While boarding the cruise ship, which took 2 1/2 hours, only one Arkansas Razorback shirt was seen and she was with me, so it was assumed not many Arkansans had decided to take a cruise the week before Christmas.
Over the course of a week, that would prove to not be true. There were dozens and dozens of Hog fans.
From Pocahontas/Walnut Ridge to Rogers and Farmington to Dumas and Texarkana and several places in between, fans were met at dinner, playing bingo, sitting in a lounge and, of course, at the casino.
Everyone was asked what they thought about the hiring of Bobby Petrino as the new offensive coordinator for the Razorbacks and the responses ranged from brilliant to he never should have been fired to begin with.
It is obvious the hire replaced a lot of doubt some fans had with hope for the future.
One thing to keep in mind is while Petrino has a brilliant football mind, he cannot work miracles. He needs players, too.
Yes, he can coach players up, but they have to want to be coached up -- players like Tyler Wilson, Ryan Mallett and Casey Dick who all had as much heart as talent.
One thing is certain: When spring practice starts, the quarterback position will be wide open and mental toughness will count as much as physical.
. . .
On paper, it looks like the Arkansas Razorbacks get a passing grade on the transfer portal.
While 16 players from last year's team opted to leave, half are still in the transfer portal and two transferred to programs not in the Power 4.
Only two transferred to SEC schools, yet the Hogs signed nine players and five were from Power 4 programs including four from SEC schools.
Of the nine, three were offensive linemen, where the Hogs were looking for help.
. . .
On a personal note, several emailers have asked why yours truly decided to retire from radio.
Since 1982 I have worked on radio or TV or both while still being a full time sports columnist. After 41 years I was tired.
However, I have great memories that will be cherished, including my very first radio call-in show when I almost drowned in a sea of silence.
It was at the old KARN off Cedar Street and the general manager had assured me that Jim Elder, who was the first to ever have a live call-in show in Arkansas, was ready to reduce his load.
If he hadn't been ready I would have never taken the job.
I showed up for my first show expecting to get take the list of NFL draftees from the Associated Press wire machine and anything else that might be pertinent.
Only all the sports copy was gone -- and I mean from the building -- so someone didn't get the message that Elder, a legend among his peers and fans, was OK with me having the show.
Got through it and a few years later moved to KARK Channel 4 for a call-in show on Sunday nights. If memory serves, my first producer was Melinda Mayo, now KATV Channel 7's morning show host.
A change in management took place five years later and the show was cancelled but picked up by Comcast. Not long after, Tommy Smith and David Bazzel started a radio show on 103.7 The Buzz and invited me to be on three days a week.
That enabled me to stop doing TV and even led to an offer back at KARN for more money. Money isn't always the right reason to make a move and after quitting and sitting out a noncompete time period, Justin Acri offered me a chance to return to The Buzz.
It has been fun and while I'll miss being part of Morning Mayhem with Baz, Roger Scott and Justin Moore, it is time for me to have just one job.