Razorback Fans Highly Optimistic for '06

The Razorbacks are a religion in Arkansas. Spend a few days here, talk to some locals and you'll quickly find out that as far as sports discussions go, it's pretty much Arkansas football, a little more Arkansas football and then everything else. There are no professional sports teams in the Natural State, so you have to drive about four hours to Dallas or five to Kansas City just to get a taste of that level of play. Not like it matters all that much though: with all of the history, tradition and local connections for the University of Arkansas, even if there was a pro sports club in Little Rock or Fort Smith or wherever, its following would absolutely still pale in comparison to that of the Hogs.

This year, the excitement and anticipation for the Arkansas football season is as high as its been in about seven or eight years, really since Houston Nutt first took over as head coach. With 19 of 22 starters returning, with eight out of twelve games at home, with skill players like Darren McFadden, Marcus Monk and Peyton Hillis and a big, strong line on offense, with a new vertically-oriented offensive coordinator in Gus Malzahn, with standout performers like tackle Keith Jackson, linebacker Sam Olajubutu and safety Materral Richardson on defense---the Hogs (or Haw-gs, as it's pronounced by the natives) look locked, loaded and ready for significant improvement.

And yet it all hinges on the single most important position on the field: the quarterback. Who's it going to be? Casey Dick? The sophomore has a decent arm but isn't known for making the best in-game decisions. . . . Robert Johnson? The junior has great feet, but struggles mightily with his accuracy. Which leaves in-state rock star Mitch Mustain, a true freshman, as the most talented and likely best choice of the bunch. One of the top three ranked high school quarterbacks in the country last year by most analysts, Mustain spurned a chance to play for Charlie Weis and Notre Dame to stay home and become a Razorback.

Sure he's inexperienced and making a big jump from Arkansas high school football to the SEC. But he ran the Malzahn offense to perfection the last couple of years at Springdale High School and one would think his familiarity with the system would translate well regardless of his competition. Are there going to be bumps on the road that will be his learning curve? Of course. Just wait till the first time Mustain takes a real big hit from an SEC linebacker. That'll be a nice wake-up call. It's his rare combination of mental tools and physical ability though that leads me to believe he can make the adjustment in a hurry. Will he start in game number one on September 2nd against USC? Probably not. Will he see the field by the end of that game? Strong chance.

If so, and if Mitch Mustain is all he's cracked up to be, the rabid Razorback fans should be in for not only an exciting 2006 season, but a tremendous future as well. Surely a team as talented on paper as this Arkansas club would take off if it had a playmaking quarterback leading it down the field and to the next level. At the least, with Mustain in tow and expectations spiraling ever higher, football services at the "church" that's known as Reynolds Stadium in Fayetteville will be held at a very high pitch for the foreseeable future.

Break out the pigskin, folks . . . Arkansas football is cool again.


-JAB

"Lost Episodes" Last Hurrah for Chappelle's Show

It's hard to imagine walking away from a fifty million dollar paycheck for what you do naturally, but that's just what comedian Dave Chappelle did in May of 2005. With the funniest and most successful comedic show on television already with two years to its credit, Chappelle signed a two year deal with Comedy Central worth the aforementioned fifty million beans to produce seasons three and four of his hit series. And then, just like that, in the middle of production, he walked away. No one was able to pin Dave down on the exact reasons for his departure, but it seemed to go a little something like this: success led to money and fame, money and fame led to more responsibility and more pressure. The weight of the show and the direction/perception of its racially charged content became too much for him to deal with, so he jetted off to South Africa to collect himself. Rumors of mental illness and/or drug abuse ensued and were met with strong denials. Whatever the cause for the departure, the bottom line was that his fans were utterly crushed.

Over a year later, it's pretty clear that Chappelle has no intentions of his resuming his television series whatsoever. So Comedy Central did the right thing, in my opinion, and decided to piece together the remaining three episodes' worth of finished sketches into the "Lost Episodes" of the Chappelle Show, which are airing this month on the cable network.

The first two episodes underscore that the show was on course for more big laughs and social satire in season three. Skit topics revolve around Howard Dean's public outburst and meltdown (just hilarious), the bizarre timeliness of Tupac Shakur's rap lyrics (dead-on), the consequences of newfound mega-wealth for Dave (scary) and a racially stereotypical pixie (not nearly as controversial as Chappelle apparently believed). Though the humor is once again on point in most of these skits, you can practically see Dave struggling with himself in front of your eyes over the creative future of his show.

Former co-stars Charlie Murphy and Donnell Rawlings sub for Dave in the on-set intros to the skits, but neither is a match for Chappelle's natural timing and flair. To their credit though, the two cast members do their best to pay homage to the work and skills of their absentee colleague. Ultimately I do think it leaves a better taste in most people's mouths having two people split the fill-in duties rather than just leaving one person to do it. (Again, no public comment from Chappelle or his representatives on any of this.)

In the end, the "Lost Episodes" are a final glimpse of 21st century comedic gold before the reserves ran out. They're must-watches for diehard fans and probably nothing more than mildly interesting to anyone else. But you have to give Comedy Central credit for trying to give the hardcore fans a going away present. Chappelle has resumed his stand-up career with an on-again/off-again tour of the country, and it's great to know that one of the smartest and funniest talents of our time is still putting his global views out there, but now it's on a much smaller and lower key scale than it was before. Maybe that's just the way Dave wants it, but the fact remains that it's hard not to feel cheated of something truly special and great by the show's early demise.

My grade for Chappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes: B-



-JAB

Making the Move for a New Job

Moving isn't the easiest experience in life, but sometimes it's completely necessary. The past few weeks have been a bit of a blur as I relocated from Valley City, North Dakota, to Fort Smith, Arkansas.

North Dakota was great to me; I could never have asked for a better audience on my sports talk show or for a nicer, more comfortable area to live in (winters not included). Yet I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go and help build something from the ground up, which is what I'll now be doing at ESPN 96.3 as a Program Director and Morning Talk Show Host.

The people I'm working with here in Arkansas are incredibly friendly and strike me as deeply motivated to create something special. They are in love with their Razorbacks on a year-round basis, as you might expect . . . And there's nothing like diehard sports fans to push all the right buttons for me! It really does seem like a great fit both ways and I'm grateful for the opportunity to show the folks here what I can do.

Again, my apologies for the recent slowdown on the blog entries and website updates of late. Please excuse the slight delay while moving. Things should be getting back up to speed in the next week or so. . . .

Thanks to everyone concerned for your support and patience in all respects!


-JAB