Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue

Last week’s cover of “Sports Illustrated” had a great photo of that incredible catch by David Tyree that keyed the Giants Super Bowl victory over New England. It was a wonderful picture and I’m sure many Giant fans will save that issue of the magazine to remind them of a great moment in team history.

However the photo of Tyree will not garner nearly the attention of this week’s subject Marissa Miller, who likes surfing but is not on the cover for her athletic prowess. The 29-year old Californian is this year’s cover girl for the always-controversial swimsuit issue and the winter spectacular hit the newsstands Tuesday. Miller is a 7-year veteran of the swimsuit issue and is best known as one of the six Victoria’s Secret models. The 5’8, 110 pounder likes cooking, dancing and riding horses.

It was pretty ironic that my issue of “SI” arrived on probably the worst day of winter and seeing Marisa on the beach at St. John in the US Virgin Islands is one that can warm you up a bit. Of course there’s plenty more of her and others inside and don’t think that the entire issue is void of sports. That’s because the latest group of swimsuit models includes race car driver Danica Patrick, several NFL cheerleaders and the wives of well-known pro athletes like Jeff Gordon, Jeff Garcia and Johnny Damon. And they say this issue has nothing to do with sports.

I love reading the Letters to the Editor in the weeks that follow in which people announce they are cancellation their subscription over another poor excuse to expose women as nothing more than sex objects when the magazine is supposed to be about sports. Lighten up well you! Sure the pictures are revealing but so are commercials that appear on TV and billboard ads and the difference here is you only see them if you buy the magazine. As a matter of fact SI will gladly not mail this issue to their subscribers who don’t want it and if you get one by mistake simply give it to somebody who likes the idea of looking at beautiful women in skimpy bathing suits on exotic beaches during the cold of winter.

Those who make a big deal of this really need to get a life because it’s harmless and I had no problems when my son who is now 22 used to look at my issue. It’s what teenage boys and their fathers have done for years…it’s as American as Elle McPherson.