From the Bench - Overly Optimistic Razorback Sports Media Only Setting up Fans

[Jim Harris]

One day, that will be the only option available. Teams will put a luxury box where the press box is now and monetize all the content they can.

You're right about that. Those are choice skybox locations to be divvied out for free to the press. They'll put the media in the corner box level behind the goal line when they expand the north end zone, like Jerry Jones has done to the media at Cowboys Stadium.

[Jim Harris]

I am a HUGE BB fan and not so much of a Shields fan; However, his article is good & dead on.  His article is backed by Jim Harris' post above concerning Orville Henry.

The Arkansas media is just too concerned about the fan following the media and listening to them, so they stay positive so they don't loose any listeners.

The Arkansas media is also concerned with having access to the UofA so they don't get negative.  They stay positive so they don't get banned on anything.

Can you imagine the Arkansas Razorback fan base on the morning of that 1987 Miami game, if Orville had written what he probably had to quietly believe — that Miami was very likely better than the Hogs at 21 of 22 starting positions with awesome talent behind the starters, and likely had 18 NFL first- or second-rounders suiting up to the Hogs' 2, and that the scorned Jimmy Johnson was ready to lay half-a-hundred on Arkansas just to spite his former mentor Frank Broyles, who had passed him over not once but twice for the head coaching job?

For about half the day, Hog fans who were ready to fill WMS and go nuts during a national matchup on TV would have been beside themselves that Orville could "be so negative" about their Hogs. Later, the smart ones would have noticed how prescient Orville actually had been and would have been wishing they'd called their bookies and gotten some big action on the game. For the most, though, it would have been forgotten. Orville knew his audience, so to speak. That's why some of the more "objective" sports writers who were employed by the Arkansas Democrat back in the 1950s and 60s never could crack Orville's hold on the Hog faithful. Nothing has changed: they still want to hear how wonderful everything is, even when it's not. Some of these other guys today seem to know their audience as well, but certainly it's not the entire Arkansas sports media.

[Biggus Piggus]

Its this line of thinking that people are fed up with. If someone isnt rosey on what the year brings they are bad fans. Lets flip this around to those that have been overly positive and made bold predictions that were flat out wrong. Those doubting the talent and using that as a formula to make their own educated guess is better than just hoping we get better. If the board goes on the past 2 years predictions, the sunshine pumpers seem to be the least educated in making predictions. So a guy picks 4-5 wins for the upcoming season and they are debbie downers but as long as a guys prediction includes upsetting a top 3 team at  their place and pick a high win total they are true hog fans. Some of the long time message board experts have flamed in their assesment of the last couple years season predictions. Someone is taking the same data and making correct and incorrect predictions. I know which group has been right more recently.

But Robert predicts that the Hogs will go to a bowl game this season. [CENSORED] homer.