccer-volleyball...
October 14, 2002 JIM FASSELNew York Giants coach, analyzing the team's prospects for success: "In my opinion if we are going to have a good season, we have to put together more back-to-back wins."
October 14, 2002 International Ball
October 14, 2002 Effie Nielson, SALT LAKE CITYPowerliftingNielson, 90, a great-grandmother of 12 and a retired payroll worker, squatted 80 pounds, bench-pressed 50 pounds and dead-lifted 135 pounds at the Nevada...
October 14, 2002 IT'S A SMALL WORLD: b. Tony Perez of Cuba never won a World Series MVP. Guerrero, from the Dominican Republic, was co-MVP for the Dodgers in 1981; Rijo, also Dominican, won with the Yankees in...
The underdogs are having their day in October, setting the stage for two unexpected matchups in the League Championship Series
ALCSAngels over Twins in 6 gamesAnaheim has more weapons on offense and the edge in the bullpen.
October 14, 2002 SI asked major league scouts who closely followed the Division Series to analyze the four teams in the League Championship Series. The scouts were promised anonymity in exchange for their candor....
The team is 4-0. The star receiver is 40. The owner is ornery. And then there's Amy Trask, the most powerful woman in the NFL
He may be celebrating a milestone birthday on Sunday, but Jerry Rice's act never gets old
Bill Callahan isn't afraid to pile up the points
Chris Simms and the Longhorns are primed to prove—to their fans, their critics and Oklahoma—that they can win the big one
Here's a position-by-position breakdown of this year's Red River Shootout.
Running more on grit than natural gifts, Paula Radcliffe is poised for the race of her life—and a run at the marathon record—this Sunday in Chicago
October 14, 2002 Playing on the road is more difficult in hockey than in any other sport, thanks largely to rules that give the advantage to the home team. Some players take to the road much better than others and...
October 14, 2002 Blanket the ice: For complete NHL scores, stats and news, plus preseason awards picks and power rankings from SI experts, go to cnnsi.com/hockey.
October 14, 2002 To sign up for Sports Illustrated's free subscriber-onlye-mail newsletter, go to http://sicustomerservice.com/siextra.
It's a special breed that plays harder, tougher and smarter in enemy arenas, melting the home-ice advantage
Over the last three seasons Scott Gomez of the Devils scored 38.2% more points on the road than he did in home games, the largest such differential in the NHL. On the other hand, his former New...
Hurricanes winger Jeff O'Neill is a more dangerous player when he's on the road, a clear sign that he's joined the NHL's elite
Having Peter Forsberg for a full season makes a formidable team Cup-worthy
In Milan Hejduk's four NHL seasons, he has scored 112 regular-season goals, 28 of which were game-winners (second among active players).
A maturing team prepares to make a bona fide run at the Stanley Cup
In each of the last seven years the Sharks have increased their season points total: from 42 in 1994-95 to 47, 62, 78, 80, 87, 95 and then 99 in 2001-02.
New coach (Dave Lewis), new goalie (Curtis Joseph), same goal: the Cup
A change behind the bench provides the jolt these underachievers need
Nicklas Lidstrom and Chris Chelios were one-two in the voting for the Norris Trophy last season, the first time in the award's 49-year history that teammates were so honored.
Jeremy Roenick's 67 points (21 goals, 46 assists) last season were the fewest to lead the Flyers since Bobby Clarke had 63 points (27 goals, 36 assists) in 1970-71.
High-priced imports should bring the offense—and the team—back to life
Keeping up with Western strongboys is the challenge for this solid club
Bill Guerin had 355 shots in '01-02 but only 66 points, the fewest by any player in history with as many as 350 shots in a season.
In '01-02 the Kings were first in the league in PP efficiency, third in PK. The only other team in the Top 5 in both categories was Colorado.
They're young and dynamic, but they can't get over a postseason hump
The Senators were the only team from a Canadian city to make the playoffs in each of the last six seasons.
Few changes for a young team that was overpowering down the stretch
The new coach has talented players, but can he get them playing as a unit?
Markus Naslund's second-place finish in the NHL scoring race last season was the best in franchise history.
Sergei Gonchar's 26 goals last season were the most by a defenseman since Al MacInnis scored 28 for Calgary in 1993-94.
The surprise Cup finalists return intact, ready to prove last year was no fluke
It doesn't appear that this will be the season that the team steps up in class
The Blues have played in the postseason for 23 consecutive seasons (six fewer than the Bruins' NHL mark), the longest such streak currently in major North American sports.
Ron Francis begins '02-03 having played in 1,569 games, 46 behind Larry Murphy for second place and 198 behind Gordie Howe.
Will the signing of star Tony Amonte lead to success in the postseason?
Another off-season spending spree, but this time they bought the right stuff
Daniel Brière, who scored 43 goals in the past two seasons combined, led the league in shooting percentage over that span (22.4%).
Since February 1999, the Rangers have had only two shutouts (both by Mike Richter), fewer than any other NHL team over that span.
A frustrating summer in the free-agent market doesn't bode well for the season
A young, hungry and defensive-minded club on the brink of making the playoffs
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