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June 2010

A Natural FitAccess, Relationships Matter

To Northwest Arkansas NaturalsGeneral Manager Eric Edelstein

28 ARKANSAS BUSINESS May 24, 2010

Jim Harris Chris Bahn

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Mortensens Looking to Simplify Recruiting ProcessFather, Son Team UpOn One-Stop WebsiteFor Prospects, CoachesBy Chris Bahn

FAYETTEVILLE — Former University of arkansas quarterback alex Mortensen wound up with 22 Division I scholar-ship offers, and six of those reportedly came from within the Southeastern Conference. It was a nice haul for a player considered to be among the Top 30 quarterbacks in the country in 2004, but the offers didn’t come easy.

Beyond working with his high school coach to capture and copy highlight videos, Mortensen and his family need-ed to send those tapes out. and there was the process of figuring out where to send them. How many highlights were too many or not enough?

Each day there seemed to be a new set of questions as Mortensen tried to find a college home after a standout career at atlanta’s Landmark Christian High.

Even alex Mortensen, the son of Chris Mortensen, one of ESPN's most widely regarded NFL reporters, wasn’t entirely sure how to handle football recruiting. It was a taxing process.

“There were a lot of things we had to learn on the run,” alex Mortensen said. “We had all these supposed advantages, but even for us it was chal-lenging. and I’m not saying we didn’t have advantages, but even for us, it was a difficult time.”

Memories of his days as a prospect and lessons learned from recruiting are what led Mortensen and friend Neal Brown, a former Georgia Tech football manager, to come up with the concept for PlayNextLevel.com. It is intended as a one-stop shop for high school pros-

pects, the coaches who are recruiting them and fans.

Much like social networking sites, players can upload and update their profiles with photos, videos, mea-surables and statistics. Crucial to the profiles is a highlight video, something Mortensen equates to a résumé for a job seeker. The better the video and the package, the more inclined colleges will be to review it.

a searchable database is provided for college coaches. This, Mortensen said, should eliminate the need for the time and organization required to maintain a film database in office. Essentially, the site is all the storage needed for coaches, and it should cut down on the time spent sorting through mail. Coaches can also sign up for e-mail updates on specific players.

Plus, fans can keep tabs on prospects across the country by signing up for updates whenever a profile is updated. additional upgrades to the site are in the works to make it more appealing to

fans, though Mortensen stresses this is not aimed at competing with national sites that report on recruiting.

Rockfish Interactive, the Rogers-based firm responsible for designing and marketing the site, provides some eye-opening statistics on recruiting as part of its promotional campaigns for PlayNextLevel.com. With 20,000 high schools funneling players into more than 800 different colleges from NaIa to NCaa Division I, it’s easy to understand why the process might need simplification.

Jerry Osmus, Rockfish vice presi-dent and PlayNextLevel.com project manager, thinks technology will be the key for making things easier for everyone involved in the recruiting process. That’s the goal behind the site, which launched its Beta version in March.

“alex had a grand idea in his head, and we’re working toward that,” Osmus said. “Its still in its infancy stag-es, but there is a legitimacy and knowl-

edge Chris and alex bring from their experience that really sets us apart.”

It’s not just experience with the recruiting process that the folks involved think give them a leg up on any potential competitors. Chris Mortensen has enlisted the help of folks like Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll (featured in a video already posted), ESPN analyst Merrill Hodge and CBS’ Phil Simms to provide pre-mium content for the site aimed at helping players improve their pros-pects.

“This simplifies a process that can be overwhelming,” said Chris Mortensen, who is acting as the lead investor and a consultant on the proj-ect. “There are NFL coaches who have sons and daughters that found the recruiting process to be frustrating.”

Making Investment Pay OffHelping high school players and

families sounds nice. assisting college coaches is also a worthy endeavor.

How, though, will Chris Mortensen get a return on his investment? How does alex Mortensen figure to turn this into a successful venture financially?

a couple of ideas are at work, including selling advertising. Premium video content might fetch a fee at some point, based on something like the a la carte model used by iTunes.

Ideas are evolving daily on how to monetize the site, but keeping the player profiles free is crucial, alex Mortensen said. There are no plans to charge players and their families, unlike some recruiting/scouting services.

“Do we want to make money? Sure,” alex Mortensen said. “There are ways we can do that without burdening the recruits. a family goes through recruit-ing once in a lifetime in most cases. Our hope is to be able to eliminate a lot of the costs and time it takes.” m

MAKING IT EASIER: With their PlayNextLevel.com website, Chris, left, and Alex Mortensen hope to sim-plify a process that can be taxing for high school prospects as well as the coaches who are recruiting them.

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“Ignorance isn’t an excuse, but when I first got here, had I known

the shape of our APR from an advis-ing standpoint, I probably would

have approached the first recruiting class a little bit different.”

— Arkansas State Coach John Brady to the Jonesboro Sun after learning the program would be

penalized by the NCAA for academic troubles.

“I think Ryan has got a great future. We’re looking forward to having him at the camp and get-ting to know him.”

— Archie Manning on Arkansas quarterback ryan Mallett, who will attend the Manning Passing Academy

this summer as a counselor.

“I had to do it; I had to get the win for my team. I am so happy to get this big personal best and win the

SEC title. I knew my team needed 10 points from me and that’s what I

set out to do.”— Arkansas long jumper Alain Bailey after a world-

best distance of 27 feet, 4 3/4 inches in the SeC outdoor track meet.

Speaking Out

May 24, 2010 ARKANSAS BUSINESS 29

TULSA, Okla. — Decked out in a coral jacket with a mustard yellow T-shirt underneath and pants to match, Nolan Richardson brought back the same unique fashion flair — minus the polka dots — that drew attention during a Hall of Fame college-coaching career. He barked at officials when frustrated, rolling his eyes and folding his arms in disgust just like the old days. Plenty about his WNBA coaching debut with the Tulsa Shock seemed reminiscent of Richardson’s

tenures with the University of Arkansas and Tulsa.

As for his signature style of play? That didn’t replicate as easily as his duds and demeanor.

Richardson’s patented “40 Minutes Hell” style seemed like an imitation brand during stretches of an 80-74 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on May 15 at the BOK Center. Instead of Tulsa impos-ing its will

defensively and scoring easy buckets in transi-tion, the Shock turned the ball over 22 times and had only 11 fastbreak points.

“It takes time,” Richardson said. “We’re really all so new.”

Beyond the first glance, this new gig isn’t as familiar for Richardson as his wardrobe makes it appear. Richardson might have dusted off his suits, but he is coaching women and profession-al basketball for the first time. Richardson hasn’t been in the coaching spotlight since being fired at Arkansas in 2002. Success with the Panamanian and Mexican national teams was achieved without much attention or fanfare.

There were certainly no pregame fireworks, unending blasts of hip-hop and rock over the stadium speakers or mascots dunking through flames during games in Juarez. By the time Richardson was introduced to a yellow-clad, sold-out crowd of 7,806 — including WNBA President Donna Orender, Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry and the Oklahoma women’s coach, Sherri Coale — Shock fans were frenzied.

Nerves were evident in the Tulsa players. If the 68-year-old Richardson was anxious, it didn’t show, and he wasn’t copping to it.

“Nah. Not really,” Richardson said. “I’ve been coaching so long, nerves don’t get to me. I was less nervous than I was happy.”

Richardson is glad to be back in coaching. He passed on the few opportunities that came his way since retaliating to his firing with a lawsuit against the UA that he eventually lost, but not without much dirty laundry aired in court.

Folks in Tulsa are pleased to have Richardson

back on the sidelines. He might draw mixed emo-tions in Arkansas, but he is fully embraced by the people of Tulsa. Before coaching the Razorbacks, Richardson spent 1980-85 with the University of Tulsa, guiding the school to an NIT title.

Assistant Wayne Stehlik, with Richardson at Arkansas and in Mexico, has repeatedly wit-nessed the kind of connection his boss has with the city of Tulsa. Few breakfast or lunch outings go uninterrupted.

“He left here on good terms and everybody loved him,” Stehlik said. “He helped put Tulsa basketball on the map, and they’ve not forgot-ten that.”

Now the city is hoping for new memories with Richardson and the WNBA franchise. Richardson has won big at every stop he’s made, including being the only coach to win a junior college national title, an NIT and an NCAA championship.

Experts have written off the Shock as one of the worst teams in the league, so immedi-ate success seems unlikely. Before moving from Detroit, the team won WNBA titles in 2003, 2006 and 2008, but only five players made the move with the franchise.

Richardson is well-respected in WNBA circles, but his roster isn’t viewed as championship-ready. Other men who found success at the NBA or college level have been successful in the WNBA (Paul Westhead, Michael Cooper and Bill Laimbeer are prominent examples), so Richardson isn’t viewed as an oddity by league insiders.

“He’s got a good reputation and seems to have embraced the women’s game,” said Mechelle Voepel, ESPN.com women’s hoops writer. “That’s impressed me, the way he’s come in and shown interest in learning. It’s just going to take him some time.”

Tulsa has three rookies and a pair of players with only one year of experience on its 11-per-son roster, including 34-year-old, first-timer Marion Jones. If Jones’ name sounds familiar but hard to place, it’s because she earned noto-riety as a world-class sprinter who had her five Olympic gold medals stripped for steroid use.

Jones, who was more of a focal point Saturday for the national and international press than was Richardson, does have a basketball background. She won a college national title as a point guard at North Carolina in 1994, the same year Richardson won his championship at Arkansas.

Few expect much from her, but Jones’ athleti-cism and hunger to prove she belongs make her perfect for a Richardson-coached team. “Us against the world” has been a familiar Richardson mantra, and he’s carried it with him to Tulsa.

“I know his style, his approach to motivating his teams in the past, I can say he’s certainly implemented a little of that ‘us against the world’ motivation,” Jones said. “We all know what the tone of people thinking about the Shock is ... I can say he’s used that as motiva-tion for us.”

With outside expectations low, the Shock have a chance to create success where few expect it. Come to think of it, this looks like a situation tailor-made for Richardson. m

— Chris Bahn

Richardson Back on Tulsa TimeAs Coach of the WNBA’s Shock

Mortensens Looking to Simplify Recruiting Process

FAMILIAR LOOK: Nolan Richardson may look the same, but it’s a different game as the former Arkansas coach embraces leading the Shock in the WNBA.

GETTy IM

AGES

))) oN The WeB: Jim Harris on baseball.

Enjoy plenty of playing time on and off the fi eld.

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May 28-29 ASA Invitational (Softball)

June 5-6 AAA American Legion Tournament

June 12-13 Super Series Baseball (Ages 9-15)

June 19 A & AA American Legion Tournament

June 19 Pitching Machine (Age 8 & Under Tournament)

June 26 AAU Invitational Tournament/Jamboree

July 17 AR Border Battle 7 on 7 Football Tournament

Register your team online at www.HarrisonSports.org.

For tournament information, contact Matt Bell at 870-741-1789 or [email protected].

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By Chris Bahn

Handful of Hogs Bloom During Spring TrainingBut Another Group of Razorbacks Had Its Opportunities and Failed to Make the Most of Them

Arkansas recently wrapped up its 15 allotted spring practices. Some players

fared better than oth-ers and took big steps forward this spring. Others seemed to take a step back and will need big summers to get back into key roles

and the good graces of coaches this fall. We recap the five players who either rose or didn’t in the spring:

FORWARD PROGRESSDennis Johnson, RB

Talent has never been a ques-tion with Johnson, the single-season and career kick-return leader at arkansas. Bobby Petrino, however, was critical of Johnson entering the spring and questioned the running

back’s desire to play through pain. Johnson entered the spring essen-tially fourth on the depth chart and responded with a renewed focus and better attitude. Coaches and teammates praised Johnson’s leadership, something he hadn’t exhibited in previous sea-sons. Johnson also performed well in practices and the spring game, tallying 80 all-purpose yards in the Red-White game, including a 38-yard run.

Darius Winston, CBExpectations were high in 2009

for the five-star recruit from Helena-West Helena. Winston rarely saw the

field and struggled as he learned the playbook and worked to improve his

upper-body strength. Bowl preparations were the first time Winston seemed to “get it” and his spring was a con-tinuation of the improve-ment. When Rudell Crim was shifted to safety,

Winston cracked the starting rotation. He had only three tackles in the spring game, but was tabbed as one of the big winners by the coaching staff, including Petrino and defensive coordinator Willy Robinson.

Alvin Bailey, OLBailey could have played in 2009,

but redshirted as the backup to guard Mitch Petrus, who went on to become a fifth-round NFL Draft pick. Coaches — even as they talked up his talent to the media — asked Bailey to remain

patient as he was behind Wade Grayson to start the spring. Grayson went down with a knee injury, and Bailey proved to be as good as advertised. He’ll need a good summer to hold his starting spot, but the competition between Bailey and Grayson should benefit the team.

Terrell Williams, LBOutside linebacker clearly wasn’t a

fit for Williams. Coaches shifted him inside and the light seemed to come on for Williams, who has added nearly 20 pounds since arriving on campus

last summer. During the spring game, Williams finished with seven tackles

and he solidified his reputation as a hard hit-ter. Linebacker will be a crucial position for the Razorbacks’ defense in 2010. It appears to be the weak link on the defense because of lack

of depth, so Williams must continue his development in the weight room and film room.

Jacoby Walker/Brandon Mitchell, QBLife after Ryan Mallett might be

better than many folks thought. Walker and Mitchell showed a great deal of promise in the Red-White game. Both appear to give the Razorbacks a run-pass threat at the quarterback

position. Walker, who should still be in high school but arrived on campus in January, threw for 183 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another 24 yards. Mitchell, who missed four practices in the spring because of a death in the family, returned and had an 88-yard touchdown run and threw for 80 yards. Both need to work on accuracy, but they remained calm in the pocket and seemed to have a knack for knowing when to run.

STALLED DRIVEAlex Tejada, K

all you really need to know is that

the unpredictable Tejada missed an extra point in the Red-White game.

an extra point. Tejada, who seemed to have his inconsistencies fixed when hitting the Liberty Bowl-winning field goal in January, was not good throughout the spring. To be fair, after his PaT

miss, Tejada later hit the go-ahead 38-yarder in the Red-White game. He’ll need to improve if he hopes to fend off a pair of incoming kickers and hold the field goal/extra point job for his final season in Fayetteville.

Anthony Leon, SJunior college players often take

time to adjust at the col-lege level. Practice time increases. Time spent in the classroom and weight room is also ratcheted up quite a bit from junior college to college. So, coaches were willing to

accept that Leon needed time to adjust after arriving before last fall. Big things were expected, but never materialized for Leon this spring. He was demoted for a first-year player, who then gave way to a cornerback turned safety. Leon did have a team-high nine tackles in the spring game and forced a fumble, but he needs a big summer.

Ben Cleveland, TECredit Cleveland for playing in the

Red-White game, and playing hard. He made an appearance about three

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Resist the temptation to quit read-ing when the words that follow sound too familiar. And, initially, this column detailing the White’s 31-21 victory in the spring game will seem like one you’ve read before.

Members of the Arkansas defense gave up an 88-yard touchdown run to the Red in the first quarter of Saturday’s Red-White Spring game. Miscommunication between defensive backs allowed the opposing quarterback to race untouched down the sideline for a score.

Still reading? Good. There’s positive news ahead as long as you stay patient.

Just before halftime the defense broke

down on a 31-yard touchdown. It was a simple screen play that turned into a long score for the White and likely resulted in a few choice words from the handful of fans on hand, as well as play-ers and coaches.

Seriously, don’t bail just yet. It eventually gets better.

Defensive breakdowns resulted in a pair of 40-plus yard touchdown catches in the third

quarter. First came a 47-yard White touchdown pass with 9:30 left in the period. Less than eight minutes later came a 44-yarder for the Red.

OK. Enough of the bad news. And this time I mean it.

On the surface, Saturday’s Red-White game might feel very similar to the 2009 season. Big plays plagued the Razorbacks throughout the year. Eliminating opponents’ long scoring plays was a focal point of this recently concluded spring session.

Certainly, not all breakdowns have been eliminated. Somehow, the night still felt like

progress for the much-maligned Arkansas defense.

Coach Bobby Petrino, defensive coordinator Willy Robinson and players on both sides of the ball were complimentary of the defense, which was effective in the fourth quarter, par-ticularly the White team’s defense.

Robinson was honest about the situation, but encouraged nonetheless. Arkansas spent most of the night lining up in base defenses. Hitting the quarterback was not allowed — a factor that often leads to a defense not playing hard or fast. That was not the case in the Red-White game.

Hogs’ Defensive Breakdowns Aren’t the Whole Story

CHRISBahn


The two areas eliciting the most concern going into Arkansas’ 15 spring practices were the easiest to watch at the Razorbacks’ Red-White Game.

Quarterback and the defensive second-ary were 1-2 in our book as the areas where Bobby Petrino’s Razorbacks needed to show something posi-tive. Quarterbacking for the Hogs this spring, in essence, meant establish-ing the backup quar-terback order for 2010, because Ryan Mallett is the understood head-

and-shoulders-above-all-others starter. But it also might give Razorback fans, and the staff, some indication of where the program was headed After Mallett, which presumably is after next season. Sure, Mallett can stay for a senior year in 2011 — but would YOU say no to maybe $50 million from an NFL team?

Improved play from the secondary in the spring might give hope for improved overall performance on the defensive side in 2010, we figured.

So, as it transpired in the White’s 31-21 win on April 24, we can give positive marks to both areas.

Quarterbacks, especially redshirt freshman Brandon Mitchell and fresh-out-of-high-school Jacoby Walker, performed better every way in the spring game, though offensive coordinator Garrick McGee was quick to find areas such as “getting the cadence right” to find some fault with the youngsters. And, while de facto starter Tyler Wilson struggled on paper with an 8-for-15 night and underthrew the long ball, McGee said Wilson’s game was better than the stats indicated.

Meanwhile, the best of the defensive backs were split apart in Petrino’s efforts to make the Red-White game as competitive as possible, but it was obvious who the best four or five were. Anyway, the entire 15-practice session was highlighted by good-to-great play from the defen-sive backs, while defensive coordinator Willie Robinson didn’t wait until three games into next season to move some speed and smarts from cor-ner to safety when he placed senior Rudell Crim there in the final week.

Arkansas can start a secondary that will compete with the best in the Southeastern Conference. Pray for no injuries like the knee-ligament tear that befell corner Isaac Madison last August, though. And understand, this is not unusual for Razorback football — being an injury to a starter or two away from average.

The light came on for rising sophomore corner Darius Winston, the 5-star from whom much is expected, while Crim, the recuperating Madison, safety Tremaine Thomas and senior corner Ramon Broadway give Arkansas a nice backline of defense.

It’s the front seven, and specifi-cally the linebackers, that caused concern. That the head coach also expressed his worries there said plenty.

The offense didn’t throw it all over the field this spring, for several reasons. One, Mallett was only around in a walking boot healing a broken foot. Two, Petrino was determined to improve a lackluster running game and install some new wrinkles with the “Shot,” Arkansas’ version of the “Pistol” formation.

It was from that look that Mitchell faked a handoff to the tailback for what seemed like a

simple dive play, then took out around left end and had nothing but green turf in front of him for 88 yards.

Minutes later, Mitchell did his best Mallett impersonation with a 50-yard bullet down the mid-dle that Greg Childs gathered in with his fingertips and took an additional 18 yards to the lip of the goal line. Mitchell then showed his quick feet again by running in the bootleg for another score.

Mitchell was lightly recruited as a quarterback out of high school. Mitchell ran the option for little Amite, La., High his senior year. Before that, everyone expected the 6-foot-6 athlete to be another of the great basketball players to come

out of south Louisiana. He even gave basketball a brief shot for John Pelphrey’s shorthanded Hogs last November before scampering back to football.

Good call. He’s a keeper. m

weeks after undergoing an emergency appendectomy. That’s incredibly tough.

However, Cleveland missed a significant chunk of spring practice and was once again hit with an injury/ailment. He’s missed time for any array of health-related issues dating back to

nerve problems that forced him to red-shirt in 2007. Coaches like Cleveland’s ability, but he has to stay healthy in order to see the field, and he’s been beset by a string of unfortunate inju-ries.

Joe Adams, WRNobody is saying where Joe adams

disappeared to, but his absence for three of four days during one stretch of spring practice was noticeable and led to rampant speculation. arkansas never shed light on the whereabouts

of adams, who caught 29 passes for 568 yards and seven touchdowns in 2009. Was he hurt? Was he in Bobby Petrino’s doghouse? Was he consider-ing a transfer? What we know for sure is that he was used very little in the Red-White game and caught only two passes for four yards.

Tyler Wilson, QBWilson might seem like an odd

choice here, and in a lot of ways he is. There were no major missteps for Wilson this spring, but he never seemed com-pletely comfortable being the starting quarterback, and he had a very lim-

ited number of jaw-dropping moments. Wilson was overshadowed much of the spring game. His eight completions in 15 attempts for 133 yards and one touchdown in the Red-White game left something to be desired and did little to instill confidence that Wilson is the answer when Ryan Mallett leaves for the NFL. m

A KEEPER: Redshirt freshman quarterback Brandon Mitchell (17) showed his skills at both passing and running during the Razorbacks’ Red-White game.

WILL FLO

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JIMHarris

))) on the web: Is Jim Harris ready for Little Rock lacrosse?

“We’ve obviously got some corrections to make but, gosh darn, I thought we did a nice job tonight,” Robinson said. “It will be great film to learn from.”

Robinson will see on the film that the Razorbacks gave up touchdowns of 88, 31,

47 and 44 yards. Nobody on the team would deny eliminating long plays is a must for the Razorbacks to reach the level of success they feel is possible in 2010.

Video cutups from the game will also show a defense that hit hard, forced turnovers and, most importantly, made stops when needed. It doesn’t take much effort to see the good in this defense.

How about the White team holding the Red scoreless in the fourth quarter? Keep in mind this is a Red team that Petrino said had “a little more offensive fire power” and included All-SeC guys such as tight end D.J. Williams and receiver Greg Childs, plus explosive playmakers Cobi Hamilton and Dennis Johnson.

even a limited amount of pressure yielded 11 total sacks for the defense. White defenders had

six, including two from young defensive end Ryan Calendar. Demario Ambrose led the Red with a pair of sacks.

White safety Anthony Leon finally showed the spark that had been missing since he transferred in from junior college last summer. He had a game-high nine tackles and forced a red-zone fumble with a hard hit and strip that poten-tially saved a score. White defensive back Andru Stewart stripped Hamilton of the ball during a wild scrum — Childs had first lost the handle after a reception, and it bounced into Hamilton’s hands — that also stopped a potential Red scor-ing drive. Red defensive tackle Pat Jones had a forced fumble as well.

There were defensive breakdowns. Nobody would suggest otherwise, especially with the

knowledge that the seven touchdowns scored were by an average of 30.7 yards.

“Keep in mind, we’re playing a great offense,” defensive end Jake Bequette said. “We don’t like to give up big plays. We have to completely eradi-cate that, but until then, I like the way we played … We’ve got some guys coming into their own.

“I like the way our team responded.”even Petrino sounded like an optimist after the

game, and that isn’t his — or any other coach’s — strong suit. Petrino has stuck around the game long enough to spot progress, even when it might not be immediately apparent to others.

“I think we’ve improved,” Petrino said. “Our players come out of spring with a sense of confi-dence and a great sense of what we’re trying to do scheme-wise.” m

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THe LasT woRdQb Play, Secondary work ease Some Concerns

“I don’t know if he plays that, is it, Atari? Or Pac-Man? Whatever

those video games are. I’m not sure if he plays those or not.”

— Coach Bobby Petrino on how Ryan Mallett chan-neled his competitive energy while hurt during the spring.

on thE BAll: Red defensive backs Darius Winston and elton Ford stop White tailback Knile Davis.







By Chris Bahn

Central Arkansas Embraces Baseball Razorbacks’ VisitVan Horn and PlayersReady to Check OutDickey-Stephens Park

Arkansas baseball fans routinely pack Baum Stadium in Fayetteville. Through the first 27 home contests of the season, an average of 7,643 fans were showing up to call the Hogs, arguably one of the nation’s top 10 teams.

National pundits routinely tab Baum Stadium as one of the nation’s best col-lege baseball atmospheres. Crowds are knowledgeable and energetic, giving the Razorbacks a rarely matched home-field advantage.

yet Coach Dave Van Horn can’t wait to get away from it all and experience another in-state venue. arkansas trav-els to North Little Rock for a Tuesday game against Louisiana Tech and, even though few places compare to a night in Baum, Van Horn expects a lot from the Dickey-Stephens Park crowd.

“I’m really looking forward to this,” Van Horn said. “We have fans there. We recruit there. I imagine it will be a great atmosphere.”

It’s hard to imagine a better time for baseball to branch out with its in-state scheduling. Interest is high through-out arkansas with the Razorbacks, who were a third-place finisher in the College World Series last year despite playing a regional and super regional away from home, and who are on track to earn a coveted national seed in the NCaa Tournament.

Tickets for the game at Dickey-Stephens Park went on sale in December — three months before this season began and long before the team climbed into the Top 10. an initial allotment of 8,000 seats was sold out less than a month after it was announced the Razorbacks would play a home game outside of Fayetteville for the first time in 23 years. Some berm seating is still available for $10 per ticket. However, online brokers are asking between $80 and $120 per seat.

Need further proof of the drawing power of arkansas baseball? Consider that Little Rock’s 100,000-watt KaBZ, 103.7 The Buzz, has carried Razorback baseball games

Will Flo

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Arkansas freshman pitcher D.J. BAxenDAle was intrigued by the razorbacks very early in the recruiting process.

Baxendale, who was scheduled to make his first Southeastern Conference pitching start at ole Miss this past weekend after being stellar in long relief appearances, prepped at Sylvan Hills High School. But his school schedule and baseball demands made more than a couple of trips to Fayetteville each season dif-ficult.

Baxendale wishes he’d had the same opportunity that in-state recruits get this year with the razorbacks playing a game at Dickey-Stephens Park. Playing in North little rock would be a draw for local recruits, Baxendale said.

Plus, it will help some of his family see him in a razorback uniform for the first time this year.

Arkansas will play in front of a crowd Tuesday at

Dickey-Stephens Park that Baxendale hopes will include his 92-year-old great-grandmother, whose health and age make it difficult for a three-hour trip up the hill to Fayetteville.

“She’s told the doctors she’s coming no matter what,” Baxendale said. “So it’s a big deal to me that we’re playing there. Plus, it’s good for the fans. i enjoy it. i’ve got a lot of family down there. We have a lot of fans. it’s going to be big for us for a lot of reasons.”

The razorbacks’ roster includes three pitch-ers from Central Arkansas, highlighted by Baxendale and No. 1 starter Drew Smyly. Smyly was a standout at little rock Central, and reserve Trent Daniel hails from Bryant. m

Freshman Pitcher From Sylvan HillsSees Hogs’ Stopover as a ‘Big Deal’

the last two years, sometimes cutting into its own programming (read: adver-tising revenue) because demand for Hog baseball is so high.

“I think the university will find peo-ple down here are champing at the bit for baseball,” said Justin acri, the sta-tion’s programming director and host of

midday talk show “The Zone.”Verizon arena plays host

to one Razorback basketball game a year. War Memorial Stadium is home twice a year to the arkansas football team. Now Central arkansas base-ball fans get the same oppor-tunity as Razorback football

and basketball fans.

‘Why Stop?’ It’s been 23 years since the last arkansas baseball game in the area, but the Razorbacks do have a history of playing games there, dating to 1964. Norm DeBriyn coached the Razorbacks from 1970-2002, and between 1983-86 the team

scheduled at least one game a year in Little Rock at Ray Winder Field, former home of the arkansas Travelers.

DeBriyn even credits a Little Rock game against Mississippi State, then a nonconference foe, for helping ignite a run to the College World Series 25 years ago. arkansas and the Bulldogs met for a pair of “neutral site games” that season.

Mississippi State easily won the first game in Greenville, Miss., 16-2. DeBriyn said the team rallied after that embarrassing loss for a 13-1 victory the next night in Little Rock. That was the first of 16 consecutive victories during a streak that saw arkansas win 17 of its final 19 games before losing to SWC rival Texas and finishing third nation-ally at Omaha.

“It was always a big deal for us to play in central arkansas,” said DeBriyn, whose team finished 51-17 during the 1985 season. “It was always a highlight for us. I really enjoyed it, and I know our team did.”

So, why did it stop? Financially, it was tough to come

to an agreement on who got what. Scheduling conflicts were the big-gest deterrent, especially when the Razorbacks joined the Southeastern Conference in 1992. Thursdays tended to be the most available options and that

rarely worked with weekend SEC series looming Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Today, arkansas couldn’t ask for a better fit from a scheduling standpoint. The Razorbacks travel to North Little Rock after a weekend series in Oxford, Miss. The Tuesday date — post final exams — will give the Razorbacks plenty of time to rest and prepare for a weekend series at home against South Carolina.

‘Exceeded Expectations’It appears that for at least one

additional season beyond this one the Razorbacks will play in North Little Rock. Next year, arkansas is sched-uled to face the University of Memphis at Dickey-Stephens Park one night, and then the Razorbacks will travel for a game the next day against the Tigers in autoZone Park, home of the Triple-a Memphis Redbirds, a St. Louis Cardinals farm team.

Van Horn was very instrumental in making a return to Central arkansas a reality. It was Van Horn who initially approached the Travelers about making the game happen.

Both sides see the game as mutually beneficial, financially as well as for

Coming UpAFTeR PlAying TecH AT Dickey-STePHenS, THe HogS will ReTuRn To BAum STADium FoR A weekenD SeRieS AgAinST THe SouTH cARolinA gAmecockS.

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22 ARKANSAS BUSINESS may 17, 2010






HAVING A BALL: Clay Goodwin, in the Razorbacks’ dugout during their recent win over Louisiana Tech at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock, enjoys the “competitiveness of college baseball and the atmosphere that it brings.”

BeST SeaT in The houSe:

Q&A

Former Arkansas third baseman Clay Goodwin developed a reputa-tion as a reliable player and was rarely out of the lineup from 2001 to 2004. He started 193 of 202 pos-sible games during his playing days in Fayetteville.

Goodwin brings that same con-sistency and dependability to the Razorbacks program today as direc-tor of baseball operations for Coach Dave Van Horn. He’s served in that role the last two years and is heavily involved in the day-to-day operation of the baseball program, including recruiting visits, coordinating team travel and accounting for team inven-tory. Today, Goodwin and his wife, Jill, live in Fayetteville where he began his administrative career with the Razorbacks as a student assistant coach in 2006. He served as team manager in 2007 and has worked his way into a full-time position with the Razorbacks.

Goodwin recently sat down with arkansasSports360.com to explain why he has the Best Seat in the House:

AS360.com: GrowinG up in Benton, in A BASeBAll fAm-ily, were you the typicAl ArkAnSAS kid thAt dreAmed of plAyinG for the rAzorBAckS?

Goodwin: Honestly, I knew I wanted to play college baseball, but playing at arkansas specifically wasn’t really a goal. I’d grown up around baseball, seen my brother go to play college baseball and seen my dad send guys to play from his american Legion program. I knew I wanted to play college baseball, but it just worked out for me getting to come to arkansas. I’ll never forget the morning that Coach [Norm] DeBriyn called to offer. I thought it was a setup at first [laughing]. I’m very thankful for how my career turned out.

Since your cAreer BeGAn AS A plAyer in 2001, colleGe BASe-BAll hAS Seen A SiGnificAnt BooSt in populArity, not juSt in northweSt ArkAnSAS, But nAtionwide. whAt do you AttriBute thAt to?

It’s a tribute to the schools and the athletic directors. you’re seeing a commitment across the country and especially in the SEC. That’s why there is such a level playing field throughout our league. and the more competitive the game is, the more people will take an interest. you’ve got more money being invested in facilities and budgets. College base-ball has really taken off, especially in Fayetteville.

pArt of your joB iS coordinAt-inG trAvel. there’S Got to Be Some chAllenGeS ASSociAted with tAkinG 30-pluS people, moSt of them colleGe kidS, on the roAd for GAmeS. whAt’S the Secret to mAkinG it All run Smoothly?

There’s no secret. you don’t have to baby-sit these guys. We’ve got a classy group of guys that are mature. They make wise decisions. That’s a trickle down from our coaching staff and Coach Van Horn. He demands and expects a lot out of these guys. They’re fun to work with. They come from good families. They’re raised the right way, and they understand, for the most part, if you don’t take care of your business on and off the field, you’ll get weeded out in this program. It’s easy and fun.

you’ve experienced ArkAnSAS BASeBAll AS A recruit, A plAyer And pArt of the StAff. whAt do you conSider the BeSt moment?

Going to the College World Series last year from this side of it was a thrill for me. It was a lot different from doing it as a player. I was able to take in a lot more of the experience leading up to the games ... Besides that, when we won the league in 2004, that was special. It’s hard to

beat getting dog-piled on the field after winning the SEC. Hopefully, this team will be able to experience that.

how SiGnificAnt wAS it for the rAzorBAckS to plAy Before A Sold-out crowd At dickey-StephenS pArk? do you hAve An AppreciAtion for thAt AS A centrAl ArkAnSAS nAtive?

It’s eye-opening for our guys. There is a lot of passion for the Razorbacks in the state and not just in Fayetteville. I think it’s great for [the players] to get to experience that. This is more than just a stop on the sched-ule. This is fun for the program and the fans. Hopefully, this will build our fan base and get people interested in coming to Fayetteville to see us.

why doeS clAy Goodwin hAve the BeSt SeAt in the houSe?

I love coming out to the yard and working every day. There’s a competi-tiveness of college baseball and the atmosphere that it brings that I really enjoy … Every park in the SEC brings something different, something that makes it special. I’ve experienced the regional and super regional atmo-sphere and been to the College World Series and spent time in Omaha. Those are memories you have, rela-tionships you build for your entire life. m

w/ Clay GoodwinDirector of Baseball OperationsUniversity of Arkansas

By ChRiS BahnPhoTogRaPh By nelSon ChenaulT


Frank Broyles knew Arkansas would see a bump in revenue and notoriety from an association with the Southeastern Conference. That’s part of what led Broyles to steer the Razorbacks into the SEC and out of the Southwest Conference in the early 1990s.

Broyles’ decision to move the school to the SEC solidified his reputa-tion as one of the great administrators in college athletics. Even though he’s three years into retirement as athletic director, Broyles is still highly regarded in college athletics, and a lot of his reputation has to do with switching conferences.

But even Broyles admits he could never foresee a day when his school would receive nearly $17 million in revenue sharing from the SEC. And he never envisioned a day when Arkansas would be close to eclipsing the $60 million mark in overall athletic department budget thanks, in part, to the aligning with the SEC.

“It’s remarkable,” Broyles said. “No one could envision that. No one could envision that one con-ference could have that sort of financial success.”

Arkansas has clearly benefited from Broyles steering the program into the SEC. Recapping that decision is something Broyles has done a lot lately with the landscape of college football apparently shifting.

News that the Big Ten is considering expan-sion has been the hot topic in college athletics this year. Depending on which schools the league adds the rest of college football could follow suit.

Speculation is rampant that the SEC, Pac-10 and other top leagues might be interested in adding teams. Or, perhaps the Big 12 will need a replacement for Missouri and/or Nebraska if either realigns itself with the Big Ten.

Arkansas is the team most often mentioned, as a possibility to leave the SEC. Big 12 expansion would surely include the Razorbacks, right?

Don’t count on it. Arkansas would have too much to lose with such a move, something Broyles hopes isn’t ever under serious consideration.

Would a move help make Arkansas more com-petitive? Perhaps. Would it give the Razorbacks a better geographic fit? Absolutely.

What a move wouldn’t do is fund the athletic department in the man-ner Arkansas has grown accustomed. It wouldn’t provide the exposure the Razorbacks are enjoying today as part of the unprecedented SEC TV deal.

Keep in mind much of the potential deck shuffling in college athletics is in response to what the SEC has done

to raise its profile and revenue the last two years. When the SEC signed television deals with ESPN and CBS worth billions, the rest of the country took notice. They want the high profile and profit-sharing enjoyed by the 12 schools in the SEC and are trying to figure out how to make that happen.

Arkansas can’t do much better than it’s doing now. That’s why Athletic Director Jeff Long has said publicly he thinks the Razorbacks would have a hard time improving on their current situation.

There seems to be no end to the search for revenue and exposure. Salaries and expenses continue to skyrocket, and Arkansas is in a great position thanks to the move Broyles made nearly two decades ago.

Should the SEC decide to stand pat and not add to its roster of schools, Broyles thinks that’s just fine. Even being in the conversation is a plus for Arkansas and the other 11 members of the league.

“I think it’s good to talk,” Broyles said. “I think the discussion is good for college football. We’re talking college football all season. The more we’re talking, the more you’re writing about it, it ben-efits us.” m

E-mail: [email protected]

For a coach so regularly trashed the past year on message boards and sports-talk radio, John Pelphrey is upbeat these days. These are the days of charity golf tournaments, and chances are you’ll run into Pelphrey at one of them. But it’s not the golf that has Pelphrey so pumped.

“I’m not really good at this at all,” he confessed last week at a Boys & Girls Clubs fund-raising tour-ney at Maumelle Country Club.

He’s not even allowed to tell a sportswriter or a talk-show host one reason why he and his staff are smiling. But the Arkansas basket-ball program recently landed the commitment of the coveted 6-foot-11 Hunter Mickelson from Jonesboro Westside, who as a junior nabbed several Player of the Year honors, including the one bestowed by this publication. All of the powerhouse programs looked closely at Mickelson, who reminds observers of those great-shooting tall string beans who usually matriculate to Duke or North Carolina. But Mickelson was a Hog at heart, and although he had told folks that he might wait to make a col-lege decision later in his senior year, Mickelson went ahead and proclaimed his allegiance to Pelphrey and the Hogs.

So, while Pel and his program were dealt one April recruiting blow when the highly sought junior college big man, Ricardo Ratliffe, sud-denly was charmed into being a Missouri Tiger instead of being the one key difference maker the Hogs might have needed next year, Pelphrey has managed to make the future look brighter.

Pelphrey’s detractors, however many, will have to remain patient or just keep yanking their hair out. The beleaguered coach of the past two years is assured of one more building year and probably two now, having secured the pledges of two out of a monster in-state produce stamped with a 2011 delivery date — Mickelson and Little Rock Parkview forward Aaron Ross.

There is at least one more in that group of homegrown talent the Hogs would like to sign: Rashad Ky Madden of East Poinsett County (re: Lepanto). Ole Miss may be the leader for that 6-foot-4 guard at this point, however.

If Pelphrey were to take our unsolicited recruiting suggestions, he should go full in on Little Rock Hall’s David Rivers, a 6-6 swingman blessed with long arms and quick hands, over Madden anyway. After squandering the oppor-tunity to land former Hall standout guard A.J. Walton, who played a vital reserve role for Baylor this season, Pelphrey doesn’t need to lose anoth-er talented Warrior to an out-of-state program.

If Arkansas managed to stun the rest of the college basketball world and lure the 6-10 Adonis Thomas of the 2011 class out of Memphis, though, Pelphrey’s recruiting efforts would be world-class indeed.

And that would be a far cry from the reach and hope efforts when this staff first arrived from South Alabama amid that firestorm of Stan Heath’s dismissal and Dana Altman’s brief hold on the job in spring 2007. Neither Pelphrey nor Jeff Long have to be reminded that seven of

Pelphrey’s first nine signees are long gone now. So are the last of Stan Heath’s recruits, which gives this staff no more excuses about what they were dealing with.

Oh, there is the Academic Progress Report (APR) numbers that still will influence some of the admin-istrative decision-making on campus. But, from all reports, the new players coming aboard next season are qual-ity individuals who should mind their P’s and Q’s off the court and restore Arkansas’ academic standing while boosting the win totals.

We watched Butler’s run in the NCAA Tournament and marveled at

Alabaman Ronald Nored’s performance at point guard, wondering all the while why Arkansas took a gamble with such a volatile player as Courtney Fortson but failed, like nearly everyone else, to notice a player of Nored’s ability.

Ron Crawford, the longtime Amateur Athletic Union basketball proponent in Little Rock whose Wings program this spring has featured the “Baby Hogs” of Mickelson and Ross (as well as Madden and Rivers), said that Pelphrey may have that Nored-type guard now in Jeff Peterson, who sat out the season as a transfer from Iowa. As a Hawkeye, the sharp Peterson was a 10-point a game scorer. So, while he’s probably not going to go off on Mississippi State for 30-plus second half points one night, he’s also not going to cost you 25 or more points on the other end with sloppy decisions and unsound defense the way Fortson would.

As exciting a player as Fortson could be, the fact remains the Hogs won just seven games with him last season and won seven without him. For that and every problem in the locker room or off the court, he won’t be missed.

In fact, next year we might actually see play-ers in the huddle during timeouts listening to Pelphrey and his coaches, instead of staring off looking at the scoreboard or half-empty stands.

The coach’s detractors always come back to the finality of “Pel can’t coach,” but how do we really know? What we know is that his staff — in a rush to rebuild quickly knowing a large group of seniors they didn’t recruit would be departing — did a poor job of assembling these past two teams. But no one ever seemed to grasp in the Nolan Richardson years that recruit-ing out of state was never easy, even after reach-ing three Final Fours and winning a national title.

We’re now 15 years removed from those glory days, and eight years removed from that system. Be it bad chemistry or bad luck, we don’t even know what John Pelphrey’s real sys-tem is either.

We do know it starts with backcourt defense, which Pelphrey says he has coming in with Rickey Scott and Madracus Wade. Shooting also improves dramatically with the incoming group. Rebounding is someone in place already, but developing enough inside depth may take lon-ger. Help is on the way there, too.

Then, maybe Pelphrey can start working on his golf game and really enjoy these springtime outings. m

Big 12 Talk Interesting, But Hogs Have Too Much to Lose

Pelphrey Isn’t WorkingOn His Golf Game

CHRISBAhn

))) On THe WeB: Otis Kirk analyzes the recruiting scene each Tuesday.

FrOm The hillThe lasT WOrd

JIMhArris

“In the heat of the battle you tend to say a lot of things. But it was tough, man. I was a

little [ticked] off, but I am over it now.”

— Atlanta forward and Little Rock native Joe Johnson after criticizing Hawks fans who booed him and his team-

mates during the NBA playoff loss to Orlando in a four-game sweep.

“This is an overwhelming turnout. This has exceeded my expectations.

We committed to two years, but given this response, certainly we will look at

playing here in the future.”— UA Athletic Director Jeff Long on playing baseball at Dickey-Stephens Park

Speaking Out

SHUT

TERS

TOCK

32 ARKANSAS BUSINESS April 26, 2010






The Razorbacks’ Carroll College ConnectionCommon Thread RunsThrough Bobby Petrino’sCurrent Coaching Staff

FAYETTEVILLE — Carroll College is in the midst of celebrating its 100th year as a renowned liberal arts school and, perhaps most notably, an NAiA football powerhouse in Helena, Mont. Considering nearly 70 percent of the school’s population hails from Montana and enrollment is fewer than 1,400 stu-dents per year, the college has a surpris-ingly broad alumni base.

There are alumni chapters for the private, Catholic university spanning 10 states, from illinois to Alaska, plus Washington, D.C.

perhaps it is time to install a chapter in the Ozarks.

There are five Carroll College alumni on the University of Arkansas football staff, including three added since January. Head Coach Bobby petrino and strength and conditioning coach Jason Veltkamp have been in Fayetteville since 2007, while offensive line coach Chris Klenakis, wide receiv-ers coach Kris Cinkovich and director of high school operations Kevin peoples joined the razorbacks this year.

To be fair, there was much more to the hires than a shared alma mater. petrino didn’t add Cinkovich, Klenakis and peoples to his staff until long after they’d proven themselves else-where.

Still, it’s worth looking at the experiences each had as players at Carroll, an NAiA program that boasts a football tradition as rich as much larger schools. Carroll has won five national titles since 2002 and current members of the razorback staff were instrumental in building the foundation as players and coaches for the Saints.

What makes a Carroll College guy? is there a common thread between them even though there is a 12-year gap between the oldest and youngest members of what some call the “Carroll College Connection”?

petrino thinks so.“The way we work, the understand-

ing of how we’re going to practice, the way we grind just like the players do, i think there is something there,” petrino said.

Family TraditionSeated next to members of the

petrino family, but opposite other onlookers at reynolds razorback Stadium, Bob petrino Sr. took in a recent Arkansas practice. The NAiA Hall of Famer can be spotted through-

out the spring and fall at razorbacks’ practices, but he keeps a low profile.

in years past, the elder petrino would travel with his wife, patricia, to watch their two sons, Bobby and paul, coach. Even with paul taking the offensive coordinator’s job at illinois in December,

Bob petrino Sr. continues to feel a strong bond with the Arkansas staff.

Besides Bobby (Carroll class of 1984), the quartet of Cinkovich (1984), Klenakis (1986), peoples (1995) and Veltkamp (1996) all played for the elder petrino at Carroll College. His reach can be felt across the country at Division i programs, and former Carroll alums can be found in NFl front offices.

petrino Sr. said he has stopped keep-ing up with which of his former players are coaching across the country. He does claim Fayetteville is home to some

of his favorite former players.“i’m very proud of the way they’ve

come out and been successful,” petrino Sr. said. “They’ve been the exception to the rule in coaching. They came from a small school and hit the big time. That’s what they did. You can put it anyway you want, but that’s what they did.”

Learning to ‘Grind’Carroll College is the epitome of

balling on a budget, particularly when current Arkansas staff members were there.

Snow was not unusual in Montana in the fall and winter months, so the team — at least when Cinkovich, Klenakis and Bobby petrino played for the Saints — would work out indoors at the rodeo grounds on a dirt floor.

playing at an NAiA school like Carroll College, athletic scholarship money was scarce. Athletic trainers weren’t commonplace, so playing with pain was routine.

it’s a tough existence.“At that level, you have to love

the game,” said Veltkamp, a two-time all-conference selection on the Saints’ offensive line. “That’s the

only reason you play. You love it too much not to play, even when it gets tough.”

Each of petrino Sr.’s former players will profess to having it the toughest while playing for him. That’s exactly what petrino, who won 163 games and 16 conference titles between 1971 and 1997, wants to hear.

When told that his former play-ers almost always use the word “grind” when discussing their col-lege experience at Carroll, petrino Sr. laughs.

“Grind is probably the one word to sum up everything we did,” petrino said. “i always believed in the philoso-phy that if you win, you have to pay the price.”

That mindset still sticks with the Carroll College players years later. it’s something petrino Sr. passed on to his players, and Bobby petrino asks his coaches to do the same with the razorbacks.

“i don’t think coach hired us because we played for his dad, but we have a lot of the same characteristics,” Cinkovich said. “Absolutely, we learned how to be grinders from that experi-ence. i think that is a definite common thread.” m

MORE THAN JUST A SHARED ALMA MATER: Besides all graduating from Carroll College in Montana, Chris Klenakis, Jason Veltkamp, Kris Cinkovich, from left, watching the Hogs practice, and Kevin Peoples, below, also all succeeded elsewhere before finding their way to Fayetteville. Their previous coaching stops were Nevada, 2004-2009, for Klenakis; Louisville, 2004-2007, for Veltkamp; UNLV, 2004-2009, for Cinkovich; and Arkansas State, 1999-2009, for Peoples. Veltkamp worked with Bobby Petrino at Louisville, where Petrino was head coach from 2003-2006.

PHoTog

rAPHS: WiLL FLo

WerS

Kevin Peoples

By Chris Bahn

April 26, 2010 ARKANSAS BUSINESS 33

My first, soMewhat cynical thought waiting briefly in the parking lot across Razorback Road from Baum Stadium on a recent Friday night — tweet-ing about Arkansas’ 10-2 pounding of Georgia, no less — was: This must be what it was like to deal with basketball traffic outside Bud Walton Arena this past season.

Get it? More than 8,200 fans had squeezed into Baum Stadium for the previ-ous three hours to see a game they could have watched on ESPN2, but they chose to be part of the excitement. Meanwhile, ear-lier this winter about 8,200 actually bodies in the seats would be a good showing in 19,200-seat Bud Walton Arena watching the floundering Hog basketball program.

Those are great numbers for a baseball program with pretty good tradition and a few sniffs at a national cham-pionship. Those are lousy numbers, and then some, for a basketball program that a while back had a great tradi-tion and a national championship trophy in its collection.

Cue the drum roll. I’m here all week, folks.I wish I could spend a whole week watching games

at Baum Stadium, a spacious baseball field that rivals any minor league park and most college stadiums. The concourse seems twice as wide as the one at Dickey-Stephens, and hundreds (if not a thousand or more) of fans enjoy the outfield behind the Hogs’ bullpen, cart-ing coolers and their own food in and out for as long a time, or as brief, as they want to stay.

The Hogs played two more games before energetic crowds over the weekend against the Georgia Bulldogs, winning them as easily as they did on Friday night. At this writing, Dave Van Horn has his team sitting atop the Southeastern Conference with a 12-3 record, 32-6 overall. The Razorbacks were on the road this past weekend at Florida.

Next time they’re back in Fayetteville, make a point to check out the experience of a game at Baum Stadium.

It’s nothing like the minor-league baseball experi-ence at North Little Rock’s Dickey-Stephens — where, coincidentally, Van Horn and the Hogs will bring their road show on May 11 for a game with Louisiana Tech that, in terms of fixed seating, is sold out, but they’ll find room for you in the outfield — where the crowd goes for a family experience of minor-league baseball. Major college baseball with a full-house in a similar-sized ballpark offers many of the fun aspects of the other UA sports: from the Hog-calling to the pseudo pompon girls repositioned as “RBI Girls” and “Diamond Dolls” to fetch bats and stand atop the dugouts to dance or lead cheers.

Now, to give credit to the folks at Dickey-Stephens who do a terrific job marketing minor-league baseball, they have added a Saturday night dancing girls team that, from all indications, was a big hit last year. The Travs are a regular weekend destina-tion with the kids who know they’re going to get to run the bases after the game, too. I didn’t see kids lining up to run Baum’s bases on Friday night.

For that matter, I probably only saw about a third of the number of children I’d expect to see at a Travelers game.

Even with the large number of adults in the crowd, you don’t attend Baum Stadium to swill draught beers

and occasionally jeer the 28-year-old opposing hitter who’s destined never to rise above Midland and Double-A ball. You’re soberly cheering college kids, all giving it their best, while you’re meeting new Hog fans sitting all around you in the short inter-lude between innings, and everyone is jeer-ing the SEC umps with their floating strike zone and who seem out to get your beloved Hogs the way those football officials did in Florida last fall. You hate Georgia, because you know the Hogs have beaten them in

football only once in 30-plus years, and you hate LSU, and Alabama, and Auburn, and most certainly Ole Miss, and any of those SEC teams that come to town.

Minor-league baseball fans don’t hate Tulsa. Or Springfield. Or even the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Folks try to stir up a rivalry between the Travs and the Naturals, and you don’t even have an idea who has won the Arkansas Diamond Series trophy the past two years. You may not ever want to go to Midland, but you don’t hate Midland, even if they stomp your Travs night after night.

The same manager, Bobby Magallanes, is back to call the shots for the Travs. The fans, with the exception of a few die-hards who can tell you every manager for the past 40 years and are amazed that Magallanes is the first in eons to manage the Travs for four straight seasons, could not care less.

At Baum Stadium, though, you may be sitting a few rows directly behind Van Horn, the bespectacled coach who is intently watching every second of action in front of him, and you watch his every move wondering what thoughts are going on in his mind as his starting pitcher walks two straight hitters with an eight-run lead. Then, suddenly, that pitcher flags a head-high line drive and is out of trouble again, inning over. You look over, and Van Horn and his other coaches are high-fiving the pitcher and their other Hogs the same way you’d see a Little League coach celebrate with his young charges.

Some Georgia visitors were overheard in the Alma Cracker Barrel on Sunday night, after their Bulldogs had been swept by the Hogs, marveling at the job Van Horn does as Arkansas’ coach. He’s the best coach in the SEC, they say to a friend of ours, and this Arkansas team is terrific. Remember that Georgia, which has suddenly fall-

en on hard times, was a College World Series finalist just two years ago. It’s not like these people don’t

recognize good baseball.They also just experienced

the wrong end of a three-day weekend in Baum Stadium. Hog fans, on the other hand — not to mention your everyday Arkansas baseball fan looking for a special experience — can never go wrong at Baum Stadium. m

— Read more Jim Harris columns on the Web at arkansassports360.com

HOME SWEET HOME: Drew Smyly and his Arkansas teammates have made Baum Stadium the place to be when the nationally ranked Razorbacks are playing at home.

JIMHarris

))) on the web: Catch Otis Kirk’s recruiting analysis each Tuesday.

The LasT WOrd

Free Joint Pain SeminarListen in as Hall-of-Fame Catcher and Stryker Hip

Recipient Johnny Bench shares his personal

experience with joint replacement.

Arkansas Surgical Hospital orthopedic surgeons Dr. Scott

Bowen, Dr. William Hefley, and Dr. Kenneth Martin,

and spine surgeons Dr. Reza Shahim and Dr. Steven

Cathey, will be discussing topics including:

3 Arthritis of the Hip and Knee

3 Surgical and Non-Surgical Joint Pain Treatment Options

3 New Technologies in Hip and Knee Replacement

3 Spine Pain and Treatment Options

Arkansas Surgical Hospital

The River Trail Grille

5201 NorthShore Drive

North Little Rock, AR 72118

Thursday, May 6, 2010

5:30pm - 7:00pm

Light refreshments provided.

Space is limited! To register call

1-888-STRYKER or go to:

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By Chris Bahn

Razorbacks Taking Shot at New Offensive SchemeKlenakis Draws on His Experience With High-Powered Offenses in Work With Petrino on Hogs’ Version of the ‘Pistol’





FAYETTEVILLE — With the outside world tuned out, Bobby petrino and Chris Klenakis would sit for hours, dissecting game film and drawing up plays. Even minor tweaks to an offen-sive playbook can make a major differ-ence on the field, so the two hunkered down in search of perfect ways to keep defenses off balance.

That was the scene in 1994 when petrino worked as Nevada’s offensive coordinator. Klenakis was an offensive assistant for the Wolfpack and helped as petrino designed and implemented an offense that averaged 500 yards per game while winning a Big West title.

Fast forward 16 years and the two are reunited under similar cir-cumstances at Arkansas. petrino, the razorbacks’ head coach, and Klenakis, three months on the job as offensive line coach, worked with other staff members before spring practice to add to the team’s already massive playbook.

Arkansas unveils its tweaked offense for mass public consumption April 24 at the spring game. Adding new ele-ments to his offense reminds petrino of the old days with the guy the UA staff calls “Coach K.”

“it’s really fun,” petrino said. “Coach K and myself have sat down before and written a playbook together, implemented the offense together and went through it, the hard times, the good times. We’ve known each other, and the offenses that i have run from that point in time have been very simi-lar, so it’s been a real easy adjustment.”

Klenakis joined the Arkansas staff in January and came in renowned for his knowledge of the “pistol” offense devel-oped by Chris Ault at Nevada. it’s a formation that essentially combines the “single back” and “shotgun” offenses and has become more prevalent at larger schools, even in the Southeastern Conference.

Defending national champion Alabama used elements of the pistol — or “Shot,” as Arkansas calls it — in 2009. lSU is another SEC school that has seen success with the formation, which helps disguise whether a run or pass is coming. Both ’Bama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain and lSU playcaller Gary Crowton have Far West coaching backgrounds like petrino and Klenakis.

What differentiates the pistol from the traditional Shotgun is the depth of

players in the backfield. The quarter-back lines up five yards behind the cen-ter and the tailback is positioned two yards behind him. Because of the posi-tioning, defenders have a harder time seeing if the offense will run or pass. it makes play-action situations even more effective by confusing the defense and putting the running back in a better position to block.

Every position on the Arkansas offense can tell a difference when the Shot is used this spring. The quarter-back, running back and the offensive line have to play quicker when Arkansas utilizes its new scheme.

“You have to get on your linebackers a little faster in order for them not to see the action in the backfield,” senior offen-sive lineman DeMarcus love said. “There’s a lot of action that takes place. You’ve got guys in motion, guys reading dives, quar-terbacks optioning and reading the ends.”

Offenses that add in misdirection and/or option plays out of the formation can prove even more diffi-cult for defenses. Arkansas is experimenting with some option elements during spring practice.

Does a unit that averaged 427.31

yards and 36 points per game in 2009 really need tweaking? it is hard to imagine much change would be needed with 85 percent of the team’s receiving yards and 75 percent of the team’s rush-ing returning.

Arkansas ranked just 81st nationally in rushing, though. The razorbacks averaged 131.77 yards per game and must improve in order to meet rapidly growing expectations.

That’s where Klenakis comes in. Nevada placed three players in the

top 50 nationally in 2009 and was the

first team in NCAA history to have three players rush for more than 1,000 yards in a single season.

“it’s really going to help us get down the field,” quarterback ryan Mallett said. “it’s really going to help us where the defense can’t just play the pass when we’re in the Shot like a lot of times last year. it’s exciting for us.”

Klenakis downplays his contri-butions. He said the foundation of petrino’s offense has been unchanged for decades. like putting salt on a well-prepared meal, Klenakis is just helping

accent the existing flavor.petrino is well respect-

ed for his knowledge of offenses. Klenakis first got a glimpse of that nearly 20 years ago when he and petrino worked together for that season at Nevada.

“That’s the beauty of the offense here; there’s been a foundation set in stone and it’s been very successful,” Klenakis said. “What we’ve done is take elements of the Shot offense that you apply, and you can kind of build the house on that founda-

tion.” m

Jimmy Carter contributed to this report.

TOGETHER AGAIN: Chris Klenakis, or Coach K as the UA staff calls him, is an old hand at working with Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino on designing and implementing offensive formations..

Will Flo

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FAYETTEVILLE — Every once in a while, Arkansas gymnast Casey Jo Magee can’t help herself. She has to stop and laugh when thinking about how things have turned out during her career as a razorback.

And make no mistake, if you were among the many folks who doubted her viability as a college gymnast four years ago, she’s not laughing with you. She’s laughing at you.

Magee has blossomed from over-looked recruit to one of the nation’s best all-around gymnasts. Entering this week’s NCAA Championships in Gainesville, Fla., McGee is ranked as the nation’s No. 4 all-around gymnast.

“it’s funny to look back, and i wasn’t on the top of anybody’s list,” Magee said. “it’s kind of like a ‘ha, ha’ feeling to know i’ve done so well. And this program is doing better than a lot of the ones that passed on me.”

Magee was supposed to be too finesse for the traditional powers. She came out of high school in Eugene, Ore., strong on the beam but weak in events that required power like the vault and floor exercise, making her a liability in all-around competition.

Entering the final meet of her career, Magee is not surprisingly ranked No. 2 on beam, but has developed into a threat in other areas. She ranks in the

top 20 on vault (No. 14) and floor (No. 19), two areas many programs thought she’d be unable to make an impact.

Arkansas coaches Mark and rene Cook thought differently about Magee. They saw a 5-foot-4 competitor with raw ability and unwavering focus that could be developed with the right train-ing and lots of time in the weight room.

“We were the perfect program for her,” rene Cook said. “We’re a blue-collar, hard-working team, and she got stronger as she went. She’s gotten faster. She’s gotten more powerful.

“She has just flourished here.”Magee’s progress the past four

years runs parallel to that of the Arkansas program.

Outsiders viewed the razorbacks’ 2005 appearance in the NCAA Championships as something of a fluke, discounting the long-term viability of the program. recruiters similarly overlooked Magee.

Each year since arriving in Fayetteville, Magee has improved her

overall scores. Arkansas, not coinciden-tally, has seen a rise in its overall rank-ings each season, going from No. 12 in 2007 to No. 5 last year.

“We both developed together,” Mark Cook said. “She got better. We got better. it was a marriage of success. We were perfect for each other.” m

— Chris Bahn

Magee Enjoying Her RoleAs Arkansas’ Gym Dandy

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Free Joint Pain SeminarListen in as Hall-of-Fame Catcher and Stryker Hip

Recipient Johnny Bench shares his personal

experience with joint replacement.

Arkansas Surgical Hospital orthopedic surgeons Dr. Scott

Bowen, Dr. William Hefley, and Dr. Kenneth Martin,

and spine surgeons Dr. Reza Shahim and Dr. Steven

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Arkansas Surgical Hospital

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Light refreshments provided.

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“His dad is here. He’s dealing with dad

right now and that’s pretty hard on him, I’ll

tell you that. It’s not good. I’m next.”

— Arkansas baseball coach Dave Van Horn following the

public intoxication arrest of Razorback freshman pitcher Randall

Fant in the early morning of April 12, a half day after Fant hurled the

Hogs past Mississippi state 13-3.

“It’s not going through the uprights.”

— Arkansas special teams coach John L. Smith, when asked

to explain why Razorback kickers were struggling in the spring.

Speaking Out

“I think [Friday] was the high-water mark in

Oaklawn history.” — oaklawn Park General Manager

Eric Jackson on Zenyatta’s Grade i Apple Blossom win April 9 before 44,973 people

in Hot springs. Zenyatta remained unbeaten with her 16th win.

“I think with the maturity of our team, that stuff will be eliminated. We did kind of go

around the locker room and make sure everybody is on the same page,

and make sure that stuff doesn’t happen again.”

— Arkansas Razorback quarterback Tyler Wilson on a rash of in-fighting among players that led to three Hogs being

kicked out of a spring practice recently.


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Q&AEric Edelstein learned to love base-ball while growing up in Cleveland and quickly turned it into a career. He was an unpaid intern for the Cleveland Indians at age 17, and now, at 31, is in his eighth year

as GM of the Kansas City Royals’ AA affiliate.

Northwest Arkansas opened its third Texas League season in Springdale on April 8 and on April 22 hosts the Arkansas Travelers for the first of eight series in the battle for the “Arkansas Diamond Series.”

THERE ARE A LoT of ENTERTAIN-MENT opTIoNS ouT THERE. WHAT SEpARATES A NIGHT AT THE bALL-pARK?

We pride ourselves on this being a chameleon-like expe-rience. You can come out with the boys for a night out, have some beers and watch some baseball. You can also bring

the family. older folks can bring the grandkids. No

matter who you come out with, we’ve got something for you. one night we might have a petting zoo. or fire-works. It’s tough to say you’re trying to be all things to all people, but to some degree, that’s what we’re trying to do.

IS THE NATuRALS/TRAvELERS RIvALRY

REAL?What’s fun is that it’s not

just an in-state baseball thing; it’s a rivalry that exists among the peo-ple. There’s a political and business element to it. There’s a known dis-taste between central and northwest Arkansas. There was a battle over the Razorbacks and who gets the games. So, that helps make this rivalry a little more important. fans here and there already don’t like each other on some levels. Rivalries are all about the fans. That’s why it works.

ARKANSANS LovE THEIR ST. LouIS CARDINALS. ARE THEY REALLY bEGINNING To SEE THE RoYALS AS AN opTIoN?

I would never ask anybody to give up their team of record. I grew up in Cleveland, and I’ll always have a soft spot for the Indians. If I can do it, when the Royals are in the same divi-

w/ Eric EdelsteinGeneral ManagerNorthwest Arkansas Naturals

By ChRis BahnPhotogRaPhs By Will FloWeRs

April 12, 2010 ARKANSAS BUSINESS 31 Players to WatchTravelers

Andrew Romine, 24, SS His dad, Kevin, played seven seasons in the big leagues as

a part-timer for the red Sox. And his younger brother, Austin, is a highly-tout-ed catching prospect for the Yankees.

But pedigree will only get a player so far. For 24-year-old Andrew romine, it’s starting shortstop this year for the Travelers. Andrew will need to prove he’s got the bat or glove to move up the lad-der as an everyday player. He did well enough last season for Single-A rancho Cucamonga, hitting .278 and stealing 26

bases. But with only eight home runs in 1,171 minor league at-bats, power is not part of his repertoire. He’s speedy, though, and his glove is above average, which makes him an exciting addition to the Travelers’ roster.

Jordan Walden, 22, rHpWalden made this list of Travelers to watch last year, but

the 6-5, 220-pound hurler with high-90s heat instead deliv-ered an unsightly 5.25 ErA in just 60 innings for Arkansas

before being shut down with a strained forearm. Walden, who the Angels previ-ously viewed as a future work-horse, has since been moved to the bullpen and proved this spring he’s healthy, throwing

98-mph fastballs and low-80s sliders. Besides staying healthy, perfect-ing a repeatable deliv-ery should be Walden’s primary goal this year. The mission for Dickey- Stephens patrons, though, should be to see if this hoss can hit triple digits on the radar gun. Now that would be a sight. m

— Chip Taulbee

NaturalsAaron Crow, 23, rHpEnjoy him while you can, because the No. 12 overall

pick in last year’s draft could make his way to Kansas City as soon as this sea-son. The former University of Missouri standout was Big 12 pitcher of the Year and a Golden Spikes Award winner in 2008 after going 13-0 with a 2.35 ErA and 127 strikeouts in 15 starts. Crow was drafted by the Washington Nationals as the ninth overall selection in 2008, but after the two sides could not come to terms on an agreement,

Crow went to pitch for the independent league Fort Worth Cats before reentering the draft. He’s one of the best two or three arms in the royals system, and with a big league squad starved for quality pitching, they won’t let him sea-son long in the minors.

Mike Montgomery, 20, lHpAnother blue chipper, Montgomery will start the season

at Advanced-A Wilmington, but with continued progress he won’t have a long stay. The 2008 supple-mental round draft pick split time between low-A Burlington and Wilmington last year, where he com-bined for 98 strikeouts and only 36 walks in 110 innings pitched. He cer-tainly has the stuff to punch out Double-A batters, as Naturals fans will soon wit-ness. m

— Chip Taulbee

In the MajorsCliff Lee, 31, lHpit won’t take a Cy Young-caliber season for Cliff lee (Benton, University

of Arkansas) to join Torii Hunter, A.J. Burnett and Joe Johnson as Arkansas’ only five-figure-per-year athletes. lee will make $8 million in this,

his walk year, but a productive, healthy 200 or so innings should be just enough to net the 31-year-old Seattle Mariners southpaw a contract similar to the four-

year, $68-million extension the red Sox just gave Josh Beckett.Jess Todd, 23, rHp

While there might not be too many Cleveland indians fans familiar with former razorback Jess Todd, that could change by season’s end. in fact, don’t be surprised if he’s

the team’s closer by September. it sounds far-fetched for a player who’s starting the season at Triple-A Columbus, but here’s how it happens. last year’s closer, Kerry Wood, will either

remain shelved with one injury or another or get traded. Even if he returns and pitches like the second coming of Bob Feller, he’s gone. Small-market, cellar-dwelling teams like the indians just don’t hold on to $10-million-per-year relievers. Next in line for saves is closer du jour Chris perez, who very well could settle nicely into the closer role while Wood’s out. But after those two, there really aren’t any pitchers currently on the indians roster with ninth-inning stuff. Which brings us to Todd. Sure, he gave up 19 runs in only 22 big league innings last year, but he did so while striking out more than a batter per inning with a better than 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Todd also notched 25 saves at Triple-A last year before his call-up and finished his year in Cleveland with seven scoreless innings. A less-than-stellar spring kept him off the big

league roster, but he’ll be back soon and could be a difference-mak-er for Cleveland in late innings. m

— Chip Taulbee

CrowRomine

))) on the web:

Catch Chris Bahn’s cover-age of the Razorbacks’ progress in spring football practice.

sion as the Indians, you can, too. … We’ll see a true growth of Royals fans from this area, this state, when one of our players goes on to have a real impact in the major leagues. We haven’t had that guy yet.

What Role does mInoR league BaseBall play In ChangIng fans opInIons afteR the ste-RoId ContRoveRsIes?

I know we have a role. I think we can do it individually in our home-towns. I can’t do it for the greater country, but I can do it for northwest arkansas. access and relationships mat-ter. I grew up in Cleveland going to the ballpark, but once a year we’d drive four hours to Canton-akron for a minor league game, and those are the games I remember. I’d get my program signed by 27 different players. that’s the access you get in minor league base-ball. so the guys you see at that level, when they reach the major leagues, there’s a good chance people will be able to say they met them, got their autograph, built a relationship. that can help.

Why does eRIC edelsteIn have the Best seat In the house?

people ask me what’s next and my response is, ‘I just hope I get to keep doing this.’ this is who I am. this is what I do. I love this. I left home and have moved in the pursuit of this dream of baseball. to have this facility, to be a part of this community and have the relationship we have with the Royals — which is not an automatic — this will never get old. m

CourTesy ranChero CuCamonga Quakes

shuTTersToCk

CourTesy WilmingTon Blue roCks

24 ARKANSAS BUSINESS June 7, 2010

Some fans were in a meltdown mode at Memorial Day weekend with Shiloh Christian quarterback Kiehl Frazier’s decision to verbally commit to Auburn, but the Razorbacks are actually in very good shape at quarterback. While Frazier is headed out of state, the Razorbacks still have a very good quarterback in this class in their own right with an early pledge from Fayetteville’s Brandon Allen (6-2, 215, 4.7). Although I have never thought Frazier was one to steer away from competi-tion for the quarterback job, I can’t help but think some part of his decision to go to Auburn was the depth chart at quarterback at Auburn compared with Arkansas. If so, that’s very smart and not ducking away from competition.

Arkansas has a junior, Ryan Mallett, who is 99.99 percent certain to turn pro after the 2010 season. Behind Mallett, the Razorbacks have three scholarship quarterbacks on campus who all looked good in the spring game. Tyler Wilson, Brandon Mitchell and Jacoby Walker are all young and talented. Throw in Allen, and it just makes sense that Frazier has a quicker route to playing time at Auburn than he would have at Arkansas.

In February, Auburn signed Blinn (Texas) Junior College quarterback Cameron Newton. Newton

will have two years of eligibility remaining and reportedly won the starting job with his performance dur-ing the spring. Newton will be a senior when Frazier arrives on campus.

Frazier’s family was Arkansas fans, but that wasn’t enough to get him to make the short drive down I-540 to play his college football. In recruiting, a quarterback – more than an athlete at any other position – one must look at the depth chart of each school

recruiting him. Barring injury, only one will play the majority of the snaps. At running back, wide receiver or tight end, a school will play several during the course of a game, unlike quarterback.

It’s also certain, as Frazier has said, that Tiger assistant Gus Malzahn played a large role in the quarterback’s decision. Malzahn is a legend at Shiloh Christian and coached Josh Floyd when he was a quarterback for the Saints. Floyd is now the head coach of Shiloh and has kept Malzahn’s offensive philosophy.

The question has been posed to me many times about which quarterback is better, Allen or Frazier.

In my listing of the top prospects in Arkansas, I have listed both as tied for No. 2 in the state behind Har-Ber offensive tackle Brey Cook.

While there’s no doubt Rivals.com and others will rate Frazier considerably ahead of Allen, I don’t think there’s much difference in the two and certainly not that much difference. I have seen both play on numerous occasions, and I don’t think Frazier is overrated by the recruiting ser-vices; instead, I think Allen will be underrated.

The argument used by some to justify rank-ing Frazier ahead of Allen is the fact the Saints won their classification’s state championship this past year while the Bulldogs struggled under Allen, despite Allen having a Hog commitment, Demetrius Dean, to catch his passes. The truth is, the Bulldogs play three classifications higher than Shiloh, and the Saints had a much better support-

ing cast for Frazier than Fayetteville had for Allen.Fayetteville’s offensive line lost Colby Berna

to Arkansas before last year and lost some other standouts to graduation. Allen had to run for his life at times. Frazier is more versatile than Allen. Just as former Arkansas great Darren McFadden could have been a great safety in college, Frazier could as well. But, like McFadden, Frazier is too good at his natural position to move to safety. Allen is more mobile than many think, though.

The truth is both Frazier and Allen have a chance to be great quarterbacks at the next level. Arkansas fans should be more concerned with defensive end, linebacker and secondary recruits in this class than where a quarterback is going to college.

Petrino will find quarterbacks during his stay at Arkansas and will develop them while preparing them for the next level. With Mallett projected to go in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft, it’s common knowledge that Petrino’s style of offense and coaching will get quarterbacks to the NFL. I suspect the Razorbacks will be fine at quarterback in the future. Plus, the quarterbacks already in Arkansas’ fold and Petrino have gotten good news with the commitments of top offensive line pros-pects Mitch Smothers (Springdale) and Marcus Danenhauer (Bentonville) in recent days. m

Despite Frazier’s Pledge to Auburn, Hogs Are Fine at QB






By Chris Bahn

Whether Academics or Sports, Stripling Jumps Into the FrayFAYETTEVILLE — Running through

Katie Stripling’s long list of athletic accomplishments doesn’t do her justice.

not only is Stripling a three-time all-American pole vaulter, the 2009 SeC Outdoor Athlete of the Year and a u.S. Olympic trials qualifier, she’s also quite accomplished in academics. Stripling has recorded just two B’s (in Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry II) and has been recognized as an aca-demic all-American.

At a time when the “student-athlete” ideal seems more and more of a stretch, this Arkansas Razorback manages to pull it off. She has performed at a high level in both pursuits, something that’s no easy feat.

So what’s Stripling’s secret to suc-cess?

“Lack of sleep,” Stripling said with a laugh. “Maybe I could have procras-tinated a little less, but that’s not what you do in college. So, missing out on sleep was the biggest thing.”

Studying until 3 or 4 a.m. seemed to do little to throw off Stripling’s perfor-mance in track and field. She enters this week’s nCAA Outdoor Championships in eugene, Ore., as one of the favorites to win the 2010 national championship

in pole vaulting, having cleared 14 feet, 5 1/2 inches.

“I really think she’s going to have a shot at the title,” her coach, Bryan Compton, said. “There are some great jumpers out there. She’s one of them. Other schools are looking at her to be one of the top three.”

Stripling’s collegiate career ends soon, but Compton said his protégé is being talked about in pole vaulting as “the next big thing” for the united

States. Stripling wouldn’t likely be able to make the u.S. Olympic team in 2012, but Compton said she could set her sights on training for the 2016 games.

There is that much untapped poten-tial in Stripling, her coach said. For now, though, Stripling is focused on an nCAA title and possibly pursuing grad school once her summer of competition is complete.

Stripling stumbled at the nCAA West Outdoor preliminary the final week of May. She was 10th in the meet, clearing 13-7 1/4. Still she enters the outdoor championships as one of the nation’s best.

Stripling, who still admits nerves occasionally can get to her, is learning to deal with the pressure of being a favorite.

“each meet is a new meet. You can’t worry about the previous ones,” Stripling said. “That only makes the pressure worse.”

What makes Stripling’s athletic accomplishments to this point even more remarkable is the fact that she came into pole vaulting relatively late in life. Stripling, a Jonesboro High School grad-uate, tried her hand at pole vaulting only

a couple of times in high school and was raw when she arrived at Arkansas as a walk-on to the track team.

Stripling redshirted, and it wasn’t until her sophomore year that things began to click. Her first time to clear 13 feet is when Stripling and Compton said they were confident the experiment would work.

“Her comfort zone was really, really small for pole vaulting early on,” Compton said. “It was so foreign to her. When it clicked for her, it clicked.”

That doesn’t mean Stripling doesn’t have work to do. Her speed is an asset, but Stripling is still searching for a more consistent approach. That has been as problematic for her as the nerves as well as a planting of the pole that Compton said isn’t quite “world class.”

Stripling relishes the challenge of improving. Learning from her mistakes is what she points to as her greatest accomplishment. She’s even more proud of doing that than nearly finishing col-lege with a 4.0 grade-point average.

“I’ve really enjoyed this,” Stripling said. “To see my hard work pay off has been great. There have been some chal-lenges, but I’ve overcome then. That’s hard not to enjoy.” m

FLYING HIGH: Arkansas pole vaulter Katie Stripling is expected to compete for a national title this week at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. Stripling is both an academic and athletic all-American for Arkansas.

UNIvERSITy O

F ARKANSAS

OTISkirk

RecRuiTing 360

recruiting Column Each TuesdayOtis Kirk’s “Recruiting 360” column appears

every Tuesday on ArkansasSports360.com. Other reports and message board postings by Kirk, the dean of Arkansas recruiting writers, also can be found regularly at HawgSports.com, a part of the Rivals.com network.

JUNE 7, 2010 ARKANSAS BUSINESS 25 ))) on the web: Cast your vote each week in our ArkansasSports360.com online poll or step into The Playing Field and offer your thoughts on the topics of the day.

Majors Likely to take at Least 3 From RazorbacksThe Arkansas Razorbacks, who

qualified for NCAA regional play and played host to a regional this past weekend, figure to lose several stars on their current team after the season. Major League Baseball holds its First Year Player Draft June 7-9, and it’s widely expected that at least three Hogs will be high on the wish list of several big-league teams.

And it’s not at all unexpected or feared by Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn. In fact, Van Horn has talked openly of losing a number of players off a 2010 squad that won 40 regular season games and helped the pro-gram to a ninth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.

“That’s life,” Van Horn said ear-lier this year.

Players are eligible for the first-year draft if they are in high school. Those who attend college are eligible their third year removed from high school or if they have turned 21.

What follows is a look at the Razorbacks’ top prospects — the ones Arkansas could soon be living life without:

Brett EibnerPoSiTion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .P/OFHeigHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-4WeigHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210BATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RightTHroWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RightDrAFT ProjeCTion . . . . . . . . . . Late First Round

WHy SCouTS Like Him Eibner has notewor-thy athleticism and projects as both a hitter and pitcher . Eibner’s 18 home runs in the regu-lar season don’t make it an easy call .

WHAT VAn Horn SAyS “It takes a special player to manage [hitting and pitching] and he’s done a great job of managing his time and responsibilities to this team .”

Drew SmylyPoSiTion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pitcher HeigHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3WeigHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190BATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LeftTHroWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LeftDrAFT ProjeCTion . . . . . . . . .Supplemental Pick

WHy SCouTS Like Him Smyly, a Little Rock Central product, throws in the 90s and mixes in a slider and changeup with his fastball . Smyly disguises his pitches well, so batters can’t eas-ily figure him out .

WHAT VAn Horn SAyS “Obviously, I think Smyly is one of the top pitchers in the country . When he’s on, he can beat anybody .”

Zack CoxPoSiTion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3B/2BHeigHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1WeigHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215BATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LeftTHroWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RightDrAFT ProjeCTion . . . . . . . . . . . . Top 10 Overall

WHy SCouTS Like Him Cox established him-self as one of the best hitters in baseball . He hit .432 during the regular season for Arkansas thanks to a quick, compact swing .

WHAT VAn Horn SAyS “Zack brings a great presence to the team and is a fiery competitor . He’s an outstanding player and nobody works harder than he does .” — Chris Bahn

“I want to show the coaches they got a big steal. That’s

just the way I think and work. I feel like I can do just about anything really well, whether

it’s running or blocking or catch-

ing the ball out of the backfield.”

—Former Razorback Peyton Hillis speaking to the Cleveland Plain Dealer about

being traded from Denver to Cleveland.

“I’ll sacrifice.”—Atlanta Hawks forward Joe Johnson on the pros-

pect of taking a smaller free agent contract to team up with buddy LeBron James. James, Johnson and DeWayne Wade were teaming up with a handful of other NBA free agents to discuss possible destinations.

“I cannot bowl to save my life. I go out there and

barely break 100.”—Arkansas quarterback and Heisman

Trophy candidate Ryan Mallett on his “worst” sport.

“Several people told me this course would suit my game.”

—Conway’s Bryce Molder shot a 16-under to finish tied for fifth at the recent Crowne Plaza Invitational at the Colonial at Fort Worth, Texas.

“But I listen to these expectations and think they expect us to win every

game. Then, I travel to Louisiana and listen to Louisiana radio and

people there expect LSU to win them all.

I was in Alabama recently and Alabama and Auburn expect to win them all.

But that’s where you want your program to be when there are high

expectations.”—Arkansas recruiting coordinator Tim Horton

quoted in Conway’s Log Cabin Democrat after a speak-ing engagement.

“I won’t say I expected it, but I was hoping it.”

—Shiloh Christian offensive coordinator Rod Washington speaking to Auburn Undercover, following quarterback Kiehl Frazier’s recent commitment to Auburn.

Speaking Out

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“It would take a huge jump from last year to this year. They’ve got an

offense that can score on anybody. I don’t think there is any question

about that. To win a national cham-pionship you have to have an elite

caliber defense. Last year they were far from that. I do expect Arkansas

to be better this year.”— SI.com writer Stewart Mandel, assessing

Arkansas’ national title hopes on the T.J. Carpenter Show in Fayetteville

“There’s just a buzz. My pulse coming out of our individual goal

meetings is these guys can’t wait to get back to work.”

— Razorback strength and conditioning coach Jason Veltkamp

Speaking Out“Had a blast on the TS and

hope y’all liked it as well! Btw, the 1 & 5 after the ear tug was a shout out to my boy Ryan Mallett & UofA.”

—Country singer/Rogers native Joe Nichols on his Twitter account, explaining

a brief “Tonight Show” tribute to Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett

Art Sellinger, with his ability to drive the golf ball further than anyone, has had an incredible career in the game. He’s a two-time national long-drive champion, owner and presi-dent of Long Drivers of America, and the creator of the ReMax World Long Driving Championships.

He’s an accomplished all-around player and clinician, and commercially is the most successful long driver in the history of golf.

But as great as Art’s career has been, he’s like the rest of us: He has also spent a moment in the Mumbleshed. In Art’s own words, here is his “most severe” stopover:

“There is no game like golf; it can take you out of your comfort zone and expose your weaknesses more than any other sport. I’ve come to the conclusion that the mental side of the game and how one can control his emotions and focus is much more important than any other aspect of the physical swing. The main goal in golf is to release the club with no fear of the result.

“On this summer day of 1994, my mind took over my body, and the doors to the Mumbleshed opened quicker than a Indy car on the back straightaway. I was invited to play the old Tylenol Golf Classic in Philadelphia. The event was played at Blue Bell C.C., and I was to arrive a couple days prior to do a golf show and entertain the sponsors.

“After a great day of long drives and entertain-ment I was ready to play 36 holes of stroke play. Although out of my element, I still had played a decent amount of tournament golf, but the years of long-drive shows and crazy trick shots had taken its toll on my control and ability to get the ball in the hole. The time to play one ball, hole it out and post a score was upon me.

“I woke up feeling great, it was a beautiful sunny day. I assure you I had not one ache or pain in my body. My tee time was 10:30 a.m., and I

figured I’d arrive 90 minutes early to get some good practice in. The ropes were up, and the gallery was decent sized. Players like Mickelson, Gamez, Furyk, Gallagher, McCord, Beck and many others were playing.

“I glanced at the scoreboard and saw that familiar empty box next to my name and had a

little sick feeling come over me hoping the first number they posted would not be an eight when they put my score up.

“I made my way to the range with my caddy and began to hit some balls.

Again, I want to point out my body felt

like a million dollars! I hit balls for about 40 minutes, taking my time and hitting it rather well.

“At the end of my warm-up session, I felt the slightest of twinges in my back, just a faint little pain. I didn’t think twice about it. I was 30 min-utes from tee-off.

“Next, I approached the putting green and rolled some for about 15 minutes and, as the time grew near, that slight twinge in my back grew to more of a discomforting pain. I couldn’t believe how the pain kept increasing as I made my way to the tee.

“I met my pro-am partners, and I was announced to the tee. I chose to hit a 2-iron off the first tee to ensure a safe start. The hole was not that long, and I succeeded with my strategy — 2-iron and wedge less than one foot away, a nice birdie start.

“Let the record show that when I hit the wedge, the pain increased so dramatically I thought someone was stabbing me with a knife. When I tapped in the birdie putt, I was shaking

like a leaf and knew deep down if the putt was any longer I could not have made it. I was offi-cially scared to death.

“The second hole was extremely tight, and I could barely bend over to tee up my ball. I somehow finished the hole with a bogey and now found it difficult to follow through on my forward swing. The pain was taking my breath away. I simply had no conscious control over my body! The third hole was a long par-3 with water and, after two quick splashes, I was now offi-cially 4-over. The young standard bearer put the black number 4 next to my name, and now the thoughts started racing through my mind. Can I physically finish? Can I break 90?

“As I walked to the fourth tee, I looked at my pro-am partners and told them ‘I don’t know if I can draw the club back,’ the pain was almost unbearable! I found it extremely difficult to take a deep breath, and I was only able to move the ball 180-200 yards off the fourth tee with a driver. Grant it, two hours ago I was hitting 340 yard bombs on the range. Well, the fourth fairway is where this excursion ended — I was officially paralyzed, I could not take another swing, my round is over!

“The volunteers sent word to the clubhouse to send a cart for me; I was done, I couldn’t move. I didn’t know what was happening to my body, I had lost total control.

“The people had to help me into the cart, and a car was waiting at the clubhouse to take me to the hospital. The pain was out of control, my left leg was completely numb. I’m now en route to Villanova University hospital. I would have bet anything I would have to have surgery. I was met by one of the top orthopedic doctors at the hospital, evidently a friend of one of the tourna-ment sponsors, and they ushered me quickly to X-ray. All I could do was pray for morphine because this pain was excruciating. I remember it took three people to help me get on the table

in the X-ray lab. After the X-rays, I was put in a room and waited more than 30 minutes for the doctor.

“The next part is really going to blow you away! As each minute passed the pain slowly subsided. By the time the doctor came into the room, the pain was moderate and tolerable, and I was able to stand on my own and actually rotate my torso. After a very long discussion with the doctor and examination, he came to the conclu-sion that I scared myself into pain. I was in such fear of the golf tournament, my mind cut off the blood supply to my back, which in turn caused this excruciating pain. Was the pain real? You bet it was! It was the most pain I’ve ever felt in my life.

“As my mind realized I did not have to play anymore and this nightmare was over, I was I able to make the pain subside.

“As I returned to my hotel a few hours later, I felt exactly as I did when I woke up earlier that morning: perfect. I attended the event dinner function that evening, not so much as a twinge in my back. I had officially put myself in the Mumbleshed and never knew it. So scared of posting a score, so scared of the result, I shut my body off.

“Golf is a fragile game, and I learned never to put myself in a situation out of my comfort zone. The Mumbleshed is always there waiting for me to walk in and spend the day. I have put the no vacancy sign on it. A better golf swing, a belly putter and a belief that I can play have allowed me to not rack up any more frequent-stay points at the Mumbleshed!” m

Mike Dunaway, a former long-drive champion, interviews sports celebrities for his monthly “Mumbleshed Moments” column. His column also appears on the ArkansasSports360.com website. He can be reached at [email protected]. He is available for seminars and clinics.

Backing Out: Excruciating Pain Courtesy of the BrainMuMBleSheD MoMenTS

Mike Dunaway

Failure and doubt and how we deal with them.Help!

May 31, 2010 ARKANSAS BUSINESS 27 ))) on the web: The Razorbacks and their new Nike football uniforms.

JeRemy mooRe, 22oF, Vivian, Louisiana

Jay BRossmaN, 253B, Pullman, Washington

CLay FuLLeR, 22CF, san antonio, Texas

eFReN NaVaRRo, 241B, Lynwood, California

aBeL NieVes, 242B, maracay, Venezuela

Do you haVe someThiNg ThaT you WeaR oR CaRRy FoR LuCk?

WhaT has BeeN The ToP high-LighT oF youR CaReeR so FaR?

WhaT aRe some goaLs you haVe seT FoR youR-seLF This seasoN?

WhaT Was youR FaVoRiTe BaseBaLL Team WheN you WeRe a kiD?

WhaT is youR FaVoRiTe sTaDium FooD?

Who is youR FaVoRiTe BaseBaLL LegeND?

WhaT is The mosT-PLayeD soNg oN youR iPoD RighT NoW?

If I’m doing pretty good with some batting gloves, I wear them for a while.

No I have a necklace. It’s Saint Christopher. I don’t believe in saints. He’s my luck.

Not really. I’ve always got to play with my rosary.

Last year, in A ball, I hit a walk-off home run.

Probably getting to play with the big league spring training club.

Being defensive player of the year in ‘08 for the Angels’ minor league organization.

Reaching triple A. I got called up last year. This year I went to big league camp. That’s pretty big, too.

To mature as a player and as a person.

Just to go out and com-pete every night and to continue to get better every day as an individual player so I can make it to the big leagues.

Just compete every day. Stay disciplined.

Just having the right set of my mind — just my attitude to play and to have fun, too.

The Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners

The Atlanta Braves L.A. Dodgers

I used to like the Yankees.

Corn dogs Hot dogs with mustard and ketchup

Soft pretzels. I love soft pretzels.

Hotdogs with ketchup and mustard

Sausage hot dogs with cheese

Ken Griffey Jr.

Li’l Wayne’s“On Fire”

John Olerud, who played for the Blue Jays and the Mariners

“I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe

Babe Ruth

Eric Church, “Carolina”

Incubus, “Anna Molly”

Dave Concepcion of the Reds.He’s my godfather.

Techno

In the Know: Travelers Field a Few Questions

Probably just this. To get the opportunity to play.

i wear my cross necklace, but it’s not necessarily for luck. i just haven’t taken it off for a year.

hank aaron

The yankees

i want to hit over .300. i want to become a bet-ter player all the way around and hopefully reach the big leagues.

By Kate Knable


By Chris Bahn

Hunter Tops List of State’s Highest Paid Athletes





Pine Bluff native Torii Hunter estab-lished himself as one of the best players in major league baseball over the last decade. He broke into the big leagues in 1999 and has seen a dramatic increase in his profile and popularity ever since.

Oh, and the salary bump for Hunter has been pretty good, too. Hunter earned $17.8 million more in 2009 than when he debuted for the Minnesota Twins.

Hunter tops ArkansasSports360.com’s list of highest paid athletes with Arkansas ties. it’s a familiar spot for Hunter, who was No. 1 on the list in 2005 and was second to little rock native and NBA star Joe Johnson in 2007, the last time Arkansas Business evaluated which homegrown athletes were drawing top dollar.

Athletics have been good to Arkansans.

Baseball and basketball are the sports with the top salaries, but the state has produced highly skilled — and highly paid — football players, golfers and even a NASCAr driver.

Each year, the state seems to gener-ate a new star and big earner in the world of sports. Consider Conway native and golf veteran Bryce Molder, who won just $9,819 in 2008, but improved his game dramatically in 2009, earning $1.15 million to rank No. 14 on our list.

Salaries ranged from the $18 mil-lion earned by Hunter to the $391,000 paid to peyton Hillis, who the Denver Broncos recently traded to the Cleveland Browns. On average our homegrown heroes earned about $3.83 million worth of salary in 2009 and combined for $95.87 million, not including any business ventures or endorsements that might be generating revenue.

Our list of the highest-paid athletes from Arkansas is based on salaries and earnings for the 2009 and 2008 seasons (2008-09 and 2007-08 for basketball). it has been compiled look-ing at salaries and earnings, but does not take into account endorsements/advertising money. To make the Top 25, athletes must have attended an Arkansas high school. However, we highlight other athletes with ties to the state’s universities and colleges in a separate list. m

Sources include USA Today, NASCAR, LPGA and PGA.


HigHest Paid atHletesNATIVE ARKANSANS AThlETE 2009 2008 SpoRT TEAm/SpoNSoR CollEgE homETowNToRII huNTER $18 million $16.4 million Baseball L.A. Angels — Pine BluffA.J. BuRNETT $16.5 million $13.2 million Baseball N.Y. Yankees — North Little RockJoE JohNSoN $14.2 million $13.5 million Basketball Atlanta Hawks Arkansas Little RockCoREy wIllIAmS $7.8 million $8.7 million Football Cleveland Browns Arkansas State CamdenClIFF lEE $6 million $4 million Baseball Seatlle Mariners Arkansas BentonDARREN mCFADDEN $5.39 million $4.37 million Football Oakland Raiders Arkansas Little RockSTACy ANDREwS $5.62 million $7.45 million Football Philadelphia Eagles Ole Miss (track) CamdenDEREK FIShER $4.7 million $4.35 million Basketball L.A. Lakers UALR Little RockmARK mARTIN $3.67 million $2.63 million NASCAR Viagra — BatesvilleChRIS hARRIS $2.8 million $2.62 million Football Carolina Panthers Louisiana-Monroe Little RockRoNNIE BREwER $1.83 mil $1.71 million Basketball Memphis Grizzlies Arkansas FayettevilleJERmAIN TAyloR $1.8 million $3.1 million Boxing — — Little RockKEVIN wIllIAmS $1.5 million $1.5 million Football Minnesota Vikings Arkansas State FordyceShAwN ANDREwS $1.2 million $3.36 million Football Philadelphia Eagles Arkansas CamdenBRyCE molDER $1.15 million $9,819 Golf — Georgia Tech ConwayJoNAThAN luIgS $819,000 College Football Cincinnati Bengals Arkansas Little RockJAmAAl ANDERSoN $773,530 $3.87 million Football Atlanta Falcons Arkansas Little RockDEANgElo wIllIAmS $745,000 $1.38 million Football Carolina Panthers Memphis WynneDANTE wESlEy $635,000 $970,000 Football Carolina Panthers UAPB Pine BluffmARK BRADlEy $625,000 $520,000 Football Kansas City Chiefs Oklahoma Pine BluffoREN o’NEAl $466,760 $375,880 Football Oakland Raiders Arkansas State StuttgartDuSTIN moSElEy $435,000 $420,000 Baseball L.A. Angels — TexarkanaSoNNy wEEmS $442,114 College Basketball Toronto Raptors Arkansas West MemphisNATE gARNER $391,240 $357,500 Football Miami Dolphins Arkansas RolandpEyToN hIllIS $391,000 $344,800 Football Cleveland Browns Arkansas Conway

ARKANSAS TIES AThlETE 2009 2008 SpoRT TEAm/SpoNSoR CollEgEJASoN pETERS $10.54 million $3.25 million Football Philadelphia Eagles ArkansasKEN hAmlIN $4.31 million $9.6 million Football Dallas Cowboys ArkansasJoRDAN BABINEAux $1.4 million $1.3 million Football Seattle Seahawks Southern Arkansas UniversityERIC hINSKE $1.5 million $800,000 Baseball Atlanta Braves ArkansasgEoRgE wIlSoN $1.01 million $520,000 Football Buffalo Bills ArkansasFElIx JoNES $738,400 $4.1 million Football Dallas Cowboys ArkansasAhmAD CARRoll $670,000 $520,000 Football New York Jets ArkansasTAVARIS JACKSoN $540,000 $686,120 Football Minnesota Vikings Arkansas/Alabama StateToNy ugoh $535,720 $885,760 Football Indianapolis Colts ArkansasJACoB FoRD $467,280 $301,720 Football Tennessee Titans Central ArkansasSTEVEN hIll $423,909 College Basketball Oklahoma City Thunder ArkansasJESS ToDD $400,000 N/A Baseball Cleveland Indians ArkansasmARCuS hARRISoN $390,000 $949,605 Football Chicago Bears ArkansasTAg RIDINgS $363,597 $568,494 Golf — ArkansasSTACy lEwIS $298,422 College Golf — Arkansas

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))) Right on the Money Ronnie Brewer shares his thoughts on making good finan-cial decisions in Chris Bahn’s From the Hill commentary on ArkansasSports360.com.

Men’s sports are much higher-profile than their women’s counterparts. They draw more eyeballs, attract more advertisers and as a result generate more money for competitors. That doesn’t mean, however, there isn’t a nice living to be made for women in professional sports.

Former Arkansas golfer Stacy LewiS earned just shy of $298,422 in earnings as a rookie on the LPGA Tour in 2009. She had her biggest payday June 28, 2009, when she finished in a tie for fourth at the Wegmens LPGA event, cashing in for $84,906.

When talking home-grown talent, the top earner is New York Liberty forward Shameka chriSton, the fifth overall pick in the 2004 WNBA Draft. Christon grew up in Hot Springs and was an all-Southeastern Conference player for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Terms of Christon’s deal were not available, but the WNBA maximum contract is $95,000. Christon, like many WNBA players, has supplemented her income by playing overseas during her career. m

Jermain tayLor had an unsettling year in the boxing ring in 2009, losing in a pair of stunning last-round knockouts.

The first one, in April at the Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut against Englishman Carl Froch, was for a super middleweight championship belt (WBC), and Taylor was leading on all the judges’ cards when Froch caught him in the last round. In October, Taylor was beaten thoroughly and knocked out in Berlin by home-town favorite Arthur Abraham in the 12th round in the Showtime Super Six World Boxing Classic.

Still, the 31-year-old Taylor was successful in terms of his pocketbook, pocketing after camp expenses of approximately $1 million from the Froch fight and $800,000 in the bout against Abraham, for a 2009 total of $1.8 million. Following the latter loss, Taylor chose to pull out of the Showtime event and take lengthy time off. He expects to return to the ring late in 2010, and Showtime has stepped up to support his comeback.

In 2008, Taylor’s win over Jeff Lacy and a loss to Kelly Pavlik in a rematch of their 2007 fight brought in approximately $3.1 million directly to Taylor. m

Remember Joe JohnSon’s F650 Super Truck? When we first told ArkansasSports360.com readers about it in 2008, Johnson was spending more than $600 per trip to the gas station to fill up the 200-gallon tank with diesel fuel.

Lucky for Johnson, fuel prices have dropped since then. Even better for the Little Rock native and Atlanta Hawks start swingman is the fact his salary is set to go up yet again.

Once the season ends, Johnson becomes a free agent. He figures to be a hot commodity on the free agent market in a year that saw him start an NBA all-start game for the first time.

Johnson, who was averaging 21.2 points per game at press time, has earned an average of $13.8 million over the last two years. Once again, Johnson is in line for an NBA maximum contract when the season ends, so he could fill the tank up 22,000 times this year and still have money left over each trip for a Coke and bag of chips. m

Former Arkansas quarterback-turned NFL wide receiver matt JoneS didn’t play a down of football in 2009. Consequently, he didn’t get a salary after being cut from the Jacksonville Jaguars and didn’t make the list.

We’d like to think Jones made it through the year OK financially, though. He was just three years removed from $5.39 million in total salary for 2006. His first year in the league he made $1.26 million, and he made $600,000 in 2007 and $750,000 in 2008 with the Jaguars.

Jones, who was cut after a series of off-field incidents, including a July 2008 cocaine posses-sion arrest, was recently signed by Cincinnati. He’ll have a chance to build on a solid, but not spectacular first three years in which he caught 101 passes for 1,392 yards.

Reportedly, Jones agreed to a one-year deal worth approximately $700,000. m

Got a jump shot? Can you hit or throw a big-league fastball? Maybe you can drive a racecar at top speeds for long periods. If so, you can do just fine without making much progress toward a college degree and in some cases without ever attending college.

Our top two earners didn’t set foot on a university campus on the way to making big money in athletics. Los Angeles Angels out-fielder torii hunter (Pine Bluff) earned $18 million in 2009, and New York Yankees pitcher a.J. Burnett (North Little Rock) was paid

$16.5 million.mark martin (Batesville) is No. 9 on the

list and earned $3.67 million as a NASCAR driver in 2009. That’s up more than $1 million from 2008 and doesn’t account for sponsorship or ownership money he receives. m

Northwest Arkansas is home to some of the wealthiest businessmen and businesswomen in the state. The region has done little in the way of producing homegrown, big-earning athletes, though. Of the top 25 athletes that attended high school in the Natural State, only one, Memphis Grizzlies forward (formerly of the Utah Jazz) ronnie Brewer ($1.83 million in 2009), is from Fayetteville.

Little Rock is home to the most high-paid, in-state ath-letes, boasting seven. That includes No. 3 on the list Atlanta

Hawks guard Joe JohnSon ($14.2 million) and No. 6, Oakland Raiders running back Darren mcFaDDen ($5.39 million).

Perhaps most surprising is that Camden, a south Arkansas town of a little more than 11,000 people has produced

three on our list. Brothers Shawn ($1.2 million) and Stacy anDrewS ($5.6) million played on the offensive line in

Philadelphia, and corey wiLLiamS ($7.8 million) is a defensive lineman for the Cleveland Browns.

Roland, a town of fewer than 3,000 people located on the other side of Pinnacle Mountain from Little Rock, is the small-

est town to lay claim to one of the state’s best paid athletes. Former Arkansas and Pulaski Robinson offensive line-man nate Garner ($391,240) worked for the Miami Dolphins in 2009. m

No Degree, No Problem

oneBatesvilleBentonFayettevilleFordyceNorth Little RockRolandStuttgartTexarkanaWest MemphisWynne

twoConway

threeCamdenPine Bluff

SevenLittle Rock

How do the athletes break down by town?

))) on the web: Xxxxxxxxxxxxx.

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