I have been getting this magazine for three years now and have never been disappointed in it so far. I really love all the articles and in-depth coverage that I don't see in some other magazines. Plus, I feel they give their writers a little more leeway in being opinionated more than you would see in a mainstream magazine. The cover I have now has Carmelo Anthony, Serena Williams, Peyton Manning, Josh Beckett, Diana Taurasi, and Bucky Lasek, in a fold-out type page. It is a photo edition, with more pictures in it than usual. Its always been known for its colorful, in-your-face photos, which I have come to love. Now, into some of the normal articles that come with it. They are not all going to be in this order exactly from the magazine you see now, because it is a special edition, like I mentioned, but this is what you'll get normally.

After the requisite table of contents, there is a article called Stuart Scott's "Two-Way", in which readers have chatted with the sports anchor and their conversations are written down. Sometimes, these can be pretty funny with Scott's responses to some idiotic question asked of him.

Bill Simmons is the "Sports Guy", who routinely gets bashed because of his love for Boston-area sports. He usually writes some controversial articles that have people writing away to tell him off. Pretty funny stuff. Then, Dan Le Batard has an "Open Look," in which he usually writes about a serious issue that is going on in sports, such as coach Bob Huggin's suspension for drunk driving, for example. After this, "The Post" is there for you readers who want to give the magazine either props or complain about something you don't like. I have a particular affinity for this section, because I actually got printed once! If you don't believe me, the date on it is April 14, 2003, with Francisco Rodriguez and David Eckstein on the cover, the annual baseball preview issue. I'm famous, yeah! ;)

Next comes a section called "Zoom" that has three or four large photos that usually cover the whole two pages. There is a nice shot of yummy Maria Sharapova on the first page. This section is really cool, since it gives a nice glimpse into photos that are usually pretty unique, either having some crazy thing happening in it, or just plain being cool. Then, there is a section called "The Jump" that gives a segway into what most of that issue will delve into, followed by what they call the Big 10, which they deem the most important issues going on in sports at the moment. At the bottom of the pages, is a steady running line that gives sports headlines going on at the moment. "Answer Guy" is where the ask a mundane question, such as "Why does the Tour de France leader wear a yellow jersey?" and answer and discuss the question. There is one I particularly like, which is not in every issue, called "Right Name, Wrong Number" in which they call a person with a sports name, but are just a regular person. Just because I think its funny, I'll give ya an example of what they do.

Larry Brown, Orlando, Fla.
You must be feeling great, champ. "I've only missed 10 days of school and work since the fifth grade, if that's what you mean."
Fired up for the ring? "I'm not really a jewelry kind of guy."
Biggest difference between this year and '88? "My knees ache and I've got way more gray hair."
Still no regrets about Carmelo? "Absolutely not. I'm a peanut M&M's kind of guy."
If you didn't get this, Larry Brown is the head coach of the Detroit Pistons, who just won the NBA championship, and Carmelo is who they passed up in the draft for Darko Milic.

The whole "Jump" section is compromised of a lot more articles, but they are small, and I would be typing a heck of a lot more, so I'll stop here. But, each gives a unique look into sports and things going in our culture as well.

Then come the main articles of the issue, such in last week's Lance's drive for a sixth Tour de France championship, midseason report on baseball, a young 14-year old who just turned pro in men's tennis, and Michael Jordan's drive to have the Jordan Brand influence extend into Asia, one, as you can imagine, I loved.

Then, comes "Total Access," which gives an in-depth glance at multiple things, such as how the parking attendants at Fenway park manage to park all the player's cars in the tiny lot, how a decathlon athlete gets ready for the Olympics, etc. It is really cool and gives a view into something we normal people rarely get to see.

Near the end, is small articles on all sports, MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, college football, racing, golf, anything that has presidence in sports at the moment. Then sports anchor Dan Patrick has "Outtakes," in which he interviews an athlete about everything and anything, usually about some weird topics and gets away with quite a lot, at least in my mind, which is cool, because you get really candid answers. Ending off, is a large graphic called "0:01," showing something prevalent that is happening on this day, either recently, or years ago.

So, that's the mag in a nutshell. It comes about once every week and a half, so it's fast-coming, so read the articles pretty fast, because it will be dated by the time you get your next issue. It's cheap, I got a subscription for $26 for 26 issues, so a buck an issue, not bad in my estimation. Plus, once you get it for awhile, you'll be a Preferred Subscriber, meaning they'll just automatically renew your membership when it's about to expire, something which I like because then I don't have to bother with calling them to renew and potentially missing out on an issue or two. You'll also get a free fleece or polo shirt when you order. Not the coolest thing in the world, but something we can all use.

The only problem I have with this magazine is being so big, it seems to rip some when I get it, probably because I live at an apartment complex that has tiny mailboxes, so it inevitably gets bent and torn. But, that rarely happens, usually just a small crease in the middle of it that goes away after awhile. So, if you want a sports magazine that will give you in-depth sports articles, great photographs, and a nice lay-out, give this one a try. Plus, the articles are not always based on strictly sports, sometimes, actually quite a few times, giving a look into the athletes' lives and problems they have, making them more human

Recommended: Yes