February 02, 2009 | Volume 110, Issue 4

I was happy to see my favorite Charger, Darren Sproles, on your Jan. 12 NFL playoffs cover—we're both 5'6", he just has 60 pounds on me—and humbled to read Mitch Albom's tribute to Detroit. You...

Broadcasters and coaches love to cite it, but what exactly is the Big Mo?

At age 85, Hall of Fame end A native of Hudson, Ohio, Lavelli played three games for Paul Brown at Ohio State in 1942 before enlisting in the Army. When Lavelli returned from Europe—after...

On what went through her mind when a male streaker interrupted one of her doubles matches at the Australian Open:

A British club soccer game was disrupted when a parrot brought by a fan started imitating the referee's whistle.

A late-blooming slugger deserves the Hall

many a weightlifter has walked into a classic gym—say, Gold's in Venice Beach—and thought, Now some can. Last week Gymbox, a fitness club in London's financial district, replaced some metal...

Consecutive basketball games lost by New Jersey Institute of Technology before its 61--51 win over Bryant on Jan. 21; it was the longest losing streak ever in Division I.

After an inspiring fight, a beloved Hall of Fame coach succumbs to cancer

men's and women's players in the second round of the Australian Open (including Roger Federer, ) represented 35 countries; only six were from the U.S., which a decade ago typically had about four...

What smart fans should do this week

For Beasley, Leatherface is just beyond the pale. "It's too scary," he says of the horror classic. "I mean really, someone going around cutting people's faces off?" Despite winning 11 Academy...

The screenwriter is cocreator and executive producer of ABC's

Woehrstein, a sophomore libero at El Camino Community College, had 498 digs (5.6 per game) this season for the state-champion Warriors. She was an All--South Coast Conference and all-state...

first foray into the square circle didn't go so well. The ex-slugger turned exposé author was knocked out in one round last July by ex--NFL kick returner turned sportscaster Vai Sikahema. So for...

He outweighs centers and outruns guards. He is getting bigger, stronger and smarter—he even sees better. To appreciate the ways in which is evolving, first you have to break him down

BREAKING NEWS, REAL-TIME SCORES AND DAILY ANALYSIS.

A sixth ring for Pittsburgh or a historic first for Arizona? It all hinges on whether the NFL's best defense can do what no one else has done in the playoffs: knoc k Larry Fitzgerald off his game

The longest-serving Cardinal, Adrian Wilson has been rewarded for sticking with Arizona

Cut three times before making the Steelers, James Harrison is now the NFL's top defender

Nowhere is the bond between team and town as tight as in Pittsburgh, where four decades of excellence have made a civic icon

For , a Lombardi Trophy would redeem six decades of suffering—and finally put a winning stamp on a long-wayward franchise

BREAKING NEWS, REAL-TIME SCORES AND DAILY ANALYSIS.

Wake Forest forward , a kickboxer and a former world champ in karate, has helped turn the Demon Deacons into a title contender with his fearlessness and athleticism

Twentysomething veterans and turned back the younger generation to win their first national titles

Levi LaVallee's double backflip in the snowmobile next trick finals at Winter X Games 13 in Aspen, Colo., last Friday was captured in this composite image. LaVallee finished second in the event....

Bruins forward Blake Wheeler makes his case for Rookie of the Year • Lightning owner accepts his role as All-Star gofer • Mats Sundin or Brendan Shanahan: Which one was the smarter signing?

The Bruins' Blake Wheeler makes his Calder case, plus other second-half insights out of All-Star Weekend

, 37, signed by the Canucks on Dec. 18. Prorated salary: $5 million.

Jelena Dokic, the talk of the first week of the Australian Open, is the new tour archetype: in the sport, out and in again

A tip of the chapeau to France's (), who lost to in the third round in Melbourne but played in his 66th Grand Slam tournament, an Open Era record.... What are the odds? By the third round of the...

A history-making perimeter threat and a low-post power player have Kentucky back in the national title hunt

Wisconsin is sliding toward the NIT. The Badgers have made 10 straight NCAA tournaments, but last Saturday's 64--57 loss at Illinois was their fourth in a row and dropped them to 3--4 in the Big...

THE SOCCER BALL seemed more like a lottery ball, bouncing lightly in the air, from knee to foot, from foot to knee. A 10-year-old Navajo girl kept the juggle drill alive while PGA Tour pro Notah...