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Archive
[Click
here to see a review of SI's Swimsuit Issue.]
May
3 - I've got issues with this week's edition of Sports
Illustrated, especially its one page of NHL coverage and
the fact that John Elway is not on the cover, but I'll
get to that later. First, the good stuff.
The best work is "Beneath the Glitter," an excerpt
of Steve Eubanks' book, Out of the Rough, with former
LPGA starlet Laura Baugh. In stunning first-person detail,
Baugh takes the reader through her harrowing bout with alcohol,
alcoholism,
Baugh is not the only athlete to have struggled with alcohol
and certainly isn't the most prominent but her brute honesty
is refreshing, particularly when she talks about her horrifying
1995 experience while working for ESPN. At the Oldsmobile
Classic, a visibly inebriated Baugh mumbled a few incoherent
sentences before leaving and embarrassingly losing control
of her bladder while struggling to find a rest room.
This is great reading for any young person and anyone
who is struggling with alcohol.
I also enjoyed "Howlin' Wolf," Leigh Montville's
look at Kevin Garnett and how his $126 million contract
have changed the game. In the age of kids who think they
are way too good for the game, Garnett comes off as an amazingly
mature 22-year-old who is very grateful for his lot in life.
The story includes interesting quotes from Garnett and
telling comments from his agent, Eric Fleisher, who tells
SI "I've never seen anyone his age with his maturity.
Other articles in this week's SI...
- Michael
Silver's piece on John Elway's plans to retire. Silver
writes an interesting article, but I would've liked much
more than three pages on one of the greatest quarterbacks
of all-time. How about some reaction from teammates and
opponents? Also, can we please put this man on the cover?
Let's hope to see better stuff after Mr. Elway makes it
official.
- Michael
Farber on the Sabres-Senators series. Yes, that's all.
Just one page - one stinking page - of text on the NHL playoffs.
Sure, there's the Inside the NHL section that appears every
week but the short story is a poor piece of work by SI.
Does this have anything to do with rival Disney, a relative
of ESPN The Magazine, getting the rights to the NHL?
Just a thought.
- Gerry
Callahan on Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Jason Kendall.
It's nice to read about guys the average fan doesn't know
much about but was it necessary to use all the f--- for
the numerous expletives Kendall uttered?
Grade:
C- (Randy)
April 26 - Naturally, this week's
SI cover story is a tribute to the now-retired Wayne Gretzky.
E.M. Swift does a very nice job with the article, taking readers
on a trip through the Great One's magnificent career, pointing
out that he averaged 203 points per year from 1981-82 through
1986-87. Swift does a nice job of mixing quotes from Gretzky
with those of ex-teammates, opponents and coaches.
Rick Reilly offers a nice one page "The Life of
Reilly," talking about his work on Gretzky's autobiography,
telling us about the humble nature of this star.
Reilly makes a good point, saying, "...I heard people
say he was the Michael Jordan of hockey. Horsepuck. Jordan
was the Gretzky of basketball," noting that Gretzky could've
stopped playing the 1983-84 season on Jan. 7 and still won
the scoring title.
My only quibble with SI is this: With the greatest player
retiring from one of the four major sports, weren't we entitled
to another article ? I know that the magazine didn't
even go overboard on Jordan's retirement but I would've liked
to have seen more on Gretzky, a man readers don't know nearly
as much about as we do Jordan.
Other articles in this week's SI...
- Tom
Verducci on the perpetually disappointing Baltimore Orioles.
Verducci does a nice job of showing how the team's quick-fix
mentality has destroyed what was once baseball's top farm
system.
- Richard
Hoffer on rising boxing star Shane Mosley. Hoffer
takes a nice look at Mosley, who appears to be putting a
fresh face on the sport.
- Michael
Farber's prediction for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Hint: Farber isn't sticking his neck out on this pick.
- Phil
Taylor's look at the madcap ways of Dallas Mavericks
coach Don Nelson. I enjoyed this piece but would've liked
more quotes from the man himself. Did Taylor ask him
any tough questions?
- Michael
Silver's story about San Francisco offensive line coach
Bobb McKittrick, who is battling serious health problems.
Grade:
B (Randy)
April
19 - This week's SI is full of entertaining articles,
including a couple of intriguing pieces about the upcoming
NFL Draft.
Peter King examines the choice the Cleveland Browns
face between passers Tim Couch and Akili Smith while Paul
Zimmerman, aka "Dr. Z" takes a crack at the
first round. (Editor: Zimmerman isn't known for his great
prognostications but nailed 10 players in the right slot and
had nine players going to the correct team.) I would've
liked a more in-depth look at each team's needs but SI
generally doesn't dabble into that territory.
I enjoyed Jack McCallum's look at the Masters win of Jose
Maria Olazabal, but, unless you get SI's special "GolfPlus"
section, you'll find the magazine's Masters coverage quite
skimpy. GolfPlus is great this week with a first-person
article by Brandel Chamblee, a Masters first-timer who happened
to be leading after the first round; and a John Garrity story
about the demise of Nick Faldo.
Another solid article is Leigh Montville's "Guardian
Angel," a look at new Anaheim first baseman Mo Vaughn,
who discusses his new team, his fallout with Boston management
and his past legal scrapes. You won't learn much you didn't
already know about the slugger but he delivers some good quotes
as do his ex-Red Sox teammates and his mother, Shirley.
Other articles in this week's SI...
- Gerry
Callahan on White Sox star Frank Thomas.
- Michael
Farber on Toronto Raptors rookie Vince Carter.
- L.
Jon Wertheim on the resurgent Orlando Magic.
Grade:
B (Randy)
April 12 - This week's cover story
is on David Duval and, unlike
March 29's disappointing piece on coverboy Kevin Brown,
this article is outstanding.
Gary Smith doesn't profile Duval the golfer, which we know
plenty about, instead focusing on Duval the person, particularly
his struggles after the childhood death of his brother Brent.
Smith's writing is excellent, taking readers back in time
to see a frightened, chubby Child whose only link to his father,
senior golfer Bob, was the sport they both loved; an insolent
collegian who alienated his Georgia Tech teammates; and a
man whose life changed when his college coach took him to
a Christian conference. Is David Duval an ever-improving golfer?
Yes, but Smith shows us the star is developing as a person,
as well.
Other articles in this week's SI...
- "A
Whole New Rap," S.L. Price's look at the maturity
of Sacramento power forward Chris Webber. The most revealing
part of this article are the comments of Webber's father,
Mayce, a man disappointed in his son at times. Stil, the
story didn't include as many quotes from his past and present
teammates and coaches as I would have liked.
- A ho-hum
Richard Hoffer story about the big-money matchup of Randy
Johnson vs. Kevin Brown.
- A look
at Pittsburgh star Jaromir Jagr that includes no telling
quotes from former teammate Mario Lemieux.
- "Let's
Play Two," Tim Layden's story on UCLA football/volleyball
star Danny Farmer. Interesting, but wouldn't this article
better serve the reader during the fall, when the gridiron
is hot?
- A
nicely written Rick Reilly story about watching the
clouds with his 14-year-old son.
Grade:
B (Randy)
April 5 - Sports Illustrated
does a terrific job this week recapping last week's busy weekend
of sports and an excellent job previewing next week's Masters
in its Golf Plus section.
Jack
McCallum continued his fine tournament run with an entertaining
article on Connecticut's win over Duke. McCallum takes the
reader in the locker room to see the genesis of UConn's championship
game strategy and then describes how the personalities of
the Huskies contributed to their surprising win.
SI also
found room to devote three pages to the women's tournament
- a two-page story extended by a full-page picture.
[In case
you're wondering, the 1968 UCLA team won Billy Packer's All-Time
NCAA Tournament, sponsored throughout March by Chevrolet.]
The
best story, though, was Jaime Diaz's look at the Duval "double
whammy" last week. You can sense the emotion between
father Bob and son David on their greatest day as golfers
and, possibly, as father and son.
Other
stories recapping last week's action include L. Jon Wertheim's
interesting look at the Williams' Lipton Cup final and Michael
Farber's review of the relief that the Red Wings' felt after
Detroit's recent flurry of trades.
The whole
magazine, though, isn't spent in the past.
SI
does a great job previewing the upcoming Masters with
interesting off-beat stories that include a look at the changes
at Augusta National, Phil Mickelson's major problems, a feature
on the local Augusta paper whose publisher is a club member
and a revealing look at the most exclusive dinner in sports
- the meal for past Masters champions.
Other
good "preview" stories include Gerry Callahan suggesting
that Cleveland's Manny Ramirez could be 1999's version of
Sammy Sosa. Time will only tell.
Time also
will tell where former LSU running back Cecil Collins will
be drafted, but John Ed Bradley fairly examines Collins on-field
exploits and off-field difficulties. A very good read.
Grade:
A-
March
29 - Sports Illustrated, like ESPN Magazine
and The Sporting News, presents this week its baseball
preview, which includes Tom Verducci’s disappointing cover
story on Kevin Brown, the Dodgers’ new $105 million man.
The point
of the story seemed to be that Brown is nasty on the mound
and could be nasty off of it. However, Verducci quotes
only one teammate of Brown - former teammate and admitted
Brown friend Al Leiter. That’s it.
The story
includes quotes about his sometimes troubled relationships
with teammates from former pitching coach Tom House (“There
were teammates who hated his guts.”) and an unidentified Rangers
official (“When he played here, the infielders were uptight
because he had this way of looking right through them.”),
but it offers nothing from past or current teammates that
support or defuse those remarks.
I consider
Verducci one of the best baseball writers in the country (Check
out my praise of his work last season), but I think he
was too easy on Brown in this story.
As for
the rest of SI’s baseball preview...
- Verducci
takes a decent look at true No. 1 starting pitchers and
finds there are only nine in baseball today: Brown,
Roger Clemens, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Randy
Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Mike Mussina and Curt Schilling.
In case you’re wondering - because I was - one of the reasons
Mussina is included is because he has the best winning percentage
(.667, 118-59) of any active pitcher with at least 25 wins.
Overall, the story is well-reported but offers little that
was unknown to most baseball fans.
- I enjoyed
L. Jon Wertheim’s piece on how the Yankees and others
benefit from being picky at the plate.
- SI
continues their recent trend of two-page
team previews, which includes a story, some key stats
and the projected roster. For the record, SI picks the Yankees
to beat the Braves in the World Series.
Elsewhere
in the issue...
- Surprisingly
and disappointingly, SI’s only previews
the Final Four and doesn’t review last weekend’s Sweet
Sixteen and Elite Eight contests. Is this ESPN Magazine?
- Michael
Farber’s article on bodychecking in the NHL is probably
the best article in the magazine; however, it will probably
get lost for most readers because it is sandwiched between
the NCAA article and the baseball preview.
I find
it interesting, though, that SI does an article the glorifies
the violent aspect of hockey one week after last
week’s in-depth story on one of the most vicious acts
in sports - Jesse Boulerice's despicable high stick in
a minor league hockey game that nearly killed Andrew Long.
Grade:
B- (George)
March
22 - After a week that included one of the more thrilling
opening weekends among recent NCAA tournaments and one of
the worst decisions in the history of boxing, the most
intriguing story in the latest issue is Jeff
MacGregor's 13-page examination of one of the most vicious
acts ever in team sports.
MacGregor
probes Jesse Boulerice's despicable high stick to Andrew Long
in a minor league hockey game. The incident, often replayed
throughout North America when it happened last April, still
haunts both players and their careers. (Click
here to go to CNN/SI.com to see the play)
The
story is thoroughly reported, completely fair and seemingly
factual. And I applaud SI for devoting so much time, energy
and pages to this interesting story. My only problem is that
I don't like the way MacGregor wrote it.
MacGregor
covers all the facts and the necessary items; I just don't
like his style of writing. And it's not something that
I can put my finger on, either. I guess I just don't like
the story's structure or his choice of words or phrases.
Is that
an unfair criticism? Certainly, but that's how I feel about
the story.
MacGregor's style of writing limited my enjoyment of all the
hard work he put into reporting the story.
Overall,
I certainly would recommend the piece - it is a completely
fair recount of the incident, the events leading up to it
and the happenings since. But like I said, it is not the best-written
story this week - that title probably goes to Jack McCallum's
stories-behind-the-stories wrap-up of the first two rounds
of the men's NCAA Tournament.
Notice
that in the previous sentence, I specified "men's"
tournament. That's because there is not one word about
the women's tournament in this week's issue.
Now, I
know that ArmchairQB.com has not done a good job with covering
the coverage of the women's tournament. As a matter of
fact, our lack of women's college basketball coverage is disgraceful.
However, being mainly a two-man operation, it is hard for
us to make time for everything we want to cover.
It seems
to me - and I could be wrong - that Sports Illustrated has
a slightly larger staff and budget than AQB, and could
spare a person or two to cover the women's tournament.
I could
be wrong, though.
Other
worthy reads include Richard Hoffer's review of the Lewis-Holyfield
fight, L. Jon Wertheim's look at the versatile Portland Trail-Blazers
and S.L. Price's profile of Jose Canseco.
Grade:
B. Where's the women's coverage? (George)
Back
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March
15 - This week's issue features an excellent preview
of the NCAA tournament, including scouting reports of
all 64 men's teams.
SI's coverage includes predictions for each of the 32 first-round
games. On day one, the magazine won 13 games, calling
upsets by Detroit, Creighton and Gonzaga. Like everyone else,
SI gave Weber State no chance against the University
of North Carolina.
After last week's article that George called "disappointing,"
Jack McCallum bounces back with the intriguing "Anatomy
of an Upset." The writer breaks down 10 reasons why
lower seeds sometimes get the better of their more highly
regarded opponents.
McCallum's picks three first-round upsets: Detroit over
UCLA; Delaware over Tennessee; and Murray State over Ohio
State. Unfortunately for McCallum's local pool, he also
took GW over St. John's in round two, a matchup that
won't occur due to Indiana's whipping of the Colonials.
However, McCallum's best effort in this edition is his tale
of the male practice players who compete against Pat Summit's
Lady Volunteers. The article tells an interesting tale
about the young men who play against one of the best women's
teams on a daily basis but are treated as outsiders. With
techniques such as these, it's no wonder Summit has built
such an outstanding program at the University of Tennessee.
The final basketball article is Phil Taylor's story about
the supposed maturation of Philadelphia 76ers star
guard Allen Iverson. Of course the day I received this
issue, "The Answer" missed practice, much to the
consternation of coach Larry Brown. Still, the article isn't
bad and, unlike many of the stories I've read about Iverson
since he joined the NBA, it actually includes some good quotes
from the former Georgetown Hoya.
Other notable articles in this week’s issue include:
- SI's
look at the wonderful life of Joe DiMaggio, including
a retrospective by Ron Fimrite and a nice piece by Robert
Creamer.
- Tom
Verducci's tale of the suddenly salary happy Cincinnati
Reds.
- Rick
Reilly's "The Life of Reilly," about the discrepancies
between baseball's haves and have-nots.
- In
Golf Plus, "Finally Smokin',"a profile of Senior
Tour player John Jacobs. I was highly annoyed at the
photo on the first page of the John Garrity article, which
featured the golfer puffing on a stogie. Not a great message
to send to young SI-reading kids who long to play pro golf.
Grade:
B+. (A fine NCAA preview with a couple of interesting
features.) (Randy)
Back
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March
8 - Sports Illustrated gets into March Madness this week
and, like the tournament, offers some overachievers, some
disappointments and some solid work.
The
No. 1 seed goes to Leigh Montville's look at the icy relationship
between the two coaches at the country’s most successful college
basketball program - Connecticut. Montville says that although
men's coach Jim Calhoun and women's coach Geno Auriemma have
different backgrounds, their rise as coaches and their programs'
rise are quite similar.
The story
must have been difficult to write because neither coach
is dumb enough to speak ill of the other on the record,
yet Montville neatly weaves circumstantial information and
previously reported remarks to clearly suggest that the highly
acclaimed coaches are not drinking buds despite working within
yards of each other.
Kudos
to Montville for making a difficult story to write so
interesting to read.
The
most disappointing story is Jack McCallum's review of
the classic 1974 ACC Final between North Carolina State and
Maryland. I was anxious to read the piece because I don’t
know much about the game other than it is this great, historic
contest. I was hoping to learn more about it from McCallum,
a fine basketball writer.
Instead,
McCallum filled me with a play-by-play description of the
game that I could have gotten just as easily from watching
it on ESPN Classic Sports. McCallum offered very little
analysis, very little perspective and lots of replays
- sort of like watching ABC’s Monday Night Football.
It's
a shame, too, because McCallum had a great idea - replay
the game in front of its key participants. McCallum gathered
Maryland’s Len Elmore and North Carolina State’s Tom Burleson
and David Thompson in a Raleigh hotel room to go to the videotape.
However, I guess McCallum had the mute button on because he
doesn’t use many quotes from the threesome’s trip back in
time.
Very disappointing.
Finally,
SI hands out its top awards for men and women’s college basketball.
The magazine names Arizona’s Jason Terry and Tennessee’s
Chamique Holdsclaw as the players of the year in their
respective sports. SI also names its All-America teams, newcomers
of the year and coaches of the year.
Other
stories in this week’s issue include:
- In
case you’re not tired of the Lakers yet, Richard Hoffer
takes an interesting look at the state of the team in the
Rodman Era.
- Marty
Burns enters The Twilight Zone - no, not another Rodman
story - and looks at Pat Riley and his hot Heat team.
- S.L.
Price suggests that the newest Oriole, Albert Belle, may
have changed his stripes, or at least may have removed the
semiconductor from his shoulder. Then again, maybe not.
- Finally,
Michael Silver explains how Antonio Freeman appears to have
won his NFL gamble - although he may not be the most talented
person in his family. Silver writes that his mother may
be “a better cook than her son is a football player.”
Grade:
B. (George)
Back
to top
March
1 - Alexander Wolff’s profile of University of Texas-El
Paso coach Don Haskins is the best story in this week’s average
issue of Sports Illustrated.
Wolff,
for the most part, allows Haskins to tell the story of his
coaching career, which makes for interesting reading because
of Haskins colorful Southern storytelling style.
Wolff
also does a good job of showing how much Haskins emulates
coaching legend Henry Iba, Haskins’ former college coach and
idol. The veteran SI writer shows how Haskins coaches and
acts like the former Oklahoma State coach. Personally, though,
I would have liked another paragraph or two more about
Iba to give readers, especially those unfamiliar with
the legendary coach, a better perspective of the person who
has influenced Haskins’ coaching career the most.
Another
interesting article is Michael Bamberger’s report on a
recent surfing competition in Northern California. Now,
all my surfing knowledge comes from the Happy Days episode
in which the Fonz wins a surfing contest; however, Bamberger
discusses issues in this article to which everyone can relate.
Unfortunately,
given SI’s recent trend of three-page stories, the article
is abrupt and unfulfilling. As a matter of fact, I needed
to read it twice to follow all the people mentioned. The story
of surfer Darryl (Flea) Virotsko is compelling, but Bamberger
needed more space to tell it better.
Other
stories include:
- Gerry
Callahan’s piece on how the Yankees trade for five-time
Cy Young winner Roger Clemens was a no-brainer.
- Phil
Taylor’s examination of the love affair between recent Swimsuit
model Tom Gugliotta and the Phoenix Suns.
- Austin
Murphy’s feature on Calgary Flame right winger Theoren Fleury,
who will probably be traded to a contender before the deadline.
I would have preferred more speculation as to where Fleury
may end up.
- Jack
McCallum’s look at Auburn’s surprising college basketball
team, whom McCallum says is for real, although “certain
aspects of Auburn’s profile suggest a team that could pull
an early sayonara in the NCAAs.”
- In
the SI view, Steve Rushin profiles Ralph Lawler, who may
have the cruelest job in sports. He has been the voice of
Los Angeles Clipper for 20 seasons, and will call his 1,500
game Saturday night.
- Finally,
in
Scorecard, SI discusses the mysterious story of Swiss
tennis star Patty Schnyder, who seems to have fallen under
the spell of a 42-year-old German alternative medicine practitioner.
Hopefully, SI will follow this story and turn it into
a longer article.
Good
lines:
1. “The Yankees quietly suspected that Wells was losing
more than just his hair,” Callahan.
2. After failing a couple drug tests, at least once
for cocaine, Franz Lidz wrote in the Inside Boxing that “Sweet
Pea was suddenly Snow Pea.”
3. “Lawler’s job has been to speak the unspeakable
and to watch the unwatchable,” Rushin.
4. “When a big wave swallows a surfer at Maverick’s,
he is tossed about like a sock in a dryer,” Bamberger.
Grade:
B. Some good, some bad. (George)
Back
to top
Feb.
22 - Tim Crothers' piece on the return of swagger to Duke
basketball tops the stories in this week's very questionable
Sports Illustrated.
Crothers
takes you inside the Blue Devil locker room, into coaches'
meetings and on the team bus to describe how Mike Krzyzewski
rebuilt the Blue Devils in the image of his earlier championship
teams after Duke's disasterous 13-18 season in 1995. An
excellent read for college basketball fans.
Crothers
also authors the second-best story this week - a profile
of Wisconsin's humongous offensive lineman Aaron Gibson. A
lot already has been written about the probable first-rounder,
yet Crothers adds more depth to this multilayered athlete.
Plus,
Crothers has the best line in this week's issue when he writes
that Gibson always "stuck out like a capital letter in
a lowercase world."
Elsewhere,
Rick Reilly dares the chairman of Time Inc., Don Logan, to
end the company's association with the Olympics in wake of
the recent scandal. Rick's entertaining Life
of Reilly includes a two-paragraph response from Logan.
It's nice
to see a sports weekly discussing the Olympic scandal. (Cough,
cough. Get the hint The Sporting News! Cough, cough)
Another
item worth your time is a one-page talk with the ailing Walter
Payton, in which the NFL Hall of Famer tells SI that he
will die by the end of this year without a transplant.
The story
is very moving, especially when Payton reads some of the mail
he has received, my only question is "Why is it a
one-page story lost in the Scorecard section?" This
easily could have been a longer piece.
The
other
articles this week are solid but not as well-done,
such as John Sculian's disappointing nine-page feature on
college basketball player Melvin Whitaker. The former Virginia
basketball player is trying to rebuild his career and his
life with coach Jim Phelan at Mount St. Mary's after spending
two years in prison for slashing a Cavalier football player
in the face. The seemingly out-of-character incident delayed
Whitaker's promising college career.
The
story itself is too good to screw up but to easy to overwrite.
Which is exactly what Sculian does.
I also
seriously question SI's sports judgment. Three big sporting
events occurred last weekend - the Daytona 500, the U.S. Figure
Skating Championships and the Buick Invitational, which became
big only because Tiger Woods won it. However, the Buick Invitational
is the only event of the three that SI writes a full article.
SI relegates
Daytona and figure skating, despite them getting higher television
ratings than the golf, to the Inside
Motor Sports and Inside
Olympic Sports sections, respectively.
The magazine
does cover the Oscar De La Hoya fight, another prominent event
last weekend; however, that should be expected - as should
better coverage on the "Super Bowl of Nascar" and
the most important skating event in the U.S.
Grade:
B-. Errors in sports judgment hurt this nicely written
issue. (George)
Back
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Feb.
15 - While everybody will have a opinion on this week’s
extra Swimsuit
issue, nobody will care about the regular Sports Illustrated.
As a matter
of fact, this week’s edition is probably the least-read
edition that Sports Illustrated publishes each year -
although, I guess, you could make the same argument for the
swimsuit issue.
Most people
I spoke with this week - including my partner, Randy - didn’t
even realize that SI now publishes two issues during the week
of the Swimsuit issue and has since 1997.
It’s probably
a good thing, though, that most will ignore the latest SI
because it is not one of the magazine’s better efforts.
The best
story this week is Steve Rushin’s reaction to the NBA spin
cycle. The outstanding writer attends three games in three
different cities to gauge his love of the game, post-lockout.
I won’t give away the ending, but it is an entertaining journey.
The rest
of the stories, though, are either too dull or too short.
For example, I enjoyed Gerry Callahan’s look at the “Pleasantville
Pacers” (as he dubs Indiana’s NBA team) and Michael Bamberger’s
profile of Michigan State guard Mateen Cleeves. However, just
as I was settling into each article, the story was done.
A couple
more pages would have allowed Callahan to talk more about
the Pacers offseason workouts and Bamberger to delve deeper
in Cleeves’ past. But in both instances - like Dom Deluise
at an empty dessert table - I was left wanting more.
Meanwhile,
stories on the Houston Rockets and Giant second baseman Jeff
Kent did not excite me, although I must admit that I hadn’t
realized some of the numbers Kent has produced over the past
couple years.
If you
get Golf Plus, check out Gary Van Sickle’s amusing piece
on old Tour players. Also, Rick
Reilly’s column, which is below par this week, includes
a great quote from the NBA’s first Hungarian player, Chicago’s
Kornel David.
Grade:
C. In a word, “Eh.” (George)
[Click
here to see a review of SI's Swimsuit Issue.]
Back
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Feb.
8 - This week's Sports Illustrated features a review of
Super Bowl XXXIII and an NBA preview.
I was slightly disappointed with the Super Bowl coverage,
which included just one article, Michael Silver's "The
Magnificent 7," about John Elway. The piece was well
written and SI included a couple of good sidebars but the
coverage was lacking for the biggest day in sports.
On the other hand, the NBA preview is very nicely done,
giving fans a good look at each team.
SI's coverage includes a one-page breakdown for each team
and a fine Phil Taylor article profiling five players
- Stephon Marbury, Keith Van Horn, Jayson Williams, Ray
Allen and Bo Outlaw - who can lead the league into the
next millennium. An extra article or two wouldn't hurt
but I can't argue with the team previews, which are excellent
and include 1997-98 statistics for each player.
Other stories include:
- "Up
Down Under," Tim Layden's story about Sydney's plans
for the 2000 Olympic Summer Games.
- "Hell
Week," Jack McCallum's tale of a week covering St.
John's as the Red Storm played three ranked teams. It's
good to see more writing from McCallum, one of the country's
top basketball journalists.
- "Coming
Out Party," Layden's article about Amelie Mauresmo,
an openly guy female tennis player who made waves at
the Australian Open.
- "Saturday
Night Fever," Rick Reilly's story about the arrest
of Atlanta free safety Eugene Robinson.
Also,
check out "Inside College Basketball," including
SI's Weekly Seed Report for the upcoming NCAA tournament.
Connecticut, Duke, Cincinnati and Stanford were the magazine's
top choices but that should change after UConn toppled the
Cardinal and Depaul upset the Bearcats on Saturday.
Grade:
B. Not bad. (Randy)
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Feb.
1 - This week's SI is a pretty good read but if you're
looking for a nice Super Bowl XXXIII preview, you've come
to the wrong place.
The issue includes just two football articles - an outstanding
Rick Reilly piece with Broncos motormouth Shannon Sharpe
and a short Austin Murphy story about Dan Reeves -
and no Super Bowl prediction. I know last week's edition included
Dr. Z's early look at the big game but two short articles
just don't get it done. Maybe SI figured the Guru's
prediction was all the sports world could handle.
SI's disappointing NFL coverage is really a shame as the
rest of the issue is very interesting and well written.
Other stories include:
- "Breaking
Point," E.M. Swift's special report about the
abuses by the International Olympic Committee. After
reading about the excesses of the IOC, it's really quite
astonishing that Juan Antonio Samaranch is still president
of that governing body of sports.
- "59
in the Shades," Jaime Diaz's tale about David Duval's
record-tying round of 59 at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.
- "An
Unorthodox Player," Michael Bamberger's piece about
high school basketball star Tamir Goodman, an Orthodox
Jew who has made an oral commitment to attend the University
of Maryland. An intriguing story about a seemingly down-to-Earth
young man.
- "A
Real Stretch," by Phil Taylor, who details Latrell
Sprewell's arrival in New York and "Guess Who's
Not Coming to Dinner?," a story about Golden State
coach P.J. Carlesimo, by Frank Deford.
Also
read "The Life of Reilly," as Rick Reilly pokes
fun at white lies told by sports figures. Good stuff.
Grade: C-. (Randy)
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Jan.
25 - The only thing that could knock the NFL championships
off the cover of Sports Illustrated is, of course, the retirement
of Michael Jordan. But while MJ adorned SI's cover for some
record-setting time, I was disappointed by SI's coverage
of the event.
Don't
get me wrong. I enjoyed the reflections of Jack McCallum,
who covered Jordan as the magazine's NBA writer from 1985
to 1993, and the urgings of Phil Taylor, who suggested
that the NBA should create a league that plays with the grace
and fluidity that Jordan did.
But
I was surprised by how short it all was. McCallum's piece
was only three pages, while Taylor's was two. Throw in a couple
more pages of pictures, and that's it for the retirement of
the greatest athlete of this generation.
It's not
like the retirement was a surprise, either. It had been speculated
throughout the lockout and became official on a Wednesday
- many days before SI's deadline. Yet, no reactions from people
around the NBA, no reactions from other SI writers, no inside
information on the steps leading to Jordan's decision.
Nope,
none of that.
Sports
Illustrated could have done so much, but instead did so little
that it is embarrassing. I guess SI saved all its good
stuff for that "special collector's edition"
on Michael Jordan that is selling for only $19.95.
Read between
the lines and you'll see that this is SI's real message to
its subscribers: "We don't think your nearly $80 a
year fee is worthy of our full Jordan coverage. So instead,
we're going to give you five pages of writing and force you
to pay $19.95 if you want to see the good stuff."
The only
redeeming item is that McCallum mentioned briefly Jordan's
feud with Sports Illustrated after the magazine told him to
"bag" his baseball career.
Thanks
for nothing, SI.
As for
the rest of the issue, both NFL championship stories are good
reads (I particularly enjoyed Michael Silver's look at the
NFC game). Also, Paul Zimmerman gives his early prediction
on the Super Bowl, which you can read in its entirety on cnnsi.com
by clicking
here.
Also,
Michael Farber's look at European goalies was well done; meanwhile,
Richard Hoffer suggests Tyson's knockout of Botha last week
may "restore Tyson's place in boxing." That seems
kind of hyperbolic to me but, then again, I didn't see the
fight.
Finally,
I implure you to read Rick Reilly's touching "The
Life of Reilly." Trust me, you won't be disappointed.
Grade:
C (George)
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Jan.
18 - As you might expect, this week's Sports Illustrated
is packed with coverage of the NFL playoffs.
Writers Peter King, Michael Silver, David Fleming and Austin
Murphy report on last week's postseason tilts but the issue's
best football story is the Randy Moss feature by Jack McCallum,
best known as SI's NBA writer from 1985 to 1993.
McCallum's piece doesn't include many illuminating quotes
from Moss but the author provides an interesting comparison
between the rookie and San Francisco's Jerry Rice, discussing
their explosiveness, hands, athleticism, route running, toughness
and "the Je ne sais quoi that defines a great receiver."
The verdict? Let's just say Moss has some work to do before
he catches up to San Francisco's favorite.
The issue also includes Michael Bamberger's story about North
Dakota natives Darin Erstad, of the Anaheim
Angels, and Rick Helling, of the Texas Rangers, an
intriguing Richard Hoffer article about Mike Tyson and
an outstanding Phil Taylor analysis of the NBA labor agreement.
Taylor says the owners won landmark concessions, discusses
where the top free agents may be headed and notes that Cleveland
forward Shawn Kemp, who is about 30 pounds overweight,
"may have been locked out for six months, but his refrigerator
was open for business." Can the Reign Man live up
to Mel Turpin's image in Ohio? We'll see.
I usually like Rick Reilly's column but I think he's a
little hard on Michael Jordan this week, chastising #23
for delaying a decision on his retirement. As much as the
guy's done for the NBA, I think it's OK that he waited to
decide his future.
Grade: B+ (Bravo to McCallum and Taylor.) (Randy)
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Jan.
11 - This week's SI is loaded with great football coverage
for the NCAA or NFL enthusiast.
On the college front, Tim Layden writes about Tennessee's
Fiesta Bowl win and Ivan Maisel names his All-Bowl
Team. Both pieces are good and Maisel's story is particularly
entertaining, spotlighting some players, such as Ole Miss
center Matt Center, who don't necessarily get a lot of press.
Pro articles finclude a story about San Francisco's win
over the Packers, by Michael Silver; Arizona's victory
at Dallas, by Austin Murphy; Miami's defeat of Buffalo,
by Peter King; and Jacksonville's triumph of New England,
by David Fleming.
But, the best article in this issue is William Nack's outstanding
piece on former Colts defensive lineman Big Daddy Lipscomb,
who died of a heroin overdose in 1963.
In stunning detail, Nack tells the tale of two men -
a 6'6", 300-pound athlete whose agility and strength
revolutionized defensive line play; and a notorious drinker
and womanizer whose off-the-field life was never as harmonious
as the loving world he knew in the Baltimore locker room.
Though the story is more than 35 years old, the lessons
it teaches are still timely.
Grade: B+ (Randy)
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Dec. 28 -Sports Illustrated calls
this week's edition a double issue but it's only four pages
longer than the previous issue. Still, this week's SI has
its merits, including several good features and Frank
Deford's ranking of the top sports seasons in history.
The only non-football story is Johnette Howard's feature on
Philadelphia Flyers star Eric Lindros. Howard does
a nice job of examining the talented center and uses numerous
sources to get a feel for her subject. Even if you hate hockey,
you'll like this article.
SI also delivers a pair of NFL articles by Austin Murphy,
who profiles Atlanta running back Jamal Anderson and
Chargers quarterback Ryan Leaf. The Leaf piece is particularly
interesting, with fiery quotes from several San Diego players
about their disappointment in Leaf. The Anderson article describes
a player who talks the talk and walks the walk, a trait
not common in pro sports.
The top college football story is William Nack's piece about
Tennessee's 1939 team, which was not only unbeaten
but unscored upon. Also, Tim Layden writes a revealing article
about Florida State coach Bobby Bowden and Ivan Maisel
previews the Florida State-Tennessee Fiesta Bowl.
But, the most intriguing element of this week's SI is Deford's
ranking of the best sports years in history. I'll leave
the reading up to you but let's just say Deford's piece is
sure to cause some heated water-cooler discussions.
As usual, the magazine closes with an entertaining column
by Rick Reilly, who unveils his Chuckie Awards, named
in honor of Charles Barkley, who tossed a patron out of a
bar window last year. Very funny stuff.
Grade: B (Randy)
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Dec. 21 - Sports Illustrated has
announced its Sportsmen of the Year and the winners
are no surprise - sluggers Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire. But,
sports fans will be shocked and impressed that SI was able
to find new story angles on each man.
Tom Verducci offers a feature about McGwire and Gary Smith
writes of Sosa but neither article focuses on its home run
subject. Verducci and Smith take a unique look at the sluggers
through the eyes of the men who had the biggest influence
on their baseball careers, turning crude coal into diamonds.
Verducci tells the tale of baseball scout Ron Vaughn,
the former USC assistant coach who had the foresight to make
McGwire a powerful first baseman, instead of a pitcher. Smith
talks of Hector Peguero, who corralled Sosa's crude
skills at his Dominican baseball academy, charging kids 67
cents a week.
Each story is beautifully written, particularly the piece
about Sosa, with a jailed Peguero rooting for Sammy as
a father would cheer for his son. Through Peguero's eyes and
Smith's words, we learn how truly important Sosa and baseball
are to the people of the Dominican Republic.
As for football, Michael Farber's short story about
the end of Denver's quest for an undefeated season did nothing
for me. Kudos to Michael Silver, however, for a fine piece
about class of '83 QBs John Elway and Dan Marino.
Other stories include E.M. Swift's story about the troubled
family of gymnast Dominique Moceanu; Grant Wahl's
piece about the top-ranked UConn men's basketball team;
and Michael Farber's profile of Swedish hockey stars Henrik
and Daniel Sedin.
Grade: A (Randy)
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Dec. 14 - Bill Parcells is on the
cover and the superstitious Jets coach isn't happy
about the possibility of becoming the latest "cover jinx"
casualty, claiming he had a deal not to be placed on the front
of the magazine. Then again, when's the last time he seemed
happy about anything?
The Parcells article is very well done and asserts what most
people think of the man - he's a great coach but an unpleasant
person. Jack McCallum examined one of the league's most
successful coaches and wasn't afraid to speak to people critical
of Parcells. We don't see many such articles in NYC, where
the Media is generally afraid to criticize the coach.
Known for his distrust of the media, the coach doesn't allow
McCallum much of an interview or access to his family, but
the veteran scribe still manages to write a solid story. The
best line in this piece is from Jets fullback Keith Byars,
who says "If Parcells tells you there's cheese on
the mountain. You better bring crackers."
Speaking of controversial football figures, SI's Peter
King takes readers inside the league as director of officiating
Jerry Seeman rips his charges for two bad calls leading
to New England's Nov. 30 win over Buffalo. "There is
no foul. It's incomprehensible as much as we prepare...When
we make such a blatant error in judgment, we deserve the criticism
we get," Seeman says. Good work, Peter.
Meanwhile, I was very disappointed in Rick Reilly's "The
Blind Leading the Blind," about the recent struggles
of NFL officials. The column has its moments, as most of Reilly's
work does, but there is absolutely no excuse for making
fun of blind people as he did, referring to officials
as "Jose Feliciano, Marlee Matlin and Stevie Wonder,"
all blind entertainers. A weak, classless effort.
This week's issue also includes three brief college football
stories - Tim Layden's piece about Miami's upset of UCLA;
Ivan Maisel's tale of Texas A&M's defeat of Kansas
State; and Ian Thomsen's outstanding feature about Tennessee
wide receiver Peerless Price.
Other articles are Tim Crothers' story about rising
star Steve Francis and the University of Maryland basketball
team and Michael Silver's feature about J.J. Stokes and
Terrell Owens, two of San Francisco's star wide receivers.
Grade:
C (Reilly's sick "column" drags the issue down.)
(Randy)
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Dec.
7 - This week's Sports Illustrated is full of articles
to please sports fans ranging from football to baseball to
basketball to soccer.
The best article is S.L. Price's piece about University
of North Carolina women's soccer coach Anson Dorrance,
a 15-time national champion who is being sued by two former
players for sexual harassment. Dorrance isn't well known beyond
the soccer community, but Price helps the reader to learn
this unique man.
The football articles - a pair of Austin Murphy pieces
about Minnesota QB Randall Cunningham and Steelers center
Dermontti Dawson - are quite good but what about the college
game, which is ignored? The Dawson article is a nice story
about perhaps the best player in football.
Also, Tim Crothers writes an excellent story about Duke
star guard Trajan Langdon, who returned home for the Great
Alaska Shootout. All states should have role models like Langdon,
a cult figure in the his homeland.
Other articles include Michael Farber's writings from a
day with the L.A. Kings; Jeff Pearlman's effort about
Cardinals outfielder J.D. Drew; Richard Hoffer's article
profiling boxer Angel Manfredy. And, Rick Reilly
delivers another outstanding one-pager in his "The
Life of Reilly" column.
Grade: B+ (Randy)
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Nov. 30 - This week's SI isn't
flashy but all of the articles are well written and, for
the most part, worth reading.
The top two stories are John Ed Bradley's profile of high
school assistant coach Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael
Bamberger's piece about Temple and head coach John Chaney.
I really enjoyed the story about Abdul-Jabbar, who is
coaching on an Indian reservation. Bradley obviously
spent a lot of time with the NBA's all-time scoring leader
and did his homework, interviewing former coaches, teammates,
friends and adversaries. Outstanding work!
The Chaney/Temple article is also quite good, profiling
the unique kids that play for the defensive mastermind. If
you're a college hoops fan, you won't want to miss this one.
The NFL coverage includes a pair of stories about the Denver
Broncos. Richard Hoffer details the team's win over
Oakland and Michael Silver profiles stud wide receiver
Ed McCaffrey. The McCaffrey piece is quite interesting,
focusing on the surprising speed the Stanford product possesses.
The college football article by Tim Layden, describing
Tennessee's big win over Kentucky, is a little disappointing.
No, Layden doesn't do a bad job. The story is just too short,
with virtually nothing from head coach Phil Fulmer.
Also included are two stories revolving around the New York
Yankees. L. Jon Wertheim and Don Yaeger write that Orlando
"El Duque" Hernandez's flight from Cuba wasn't all
it seemed while Tom Verducci profiles the lack of bidding
for free agent centerfielder Bernie Williams (who signed
a mega deal with the Yanks Wednesday).
Grade: B+ (Randy)
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Nov. 23 - If the college and NFL
football seasons are heating up, it must be time for Sports
Illustrated's College Basketball Preview Issue.
The hoops section leads off with "50 Reasons Why College
Basketball Is Better Than Pro Basketball," an entertaining
section by the ever-sarcastic Steve Rushin. Reason number
25 is a classic: College is Cinderella, the NBA is CinderFella
(with a caricature of Marv Albert). Great stuff.
But, the team previews are weak, at best. SI profiles
its top 25 squads, giving readers just half a page on each
of them, and lists teams 26-64. I miss the days when SI
would at least make an effort to break down conferences
(and teams not ranked among the nation's elite).
The most intriguing piece in the magazine is NBA writer
Jack McCallum's Alltime Alumni Weekend, with 16 teams competing.
The "finals" match a North Carolina team with Michael
Jordan and Bob McAdoo against a UCLA club led by Lew Alcindor
and Reggie Miller. The winner? UCLA, 99-98.
The two main features are an Alexander Wolff piece about Miami
of Ohio star Wally Szczerbiak and an S.L. price article
about Florida head coach Billy Donovan. The Szczerbiak
story is interesting and gives readers a peek at one of college
basketball's biggest stars.
The article about Donovan describes a hard-working 33-year-old
who has made basketball his top priority. Good job by Price
to get some illuminating quotes from Donovan's wife, Christine,
who says "Billy is a basketball coach. He doesn't
mow the lawn, he doesn't fix the pictures. If there's a leak,
I call the plumber." Ouch!
The women's preview is sparse. The magazine lists its
top 10 teams and little else. However, Kelli Anderson does
offer a good feature about Tennessee star Tamika Catchings.
Other articles include:
- a solid
Tim Layden feature about Kansas State's upset of long-time
nemesis Nebraska. Good work by Layden portraying the
relationship between QB Michael Bishop and head coach Bill
Snyder.
- a
David Fleming article regarding Atlanta's monumental
win against San Francisco in the Georgia Dome. The story
is well done and fittingly focuses on the key to the Falcons
uprising - defense.
Rick
Reilly's "The Life of Reilly," about the fear
of skier Picabo Street isn't bad but doesn't strike me
as very timely, either.
Grade: B-
(Randy)
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Nov. 16 - Sports
Illustrated's top feature this week is Tim Layden's article
about University of Texas running back
Ricky Williams.
"Austin Power" is well written but
I disagree with the author's assertion that Williams' fantastic
1998 season (1,724 yards) is better than Barry Sanders' stunning
2,628-yard season in 1998. I
also wish Layden would've told readers more about Williams
the person, especially since I've read such glowing reviews
about his character from other media outlets.
Other articles, all of which are well done:
- "Unintentional
Grounding," a Grant Wahl story about how interest
in high school football is waning. This is an outstanding
article as Wahl does an outstanding job of interviewing
people from NFL officer Gene Washington to brokenhearted
kids whose schools have dropped the sport. One of the story's
underlying points seems to be a belief that the '90s
kid doesn't have the discipline to play a sport that requires
the heart and dedication that football does. Sadly,
this is probably true.
- Dr.
Z, Paul Zimmerman, studies the five most feared plays
in football, as run by the teams who execute them most
precisely. I really loved this piece, and, as a Skins fan,
the play I fear most is any snap that reaches Gus Frerotte's
hands.
- In
Veteran NBA writer Jack McCallum does an interesting story
about Nets center Jayson Williams, the quotable one.
It's refreshing to read about an NBA player who seems to
put the fans first.
- L.
Jon Wertheim's piece about Michigan State's stunning upset
of #1 Ohio State. Wertheim's article is fine but I would've
expected more than two pages of text about this game, which
seriously affects the new Bowl Championship Series.
- A Gerry
Callahan article, "Odd Couple," about young
Boston Bruins stars Joe Thornton and Sergei Samsonov. An
excellent bit of work on the NHL, something I'd like to
see more of in SI.
With
six well-written articles, particularly the high school football
piece, there's plenty of bang for the buck in this
week's issue. And don't forget the weekly column by Rick
Reilly, who writes a wonderful piece about Doug Flutie and
his autistic son.
Grade: B+
-very solid issue. (Randy)
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Nov.
9 - After
sub-standard efforts in recent weeks,
I was afraid to read the Nov. 9 issue of Sports Illustrated.
Would the magazine insult readers with suggestive photos,
like it did last week (Nov. 2)?
Maybe an important event, like the World Series, wouldn't
appear on the cover (Oct. 26)?
Or an important story could be virtually ignored, as SI chose
to do after Ricky Williams and Texas upset host Nebraska (Oct.
19)?
Thankfully, this week's issue was well done . Each of the
articles was a good read, including an outstanding piece
by former Arizona State guard and point shaver Hedake Smith,
as told to Don Yaeger.
The piece about Smith is easily one of the best efforts
by Sports Illustrated in recent years, bolstered by the
gripping first-person style. Once a sure-fire NBA prospect,
Smith blames himself and frets over the pain he has caused
his best friend - his mother. A first-person piece like this
is particularly beneficial to children and young athletes
as Smith appears to be preaching "Please avoid the mistakes
that I've made." Kudos to SI and Yaeger for a job
well done.
The Nov. 9 SI also includes an extensive mid-season report
on the NFL, by resident expert Peter King; an interesting
Michael Silver feature about Green Bay's continued dominance
of San Francisco; CNNSI reporter Tim Layden's "Miracle
Worker," about Kansas State football coach Bill Snyder;
a story of the life of University of Florida receiver Travis
Taylor; and an entertaining section about the crazy
happenings in the week of sports, by Cameron Morfit and
Jeff Pearlman.
Grade:
B+ (Randy)
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Nov.
2 - "Striving to better, oft we mar what's
well." - "King Lear"
Sports
Illustrated, why oh why must you disappoint me so, let me
count the ways.
This week,
it is with Franz Lidz's horrible story about the Buss family.
The story is confusing, uninteresting and doesn't satisfy
its analogy that Laker owner Jerry Buss is a modern "King
Lear."
But as
stated in "King Lear," my favorite Shakespeare play,
"The worst is not. So long as we can say, 'This
is the worst.'" And, worst
of all, this story begins with a two-page photo spread of
a naked woman, whose naughty areas are covered by two well-placed
basketballs. At the bottom of the picture is the headline:
"She's Got Balls."
Is this
"Playboy" or "Sports Illustrated"?
Look,
don't get me wrong, I enjoy looking at pictures of attractive
women as much as the next guy (as long as that next "guy"
isn't Richard Simmons), but I like to look at them in their
proper places.
My Sports
Illustrated isn't one of those proper places.
[An
Aside: I'm not one of those self-righteous people who
gives a holier than thou spiel every February when the SI's
swimsuit Issue comes out. Personally, I think the whole argument
is silly on both sides. It's ridiculous for SI to suggest
that pictures of women in skimpy bathing suits are sports-related,
while it's equally silly for people to complain about it each
year because nothing changes. And it won't because that one
issue makes too much money. If you don't like the swimsuit
issue, don't subscribe. That's your choice. However, I accept
the issue for what it is - a huge moneymaking vehicle for
SI.]
This revealing
picture of the youngest daughter of Jerry Buss, the Lakers
owner, is misleading not only because it is spread over two
pages to make it appear like a centerfold, but also
because the article is about the father and four of his children,
so she ends up being only one-fifth the story.
As a matter
of fact, her part in the article doesn't begin until nine
pages after her two-page picture!
"Although
the last, not least." - King Lear
The last
picture in the story, another shot of the youngest daughter
with the two basketballs, is smaller and more tastefully done.
In it, she is clearly wearing something, although her shoulder
and collarbone area is exposed.
I don't
have a problem with the smaller picture because while she
is unnecessarily unclad, it is certainly one way to capture
Jeanie, who once posed for Playboy. My beef is with the two-page
spread and headline, which is a gross misrepresentation
of the story and an obvious stunt to appease every man too
ashamed to buy Playboy or any of that genre.
And how
do you go from that opening picture to a lead involving "King
Lear"? Plus, I don't think King Lear is a great analogy
anyway because King Lear didn't realize his youngest daughter
loved him the most until it was too late. Lidz's story suggests
that Buss sees his youngest daughter as the most capable of
succeeding him.
The only
similarity between Lear and Buss is that they have to divide
their "kingdom" among their children. At least,
that's all that I can tell.
As for
the story, it is very confusing because the four children
featured are named Johnny, Jimmy, Jeanie and Janie, so it's
hard to keep them straight at times, especially Johnny and
Jimmy.
I don't
blame Lidz for the confusion over the names, obviously he
had nothing to do with that. I do, however, blame him for
writing an uninteresting story that details the lives of
rich kids who don't know how to handle their wealth or their
lives. It's a story often heard about children of celebrities
or the wealthy, and one that Lidz doesn't have to spend so
much time describing. He would have better served readers
with more details about the current power struggle among the
children, not about the mistakes in their past.
Finally,
there are no quotes or further information about Buss' first
wife and the mother of the four children, JoAnn. The story
only says she and her new husband raised the kids after she
and Buss divorced. Is she alive or dead? What does she think
of her children and all that has happened? Did she not want
to be interviewed for the story? Or did Lidz never talk to
her?
To quote
"King Lear" one final time, "Nothing
will come of nothing."
As for
the other stories, it is a fairly ho-hum issue. The
best story is Johnette Howard's profile of Brett Hull and
how he is fitting in with his new team, the Dallas Stars.
It was so good, I wished it was longer.
The other
stories are a matter-of-fact tribute to the Yankees, an alright
piece on Louisiana Tech quarterback Tim Rattay and a review
of the Broncos-Jaguars game, which wasn't bad except the story
dealt mainly with Bronco running back Terrell Davis and there
wasn't one picture of him on the four pages. The piece did
include a huge picture of John Elway, who was hardly discussed
in the story. And it wasn't even a great picture of the quarterback.
Oh yeah,
there also was a two-page article on the NBA players union,
but does anybody care about pro basketball?
Grade:
D. To D or not to D, that is the question. (George)
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