The demise of SI

I miss the yachting features, and Charlie Goren's contract bridge column.

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I'm talking about the Weekly, the Nast-driven political vehicle that was absorbed into another publication in 1916.

 

It's actually funny you say that. When the US took back the America's Cup, which, 30 years ago, would have been a huge deal, there was merely a blurb in SI. That's sad.

Also, anybody catch the fairly big error in the Grant Hill story that, to me, stuck out like a sore thumb? It says in the spring of 2003, Grant Hill was watching Kobe Bryant win his third straight NBA title. Unfortunately for Lee Jenkins, the Spurs won the nba title in 03, not the Lakers.

 

Our paper (deep breath) SENT SOMEONE TO AUSTRALIA for the 1987 Cup races.

At least SI still gives it a blurb. Not sure if the "right-sized" pamphlet we publish today even did that.

 

Same here .... sent to Australia in '87 and San Diego in '92. How times have changed.

 

I remember when SI was better.

I remember when "Saterday Night Live" was funnier.

I remember when I was sexier.

Baaaaah! Get the hell out of my yard!

 

So I clicked the SI.com story about the "best 45 minutes in sports history," figuring it was wrap up of either the weekend's NBA or NHL action.
Happily surprised it was about Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics.

 

Um, that story is actually about the 1935 Big Ten championships.

 

I suck. Saw it was about Jesse Owens and figured it was about the Olys. Major fail.
My point was that it was nice to see something pre-cable labeled the best....whatever.

 

Oh, agreed.

 

The flashback last week was to Rushin writing on baseball, and while I groaned once or twice, it reminded me how much I miss him from the magazine. As much as he had lost from his fastball in later years, I think he could have gotten some of it back by getting away from the 1 page essay and going back to doing stories for a while. I'd have tried the same thing with Reilly, if I could have gotten away with it - make him cover golf.

Did anyone read Rushin's novel? Was it any good?

 

I'm pretty young and I remember my parents got SI. It was good even 10 years ago. Or, at least, it was until I remember getting into journalism. Now it's full of dumb stuff, like those trite "SI Players" thingys. Maybe they've stopped doing that.

I will say two words, though: Joe Posnanski. I will buy the mag any time he appears in print.