Let's Build Sports Illustrated Cover Rushmore
Connor Bedard to Chicago + Which pitchers should start in the Midsummer Classic?
Past: A juggling Dick Allen is on my Sports Illustrated cover Mount Rushmore. Which three covers join Dick?
Sports Illustrated was my bible growing up, as it was for millions of other sports fans since the first issue was released on August 16, 1954. Sadly, the magazine industry has is near extinction, with only doctor and dentist offices keeping their financials afloat. The magazine no longer comes out weekly, but just once a month and it is a shell of what it once was. All good things come to an end, but canceling my SI subscription in 2017 (I hung on as long as I could) was still a very sad day for me.
This week on the Pod of Fame podcast, we covered the Hall of Fame candidacy of Dick Allen and one of the first things brought up was the June 12, 1972 SI cover of him in a White Sox uniform, juggling three baseballs, while smoking a cigarette. This was during Allen’s 1972 AL MVP season and to put it simply, the cover is a work of art. Pablo Picasso himself shed a tear when he saw it. Out of the thousands of SI covers that have been printed over the years, it ranks in my top four, or in other terms, it makes my Mount Rushmore.
In that spirit, I decided to look back through the SI cover archives and complete the SI Cover Mount Rushmore that Dick Allen inspired. With that in mind, here are the other three covers that join it:
March 3, 1980: Miracle on Ice
Some of the best SI covers are the ones that let the photo do all of the talking. No headlines or words of any sort are featured on this cover besides the title of the publication. This is the textbook example of “A picture is worth a thousand words.”
April 15, 1974: Hammerin’ Hank Passes The Great Bambino
Maybe there is a theme to the SI covers I love? Again, no headline and no words at all. Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record, THE ultimate record in all of sports, and the number itself tells the story. Everyone in America knew Ruth had slugged 714 home runs and nobody ever thought they would see the day a ballplayer hit 715. Hank did the impossible. The cover is clean, the moment is historic, and the player highlighted is an all-time great. Hank might just miss having his face on Baseball Rushmore, but he handily makes SI Cover Rushmore.
March 27, 1995: The GOAT Returns.
As a Chicagoan, this is my homer pick (I am a Cubs fan, so that Dick Allen cover doesn’t count). Michael Jordan graced the cover of Sports Illustrated a record 50 times, so I had plenty to choose from. However, his return to Chicago after a short baseball hiatus was the clear choice for me. A few more words on this cover than some of the others I selected, but Jordan in the “45” jersey brings me pure joy. He would not win a title this year, but would lead the Chicago Bulls to a 72-10 record and their 4th NBA title the following year. Nice little cameo by Reggie Miller as well in a vibrant Indiana Pacers jersey. Bring those back.
Present: I have always wanted to get into hockey. Connor Bedard is my best chance.
If you listen to my podcast, you know I don’t know much about hockey. I attempted one podcast episode on Jeremy Roenick, but my friend Neil Paine really did the heavy lifting on that one. I did not grow up playing hockey, watching hockey, or learning about hockey. It is almost foreign to me, despite being living in a city that loves hockey.
However, at 33 years old, I have not given up on the idea of getting into hockey. I watched a bit of the playoffs this year and recently read a few books on past NHL greats, but I still needed something to jumpstart my fandom. Last Wednesday, my prayers were answered when the Chicago Blackhawks selected 17-year old Connor Bedard with the first overall pick in the NHL Draft. My hockey fan origin story began that night.
From everything I have read and the hockey fans I have spoken to, Bedard is the next Connor McDavid, which is a concept even I can grasp. To put into terms I can understand even better, Bedard was the Victor Wembanyama of the NHL Draft, a generational talent who can bring multiple championships to whatever team they land on.
Bedard’s numbers in the WHL last season look Gretzky-like. In just 57 games, he led the league in goals (71), assists (72), and of course, points (143). You don’t have to know squat about hockey to get excited about those numbers. Want to know what got me even more jacked? The Detroit Red Wings selected Nate Danielson with the 9th overall selection in this year’s draft. Nate was one of the top players in the WHL with Bedard last season. However, if you look at Nate’s numbers, they are in another area code compared to Bedard. Danielson played 68 games in the WHL last season and recorded 33 goals and 45 assists, for a total of 78 points. You do the math on that one. Clearly, there is Bedard and then there is everyone else.
The Blackhawks drafted Patrick Kane with the first overall pick of the 2007 NHL Draft and I didn’t jump on the opportunity to get into hockey then. That mishap cost me three Stanley Cups and I will never forgive myself for wasting that opportunity. That is not happening this time. The Bedard jersey is preordered, NHL alerts on my phone have been turned on, and I am already getting familiar with the Hawks roster for next season. The Bedard era is just beginning and I am here for it.
Future: Which pitchers should take the mound in Seattle for the Midsummer Classic?
Last Thursday, the baseball all-star game starters were announced and I took notice. See, I really enjoy the Midsummer Classic. The NBA all-star game is unwatchable, the Pro Bowl should be canceled, and as you just read, until last Wednesday, I was not a hockey fan, so the NHL all-star game was never on my radar. However, the MLB all-star game is an event I sincerely enjoy each summer. I look forward to it.
Unlike the other sports, the baseball all-star game plays out much more like a regular season game, besides the frequent substitutions and the fact the superstars like Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout get to be on the same team (could you imagine? ). The player’s play hard, each team has a representative, and the players actually look like they want to be there. It is highly watchable.
The all-star reserves and pitchers were announced yesterday, leaving just the starting pitchers for each team to be decided. That announcement usually comes a day or two before the game and there are a number of compelling candidates for each squad.
To me, being the starting pitcher of an all-star game is a high honor. No, it is not the Cy Young, but it is a feat that I take notice of when looking through a pitcher’s HOF resume at the end of their career. There are three players that are tied for the most all-star games starts in MLB history: Don Drysdale, Lefty Gomez, and Robin Roberts. All three of these pitchers have plaques in Cooperstown today.
Starting one all-star game far from guarantees you a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but you have to start somewhere. Here are my predictions for the pitching matchup in this year’s Midsummer Classic.
AL Starter: Shane McClanahan (11-1, 2.53 ERA, 101 Ks)
Honorable Mention: Kevin Gausman (7-4, 3.04 ERA, 146 Ks)
It was not too tough to give the lefthanded flamethrower down in Tampa Bay the nod here. I know the general public has fallen out of favor with “Wins” as a pitching statistic, but I still have a soft spot for them and Shane is on pace to be the first 20-game winner in the AL since Justin Verlander won 21 games in 2019. And Shane is not a one trick pony, as he not only leads the AL in Wins, but also is third in ERA and has a healthy 9.5 K/9 to boot. The strikeout artist formerly known as Kevin Gausman is a sexy pick as well, but his ERA is just a tad too high for my liking. It is important to note that McClanahan did start last year’s game, which possibly could hurt his chances, but I don’t think it should. I want to see how the best hitters in the NL fair against his 101 MPH 4-seam fastballs.
NL Starter: Marcus Stroman (9-6, 2.76 ERA, 92 Ks)
Honorable Mention: Clayton Kershaw (10-4, 2.55 ERA, 105 Ks
Marcus Stroman in this spot might be a surprise to those that have not been paying attention to the Chicago Cubs this season, but he has been a consistent as they come. His 14 quality starts in 18 games leads the MLB and he pitched a 1-hit gem at the end of May against Tampa Bay, who had the winningest record in the MLB back in May and still own the best record today. He is no Kerry Wood out there when it comes to strikeouts, but he forces a million groundballs, has only allowed 5 home runs (Kershaw has allowed 12) and lead MLB pitchers in WAR (if you care about stuff like that). Kershaw is having a great season per usual, but Stroman has a slight edge on him. At 5’8”, Stroman would be the shortest pitcher to ever start an all-star game. Future trivia question right there.