September 19, 2005 | Volume 103, Issue 11

NASCAR's best roar into a 10-man, 10-race sprint to the Nextel Cup: Can points leader Tony Stewart hold off Roush's five-car charge?

Roger Federer and Kim Clijsters won the U.S. Open singles titles, but it was ageless Andre Agassi who owned the fans' hearts at Flushing Meadow

Following the lead of do-it-all quarterback Vince Young, the Longhorns displayed the toughness and resilience to beat Ohio State--and any other team that gets in their way

Michigan and Iowa, like Ohio State, don't live up to rankings

They might look like a bunch of fun-loving kids, but when it comes to the playoff race, the Indians are dead serious

The Week In Sports

The Patriots gear up for arguably the toughest five-game regular-season stretch in the history of the NFL

Larry Johnson is making it very hard for Kansas City's Dick Vermeil to remain a one-back coach. When Vermeil's workhorse, Priest Holmes, missed the second half of last season with a knee injury,...

STEELERS' SURPRISE

HOT READ

Every once in a while you close your eyes and you can see a big board registering a final score. It's so vivid that you even forget that it's in the future. Thus, I close my eyes and see the...

With junior quarterback Reggie Ball displaying a newfound maturity, Georgia Tech is off to a flying start

Early on Sunday four buses carrying the Vanderbilt football team rolled up to the McGugin Center on the Nashville campus. What greeted the team was a sight only slightly less improbable than the...

HOT TOPIC

We despise tennis pros.

Just Peachy

LETTERS

We've all seen those lists of life's most vexing questions, such as: Why do drive-through ATMs have instructions in Braille? How does Teflon stick to the pan? If you choke a Smurf, what color will...

After enduring three knee operations, and sidestepping several scandals, Barry Bonds is back in his clubhouse easy chair. The baseball world remains riveted

As NHL training camps get ready to open, three of the league's most venerated stars decide to hang up their skates

Died

131

A placekicking brother-sister act makes high school history in South Carolina

Indiana's Chris Schenkel informed and entertained fans for six decades

The Canadian actor plays Roger Bannister's coach in Four Minutes, which debuts on ESPN2 on Oct. 6

A rookie claims he's been busted three times for the same steroids offense

HIT

Last week the recently retired Lance Armstrong, who's motivated by the negative press he's received in France of late, said he's "no longer ruling out" a cycling comeback. But now he's not the...

So a guy in a hula skirt, an electrical plug and a bottle of mustard walk into a bar. These outfits were no joke for Freddie Bynum, Nick Swisher and Dan Johnson (left to right), three of the...

A Singapore man was given a deferment from compulsory military service to play in a video-game competition.

What to watch and watch for

Ebony Collins

Chiefs Tight End

WHO'S HOT

Which opposing hitter do you most fear with the game on the line? [Based on a survey of 450 MLB players ]

Athletes say wearing titanium eases pain

 

Bucs Cornerbook

Despite playing with an ailing left thumb, Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks, 22, has hit 13 homers and knocked in 39 runs since being called up on June 10. Recently Weeks was joined in the Show...

Legends and new stars sell Super Bowl XL

• For more Leading Off pictures, go to SI.com/photos.

With a lump in the throat and a chip on the shoulder, New Orleans's displaced NFL team won a hard-fought season opener in tribute to hurricane-battered Louisianans

Playing at Arizona State instead of Baton Rouge, LSU summoned up the never-quit spirit of its fans for a rousing win

AFTER THE STORM

By playing smart for four days, the 45-year-old beat a tough course to win the Canadian Open, his first victory since '01

What golfers are talking about

9

WHO: Mark Calcavecchia

[This article contains art text. Please see hard copy or pdf.]

Was Christina Kim's unbridled enthusiasm at the Solheim Cup behavior the men should emulate, or was it not in the spirit of international play?

Hit the Lip to Hold The Release

"If the U.S. wants to win the Ryder Cup, the men should follow the example of the American Solheim Cuppers, who put their egos aside and played hard for their country."

TOMMY ARMOUR III on ...

It wasn't easy, but I am proof that you can come back stronger after a hurricane

Donate to the SPORTS ILLUSTRATED Gulf Coast Community Sports Relief Fund at www.communityseason.com/si-nrpa-katrina

Ryan Moore, who tied for second in Canada, will get his Tour card without a trip to Q school.

The U.S. relied on youth, experience and a player who bridged the generation gap to win the Solheim Cup

Soon after clinching the Cup, Meg Mallon had to be hospitalized

Months after his big score at the Big Stakes, PGA Tour hopeful David Ping has made little progress toward his life's goal, but at least he can pay the bills

Any young hotfoot expecting to grab the Nextel Cup is going to have to get past Rusty Wallace, 49, and Mark Martin, 46, crafty vets who are finishing strong

The U.S.'s top gamers met to do battle in New York City, with the winners going on to the World Cyber Games finals

A pair of historic bouts with race on the undercard are examined with different approaches but the same wallop

At age 42--and a grandfather--Damon Allen, brother of Marcus, just keeps rolling up passing yardage and wins