10 iconic Sports Illustrated covers that taught us to love baseball
By Jeff Perry
No. 3: Baseball Isn't for Everyone
March 14, 1994. This one was more negative. It featured the greatest basketball player ever trying to make his way in baseball and swinging and missing. The Michael Jordan watch was a train wreck. You couldn’t look away, no matter what side of the fence you were on. For me, I wanted him to succeed. Just didn’t turn out that way. It’s OK, he went back to the Bulls and did what he did on the hardwood: win.
No. 2: Every '70s Sox Kid's First Hero
June 22, 1970. What an amazing cover. Tony Conigliaro was a kid made good in Boston, hitting home runs at a pace not seen before by such a young player. One errant pitch derailed his career. One of the sadder moments in all of baseball history. You never want to see talent like that squandered by injury.
No. 1: This Cover IS '70s Baseball
May 28, 1979. Wow … just an amazing picture. Pete Rose at the plate, ready for the pitch. I look at this cover and I cannot think of anything more baseball than that. The dirt on the uniform. The batting stance. Magical
I know I left out tons of other great covers. You could do a top 100 and still not get them all. Got to give a shout-out to Sports Illustrated for allowing me to become a part of the great sport we call baseball.