Man Advantage

NHL power plays are better than ever, but NHL penalty killers are gaining on them.

3-2-1 ... Meltdown

Quick: your team's down five, ball in the red zone, 28 seconds left, no timeouts. What do you do? If you don't have a clue, don't feel bad. Neither do many NFL head coaches.

Stunt Men

Strength and speed are nice. But it's impeccable timing that turns Marcus Stroud and John Henderson into playbreakers

2009 NEXT WINNER: MATT RYAN

...they finished in '97: in the basement at 3—13. Meanwhile, playing for rookie coach Mike Smith, all Ryan has done is fully live up to his nickname, Matty Ice. Equal parts cool...

...they finished in '97: in the basement at 3—13. Meanwhile, playing for rookie coach Mike Smith, all Ryan has done is fully live up to his nickname, Matty Ice. Equal parts cool...

NHL PREVIEW

...11-year extension and locked down No. 1 overall pick C Steven Stamkos. Still, if G Mike Smith (15 wins) and Kolzig can't better a league-worst .885 SP—a tall order...

NHL

...no-trade." When Feaster told Richards that Dallas had made the best offer—including G Mike Smith and shootout specialist Jussi Jokinen—the player gave his boss the go-ahead. "It seemed...

REPORTING FROM ... THE NFL COMBINE

...coach stops by to chat&mdashthe Giants' Tom Coughlin, the Jets' Eric Mangini and the Jags' Mike Smith have so far—they get mobbed, not only by press but autograph seekers.   ...

Blackholes

Empty seats. No names. Welcome to the abyss that is Chicagoland hockey.

Rated PG

What's the hoops hotbed of the US right now? Chicago? No. LA? Nope. NYC? Sorry. Welcome to Prince George's County, MD.

Quick Wednesday NBA Playoff Link No. 2: Josh Smith will reject you

...example: it purports that Mike Bibby is balling, but Joe Johnson needs to step up a bit. Cool. You know the real X-Factor in this Heat/Hawks series? Josh Smith. His line in the...

MMA Submission: 96 Hours for Scott Smith

...getting close to the outside of the cage." One minute after the fight ended: Smith's kids, Scotty and Mike, entered the cage. Showtime cameras captured a poignant moment as Mike asked dad if...

Prove It Or Lose It

Remember Syracuse's big win over St. Francis (N.Y.)? Unless you're wearing orange, you're lying. Even the sexiest fall matchup reveals only so much

Condensing the NFL Combine

...good value pick and snagged him No. 19, and he performed well all year. The moral: Andre Smith, the highly-regarded tackle out of Alabama, answered questions about his weight, then skipped town early. A...

ESPN The Magazine at the NFL Combine: Versatility Pays

...and offensive) versatility. And it was last year that the Patriots, who have made versatile linebackers like Mike Vrabel and Willie McGinest famous in the scheme over the years, drafted a versatile, smart linebacker named...