Pigskin Pimpin: Salukis FTW! Edition

The Southern Illinois University football team had won 127 games from 1994-2008.  None of them were at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

In what is arguably the most bitter rivalry in the Gateway Missouri Valley Football Conference, the University of Northern Iowa had always gotten the better of Southern Illinois when the games were played indoors.  Panthers fans called it "Dome Magic."  Saluki fans called it (expletive deleted) ... among other things.

And as yours truly predicted on Friday, it all came to an end as the Salukis beat the Panthers 27-20 on Saturday at the little dome of horrors.

Consider the following.  Southern has had six head coaches try and fail to beat UNI in its back yard since Rey Dempsey's squad did the trick in 1983 en route to the school's lone national title.  Ten different First Team All-Americans have suited up in the maroon and white.  None of them came home with a road win at Northern Iowa.  Southern has fielded 16 different 1,000-yard running backs.  But none had carried the Egyptian Hunting Dawgs to a road win in the terror dome.

That all became nothing more than a past nightmare as Deji Karim rushed for 125 yards and what turned out to be the game winning touchdown. The 1-yard score on 4th-and-Goal gave SIU a 20-13 lead with about five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

On the Panthers' ensuing possession, cornerback Brandon Williams took back a pick six to put the game on ice.

And for good measure, former Saluki great Jerry Hairston Jr. scored the winning run for the New York Yankees after leading off the bottom of the 13th with a base hit.  I guess you could pencil in a 10-tackle day for Bart Scott against the Bills and a 100-yard rushing game for Brandon Jacobs against the Saints as a pair of former Dawgs will hit the gridiron later today.

And now, the rest of your Pigskin Pimpin' on a Sunday morning...

SIU Wins ... Just Like Someone Predicted

I'm like Jimmy The Greek ... but I like black people.

Friday:

Today:

Um, yeah.  Did I call it or did I call it?

Southern Illinois > Northern Iowa: Book It!

Deji Karim is good.  Everyone knows that by now.  And quarterback Chris Dieker threw for 274 yards last week in a game fans and coaches have been waiting for him to have for a long time.  Chauncey Mixon returns for the Saluki defense after leaving Week 1's loss with a busted jaw.

I could bore you with numbers and drown you with plenty of logical reasons why the No. 5 Salukis of Southern Illinois Universiy will finally end their drought inside the UNI Dome on Saturday against Northern Iowa.

I won't.

Hot Stove Hopefuls: Joe Nathan

Editor's Note: Nothing says playoff baseball like the MLB hot stove.  The only thing more amusing than fans playing GM is when beat writers do it.  Usually they do it with more pizazz and insight than Joe Blogger -- myself included.  Hot Stove Hopefuls highlights some of the hot names on the market and tries to find a spot for them on the Cubs.

Today's feature: Joe Nathan

Who's Burning Detroit? WBD3.0

[Editor's Note]: Last year, Scott Mieszala served as my Assistant Sports Editor before I went all Dusty Baker on him and burned him out midway through the semester.  Still, Scott presented his highly regarded weekly columns.  The fact that he is without a job while scabs such as Rick Morrissey and Chris DeLuca are still employed is a sad.  Someone, hire him.  With that said, here he is with a new rendition of his award-winning column, "Who's Burning Detroit?"

So, who will it be this week?  Find out after the jump.

Cubs Fans Continue To Mail It Into Carrie's Box

More mail in Carrie's box?  You betcha.  More snippy answers?  Oh, you know me too well.

Southeast Surprise: The best division in the East

For the past few seasons, the Central Division has been the standard for the Eastern Conference. It hasn't always produced the best team, but Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago and at times Indiana and Milwaukee have been tough, competitive teams.

The tide turned last season after Detroit had its worse season in some time and the Atlanta Hawks took another step forward. After the Orlando Magic claimed the Eastern Conference crown, it's safe to say it is the best division in the conference. Three teams should be locks for the playoffs and the other two could be good enough to make it as well.

Here is how it should play out.

1. Orlando Magic

The conference champions are back to defend their crown. Some say the addition of Vince Carter makes them an even better squad, but it's going to be tough to repeat. Hedo Turkoglu was a clutch player for the squad last season and Courtney Lee played lock-down defense. Dwight Howard will need to improve his free-throw shooting, Carter will need to commit to defense and Mickael Pietrus will need to build off his stellar season.

The most silent but violent move for the Magic: Brandon Bass. His motor never stops and he will help Howard clean the glass.

2. Atlanta Hawks

I absolutely love this team and truly believe they are a threat to not just win this division, but the conference as well. Joe Johnson is one of the best shooters in the NBA and is a great leader. Mike Bibby is still an effective point guard and now has Jamal Crawford and Jeff Teague (who had a tremendous preseason) backing him up. Josh Smith is a great off-the-ball defender while Marvin Williams has tremendous on-the-ball defense. Horford is a cardio machine for a center.

The Hawks improved the bench, which was their main concern, but there is still no front court depth. In a conference with Howard and Shaq, Atlanta will need to add size to make a push for a conference championship.

3. Miami Heat

I felt this team slightly overachieved last season, which makes it even more dangerous this year. Dwayne Wade is in a contract year, Mario Chalmers is a legitimate NBA point guard (especially on defense), Michael Beasley should be better and Jermaine O' Neal might be healthy. Biggest issue for this team is lack of scorers.

The addition of Quentin Richardson should help spark the offense, but expect Daequan Cook to be the breakout star for the Heat.

4. Washington Wizards

Gilbert Arenas, Mike Miller, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison. Sounds like a dangerous lineup. Brendan Haywood, DeShawn Stevenson, Randy Foye, Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee sounds like a dangerous second wave. So why will they finish fourth in the division? Someone is bound to get injured first off and secondly, where is the defense going to come from?

This is the only team in this division where I look around and can't see a single sound defender on the team. Butler and Jamison are respectable, but not great. Everyone else is close to water. They will win plenty of games by outscoring teams, but defense wins championships.

5. Charlotte Bobcats

This team was scary the last three weeks of the 2008-09 season. The intensity they played with allowed them to slay the giants of the NBA and the look in Gerald Wallace's eyes every time he stepped on the court was reminiscent of Mike Singletary. This team will turn the corner one year, just not now.

Wallace is great and I love the combination of Raymond Felton and D.J. Augustine. Their defense got a whole lot better with Raja Bell and Tyson Chandler. But there is one huge problem: To win in the NBA you need a star, they don't have one. This team brings it every night, but until they get their franchise player, they will struggle.

Oct. 15, 2003: The Night Chicago North Side Baseball Died (And A Recipe How To Revive It!)

While Oct. 14, 2003 is a date celebrated in many baseball circles (see: Cardinals, White Sox fans), it was really one day later that marks the beginning of the end of the Dusty Baker Era.

Kerry Wood admitted he choked on the mound as he allowed seven runs on seven hits and four walks in 5.2 innings in the Game 7 loss.  It happened one night after Mark Prior's infamous collapse that was aided by a fan's hands, a shortstop whose hands disappeared and a manager who made talented young throwing arms disappear.

And at this point, I'm so glad I didn't have Twitter, Facebook or YouTube at my disposal.  It would have been ugly.

So, how do the Cubs get back to within five outs of their first pennant since 1945?

Pitching Pushes MLB Playoffs In Post-Steroid Era

There has been a paradigm shift in the post-steroid era of baseball.  Other than the Cubs, who always seem to be behind the learning curve, no longer are teams shelling out large contracts to older sluggers.  Instead, a lot of that money has been put toward younger talent.

And rather than seeing bulky boppers age in front of your eyes, the remaining teams in the League Championship Series are primed to take the next step because of their young pitchers.

Silence is Golden: Hibachi's Rebirth

Many sports fans subscribe to the philosophy that preseason means nothing — I am not one of those fans.

Either is Gilbert Arenas.

I have always been a critic of Arenas, seeing him as nothing more than a world-class scorer who kills offensive chemistry and defends about as well as Jim O'Brien coaches. But that was the Arenas who was busy calling out the Duke Blue Devils and tying ridiculous bow ties.

And while only four games have been played, it's clear to see Arenas is a changed man and for the better.

Through four preseason games, Arenas is averaging 14 points and 8 assists per game in only 24 minutes a contest. And yes, you read that right, 8 assists. But the most surprising statistics so far has been his shooting percentages. Arenas is shooting 59 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point land.

He is taking less shots and looking to work within in the offense instead of above it. Again, critics will say its preseason, it means nothing — but Arenas' whole approach to the game has changed. He shut down his blog, shut his mouth and wants to let his playing do the talking. Sure, the NBA fined him because he was so silent, but this golden silence is worth every penny.

Arenas' sudden team-first approach could not come a moment sooner. The Wizards acquired Randy Foye and Mike Miller in an effort to make a push for the playoffs. The problem is Foye and Miller have never seen a shot they did not like and either has Arenas. With three guys looking to shoot every time they touch the ball, the super consistent Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison would be left with minimal opportunities.

Many experts have projected the Wizards to make the playoffs — some even think they will finish as high as fourth in the Eastern Conference. Before the preseason started, I didn't think playoffs would be a possibility. But after a refreshing approach to the game from their captain, I think they have a good chance to earn anywhere from a No. 8 to No. 6 seed.

A lineup with a focused Arenas, Butler, Jamison and Miller is an offensive juggernaut. Brendan Haywood continues to be grossly overrated, but Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee are starting to come into their own along with sharpshooting Nick Young.

Preseason matters, and Arenas has made the biggest impact with his lack of words. His unselfish and smart plays have the Wizards looking like a playoff squad.

Now if DeShawn Stevenson can follow the leader, Washington might avoid a basketball recession this season.

Arenas went from zero to hero and back to zero. Don't let his number fool you, Arenas is ready to be a hardwood hero once more.