(Skip
this part if you don’t care about my life:) Recently I finished a project that
I’ve been working on for the last year. In the last few months, I’ve moved a
couple of times and been busy readjusting to not being a student and attempting
to settle on a career. Now that my mind has had sufficient time to recuperate (i.e.
I’ve been lazy), it’s time to start writing again. Or, more precisely, writing
on a daily basis. I have written some sports-related pieces and edited some
fiction the last month or so, but it’s all been spontaneous. Despite what many
people may think, writing has little to do with being inspired or those fleeting
moments of genius—good writing is created through dedication, perseverance, and
the constant revision of junk (all those times you aren’t inspired). Therefore,
for the next thirty days, I’m going to write a blog a day. Most of it will be
junk no doubt. However, I’m sure I’ll have fun and hopefully you’ll enjoy
yourself a few times.
(I
got interrupted at this point by a badger. I’ve seen more animals in my front
yard since I moved to Little Rock than I did living on a farm, I swear. More
about the badger some other time.)
Every week I get emails from the Hog Heaven Online
Store. I usually glance at the subject line and immediately delete the email. Today
I accidently clicked the link, which was fortunate because I saw this:
Really,
Arkansas? Epic bout? An epic bout between teams with a combined 2-7 record, 0-4
in SEC play? The University of Arkansas isn’t serious, right? I feel like I’m
asking a lot of questions and giving no answers, but there is only one
explanation: the Hogs are so bad that the university is now trolling its own
fans. Welcome to Arkansas football 2012.
Oh,
the Kentucky game is EPIC too. Ticket prices reflect the EPICness.
Speaking
of Arkansas and football, what about those Red Wolves? Originally I was going
to discuss the specifics of Arkansas State head coach Gus Malzahn’s contract, which
I saw today via Chris Bahn on Twitter. Essentially ASU owes Gus a lot of money,
he doesn’t have to pay much to leave, and the Red Wolves have to pay him a lot
to fire him. A completely coach-friendly contract. Nothing wrong with that: you gotta do whatcha
gotta do.
However,
as I kept thinking of things to write about, I continued coming back to the
arguments I see on Facebook between Razorback and Red Wolves fans. What is it
with you guys? Let me make this simple: Arkansas has nothing to gain from
playing ASU. An even simpler solution for ASU: give Arkansas a reason to play
the game. That is, win something, win a bowl, get ranked, keep a good coach for
more than a year, fill up half the stadium when you’re team is decent (because
it doesn’t happen very often), etc.
Before
you say I’m an ASU hater—which is funny because if you read my articles here
and here, most Arkansas fans call me a Razorback hater—let me clarify for you.
I graduated with a BA in English from ASU; I have never attended the U of A (my
wife currently does, if that counts). Yes, that’s right. I can’t be an Arkansas
fan, by golly! It’s my birthright to be an ASU fan! Actually I’m a fan of both.
Yes, it’s possible.
Why
am I an Arkansas fan? Because I grew up watching Arkansas Razorback basketball
games with my dad. He loved watching Nolan Richardson and the Hogs. My father
attended a high school that didn’t offer football, so he’s always been partial
to basketball. I’ll never forget watching those basketball games and my love
for the Razorbacks continued and grew from then. It’s an emotional attachment
that will never be broken.
Why
am I an Arkansas State fan? Because I grew up in Northeast Arkansas, I attended
school there, and I’ll probably move back to the area someday. Trust me, I want
ASU to be competitive in football and basketball because it’s a lot easier and
cheaper to attend ASU games when you live in Paragould or Jonesboro. I openly
root for both programs, see no reason for the two teams to play as of now, and
hope ASU continues to improve its athletics.
(This
is carrying on a lot longer than I planned…)
Finally,
the new Mumford & Sons’ album—Babel—was
released last week. At midnight I bought the deluxe edition on iTunes. If you
liked their first album, Sigh No More,
you won’t be disappointed. Babel offers more of the same: a banjo-playing,
foot-stomping, rip-roaring good time. It’s well worth the money, and I
recommend it to all.
I
read a lot of reviews that criticized Mumford & Sons for releasing Sigh No More 2.0 essentially, which always brings up an interesting question
about artists and the growth of their music. I say this because I also
was anticipating the release of Muse’s sixth album, The 2nd Law. However, after reading some of the reviews
about the experimental nature of the album, which Muse is always experimenting
from what I can tell, I’ve had some reservations. Then again, most critics
hated Muse’s last album, The Resistance,
and it was probably my favorite Muse album. Go figure.
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