We’ll play some “pepper” today while taking a break from a busy spring sports schedule.
Did you know that extra innings in softball begins with a runner standing on second base? Or, that a pitch that bounces to the plate and hits the batter results in a walk?
Oh, and for those unfamiliar with “pepper” in baseball, ask your grandpa. Then grab a bat and a glove and head outside for some fun.
WELCOME WAGON
It was interesting to gauge the differences to the announced hiring of Mike Neighbors and Jimmy Dykes, the Arkansas women’s basketball coach he replaced.
There were complaints Dykes was hired over more qualified candidates, including a statement from the Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association that read, in part, “Arkansas’s decision to hire someone who has not coached basketball in 23 years is disappointing to the multitude of more-than-qualified coaches who are members of our association.”
I tried three years ago to get some local reaction to the Dykes hiring, but the few high school girls coaches I contacted didn’t want to comment for publication. Fast forward to last week when high school and college coaches appeared eager to comment on the hiring of Neighbors, a former Bentonville High School coach who spent the past four years as a college coach at Washington.
“He’s paid his dues and has worked hard to build programs,” said Valley Springs coach Kimberly Jenkins, a former Arkansas player. “I’ve spoken with several former players and we’re all excited about this.”
Paying your dues in one profession, as Dykes did in broadcasting, doesn’t translate to success in another profession, especially when there are more qualified candidates. The reset begins with Neigbors.
A NEW ATTITUDE
Arkansas’ season was damaged when four players decided to “pull a Kaepernick” and take a knee in protest during the playing of the national anthem. Colin Kaepernick, of course, is the former backup quarterback at San Francisco who now says he will stand for the national anthem.
So, what’s changed?
He’s looking for a job. That’s what’s changed.
I won’t label Kaepernick a fraud, but he’s not a prominent statesman against social inequality and racial injustice that some made him out to be. Kaepernick didn’t even vote in the November elections, which makes it easy for me to dismiss anything he has to complain about.
OVERWORKED?
I was reminded how much major league baseball has changed when I heard two commentators on MLB Network second-guess a manager for bringing a closer in to pitch in the eighth inning.
“Is that something you really want to be doing so early in the season?,” host Christopher Russo asked his viewers. “That’s a five-out appearance and there’s 160 games to go.”
Oh, the horror.
What’s next?
Will a starting pitcher be asked to throw more than six innings?
Will a left fielder be asked to play right field?
Worst yet, will a pitcher in an American League game ever have to bat for himself?
Even in the age of specialization, complaining about a manager who asked his pitcher to get more than three outs is ridiculous.
CYCLE CIRCUIT
I have a new appreciation for the sport of cycling after standing in a rainstorm on the final day of the Joe Martin Stage Race in Fayetteville.
Cycling is something you must see in person to fully appreciate the athleticism and stamina of the racers and the dangers they face, especially in the rain, where one wrong move by bikers whizzing by in tight space can lead to some serious injuries. Luckily, no one got hurt, and that’s a tribute to the skill of the men and women involved.
Fayetteville was truly the “Center of the Cycling Universe”, as the public address announcer suggested last week, and an event to be circled on the sports calendar each year in Northwest Arkansas.
NEXT STOP: NBA
Did you hear about the player from Arkansas who went to Kentucky for one year and is now in position to earn millions in the NBA?
Yes, Archie Goodwin signed a multi-year with the Brooklyn Nets after playing most of the season in the NBA Developmental League.
The other guy?
That’s Malik Monk, who announced last week he was also leaving Kentucky after one year. Monk fulfilled his “business decision” to attend Kentucky, where he raised his status for the NBA and played for a coach who specializes in oneand-done players.
Arkansas, meanwhile, did just fine without Monk and the Razorbacks appear primed for another strong season, especially if guards Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon return.
After all the finger-pointing and name-calling, Monk is headed to the place he always wanted to be and the Arkansas basketball program is relevant again on the national stage.
So, everyone should be happy, right?
Probably not.
Rick Fires can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWARick.