Arkansas Expats: FanPosts

Diamond Hog Update: March 8

2010-03-08T23:17:35Z

This weekend saw the Hogs far from home, in the decidely anti-Ozarks of Berkeley California. This series was the Diamond Hogs' first "real" test of the season, and they didn't disappoint, taking 2 of 3 from those pot-smoking hippies (present company excluded, John).

Hogs fell behind 2-3 late in Game 1, until blowing the game open with a 5-run 8th inning, headlined Zack Cox's 2-RBI single and James McCann's 3-run homer. Starting pitcher Mike Bolsinger had a workman-like performance, pitching a career-high 7 innings, with 6 Ks and only 1 ER. However, his performance was marred by 2 ERRs. Unfortunately, errors would become all-too-common throughout the series. Hogs win 7-3, with DJ Baxendale notching his third save of the season.

Game 2 saw the return of 2009's "cardiac Hogs", with multiple clutch situations. Zack Cox got the Hogs on the board with a 2-RBI single in the 3rd, with 2 outs. Tim Carver kept the theme going by hitting 2 HRs, headlined by his 3 run shot in the 5th, again with 2 outs. Starting pitcher Drew Smyly got into a jam early in the third inning, but managed to pitch his way out, escaping with only 1 unearned run. Smyly ended the day with 7 Ks and no earned runs through 5 innings. The Razorback bullpen let the Bears get back into the game, with reliever TJ Forrest immediately giving up a 3-run homer in the 6th. Cal attempted a rally in the bottom of the 9th, but came up far short, scoring only 1 run. Hogs take the series with the 9-5 win, with Smyly moving to 1-0 on the season. For an excellent eye-witness account by John Expat, see here.

Starting centerfielder Brett Eibner took the mound for Game 3, requiring significant shuffling of both the outfield and infield to accomodate him. Eibner will remain in the rotation throughout the season, which is a testament to the teamwork and flexibility this club is capable of. Eibner had a good showing, with 5 Ks, 1 ER, and only 3 hits through 5 innings. Unfortuately, the bullpen slipped up again, with Geoffry Davenport immediately giving up a 3-run shot with no out in the 6th. Cal would add 2 more in the 7th to pad their lead. The Hogs fall 0-6, snapping their 7 game win streak, with Eibner picking up the L. It was the first time the Hogs have been shutout since April 10, 2009, against Vandy. 8 runners get stranded on base, many in scoring position.

Arkansas delivers on its first real test of the season: on the road, 2000 miles from home, against a relative powerhouse in the baseball-heavy state of California. The Razorback offense has proven to be potent, but their defense needs a little work. They just seemed unable to not give up runs. Of course, the best defense if a good offense, but without some defensive improvement, they'll be unable to win those games where the offense just isn't "clicking". Also, errors are a concern, with the Hogs committing 9 over the weekend.

This week, the Hogs return to Baum for a mid-week series against South Dakota State on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by a weekend series against Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Neither squad seems to be much to worry about, but should serve as a nice warm up for a HUGE series with #2 LSU down in Baton Rogue the following weekend. Hogs move up the rankings to #14, per Rivals, with a record of 8-2.

Inaugural Diamond Hog Update

2010-03-05T01:48:04Z

On the basis of a somewhat pointed suggestion from John Expat, I'm going to start leaving regular updates on the status of the Diamond Hogs. Yes, I know, college baseball isn't a "major" sport that garners regular attention from ESPN and can sometimes be as boring as week-old, store-bought apple pie, but the Arkansas baseball program has a strong pedigree and is regularly competitive for a national title. The least all good Hog fans can do is be aware of how the Hogs are doing on the diamond, and that's where I step in. If you're close enough to Fayetteville to make a day trip, I encourage you to go check out the Hogs at Baum Stadium one weekend. Tickets are cheap, so it's great for a family trip or just a day out with the kids. And, if you're so inclined, you can bring adult beverages (beer only) into the Hog Pen behind left field.

For those of you who need a primer, the Diamond Hogs have 22 NCAA Tourney appearance to their name, along with 6 appearances in the College World Series (5 in the last 15 years). The '79 Diamond Hogs came within 2 runs of being National Champions, and the 2009 squad had a fantastic season, finishing third at the CWS, posting numerous come-from-behind, ninth- and extra-inning victories, and sweeping #1 Arizona St. during the regular season, as well as upsetting #2 national seed Cal State-Fullerton in the first game of the CWS. Despite their post-season success, the Hogs have only won 4 conference titles (2 SEC, 2 SWC), which is a testament to the competitive nature of SEC Baseball.

The club is currently coached by Dave van Horn, an Arkansas alum. Van Horn was previously the head coach at Nebraska, where he brought the Cornhuskers to national prominence and won Big XII and National Coach of the Year honors in 2001. When legendary coach Norm Debriyn (think John McDonnell, with fewer NCs) retired at the end of 2002, after spending his entire 33 year career with Hogs, van Horn jumped at the chance to coach the Razorbacks. I think we can all agree, in light of some of our recent coaching situations (See: Dana Altman), that the opportunity to get someone who loves the University like Coach van Horn is a rarity.

One of the best things about Arkansas Baseball is the atmosphere. The baseball facilities, like all of Arkansas' sports facilities, are top notch. Baum Stadium (at George Cole Field, for the purists), which has been called the "palace of college baseball stadiums", was rated the best stadium in the country by Rivals in 2008. Fan support is also quite strong, with Arkansas Baseball attendance ranking in the top 2 in the nation for the past 5 seasons, including first in 2007. Arkansas was the first school to average 8,000 fans/game and several games have brought more than 10,000+ fans. That's more than some SEC basketball programs can say. Also, Arkansas Baseball is one of only 3 SEC teams to actually turn a profit. That is, the baseball team is a "money generating sport" and doesn't sponge off the financial successes of football and basketball.

The team is currently 6-1, leading into a 3 game series with the Cal Golden Bears this weekend. They took the opening series from Ball State 2-1, swept Troy last weekend, and toppled Kansas on Tuesday, out-scoring their opponents 63-28 in the process. Notable players include (and this is definitely not all-inclusive): Andy Wilkins (1B, leads team in RBIs, rated as the 3rd best 1B in the country), Zach Cox (3B, Freshman All-American in 2009, 3rd best 3B in the country), and Brett Eibner (OF/RHP, Freshman All-American in 2008, 2-0 on the mound). Also, Coach van Horn is rated at the 9th best coach in the country, per Rivals' Power Rankings.

The Hogs are currently ranked 15th by Rivals. There's some ambiguity in the college baseball polls; there are several polls that are all about equally well-regarded. Kendall Rogers at Rivals (who does a fantastic job with Rivals' college baseball coverage) has one, and Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball also have polls. USA Today/ESPN publish a Coaches' Poll. This has led to some "interesting" matchups, such as the first ever #1 vs. #1 last year, the aforementioned sweep of Arizona St.

So, that should get everybody (everybody who cares, at least) up to speed. I'm going to try to update early in the week after each weekend series. The mid-week matchups have some notable games, such as last Tuesday's whallopping of #25 Kansas, Oklahoma, and Oral Roberts, but nothing nearly as exciting as Arizona St.'s visit to Fayetteville last season, so I'll probably just lump the mid-week results in with weekend series update. That being said, I hope these posts are informative and drum up some interest and support for the Diamond Hogs. Woo Pig Sooie!

Recruiting News

2010-01-13T19:20:25Z

Expect an actual competition for kicker in spring practice this year. We have ~~two~~ one highly regarded commit in this class. Eduardo Camara, who has been committed since last July, is ranked the 15th best in the country. As of today, ~~William Russ, ranked the 13th best in the country, has committed to the Hogs~~ EDIT: William Russ decommitted and signed with Texas. If nothing else, maybe knowing his job isn't safe will make Tejada a little more accurate. May our kicker troubles be over.

keihl frazier

2009-12-22T21:47:35Z

just wanted to know who this kid is looking at in recruiting and what player does he remind you of. Is texas a factor in his recruitment. Thanks in advance

Your FanPost couldn't be published.

Your FanPost must be at least 75 words long. Right now it's only 27 words long. If you just have a quote, link, video or photo you'd like to share with the community, try creating a FanShot instead

Your FanPost couldn't be published.

Your FanPost must be at least 75 words long. Right now it's only 27 words long. If you just have a quote, link, video or photo you'd like to share with the community, try creating a FanShot instead

News from the Midwest: Petrino (Paul) to Illinois

2009-12-14T06:57:32Z

ESPN is reporting that Ron Zook has tabbed Paul Petrino to replace it's newly fired OC. As a student at Illinois, I can attest first-hand at just how bad the Illini were this season. However, it's my belief that the problem is Zook, not the assistants. Frankly, I was hoping Illinois would have fired Zook this season, and the Hogs could have snagged him to run the defense and recruiting, but that obviously didn't work out. Petrino is obviously competent, but he's joining a staff that will be job-hunting if they can't pull off a winning record next season. I wish him well, and I have no doubts that the Arkansas offense will be fine, but I can't help but think that this is an odd career move.

Thought and opinions?

Matt Hall?

2009-11-23T21:33:55Z

Hello Arkansas fans.

There's a rumor going around that Matt Hall wants to transfer to Ole Miss. I come today in peace simply to find out whether he has played at all and if so, how he has performed. I haven't noticed a 6'9" or 6'10" RT while watching Arkansas play this season, but I have only watched you play a few times.

Thanks in advance for the responses to my question.

Is anyone else watching this!!!

2009-11-18T01:59:41Z

This is the second half, and we're within 3 points in the second half. We are on a 14-0 run to start the second half, and I love the way we're playing. I really didn't think we would be this close, but we look quite scrappy out there. I didn't know what to expect from all the new players, but besides a few plays under basket we've done pretty darn well. Everyone's doing their part, and I relaly do love the way Nobles is playing.

Official Basketball Team Implosion

2009-11-10T23:52:17Z

I expect Stephen and/or John to give this a more formal treatment later, but Pelphrey just announced that five basketball players have been suspended, with terms ranging from 2 games, to the entire fall semester, to indefinitely. Notably, Fortson is one of the "indefinites". It's nice to see a coach committed to discipline, but the wheels are coming off the wagon, so to speak. And we thought last season was bad. See the link: http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=30746&SPID=2421&ATCLID=204831003&DB_OEM_ID=6100

A couple Hog Recruiting Notes

2009-10-29T00:12:06Z

I'm not sure how much anyone around here follows recruiting, regardless it is the lifeblood of any college football program. On the SBNation Seminole site I do a lot of work writing about recruiting, as such I follow different players, especially in and around the state of Florida.

Arkansas currently has 14 committments, I wanted to talk about two more that eventually I feel will end up as Razorbacks. Traditionally Arkansas has recruited quite a bit in the Tallahassee area, Micheal Smith, Rudell Crim, Kareem Crowell, Lance Ray and Carlton Salters all hail from the area. Smith and Crim both played at Rickards High School. Well Rickards has a pair of players this year who are both high on the Hogs, and I have been told will most likely end up there.

Camren Hudson- ATH: Camren plays three positions on the football field. As it stands now, he is a hybrid S/OLB and he also is the main ballcarrier for Rickards. He profiles better on the defensive side of the ball in college than he does on the offensive side. A lot will depend on his growth but he will end up as a SS or an Weakside (Will) OLB. He is a quick guy, who can move up and play the run but also can move laterally. He struggles to shed blocks consistently but a good strength program and coaching can change that.

Brandon Denmark-DE: Denmark is a tall (6'4'') thin (215) DE with good outside burst. He is skinny at this point but should have no problem putting on good weight when he gets to college. While I don't like him quite as much as Hudson, Arkansas needs DL in a bad way, and I think he can come in and compete and eventually be a pretty good player.

Dennis Johnson vs. Florida Videos

2009-10-23T14:19:34Z

Hey guys,

I am looking for a little help from the Razorback community here. Dennis Johnson unleashed two of the beastliest plays from the past week:

1) The kickoff return where he dragged about 8 gators for about 15 yards, and then the kicker ran full speed and bounced harmlessly off him before Johnson fell forward with the whole pile.

2) That sweet left where Dennis Johnson broke something like 5 full tackles and ended up making a big gain out of the play.

I have been looking for videos online replaying these plays with no success. Does anyone have any idea where I can find these vids? Thanks!

Ole Miss game predictions

2009-10-20T01:45:55Z

Post your predictions here. Who will win the Arkansas vs. Ole Miss game? My prediction is Arkansas by 5 points. Arkansas: 26 Ole miss: 21. Who will have the best game for Arkansas? How easily will Arkansas win? How badly will Ole Miss lose? Hoping for the best! Woo pig sooie!! Why do these fan posts have to be so long? I'm just trying to fill up space s it will let me publish it.

A late Hog-fan weigh-in on the Florida game:

2009-10-19T17:48:35Z

Posted per advice of John Expat

A late Hog-fan weigh-in on the game:

I haven’t checked around the ‘sphere for individual reactions and comments on the game yet as I spent the weekend hosting house guests who were thankfully college FB fans and were as eager as I was to watch the myriad quality (at least in entertainment value) games this weekend. They were barely taken back by my liberal use of "outdoor voice" and floral language during the game, and for that I compliment them. I was in a house full of Carolina and Bama fans and as the second half of the ARK/FLA game progressed, their polite indifference to my blatant homerism shifted. Much like the crowd of evil Russians who witnessed the legendary Balboa/Drago fight in the 1980’s, they slowly realized that the underdog had more than a puncher’s chance at victory AND that nothing contrasts against the injustice of a predetermined outcome under an authoritarian system better than the simple man battling with all of his guts in support of a universal good.

Slowly, they too were coming out of their chairs, pointing out open receivers, bemoaning blown coverages – imprecise routes and stone-handed incompletions. When the dreaded "bad calls" of the fourth quarter occurred (and no one has mentioned the no-call on the obvious backfield holding on, I believe, the play after the now-infamous personal foul) they, my house guests, were not just metaphorically chanting "Rocky" for the underdog Razorbacks but were ready to, again metaphorically, overthrow the Politburo and burn the Stalinist referees at the steak.

Were the calls the difference maker in what will, in all likelihood, not be a game long discussed by either fan base? I don’t think so. Florida would probably have scored on that drive because the defense had played their hearts out, the tank was dry and, as was pointed out by others, the offense had just left too many opportunities behind that would have seriously changed the complexion of the game. But, just as Rocky 4 moviegoers in the 80’s walked out of that movie convinced of Balboa’s moral superiority and of the overall righteousness of the "American Way", football fans across the nation came away from the Florida/Arkansas game with a new perspective on the assumed and anointed "Nation Champion Florida Gators". No longer do they posses the moral authority of a team led by a Christ-like figure. No longer is their talent level assumed to be beyond reproach. No longer are the Gators viewed through the Rose Bowl-colored glasses of football pundits, analysts, color-commentators, and network lackeys. No friends, they are now the Enemy. (And believe me the #1 BCS ranking has done nothing to help their revised image as the overinflated darlings of the establishment!)

The nation will embrace Mark Ingram and his weeble-wobble-like inability to be tackled. They will cheer Iowa and other plucky non-conference BCS-busters. Hell, they might even start to like Texas, USC, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Michigan and other traditional villains. But what they will no longer do is support Florida. Their image is tarnished. I even heard some positive comments on the coaching prowess and surprising commitment shown by Coach Petrino to the U of Arkansas.

Beware Florida. Someone’s gonna make a speech soon to "tear down your wall" of presumed infallibility – Heck, they may even put it on a plaque! – and the world may cheer as the evil empire falls.

OMG! ARKANSAS LOST OMG! OMG!

2009-10-18T01:11:35Z

http://www.gatortailgating.com/files/imagepicker/r/Rusty/arkansas4.jpg Come on Arkansas you gonna let the Gators walk all over you that sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! REMATCH REMATCH REMATCH REMATCH
OK THAT SUCKS ARKANSAS LOST GATORS SHOULD HAVE LOST GATORS SUCK SUCK SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY CAN MOCK YOU MAKE FUN OF YOU BUT THEY CAN'T BEAT YOU COME ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY COME ON RED HOGS ARE YOU GONNA LOSE OR WIN THAT JUST SUCKS LIKE HECK!

Razorbacks to play for Perpetual National Championship

2009-10-14T22:18:44Z

Florida Gators prepare to defend the Perpetual National Championship against Arkansas October 17th in the Swamp.

This will be Florida's 3rdt title game, which they've won 16 times. Arkansas is no stranger to the title game, having won or defended the title 7 times.

October 17, 2009: Arkansas will play for the "Grandaddy of All National Championships," the Perpetual National Championship (PNC), October 17th when the Razorbacks play current the title holder, the University of Florida. The Gators took the title from Oklahoma in the 2009 BCS game and have successfully defended it this year against Charleston Southern University, Troy University, the University of Tennessee, the University of Kentucky and LSU. The matchup is the 1,364th PNC title game. The Gators have played in 32 of those title games and have won or defended the title 16 times. The last time Florida held the title was in 2007, when after winning and defending the title five consecutive times, the Gators lost to Auburn 20-17.

Arkansas has a long history with the PNC, having first played for the title in 1965. They have played in 19 title games and won 7 of them. They last held the title in 2007, when they beat LSU 50-48 in an epic triple overtime game, led by Darren McFadden's 206 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

What is the Perpetual National Championship?

The Perpetual National Championship is awarded to college football teams in a continuous series of boxing-style title matches. The title is contested every time the holder of the title takes the field. The first title was won by Rutgers in 1869 when they defeated Princeton 6-5 in the first college football game. Princeton won the title back seven days later, beating Rutgers 8-0. The winner of the tittle match wins an award affectionately referred to as The Perp. The All-Time Perp is the team who won or defended the Perpetual National Championship the most times. To determine the All-tIme Perp, teams were given one point for winning or defending the title and zero points for a tie. Since Division I-A college football doesn't currently have a playoff and relies on voters to determine a championship game, the Perpetual National Championship is the only national championship decided on the field.

The Perpetual National Championship has several advantages over the current mythical national championship determined by the Bowl Championship Series.

It continues college football's emphasis on the regular season because the title is contested every time the title-holder takes the field.
It can co-exist with the current BCS system or any future playoff and will often have a different champion than other national championships.
It doesn't rely on biased votes from coaches and assistants, like those of the USA Today coaches poll, or uninformed parties like the Harris Poll.
The lesser conferences and independent teams get to play for the title anytime a larger school has the courage to schedule them.

#30

TV broadcast of Ole Miss vs Hogs

2009-10-13T03:47:16Z

It was released today (10/12) that the Ole Miss vs Hogs game will be on the SEC network. Lots of people will be able to see the game, especially in the southeast; however, I'm assuming lots of us expats won't get the game in their market (in my case Denver). Does anyone know how to get access to this game if the SEC network isn't offered by their local cable provider (internet, satellite, espn360, etc...)? I'll appreciate any advice on how to watch (or listen) to the game. Thanks.

Hogs defense and hope for future...

2009-09-28T05:20:13Z

Maybe it's just me, but I feel that there is a possibility of a successful season in Fayetteville, AR. Anyone with eyes can see what the offense can do (Nick Saban and Charlie Strong aside), but the question going into this year and still 3 games into the season is if the defense can stop anyone. Here are the results so far SMS(alright), Georgia (vomit inducing), and Alabama (mildly nauseating, but a little better). The run defense was better (although apparently Trent Richardson is covered in a Teflon coating that doesn't allow tackling), but the pass defense is still a problem. Here is where the problem lies, the secondary is: A) schematically bad, B) Athletically inferior, C) not smart enough to grasp a stronger scheme, or D) all of the above. I believe that the schemes are too basic right now, but that might have to do with C, and the guys capable of running a better scheme might not be athletic enough to carry out that scheme well. The way to take care of this is to do what Florida did 3 years ago with their secondary. They were facing a complete turnover in the defensive backfield and had many talented freshmen coming in. To their credit, they threw the freshmen to the fire right away and let them learn on the job. I know that David Gordon and Darius Winston can get beat just as much as the guys out there right now. Put Leon and Crim at safety (Crim was a safety in JC anyway).

Now the reason for hope. Last year this team's defense was in hibernation for the first few games, but began to come together as a group. There is much hope that this year's team can come together much like last year's. The good news is that the offense will be able to overcome some of the defense's shortcoming. If the defense can come back to giving up 25 points instead of 35-50, this team could have a bowl game in the future. Do not give up yet Hog fans.

Hog Expats Unite Around the World

2009-09-15T20:23:42Z

Editor's Note: we're interested to see where people are from, so we moved this Fan Post up to the front page. If you feel like sharing, please add a comment!

I am an Arkansan living outside the natural state as are many of you. I'm currently living in Denver and looking for fellow hog fans in the area. I thought it would be helpful for expats to post where they are currently living to facilitate the coming together of hog fans in various parts of the world. We all know that watching our Razorbacks is much more enjoyable with fellow fans (makes the winning sweeter and shares the mourning load if we should lose on a last minute TD.) I've been looking forward to this Georgia game since Jan. Go Hogs!!

Beating a dead horse.

2009-08-17T18:07:44Z

I really would rather not mention the name of "he who must not be named" (aka Houston Dale Nutt). But, Chris Low on the ESPN SEC Blog did a Q&A with the now infamous coach. I had to read it as I have always got a kick out of his blabbing about how kids have "lot of heart" and "play between the whistles". I was surprised to see that HDN has increased his diction and become a little more spacey than previous.

I should let the reader interpret for him or herself the intelligence of such an egotist, but I would like to point out a few "red flags" as to the sanity of such a Nutt.

When asked about the Sr. D-end Greg Hardy's foot surgery, he replied, "... He got a haircut, hasn't missed meeting."

And when asked the hype surrounding said Nutt, he replied, "... But what do you do? I can't control it. The only thing I can try to control is the attitude of our players and how they go about it. I can't control Sports Illustrated and ESPN and all the attention. The only thing I can do is say, 'We've got to work harder.' "

While it maybe true HD Nutt might not be able to control publications about him or the program, he obviously has no problem posing for them either.

SEC Football News

2009-07-30T19:49:41Z

Check Out www.secfeeds.co.cc for all the latest SEC Football News for each SEC Football Team. It also has live radio for each team.

If you would like me to add a site to the news list of a team, write it in the feedback part of the forum. (This site is already on the news feed)

SEC is the Best Conference in the Nation!

2009 season W/L.

2009-07-06T14:20:23Z

I was bored and decided to see how everyone else thinks the season will play out. It's still only July but this is how I think the seaon will go:

Missouri State: Win

Georgia: Loss

@Bama: Loss

@A&M: Win

Auburn: Win

@Florida: Loss

@ Ole Miss: Loss

Eastern Michigan: Win

South Carolina: Win

Troy: Win

Miss St.: Win

@LSU: Loss

Our record: 7-5

I'm sure there are plenty of arguements. How do you think the season will be?