Tyler Wilson speaks his mind

Do I have a problem with Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson calling his teammates out yesterday? Absolutely not. If he doesn't, who will? The Razorbacks looked pathetic in the second half against ULM. They looked even worse Saturday, bending over for a 52-0 paddling by Alabama on national television. Players fumbled, missed tackles, missed blocks, dropped passes. At halftime, Coach John L. Smith gave some humorous quote to CBS about the upcoming adjustments. When you're getting your arse handed to you on TV, it ain't the time for funny. The Razorbacks' collapse, not coincidentally, began about the same time Wilson was knocked off the field by an "above-the-shoulder" injury. After the Bama beatdown, he told the media that yes, he thought some of his teammates quit and it made him sick. What's wrong with that? He simply said what was painfully obvious to anyone who watched the game. But why go public? I'm not in Wilson's brain but I'll bet the senior QB noted a lack of accountability on the team. Bobby Petrino ain't the best human being in the world but he'll get all up in a player's backside if he screws up. None of that seems to be happening this season. Basically, Arkansas' football team is a ship without a captain, sailing in circles in the middle of a dangerous SEC ocean. Give Wilson credit. At least he's trying to be a leader. The team desperately needs one and the young man is stepping up and saying what the coaching staff won't. By saying it publicly, he's trying to force his teammates and everyone else to be accountable. He put pressure on himself to play like an All-American when he gets back on the field. He put pressure on his teammates, who will have to answer the question of, "who was he talking about? Was it you?" So, yeah, he turned up the heat on his own team. But, you know what, when you lose to ULM at home, maybe a little heat on the backside is called for.

Glad I made the trip

I made it to Fort Smith and back. Don't laugh because there was a question in my mind on whether I would. That's a long haul, folks. It was an adventure, too. I gave myself plenty of time to make the drive and, since it was payday, I put some extra cash in my wallet. You know, just in case I saw a Bed, Bath & Beyond. Hee! Hee! Thank God, I did. And, no, I didn't go to a Bed, Bath & Beyond. Did you know when you pay cash for a room at the Comfort Inn, they now require a $150 deposit? The clerk gave me my room rate of about $125. He then said, "we'll have to have a $150 deposit." I gave him $150, without really thinking about what he'd just said. He had that look in his eye and I realized, "Oh, you mean an extra $150?" I dug deep into my wallet, not sure how much cash I had. Turns out, my stop at Chick-fil-A left me with $152. Needless to say, I was just a little nervous five hours away from home with $2 in my pocket. What if they didn't honor my press badge and made me pay to get into the game? Thankfully, they did let me in and ushered me to the pressbox. The game was delayed for an hour due to the inclement weather. I wasn't bored, though. Fort Smith Southside principal Wayne Haver introduced himself and proudly told me stories about the history of Rebel sports and the school itself. He's been there since the sixties. He's a nice guy ... a real nice guy. I told him and the Fort Smith sports writer of my experience at the hotel just to see if they found it unusual. They did. Neither seemed to know of a $150 deposit for a room. I shrugged it off. I was in the game and I knew I would get my deposit back when I checked out on Saturday. But, I was stunned when Mr. Haver pulled out his wallet, fished out a twenty dollar bill and handed it to me. I turned it down, of course, and explained I'd get my money back in the morning. He insisted, though. "You can't walk around with two dollars in your pocket," he told me. "What if you want to get something to eat?" I politely declined the money again but, again, he insisted until I finally slipped the twenty into my wallet. I can't explain what a comfort it was just knowing my two lonely singles had some company. When the game was nearing its end, Mr. Haver excused himself. I asked the sports writer if he was surprised at what he did. He shook his head. "He's a good man," he said. I can't express how thankful I am for the hospitality shown to me by Southside and Mr. Haver. I look forward to giving him his twenty back when the Rebels come to El Dorado next year. As for the trip, it was long and I don't look forward to making it again. But, thanks to Mr. Haver, I'm glad I made it.

Way to go, Coach Smith

Congratulations John L. Smith for making Bobby Petrino look like Vince Lombardi. Smith took over Petrino's top-10 team and in two weeks, turned it into an unranked afterthought. Harry Houdini only wishes he could make something so big disappear so quickly. Yes, I know that should be past-tensed since Houdini is no longer with us. But, then again, Smith's status as Arkansas' coach should also be used in the past-tense. That job interview couldn't have ended any quicker if he'd shown up for the interview wearing flip-flops, a clown nose and one of those foam fingers. If anyone had any doubt, it's official. John L. Smith is not the man to lead Arkansas' football program. The Razorbacks couldn't protect Tyler Wilson against Louisiana-Monroe. Are you kidding me? Arkansas' quarterback was on the turf as much as the Razorback logo Saturday night. The Warhawks pummeled him senseless. What the hell would Alabama do to him? Offensive line was a concern last year. This year, it's a tragedy. How do you not improve that area? How do you not come up with a scheme to give your QB a little protection? ULM beat up your quarterback. I told anyone who would listen the Hogs were overrated when they gave up 24 points to Jacksonville State. ULM quarterback Kolton Browning looked like Favre, Vick and Montana all rolled up into one as he dissected the Razorbacks. Kolton Browning? Who? What? Arkansas was uninspired, unprepared and under-coached. On a day when the SEC flexed its muscle with Georgia and Florida welcoming new members to the league with losses, Arkansas showed once again it's in the SEC, but not really. If the only thing separating the Razorbacks from a Sun Belt team is the quarterback, then seriously, how good is your program? Last night's debacle showed Arkansas' football program has lots of holes, especially on defense and in the offensive line. But, the biggest void is on the sideline. We appreciate everything you've done for the Razorback nation, Coach Smith. Good luck in your future endeavors.

Listen up WNBA, sex sells

Must a women's professional sports league have sex appeal to thrive in today's culture? Notice I said thrive. The WNBA is surviving. Women's tennis and golf leagues are surviving. I wouldn't say any of them are anywhere close to the level of the NBA or even NASCAR, right now. What would it take for a professional women's sports league to reach the level of NASCAR in today's media landscape? Sadly, I think sex appeal has to be part of the deal. It's certainly not fair. There are lots of ugly male athletes who get respect and accolades based solely on their ability to perform, I've seen no evidence unattractive females would get that same opportunity, no matter how athletic and accomplished they are in sports. Before women start yelling, let me say, females are the biggest part of the problem. Women simply don't want to watch other women play sports. It's the society in which we've all grown up. We are programmed to believe men are supposed to be strong and fast and athletic. The stronger, the faster and the more athletic, the better. Women are supposed to be pretty and demure. The prettier and softer, the better. Strength in a woman isn't valued like it is in a man. Men respect female athletes more than women. A lot of men can watch a WNBA game and appreciate the skills we see. Women can watch the same game and poke fun at the way the players look and question their sexuality. Obviously, this is a generalization and there are exceptions. But, if women supported female athletes at the rate they support male athletes, women's sports would be thriving and not just surviving. Since women don't want to watch other women play sports, a professional league would have to attract men. How would a women's league attract male viewers? Call us pigs but we do know what we like. Men like attractive women. Surely that's not a news flash. Women's beach volleyball is a lot more watched during the Olympics than men's beach volleyball. That ain't because women are watching it, either. Say what you want about Anna Kournikova. When she was playing tennis, TV viewership was up. Interest in the sport was up. What would happen if Anna Kournikova played basketball and was one of the top players in the WNBA? You know the answer even if you don't want to admit it. It's unfortunate. But, it's the truth.

Nice girls don't

Bless her heart, Hope Solo does not have a humble bone in her body. The goalkeeper for the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team is on a media blitz promoting her new autobiography. She's the best female goalkeeper in the world and has been for several years. If you don't believe me, just ask her. Some of her comments make me cringe and I consider myself a fan of hers. And, I understand it takes a supreme confidence to be good at anything, much less a world class athlete. Honestly, it's not Solo's cocky-as-hell attitude that befuddles me. It's everyone's reaction to her cocky-as-hell attitude. Usain Bolt tells the camera to move in closer before he proclaims himself to be a legend, the greatest ever and number one forever. I laughed out loud, thought it was kind of cool. Solo states, matter-of-factly, that she's great at what she does and boasts of all the adversity she's overcome and I wince. What she's saying isn't as bad as what Bolt says but he comes off as charming and innocent. Why doesn't she? I guess it's the female thing. Maybe? Do we expect females to be shy, modest and quiet? Are women supposed to be humble creatures who cry at the sight of a spider while waiting for a man to rescue them? Is that what we expect? Why are strong women with opinions called bitches? If it's okay for Usain Bolt to say, "I am a legend" why do I shake my head when Hope Solo proudly talks about how good she is? It's not just me. I've heard others berate Solo for her comments. She's one of the most disliked female athletes out there. She's one of the most outspoken. She's also one of the best. But, if you put male and female athletes together in the same category, Hope Solo wouldn't crack the top 10 in the ego competition. Yet, somehow with her, it's different. I don't get it. I probably never will.

I love frosted flakes

Heard the quote of the year this morning on ESPN's First Take. Brainless Bayless and Stupid Ass Smith were comparing LeBron James to Michael Jordan ... again. They brought in Charles Oakley, who summed it up thusly in favor of his former teammate ... "it's like corn flakes and frosted flakes, they're both flakes but one's got some sugar on it." Yeah, six championship rings worth of sugar. Oakley was one of the best guests that show has ever seen. He needs his own show. In the Michael vs. LeBron debate, he hit the nail on the head. Corn flakes are good but frosted flakes are ... great!!!

Too bad she's a she

If Serena Williams isn't the lead story on ESPN, there's something wrong. She's not, by the way, the US men's basketball team was. I'm tired of preaching about the inequality in this country towards female athletes compared to their male counterparts. There is no more dominant athlete in the world, right now, male or female, than Serena Williams. If Serena had a penis and was named Sam, he'd be touted as the greatest athlete ever. She doesn't, of course, and is merely an afterthought in a world filled with Tigers and LeBrons and Phelps. It's not fair. Serena won the Olympic gold medal today in tennis. She beat Maria Sharapova 6-0, 6-1. I repeat, she beat Sharapova, the highest-paid female athlete in the world and former world No. 1, 6-0, 6-1. If you don't know much about tennis and you're not sure what that score means, let me explain - 6-0, 6-1 is an ass kicking. Serena beat world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 6-2. She beat former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki 6-0, 6-3. She beat former grand slam finalist Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 6-0. She beat some Polish chick 6-2, 6-3 and she beat Jelena Jankovic, yet another former No. 1 player in the world, 6-3, 6-1. How dominant is that? She didn't drop a set, didn't lose more than three games in a set. She's won 17 matches in a row and 21 consecutive sets. Tiger Woods has never dominated like that. Michael Phelps has never been this dominant. Neither has LeBron or Kobe or Federer or Nadal or Tebow or any other athlete in the world. When a man, any man, runs over every other man in his sport, he's praised for his supremacy, elevated to almost God-like stature. When a woman, any woman, runs over every other woman in her sport, the other competitors are mocked and her accomplishments are diminished because of a lack of competition. It's a shame, really. You'd think in the year 2012, greatness would be appreciated no matter what form it came in. Title IX was a start. Without it, there would be no Serena Williams. But, you can't legislate sexism and gender bias. Those things are here to stay. It's too bad. Because all of the people who dismiss Serena Williams because she's a she and not a he, are missing out on one of the most dominant athletes of our lifetime.