Is it just me or is all the fuss over DMac's new ride a little over the top? After all, the guy is almost certain to be a millionaire in a few months. Why are the media not obsessing over Chase Daniel's new Lincoln truck and the trip to Vegas? Could it be a little double standard due to skin pigmentation (no pun intended)?

Car dealers have been known to use what is known as a "balloon payment" plan to high profile amateur athletes with a very small down payment and a big balloon payment due in a few months or a year.

Why is it every time the Hogs play in the Cotton Bowl something like this comes up. Well, maybe not every time, I don't recall anything like this in the game with OU a few years ago, but the Texas game in 2000? D.J. Cooper? You would have thought his name was D.B. Cooper.

At least it happened in time for UA to hopefully get DMac's status cleared up by gametime. I'm sure according to the carnival barkers of ESPN, Bobby Petrino is somehow responsible.

Whew! After a few weeks of computer problems, spyware and all, I'm back at the ol' keyboard. In my last post, done from the beautiful main branch of the Fort Smith public library, I touched on ESPN's savage piling on of Bobby Petrino and, of course, the not-so-dearly-departed Hootie Nutt.

Just let it go, some say, he's gone, just let him be. The damage done by that egomaniacal cretin to the UA football program will last for a long time. Besides, Hootie will be trying to beat our beloved Hogs every year he stays at Ole Miss. Do you not think he will hoot it up more than ever if he comes into RRS next October and wins?

Do you not think he will try to sabotage anything he can on his way out, or already has? Will he not try to take recruits to Oxford? Your damn right he will on all counts.

Hootie has been the enemy of Razorback football for a few years, now he will be open about it. By that I mean, even though he may have been trying to win here, he was trying harder to serve his own selfish interests. The Mustain email scandal and all the other Springdale related scandals are proof of that.

His abuse of power and serial lying to the fans and press finally came back to haunt him. I and others will not forget what he has and will continue to do to disrupt the UA football program. Thus, I will pass up no opportunity to make fun of, ridicule, and belittle that egomaniacal cult leader wannabe.

It's been awhile, as the Staind song goes. Since my last entry, we have seen the departure of The Dork, a rollercoaster ride of a coaching search, and the sudden hire of Bobby Petrino. Not to mention the subsequent trashing of both UA and Petrino by the all-knowing, self-proclaimed "World Leader in sports" ESPN.

Commentators from Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, etc. and carnival barkers Sean Salisbury and the insufferable Chris Berman all joined in to pile on not only our new coach, but his new employer as well. Nevermind that their own Bill Parcells was talking to the NY Jets while prepping the New England Patriots for the Super Bowl a little over a decade ago.

But you don't hear ESPN blowhards ripping Parcells as a "disingenuous drifter" always looking for his next gig the way the did Petrino. I don't know about Petrino's character or lack of it. I suspect they don't either, since BP seems not to be the type of guy to court the media. I will, however, unlike them, give the man a chance to prove his character by his actions for as long as he is here.

As for Hootie Nutt, his leaving doesn't get him off the hook far as I'm concerned. I will continue to make fun of The Dork, at least as long as he "coaches" one of our rivals. If that offends the delicate sensbilities of some, so be it.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah and Festivus for the rest of us to all, at least most, with the notable exceptions of: Arthur "Blanketty" Blank, most of the ESPN jackasses, all those Atlanta cretins wearing Michael Vick jerseys, carrying signs reading "Keep your head up Michael" and #7 jerseys and Atlanta Felons players such as DeAngelo Hall and Roddy "Free MIke Vick" White. Here's hoping they get a lump of something in their stocking that they deserve.

Fire The Liar!

Today's win over Misstake means....not much. MSU had never won a game within Arkansas' borders and still hasn't. Where has this Hog team been all season other than when going against directional schools? The wins like this one and South Carolina just show the talent this team has but has not played up to 4 times this season.

And that goes to crappy coaching by Hootie Nutt. His overwrought denials after the game are just more of his lies, unless HE floated these rumors just to try to drum up support from fans or the UA administration. Such a desperate ploy to cling to power would not be surprising from the man at all, given his track record. I'm sick of hearing how much he "loves" the Hogs and the University and the state of Arkansas.

It's time for Hootie to prove how much he loves that trio by LEAVING after the LSU game. Go for the green at Baylor. We all know how much Hootie loves the green, so go for it there and let us get a real coach.

I Called That Play, Brutha!

Funny, but we didn't hear that from Hootie Nutt about the 4th and 1 call when DMac, the 5th leading rusher in SEC history, was on the sidelines last Saturday. Watching Peyton Hillis getting stuffed in the backfield for no gain or a loss of yardage.

It wasn't Hillis' fault, he never had a chance. But McFadden should have been in the game. If he had been, imagine the defensive reaction to a fake to #5. If he was only in the game to be a decoy, he should have been in the game. How about the WildHog formation in that situation?

All Hootie had to say about it was some lame Nuttisms
about how you have to make a yard. Or it was only a few inches or some such spin. What? That still doesn't explain why your mealticket wasn't in the game!


Some fans talk about how "childish" it is, flying banners, wearing black shirts and the like. I say it's not nearly as childish as crediting Danny Nutt with the idea for the then Wildcat package. What's worse is changing the name to WildHog after "Mal-a-zahn" left.

There is no bigger child than Hootie Nutt. What's more childish than "I called that play, brutha!?" Unless it's elbowing the band director out of the way to lead the band after a victory. A win that was achieved only because the opponent's kicker missed about 14 field goals and extra points.

Back to the subject of Peyton Hillis. How about that quote from Hillis in today's Demozette? You know, the verbal hand grenade lobbed into the Broyles Center Head Coach's office. Hillis: "D1 coaches make millions of dollars to figure stuff like that out, we were hoping they would". Whoa! Take that Hootie!

There is talk that if the Hogs win a 7th game they could go to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis. Possibly to play Tulsa. I don't think it will happen. Even if the Hogs beat MSU next Sat., no cinch, Paw Paw Broyles would probably nix such a matchup. Just as he will play everybody in the Sun Belt conference except Arkansas State, I can't see Broyles exposing his favorite son, widdle Hootie Patootie, to getting embarrassed by Gus "High School" Mal-a-zahn. The Hogs would stay home first in my opinion.

Is Norv Turner The Hootie Nutt Of The NFL?

Watching the Sunday night game on NBC tonight, it was almost painful watching the San Diego Chargers try to blow a 23 point lead. And I'm not even a Charger fan. But think about it. Hootie and Norv were both assistants to Jimmy Johnson on teams called the Cowboys. They both have 2 great running backs. Neither can develop a Quarterback. They're both dorks.

The game started with San Diego returning the opening kickoff for a TD. Before you could blink an eye, after a punt return for another TD, the score was 23-0. Then thing s got really strange. Right before the half, Colt kicker Adam Vinatieri, one of the great clutch kickers of all time, hooked a 42 yard attempt wide left.

At the end of the game, the Colts had fought back to get within 23-21 and had an apparent first down at the Charger 6 yard line. Norv the Dork challenged the spot of the ball and got a reversal. It was 4th and about half a yard. I think I would have had to run a QB sneak for the first down with 1:49 still left since a FG would have only given the Colts a 1 point lead. Instead Tony Dungy had his offense try to draw the defense offsides, unsuccessfully.

And like Van Tiffin of Alabama last year, Adam Vinatieri pushed a 29 yard field goal wide right. The Colts got the ball back, but with only :32 left and were unable to get back in FG range and lost. Unlike Hootie Nutt in the 'Bama game this year, even Norv Turner had the good sense not to throw on 3rd and long and stop the clock on the last San Diego possession. That ran an additional 40 seconds off the game clock.

Norv Turner, dork that he may be, at least had the good sense not to elbow the band director out of the way (if they had a band director in SD) or jump into the stands or do anything Hootie-like in celebrating the lucky win.

A real coach is more relieved at winning in such a way instead of jumping around like he just won the lottery ala Nuttcase. Norv Turner is not a real head coach, but one at least has to give him credit for that.

Butch Davis Come On Down?

All the rumors of Jimmy Johnson coming out of retirement a few weeks back were never very convincing to me. I can believe that some boosters at UA would want him. Why would JJ give up that $weet gig at Fox and his lifestyle in South Florida to deal with all the headaches of rebuilding the Hogs? Especially after Hootie leaves the team decimated?

Let's face it Hooti-nistas. Your boy is all but gone after that turgid non-performance today in Knoxville. I just had a feeling about this one and it was confirmed again after South Carolina got mauled by Florida at home tonight. The Gamehens have no defense! If Hootie could coach at all that game last week never would have been close. Steve Spurrier said the Hogs should beat Tennessee by 3 touchdowns. The opposite happened.

Hootie's head-scratching moves were too numerous to count, but here are a few: why was DMac not in the game on that 4th and 1 when Hillis got stuffed for no gain?

What was the deal with the musical QBs in the 2nd half? When Nuttcase pulled his boy, Dick for the first time, I thought surely Emert would finish the game. Not in Hootie-World!

Folks, it's past time for the Hogs to Fire the Liar and get a real coach. You'll know a lot more when the ax falls and the lapdog Arkansas media turns on Hootie. Just wait, it will happen, 'cause that's the way it's done here.

A lot of people have been sharpening their knives and the Hoot-Meister has given a lot of people a reason to despise him over the years. When he leaves or is fired, Paw Paw or someone will leak a lot of stuff on him that the BAC has been denying for years.

I'm hearing Butch Davis' name a lot, but will the tightwad powers that be on the Hill turn loose of enough $$$ to get him? We should be finding out in a couple of weeks. My prediction is losses to MSU and LSU to finish 6-6 with no bowl.

There are more bowl eligibles in the SEC than there are slots and the league will only get 1 BCS berth unless LSU is upset in the SECCG, so I can't see a 6-6 team with a lame duck coach getting a bid. Even 7-5 vs a woefully weak non conference schedule would be no guarantee.

We should be learning Hootie's fate by the 24th. Let's hope for good news. Hootie: brush up on the words to "that good ol' Baylor line" or whatever SMU's fight song is. Maybe a 2nd tier school like that will have you. Don't let the door hit you on the way out!

It's All Hitting The Fan

Now that the Demozette, the statewide paper has picked up on the release of more Mrs. Nuttcase emails, the heat will be turned up on Hootie. Reports have been online for a week or so but are just now hitting the MSM. Hootie Nutt, Paw Paw Broyles and many others have to be sweating with info they have fought hard to keep a lid on now available to the press and public. These emails will reveal to fans how desperate the Murray State Mafia and their enablers in the BAC have been the last 2 years to maintain power.

With Paw Paw leaving soon, Hootie surely knows with all the negative publicity he and his "posse" have received along with the 3 early giveaway losses that his days as Head Coach are numbered. If he somehow survives this season, next year the ax will certainly fall.

With no Hillis or Monk and the probability of DMac and Felix Jones playing on Sundays, Texas and Florida popping back up on the schedule and a new secondary...Hootie might be advised to update the old resume.

With no Broyles to cover for him and Jeff Long having had a year to get established, no way Hootie survives a 6-6 or losing season, which will be almost a certainty.

Baylor, Memphis and others on that level may be looking for a coach. SMU already has an opening. Hootie might want to put his "superagent" Jimmy Sexton in contact with the movers and shakers at those schools.

In my opinion it would be a waste of time for Nuttbar to try for bigger jobs. If he's not radioactive yet, he probably will be by then as far as major conference schools.

As for the Tennessee game, the excuses are already being made in anticipation of a loss. Injuries and a funeral have thinned the ranks at safety, a critical position against a passing team with a Senior QB.

The Hogs may be able to outscore the Vols, who have some problems on defense themselves. I predict it will be a tossup with Hootie doing something stupid to give the game away in the final minutes. Hope I'm wrong.

You see, I'm not one of those fans rooting for the Hogs to lose which would increase the chances of Hootie leaving. It seems to most of us that he's gone one way or the other. May not be 'til next year, but he will be gone and for that we can all be thankful.

Let The Spin Begin!

With a 3 game winning streak going, never mind that 2 of the games were against Possum Grape U. and FIHOC (Fla. Int. House Of Cupcakes) and an SEC team coming in with a 2 game skid, the Hootinistas are furiously spinning. "This team still could win as many games as last year" they say.

I'm only going to say this once. Not gonna happen. Hootie's SEC record of 40-37 is mediocre, at best. When you consider that he is 22-7 against the Mississippi schools and South Carolina and 18-30 against everyone else in the league, his record falls short even of mediocrity.

Of course the spinners are already squirrelling away their excuses with the Kevin Woods injury and the absence of his backup Walner Leandre who has a funeral of a family member to attend. You mean he can't reschedule the funeral like Hootie asked Wes Murphy to do last year or the year before, forget which?

Hootie preaches all the "no 'i' in team" crap like so many other coaches, but he himself is not a team player. Hootie first. Ask not what Hootie can do for you, ask what you can do for Hootie is his philosophy. Were the Springdale kids treated like "family"? Were they treated like valuable team members? How about Gus "Mal-azahn"?

Hootie never even bothered to pronounce the man's name right. Last season when rumors surfaced of dissension on the team and staff, Hootie said "nothing could be further from the truth". Which is what Hootie often says when he's getting ready to tell a whopper.

In Colton's, Lone Star and some other restaurants, patrons are encouraged to eat peanuts and throw the shells on the floor. It's past time on the Hill to sweep out the "Nutts".

Fire The Liar!

No matter how many directional schools or Mississippi schools or never-wases who had never won a bowl game until a few years ago that Hootie Nutt manages to beat, the man should be fired for his lying, near constant deceptions and mediocrity as a coach.

The biggest problem UA has is fans and boosters who are willing to settle for just beating the creampuffs and more mediocre teams with regularity. Now, the spinners are saying "remember what happened when Hatfield left".

Hatfield was a not ready for prime timer and so is Hootie Nutt. Just don't hire a Jack Crowe to replace him. This program sans DMac, Felix, Hillis, Monk and most of the secondary is going to struggle to win 6 games next season no matter who the coach is.

But if the Hogs get rid of Hootie, at least the next guy, provided he is the right hire, could rebuild the football program in a couple of years and surely do a better job of reuniting the fragmented fan base than Nutt could possibly do.

So many fans are so disgusted with Nutt's tactics and ego tripping, winning the rest of the games would only be a bandaid. He has had long enough with his "National Championship under construction". It's time to give someone else a shot. Someone with integrity and vision. Houston Nutt has neither.

Where Has This Team Been All Season?

The Ol' Ball Coach, Steve Spurrier had nothing but compliments for the Hogs after Saturday's Arkansas win over South Carolina. How good the offensive line is. How physical the Hogs are and on and on.

The obvious question is: how did this team lose 3 games? The answer of course, is coaching that has ranged from mediocre to downright incompetent. Hootie's clock management is unbelievable. Letting the clock go from :25 to :08 seconds right before the half, then calling time out was vintage Hootie.

Yes the Hogs still won, but boneheaded decisions like that have cost the Hogs dearly in other games, Alabama and Auburn to name two. And it will happen again. That is the one thing you can count on when it comes to Nutt. Saturday nights' win makes it more likely. "I called that timeout brutha!"

Set The Clocks Back Tonight

Just like Hootie's offense. Yeah, it was a good win. The 20-12 pick of SC was tongue in cheek. I will admit I thought the Ol' Ball Caoch would outsmart Hootie in the 4th quarter and win. I'm still glad it didn't happen that way. I still don't root for our opponents like some fans.

However, I still think Nutt is a mediocre coach and that's all he'll ever be. Not to mention a liar and used car salesman. (Is that redundant?) No bandwagon jumping for me.

I've got news for you Nutthuggers. No matter who the head coach is next year, this team will struggle to win 5 games with no DMac, no Felix, no Hillis, no Monk, a new secondary and Texas taking the place of a directional school on the schedule. Then, either Florida or Georgia, I forget which, will take the place of Tennessee.

We still need to fire Hootie or hope he takes another job, whether it's Baylor, SMU, Memphis or wherever. We need to get a real coach and let them begin to rebuild the depleted roster and try to somewhat reunite the fan base.

Later, new lyrics to Toby Keith and Hootie Nutt's 2006 theme song, only changed to We Still Don't Like You Now

I Hope I'm Wrong...

The feeling in this space is: The Ol' Ball Coach will totally outcoach Hootie. (It's not that hard and Darth Visor HAS won a National Championship unlike the ramshackle one Nuttcase has had "under construction" all these years).

Prediction: SC 20- UA 12. Hootie: "I told you my contract said 2012"!

Hootie Having A "Banner" Year

Every Hog fans' favorite punch line was in the news this week for proclaiming in an interview that fans who fly banners, etc without giving their name are "gutless".

Oh, and I guess leaking lies to the press to make an 18 year old freshman and his mother look bad is courageous?

And sending the same 18 year old freshman a scathing email through a family friend is brave?

I personally am not afraid to attach my name to articles critical to Hootie. My name is on here. I would not hire a plane to fly a banner over the stadium and not use my name. But if someone else does it... Questionable, but not necessarily gutless.

And if it helps any at all to get Hootie out of the picture due to his constant lying of the last couple of years, shady ethics and incompetent coaching this season it will have been worth it.

I'm not saying Hootie is a bad coach. What he is is the epitome of mediocrity. I'm sure he has his good points as a person, but they have been pretty well hidden the last 2 years. It's time for a change for both he and the Hog football program.

Pork Or Chicken On The Menu? Arkansas-South Carolina Comparisons

First of all, we're talking about two small southern states that have some similarities, but not a long history on the football field. So here are a few contrasts and comparisons:

SC: longest tenured politician: Strom Thurmond. AR: longest tenured politician: Frank Broyles. Broyles appeared in a Civil War movie. Strom Thurmond appeared in the Civil War. Thurmond was in power past the age of 100. Broyles was booted from office in his early 80's. Advantage: SC

SC: home of Hootie and The Blowfish. AR: home of Hootie and the Blowhard (Herring).
Advantage: SC

SC: has the ol' Coach with lots of ball plays. AR: has the coach who plays with his balls a lot. Advantage: SC

SC: has a Quaterback named Smelley. AR: has a coach whose record vs. non-Mississippi schools in the SEC is smelly. Advantage:SC

SC: has a player named Succop (pronounced Suck-up). AR: has a head coach who does suck up. Advantage: even

SC: has a Presidential candidate who is a lawyer with TV evangelist hair. AR: has a Presidential candidate who is a preacher who should sue his hair for abandonment. Advantage: SC

SC: has the nickname of the 'Cocks. AR: has 2 QBs named Dick. Advantage: even.

SC: mascot is a chicken. AR: mascot is a hog. Have you ever heard a meat "tastes like pork?" Advantage: AR

SC: has a receiver named McKinley. AR: has receivers who have hands as soft as Mt. McKinley. Advantage: SC

SC: has a head coach who is a scratch golfer. AR: has a head coach who has won scratch, goes for the green, and has a golf ball with a good lie guaranteed every time. Advantage: SC

One More And We'll Throw A Party!

That's what Hootie-boy was reported to have said when Andrew Norman got his release papers to transfer to Tulsa. Now Ben Cleveland is denied a jersey to take his rightful place on the sidelines last Saturday? Could this be a little retribution for his getting a second opinion on his neck and deciding to redshirt after Darvocet Dean Weber said he could play? Or is just being from Springdale enough? If Hootie didn't need Alex Tejada would he be run off too?

As usual, Hootie's explanation doesn't wash. "He should have just come to me". That will go down with last year's "nothing could be further from the truth" we heard over and over in response to rumors of dissension on the staff and team.

Fire The Liar!

Jersey-Gate

I don't normally take everything Wally Hall writes seriously, but if the story is true about equipment manager Tim Cheney? Together with previous reports of Cheney's harassment of the Springdale players, this is grounds for dismissal. The man should be fired along with Hootie Nutt, Dean Weber, Kevin Trainor and just about everyone in this whole stinking, rotten mess.

Beck Campbell and Mitch Mustain could not be blamed for filing a lawsuit concerning email-gate and if that's what it takes to straighten up this corrupt, good ol' boy clique in the UA athletic department, so be it.

Jeff Long has a lot of work to do to restore the integrity of this sinking ship. Whoever the coach is next year is going to be in for choppy seas with so many player losses and the damage done by Paw-Paw Broyles, Hootie Nutt, Diana Nutt, Teresa Prewitt and "the posse".

It's embarrassing to share a state, not to mention a team with people like these, with the exception of Broyles. I don't think Broyles is inherently corrupt, but like the old saying (oft misquoted), power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The man had absolute power over the UA athletic department for far too long and now UA has a drug scandal, a basketball probation, the Harrod mess, the Nolan messy firing, the track scandal with Lance Brauman and others to show for it.

Hit That State Line Hootie!

There should be new words to the fight song. "Hit that state line, hit that state line, keep on going" is how the song that Hootie loves to sing to the cherry-picked group of sycophants after a victory should go these days. Snatching credit and attention from the players, where attention rightfully belongs is vintage Nutt.

Now I'm not a shrink, I just play one on TV, but perhaps this Hootie habit stems from Nutt's own career being such a monumental flop. I was 2 years ahead of him in school in the eastern part of the state and heard all the hype from his HS career. When Nutt arrived at UA in 1976 I could not believe that this guy was the one who had been hyped so much. I saw very little major college type talent and I don't think Nutt ever recovered from that blow to his ego. Rant over. Well, at least that one.

The Ol' Ball Coach must have drank some Nutty kool-aid at the SEC meetings to talk about how "close" the Hogs are to being undefeated and #1 in the BCS. With that schedule? No way any team gets to the top spot with 4 wins against rumdums like UTC and the Fla. International House Of Cupcakes.

I'll just about guarantee you Spurrier is telling his coaches and players in private if they can keep the game close until the 4th quarter he will outcoach Hootie and win the game.

Due to the benching of Chris Smelley, we are deprived of the much-anticipated Smelley-Dick matchup. Somehow, Mitchell-Dick doesn't have quite the same ring to it although Mitchell is a dirty word to Hootie Nutt. The two teams may not have the glamor of some other SEC Programs, but they do have the best names. Smelley. Dick. Succop(pronounced suck-up, you know like Houston does to Broyles). Talk about a "sexy" matchup.

By the time the Ol' Ball Coach gets to town next Friday, Hootie may have successfully spun the win over the Fla. House Of Cupcakes into a meaningful victory. I'm not buying and seriously doubt if many other fans will either. Speaking of fans, there were a lot of them disguised as empty seats Saturday. The Houstonistas have talked incessantly about the tickets sold and attendance figures in defending the dork.

The OBC doesn't lose 3 in a row very often, but Hootie does. Tennessee was lucky last night, but when haven't they been lucky against us in Knoxville? Mississippi State hardly looks like the automatic win the Hootie-ites have been projecting ever since the schedule was drawn up. And when was the last time the Hogs won in Baton Rouge? 1993, that's when.

As much as I hope the Hogs win the last 4 games, I know that like the sun coming up in the East, Hootie getting outcoached and giving away a couple of games is a virtual certainty.

58-10 Hogs win. Yawn. Big Whoop. In extending the nation's longest losing streak, the Hogs once again weren't all that impressive. It's better than losing, sure, but beating up on the nation's weakest team can't get most fans excited.

It's been so long, almost a calender year, since the Hogs beat a major conference team not located in the Magnolia State, that's Mississippi, Hootie fans, that it's hard to remember what's it's like. Of course, I'm sure Hootie rah-rahed it up like the Porkers won the national championship.

The Houstonista spin is that if the Hogs win out they would finish 10-3, better than last year percentage wise. As Daddy Bush might say, "Not gonna happen". The real season starts next Saturday. The OBC is sure to outcoach Hootie, then the Great Pumpkin Fulmer, then a not so fast on counting Misstake as a sure win, then LSU at Red Stick. Losing out is more likely than winning out. My guess is a 7-5 record at best for the Hogs, more likely 6-6 with what would hopefully be Hootie's last game coming in Shreveport.

Fans who are disgusted with this regime, and they are many in spite of Rip Van Broyles' "5 puh-cent" statement, should not give up. Settle for mediocrity and that's what will be delivered in abundance.