Hog Hell

It seemed like an incredibly fitting end to the Arkansas Razorbacks’ season. The team looked in control for much of their contest against the number 17 ranked LSU Tigers on Friday (Nov. 29) only to have their seemingly first conference win of the season, in their final game of the season, blown by an easy 49-yard pass by freshman backup quarterback Anthony Jennings, who had just entered the game for injured starter Zach Mettenberger to a laughably wide open receiver Travin Dural. Then with a final opportunity to retake the lead and win the game Razorbacks sophomore quarterback Brandon Allen fumbled away their chances. He must really like cleaning egg off of his pickup truck.

After two seasons in Hog Hell, you would think that Razorbacks fans would be getting pretty accustomed to watching losing teams, but they still seem to be dumbfounded by the team’s struggles and enveloped in a combination of anger, sadness and obnoxious delusion (which I’ve found is not uncommon for Hogs fans whether their favorite team is 10-2 or 2-10).

Maybe it’s just because I’ve lived in the state of Arkansas for the majority of my life, and maybe similar things occur everywhere (although from what I’ve read and seen, it doesn’t appear to be as bad elsewhere) but it often appears as if the majority of the Razorbacks fanbase has an unhealthy relationship with their favorite college football team and almost always have unrealistic expectations and incredibly homer-ish (the inability to be objective about one’s favorite sports team) attitudes toward the Razorbacks.

Razorbacks fans thought that last season’s 4-8 (2-6 in SEC play) team under interim head coach John L. Smith, who took over following the controversial (even though it shouldn’t have been and only was in the state of Arkansas) firing of Bobby Petrino, was the real year in Hog Hell. Many thought that the hiring of Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema would automatically transform the Razorbacks back into a winning football teams with aspirations of a good bowl game or at least any bowl game.

These aspirations are typical bits of the sort of delusions of grandeur that Razorbacks fans spout off each season. Certainly a team coming off one of its worst seasons in school history under a new coach, new system and many new players would not be successful enough to make a bowl appearance in a rebuilding year. That never happens (unless you’re apparently coached by Gus Malzahn). But, many Razorbacks fans just knew it would.

What happened instead was an even worse year in Hog Hell than the previous season as Bielema lead the Razorbacks to a 3-9 record and the school’s first ever winless SEC slate in his first season at the helm. The team won its first three games of the season over cupcake schools like Louisiana-Lafayette, Samford and Southern Mississippi (and wasn’t that impressive looking much of the time) only to lose their remaining nine games of the season consecutively by being outscored by a whopping 172 points in the process.    

Now these numbers shouldn’t be all that alarming for fans in what is a rebuilding season, but fans either didn’t expect the team to have the usual hiccups of a rebuilding season or they simply didn’t understand what rebuilding seasons are. One year is much too little of a sample size, but there’s honestly no telling how Bielema will do in the long run as head football coach at the University of Arkansas. Yet, many in the fanbase already want his head on a stick or to be run out of town. And, many who expect the Razorbacks to win constantly and act as if they have never seen their favorite team utterly suck before (have they already forgotten the previous season?) feel like they have the right to egg the pickup truck of “their” team’s quarterback.

This is where we run into some of the biggest problems and delusions that are a part of much of the Razorbacks’ fanbase.

Razorbacks fans have this way of acting like their favorite team is a national powerhouse that is supposed to win every game they play no matter the opponent. They believe the team is supposed to be treated like they are on the same stage as Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, etc. However, the team is simply not a national powerhouse and rarely, if ever, has been. In the era of the BCS rankings they have never been ranked as the best team in the country or the second best even for a week. In the team’s 100-plus year history it has won one national championship, almost a half century ago in 1964, a decent 13 conference titles, but none in their 20-plus year history in the SEC and has only produced a relatively miniscule two Pro Football Hall of Famers. Yet, the fans act like the team is one of God’s gifts to college football.

Why?

This gets us to another major problem with much of the fanbase, or so I’ve been told. Multiple people have told me before that the Razorbacks have such a crazy fanbase because it’s the only major sports team in a state without any professional sports teams and really other big college teams. The “only team in the state” theory somewhat makes sense, but doesn’t mean the fanbase has the right to shut their brains off when it comes to their favorite team. Part of the reason Hogs fans are often so delusional is just a part of dealing with sports fans, who are often the least objective and reasonable people on the planet, but, once again, it would seem that the Razorbacks’ fanbase is worse than most. Razorbacks fans often act like they own some stake in their favorite team; like they are a part of their favorite team. This is why when things don’t go well with the team they feel they have the right to do things like egg the QB’s truck. It’s also why they feel they have the right to call analysts and experts like Tim Brando and Kirk Herbstreit names and mercilessly bully them on social media sites like Twitter simply for giving their opinions on the Razorbacks or for predicting them to lose a football game. Many Razorbacks fans take it personally when somebody says something about their favorite team, as if it’s a part of them. They truly feel offended if somebody was to pick an opponent to win a game over the Razorbacks or if somebody says something even the slightest bit negative about their favorite team.  Many will absolutely hate every single thing I’ve written here.  

This is the type of delusion that leads to years in Hog Hell like the last two. People believe that because it’s the Arkansas Razorbacks they are supposed to always play well, win games, never have losing seasons, never be talked negatively about and compete for national championships (even though they’ve hardly ever done this last thing). When the team ends up with one of its worst seasons in the history of the school like this season people freak out, even though years like this should be expected and in rebuilding years, especially. Being a fan of a sports team is a great thing and a fan’s loyalty to that team is sacred. However, sports fans should desperately attempt to be a little more reasonable about their favorite teams and Arkansas Razorbacks fans seem to be one of the fanbases in this country most in need of this lesson.  

Five Dumbest Tweets from Arkansas Razorbacks Fans Today

This is going to be wildly unpopular, but I’m going to do it anyway.

I have perused through mass amounts of Arkansas Razorbacks fan tweets today regarding the Razorbacks opening week 34-14 win over Louisiana-Lafayette and have chosen the five dumbest tweets (plus, one honorable mention and two tweets that I liked). Now, there have probably been over one million tweets today regarding the Arkansas Razorbacks. I obviously can’t read every single one of them – most of them aren’t interesting anyway - so the chances that I’ve actually found the five dumbest tweets are pretty slim, but this is certainly a good sampling.

5. This was one of the BEST Saturdays I've had in a while! The hogs won, I got to eat wings, I got new undies and yoga pants from VS(: (@BbyGrl1024)

My Thoughts: This one’s pretty self-explanatory. A classic example of too much information. Also, doesn’t sound like it takes a whole lot to thrill @BbyGrl1024.

4. ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS SPANKED SOME LOUISIANA A** (@Iam4tography)

My Thoughts: A 20-point win does not qualify for “spanked some ass” territory. You have to win by at least four touchdowns to be in the “spanked some ass” league. Plus, a SEC team (even one that’s predicted to be toward the bottom of the conference) should beat Louisiana-Lafayette by more than 20 points. This wasn’t one of the easier “cupcake” matchups this week, by any means, but it’s still in “cupcake” territory.    

3. Brandon Mitchell broke his foot. Shouldn't have transferred from the hogs (@codyadcock22_)

My Thoughts: Yes, because football players don’t fracture their feet in Fayetteville. Foot fractures in the NCAA only occur in North Carolina.

2. Hogs down the Cajuns!!!! 34-14 Suck on that @KirkHerbstreit!!! #WPS #NeverYield (@Carter12Chris)

My Thoughts: This was the most popular topic of Hogs fan stupidity today. Apparently on one of the ESPN shows either last night or this morning ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit (a guy who seems to be well-respected in his business) predicted that Louisiana-Lafayette would upset the Razorbacks. This, of course, did not happen so Razorbacks fans took it upon themselves to taunt, name call and accuse Herbstreit of being bad at his job. Listen up, Hogs fans. Sports analysts get paid a lot of money to make predictions because they know what they are talking about and they use their experience, expertise, mixed in with objectivity to make reasoned predictions or opinions. These guys obviously aren’t always going to be accurate with their predictions. That doesn’t mean that they are bad at their job. That doesn’t mean you get the right to call them names. That doesn’t mean that they should have to apologize to you as a member of the fanbase. You shouldn’t be offended when somebody chooses your favorite sports team to lose. It’s just part of their job. It’s infuriating to read the hatred toward Herbstreit today from Hogs’ fans. I chose this one because it was typical of many of the posts, but the one Hogs fan who suggested that Herbstreit “eat a bag of ‘D’” for his wrong prediction has a special place in my dumbass fan hall of fame.  

1.       Lets get real here. Georgia sucks. Aaron Murray sucks. SEC east sucks. The hogs will go undefeated and win natty champ. (@jtommills_)

My Thoughts: My favorite type of sports fan is the delusional sports fan. All fan bases have them. The Razorbacks seem to stockpile them. This guy is the absolute definition of a delusional sports fan. He claims the Hogs will go undefeated and win the national championship. You can’t even take something that stupid seriously. This guy probably enjoyed one too many beers during the game. Arkansas has a fairly hard schedule this year and is also in basically a rebuilding year. These two aspects lead me to believe that the 2013 Razorbacks are somewhere around a .500 team, probably nothing better or worse. Good luck on that undefeated season and national championship.   

Just Missed: People all hype about Syria, I'm like #WPS (@KramnojRT)

My Thoughts: This guy certainly has his priorities straight. Screw, Syrians being gassed and whether or not the United States might take action and whether or not that action could potentially lead to a World War III scenario … the Hogs is playin’!

Just for good measure I might as well throw in the two best Razorbacks tweets I saw today:

My friend woke up from a coma , the Arkansas Razorbacks won the game , and I got $205 for my birthday. This night can't get better!! (@Madeesooon)

My Thoughts: That does sound like an exceptionally good day.

Fox News is not "fair & balanced". But Razorback Football offense appears to be. #WPS #NeverYield (@WooPigSumo)

My Thoughts: I pretty much like any excuse to bash Fox News and this is one of the more creative ones I’ve seen (though I do think it’s a little too early in the season to be raving about a team’s offense, especially against a Sun Belt team).

Despite What Some Fans Think, Razorbacks Are Not Championship Caliber Team

Living in Arkansas all of these years has taught me one thing: Arkansas Razorbacks fans are desperately loyal.

It’s a loyalty that oftentimes leads the fandom to believe that their team is capable of doing anything and everything, which while probably fitting the definition of a “good fan”, sometimes comes off as delusional.

Razorbacks fans had good reason to believe in their team after last season when they go as high as number three in the college football rankings and only fell to the two best teams in all of college football (Alabama and LSU). Many, if not most, Razorbacks fans felt that the 2012 Razorbacks could have a shot at the National Championship, and honestly it was a feeling that wasn’t that far-fetched.

However, then came the bombshell that ended the tenure of head coach Bobby Petrino and led to the hiring of new coach John L. Smith. This scandal in itself led me to believe that any shot the Razorbacks had at a national title had been taken away. I don’t think it’s possible for any team, even one as talented as the current Razorbacks, to win right away under such unfortunate circumstances.

Not only is the head coaching change and the way it came about insurmountable, in my opinion, but I still believe that the Razorbacks are probably only the third best team not even in just their own conference, the SEC, but in their own division. Alabama is clearly a better team than the Razorbacks and LSU is likely better than the Razorbacks.

Yet, Hogs fans continue to believe in their team, which is in no way a bad thing, except that they unreasonably believe in their team. I had one Razorbacks fan say to me a few days ago that the Hogs were going to win the SEC this year, which would presumably put them in the BCS National Championship game. Winning the SEC would mean both defeating Alabama and LSU and either Georgia or South Carolina (all of which are currently ranked in the top 10 ahead of the Razorbacks).

You can see from their week one game against Jacksonville State why the Razorbacks are not a championship caliber team. While the number two (and probably soon to be number one) ranked Alabama Crimson Tide were curb-stomping the number eighth ranked team in the nation the Michigan Wolverines 41-14 the number 10 ranked Razorbacks allowed a FCS team to drop 24 points on them.

Now, I know technically a win is a win and a 25 point win is typically a very good win, but for the Razorbacks to allow a FCS (formerly Division II) team from the Ohio Valley Conference to score 24 points on them has to be considered an embarrassing win, though I haven’t heard a single Razorbacks fan yet fess up to it.

The Arkansas Razorbacks are a really good team and I expect them to have a really good season. They will likely either go 10-2 or 9-3, but they are simply not a championship caliber team and have already proven so. Fans, I know you have to root for your team, but don’t be buffoons about it.   

Check Out a Baseball Game (or Practically Anything Else) at Dickey-Stephens Park

I took in my first Arkansas Travelers game on Saturday night at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock. I’ve lived in central Arkansas for over six years now and had yet to attend a Travelers game before 

Saturday, which I now know was sheer idiocy on my part. When you live only a half hour away from a minor league baseball stadium, you’ve got to go experience the joys of minor league baseball.

Saturday night’s game was certainly quite a game, in fact it was darn near two games as the game went 17 innings and lasted almost six full hours before the Travelers, the Los Angeles Angels AA affiliate, finally fell to the Tulsa Drillers, the AA affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.

Now there are two key reasons for attending a minor league baseball game. The first is the reason that many attended on Saturday night. It’s a great social event where you can go hang out with friends or family and buy overpriced stadium beer and food and maybe even get some free promotional tube socks (like on Saturday night). I knew these people weren’t actually at the baseball game for the baseball game, because they pretty much did or talked about anything and everything non-baseball related (thanks, by the way, to the girl who discussed for multiple innings how sweaty she was that day). Some people even left the game as early as the second inning and that was after they missed the entire first inning getting their kids some nachos. The second reason is, of course, to watch America’s national pastime and the greatest game that God or man ever created: baseball.

I found myself enjoying the marathon that was the Travelers/Drillers game the longer and longer that it went on, even well into the extra innings as the giant Timex clock on the stadium’s scoreboard creeped closer and closer to one in the morning. The game became more enjoyable because the crowd of probably a few thousand had thinned and cleared and what was left toward the very end of this epic game where nobody could score or even hit for that matter were the true baseball faithful, maybe 250 people at most. The kind of fans who refuse to leave before the very last out is recorded no matter what. The fans that even though they’ve been yelling, “Bad Call Blue!”, for close to six hours still bellow out with glee and cheer for their home team. This is truly the best part of the minor league baseball atmosphere. Those who don’t care about the beer, the hot dogs, the social scene or even the hot chicks that roam the stands (by the way, the more times they make you stand up so they can go get food throughout the game the less attractive they become) … these are the true baseball fans.  

There really is something special about true baseball fans and there really is something special about minor league baseball.   

So, if you want to enjoy a nice baseball game than go on out to Dickey-Stephens Park. And, if you want to enjoy practically anything else, well, you can also go on out to Dickey-Stephens Park.

Wright, Childs Continue Journey as Lifelong Teammates

One of the most unique stories of the NFL Draft, and one that has been grossly and unfathomably unreported on, is the story of now former Arkansas Razorbacks receivers Jarius Wright and Greg Childs. 

Wright and Childs were both selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday afternoon by the Minnesota Vikings. Now, it’s unique enough that the college teammates were both selected by the same team to play in the NFL, if both make the roster by opening week, but it actually goes back a lot further than just being teammates in Fayetteville. 

You see Wright and Childs have pretty much been teammates for their entire lives. Both are from the small Arkansas town of Warren, which is a town of about 6,000 people. Both were teammates at Warren High before heading north to college and before that the two were teammates at the junior high level, the middle school level and the elementary school level. It doesn’t seem that there is anything in this world that can separate Wright and Childs. 

Now I don’t know for sure, and have no clue how one would even really go about looking such a thing up, but I’m willing to bet that something like this, especially from such a small hometown has ever happened in the NFL. It’s a unique enough and special enough story to have me rooting for both Wright and Childs to make the Vikings roster this season.