Bucknam off track, still in zone
One would think it would be pretty tough to rattle Chris Bucknam.
After all, the men’s track and field coach at the University of Arkansas had to follow the legendary John McDonnell, who left behind a sizable pair of track shoes to fill.
Bucknam has done an admirable job, recently claiming his first national championship when the Razorbacks won the NCAA indoor title March 9 at the Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville.
That achievement earned Bucknam the honor of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at the Arkansas-Ole Miss series last Friday night at Baum Stadium, and that is where the nerves kicked in.
“It was probably the first time I was on the mound since Little League,” Bucknam said. “I felt some pressure. It felt kind of like the final day of the NCAA meet, to tell you the truth.
“The lights are on, the crowd isthere, players from both teams are on the top step of their dugouts and leaning against the railing watching to see what I’m going to do, if I’m going to bounce it.”
The pitch, like the NCAA Indoor Championships, went well for Bucknam. He delivered a strike to relief pitcher Colby Suggs.
“I wish they’d had the radar gun on me,” Bucknam said, with a laugh. “I think I threw it pretty hard.”Ready to exhale
Relax, Gonzaga, you are off the hook.
“You can stop biting your lower lip now, Gonzaga fans,” wrote Jerry Brewer of The Seattle Times. “You can open your eyes and stop clasping your hands in prayer, too. And please, please exhale, because you turned so blue you resembled an unnerved Smurf.
“The scare is over. The Zags didn’t make dubious history. As a newbie No. 1 seed, they didn’t become burdened with the dishonor of losing to a No. 16 for the first time in NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament history.
“This game wasn’t about what happened. It was about what didn’t happen. Gonzaga survived, barely, with a 64-58 non-loss over Southern on Thursday afternoon at EnergySolutions Arena. To celebrate, everyone doused themselves in relief.
“Gonzaga Coach Mark Few began his postgame remarks by saying ‘Well, hey,’ and then he threw in the verbal filler ‘I mean,’ and later he offered the ultimate it-was-one-of-those-games assessment by reckoning, ‘My guys played well when there wasn’t a whole lot going their way.’
“Translation: Whew.
“If you’re Gonzaga, there’s notmuch else to take from this game other than, Whew.” Tiger’s pursuits
In case you missed it, and we’re not sure how you could, Tiger Woods and World Cup downhill ski champion Lindsey Vonn are an item.
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel could care less.
“Maybe I’m an old-fashioned sports fan, but I don’t really want to know about my sports heroes messing up in their personal lives,” Bianchi wrote. “I don’t care to know if an athlete is having marital problems. I don’t feel compelled to know the dirty details of who an athlete is sleeping with. In fact, I don’t even care to see Facebook photos of Tiger with his newest squeeze.
“You know what I want a see pictures of? I want to see pictures of Tiger winning his eighth Arnie on Sunday and once again becoming the No. 1-ranked player in the world. I want to see pictures of Tiger pumping his fist after draining a tournamentwinning 20-footer at The Masters.
“I couldn’t care less about seeing pictures of Tiger in pursuit of Lindsey Vonn. I’d much rather see pictures of Tiger in pursuit of Jack Nicklaus.”
Bob Holt of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette contributed information for this article.
Quote of the day “In gymnastics, it’s
like turning around an
aircraft carrier. It doesn’t happen fast.” Auburn Coach Jeff Graba on trying to break into the upper tier of the SEC
Sports, Pages 22 on 03/23/2013