Somewhere out there, you can hear it. It’s the distant rumble of thunder, the inaudible vibration of a train miles away, and it’s not getting softer.
It is the confluence of chatter on radio shows and increasing snippets in the newspaper. The all too familiar turning of baseball season down the stretch and talk of playoffs makes it a bit more real.
And now, the whisperings of players reporting to camp suddenly makes it tangible.
Football season is back upon us, and it almost seems surreal as we swelter in one hundred degree heat to think about fully padded behemoths pushing around on each other on moist ovens of green. All the teams are reset to undefeated, all the dreams and hopes of a great season are increasingly real no matter how paltry the record from last year.
And the fans begin to gather thoughts of fall schedules across the country. Which weekends must be circled and which are optional are debated. Questions loom unanswered and hope begins to spring eternal yet again for the football fan, no matter if you follow the Razorbacks, Mountaineers, Crimson Tide or Golden Hurricane.
For Razorback nation the specifics of 2007 have faded into a distant mist, and details for the upcoming season are only now truly beginning to come into picture. Has there ever been an upcoming season full or more unknowns than what we are now facing?
Other than the dates of the games, little is know about what the Bobby Petrino version of Arkansas will bring, a refreshing thought. This inaugural season brings on a new honeymoon, a time of grace in Arkansas fandom we’ve craved for a number of years. And while predictions for 2008 are found everywhere the fact remains that we know little of how certain players will thrive or fail under the high pressure and expectations of the perfectionist now leading the charge.
With each victory will come taunts at those who steadfastly idealized the previous regime. Likewise each loss will fuel the venom of those who wanted no change.
I personally believe this will prove to be a middling year as records are concerned. Too many new faces and a war chest of young or redshirted talent can only mean inconsistency and education as we move game to game. And that’s to be expected.
But years like these are the most exciting. The promise of a different style coupled with the matriculation of younger football players gives a long range hope that, well honestly, we’ve not had in a long, long time.
Should we finish with a winning record and bowl berth, this fan would be ecstatic. Alternatively a losing season does not come close to meaning we’re heading in the wrong direction. The honeymoon begins now.
So as we wipe our slate clean regarding records and stats, let us also wipe away the moniker of hugger or hater. They should leave the vernacular forever. We can stand together yet again and follow the Razorbacks without talk of coaching change. Instead, let us allow grace to replace vitriol and begin this era of healing and hope.
Let us all watch as piece by piece a new program comes together. Though each week brings the hope of a win, the facts present a young program with pieces that do not mesh with Petrino’s high octane offense. If he can somehow make it work, it will be the most pleasant surprise this fan has had since 1998. If not, I will celebrate the intricacies of a new style and the learning our players undergo week by week to effect change.
The 2008 football season is upon us. I will enjoy watching it with you all.
