t’s Sunday and another holiday season has passed. It’s time to get off the couch, rebutton our jeans and get back to work.
This past year has been an interesting one to say the least. I’m sure many of you have faced trying times regardless of what business you’re in. Hopefully 2010 will bring us more economic stability. The Northwest Arkansas newspaper industry was not immune to the economic upheaval and we’ve seen dramatic changes in the print media landscape this year.
Still, despite the struggles, there are a lot of positives to hang our Hog hats on when it comes to sports. From preps to pros, we are all blessed to have such a wide-ranging scope of sports to enjoy and terrific venues from which to watch the nation’s top athletes perform.
Thanks to the vision of former Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles, there’s no better place to watch a baseball game in the country than Baum Stadium on a warm spring day. And 10,000 plus Hog-loving fans for most games will agree on that. Nothing captivated the area more than last year’s College World Series run.
It’s not quite there yet, but soon the road from Springdale to Kansas City will start brimming with Double-A players in the Royals organization making jump from minors to majors. When that starts to happen with more regularity, you can expect the crowds in Arvest Ballpark start to really jump when fans can watch a player in Springdale one night and see him in a Royals uniform that same week.
Speaking of Springdale, is there any better prep football played anywhere than that city? Springdale was home to two state champions this fall with Har-Ber winning the first of what will be a string of titles for the Wildcats, while Shiloh Christian won its third title in four years and was ranked No. 23 in the final USA Today national prep poll.
The prep glory wasn’t just confined to the football field in 2009. Fayetteville’s boys and girls basketball teams pulled off a feat that is almost unheard of as both teams completed undefeated championship seasons. The teams went a combined 62-0 which is just amazing.
The professional women’s golf tour made its third swing through the region in September and the field was the best yet as rising start Michelle Wie joined Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis and others for the event this year. This tournament has a real shot at being a major LPGA stop now that Wal-Mart is aboard and prize money has been raised for 2010.
Speaking of next year, the local sports scene could be even better. If Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett returns for his junior season, it’s quite possible Arkansas could have its first Heisman Trophy winner. The cannon-armed redshirt sophomore is currently sniffing his options for early entry for this year’s NFL Draft, but his return in 2010 would put him squarely in the Heisman talk.
The region will also be buzzing with a number of outstanding college football prospects come next fall. There are two dynamic quarterbacks that are certain to draw a ton of national attention in Fayetteville’s Brandon Allen and Kiehl Frazier of Shiloh. Both will be among the nation’s top prospects at their position, as will linemen Brey Cook of Har-Ber and Samuel Harvill and Travis Bodenstein of Shiloh.
So after 24 hours of the classic holiday movie “A Christmas Story” and another epic living room gift wrapping paper war, we’re ready to move forward.
CHIP SOUZA IS THE SPORTS EDITOR OF NORTHWEST ARKANSAS NEWSPAPERS.