Arkansas Blog

"...our clumsy, desperate, humiliating, all-too-public overtures"

With the benefit of a few more days in the rear view mirror since the Nutt-sacking and the hindsight clarity those days have provided, I couldn't agree more with this assessment. And this has nothing to do with the pro-Nutt/anti-Nutt politics. This is simply an objective observation of fact. The entire situation is embarrassing for the University of Arkansas. It would have been one thing to have allowed the spectacle of the Nutt-y resignation news conference and the corresponding removal of his golden handcuffs, not to mention the hurried (and blatantly gratuitous) stuffing of his pockets and patting of backs as the Nuttster began bolting from the state for his new, higher-paying job IF Arkansas had something up its sleeve in the form of an incredible new coach, just waiting to step in for his own "Welcome to Arkansas! This is a new era!" press conference...you know, the kind that would unite and rally the Hog Nation in the very manner that Nutt et al suggested was needed at this time.

But the fact that this entire situation has played out with nothing but tumbleweeds quietly blowing through the town of Arkalookingforanewcoach is pitiful, embarrassing and dare I say reckless on the part of the U of A system.

It is one thing to pay a fella off and quickly send him on his way when there is a bright new beautiful coaching tomorrow just waiting to dawn. But to do so "just because" when there is NOTHING waiting on the horizon appears to be a shameful breach of their fiduciary duties and duties of loyalty...unless you're including their fiduciary and loyalty duties to Nutt...in which case they exceeded all expectations.

Pitiful.

You can only consider Houston a winner if he really wanted to leave. I contend that he did not. I happen to believe all those things he said about loving Arkansas and this being his "dream" job, those things others consider hyperbole at best and patronizing "cheese" at worst. And I think Houston believed them, too.

It's not always about the money.

That being said, I agree (as usual) with everything else Brummett says. We were used as chumps by Tubberville and Bowden and our trustees need to learn how to keep their mouths shut. I also long for the days when we had a nationally prominent program, but, alas, we will have the program our fans have earned through this fiasco. Remember, a media writer can't blame this on the fans. They buy his papers. But I can.

I'm sure that Houston's ability to wipe away his tears with an extra $3 million dollar bills (not to mention his new gig's paycheck) has helped soothe his heartache.

Woops...looks like we got someone else a raise.

Grobe not coming. Just when I was warming to the idea.

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Grobe Staying At Wake Forest

Jim Grobe By Spencer Cagle
DeaconSports.com
Posted Dec 6, 2007

Wake Forest head football coach Jim Grobe will stay at the University, sources confirmed Thursday morning. (9:45am EST)

According to sources at Arkansas and Wake Forest, Demon Deacon head coach Jim Grobe will remain

Next headline: "Gus Malzahn chooses Prescott Curley Wolves over UA"

I can only take consolation in the fact that wire reports show Michigan talking to the coach from Ball State.