Reverse Angle How weird is this? For your 2006--07 college basketball preview (far right), one of your regional covers featured Julian Wright, with Mario Chalmers peeking out from behind him. Your...

After years of drug scandals, track faces its future as a minor Olympic sport

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Who is the best defensive player in the major leagues?

Admitted On a local radio show that he smokes marijuana in the off-season, Mavericks forward Josh Howard (above). Appearing on Michael Irvin's program hours before Dallas played New Orleans in...

JOE GIRARDI Yankees manager, on the torn foot ligament suffered by reliever Brian Bruney: "The doctor recommended surgery.... From what I understand, if somebody in 1793 had it, they amputated."

A Dallas TV commentator likened the team's trade for Pacman Jones to acquiring Osama bin Laden.

Test your knowledge of the wandering coach

WHILE THE Redskins' front office was quietly trying to convince Cincinnati to deal Chad Johnson, the team's cheerleaders were focusing their powers of persuasion on a different target: Indian...

382 Length of Grady Sizemore's consecutive-games streak, which came to an end on Sunday when the Indians' centerfielder sat out a 1--0 loss to the Yankees with a sore ankle.

THE BECKHAMS have a new favorite couple in L.A. Lately David, Victoria and their sons, Brooklyn and Romeo (below), have been courtside fixtures at Lakers games. After L.A.'s playoff win over...

Rediscovering a flawed, forgotten golf legend

LAKERS FORWARD

What to watch and watch for

Daniel O'Connor FRAMINGHAM, MASS. > Boxing O'Connor, 23, defeated Emmanuel Taylor by a 9--7 decision to win the 141-pound division of the U.S. Future Stars National Championship. He won five bouts...

UNTIL LAST week, most disruptions along the Olympic torch route came from activists protesting China's human rights record. But as the torch passed through Canberra, Australia, last Thursday, it...

The Interview Ryan Leaf FORMER CHARGERS QB

Plenty has gotten lost in translation for the newest Chicago icon, but not this: With his all-around game, he has won over fans like no Cub since Sammy Sosa

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The Cubs have gotten the message that you have to learn to walk before you can run to a title

San Antonio began its march toward a second straight title by pushing Phoenix to the brink and likely triggering the dismantling of the once-feared Suns juggernaut

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Young and athletic Philly has confounded veteran Detroit, which hasn't looked like a team capable of winning the East

A Chinese coach at an Iowa gym has helped build smart, spirited 16-year-old Shawn Johnson into the world all-around champion and the gold medal favorite. Now she wants to bring him glory in his...

Foreign coaches have boosted U.S. gymnastics to a new level

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Whether it's a new coach, a new training regimen or newfound confidence, change is in the air for four storied programs on the rebound

RICK NEUHEISEL'S perpetually cheerful disposition is a natural fit on UCLA's sun-drenched campus. "I need surgery to remove the smile from my face," says the former Bruins quarterback and 1984...

WILL THE offensive linemen be able to eat their way to respectability? A diet designed to add bulk was one of the elements of a super-sized off-season conditioning program mandated by coach...

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DURING AN April scrimmage backup quarterback Christian Ponder stepped to the line, scanned the defense and spotted a weakness in coverage. The sophomore checked out of a running play and threw a...

THE ANNOUNCEMENT did not inspire confidence in the Wolverines' offense. "We're on schedule mentally," coach Rich Rodriguez stated, following his team's rain-drenched final scrimmage. "Physically,...

Personal duels like the one between Avalanche defenseman Adam Foote and Red Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg define the character of the postseason—and determine its outcome

More semifinal matchups that matter

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No team had more work to do in the draft than the Falcons, who tapped BC's Matt Ryan as Michael Vick's replacement—the first step in the recovery of a beleaguered franchise

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Beef stock, that is. A draft top-heavy with offensive tackles had some other weighty issues too

The Chiefs broke with their past to build for the future—and got some major help for right now

Baseball How the A's have pulled off the trick of rebuilding and, it would seem, contending at the same time • Cleveland's Cliff Lee and his unprecedented three-start stretch

Grade A's An off-season overhaul has not only set up Oakland for a terrific future, it's also made for an intriguing 2008

Indians lefty Cliff Lee has put up numbers—4--0, 0.28 ERA in his first four starts—that are usually only seen in Little League. BP's Rany Jazayerli searched through Retrosheet.org game logs going...

Surface Tension Colonel John has the résumé of a Derby favorite, but questions remain about how he'll handle his first race on dirt

Win Colonel John: Should love the 1 1/4-mile distance and seems to be making the adjustment to the dirt at Churchill Downs

DECIPHERING THE NFL's draft hooey requires a player profiler with a past life as the shovel man behind elephants at a circus. Decoding draft-day politics begs for a personnel junkie with a...

Stuckey on You The Pistons' Rodney Stuckey came out on top in a collision with the 76ers' Rodney Carney during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals last Friday in Philadelphia. The...