March 20, 2006 | Volume 104, Issue 12

Baseball Cuba is the surprise team of the World Baseball Classic, in more ways than one • U.S. players are enjoying the WBC experience

Mystery Men

Free for All

Heir France

There were no blockbusters before the trade deadline, but several teams did get help, including these four. The Canucks added depth with the acquisition of defensemen Keith Carney (above) and Eric...

Because Barry Bonds so despises the media, fans are often forced to go to his official website--BarryBonds.com--to find out how he feels about things. His sporadic postings there are usually...

Exclusively on Verizon Wireless V CAST and SI.com.

Slipped Disks

I always thought the Elite Eight was the quarterfinals of the NCAA basketball tournament--until I saw the cover of this year's Swimsuit Issue. Then I opened the magazine and noticed the pictures...

After reading Steve Rushin's illuminating A Miracle from Coogan's Bluff (AIR AND SPACE, Feb. 27) on the life of blind sports reporter and single father Ed Lucas, I realized a couple of things: You...

Kirby Puckett once told me he could die happy in a fishing boat. "I don't go ice fishing," said the former Twins centerfielder, who had otherwise embraced Minnesota life. "I ain't gonna die on no...

Commissioner Bud Selig knows that his legacy may be defined by the way he handles Barry Bonds. His next moves will be telling

With Paul Tagliabue's tenure nearing an end, potential successors emerge

Died Of injuries suffered in a fall while training for a snowboardcross World Cup race in Lake Placid, N.Y., Jonatan Johansson (above). The 26-year-old Swede finished 12th in the event--in which...

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS'S Kristi Yamaoka made countless highlight reels recently. The Saluki cheerleader fell from atop a human pyramid, then continued to perform her routine as she was stretchered off...

2 Inches by which the seats at Wimbledon's Centre Court will be widened, to 18 inches, after spectators complained that they couldn't fit into them last year.

AT FIRST, Bernie (Boom Boom) Geoffrion's nickname was not an entirely complimentary reference to his slap shot, a novelty he helped popularize in the NHL. Bestowed on him by a sportswriter when...

Everyone was playing mind games at the U.S. memory championship

The Hall of Fame third baseman, 56, is the author of Clearing the Bases

Say hello to Shaq's little friends. Shaquille O'Neal celebrated his 34th birthday last Friday with a Scarface-themed bash at a Miami mansion that featured Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino...

If you love dirty water, go to Boston and gaze upon the harbor. If verde water is your thing, head to Chicago, where every year the city's plumbers' union tints the Chicago River in honor of St....

Canada may cancel its annual seal hunt because warm weather has made the ice too dangerous for the clubbers.

JOHN DALY, to FHM, on why he does not go to the gym:

What to watch and watch for

Jon Diebler

VILLANOVA GUARD

WHO'S Hot

What NBA city do you most like to visit as a player?

U.S. Figure Skater

How do sports stars fit in? [This article contains a table. Please see hard copy or pdf.]

In a span of 18 days last month Celtics rookie guard-forward Gerald Green, 20, was recalled from the NBA's developmental league, sent back down after six games with Boston, then recalled again...

The madness in March boils down to tempo and efficiency. Teams that control the pace and make the most of every chance-at both ends of the floor-have the best shot at reaching Indy

More news and analysis, including Luke Winn's NCAA tournament blog, at SI.com/collegebasketball.

The difference between efficiency on offense and D can make all the difference

From galloping GW to stodgy Air Force, tournament teams move at a variety of speeds

The engine that drives North Carolina's frenetic offense and high-pressure D, pint-sized point guard Ivory Latta is the key to a championship

SI's annual look at the trends, teams and names to keep an eye on as the Big Dance begins

ALTANTA [1ST ROUND] 1 DUKE 16 SOUTHERN

March Madness rekindles plenty of fond memories for these four ex-North Carolina stars, who have gone from national champs and first-round picks to the depths of the NBA standings

Tick-tock. Time grows short in spring training as managers and G.M.'s trim their rosters and take last looks at those tantalizing minor league talents. Tick-tock. Same goes for you, fantasy...

Candidates who can hit 30 home runs and drive in 100 runs abound

The deepest position in baseball is loaded with lots of young talent

Try Angle

The top of the list is stacked, but after the first six there are questions

Without A-Rod and Nomar, it's no longer the glamour position it once was

No surprises among the highest rated, but don't overlook the young guys

It's a stronger group than in recent years, with plenty of pop at the top

Most of the top players are in the AL, but the NL has up-and-comers

With the home run era over, successful starters will be easier to find

Fewer than half the closers on this list are likely to hold the job all year

For fantasy players, spring training can be a seductive source of information. But what you see can be as misleading as it is helpful. Here are five tips for how to benefit from the last two weeks...

The author thought he could take advantage of his clubhouse access and inside information to win the toughest Rotisserie league on the planet. He even tried to "manage" Doug Mientkiewicz

A familiar winner steadies the LPGA

WHO: Annika Sorenstam

Hartford says goodbye, and it won't be the only one

by JAMES P. HERRE

Winning the Honda Classic was big, but Luke Donald has a more ambitious goal

• Annika Wins Her 67th page G11 • MY SHOT A No G(H)O in Hartford page G16

There's a video goal judge at each NHL game, but the final word on questionable scores comes from the league's nerve center in Toronto. Every night Mike Murphy and his crew become an all-seeing...

After a decade in oblivion, trash-talking, pistol-packing (but downright lovable) former middleweight king James Toney has grown--and how--into a contender for boxing's biggest title

Rookie Ronny Turiaf is back on the court less than nine months after having open-heart surgery

After a hellish postseason, reliever Brad Lidge remains unfazed and is closing games for Team USA