Bevo Bashing, Cal Sightings in Turkey & Arkansas’ First Olympian in Gymnastics

Texas stunning hire of A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle one day after the Aggies lost to Tennessee in the national championship baseball game has generated reaction from the Arkansas media, Arkansas fans and even Dave Van Horn.

Q. Our first reaction to that is from @meow4marjorie who says: Mike, Schloss has always been this way. He was a scumbag at TCU. Those TCU players attitudes matched his. A&M hired him anyway. They cannot be surprised. I dislike both the Aggies and the short horns. Both schools are too big for their britches.

A. That was my initial reaction. How could I feel sorry for the Aggies? But then I started reading more about what happened. This this was worked out before the NCAA Tournament started. A&M won nine straight tournament games and all along Schlossnagle knew he was leaving for Texas. I may not like some of the strange A&M traditions and all fan bases have their mean and nasty fans but over all Aggies fans are not bad people. I don’t think they deserved a stab in the back like this.

For those that say this happens al the time, that A&M stole TCU’s coach, they got what they deserved, you clearly don’t understand that rivalry. As much as Hog fans don’t like Texas it’s much worse with the Aggies. It’s been going on a lot longer and the two fans bases overlap. The two campuses are a hundred miles apart. That’s closer than it is from the U of A to Oklahoma State and they’re in the same state.

A&M fans hated Texas so much that the school left the Big 12 to get away from them and what happened? Texas eventually followed them into the SEC. Aggies have to be thinking, we can’t get away from these guys. Then, right before they became a part of the SEC Texas took their baseball coach.

The back and forth arguing and jabs between fans of rival schools is a big part of college athletics. I get it. But this was too much. There are lines you don’t cross. I’m not sure this has ever happened under these circumstances. This will go over the heads of younger Arkansas fans but let’s go back to January 2nd 1965. Arkansas has just won the national championship football. Imagine them waking up to the news that day that Texas had come in and stolen Frank Broyles by offering to double his salary. Not only that but they found out that this had been in the works for weeks.

Imagine this happening to Michigan with Ohio State? Auburn and Alabama? USC and UCLA?

But of course it didn’t happen until now. I don’t like it. I don’t like what it says about Schlossnagle and Texas. So yeah, In this situation I’ll side with the Aggies.

Q.Marty Byrde’s proxy wants to know: What did Schlossnagle mean with the comment “I gave up my family,” to go to A&M? Surely he meant that as a figure of speech some way, right? If it was literal that’s a huge red flag to me, but I’m old school I guess.

A. We think he was referring to the fact that his family did not follow him to College Station when he left TCU. He’s made a bunch of statements in the last 24 hours and frankly he probably needs to just cool it because he’s looking worse and worse.

First he said that when he complained to A&M’s AD about the lack of progress in renovating Blue Bell Park the AD told him if he wasn’t happy it was okay if he looked at other jobs.

Then he said he and his staff have gotten threats from angry Aggie fans. Maybe he’s exaggerating, maybe not but what did he think was going to happen when he jumped from A&M to their hated rival?

Q. mousetown wants to know: Is the rest of the SEC clueless about what Texas just pulled off against the Aggies? Do Hogs fans really believe it’s only about Texas gigging the giggers? Hide and watch. Those burned orange Jerks are coming to take over everything because that’s what they do.

A. It’s certainly possible. Why do you think A&M left he Big 12? They were tired of Texas controlling everything. Not only was A&M furious when the SEC voted to let Texas in but now Texas sends a message to them days before they officially enter the SEC. We’re still your daddy. You got nice stuff? We’ll take it.

I get it that the SEC office agreed to let Media Days be held in Dallas to generate publicity in Texas. It’s important to send the message that Texas is no longer just a Big 12 state. It’s an SEC state. But will it stop there? Will Texas be okay with the conference office being all the way over in Birmingham, a hundred miles from Tuscaloosa. Do they accept the SEC baseball tournament played in Hoover every year?

Wait until the Longhorns start showing up at the spring meetings in Destin every spring. They’ll likely have an agenda and they are used to getting what they want.

Q. Armon Abbe asks: Have you seen what Bevo’s QB said about coming to the SEC this season? They will instantly become the biggest game on every current team’s schedule? That’s how those pinheads think….

….. I say take Arkansas, the Aggies, LSU, Missouri and OU to the Big 12 and tell that dude in Birmingham to enjoy getting bossed around by the jerks from Austin he just invited in.

A. Thanks for the warning and I get what you’re saying but there’s a part of me that believes that Texas is about to be in for a big surprise. It’s not that they’re going to become the biggest game on everybody’s schedule. It’s that every weekend, wherever they go, there’s a fanbase that is nuts over football. They won’t face just one opponent like OU. There’s a bunch of them like that. They will win a big game and the next week a team that they overlook will jump up and beat them. They’ll get worn down by that.

Q. WVHogfan asks: Please explain the off the field relationship Frank Broyles and Darrel Royal had often going on vacations and golf outings together. Can you think of other examples where opposing rival head coaches had/has such a close relationship?

A. Most coaches of rival schools have a better relationship with each other than you would think. The are not enemies except come game time. But the Relationship between Frank Broyles and Darrell Royal was unique. They were close friends right up until Royal died. I think they had similar views on the way college football should be coached. Old school. You break players down and build them back up. But also think they had similar interest away from football and their wives got along. Spending time together helped them chill from the stress of their jobs.

Q. bphi11ips says: My favorite Razorbacks birthday memory. We went to Cock of the Walk near Opryland Hotel for my birthday dinner on February 5, 2018. Chad Morris called my son, Matthew Phillips, late that afternoon and he committed to Arkansas. Hard to top that for me.

A. I can imagine how some fans will react to that because you brought up Chad Morris’ name. But you’ve been posting on Hogville for years. I know you are a die hard Arkansas fan and there are few things better for a Razorback fan than to have one of their kids become a Razorback. Chad Morris or not I can see why that is a great birthday memory for you.

Q. hawgredneck asks: These Kentucky fans are becoming a major pain in the butt. I get it that they are mad at Cal but most of them wanted him gone so good, he’s not their problem anymore. But now he’s recruiting in the Middle East and they’re dumping on him for that? Come on.

A. Derek Willis played for Cal at Kentucky. Wills and his wife met with Cal in Turkey and they had lunch together. Cal Posted a photo of them on X and some Kentucky fans immediately reacted to that, posting stuff like, you kept him on the bench. Why are you trying to act like you two are close?
Well the fact is Willis was smiling. Clearly he doesn’t have issues with Cal or he wouldn’t have had lunch with him. Look, these fans are mad because he went to another SEC school. They want him out of coaching so they’d be taking these shots wherever he went. The bottom line, Razorback fans should ignore them.

Q. sgiles: I just saw the coolest thing on Twitter. Calipari is off recruiting in Turkey and he ran into Davor Rimac. They had their picture made and he joked that the reason Kentucky beat Arkansas the year the Razorbacks won it all was because he was hurt. Love this stuff.

A. Davor posted a nice photo of Cal and Arkansas recruiting coordinator Chuck Martin on a basketball court with Davor behind them. He is from Croatia which is about 800 miles from Turkey. I don’t know if he lives there now or if he was just visiting but I enjoyed seeing that photo. He still looks good 30 years after he played for Nolan.

Q. Eddy Lynn wants to know: When will Baltimore do the right thing and trade Kjerstad? All he does is win games for them and all they do is keep playing mind games with him.

A. He may stick this time. His grand slam won Saturdays game against the Rangers. He went 2 for 4 with an RBI Sunday night. In 30 at bats he’s hitting .300 with three home runs. Since being called up a second time he’s batted close to .450. Baltimore has a lot of young talent. You might get your wish. We’ll see.

Q. Hogman80 asks: With the Olympics coming up. Can you give us a summary of every Arkansas Razorback in any sport participating. Also have you and Courtney persuaded Alyssa to let you go to Paris for a month?

A. It’s not up to Alyssa. Our corporate people selected her to go with other big shots from around the country. If I went all I would do is hang around the sprinters.

But Alyssa is our expert on all of the current and former Razorbacks going to Paris and the list is LOOONG.

Anna Anning, UK, Swimming. Joscelyn Roberson, USA, Gymnastics, Amber Anning, UK, Track & Field, Nickisha Pryce, Jamaica, Track & Field, Ackera Nugent, Jamaica, Track & Field, Janeek Brown, Jamaica, Track & Field, Nikki Hiltz, USA, Track & Field, Carey McLeod, Jamaica, Track & Field, Wayne Pinnock, Jamaica, Track & Field, Roke Stona, Jamacia, Track & Field, Chris Bailey, USA, Track & Field, Jarrion Lawson, USA, Track & Field, Taliyah Brooks, USA, Track & Field, Rachel Glenn, USA, Track & Field.

Q. KYHOG says: My wife as gotten me interested in gymnastics. Can you tell us more about Joscelyn Roberson? She’ll be a freshman this year and she’s already qualified for the Olympics.

A. She signed with Arkansas. She will be a freshmen starting in the fall semester. She’s from Texarkana, Texas. She trains in Houston and she just made the US team as an alternate. As such she is the first ever Razorback to qualify for the Olympics in Gymnastics.

Q. RazorAlex88 wants to know: Countdown to CFB25! Courtney, what features are you excited most about? I can’t wait to see the traditions and team entrances! Gotta go see the Razorbacks going through the A! I’m pretty excited to see the other SEC entrances too!

A. Okay this is a video game question. Courtney is our resident expert on the new college football game. She’s not here. This stuff is Greek to both Alyssa and me so we will revisit this next week.