baseball
Wait 'Til Next Year
The Razorback baseball season ended last night by virtue of a thrilling 7-5, 12-inning loss to Arizona State in the Tempe Super Regional. The loss also ended the Hogs' hopes of reaching the College World Series for a second straight year.
If you're not quite ready to let the season go, then check out the game post on Razorbloggers.net. And hopefully dxf04, our resident Hog baseball expert, will be here before too long with his take on the weekend's hair-raising action.
In the meantime, what are your thoughts on the just-completed season?
Baseball in Berkeley: An Eyewitness Account
Extensive archival research shows that, until last weekend, the fine city of Berkeley, California had never been treated to the majesty of a Hog call. But, I'm pleased to say that this is no longer the case.
I've been a Bay Area-based Arkansas Expat since the mid-90s (first in San Francisco, then Oakland, now Berkeley), and one of the only significant drawbacks about living here is that it's not the world's easiest place to follow the Hogs. So, even though I've never been much of a college baseball fan, when I realized the Razorbacks would be playing locally I had to check them out.
I went to the game fully expecting to be one of the only people wearing red in the whole place, but was pleasantly surprised to find a very solid contingent of Hog fans waiting there. In fact, I'd guess that a good 25-30% of the people there were on the Arkansas side. It was pretty awesome to see, and even more awesome to hear: as noted above, the sonorous sounds of Woo Pig Sooie rang out loud and clear several times.
As for the game itself, you can probably find better accounts elsewhere. I was chasing around my two small boys for most of the time, and although it was excellent father-son bonding it didn't make for the most blogging-friendly situation. But, I can report that the Hogs are as good as advertised. They jumped on the Bears early and never really looked back, particularly during a big five run 5th inning (the highlight of which was Tim Carver's three run HR - very nice). Fun times.
Besides the home run and Hog calls, the other highlight was that we were able to sit ridiculously close to the Razorback dugout (which was really more of a bench). The Cal stadium is what I'd call pleasantly intimate - definitely not the SEC here, folks - and we were right in the thick of things. After the jump, check out some firsthand photos and videos (including the Hog call!):
Props to Cliff Lee
Regular readers of this blog will know that we pretty much exclusively focus on college football and college basketball (with occasional forays into poking fun at Wally Hall), but it's worth making an exception to salute the fine recent work of another Arkansas expat: the pride of Benton, Cliff Lee.
In his first-ever World Series appearance, Lee absolutely dominated the mighty Yankees, allowing just one run while throwing a complete game (with 10 strikeouts and no walks!) to get the 6-1 win. It was in New York, too.
So, very nicely done Cliff, and kudos from the full group of staff and interns here at Arkansas Expats, Inc.
Want to Beat LSU Today? Here's How
Ok, I admit that for 99.9% of my life I've been about the most apathetic guy around when it comes to college baseball, but I'm officially on the bandwagon now. So, I'm going to dispense some top secret voodoo tips on how we, the humble fans, can help the Hogs beat LSU today. If everyone follows these simple steps all will be well.
1. Watch this video three times, preferably from a north end zone if you have one nearby.
2. Watch this video six times, ideally with a younger brother who occasionally surpasses you and a friend who's prone to poorly-timed mistakes.
3. Chant "WE GOT THAT WOOD" nine times while you hop around in little circles.
So, it's as easy as that. Go Hogs!

by
by 










