Welcome to the second installment of our three-part Q&A with Democrat-Gazette columnist Gene Lyons (here's part 1):
Are the majority of fans "with Houston Nutt or against him?" How secure is his job and do you see him returning to Fayetteville after this season?
Judging by the call-in sports shows, I'd say Nutt's a little less popular than he oughta be given last season's record and this season's prospects.
Seeing as how 6 of the 12 games oughta be walkovers, all he has to do is win half the real games to go 9-3. That'd
keep him for another year, unless he takes another job. I've always been surprised when Nutt's rumored to be interviewing, because I get the impression it's his dream job.
Your dreams can wear you out, though. Would you really be happy married to Reese Witherspoon?
Prior to the Mustain/Malzahn business, I've always liked the way Nutt handles himself. (I don't know him.) Unlike a lot of football coaches, I don't think he has swastikas or even Rebel flags on his undershorts.
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But he may take all this stuff too personally for his own good.
Of course, I've reached the point in life where testosterone poisoning has ebbed to the point where ballgames can only make me happy, not ruin my day, much less my life.
If the Cubs make the playoffs, that's great. If not, well, it's been an interesting and absorbing season. I feel the same way about the Hogs.
Or will when the actual season gets started next week at Alabama. These guys on the call-in shows that go on and on about Razorback football for months prior to the season definitely need to get a sports life.
How high among the all-time Arkansas sports stories would McFadden winning the Heisman rank? On a related note, where do you think he ranks among the all-time Razorback athletic figures?
To me, the Heisman's a competition among SIDs, kind of like the Addy Awards. Or the Pulitzer, for that matter. Politics has a lot to do with it.
Some guys who win it go on to brilliant pro careers, some don't. It'd be a really big deal for McFadden, and for people who wear the traditional Arkansas chip on their shoulders, but I reserve the right not to.
It would be wonderful for McFadden, of course. So I hope it happens. I'm sure it'd make my wife get teary-eyed, which would probably make me mist up too.
The best Hog ever? Have they forgotten Matt Jones so soon? Corliss Williamson? Sidney Moncrief? Dan Hampton?
I'd better quit. I'm no good at sports history. I forget.
Any predictions for the upcoming football season?
If they beat Alabama, 10-2. If they don't, 8-4.
A pure, largely uninformed guess.