From the Bench - So Long for Now

[WilsonHog]

Hey man in all seriousness, come and post any time you feel the need.

Or not.

[Hawgar The Horrible]

Or not.

I see a trend developing. The RS defenders are misfits as well.

[Overtheroadtruckdriver]

Another grand slam, Robert.  You will be missed.  Guys like you and Mike Irwin are why I keep retiring from hogville and unretiring. 

Looking forward to your next column.

Sincerely,

A fan

[HogBreath]

Another grand slam, Robert.  You will be missed.  Guys like you and Mike Irwin are why I keep retiring from hogville and unretiring. 

Looking forward to your next column.

Sincerely,

A fan

Very nicely stated  Mr. OT....very nice.

[HamSammich]

I have actually always laughed at you little persons replies than at the OP. In a way many of us get the last laugh... This is ended and we are all laughing at you. Pulitzer stuff? no.... but better than 80% of the threads here which all turn into 18 year old peeing contests.

[Pigsknuckles]

Time for the 2nd line.



We'll miss you RS (for awhile anyway  )

[RazorbackToTheFuture]

[BadHog]

Waiting for August!

[hawg IQ]

I see a trend developing. The RS defenders are misfits as well.

He wasn't near smart a$$ed enough to suit the masses on here . Posters are like mafia leaders that either own all opinion or have something like a 40% cut to anyone else .
He was probably way to thick skinned in general or would have made this post about 16 years ago.

[Lanny]

So Long for Now

Robert Shields

This will be my last column.

Until August. Or maybe longer.

I know many of you who do not like when I am critical of the Razorbacks wish I would have ended it with the first sentence.

Just like a large portion of fans who have taken a break from going to Razorback basketball games for the last 10 years, I am taking a sabbatical from this column and all the wonderful responses it generates each week.

After 18 straight years of writing From the Bench every week, it is time for a break, and so I will hang a “Wally Hall is on vacation” poster in its place until Razorback football resumes and I can again remind everyone that I called Austin Allen being named the starter by Bret Bielema without any question of there being competition for the job over the summer.

During the last 18 years, I got to cover some amazing events that will reverberate through Razorback history including the hiring of Houston Nutt, the firing of Nolan Richardson and the lawsuit that followed, the NCAA investigation into the Razorback program and subsequent probation, the arrival of Gus Malzahn and his Springdale players, Nutt leaving with golden handcuffs, the hiring of Bobby Petrino and his motorcycle incident, John L. Smith telling everyone to smile, and then Bret Bielema setting an historic losing streak that will probably never be broken.

But what I am best known for is writing about the Great Stadium Debate. I was the spokesman for the issue when no one else cared (enough) and Frank Broyles had shut everyone up from dissent.

But the Great Stadium Debate is over. And we lost. We meaning everyone.

GSD columns are always fun to write because it is something I am passionate about, but some columns are tougher to write than others.  You would think a person could breeze through hammering them out, but it is difficult to strike the right balance in being critical while not being too critical.

The column has been a labor of love and when I started it I never appreciated how involved producing just one column a week could be.

I am also deeply appreciative of the many readers from across the state who took time to write me, and without readers a column does not exist.

From the Bench started back in 1998 – before the Internet message board era – as a way to provide a surly fan’s perspective that really wasn’t available anywhere else. Many identified with that tact and maybe for a time I lended them a voice as my Razorback experience was shared with them in parallel.

Some challenged me to be more controversial and to cover unpopular topics with the general fan base.
A wise writer once said, “If what you are writing isn’t likely to offend or annoy anyone, go back and try again.”

It is in that spirit that many From the Bench columns began, and if it ever made you laugh, that was always one of my goals. Sometimes the readers were in on the joke, sometimes they weren’t, and many other times they liked to tell me that I was the joke.

Some of the things that people wrote me are things I will never forget. I have always finished my column with a line to send me your comments to me by email.

One time I finished with “send me your Dogpatch experience,” and a person named Buddy wrote saying he was a Vietnamese refugee and his foster family took him and his siblings to the iconic park. On the way, Buddy, like most small children, acted up and as punishment they left him in the van on purpose on a hot afternoon. Luckily for him, a sheriff noticed him scrambling around inside the van panting and rescued him. Needless to say, his sister was glad to see him still alive.

Over the years, I have also received a few messages from parents of more than one Razorback quarterback chastising me for what I had written about their sons. As I have always done no matter who wrote me, I responded with, “I appreciate you reading my column.”

I look back with gratitude as so many weekly papers supported my endeavor. I am glad that I got to help some of them win Arkansas Press Association awards.

I have only had one unexcused absence when writing my column and that was when I broke my hand. For the next six weeks, I wrote my column pecking on my keyboard with my index fingers. I enjoyed writing the column and I appreciated those who supported me and sent me kind notes. It’s the reason that I seldom took a week off even when I had surgery.

I love writing and have written a few books also, many with titles that the Internet bullies love to give me grief over. But those comments are negated when I get a good review on Goodreads from someone who read the stories after friends’ recommendations. I have three more books that I have started, and who knows with this time off I may just finish them.

To all that have read my columns and written me over the years, I appreciate you very much as you challenged me to be a better writer.

Is this the end of From the Bench? I would probably say no, but I didn’t think it was the end after “Flash Gordon” either.

See you in the funny papers.



Send your Springer’s Final Thoughts on From the Bench to fromthebench@yahoo.com.

I will anticipate August to see if you return from the abyss.

[Doug]

I will anticipate August to see if you return from the abyss.

You.... you.... YOU ENABLER!

[Jackrabbit Hog]

Hogville without Robert Shields is like a BM without the aroma.

[navyhog24]

Here's how Bob Shields feels:







This is Hogville:

[MJ2]

Sweet Fancy Moses.  A poster lobbying to be lumped in with RS and FCJ.  This is like jaywalking for street cred.

Gotta be creative.

[PonderinHog]

Here's how Bob Shields feels:







This is Hogville:

This deserves this...

[hogcard1964]

Take care Rob. 

Always enjoyed the banter.

[BadHog]

Hogville without Robert Shields is like a BM without the aroma.

[NaturalStateReb]

RS means Robert Shields

[yraciv]

Please tell me Bob will still be writing his books?  The "The Economics of Sex" and "Daphne's Ticonderoga" should have been bestsellers.

[TomasPistola]

I see a trend developing. The RS defenders are misfits as well.

No, not misfits. Just wrong.

[Großer Kriegschwein]

GIFSoup

[Großer Kriegschwein]

South Park Style

GIFSoup

[Großer Kriegschwein]

Bobbi in August

GIFSoup

[ImHogginIt]

[staffhog]

Robert, after digesting all this belly-bumping and conjecture, I really believe you are the reincarnation of JR (almost none of you will even remember him).  When your down to your last dime, you still got two nickels..............

Will your ratings be as high next season? only time will tell.

[LZH]

It's OK honey, our love for each other will take care of itself. You are such a sweetie.

[Bloodhawg]

Who is Robert Shields??? 

[CFB_Fanatic]

Please tell me Bob will still be writing his books?  The "The Economics of Sex" and "Daphne's Ticonderoga" should have been bestsellers.

VERY underrated post. Props.