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	Do you know why they call Bill Simmons "The Sports Guy"? Well, for one thing, he's about the only person we know who would use a golf movie -- "Caddyshack" -- to preview the upcoming NFL season (that would be football, for those who have been out of town lately) ... and make it work. tune in Thursday for Part 2. THE SPORTS GUY'S NFL PREVIEW, PART 1

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	Yes, the Oakland Athletics are burning, the best on-field story of a big, big baseball year -- and nobody appreciates them more than Page 2's Ralph Wiley, whose sportswriting career was launched on a road trip with one of those dreadful post-championship Charlie Finley Oakland teams, better known as the Triple-A's.

Critical Mass		The Hot List

	Eric Neel is a Northern California boy, and he's feeling mighty fine -- along with the rest of the Bay Area -- about the streaking hometown A's, not to mention Bill Scheft's new novel, "The Ringer." However, he's a bit confused about a couple of lines from a Wilco song, and he's looking for some help from Page 2 readers.		The 2002 season is about to begin, and that means only one thing ... information overload. In a special edition of his Hot 'n' Not trendspotting column, Dan Shanoff cuts through all the useless data, and sums up the things you really need to know -- like the incendiary candidate to be this year's He Hate Me.

MYSTERY PHOTO

We weren't sure what comedian Chris Rock was doing hanging out with the Baltimore Orioles' mascot, so we asked you to come up with some clever captions in this week's Mystery Photo. Unlike the Orioles, our readers didn't disappoint.

With college football in full swing, Page 2 has decided to list our picks for the top 10 teams of all time. After checking out our list, drop us a note with your choice for the best college football team ever. We'll then compile our readers' list along with a poll to crown the greatest college football team of all time.
10]	Alabama (1961) Alabama went 11-0 in 1961, racking up 297 points and allowing only 25.

9]	Oklahoma (1974) The Sooners dominated college football in 1973 and 1974, going 21-0-1 ... but we give the '74 squad the nod because they won their first national title under coach Barry Switzer.

8]	Oklahoma (1956) Bud Wilkinson's 1956 squad was in the middle of a 47-game winning streak.

7]	Notre Dame (1947) Notre Dame finished its undefeated season by trouncing USC 38-7 at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, and 41 of the Irish went on to play pro ball.
	• GET THE FULL LIST

COLLEGE FB	FAVORITE	LINE	UNDERDOG	O/U
10 a .m. Sat.	Notre Dame	6½	Purdue	NA
12:30 p.m. Sat.	Boston Col.	7	Stanford	NA
12:30 p.m. Sat.	Oklahoma	13½	Alabama	NA
7:15 p.m. Sat.	UCLA	7	Colorado St.	NA
All Times ET \| Bold indicates home team Complete line


	Got a comment about something you've seen on Page 2? Here's your chance to sound off to the editors and columnists. Plus, if you'd like to send an e-mail to The Sports Guy, here's your direct link to Bill Simmons.

	TUESDAY MORNING QB Gregg Easterbrook offers a "prediction poem" for every team and explains why Catherine Bell is his prognosticating hero.
	BELLY OF THE BEAST Pat Toomay explains how he went from winless Bucs to the defending champion Raiders in the first entry of "The Excellent Adventures of Pat, The Genius, John Madden and the Tooz."
	THE WATER COOLER The start of college football means Brian Murphy can watch wall-to-wall amateur grid action from his easy chair, while celebrating his long-lost youth.
	THE SPORTS GUY Bill Simmons says "The Karate Kid" should have been ranked among Page 2's Top 20 sports movies of all time and recaps the first three installments.


	If your favorite writer isn't on Page 2 today, click here to check out our full roster of columnists.

It's a big hit and a big hitter: Sackmaster Michael Strahan of the New York Giants and SpongeBob SquarePants, right. Thanks to Phoebe of New York for this suggestion. Browse our archives of past pairs or click here to submit a future duo for Page 2.

Tennis: U.S. Open
11 a.m., 7 p.m. ET, USA
Men's and women's quarterfinals, at Flushing, N.Y.

Red Sox at Yankees
7 p.m. ET, ESPN (regional)
Or a few of you get Pirates at Braves.

Royals at A's
10 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Amazing Oakland goes for 20th win
in a row.

• Complete TV Listings

If you missed Page 2 over the last week, check out our back issues:
• Tues., Sept. 3: Poetry in Motion
• Mon., Sept. 2: Drooling over Gridlock
• Fri., Aug. 30: Get Him a Body Bag
• Thurs., Aug. 29: 10 Worst Flicks
• Wed., Aug. 28: Crying game

Other featured content:
• Page 2 Goes to the Movies
• 10 Burning Questions with Steve McNair
• Sportoon: Weekend project
• Johnson cartoon: Little piggies
• 10 Burning Questions with Spike Lee
• Makin' It Better: Serena's new outfit

Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2002