Your favorite SI story ever

Tony Kornheiser's sympathetic look at Rick Barry ("A voice crying in the wilderness") and Frank Deford's Kirby Puckett piece immediately come to mind.

 

Gary Smith's 2002 story on Washington State DB Devard Darling coping with the on-field death of his identical twin/teammate/best friend DeVaughn when they were both at FSU:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1027667/index.htm


Had me in tears.

 

Jeff MacGregor's story on the Friar's Club Roast of Don King.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1105262/index.htm

Gary Smith on former Yankees prospect John Malangone, who was haunted by his brother's death.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1011129/index.htm

Gary Smith on the Crows and basketball.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1118885/index.htm

Rick Reilly's story on the high school referee who attempted suicide after blowing a key call.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1006129/index.htm

Deford on Bobby Knight.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1124147/index.htm

 

It was also written during a stretch when all of Smith's stories were cover stories - with his name on the cover, too. I'm not sure if that was something in his contract or what but it doesn't seem to happen as often anymore.

 

E.M. Swift's Sportsmen of the Year story on the US Olympic Hockey team:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1124069/index.htm

Especially for the coda:

"It is over now. Unlike other clubs, Olympic teams self-destruct into 20 different directions and careers afterward—at least in this country. There is never a next year for them. They write their story once. Sportsmen of the Year."

and Curry Kirkpatrick's story on the 1977 NBA Finals between the Sixers and Trailblazers 'All For One Sure Beats One For All'

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1092515/index.htm

with this memorable lede:

"At the end last Sunday, as bare-chested Bill Walton stood there, one moment higher than the highest mountain, the next submerged by Blazermaniacs deeper than the deep blue sea, Julius Erving would have been forgiven had he raised the roster of the Philadelphia 76ers over his head and jam-dunked it into the nearest garbage can."

 

Yes sir - Keep the issue on my desk.

 

The Bull Sullivan story was the first I remember. Loved the "Wish I was There" issue in 1999 when writers wrote about sports events they wished they'd covered, went back and did the research and wrote stories that made it seem like they WERE there.
The Gary Smith story a few months back on Floyd Little was fantastic. and Anything by Scott Price.

 

Off-track, but Rick Cleveland published a collection of his best columns a few years ago, and it's highly entertaining reading.

SI's writing has been hit-or-miss the past few years, IMO, but the article in this week's Sportsman of the Year issue on the kid from Louisville that died after a football practice is very good work.

 

I've worked in Mississippi a long time, so I've run across a lot of people who knew, played for or played against Sullivan's teams. He was one-of-a-kind.

Can't remember if it's in the Deford piece or not, but he used to make his offense scrimmage toward a pond, and thus, trying to drive his defense INTO the pond.

 

Rick Telander's piece in 2003 "Playing against the clock."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1031004/index.htm

 

So much great stuff here to reread....

My choice...Bill Nack on Secretariat....

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1005832/index.htm

 

He did mention that in the story. Claimed there was a gator in the pond. One player said it was only a "little, bitty gator." The coach I know said the practice field was simply low-lying and collected a bit of rain.

Another great Sullivan anectode from the Deford story: they built an Air Force base near Scooba in the mid-1960s (I believe it was Keesler, but someone can correct me). They made it operational about the time summer practice began. Sullivan was putting his team through about a 4-hour practice in the godawful Mississippi heat when a couple of jets came in pretty low over the practice field. The quaterback told Deford they all hit the deck, and said one thing went through his mind: "I thought the Russians were attacking and they knew they had to take Coach out first."