The Weekender: State Of Saluki Hoops Edition

The SIU men's basketball team has gone through several stages since Chris Lowery took over at his alma mater following the groundwork laid by Bruce Weber and Matt Painter.

To represent the phases of Saluki hoops, I dug deep into my archive of women that I wish I could be with but cannot because, in truth, I'm just a lonely blogger looking for someone special to spend my Valentine's Day weekend with.

Unfortunately, we will not be spending it with any of the ladies that will be featured in this blog.  If I'm lucky, the calendar will fast forward me to April to reconnect with my true love, baseball.

2004-05 27-8 :: Absolute Eye-Candy

Chris Lowery's first year at the helm was quite surprise as he rode Darren Brooks' second consecutive MVC Player of the Year award to glory.  SIU won the Valley's regular season title but lost to SMS in the Valley tournament after the team blew a 20-point lead.  Shortly after the loss, Saluki fans started the first known Fire Chris Lowery group on Facebook.

2005-06: 22-11 :: Overcoming the odds.

Mariah Carey has overcome her fair share of adversity, and so did this edition of the Saluki basketball team.  Without Darren Brooks and Stetson Hairston, SIU won the MVC Tournament for the first time since the Clinton Administration.

Southern did it by knocking off Bradley in the title game and unseating Patrick O'Bryant, who would would go on to be an O'Bust in the NBA.

2006-07:  29-7:  The pinnacle of the Chris Lowery Era.

Scarlett J is everything we want in a woman.  The Sweet 16 Salukis were everything we could ask for in a basketball team.  Nothing more needs to be written here.

2007-08:  18-15 :: A Disappointment

Like Britney Spears during her experimental phase, we wouldn't want to bring home an 18-15 record and a bid to the NIT home to mother, but it was better than the alternative.

2008-09:  13-18 :: The First Step Of Rehab 

We wouldn't kick Lindsay Lohan out of bed for eating crackers, nor would we say no to to a bump in the road if it meant bringing in the greatest recruiting coup in school history.  Too bad the Salukis didn't develop and after harsh beatings vs. Duke and UCLA at Madison Square Garden, and another season-ending Mullins boo-boo, SIU suffered its first losing season since the end of the Rich Herrin Era.

2009-10:  13-11:  The tease. 

This team has the characteristics of an ex-girlfriend of mine.  Attractive, yes.  Strong start, yes.  The crumbling finish is in the process as the SIU team that was once 9-2 and holding a lead against Illinois State in the second half is on the way to finishing below .500 in Valley play for the second straight year.

Unfortunately, that girlfriend looked nothing like Jessica Simpson.  We'd probably still be together if she did.

LINKS:

• Never thought I'd see this headline: Best beers for bone health.
• John Mayer's interview with Playboy took over Twitter.
• Five awesomely bad romances in movies, via Zack Quaintance.
• Tecmo Bowl re-lives Peyton Manning's great imitation of Jay Cutler.
• And for fun, an awesome site of Very Demotivational posters via Hire Jim Essian.

That's all I've got and that's all you'll get.  Enjoy your weekend!

The Weekender: Love Thy Dong Edition

It's Friday, and I haven't been this excited since ... um ... last Friday.

Your weekly dose of links and pretty girls will take you into what will hopefully be a weekend that doesn't suck.

First, the pretty girls:

(The roommate loves Erika Christensen. I don't blame him.)

Now, for the links.

• Mark Grace loved his junk too much to take steroids.
• Headline of the Year without a doubt. Screen grab below.

•  Google knows the difference between men and women.
• The importance of safety and rubbers.
• Racist KFC ad, FTL!
• The alternative to Dirty 30 Juice.
• Deadspin: Great moments in drunken hook-up failure (a.k.a. You're Not Tiger Woods)
• Only a dumb criminal would pose as a guy who posted a .476 OPS in six games last season. But I guess if you're dumb enough to steal a car...
• The best segment KSK has got going for it, until Sexy Friday comes back in full force.
• Well, then there was KSK getting inside the Seahawks' hiring process.
  

The Weekender: Read It Because You're Snowed In Edition

It's Friday and if you're one of our long-time readers, we'll guess that you're cold and probably snowed in.  Or at least that's what you told your boss.

After a week hiatus, TBDS returned this week with some spirited blogging and some spirited commenting.  We hope it continues throughout 2010.  TBDS and its staff appreciate your support and readership.

Questions, comments, concerns, amorous letters and get-rich-quick schemes are always appreciated via e-mail.

On to what you really care about, time-wasting links and pictures of hot chicks.

Alright.  Onward and upward to the quality linkage:

• How well do you know your Chicago Cubs HOFers?
• No matter if you're a Texas or Alabama fan, you're going home to smokin' hot girls. Personally, I'd mess with Texas.
• NBA Jam is returning, and suddenly I wish I would have gotten a Nintendo Wii rather than Marlon Byrd for Christmas.
• The new collegiate semester is around the corner, these might be some of the quiz answers that helped you turn a four year ride into an eight-year commitment.
• It's only January, but John Wall is already declaring that he will take his game to the next level.
• It's been a while since I posted a song that I liked, so here's Big Boi's most recent offering featuring Gucci Mane.
• Jason Whitlock says its time to stop glorifying athletes. And he's right!
• The craziest news story about a newspaper ever? Probably. But I've got my own tales of newspapers, though not as batshit crazy.
• The Saluki blogosphere just got a lil' more crowded with Ryan Voyles, a former understudy of mine joining the blogging from places other than mom's basement club. Check him out here.
  

OK gang.  Enjoy your weekend responsibly by taking shots of Jack for every mention of how much the Patriots miss Wes Welker.  (Yes, that means a NFL Playoff Drinking Game is forthcoming tomorrow.)

The Weekender: Bears vs. Packers Drinking Game

What better way to end your week than with a unique way to watch one of football's best rivalries, along with your regular dump of assorted links from throughout the internet.

Yeah, I've slouched on Pigskin Pimpin' of late.  But this will make up for it.  I promise.  And if it doesn't?  Well.  Lower your standards.

Jerk.

Bears Drinking Game

If any of the following occurs, take one drink

• Jay Cutler throws an interception
• Jay Cutler complains to an official
• Jay Cutler overthrows an open receiver
  
• Matt Forte runs the ball up the middle
• Ron Turner calls a wide receiver screen (two shots if play loses yardage)
  

If any of the following occurs, take two drinks

• Any reference made to Brett Favre
• Any mention, or insinuation of "Chicago Bear weather"
• Any reference of the relationship between Jay Cutler and Greg Olsen
  
• Screen shot of a shirtless fan
• Screen shot of a Packers fan
  

If any of the following occurs, finish your drink

• Lovie Smith loses a challenge
• Any reference made to the Bears' crummy playing surface
• Any time Thom Brenneman mentions how great/patient Chicago fans are
• Any reference of Jerry Angelo, Lovie Smith or Ron Turner's job security
  

If any of the following occurs, call a designated driver and hope his name isn't Tony La Russa or Donte Stallworth:

• Bears lose
• Jay Cutler throws 3 or more interceptions
• Packers lose (hey, we want to see drunk cheeseheads, don't we?)
  

Call in sick to work on Monday:

• If Thom Brenneman mentions Tim Tebow

The chicks:

Now the links:

• Bill Plaschke crowns "Sleaze" as the sports thingy of the year. We'll have our sportsperson of the year award coming up as soon as we find a clever name for it.
• Do you remember what you wrote in my yearbook? This site does.
• I sent this well-written piece over to the guys at Hire Jim Essian, and I figure if the Cubs ever want to move Crazy Uncle Milton out of right field, maybe they should make him their beat writer.
• Quote of the Year: “You don’t want to go to a college where they ain’t pretty." From this NY Times story.
• Hitler isn't thrilled about the Cubs' chances in the winter meetings, and is unhappy about Tiger cheating on his wife.
• Video of the week that describes how I feel whenever the Bears need a game-winning drive from Jay Cutler.
  

VIDEO OF THE WEEK PART TWO ... and I'm swagger-jackin' this from HJE, "They finally released the video footage of Tony LaRussa after the Cardinals got swept out of the playoffs last year"

VIDEO OF THE WEEK PART THREE ... The one where I suddenly want to enroll at Tennessee and go to grad school.

Run along now, kids.  It's Friday and you should all be getting your Becky on!



Image via

The Weekender

The Weekender is a blog with links to cool stories and pretty girls.  You can't hate that, can you?  Well if you do, you're un-American.

 

The Links:

• The BCS has hired PR folks to defend its shody system.
• Joe Posnanski's Hall of Fame futures for baseball's young stars.
• Penis spray. Lol.
• A true PhotoshopDisaster.
• St. Louis is listed as the second most dangerous city in America, yet, Chicago gets the bad rap from Cardinals fans.  What gives?
• Proof that Rick Morrissey sucks at life.
  

Feeling lazy.  Go home.  Partake in our Mount Hushmore of Chicago Sports.  We'll start writing them shortly.

The Weekender: Happy Halladays!

I am no stranger to being teased on a Friday night, but to hear the Toronto Blue Jays have contacted the Chicago Cubs about ace Roy Halladay, I could not resist.

That would be like like the hottest girl at the bar (you know, the one that is totally out of your league) coming up to you and asking if she could take you home ... and she's sober!

All sexual frustration references aside, hauling in Halladay would be the kind of move that would make me come around and drop the Jim Hendry fat jokes.  OK, maybe not.  But there would be significantly less ... at least at this site.

I am not going to be one of those Cubs fans who is going to break down every trade scenario on what it would take to get Halladay in Cubbie blue pinstripes.  I will say that he is the kind of player I would be (and Hendry should be) willing to trade multiple top prospects to acquire.  If getting Halladay means giving up Josh Vitters and Starlin Castro, then so be it. 

Prospects are just that.  Prospects.  Young players with a high ceiling, but also with a low floor.  Guys like Corey Patterson, Hee Seop Choi, Mark Prior and Felix Pie have had moments of success before eventually flaming out.  The Cubs, a team currently constructed to win now, cannot afford to wait on prospects to develop.  And when that is the case, you might as well deal 'em while their worth is at its highest.

And before Cubs fans cry about not wanting to deal the future, consider these Halladay numbers:

• 96 starts
  
• 53 wins
• 700 1/3 innings pitched
• 686 strikeouts
• 25 complete games (7 shutouts)
  
• 1.141 WHIP
• 3.09 earned run average
• A 32-20 record, 3.56 ERA, 1.195 WHIP, 390 strikeouts in 516.2 innings vs. the Red Sox & Yankees
  

If you are not willing to trade a pair of high-risk, high-reward players for the best pitchers in baseball, you might be clinically insane.

(As a side note, Halladay has one career start against the St. Louis Cardinals.  In that start, he allowed 5 hits and 1 earned run in a complete-game win.  Food for thought Cubs fans.  Now for the rest of your weekend links pictures of ridiculously hot chicks!)

Pigskin Pimpin On A Sunday

Does the lack of a Bears game got you down?  It shouldn't.  The good news is that you won't be wasting three hours of your life yelling at Jay Cutler, Ron Turner and the Bears defense though the television.  The bad news is that now you will be subjected to chores from the wifey.

Oh well.  Before you hit the mall/grocery store circuit, here are your Pigskin Pimpin picks.

Have you ever been so much better at something than someone that you spotted them a lead, only to crush them anyway?  Well, that's how it felt watching the Southern Illinois football team demolish Missouri State 44-24 to clinch the Missouri Valley Football Conference title outright.

The Salukis (9-1) were tested early after giving up a long touchdown run to find itself facing a deficit for the first time since playing at Northern Iowa.  SIU battled back immediately, scoring touchdowns on five of its first six possessions en route to putting up 34 unanswered points to take complete control of the game.  Senior running back Deji Karim rushed for 117 yards on only 14 carries (8.4 yards per carry) and three rushing touchdowns.

As for the Saluki opponents, a simple LOL is all you need to describe the Missouri State offense.  After scoring a touchdown, this is how the next nine possessions for the Bears ended: fumble, fumble, interception, punt, turnover on downs, punt, interception, punt, interception

The Senior Day win gave Southern its 14th consecutive win versus MVFC opponents.

Without the Bears to make you maddeningly frustrated, I would suggest doing whatever chores you have on your slate early so you can enjoy the made-for-TV match-up between Tom Brady's Patriots and Peyton Manning's Colts.

It might be the best QB rivalry since the Steve Young-Troy Aikman days of the mid-90s.  Like Aikman-Young, Manning-Brady pits a pair of future Hall of Famers, whose teams are in contention and end up crossing paths sometime in the playoffs.  There is a rivalry like this once every 10 years or so, and since I think I took the Cowboys-49ers for granted when I was younger, I will make sure to keep an eye on tonight's primetime match-up.

And yet, I'm trying to figure out what will be the next great QB rivalry.  Jay Cutler-Aaron Rodgers could be good because the Bears and Packers square off twice every year in one of football's premier rivalries, but right now, neither has an offensive line that can keep them upright for more than a split second.  Tony Romo-Eli Manning could be good as well, but both teams would be better served setting up the run rather than getting in a gunslinger showdown.

The Ben Roethlisberger-Carson Palmer-Joe Flacco triumvirate in the AFC North could be the best quarterbacked division, while match-ups between Drew Brees and Matt Ryan could turn into epic showdowns, especially since both teams are in the playoff hunt.

Can you believe a Dave Wannstedt coached team is 9-1.  Sure, they beat Notre Dame, a team I love to watch lose, but it is still a Wannie team.  How could Charlie Weis, he of the Super Bowl winning, quarterback developing past lose to the Wannstache?  Huh?  Wannstedt was the most clueless man in football when he was the head coach in Chicago.

Heck, when he was at the college level he wasn't that great.  He was so looked down upon, Joe Flacco took himself out of Pittsburgh to play his college football at friggin' Delaware.

This has got to spell the end of the Weis regime at ND, right?

(I debated writing about Charlie Weis' future, but that will be an upcoming feature.)

While there is no clear-cut favorite in the Heisman Trophy race, Colt McCoy might be the top choice, if only because it would be a career-achievement award for the University of Texas quarterback.  McCoy was under center for a Longhorns victory for the 42nd time, tying the record for most wins by a Football Bowl Subdivision quarterback.

McCoy completed only 23 of 34 passes for 181 yards (I told you there was nothing impressive about this class) and a pair of touchdowns.  But before you start believing this means McCoy is a lock to be the next great NFL quarterback, if you look at the top five winningest FBS QBs, Peyton Manning is the only one who is currently employed as a starting NFL quarterback.

Again, soccer cheerleaders.  It isn't going to make me like the on-the-field product, but there's nothing wrong with some sideline candy.