SI: Cover Songs

E5 Yaz

polka king
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Peter King had a piece in his column today, in lieu of the Sports Illustrated news, where he asked some NFL and media types about the SI covers that first come to mind.
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/fmia/news/nfl-playoffs-divisional-round-lamar-jackson-andy-reid-kansas-city-chiefs-peter-king-fmia?cid=nbcsports

Anyway, I thought it might be a trip down memory lane to ask the same here. What's the first SI cover that comes to mind for you? For me it's this one
Boston Red Sox Tony Conigliaro Sports Illustrated Cover by Sports  Illustrated


The night thanked right lie sprawling in the dirt is so clear in my memory. And then, three years later, to see this on the cover said so much about being a Red Sox fan. If he could come back from the beaning, then maybe, some year, the team could come back to prominence. Anyway, it's the first one among many classic ones that comes to mind.
What say you, SoSH?
 

PC Drunken Friar

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Peter King had a piece in his column today, in lieu of the Sports Illustrated news, where he asked some NFL and media types about the SI covers that first come to mind.
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/fmia/news/nfl-playoffs-divisional-round-lamar-jackson-andy-reid-kansas-city-chiefs-peter-king-fmia?cid=nbcsports

Anyway, I thought it might be a trip down memory lane to ask the same here. What's the first SI cover that comes to mind for you? For me it's this one
 

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Bunt4aTriple

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This one coincided with an 8th grade Bunt losing his faith. I got chewed out by the "cool" priest for carrying this into class and celebrating a sinner. Wish I still had it.
 

RS2004foreever

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Three issues I remember:
1. The cover when the US won in 1980.
2. I am not sure it was a cover but a picture of Sidney Moncrief taking off from the foul line in mid-flight to a dunk when he was at Arkansas.
3. The issue after the Tiger Slam in 2001.
 

Bozo Texino

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You think playing about 1200 NHL games, having your name on the Cup and pocketing about $6 million (in 1980s-1990s money) is a “miss”? Okay.

EDIT: I just read another site that said he made just shy of $9M.
I mean, in relation to the hype? Yes.

He was a perfectly serviceable player in the NHL.
 

joe dokes

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I mean, in relation to the hype? Yes.

He was a perfectly serviceable player in the NHL.
He *was* the best US NHL player for a long time.

And I think he was a bit more than "servicable." An 18 year career with 320 G and 728 pts (233rd all time; can't get a handle on where he was at retirement). I'm not sure there's any definition of "miss" that can reasonably include him.
 

Bozo Texino

still hates Dave Kerpen
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He *was* the best US NHL player for a long time.

And I think he was a bit more than "servicable." An 18 year career with 320 G and 728 pts (233rd all time; can't get a handle on where he was at retirement). I'm not sure there's any definition of "miss" that can reasonably include him.
Fair enough to both you and @pedro1918. I'm thinking of guys like Leech, Roenick, and Kane - guys who came waaaaaaaay after Carpenter.

My apologies.
 

bankshot1

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I had a subscription to SI from roughly 1963-1983, with most of them saved, until the wrath of mom, ex-wives, and a flooded basement culled the herd. But a couple dozen survived.
This is from Nov 1964 before most of America was comfortable with Muhammad Ali.20240122_162701_resized(2).jpg20240122_162701_resized(2).jpg
 
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bankshot1

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The Celts won banner 13 in June 1976 in a 6 game series ending in Phoenix. Some may recall the 5th game of that series. I was positive this was a 5-game series and I wanted to see my beloved Celts win a championship, and I figured this was my best shot.

But it was not to be, but I saw something extraordinary instead.

The cover date (6/7/76) was after the Game 6 win (6/6/76) but the article covered just the first four games of the series.
Oh the limitations of a weekly publication.

20240122_170426_resized.jpg
 
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Kliq

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Definitely Miracle on Ice is #1. No caption at all.

And this one, which I've posted on SoSH before. My favorite non-Championship cover.

View attachment 76989
We uh, did not hear from Demetrius Walker.

Although, he's the subject for a top five sports book of all time, Play Their Hearts Out by George Dohrman.
 

Oil Can Dan

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If only his mentor Doug Scovil didn’t die in Veterans Stafium from a heart attack in 1989 I think he would have led that team to a couple titles…
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