Measure of Success Lies With Georgia and Alabama Games
Robert Shields
After my 10-2 prediction last week for Razorback football, I heard from many who A) did not believe the Hogs would lose to Georgia and B) thought the Hogs more than likely would not beat Alabama. Maybe so, but I said the opposite in both cases and stand by those predictions at least until someone gets suspended the week before because of an incident on Dickson.
Beating the Crimson Tide will be difficult. Alabama has only lost two games in 28 outings over the last two years. They have gone through the last two regular seasons undefeated.
But I base my prediction on two things. Even with that stellar record, Alabama tends to play many of those teams close and is due for a surprise. They rely heavily on their defense to win games. They score their points and then play defense, which some are learning is how you do it in the SEC. Even playing horribly last year, the Hogs found themselves within a touchdown of Alabama in the third quarter.
Alabama will play the Razorbacks close again next year in Fayetteville, and it will cost them at the end on the road as I believe the Hogs with Ryan Mallett will move down the field and score once or twice in the fourth quarter.
On the other hand, Arkansas has its work cut out on the road in Athens, Georgia. If the Hogs win that first SEC game on the road against the Bulldogs, it shapes up for a great season. But we said that last year prior to losing to Georgia, and that was at home. Playing between the Hedges in Athens is one of the more difficult places to play in the conference. Also, no matter that he has struggled winning the SEC East, Mark Richt is one of the best coaches in the SEC. He outcoached Bobby Petrino in their first matchup.
All this led to my predictions for Georgia and Alabama. Here is to me being wrong on one of them and the Hogs win both. If they lose both, however, will the season come close to matching fan expectations?
-
Soccer and the World Cup
I had a few friends who were excited about the World Cup. Personally, I could not have cared less. It’s soccer. I felt the media worked overtime trying to get people in the United States interested in it.
I know some still play soccer after they leave high school and coach their younger kids in some lame youth soccer program, and I am sure they cared. I just don’t get it – watching 90-something minutes hoping someone kicks a ball into the net? I don’t see soccer going ever becoming a major sport here, especially in Arkansas where most of the small towns don’t play it.
Americans crave instant action and instant scoring. Almost every major rule change in basketball and football has been to encourage more offense. I don’t see people in general watching half a day to see if a ball finally goes into a net to tie a game. Americans hate ties. Even baseball, which is very slow, sold its soul to guys jacking home runs because that’s what the American audience craved.
Team USA drew its largest television audience ever for a men’s soccer game in Saturday’s loss to Ghana. The irony is that it still did not draw as many viewers as the women did in 1999 when the girl took off her shirt at the end. This speaks volumes about the sport’s progression.
I know a few million Americans understand the sport. There are also a few million Americans who understand the Tour de France, but who cares about bike riding in France where the real race is to see who won’t get caught using performance-enhancing drugs? I believe that most people understand soccer and yet respect it as much as Hacky Sack.
I also get tired of hearing that the rest of the world loves soccer so therefore we should. We are apparently the exception in the adoration of this game. My answer these last few weeks to my soccer friends has been that I stopped worrying about what the rest of the world liked on July 4, 1776. I will be celebrating it in a few days.
Send your peace, love, and understanding of soccer to fromthebench@yahoo.com
Monday, June 28, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Letters to Ramon: To the Big 12
From Lonesome Traveler:
And by the way... OK I'm saying it.
I think Arkansas should go to the former Big 12. It's a better fit for a lot of reasons and a move away from the insanity of the SEC. Money isn't everything, but sadly it is. (See republican party.)
Then the Big 10 can be officially changed to the Big 12, which would seem appropriate and the former Big 12 could be re-named the Southwest Conference, which is even better. Of course you would need to add like a Colorado St. (I think that would be a good choice) to round out the divisions and give it a few seasons and the fans would settle in. That's Arkansas' heritage, and the program will never get the respect it deserves (does it deserve respect anymore?) playing in the SEC.
If that were magically the scenario this season, the Razorbacks could very well be playing for a national title. That will never happen in the SEC cause it's like a national title almost every week. Too many bruising games to get over the hump. The program has never seen the glory it once had. Do you want the money and prestige and decent seasons? Or do you want a winning program and still make a decent bundle. I would chose the latter.
Plus the fans don't have as far to go and as it's been stated a million times, the program would recruit better in the hotbed of football (Texas). Cause Arkansas sure ain't recruiting in the other so-called hotbed, Florida.
On a personal note it would be tough to play Texas every year as much as I hate them. I think my response at the Razorback Club meeting when asked by Ch. 4 how much I hated Texas was "more than the amount of water on the face of the earth."
But then I hate Alabama, Tenn. (oh I hate Tenn.), and Florida, so as Johnnie Cochran might have said, my hate will not abate.... just realign, which is what Arkansas needs to do while it has the chance.
And by the way... OK I'm saying it.
I think Arkansas should go to the former Big 12. It's a better fit for a lot of reasons and a move away from the insanity of the SEC. Money isn't everything, but sadly it is. (See republican party.)
Then the Big 10 can be officially changed to the Big 12, which would seem appropriate and the former Big 12 could be re-named the Southwest Conference, which is even better. Of course you would need to add like a Colorado St. (I think that would be a good choice) to round out the divisions and give it a few seasons and the fans would settle in. That's Arkansas' heritage, and the program will never get the respect it deserves (does it deserve respect anymore?) playing in the SEC.
If that were magically the scenario this season, the Razorbacks could very well be playing for a national title. That will never happen in the SEC cause it's like a national title almost every week. Too many bruising games to get over the hump. The program has never seen the glory it once had. Do you want the money and prestige and decent seasons? Or do you want a winning program and still make a decent bundle. I would chose the latter.
Plus the fans don't have as far to go and as it's been stated a million times, the program would recruit better in the hotbed of football (Texas). Cause Arkansas sure ain't recruiting in the other so-called hotbed, Florida.
On a personal note it would be tough to play Texas every year as much as I hate them. I think my response at the Razorback Club meeting when asked by Ch. 4 how much I hated Texas was "more than the amount of water on the face of the earth."
But then I hate Alabama, Tenn. (oh I hate Tenn.), and Florida, so as Johnnie Cochran might have said, my hate will not abate.... just realign, which is what Arkansas needs to do while it has the chance.
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Letters to Ramon
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From the Bench
First Forecast for Razorback Football: 10-2
Robert Shields
If not now, when? The Hogs are loaded for a good season. The quarterback is being mentioned for the Heisman. The schedule is much easier. A new offensive coordinator adds some extra dynamite to the offense. The head coach has established his system in his third season. Sure, there are some missing spots such as linebacker and the kicking game, but what if those areas get fixed before the season starts?
If you have read my column for the last decade-plus, you know I make two predictions on the Razorback football season, one early in the summer when optimism is high and drama is low, and a second during two-a-days in August. This year to start, I am going with what many fans were predicting for last year -- 10-2.
But how do the Hogs get to that point? This is how…
Sept. 4 -- Tennessee Tech at Fayetteville
This will be an extension of preseason practice and fan excitement will be at a fever pitch. Hogs roll early and often 52-6 like back in the Hatfield era. Monday’s Drive Time Sports is devoted to when tickets go on sale for the SEC championship game and Schaeffer’s dogs make a return to the airwaves.
(1-0)
Sep t. 11 -- Louisiana-Monroe at Little Rock
The Hogs lead the nation in most offensive categories after winning this game 42-10. Tailgaters set back the War Memorial Golf Course renovation by three months. Callers on Monday’s Bo Mattingly show spend every hour comparing this Razorback team to the all-time great offenses in college football history. When Michael in Stuttgart tries to bring up questions about the defense, callers revolt and demand he be banned for life.
(2-0)
Sep t. 18 -- Georgia at Athens
The road is not kind to the Hogs as they have one too many turnovers and take their first loss 32-28. Georgia takes advantage of the miscues and Mark Richt’s name is officially taken off Paul Finebaum’s list of SEC coaches on the hot seat and replaced with Auburn’s coach, Chizik. Callers to the Big Red Fifth Quarter postgame show start to talk about the backup quarterback after Ryan Mallett loses his cool and throws three interceptions.
(2-1)
Sep t. 25 -- Alabama at Fayetteville
The Crimson Tide come into NWA losing only two of its last 28 games and is the winner of its last 14 in a row. The Hogs end that streak 34-28 as Mallett silences his critics and leads the team for the go-ahead touchdown late in the game. The defense comes up with a turnover on the Crimson Tide’s last-ditch drive to end the game. Bruce James announces on the Buzz morning show that this is the greatest Razorback victory since insert-big-game-he-played-in-here.
(3-1)
Oct. 9 -- Texas A&M in Dallas
The Hogs are riding high in the Top 25, but the repeat romp of last year that everyone predicts does not happen. The Hogs get off to a slow start and A&M’s defense plays better than expected. A&M leads at the half. Unlike at the Liberty Bowl, Bobby Petrino shows he is capable of being flexible with his play calling when the Hogs start the second half going to the ground game and the running backs rack up big yards. Hogs hold on late 28-24, and the “Move the Razorbacks to the Big 12 Party” that Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones holds Saturday night draws a packed house.
(4-1)
Oct. 16 -- Auburn at Auburn
Fans keep talking all week about this being a trap game on the road with Ole Miss and the big rivalry with Nutt looming the next week. The Razorback players don’t seem to carry the same emphasis with what is looming and take care of the task at hand. Mallett has his best game of the year and throws three touchdowns in a 38-14 win. In Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Floyd asks the congregation to pray for Gus Malzahn’s offense.
(5-1)
Oct. 23 -- Ole Miss at Fayetteville
For some reason, Arkansas fans are very excited about this game, and the team responds by putting a 49-21 whooping on an Ole Miss team that is rebuilding. An hour after the game is over, the Hogville.net server crashes from user overload.
(6-1)
Oct. 30 -- Vanderbilt at Fayetteville
The city of Fayetteville votes to hold Halloween on Saturday night so kids don’t have to trick or treat on Sunday. Many local fans are miffed and plan to hold Halloween on Sunday anyway because the Vanderbilt game ended up being at night for ESPN2. The Hogs crush Vanderbilt 45-17 in a very lopsided game, and Bobby Johnson becomes a lame-duck coach. The cry for Mallett for Heisman rings out across the land as he throws for five touchdowns.
(7-1)
Nov. 6 -- South Carolina at Columbia
This ends up being the Hogs’ trap game as the team is still riding high and has crept up into the Top 10. The road woes hit the Hogs again as the turnovers return like in the Georgia game. The Old Ball Coach goes for two at the end of the game to beat the Hogs 22-21. The Hogs have more than 500 yards of offense yet only manage 21 points. On Monday’s Sports Rap radio show, Forrest City Joes questions Petrino’s play calling and wonders aloud if he is the right man for the job.
(7-2)
Nov. 13 -- UTEP at Fayetteville
The Hogs need an out-of-conference opponent after the letdown on the road. A storm system moves into northwest Arkansas during the day as temps climb up into the 80s. Tornados are in the area, and the Hogs struggle in the torrential down pour. A freshman kicker makes three kicks in this soup to contribute to a 37-6 win. It snows later that night, and many fans complain about being stuck in NWA and being forced to attend the 2 p.m. basketball game on Sunday.
(8-2)
Nov. 20 – Mississippi State at Starkville
The Hogs always struggle in this place, even in wins. Not this year. The Hogs get it in gear and Mallett and company put the game away early. State quits prior to the 41-24 final and prepares for its next game against Ole Miss. The next day, CBSSports.com columnist names Petrino as the top candidate for the Michigan job, which sends Hogville.net to its second server crash of the season.
(9-2)
Nov. 27 -- LSU in Little Rock
This game lives up to the billing and it’s another wild game to the finish as usual. Key plays dominate the game as the momentum continually switches between the teams. With the Hogs trailing, Mallett makes a long throw downfield to some receiver nobody recognizes and some fans are even saying its Crosby Tuck. It turns out to be Ben Cleveland, who carries a Tiger defender to the 20-yard line before being brought down with five seconds to go. Petrino taps the freshman kicker who proved himself against UTEP for the game winner. The kick careens off the left upright and barely falls good over the crossbar for a 31-28 win. Before the Arkansas players can get to the Golden Boot, Les Miles makes off with it in a mad rush crying that it is unfair LSU has to play in War Memorial Stadium every other year.
(10-2)
Send your preseason prediction to fromthebench@yahoo.com
Robert Shields
If not now, when? The Hogs are loaded for a good season. The quarterback is being mentioned for the Heisman. The schedule is much easier. A new offensive coordinator adds some extra dynamite to the offense. The head coach has established his system in his third season. Sure, there are some missing spots such as linebacker and the kicking game, but what if those areas get fixed before the season starts?
If you have read my column for the last decade-plus, you know I make two predictions on the Razorback football season, one early in the summer when optimism is high and drama is low, and a second during two-a-days in August. This year to start, I am going with what many fans were predicting for last year -- 10-2.
But how do the Hogs get to that point? This is how…
Sept. 4 -- Tennessee Tech at Fayetteville
This will be an extension of preseason practice and fan excitement will be at a fever pitch. Hogs roll early and often 52-6 like back in the Hatfield era. Monday’s Drive Time Sports is devoted to when tickets go on sale for the SEC championship game and Schaeffer’s dogs make a return to the airwaves.
(1-0)
Sep t. 11 -- Louisiana-Monroe at Little Rock
The Hogs lead the nation in most offensive categories after winning this game 42-10. Tailgaters set back the War Memorial Golf Course renovation by three months. Callers on Monday’s Bo Mattingly show spend every hour comparing this Razorback team to the all-time great offenses in college football history. When Michael in Stuttgart tries to bring up questions about the defense, callers revolt and demand he be banned for life.
(2-0)
Sep t. 18 -- Georgia at Athens
The road is not kind to the Hogs as they have one too many turnovers and take their first loss 32-28. Georgia takes advantage of the miscues and Mark Richt’s name is officially taken off Paul Finebaum’s list of SEC coaches on the hot seat and replaced with Auburn’s coach, Chizik. Callers to the Big Red Fifth Quarter postgame show start to talk about the backup quarterback after Ryan Mallett loses his cool and throws three interceptions.
(2-1)
Sep t. 25 -- Alabama at Fayetteville
The Crimson Tide come into NWA losing only two of its last 28 games and is the winner of its last 14 in a row. The Hogs end that streak 34-28 as Mallett silences his critics and leads the team for the go-ahead touchdown late in the game. The defense comes up with a turnover on the Crimson Tide’s last-ditch drive to end the game. Bruce James announces on the Buzz morning show that this is the greatest Razorback victory since insert-big-game-he-played-in-here.
(3-1)
Oct. 9 -- Texas A&M in Dallas
The Hogs are riding high in the Top 25, but the repeat romp of last year that everyone predicts does not happen. The Hogs get off to a slow start and A&M’s defense plays better than expected. A&M leads at the half. Unlike at the Liberty Bowl, Bobby Petrino shows he is capable of being flexible with his play calling when the Hogs start the second half going to the ground game and the running backs rack up big yards. Hogs hold on late 28-24, and the “Move the Razorbacks to the Big 12 Party” that Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones holds Saturday night draws a packed house.
(4-1)
Oct. 16 -- Auburn at Auburn
Fans keep talking all week about this being a trap game on the road with Ole Miss and the big rivalry with Nutt looming the next week. The Razorback players don’t seem to carry the same emphasis with what is looming and take care of the task at hand. Mallett has his best game of the year and throws three touchdowns in a 38-14 win. In Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Floyd asks the congregation to pray for Gus Malzahn’s offense.
(5-1)
Oct. 23 -- Ole Miss at Fayetteville
For some reason, Arkansas fans are very excited about this game, and the team responds by putting a 49-21 whooping on an Ole Miss team that is rebuilding. An hour after the game is over, the Hogville.net server crashes from user overload.
(6-1)
Oct. 30 -- Vanderbilt at Fayetteville
The city of Fayetteville votes to hold Halloween on Saturday night so kids don’t have to trick or treat on Sunday. Many local fans are miffed and plan to hold Halloween on Sunday anyway because the Vanderbilt game ended up being at night for ESPN2. The Hogs crush Vanderbilt 45-17 in a very lopsided game, and Bobby Johnson becomes a lame-duck coach. The cry for Mallett for Heisman rings out across the land as he throws for five touchdowns.
(7-1)
Nov. 6 -- South Carolina at Columbia
This ends up being the Hogs’ trap game as the team is still riding high and has crept up into the Top 10. The road woes hit the Hogs again as the turnovers return like in the Georgia game. The Old Ball Coach goes for two at the end of the game to beat the Hogs 22-21. The Hogs have more than 500 yards of offense yet only manage 21 points. On Monday’s Sports Rap radio show, Forrest City Joes questions Petrino’s play calling and wonders aloud if he is the right man for the job.
(7-2)
Nov. 13 -- UTEP at Fayetteville
The Hogs need an out-of-conference opponent after the letdown on the road. A storm system moves into northwest Arkansas during the day as temps climb up into the 80s. Tornados are in the area, and the Hogs struggle in the torrential down pour. A freshman kicker makes three kicks in this soup to contribute to a 37-6 win. It snows later that night, and many fans complain about being stuck in NWA and being forced to attend the 2 p.m. basketball game on Sunday.
(8-2)
Nov. 20 – Mississippi State at Starkville
The Hogs always struggle in this place, even in wins. Not this year. The Hogs get it in gear and Mallett and company put the game away early. State quits prior to the 41-24 final and prepares for its next game against Ole Miss. The next day, CBSSports.com columnist names Petrino as the top candidate for the Michigan job, which sends Hogville.net to its second server crash of the season.
(9-2)
Nov. 27 -- LSU in Little Rock
This game lives up to the billing and it’s another wild game to the finish as usual. Key plays dominate the game as the momentum continually switches between the teams. With the Hogs trailing, Mallett makes a long throw downfield to some receiver nobody recognizes and some fans are even saying its Crosby Tuck. It turns out to be Ben Cleveland, who carries a Tiger defender to the 20-yard line before being brought down with five seconds to go. Petrino taps the freshman kicker who proved himself against UTEP for the game winner. The kick careens off the left upright and barely falls good over the crossbar for a 31-28 win. Before the Arkansas players can get to the Golden Boot, Les Miles makes off with it in a mad rush crying that it is unfair LSU has to play in War Memorial Stadium every other year.
(10-2)
Send your preseason prediction to fromthebench@yahoo.com
Monday, June 14, 2010
From The Bench
Broyles’ Greatest Legacy Was Conference Realignment
Robert Shields
Cash rules everything around me,
C.R.E.A.M. Get the money
dollar, dollar bill, y’all.
The world of college football has gone crazy, and it’s all because of one thing – the greedy chase by athletic directors and university presidents for more money. Everything else be damned. There is absolutely no other consideration in college realignment than the almighty dollar.
These college administrators have become no better than the rappers (such as the above-referenced Wu-Tang Clan) obsessed talking about how much money they have in every song. It’s not about what’s best for the student-athletes or the fans of these schools – the current talk of conference realignment is solely about sitting on as many bags of money as possible.
Personally, I would like it if conferences got smaller. If any conference has so many teams that they all can’t play each other, then it is too big in my book. How do any of them ever claim a legitimate conference champion anyway? But it’s not going to go that way because of money driven by television sets (that’s old-folk slang for flat-screens).
Who knows where all this ends up by the time the football season rolls around, but you can bet in the long run we will have four conferences in four regions of the country with 16 to 18 teams per conference. It will be tantamount to conferences inside conferences.
If there is anything to learn from all this talk of switching conferences, it is that you don’t want to be in the same conference as Texas because they make all the decisions and you have to follow them because of the money. This was probably a huge factor in Nebraska and Colorado exiting the Big 12.
Arkansas learned this more than two decades ago. Hog fans felt for years that if you’re sharing space with Texas, you’re irrelevant. You’re the garnishment on the plate. It’s also a great way to get abandoned. Just ask Rice, Houston, SMU, and TCU. Who knows, but Iowa State, Kansas, and Kansas State may all soon be whistling the same sad song (in the Mountain West).
How has Arkansas avoided being sent to the same land of obscurity? The reason lies with the vision of Frank Broyles. No matter how you felt about the man by the end of his tenure or how much he is to blame for the demise of Razorback basketball, he is responsible for Arkansas getting to play the likes of Alabama and LSU every weekend. Essentially, you get to watch a bowl game almost every week.
Supposedly, three years before Arkansas made the switch from the old SWC to the SEC, Broyles told the SEC if they ever considered expanding, the Hogs were willing to move. The time was right. The SEC saw the potential money in little-used language in the NCAA by-laws that said if a conference had 12 teams it could hold a conference championship game. The SEC needed two more teams to make millions more a year using this special language.
The SEC back then was looking more to create its championship game rather than worried only about television money. Today it’s about only television, and you have to wonder if Arkansas would be considered by the SEC in such a world. The move was so timely for the Hogs, and it only gets more important every year that passes.
Some writer in Alabama stirred the pot last week like he was me or something, saying that Arkansas should never have been taken into the SEC. The Razorbacks have held their own and went to the SEC championship game in the fourth year in the conference, which is quite amazing considering that when Arkansas entered the conference in football the Hogs went through three coaches in that one year.
Just three years later, Arkansas rehabilitated itself and beat Alabama and played Florida in the SEC championship game. The Hogs have won or tied for the SEC West four times and played for the SEC championship three times. Only the elite schools in the SEC can make the same type of claim. Plus, the basketball team won a national championship for the conference and changed the way basketball is played in the South. So we all know this writer was just poking the hive.
What is probably true is that if the Hogs were in the Big 12 today and looking for a place to go, the SEC probably would not be offering. But the same can probably be said for almost half the SEC schools. What is great about the SEC is that once you join, you grow deep in the tradition. Vanderbilt is as much a part of the SEC as Ole Miss. Arkansas has been fortunate to grow in that tradition and played in some great games, such as the overtime games with Kentucky and Ole Miss.
You can thank becoming part of all that tradition the next time you see Coach Frank Broyles. It was his lasting legacy to the Program that even your children will get to enjoy being part of the SEC tradition. Then again, you could also blame him for starting this realignment madness.
So in conclusion, keep Texas out of the SEC.
/’’\
Tell your Texas friends to send complaints to fromthebench@yahoo.com
Robert Shields
Cash rules everything around me,
C.R.E.A.M. Get the money
dollar, dollar bill, y’all.
The world of college football has gone crazy, and it’s all because of one thing – the greedy chase by athletic directors and university presidents for more money. Everything else be damned. There is absolutely no other consideration in college realignment than the almighty dollar.
These college administrators have become no better than the rappers (such as the above-referenced Wu-Tang Clan) obsessed talking about how much money they have in every song. It’s not about what’s best for the student-athletes or the fans of these schools – the current talk of conference realignment is solely about sitting on as many bags of money as possible.
Personally, I would like it if conferences got smaller. If any conference has so many teams that they all can’t play each other, then it is too big in my book. How do any of them ever claim a legitimate conference champion anyway? But it’s not going to go that way because of money driven by television sets (that’s old-folk slang for flat-screens).
Who knows where all this ends up by the time the football season rolls around, but you can bet in the long run we will have four conferences in four regions of the country with 16 to 18 teams per conference. It will be tantamount to conferences inside conferences.
If there is anything to learn from all this talk of switching conferences, it is that you don’t want to be in the same conference as Texas because they make all the decisions and you have to follow them because of the money. This was probably a huge factor in Nebraska and Colorado exiting the Big 12.
Arkansas learned this more than two decades ago. Hog fans felt for years that if you’re sharing space with Texas, you’re irrelevant. You’re the garnishment on the plate. It’s also a great way to get abandoned. Just ask Rice, Houston, SMU, and TCU. Who knows, but Iowa State, Kansas, and Kansas State may all soon be whistling the same sad song (in the Mountain West).
How has Arkansas avoided being sent to the same land of obscurity? The reason lies with the vision of Frank Broyles. No matter how you felt about the man by the end of his tenure or how much he is to blame for the demise of Razorback basketball, he is responsible for Arkansas getting to play the likes of Alabama and LSU every weekend. Essentially, you get to watch a bowl game almost every week.
Supposedly, three years before Arkansas made the switch from the old SWC to the SEC, Broyles told the SEC if they ever considered expanding, the Hogs were willing to move. The time was right. The SEC saw the potential money in little-used language in the NCAA by-laws that said if a conference had 12 teams it could hold a conference championship game. The SEC needed two more teams to make millions more a year using this special language.
The SEC back then was looking more to create its championship game rather than worried only about television money. Today it’s about only television, and you have to wonder if Arkansas would be considered by the SEC in such a world. The move was so timely for the Hogs, and it only gets more important every year that passes.
Some writer in Alabama stirred the pot last week like he was me or something, saying that Arkansas should never have been taken into the SEC. The Razorbacks have held their own and went to the SEC championship game in the fourth year in the conference, which is quite amazing considering that when Arkansas entered the conference in football the Hogs went through three coaches in that one year.
Just three years later, Arkansas rehabilitated itself and beat Alabama and played Florida in the SEC championship game. The Hogs have won or tied for the SEC West four times and played for the SEC championship three times. Only the elite schools in the SEC can make the same type of claim. Plus, the basketball team won a national championship for the conference and changed the way basketball is played in the South. So we all know this writer was just poking the hive.
What is probably true is that if the Hogs were in the Big 12 today and looking for a place to go, the SEC probably would not be offering. But the same can probably be said for almost half the SEC schools. What is great about the SEC is that once you join, you grow deep in the tradition. Vanderbilt is as much a part of the SEC as Ole Miss. Arkansas has been fortunate to grow in that tradition and played in some great games, such as the overtime games with Kentucky and Ole Miss.
You can thank becoming part of all that tradition the next time you see Coach Frank Broyles. It was his lasting legacy to the Program that even your children will get to enjoy being part of the SEC tradition. Then again, you could also blame him for starting this realignment madness.
So in conclusion, keep Texas out of the SEC.
/’’\
Tell your Texas friends to send complaints to fromthebench@yahoo.com
Monday, June 07, 2010
From the Bench
The Takeover of Razorback Athletics is Complete
Robert Shields
The Razorback athletics department, also known as The Program, has undergone a complete transformation in its hierarchy. It’s really quite amazing what has sometimes quietly transpired when you think about it.
It started with the banishment of Stan Heath and Houston Nutt, continued with the “retirements” of Frank Broyles, Chancellor John White, track legend John McDonnell plus ouster of Chuck Dicus as Razorback Foundation president, and now finishes with the exit of longtime marketing guru Matt Shanklin, who was basically the last leftover from the Broyles era.
And perhaps most importantly when this chapter of Razorback history finishes writing itself is the retirement of longtime University of Arkansas system president Alan Sugg, which probably clears the way for the NWA takeover of the entire system.
Even the media people covering the Hogs aren’t what they used to be. Now it is basically a bunch of young hotshots from northwest Arkansas who jockey to see who can be the biggest fanboy for the program. In my day (insert grumpy old man voice here), we had the true media voices of the Razorbacks in Orville Henry and Paul Eells, both Central Arkansas guys.
Jeff Long, vice chancellor of athletics and whatever other titles bestowed upon him, is quickly ascending as the person with the most longevity in the Razorback Program and he has only been on the job less than three years. The number in the Broyles complex and elsewhere who have been around longer is growing fewer and fewer.
Kevin Trainor seems to have survived as the lone familiar face on the page titled Senior Razorback Athletic Department Staff. I started off rough with Trainor almost a decade ago, but he has been nothing but helpful since that time. Plus, he is the only one left who I know. He now has the title of associate athletic director. I liked it better when people had real titles that told you what they actually did. He will always be the sports information director to me.
When did the athletic director get a title with chancellor in it? Back in my day, the guy with the chancellor title got to run the school. Who knows, maybe the athletic department does run the school. To keep up with all the new self-gloss going on in the hills, I would now like to be referred to as associate vice chancellor of truth in media coverage. I’ll be looking for that on my name tag at media day.
I don’t know of many corporations that go through such a dramatic transformation in its staff and come out on the other side not significantly changed, many times not for the better. Most massive transformations in staff often happen because something bad has happened. The chancellor called the fanbase fractured after the subsequent departure of Nutt. It still is, and over so many more issues that just who is the head coach. That is actually the least of the problems.
Whatever happened, all the people left now have fancy titles. This is not your father’s Razorbacks.-
Sidebar: Save the Wabbits
The grade school that I attended, Our Lady of the Holy Souls in Little Rock, has issued a request for opinions regarding changing the school’s mascot from the Wabbits to who knows what lame idea. Well, here’s my opinion for the school board packet: I am adamantly against this idea.
I know the mascot name is silly, but I am a traditionalist and these are grade-school kids we are talking about. It’s not exactly like the mascot and logo need a Shanklinesque revision for marketing purposes to promote the brand.
I put on that red uniform and played proudly for the Wabbits. It appears to me they are pushing the idea of maybe becoming the lions. As Adam Sandler would say, who is the ad wizard who came up with that one? Sure, on the surface Wabbits seems like a weak sauce name. But like Houston Nutt once said, there are a lot of lions and warriors and wildcats and bruins, but there is only one Wabbit.
For whatever it is worth, the emblem consists of a white bunny running on two legs carrying a pendant slung over one shoulder while giving a stiff arm with the other side –– all emblazoned on a field of red. Come on, what’s not to love about that?
First Our Lady of Good Counsel closed and now this. So much for the classic Wabbits-Gophers rivalry in the Little Rock Parochial League.
Don’t send an e-mail this week to fromthebench@yahoo.com. Instead, send it to mascot@holysouls.org and tell them to Save the Wabbits.
Robert Shields
The Razorback athletics department, also known as The Program, has undergone a complete transformation in its hierarchy. It’s really quite amazing what has sometimes quietly transpired when you think about it.
It started with the banishment of Stan Heath and Houston Nutt, continued with the “retirements” of Frank Broyles, Chancellor John White, track legend John McDonnell plus ouster of Chuck Dicus as Razorback Foundation president, and now finishes with the exit of longtime marketing guru Matt Shanklin, who was basically the last leftover from the Broyles era.
And perhaps most importantly when this chapter of Razorback history finishes writing itself is the retirement of longtime University of Arkansas system president Alan Sugg, which probably clears the way for the NWA takeover of the entire system.
Even the media people covering the Hogs aren’t what they used to be. Now it is basically a bunch of young hotshots from northwest Arkansas who jockey to see who can be the biggest fanboy for the program. In my day (insert grumpy old man voice here), we had the true media voices of the Razorbacks in Orville Henry and Paul Eells, both Central Arkansas guys.
Jeff Long, vice chancellor of athletics and whatever other titles bestowed upon him, is quickly ascending as the person with the most longevity in the Razorback Program and he has only been on the job less than three years. The number in the Broyles complex and elsewhere who have been around longer is growing fewer and fewer.
Kevin Trainor seems to have survived as the lone familiar face on the page titled Senior Razorback Athletic Department Staff. I started off rough with Trainor almost a decade ago, but he has been nothing but helpful since that time. Plus, he is the only one left who I know. He now has the title of associate athletic director. I liked it better when people had real titles that told you what they actually did. He will always be the sports information director to me.
When did the athletic director get a title with chancellor in it? Back in my day, the guy with the chancellor title got to run the school. Who knows, maybe the athletic department does run the school. To keep up with all the new self-gloss going on in the hills, I would now like to be referred to as associate vice chancellor of truth in media coverage. I’ll be looking for that on my name tag at media day.
I don’t know of many corporations that go through such a dramatic transformation in its staff and come out on the other side not significantly changed, many times not for the better. Most massive transformations in staff often happen because something bad has happened. The chancellor called the fanbase fractured after the subsequent departure of Nutt. It still is, and over so many more issues that just who is the head coach. That is actually the least of the problems.
Whatever happened, all the people left now have fancy titles. This is not your father’s Razorbacks.-
Sidebar: Save the Wabbits
The grade school that I attended, Our Lady of the Holy Souls in Little Rock, has issued a request for opinions regarding changing the school’s mascot from the Wabbits to who knows what lame idea. Well, here’s my opinion for the school board packet: I am adamantly against this idea.
I know the mascot name is silly, but I am a traditionalist and these are grade-school kids we are talking about. It’s not exactly like the mascot and logo need a Shanklinesque revision for marketing purposes to promote the brand.
I put on that red uniform and played proudly for the Wabbits. It appears to me they are pushing the idea of maybe becoming the lions. As Adam Sandler would say, who is the ad wizard who came up with that one? Sure, on the surface Wabbits seems like a weak sauce name. But like Houston Nutt once said, there are a lot of lions and warriors and wildcats and bruins, but there is only one Wabbit.
For whatever it is worth, the emblem consists of a white bunny running on two legs carrying a pendant slung over one shoulder while giving a stiff arm with the other side –– all emblazoned on a field of red. Come on, what’s not to love about that?
First Our Lady of Good Counsel closed and now this. So much for the classic Wabbits-Gophers rivalry in the Little Rock Parochial League.
Don’t send an e-mail this week to fromthebench@yahoo.com. Instead, send it to mascot@holysouls.org and tell them to Save the Wabbits.
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