Your favorite SI story ever

I started getting SI in 1990, and this was the first time I ever felt compelled to keep an issue because of a story I read. It's the Mike Coolbaugh piece from Scott Price:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1108023/index.htm

 

Rick Reilly on Ron Powlus:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1008784/index.htm

 

The book is excellent. Price does outstanding work.

 

He Thrives On Anger by Michael Bamberger

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1008083/index.htm

 

This is me. But as a niche thing, there were a couple of track and field covers, when SI really cared about such things, including Ryun-Liquori in Philadelphia, that I thought were terrific simply from a personal interest standpoint.

 

Mr Express,

From memory: "Don't quit, dammit." A great cover.

YHS, etc

 

I had this on the wall of my bedroom at my parents' cottage in northern Wisconsin (since torn down) for years:

 

Darryl Stingley's first person account, 1983.

 

I'll tell you what was a pretty good story - the one where Cindy Garvey decided to ruin Steve Garvey's wholesome image.

 

i think that was inside sports, no?

 

Yeah I think you are correct now that I look back.

 

I remember reading the Kram article on the Frazier-Ali fight my freshman year in college and thinking I would have a better chance of sleeping with Cheryl Tiegs than writing something that good.

But Michael MacCambridge in his book on SI exposed Kram as a fabalist. It seems that no one has been able to confirm the third paragraph of the story where Frazier is said to be recovering and describes Ali as a great champion. Kram said he got it second hand. Maybe. But given Kram's other ethical problems I think that story is probably to good to be entirely true.

As for the best let me add Rick Reilly's piece on Jim Murray.