Yes, it's that time of year again, when we offer to help you fill in your bracket to determine the single most annoying thing about March Madness—not including, of course, people offering to help...

Thanks for telling the NBA that a simple "we need you" won't be enough to mend the fans' broken hearts.—MEHDI EMRANI, Evanston, III.

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,...

January 2, 1978

DON'T MISS

4.5Overnight rating for Sunday's NCAA Men's Tournament game on CBS at noon. NBC's Nets-Heat game in the same timeslot got a 3.4 rating.

"Boxing's cesspool opens to emit an unconscionable odor," said TVKO's Jim Lampley after the Holyfield-Lewis farce last Saturday. Contrast that to CBS college basketball announcer Kevin Harlan, who...

Sports owners attempting to suck up every last advertising dollar are giving naked greed a bad name

There's more than lockout rust messing up today's NBA

•That Don King will pay for seeing-eye judges for Holyfield-Lewis II.•That the fashion folks at FCUK never try to spell Szczerbiak.•That we'd had Gonzaga in the office pool.

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED and CNN team up on the Internet to offer complete coverage of the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournaments. Catch the latest news, up-to-the-minute scores, in-depth...

Death of a Flawed RuleThe NCAA Loses Its Props

309.7PGA Tour-leading average driving yardage of John Daly, who leads runner-up Tiger Woods by 16 yards but has no top 10 finishes and ranks 73rd on the money list.

Be the Boss

Picture Michael Jordan riding pine in some superleague. That's the plight of Andrew Gaze. A hero in his native Australia, where he has led the National Basketball League in scoring II times and...

The babycenter.com Web site offers a Sports Conflict Catcher to help prospective parents plan pregnancies so childbirth won't conflict with major sports events.

BERNARD LANDRYQuebec finance minister, on why his province will fund the Montreal Symphony but not a new park for the Expos: "Ask a first violinist and a first baseman how much they make, and you...

Christopher Rendall, Greensboro, N.C.SwimmingRendall, a junior at Emory, was named the University Athletic Association's co-swimmer of the year after winning seven conference titles. His time of...

If there were a Grammy for most inspiring album, San Diego Padres third base coach Tim Flannery might have won it for his latest CD, Pieces of the Past. Flannery, a singer and guitarist, recorded...

IMG went to court when Jeff Schwartz took his leave—and star tennis clients

Tearing yourself away from the television during tournament time can be tough, but everyone needs a breather. So exercise your mouse-clicking muscles and log on to these sites to stay on the road...

New Jersey G.M. Lou Lamoriello runs the tightest ship in the hockey business

Eric Guerrero, 26-0, is on the cusp of his third NCAA title at Oklahoma State

Today's quarterbacks have nothing (but money) on their counterparts of '78

Former Kentucky guard Cameron Mills counsels his onetime teammates

After back-to-back titles, Serena Williams has no doubt she can win big

Swing. Clang! Swing again. Aaaahhh

Laird Hamilton, the world's best big-wave rider, does it for love, not money

Vicar's win at Gulfstream thrust a pair of old pros back in the Derby picture

The MajorsIn Pursuit of Golf's Holy GrailBy John FeinsteinLittle, Brown and Co., $24.50

In two rounds filled with thrilling turns and surprising twists, a record number of low seeds advanced to the Sweet 16

Taking on mighty Duke was too tall an order for poor Florida A&M

If a quarter century of history is any guide, the last team standing at the end of the dance will be one with at least three future NBA players in its lineup

Every NCAA championship team since 1976, except Kansas in '88, has used at least three players in the title game who went on (or are expected to go on) to play in the NBA. Here's the list.

Since it takes a minimum of three future NBA players on a roster to win a national title, we consulted scouting executives with three NBA teams to determine which tournament teams have the goods...

What the Pacific Division-leading Trail Blazers lack in All-Star power, they make up for in depth, versatility and—for now, at least—a willingness to share playing time

Four-Point PlayReferee Stanley Reynolds, a broadcaster and two UNC Charlotte players give Rhode Island center Luther Clay the finger on a contested out-of-bounds play during the 49ers' 81-70...

After delivering an honest beating of Evander Holyfield that should have unified the heavyweight crown, Lennox Lewis was stuck with an unconscionable draw

Coming off his best season in years, the once larger-than-life Jose Canseco has downsized his world but still hopes to make a big impact with the Devil Rays

THE NHL

Mr. EverythingBlues defenseman Al MacInnis proved he's more than just a big shot

COACH LARRY ROBINSONKings1998-99 salary: $700,000He didn't lift team spirit when he recently said, "I often question whether I'm a good coach." At week's end L.A. was 25-36-5, 10th in the Western...

Blackhawks Coach Lorne Molleken should be ashamed of the bush-league move he made in the waning moments of last Friday's 5-3 loss to the Predators. After Nashville scored an empty-net goal,...

Still Jackin'Amid heavy-duty spring hoopla, a focused McGwire has picked up where he left off

Just how hard up are some teams for lefthanded pitching? Los Angeles asked 38-year-old Fernando Valenzuela to come to Dodgertown and battle for a bullpen gig. Valenzuela, out of baseball last...

A Hurricanes prospect and a Marlins coach go Manny a Manny in Miami

To adjust to life in the major leagues, Latinos turn to each other

Border PetrolIn the U.S. Cup, Mexico again set a standard America can only aspire to

The 1999 MLS season opens this Saturday, and it may wind up looking a lot like '98. The Los Angeles Galaxy should again score the most goals, allow the fewest and finish with the league's best...

Back on the BeamDominique Moceanu, on her own at last, is training again—and loving it

Getting FalkedAgent provocateur David Falk made Stephon Marbury a Nets gain

JAZZ AT HORNETSFriday, March 19Charlotte's Derrick Coleman once called Utah's Karl Malone an Uncle Tom, which may explain why Malone regularly goes postal on DC. In 10 head-to-head matchups, all...

Who's got legs? Or, put more specifically, which teams are in shape and which ones will be dragging their baggy trunks along the floor by April? We figured that performance at the end of games is...

Suns-watchers say Tom Gugliotta seems a tad frustrated with the Phoenix offense. Point guard Jason Kidd rewards teammates in two ways when he pushes the ball on breaks: He hits teammates streaking...

The Raptors' Doug Christie knows it takes two to tangle

When Jesse Boulerice laid out Andrew Long with a vicious high stick, was it just hockey, or something much worse?

A photographer turned his fascination with Ben Hogan into an affecting memorial to the man

Vijay Singh's win at the Honda signaled the start of the stretch run for Augusta

Two Wild and Crazy Guys

Senior RevivalSudden Life

What do these players have in common?

If you could win only one of the four men's majors, which would it be?

Carlton Forrester, Gainesville, Ga.Stacy Prammanasudh, Enid, Okla.

Earning an invitation to Bay Hill is a lot more satisfying than asking Arnie for a free pass

You think Eric Booker took gas? Let me tell you something about choking

Be it ever so humble, the LPGA's new minor league gives a burgeoning number of pros a tour to call home