tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51186718869206700482023-11-15T06:21:11.323-08:00Sports, the South, and a Little Bit of SenseAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16519238172426486055noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118671886920670048.post-88885064289712547572015-04-23T17:00:00.002-07:002015-04-23T17:00:34.261-07:0099,000 Problems But a Fan Ain't One<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was the first nice Saturday of 2015 in Columbus, Ohio. The high was 79 degrees and the options for what to do with this first taste of springtime freedom were endless. But there were 99,391 people who never questioned how they would spend that beautiful Columbus Saturday. And so, just as they had done on countless fall and winter Saturdays, they filled The Horseshoe and watched a football game. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were no losers that day. The Gray Team beat the Scarlet Team 17-14 and everyone was happy. The 99,391 set a new national all-time record for attendance at a spring football game, breaking a record those same fans had set back in 2009. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, in Charlotte, North Carolina, a cable television network still in its first year on the air was broadcasting five spring football games of their own for national audiences. SEC Commissioner Mike Slive has said more than once that his brainchild SEC Network had “the most successful launch of a new network in cable history.” I can vouch: on the day the network went live, I watched a group of people get up and march out of a bar because the bar didn’t have SEC Network. I was in San Francisco.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">College sports have absolutely never been as popular as they are right now. This past January, the College Football Playoff made its debut to an audience of more than 28 million people for the New Year’s Day semifinals, notably more than the 21 million who watch the NFL’s Wildcard games the following Saturday. This year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament had an average audience of 11.3 million per game, including some of the most-watched programming in the history of cable television. More than 33 million watched the final moments of the national championship game and the March Madness Live app generated 80.7 million live video streams throughout the tournament. Not to mention, there were over 350 million Facebook impressions relating to the tournament.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And despite their unprecedented popularity, college sports are in deep, real, tangible trouble. When it comes to the height of popularity intersecting with the height of controversy, big time college athletics is in a category with the likes of Bill Clinton, Four Loko, and Lindsay Lohan. People love this shit, and they’re also disgusted by it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Threats to college sports are coming from all directions right now: the U.S. Senate, the National Labor Relations Board, the medical field, courts and trial lawyers all over the country, academics of every shape and size, the White House, and, of course, the ever-evil media. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the risk of sounding preachy, I’ll simply say that college sports are working very well for a vast majority of student-athletes, and working very poorly for the rest of them. There are problems that have to be solved if we are to keep on doing this thing we love so much.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don’t have all the answers and I don’t know anyone who does. What I do know is this: student-athletes need to be completely provided for financially, medically, and academically; student-athletes need to have the time to get an education as good as or better than every other student on their campus; and people who do not want to go to college do not need to go to college. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Frank Deford did a piece for NPR recently comparing university athletics departments to the speakeasies of the 1920s, making the case that they both are/were illegal and, in the minds of many, morally reprehensible. And yet, no one wanted to give them up. No one wanted to end the party. You just lived with the bad, for the sake of the wonderful. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The wonderful being the student-athletes who never would have stepped foot onto campus at a university had it not been for sports. The wonderful being the bond a team forms that stays with its members for life, through thick and thin. The wonderful being the strange yet endearing traditions carried on by generations of fans. The wonderful being the reason 99,391 people spent the first nice Saturday in Ohio doing the same thing they’ll do all fall and the reason more than 28 million people spent their New Years Day in front of the TV. The wonderful being those moments that take your breath away, lift your heart, and transcend you to a different, better place.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s easy to get wrapped up in either one of the two story-lines here. I’ll spend whole days thinking about how lucky I am to work in college sports at a time when the American public literally can’t get enough. Then I’ll spend whole other days thinking, “Get out now, this whole thing is going down in flames.” Looking at the situation with two eyes open is the only way to do it. The truth is, being more popular than ever simultaneously compounds how much trouble we’re in, while obliquely absolving us of it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It wouldn’t be an over-simplification to say that college athletics will always be a deeply treasured American pastime because there is just too much money at stake for it not to be. We will make it through this point of crisis. But, in a way people like Lindsay Lohan never could, I’d really love to see college sports make it out with just the tiniest pinch of saving grace. </span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16519238172426486055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118671886920670048.post-39127705598520097002013-12-01T08:01:00.003-08:002013-12-01T08:38:28.394-08:00It Always Has<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">All the smart
people I know always ask me: why sports? Why dedicate your life to something so
meaningless? And I used to answer with "it's fun" or "I like
it" and even the ever-dramatic, ever-untrue "it's the most important
thing in the world to me." But deep down I question it frequently—why this?
There has to be something more important I should be doing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">And then a
day like today happens and every doubt, every “what if” is wiped from my consciousness.
It’s not a complicated thing really. In my favorite article ever written about
college football, Rick Bragg writes ever so simply that “the fact is, it lifts
our hearts. It always has.” Nothing more needs to be said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
association by which I am employed cares about college sports because of the
educational experience they provide so many student-athletes who might never
see the inside of a university otherwise. Sadly, my motivation is far less
noble. It just lifts my heart. It always has. This week was the first major
holiday since my mother passed away in July, and yet the week felt a lot like a
celebration: of new and old friends, of tradition, of warmth. I have my college
football fanship to thank for that. The fact is, it lifts our hearts. It always
has.<br />
<br />
Sport is different from the other ways we entertain ourselves- like music,
literature, film- in a very real way. All those other things are art, and art at
its truest level is meant to take us forward or backward or somewhere else deep
within our own experiences. Whether we're going through something terrible or
something wonderful, we use art to dwell or savor, to reflect, to think, to
wallow, to grow, to work through things, to cry, to feel, to pray.<br />
<br />
Sport is not that. It’s an escape from reality. You still cry and smile and
laugh but it is about something else. It's not about you the personal being-
it's about the game- no matter player or spectator- it's about something
smaller, more simple, than yourself. Even through the times the mind boggles at
calls made or rules invented, sports make more sense than our real lives ever
could. There is order, winners, losers, a beginning, and an end. From the time
a ball is served, kicked off, tossed up, or pitched you've checked your real
self at the door. You're someone else now. <br />
<br />
I used I think of Liz the Razorback fan as essentially who I am, but I was
wrong. That is only the alternate me that I use. I am a college football fan,
an SEC fanatic, and a passionate Razorback but all of that is merely a footnote
on the person I really am. It's the me l choose to be most of the fall, but
it's not who I am. I choose it because it's easier than being a scared 22 year
old who feels alone most of the time and has no idea where her<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>life is going and worries constantly about
her recently widowered father and her little sister. You see, I'd much rather
be a football fan. I by no means think sport is free of emotion—sport is mostly
emotion (just ask that 10-year old Alabama fan weeping earlier today). But this
emotion is about something that's not you. When the Hogs lose, it's actually nice
to cry about that. I'm sick of crying about this.<br />
<br />
The ability to love/hate/care deeply about something entirely separate from
the reality of our own lives is what makes being sports fans unique. Art is good
for the soul. To dwell or savor is necessary and often even enjoyable. But
sport does something else: it distracts, entertains, and occupies a mind that
is trained to think mostly of itself. Compared to the great triumphs and
tragedies of our real lives, sports are, well, like playing games. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Today was
reaffirming. Seeing the faces of the Auburn and Missouri fans—seeing their
hearts lifted—it reminded me of our purpose. For every time I think there has
to be something more important for me to do with my life than work in college
athletics, a day like this comes along and reminds me that there is nothing,
not a damn thing in the world, more important than lifting hearts. You see it
really is just a game. And I thank God for it every single day.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16519238172426486055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118671886920670048.post-44477723023335255102013-10-17T08:55:00.002-07:002013-10-17T12:56:18.741-07:00Condi Rice, Sugar and Spice, and Everything Nice<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Few things up front: I’m a girl! I think girls are mostly
fun and cool people full of competence and imagination. I do not have any bones
about calling myself a feminist by the strict definition of desiring equal opportunities
in life for men and women (aren’t we all feminists at that level?).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The thing is—and this is something else I make no bones
about—I don’t believe in being the girl who cried gender. The person always imagining
herself on some miserable, never-ending uphill battle. I feel I have already
passed that. You see I went to an all-girls high school. There, I learned that
women are most powerful when they are simply themselves, not what society wants
them to be. Society used to mean some stay-at-home-housewife fiasco but that’s
not what I’m talking about. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Currently, in my society of upward bound professional women,
the people around me want me to be angry, defensive, and very very aware
of my otherness from the norm of successful professionals. I don’t buy it. I never
have. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just want to be myself. I like
women who don’t complain about the disadvantages they have due to their gender.
I like women who use their gender, the intricate details of what it means to be
a woman (and no: not what you’re thinking), to win day in and day out. We have intuition,
we have perception—and that coupled with a genuine desire to succeed is all you
actually need.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here’s my issue: Condi Rice did it my way. She just simply
won every day and got into Augusta because she’s awesome. She never said “it
means so much to be the first woman to do this”—she was just all “cool, thanks”
about it. And yet, here we are still talking about this.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have a very clear memory of the day I realized I was not
going to fulfill my lifelong dream because of my gender. I was nine sitting in
my living room watching a Cowboys game with my dad and I said “you know, I think
I’d like to coach.” “Coach what?” my dad asked innocently. “Football,” I answered.
He laughed and said it would never work because I HAD NEVER PLAYED FOOTBALL!
Omg y’all my dad is Pat Dye! Just kidding—but his argument made sense! I couldn’t
coach a game I’d never played! It was so true! So initially I’m sitting here
thinking wait Dye and Pollack have a point, you guys.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But Rice isn’t trying to coach! She’s on a committee that
will do something that (at least while it’s only four teams) most monkeys could
do and she’s more than capable. ANYONE COULD BE ON THIS COMMITTEE. You literally
could have no prior knowledge of college football and if you took a season very
seriously and became a student of the game, you would be fine—on a side note:
it might actually be better that way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It just bugs me to see Pat Dye and David Pollack being
assholes when I really try to give men the benefit of the doubt. I like men and
I like sports and hell I even like a good make me a sandwich joke every once in
a while, but come on y’all. This is sad. When it’s time to get serious, you can’t
just pull it together and think critically about the asinine words coming out
of your mouth?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I love Condi Rice (not politically lol) because of quotes
like this: “I don’t feel like I’m carrying a banner for anyone, except those
who love college football.” She’s a quiet, powerful feminist in the vein that I
am. I don’t carry banners, besides for myself and the things I happen to
believe in. She’s not here to lead women to the promised land of green jackets
and committee appointments. She’s here to do her thing, to be herself because
she has the power to do that. I want more women like this. No more whining,
just winning. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As awkward as this sounds coming from me: you go girl. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16519238172426486055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118671886920670048.post-11219923230305522082013-08-29T08:41:00.002-07:002013-08-29T08:41:59.506-07:002013 Pre-Season Poem
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">The time of year has come again when the leaves begin to fall<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">So I’ll string together some rhymes about our dear friend football<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">New beginnings are a ‘brewin down in the Natural State<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Maybe this year we’ll watch football and see something not to hate<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">No one could have predicted that 2012 could be that bad<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">But the good news is we’re moving on, if only just a tad<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Our conference is full of talent, absolutely no thanks to us<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">So in our new pig-farmin leader we must really place our trust<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Alabama fans think “dynasty” when they hear ole Saban’s name:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Bama’s surely not just making headlines because of AJ McCarron’s dame<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">South Carolina and Clowney are certainly no laughing matter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Only now the famous hit would be Jadeveon’s head on a platter<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">No doubt that Johnny Football is the media’s undisputed shining star<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">But if he can’t wake up for Manning camp, he’ll never get that far<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Georgia was just a play away from being in the BCS title game<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">And now they want to show us the reason for how close they really came<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Bielema’s not the only new coach our conference has had to employ<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">It’s only a short trip down to Auburn to see one not-so-loved Arkansas
boy<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">From bar fights to barking dogs, there’s always strange news from the
Swamp<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">But one thing that’s for sure is how that stadium can rock<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">The big SEC team I haven’t mentioned is the one I hate more than the
rest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">LSU’s got a lot of talent even though they’re schedule will be a tough test<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">And there’s a lot going on outside the borders of our dear SEC<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">So we’ll take a look around and see who those challengers might be<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">After the beating from Alabama, and the girlfriend who never died<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Notre Dame has as much to prove as ever, as much the 2012 team tried<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Oregon’s always threating because of all that Nike swag<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">It seems it really is enough to count recruiting in the bag<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Ohio State’s back to prove they could actually be the best<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">They’ve finally overcome the darkness of tattoos and sweater vests<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Our region of the country is simply dominant at this sport<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">And that even applies to the schools outside the SEC cohort<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Clemson, Florida State, and Louisville all pose a significant threat<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">But if we’re talking about the championship, the SEC really shouldn’t
fret<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">And much as we’d like to think the Big XII’s glory days are long gone<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">The Longhorns, Sooners, and Cowboys are just waiting to prove us wrong<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Stanford’s one other team of which we should definitely all take notice<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">But now we’ll talk a little more about the team that to our hearts is
closest<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">No doubt in my mind, the Hogs have been through hell and back<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">From ULM to motorcycles: in good news we definitely lack<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">There’s work to be done, but we’re off to a good start<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">The assistants Bret has hired put out staff off the charts<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">We know Bielema can recruit; he’s been doing it all his life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">He has good judgment and persuasion: I’m sure you’ve seen the wife.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Football means the world to us and it simply always will<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">There’s nothing like a Hog call to give us all a chill<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">This season will not be easy; we’ll be lucky to make a bowl<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">But on a fan base like ours that won’t be enough to take a toll<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Regardless of how bad our 2013 Razorbacks might be,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Football will still bring us joy as we spend our Saturdays by the TV<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">I’m really not demanding; I only want one thing out of this season:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">A completely crazy upset that we win for absolutely no good reason<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">It’ll be a test of faith as we stand by and watch our team grow<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Yet the good is worth the bad and that is something we’ll always know<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">There’ll be times when I’ll close my eyes and look far away from the
field<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">But all we can do is take our coach’s advice, and never never yield.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16519238172426486055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118671886920670048.post-19581543516178693002013-02-20T13:21:00.003-08:002013-02-20T13:21:54.300-08:00i think this is the beginning of a beautiful rivalryI for one, live for rivalries. I can smell one from a mile away. I love the calendar revolving around one date circled with a big, hideous red pen. Although poisoning trees is a tad insane, I have always longed for a rivalry of that magnitude and being an Arkansas fan has under-delivered.<br />
<br />
I do know a rivalry when I see one and Saturday afternoon even from the nosebleed section of Bud Walton Arena, I could smell one a' brewin.<br />
<br />
Columbia, Mo., is only five hours from Fayetteville. That is three hours closer to Fayetteville than the second-closest Southeastern Conference school. Arkansas employs a basketball coach who was stolen away from the Tigers. Missouri has a lot to prove in this conference in every sport, including basketball in which we expected a much more impressive debut season than we have seen from them. This has all the makings of a real rivalry.<br />
<br />
Think about it, Missouri doesn’t have an SEC rival yet, and Arkansas never really did if you ask LSU fans. So this could work, right? Missouri is the new permanent Eastern division rival for the Hogs in football, replacing South Carolina, meaning Arkansas will play Missouri every year in football despite being in different divisions.<br />
<br />
If this is in fact the beginning of a beautiful rivalry, it is off to a great start. The thrilling 78-76 Arkansas win Saturday was enough to get anyone’s blood pumping. But it also got me thinking: was it close because it was somehow already a rivalry in our minds? Or is it now a rivalry in our minds because it was close? That remains to be seen.<br />
<br />
The atmosphere felt rivalry-like all day. There were a lot (a lot) of Missouri fans in town if you didn’t notice. They were loud and obnoxious and I hated them but I loved that they were there. Even though “good ole Bud Walton” is a myth in my mind, a story my parents tell that I hardly believe anymore, I think I saw a glimpse of it Saturday.<br />
<br />
The Missouri fans were nice on Dickson though and they said they would definitely be back. I believe them, you know. They will be back, and Arkansas fans will be going up there too. It’s a five hour drive and the destination is a land where you are almost implored to obnoxiously love your university to the point of well, tree poisoning. Visiting fans is a huge part of rivalry and the fact that it will be accessible to Arkansas students and fans is huge.<br />
<br />
I have my complaints about Missouri as an SEC school — for example, their students have some fashion issues that need to be addressed and I can only pray they get that taken care of by the time we play them in football. But on the whole, this is going to be great for these two universities. The two schools have an inter-mingled history of recruiting battles (most recently, Dorial Green-Beckham) and coaching switches (Frank Broyles, Mike Anderson) that is the perfect foundation on which to build a rivalry.<br />
<br />
I for one am very excited to start hating Missouri with a unique kind of hatred. Please join me; it should be fun.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16519238172426486055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118671886920670048.post-15031487783507660742013-01-07T11:39:00.002-08:002013-01-07T12:02:47.138-08:00The Catholic Southerners’ Guide to Tonight <br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I felt lost as the pieces started slowly falling into place
to make me realize the decision I would have to make on January 7. Of course it
does not even kind of matter who I root for, but this has been a dilemma for me.
Choosing between faith and football seemed a daunting task, until I realized there
was plenty of each on both sides of the ball.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My mom grew up in the north, a Catholic Yankee through and
through. Rooting for Notre Dame was a given—it was rooting for God, almost
literally. And root for them I did, at times almost with as much passion as I rooted
for my beloved Razorbacks. I remember crying the day of the Bush Push—only time
I have ever cried over a non-Razorback football game. (No matter who wins, I’ll
probably cry tonight—take southern pride and catholic pride and mix it all up
and I’m gonna cry yall, no way around that.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For as long as I can remember, Notre Dame was my dream
school. Catholicism, football, high academic standards—utopia. I got
wait-listed when I was a senior in high school, and if you think I’m over it,
well then you don’t know me all that well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of my dear friends (who has become quite a good little college
football fan herself) is a student at Notre Dame. I spent my freshman year of
college at a Jesuit school in Chicago and went to visit her in South Bend one
game weekend. I had been to Notre Dame twice before but never for a game—and although
my love of southern football is deep, this was something else. It is the only
weekend of my life that leads me to believe that Northerners are not terrible
at being college football fans. Seeing that Dome and Touchdown Jesus and
watching my faith and my football combine was moving to say the least. There is
something special going on there—as there was in the beginning, is now, and
ever shall be, world without end, Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am writing this on campus at the University of Florida,
where my sister is a student. The game is being played five and half hours away
from me. I woke up today telling my sister we should just get in the car and
go. Not because I am an Alabama fan or a Notre Dame fan or even an SEC fan, but
because I am a fan of sport and more than that, a fan of passion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is as grandiose as it gets: the two programs that
represent the two strains of college football in their most perfect form. The experience
of both programs is enough to take your breath away. Being an Alabama fan or a
Notre Dame fan is not something to be taken lightly. It is life; it is a
religion all its own. A religion with gods like Lou Holtz and Bear Bryant, with
prayers like “roll tide” and rituals like midnight drum circles. In the church of
football these two programs are saints, doctors of the church really—they do it
absolutely right: robed in tradition, immersed in greatness, and ever-entangled
with success. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Every single young man who steps on the field at Sun Life
Stadium tonight will have been to Mass today, based on tradition for Notre Dame
and based on Saban’s own team rule for Alabama. The Church and college football
are not as different as they may seem. A sense of mystery and even mysticism, pageantry
that you either love or hate, deep tradition, great passion, high holy days, saints
and sinners—it’s all there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m rooting for Alabama tonight. But no matter what you
think of Notre Dame, having them “back” at least temporarily is good for
college football. The SEC is where my heart is—I truly want to devote my career
to living and working in this conference, but college football is special to
more than just our pocket of the country. It is nice to see that, I think.
Plus, I hope Notre Dame fans in Miami are showing the Bama fans that southern
college football fans are not the only people good at drinking; Catholics know
a thing or two about that too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So to my fellow Southern Catholics, it’s one of our
religions versus the other tonight. But do rest assured, both head coaches are
devout Catholics, and every young man on that field has been to Mass today. At
least that’s how I’m justifying my decision. No matter who that beautiful
crystal trophy goes home with tonight, passion and college football will win. And
that is a victory in which we can all rejoice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">God bless, and roll tide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16519238172426486055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118671886920670048.post-76243360487170514092012-12-11T15:36:00.001-08:002016-08-09T10:57:48.337-07:00Bret Bielema. After a Whole Week of Reflection. <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;">What I’m about to spend way too many words telling you is that this is a great hire. Not necessarily for Arkansas but for the SEC. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">The crushing reality that those of us born and raised in the best state in the country do not realize is that, well, no one else thinks that. We must understand how other people perceive us in order to understand why this is such an incredible hire. People think that Arkansas is a miserable and desolate place very much in tune </span><a href="http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1992/arkansas-2"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">with the way Bush Sr. described it in a smear campaign against Clinton in 1992</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">There are people across this country whose jaws dropped at the fact that someone would leave a good, comfortable job at Wisconsin and bolt for (and you know the way they said it, like it is actually a hard word to pronounce while continuing normal breathing patterns or without swallowing in an entirely distracting manor)…..Arkansas. Not only did he bolt, he </span><a href="http://arkansasnews.com/blog/robbies-hog-blog/bielemas-letter-long.html"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">started brown-nosing his way into this job</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;"> in September. He wanted to leave. He wanted to leave very badly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">Now we know that our facilities are great. We know that we are surrounded by better talent in bordering states. We know we are in the best division of the best conference in the country. We know we can pay anyone just about anything they want, especially if allegations that we offered Les Miles what we did are accurate. All of this makes Arkansas a great place to be and we should be counting our lucky stars that Bielema saw that side of the story and not the other one, which is just as compelling.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">That other side of the story is that this is a hard place to recruit blue chip out of state talent and a very difficult place to coach in general. The last five head coaches at Arkansas (including John L) have been fired (de facto, at least), some leaving behind levels of fan dissatisfaction that Ron Zook could only dream of. You have to go back to Ken Hatfield to find a non-interim Razorback coach who did not leave the university for eventually failing at his job in one way or another—usually another. Houston Nutt and Bobby Petrino both left Arkansas in as dramatic a fashion as you can get.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">And that has become a reputation to a certain extent—that this is a really hard place to coach. I do not in any way disagree with that statement. I honestly think it might be the hardest job in the country when you take into account how high the expectations are, how hard it is to recruit, and how difficult the strength of schedule will always be.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">And Bret Bielema left a job where he had success, money, and respect to come here. Forgive my girly-ness, but “Gretchen realized it was better to be in The Plastics hating life, than to not be in at all.” Sometimes Mean Girls is just relevant, whether we like it or not. Having an extremely difficult job in the SEC is better than not having a job in the SEC at all. And that is an incredible victory for our conference.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">Please don’t think I am belittling how great of an opportunity coaching at Arkansas is. I think it is a step up for Bielema’s career without a doubt. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But not everyone feels that way. The phrase I kept hearing from the national media is that this is a “lateral move at best.” I call major BS on that for all the reasons I’ve already stated, but I do see where they are coming from.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">I think this hire is great for Bret Bielema, great for the SEC, great for male Arkansas fans (you’ve seen the wife by now, I’m sure), and great for </span><a href="http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/2012/12/11/3756134/id-like-to-thank-me-for-that-job-well-done"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">Barry Alvarez who is paying himself $118,000 to coach in the Rose Bowl</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">. I remain unconvinced that this is a wonderful hire for the Razorback football program.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">I hope I am proven wrong, and fast, but I just have a lot of doubts. I worry about the “beat Saban at his own game” mentality because I just have not seen that work nearly as well as I’ve seen the “beat Saban at the exact opposite of his game” mentality work (Cam Newton, Johnny Football, Tim Tebow). And of course I worry about recruiting, but that’s nothing new. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">On the other hand, I do have that healthy dose of Arkansas hope we’re all born with. </span><span style="font-family: calibri; font-size: large;">I actually think Bielema’s good ole boy personality might resonate pretty well down in these parts. And it's going to be hugely important for him to get the right coordinators, so his focus on that is reassuring. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">Only time will tell, and it bodes well that Bielema has a legitimate amount of institutional and fan support, as good as it gets at Arkansas anyway. I’m not sure </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1zUDlQOXUo"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">I’m quite the Bielver that my fellow Liz (LizHoney, of course)</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;"> is, but I do have hope. Woo pig, yall. Tomorrow is here.</span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16519238172426486055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118671886920670048.post-33728358341830590632012-11-15T11:26:00.000-08:002012-11-15T11:26:34.779-08:00Thanks Expats!Huge thanks to Brent Holloway at Arkansas Expats for publishing this and making me look cooler than I really am.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.arkansasexpats.com/2012/11/15/3647800/conversation-with-our-contest-winner-liz-beadle">http://www.arkansasexpats.com/2012/11/15/3647800/conversation-with-our-contest-winner-liz-beadle</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16519238172426486055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118671886920670048.post-49628825422078272832012-11-07T08:36:00.001-08:002012-11-07T08:36:50.782-08:00Far, Near, and Red All Over<div class="cbody" id="comment_body_125981845">
I don’t think I could ever point to an actual day in which I became a Razorback fan. I have an early memory of a Sunday in the early nineties when we were playing Kentucky in basketball. We got home from Mass and my mom gave my sister and me an assignment: find everything blue in the house and hide it.<br />
<br />
We did. And we were told to answer the phone "Go Hogs" which we still do on game days to this day. If we answer the phone "hello" my mom will hang up and keep calling until we answer it "go hogs." This even still applies to my sister, who is a student at Florida.<br />
<br />
I remember doing a parade around the circle I lived on in Little Rock after we beat Tennessee in football in 1999, giving special attention to the Volunteer fan who lived across the street. I remember despising the one Oklahoma fan in my grade at school. I remember actually waiting on the paper to get there on Monday mornings so I could see the new rankings, no matter how good or bad we were. I was a strange, strange eight year old girl.<br />
<br />
Since my childhood of excessive late-night overtimes and my parents leaving for mysterious weekends in mid-March, being a Razorback fan has become an even more prominent part of my life. I think I realized that this was about more than just my family one night when we were hosting what we had always called a "hog party." Arkansas went to six overtimes with Tennessee that night and I was the only one left inside, glued to the TV as even my dad had abandoned the cause. Then of course there was the time I missed an all-important cotillion to watch the horrendous Arkansas-Georgia SEC championship game in 2002.<br />
<br />
Since then I have lived in Chicago, Washington D.C., and Prague. I spent my freshman year of college at a Jesuit institution in Chicago. One of the first things I did was email the Arkansas Alumni Club in Chicago and got on their e-mail list. I told them I was not a graduate of the school but I was an Arkansan—and that was enough. The few times I was brave enough to use my first fake ID were used to get into bars where the club watched Razorback football that season.<br />
<br />
Going far away has always been what has let me know that coming back home is what matters. After everywhere I’ve been, I will get my bachelors from the U of A in May and I could not be more proud of my school and its athletic department. Arkansans feel differently about their team than almost anyone else. There are no interstate rivalries, to be Arkansan is to know how to call the Hogs—it is a culture all its own.<br />
<br />
I have often said I must have recognized Paul Eells’ voice as well as I recognized my mother’s when I came out of the womb. This was not a plight that I chose. And it is not one that many would have chosen if given the choice, because it’s hard and sometimes it is downright miserable. I was born into it, just like my kids will be. To be a fan of something else would feel foreign and strange. Even my sister the Gator cares more deeply and truly and the Hogs than she ever could about Florida.<br />
<br />
Season like this make me want to turn it off—to just stop caring, to make it all go away. Life is easier when you don’t care. But that’s not an option for Arkansas fans. I’m not sitting here caring about something that is separate from myself. It is within me. It always has been and always will be.<br />
<br />
This past semester, I studied abroad in Prague. In the dorm we lived in, there were about sixty Kansas State students also living there. Although far away in the cold of the Czech Republic, I’m sure no one is too surprised at how many times the words "how bout that Cotton Bowl" came out of my mouth in the course of the semester.<br />
<br />
You can take the girl out of Arkansas, but you can never, ever, ever take the Arkansas out of the girl.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16519238172426486055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118671886920670048.post-23273420482217981852012-10-14T14:03:00.004-07:002012-10-14T14:16:11.433-07:00Reflections from the Press BoxSaturday was my first time to be in the press box during a football game and it was a pretty weird day to be there. The weather delayed play for an hour and six minutes in the first quarter then the game was delayed again, this time permanently, in the third. Oh, and if the day wasn’t weird enough, Randy Jackson of American Idol led a hog call at halftime….<br />
<br />
As lightning struck with 5:11 to go in the third quarter, what was left of the student section started a premature (but timely in hindsight) “hard to be humble”—the first time most of them have gotten to sing it since September 1st. John L. Smith was awarded the game ball by his players and although Kentucky is absolutely horrible, a win like this could not help but create the feeling that this season might turn around from here. <br />
<br />
The lightening delay didn’t upset me at all. I think that was because I was right where I wanted to be, where I had always wanted to be.<br />
<br />
Last season I had the opportunity to help out ESPN down on the field. I walked around with Janine Edwards, the sideline reporter, and helped her identify players and helped her with whatever else she needed. After that game I thought to myself—this felt right, being down there on that field felt so right. <br />
<br />
But I was wrong. The press box is the place for me. Smart people, witty conversation, other games to watch on the TVs, a perfect view of the field, a catered Chartwells spread, and a constant eye on social media—it was heaven. <br />
<br />
When all the other sportswriters groaned and grumbled over the delays, I was happy I got to spend more time with them. I have to say, it was weird to be in the same room with all of these men who I constantly follow on twitter and whose articles I read just about every day. <br />
<br />
I kept smiling at them weirdly—like I somehow got it in my head that since I know who they are, they should know me. They didn’t, needless to say. Probably my least shining moment of the night was throwing a quick “hey what’s up” to Wally Hall as if I’d known him for twenty years. I did eventually work up the courage to introduce myself to some of my favorites, mainly because I just felt so creepy laughing at their tweets when they were sitting literally three chairs down from me. <br />
<br />
One thing about the press box is that you’re not allowed to be a fan in there. And I knew this since I had been in the press box at other sports and it’s pretty well known sportswriter etiquette. But still, it’s a funny rule to me. Because regardless of anything, those forty or fifty men (I say men because I can count the women not working for media relations on one hand) in the press box are some of the biggest fans out there. This is their life, their livelihood and believe me, they love the Hogs, I can see it in their eyes.<br />
<br />
I didn’t have as much trouble with this rule as one might assume. I mean after both Jonathan Williams touchdowns I definitely smiled real big and said “sweet” but they were sweet plays! And that was only the fact of the matter. I danced in my chair a bit to “hey baby” and maybe a few other things—but I was good, I swear!<br />
<br />
I think what is really interesting, is that when you’re a journalist, this game stops being about fun in a certain sense. You’re not there to escape your hectic life for a Saturday—this is your hectic life. You’re not really supposed to tailgate I assume (I did) and everything is just taken much more seriously. I like it that way. For every person who says “it’s just a game” a sports journalist (especially the ones who follow one university or team so specifically like many of these Arkansas guys do) can truly say that that is not the case. It is so much more than a game.<br />
<br />
They say that what you spend your time procrastinating with is what you should be doing with your life. I have a thesis to work on, a GRE to study for, and an LSAT to study for this fall break. I’m writing this. Never have I been surer of what I want to do with my life than I was in that press box last night. <br />
<br />
It was such a strange night—with howling wind and pouring rain and even a cannon going off at the stadium well after play had ceased. It was a perfect example of just how weird things can get. You know, we might win a few more games this season and I might even make a career out of sports journalism because hey, even in the last 24 hours, stranger things have happened.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16519238172426486055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118671886920670048.post-17732739301364213442012-10-07T07:43:00.004-07:002012-10-07T07:49:54.275-07:00Oh How the Mighty Have Fallen“Well this is to y’all kickin our ass,” a man of about 60 dressed in orange and blue said as he bought me a shot in a bar in Auburn, Alabama Saturday afternoon. We didn’t kick their ass, I politely explained to the man who was the epitome of Southern hospitality, we just happen to play a little less bad than the other team on the field. (Plug: go to Auburn; great people.)<br />
<br />
This game two years ago, also in Auburn, was a No. 7 vs. No. 12 matchup with serious BCS implications. This past weekend, it was a battle not only of two of the worst teams in the conference, but two of the worst teams in the country. <br />
<br />
Two years, a mere 730 days, separated the two situations. The same schools, the same programs, and yet a very different ballgame. The oh-how-the-mighty-have-fallen mentality was a common one around Auburn just like it is around Fayetteville. I felt their pain not just empathetically, but actually.<br />
<br />
But let me be the one to tell you in case you’ve forgotten, winning feels great. No matter what’s going on in a program, winning will cure it, at least temporarily. Arkansas football victories have given me endless joy many times in my life, but I have to say this was one of the most meaningful wins I have ever experienced. We just needed it, y’all. We needed it worse than we have in my 21 years of life. <br />
<br />
Our seats were right above the band in the tiny corner of Jordan Hare Stadium reserved for those of us just passing through. And as time expired, we all moved down lower towards the sideline and the team gathered close to the couple hundred, maybe a thousand of us (I’m very bad at guessing numbers like that) who had made the trip. I stood there, surrounded by my family and friends, and never in my memory had “Hard to be Humble” had quite the meaning for me that it did that day.<br />
<br />
Because the thing is, it’s easy to be humble. We know that. Auburn fans know that. But as bad as things get, a win can lift our hearts like nothing else can. And it did. I was moved by our fans and our team. I felt more like a truly crucial part of the program than I ever had. I had been to away games, away games we had won, but it had never felt like this: like the sun was finally peeking through and we could all see it. <br />
<br />
It was a day that reminded me how close we are to greatness or to failure at any given point. It hasn’t been two years since Arkansas and Auburn were the two teams representing the SEC in the Bowl Championship Series. Less than two years ago—and now it’s this. Oh how the mighty have fallen. But it’s positive too, because it means we can be just that close to turning it back around.<br />
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Saturday was not only a wonderful day because of the Razorbacks. My sister is a student at Florida and although I am by no means a Florida fan, one thing I always am is an LSU hater. And, yes, of course I was Gator-chomping in the bars of Auburn while dressed in Arkansas clothes. It’s the SEC and that, my friends, is what it’s all about.<br />
<br />
Saturday was a beautiful reminder of the possibilities that lie ahead of us, not just this season, but for our program in general. I have long adhered to the school of thought that says there are “elite programs” in college football—programs that are always good—and I have now realized that that is simply not true. <br />
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Now you wouldn’t know it if you asked an Alabama fan, but believe it or not there were Alabama coaches in between Bear Bryant and Nick Saban. And I remember Arkansas beating them consistently when I was young. Same goes for LSU and Georgia (both of whom proved how imperfect they are this weekend) and everyone else. You win some, you lose some—and although that applies to everyone, it’s an easy truth to forget.<br />
<br />
The last game I watched Saturday was the Florida State-NC State game. As unranked NC State scored a game-winning touchdown with 19 seconds left against the No. 3 team in the country, it was confirmed again: the possibilities are endless. Yet another mighty had fallen. The mighty fall, but the real mighty ones always come back. We’ll be back; Auburn will be back. And if history is any indication of the future, it’ll be sooner than later.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16519238172426486055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118671886920670048.post-30969427813503260332012-09-24T17:38:00.001-07:002012-09-24T17:58:06.504-07:00Ignore the Dead Horse, Focus on the Hogs<br />
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As I sat up somewhere around the ozone layer in the overflow
student section Saturday night, there was a moment, if ever so brief, in which
the goosebumps on my limbs stopped reflecting the windy weather and started
reflecting something else entirely. </div>
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<o:p> </o:p>I felt it—that magic that makes college football what it is.
That not knowing who is going to win. That feeling when the crowd affects the
game. Those false starts and offsides calls. The feeling when the ball is
snapped and anything can happen. Everyone stops thinking about where they’re
going next and when they’re leaving and stops complaining about the person next
to them and stands captivated, mesmerized by the thing in front of them. </div>
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<o:p> </o:p>We still had the power to do that. We were on the way to our
third loss of the season, and yet we could still stop the world on its axis for
just a moment. I don’t mean that the players could do that, and surely the
coaches could not. We had that power—the fans. </div>
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<o:p> </o:p>Anyone who tells you that winning is not the most important
thing in the world, clearly does not understand the concept of sport. Winning
is the point and not winning makes these moments I am describing few and far
between. Normally, these moments would be plentiful on a beautiful game day in
Fayetteville, Arkansas, but this one was isolated in a sea of average. </div>
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<o:p> </o:p>Average is in no way acceptable. Average is for schools in
Mississippi. But I, like many across this state, am just sick of hearing all
the complaining. It’s hard I know, because there is not a lot to say when
things aren’t going well—all you want to do is complain but that has never done
anything for anybody. </div>
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<o:p> </o:p>So here’s what we’re going to do: we’re going to be good fans
in a bad situation. And don’t take “good” to mean “rah-rah supportive;” that is
not what it always means. My point is that fans still have power. So here’s the
game plan, and unlike the Hogs, let’s execute it:</div>
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<o:p> </o:p>The University of Arkansas is in the middle (and I say
middle because it is not in the beginning and it is not in the end) of a search
for a head football coach. Pete Roussel, the recognized authority on college
coaching changes, wrote earlier this week that coaches “notice the tendency of
a fan base: do they want to stick together and make the best of the situation
and look forward to the future, or would they rather just beat a dead horse.” </div>
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<o:p> </o:p>And beating a dead horse is exactly what a lot of Arkansas
fans have been doing lately. John L. Smith will not be employed at this
university when his ten month contract is over. And he will be employed at this
university until then. I agree that his dealings with the media have been
erratic and confusing at best but who cares. He will be here this season and
not next season and that is a fact so it really just does not matter that much
what he says or what you think should happen to him—his fate is already
decided.</div>
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So our energy should be focused forward. It seriously broke
my heart to see a tweet from Brandon Mitchell over the weekend that read “What
are y'all talking about next year already for? We still got 8 more games to get
this thing right.” I think his optimism is cute, I really do, and the thing is
we can create a win-win situation here. </div>
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By cheering on the 2012 Arkansas Razorbacks in a supportive,
all-weather fashion we are helping the 2013 and 2014 and 2015 Razorbacks.
Recruits notice booing in the stands, and potential coaches notice it even
more. Fan behavior is by no means the most important thing a recruit or coach
looks at when choosing a school or job, but it is a factor—and unlike all other
factors, it is one fans can control.</div>
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Attacking John L. Smith is the epitome of pointless. All we
can do is support this program and its future. Please do not misunderstand
me—this is not a “you better be in those stands with a smile on your face no
matter what” kind of column. The administration of this school needs to know
that mediocrity will not be tolerated and potential coaches need to know that
expectations are high, but people who could potentially be cogs in the future
of this program also need to be aware that Arkansas is a grand ole place to be.
</div>
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It is, you know. And we have to keep a sensible, focused,
supportive, and serious attitude as a fan base so that those we are trying to draw
in can see clearly why this place is so grand and why we feel the passion we
do. It’s still in our power to create those magic moments, so that sooner than
later those moments start lasting from late August to early January year after
year after year.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16519238172426486055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118671886920670048.post-65182746846708704182012-09-18T21:27:00.001-07:002012-09-19T08:16:08.398-07:00The Hogs Will Rise Again At the advent of college football, the south wasn’t doing a whole lot of winning. Not when it came to football games, not when it came to national championships, and not when it came to much else either. The first official national champion was recorded in 1869 — at the height of Reconstruction when this was the most unpopular area of the country, not to mention the poorest and most backward. It wasn’t until LSU in 1908 that a team south of the Mason-Dixon line won a national championship in college football. <br />
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My point is that these days we often think of the South -- especially when it comes to football -- as a culture based exclusively upon winning. But in reality, this culture has just as much, if not more, to do with losing than it does winning.We are a culture of fighting back, a culture of rising again, a culture of defying the odds, a culture of responding to adversity, and ultimately a culture of being on the absolute wrong side of some crucial battles in this country. To be southern, it has just become imperative to have a little bit of a chip on one’s shoulder.<br />
<br />
As Arkansas fans at this particular moment in time, we know all too well that losing is a part of life. It sounds cliché, but life truly is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it. Some very bad things have happened to us since that ill-fated April Fools Day when Bobby Petrino had a little too much fun with a motorcycle and a mistress.<br />
<br />
But in the long run, it’s our reactions that matter. I’ll tell you one person whose reaction I could not have been more proud of these past few days: Tyler Wilson. He seems to be the only leader within our program stepping up and expressing what we all want to -- that this is not okay.We Arkansas fans are proud people. And I won’t speak for all of you, but my ego is badly bruised right now. As Tyler said in the press conference Monday, “I’m an Arkansas kid; I know how much it means.” We are all proud of this school and this football team, and you know what? I, for one, am mad. I’m really mad. It was good to see Tyler get mad. His statement after the game Saturday could not have been more accurate -- simply put, “it sucks.”<br />
<br />
It could easily be argued that this is the lowest point in Razorback football history. Since 2008, the Hogs have been out-scored 198-55 by Alabama. This Alabama win was the biggest shutout win for the Tide since 1948. Arkansas has been outscored 89-10 since losing Tyler Wilson to an injury “above the shoulders.”This was the first shutout in Fayetteville since 1966. We are currently ranked 86th in total offense, 93rd in total defense, 106th in rushing offense, 112th in time of possession, and 119th in turnover margin (there are 120 NCAA Division I football teams). In the words of John L. Smith in his postgame press conference on Saturday, “that’s about as bad as I can remember as a football team.” And don’t even get me started on how much this whole debacle is costing.<br />
<br />
But now it’s time for the rest of us to react. Athletic director, coach, player, and fan — we all have to react positively, strongly and promptly. We have to display the fight and the resilience that has kept southerners going since Gettysburg and the burning of Atlanta.There are nine games left in this season and we control our destiny in every single one of them. We have to prove that down is not out if we want what was supposed to be our dream season to be anything short of a complete and total nightmare. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16519238172426486055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118671886920670048.post-67208993807531638722012-09-09T15:29:00.001-07:002012-09-09T15:38:06.392-07:00The Day After TomorrowRick Bragg, an Alabama native, Harvard grad, and writer for <em>Southern Living</em> magazine, says that down here we think that “God himself favors our football teams.” Now I have never believed that, being an Arkansas fan and all. I’ve never thought that for a day in my life. I’ve lived through Alex Tejada, I watched the 2009 LSU game (if there’s anyone God truly favors, it’s those lucky bastards), I remember the 2011 Sugar Bowl with clarity I have long tried to erase. But the thing is, what happened last night had nothing to do with God or luck or anything else. There was nothing mystical about that loss. We got beat. We got beat bad, in every single facet of the game. <br />
<br />
The word I am using is heartache. After every loss in the last two years, there has been solace in the fact that the show must go on, that we are still a good football team. There is no such sentiment across this beautiful state today. As Florida professor Mike Foley says of losing in the SEC, “it is absolutely spiritual; there is no tomorrow.” <br />
<br />
We had 21 first downs to their 30. We had 377 total yards to their 550. We converted 3 of 11 third downs; they converted 6 of 7 fourth downs. We are currently ranked 86th in total defense, allowing an average of 436 yards per game (against Louisiana Monroe and Jacksonville State). There is more of a mystery as to how we won last week than how we lost this week.<br />
<br />
My dad told me today, “Liz, I used to get like this, but after you’ve been an Arkansas fan for 51 years, you start to deal with it. It gets easier.” And I used to know that truth. But then things started to change around here. The losses were fewer, the coaches were better, the facilities were fancier, the talent was there, and the biggest change of all was in our expectations. The idea of losing became unthinkable—a dark horror that did not seem a real possibility almost every time we played. We were on our way to becoming an elite program. That’s what we lost last night. The true fatality of the Nightmare on Markham is our attitudes, our expectations. I won’t say our hopes and dreams are gone because they probably aren’t, but raise your hand if you <em>expect</em> to win next week.<br />
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There have been others besides my father who have already expressed the “get the hell over it” sentiment to me today. Another thing Bragg writes (in this article, read it if you haven’t: <a href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8240383/rick-bragg-explains-history-traditions-south-obsession-football-espn-magazine">http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8240383/rick-bragg-explains-history-traditions-south-obsession-football-espn-magazine</a>) is that his self-worth has never been tied to this game. The difference between he and I is that mine is. Right or wrong (probably wrong) as that is, it’s the cold hard fact and it will not be changing anytime soon. The Arkansas Razorbacks did not lose last night. We lost. I lost. You lost.<br />
<br />
The worst cuss word that you could call me today is fair-weathered.I am all weather, believe me. This is my team. This is my family. And your family is just a pack of humans you care about. Humans fail and disappoint and break hearts--always have, always will. You don't just run away. Most of us <em>can't</em> just run away.<br />
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And the thing is, in the end Foley is wrong. There is a tomorrow. It’s just not, well, tomorrow—or the next day or the day after that. Hell, to be honest about it, tomorrow might be two or three years from now. I’ll be moping about this indefinitely but you bet your ass I’ll cheer just as hard as I would have had this tragedy been avoided come Saturday at 2:30 (although I think I might stay home and watch CBS—just because my anger has actually frightened people in the stands next to me for two weeks running now). This hurts and there is no way around that, but somewhere down the road there is a tomorrow. And I’ll be waiting for it. Until that day comes you can find me with a Hog on my cheek and love in my heart. Tomorrow—what a glorious gift.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16519238172426486055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118671886920670048.post-239501659174495822012-09-05T09:36:00.001-07:002012-09-05T09:36:18.059-07:00From Little Rock with Love<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p>I remember it like it was yesterday. I was in the sixth grade and there were 17 seconds on the clock. Matt Jones threw a perfect ball to the back corner of War Memorial stadium right through the hands of the LSU secondary and into the hands of DeCori Birmingham.</div>
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It was not my first memory of a Little Rock game, but to this day, it is my most cherished. Of course, I’m talking about the original Miracle on Markham in which Arkansas defeated LSU to win the SEC West in 2002. </div>
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Now I was a 12 year old girl and I was sitting on at the top (the very top) of the opposite end zone from the one that pass was thrown into. I remember not being able to really see what happened but just hearing the crowd and knowing in my heart that we had won. My dad looked down at me and was more elated than I had ever seen him in my entire life. I looked back at him with something resembling agreement as sincere tears of joy just started streaming down my face. Yeah, I wasn’t normal—think little girl from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Remember the Titans</i>. </div>
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If you watch the replay of this (which I recommend by the way), after that touchdown, the camera immediately pans over to a sign that reads “Can’t Beat Hogs in the Rock.” At that point, that was pretty darn near true. Since then, Arkansas has lost a few games down in the Rock but nonetheless there is an undeniable magic about that tiny little stadium. It only holds a mere 53,955 people but it gets as loud as anywhere in the SEC. </div>
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As many Little Rock kids will tell you, we fell in love with the Razorbacks at War Memorial. It was our home town, a normal city on most days, transformed just a few times a year into a wonderland of college football. It felt like the circus was in town—a wonderful circus where our parents and teachers were just people in red who wanted to have fun. Where the cars all had magnets and flags and no one sat at home in their living rooms. </div>
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I had my first beer on that golf course, and if you’re from Little Rock, I bet you did too. The tailgating down there is one thing that everyone—from Little Rock native to foreign exchange student—can appreciate. It’s centralized, it’s accessible, and it surely rivals any tailgating I’ve seen across this great conference. I swear at least double the amount of people who can fit in War Memorial hit the golf course every time for some, well, pre-gamming. </div>
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But for me the true magic of a Little Rock game is only experienced once you make it inside (well if you make it inside, I guess I should say). There is no huge jumbotron; there is nothing but football and the people who love it.</div>
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It is extremely unique to have two home fields in two cities three hours away from each other. It makes the point that this is THE flagship institution in this state and that that is not going to change anytime soon. If that makes you angry, Howl at me, please.</div>
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Around here, we don’t have big time professional sports or interstate rivalries. In this state, if you’re talking about sports—you’re talking about the Hogs. </div>
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For example, a sportscaster from a Little Rock news station once told me that they rank the level of importance for sports stories as follows (1) the Razorbacks (2) past Razorbacks in professional sports (3) high school sports (4) other Arkansas colleges. </div>
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It’s that simple: one state, one school, one team. And being given the unique ability to watch our team not only on our campus but in our state’s capital is not something that should ever be taken for granted. There’s been talk of ending Little Rock games before, and believe me, there will be talk of it again—especially when the contract that requires two Little Rock games a year is up in 2016.</div>
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I fell in love with college football at War Memorial Stadium and I’ve seen the atmosphere of that historic little place capture the hearts of many since then. So celebrate Arkansas, celebrate the Hogs, and go have yourself a good time down in my home town.</div>
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Oh and one last thing. You do know who the coach was for LSU during that 2002 game, don’t you? Nick Saban. See you in ten days, old friend.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16519238172426486055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118671886920670048.post-14398075086418656302012-08-30T14:33:00.000-07:002012-08-30T12:35:32.143-07:002012 Pre-Season Poem<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Well here we are again: Hog fans one and all<o:p></o:p></div>
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And we’ve learned quite well that anything can happen in the fall<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s been an offseason of pain and sometimes even grief<o:p></o:p></div>
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But the game we all love will soon bring us some relief<o:p></o:p></div>
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September’s coming fast and you know what that means<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s time for a gameday—and please god don’t wear jeans<o:p></o:p></div>
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We’ll take a look at teams from sea to shining sea<o:p></o:p></div>
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And ultimately decipher who our next champion might be<o:p></o:p></div>
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Down here in god’s country we’re hoping to repeat<o:p></o:p></div>
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Seven in a row would be an unprecedented feat<o:p></o:p></div>
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The talent in Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge, and Athens<o:p></o:p></div>
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Is making us all anxious to see what actually happens<o:p></o:p></div>
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It seems to be true that the Honey Badger don’t care<o:p></o:p></div>
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But I fear that of LSU we should definitely still beware<o:p></o:p></div>
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Murray and the Bulldogs think they might really be the best<o:p></o:p></div>
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Too bad they don’t play anyone decent from the west<o:p></o:p></div>
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Spurrier’s running his mouth more than he has in years<o:p></o:p></div>
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But we always leave the Gamecoks broken and in tears<o:p></o:p></div>
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September 15th is coming soon, so start pitching tents<o:p></o:p></div>
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Hopefully it will end better than 2010’s events<o:p></o:p></div>
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Alabama always scares me, I really can’t lie<o:p></o:p></div>
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And it’s not just because of Saban’s evil look in his eye<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now there are other conferences, I’ve heard, although I sometimes doubt<o:p></o:p></div>
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There is really any reason they need be talked about<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Big XII (or maybe X) is still looking strong<o:p></o:p></div>
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As long as Bob Stoops is around, they won’t go too wrong<o:p></o:p></div>
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A comeback’s a’brewin’ for the Trojans of the west<o:p></o:p></div>
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It might be mid-January before they’re finally put to the test<o:p></o:p></div>
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Michigan gets an early chance to really make a statement<o:p></o:p></div>
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But my prediction is that Bama’s will be much more blatant</div>
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Notre Dame and Navy start the season in a land of beer, not snakes<o:p></o:p></div>
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We’ll wait and see if the Irish make their usual mistakes<o:p></o:p></div>
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We could start referring to Florida State as Linebacker U<o:p></o:p></div>
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But I’m not convinced this is the year their hype will finally be true<o:p></o:p></div>
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Oregon’s another team that threatens from the far coast<o:p></o:p></div>
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But now let’s bring it back to what really matters most<o:p></o:p></div>
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We’ve been patiently waiting for this weekend to come<o:p></o:p></div>
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Since we started walking out of Cowboy Stadium<o:p></o:p></div>
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I guess our hardest games we get to play in Fay<o:p></o:p></div>
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But the road in the SEC is never an easy day<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s the best time of the year to be a student on the hill<o:p></o:p></div>
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I promise you those Hogs will give us all a thrill<o:p></o:p></div>
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Think of all the things that all the other seasons lack<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s the only time of year we get to watch Corso choose a hat<o:p></o:p></div>
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Lately out of Arkansas we’ve seen more good news than bad<o:p></o:p></div>
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Hopefully that phenomenon is not just a passing fad<o:p></o:p></div>
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Knile’s 100 percent so as long as he doesn’t fumble,<o:p></o:p></div>
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He’ll give us one good reason that it’s hard to be humble<o:p></o:p></div>
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Tyler’s quite possibly one of the best QB’s in all the land<o:p></o:p></div>
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As long as our O-line gives him enough time to stand<o:p></o:p></div>
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We’re all counting down the hours, minutes, and seconds<o:p></o:p></div>
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Even though for most of you by halftime, Dickson Street beckons<o:p></o:p></div>
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Down here football is life and we’d have it no other way<o:p></o:p></div>
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We’ve believed that from our birth and we’ll believe it our dying day<o:p></o:p></div>
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It makes us happy and sad and sometimes even crazy<o:p></o:p></div>
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(Well for those of you whose Saturdays aren’t always kind of hazy)<o:p></o:p></div>
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This season will be hard and our boys will have to fight<o:p></o:p></div>
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But at the very least we know we’ll carry on with all our might.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16519238172426486055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118671886920670048.post-59898740922844707272012-08-24T16:30:00.000-07:002012-08-30T12:30:38.149-07:00Get Ready<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s Friday around 4:30 in the afternoon and I am a senior at an SEC school. It’s the second most frustrating weekend of the year down here. The air has gotten a little cooler, the babies know if they are baby angles or baby owls or baby pandas, the add/drop period has ended, the summer crowd at the bars has returned to fighting for parking and pushing to get up to the bar, practices are closed, parents are gone, traffic is horrible, and there is still no football. It’s a sick joke.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s like a party where the guest of honor didn’t show. Everything is ready. We’re all set. And tomorrow when we wake up, we’ll see the guys around a GameDay table for a preview show—just to toy with our fragile emotions a little further.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are only so many times one can endure the same “so how you think them Hogs are gonna do this year” conversation. I’ve started just telling people that the over under is 8.5 and Vegas is normally pretty darn close. They don’t want to hear that, I’ve learned. If one more person asks me what LSU will do without the Honey Badger (be fine) or what we will do without Bobby Petrino (be fine), I’m going to just move somewhere where something trivial like major league baseball matters (that’s a joke—try and make me leave, just try).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The point is, I hate offseasons. You talk about too many things that don’t matter. It is such a hurry up and wait kinda deal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In my favorite movie, Remember the Titans, Coach Boone looks out over the field and he says, “this, this is my sanctuary, all this hatred and turmoil swirling around us, but this, this is always right—struggle, survival, victory, and defeat. It’s just a game doc, but I love it.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now I don’t know about hatred, but January to September this year has seen more than its fair share of turmoil—from Happy Valley to Harley Davidsons. And I know for us Arkansas fans I don’t have to say that twice. I was out of the country all of this past spring. I remember spending an entire bus ride from Madrid to Seville crying over the scandal unfolding in Fayetteville. No one understood. Y’all, I thought yankees didn’t get it, but let me tell you who really doesn’t get it: Europeans. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I for one am beyond ready to see play-calling instead of name-calling, firing out of the shotgun instead of firing out of head coaching jobs, 4<sup>th</sup> downs instead of breakdowns, and inspirations instead of investigations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s a hard time to be a college football fan, but in one short week it will be easier. We get to be distracted from the scandals of college football by, well, college football.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And thank god for that. Breathe easy my friends, we have stuck with our dear friend college football through some dark days. But the good outweighs the bad when it comes to sport, it always has. It’s definitely not fair that we have to suffer through this weekend, but this is the last one. So in the words of the back-up quarterback for the New England Patriots, “get ready.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you remember, I said this is the second most frustrating weekend of the year. The first? Bye week. It’s just a game doc, but I love it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16519238172426486055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118671886920670048.post-59710492040383429432012-08-06T09:08:00.000-07:002012-08-30T14:56:15.095-07:00In Order to Form a More Perfect Conference<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Conference realignment is something we as college football fans have been talking about for over two years now. And it is something that finally became reality for SEC fans a little over a month ago. Blame this wave of change on Colorado or Nebraska or whichever scapegoat you prefer, but all of this was a long time coming. It is natural for institutions of any size, upon experiencing success, to grow. Anyone who deals with sports business (an area which I find fascinating but in which I claim no personal expertise) will tell you candidly that there is little to no argument against conference expansion. And yet any run-of-the-mill SEC fan will tell you basically that we’re cool, they’re not, and we don’t want them in the club. You can’t blame us for being superior, can you? You can’t blame the cool kids for not wanting to hang out with those desperate wannabes, right? I am not going to waste paper telling you how wonderful and perfect and all-time-best-ever-incredible the SEC is—you know all that. And it is natural that when you are a part of something great, you are afraid to see it change, even if that change is ultimately beneficial.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After much reflection, I, for one, eventually decided to take the high road. After all, who were the last two new kids on the block in the SEC? Arkansas and South Carolina. I have spent the last year being the pot calling the kettle underwhelming. The truth is that both of the new additions to our conference have highly respectable athletic programs with storied histories. The truth is that opening up the reach of the SEC to cities like Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Kansas City, and St. Louis benefits everyone. More eyes on CBS at 2:30 on Saturday afternoons equals more money, and hopefully some of those eyes belong to high school football prodigies who had previously assumed they were bound for the sinking ship that is the Big __ (insert ever-plummeting number that was once XII here). Also, it is sometimes easy in the SEC to forget that a conference is about more than just football. It is about every sport, every student, and ultimately it is about each school as a whole. Plus hey, we could use a legitimate basketball contender like Missouri around here.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There has been some concern raised throughout the last year over whether Missouri and TAMU truly fit in culturally to the SEC. I have several problems with this concern. Firstly, anyone can adapt to the culture of the SEC and who on earth wouldn’t want to…it’s a non-issue. Secondly, these are schools where sports rule all—just like round these parts. Fans of these schools are seriously passionate and it is a big mistake to doubt that. Now I’m not sure if anyone is poisoning trees in Colombia or College Station, but Texas A&M has the concept of the 12<sup>th</sup> Man copyrighted for crying out loud! I questioned if these schools were the right choices for our inevitable expansion for a long time, but I honestly think that they will fit in a lot better than it may seem.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Missouri and Texas A&M have been a part of this conference for 37 days now and will be so for a very long time. Their first true chance to prove themselves worthy of sitting with the popular kids in the cafeteria comes this football season. Texas A&M plays Florida in College Station on September 8 and Missouri plays Georgia in Colombia the same day. The last truth I have to offer is that in all probability (at least in football) they will each experience a pledgeship more trying than any fraternity could dream of doling out. But SEC pledges they are, so start loving them that way—as little brothers, aspiring elitists, youngsters only beginning to scoff at the rest of the country with the vigor and passion of a true SEC fan. They’ll learn fast; we sure did.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16519238172426486055noreply@blogger.com0