A Sneak Peek at November

The November edition of Saluki Illustrated is what I like to refer to as one of our smorgasbord issues. That's because there's a little something for everyone.

Our cover story is about Benny Dunn, the first-ever captain for SIU baseball back in the mid-1940s. Certainly all SIU fans have heard of Abe Martin Field -- well, Dunn played for Martin. Perhaps the most amazing thing is that he played at age 30 after fighting in World War II where he was a POW for three years. Amazing.

We also have feature stories on Deji Karim, Kyle Walker, a preview of SIU basketball with Coach Chris Lowery and of course our usual selection of columns and tidbits.

Be sure to grab your copy of SI as soon as it hits the newsstands. Or, better yet you can subscribe to Saluki Illustrated by going to our website (www.salukiillustrated.com) or simply by mailing a check or money order for $39.95 to PO Box 174, Sesser, IL 62884.

Go Dawgs!

Too Early? I think not.

Game day for the SIU vs. South Dakota State is still three days away but already the anticipation and excitement is building. Sure, two more regular season games remain but this one has a lot of post-season implications.

SIU, third-ranked and sporting a 7-1 (6-0 Missouri Valley Football Conference) record and a seven game win streak will meet No. 9 ranked South Dakota State, with an identical 7-1 and 6-0 mark.

While the season is approached one game at a time the fact that SIU plays against Missouri State (5-4)in the 'Last Hurrah' at McAndrew Stadium on Nov. 14 and then finishes the regular season on Nov. 21 against Southeast Missouri State (1-7 and 0-6 in Ohio Valley Conference play) adds more to the importance of this road game.

This is a battle of heavyweights so it's certainly not too early to get your game face on. So, as I post this (about 77 hours until game time) let's all join together with a mid-week battle cry. Are your ready, OK ... one ... two ... three ...

GO DAWGS!

November SI Update

The November issue of SI is in the hands (as I write) of our new graphic designer Karie (Denault) Vaughn, an SIUC grad. We anticipate having the magazine to the printer perhaps as early as Wednesday and look to have it on the streets and in your mailboxes by later this week.

And speaking of mailboxes ...

We're all human and that certainly showed last month. We had been handling the mailing chores in house but last month opted to have the process handled by our printer. Whether it was our mistake in compiling the list or their mistake in transferring the list to the postal service is really irrelevant. The main point is that approximately 10-12 subscribers were left off the list and didn't receive a magazine.

In a nutshell, that is unacceptable and I want to take this opportunity to apologize again. In the future we're going to adopt the motto of that fat guy who comes around every December. In other words, we're making a (mailing) list and checking it twice.

'Tween Time'

What an exciting time it is to be a Saluki fan! This specific time of year provides Maroon-clad faithful with a double dose of Saluki pride as we approach the final month of what is shaping up to be a very good 2009 football season and the beginning month of Saluki basketball.

To say anticipation is reaching a fever pitch on both fronts would be an understatement. In fact, let’s just call these glorious late fall days ‘tween-time’ – the time ‘tween’ (between) football and basketball. It's a veritable feast for die-hard Dawg fans.

Really, the only thing to say is ‘enjoy the heck out of it.’

First things first ...

In the words of legendary rocker Bob Dylan ... the times they are a changin.'

And so is the personnel at Saluki Illustrated.

As you may have noticed on a previous post on this site Toby and Christi Brooks are no longer associated with Saluki Illustrated Magazine.

The Brooks will soon be moving to Lubbock, Texas where Toby has accepted a position with Texas Tech. Toby and Christi have been an integral part of getting SI off the ground (literally) and their contributions will always be greatly appreciated. I speak for everybody at SI when I say good luck to the Brooks' family in their new endeavors.