February 20, 2006 | Volume 104, Issue 8

Stop the Bus

Seventeen miles from Lexington, Mass., is the town of Dracut, cradle of another American revolution, in which the defiant act of a single citizen has threatened an oppressive empire.

Will the NHL stick with its blasé attitude toward gambling now that a bookmaking scandal has touched the life of Wayne Gretzky?

Offered By the Nationals, a one-year, nonguaranteed $500,000 contract to Sammy Sosa. Signing with Washington would mean a steep pay cut for Sosa (above), who made $17 million with the Orioles last...

133 Consecutive free throws made by NAIA Northwestern College sophomore guard Deb Remmerde, the longest streak at any level of organized basketball.

Michelle Kwan's sudden exit makes the U.S. skating team better

A struggling Andy Roddick turns to a sibling to help get his career back on track

With a new coach and a new attitude, Baylor is rebounding from a scandal

The Washington Post columnist and Pardon the Interruption cohost joins ESPN's Monday Night Football broadcast team next season

Danni Boatwright, the last person standing on last year's Survivor: Guatemala, has a new tribe: the Arena Football League. Boatwright, who infamously revealed on the show that fellow competitor...

No celebration of the world's longest-reigning monarch would be complete without a little Thai diving. In honor of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who has ruled Thailand for 60 years, 400 skydivers...

Former USC running back Anthony Davis will broadcast his gastric-bypass surgery live on the Internet next month.

LUIS GRILLO, NBA referee, to Bernie Bickerstaff, coach of the injury-ravaged Bobcats, before Charlotte's loss to the Raptors last Friday:

What to watch and watch for

Matt Grevers LAKE FOREST, ILL. > Swimming

CLIPPERS GUARD

WHO'S HOT

Who's the most underrated player in the NBA?

Nextel Cup Champ

California necklaces usher in a new aura in sports

[This article contains a table -- Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]

Before heading to Turin, Kimmie Meissner went back to school

American men and women ruled the halfpipe in Bardonecchia with a dazzling combination of technique, bravado and cool. It was sick

Timely support from family and friends helped Chad Hedrick, a.k.a. the Exception, get on track and win the first of what could be a fistful of gold medals

Neither prerace relaxation nor new skis helped Bode Miller and Daron Rahlves in the downhill as the U.S. got off to a bad start

The XX Winter Olympics have given Turin a moment of glory that may finally overshadow one of the city's greatest tragedies: the plane crash that killed all the starters on its beloved soccer team,...

With record crowds, lofty RPI rankings and a shot at four NCAA tournament bids, the teams of the Missouri Valley Conference, a so-called "mid-major," are making a big-time impact this season

Read more about the Missouri Valley in Stewart Mandel's Insider column at SI.com/collegebasketball.

New coach? O.K. New system? Sure. Nobody has handled change better than Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups, who in his sixth NBA stop might become the first journeyman MVP

Jack McCallum proposes five trades that need to happen by the Feb. 23 deadline at SI.com/nba.

Whatever holes streaking Dallas has--on the boards, offense or D--Josh Howard is there to fill them in

Which perpetual also-rans could be going places in the postseason? Which marquee-name players might be headed to new places in the off-season?

The struggles of the Sixers and the T-Wolves raise a big question: Would they trade their franchise players?

Mountain Do On the final run for the top men's downhill racers on Sunday in Sestriere, Antoine Deneriaz of France skied the race of his life, then wallowed in his victory (inset). The 29-year-old...

Coming on with a fury after only one full season on the circuit, Carl Edwards could perform the ultimate backflip--with the Nextel Cup in his grasp--if he can temper his go-for-broke style

For more NASCAR coverage, and more from Lars Anderson, go to SI.com/racing.

SI predicts the order of finish in the points standings after the final race in Homestead, Fla. (Driver, owner, car, 2005 standing)

From the mouth of White Sox manager and new U.S. citizen Ozzie Guillen comes a verbal barrage. "I will tell the truth," he says, "whether you like it or not." And nothing stirs him like the...

College Basketball Precocious Kansas has rebounded from early struggles and hit its stride • Beware of bracket-busting Colonial Athletic Association teams • Missouri's looking for a fresh start

Strong Rebound

MIZZOU STARTS OVER Missouri was the subject of a lengthy NCAA investigation and endured a slew of other off-court embarrassments during Quin Snyder's seven-year tenure in Columbia, but it wasn't...

Flag Frenzy

You've heard of the movie Glory Road, right? The inspirational story of the 1966 Texas Western basketball team that won the NCAA title with an unheard-of five black starters?

In 2005 ABC upgraded its golf talent. In '07 the 100-person cast and crew will lose their jobs. That makes '06 a season of uncertainty

Arron Oberholser wins twice at Pebble

The chart shows the percentages of players who carried at least one hybrid in the last two Pebble Beach Pro-Ams. In '06 half the hybrids were TaylorMades, and the company's 19-degree Rescue Dual...

With two wins in two senior starts, Loren Roberts is 50 and loving it

WHO: Arron Oberholser WHAT: 108-yard sand wedge to eight feet to set up a birdie WHERE: 397-yard par-4 15th hole at Pebble Beach WHEN: Final round of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Mandatory carts on muni courses are an abuse of power

by JAMES P. HERRE

Great around the greens, Arron Oberholser gets it done the old-fashioned way

ABC's Fade to Black page G10 • MY SHOT Fighting Carts in Courts page G24