High school teams playing in Class 7A for football and Class 6A for other sports has me more confused than usual, which is my excuse for a segmented version of this weekly column.
KING COTTON COMEBACK
Did you hear? The King Cotton Holiday Classic is making a comeback after it was discontinued 18 years ago.
That's great news for the city of Pine Bluff, which is often in the news for the wrong reasons.
Eight boys teams, including two from Arkansas (Jacksonville and Pine Bluff), will play in the tournament to be held Dec. 27-29 at the Pine Bluff Convention Center.
I remember turning on ESPN during an ice storm in 1991 to watch Russellville and St. Joseph Notre Dame High School of Alameda, Calif., play for the championship in the King Cotton Holiday Classic. Russellville beat the team led by Jason Kidd when Corliss Williamson partially blocked Kidd's last-second shot.
The win did plenty for high school basketball in Arkansas and provided a national audience with its first look at Williamson, who led the Razorbacks to the NCAA championship in 1994.
Hopefully, the return of the King Cotton Holiday Classic will prove successful. My primary concern is whether fans will be willing to hand over cash during the holiday season when money is tight.
That was a factor that led to the demise of the King Cotton Holiday Classic and later the Holiday Hoops Tournament at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.
BEHAVING BADLY
I certainly appreciate the SEC tag line "It just means more," especially for football with its great rivalries and history of producing champions.
But some fans take their passion for SEC football way too far, like the idiot Alabama fan who poisoned the iconic oak trees at Auburn that had stood for decades. Harvey Updike was sentenced to three years in prison, and it should've been more.
Defacing an innate object isn't nearly as bad, but I certainly hope the person who spray-painted "Woo Pig" in red on a statue of the Mississippi State bulldog mascot is caught and punished.
Funny? Daring?
Not hardly. Foolish and ignorant are the words that come to mind.
If police can't prove who did this, you know Mississippi State is going to use it as added incentive against the Hogs and the broadcast team for the game is going to rehash the story when the teams play at Starkville on Nov. 17.
It was a dumb move that maybe a weekend in a Starkville jail might help prevent from being repeated.
'CATS CONQUER ALL
So, you know who represented the state of Arkansas quite well?
It's the North Little Rock Charging Wildcats, who went 3-0 in nonconference play against teams from Oklahoma, Tennessee and Louisiana.
The defending Class 7A state champions in Arkansas opened the season with a 29-28 victory over Booker T. Washington of Tulsa. The Charging Wildcats then defeated Evangel Christian Academy 35-20 in Shreveport, La., and beat Memphis Whitehaven 46-35 at home Friday.
Those victories against quality teams from out of state bode quite well for the reputation of high school football in Arkansas. Good job, Charging Wildcats.
Now, let's see if you can hold off the in-state competition and repeat as state champions in Class 7A.
THIS MAGIC MOMENT
I was sad to read Hunter Wilson is no longer with the Arkansas baseball team, then I couldn't stop smiling after watching the video of Wilson hitting a grand slam in the SEC Tournament.
That's where Wilson ran the bases at full speed and rounded third base with his arms spread and his mouth wide open after putting the Hogs ahead 8-2 against Florida.
Wilson was then interviewed on ESPN while wearing a Hog hat on his head. It was the only home run for Wilson, a utility player from Spiro, Okla., who will try to find more playing time at another school this spring.
Still, Arkansas baseball fans won't soon forget Wilson, who was called "Cowboy" by his teammates. His grand slam was a highlight in a year when Arkansas came within one strike of winning the national championship.
So, as the Cowboy rides away, happy trails to you. We wish you well.
Sports on 09/16/2018