Arkansas Blog

We watched the press conference on the one TV with sound behind the bar at Logan's in Fayetteville. Everybody in the place gathered 'round there, as if they were watching the second plane hit the World Trade Center. Interestingly, nobody said a word.

What a shame that a group that used to be one of the classiest fan bases in all of college football has become so toxic. We were lucky to have Houston coach our team.

We listened to the press conference on the way home after taking a short drive to enjoy a tasty steak dinner. I tried to attribute the gas attacks in the car on the way back to the meal, but that hunk of meat was too darned good and could not have been digested that fast . . .

What a load of one-liners just waiting to be parsed. Reminded me of past political statements where you have to diagram each sentence and dissect each phrase or word to see how many different possible meanings you could ascertain, each being contrary to the gist of what was being said but also being totally believable based on the characters involved.

I loved Frank's jokes - what a deafening silence. Someone forgot the "laugh" sign. That someone will get canned tomorrow.

And the applause, my goodness - "deafening" would not adequately describe it. After pondering a one-word description, I think the best word to describe it would be . . . polite. Based on the cascading ovation, I surmise there must have been at least five people present.

John White - asking the Board for permission to relieve Houston of his "Golden Handcuffs". I nearly collided with the car next to us as I doubled over from the unexpected swelling and noisy deflation of that gas bubble. What the H***, its only a couple of million bucks. The poor man's gotta feed his impoverished family.

I hope he takes the Ole Miss option - then we could give him an annual Razorback welcome.

At least he'll get to wear a new hat.

Vaya con dinero, amigo.

We'll soon be one big happy family, that is, when John White is gone. Apparently the dark-siders have turned their wrath toward a chancellor who they now dislike for what they see as making a charade of Nutt's ouster, and for paying him the obscene ransom to leave.

If it sells newspapers, what the heck.

Now, can we move on to real news?

The most telling event of the press conference was Frank Broyles' demeanor. He fidgited, stroked his chin and neck, and faught to stay awake as Nutt and White spoke.

Given his turn, he launched into a rambling, incoherent defense of Nutt, apparently designed to Help Nutt get a new job.

But he saved the best for last.

As White spoke in his last attempt to spin this into a win-win for everyone, Broyles stuck his index finger in his nose, found something, examined it, and flicked it away.

Goodbye Nutt!

I am not kidding.

This was the defining moment of the event.

Well, I've been thinking that it was time to go for him to go for most of the season. I thought he saved his job friday. But I also thought that beating lsu would raise his stock, bringing him an offer from somebody a little better than SMU or Baylor. That appears to have happened. Otherwise he would be coaching the bowl game. And I think its a shame that he isn't. My prediction is that he's already accepted the Ole Miss job.

Let me preface this by saying that I have cursed Houston Nutt with the best of them but......

Do you know why Arkansas has been on tv so much in the last 10 years? Drama. Drama sells. Whoever gets Houston Nutt will get on TV because the games will be close in the 4th quarter. I don't know if our NW Arkie brethren know this but tv equals $$$. Today is a sad day in Razorback History. I'll take a 8-4 season with a 50 to 48 victory over the number one team in the nation the day after Thanksgiving (on CBS) over a team that beats opponents mercilessly week to week. Who wants to see their team win 50 to nothing every week? CBS sure the hell don't! That's like going to see zz top every night for a week!

We've sold out our homeboy for the CORPORATE MODEL. That really sucks. Hopefully we will be smart enough to take Houston back after we try to crawl back to an 8-4 record in the next 10 years.

Heh, nice ZZ Top reference.

For all that was made of "HDN's tough year", all I could think was "he brought this all on HIMSELF!" No one made him lie to Malhzan or Mustain, no one said "don't take responsibility for YOUR mistakes after a loss, blame it on your players", no one forced him to not pay attention to beating SEC opponents or our bowl opponents. And no one is forcing him to avoid the criticism when we play Texas and Texas A&M. Just imagine how the fans (myself very much included) would have reacted it he'd blown games in the 4th, wasted timeouts and poorly managed the clock against those teams?

I'm glad to see him go.

Yeah.. hooray..woohoo... you ran him off!! Yippee! Look how smart you are!

Shameful. . I hope you're all proud as can be. Feel better now? Got him, didn't ya? Wrap yourself and get all warm and fuzzy in your smugness and enjoy it for a while, but then think (and don't hurt yourself doing so)......Now what?

I'm sure every decent coach out there is just lining up to jump into this hell hole of a soap opera. Not. Nothing's worth this bulls--t.

tomorrow's headlines ???

"Nutt Leaves Dick Hanging" ?

"Dick Will Miss Nutt" ?

"Razorbacks To Bowl Game With Nutt Missing" ?

etc.etc.etc.

Oddball, who in the hell are you talking to?

The Nutt-haters... the know it all, all we have to do is fire Nutt, I know better types....

Would someone please pay me 3 million dollars to leave? Hell, I'll leave for 20 thousand in cash...right now!

Most of all....I'm with Jim Lendall....can we go back to worrying about America sliding into the shitter? Games are fine and dandy in good times...seem mighty silly and unimportant in bad times...and guess what....these are bad times and they're gonna get worse if we don't pull our heads out and start raising hell.

Why don't we take a tip from Nutt and Saddam and pay Bush & Cheney 1 billion each to go away NOW! It's a freaken bargain! Yay yay Razorbacks....sniff sniff Nutt....now, lets get back to impeachment and cleaning out Congress.

Yep....them there Haters dun runned him oft.

So as was his hallmark as a coach, Nutt ends up having to take no responsibility in this situation even in his leaving.

He leaves with a glorious lie filled presser, praised by two fellers that enabled his mistakes even to the extent of releasing him from his debt to the university as required in his contract.

And the Haters are all to blame.

I was a hater.

And as a hater of Nutt and lover of the Hogs I would like to be able to make you feel better by saying that I am now worried about the future of the program.

After all we just runned off the "2nd best" coach we ever had.

And just as he managed to coach in his greatest game.

Well, I can't.

I am proud of the players.

And I ain't worried.

I look forward to a new day in Hog history.

I never really liked Nutt. That said, I wasn't a hater until the abuses of his power got so obvious.

White said that ALL of the calls to his office were of people worried about themselves and not the Nutt family.

So he helped him out by using the foundation to pay him off.

But that is okay.....he resigned....and we owed him his money even if we didn't....right?

Why have a contract?

And Mustain and Malzahn and Damian Williams?

Their families?

Was White worried about them?

Did he investigate the allegations?

I am so disappointed that those fine folks didn't have some inane clause in a contract that White could void so he could pay them off.

I look forward to Nutt coming to play us here. Should make the Mississippi games more fun!

White enabled him and did a ton of damage to his own rep today.

He took several swipes at the fan base. And that could prove to be a death-blow to his tenure here as well.

You would think with the obvious power that was fueled by the hate for Nutt's behavior in the fan base, that White would have realized he shouldn't move that target off of HDN's back to his own.

oh, well.....

Whatever bowl we play in....

Let's hope the players win it for themselves and the fans.

Go Hogs!

time to heal.....

Speaking of bis losers, click on Prouster.

"Democrat Hillary Clinton would lose to all major Republican White House candidates, according to a hypothetical election matchup poll Monday, reversing her months of dominance over potential 2008 challengers.

The Zogby International poll was the latest sign that withering attacks on the former first lady were chipping away at her opinion poll leads just 38 days before the Iowa caucuses, the first party nominating contests.

In the new survey, Clinton trailed Senator John McCain 42 percent to 38 percent, former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani by 43 percent to 40 percent and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney by 43 percent to 40 percent.

She also lagged behind former Arkansas Republican governor Mike Huckabee by 44 to 39 percent, and former Senator Fred Thompson by 44 to 40 percent in hypothetical general election matchups. "

From ARKANSAS BUSINESS:

"Nutt and the university have agreed on a $3.65 million buyout. The results of the past two games, including Friday's 50-48 triple-overtime win over then No. 1 LSU, did not factor in the negotiations, a source confirms, adding that the decision was reached two weeks ago."

Two weeks ago! So, Nutt lied. He was beligerant with the 40/29 tv station who broke the news, just down hostile. All the reporter did was to reveal secret negotiations between a state [public] employee with his state [public] employers.

Oh...now he is classy....stop it, stop it.

I'm with DBI, I don't give a tinker's damn about Houston Nutt going away. I love to see the Hogs win, but I have a lot more serious issues that occupy my mind 24-7.

Me, too.

And then I am a hog fan also.

If we have to go somewhere else....I also Hate the Shrub!

i am just ready to see who the new coach is going to be. i hope it is going to be someone like pelphrey. young and hungry.

prouster, i really don't care who is winning an election a year before the voting takes place. it doesn't matter right now.the only thing that matters is when whoever the democratic candidate and rethuglican candidate go up against each other next other next november.

My parents first bought season tickets in 1947. We've had them ever since, though yearly because we don't make a large "donation" to the sports, ie, football program, we have been moved from the 50 yard line to almost the end zone. That has NOTHING to do with Nutt. Now the Grands and Greats are using the family tickets. New generations of fans love the Hogs and they even live out of state.
Have any of you wondered WHY a family must rent a hotel room in Fayettepatch for TWO nights even when the game is at 6:00 on Saturday? How much of an interest does Saint Frank have in the hotels? Oh, I know, the University said the two night rental requirement was a No-No, but have YOU tried to get a room for one night?
I am not a Nutt hater, though I do wonder why it takes half the season to get a team motivated, but I am a serious Saint Frank hater.
About Nutt, if the children in my former classrooms had a teacher who only performed a little above 50%, I would be toast without the option to leave with as much as $.05. Saint Frank made a note of how many home visits, speaking engagements, and WOW 21 recruiting visits HDN has made.
Gone should be gone. No extra, no bonus to leave, and retire on Teacher Retirement.
Hoooooray for Reggie Herring! I hope he is the new head coach.

I'm sad that Houston had to leave, but I'm relieved that he's gone. I became a die-hard Razorback fan in 1952 when I saw my first game at War Memorial Stadium. I remember coming to Little Rock with my parents for games in the 50's and marveling that the city didn't come to a complete standstill. The Razorbacks were in town! My mother and her friends wore suits, nylons, and heels, and they sported huge corsages of white mums with a big, red A attached.

The times and social customs have changed. Houston had to leave because of what happened during and after the 2006 season, not because of what happened this year. Previous coaches may have been guilty of gross stupidity that far exceeded Houston's transgressions, but those were different times. Houston won't be the last coach to be done in by technology.

Say it again: the coach's wife didn't help her husband's situation by pitching in on the condemnation of a freshman quarterback and, according to the record that's been published, wishing mayhem on the young man's mom,.<<
AT

The young Mustain's momma may have deserved it but she was doing what was best for her son who may not turn out to be the shining star she has fantasized all these years. As Max reported months ago the Springdale Five fiasco truly pissed off powers that matter. The center of UA gravity has shifted to NWA. Had Houston's wife had an inkling of who butters Chancellor White's bread she would have hushed up and let the fellas handle it.... hushed up her massage girlfriend too.

The news conference was dominated by Chancellor White while Frank of the Ozarks was given 2.5 minutes and Houston of Little Rock had 4 min. All questions were fielded by the Chancellor.

eLwood, I don't think Mustain's momma, or anybody else, deserved the serious beating that was administered to her; and the e-mail in which Mrs. Nutt apparently expressed a desire to have been in on it beating was a low point in this whole fiasco. Neither side had a monopoly on hate in this one, but that's going too far.

Sorry, in on "the" beating. I thought it was bad enough when she was just being called names, but taking delight in a fractured jaw and cracked ribs is really too much.

And Prouster, gloat while you can -- you've got time to be unhappy later no matter which Democrat wins. And considering the quality of the field of candidates you republicans have put forward, you'll probably be just as unhappy in the unlikely event one of them should win.

"I had a dinner to cook. Clothes to wash. Garbage to haul. Etc."

Would Judge Brantley consider writing a book on how to train a husband?

Pavel mentioned technology....

Ain't it grand?

blue name....

"The news conference was dominated by Chancellor White while Frank of the Ozarks was given 2.5 minutes and Houston of Little Rock had 4 min. All questions were fielded by the Chancellor."

I remember, eLwood, when Susie Gardner was hired as head wimmen's coach there was a press conference and White spoke for about 80 minutes on her hire, his role and blah, blah, blah. He didn't have much to say when she was canned.

Curious, the same thing happened to me. We used to sit in the 47,000 stands in Fayetteville around the fifty yard line. There was often empty spaces. I was there in the mist when Freddie Akers kicked the immortal field goal that defeated TCU 3-0. Then as the years went by, we were slowly relegated to the ends and finally to the endzone. That's when I quit. Loyalty is a one way street, I discovered, as the late comer fat cats were catered to and fawned on with slobber from the UofA head honchos. I'm still a fan....just a different kind of fan.

From the Arkansas News Bureau - "Nutt and White had been negotiating a deal since last Saturday, said Stanley Reed, chairman of UA's Board of Trustees. "We seen [sic] it coming," Reed said."

We *"seen"* it coming? And this is the board chair of an institution of supposedly "higher" learning? Higher than what - Witt Springs elementary?

I don't mind the coaches' pay or the money spent on the sports. They all have their place in modern collegiate life. But how can you run a university when you can't articulate common English grammar?

The evil men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones.
So, let it be with ........ Houston Nutt.

From the Arkansas News Bureau's coverage:

"He's smart. One thing I can't say, 80 percent of the people weren't on my ass when I was winning," former Arkansas men's basketball coach Nolan Richardson said Monday evening.

"Jesus Christ, everywhere he went, he was the conversation -- win or loss. What can you say, I think he knows how I felt. I don't think he knew how it was like when I was there."

"Would Judge Brantley consider writing a book on how to train a husband?"

My guess is that it would easily outstrip sales of the "Killing Yourself . . . " Huck tome. I know I'd buy one. Hubby's the sweetest thing around most of the time but his lament since retirement -- "I don't have anything to do . . ." -- wore thin a long time ago.

Well, ole Houston Dale has been pushed out.I've been reading a LOT of articles that talk about if Theresa Prewitt had never sent the email, Nutt would most likely still be coaching here and Frank Broyles would still be the AD..I hope she's happy with herself.she single-handedly through an email full of HATE sent to an 18 year old kid brought down a coach who is from Arkansas and coached here 10 years and an AD that had spent 50 years.

I wonder if she even realizes what she has accomplished. I hope she follows Nutt to Ole Miss and gives him the same type "support" that she did here.