Looking for something to read on the plane home over the weekend, we grabbed a copy of Sports Illustrated at a Hudson News in the Dallas airport. We brought it up to the counter to pay but we were shaken out of our traveling daze when the cashier asked for $6.23, $5.99 plus tax. The issue, the NFL Preview, was thicker than usual but that seemed like an exorbitant amount to pay for a publication that would barely entertain us until we were east of the Mississippi. Does SI really cost $5.99 an issue? That couldn't be possible. "Whatever," we thought, plunking down the money, "we're writing this off anyway."

So we bought it, walked to our gate and sat down to read, still mulling over the price. Sure enough, when the subscription cards started falling out, they stated a cover price of $4.99/issue, not $5.99. What gives?

Upon returning home, we emailed over to Time Inc. to find out the deal. After some back and forth, we got the following answer: "SI did increase the preview issue by $1. This was started with the college football preview and will continue with select previews."

Perhaps that picture of dreamy Tom Brady (or one of the five other regional covers including Eli Manning and Tony Romo) is worth an extra dollar...