The two principal articles in the December 22, 2008 issue of Sports Illustrated number that lies before me are why SI remains the uncontested leader in North American general sports periodicals. Jim Trotter’s ‘D As in Dominant’ connects the dots between the Pittsburgh’s Steel Curtain of yore and its present day top-ranked NFL defense. Joe Posnanski’s noir take on the winter baseball meetings in Las Vegas (!) captures the pathos and ridicule that are both required for a full understanding of this off-season institution.
Both are simply great sports writing.
SI is no longer the best source for up-to-the-minute sports news in our digital era, if it ever was. But the magazine’s editors know what it is and what it isn’t and major on bringing us fine interpretation and commentary on the sports we live week after week, complemented with simply stunning photography.
You’ll need another publication if you want to go really deep into, say, baseball or soccer. But for riveting and occasionally hilarious writing on the sports we love from people who know them deeply, SI is still the obvious choice. No instant replay required.
Canter Bridge 
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