For years, this day was one of fun.
In 1996, it was written that after Rick Pitino led Kentucky to the national championship he was expected to jump to the Boston Celtics as head coach and general manager.
The column was written the day before the national championship at the Meadowlands in New Jersey.
The column went on to say that then-Kentucky Athletic Director C.M. Newton had already contacted University of Arkansas head coach Nolan Richardson and was prepared to make him an offer he coudn't refuse.
The next day the Wildcats defeated Syracuse 76-67.
Everyone went home, although Georgia sports information director Claude Felton, and yours truly got stuck on a bus with a driver who couldn't find the road to our terminal at Newark Airport.
We circled it three times before he listened.
Anyway, a couple of days later a call came into my office.
"This is C.M. Newton and I'd like to talk to you about your Sunday column," he said brusquely. It was obvious by the tone he was upset.
"The Kentucky athletic director?' he was asked.
"Yes," he said.
"Not sure I believe you, give me your number and I'll call you back."
Newton was taken aback, but a few seconds later he gave me a number that rang straight to his assistant.
"Hello," he said, "Is this Wally Hall?"
It was.
"Someone [he mentioned the name who was not a fan of mine] sent me a copy of your Sunday column and I'm mad about it," he said.
I interrupted, something I rarely do.
"What were the last two words?' I asked.
"What?" he growled.
"Would you please read the last two words?" he was asked.
He did.
"You didn't get the entire column," he was told.
"What," he almost yelled, "are you talking about?'
The last two words, he was told, said "April Fool."
There was a long pause, and then he gave a small laugh and said, "That guy obviously doesn't like you," and hung up.
A year later, Pitino went to the Celtics. It was never learned if Newton had contacted Richardson.
. . .
One of the things a quarantined sports reporter does is a lot of research.
Yesterday while perusing several websites that had mock NFL drafts, it couldn't help being noticed that of the top 10 picks five matriculated at schools in the Southeastern Conference.
No. 1 pick is LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, although Ohio State will make a small claim to the Heisman Trophy winner since he started his career there.
Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is listed at No. 3. He would have been No. 1, but he was injured each of the last two years.
Jedrick Wills, also of Alabama, is No. 4 and the first offensive lineman.
Georgia's Andrew Thomas, who was coached by Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman, is the No. 8 draftee.
South Carolina's Javon Kinlaw, defensive lineman, is forecast as the 10th player taken.
What this does is reiterate how strong SEC football is, and on another level how hard it is for teams like Arkansas, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Mississippi State to compete because they have a limited recruiting base.
A team like the Razorbacks can't move out of the basement without someone to take their place, and it sure won't be Alabama, LSU, Auburn, Georgia or Florida.
Those schools top the recruiting ranks every year.
Arkansas can finish 26th in the entire country in recruiting and only be No. 10 or 11 in the SEC.
This is something Pittman is well aware of this, and while he hired a very good staff, most of them have strong ties to some recruiting regions.
Recruiting has become the single most important job for a coach.
Sports on 04/01/2020