Calling all Hogs fans

I try to stay on topic in my blogging, but every once in awhile something random pops up that's too good not to post.

As those of you who know me personally can attest, I am a die-hard Arkansas Razorbacks fan. I let that show through here and there - like when I couldn't contain my excitement at the beginning of the 2009 season and when I highlighted Tight End D.J. Williams' stellar character.

And truth be told, living away from the great state of Arkansas for the past four years has only made me pine away for my homeland even more.

(I mean, did you know we are the only state in the union with an active diamond mine? And that Arkansas produces more rice than any other state, accounting for well over 40% of all rice production in the U.S.?? And that we've got the Hogs besides all that??? It's a great place to live.)

Anyway, Razorback fans everywhere breathed a collective sigh of relief a few days ago when our highly talented QB, Ryan Mallett, decided to forgo the NFL draft and return to the U of A for another year. The Hogs would have had a good time lined up for next fall in any event, but the prospect of having Mallett around means a good season could potentially be a great one.

When I saw Mallett's decision announced on a blog co-owned by my childhood friend Adam Butler, I left a comment suggesting he should write a commentary on the Hogs' prospects for next season. He did, and the commentary is fantastic.

But wait ... let me give you a little background. At present, Adam is an upstanding attorney in the law firm of Butler & Green, P.A., in North Little Rock. But when we were raising Cain back in high school in our hometown of Paragould, Adam somehow found time to be a sports writer for a local newspaper called the Northeast Arkansas Tribune. (Did you know it's the only town named Paragould in the whole world?? Talk about awesome.) He was darn good at it, too. Adam went on to work for the sports information department at the University of Arkansas for several years while he was a student there, which only sharpened his insight into the world of sports.

So now go check out his commentary on Ryan Mallett and the Arkansas Razorbacks. It's funny and insightful, as well as even-handed. You won't find any better. If Adam ever gets tired of practicing law, maybe he can angle for Chris Low's job.

And Adam - thanks for taking up the challenge!

You don't want nonna this

Question: Is there anything more glorious than the site of that ferocious Hog on the side of a shiny football helmet?

Answer: No. No, there is nothing more glorious than that. Especially on the first weekend of September.

And it's just around the corner.

My prediction for the season: The addition of Ryan Mallett, the return of an intact defense with a year of SEC play under their belts, the strong running game headed by "Lil' D-Mac" Michael Smith, and the absolute dominance of D.J. Williams are going to lead to an Arkansas Razorbacks team that will surprise a lot of folks. I even think we're gonna beat Georgia (at home) and Ole Miss (on the road). In fact, other than road games at Gainesville and Tuscaloosa, I think we can beat anybody on our schedule.

Pontificating on the Hogs is a bit outside my regular subject matter, but hey, it's that time of year.

Here are some good posts I've enjoyed reading over the past few days:

Daniel McLain Hixon on John Wesley's view of the Lord's Supper

Kevin Watson providing the reading list for the course in United Methodist history he's teaching

Allan Bevere offering the 200th edition of the Methoblogger Weekly Roundup

John Meunier reflecting on the goods and ills of Methoblogging

Sky McCracken pointing out the poverty of the terms "liberal" and "conservative"

Happy Weekend!

Role models, on and off the field

When athletes are in the news for something other than the game they played the night before, usually the reasons are not good. Sometimes it's run of the mill reasons: performance-enhancing drugs, run-ins with the law, and general prima donna behavior. And then, there's the stranger stuff, like illegal dogfighting rings and accidental self-inflicted gunshot wounds in nightclubs.

I remember how strange it seemed to me last year when Matt Jones, the former standout quarterback for the Arkansas Razorbacks, was arrested on cocaine charges in a parking lot in Fayetteville, AR. How could a guy with no previous history of trouble, who had found success in the NFL, do something so stupid? (FYI, many who knew more about Jones than I did were not so surprised. Sometimes it's not about prior arrest records so much as prior tendencies.) Jones' story seemed to confirm what the media often reflects, namely that both college and pro athletes are often a magnet for trouble.

I don't think that athletes are any worse people than the rest of us. They just have the unfortunate combination of lots of money to burn (in the case of the pros), a profession where they are treated like gods, and a high degree of media scrutiny. In other words, they've got ample opportunity to get into trouble coupled with a media machine ready to swoop down on them when they screw up.

We all want athletes to be "role models," right? I mean, that's the phrase you hear anytime an athlete does get caught doing something he shouldn't. The team will always release a statement that says something to the effect: "Athletes are supposed to be role models for kids. We sincerely regret that [Player X] has acted in this way and assure the public that steps will be taken to address this issue."

So with all that, it's really nice when an athlete comes along who actually is a role model. With all of his success at the University of Florida, the Gators' quarterback Tim Tebow gets rightfully praised for the life he lives off the field. Tebow spends his summers doing mission work, and he is unafraid to speak about his desire to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ when he's interviewed. When I was e-mailing a friend of mine about doing this blog post earlier today, he wrote back jokingly about how Tebow has already cured world hunger and stopped the hatred in the Middle East. Tebow can seem too good to be true, but maybe that's only because there just aren't that many examples of athletes who live their lives for others (or even for a higher calling).

I want to highlight another, lesser-known role model who is featured in today's sports column by Arkansas-Democrat Gazette sportswriter Wally Hall. That player is tight end D.J. Williams, who is an outstanding player for the Arkansas Razorbacks and who also happens to be an outstanding human being.

Read Wally Hall's column, if you have a couple of minutes. And take note that D.J.'s personality did not emerge out of thin air. That kind of thing has to be cultivated over time.

Hall's column paints the picture of a young guy who has a real strength of character. In a sacrificial sense, even. And that should be celebrated, just as much as Williams' exploits on the football field. High profile athletes can often get away with obnoxious behavior. And that means the ones who do show a willingness to reach out to the least, the last, and the lost are doing something that runs counter to the general culture of the sports world. When it happens, it's great to see.

[Update on 6/5/09: Chris Low of ESPN has written a story on D.J.'s background that makes his successes now, on and off the field, even more remarkable.]