October 11, 1999 | Volume 91, Issue 14

Fighting MadThe Hawks' thuggery gives the league (and their coach) a black eye

PAVEL BUREPANTHERS RWAt 5'10" and 189 pounds, the 28-year-old Bure is a blur on skates and an expert at getting behind defenses. Through Sunday he had 268 goals in 440 NHL games, and though he had...

One reason the Flames traded hard-nosed defenseman Todd Simpson to the Panthers last week for feisty forward Bill Lindsay is that Calgary management felt Simpson had not played with his usual...

Roaring AgainKansas State, supposedly facing a rebuilding year, is 4-0

•Miami (2-2) at Florida State (5-0)By any measure of Hurricane strength, it's obvious that Miami didn't pack much punch in its last visit to Tallahassee two years ago. It lost 47-0, and the game...

Darren Davis, RB, Iowa State—The 5'8", 190-pound senior leads the nation in rushing with 176.7 yards per game, giving the Cyclones (3-1) visions of their first bowl appearance in 21 years.

For Cincinnati quarterback Deontey Kenner, family comes first

You think just because every network, newspaper, magazine, pamphlet, Web page, talk show, ham radio operator, beeper service and corner nut screaming at traffic has come out with one of those...

What did Tom Hallion think commissioner Bud Selig was going to do in the wake of mass resignations? Cancel the World Series?—Adrienne Pack, Norfolk

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,...

DON'T MISS

18Percent of households watching TV in Ohio tuned in to the Astros-Reds showdown series on Fox Sports Ohio (Sept. 28 and Sept. 29). In Astros country 11% were tuned into Fox Sports SouthWest.

Last Saturday, with the Reds, Astros and Mets playing back-to-back-to-back in their tussle for postseason berths, why couldn't there have been a tripleheader (perhaps on more than one network)...

Barraged by cards, letters and now E-mail, sportswriters must be masters of the quick counterpunch

April 1, 1957

The SEC sacks Fran Tarkenton for his alleged financial faking

Houston, you had a problem. Now you have six—the half dozen subs and scrubs you got from Portland for Scottie Pippen. Sure, Pippen was dumb to criticize Charles Barkley's fat butt. But was he...

$0Salary in 1999 of Celtics chairman Paul Gaston, who returned $1 million to ease the team's financial woes.

Reborn•The NBA careers of Benoit Benjamin, 34, and John Salley, 35, who between them have played for the Bucks, Bulls, Clippers, Grizzlies, Heat, Lakers, Nets, Pistons, Raptors, Sonics and 76ers....

An ad in a Dallas newspaper invited fans to come watch former Cowboy Tony Tolbert's laser eye surgery.

SARAH FERGUSONDuchess of York, to George Steinbrenner at a party: "You're obviously someone successful. Good luck in whatever it is you do."

Step right up and clobber Akira Hareruya (left), a Japanese businessman who moonlights as a punching bag. Hareruya, 36, a former prizefighter whose name means "feel better, don't give up," charges...

Chuck Moore, CincinnatiBaseballChuck, 17, a leadoff hitter and rightfielder, was named MVP of the Dizzy Dean World Series after batting .529 with three homers in five games to lead the Midland...

Harold Baines is on nobody's shortlist of future Hall of Famers. The Indians' DH has never had 30 homers or 200 hits in a season. His best finish in MVP voting was ninth. He has played just 81...

In an American League MVP race almost too close to call, one candidate stands out with an accomplishment unmatched in the majors in 61 years

Pedro Martinez's 1999 performance ranks among the 12 best by a starting pitcher in the 44 years since the Cy Young Award was established. His presence in the dazzling dozen, however, offers mixed...

CIVAN RODRIGUEZ, Rangers.His 199 hits were second most ever for a catcher. He also threw out 53% of runners who tried to steal on him. (Runner-up for catcher slot, Mets' Mike Piazza: 21%.)...

Defensive end Willie McGinest, healthy again after two subpar seasons is back creating havoc for the undefeated Patriots

Alabama pulled off an upset of Florida, but only after converting to the wide-open offense that's making believers of coaches all across the country

HIS LEGION OF CRITICS REVELED IN HIS LATE-SEASON MISERY, BUT METS MANAGER , PLAYOFF BOUND, HAD THE LAST LAUGH

Stay on top of all the playoff action with our batter-by-batter box scores and on-the-scene reports from SI's Tom Verducci, Stephen Cannella and Jeff Pearlman.

Rockin' RobinMets third baseman Robin Ventura can't prevent the Pirates' Pat Meares from reaching base in the top of the 10th last Friday, but he more than evens the score later by hitting the...

PRO FOOTBALL

Growing UpAs he faces life at 30, Brett Favre shows signs of slowing down-but only when he's off the field

If Brett Favre, who turns 30 on Sunday, is as good after that milestone birthday as he was in the 116 games he played in his 20s, he'll have had one of the best careers of any quarterback in NFL...

1. Doing Right by RandySo this is what can happen if you walk into the boss's office and stomp your feet. Neglected wideout Randy Moss did just that six days before the Vikings' game against the...

It was one of the most glorious rivalries in the NFL: 49ers versus Rams made the pulses quicken. Frankie Albert, Y.A. Tittle, Norm Van Brocklin, Bob Waterfield lighting it up in the California...

Economy DriveThe Reds' near-miss season was no blueprint for low-revenue success

Despite their big numbers, McGwire and Sosa aren't that far ahead of the crowd