Conference 7.286::sports_91

    Anyone out there have children or know children who read "Sports
    Illustrated for Kids" on a regular basis?  If so, your thoughts on this
    magazine?  What grade levels might it be appropriate for?
    
    Frankly I'm stumped on what to get those nephews who, thanks to having
    a grandfather who works at Hasbro, have every toy known to man, and was
    thinking of alternate Christmas gift possibilities...
    
    
    py

    
    Good topic, Paul (sorry, don't know anything about SI For Kids,
    though).
    
    I've pretty much been a dedicated subscriber to Sports Illustrated
    for the last 20 years.  I've held on to most of the issues since
    late 1976, and I use them occasionally for reference purposes, but
    there are some gaps in my "library" from the period 1983-1987. 
    Any of you guys got any issues stashed away in the attic from these
    years or even pre-1977 that you might want to get rid of?  I might
    be able to pay some nominal amount per issue, even (disclaimer:
    I am not a memorabilia collector, don't know what these magazines are
    worth, don't care, don't care what condition they're in, etc., just
    like to have the back issues around for the purpose of historical 
    sports analysis and just plain ol' reminiscing...)
    
    glenn
    

    Glenn -
    
    I have some old SI's and SPORT mags - but they are in storage at my
    folks house.  Next time I'm back east, I'll take a look at them (for
    all I know, my mother chucked them out).   I know I used to have some
    for the early 70's.  
    
    I've subsribed to SI for well over 20 years now - with a few gaps where
    I cancelled.  In fact - I once got a letter published in the "19th
    Hole" section.   I was about 10 or so - and it was a letter praising an
    article on George Blanda.  
    
    For anyone who is a Track fan - Track and Field News is easily the best
    magazine to read.  All track - all running.  It's not a "People
    Magazine" for faux runners - like mags like "Runner's World" is.  No
    cutesy stories.  It doesn't cover road racing that much - just the big
    ones.  It is dedicated to track and field - and has High School,
    College, and Open results and articles.  For Olympic previews and
    coverage, there simply is no better.  None as "The Bible of The Sport".
    
    I used to get a myriad of sports mags:  Hoop Digest, Hockey Digest,
    SPORT, TSN, Football Digest - but dumped them all years ago.  No time
    to read them - and they weren't that good.   The only other sports mags
    I get are "The Giants Newsweekly" - the Giants and nothing but the
    Giants, And "Nortwest Runner" - mainly for race listings and local
    events for running.
    
    Paul - I've seen SI for kids - but don't know much about it.  If you
    haven't already - try the baseball conference - I bet someone in there
    gets it.
    
    JD

>    just wouldn't take NO for an answer.  They hounded me with junk mail,
>    and even phone calls, just for a lousy 1 year renewal, which by then
>    was almost free with the clock radio, the sneaker phone, a pair of
>    Skybox Super Bowl tickets, Ellie M. for a weekend, and a year's supply
>    of Bud all thrown in. :-)  But I held my ground....
    
My subscription ran out 10/28.

To date I've had 4 or 5 phone calls, mailings which are too numerous to
count, and I still don't want it.

It's a GREAT magazine.  The photography is super, the articles can be good
too, but like Hawk said, I don't always have the time.

PLUS it's pricey.

Finally, for a lot of the time of my subscription, there were a lot of
articles where there were NO articles of interest....


'Saw

>    So, 'Saw, how's that new subscription for Rugby Off-season Gym Work-out?
>    
>    :-)
>    
>    Hawk.
    
Great. 8^)

Actually, Rugby does have a fitness column every month, which I sometimes
browse....


'Saw    
    

    My subscription ran out that was it, I never got a phone call or letter
    saying that it was gonna run out, I got something about a year before
    that asking if I wanted to extend my subscription, and I said no for 
    the time being. I wasn't gonna re-new anyways, because all it is, is
    week old news, and their previews of up-coming seasons had gotten so
    bad, especially in football. But like I said it's week old news, if you 
    watch Sports Center the articles your reading you already know about.
    But I do miss some of the articles. I also thought it was a pretty
    boring magazine once football ended. I did like Peter Gammons inside
    Baseball each week, but then he stopped and the guy that took his place
    was nowhere near as good. My brother subscribes to Tennis Magazine,
    that's not a bad magazine.
    
                                             Dan

    	My friend's brother-in-law got S.I. For Kids for his son.  I
    saw a couple of issues and it's kind of like a USA Today sports
    section without the stats.  Never is hoid a discouraging woid...
    
    				/Don

    I received an early Christmas present from my in-laws last night.  I
    got a card saying I will be getting a subscription to "Diehard", a
    Red Sox fan magazine.  Anyone know what I can expect?

A baseball signed by all the Sox that's worth less than the ball is?
    

    50 pages a  month of deals the Sox SHOULD make - for example:
    
    "Sox should deal Tom Brunansky and a peanut vendor to the Braves for
    Glavine, Avery, Justice and Lemke - and the Braves are getting the best
    of the deal..."
    
    Have fun...
    
    JD

    	I think this year they are planning on having a "Lou Gorman
    Swimsuit Issue".

    "Anyone know what I can expect?"
    
    Frustration, Mac.  Frustration.
    
    lEe

    I received a book last Christmas that I would recommend to any baseball
    fan, "Baseball by the Rules".  It goes into detail about the rules of
    baseball using anecdotes, humor, and historical references.

    If you intend to read SI as your source of sports news, you'll be
    disappointed.  SI isn't and never was intended to be a hard-news
    magazine, with comprehensive coverage.  The Sporting News was, but is
    being made technologically obsolete.
    
    John

    
    S.I. for Kids has about 9 sport cards in every issue. They are like
    your normal baseball cards but have every kind of sport personality on
    them. From swimming to race horse jockeys. Kids collect them like other
    cards. Thats what the highlight was in that mag. Good storys too.

Okay Sportsters, a review:


First off, over the weekend, in a used book store, I picked up an excellent
book about sportswriter Grantland Rice.  It's called "The Tumult and
The Shouting -- My Life In Sports".   It's an excellent autobiography, and
it has an aura about it that is hard to describe.

Here is a man who could WRITE.  And having been born in 1880, he was
a contemporary of and friends with people like Christy Mathewson, Ty Cobb
and others of that time.   

If you've ever heard the story about how Ty Cobb was sending all sorts
of post cards and cables to a sportswriter talking up the young phenom
named Cobb, well, the writer was Grantland Rice.

If you have a chance to get it out of your local library, do it.  

It'll give you a different perspective on sports....


'Saw

    
>If you've ever heard the story about how Ty Cobb was sending all sorts
>of post cards and cables to a sportswriter talking up the young phenom
>named Cobb, well, the writer was Grantland Rice.

    Saw, so you're saying that Cobb was a shameless self-promoter who would
    manipulate the media to the fullest extent? Hmmm. Sure, Ty was a great
    player, but the more I hear of him, the less I like him.
    
    Tom

Actually, Rice made a good point that all the greatest athletes of his
time had a confidence that was overwhelming.

Cobb thought he was the greatest, definitely, and even years after he played
ball he was opinionated and quick tempered about it.  

Ruth was confidence made man....

Self promotion might come with that territory in some circles, I guess.

Book made for interesting reading....


'Saw

    For the definitive book on Cobb, check out "Ty Cobb" by Charles
    Alexander.  BTW, Alexander is a sports history professor at Ohio
    University.  Never got the opportunity to take any of his classes, but
    the book is great.  Good writer.
    
    	--dan'l

Cobb was the son of a Southern Gentleman/University Professor.  His arrogance
was well known, even in the years when sportwriters never said anything bad 
about ballplayers.  Cobb was known to fight with opponents, teammates, managers,
and anyone who said "boo".  He was also known as a dirty player, who would try 
to hurt his opponent when he slid, etc.  I have read, however, that in his later
years he mellowed, and became involved in several youth sports programs.

=Bob=

According to Cobb, as quoted by Rice, he never tried to spike guys
when sliding in.  He said he had developed a sliding style that was
aimed at giving the defender the least amount of target to tag, and
that in that style it was impossible to try and spike someone....


You know what amazes me about Rice?  He was born in 1880, and was
my age in 1913.  I can't imagine living in 1913, but this man, through
his writing, has given me a good idea....

I think that is cool.....


'Saw

    I remember reading about how Cobb  went into the stands and beat the
    living crap out of a heckler. Not that it's such a big deal in itself,
    but I thought it was a little much when it turned out that the guy had
    NO ARMS as a result of a factory accident...
    
    Tom