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Stories by Wally Hall
OPINION | WALLY HALL: KJ Jefferson a great fit for Manning Academy KJ Jefferson attending the Manning Passing Academy is a natural now.In three seasons at the University of Arkansas, he has gone from barely an afterthought to being considered one of the best two quar... June 23, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: International tournament has Hog flavor It could turn out to be one of his most brilliant coaching moves ever.Arkansas Razorback head basketball coach Eric Musselman, who seems to have a wealth of contacts, has accepted an offer to take his... June 22, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Hogs left with an uphill climb in Omaha It's hard to believe after Monday night's performance, but Ole Miss was almost down and out to begin May.The Rebels had looked good until they got swept by Tennessee at the end of March and by... June 21, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Hogs a different team late in the postseason Whatever happened to the Arkansas Razorbacks late in the season when they dropped six of eight games is gone.Whatever caused them to drop in the polls and lose a chance to host a regional or super reg... June 19, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Wide-open field for the College World Series Odds on the 2022 College World Series are varied.One online betting service has Arkansas as the fourth favorite despite opening with Stanford, which is the second favorite on their board.A reader sent... June 16, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Minister has seen the good in college sports Kenny Mossman is a Baptist minister in Carnegie, Okla.He's a good man, husband, father, uncle, cousin, etc., etc. ...Kenny is anything but controversial, so it was a little surprising Monday night... June 15, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: It’s no accident the Hogs are back in College World Series They are playing with reckless abandon.The Arkansas Razorbacks, who swept North Carolina in the super regionals in Chapel Hill, had a flawless weekend defensively, and on offense they were swinging sh... June 14, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Hogs, Belmont, banquet dominate Saturday Saturday was a full day of perspiring arts.It started with the Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team taking on North Carolina in the NCAA super regionals at 10 a.m. Central time.The Razorbacks were back a... June 12, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: This Belmont not an easy one to handicap On June 9, 1973, only four horses dared contest Secretariat in the 105th running of the Belmont Stakes.Only Sham stood a a chance of an upset and not much of one.Secretariat won by 31 lengths, that an... June 9, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: No prancing or dancing, just Hogs advancing His bleached yellow mullet flowed from the back of his Oklahoma State baseball cap.You could almost sense the smile on his face. Or maybe a sneer.The night before, Roc Riggio had stared into the Arkan... June 8, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: It’s time to put Hampton in the College Hall of Fame It is always amazing to receive the ballot from the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.It isn't amazing that there are 80 players and nine coaches from Football Bowl Subdivision... June 7, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: No argument, Pittman has proven himself It wasn't a matter of was Sam Pittman going to get a raise on top of the $750,000 raise he earned by winning nine games last season, it was when and how much.By today's standards, Pittman came... June 5, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Get welcome mat ready for Texas, OU A lot of talk is going on at the SEC spring meetings in Destin, Fla., most of it about football and scheduling.Some teams want a nine-game SEC schedule, others want eight so they can get the home-game... June 2, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Williams taking charge of his future so far When Jaylin Williams tweeted that he was turning pro and would not be returning to play for the Arkansas Razorbacks, it was not a surprise.It wasn't even a surprise he did it in a tweet, which has... June 1, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Hometown news with my toes in the sand Every seat was taken in every watering hole in the Miami airport Friday night.When the Miami Heat-Boston Celtics game tipped off in a must-win NBA playoff game for the Heat, it was expected the Americ... May 29, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: A Secret Oath win would be a tale to tell When Rich Strike's owner announced the Kentucky Derby winner would not be in the Preakness this Saturday, the race took a huge hit.Triple Crown contenders create excitement.The only major news now... May 19, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Maybe it’s time to call for an NIL mulligan It has been warned that the Name Image Likeness situation is going to get more confusing, and it has.Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette had a story about how 24 states have approved paying player... May 18, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Deifel proved to be right call for UA softball She is 41 with the energy, enthusiasm and smile of someone half her age.When Courtney Deifel was hired by Jeff Long to coach the Arkansas Razorbacks softball team for the 2016 season she was relativel... May 17, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: It’s time to retire more Razorback jerseys As the Arkansas Razorbacks progress, it wouldn't be surprising to hear some talk about another change, one that would honor former athletes.Like not playing in-state schools, not retiring numbers ... May 15, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Issues with NIL aren’t going away soon If you thought name, image and likeness was confusing and ridiculous by ruining college athletics, it is going to get worse.The NCAA, which ignored NIL issues until the Supremes ruled they couldn'... May 12, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Bet on Hogs being a team to watch in 2022 It is almost amazing what a transformation Sam Pittman has made in the perception of Arkansas Razorback football.Just two years after the Hogs were facedown in the cellar of the SEC West, winless in c... May 11, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Rich Strike stole the show on biggest stage It was the perfect storm in Louisville, Ky., on Saturday.Cinderella, in horseshoes, stole the ball.Miss Congeniality won the Miss America title.It was almost a rags-to-riches story.There were four com... May 10, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Rich Strike made it an unforgettable party It is billed as the fastest two minutes in sports.Give or take a few seconds, the Kentucky Derby is the biggest thoroughbred racing event in the world.Many have tried to copy it, all have failed. It i... May 8, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Plenty of intrigue guaranteed for Derby This is not an ongoing series about Bob Baffert, but the trainer who is suspended from running horses at Churchill Downs may be a temporary ghost at the track.If either of his horses, Messier or Taiba... May 5, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Kentucky Derby will go on without Baffert It is the biggest day in thoroughbred racing in the world and Bob Baffert won't be there.He'll have two horses running, though, just under one of his former assistant's name.The trainer wh... May 4, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: SEC shows dominance again in NFL Draft Someone could take the numbers of the latest NFL Draft and make an argument that Arkansas' Sam Pittman should have been the SEC Coach of the Year.The SEC had 65 players drafted, once again the mos... May 3, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Football slate may be Hogs’ toughest ever Random thoughts while wondering how to survive three more weeks of televised political ads:It seems like every year the Arkansas Razorbacks have one of the toughest football schedules in the country, ... May 1, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Time for Emmert to get on down the road It may not have been heard nationwide, but it should have been.The sound that was heard was the sigh of relief when NCAA President Mark Emmert, 69, announced he was stepping down.After 12 years of bun... April 28, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Burks has NFL standout written all over him Time is running out on NFL mock drafts.On Thursday night, the real NFL Draft begins on ESPN, and there will cheers, tears and jeers from pro football fans from all over the country.Until then, we have... April 27, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Pittman staying a step ahead of the game Nothing seems to rattle Sam Pittman.The head football coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks comes across like Tom Cruise in "Top Gun."Always calm, cool and collected. Always ready to act or react... April 26, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Oaklawn is racing without me … for now On Saturday, your trusty scribe wanted to be at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort or at the Arkansas Razorbacks' spring practice, which has been interesting and promising.As for Oaklawn, there was grea... April 24, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: SEC having trouble catching the Muss Bus March Madness had a new definition in the SEC.While six teams were invited to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament and posted an unimpressive overall record of 5-6, something else was going on.Six... April 13, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Final round of Masters proved great theater Watching the final day of the Masters was truly memorable.Like Bill Mazeroski's walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth of Game 7 to give the Pittsburgh Pirates the 1960 World Series.Like Arkans... April 12, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Even with 10 new faces, no reason for doubt Tall, that's what the University of Arkansas men basketball team is going to be next season.As it stands right now, Davonte "Devo" Davis, 6-3, would be the shortest guy on the team, and ... April 10, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Williams left mark at CAC, then UConn There she was on ESPN on Sunday night in the NCAA women's championship game.She won't turn 22 until next month, but this was Christyn Williams' third Women's Final Four as a starter fo... April 7, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Hogs’ way-too-early ranking is way too early Jaylin Williams' intentions to test the NBA waters were known, but the Caesars Superdome floor was still covered with confetti when ESPN announced its way-too-early No. 1 for next basketball seaso... April 6, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Pinch bugler leaves impression on Derby Day They just kept coming on Saturday.Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs was the place to be on Arkansas Derby Day, and the attendance was reported at 60,000. In time, another 60,000 will claim t... April 5, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: As racing world watched, Oaklawn delivered HOT SPRINGS -- A picturesque day of racing at Oaklawn Racing Casino and Resort.Blue skies, slight breeze, sunshine and spring temperatures with enough story lines to fill up every section of your dail... April 3, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Fun party expected for Saturday at Oaklawn Since 2004, when Smarty Jones won the Arkansas Derby and went on to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, the biggest race in the Natural State has unofficially become known as the Smarty Party.This S... March 31, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: NCAA champion could have luck on its side It is a little anti-climatic now.The Final Four is fun, but it is nothing compared to the opening weekend or even the Sweet 16, and all of the remaining teams except for North Carolina were expected t... March 30, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: UA hoops back at a level to revered, feared There was 6:38 to play and JD Notae had just hit a three to give Arkansas a 59-50 lead over No. 1 Gonzaga and just like that, the route changed.The CBS star team of Jim Nantz, Grant Hill and Bill Raft... March 29, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Blue Devils were definitely the better team The University of Arkansas could have become one of the all-time great college basketball trivia answers: What team ended Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski's record at 1,201 wins and denied him a NC... March 27, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Zags sent home earlier than they expected Elite Eight Arkansas.Has a ring to it and it should.For the second consecutive season, or every time that Eric Musselman has coached the Arkansas Razorbacks in the NCAA Tournament, the Hogs have made ... March 25, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Looking past Hogs could lead Zags bedeviled The Zags are really the Bulldogs, but who really cares.Gonzaga has become a blue blood of college basketball.The Zags have been to the NCAA Tournament every year since 1999 and to the Sweet 16 12 time... March 24, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Peacocks strut their stuff in NCAA tournament, while SEC doesn’t This NCAA Men's Tournament has proven something.The SEC and the Big Ten are football conferences.Days before the 68-team field was announced Kentucky's John Calipari declared the SEC deserved ... March 23, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Rickety ride lands Hogs in San Francisco In the NCAA Tournament, a pretty loss gets you eliminated.An ugly win means survive and advance.The University of Arkansas survived and advanced against New Mexico State, which was a dogfight from the... March 22, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Toney’s ‘D’ a big reason Hogs advanced BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Thursday night, sitting at press row in front of the Vermont fans was an ear-ringing experience.Class and dignity went out the window in the first minute, and 40 minutes of heck was l... March 20, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: There’s no backing down from these Aggies BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Johnny Keith was unique.He was his own man. Afraid of nothing.For several years he was the buffer between the Oklahoma football coach and the media. Later, he pulled the same duties a... March 19, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Arkansas sticks to hearty defense in victory BUFFALO, N.Y. -- With nine seconds left Thursday night, the referees went to the review monitor after first claiming two Vermont players knocked the ball off Arkansas' JD Notae.Arkansas led 73-71,... March 18, 2022
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Musselman has his team loose, ready to go BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Fog settled on this city, throwing air traffic behind an hour or so.It didn't seem to faze the handful of fans on a 6 a.m. flight out of Little Rock -- including Mica Strother, a ... March 17, 2022
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