LITTLE ROCK — Christmas spirit was overflowing Monday afternoon at the news conference at the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
The reason for being there was to share some of the great things that are happening for the Dec. 30 Baylor-Arkansas basketball game at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock.
The War Memorial Stadium Commission had made a suggestion, and immediately people from Stephens Inc. and the North Little Rock and Little Rock chambers of commerce went into action.
All three bought blocks of tickets for the basketball game and immediately made them available to military personnel stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base and Camp Robinson.
They are encouraging others to do the same, businesses and individuals.
“This is an opportunity to thank people who don’t get thanked enough,” said Frank Thomas of Stephens Inc.
Several businesses, including the law firm of Friday, Eldredge and Clark, have bought blocks of tickets and offered them to employees.
Tickets are still available at the Verizon Arena box office or through Ticketmaster for $25 each, and there is still time to get them if you are looking for great stocking stuffers or presents.
It is also an opportunity for central Arkansas to stand up and say we want to keep this annual game in Verizon Arena.
The game itself could be a great measuring stick for the rest of the season for the Razorbacks. It will be a challenge, perhaps even bigger than Louisville, and a home crowd could help the Hogs.
Baylor is 9-1, and its only loss was to Alabama, 79-76.
The Bears have resurrected a program that appeared to be doomed after a player shot and killed another player.
They have grown into a tough Big 12 opponent, and while the Bears’ coaching staff isn’t real popular in their conference, no one can discount that Baylor has become an NCAA Tournament team again.
Actually, the festivities for the game begin Dec. 29 when Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey addresses the Downtown Tip-Off club at the Wyndham Riverfront-Little Rock.
A few tickets are still available for that 11:30 a.m. luncheon and can be purchased by calling the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce at (501) 372-5959.
Ray Tucker, executive director of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, is going to keep the museum, located in Verizon Arena, open until 7 p.m. the day of the game, which tips off at 8 p.m. And to keep the holiday spirit alive, admission will be half-price.
What might make the game even more intriguing is that it could be the season debut of Courtney Fortson.
The Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act prohibits schools from releasing academic information about any students, but last week Pelphrey said of Fortson: “I think we’re making someprogress there. Certainly we’ll see when grades come out and what the rest of the plan looks like.”
That could easily mean Fortson needed to finish a classroom project or some work and once that was done he would be eligible.
Tuesday night was the second game the Hogs played without him since the end of the fall semester, and by next Thursday, he could easily have finished all his assigned academic work.
Whether that is the night he returns or not, there is no doubt that a lot of Razorbacks fans want the game with Baylor to be a success, and they obviously had a good dose of the giving spirit.
Sports, Pages 21 on 12/23/2009