Real good
I have been reading SI for over 10 years and I am simply addicted to it. Since I now work in Asia, it is not always easy to find its issuess on a timely manner, and ordering previous issues of SI has become a routine for me every once in a while.

SI has the following 3 strengths which no other magazine can match: 1) Its pictures are always the best in terms of quality and creativity, 2) Its team of writers (Tom Verducci, Phil Taylor, Frank Deford..)is the most professional and well connected that its articles are not just merely sports coverage, but profiles of athletes and the sports itself. Plus SI likes to follow athletes throughout their career so SI has very high collectible value, for example I have got the first SI article covering Tiger (make me so proud) 3) Its tradition, everybody knows the influence of an SI cover.

Every sports fan should subscribe one, really.

SI's still got it
I have been a subscriber to SI for 18 years (since my junior year in high school). Some may be disappointed with the magazine because it is essentially the BusinessWeek of the sports world. But just as we have CNBC for real-time business info, we have ESPN (or CNNSI) for real-time sports info. That's not what SI is supposed to be - never was. SI fills the role of recapping the major developments in the sports world, while adding a great mix of some feature articles (often athlete profiles or controversial issues), "hit-and-run" facts and figures, as well as the obligatory editorials. When I consider what I look forward to each week, it's actually not the wrap-ups of major sports events or some high profile story. It's the "little things":

-the provactive close-up pictures at the beginning
-Letters to the Editor (maybe the only ones I read of any mag)
-Go figure (intriguing numbers that tell a story)
-Rick Reilly's last page column (he has a warm, conversational style that's almost mesmerizing)

Yes, it's true. You'll read more about baseball, football and basketball than you will about swimming, golf, or extreme sports. But accept SI for what it is - a great way to stay current, go deeper than the daily sports page, and be entertained. The price offered here is cheaper than my own subscription - it's also cheaper than a cup of coffee and lasts longer. So if you are even half a sports fan, you should be treating yourself to a weekly SI.

SI going down hill
Sports Illustrated is starting to go down hill. All they want to cover is the Yankees, Red Sox and Lakers ... There are plenty of other sports stories and plenty of other fans other than Yankee, Red Sox and Laker fans. Even the state-by-state stories have gone downhill as the year has progressed.