This week's SI: Nice job

I know SI gets a lot of criticism here, some of it justified, but this week's issue ("Men of Steel") reminded me of what this magazine used to be almost every week.

The Jimmer Fredette story was solid, the story about the guy on the 10-day NBA contract was excellent (BTW, I saw in trannies this AM he was re-signed by the Suns), and the takeout on Aliquippa was outstanding.

That's not counting the NFL/NHL stuff, which I didn't read.

 

I liked the Dowdell story a lot, too. Always thought he was a good ballplayer when he was at VT, and he seems pretty down to earth. The Aliquippa story was incredible, and Phil Taylor had a nice column on the back page (the guys that bet on every football game) after missing badly on his Hall of Fame column.

That's all I've read. Looking forward to the Jimmer piece.

 

Hey Thx. I received my issue yesterday, looked at cover and flipped through quickly.

Did not notice story on Aliquippa. Will have to go back over.

 

I grew up not far from Aliquippa, and the piece did an excellent job of capturing the essence of the place and its history. The writer clearly spent time there getting a sense of it. Reading the piece gives you the idea that the entire area is drug- and crime-riddled, and it's not. What's happened in Aliquippa over the years is unfortunate. Overall, Beaver County, Pa., is a great place to live, though it would be easy to think otherwise based on the way he describes circumstances in Aliquippa. What's really interesting is the way Aliquippa has deteriorated while surrounding communities have not. Classic case of a story about sports being about a lot more than sports. I'm biased because I know the area, but it's one of the best SI pieces I've read in a long time.

 

Haven't read the Aliquippa story yet but I liked the 10-day story.

I'm pretty sure they've done a story on 10-day contracts in the past though.

 

I need to read the story, but Aliquippa is a very rough city in a not so rough area. All you need to do is drive two miles in any direction and you are away from the crime, mayhem and hell.

I don't know if it is mentioned or not, but many consider the greatest high school running back from the area to be a kid named Essex Law who played at Rochester. I don't think the last name is a coincidence.

I doubt Andy Nuzzo frequents SportsJournalists.com for his thoughts.

 

They should know that the Tampa Bay Lightning plays in the Southeast Division, not the Northeast. Silly error in the hot/not section. Sorry, that shit shouldn't happen.

 

The Aliquippa story was great reading on my plane ride today. So was the Dowdell story.

 

I read the Oklahoma State plane crash story thinking, "This is the type of story that SI would have as its takeout in the past." Then SI surprises me with an outstanding issue and shows it still can flex its muscles.

I do think SI's takeouts set the table for stories such as the Okie State plane crash story.

 

Shit, I read an AP story today that credited "Ground Chuck" to Chuck Noll. Knox, son. Chuck Knox of the Vikings.

Sad thing is, it might have been written by Robinson's replacement.