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Shenanigans,Anderson make Fayetteville trip a win

It’s blurry, but it’s proof! Razorbacks basketball Coach Mike Anderson poses with fans at Herman’s Ribhouse in Fayetteville.
It’s blurry, but it’s proof! Razorbacks basketball Coach Mike Anderson poses with fans at Herman’s Ribhouse in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- On Jan. 30 we headed up the Hill for some hoops, to see Coach Mike Anderson's Arkansas Razorbacks take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

It wasn't my first Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball game, but it was my first at the school. I've made it to a few of the Hogs' annual December games at North Little Rock's Verizon Arena, but seeing basketball on the home turf at Bud Walton Arena is a different experience. And it's a definite blast.

More students, of course, means more shenanigans. The crowd got its kicks yelling "What's that smell?" and "Who's she?" while members of the other team were introduced. And then there were the huge head signs (of players, of themselves, of the screaming face emoji) that fans have made to distract the other team -- or at least to better their chances of getting on the Jumbotron.

On this day, former Razorbacks running back for the Dallas Cowboys, D-Mac (Darren McFadden), returned to his alma mater for a center court Hogs call. And there was a sequiny Motown-theme halftime dance number and a cute kiddie game. It was quite the spectacle.

Oh yeah, and we won! In an over the top overtime, thanks to an Anthlon Bell three-pointer, a dunk by Moses Kingsley and then two foul shots by Dusty Hannahs.

Enough dribbling. On to drooling. It was time to pig out in Hogtown. As it was my boyfriend's birthday, he elected man food at Herman's Ribhouse, a veteran meaty mainstay that has had several changes in ownership since 1964, when Herman Tuck opened it with a mere nine menu items. More than 50 years later, the down-homey dive that charges $40 for a rib-eye has a few more selections (steaks, ribs, pork, salmon, burgers, sandwiches, omelets, chicken) and a bit more space, in the form of a patio.

We would get intimately acquainted with that patio. In spite of the packed parking lot, there was no line when we walked in. We thought we had lucked out and would be seated right away. Not hardly. We were seated, but that was by ourselves in folding chairs on a space-heated patio where a half-dozen other parties, some of them large, were waiting.

After about 30 minutes, we wondered if perhaps maybe we had made a mistake by heading here. But it was too late to go somewhere else, which would inevitably have a waiting list too. We would just have to hang with Herman.

But 10 minutes later, we were hanging with Mike!

That Mike! Mike Anderson!

There he was, our victorious coach, seated a mere two tables away, with his wife, Marcheita, and another couple and still wearing sneakers -- a nod to the Coaches vs. Cancer week -- with his suit pants. Unbeknownst to us, it's one of his favorite spots. And hey, if a man making more than $2 million a year likes a place serving complimentary salsa and plastic-wrapped crackers as an appetizer, and complimentary Blow Pops for dessert, it has got to be good.

We were star-struck, as was everyone else wearing red and white. (We hadn't been this excited to see a public figure since spotting tennis star Andy Roddick at a Memphis cafe! Actually, we didn't recognize him -- some Japanese tourists near us did and we eventually figured it out. Let's just say we hadn't been this excited to see a public figure since spotting the owner of Fauzio's menswear, who does the commercials with cartoon penguins, at a Little Rock sushi buffet.)

We were star-struck, but shy. At least my boyfriend didn't want to pester Anderson, though he and his guests were plenty personable to all dinner interrupters.

Instead we just did our best to eavesdrop as we dined on our starter oniony, peppery "Gear Salads," served with plastic bottles of our requested ranch and blue cheese dressings, and our appetizer. Never mind the appetizer -- they were out of the one we ordered (shrimp remoulade). They also were out of the bacon-wrapped filet mignon I was going to order.

Ooh, maybe Anderson got our shrimp and steak? That would be OK.

To the guy who held up his toddler son and told Anderson he was looking at a future basketball star, he answered, "I won't be there," with a laugh. Which made the whole restaurant laugh -- everyone else was tuned in to Anderson, too.

As the coach stood up to leave, he was swarmed by selfie seekers. His wife good-naturedly snapped all the phone photos: "This is my job." We elected to stay in our seats, eating our 6-ounce filet of tenderloin and half rack of spare ribs, and quite possibly the best macaroni and cheese ever (apologies to diners at the neighboring table who had to watch us eat the last bowl), and make do with a blurry picture of him posing with other people.

D-Mac. Macaroni. And now Mac Daddy Mike Anderson.

This Fayetteville trip had us feeling pretty "mac-nificent."

Pass an email to:

jchristman@arkansasonline.com

What's in a Dame is a weekly report from the woman 'hood. You can hear Jennifer on Little Rock's KURB-FM, B98.5 (B98.com), from 5:30-9 a.m. Monday through Friday.

Style on 02/07/2016

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