
##2000561 . He did n't make it to the weekend , but simply by playing his way from Zambia to Winged Foot , Madalitso Muthiya was a big winner at the U.S. Open . Foreshadowing , anyone ? While striding up the 9th fairway during his practice round a week ago Monday , Tiger Woods heard a lusty round of applause -- and it was n't for him . The uproar , in this case , was on account of Madalitso Muthiya ( mad-uh-LEET-so moo-TEE-yuh ) , a serene , compactly built 23-year-old native of Zambia playing in his sixth professional event . With Woods on an adjacent fairway , Muthiya -- possibly the only golfer in the 156-man field not playing with custom-fitted clubs -- had holed a 155-yard eight-iron to eagle the 1st hole . Woods and Muthiya were supposed to play together that afternoon , but Woods no-showed . It was n't a big deal : Such early-week sessions are highly informal . Still , Woods might have enjoyed hearing about Muthiya 's journey from a bleak township on the outskirts of Lusaka to the lush @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the course , Woods might have learned from Muthiya a thing or two about playing through the pain of losing one 's father . Muthiya made the turn last Thursday at four over , smarting at the three birdie putts he had missed , but right in the thick of things . Then his driver deserted him . He spent the next 27 holes spraying tee shots all over Winged Foot 's West course . " He was consistent , " Rob ( Bullet ) Burns , his caddie for the Open , said after Muthiya 's first-round 81 . " Consistently left and right . " Muthiya would miss the cut by a dozen strokes after an 80 on Friday , yet he was the picture of class and composure . He told reporters after the first round that while he " wanted to be known as a golfer , " he understood , and embraced , the significance of being the first black African to play in the U.S. Open . Once inside his courtesy car , he deflated visibly . " That was torture , " he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a guy who has seen things his golfing peers have not , a guy from a country where the per capita income is $430 and the life expectancy is 32.7 years . He knows that on the scale of hardship , a bad round of golf barely moves the needle . In 1980 Peter Muthiya married Edith Siame , who bore him two sons , Wongani and Madalitso , and a daughter named Ivwananji . The family lived outside Lusaka , Zambia 's capital city , where Peter owned an insurance brokerage , which made the Muthiyas solidly middle class , although that , as Madalitso points out , " is very different from being middle class in America . " Peter earned enough to afford a modest house in the township of Nyumbayanga , east of the capital . When he did splurge , it tended to be on something related to golf , most notably a membership at the Lusaka Golf Club . Unbeknownst to their father , Wongani and Madalitso would chip balls around the yard . One afternoon Madalitso hit a shot through his parents ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work and found the window , he was n't upset , " recalls Madalitso . " He smiled and asked us , ' You want to start playing golf ? ' " Madalitso did . The family had a VCR , and the boy spent countless hours studying video of three golfers in particular : Tom Watson , Ian Woosnam and Tony Jacklin . The result was a fluid , self-taught swing that drew admiring remarks last week . " His swing is very good , " said Vijay Singh , following their Tuesday practice round . " I think he 's had good coaching . " Actually , Muthiya never had a real lesson until arriving on these shores in 2000 . " He was always putting in the sitting room , rolling balls into a cup , trying to find the break in the rug , " says Wongani , now a sales manager for Zambian Breweries . " It was incredibly irritating . " Irritating , but fruitful . At 13 Madalitso was Zambia 's top amateur . He was invited to play in the World Junior Championships @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was over , the juniors were invited to watch part of the British Open , which was being played at Royal Lytham &; St. Annes . Looking on as the pros hit balls on the range , Muthiya was called over by Gary Player , who asked him to hit a ball . " Nice swing , " Player said . " You 're going to be the first black African player on the PGA Tour , are n't you ? " That sort of thing has a tendency to happen to Muthiya . Was it any wonder , then , that he seemed utterly at ease at Winged Foot , bumping fists with old friends like Ben Hayes and Camilo Villegas on the driving range , working the putting green like a Kennedy , chatting easily with the veterans . Everything about his demeanor said , This is where I belong . The feeling also came from the many tournaments Muthiya won as a teenager in Zambia . At 16 he placed sixth in the Zambian Open , defeating many of Africa 's pro golfers and attracting the attention of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him to the statehouse . " He told me I had brought the country a lot of pride , " says Muthiya , " and asked what he could do for me . " The teenager laid out his plan : He wanted to play college golf in the U.S. and then play on the PGA Tour . Not long after the meeting , Madalitso and Peter were introduced to Jayme Roth , an American lawyer in Zambia doing government relations work . Roth , now an aide to U.S. Senator Evan Bayh ( D. , Ind. ) , met the Muthiyas and became determined to assist . He helped Madalitso prepare for the SAT and sent out videotapes to coaches all over America . The handful who were interested wanted to see him play . So Muthiya entered a tournament called the Nolan Hanke/Patty Berg Junior Masters in Fort Myers , Fla . " He gets off the plane , and his clubs looked like what you 'd get at a garage sale , " says Roth . " Who 's around him ? All the kids with the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last day trailing by a stroke . As his group walked onto the par-3 14th at Cypress Lake Country Club , the heavens opened . Squinting in the deluge , Muthiya hit a four-iron to two feet . He took the lead and won going away . His father was there to witness the victory . Says Roth , " That may have been Peter 's proudest moment . " Madalitso was offered , and accepted , a full ride to New Mexico , where in the fall of 2001 he arrived with a duffel bag of clothes and his clubs . Ryan Murphy , an alternate at last week 's Open who was then the Lobos ' assistant coach , recalls asking the new guy if he 'd left a sweetheart behind in Africa . Smiling , Muthiya put his arm around his sticks . " These are my girlfriends , " he said . " He was a lot further along than a lot of freshmen , " says Lobos coach Glen Millican . While his first year in Albuquerque was one of adjustment , he made some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his second tournament , tying for second , and finished 10th at that season 's Mountain West Conference championships . Just before Christmas of his sophomore year , Madalitso had a three-way phone conversation with Peter and Wongani , who was attending the University of Notre Dame in Australia . Peter was in the hospital with pneumonia . " He was kind of struggling with his breathing , " Madalitso says . " He said , ' They asked me to spend the night here , but I 'll be back to work on Monday . ' " Three days later he was dead at 52 . Both Muthiya boys were far from home , adjusting to new lives . If there ever was a time they would abandon their ambitions , this was it . Neither quit . Wongani , now 25 , took two jobs to continue his education . ( He earned degrees in marketing and electronic commerce . ) Blessed with strong support from his team , and from the Roths -- Jayme and his parents , Claude and Janet , had all but adopted him -- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dad . Says Wongani , " He used to tell us that the world was a jungle full of lions and snakes , and that to survive we had to get our education . " The loss of his father sent Madalitso 's game south . " I was fragile emotionally , " he says . Still , he pulled off top 10 finishes at the National Invitational and the conference championships . The summer after his junior season he made it to the round of 32 in the U.S. Public Links and the U.S. Amateur -- the latter played at a more benign Winged Foot than the one he saw last week . After graduating in the fall of 2005 with a degree in economics , Muthiya turned pro . At February 's qualifying school for the Canadian tour he birdied four of the last six holes to earn his card . ( He has made $892 in two starts so far . ) Back home he came in second at the Zambian Open . He Monday-qualified for the Nationwide tour 's Gila River Classic and made the cut . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fits and starts that had plagued his game since Peter 's death came to an abrupt end . He laid waste to the field at his local qualifier , shooting a 63 at Albuquerque 's Twin Warriors course . The competition was more formidable at his sectional qualifier , held at the Double Eagle Golf Club in Galena , Ohio . The field of 37 included Bill Haas , son of Tour pro Jay , and Matt Weibring , son of Champions tour pro D.A . Muthiya shot a 65 in the morning and a 69 in the afternoon . No one came within four strokes of him . Wongani got the good news in a text message at 3 a.m . Lusaka time . " I started jumping up and down , " he says . Not knowing what else to do , he took a shower and went to work ... at 4 a.m . " The security guards thought I was crazy , but I was simply overjoyed , " he says . " It felt as if all the struggles we 'd gone through were worth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Madalitso was telling his sometime caddie , Carleton Hasbrook , " This is my time . " It was his time -- to see how much more work he has to do . Armed with a new set of Cleveland irons , acquired by the help of fellow Lobo Tommy Armour III , Muthiya took to the course . But the clubs were n't enough . Seven time zones away , studying the scroll at the bottom of the ESPN broadcast , Wongani agonized as the number next to his brother 's name kept growing . Madalitso was philosophical . " Obviously , the last two days I did n't drive straight , " he said . " One of the things I have to learn how to do is to salvage a round , even when I 'm hitting the ball badly . " He was more inclined to talk about the upside . He 'd been encouraged by his practice round with Singh , of which he said , " I felt like , a lot of times , I had almost the same shots he did . Of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mentally , but this experience showed me I 'm not that far away . It showed me I can compete with the best players in the world . " With that , Muthiya disappeared through the doors of Winged Foot 's handsome stone clubhouse , the first leg of a remarkable journey complete . PULLQUOTE Peter was in the hospital with pneumonia . " He was kind of struggling with his breathing , " Madalitso says . " He said , ' I 'll be back at work on Monday . ' " Three days later HE WAS DEAD AT 52 . " I felt like , a lot of times , I had almost the same shots as Singh did , " said Muthiya . " This experience showed me I 'M NOT THAT FAR AWAY . I can compete with the best players in the world . " Author Affiliation <p> 
##2000562 . On the verge of surpassing Tiger Woods as the game 's dominant player , Phil Mickelson instead blew the U.S. Open with a 72nd-hole collapse -- failing to measure up to his archrival . FOR 69 holes of last week 's U.S. Open , Phil Mickelson did a pretty good Tiger Woods impersonation . For most of a wild final round at Winged Foot Golf Club , he fought off a handful of world-class players , tiptoeing to the precipice of so much history . With a victory Mickelson would join Woods ( 2000 ) , Jack Nicklaus ( 1971 -- 72 ) and Ben Hogan ( 1953 ) as the fourth player to win three consecutive majors in the modern era . ( Bobby Jones 's Grand Slam in 1930 came before the Masters had been founded and included the U.S. and British Amateurs . ) A win at Winged Foot would propel Mickelson to next month 's British Open with a chance to do the unthinkable : match Woods 's greatest feat , the Tiger Slam , which is to hold the titles of all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a victory at the Open would leave no doubt that Phil had surpassed Tiger as the game 's dominant player . But on Sunday , Mickelson shrank from the immensity of the opportunity , handing an improbable victory to Australia 's Geoff Ogilvy . Mickelson led by two after 15 holes and arrived at the 18th a shot ahead of Ogilvy , but on the tee of the 450-yard par-4 he made one of the worst swings of his career , a push-slice that bounced off a hospitality tent miles left of the fairway . What followed was a sequence of mistakes that will haunt Mickelson for the rest of his life , if not longer . Trying to cut a three-iron around a tree he instead doinked its trunk , the ball rolling back at him , mockingly . On the reload Mickelson overcooked another cut shot , flying it into a buried lie in the front left greenside bunker , which left him an impossible play to a back right pin . Minutes earlier he was poised to make history . Now he needed to get up and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long bunker shot came out hot and trickled off the green , and his ensuing chip for bogey -- and salvation -- never had a chance . The finish was stunning in its swiftness , and cruelty . Mickelson hid out in the scorers ' area trying to collect himself ; his wife , Amy , draped an arm around his shoulders and whispered in his ear . When Phil finally emerged , his eyes were red and watery and he was still struggling to make sense of what had occurred . " I still am in shock that I did that , " he said . " I just ca n't believe that I did that . I am such an idiot . I ca n't believe I could n't par the last hole . It really stings . " It is a familiar hurt . The tie for second marked the 21st time that Mickelson had finished seventh or better at a major . Since reinventing himself at the start of 2004 he has won three majors , but in the same span he has kicked away just as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he three-putted from five feet to double bogey the 71st hole . Four weeks later , at the British Open , Mickelson held the lead with seven holes to play only to let it get away . But neither of those disappointments can compare with the gut-wrenching finish at Winged Foot . " This one hurts more than any other tournament because I had it won , " he said . " I had it in my grasp and just let it go . " Mickelson 's self-immolation threw into sharp relief the key difference between him and Woods . Tiger is 10 for 10 protecting a 54-hole lead in a major . When it matters most his decision making and execution are flawless . Mickelson is clearly still a work in progress , and knowing this may explain Woods 's peevishness last week when pressed about Phil . Asked at his Tuesday press conference about the state of their rivalry , Woods refused to give Mickelson his due , merely lumping him with other would-be contenders . " You have runs where Ernie was there for a little bit , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and now Phil . " A win at Winged Foot would have dramatically changed the conversation , but now Mickelson will have to prove himself all over again . Woods , meanwhile , came to this U.S. Open with other things on his mind besides Phil . It was his first tournament since the death of his father , Earl , on May 3 , and Tiger wanted to honor his memory . " I 'm here to compete and play and try to win this championship , " he said . " I know that Dad would still want me to grind it and give it my best , and that 's what I always do . That 's what I will certainly try to do this week . " It took three holes for it to be clear that Woods would not be able to summon his usual passion . On his opening hole he left an eight-foot par putt about a foot short . On the next he left an even shorter par putt even shorter . On the third hole Woods 's 45-foot birdie putt came up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . This most imperious of competitors , who has conjured so much awe , now elicited an entirely foreign emotion : pity . Woods continued to struggle to find his speed on the greens and hit only three fairways en route to a six-over 76 . On his fifth hole ( number 14 ) of the second round he chunked a chip from the rough and blew another short putt to make double bogey -- and all the fight seemed to drain out of him . Woods bogeyed his final two holes to shoot another 76 , missing the cut by three strokes . It was his first weekend off at a major since turning pro in 1997 , a span of 39 consecutive made cuts , which tied Nicklaus 's alltime record . With Woods off the premises Mickelson imposed his will on the tournament on Saturday , playing the back nine in two under to charge into a tie for the lead . Lurking one stroke back was the 29-year-old Ogilvy , who has become a fixture on Tour leader boards in the last year and a half . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with his effortless swing and owns one of the most creative , and reliable , short games in golf . His physical gifts have always been apparent . He was considered a can't-miss prospect as far back as 1999 , when he was the Australian tour 's rookie of the year at 22 . But in two ensuing seasons in Europe , and on the PGA Tour beginning in 2001 , Ogilvy displayed a vexing inability to win . His self-lacerating nature was mostly to blame , and his frustrations often led to on-course temper tantrums . " It was pretty embarrassing what I said to myself , " Ogilvy said earlier this year . " I would call myself useless and say , What are you doing out here ? -- all sorts of stuff . I was hopeless . " He has mellowed over the years , and his performance has improved as a result . Last season he broke through for his first Tour victory , at Tucson , and earlier this year he won the Match Play Championship , along the way dusting major champions Michael Campbell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . Ogilvy can still run hot on occasion . During the third round his caddie since 1999 , Alistair ( Squirrel ) Matheson , persuaded him to lay up on the par-5 12th hole . Ogilvy failed to make birdie and then spent the better part of the next two holes in Squirrel 's ear , complaining about the advice . Not coincidentally , Ogilvy bogeyed both holes . About this time his wife , Juli , could be found pacing in front of the clubhouse . She had been watching the NBC broadcast and could n't take listening to Johnny Miller continue to browbeat her husband about the dustup . " Of course they 're going to have disagreements , " Juli said of her husband and his caddie . " It 's like a marriage . They 've been together seven years . " On Sunday morning Juli wished Geoff happy Father 's Day , and " I did n't know how to take it , " he said . That 's because the preggers Juli wo n't deliver their first child until November . Still , the holiday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on 5 and 6 he suddenly had a two-stroke lead . He was still atop the leader board as late as the 10th hole , but with a bogey on 11 he dropped one back of Mickelson into a four-way tie with Jim Furyk , Padraig Harrington and Colin Montgomerie . That was when Ogilvy began a short-game clinic . He put his tee shot on the par-3 13th in a bunker on the short side of the green , but he clanged his second shot off the flagstick and saved par . He got up and down for par at 16 , and on the par-4 17th a series of misadventures in the gnarly rough left him lying three and still 30 feet from the flag , in the first cut . As Ogilvy was sizing up the shot Squirrel pulled a Bruce Edwards , and his boss was all too happy to play the part of Tom Watson . " He said , ' Just chip it in , ' " Ogilvy remarked afterward . ' Why do n't you just chip it in ? ' " So he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fairway , but his ball came to rest in a divot . Betraying no emotion at his misfortune , he ripped a six-iron at the flag . " I thought I had hit my career shot there , " he said . " But it caught a soft bounce , and the ball came all the way back down the hill . And then I thought I was really done for . I mean , you 're not going to do it from there . " But he did , playing a delicate pitch to six feet and pouring the putt into the cup . " I was hitting that putt thinking this may get me in a playoff , " Ogilvy said . " I never thought Phil would make bogey at the last . " He did n't , of course . Ogilvy 's winning score of five over was the highest at an Open since 1974 , when Hale Irwin survived the so-called Massacre at Winged Foot at seven over . To win on such a grueling track is a challenge as much mental as physical , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aspects of golf . " For the most part the best players are the best because they 're the best up here , " he said , tapping his melon . " Tiger Woods is the best golfer in the world because he 's got the best brain . He hits the ball well , but there are plenty of guys that hit the ball well . But he 's got the best head . " Conspicuously absent from the discussion was the star-crossed Mickelson . He had retreated to the privacy of the clubhouse and was sitting at his locker , motionless , staring into space with his head resting wearily in his hands . Amy came by to give him a kiss , but Phil did n't seem to notice . In his roller-coaster career Mickelson has taken plenty of punches to the solar plexus , but he has always come back for more . This one will be harder to get over . The U.S. Open has become his annual psychodrama , much as the Masters tortured Greg Norman . Mickelson has now finished second at the Open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . " I 've never seen him like this , " Amy whispered . " I think he 's in shock . " Finally , Phil stirred , packing up and then beginning the slow trudge home . As he snaked through the locker room he passed numerous mementos of Winged Foot 's glorious U.S. Open history and the legends who have enjoyed starring roles . There was a reproduction of a 1929 newspaper trumpeting Bobby Jones 's victory . A 1959 clipping celebrated Billy Casper 's heroics . A photograph from 1984 showed a beaming Fuzzy Zoeller holding the winner 's trophy aloft , and there was also a picture of Irwin , signed by the man himself : TO WINGED FOOT G.C. WHERE MY DREAMS WERE FULFILLED . Mickelson walked past all of this history without even noticing , leaving the locker room deserted but for all of its ghosts . SI.COM For more photos from the U.S. Open and more from Alan Shipnuck , go to SI.com/golf . PULLQUOTE The finish was stunning in its swiftness , and cruelty . " I still am in shock that I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SUCH AN IDIOT . " Reference <p> 
##2000569 . Thanks to its Father 's Day finish , the U.S. Open is always a time of celebration for the men who have formed a special bond through golf . Welcome to Winged Foot , home of the 2006 Dads ' Open . You know it as the U.S. Open , but the second major of the year is really the game 's unofficial father-son championship . The Open is where golf , a game that bonds fathers and sons , meets Father 's Day , the holiday that celebrates the men who helped make us and that traditionally coincides with the final round . The biggest story going into Winged Foot was Tiger Woods 's playing in his first tournament since the death of his father , Earl . Jay Delsing was the one player in the field who knew just what Tiger was going through . Delsing 's father , former major league outfielder Jim Delsing , died on May 4 , a day after Earl . Jay left a note in Tiger 's locker . " Tiger is such a private guy , " Delsing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exactly what you 're feeling . If you want to talk , I 'm here . ' " Delsing did n't hear back from Woods and does n't expect to . " I do n't think he has my cell number , " he says , laughing . Jim Delsing , 80 , succumbed to cancer , as did Earl . Delsing secured his spot in baseball history in 1951 , when he pinch-ran for Eddie Gaedel , the dwarf who drew a walk for the St. Louis Browns during maverick owner Bill Veeck 's most famous stunt . A week before he died , Jim fell and broke a rib , limiting his mobility . " That took the spirit out of him , " Jay says . " Internally , something left him after that . " On the evening of Jim 's death Jay visited his father , who lived with Jay 's mother , Roseanne , 15 minutes from Jay in suburban St. Louis , and gave him a shower , an awkward act that they joked about . Jim felt ill and was helped to bed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was n't comfortable leaving him , " Jay says . " I had a feeling . " He called his father from home . " He sounded strange , and I said I 'd come back over , " Jay says . " He said , ' No , I have chills right now , but I have a blanket . I 'm O.K. ' " The phone rang at 2:30 the next morning . Roseanne could n't wake Jim up . Jay rushed over , but he knew his father was gone . " That was the longest drive of my life , " he says . The church was full for Jim 's funeral , not surprising since he worked for the St. Louis Review , a Catholic newspaper , for 30 years after his career in baseball ended and , as a tireless volunteer for charities , made many friends . His favorite song was On the Sunny Side of the Street , and the parish musician who performed it at the service could n't remember the words . " That was perfect , " Jay says . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ " Jay , who is 45 and enjoying a bit of a revival after reworking his swing with teacher Jim Hardy , filed an entry for the Open for no other reason than that his dad would have wanted him to . " I had n't even touched a club in two weeks , " he says . Local qualifying was held on the day after Jim 's funeral . It was a blustery day at Meadowbrook Country Club , and though distracted by his emotions , Jay birdied the first hole of a playoff to advance to the sectionals . His mind kept flashing back to fishing trips with his dad to northern Ontario and to the stories he had to pry out of his modest father about serving in World War II or about facing Bob Feller for the first time and protesting when the umpire called the blur of a first pitch a strike by saying , " That sounded inside to me . " Winged Foot was Jay 's first Open in 14 years . " After my dad passed , I knew I was going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ felt as if something great was going to happen . " Something great almost happened on Friday morning . Wearing a silver belt buckle he found in his father 's jewelry box , Jay birdied three of the first six holes and shot 33 on the front side . Winged Foot 's rough got him on the back . He shot 72 to finish at 10 over par and miss the cut by a stroke . He showed off his dad 's buckle after the round . On it is engraved 1946 NORTHERN LEAGUE ALL-STARS EAU CLAIRE , WIS . The buckle was so black with tarnish that at first Jay could n't tell what was written on it . After his wife applied silver cleaner , he discovered a family treasure . " It 's so neat , " Jay says . " It 's the coolest thing I own . " Two fathers caddied for their amateur sons last week -- Dan Dougherty for Dillon , the runner-up at the 2005 U.S. Amateur who recently graduated from Northwestern , and Ed Moore for Jonathan , a qualifier who three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dougherty , a tomato farmer in Woodland , Calif. , also carried for Dillon at this year 's Masters but says he 's retiring his bib after Winged Foot . " Dillon needs a caddie who knows what the hell he 's doing , " he declares . An opening 85 meant that Dillon had no chance to make the cut , but simply getting to play at the Open was a thrill and helped the family forget last year 's tragic Father 's Day . Dan 's father , Bill , came out to watch him compete in his club championship . In a freak accident , a golf bag fell off the seat and onto the accelerator of a motorized cart . The runaway vehicle mowed down Bill , breaking his back . He died from complications later in the summer . " It was pretty bad , " Dan says . " Dillon and my dad were close . That 's what is so bittersweet about Augusta and the U.S. Amateur last year , and now the Open . My dad would 've been in absolute hog heaven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ veteran John Cook shared the Open with his son , Jason , who caddied for him , and with his father , Jim , a former PGA Tour tournament director who followed John in the gallery . John faded after an exciting opening 71 , but Jason got a taste of a New York Open in the second round , when the boisterous fans began rooting for the other players in Cook 's threesome -- David Duval , who was four under par for the round at one point , and Colin Montgomerie , who was near the lead all day . " It was like a football game , " says Jason , 20 , who has caddied for his father most of this year and looped in one other Open , at Pebble Beach in 2000 . " It 's as if we were walking through a tunnel and people were yelling . It was pretty cool . " On Wednesday , on the far end of the range , Jason hit a few balls and tried out some woods that John had scored from a Nike rep . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pro and won his first mini-tour title -- and his first check , for $250 -- a few weeks ago in Orlando with the first bogey-free round of his life , a 67 . He promptly text-messaged Dad . " The whole way back in the car , " Jason says , " I was in awe . " Next to the Cooks on the range were Charles Howell and his dad , Charles G. Howell , a prominent pediatric surgeon in Augusta . They 've been an inseparable team for years , back to the days when Dr. Howell made sure that his son got the best instruction by visiting David Leadbetter in Orlando , even though that meant a seven-hour drive down and a seven-hour drive back for one weekend every month . It 's a rare tournament that Dr. Howell is n't in his son 's gallery . " My dad is my best friend , and it 's always been that way , " Charles says . They celebrated Father 's Day the way they wanted , with Charles playing ( he finished 37th ) and Dad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as I 'm concerned , " Dr. Howell says , " every Sunday we 're out here together is like Father 's Day . " PULLQUOTE Winged Foot was Delsing 's first U.S. Open in 14 years . " After my dad passed , I knew I was going to make the Open , " he says . " I FELT AS IF SOMETHING GREAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN . " " IT WAS LIKE A FOOTBALL GAME , " Jason Cook said of the cheering by the fans following his dad 's group . " It was as if we were walking through a tunnel and people were yelling . It was pretty cool . " Author Affiliation <p> 
##2000570 . The mad-as-hell Mavs , the superstar heat of Dwyane Wade and a fascinating coaching duel between masters old and new drove the best postseason in a decade toward climax . Over two decades of coaching stratagems at your disposal , thousands of offensive possessions to draw upon , a multitude of options from which to choose . But sometimes it 's best to not be too smart , which was the case for Pat Riley at the end of Game 5 of the NBA Finals . Get the ball to Dwyane ! Get the ball to Dwyane ! That 's what the Miami Heat coach told his team in a timeout with 9.1 seconds left in the most crucial of situations : overtime , series tied 2-2 , Heat trailing 100-99 . Sometimes it 's that simple . Get the ball to Dwyane . The Heat did as instructed , and Wade , resembling a thief fleeing from the police , dribbled around and through four Mavericks defenders , drew a foul , then canned two free throws that gave the Heat a remarkable 101-100 victory . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ " we did not have a second option . " Though Miami would still need one win in Dallas to earn Riley his seventh ring , Shaquille O'Neal his fourth and Wade his first , there could be little doubt , regardless of how the series played out , who would be remembered as the most dominant force of the most captivating NBA Finals A.J. ( After Jordan ) . More than anything this series has been about the ascension of Wade into that select stratum of NBA superstars . In the middle three games in Miami , all Heat wins after two depressing defeats by an average of 12 points in Big D , Wade made 38 of 77 shots and 42 of 52 free throws . When all else failed-and even when it didn't-Riley would plant Wade on the perimeter of a 1-4 alignment and just tell him to do his thing . When Doug Collins was coaching the Bulls in the late ' 80s , he once described an end-of-the-game play he ran for Michael Jordan like this : " That was get Michael the ball and everybody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So it has been with Wade . On Sunday 's climactic play , Wade told Riley in the huddle that he wanted to go left , so Riley told O'Neal to move to that side of the floor to set a pick . That was pretty much the extent of the future Hall of Fame coach 's involvement in that play . Afterward the Mavericks weighed in with a few of their own D Wade-MJ comparisons , though of a far less flattering variety . Noting that Wade attempted the same number of free throws ( 25 ) as the Mavericks team in Game 5 , reserve guard Darrell Armstrong complained , " This kid is getting calls Michael Jordan never got . The kid spins , fades away , we do n't touch him , and he goes to the line ? Incredible . What does the NBA want ? Ratings ? Is that what this is about ? " Immediately after guard Devin Harris 's last-second half-court heave bounced off the top of the backboard , Mavs owner Mark Cuban was in front of commissioner David Stern shouting profanity-laced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ special protection are part of the league 's lore , and Wade does fit the profile of an anointed one . It is nearly impossible to get the Heat guard to say something colorful , but it is also difficult to get him to say anything arrogant or caustic . The league will take that trade-off any day . About the only edge that crept into Wade 's voice showed up after Game 4 , a 98-74 Heat rout , when he was asked if he was surprised that the Mavs were daring him to shoot jumpers . " I think they said I ca n't shoot , right ? So why would they contest my shots ? " Even after the Mavs ' three-game meltdown , nobody doubted that they could get their act straightened out back in Dallas , where Cuban , who wore a Jerry Stackhouse jersey on Sunday night in honor of the feisty forward who was suspended ( and questionably so ) for Game 5 after a flagrant foul on O'Neal in Game 4 , would pull out every scoreboard gimmick to fire up the home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treated like Eisenhower 's return home after World War II . ' House supplies much of the Mavs ' newfound fighting spirit ( another legacy of this postseason ) . Sometimes literally so . During a Dallas-Utah game late last season , Stackhouse and Jazz rookie Kirk Snyder got into it , prompting Stackhouse to promise Snyder he would " kick his ass " later . Sure enough , when the game was over , ' House requested practice sweats from a Dallas equipment manager , found Snyder in the tunnel that led to the players ' lot , bloodied his face with a couple of well-placed punches , returned to the locker room and reemerged a few minutes later nattily attired , as always , in a suit . Even without Stackhouse , the Mavs did show some fire and brimstone on Sunday , something coach Avery Johnson had found lacking after their Game 4 disaster . The following day he moved his team from their Four Seasons digs in Miami to a modest hotel in Fort Lauderdale and assigned roommates for everyone . The mind reels at the thought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Marquis Daniels and Pavel Podkolzin , the 7 ' 5 " native of Novosibirsk , Russia . Or the mental burden on Armstrong , who claimed he was tortured by Nowitzki 's love of rap-German rap ! To an NBA player accustomed to five-star isolation , having a roommate is equivalent to 40 lashes and 24 hours of Dr. Phil . The hotel switch was a psychological ploy out of the Riley book . The difference between the coaches is that Johnson is far more lively than Riley and consistently outperformed His Mousseness at the pregame and postgame microphone . Television packagers are missing a great opportunity if they do not pursue Avery for what would be a certain daytime hit- " Judge Johnson , " the alliterative and far more entertaining replacement for Judge Judy . Set it in a courtroom in New Orleans , Johnson 's hometown , where his distinctive Louisiana patois would be most engaging as he pronounces judgment , with a mixture of anger , sarcasm and humor , on a hopeless parade of defendants . But if the 41-year-old Johnson has outentertained the 61-year-old Riley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if the Heat get the needed win in Dallas to bring the franchise its first championship , Riley will , like Wade , find himself anointed-or , in his case , reanointed-as a coaching alchemist who , through force of personality , the weight of his accomplishments and some savvy X-ing and O-ing , extracts gold from unpromising raw materials . With a game still left to win , Riley would not say whether a Heat title would be sweeter than his previous ones in L.A. He tries to keep references to the ' 80s to a minimum- " Players do n't want to hear how you did it back then , " he says-but he can make a historical point digitally . " You look in that huddle , you see the ring on his finger , " says reserve forward James Posey , " and that 's even more motivation to go out there and get it done . " One suspects a Heat title would mean more to Riley than any of those he won during Showtime , the last in 1988 . There were always whispers that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ team 's talent rather than of his coaching acumen . If Riley were to bring Miami its first title , his stamp upon this one would be indelible , both as architect ( as president , he added some seemingly disparate pieces in the off-season ) and coach , but mostly as coach . " Pat has always made it clear to me that whatever title he had , he always thought of himself as a coach , " Heat owner Micky Arison said last Saturday . " I never forget that . " Riley has called upon every weapon in his substantial gamesmanship arsenal , both in these Finals and throughout the season . During a huddle in the fourth quarter of Game 3 , for example , Riley wrote season on his wipeboard and told the team , " This is our season we 're playing for . Every possession , every play has to be ours . " The Heat stoutly held on to a lead in a tense 98-96 victory . With veteran players such as O'Neal , Posey , Alonzo Mourning and Gary Payton , Riley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ big moments , in particular , out of the declining Payton , who has seemingly made no more than a half-dozen shots in this postseason . ( He was , in fact , averaging 6.0 points per game ) Several of them , however , have been daggers , including the Game 3 game-winning jumper ( his only shot of the game ) and a driving lefthanded layup ( the shot banked so high off the backboard it almost went over it ) that gave Miami a 99-98 lead in overtime on Sunday . Riley has also shown unwavering confidence in point guard Jason Williams and small forward Antoine Walker , both of whom he brought in before this season amid the head-shaking of NBA observers . Sometimes Williams and Walker are , indeed , dueling dunderheads , as in the third quarter of Game 4 when Williams eschewed a wide-open layup to pass to O'Neal on the sequence that ended with Stackhouse 's bulldozing Shaq to the floor and Walker 's dashing in with false bravado but enough menace to draw a technical foul . But even that worked out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made two free throws , and ' Toine did n't have to fight anybody . Things were not likely to go so providentially for the Heat in Dallas . Riley controls the atmosphere in Miami , where his favorite Springsteen tunes blare over the sound system and where , on Sunday night , he trotted out Clarence Clemons , the saxophonist from the E Street Band , to blow the national anthem . Dallas 's American Airlines Center is Cuban 's house . No Boss , just boos . No Clemons , just cowboys . But Riley had a weapon the Mavericks did n't have , even in Dallas . He could get the ball to Dwyane . BOX SI.COM Full coverage of Games 6 and 7 of the Finals , plus the Playoff Blog , at SI.com/nba . PULLQUOTE TV packagers are missing a great opportunity if they do not pursue Avery for what would be certain daytime hit , " JUDGE JOHNSON . " " WADE is getting calls MICHAEL JORDAN never got . What does the NBA want ? Ratings ? Is that what this is about ? @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home , " said Shaq of Stackhouse 's Game 4 foul . " It actually felt pretty good to get hit like that . THANK YOU , JERRY . Appreciate it . " Author Affiliation <p> 
##2000573 . Admitted That he was named in an affidavit released in connection with a June 6 federal raid on the home of Diamondbacks reliever Jason Grimsley , former first baseman David Segui ( above ) . The document alleges that Grimsley received a shipment of human growth hormone at home in April and that Grimsley identified at least half a dozen major leaguers -- the names were redacted -- as users of banned performance enhancers ( SI , June 19 ) . Last Saturday , Segui , 39 , who played for seven teams between 1990 and 2004 , told ESPN that he was one of those players : He said he used HGH obtained with a doctor 's prescription while playing . " It was perfectly legal , " said Segui . Signed By Notre Dame receiver Jeff Samardzija , a five-year contract with the Cubs worth up to $7.25 million . Samardzija , who caught a school-record 15 touchdown passes as a junior last season , was chosen by Chicago in the fifth round of the major league draft earlier this month . ( He went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dame baseball team this spring . ) He will play for the rookie league Boise Hawks this summer -- then return to South Bend to play football this fall . A potential NFL first-round pick next year , Samardzija says he wants to go pro in both football and baseball . Ended The season of pitcher turned outfielder Rick Ankiel , who underwent knee surgery on May 26 . The Cardinals minor leaguer , 26 , was a mound star as a rookie in 2000 , but he gave up pitching last season after trying for four years to control his chronic wildness . He was on track to make St. Louis 's roster -- he hit 21 home runs in 85 minor league games last year -- but injured his knee in spring training and never played a game this season . " You feel terrible , " Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said . " I just do n't know how much resilience he 's got and if he feels it 's worth it . " Died At age 88 , Bill Moffitt , a former scout for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and former major league reliever Randy Moffitt . A basketball player at Long Beach City College and a longtime firefighter in Long Beach , Calif. , Bill was a far cry from the manipulative stage fathers that are common in women 's tennis . But he and his wife , Betty , were always supportive of their children 's athletic ambitions . " They did n't push us ; Randy and I pushed them , " King told the Chicago Tribune in 1990 . Undergone By prized Ohio State recruit Greg Oden , 18 , surgery to repair a torn wrist ligament . The 7-foot center ( above ) , the national high school player of the year last season , was injured in an Indiana state playoff game on Feb. 28 . He played six more postseason games , but when the wrist failed to heal he decided to go under the knife . Oden started summer school at Ohio State on Monday , but it was too soon to tell if he would be ready when practice starts in October . Said coach Thad Matta , " We look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . " Pleaded Not guilty to providing alcohol to three underage women , Bengals receiver Chris Henry , 23 . Henry turned himself in to authorities in Kenton County , Ky. , last Thursday after an investigation into a claim by an 18-year-old woman that he sexually assaulted her at a hotel . She recanted her story , but the probe led to charges that could land Henry in jail for three years . The case caps a troubled off-season for Henry , who has been arrested four times in seven months . In March he pleaded guilty to marijuana possession ( he avoided prison time by completing drug rehab ) , and in August he will stand trial on a concealed weapon charge stemming from a January arrest in Orlando . He was also cited for drunken driving in Clermont County , Ohio , on June 4 and faces a court date for that charge later this month . Requested By Lance Armstrong , that Dick Pound be removed or suspended as head of the World Anti-Doping Agency , in a letter to IOC president Jacques Rogge . Last month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allegations printed in a French newspaper that he used the banned substance EPO when he won his first Tour in 1999 . Pound was dismissive of the Dutch investigator 's efforts , however , and a WADA statement labeled them " farcical . " In his letter Armstrong said Pound 's conduct was " reprehensible " and urged that Rogge remove him from office . An IOC spokeswoman said the committee would probably discuss the matter at its meetings in Lausanne , Switzerland , this week . Bought With debit cards that the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued to Gulf Coast residents displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita last year , Saints season tickets . FEMA issued debit cards to help storm victims pay for housing and other necessities last September . Last week a congressional audit showed that up to $1.4 billion was instead spent for such things as a sex-change operation , a Caribbean vacation and five season tickets for the Saints , who will return to the Superdome in September . Said Representative Michael McCaul , chair of the House Homeland Security investigations subcommittee , " This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Go Figure .700 The Marlins ' batting average this season in at bats immediately following intentional walks to Miguel Cabrera ; Florida is 7 for 10 when its third baseman has been given a free pass . 6 Major leaguers who have hit 300 home runs and stolen 300 bases : Barry Bonds , Willie Mays , Andre Dawson , Bobby Bonds , Reggie Sanders and Giants outfielder Steve Finley , who joined the club last week . 51 Unearned runs allowed by the Angels this season , six more than they allowed all last year . .173 Differential between Orioles catcher Ramon Hernandez 's home ( .370 ) and road ( .197 ) batting averages this season , the largest in the majors . SIDEBAR Switching Sides In a surprise move , a young sportswriter trades his laptop for a job as an NHL exec AFTER CHRIS SNOW was named the Wild 's director of hockey operations on June 14 , he got an e-mail from Red Sox G.M. Theo Epstein . " He told me I had landed a pretty sweet gig , " says Snow , 24 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the Red Sox beat writer for The Boston Globe . If only Epstein , who , at 28 , became baseball 's youngest G.M. in 2002 , knew how much he had helped Snow . " Without Theo , I probably would n't have gotten this , " says Snow . " People like him opened minds to hiring younger guys . " Snow 's jump to the front office is startling . After graduating from Syracuse in 2003 , he covered the Wild for the Minneapolis Star Tribune for a year before joining the Globe . In Minnesota he befriended Wild G.M. Doug Risebrough , and earlier this year the G.M. asked Snow about changing careers . " I believe you get talented people and put them in the right environment and do n't constrict it , " said Risebrough . " Where he came from is academic . " Snow , who grew up in a Boston suburb as a Bruins fan but never played organized hockey , will help research player contracts , beef up the Wild 's statistical analysis and coordinate travel for a roster that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'll also have to soothe his father , Bob , who adored the Bruins of the 1970s , who were tormented by the Canadiens . Risebrough and Wild coach Jacques Lemaire starred for Montreal . Says Snow , " He absolutely hated those guys . " SIDEBAR Frost Heaves Watch SI senior writer Alexander Wolff will file periodic updates on the expansion ABA team that he owns , the Vermont Frost Heaves . TO JUDGE by e-mail addresses alone , we 've got the makings of a pretty good team . We 've been in touch with the likes of silkyslimm21 , hoopsoul23 , igetbuckets , bigfella52 , flyingohsohigh , swoosh1223 , hoopdream31 and ballaboveall , as well as one Marcus Birdsong , who assures us , " I take after my Uncle Otis . " Who will ball for the Frost Heaves in the fall ? We 'll begin to find out at our inaugural tryout camp , scheduled for the weekend of June 30 and July 1 and 2 at Rice Memorial High in South Burlington , Vt. , where coach Will Voigt will put prospective Heaves through their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forms , pay the tryout fee ( $125 for Vermont residents , $150 for non-Vermonters if you register in advance ) and be at least 18 when camp opens . If you want to show us what you 've got , go to **35;1232;TOOLONG . SIDEBAR Back in Brown A year after shredding his knee in a motorcycle wreck , Kellen Winslow returns BY LAST Thursday , Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was out of the hospital and , apart from a concussion , a broken jaw and a citation for not wearing a helmet and driving without a proper license , none the worse for wear after his June 12 motorcycle accident ( SI , June 19 ) . If Big Ben needed a reminder of how lucky he was , he had only to look toward Cleveland , where Browns tight end Kellen Winslow ( left ) returned to the field after a 21-month absence . Winslow , 22 , who tore his right ACL while stunt riding in May 2005 and missed all of last season , took part in a minicamp last Friday . Wearing a rubber sleeve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ catches during drills and declared himself " 90 percent " recovered . He expects to be at full strength when training camp begins next month . " God put me in this place for a reason , " said Winslow , who missed the final 14 games in 2004 with a broken leg . " It was n't my time yet , but now it is my time . " The Browns withheld his $305,000 salary last season and nearly half the $4.4 million bonus he received after being picked sixth in the 2004 draft , though his deal was restructured so he can earn back most of what he lost . " Emotionally , it 's just been a lot of long nights , " Winslow said , adding that he wo n't ride a motorcycle again . -- Mark Beech Author Affiliation <p> 
##2000574 . Seven-foot Andrea Bargnani , a.k.a. the Next Dirk , is the best player ever to come out of Italy-and the best player in this year 's NBA draft . Even the blind can pick up a major difference between European basketball games and the NBA : Our background noise is pumped out of speakers while theirs is entirely natural . On a Wednesday night in late May , in an ancient town near Venice , the fanatics of the Italian club Benetton Treviso shook the Palaverde arena with drumbeats , shrill whistles and trumpet blasts-a cacophony not unlike a Roman traffic jam at rush hour . They were quiet only in the presence of their naturally endowed cheerleaders , dressed in white two-piece leotards , who performed routines that more closely resembled ballet than the silicone-shaking bump-and-grind acts of NBA dance teams . As they ran off the court , they brushed single-file past the Benetton general manager , Maurizio Gherardini , acknowledged on both sides of the Atlantic as the top executive in European basketball . " You can see that Maurizio is very smart , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . " He stands where the cheerleaders have to go by him as they leave the court . " Gherardini has a different explanation for his courtside position , claiming that he is too fidgety to sit through his team 's games . And with good reason : On this night , he watched Benetton squander most of a 27-point lead over Lottomatica Roma in Game 1 of their Italian Serie A semifinals , a best-of-five showdown . With less than three minutes remaining , a Roma guard broke free for an apparent layup that would 've cut the lead to six . From the blindside , however , came Andrea Bargnani , the most promising discovery of Gherardini 's 32-year career , to block the shot and start a fast break , which-after clambering back to his feet and sprinting upcourt-he capped off by draining a three-pointer . That key sequence in Benetton 's 85-77 win displayed the myriad natural gifts that have made Bargnani basketball 's equivalent of a five-tool player , the most intriguing prospect in this year 's NBA draft . Bargnani and his portly boss , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the leaders of an Italian hoops renaissance from which the NBA will soon benefit . Once upon a time Italy was the capital of European roundball , a hoops haven for such players as Bill Bradley , who as a Rhodes scholar in the mid-1960s would fly down from Oxford on his off days to play for powerhouse Milan . But the country has produced few of its own international stars as other European countries-Germany ( Dirk Nowitzki ) , Spain ( Pau Gasol ) and France ( Tony Parker ) -began exporting All-Stars to the U.S. That will change this month , as Italians celebrate not only the ascent of the 7-foot Bargnani , but also of Gherardini , who is about to become the first European executive to help manage an NBA team . In a delicious irony the Raptors , who have the first pick in next week 's draft , will name Gherardini as their assistant G.M. before the draft . And a popular belief is that the Raptors will use that pick on Bargnani . The 20-year-old Bargnani ( bar-NYAH-nee ) has been most often compared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He shot 38.1% from beyond the arc this season . ) " He has that same slow , smooth release as Dirk , " says a highly-regarded Eastern Conference executive who rates Bargnani as the top player in the draft . " And his lateral movement and overall athleticism is better than Dirk 's . " Despite the imminent hiring of Gherardini , new Raptors president and G.M. Bryan Colangelo has been coy about his interest in Bargnani . In fact , according to several league executives , Colangelo has been entertaining offers for the pick in his quest to fill the team 's biggest need : an experienced , up-tempo point guard . Few , though , are available . " If that does n't happen , I think they 'll use the pick on Tyrus Thomas , " says a Western Conference exec . " Bargnani is the best player in the draft , but I think Bryan is looking to re-create what he had in Phoenix-and if he takes Thomas , then he 'll have the closest thing to Shawn Marion playing small forward with a revved-up motor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beginning of this season Bargnani was playing only 10 to 15 minutes off the bench , but he became a starter midway through the year and is averaging 11.9 points , 5.5 rebounds and an Italian-league-leading 1.3 blocks per game in just 22 minutes per game . He is , scouts say , well-prepared for the rigors of the long NBA schedule . In addition to adding 23 pounds to his seven-foot , 248-pound frame , Bargnani has played in close to 80 preseason , regular-season and tournament games this year . Being a marked man has further steeled him . At the end of a crucial game in March against powerhouse Climamio Bologna , ex-Chicago Bulls center Dalibor Bagaric clotheslined Bargnani on a drive to the basket . As his teammates surrounded Bagaric and threatened retaliation , Bargnani got to his feet , rubbed his sore jaw and made two clinching free throws . Opposing fans have also played rough with him . During a return trip home to Rome for Game 2 of the Italian semis , Bargnani was greeted by 10,000 fans singing : Pezzo de merda Bargnani @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ roughly , to : " Bargnani is a piece of s -- . " The crowd also had some unkind things to say about his mother , Luisella Balducci , a high school English teacher sitting courtside . Luisella just laughed at the attention being paid to her son , who lives alone in a two-bedroom apartment in downtown Treviso and drives a sponsor-provided Volvo station wagon . This year he has grown a peach-fuzz beard in an ill-fated attempt to look older ; more striking are his thick eyebrows and occasionally startled expression that give him more than a small resemblance to Charlie Chaplin . Gherardini discovered Bargnani as a skinny 16-year-old playing for Stella Azzurra , a small club in Rome . Surprised to find a 6 ' 9 " teenager with the ball handling skills of a shooting guard , Gherardini spent six months winning over the player , his divorced parents and his Italian agent , Antonio Ricciotti , who will work in concert with Bargnani 's U.S.-based agent , Leon Rose , the rep for LeBron James . Because there is no draft for players in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the main difference being that he hands out the cash over the table rather than under it . ( Bargnani is in the third year of a five-year contract that is estimated to be worth more than $2.5 million . ) He has been hustling for clients since he was a teenager . His first job in basketball was with a pro team in the Italian town of Forli , which needed an English speaker-as a 16-year-old , Gherardini had lived as an exchange student in St. Louis-to handle negotiations with Tony Gennari , a U.S. player . After landing Gennari before the start of the 1973-74 season , Forli kept the 19-year-old Gherardini on as the player 's translator . Later that season he was promoted to assistant coach , and within a few years he was running the team-at a salary of around $20 per month . It was n't until the early ' 90s , when he was named G.M. of Benetton , that Gherardini began to make a much bigger name for himself . The international interest in Gherardini 's talent-rich summer camps-including the annual Reebok @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NBA team two weeks ago in Treviso-combined with a training staff that includes a strength coach , physiotherapist , dietician , chiropractor , bone specialist , masseur and two team physicians won over Bargnani , who passed up more lucrative offers from the Italian clubs Siena and Roma . While many European clubs shun the NBA , Gherardini has opened his doors to the Americans . By allowing Bargnani to depart with an estimated $1 million buyout , he is encouraging Italian players to dream of the NBA . " My old team president in Forli used to tell me , ' At the end of the day , the big fish always eats up the small fish . But as a small fish you may be able to be eaten the right way , ' " says Gherardini . " Instead of fighting the NBA , we could benefit by sharing . " The Raptors , who hope to rely on international talent to compensate for the unpopularity of Canada among U.S. players , will lean heavily on Gherardini 's connections that make him , according to Mavs president Donnie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He 's one of maybe five guys outside the U.S. who could step in and not skip a beat , " says Nelson . " He 's going to have no problem being a force in our league . " Will this cultural exchange program help Gherardini 's young protg become the only European to ever go No. 1 ? Gherardini will be among the first to know . SIDEBAR The SI Mock Draft WITH THE Raptors considering trading down and the Blazers , Grizzlies , Hornets and Jazz among several teams trying to move up , look for major fluctuations in mock drafts between now and the NBA 's June 28 D-Day . Here 's one prognosticator 's look at the first 10 picks of the draft . 1 TORONTO Andrea Bargnani PF 7 feet , 248 Benetton Treviso ( Italy ) Portland and Atlanta could be most aggressive suitors in trade talks for this top pick 2 CHICAGO LaMarcus Aldridge C/PF 6 ' 11 " , 240 Texas Bulls love his character-and that he 's an athletic , scoring big to complement Tyson Chandler 3 CHARLOTTE Brandon Roy SG @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ screens here , but Bobcats will take much-needed perimeter shooter and leader 4 PORTLAND Adam Morrison SG 6 ' 8 " , 205 Gonzaga Seemingly doomed franchise gets marketable regional star they covet to rebuild fan interest 5 ATLANTA Shelden Williams PF 6 ' 9 " , 258 Duke Need for quick turnaround prompts G.M. Billy Knight to take most experienced big he can find 6 MINNESOTA Tyrus Thomas ( left , 12 ) SF 6 ' 9 " , 215 LSU Could use a point guard , but this fierce , athletic rebounder could reenergize Kevin Garnett 7 BOSTON Rudy Gay SF 6 ' 9 " , 220 UConn Celtics like his open-court ability as well as his potential to clean up around the basket 8 HOUSTON JJ Redick SG 6 ' 3 " , 190 Duke Dead-eye marksman will spread the floor for Tracy McGrady and Yao 9 GOLDEN STATE Randy Foye PG 6 ' 4 " , 210 Villanova Draft 's best point guard could make disgruntled vet Baron Davis expendable 10 SEATTLE Cedric Simmons PF 6 ' 9 " , 223 NC State Quick , long-armed shot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chris Wilcox SIDEBAR The Sweet Low Down Short on high-end luxury picks , the draft will have plenty of bargains later on WHILE THIS draft appears to be short on slam-dunk future All-Stars at the top , NBA execs regard it as deep in opportunities to steal talent at the end of the first round or in the second . Think Danny Granger ( No. 17 to Indiana last year ) , Josh Howard ( No. 29 to Dallas in ' 03 ) or Gilbert Arenas ( a second-rounder with Golden State in ' 01 ) . Here are five leading candidates to make some G.M. look like a genius . Brandon Bowman 6 ' 9 " F , Georgetown Very athletic big man will create plenty of mismatches with ability to handle , rebound and score . Steven Smith 6 ' 8 " F , La Salle At 238 pounds and with 8.5% body fat , he 's a brick wall in the paint ; strong midrange game too . Renaldo Balkman 6 ' 8 " F , South Carolina MVP of ' 05 postseason NIT could be a Bo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dirty work . Will Blalock 6 feet G , Iowa State Top defender among point guards in Orlando has a 41-inch vertical leap ; efficient distributor as well . David Noel 6 ' 6 " F , North Carolina Four-year Tar Heel , a Marquis Daniels-type slasher , was top-rated athlete at Orlando predraft camp . Author Affiliation <p> 
##2000575 . Meet Nick Swisher , the irrepressible young slugger for the streaking Oakland A 's , who knows how good he is and is happy to talk to anyone about it . Nick Swisher is good . He is home-run-beltin ' , sideburn-wearin ' , nonstop-talkin ' , bear-hug-dispensin ' , self-proclaimin ' good . His coaches know it , his teammates know it , and most of all Swisher knows it . " He truly believes he is the best player on the planet , " says A 's third baseman Eric Chavez . " It 's his greatest asset . " " He acts like a perennial All-Star who 's been in the league 10 years , " says Dan Johnson , Oakland 's first baseman . Says Swisher , in his high-volume , West Virginia twang , " It 's just my personality , bro ! " -- a point he emphasizes by enthusiastically slapping a reporter on the knee -- " I just love playing this game . " He has the kind of self-assurance one develops as the son of a major leaguer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ played nine seasons with three clubs ) , a first-round draft pick ( in 2002 ) and the golden child of an organization , anointed in this case by the prospect prophet himself , general manager Billy Beane . Perhaps you 've heard of a little book called Moneyball ? Then you 'll remember Swisher 's role as the can't-miss slugger from Ohio State about whom both the old-school scouts and new-school sabermetricians agreed ; the kid so good Beane could n't bring himself to see him play , lest another team notice Beane 's interest . Now , four years after he was drafted , Swisher , 25 , is in his second full season with the big club and has been a major reason why the A 's have made their traditional June sprint up the AL West standings . Despite a frightening list of injuries -- nine players have missed a combined 260 games -- Oakland had won 10 games in a row at week 's end and moved into first place . Swisher has been a big reason why . " He basically carried us the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he 's done it playing all over the place . " Indeed , the versatile , switch-hitting Swisher , who toggles between first base and leftfield , was leading the team in average ( .286 ) , home runs ( 17 ) and runs scored ( 51 ) through Sunday and was tied with Chavez for tops in RBIs ( 46 ) . For those inclined toward the sabermetric measures Beane favors , Swisher 's on-base percentage is .389 and his VORP -- value over replacement player -- is the highest of any AL leftfielder . ( Just do n't expect Swisher , who cheerfully admits that he has n't read Moneyball , to be aware of it . " VORP ? " he says when the topic is raised . " Not a clue what that is . But if it 's good , I 'll take it ! " ) Still , ask manager Ken Macha about Swisher , and he tries to lower expectations , saying , " We do n't need people writing about him , telling him how good he is . " To which we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is so friendly , so available -- he 's usually the first to the clubhouse , normally at 1 p.m. for night games , part of a work ethic that dates back to high school -- and so talkative that reporters would have to make an effort not to write about him . Here he is , before last Friday 's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers , strutting around the clubhouse . Though 6 feet and 214 pounds , Swisher has a certain bobblehead-doll look about him -- a large , constantly moving cranium on a stocky body -- accented by scruffy brown hair , sideburns and a goatee . As he roams , Swisher talks smack to third base coach Ron Washington ( " You 're so full of crap , it 's seeping out your ears ! " ) , ribs centerfielder Mark Kotsay and then yells , " Come get one ! " splaying his arms open in the general vicinity of , well , it 's unclear exactly whom , but it may be rightfielder Milton Bradley . Says Swisher , " This is the best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ebullience is not restricted to fellow players . Swisher distributes shoulder hugs , butt slaps and how-the-hell-you-doings to batboys , clubhouse assistants and janitors . In college two of his teammates offered him $50 if he could stay quiet for a long bus ride back to Columbus . " It was the hardest thing for me to do . I wanted to just shoot myself , " he says . " But " -- and here he brightens up -- " I got my 50 bucks , boy ! " Swisher , however , will listen . In spring training he lockered next to Frank Thomas and immediately began pumping the 17-year veteran for information . The brawny DH warmed to Swisher , of whom Thomas says , " He 's quirky but in a consistent way . His heart 's in the right place . " Now the two get coffee together before games , Thomas dispensing hitting tips ( " Mostly about focus , " says Thomas ) and Swisher soaking them up . It 's all part of Swisher 's continuing maturation as a hitter . Last season @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ RBIs in 131 games ) but batted only .236 , so this spring he switched to a lighter bat , going from a 34-ounce model to one that 's 30 ounces , which he says allows him to wait better on off-speed pitches . While Thomas and hitting coach Gerald Perry help Swisher with his batting , the 31-year-old Kendall serves as his tough-love older brother -- " He keeps me in line when I get too hyper , " says Swisher -- and Kotsay tutors him on outfield defense . ( Macha , who said Swisher was " below subpar " as a fielder last season , rates him as " definitely improved . " ) For his part Swisher is willing to learn but not to change . " It took me 25 years to get where I am , " he says . " I 'm not going to try to be somebody else . " So what you see is what you get : a big , joyful hitter who grew up sleeping on bat racks when his dad was a minor league manager , was recruited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pong at the house he shares with righthanders Rich Harden , Joe Blanton and Huston Street , and has Oakland poised for yet another second-half run . In fact , there he goes now , out to take early batting practice . As he heads down the tunnel to the field , Swisher can be heard for far longer than he can be seen , a booming voice greeting all those he encounters with a " Hey , there he is " and a " What is goin ' on , my man ! " If you have n't yet heard of him -- or from him -- do n't worry . Swisher will make sure you do soon enough . SI.COM Tom Verducci on baseball every Tuesday and Wednesday at SI.com/baseball . Reference <p> 
##2000576 . With a rollicking crowd behind it , high-energy Carolina controlled Game 7 , blunting Edmonton 's comeback bid and delivering a hockey championship to Tobacco Road . They sold 18,978 seats at a hockey rink in Raleigh on Monday night , and almost no one used them . For three hours , from the first strains of the Canadian and U.S. national anthems until the last Carolina Hurricanes player had taken a twirl with the most fabled trophy in sports , a crowd stood as it might have for a tip-off between Duke and North Carolina and then forgot to sit , roaring in witness of a well-traveled franchise bringing another kind of championship to Tobacco Road . In squelching what appeared to be a historic Edmonton Oilers comeback , the Hurricanes found a wellspring of energy and emotion-and a couple of goals from the oddest sources-in Game 7 to win the Stanley Cup 3-1 . It was the first NHL title for a franchise , the erstwhile Hartford Whalers , that merged into the league from the defunct WHA in 1979 . Carolina was led by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't even start the first two games of the playoffs ; a winger , Erik Cole , playing with a broken neck that had n't completely healed ; and a pair of workmanlike defensemen , Aaron Ward and Frantisek Kaberle , who beat estimable Edmonton goalie Jussi Markkanen . Even though the NHL went to a lengthy replay and denied Carolina an apparent goal in the first period ( with this league , it 's always something ) , the Hurricanes , and their indomitable shot-blocking defense , fended off a team that mounted a furious charge in the third period . Goalie Ward finished with 22 saves and was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner . Although the Cup-winning goal came on Kaberle 's power-play slap shot at 4:18 of the second period , the rightful author of it was Cole , who began the playoffs two months ago in a neck brace yet made a dramatic entrance into Game 6 . Cole drove to the net along the right wing , forced defenseman Jaroslav Spacek to hold him and gave the Hurricanes a man-advantage . Eight seconds later Carolina @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who rallied in the third period behind Fernando Pisani 's playoff-leading 14th goal , could n't surmount . If there had been an arc to the Stanley Cup finals while the Hurricanes were taking a three-games-to-one lead-surging Carolina special teams , the imperturbability of Cam Ward , the impotence of the Edmonton power play-in Game 5 the series needed an ark . Tropical Storm Alberto was lashing Raleigh , dumping 7.6 inches of rain in 16 hours . One of the Oilers dubbed the storm Hurricane Alberta ( " That 's pretty clever by hockey-player standards , turning an o into an a , " Oilers forward Rem Murray drolly observed ) , and a mood as defiant as the weather pervaded the Edmonton team , a belief that the series would return to Raleigh for Game 7 come hell or high water . The Oilers announced their intentions 16 seconds into Game 5 when Pisani tipped in defenseman Chris Pronger 's point shot . Three hours later Pisani finished what he started by picking Eric Staal 's pocket , skating in alone and blistering a shot past Ward 's glove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a 4-3 Oilers win and a tropical depression for almost 19,000 Caniacs . Said Carolina coach Peter Laviolette , " In overtime we were set up to win it on the power play-and it did n't happen . It was a tough one to get over . Maybe the toughest we 've been through . " If Carolina was reeling , Edmonton was further emboldened . From the back of the team plane the next morning , Pronger loudly demanded that someone pop in a DVD of Gladiator . " He is , " left wing Ethan Moreau explained , " a control freak . " Then again , after playing almost 34 minutes of Game 5 , going +3 and serving as half of the Oilers sandwich ( with Raffi Torres ) that knocked Hurricanes center Doug Weight out of the series with a shoulder injury , Pronger could have requested the director 's cut of Gigli and there would n't have been a peep . " He can control a plane , a room , a city , a game , a series , " defenseman Steve Staios said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Whalers and the St. Louis Blues . " He can do whatever he wants . He 's got rare leadership ability . " Pronger was arguably the playoffs ' most dominant skater , and Carolina tried to run the 6 ' 6 " 220-pounder at every opportunity , yet , as Hurricanes center Kevyn Adams said , " you keep going at him , but it seems like you do as much damage to yourself as you do to him . " Carolina 's top line , centered by Rod Brind'Amour , drew the attention of Pronger and partner Jason Smith for most of the series , giving it the dubious honor of trying to wipe that David Letterman-like gap-toothed smile off Pronger 's unmarked face . That matchup gave Carolina 's second-line center , Staal , a degree of liberty . The 6 ' 4 " , 205-pound Staal matter-of-factly led playoff scoring with 28 points , including eight in the finals-a remarkable achievement by a 21-year-old who is as modest as his roots , which really do come from the soil . Staal grew up on his family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like the three brothers destined to follow him into the NHL-defenseman Marc , 19 , may play for the New York Rangers next season ; center Jordan , 17 , should be drafted in the top five this Saturday ; and 15-year-old Jared is on track to develop into a pro-caliber winger-he began driving the tractor at around age six , rolling sod ( the pay : $5 an hour , with yearly increases of a buck , only slightly less than a Stanley Cup share ) . The work ethic certainly did n't hurt Eric , according to his father , Henry , who saw his son heavily scrutinized after failing to get a shot in Game 3 . Eric responded , setting up the winner in Game 4 with a neat spin-a-rama pass to Mark Recchi- " Hmmm ... Eric Staal 's slump ? " Laviolette said , sardonically , after the match-and added two power-play goals and an assist in the Game 5 overtime loss . Pronger 's ( and Torres 's ) devastating hit on Weight-natural attrition in a two-month hockey marathon-seemed to be just one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the potential to be one of Those Things , an event so inspiring , so memorable , that it may attain mythic status : in this case , the return of Cole last Saturday . Out since March 4 with a broken vertebra in his neck , Cole began plotting his return on the Thursday flight back to Edmonton . He approached assistant coach Jeff Daniels and asked , " With Doug out , that means I 'm in ? " When the plane stopped in Des Moines to refuel , Daniels ran the idea by Laviolette . They decided one last CT scan could n't hurt . In the playoffs you have to go the extra mile , and when the Oilers could n't arrange a CT scan in Edmonton , Cole flew to Denver to have the test done . The results were examined by Cole 's doctors who said the injury was about 90% healed . Essentially there would be no difference between Cole 's trying to play now and in training camp . For Cole , who had dreamed of winning the Cup since childhood , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ healing has been maximized , " he said , " and the risk is going to be with me the rest of my life . " The power forward had been a 30-goal scorer and a dynamo with linemates Staal and Cory Stillman . Even if he drew only power-play duty after a 15-week absence , Cole figured to give Carolina a lift . Yet in Game 6 the Hurricanes fell meekly , 4-0 . " We were pretty paralyzed , " Laviolette would say on Sunday . They were outshot 21-3 with six minutes left in the second period . They took a pair of too-many-men-on-the-ice penalties , the kind that announce to the world that the players ' minds were elsewhere . Cole played 18:31 , in all situations , and on his second shift withstood a robust check by Moreau that Cole later said smacked of head-hunting . " We were inspired even if the results do n't show it , " Carolina defenseman Mike Commodore said the day after the Game 6 loss . " It was big for us to see Cole come out on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit by Moreau and jump right back up , I kind of caught my breath . I thought , He 's all right , good to go . We did n't turn it into anything positive , but we can change that in Game 7 . " Indeed , on a sweltering night in what is now officially hockey country , the Hurricanes took their courage from Cole . For a franchise that was launched 34 years ago as the New England Whalers , has been a member of two leagues ( the WHA and NHL ) and has played its home games in five cities ( Boston ; Springfield , Mass. ; Hartford ; Greensboro , N.C. ; and Raleigh ) , maybe the coolest trophy in the world can serve as an anchor for the team and for big league hockey in the South . BOX SI.COM Who will contend for next year 's Stanley Cup ? For an early look at 2006-07 go to SI.com/nhl . PULLQUOTE Out since March 4 with a broken vertebra in his neck , Cole began PLOTTING HIS RETURN on the flight back @ @ @ @ @ @ 