Keepng it REAL... BIG TIME

In times of extreme excitement and expectations, we can tend to take it overboard. And then when something fails to meet our expectations, we can take our disappointment overboard. Tomorrow, Sept. 25, 2010 could be one of those moments in the history of the University of Arkansas. This "blog" will be brief, just a few thoughts on what COULD be one of the biggest days in my school's, no my STATE's history. (Was that taking it overboard?)

Big games come and go. Every couple of years there will be a team that we (the UofA) put alot of stock into beating. Whether it was Texas through the '60s, '70s and '80s, or any number of SEC foes in the past 2 decades, there have been certain games that transcended being an "important" game, to being a HUGE game with far-reaching effects and lasting memories. Some of those games lived up to the hype and marketing, and some didn't (USC/Mitch's first appearance).

I have been blessed to be at a few of those games. I will always cherish my memories from 1999's "revenge" affair against defending national champions Tennessee, the feeling of spending $30 for a $2 student ticket so that my friend from Jonesboro could come to the game. Standing practically on the field throughout the game in the Northeast corner of Razorback Stadium, pre-expansion and jumbo-tron, when the student section included the bleachers in front of the Broyles center and the grassy hill on the south end zone. I can be be seen on the TV broadcast jumping in celebration as Tee Martin's last ditch effort is unsuccessful. (Trust me, how many other large guys could there be in the corner of the end zone that had taken their red shirt off to be bathed in white undershirt glory because it was INCREDIBLY warm for a Fayetteville November?)

I was standing next to the goalpost as Craig O'neill announced as the clock was running down, "I have to read this... Please stay off the field once the game is complete." Within seconds, the police and stadium crew "guarding" the field gave a smile, some high fives and told us not to get hurt. I was also in that same end zone when the first goal post came down, to be met with another unforgettable O'neill line, "We'd like to thank the University of Arkansas student body for taking the first steps in the stadium remodeling."

After pulling up a chuck of turf "for history" from where the goal post once stood, we headed home to continue the party. Some EIGHT hours later, my friends and I traveled down to Dickson street, where the police had closed a stretch of the road where the goal post was propped against the Ozark Brewing Co.'s balcony. Open containers and hog calls ruled the street, like a scene from Mardi Gras. I took a sharpie and signed the goal post, down low on the back side, and didn't like my signature or it's placement, so I signed it again, this time on the front side about 3/4 of the way up the post, below the cross bar. I wished that day could never end, and in some ways it hasn't.

My point is, weeks and days like this don't come along very often. A win Saturday could surely be bigger than our win in 1999, but that day will never fade in the hearts and minds of the Razorbacks who lived it. At first, I missed being in Fayetteville for this game, but as I thought more about what those folks could experience tomorrow, I couldn't help but feel happy for them. Win or lose, this is a special time, and it is more than a game. Saturday at 2:30, it's just a game, but the stuff leading up to it, and HOPEFULLY the stuff following will last a lifetime.

If we lose, the season isn't over, so we have to be prepared not to let the special game week we've had come crashing down. The Hogs will rebound, and there will be big games again, so let's just live this moment for all we can and take each day as it comes.

GO HOGS!!

A True Razorback Gets His Hat Knocked Off by Flailing Arms

I don't write too often, but I will in the future. I've said in previous posts that I sit on my butt and wait until my strong collection of thoughts and my free time combine to get some words on the screen.

Since my last post I've become addicted to Twitter. I follow over 120 different accounts that give me a solid scope of what's going on in various areas, whether it's Arkansas, North Texas, Sports, Weather or Politics. I get the pulse of what's going on, as well as multiple angles. This addiction lately has given me some fascinating reading, especially as it relates to the Razorbacks.

Many times we can become insulated into our comfort zones, geographically and politically. We see things only from our side, and often aren't even exposed to other views. Being away from home has been interesting to see what the world thinks of my school. I know if i hear about it, it matters, to some degree. Such is the case when I heard about "Hat gate."

At first it seemed amusing, and I thought Renee Gork had made a totally stupid decision and would be embarrassed for it. I mean, seriously, if she's truly from the SEC sports world (a Florida Grad) she knows people notice if you wear conference team's gear on campus. I think she was not happy with her job and/or wanted to get some cheap pub for her new radio job. I get that. I also get that she may be missing home, if anybody gets that I do, but I know that no matter how much you miss your old ways you can't intentionally dis your current situation.

Then she was fired.

FIRED?!?

The next morning? No statements from various big-whigs saying "we're handling the matter internally," or, "Mrs. Gork's actions are being discussed," and then she gets another job out of state in four days? She was fired when she walked in the door Monday morning. Wow! And immediately the slop hit the fan.

Writers from Fanhouse to ESPN and CBS, along with countless other prominent sports bloggers such as Deadspin and SportsByBrooks were racing to post tweets and blogs blasting any and everyone involved. The majority of the opinions focused on the "fans" that mounted such a vicious campaign against the criminal in the orange hat. And having grown up in Arkansas and listened to sports radio in Central and Northwest Arkansas, I was inclined to agree with those assessments. And thus began the process that brings me to my laptop today.

So I checked out the new Hog Sports Radio. There seems to be a strong connection between the station and Hogville.net. WHOA! First clue there's something not right here. Hogville.net, for those not familiar, is a leading message board for Razorback sports. They are the ones responsible for the Houston Nutt freedom of information fiasco where his life was posted on the internet in an attempt to do nothing but ruin him.

The fans are not to blame. The radio station, KAKS (Hog Sports Radio) is to blame. These people should thank God every day for the 1st Amendment. THEY are the idiots that deserve national scrutiny here. Real Razorback fans are like my Grandma, sick in the hospital the night Houston Nutt left woke up long enough to say, "I hate what they did to him," and then said, "I hope they find a good coach soon." She knew he had issues, but she loved the program and hated to see it hurt.

HSR should be blasted for being what they are, garbage radio who blows every little situation out of proportion in order to pad their egos and seem like clever "sports guys." They post insane comments on their message board, then when someone attacks them they start talking, "journalistic integrity?" In the sports world, I would think journalistic integrity would be letting sportswriters be sportswriters and judge someone by their work, not by their outfit. And a radio station with journalistic integrity would have sound judgement as far as what makes a good story and a good writer rather than listen to the local crazies who have nothing better to do.

As an example, today I listened to "Sports Talk with Bo Mattingly," I met Bo while I was in college and he was a lot cooler to me than a local sports anchor had to be to a campus newspaper lackey, but his first caller of the hour was a PRIME example of what HSR listened to. The caller, clearly a regular, calls in and says, "I have a couple questions. First, is Darren McFadden with a different team?." Granted, he sounded "special" but, really? He then went on to say how he wished the "girl" hadn't worn that hat, and then I couldn't really get the rest of his argument.

After this insightful call, a national sportswriter from CBS Sports, Gregg Doyel was interviewed. Gregg had written a pretty tough piece about Razorback fans. He said in the piece, and repeated it on the show, that not all Hog fans were idiots, but the idiot fans from Arkansas were worse than idiot fans from other programs. Bo said the fans did nothing wrong, I think that's what he was getting at, and the call went downhill from there. Bo may be a cool dude, but his show is not exactly where I want my honor defended. We need Keith Jackson (ours) to say that there certainly are some "boneheads," or Scott Inman or Steve Sullivan to show intelligence does live in Arkansas broadcasting.

There are idiots in every fan base, but at the current time the Razorback's idiots have control of a frequency. Until the rest of the fan base rises up and lets the world know that HSR doesn't deserve any one's time, we'll continue to fight off shots every time that Dukes of Hazard outfit does something stupid.

I know probably only 4 people will read this, thanks Mom, but I just wanted it to be out there somewhere that an actual Razorback fan, and one who Sallie Mae Corp. paid a lot of money in order to be a fan, called out the true idiots in this situation. The un-sourced, uneducated and out-of-touch message board turned radio station that claims to speak for me.