Oh boy! It’s just like Groundhog Day, all over again.
Apparently, the curse of J. Frank Broyles lives on, stronger than ever, despite the fact that he no longer does. Sure, he passed nearly eight years ago, yet the athletic program he built over in Fayettenam has suffered heartbreaks, pretty much across the board, before and since.
But instead of getting too morose about it, let each and every one of us rise up and holler a loud and resonating Hog Call in recognition of what coach Dave Van Horn’s team accomplished in this, his 23rd season at the helm.
WOOO PIG SOOIE!
50-15.
As one of only three teams to win at least half-a-hundred games in this 2025 season, (along with Coastal Carolina and LSU, the two finalists in the College World Series), Arkansas was a coupla wins shy of playing for all the marbles in Omaha, reaching essentially what is the Final Four of the CWS, before bowing out to eventual champ and conference mate, LSU, (are those corndogs I smell?)
In the final game of their season, the Hogs came painfully close to winning that evening and forcing a loser-leaves-town matchup the following day. Instead, they suffered a brutal, whatever-could-go-wrong-did, final-inning, come-from-behind loss and were sent packing.
Call it intuition, or what have you, but after five decades of fanatical Razorback fandom, I have come to develop a sickth (sick plus sixth) sense that alerts me when to steer clear of certain games, period.
Earlier this year, during basketball season, the Hogs were flying high under new coach John Calipari and rolling through March Madness like General Sherman through the Atl. After dismantling KU and St. John’s University, in what was essentially a home game for the Red Storm, Texas Tech University, led by the well-traveled and unflappable Chris Beard, awaited.
As tip off drew near, my internal alarms began to ring, eventually forcing me into a game-time decision to remain away and aloof (much to the chagrin of my homies out at the Airport Road Dart Barn and Razorback Club).
Then, wouldn’t you know it, the Hogs blew a double-digit lead in the second half, lost in the waning moments of the game and were denied their first trip to the Final Four in 30 years.
Once again, those same sirens began blowing loud and long, as the first pitch of the LSU game neared last week, so I heeded their call and avoided it all together (once again, much to the dismay of the usual suspects).
So please relish in the recent success of these two teams, cuz football season is up next and Arkansas’ schedule is, once again, a who’s who of murderers’ row, and successes are expected to be few and far between.
But before we close the book on this column, let us take time to highlight one of the brightest stars to ever shine on the Razorback diamond, and the amazing season he put together. That’s right, I am talking about the one-and-only-Hawaiian-Sensation, Wehiwa Aloy. The islander put up epic numbers – offensively and defensively – and earned the 47th Golden Spikes Award, becoming the third Hog player, behind Andrew Benintendi and Kevin Kopps, to achieve the honor.
When asked if he had a final message for the Natural State and Razorback Nation, he simply replied, “ Arkansas, I love you!”
Kudos and aloha to you, young man, and thanks for the memories. Projected to be a first-round draft pick, the shortstop has a bright future ahead of him in the greener pastures of Major League Ba$eball.
And finally, it is with a heavy heart that I bid adieu to Ralph Bradbury, an important cog of Norm DeBriyn’s hardball teams back in the mid-late 1970s and a dear friend. As a diehard Razorback for life and a force to be reckoned with each and every single day, Ol’ Ralph was always present with some hilariously funny joke or quip and will be sorely missed. Sail on my man, and I’ll see you on the other side.