May 21, 1979

Mike Piazza is a heck of a hitter and entitled to make a business decision, but he should spare us the Joan of Arc self-lamentations.—Matt Weiss, Pittsburgh

Letters to SPORTS ILLUSTRATED should include the name, address and home telephone number of the writer. They may be mailed to The Editor, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, Time & Life Building, New York,...

There's always a better way to do something, and if it's not the entrapment of mice, then it's the driving of balls. Americans are a nation of tinkerers. They can't even let their Constitution...

•That TV eliminate golf's most treacherous hazard—the post-tournament sponsor schmooze.

Cup WatchingA World Gone Mad

52Days after John Fogerty postponed a concert in Chicago so as not to go up against Game 5 of the Finals that the former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman and Michael Jordan fan will perform...

YESBaseball spends all year splintering itself; the All-Star Game is the one night when the haves and have-nots get together. Let's keep it that way, if only to remind everyone there are still...

Patience is a virtue, you say? Good luck persuading Karl Malone and John Stockton. Not only have they pick-and-rolled the Jazz into the playoffs every season since 1985-86 without winning a title,...

Late Night Talk's Latest Entry Is Pretty Poor Showtime

A 10-year-old boy, his mother and the Union City Little League in Naugatuck, Conn., have been sued by another 10-year-old over a 1996 incident in which the plaintiff was struck in the head—but not...

DEREK JETERYankees shortstop, after seeing formerly mirthless pitcher Hideki Irabu break into laughter when a teammate's joke was translated for him: "That's the difference between this year and...

Departments

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED and CNN team up on the Internet to offer up-to-the-minute sports news. Check out our in-depth NBA draft coverage with bios, stats and ratings of all the top college players. Get...

Saturday 6/20U.S. Open Final RoundsAre the lush, intimate fairways of the Bay Area's Olympic Club playing host to a USGA major or a Stanford alumni reunion? Tom Watson (class of 1971), who was...

In 1972, when the Knicks selected Henry Bibby with the 58th pick, Canada was a refuge for draft dodgers, and a low draft-lottery number was undesirable. The times, they have a-changed. On...

Angelo Taylor, Decatur, Ga.Track and FieldTaylor, a sophomore at Georgia Tech, won the men's 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA outdoor championships in 48.14 seconds, the fastest time in the world...

Saving his best for what may not be his last, the magnificent Michael Jordan coolly broke Utah's heart and led the Bulls to another title

Father's DayIn a week in which Americans honor their fathers, we asked athletes around the country to submit a family photo—old or new—and send along a message to Dad

In the end there was nothing to say. When Karl Malone and John Stockton walked into the Utah locker room after Sunday's heartbreaking loss to the Bulls, each simply took a seat in front of his...

What has made Michael Jordan the First Celebrity of the World is not merely his athletic talent, but also a unique confluence of artistry, dignity and history

Led by the stellar all-around play of their captain, Steve Yzerman, the Detroit Red Wings were flashing their championship form against the overmatched Washington Capitals

At 35 and with nothing left to prove in Canada, little Doug Flutie is taking one last shot at making it big in the NFL

Among the many surprises in a lively first round of matches in France were the defending champions' struggles, a fallen hero's redemption and a chilly reception from the host nation

Germany struck with alarming quickness to beat the U.S.

After years of frustrating underachievement, Padres righthander Andy Ashby has joined the ranks of the National League's pitching elite

THE NBA

Keon Clark from UNLV is the great unknown of this year's draft

There are no slam Duncans in this draft, which has plenty of forwards but few quality guards or centers. Here is SI's guess at how things will shake down in Vancouver on June 24, with the caveat...

Those Sagging SoxChicago's lifeless South Siders are dropping fast in the American League Central

The perpetually payroll-slashing Reds are shopping their most expensive and valuable asset, shortstop Barry Larkin, though neither Larkin nor Reds management is taking responsibility for that...

Only 12 players born in North Dakota have ever played major league baseball, which is what made the opening at bat of the Angels-Rangers game in Arlington on Sunday night such a historic occasion,...

Rey Ordoñez already fields like Ozzie, but will he hit as well?

It's the PitsDale Earnhardt's axed crew chief questions the Intimidator's focus

The Pedregons' rivalry on the funny car circuit is no joke

4

As I write this, Two Down, my golfing buddy, has barricaded himself in his basement and said he's not coming out. His wife asked me to try and talk some sense into him over the phone.

Jill Briles-Hinton thought it hurt to lose a sudden-death playoff—her fate at the 1994 Children's Medical Center Classic in Beavercreek, Ohio. Two years later she learned more about hurt when her...

O'Meara-proofing? After 14 months of denying that Augusta National needs to be toughened up, or Tiger-proofed, club officials announced last week that Tom Fazio will modify the course in time for...

What do these players have in common?

It's feast or famine for players on the Nike tour

1-1Odds that someone makes a hole in one during this week's U.S. Open, according to Ladbrokes, the London-based bookmaking firm.

PGA

Call Him Aqua-ManRay Ainsley coulda been a contender in the 1938 U.S. Open. Instead, he waded into history. At Denver's Cherry Hills 50 summers ago, Ainsley hit a five-iron approach into a brook...

Tom Lehman took a year to recover from his last U.S. Open trauma, but now he's ready to roll

There's no way that you—or any European—can win the U.S. Open

Back Man ForeverSpine saver Tom Boers is a hero to more and more Tour players

I tried to keep my son out of golf. In nine years as a club professional in Pennsylvania, I learned the drawbacks of a teaching pro's life. Working on weekends, I couldn't take my family to church...