After an enjoyable but undistinguished career as a minor league infielder and player-manager, with only two home runs in my five seasons (1940-41, '45-49), you'd think I would've been surprised by...

All right, I know there's always one game on the field and another in the stands. What's crucial to athletes doesn't necessarily coincide with what's important to spectators. And I should know by...

CYCLING—GINTAUTUS UMARAS of the U.S.S.R. lowered the world record in the 5-km individual pursuit by 1.949 seconds, to 5:48.256, at a national tournament in Moscow. The previous record was set a...

2, 3—Heinz Kluetmeier/ABC Sports4—Manny Rubio13—Illustration by Sam Q. Weissman16—Bill Eppridge18, 19—Heinz Kluetmeier/ABC Sports20—Ronald C. Modra (top), Manny Millan21—Ronald C. Modra (top),...

REID RYANALVIN, TEXASReid, 12, son of the Astros' Nolan Ryan, paced the Alvin American Little League Mets to a 4-0 win over the Buffs by fanning 11 during the first no-hitter of his career. He...

THE STEELERS' LAMBERTSir:I've never before written a magazine to compliment the editors on an article, but Paul Zimmerman's story on Pittsburgh linebacker Jack Lambert (A Rose By Any Other Name,...

Nearly 13 years ago, in a piece in SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, Peter Andrews wrote, "The story of Phar Lap is the stuff they used to make movies out of." They shoot horse movies, don't they? Alas, never...

NO PROBLEM

•Jack Donahue, Canada's Olympic basketball coach, noting the sport's relatively low stature in that country: "We lost, and a Canadian official said, 'Don't worry, Jack, it wasn't your fault. The...

As Americans dominated the first full week of the Olympics, nowhere did they make a splashier splash than in swimming

You want foreigners, go to Disneyland. For L.A., the Olympics were just another franchise in town

For several years now SI has been expanding its coverage of pro football. Two years ago we introduced our annual College & Pro Football Spectacular (the '84 edition will be out Aug. 20), and...

The U.S. gymnastic teams almost always stuck it to their opponents as they stunningly leapt to the fore

Carl Lewis sure did, in the 100 (below). So did Joan Benoit, Evelyn Ashford and Edwin Moses as track and field began

American cyclists won their first Olympic gold medals ever, but they may have most distinguished themselves in a loss

The Twins and Angels traded wins and the division lead last week

There is no joy in Philly, even when somebody hits a ninth-inning, game-winning, pinch-hit homer before the home folks in the middle of a pennant race. When Len Matuszek did that recently he found...

Just when we were afraid the owners and general managers had gone on strike, just when we thought they didn't care anymore, one of the brethren, San Francisco owner Bob Lurie, fired manager Frank...

If the Cubs win the National League East—and the opinion here is that they will—last Thursday's 3-2 win over the Expos at Wrigley Field will probably be the game everybody remembers from 1984....

What a difference a year makes. Last season at this time, only the Tigers among the four current division leaders were above .500. Here are the records and standings for those four teams on Aug....

KEVIN McREYNOLDS: The Padres' centerfielder batted .500, hit three home runs and had 11 RBIs. Two of his RBIs were game-winners as San Diego won five of six. His slugging percentage was 1.050.

That's what San Diego will be doin' with a 510-pound load of backs

Howard Slusher, the agent that teams love to hate, once again is using his favorite intimidation technique in contract negotiations: No deal, no player. On Slusher's advice, Cowboy All-Pro...

St. Louis Cardinal end Bubba Baker on checking into camp weighing 270, down from 290: "I think I'm anorexic."

Here, from heaviest to less heavy, are the reporting weights of the NFL's 10 most leviathan linemen. Some are supposed to weigh this much. Others, obviously, have all but eaten themselves out of...

Deacon McGuire, the catcher for the 1898 Washington Nationals, checked the runner on first and then wiggled his prematurely gnarled fingers, calling for a pitchout from Wild Bill Donovan. The...