We’ll take a step back before moving forward in a segmented version of this weekly offering.
Last Sunday’s topic was about the decision of National Federation of State High School Associations to implement a pitch-count for high school baseball. The need for such a rule was on display Aug. 7 in an American Legion game, where Jesse Stalling threw 173 pitches and 102/3 innings in a 4-3 victory for Rockport, Ind., over Edwardsville, Ill.
His coach, basically, shrugged off the heavy workload.
“We left him in a little longer than we normally do,” Rockport coach Jim Haaf was quoted as saying in a Belleville (Ill.) newspaper. “But it’s kind of winding down to the end of the year and he ought to be in his best shape. So, consequentially, he wanted to stay and we let him stay.”
This is another example of what Dr. James Andrews, who’s spent his adult life patching up damaged athletes, rails about. The pitch-limit adopted by all states, including Arkansas, will protect young athletes from themselves and against coaches with a win-atall-costs mentality.
HOW ABOUT US?
The list has ballooned to 20 schools, including Arkansas State, that will conduct video conferences with Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby should the league decide to expand.
That leaves only Trump University and the Ernest T. Bass School of Dance and Etiquette as lower-level schools not being considered. Arkansas State won’t make the cut, nor will long shots like East Carolina, Tulane, and South Florida, which misspelled ‘research’ in a letter designed to impress the league about its academics.
My $2 is on Houston and Cincinnati, should the league expand. Stay at 10 teams and this whole process becomes as silly as a Hillary Clinton listening tour.
AT THE MOVIES
If you’re like me, you watch the movie Hoosiers each spring to get energized for the high school and college basketball tournaments.
I will not be surprised if Greater becomes a similar tradition for Arkansas football fans each year.
The long-awaited movie about former Arkansas All-American Brandon Burlsworth opens nationwide Friday and a sneak preview will be held Tuesday at the Malco Razorback Cinema in Fayetteville.
Greater is the inspiring story of Burlsworth, a walk-on from Harrison who died in a car accident 11 days after being selected in the NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts. Tommy Tice, Burlsworth’s high school coach and a long-time friend of the family, said the movie is a close portrayal of Brandon’s life.
“I am very impressed with it,” said Tice, who attended a premier of the film in Little Rock in January. “They captured it just the way it was. People who aren’t football-oriented at all are going to love this movie because there are so many stories within the story.”
STILL HURTS, MAN
Gus Malzahn was among a handful of college coaches to respond when asked by writers at ESPN.com to name the toughest defeats of their careers.
Malzahn’s toughest loss, not surprisingly, is Auburn’s 34-31 defeat to Florida State in the national championship game from the 2013 season. The other two, he said, were from his high school coaching days in Arkansas.
The first came in 1994 in the Class AA state championship game when Hughes lost 17-13 to Lonoke. The second came in 2000 when Rison upset Shiloh Christian 30-29 in overtime to win the Class AA state championship.
That loss ended a 44-game unbeaten streak for the Saints, who were denied a third consecutive state championship.
“Rhett Lashlee was my quarterback and we lost in overtime to a team we probably should’ve beat,” Malzahn said in the article. “Those three really stick with me. I think about those once a week.”
I heard some cheers at the news Shiloh Christian had lost while covering a basketball game that night. The Saints were not a popular team because of rumors of recruiting and charges they ran up the score against out-manned opponents in AA.
No matter. Shiloh Christian won another state championship in 2001 after Malzahn moved on to Springdale High.
TAKING A STAND (MAYBE)
Finally, I think I can speak for married men everywhere by declaring a halt to the “honey, do” lists we’ve completed without complaint since spring. For the next few months, any requests shall be met with “honey, it’ll have to wait.”
It’s football season.
Good luck to you, but my wife Rhonda will surely reject this idea today before pushing me out to sweep the garage.
Rick Fires can be reached at rfires@nwadg.com or on Twitter@NWARick.