The End of the Houston Nutt Era

Must be nice to be Houston Nutt these days, don't you think? He gets 3.5 million dollars to leave Arkansas after ten years, and then signs a four year/7.4 million dollar deal to become the head coach at Mississippi less than twenty-four hours later. Pretty sweet loot if you can get it. But Nutt didn't even come close to offering the straight story at his "goodbye" press conference on Monday. And it doesn't look like the truth will be surfacing any time soon.

Did Houston actually choose to resign? Was his skin not quite as thick as we all thought it was? Perhaps the constant abuse he and his family took over the last couple of years was the driving force behind his decision. Or maybe it wasn't. Maybe the writing really was on the wall, and Arkansas' athletic hierarchy of Chancellor White, Jeff Long and Frank Broyles realized it was time to turn the page. So many questions with so many answers that Razorback fans will likely never get.

Speculation for a duller day, I guess. For now, we've got a coaching search in full effect at the U of A, and a list of candidates that is pretty thick, some more realistic than others. Want some names? For starters: Tommy Tuberville, Butch Davis, Chris Petersen, Mike Leach, Brent Venables and Bo Pelini are all in the conversation. Names like Jimmy Johnson and Gus Malzahn are a lot farther fetched, for obvious reasons. And then there's the bigger lot of names that most of us aren't even aware of yet. With a search committee aiding in the process, don't expect it to take all that long either. If I had to guess, I'd say a new coach is hired by the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Nutt is already in Oxford, Mississippi, doing his best Rebel performance to secure what was supposed to be a pretty decent recruiting class for the recently-canned Ed Orgeron. And who came blame him for making the move within the SEC, and striking while the iron was still hot? No one. And that proverbial iron doesn't get any hotter for a coach than in the aftermath of a triple overtime road upset of LSU, the #1 team in the country.

So Nutt goes his way and Arkansas heads out in a new direction all its own. Ten years is a long run for any coach these days, let alone in the SEC, and regardless of whether or not you liked Houston Nutt the coach or Houston Nutt the person, it was finally time. Change can be a really good thing---it frequently is---but only sometimes is it absolutely necessary. This was definitely one of those times.

-JAB

Breaking News: Houston Nutt to Resign

The soap opera drama swirling around Razorback football coach Houston Nutt is expected to come to an end tonight. According to multiple newspaper, radio and television sources, Houston Nutt will announce his resignation at a 6:30 PM press conference in Fayetteville.

Nutt has been the head coach at Arkansas since 1997. There has been plenty of speculation about his job security over the last couple of years, and it appears that it's all finally come to a head.

If this is indeed the end of his run, Houston Nutt went out with perhaps his most impressive coaching victory to date, a 50-48 triple overtime triumph at #1 LSU on Friday. No word yet on who will succeed Nutt as head coach.

More details and reaction to come in tomorrow's blog.

-JAB

Razorbacks Get Manhandled in Knoxville

Too many questions to answer, and not nearly enough answers for all those questions. That's the big vibe most Razorback fans will have to take out of Arkansas' worst football performance of 2007. A loss at Tennessee wasn't entirely unexpected for the Hogs---heck, it's essentially a rite of passage for most recruiting classes---but 34-13? And that uncompetitive? There's no pouring sugar on this team's state of affairs. It's all gotten way too sour, way too fast for head coach Houston Nutt.

What stands out: 4th and a yard at UA's own 45 yd line---and Darren McFadden is on the sideline? I don't fault giving the ball to Peyton Hillis there, but DMac has got to be on the field, if only to draw some attention from the defense. Houston Nutt has offered no legitimate answer for that thus far, and none appears forthcoming.

-Passing on first down almost exlusively throughout the first half. I realize that Arkansas was trying to balance things out against Tennessee, but way, way too much emphasis on the air attack.

-Halfway through the third quarter, Nutt turns down a 37 yard field goal by Alex Tejada and instead goes for it on 4th and 12 at the Vols' 20 yard line. Down by 21 points, I understand the urge to go for it there, but on 4th and 12 it's just a bad decision. The fade pass to Hillis in double coverage wasn't even close, and Arkansas came out of that drive with nothing. You have to get points there.

-Late in the third quarter, with Arkansas trailing by three scores but still in the game, Nutt replaces Casey Dick with the almost completely inexperienced Nathan Emert. A move that smelled of desperation, Emert was thrown to the wolves in an impossible spot.

Look, the Felix Jones' thigh injury was a big factor for Arkansas, but it was from the determining aspect of the game. The Razorbacks chose a terrible time to play their worst game of the year on both sides of the ball---12 penalties is far too many---and now they have no one to blame but themselves.

A loss to the seriously-improved Mississippi State Bulldogs in Little Rock on Saturday and you can kiss a bowl bid goodbye. All-Americans Darren McFadden and Felix Jones in the same backfield and you can't even make a bowl? Oh, mama.

The Houston Nutt train is headed for the end of the tracks.

-JAB

Early November's High Notes

Darren McFadden's performance versus South Carolina on Saturday night was one for the ages. Setting an SEC single game rushing record with 321 yards, D-Mac literally rolled over a Gamecock's defense that didn't prove much of a challenge at all. Sprinkle in a TD throw to Robert Johnson, and you have to believe that McFadden has played his way right back to the fringes of the '07 Heisman Trophy race. More importantly for Arkansas is a three game win streak that has reinstalled some hope in the Razorback fan base. A trip to Tennesee looms this Saturday, then it's home for Mississippi State before the finale at Baton Rouge against LSU. It's no stretch to envision Arkansas at 8-3 overall, 4-3 in the SEC by the time of the game with the Tigers. But it will likely take a Razorback road triumph in that contest to springboard the Hogs into a New Year's Day bowl, and McFadden back into serious Heisman contention.... Meanwhile, former Oklahoma Sooner tailback Adrian Petersen set an NFL single game record with a 296 yard rushing performance for the Vikings against the Chargers. Currently on pace for a 2,000 yard season, Petersen is putting together one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time. And when you consider that Minnesota (much like Arkansas) has next to no passing game to speak of, the speedy tailback's numbers are even more impressive. Already one can see that Peterson and McFadden are the likely heir apparent superstar tailbacks at the next level for years to come....

Elsewhere, the story of NFL Week 9 was New England's 24-20 come-from-behind triumph over the Indianapolis Colts. Despite getting besieged by pass interference penalties, the Patriots rallied for two touchdowns in the final nine minutes, with Tom Brady overcoming a rare two interception performance to throw three more TDs (33 on the season now, for those of you keeping track at home). Roosevelt Colvin was a beast in the win at linebacker for New England, a team that now has a realistic shot at running the regular season slate. Tough games still loom against Baltimore, Pittsburgh and the Giants, but it's no stretch to think New England can get it done.

As for the likely AFC Championship game rematch that awaits these two teams, it's going to be another good one to watch, but probably tilted even more so to New England. Sure, I realize that neither WR Marvin Harrison or left tackle Tony Ugoh played in this game for Indy, but going on the road and playing well in bad weather has never been Peyton Manning's forte, and it's all but assured that he'll have to do that now just to get back to the Super Bowl....

The new Ridley Scott-directed film American Gangster is really good, if too violent. It also takes a lot of patience, at over two and a half hours. But it's good stuff, with Denzel Washington knocking them dead (literally) as a drug kingpin. Washington is always a tour de force on the screen and it's no different here, and the same can be said for Russell Crowe, who plays the cop out to get him. An all-time great film? Absolutely not. But it's a fun start to what should be a good holiday film season. My Grade: B+

-JAB

Arkansas Goes on Road, Thrashes Mississippi

Now that's more like it. After losing their first three SEC games of the year, the Razorbacks rolled over the Ole Miss Rebels, 44-8 in Oxford on Saturday. It was a refreshing change of performance for an Arkansas team that has floundered well below preseason expectations. And with the refreshment comes the hope that the Hogs can keep their seasonal ship rolling straight through November.

Tailbacks Darren McFadden (22 carries/110 yards) and Felix Jones (15 carries/101 yards) were back on their respective games, while the offensive line did a tremendous job of opening space in front of them. Even quarterback Casey Dick was on his game, throwing 11 completions in 17 attempts, for 96 yards and 3 TDs against a sole meaningless end-of-the-first half interception. Peyton Hillis was a weapon out of the backfield as well, catching 4 passes for 60 yards, while TE Andrew Davie had the first two TD catch game of his young career.

And still, this one was mostly about the defense for the Hogs. With six sacks and four interceptions, there's no question that the Razorback 'D' went into this one with the intent of driving the Rebels firmly back on their heels. Surely, they did that and more, generating pressure up front, playing solid man coverage and giving defensive coordinator Reggie Herring the ability to blitz as freely as he wanted, without the worry of springing a leak. Arkansas' defensive performance was so good it made talented Rebels' QB Seth Adams look really bad, and with him, a host of skilled receivers.

It's way too early to reach much into this game: Ole Miss stinks. Now Arkansas plays a terrible Florida International team on Saturday. But if the Razorbacks can keep their good play going against South Carolina in two weeks, there's a very realistic chance that this club could play its way back into New Year's Day bowl consideration. For head coach Houston Nutt, under fire after a lackluster first half of the season, that's about as good a turnaround as could be hoped for at this point.

-JAB

Radiohead reaches new heights "In Rainbows"

British rock band Radiohead has self-released In Rainbows, its first new album in more than four years. By selling the ten song disc via its own website, the group has turned the music industry on its metaphorical ear. Early estimates have them selling more than 1.2 million copies of an album that customers can pay as little as ninety cents for, if they so choose. A double-disc CD proper release is expected for early December, but the mp3 downloads undoubtedly do the songs justice. Indeed, the feeling here is that Radiohead has continued to surpass itself in terms of music-making, marketing strategy, and general creativity. Below is my track-by-track breakdown of the new record.

1) 15 Step: Opening against the background of a stomping, shifting backbeat, lead singer Thom Yorke intones the questions: "How come I end up where I started? How come I end up where I went wrong?" Splashes of guitar help the song lift into full-blown takeoff, with all kinds of crazy sounds---howls, reverb, children clapping---jump out of the background. A bona-fide rocker.

2) Bodysnatchers: This tune was debuted as fast and guitar-heavy during Radiohead's brief European tour last year. The guitars remain, though the tempo's been turned down a bit. Jonny Greenwood and Ed O'Brien trade riffs while Yorke wails lyrics about paranoia in "the 21st century! The 21st century!." A solid 1-2 punch to open.

3) Nude: A song that's already more than ten years old, "Nude" used to be called "Big Ideas." After struggling fruitlessly for a long time on the proper incarnation for the melody, the band has settled on a slow, ruminating chord progression full of strings. Some Radiohead diehards may be upset with this "final" version, but I think it does the original tune some final justice.

4) Arpeggi: A beautiful song with (relatively) depressing lyrics about "weird fishes" and the "bottom of the sea", this is probably the most efficient reworking of any tune on the album. Gone are the dramatic piano chords, replaced instead with choppy acoustic guitar splashes. The song builds to a harmonic crescendo about four minutes in; it literally sounds like it's being played under water somewhere at the very depths of the ocean.

5) All I Need: One of my personal favorites of Radiohead's recent concert setlists, the music and lyrics strike a perfect balance. It's a slow, romantic burner with lyrics about being "In the middle of your picture, lying in the leaves/You're all I need." Yorke's voice sounds tremendous here, carrying the song towards the end, where it breaks back down over fractured piano chords. A fresher version of Radiohead's younger balladry days.

6) Faust ARP: At a little over two minutes, it's easily the shortest song on the album. Early reviews have likened it to McCartney's "Blackbird", and it's not a bad comparison. I have little idea as to what the title means. Something about a German author? Hmmm...

7) Reckoner: This will probably upset Radiohead diehards the most. Played live last year, the song was straight ahead Radiohead rock at its OK Computer-like best. Now it's another slow builder, bathed in symphonic swirls. It's a pretty tune at its core, but yet another sign that the Oxford quintet have elected to go in the slower is better direction on Rainbows. Still a very good song though.

8) House of Cards: The easiest-to-digest track on the whole album. Its laid-back guitar fuels the almost reggae melody. Yorke's opening lines: "I don't want to be your friend/I just want to be your lover." They're as direct and love-themed as any he's written since The Bends. At five and a half minutes, it's also the longest song on the album. Doesn't feel like it though. An absolute gem.

9) Jigsaw Falling Into Place: Played live under the working title of "Open Pick." Another song that's been boiled down to its slow-paced core. It possesses a groovy rhythm track keyed by bassist Colin Greenwood and drummer Phil Selway. Another tune that's sure to confuse those looking for the fast-paced rock and roll of recent Radiohead shows.

10) Videotape: Continuing in the tradition of Radiohead LP closers like "Street Spirit", "Motion Picture Soundtrack", "Life in a Glass House" and "Wolf From the Door", this is a heavy ballad riding on the emotions of an album full of them. Yorke sings about his personal Judgement Day, where everything he's done is diplayed in videotape, a la the now-classic film comedy Defending Your Life. It's an interesting idea, and it hits hard with happiness and remorse intertwined. "This is the most perfect day I've ever known," sings Yorke. If he's speaking about In Rainbows and its place in the Radiohead album canon, it certainly comes awful close.

Josh's Grade for In Rainbows: A-

-JAB

Springsteen Heads Back to E Street for More Magic

Hearing Bruce Springsteen play with the E Street Band is like going home and hanging out with a bunch of old friends you haven't seen in a long time: it just feels good. For the Boss, it must've felt as such on latest studio album Magic, his first effort with the E Streeters since 2001's The Rising. It's career release number fifteen for Springsteen if you're keeping score at home. Opening with the poppy lead single "Radio Nowhere", Springsteen's album is focused in both mood and intention. The single is about searching for good music in an age where the industry is shrinking and consolidating by the day (more by necessity than choice). It's a good opener, and in line shortly afterwards are old school sounding Springsteen cuts like "You'll Be Coming Down" and "I'll Work For Your Love." Better than both of those though is "Living in the Future." It literally sounds like E Street circa 1978. Clarence Clemons' jazzy sax is all over it, with a catchy hook and busy guitars to boot. It's as good as anything Bruce has done with E Street in ten years. Then Bruce turns his attention to serious matters, particularly war in the modern age, on cuts like "Gypsy Biker", title track "Magic," second single "Long Walk Home" and strings-laden closer "Devil's Arcade." "Biker" and "Home" are probably the best of that bunch, and Springsteen does a fine job of describing the horrors of warfare and its consequence without laying the finger too heavy with blame on any one person or thing. The best song on the album though is the finale, "Terry's Song." Written for recently deceased longtime Bruce friend Terry McGovern, the track is both beautiful and simple in its tone and delivery. Producer Brendan O'Brien must have realized so as well: he leaves the song almost completely free of any studio tricks. If there's one major complaint of the album, it's that it sounds a bit slick and overproduced in places, but that's the only real quibble I've got. It's always great hearing Bruce back at work on E Street for the love of his listeners, and this album is another unquestioned success. Josh's Magic Grade: B+ -JAB

Josh's Early October Storylines

Razorbacks Roll Up Mean Green

A 66-7 victory over North Texas doesn't do much to change the public perception of the Razorbacks, but it can certainly help the players gain some confidence in themselves. The passing game was more than functional; for a change, it was seriously impressive. Casey Dick looked way better on the playaction throws, while wideouts London Crawford and Robert Johnson stepped up and made some nice catches. Defensively, the secondary finally started turning to look at the ball (sure does help, huh?), while the stud tailback duo of McFadden and Jones churned out 270 first half yards before mercifully hitting the bench for half number two.

Things won't get any more exciting this coming weekend, when Arkansas hosts former I-AA school Tennessee-Chattanooga in Little Rock. A rout it shall be, and the Hogs will then be 3-2 when the night wraps, but they'll still be stuck on 0-2 in SEC play, a mark that won't change---for the positive or the negative---until they host Auburn in Fayetteville a week from Saturday.

One real Chattanooga storyline of note: Heisman hopeful Darren McFadden needs 151 yards rushing (probably all in the first half) to set the all-time Razorback ground mark in front of his hometown fans in Little Rock. Here's hoping D-Mac gets it done in the Rock.

Mets Slide All the Way Out

An epic collapse apparently won't cost Mets' skipper Willie Randolph his job, but it probably should have. Watching New York trip over itself during the final 17 games of the season was one of the more painful experiences of my sports life. The pitching completely collapsed, both starting and in the bullpen, while the offense lost almost all of its spunk. A lot of that stemmed from the top of the lineup: Jose Reyes looked like a completely different player during the final two months of the season. He went from a guy who was arguably becoming the most exciting all-around player in the game to a guy who couldn't even get on base.

A lot of the fold-up was psychological. After losing eight straight times to the Phillies towards the end of the year, the Mets clearly no longer believed in themselves. The swagger was gone, and soon, so was their divisional lead. And now New York enters an offseason filled with questions, while Philadelphia parties like it's 1993. Oh, the misery....

LCS Picks: Cleveland over Boston in ALCS; Chicago over Colorado in NLCS
World Series Champ: Cleveland Indians

NFL Wraps First Quarter of Play

New England is once again the team to beat, at 4-0 through one quarter of the season. The "undefeated" talk has already started up, with Tom Brady (13 TD tosses) playing like the Most Valuable Player. Clearly the addition of Randy Moss (7 TDs already) has made the Patriots scary good; rumors of the Freak's athletic demise were undoubtedly exaggerated. Don't sleep on the Colts yet though: at 4-0, they are still the defending champions until someone proves otherwise.

The two other undefeated teams are unquestioned surprises. We knew Dallas would be good, but this good, this fast under Wade Phillips? My goodness. Tony Romo is playing like a bona fide star, while Marion Barber has emerged as the best red zone tailback in the NFL. If the Cowboys' 'D' ever gets up to speed, it's going to mean serious trouble for the rest of the NFC.

And then there's Green Bay. Brett Favre has his Packers off to a 4-0 start, and now he also has the all-time TD toss mark in the bag, shattering Dan Marino's previous tally of 420. Favre is playing like he's 28, not 38, and the Green Bay defense has improved as much as any group in all of football.

The list of disappointing starts is a lot longer, stretching from San Diego, Philadelphia and Cincinnati (all 1-3) to New Orleans, Saint Louis and Miami (all still winless).

A fourth of the NFL season is it all it is, but now is the first real good time to take stock of where your respective team is---or isn't.

Springsteen Back with "Magic", Crows Postpone, Radiohead Loses Collective Mind

Yes, I've already picked up my copy of Bruce Springsteen's new album Magic, but I've yet to put it in the CD player for a spin, so give me just a couple of days till I offer you a full-fledged review. It's coming though, I promise . . . the E Streeters are back, baby.

In other music news: the Counting Crows have, rather unfortunately, elected to postpone the release of their fifth album Saturday Nights, Sunday Mornings until after the New Year. Something about being too busy to take care of "all the little details" according to lead singer/songwriter Adam Duritz in a post on his band's website. Too bad about that. Almost six years now since the last Crows' album.

Meanwhile, British collective Radiohead---arguably the greatest living rock band in the world today---has taken a completely different route in releasing their seventh album, titled In Rainbows. With almost no advertising or advance notice, and no record deal to speak of (the previous one has already been fulfilled) the group will release the album on its own via the internet next Wednesday, October 10th. Ten songs will be available, and here's the crux of the craziness: downloaders will have the right to pay as much or as little as they like for each and every song. You read correctly: downloaders can elect to pay nothing for the songs if they so choose. On December 3rd, the band will then release a double CD of the album, containing eight extra tracks, along with artwork and more. That too can only be ordered online and will set you back a mere $80 in American cash.

Will it prove to be a profitable decision for Radiohead? Time will tell, but at the least, it's certainly a statement against the big music conglomerates. Kudos for that, but still sort of crazy if you ask me. That's Radiohead for you.

-JAB

Kanye West Back Strong with Graduation

It's hard not to call Graduation Kanye West's crowning achievement to date. Gone are the annoying skits and intros that plagued Late Registration. In their stead are thirteen cuts that leave the listener feeling even a little bit slighted on the light side when all is said and done. The album opens with the soft samplings of Jay-Z on "Good Morning." Some creative rhyming on this cut: "I'm like a fly Malcolm X/Buy any jeans necessary" makes it a nice introductory piece, and then it is immediately followed by "Champion", with a dead ringer for Lauryn Hill crooning away in the background. Lead single "Stronger" rocks the beat as track three, then it's the unique "I Wonder" and funky "Good Life" back-to-back before second single "Can't Tell Me Nothing." A phenomenally strong first side to the disc gets a bit sluggish in the middle with "Barry Bonds" (Lil Wayne's contribution is weak) and "Drunken Hot Girls" (why bother?), but then Kanye regains his footing with a strong finish. "Flashing Lights" and "The Glory" are total dance gems, while "Everything I Am," "Homecoming," and "Big Brother" are all perfectly felt emotional odes. (Indeed, Kanye's "Homecoming" collaboration with Chris Martin is even better than Jay Z's "Beach Chair" of last year.) Closing with "Brother"---a tribute song to Mr. Hovito----is a bit strange, but sometimes less is more, right? Clearly, Kanye is now as relevant and prevalent as any rapper/producer in the business. Three albums in, his production skills are untouchable, while his rhyming seems to have improved with each disc. A head-to-head "battle" with 50 Cent assured Graduation of some good sales, and it's no surprise to see the album debuting at number one with just about one million copies sold. A bit of a lull in the middle, and a tad short on total tracks, Kanye irregardless graduates from my CD player with a strong A- and hands-down the best hip hop release so far this year. -JAB P.S. Next up: Springsteen and the E Street Band drop Magic on Tuesday.

September's Sports Takes

Bama Crusher for the Hogs

It could always be worse . . . You could be O.J. Simpson.

Still, for Razorback fans, it doesn't get much more painful than a 41-38 loss at Alabama on Saturday night. The Hogs coming back from 21 points down twice in the ballgame, only to lose on a John Parker Wilson-to-Matt Caddell TD toss with eight seconds left. Arkansas' tailbacks were phenomenal in defeat, with Darren McFadden (he is not human) rushing for 195 yards on a career-high 33 carries and Felix Jones chipping in with 96 yards of his own. McFadden was, simply, spectacular. None of his numbers came on runs longer than 24 yards. Six yards, eight yards, twelve, five, ten . . . The way D-Mac ripped off physically-pounding run after run impressed me more in this game than in any other of his performances. But the defense struggled mightily all game long, spotting the Crimson Tide a 21-0 lead after one quarter. It was 31-10 in the 2nd half before a ferocious Razorback rally saw Arkansas take the lead with eight minutes to go. All this, just to suffer, oh so painfully, as Nick Saban's crew chewed away at the deficit with a 42-yard Leigh Tiffin field goal and a punch-you-in-the-gut 73 yard game winning TD drive at the end.

You can pinpoint any number of areas in this one that hindered Arkansas' cause: the secondary was scorched, again, and rarely turned to look at incoming passes. Jerrell Norton: what are you doing, buddy? The defensive front was feeble in its pass rush (though decent against the run). Casey Dick struggled early, finishing 11 of 23, but had a couple of key drops, including one by Reggie Fish that could have gone for a touchdown. Indeed, wideout London Crawford was so excited to catch a pass in the open field that he fumbled the football untouched, killing another Arkansas drive in Alabama territory.

And then there's the coaching. I give Houston Nutt a lot of credit for keeping his team in the game---and sticking with the run---down by 21 points in the second half. But in Arkansas' final drive, with tailback Darren McFadden on the sideline suffering from a "slight" concussion, the Hogs tried to run the clock out and couldn't. The biggest play of the game, to me, was a 3rd and 12 with 2:30 left, the ball still inside of Arkansas' 40 yard line. Instead of running the ball and taking another 40-45 seconds off the clock (against an Alabama team that had no timeouts left), Nutt called for a rollout pass by Dick, which fell incomplete and saved the Tide a bunch of precious seconds.

A terrible pass interference call against Kevin Woods on a 3rd and 9 and a ridiculous clock delay for measurement with :21 seconds left both aided the Tide's win, but I hate to say a game was exclusively decided by the officials when it definitely was not.

It's always easy to go back and criticize things afterwards, but the fact of the matter is this: Arkansas is 1-1, 0-1 in the SEC, and has a tall task coming to Fayetteville this weekend in the shape and form of the Kentucky Wildcats. Led by All-Conference QB Andre Woodson, the Cats are better than most people think, and showed it by beating #8 Louisville this week. Barring significant defensive progress, it would not be much of a surprise to see Kentucky put a load of points on the board against the Hogs again this weekend.

Even with the best player in the country in Darren McFadden, it wouldn't be surprising if Arkansas were 0-2 in the league after Saturday.

Quick Hits from Week 2 of the NFL

-How do the Cleveland Browns score 51 points in a month, let alone in a single game? Truthfully, I have no idea. But that's just what they did this weekend, outscoring Cincinnati 51-45 behind 5 touchdown passes from Derek Anderson. (Doesn't he play basketball?) Of course 215 yards by RB Jamaal Lewis on the ground helped greatly (I guess he isn't finished), but it's still a really bad loss for the Bengals. Not time for the Brady Quinn era in the Rock and Roll city just yet.

-Meanwhile, the QB controversy in Jets land is on, and I don't understand why. A 20-13 loss to the Ravens wasn't all that surprising, and neither were the struggles of first-time starter Kellen Clemens. The quarterback from Oregon did absolutely nothing for three quarters against the stout Baltimore 'D', then got it going in the hurry-up and rallied the Jets for what should have been the tying score. (WR Justin McCareins missed two touchdown throws in the final 90 seconds.) Yet it's clear that New York's offense isn't the same without Chad Pennington on the field, and there's no question in my mind that he should be the starter next weekend at home against Miami. The fact that any Jets followers even consider Clemens the man for the job right now is kind of scary. The three times in Pennington's career when he's been healthy and on the field for most of the season, they've made the playoffs every time. Let's not get stupid and throw the season away after two weeks for experience's sake here, Mr. Mangini, okay?

-Can it be that the Dallas Cowboys are the best team in the NFC? Quite possibly. Just two games into the Wade Phillips' era, Big 'D' looks offensivly more potent than it has at any point since Troy Aikman retired. QB Tony Romo looks well over any ill effects of last year's post-season field goal snafu. Terrell Owens actually seems "happy" and he's dancing again all over the field again. And Marion Barber seems to be getting better with each and every game of his still-young career. Dallas' defense doesn't look anywhere near good enough yet, but that's Phillips' specialty, and it's no stretch to think it will be where it needs to be by the end of the year.

Major League Baseball Through to Final Two Weeks

Boston, Cleveland, the L.A. Angels . . . those three teams are locks for the postseason in the American League. The Yankees are all but a shoo-in for the Wild Card. The National League? Well, that's sort of a different story.

Nothing is fully settled yet, though it looks like the Mets and the Diamondbacks will get in. We know it'll be either the Brewers or the Cubbies in the Central now that the Cardinals have collapsed, but who'll be the NL Wild Card? Probably San Diego, but it could be the Phillies if they can get any pitching down the stretch. Philadelphia has now won an astonishing eight straight games against the Mets after a weekend sweep that still sees them at 3 1/2 games out. At the least, New York's team confidence has taken a major hit. At the most, the Mets could be in for an historic collapse.

I'll wait another ten days or so before giving out my end of the season awards, but as has been usual of late, it looks like all eight teams that make the playoffs are going to have a realistic chance to win the World Series.

OJ Squeezed by the Cops Again

Just a quick parting ponderance here, but what in the world goes on in O.J. Simpson's mind? Here he is, somehow a free man after everyone and their mother knows he got away with double homicide 12 years ago, and he gets himself arrested again? Craziness. Man, if I were O.J., at this point, I'd be wary of even jaywalking. Apparently Las Vegas police are pretty confident that Simpson and a bunch of his thieves broke into a hotel room filled with sports memorabilia last week and demanded they get it all---at gunpoint. Simpson claims most of the stuff taken was his, and has already tragicomically used the quote "what happens in Vegas is supposed to stay in Vegas" in his own defense, but it doesn't sound like there's any way the 60-year-old Simpson is going to avoid jail time on this one.

I know, I know, we all said the same thing about Simpson when he faked a suicide note, fled in a Bronco and put a gun to his head, before finally allowing police to arrest him for the murders of his ex-wife and her boyfriend more than twelve years ago. It looked like an obvious conviction for murder, but defense attorney Johnny Cochrane somehow worked his way out of it---"if the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit." But this time, O.J. is going down. Big time. Hey O.J., Johnny Cochrane isn't alive anymore. Maybe you should've thought about that before orchestrating this latest disaster.

On second thought, eliminate my initial ponderance. I was confused to have even had it. I realize now that I have absolutely no interest in knowing anything about what goes on in O.J. Simpson's twisted brain. It would freak me out way too much....

That's it for now, folks. I'm out.

-JAB

2007 NFL Preview, Part II: The NFC

NATIONAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE NFC East (y)-Philadelphia Eagles (12-4) (x)-Dallas Cowboys (10-6) New York Giants (6-10) Washington Redskins (5-11) NFC North (y)-Chicago Bears (11-5) Minnesota Vikings (9-7) Green Bay Packers (7-9) Detroit Lions (4-12) NFC South (y)-New Orleans Saints (13-3) (x)-Carolina Panthers (10-6) Atlanta Falcons (6-10) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-11) NFC West (y)-Seattle Seahawks (11-5) Saint Louis Rams (9-7) San Francisco 49ers (8-8) Arizona Cardinals (5-11) (y- division winner x- wild card) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Playoffs: 1st Rd: Dallas over Chicago, Carolina over Seattle 2nd Rd: New Orleans over Dallas, Philadelphia over Carolina NFC Championship: New Orleans over Philadelphia Super Bowl: San Diego over New Orleans Best Head Coach: Sean Payton, New Orleans Best Offensive Player: Bryan Westbrook, Philadelphia Best Defensive Player: Brian Urlacher, Chicago

2007 NFL Preview Part I: The AFC

AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE AFC East (y)-New England Patriots (13-3) New York Jets (9-7) Buffalo Bills (8-8) Miami Dolphins (5-11) AFC North (y)-Cincinnati Bengals (11-5) (x)-Baltimore Ravens (10-6) Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7) Cleveland Browns (6-10) AFC South (y)-Indianapolis Colts (12-4) Tennessee Titans (8-8) Jacksonville Jaguars (6-10) Houston Texans (4-12) AFC West (y)-San Diego Chargers (12-4) (x)-Denver Broncos (10-6) Kansas City Chiefs (7-9) Oakland Raiders (3-13) (y- division winner x- wild card) ----------------------------------------------------------- Playoffs: 1st Rd: Indianapolis over Baltimore, Cincinnati over Denver 2nd Rd: San Diego over Indianapolis, New England over Cincinnati AFC Championship: San Diego over New England Best Head Coach: Bill Belichick, New England Best Offensive Player: LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Best Defensive Player: Champ Bailey, Denver

Razorbacks Open 2007 With Familiar Recipe

For Arkansas, a 46-26 season opening victory over Troy was about what should have been expected. The Hogs looked great on the ground----DMac (151 yards), Felix Jones (129 yards), Michael Smith (58 yards)----as all the tailbacks chipped in, but the aerial assault was anything but. QB Casey Dick was a mediocre 11 for 20 for 108 yards, and didn't complete a pass to a wide receiver until halfway through the third quarter. (Heisman frontrunner Darren McFadden made the pass of the night too: a 42 yard TD strike to WR Crosby Tuck off his back foot in the 3rd quarter.) But the offensive line was strong in front all night long, allowing next to no pressure on its backfield, and you got the feeling like new Offensive Coordinator David Lee still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. Defensively, it was also a hit and miss opener. In the first half, primarily playing zone, Arkansas got shredded by Troy QB Omar Haugabook. There was next to little pass rush on top of that, and the Hogs' 'D' looked like it could become a major concern for its fans. (What's with the secondary never turning to look at the football?) Up only 23-17 at the halftime break, a switch to man coverage in the 2nd half seemed to stabilize everything a bit, and Arkansas rolled on from there for the twenty point win. Defensive Coordinator Reggie Herring's defenses usually improve as the seasons go on, but the question of who will replace Jamaal Anderson's 13.5 sacks from a year ago remains unanswered.

Special teams, however, were a major plus. Freshman placekicker Alex Tejada was an impressive 4 of 4 on field goal attempts, even though the longest was just 35 yards. A missed extra point in the second half aside, Tejada should be a major boon to the offense this year, especially when you consider that Arkansas made a grand total of six field goals all of last year! And as far as kickoff returns go, what can you say? Jones broke a 90 yard return to the house in the first half, and it probably won't be the last time he does it this year. Hmmm, let's see: kick it to Jones or McFadden? Not a fun choice for any opposition.

The punt return tandem of Michael Smith and Reggie Fish failed to impress, but with a bye in week two, there's plenty of time for Houston Nutt's Razorbacks to retool before a crossroads game at Sabanation and Alabama on September 15th.

-JAB

Arkansas' 2007 Football Preview: Part III- Overall Outlook

Nobody can anticipate injuries or problems off the field, but both have reared their ugly heads again for the Arkansas Razorbacks' football team in 2007. Senior WR Marcus Monk was being counted on to have a big year as the go-to target down the field, but a knee injury (torn meniscus, tendons) suffered in practice has instead forced him out of the lineup for more than a month. By the time he gets back on the gridiron, one wonders if the Hogs will still be in the thick of the race in the SEC West. It'll also be interesting to watch and see how healthy Monk can get himself at any point during the year. (Trainer Dean Weber expects him to be "limited" all season long.) In Monk's stead, the likes of Crosby Tuck, London Crawford and Reggie Fish will have to step up their play immensely to keep opposing defenses off the line of scrimmage.

Meanwhile, senior DE Marcus Harrison was shaping up to be a great comeback story as he rebounded from a torn ACL suffered in April. Instead, he's now hoping to avoid jail time for an incident in Fayetteville over the weekend. Harrison was caught speeding by police, and when they searched his vehicle they found an ecstasy pill and two marijuana cigarettes. Razorback head coach Houston Nutt has since suspended Harrison "indefinitely", and it's possible now he won't play until much later in the season, if at all. More intriguing is the question of whether or not Harrison's troubles will filter over psychologically to the rest of the team, as he has been one of the unquestioned emotional leaders of this group for the past couple years.

Away from those woes, however, Arkansas fans have some obvious reasons for being optimistic. First and foremost is the two word phrase known simply in the Natural State as "D-Mac." Darren McFadden is so tremendously capable offensively---running, passing, catching---in every possible way, he makes even the most serious of doubters believe anything is possible for the Hogs' offense when the ball is in his hands. There is no doubt that McFadden is the preseason favorite to win the Heisman Trophy; still, whether or not the do-everything tailback actually becomes the first Razorback player to win the award will probably most come down to how many wins his team ultimately gets.

Additionally, special teams should improve significantly for Arkansas this season. First and foremost, Hog fans now have a placekicker in Alex Tejada who should be able to consistently make extra points and short range field goals, two usual gimmes that were regular adventures for the Razorbacks last year. The freshman Tejada is a Springdale native who's known for his big leg and ability to make field goals well over the 50 yard mark. With his arrival, last year's kicker, Jeremy Davis, has moved over to handle punting duties. There shouldn't be much of a dropoff there from departed senior Jacob Skinner.

Maybe most important for Arkansas' special teams is the return game, now that the NCAA has mandated a rule change for all kickoffs to be made from the 30 yard line (like the NFL) instead of the 35. The five yard difference will put the ball in play more often on kicks, which bodes well for the Hogs. Having a return tandem like Felix Jones and Darren McFadden is downright intimidating for any other school and Arkansas should have pretty good field position every time it gets the ball this year.

Yes, Reggie Fish is handling the punt return duties again, along with backup tailback Michael Smith. But Fish appears mentally stronger and more capable of making the right decisions in the return game now than he did a year ago, when he was essentially thrown into the fire. No one will soon forget his botched punt in the end zone late in the third quarter of the SEC Championship game against Florida, let alone Fish himself. But they say whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, and Arkansas fans can only hope that's the case with Fish now as well.

Throw all this into the Season Predictor Blender, shake it up, mix it down, and what do you get? A very interesting milkshake . . . Tasty with an offense that should be able to run the football till the cows come home, led by aforementioned Heisman contender Darren McFadden (maybe the greatest Razorback of all time) and speedster change of pace stud Felix Jones. But the same offense that is so phenomenal with the run has an injury-prone quarterback who will struggle against the stouter defenses, especially with no early season go-to target at wide receiver. The offensive line should be good enough to win lots of ball games, but the passing game probably won't be, even with the substitution of David Lee for Gus Malzahn at offensive coordinator.

You've also got a defense that is thin in terms of depth and elite talent, one that I expect to take a while to find its way. Reggie Herring is an underrated defensive mind, but it just doesn't look like he has all the necessary guns this year. Jamaal Anderson, Chris Houston, Sam Olajubutu and Keith Jackson were all integral parts of the unit last year, and all are playing in the NFL right now. That's with good reason. They were really good. There's no telling how much Arkansas will miss them at times this year.

Throw in a head coach who is constantly under fire in Houston Nutt and things just start to get a little bit strange. Unbelievable as it sounds, Nutt is now in his tenth season as head coach at Arkansas, and while still a pretty great motivator, and a halfway decent recruiter, his in-game decisionmaking, along with his difficulties in sorting out the X's and O's department, usually limit his ability to lift the Razorbacks to wins against the best of college football's best (i.e. USC, LSU, Florida and Wisconsin from a year ago.) Nutt will help this team be good, but can he turn it into something truly great? History, obviously, is not on his side.

The schedule opens with a competitive opponent in Troy, before a bye in week two. Could the open date have come at a better time for Arkansas? Absolutely, but you take what you get. September 15th's trip to Alabama will be a huge season indicator, as the Crimson Tide contest usually is for Arkansas. To think the Hogs will beat Nick Saban's team on the road for just the second time in the Houston Nutt era is probably a bit of a stretch, especially without Marcus Monk. Then it's home for Kentucky, an entertaining offensive opponent that Arkansas should be able to handle. Cakewalks through North Texas and Chattanooga loom after, before the best home game of the year, October 13th against Auburn. I'm picking Arkansas to win that game, but it would be far from surprising if Tommy Tuberville's crew avenged last year's home defeat. Ole Miss, Florida International and South Carolina are all highly winnable games for the Razorbacks, but then things get hugely difficult down the stretch. On the road at Tennessee on November 10th? Ugh. A home game in Little Rock against Mississippi State is next, and then it's off to Baton Rouge, at LSU the day after Thanksgiving. Um, ugh again.

Here's what I think: Arkansas goes 9-3 this year, 5-3 in the SEC (8-4, 4-4 would be far from surprising as well) but does not go back to Atlanta for the conference championship game. The Hogs will make a decent bowl and could realistically end up with ten victories on the year when all is said and done, but even with all-world talent Darren McFadden there are too many question marks to think this team will top last year's win total.

-JAB

Arkansas' 2007 Football Preview: Part II- The Defense

It’s year three of the Reggie Herring regime for the Arkansas defense. Whether it proves to be the best of the bunch for Herring and the Hogs remains to be seen. Major losses defensively from a year ago include DE Jamaal Anderson, CB Chris Houston, LB Sam Olajabutu along with DT Keith Jackson and S Randy Kelly. That’s a lot of personnel to replace in one offseason, but the talk so far is that Arkansas has done just that. Below we'll run through the three key groups defensively.

Much like the offense, it all starts up front with the defensive line. This year’s starting defensive ends will be Antowain Robinson and Malcolm Sheppard. Robinson was a bull at times last year, teaming with Jamaal Anderson to give Arkansas a fearsome pairing off the edges. Offseason shoplifiting troubles have put his leadership abilities back up for questioning, but the fact remains that he is the only proven pass rush commodity on the entire team. On the flip, Malcolm Sheppard may be the most hyped player---improvement-wise---on the defense. All we’ve been told is how much better he’s gotten in just a single offseason, and if he’s even half as good as Anderson, the Hogs should be fine off the edges. Expect Chris Wade to share time with Malcolm Sheppard in the DE rotation. Up the gut the Hogs will rely heavily on Ernest Mitchell and Marcus Harrison. Mitchell was a tremendous surprise to those around the program last year, coming in and playing so well after injuries to linemen up front. One of those injuries was indeed to Marcus Harrison, and unfortunately, he’s hurt again. Harrison tore his ACL in spring ball, and it’s unclear how quickly he’ll be back to 100% speed, if at all. The depth behind these guys is slight, to put it nicely, with Fred Bledsoe, Cord Gray and Marcus Shavers the first guys in line.

In the middle of the field, I think Arkansas has a chance to be a lot better than many people think. There’s no doubt that LB Sam Olajubutu was the defensive leader---vocally and on the field---over the past few years, but there’s no reason to think Arkansas can’t replace his physicality. First in line is Weston Dacus. The MLB plays bigger than he looks and has a tendency to cut down opposing tailbacks who’ve busted through the first line of defense. Flanking Dacus on the edges will be a lot of depth, if not a lot of proven commodity. Freddie Fairchild had a strong freshman season before seeing his sophomore campaign sidelined by a torn ACL in game two against Utah State. He’s going to be counted on for his speed off the side and in blitz packages. Then there’s a group of guys who haven’t really fully separated themselves from another. Chip Gregory, Ryan Powers and Wendal Davis are all expected to contribute, but I think it’s a true freshman who may make the biggest impact of them all. Texas native Jermaine Love is a frosh who looks like a junior. Physically, he is good to go in the SEC right now, but the question is going to be whether or not is able to grasp Herring’s schemes quickly enough. It’s my guess he’ll be starting by the Kentucky game.

Back it up to the secondary and things again don’t look nearly so bleak for the Hogs. FS Michael Grant has made what seems to be a complete recovery from a nasty knee injury suffered against South Carolina last year. He’ll be asked to help cut down on the big play again, and he should be able to take some chances, playing alongside physical SS Matt Hewitt. The corners are slated to be incumbent starter Materral Richardson and senior Jerrell Norton. How well JUCO safety transfer Walner Leandre plays in August could affect all of that.

Throw it all together, and upon further inspection, there is room for optimism about this year’s defense. Coordinator Reggie Herring has shown a tendency to have his teams improve as the seasons go on, and with no USC on the schedule this year, the Hogs may be able to skip an early season embarrassment in the points allowed department. Arkansas’ defense will be good this year, but will it be great? Therein may lie the answer to whether or not Arkansas gets itself back to Atlanta.

D-Line: B+
Linebackers: B-
Secondary: B+

Overall: B


-JAB

Arkansas' 2007 Football Preview: Part I - The Offense

Media days in the can, two a day practices underway, and now we can begin to speculate on just what lies ahead for the Arkansas Razorbacks this year on the football gridiron. Certainly the schedule is softer now than it was a year ago----all you have to do is note the absence of USC to know that----but a lot of questions persist. Today, I'll address the offense.

Let's start, as will most, with the tailback depth. Darren McFadden enters his third and final season at Arkansas as the preseason fave to win the Heisman Trophy. He's so good, adjectives don't do him justice. Think of the best running backs ever to play the game----Jim Brown, O.J. Simpson, Barry Sanders, Gale Sayers, Eric Dickerson, LaDainian Tomlinson----and McFadden truly does seem to have the skillset of the best of the lot of them. He's very strong, extremely fast, and highly agile, but he also possesses the one football attribute that can't be measured: Game IQ. Knowing when to cut, when to feel for a defender, and being able to anticipate things happening before they even do, those are the things that make up a player's Game IQ. The great ones had it, and D-Mac does too.

Even with a superback in McFadden, Arkansas' fortunes in the backfield do not rest on him alone. He's also got a great backup in Felix Jones. On any other team, Jones would be the star, but with Arkansas, he's got to fight for his opportunities. Averaging over seven yards per game again would be a great way to earn more of them . . . And woe is the plight of third string running back Michael Smith! He's certainly good enough to start for half the other schools in the SEC, but it's hard to see how he'll get the football much at all this year.

Yet the story with Arkansas' backfield success this year will---as is the norm---have more to do with the men blocking than with the speedsters themselves. Namely, Peyton Hillis. Already rated by some draft publications as the best fullback in the country, Hillis was a huge cog in the ground and passing attacks for the Hogs a year ago. With Hillis on the field, Arkansas maintained its versatility, never allowing opponents to know whether it intended to run or pass. With Hillis out of the lineup at the end of the year, Arkansas flat out struggled to move the football. It's up to Hillis to stay healthy, keep his head down, mouth shut and carve up nice chunks of space for his host of talented tailbacks. If he can do those things, he'll get his number called more often as well.

And then there's the offensive line. It was so good last year, with seniors Tony Ugoh, Stephen Parker and Zach Tubbs leading the way. The question now is whether guys like Jose Valdez, Nate Garner, DeMarcus Love and Mitch Petrus can stabilize a unit that has its stars entrenched in center Jonathan Luigs and guard Robert Felton. I'm of the belief that it can and will be a truly strong unit once again. It's also important to remember that tight end Wes Murphy was essentially a sixth lineman for Arkansas last year; now, with him gone, talented pass catching TE Ben Cleveland is going to be expected to improve his blocking drastically, while 6'7 Andrew Davie gets his share of opportunities to play, if only because of his intimidating size.

To the quarterbacks we go. Last year it was a battle to the end of August camp to see who would emerge as Arkansas' starter. Freshman Mitch Mustain pushed Junior Robert Johnson to the brink, all but taking the starting position from him. At the time, Casey Dick was battling a bad vertebrae in his back. Fast forward to now. Mustain went 8-0 as a starter before getting benched and later transferring to USC. Robert Johnson was converted to wide receiver. And Casey Dick's back is now healthy. It will indeed be Dick as the starting quarterback to begin the season for the first time in his Razorback career. He has all of eight starts under his belt, but at times seems to have a good command of the offense. How he is able to work with new offensive coordinator David Lee on correcting his mechanics is going to have as much as anything to do with his success this year. Hog fans want to know whether 3 for 19 against LSU was an aberration or a sign of more of the same from their quarterback. Beyond Dick, it's anybody's guess. Nathan Emert, Clark Irwin and froshes Joe Chiasson and Nathan Dick (Casey's younger bro) comprise a depth chart that isn't wowing anybody. And that's putting it lightly. It just may be the case where one significant injury to Casey throws the whole Hogs' season out of whack.

And who will these guys be throwing the football to? Marcus Monk dabbled with the idea of going pro, but wisely decided to return for his senior season. He's already Arkansas' all-time leader in touchdown receptions, and a tremendous number one option, but even he lacks gamebreaking speed. Beyond Monk, it's entirely up in the air: seniors like Chris Baker and Robert Johnson, junior Reggie Fish, sophomores London Crawford and Carlton Salters, and freshman Marquez Wade are all jockeying for position on the wideout depth chart. If there's one huge question mark hanging around the offense (besides QB depth) it's got to be the unproven wide receiver play.

Put in charge of all this stuff is offensive coordinator David Lee. Back for a third stint with the Hogs after time with Bill Parcells' Cowboys, Lee has been handed---we're told---complete control of play-calling in Houston Nutt's offense. Last year, the public was told the same thing about Gus Malzahn, and anybody reading this article who wasn't living under a rock knows how well that worked out. Still, this is different. Nutt and Lee aren't being forced to work together: they're actually friends. Houston will have his share of input (and he should, as a head coach) but come Saturdays it will be Lee's decisionmaking on the offensive side of the ball. How he balances the running and passing games, how often he uses Darren McFadden out of the Wildcat package, and how many spread sets he goes with are all decisions he'll have to make. And the Razorback faithful is certainly curious to see how it's all going to work out.

RBs: A+
O-Line: B+
QBs: C+
WRs: C
TEs: C-

Offense: B+

-JAB

Let the Games Begin: SEC Football Media Days

Some thoughts on SEC Football Media Days from here in Birmingham, Alabama . . . .

-South Carolina LB Jasper Brinkley is a big man. Very big. So is Vanderbilt LB Jonathan Goff. Both of these guys will be huge pieces of the puzzle for their respective defenses. And they'll both be first round picks come next April's draft. Brinkley has all the skills you look for in a defensive field general: he can stuff the box on the run, blitz the dickens out of the quarterback without much of a cheat, and inspire a defense to go above and beyond (don't forget the game against Auburn last year when the Gamecocks' defense was on the field for literally the entire third quarter. They gave up just three points.) He'll be the anchor for a unit that Steve Spurrier believes is vastly improved. It better be if the Ol' Ball Coach truly hopes to up the win total this year. As far as Vandy's Goff, a tall task awaits. A mechanical engineering major, he's a very smart player, if a man of few words. But can he carry a spotty defense to a season of sturdy performances? It's highly unlikely.

-The circus is in town! Two of them actually. Take your pick: Darren McFadden and the traveling Heisman show or Nick Saban and the hired gun parade. These guys have been swarmed from the get-go on their respective days. D-Mac was the star appearance for most folks on Day One while Saban took front and center stage on Day Two. Will McFadden win the Heisman this year? Probably, barring injury. He's too strong, quick and athleticially gifted to put up anything less than another monster season. Somebody just tell Arkansas coach Houston Nutt not to live and die with the wildcat package again. It has a place, but got way too gimmicky towards the end of last year. As far as the other circus goes, I think Crimson Tide faithful are believing a little too much in the quick fix. Will Saban return Alabama to prominence? Maybe, but not right away. You must have talented players to win big games against the heavyweights in the SEC, and Alabama just doesn't have enough of them---yet. But Slick Nick will get them eventually.

-Kentucky is going to be good in football for the second straight year. After winning eight games a year ago (including a Music City Bowl victory over Clemson), the Wildcats return a stacked deck offensively, led by stud quarterback Andre Woodson. With 31 TDs against just 7 INTs a year ago, Woodson helped Wildcat fans remember that there are sports beside basketball. I interviewed him on the Morning Rush yesterday and came away even more impressed. He's smart, humble and easy to talk with. Whether Kentucky can actually contend with the powerhouses in this league remains to be seen (doubtful), but it won't be for lack of trying by Woodson. The real question around his team is whether they can stop anybody.

-Dire straights continue for the college football teams from Mississippi. Ole Miss doesn't have stud LB Patrick Willis anymore, and it doesn't look like anyone is going to come even close to filling his shoes. The quarterback position is unsettled, with talented playmaker Brent Schaeffer making too many mistakes last year to keep Ed Orgeron happy. Instead, it will be Seth Adams under center at the outset of the season. Another senior, he's less mistake prone. But once again, it doesn't look good for the Rebels as far as winning games. On the flip, Mississippi State is only slightly less bad. Sylvester Croom is starting to run out of time in Starkville and the cupboard remains startlingly bare. QB Michael Henig, RB Anthony Dixon and DE Titus Brown are his only real playmakers. He'll need extraordinary performances out of all of them to win anything more than four games.

-As a whole, the SEC is still loaded. A lot of people would have you believe the conference is do for a down season, what with all the departures to the NFL, but I don't see it. Stack it up against any conference in the country---Pac-10, Big 10, ACC, Big 12---and top to bottom, the SEC is still number one by a lot in my book. In the East, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky and South Carolina are all legitimately great to good football teams, essentially in that descending order, while the West is awfully strong up top with LSU, Auburn, Arkansas and Alabama all poised for good years as well. That's nine out of twelve teams in the conference who can play with and beat pretty much anyone else in the country on a given Saturday. That's the best sign of a strong conference for me.

-JAB

Slim Pickings in the Digital Music Age

I'm scanning the diminished aisles of the local music store last weekend, only to find mixed results, depending on your genre of choice. Rock music is doing all right, which is to say, there's still stuff out there worth checking out, if you're willing to look for it. Already in 2007, there have been quality new releases from the likes of the White Stripes, the Shins, Modest Mouse, Wilco, Velvet Revolver and the reunited Smashing Pumpkins, amongst others. These artists don't make nearly what they used to as far as album sales are concerned, but lest we forget, every new disc is reason enough to go on tour, which is still a pretty sizeable cash cow for most musicians. New releases are expected before the year is out as well from the likes of Radiohead, Counting Crows and Bruce Springsteen.

But swing the audio browser over to the hip hop aisles and things aren't looking so good. New releases last year from Outkast, the Roots, Jay-Z (shoulda stayed retired) and Nas offered reason for slight optimism for rap/R & B-over-beats, but it certainly hasn't carried over to 2007. Outside of Lil Wayne, where oh where has the production from the marquee names gone? That Fugees reunion? Yeah, right. Lauryn Hill? Muy loco. D'Angelo. MIA. Eminem? Hiatus. Biggie, Tupac? Still six feet under.

Maybe Nas was right, after all. I guess hip hop is dead.

-JAB

40 Things This Baseball Season Has Taught Me

To the all-star break we go in the 2007 major league baseball season . . . And what do we know for sure? About forty things. Here we go:


1) Barry Bonds will break the home run record this year---and nobody is happy about it.

2) The Red Sox were very wise to load up on starting pitching.

3) The Yankees were stupid not to.

4) Look up the word "sellout" in a dictionary, and you will see a picture of Roger Clemens.

5) The N.L. West is the best division in baseball.

6) The N.L. Central is definitely the worst.

7) Playing left field for the Mets might be worse for your health than smoking.

8) Alex Rodriguez has re-established himself as the premier player in the game.

9) He's also emerged as second to Barry Bonds on the most controversial player list.

10) There will be no repeat champion this year, as the Cardinals will not make the playoffs.

11) Chisox GM Ken Williams is the most confused man in baseball.

12) Yankees' GM Brian Cashman is the most concerned man in baseball.

13) Dodgers' catcher Russell Martin is now the best all-around backstop in the biz.

14) Forget the stats, Johan Santana is still the best pitcher in baseball.

15) Justin Verlander, Danny Haren, Jake Peavy and C.C. Sabathia are right behind him.

16) Saves continue to be the most overrated statisitical measurement in all of sports.

17) When healthy, Magglio Ordonez is a Top 5 major league hitter.

18) Now more than ever, Bud Selig is firmly entrenched as the worst commissioner of all-time.

19) Steroids increase body mass, but they decrease love for the game.

20) In terms of accomplishment, 600 home runs is the new 500, while 500 is the new 400.

21) 300 pitching wins will always be a marquee plateau.

22) The game changes and records break, but Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hit streak never will.

23) The Milwaukee Brewers are finally good again and they will make the playoffs this year.

24) Mike Hargove picked a very strange time to resign as Mariners' manager.

25) The Minnesota Twins desperately miss pitcher Francisco Liriano.

26) Phillies' LF Shane Victorino is a really good player.

27) Reds' OF Josh Hamilton is tougher than everyone thought he was.

28) If the Padres could hit, they'd be the best team in the National league.

29) If the Cubs could pitch, they'd be the best team in the National League.

30) The American League's top teams---Boston, Cleveland, Detroit and L.A.---are scary good.

31) The National League's top teams---the Mets, Atlanta, Milwaukee, San Diego, L.A. and Arizona---are all works-in-progress.

32) Barring injury, Derek Jeter has the best shot of any active player to get 4,000 career hits.

33) Daisuke Matsuzaka is the real deal.

34) Dontrelle Willis still has the coolest pitching delivery.

35) No one will ever win the hitting Triple Crown again.

36) Being 40 ain't nothing at all for Hall of Fame pitchers like Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, John Smoltz, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, or for feisty veterans like Jamie Moyer, Kenny Rogers and Woody Williams.

37) Frank Thomas is a Hall of Famer.

38) So is Craig Biggio.

39) Fans should no longer be allowed to vote for all-stars.

40) Above all else, the All-Star Game should NOT decide home field advantage in the World Series.


-JAB

Early Summer Thoughts (on Drafts, Flicks and the Hogs)

An NBA Draft Worth Watching Again

Greg Oden, Kevin Durant and then what?

That's the main question headed into tonight's NBA Draft. Will Atlanta grab Ohio State point guard Mike Conley, Jr. at number three? How about Florida Center Al Horford? Or Chinese 7-footer Yi Jianlian? A lot of big names sit atop the board this year: it's probably the deepest draft in ten years.

The big trade rumor in the days leading up to Selection Thursday has circled around the future of Kevin Garnett. It sure sounds like the Timberwolves are finally ready to pull the trigger on a deal for their franchise leader of the past eleven years.

All Minnesota wants back is a couple of high draft picks, which isn't asking all that much when you consider that KG is the only player in NBA history to average 20+ points, 10 + rebounds and 4 + assists for ten consecutive seasons.

Whose going to get him though? The Boston Celtics make no sense . . . Why would KG want to languish in the lottery there when he can stay at home and do it Minnesota? I don't think the Lakers really make all that much sense either . . . KG and Kobe co-existing with no other legitimate help to speak of? Not likely.

But the Phoenix Suns, now there's an idea. NBA sources say Phoenix has been talking to Minnesota and Atlanta about a three-team trade that would net them the Big Ticket's services for a package starting with the #5 pick in the draft.

Sounds good, but if you're Phoenix, you can't give up Amare Stoudemire to make this deal happen. Shawn Marion---versatile as he is---would make way more dispensable sense because he tends to be a perimeter player, much like Kevin Garnett. But you need to keep Amare to have a threat in the low post.

If this deal somehow goes down, and Phoenix trots out a lineup with Stoudemire, Garnett, Nash, Diaw and Barbosa next year, you can forget about it already. The Suns are your 2008 NBA Champions.


Finally, The Year's First Really Good Movie

This year's class of movies has been routinely awful. There's no other way to put it. Spiderman 3 . . . Pirates 3 . . . Shrek 3 . . . Enough with the garbage sequels already!

There really haven't even been any truly good DVD releases of late, which downright stinks for a moviehead like me. But finally, there's something to feel good about. It's called Knocked Up.

Judd Apatow (40 Year-Old Virgin, Anchor Man) directs the film, which focuses on the plight of a slacker (played by Seth Rogen) who has a one-night stand with a motivated entertainment reporter (played by Katherine Heigl). Of course, the night of fun leads to an unexpected pregnancy, but the movie isn't about morality lessons. Instead, it's about growing up and becoming a responsible adult, something that Rogen's slacker is forced to do in a hurry.

Plot details aside, the movie is seriously funny. (I literally caught myself laughing out loud four or five times in the first half hour.) And the best part about it is that never once do you feel like the flick is trying too hard, something that most definitely can't be said about the aformentiened triquels, or whatever you want to call them.

If you stick with it, you'll see that---much like Virgin---Knocked Up has a heart to it too. I'll give it a strong four stars out of five. Director/Writer Apatow is clearly a talent to be reckoned with. And so, in a movie year that's vying for the right to be called the worst of all-time, Knocked Up sits on top of the heap as the best of the year.


2007 Razorback Football Schedule Looms Tough

For the first time in three years, there's no early-season game with USC (thank goodness), but that doesn't mean Arkansas won't have its hand full with plenty of brutal SEC games. Two months to go until the season opener with Troy, here's my ranking of the five most difficult games on the '07 slate for the Hogs.

#1- at LSU, November 23rd. The Tigers are scary wherever you play them, so going to Baton Rouge the day after Thanksgiving is downright brutal for the Hogs. QB Jamarcus Russell is gone, but all LSU does is reload yearly with one of the four or five deepest recruiting wells in America. This game looms as large and as difficult as last year's season finale defeat against the Tigers in Little Rock.

#2- at Tennessee, November 10th. The Volunteers hate losing to Arkansas and should be out for revenge after getting pounded on national television last year in Fayetteville. Neyland Stadium is always a very difficult place to play, and you'd figure Phil Fulmer already has this game circled as a key contest on his calendar.

#3- home for Auburn, October 13th. I realize Arkansas dominated the Tigers at Auburn last year, but Tommy Tubberville is already out to prove that it was a fluke. Like many of Arkansas' opponents this year, Auburn will come to Fayetteville with a chip on its shoulder. And two linebackers keyed in on Darren McFadden at all times.

#4- home for Kentucky, September 22nd. Some folks may want to scoff at this pick. Ahead of Alabama? Yeah, I think so. The Wildcats were one of the most improved teams in the country last year (9 wins, crushed Clemson in a bowl) and they return a host of talent. None more gifted than QB Andre Woodson, who's undoubtedly the best quarterback in the SEC this year. Throw in the fact that Kentucky has a history of playing Arkansas tough (seven overtimes ring a bell?) and there's no reason to think the Wildcats won't make it another nail-biter this year.

#5- at Alabama, September 15th. This is clearly the key game to the season, but it's not nearly the toughest. Surely, Nick Saban will have his Crimson Tide up and ready for the game in Tuscaloosa, and there's no question that the fans will be whipped up and into a drunken frenzy by the time the nationally televised game gets going at six o'clock. But it's my belief that the Razorbacks are getting 'Bama at the right time of the year: early. I just don't see how Alabama's porous defense is going to contain Arkansas' ground attack.


-JAB