Lindy's - this is always the first magazine to hit the stands, so I always pick it up...it feels great just to get a college football magazine in my hands....most of the times Lindy's disappoints in their coverage, but this year's edition has improved....there are depth charts of all the teams....they also added the rankings of all the different positions which was nice...there are no cheerleader shots though this year....if Lindy ever decides to move back the publication date, his magazine will get eaten alive by the big boys of Street and Smith and The Sporting News....for $6.99 the magazine serves its purpose....overall I give the magazine a C.....
Athlon Sports - Athlon puts together a quality magazine year-in and year-out....what is nice about Athlon, they sell magazines specific to the various conferences....so if you want to read more about the Mountain West teams, Athlon is the magazine for you....Athlon always includes its 6-8 pages of cheerleader photos with its obligatory shot of the Southern Cal Song Girls.....(boy do I love those Son
g Girls).....anyway, Athlon is solid for $6.99.....overall I give them a B-.....
The Sporting News - I love TSN previews....they always do a quality job in its analysis and make the magazine reader friendly.....there are never any cheerleader shots though.....but I guess, if you want that, just pick up a Playboy....this year though, their analysis was more fast and to the point instead of detailed....plus they don't give any rundown on the I-AA teams - which blows....it too is $6.99.....overall I give them a B.....
Street and Smith's - I love what they did by going back to the "ol
d school" covers with the players wearing facemask-less helmets....I felt like I was 7-years-old again reading my dad's Street and Smith with Ken McAfee on the cover....Street and Smith gives you a rundown on I-AA, Division II, and Division III teams....everything is easy to read.....the only thing that keeps it from being an A+ is that they focus more on the big named teams....for instance, if you want to read about the UAB Blazers, there is only a half page rundown.....overall, for $6.99 it is the best.....I give it an A....
Phil Steele -
this is the freakin bible of previews....you have to pay a few shillings more at $8.95, but it is worth it....Phil gives detailed previews of all I-A teams.....he also provides betting trends and newsworthy articles....the only drawback is that there is so much information he uses a small point size so it is not reader-friendly for some people with bad eyes - but who cares!!....if you have a wife or girlfriend who allows you to buy only 1 college football preview magazine a year, this is the book to buy....I give Phil an A+....
A couple of links to check out - Orlando Sentinel's Sarah Talalay has a blog called "The Business of Sports".....on Thursday, she interviewed Miami Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga....Huizenga talked about various topics including his new coach Cam Cameron bypassing Brady Quinn in the draft...."I knew on Wednesday [before the draft] he wasn't going to take Brady Quinn. He told me why he wasn't going to take him, but he said, 'if you tell me to take him, I will.' I said, 'No I'd never do that. You guys pick the guys.'"....
Former Ohio State quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith did not back down when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell did not fully answer Smith's question...."The question-answer session at the NFL rookie symposium got a little testy when Troy Smith pressed NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about why Goodell doesn't talk about the league's positives"....
Coming Monday - Through the "Izes" of a Legend
Earlier this week I had the pleasure to interview Newark Star Ledger sports columnist Jerry Izenberg...our interview focused on his personal experiences with legendary Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi...so check back Monday for part one of a two part series...
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