Bleacher Report - Articles by Razorback Expats

Want to Beat LSU Today? Here's How

Razorback Expats — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:00:30 -0400

OK, I admit that for 99.9 percent of my life I’ve been about the most apathetic guy around when it comes to college baseball, but I’m officially on the bandwagon now. So, I’m going to dispense some top secret voodoo tips on how we, the humble fans, can help the Hogs beat LSU today. If everyone follows these simple steps all will be well.

1. Watch this video three times, preferably from a north end zone if you have one nearby.

2. Watch this video six times, ideally with a younger brother who occasionally surpasses you and a friend who’s prone to poorly timed mistakes.

3. Chant “WE GOT THAT WOOD” nine times while you hop around in little circles.

So, it’s as easy as that. Go Hogs!

Fat Lady, Not Soooo Fast! Say the Hogs

Razorback Expats — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:58:19 -0400

I am pretty sure you’ve heard or read by now, hopefully you saw it happen, that the Hogs had one pinkie holding on to the cliff edge of elimination from the College World Series when they managed to climb themselves back into the game and go on to win it in dramatic fashion in the 12th, 4-3 over Virginia.

Moral Orel Hershisher and Mike Patrick had already declared the player of the game to be from Virginia. They were at the point of saying how the Hogs should still be proud of their season and what an amazing thing it was that they had made it to this point, yadda yaddda yadda, when Brett Eibner knocked one out of the park with a man on first, and suddenly it was a new game.

I admit that I haven’t paid baseball all that much attention in years, being more of a football and basketball fan, but I have suddenly gained back my old respect for it with this run the Hogs have made this season.

I also realize just what a sadistic game it can be as I think about Virginia packing up for home. They were just one out away. They had opportunity after opportunity and couldn’t get any of those many base runners home.

As the Hogs kept getting themselves in tight situations in the 10th, 11th, and 12th, but kept coming back, I thought I might see Matt Jones and Houston Nutt suddenly appear in the dug out, for it reminded me of the seven overtime games that they played against Ole Miss and Kentucky.

Different sport, but the same display of not losing your cool and coming through in clutch moments. And both give action to the words that appropriately end our fight song, “Fight, Fight, Fight.”

Now it is on to another fight with LSU on Friday where I hope we do have more fight in us than the last 9-1 performance. I think we will, for as someone once said, "Tomorrow is another day," and the Hogs have shown that they don’t want to go easily with the wind from Omaha.

But whatever comes of it, Dave Van Horn and company know that we here at Razorback Expats, soon-to-be Arkansas Expats, are proud of the way you’ve represented us this season. Thanks for giving us so much to cheer for and about. Go Hogs!

Heartbreak City—The Arkansas Razorbacks

Razorback Expats — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:50:35 -0400

The late baseball commissioner Bart Giamatti once famously wrote of his sport, “It’s designed to break your heart.”

Hog fans surely have to think that the Razorbacks were designed to break their hearts (in truth, probably every college fan feels that way about their team—even the Tar Heels and Dukies of the world).

From the loss in the Game of the Century to the last-second defeat at the hands of Larry Bird and Indiana State in 1979, the tales of pain and suffering are legendary.

With the sleepy and suffocating summer months upon us, and Hog news items few and far between (OK—so there is this little thing called the College World Series going on), I thought it would be interesting to hear what you consider the most heartbreaking defeat of your time as a Hog fan.

I got my first real dose of Razorback-induced pain when I was seven years old, at the end of the 1979-80 basketball season. That was the first year that I followed any Hog team.

After my dad took me to an early-season contest in Little Rock’s Barton Coliseum, I was hooked, and every game was cause for extreme excitement.

So, when the season came to a crashing halt courtesy of a 71-53 bloodletting at the hands of Kansas State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, I was devastated and promptly burst into tears (I think I stopped reacting to losses in this way sometime in my mid-20s).

However, I don’t consider that the most heartbreaking defeat—not by a long shot. For me, that “honor” goes to the loss to UCLA in the 1995 NCAA title game.

I so desperately wanted Corliss, Scotty and the guys to win back-to-back titles and write their names in the history books as one of the very few teams to do so.

If they had won that game, then I think they would be part of the discussion when people talk about history’s all-time teams. Not at the center of the debate, but at least in the mix. That would have been very satisfying.

The loss is also painful when you consider that it marks a clear demarcation line in the history of the basketball program: The Hogs have not been a national factor since.

Enough from me. What are your thoughts?

Moving on Up: Important, Earth-Shattering News About RazorbackExpats.com

Razorback Expats — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:47:02 -0400

You’ve probably seen the extensive coverage of this on CNN, but in case you haven’t, here goes:

Much like George and Weezy, we’re moving on up.

Starting on Monday, June 22, you will have to travel to a new site, one with the oh-so-original URL of www.ArkansasExpats.com, to find our geeky, strangely-Dwight-Stewart-obsessed brand of Hog talk. The new site will be part of the Sports Blog Nation network of blogs.

We’re very excited about the move: The SB Nation lineup is chock full of outstanding sites—check out A Sea of Blue or Rocky Top Talk, to name just two—and the network provides its bloggers with tremendous resources and support, so we feel that the pieces are in place to really improve the content that we bring to you.

Furthermore, the site will provide a more interactive experience for you, the reader.

Check out the two sites linked to above, and you will notice that, through the Fanpost and Fanshot features, you will have the chance to write your own posts and upload pictures, videos, etc.

Although the new site will include a lot of positive changes, one minor inconvenience is that you have to create an account at www.sbnation.com (or on www.ArkansasExpats.com once the site is live) before you can leave a comment. However, it’s free and only takes a few seconds, so please don’t let that stand in your way.

We really hope that you will take this extra step and continue to be a part of our site. Your insights, humor, and other observations are easily our favorite part about working on the blog (well, other than the Beatle-like fame and riches), and we’re extremely proud of the little community of die-hard Hog fans that has developed around it.

The next several months should be interesting ones for the Razorbacks, and we’ll want to hear what you have to say!

Well, we guess that’s about it for now. If you’ll excuse us, we have to do an interview for a Newsweek cover story and then contact the movers, pack things up, get the utilities set up in the new offices, etc. Busy day. Talk to you soon…

Arkansas in the College World Series: A Hard Purple and Gold Reality Check

Razorback Expats — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:01:10 -0400

A swing and a miss, a swing and a miss, another swing and a miss. That pretty much describes the Razorbacks last night against LSU’s Coleman who lived up to his billing as SEC Pitcher of the Year and defeated the Razorbacks once again this season.

He didn’t exactly limit the Hogs to two hits like the previous outing in Fayetteville, but it mattered little because the Hogs were giving up home runs and just runs left and right in a 9-1 defeat.

That end result puts LSU in a good place to reach the championship bracket. The Hogs will have to defeat Virginia on Wednesday night and then beat LSU twice. All LSU has to do is win one more game against either Arkansas or Virginia.

In the CWS, you really are in the driver’s seat if you win those first two games.

The ESPN stat of the night that I saw as I was watching the Hogs go out with a whimper is that 17 of the last 19 champions won their first two games. Ouch.

The Hogs will have to battle against two good baseball teams and some stiff odds to get to the championship bracket. I am not counting them out, but I can’t count them “in” as much as I could before Coleman got his claws into them.

I am pretty sure Dave Van Horn is going to be heard uttering these words a lot today: “One game at a time, men.”

If the Hogs start thinking too far ahead about the hill they have to climb, they’ll psych themselves out of it for sure. For both Arkansas and Virginia, a lot depends upon which team has the best psychologist as coach.

I think a lot of Hog fans were not feeling too good about this game going in to it. And I think a lot of us were thinking the same thing, ”Uh Oh, an SEC team.”

That’s been the trend this year in all three major sports. The Hogs have done well in out-of-conference play, but have struggled with SEC brethren.

I also was not feeling good in the gut about Eibner at the mound. That feeling got confirmed, unfortunately, from the get-go.

Forrest put in some good innings, and you have to wonder if he had started and the Tigers hadn’t gotten ahead so quickly so early, things might have gone differently, or at least not as badly.

I am off to watch London Crawford catching that pass from Casey Dick on YouTube. After a night of too much going right for the purple and gold, I think it is just the pick me up I need.

Crimson Tide Football: Ten Ways To Better Punish Alabama (Humor)

Razorback Expats — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:27:40 -0400

What I think the NCAA is lacking in, among other things, is imagination. I think it is a safe bet that Alabama someday in the future is going to be caught again in some type of football scandal like the recent textbook case, or something much worse.

What the NCAA needs is a pool of ideas about how to better go about punishing Alabama. How to hit them where it really hurts. Vacating wins? Pssh, who cares? That's what they are saying in Tuscaloosa. They know they won those games. To help the NCAA out, I have a few ideas of my own.

The NCAA hereby mandates that the University of Alabama, for two years, will not be allowed to sell any houndstooth clothing merchandise. Nor will any fan be allowed in the stadium wearing such clothing.
The NCAA hereby mandates that the University of Alabama has to close the Paul Bear Bryant Museum for one year, except for the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Sunday mornings (Thus forcing the Tiders to choose between their gods. They are bound to feel guilty no matter which place they choose on Sunday).
The NCAA hereby mandates that the University of Alabama has to replay scenes on its scoreboard of Auburn’s greatest victories during each home half-time for a period not to exceed four years.
The NCAA hereby mandates that the University of Alabama has to rename one campus building “Phil Fulmer Hall” for the period of the rest of Phillip Fulmer’s natural life. The building in question will be determined by Mr. Fulmer.
The NCAA hereby mandates that the University of Alabama must remove the mascot of an elephant from its buildings, signs, and clothing, and replace it with a mouse for the period not to exceed three years.

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The Best Kind of Revisionist History

Razorback Expats — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:48:03 -0400

Remember the 2007 Arkansas-Alabama game?

The heroic second-half comeback, an amazing performance from D-Mac, London Crawford’s open field fumble, some dubious flags thrown late in the game, Houston Nutt’s now-iconic prayer face—and most importantly, John Parker Wilson’s last-second TD pass to put the Tide back ahead for good.

That game was so painful it inspired me to write a short post on the brand-new Razorback Expats site titled “Here’s What I Hate About Sports.” And, if you’re like me, you probably have done your best to NOT think about it in the months and years since.

But, good news. It turns out that, according to the NCAA, we actually won that game. Yes, thanks to some mini-scandal involving players getting free textbooks, Alabama has been ordered to vacate 21 wins between 2005 and 2007, including that infamous Hog loss (and the one in 2005, FWIW).

So, sit back with me and reflect on the time when the Hogs made a triumphant goal-line stand at the end of the game and left Tuscaloosa with a 38-34 triumph. Ah, such fond memories.

Congratulations Diamond Hogs! Off to Omaha Razorbacks Baseball Goes

Razorback Expats — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 13:25:48 -0400

On behalf of all the interns, research assistants, and writers here at Razorbackexpats.com, I would like to shout out a big "WOOO PIG SOOOIE!!!" to the baseball team that defeated Florida State yesterday, to take 2-of-3 and advance on to the College World Series in Omaha.

Admittedly, basketball and football draw more attention around here, but we do support any team with a Razorback logo on its uniform, even the chess team, that is if we have one.

Given how poorly the football and basketball seasons played out, I for one have paid more attention to the baseball hogs than in years past. I enjoyed putting W’s on the schedule during the early months of the season, and then felt a big “here we go again,” as the Hogs went slumping in SEC play towards the end of the year.

I was ready to accuse them of hanging out with the basketball team, who were so infamous this year for having gotten our hopes really high, then crushing them with just two wins in SEC play.

But the Hogs found themselves again and held their own in the SEC tournament, going 2-2, and beating Floriday for the fifth straight time. Seeing as how the Florida football team has dominated the Hogs ever since we joined the SEC, (one Bluebonnet Bowl win over them) it is nice to see some domination of the Gators in any sport.

When the Hogs got the Norman Regional and repeat matchups against Washington State and Oklahoma, I was hoping they would continue, like with Florida, to master a team they’ve played before; and they did in both cases.

But could the Hogs beat a team that scored 37 runs against Ohio State?

I will admit to saying, “Well, that was a Big 10 school.” Still, I was worried.

I want to give credit to our pitchers and our defense that we never had to see that type of hitting action from the Noles. But if you watched the games on ESPN, you’ll agree with me that the ESPN announcers wanted to see it.

I think all of us Hog fans have a certain sense that the sports establishment doesn’t really think that much of us. The way the two announcers called the games on Friday and Saturday is enough to make you think that there is a well read handbook out there somewhere on just how to belittle the Hogs and pull for their adversary up to a point, but not quite saying “Go Razorbacks' Opponent!”

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Random Walk Down Memory Lane: 1990 Cotton Bowl

Razorback Expats — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 13:10:03 -0400

Below is a YouTube clip of CBS’ introduction to its broadcast of the 1990 Cotton Bowl featuring our beloved Hogs and the Tennessee Volunteers. Since it was a bowl game, the Razorbacks, of course, lost.

But they actually played well—something we can rarely say about their post season appearances—compiling 568 yards in total offense and 31 first downs.

We didn’t know it at the time, but the game was Ken Hatfield’s last as coach of the Razorbacks, and the program would spend most of the next seven seasons lost in the football wilderness.

I was a junior in high school when this game was played, and I can remember watching it with a feeling of dread caused by the fact that school was set to resume the following day.

Hard to believe that was nearly 20 years ago.

Tuesday Hodge Podge

Razorback Expats — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:02:40 -0400

You get the feeling that John Pelphrey misses Mobile? After all, the sandy beaches of Gulf Shores are nearby, there’s that groovy tunnel through which I-10 passes under the bay, and, of course, who can resist that cool battleship (war has never seemed so fun!)?

Most of all, though, you have to wonder if the "Pride of Paintsville" longs for a time when at least a day or two would go by without his program receiving some bad news. On the heels of Patrick Beverley’s interview with DraftExpress.com comes word that Marcus Britt was arrested last weekend in Forrest City on DWI and other traffic-related charges.

On a mildly amusing note, we’re glad to see that, according to media reports, Britt used the time-honored fib that he had had “a couple of beers” when asked by the cops if he’d been drinking.

Pelphrey has suspended Britt indefinitely, which probably means the guard, who will be a junior next year, will miss an exhibition game against the Fayetteville Grade School All-Stars. All in all, disappointing news, although if we had to spend the summer in Forrest City, we might be hitting the bottle too.

College athletes are notoriously hyper-competitive personalities. Therefore, with all of the negative headlines the basketball team has generated lately, it was not surprising to see the football team get a little jealous.

As you probably know by now, Razorback sophomore defensive tackle Lavunce Askew was arrested last weekend after allegedly stealing a laptop. Baseball’s in full swing, the pool’s open, the heat and humidity are here, and Razorbacks are getting arrested left and right…yep, summer is officially here.

More bad news: Ryan Mallett broke his right ring finger. Doesn’t sound too serious, though.

Jim Harris of ArkansasSports360 has a good article on the Beverley interview and other woes of the basketball team. Money quote: “It makes one understand better why the Arkansas head coaching search in 2007 finally found its way to Creighton’s Dana Altman after a handful of bigger names said “no,” and then why Altman was already out the door in 25 hours. He likely accepted the job from Frank Broyles, then started his due diligence and had dinner with former chancellor John White and realized he was walking into a potential cesspool.”

And, finally, speaking of AS360, Chris Bahn has a solid breakdown of the incoming basketball recruiting class.

More Offseason Fun for the Basketball Team

Razorback Expats — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:15:30 -0400

Over the weekend, the bombshell news broke that a Razorback athlete might not have been as rigorously devoted to his academic pursuits as we’ve been led to believe.

Former basketball star Patrick Beverley explained that his suspension (and subsequent banishment to the Ukraine) was the result of him being caught turning in schoolwork that had been done by someone else.

The interesting twist is that some of his teammates apparently also took advantage of the same helpful service. Of course, whoever was actually doing the work couldn’t have been all that bright because nobody from that team actually graduated.

Come on guys, where’s your commitment to APR scores??

And in other basketball news, the team upheaval bug has claimed its latest victim: Stephen Cox. Our staff of walk-on historians is pouring over the data now and will be issuing a 75-page report on what it all means very soon.

Thursday Hodge Podge

Razorback Expats — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:32:08 -0400

* Chris Low of ESPN.com has a post up about which position groups in the SEC are particularly loaded, Florida’s secondary or Alabama’s defensive line, for example. He also singles out the Razorback receivers as being especially dangerous. (Have I mentioned lately that I’m excited about the football season?)

* Brace yourselves, hold onto your hats, and sit down before you read this, because it’s truly shocking news: the NCAA is alleging major violations in Memphis basketball program under John Calipari. I know none of us saw this coming. Fortunately for Kentucky fans, he’s completely cleaned up his act and nothing like this will be happening as he leads that program to 18 straight national titles. Right?

* As Stephen pointed out yesterday, the level of turnover in the basketball program is head-spinning. Chris Bahn from Arkansas Sports 360 weighs in with an excellent column that tries to make sense of it all.

* Folks, sometimes it does happen: Wally Hall, voice of reason.

* Coming back to Chris Low, he’s been ranking the SEC’s 30 best football players this offseason. According to his calculations, the Hogs have three players in the top 20, which isn’t bad. Brandon Marcello at the Slophouse has the details of who’s been ranked and where.

* What does it take to get kicked off the team at Ole Miss? Apparently not a felony assault charge for using brass knuckles to rob someone of $6 in a McDonald’s drive through, or using a dead friend’s credit card to buy gas. Jamar Hornsby, just don’t do it again!

Head Spinning at Arkansas

Razorback Expats — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:13:14 -0400

If you are trying to keep up with exactly who is on the Arkansas Razorbacks' basketball team’s roster, you would be well advised to keep a supply of Dramamine handy.

The number of players entering and exiting the program in recent times is positively dizzying.

The carousel continued spinning yesterday when the Hogs announced that Jeff Peterson, who started 25 games for the Iowa Hawkeyes this past season as a sophomore, will transfer to Arkansas.

Peterson will have to sit out the upcoming season, of course, and will then have two years of eligibility starting with the 2010-11 season.

At first glance, the 6-foot Peterson looks like a solid addition: He averaged 10.6 points, 4.2 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game last year.

He made 83 percent of his free throws and nearly 40 percent of his three-point shots. Both of those stats should be welcomed heartily by a team that hoisted way too many bricks last year.

Furthermore, Peterson should help the Hogs with another statistic that they have royally sucked at recently: the Academic Progress Rate. According to ArkansasSports360.com, he was accepted to Princeton.

If all of the roster moves have you feeling dazed and confused, then you need to check out Chris Bahn’s outstanding article on the situation, which includes this ominous passage: “Academics are a concern for at least two current roster members and as many as three incoming recruits. So, keep your fingers crossed.”

In conclusion, Bahn adds: “Think long and hard before rooting for another coaching change anytime soon.”

Talkin' Tats

Razorback Expats — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:26:30 -0400

As America’s preeminent columnist, Jim Anchower might say, “Hola, amigos. It’s been a long time since I rapped at ya.”

Work and other duties have kept us Expat staffers away from the blog for a while, but the site should be more frequently updated in the days and weeks ahead.

Now that our apology is out of the way, let’s talk tattoos — specifically, those that adorn Darren McFadden.

If you lie awake at night wondering exactly what the seemingly countless tattoos on DMac are, the video clip below is for you. Regardless of whether you approve of such markings or not, it’s at least nice to see that Darren has so much pride in his home state. And it makes me less embarrassed about my tattoos celebrating Crowley’s Ridge and Dinosaur World.

Sports and Twitter: Tweet Tweet

Razorback Expats — Tue, 19 May 2009 11:10:50 -0400

As you probably know, the latest craze to come out of Silicon Valley is Twitter, which allows you to share valuable bits of information such as what you had for lunch or what traffic was like during your commute with anyone who "follows" you (Facebook is so 2008, in other words).

That’s if you’re a regular person. If you’re a college coach, Twitter also allows you to 1) communicate with recruits in an entirely new way, 2) show that you’re “down with the kids”, and 3) extend your personal brand.

It’s the future, in other words, which is why tech-savvy coaches like Pete Carroll, John Calipari and Les Miles are jumping all over it (incidentally, although I have a healthy dislike for USC, I have to admit that I’m a little fascinated by Carroll’s "tweets"…they’re over-the-top in a very laid back, celeb-filled, Southern California way).

Anyway, the Arkansas connection is that the notoriously stoic and publicity-averse Bobby Petrino has a Twitter account (reserved for him by someone at the U of A), although he’s professed to have no idea what that new-fangled stuff is all about and hasn’t posted any tweets yet. But, Brandon Marcello of the Slophouse blog is aiming to change that…he’s launching a campaign to bring Petrino to Twitter.

My personal opinion is that Twitter is only interesting if someone is really into it (again, see: Carroll, Pete), and Petrino almost surely wouldn’t be. But, I’m also in favor of Arkansas keeping up with the Joneses in the recruiting game and, like I said, this is the future…let’s not get left behind here.

So, count Razorback Expats, Inc. as an official supporter of the “Bring Petrino to Twitter” campaign. If you’re with us, check out Marcello’s post for full instructions on what to do.

I should also mention that we have a Razorback Expats Twitter account, so follow us, too, if you want. See you all on the other side.

Revisionist History, Perhaps?

Razorback Expats — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:25:04 -0400

Here’s your fun quote of the day—Frank Broyles was recently interviewed by Nick Canepa of the San Diego Union-Tribune (as part of his Alzheimer’s awareness activism) and dropped this bombshell:

When asked to be a TV analyst, Broyles embraced the chance. It kept him away from Arkansas football games.
“I wasn’t going to be one to stand over my coach’s shoulder.”

You might be thinking that there’s a lot to dispute about that statement, but it’s actually true—as AD, he was more of a “get in the coach’s face and tell them what to do,” rather than a looking-over-the-shoulders kind of guy.

Hoopin' for Health Charity Event in Little Rock

Razorback Expats — Thu, 14 May 2009 10:13:04 -0400

If you’re going to be in Little Rock tomorrow night (May 15), you should definitely considering heading over to Hall High.

That’s because Hall is the site of the “Hoopin’ for Health” charity basketball game. The game starts at 7:30 and will feature Corliss Williamson, Scotty Thurman, Dwight Stewart, Alex Dillard, Pat Bradley, Clint McDaniel, Corey Beck, and former Kansas Jayhawk and Little Rock native Richard Scott, among others.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for students ($4 with student ID), and $2 for children under 12. Tickets can be purchased at the door or by calling (501) 374-5000 or (877) 374-5630.

Proceeds will benefit the Little Rock School District’s Coordinated School Health program and the Let Our Violence End organization.

Check it out if you can!

Preview of 2009 Arkansas Razorback Football Season

Razorback Expats — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:15:06 -0400

With the kickoff to the 2009 Razorback football season a mere 115 days away, I thought I would use a formula my hedge fund manager gave me that factors in spring practice statistics from just sunny days, the height and weight of incoming freshmen, the GPA’s of the opposition’s cheerleaders and that new APR score, and is divided by last year’s temperature and multiplied by the last year’s pollen count on game day to come up with a prediction for the 2009 season.

But then I thought better of it and just decided to go with what my gut is telling me right now. That being a gut that has a memory of the ways of the Hogs that goes back to a very hazy memory of the Orange Bowl win and gets a little brighter with Holtz’s Sugar Bowl loss to Bear Bryant.

My heart has a memory just as long, but I am going to try to keep the heart out of this forecast, for it does want to call every game a “W” for the Hogs. So, gut, what do you say right now?

September 5th, Missouri State

The gut is going to say that the Hogs get off to a much better start this year, and we don’t come nearly as close to having a Citadel moment like we did last year. Mallet makes a solid premier, Michael Smith runs for over 100 yards, and the defense does enough, but still gives up enough long plays to keep us all worried about how they’ll look against SEC competition.

Hogs Wins 38 to 14.

September 19th, Georgia

Kirk Herbstreit and Tony Barnhart have already said that Georgia better watch out for the Hogs. And without Stafford and Moreno, I think Georgia should have a time of it in Fayetteville.

But, one thing Mark Richt does darn well is win SEC games on the road. And a thing that our Hogs do pretty darn well is lose SEC games in Fayetteville when an Eastern team comes to visit.

As much as we would like to rub it in the face of those Falcons fans, I believe Georgia still gets the better of the Hogs this year. BUT, I think next year in Athens you’ll see the Hogs do a William T. Sherman impersonation.

Hogs Lose 28 to 17.

September 26th, Alabama

Starting off the season with a loss to Georgia at home stings, but the Hogs hope to get into the win column in Tuscaloosa. Sorry, no luck here.

The gut is saying that Ryan Mallet acquits himself well, but not well enough to overcome a bad defensive showing and his own jitters that produce two very untimely interceptions on the wrong end of the field. It won’t be as bad as last year, but Bama and Julio Jones still get us again.

Hogs Lose 34 to 21.

October 3rd, Texas A&M

The Hogs have not had a lot of luck at playing in domed buildings. I am not for sure if they’ve ever won a game inside a dome. But the hole at the top of Jerry Jones’ new stadium is just enough to save the Hogs as they sneak by the Aggies in a game that brings back memories of the SWC and via Wally Hall, the Mexican restaurants he loved to visit in College Station.

Hogs win 24 to 21.

October 10th, Auburn

The visitor usually wins this game, but not this time. Even Gus can’t squeeze a spread offense out of these guys in time for Auburn to be a competitive team in ‘09. The defense has its best effort of the season thus far, and native Arkansan Tommy Tuberville is seen in the stands with his Camden area family.

Some will say he had an Arkansas shirt on. Others say it was an Auburn shirt.

Hogs win 28 to 10.

October 17th Florida

As much as the gut would like say that there is a victory here for the Hogs, it just can’t at this point.

If during the walkthrough Tim Tebow were to get caught up in the Rapture, as you know he’ll be leading the ascent upwards, the Hogs would have a better chance at winning. Loaded on defense with all the starters coming back, Florida does a good job of shutting down Mallet and Smith as well as the other improving backs.

Hogs lose 41 to 13.

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Ranking SEC Coaches: How Long Will Bobby Petrino Stay?

Razorback Expats — Tue, 12 May 2009 11:39:04 -0400

Ah, the deep offseason, a time when reporters and bloggers alike turn to that tried and true method of filling space: ranking the SEC coaches.

Although SEC fans have always obsessed over football coaches, the trend has jumped to a new level in the last few years.

Multiple coaches have won national titles and the conference has been infused with new talent (ex. Bobby Petrino), while losing some of the dead weight (ex. Ed Orgeron).

Just Google “SEC coach rankings” to see what we’re talking about.

Anyway, the Auburn blog, Track ‘Em Tigers, has devised a novel way of ranking the coaches: estimating the probability that they’ll still be at their school five years from now.

If you’re like me, you probably read that and braced yourself for a barrage of bad “Petrino will leave at halftime” jokes.

But, the big shocker is that they actually rated Petrino the most likely to still be around in five years (don’t worry, there are still plenty of jokes in the comments section).

According to their rankings, there’s only one other coach as likely as Petrino to still be around in half a decade.

Who is it? We’ll let that be a surprise. Read the full post to find out.

Might Be a Tough Year for the Cowboy

Razorback Expats — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:46:35 -0400

My late grandfather was a fount of homespun, cracker-barrel wisdom. I recall spending many a summer afternoon with him on the front porch of his home, sipping lemonade in the blazing Arkansas sunshine and eagerly soaking up his pithy, hard-to-forget expressions:

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”

“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

“Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.”

And, perhaps most memorably:

“Show me a college football team that finishes in The Associated Press Top 10, and I’ll show you a team that began the season with at least 65 combined career starts from its offensive linemen.”

Frankly, the last comment usually left me wondering if Grandpa had had a little too much of his infamous white lightning, but the Wall Street Journal shows how foolish I was to doubt him. According to that fishwrapper:

“Offensive-line experience is one of the telltale predictors of success in college football. Last season, eight of the top 10 teams in the final Associated Press poll began the season with at least 65 combined career starts by their offensive linemen, including title-game participants Florida and Oklahoma.

"Two of 2008’s biggest surprises, Utah and Ole Miss, had more than 80 starts of experience, enabling them to improve dramatically on offense. Conversely, Georgia, Missouri and Clemson — three preseason top-10 teams that disappointed — were green up front, with fewer than 40 starts each.”

Based on their offensive lines, the teams to watch in 2009 include Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Texas, Florida State and Michigan, the Journal says. Meanwhile, some teams that could disappoint: Oregon, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Penn State and - choke back those tears, please - Alabama.

We’re already worried about The Cowboy.

Basketball Hogs: Struggling to Make the Grade

Razorback Expats — Wed, 06 May 2009 19:08:20 -0400

You already knew that the basketball team didn’t exactly turn in a straight-A report card for their work on the court this year. But today the NCAA announced that the basketball Hogs are also in danger of flunking out,based on the 2007-08 season, they scored a 888 on the Academic Performance Review (anything under 925 is bad).

[Random editor’s note: I’ve been following college sports for a long time and this week is the first I’ve ever heard anything about the APR. Is this a new thing? It seems like a good idea and all, but it feels to me like it just blew up out of nowhere. I’m definitely allowing for the possibility of me being completely, embarrassingly and totally wrong here…wouldn’t be the first time.]

Apparently when you have six seniors leave without graduating and approximately two bazillion players transferring over the course of a year, that tends to hurt your APR score. Who knew??

It’s a complicated subject, so we will leave it up to the pros to break things down. Here are some handy links:

* Brandon Marcello at the Slophouse breaks it all down with an excellent overview of what this means and how we got to this point.

* Jeff Long looks at the longer-term situation and admits that more serious penalties, such as a scholarship loss, could be in store for next year. Basically, when you’re at 888 it takes time to pull that number up over 925…hard to turn it around in a single season.

* On the bright side, the football team blew past the 925 limit with a dominating 927 score. And the women’s golf team has hit a perfect 1000 for five years running! (Full chart for all sports at the Slophouse.)

* Robbie Neiswanger at the Hog Blog takes a look at how the Hogs’ performance compares to other programs around the country. (Fun stats: Arkansas basketball falls into the 10 percent of teams scoring under 925, and 4 percent scoring under 900).

* Jeff Long and John Pelphrey have issued their response.

This is a serious and complicated situation, but do not worry—your friends at Razorback Expats, Inc are here to help. We have done the homework, crunched the numbers and figured out the solution: follow the academic regimen of one Mr. Thorton Melon and all will be well. Long and Pelphrey…you can thank us later.

From the SI Archives: 1984-85 Season Preview

Razorback Expats — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:23:18 -0400

While doing a bit of Google sleuthing as part of our quest to track down and interview Charles Balentine, I came upon another hidden gem in the SI Archives: their preview of the Razorbacks’ chances during the 1984-85 basketball season. It’s not as awesome as the 1985-86 season preview, but it’s still a fun read.

With the benefit of hindsight, this was very much a transitional period in the history of Razorback basketball. With stars like Darrell Walker and Alvin Robertson out of the picture, Eddie Sutton went into his final season as Head Hog with Joe Kleine, Balentine and a bunch of youngsters who never quite lived up to the hype. Of course at the time it just seemed like Sutton was reloading, hence the No. 11 ranking and the SI quote that the Hogs were “a year away” (a year away from a 12-16 record, as it turned out).

But, that 1985 season turned out to be a fun one, with the Hogs advancing past the first round of the NCAAs for the first time in several years (more than the more-talented 1983 and 1984 teams could say) to give top-seeded St. John’s a serious run for their money in round two. And I’d forgotten all about that crazy 56-39 loss to No. 2 Georgetown earlier in the season (incidentally, guess who scored an incredible 22 of those 39 points). We’ll have to do a more in-depth look at this season at some point.

Bringing it back to the SI preview, we leave you with this quote from scribe Jack McCallum (a good writer who probably doesn’t count this as his finest moment):

“Even if Sutton’s young geese learn to fly in formation, the Razorbacks still won’t win a national championship. But they’ll be honking in Hog country this season.”

Congrats, Joe

Razorback Expats — Mon, 04 May 2009 16:25:41 -0400

Former Razorback star Joe Johnson took a break yesterday from single handedly causing global warming to lead the Atlanta Hawk's to a rare victory. How rare? Consider the following: heading into Sunday’s Game Seven, the Hawks had not won a playoff series since 1999 and had not won a best-of-seven series since 1970.

There’s always been a feeling here in Atlanta that, despite his impressive statistics, Joe isn’t the force that he should be. Whether that’s true or not, it was still exciting to see him come through in such a big situation yesterday. The Hawks have been so god awful for so long that any series victory under any circumstance is cause for celebration.

I hope Joe and his teammates enjoy their time in the sun, though, because it’s hard to see them advancing past LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Where in the World is Charles Balentine?

Razorback Expats — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:16:29 -0400

Charles Balentine remains well-known among Razorback fans for hitting the third biggest shot in Arkansas history (we’ll give you two guesses as to what No. 1 and No. 2 are), but many other details of his storied career are slipping away into the mists of time.

So, in the spirit of our “Where in the World is Eugene Nash?” post from last year (and the very enlightening two part Q&A that followed) we’re now focusing the massive power of the Razorback Expats community towards helping us track down Balentine. Aside from the occaisonal article, there aren’t a lot of details about his current whereabouts online, which is where you guys come in.

Our goal is to conduct a very casual interview with No. 24 so we can get his take on Razorback basketball during the late-period Sutton era, and of course his role in it. So, if you know Charles Balentine, have information about his whereabouts or, best of all, actually are Charles Balentine, please contact us at razorbackexpats@yahoo.com.

Our hope is that this will be a lot of fun for all involved…we look forward to hearing from you!

Tuesday's Hodge Podge

Razorback Expats — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:39:37 -0400

Razorback news and notes from around the web (warning: some of these links aren’t exactly timely, but then again you probably already knew not to count on us for hot-off-the-presses info):

Nate Allen rips Jeff Long a new one (he even busts out the Y-word).

We’ve been known to give Wally Hall a little grief every now and then. But in the interest of fairness, we also have to note that his column on Sunday was very informative and well worth reading.

In addition to Jonathan Luigs joining the Bengals, five other Hogs have signed on with NFL teams as free agents (although most still face long odds against making the final cut). Casey Dick will be trying out for the Jets…remember, he beat out Mitch Mustain for the Hogs’ QB job, so watch out Mark Sanchez.

Speaking of Mustain, he’s now the third string QB at USC. Ouch.

Brandon Moore quits the basketball Hogs, and Delvon Johnson joins the team.

Incoming footballers David Gordon and Ronnie Wingo are fast—like, really fast.

Last but definitely not least, the Slophouse’s Brandon Marcello tipped us off to an amazing ongoing series by blogger Clay Travis.

It’s ostensibly about the decidedly nonathletic Travis’ often hilarious efforts trying to hold his own with various elite prospects while “training” for the 2008 NFL Draft, but he also had numerous interactions with Peyton Hillis and Marcus Monk.

Marcello’s post has a few highlights, but be sure to read Travis’ articles for much, much more (for example, don’t miss the anecdote about Monk and the swimming pool). The whole thing is long but very well-written and is consistently interesting and entertaining throughout.

Welcome to Expat Status, Jonathan Luigs

Razorback Expats — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:44:15 -0400

This year’s NFL draft has come and gone. ESPN can put Mel Kiper back in the closet, or he can go back to the Pentecostal Church he pastors. He has always struck me as looking like a Pentecostal preacher.

The biggest Arkansas news to come out of this year’s draft is that the Hogs’ steady center, Jonathan Luigs, was taken in the fourth round by the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati’s gain is no doubt a loss for the Hogs, for two time Rimington award winners don’t come through Fayetteville as often as we all wish they would. But eligibility is eligibility, and we wish Jonathan all the success in the world with the Bengals.

The article I read this morning mentioned that Jonathan is a Little Rock native, so I expect this move to Ohio is going to be his first experience as a Razorback Expat outside of visiting an opponent’s stadium. Here is what I consider the good and the bad of this move to just across the Ohio river.

GOOD: He has Bobbie Williams up there to talk Razorback sports with. I could be wrong, but I think Caleb Miller has moved on.

BAD: He is in the Ohio State media market. He’ll have to listen to the groans and moans of the perpetually wounded Buckeyes. I think Jonathan’s size makes it safe enough for him to mention that he comes from an SEC school.

GOOD: He should still be able to get SEC news since Kentucky is just right across the river. And if he isn’t too busy being a pro-football player, he can cross the river to see the Hogs hopefully get a win the next time they play in Lexington.

BAD: Colder weather. Enough said.

GOOD: He’ll get to watch D-MAC play again when he visits Oakland on November the 22nd. I expect there will be some conflicted thoughts that day for both D-MAC and Jonathan. The two of them did a lot to make each other’s pro-career possible.

BAD: The Bengals’ noisy uniforms. I think he is going to miss the simple but elegant red and white.

GOOD: The opportunity to surround his two Rimington Award trophies with many, many, square feet of nice real estate in a cheaper housing market than say New York or San Francisco.

BAD: No Arkansas Alumni Association chapter exists in Cincinnati if the alumni website is correct. Well, Jonathan, time for you and Bobbi to start one!

GOOD: You can get a direct flight from Little Rock to Cincinnati without having to go through Dallas Fort Worth. At least you could the last time I tried it.

BAD: Herb Tarlek with his Razorback coffee mug on his desk no longer works at WKRP in Cincinnati.

GOOD: He can always feel at home by checking up on things at Razorbackexpats.com.

Jonathan, from all of us here at Razorbackexpats.com, interns included, may the good always outweigh the bad in this NFL adventure you are about to set out upon. Thanks for all that you did for the Hogs. We know you’ll continue to make us proud up there just north of the Ohio river. Woo Pig Sooie!

Q&A: Greg Skulman, Part Four

Razorback Expats — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 09:52:05 -0400

It’s time now for the fourth and final installment of our Q&A with former Arkansas basketball player Greg Skulman, here’s part 1, part 2 and part 3. Today, Greg recounts the Hogs’ “moderately rowdy” off-the-court ways. We don’t know about you, but we’re ready for a Skulman, Hastings, Dykes and Pennell reunion concert. Many, many thanks to Greg for his time and memories.

Which one of the three teams that you were on was the best team?

Probably the team I was on in my junior year. The year that U.S. Reed made the shot. We went the farthest in the NCAA Tournament. We won the Southwest Conference championship.

U.S. Reed was a heck of a player. It was the same kind of a deal as me—he was always out of position in high school, but he was able to make more of a transition. Eddie allowed him to, also.

He played center in high school at Pine Bluff, and he was 6’2”. That dude was an unbelievable jumper. He did a lot of great things in college, but he couldn’t make that transition to the NBA mostly because he wasn’t a true guard. He became a really good outside shooter, but needed to be set to shoot. He wasn’t great at creating a shot off the dribble and that doomed his chances for the next level.

Give us some insight into the personality of your teammates. Who was the funniest? The locker room leaders?

Funniest would have to be Hastings, definitely. He was absolutely a nut. He was the consummate cut-up. He was so funny. We all had a lot of fun, and Hastings was usually in the middle of it. He would have to be considered a team leader. U.S. Reed was also a team leader.

How would you characterize the overall personality of those teams. Were you guys fairly rowdy off the court, or were you choir boys?

I’d say moderately rowdy. Definitely not choir boys. Usually Hastings was the ringleader.

I’ve heard some crazier stories from guys who were there a few years before me. There was a guy named Mike Buckrop, who was apparently out of his cotton-pickin’ mind. I’ve heard some unbelievable stories about him. Alan Zahn could tell you more—he has some great Buckrop stories from his days.

As far as my group, it was typical guy stuff for the time: Lots of parties and beer drinking. Always keeping an eye out for the girls.

We would do float trips on War Eagle River with plenty of ice chests in tow. We also spent a lot of time just hanging in each other’s dorm rooms cutting up. That was a great, carefree time.

You know, we drank a lot of beer but it just didn’t seem to affect us much. Being young and working out as hard as we did had a lot to do with that.

Who of your ex-teammates do you keep in touch with?

Zahn. He’s a police officer in Tulsa. That’s the only guy that I really keep up with. As matter of fact, I was over at Zahn’s house one time, and we got to talking, just kind of like you and I are talking, about all this crazy stuff, just laughing. We called up Hastings, and we talked with him. That was several years ago.

But I don’t really talk with Hastings or anybody else. Zahn’s the guy.

This is kind of a random question, but are there certain songs or movies or anything that you see or hear that make you think of that time in your life?

Absolutely. Songs especially. I play guitar, and Hastings could actually sing. He could keep a tune. And Jimmy Dykes was a really good singer—later, Jimmy actually tried to pursue a country and western career in Nashville. It didn’t work out, but he could really sing.

Do you remember a guy named Russ Pennell?

Oh yeah. The Arizona coach.

That’s right. Russ was a walk-on on our team for one season, and he could really sing.

Well, we had a little quartet or trio. I played guitar, and we’d do a lot of three-part harmony singing.

There were some songs that we worked on and did a lot. We did “We Just Disagree” by Dave Mason, and we did “Crazy Love” by Poco. Those songs have some great harmonies. Those were two for sure that we sang, and when I hear them I’m reminded of days long ago in the dorm room with old friends.

If our calculations are correct, you were in Fayetteville when an important moment in Arkansas hair history occurred: that’s when Eddie Sutton’s hair went from straight to curly. We were wondering what was the team’s reaction the first time that he appeared in front of you guys with a perm. Did you have to suppress laughs?

Well actually, I don’t remember being part of that. I think he’d done that just before I’d gotten there. Alan Zahn could definitely tell you about that. I’m pretty sure when I got there that he had already had that perm. So, all that had already happened, so I don’t know what the reaction was.

Well, that’s all the more reason for us to talk to Alan Zahn.

Yeah, absolutely.

Wilson vs Mallett: There Can Only Be One

Razorback Expats — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 01:12:11 -0400

The dog days of the offseason don’t bring a lot of genuinely exciting news, but tomorrow (Thursday) actually promises to be a rare exception.

That’s when Bobby Petrino will emerge from a fog-shrouded temple atop an Ozark mountain and produce a stone tablet engraved with the name of the starting QB for the 2009 football team. At least that’s how I assume it will work…

Despite the fact that Ryan Mallett stands 7′ 4″ tall, weighs 350 lbs, and can throw a football from Fayetteville to Little Rock, Tyler Wilson’s strong play this spring has led to the first legitimate QB battle in eons (not counting last year’s Battle of the Dicks, of course…and yes, I just typed that to make one last cheap Dick family joke).

In fact, in an excellent recent post on the Slophouse blog, Brandon Marcello breaks down the numbers and points out that Wilson actually has better scrimmage stats than his more-heralded rival.

But, Mallett leads in the all-important category of best offseason mug shot, and most leading experts expect that to be enough to push him into the No. 1 slot.

Either way, the Hogs are in better QB shape than they’ve been in a loooooooong time (and people are taking notice).

Next season should be fun. Let us know what you think about the QB battle in the comments section…

Q&A: Greg Skulman, Part Three

Razorback Expats — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:04:32 -0400

Drama. Intrigue. Betrayal. Deception…OK, so maybe that’s overstating the content of today’s installment of our Q&A with former Razorback basketball player Greg Skulman (here’s part one and part two). Still, we think you will be interested in Greg’s recollections of how his playing time got squeezed at the end of his career - as well as his humorous assessments of Eddie Sutton’s style of play. On with the show…

Do you recall what was your best game as Razorback? Not necessarily the one where you had the most points, but the one where you felt where you contributed the most.

I happen to have a tape of me playing. I should have a lot more. I just didn’t take this stuff – I don’t know what the deal was. You’d think I’d have a lot of games taped and recorded just for posterity’s sake, but I guess as a kid you just don’t think that much about it.

But anyway, I happen to have one that my brother recorded. It was against TCU, of all people. Not a huge team. I had 14 points or something. I had a dunk. I think that was probably the highest point total I ever had, possibly. I guess that would have to be it.

I had a weird career, in my mind. When I first came to Arkansas as a sophomore, I played a lot. I even started some games.

My career was in reverse order. My sophomore year, I was a starter. I played a lot. Sutton talked a lot about me. And then my junior year, I played less. My senior year, I played even less.

Oh really?

Yeah, weird. There were different factors involved, but that’s the way it ended up. I was a lot more excited about the whole thing my sophomore year. That was the best year for me.

I can’t remember when that TCU game was, if that was my sophomore year or not. But I think it was.

Did you lose confidence over the years, or did you have some injuries, or did you just get into a bad situation with Sutton?

You just opened a can of worms, small can that is - this stuff is not that important. But since you asked, I will tell you it was a combination of things.

It was definitely hard to play with confidence, at least offensively, for Sutton back in those days. I think he sort of changed as he got older, or the game changed is probably more like it.

I can remember growing up and watching games and seeing guys take one shot, miss it and get yanked. I’d think, “That can’t be a fun way to play.”

No. And if you watch some of those games now — like I was telling about this tape that I watched recently — oh my gosh. It’s the most boring basketball you’ve ever seen in your entire life. It’s horrible.

We didn’t have a three-point line. That’s just helped the game tremendously — that alone. There also wasn’t a shot clock.

Basically, the Eddie Sutton offense was pass the ball six times before you look for a shot. Six times! It’s like — oh my gosh. If he had wanted you to pass just four times, you’d be like, “Enough already!”

It was not just Sutton — a lot of coaches did it this way. I guess it was the Henry Iba way.

Watching this old game tape, I was laughing out loud. There we were in our short shorts, long socks and passing it around the perimeter like three, four, five times. Then pass inside to Hastings, then right back out.

Then around the perimeter again. Then in to Hastings, then right back out. Hastings wouldn’t even look for a shot because three guys would immediately collapse on him. None of us were going to take a “low” percentage shot and get pulled, so they didn’t have to really defend the perimeter, and they would just pack it in on him.

Eventually Hastings would get off a shot or one of us would be so wide open you just had to shoot it. If it didn’t go in you’re immediately looking at the bench to see if someone was getting up to come in for you!

I think we would just either bore the defensive to death or tire them out. It was all about getting the proverbial “high percentage shot.” That’s the way a lot of college basketball was then, not just us.

I’m thinking, “God, I can’t remember it being this bad.” But it is — I’m sitting here watching it. This exactly why the shot clock and three-point basket were introduced to the college game. There were many very exciting games also — don’t get me wrong. The college game has definitely changed for the better, though.

Getting back to the original question, there were multiple factors in my diminished playing time my senior year. First, Darrell Walker came into the program from Westark, and he was definitely going to be a starter because he had the talent. So, all of a sudden there’s another a spot gone. And then Alvin Robertson came in my senior year.

OK - here comes the soap opera part to my little story.

Ever since I arrived at Arkansas we had four guys — all about the same height, quickness and jumping ability. We had Tony Brown, Brad Friess, Greg Skulman and Keith Peterson.

At one time we were all kind of interchangeable parts. Then Brown and Peterson established themselves as starters.

So, it came down to Friess and me, and Friess got the nod. That was OK — I thought, at some point, he would come out, and I would go in for him. He never came out, it seemed.

My senior year — my playing time went down to nothing. I didn’t know how to respond to the situation, and no coaches talked to me about it at all. This went on for half the season. I kind of pouted about it. I wasn’t talking to anybody.

If I had had any sense, I would have gone to somebody right away early in the season and asked what was the deal. Instead I tried to be stoic about it.

Sutton finally noticed my pouting. By this time I was really upset but didn’t know what to do. I got called in for a meeting with then assistant coach Bill Brown. This is after half of the season is already over.

Coach Brown says that Coach Sutton has noticed that I’m not practicing as hard as I usually do and wondered what was the matter. It doesn’t take a heart surgeon to know what the matter was, but we had to play this goofy game. So I finally got it off my chest and asked, “Why am I not getting to play!? Why am I in the doghouse?”

He went on to say they had thought about redshirting me but, for whatever reason, didn’t do it. He then went on to tell me that when Coach Sutton, in a coaches meeting, asked “What’s wrong with Skulman?”, assistant coach Jimmy Counce said, “I think we should just ignore him.”

That was like a spear to my heart. Very un-Christian-like thing to say. That’s when it really dawned on me why Friess was playing, and I wasn’t.

Jimmy Counce had come on as a full-time assistant coach and Sutton loved Counce like a son. Counce loved Friess - Skulman doesn’t play.

What’s interesting is less than a year earlier at the 1981 Southwest Conference Tournament in San Antonio, Counce joined the team right during the end-of-season conference tournament as a first-time assistant. Counce managed to get into an ugly confrontation with one of our starting players, Tony Brown.

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Q&A: Greg Skulman, Part Two

Razorback Expats — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:55:52 -0400

It’s time for the second part of our Q&A with former Razorback basketball player Greg Skulman (here’s part 1). In today’s installment, Greg discusses his relationship with Eddie Sutton, the best players he played with and against, and the most exciting victory that he participated in. On with the show …

You’ve already kind of touched on this, but what was Sutton like to play for? What kind of a relationship did you and the players have with him?

Like I said earlier, I was just in awe to be there. I didn’t have any ego whatsoever about my playing ability or anything really. I just wanted to fit in and be the best team player I could. It never crossed my mind to consider any type of individual of goals, like many others were doing. I have to say I was very naïve about the whole process.

I would not describe Coach Sutton as a player’s coach. Back in those days he didn’t want you to be real comfortable knocking on his office door, coming in, sitting down and just shooting the bull with him. I guess he felt like there needed to be some amount of uneasiness or separation between him and the players in order to coach effectively.

Unless you were Sidney, Hastings or Darrell Walker, maybe. I guess it’s not that unusual for a head coach to be that way.

Darrell actually lived with the Suttons for a while. That was a little unusual, a player living in the home of the head coach, but it was definitely the right thing for him.

They treated him like their son, especially coach’s wife Patsy. I think she played a really big, important role for him. He needed the nurturing of a family. I think what they did for him was instrumental to his success. He really did mature, had a great basketball career and at one time was a head coach in the NBA.

Towards most of us Coach Sutton had an aloofness which at first I thought was kind of impressive or cool. But as I’ve gotten older, looking back, I wish I could have gotten to know him better. Every coach has their style, I guess.

Do you keep in touch with him at all?

Over the last—gosh, holy smokes—27 years, I have seen him a few times, and I’ve seen his wife Patsy at a wedding, but other than that, no—no talking on the phone or anything like that.

I actually saw coach at Joe Kleine’s wedding, which was in Dallas. I was in dental school at the time. That was a long time ago.

I know he does care about all his players and is proud and happy when they have success in life. I really have a lot of respect for him and all he has accomplished. He gave me a scholarship, and I’ll always be grateful for that.

I definitely don’t have any sour grapes. I pretty much accomplished all my goals—I never set any beyond playing at Arkansas for Eddie Sutton.

Now if I had not played post my entire high school career it might have been a different story—that’s why I won’t let my 13-year-old daughter, who is the tallest player on her team right now, get stuck playing post.

Who was the best Hog player that you played with?

As far as a professional career goes, I would probably say Alvin Robertson. Darrell Walker was right there also. I guess you could Google their stats to see for sure.

Alvin didn’t have a long career—he had lots of personal issues, and he could have done a lot better—but he was with San Antonio and had some steal records. I know he was in at least one All-Star Game.

Alvin was an interesting story. He wasn’t that great a player when he first got there, but he was one of the hardest-working guys. Alvin worked tremendously hard in practice, and he improved dramatically right before our eyes. And that’s how he ended up in the NBA.

Alvin was not a good shooter at first. He was an average ball handler—he was decent. But he worked hard, and he was quick, super-duper quick. Great, great instincts and timing.

He just practiced really hard. His shooting eventually got good, his ball handling even better and, man, could he play “D”. That’s why he made it to the next level.

Darrell and Alvin were similar in many ways. Darrell had tremendously quick hands, great defensive player.

So those two probably were the best as far as their careers.

Scott Hastings was in the NBA for a long time, over 10 years, I think. I don’t think he played that much but who cares? He made a lot of money, and I’m sure he had a blast doing it.

Who was the best player that you played against?

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