Business as Usual - Nelly and Amare Stoudemire on the Cover of ESPN The Magazine; Also: Detroit Pistons Top The Magazine's 2005 Ultimate Standings.

NEW YORK -- The February 28 issue of ESPN The Magazine is on sale today.

COVER STORY: Nelly owns a piece of the Bobcats. Amare Stoudemire grew up wanting to meet Tupac. Hip-hop - the stars, music and culture - mixes with pro hoops more easily than any other sport. And while the NBA doesn't like to admit it, that's a good thing. The Magazine's Chris Broussard reports.

2005 ULTIMATE STANDINGS: According to findings of the third annual ESPN The Magazine Ultimate Standings, the excellence of the Detroit Pistons is not limited to the court. The Pistons sit atop The Magazine's annual rankings of pro sports franchises. The results show a lot of other things as well - including that the Cleveland Browns rank last; the New England Patriots lead the polls in coaching and championships; and the Seattle Mariners give their fans the least "Bang for their Buck." The Magazine's Peter Keating looks at the best, the worst and the rest.

The top five overall franchises:  The bottom five overall franchises:

1. Detroit Pistons                 86. New York Mets
2. San Antonio Spurs               87. New Orleans Saints
3. Indianapolis Colts              88. Atlanta Hawks
4. New England Patriots            89. San Francisco 49ers
5. Anaheim Angels                  90. Cleveland Browns

OTHER FEATURES:

Fight Scenes. How does a team with a bull's-eye on its back keep a perfect season alive? To find out, we were given total access by No. 1 Illinois for back-to-back Big 10 games.

Kiss Him Goodbye. Sammy Sosa was king of the Cubs for 12 seasons. But in year 13, his reign ended in a walk-off. The Magazine's Gene Wojciechowski reports.

Lost in Time. The 1925 Pottsville Maroons dodged bullets en route to the NFL title. So why won't the league call them champs? The Magazine's David Fleming reports.

Street Smart. Grayson Boucher doesn't look like a playground baller. But the kid known as The Professor is giving lessons on the And1 tour. The Magazine's contributor Ben Cramer reports.

Stat Factory. No football. No baseball. No hockey. No problem. We've got the numbers that prove February is no time to stop paying attention to the sports calendar.

AN IMAGE OF THE AMARE & NELLY COVER IS AVAILABLE VIA AP PHOTOEXPRESS and WWW.BUSINESSWIRE.COM

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