My Congratulations To Chuck Barrett!!

As hoped, it looks for sure that Chuck Barrett will be adding football play-by-play to his baseball announcing duties with the University along with the ARN sports reports in the mornings.  This will allow Scott Inman to be available to take Mike Nail's spot when he decides to hang it up.  It would seem that everything has worked out for the best. But you are going to hear some wailing and gnashing of teeth with claims such as "I'll just listen to the other team's radio" or "This is only being done to slap us in the face."  The folks making this kinds of comments will be easy to identify.  Same crowd that wanted to donate to a statewide newspaper ad and participate in the 2 dozen man march.  Same type who think FOIs and lawsuits are how "real fans" are supposed to support the program they claim to love.  You'll also find that the overwhelming majority of these have something in common - a history of either posting on, reading or moderating the Hogville message board.  

I was watching a replay of the 2002 Alabama game in the rain.  I think a great deal of those who read the daily  - sometimes hourly - messages from Hogville or some of it's many spawns would be quite surprised to find out Houston Nutt has ever had any offense besides right tackle, left tackle, smoke draw and punt.  For 2 years this clan has incestuously huddled together and repeated their mantra so often that they believe it, and have convinced many others that it is so.  But watching film from other years just proves it is not so.  Three and 4 receiver sets, pass after pass...
Do I think that we have needed to get our passing attack to at-least-adequate for some time?  Yes.
Did I think the Vanderbilt loss was essentially the long-needed end of Houston Nutt serving as his own Offensive Coordinator?  Yes.
Was I unhappy about 2 losing seasons?  Yes.  But last year was just the first of what I plan to be one of my rewards for sticking with it then.
The problem is - these folks worked themselves into a pitchforks and torches frenzy where they stated that they wanted Houston Nutt gone at any cost.  And that agenda still rings today with every action and reaction.  Now, after endless hopeful predictions of the demise of our head coach, rumors upon rumors of buyouts, a half page ad, black T-shirts, a weak protest, FOI requests, lawsuits and polls - the very people instigating and supporting such action now try to say "Let's put all this behind us".  Hey, twit, you clowns are the ones who wanted it in front of us.  Giggled with glee about it getting to the national media.  Only - the reaction around the country was to scratch their heads and wonder what was wrong with the fans in Arkansas.

We have a Heisman trophy candidate in Darren McFadden, a big-time receiver in Marcus Monk and an All-American defensive candidate in Jonathan Luigs - each of who has stated their support for their coach and asked their fans to unite behind all of them.  Along with Felix Jones, Peyton Hillis and on and on playing a favorable yet still dangerous SEC schedule, the season should be anticipated anxiously and with great hope.  But you can tell quickly who don't want to see promise or actually hope against it.  They'll be the ones reading conspiracy and doom into Chuck Barrett just moving up a chair in the booth he's been working in for years.  Hey, I'm 'Hognoxious' at the baseball games - I know a little something about being a jerk. And I'll tell those folks the same thing I've heard a time or 2 - "SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!!"  

New AD for the U of A

For many years, I have thought - if and when the time ever came to replace Frank Broyles - that the only three candidates should be Terry Don Phillips, TDP and TDP.  He played under Frank Broyles from 1966-1969 and was his graduate assistant from '70-71. His undergraduate and law degrees are from Arkansas, and he's a member of the Arkansas Bar Association. His brother Lloyd is both a state and university Hall Of Famer.  He left here to be AD at Oklahoma State, and did a great job there.  Most thought he was biding his time until he came back home (I know, he's a Texan by birth, but considering that history - Arkansas is home. His hometown of Longview, Texas, isn't very far)

While there's not much buzz here about what's going on, my friends at Clemson are quite up in arms about the situation.  As father time marched on and he never got the call from the Razorbacks, he took the Clemson AD position in 2002 in what seemed to be a marriage made in heaven.  He has built facilities, hired good coaches and handled controversy - and the folks in South Carolina want and intend to keep him.  When questioned last Tuesday, his response twice was, "I don't have to cross that bridge yet."   Not exactly the dismissive attitude Tiger fans were hoping for.

Some folks here want a guy with no previous ties to get the job here at the UofA.  That's silly.  Not as ridiculous as the notion that Terry Don Phillips would be just a puppet for Frank Broyles, but silly nonetheless.  This man has been a successful athletic director at 2 BCS schools,  and would do the job as HE sees fit.  His many previous ties to the UofA would smooth the transition greatly, and a man with his experience will be able to handle the job independently.

I think there is no better choice.  I hope to hear more weeping and gnashing of teeth from Clemson.  I like Terry Don Phillips statement "I've got strong allegiances, but that doesn't mean it overrides everything." and sincerely hope he can find his way home.