Sports Illustrated Kids March/April 2023

EVER NOTICE HOW nobody seems to have a good quarterback? According to Pro Football Focus’s postseason analysis of all 32 teams going into this offseason, only six teams’ signal-caller situations rated “very good” or better: the Bengals, Bills, Chargers, Chiefs, Eagles, and Jaguars. The other 26 franchises’ situations ranged from uncertain to dire. That seems almost impossible with 32 teams, each with a roster of 53 players. That’s 1,696 pros, only of six of whom can throw the ball! The Ravens have three cornerbacks who have been All-Pros. The Eagles had four pass rushers with at least 11 sacks last year. Meanwhile, more than half the teams have zero decent quarterbacks. So those teams should try even harder to grab their franchise players, right? Surely, given the way a quarterback can turn…

HOMETOWN: PETALUMA, CALIF. BIRTH DATE: APRIL 4, 2006 SPORT: SKATEBOARDING Minna Stess had won her first amateur competitions by the time she was 8. As a teen, she became the youngest skateboarder (15) to win the USA National Championships Women’s Park competition, competed at the X Games, appeared in Thrasher, and won bronze at the ’22 Rio Park and Street World Championships. The success, though, has always been secondary for the ’24 Olympic hopeful. Minna, in her laid-back style, puts it simply: “I just like skating.” Are YOU a SportsKid? If you think you have what it takes to be a SportsKid of the Month, have an adult submit your nomination at SportsKid@si.com…

William writes: I am a big Houston Astros fan, and I have noticed that every time that the Astros are mentioned in the magazine, the 2017 cheating scandal is brought up. Now, I know it was a very big deal, but it was six years ago, and the Astros are still a very powerful team and arguably the best team in baseball now. By the way, I really like the magazine, and I think you guys at the Treehouse do a great job. William—I have been known to occasionally run a joke into the ground. Though in my defense, while the sign-stealing may have happened six years ago, the article that started the scandal didn’t appear until late 2019. So, really, I’ve only been making these jokes for three and a…

March 5 Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields turns 24. 11 Rich Hill of the Pittsburgh Pirates is 43 years old. 13 Tennis star Coco Gauff celebrates her 19th birthday. 25 Miami Heat point guard Kyle Lowry celebrates his 37th birthday. April 1 Brook and Robin Lopez are turning 35 years old. 12 The Oilers’ Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is 30 years old. 20 USWNT and Chicago Red Stars keeper Alyssa Naeher turns 35. 26 Yankees outfielder and SI KIDS cover star Aaron Judge is 31. ILLUSTRATION BY BRETT PARSON (KIP); NHAT V. MEYER/MEDIANEWS GROUP/BAY AREA NEWS/GETTY IMAGES (RAIDERS FAN); MICHAEL REAVES/GETTY IMAGES (FIELDS); ERICK W. RASCO (GAUFF, JUDGE); ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI/GETTY IMAGES (NUGENT-HOPKINS)…

SINCE BEING NAMED OUR SportsKid of the Year in 2021, Zaila Avant-garde has been busy. Last year she went on a tour of schools in her home state of Louisiana, speaking to students. Now the basketball star and spelling bee champ is giving out even more advice and encouragement with the release of two books. Words of Wonder is a picture book featuring her 26 favorite inspirational words. She also has tips for older kids on perseverance and “how to be awesome at life.” It’s a big boast, but the name says it all: It’s Not Bragging If It’s True.…

IF YOU COLLECT baseball cards (or trading cards of any kind) you might’ve noticed the trend toward getting cards graded. Collectors send their prized possessions off to a company that certifies the card’s authenticity, rates its condition on a scale of 1–10, and entombs it in plastic. What’s the point? Why pay money to have someone else tell you your card is nice? Well, it can help buyers and sellers feel comfortable in a transaction. That 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle that sold for $12.6 million last year? It was graded 9.5—basically as close to pristine as a 70-year-old square of cardboard can possibly be. All those record-setting sales you see in the news involve graded cards. But that doesn’t mean you should ship all your cards off to a grading service this…