March 01, 2004 | Volume 100, Issue 9

Brady's BunchThank you, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, for the splendid cover shot of Tom Brady's post-Super Bowl jubilation (Feb. 9). You captured the joyous, youthful exuberance of Brady, who seemed not to...

LETTERS•Please e-mail us at letters@si.timeinc.com or fax us at 212-467-4049. Letters should include the writer's full name, address and home telephone number and may be edited for clarity and space.

Some minds are steel traps. My mind is a lint trap, retaining only useless fluff, so that I know why .406 is important, but not why 1066 is. If you were to remove, with a flourish, the top of my...

SI legal expert Lester Munson poses, and answers, eight essential questions about the federal probe that could change the shape of sports

It won't be easy to find a successor to Barnett

Shut out of the NBA for years, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar finally comes home

$2.4 millionAmount by which the Yankees' payroll increased after they shed the salaries of third basemen Drew Henson and Aaron Boone and traded Alfonso Soriano for Alex Rodriguez.

DiedRace walker Albert Heppner, who apparently committed suicide after failing to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team. Heppner, 29, finished fifth at the 50-km Olympic trials on Feb. 15 in Chula...

Reported

I need to check with City Hall, but I believe right now that the only two men in San Francisco trying to break up are Barry Bonds and his personal trainer.

The NBC anchor and die-hard NASCAR fan, 44, is part owner of a dirt-modified stock car team in Belgrade, Mont.

To sign up for SPORTS ILLUSTRATED's free subscriber-only e-mail newsletter, go to http://sicustomerservice.com/siextra.

Swing into spring training: Complete coverage of all the news from Arizona and Florida, including postcards from camp and division previews, at si.com/baseball.

Who would have thought that turning a former Miss Universe runner-up loose on a men's soccer team could lead to trouble? Laura Church, who flexed fabulously in that bodybuilding competition, is...

The father of a basketball player at Colorado Springs' St. Mary's High was cited for misdemeanor assault after allegedly biting two referees in a postgame fracas.

Jarrett Payton had Sweetness on his mind at the NFL combine in Indianapolis on Sunday (page 60). After working out, the former Miami running back unfurled a jersey that had belonged to his late...

DEL HARRISMavericks assistant, after being hired to coach the Chinese Olympic basketball team: "Pick-and-roll is really pick-and-roll in any language."

WHAT TO WATCH AND WATCH FOR

No repriseWill the ratings success of Playmakers—the show the NFL doesn't want you to see—lead to a second life on another network? "The minute ESPN announced they weren't going to do it anymore,...

Kathryn Martin, NORTHPORT, N.Y.Track and FieldMartin, 52, a real estate broker, lowered her own United States Masters record for the 1,500 meters (50-54 age group) with a time of 4:57.7 at the...

To submit a candidate for Faces in the Crowd, go to SI.com/faces.

For four days each February, all eyes in Iowa turn to the supercharged state high school championships in Des Moines

For more about sports in Iowa and the other 49 states, go to si.com/50.

The author's novel spawned a landmark film about magic amid the cornfields

Iowans weigh in on sports*

To read an SI Flashback story on Iowa State wrestling great Cael Sanderson, view a gallery of Iowa covers or see which famous former Faces in the Crowd hail from the Hawkeye State, go to...

Kevin Garnett and his two new running mates have empowered the Timberwolves. Now anything seems possible, including an NBA title

The latest NBA news, plus analysis from Jack McCallum, at si.com/basketball.

The addition of veteran control artist Greg Maddux to a staff of young fireballers gives the Cubs the game's best rotation

After escaping scandal-torn Baylor, Lawrence Roberts landed at Mississippi State and made the Bulldogs a surprising top 10 team

The 2003-04 college basketball season was supposed to help Baylor put the tragic events of last summer behind it. Instead, the games have reminded the Bears and their supporters of how much was...

OverstatedMississippi State forward Lawrence Roberts (4) takes the opening tip against Alabama forward Chuck Davis to start their SEC game at Starkville, Miss., last Saturday. The Bulldogs lost...

Put off by top prospects like the enigmatic Maurice Clarett, pro scouts learn less about the best in their predraft cattle call

More NFL coverage, including diaries from draft hopefuls and Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback, atsi.com/football

Where have you gone, Stan Mikita? Bad management has made a once-beloved NHL franchise irrelevant in Chicago

More NHL news from Michael Farber; Stephen Cannella and Darren Eliot phis notes and photos at si.com/hockey.

The author wrote a book, Moneyball, that drove baseball's clubby traditionalists crazy. They fought back. Now he does too

College Basketball

Late BloomerWith a little prodding, Providence's Ryan Gomes has turned into a star

1. The Bracket Busters should be changed. Instead of risking their fragile RPI rankings by playing each other, mid-majors should play power conference teams, which would give them a better chance...

Hoop Thoughts by Seth Davis and Grant Wahl's Mailbag at si.com/basketball/ncaa.

ORANGE CRUSHED

With less than three weeks until Selection Sunday, it appears that, barring a total collapse, Stanford and Duke have locked up top seeds, and Saint Joseph's must win out to hold on to the No. 1...

Helping HandAs the team's second-best Wallace, Rasheed is a perfect fit in Detroit

AROUND THE RIM

Can struggling Mike Modano return to form in time for the playoffs?

The Canucks may be harting—defenseman Ed Jovanovs (torn ligaments in right shoulder) and Markus Nasiund (concussion), tied for second in the NHL with 68 points, were the latest to go on the...

As a kid I never wanted to be Joe Namath or Jerry West or even Jim Murray. All I wanted to be was Curt Gowdy, sports announcer and god.