“Cat on a tin roof, dogs in a pile,
Nothin’ left to do but smile, smile, smile.
Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter
Recently, the Razorback Nation lost one of its most ardently faithful fans when Laddy Diebold, of NWA, suddenly passed away at 61 years young. He awoke on the morning of April 27 and felt a bit out of sorts but quickly chalked it up to heartburn. Besides, he had tickets to that daze baseball game at Baum Walker Park versus the Florida Gators, and nothing could ever quash his passion for all things Razorback related.
He felt his condition worsen while enroute to the ballpark, so he decided to take a detour and stop by Washington Regional Hospital to get checked out since there was still plenty of time to make it for the game’s first pitch. Instead, he suffered a fatal heart attack while there and just like that – the jolly man with the heart of gold that pumped nothing but Cardinal red blood, was gone.
There is a video on Youtube entitled – “Dressed Out” the Laddy Diebold Story – that is a must watch for all Razorback fans. In 1985, his senior year on the Hill, he concocted a zany plan that only ol’ Laddy coulda dreamed up and actually pull off. Please take six minutes out of your day (or night) to sit down and check out the grainy, 29-year-old footage, cuz it is a guaranteed smile inducer.
Laddy was such a bright spirit. One who always led with love and laughter, wore a perpetual, ear-to-ear grin that was as infectious as it was broad and continually doled out massive bear hugs to his huge host of homegirls and homeboys. He was one of a kind and will be missed dearly by the throng of folks fortunate enough to be included in his enormous circle of friends.
RIP amigo. RIP.
Over the weekend Coach Calipari and staff inked another prized-portal transfer in Jonas Aidoo. The 6’11” and 240 pound power forward was a first-team All-SEC player last season at the University of Tennessee, where he averaged 11.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Aidoo is the sixth stud Coach Cal has added to his Arkansas team, as he continues to fill up the basically blank Razorback roster he inherited when Musselman left like a thief in the night. From 5-star freshmen to top portal players, the Razorback bench will be fulla them by the end of the summer, and the sky is the limit from there.
It has been stated and determined that nothing good lasts forever, and that certainly rang true this weekend, as DVH and his swatters lost their first SEC series of the year to the University of Kentucky, dropping the final two games in uncharacteristically lopsided fashion.
The Hogs and Hagen Smith opened the series with a convincing 10-3 thumping of the 8th-ranked Wildcats on Friday night, behind yet another rock-solid performance by the ace. The junior southpaw gave up one earned run and strucKout 14 Wildcats in his usual six innings of mastery, running his career total Ks to 324, just 21 shy of the U of A record, set by Nick Schmidt during 2005-07.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs come to town on Friday for the final, home SEC series of the season. So, if you haven’t had a chance to catch a Razorback baseball game this year, there is still time; especially since they are all but assured of hosting an NCAA Regional once the College World Series begins.
WSP!