To know list: 7 more ways to leave your lover

[1] CHASING THE TRUTH

Junior and Jeff will race for the Cup! (Well, in theory ...)

Die-hard fans think NASCAR makes up the rules as it goes along. Those fans think that because it's true. Green-white-checkered flag finishes, the "lucky dog" rule, body changes--NASCAR institutes new policies in the middle of the season all the time.

Fans also often accuse NASCAR of showing favoritism to its stars, though there's little convincing evidence, except for the time Brian France personally replaced Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s regular engine with a jet engine. Just kidding, France hired somebody to do it.

Now, making its way from cyberspace to radio waves, comes talk that NASCAR will change the rules to make sure Junior and Jeff Gordon--by far NASCAR's most popular drivers but stink bombs on the track for large chunks of this season--qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup. Yes, there are conspiracy theories about an as-yet-unperpetrated conspiracy. Exactly how NASCAR would "manipulate" the rules to get those two in remains unknown (at least by those outside of the corporate headquarters).

The first theory to float up was that fans would be allowed to vote one driver into the Chase--an election Junior would win in a walk. France shot that down. Probably because he already had cooked up a simpler, undetectable scheme to get both of them in.--Matt Crossman

[2] TIM BROWN

Touching down in NAR

Tim Brown will become the latest former NFL star to own a NASCAR team. Jim Kelly and Terry Bradshaw own stakes in Busch Series teams, and Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach have been trying for several years to get a team started.

Tim Brown Racing hopes to field a car in the Nextel Cup Series next season. But a lot of work is ahead--including finding a driver and a crew chief. Brown will get engines and technical expertise-the key ingredients Aikman and Staubach are missing--from Roush Racing.

The presence of a minority-owned car would be a huge boost to NASCAR's diversity efforts. In searching for sponsors, Brown is targeting companies with strong presences in the African American community and hopes to raise NASCAR's profile enough to influence urban style. "lrs not cool to wear a Dale Earnhardt Jr. iacket in the neighborhood," he says. "We want to make it cool."

Two steps toward cool will be the car's number and paint scheme: 81 and silver and black, lust like Brown wore for 16 seasons with the Raiders.--M.C.

[3] YOUR HEARD IT HERE

'The offices at AmericanAirlines Arena became so hectic and overheated, three of Pat Riley's hairs came out of place.'--NBA Insider Sean Deveney, page 72

[4] THE BASKETBALL WORLD

Shout it twice: USA! USA!

Which team do you prefer--USA or USA? You could root for the college basketball players representing the U.S. in the under-21 world championships, currently being contested in Argentina with the championship game on Sunday. You could root for the collegians representing the U.S. in the World University Games, which begin Friday in Izmir, Turkey.

You could root for them both, but how will you tell them apart? Easy--follow this guide.--Mike DeCourcy

       U-21 team                                        WUG team

  Extreme. It's one of
    four major men's                                Minimal. Winning
 championships--and the        Importance of         is better than
only one currently owned        competition         losing, but this
 by the United States.                               is not a major
                                                         event.

    Phil Martelli,          Philadelphia college      Jay Wright,
      St. Joseph's            coach in charge           Villanova

 J.J. Redick, shooting         Mandatory Duke       Shelden Williams,
         guard                  All-American             center

    Curtis Withers,           Underexposed big        Craig Smith,
       Charlotte            man at heart of team     Boston College

    Marcus Williams,       Point guards available   Chris Hernandez,
 Connecticut, and Rajon       instead of Deron       Stanford, and
    Rondo, Kentucky         Williams, Chris Paul     Gerry McNamara,
                             and Raymond Felton         Syracuse

[5] DOUBLE-A BALL

-15

The A's and Astros are approaching an exceptionally rare achievement. If they make the playoffs, they'll join the 1914 Boston "Miracle" Braves as the only teams to be 15 games under .500 and still reach the postseason. The Braves won the World Series that year, completing one of the unlikeliest journeys in baseball history.

[6] A NEW BEGINNING FOR NOTRE DAME

Look, we couldn't exactly fit the Irish into our conference previews, so you'll have to make do with this

The opener at Pitt will be tough. Week 2 at Michigan will be brutal. But the game that, more than any other, will define Charlie Weis' first season as coach at Notre Dame: a friendly late-September tussle in Seattle against Washington and new Huskies coach Tyrone Willingham. Who just happens to he the former ND coach. Who just happened to coach the Irish to a 38-3 rout of Washington last year. So if the Irish and Weis can't find a way to win in Husky Stadium ... oh, the humanity.