the buzz log

More than 250 million people are expected to view the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue online—and it feels like most of them hit the Web this week.

The annual spectacle of string bikinis launched on Tuesday. In the 24 hours that followed, searches for "2008 s.i. swimsuit issue" surged more than 6,000%. Demand for "s.i. swimsuit issue" moved the query into Thursday's top movers. Searches soared for everything from "sports illustrated swimsuit" to "si swimsuit 2008."

As always, the models proved their buzz-inducing power. Race car driver Danica Patrick and cover girl Marisa Miller incited a crush of lookups. Among the other lovelies posing for the camera—and contributing to the search craze—were 4 athletes' wives, 12 NFL cheerleaders, Leonardo di Caprio's girl friend, Heidi Klum, and, uh, Will Ferrell.

Usually, the story ends there. The issue spikes in Search, the girls reap the buzz, thank you, and good night. But not this year. Due to an extraordinary convergence of Congressional questioning and beachwear beholding, an older edition of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue is giving the current copy a run for its buzz.

Five years ago, Debbie Clemens posed on the cover of the magazine's anthology of thongs with her husband, Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens. Wednesday, the New York player was up on Capitol Hill dodging inquiries about steroids. Among the topics discussed: Did Clemens' wife take human growth hormone before the S.I. shoot? Answer: Yes.

The resulting brouhaha has provoked an astonishing amount of interest in "2003 sports illustrated swimsuit issue." The '03 copy is currently neck and neck in Search with the '08, and the models are spiking, too. Ranking right behind Danica Patrick in Sports Illustrated buzz is "debbie clemens sports illustrated" and "roger clemens sports illustrated." This could be the start of a beautiful new career for the Rocket.