Bar Rafaeli is the Projected 2009 SI Swimsuit Issue Cover Girl

The Bar is Set High

Tastier than a steaming knish and hotter than August on the West Bank, Israeli supermodel Bar Rafaeli came in just a thong-width behind Marisa Miller in the race to be last year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover girl.

But this year, nothing appears to be standing between Bar and the highest honor bestowed upon any swimsuit model.

The formal announcement has yet to take place, but the entertainment world is buzzing that this is Bar’s year, based on her spec-rack-ular shoot in the 2007 and 2008 issues.

Bar’s appearance on the cover means that, for once, SI subscribers can slap their salami to some Semitic skin without having to open up the magazine.

But odds-makers aren’t convinced that Bar has it in the bag quite yet and a betting man can still make some shekels off of this Israeli eyeful.

The top contenders for this year’s cover girl are:

Melissa Baker, the dark horse, coming in at the long odds of 75-1.

California girl Tori Paver at a not as distant 50-1.

Australian Jessica Gomes at 25-1.

Veteran Marisa Miller at 12-1.

Bar herself comes in at 5-1.

And early favorite Brooklyn Decker is the odds-on front runner, going at 3-2 as of February 4th.

But sadly there’s only one sure bet in all this, there will be no nudity in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.