Marisa Miller, Super Model and 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover Girl

Sports Illustrated is once again spicing things up with a new cover model. This time it is Marisa Miller. Who, you say, is Marisa Miller?

Marisa Miller was born in Santa Cruz, California, with the name, Marisa Bertetta . She was just walking around San Francisco one day, when two Italian modeling agents saw her and thought she was just what they had been looking for. Marisa was only 16, so they had to obtain permission from her Mother, Krista Bertetta. Her Mother gave her blessing and told Marisa not to worry about school. She told her daughter that she could go back to school at any time, but she would not always be able to model. It looks like that advice paid off.

Once she appeared in the Perfect 10 magazine, her career took off. Marisa's career blossomed from an an amateur magazine model to that of a very high profile model. Marisa has appeared with Victoria's Secret and every issue of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue since 2002. Someone obviously likes this girl! Raphael Mazzucco photographed her wearing nothing but her iPod, and that photo has become one of the most popular photos ever to appear in a Sports Illustrated magazine. Marisa is very much at home in Sports Illustrated. A very athletic girl, she loves football, boxing, and is an outstanding volley ball player. At least she was in high school.

With a love life that changes as quickly as her Television career, she was married for two short years to Jim Miller, a California lifeguard, and surfing promoter. Marisa's great love of surfing brought the two of them together. She later married Griffen Guess on tax day, April 15, 2006.

With so many "girlie mags" out there. The question has come up lately ... is Sports Illustrated becoming a thing of the past? Well, I asked that question of a few of my "guy" friends, and they all replied the same way. No way! Sports Illustrated and Playboy are icons. They will never be replaced by any of the other publications.

Playboy, which has been around since 1952, is still the number one men's magazine in publication. Penthouse, selling in the United States since 1969 has long challenged Playboy for the top spot. Hustler, long known for its "less than artistic" style, and in print since 1974, is nonetheless one of the top men's magazines in publication.

Sports Illustrated combines men's love of sports with their love of, 'er photography. Sports Illustrated is going to be around for a while yet I think.

Click these links to see the the athlete's wives, then go to SI.com to see the photo that is on the cover of Sports Illustrated. You decide...has Sports Illustrated run its course?

FYI her "stats" are:

29 years old

5 ft 8" tall

Blonde hair

Hazel eyes

34D - 23 - 35