Astros: SI is offering reprints of the 2014 World Series champs cover

Add the 2014 SI cover that predicted the Astros win the 2017 World Series as well as the new commemorative covers.

As the buzz from the Astros winning the World Series turns slowly into Texans and Rockets talk, we can’t forget the past. Imagine how your 2014 self was feeling as the Astros were coming off three straight seasons of losing 100 plus games. You saw the future in Carlos Correa and Lance McCullers on the way while watching George Springer making his MLB debut.

Jeff Luhnow and Jim Crane were very honest about what their plan was. They were going to lose a lot of games while accumulating minor league talent that would help the team win in the future. When Luhnow joined the organization, the Astros had one of the worst farm systems. This was after years of Drayton McLane trying to be a champion and trading prospects away.

We saw some of the household names get shipped off for the stars of tomorrow. Except for the die-hard fans, many people just ignored the Astros between 2011 and 2014. They weren’t trying to win, so why should we care about the team? They were trying to suck, but do it the right way to accumulate talent. The future was looking brighter with Springer on board, but there was no timetable set to win.

The SI cover in 2014.

The came along some guy name Ben Reiter gave Astros fans a sense of optimism for the future. Reiter is a writer for Sports Illustrated, and he liked what the Astros were doing and saw them winning the World Series in 2017. Despite any criticism they would receive, they decided to run with an article proclaiming the 2017 Astros would win the World Series. The cover featured Springer, and the rest is history.

Whether it would come true or not, it gave Astros fans hope. Then in 2015, something crazy happened, the Astros started winning. Before the 2016 season, Sports Illustrated came out and said they were wrong about 2017, 2016 was the year. We all know how that turned out leading some people to wonder if there was an SI jinx involved.

Own the original or new covers now.

Now that the Astros are the 2017 World Series champs, you can own a piece of history. If you were not one of the fortunate ones to own the original 2014 cover, you can buy it now. SI is reprinting the original cover that you can buy here. This will be a limited edition reprint, so get yours today. You can also purchase it framed as well if you want.

In honor of the Astros winning as they predicted, SI is also releasing a commemorative edition with two different covers. According to SI, the first cover will have a picture of Springer in an orange uniform with the headline, “it happened!” The second cover features Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, and Correa with the headline, “LIFTOFF. Houston Has Its World Championship (At Last!).”

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The Astros commemorative issue should be available now at stores or online. Own all three covers if you want, show your Astros pride. They are also offering you a special deal to get you to subscribe to SI. Reiter is predicting the Astros win again in 2018. Can he be right twice? One dollar from each cover sold will be donated to Harvey relief.

***All information from Sports Illustrated article about the commemorative issue and reprints.***