What's Love Got To Do With It?

I hate to steal from Tina Turner, but the headline just kind of stuck as I've finally managed to getting around to big time recruit Cruz Williams' "decision" to not come to the University of Arkansas and instead go to Louisiana Tech. The 6'5", 4.4 40 yard dash receiver had this to say:

"It hit me a couple of months ago — it just wasn't feeling the same. I thought Arkansas would be my main choice, but when I got there I wasn't feeling the love, so it's like, 'What's the use?'"

The article that quote comes from is hilarious on so many levels.

Let's start with this whole no love quote, because everybody that pays any attention to Razorback football knows that Cruz is not coming to Petrino's wide open, wide receiver's wet dream passing attack because he did not meet entrance requirements into the University of Arkansas. He probably wouldn't be "feeling the love" at Texas Tech either if he was born and raised a Red Raider fan in Lubbock. Stupid thing to say, Cruz.

Let's take a look at this other gem-of-a-quote from Williams:

"I always told myself that Tech is a real good school, academically, and they have a nice football program. If I was going to go to school outside Arkansas, it was going to be at Tech."

Yeah, me too. If I was a four star receiver with a whole host of division one schools hot on my trail and the academics to go anywhere, I'd go with La Tech too, because we all know that La Tech is just a wide receiver pipeline to the NFL!
(In all fairness to Tech, I did a little research here, and there have been a few decent receivers to come out of La Tech like Troy Edwards (1999, seven NFL seasons with the Steelers, Jags, Rams, and Lions), Johnathan Holland (2007, Oakland) Roger Carr (1974, ten years in the NFL mostly with the Colts), and Pat Tilley (1976, 11 years with the St. Louis Cardinals). But, four fairly legit NFL receivers in 30 something years does not a pipeline make. I'm sure Cruz will buck the odds though and be the next Terrell Owens.

Even more funny is that Williams was never officially recruited by La Tech and he did his own research "on the internet" to find out about Tech.

Finally, let's say you are a big-time recruit at wide receiver and you can go about anywhere you want. I don't know about you, but if it were me, besides checking out the coaches and the academics, I'd really want to know what kind of QB I'd have throwing me the ball next year. Let's see what Cruz has to say about that:

"I haven't heard too much about the quarterbacks, but if a quarterback can throw the ball, he can throw the ball. If you can't, you can't. Put me in the game with any QB and I can make a play. Throw the ball my way, and I'm going to go get it."

Knowledge of La Tech's QB's: Zero
Confidence in self to make plays: 10

OK, Hog Tale readers, here you go, I'm going to drop some La Tech QB knowledge on you. So, it's very possible you will know more than Williams does about his own QBs.

La Tech's starting QB, Zac Champion (kudos for the name), graduated this past season leaving:
Junior Michael Mosely (18 games played in two seasons, 422 career passing yards, 3 TDs, 1 Int.)
Redshirt Sophomore Ross Jenkins (1 game played, 26 passing yards)
New recruit Colby Cameron from California.

Now, that is a stacked QB position! Have fun, Cruz, diving for balls five yards to the either side of you and getting your ribs cracked by middle linebackers jumping for balls thrown two feet too high.

The moral of this story is basically you keep your mouth shut and just admit that you're not going where you want to go because you didn't get your work done in the classroom. That you've learned a valuable lesson, and that you're going to make the best of the situation you're in and that you're excited to be going to Louisiana Tech, love the coaches, blah, blah, blah. Don't make up lies to make yourself look better when everyone can see right through them. Good luck, Cruz. But, from the sound of things, you probably won't need it. Go make a play, now.



The most famous La Tech Bulldogger of course would be this man...



(Superl Bowl champion, announcer, and actor Terry Bradshaw proves you can make it big coming out of La Tech. Now, if only Cruz had the blonde bomber throwing him the ball the next four years)

Happy Friday The 13th to You

Bye Bye Freddie

Linebacker Freddie Fairchild was dismissed from the team on Wednesday stemming from battery charges in March involving Freddie and a female he had been involved with for about a year.
Fairchild was Arkansas' third leading tackler last season, but his football career at the U of A is over. Freddie plead not guilty and his trial is set for June 18th in Fayetteville.
The loss of Fast Freddie depletes an already thin linebacking core for the Razorbacks.




So, I was browsing through the magazine section last night at the grocery store and was surprised to see Athlon's and Lindy's with pre-season publications out. I guess that's normal, but I just never really think about college football publications until July or early August, but there they were with all of the fantasy football magazines as well.

I briefly looked through both and found that Lindy's has the Hogs finishing 6th in the SEC West and Athlon's has them finishing 5th. I hope both those companies go bankrupt and nobody buys those worthless magazines.

This Day in Revisionist Razorback History

June 12, 2000

Arkansas left hander Cliff Lee throws back to back no-hitters on the same day leading the Razorback baseball team to its third consecutive College World Series Championship. Lee throws a total of 178 pitches and strikes out a combined 37 LSU hitters between the two games. Announcer Chuck Barrett calls it the most unbelievable pitching performance in the history of baseball, and leads the crowd in a chant of "LSU Sucks! LSU Sucks!" as the Razorbacks secured the championship trophy.

Links and NBA Finals Rumblings

A happy Wednesday to you. June and July will pretty much suck for content on this site, and I'll just apologize beforehand for that. But, until they decide Razorback football practice should start in June or July, there just won't be too much to speak about on the Razorback front. Instead, I bring you some lame Razorback links and my non-Razorback take on Games two and three of the NBA finals.

Junior Logan Forsythe was taken 46th in this year's MLB draft by the San Diego Padres...

The track team is set to begin competing in the 2008 NCAA track championships beginning today at Drake Field. Coach John McDonnell is set to hang up his coaching shoes following this final meet.
McDonnell's unbelievable stats:
42 NCAA titles,
5 NCAA triple crowns
84 conference titles
21 conference triple crowns
185 athletes earning 652 All-America awards.

Arkansas Sports 360's Chris Bahn had a little chat with Coach Bobby Petrino...


Celtics - Lakers Game 2 Recap:

Slow start, things get better, feeling good, feeling real good! texting my Laker buddy some serious smack about how bad his team is getting its ass handed to them... laughing everytime Leon Powe gets a dunk... making fun of Pau Gasol... starting to feel a little queasy... heart rate speeds up, heart stops... defibulator gets heart beating again when Pierce makes two free throws... Celts win. I'm happy.

Celtics - Lakers Game 3 Recap:

Just about what I expected, but the only thing that shocked me was that the Lakers only shot 12 more free throws than the Celts. I figured it would be more like 20 after Phil Jackson's whiny post game press conference from game 2. Pierce sucked. KG was pretty much a non-factor on the offensive end until the second half. Ray played great and the Celts had a legitimate chance to win this one. Hope it doesn't come back to haunt them.




(Bill, your son sucks, and he's wearing the wrong colors anyway)

Humanity Advanced Getting Ungodly Amount of Money

(That looks like a 60 million dollar smile to me)








The best running back to ever walk the planet inked his first professional contract late Thursday night with da Raidaz for a cool 60 mil over 6 years. Twenty-six of that 60 is guaranteed money. The Raiders got a real bargin if you ask me considering Matt "NFL Bust" Ryan is getting 72 mil over 6 years and 34 guaranteed. If I were McFaddy, I'd be thinking long and hard about ditching my agent for getting short changed on the deal.

McFadden is supposedly splitting time with Justin Fargas in the Raiders' backfield. I predict the first time McFadden busts one for about 80 yards and stiff arms a safety into the thirteenth row of McAfee Coliseum that Justin Fargas will become just another jersey milling around on the sidelines cracking jokes and eating hotdogs when the cameras aren't looking.
(As a side note, if it's McAfee Coliseum, do fans get some sort of guarantee that they won't catch a virus while inside the stadium? I think that's only fair if they're going to spend the kind of jack they have to for tickets these days.)


As a completely non-Razorback side-note (though Laker Derek Fisher is a former UALR stud), good job to the C's last night taking down the Minneapolis Lakers. I hate the Lakers. Here's hoping I get to see the replay of the clothesline below 800 more times before the Celts wrap up this series, and maybe the Celts could put in Tony Allen for a few minutes to give Kobe one of these during the series.

Two And Bar-B-Q

The Diamond Hogs' (34-24) season came crashing to an end this past weekend as they lost to Pepperdine 4-3 in the first game and then lost to the host team Stanford 5-1 in an elimination game on Saturday. I hate the west coast (unless I'm vacationing on a beach somewhere).


Former Razorback Joe Johnson is one of a select group of Americans apparently not too worried about gas prices. Check out his new rig.