December 20, 2004 | Volume 101, Issue 24

Basketbrawl

LETTERS

SI PLAYERS' Who's Hot/Who's Not (Nov. 29) mentions two hot Drews, Brees and Henson, who happen to be ex--Big Ten quarterbacks. How about another hot Drew Big Ten QB? Iowa sophomore Drew Tate...

FEBRUARY 25, 1957

Like Charles Foster Kane and his sled, the athlete who has everything still remembers his favorite Christmas toy. Which is why Tiger Woods, with his Gulfstream V and his $20 million yacht and his...

While the union and owners grope toward a meaningful dialogue, fans, players and coaches face a holiday season without NHL hockey

If you need help finding something for the sports nut on your list, our gift guide has ideas to fit big- and small-market budgets

Mia Hamm's legacy will include more than her substantial gift for scoring goals

$29.99 Price of the belt Tigers outfielder Craig Monroe allegedly shoplifted from a department store in Port Charlotte, Fla., on Dec. 3.

A new exhibit showcases a competitive culture

Staked his claim as boxing’s top heavyweight with an eight-round demolition of Danny Williams last Saturday, Vitali Klitschko, one of the division’s three world champs. The 6'7", 250pound...

USC’s cool QB wins the Heisman by a surprisingly wide margin

Good to be here. This is my last column until 2005. If anyone needs to reach me, I'll be at the Verne Lundquist Fantasy Camp.

The 41-year-old grandmaster just released Garry Kasparov on Fischer, the fourth of a six-volume series on chess greats.

Karl Malone hasn't taken a shot yet this season, but according to Kobe Bryant, the Mailman has been making passes. The feud between the former Lakers teammates got nastier on Sunday when Bryant...

Police in Wales had to use pepper spray to break up a brawl among charity race runners in Santa suits.

Patriots coach, when asked what kind of dog chewed up his beloved autographed copy of PB: The Paul Brown Story: "A dead dog."

It's time for our seventh annual Baggie Awards. Or is it the sixth annual? We'll check with Wimbledon chair umpire Ted Watts and get back to you. In any case, it is time to recognize the best and...

Whom should SI pick as its college football player of the year?

Departments

Early in The Shaun White Album, pro skateboarders Tony Hawk and Bucky Lasek notice a skinny red-headed kid hanging around their turf. The skaters decide to have some fun with him, grabbing his...

What to watch and watch for

Kristan Glover EVANS, GA. > Fast-pitch Softball

The Season Of No 'L'

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WHO'S Hot

[Based on a survey of 354 players]

For daily Web-only Leading Off galleries, go to SI.com/scorecard.

The NFL’s oldest lineman, Washington’s Ray Brown, uses Pilates to keep his body young

JERRY RICE, Seahawks WR, age 42 “During my younger days I always felt like I could do more, so I would push myself harder,” he says. “Now I listen to my body. I think I have really learned how to...

When it came to being bookish in 2004, TO, Favre and others showed some spine

Patriots Tight End

KEVIN CARTER, TITANS DE The Grapes of Wrath, 1939, 619 pages by John Steinbeck

PLAY WITH PASSION • By Brad Johnson, Bucs QB Positively for Kids, Ages 9-14

SI Players’ Sarah Thurmond went to the table to find out

WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS: Cardinals guard Leonard (Big) Davis, the NFL’s heaviest player (384 pounds; 6'6"), eats two bowls of Lucky Charms for breakfast.... ...

The Colts' Peyton Manning is on the verge of breaking a hallowed record by throwing for more touchdowns than one of his idols

IN 13 GAMES this season Peyton Manning has thrown for 46 touchdowns. Here's how many games other notable quarterbacks have needed to throw their most recent 46 TD passes.

HERE'S WHAT KIND of year it has been for Peyton Manning. On Sunday he completed 26 of 33 passes for 298 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions, yet his passer rating dropped. As he closes...

The supersurprising Sonics are off to a torrid start--and doubters (this can't last!) are beginning to believe

A high-flying forward and new pilot, Joey Graham is the breakout star for unbeaten Oklahoma State--and twin brother Stephen is his trusty wingman

Any questions about the economic state of the game were answered at the winter meetings, where teams spent like crazy on pitching

2005: DIAMONDBACKS

He was the nation's best high school pitcher, bound for the Florida Marlins and stardom. But Jeff Allison also had a drug addiction, and it nearly killed him

A powerful medicine for pain, OxyContin has quickly become a dangerous street drug

The Week In Sports

With Charlie Weis on his way to Notre Dame, Bill Belichick may be the guy to take over the Pats’ offense

DIRE STRAITS IN BIG D

COLTS’ SALARY CAP

HOT TOPIC

In the middle of the Seahawks-Vikings game, as defensive backs were chasing receivers all over the TV screen, I heard Fox analyst Cris Collinsworth say, “Two high-scoring offenses, no defense. My...

In a funk after a series of screwups, Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony has rediscovered his grin and his game

On the surprising Wizards (12--6 at week's end) and their scoring trio of Antawn Jamison, Gilbert Arenas and Larry Hughes, who all played for the Warriors in 2001--02:

L.A.’S BOBBY SIMMONS

AROUND THE RIM

Everyone wanted to play for Steve Spurrier at Florida. Recruiting for South Carolina may not be as easy

With no inside game and a brutal nonconference schedule, a young Indiana team is taking its lumps early

1 Memphis is in a major tailspin. The Tigers followed up the 19-point drubbing they took from Pitt by losing 65–53 to Ole Miss, which had a 2–4 record. The loss was Memphis’s fourth in its last...

He's just a walk-on. Number 39 in your program, zero in your heart. Means nothing to you. Just another sadly spotless jersey on the sideline.

The Supersurprising Sonics