Stories by Wally Hall

OPINION | WALLY HALL: It's curious how quickly super SEC formed No merger of powers has ever happened faster than the University of Texas and University of Oklahoma joining the SEC. Nine days after "being interested," the schools were extended and accepted an inv... August 1, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Biles deserves praise going beyond medals Most of us have no reason to give it a moment's thought. Especially yours truly. Yet, it has to be very difficult to have a normal life while the world looks at you through a microscope because you ... July 29, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Cheering USA a tradition no matter location By now, your trusty scribe has watched a minimum of 25 hours of the year-late Olympics. OK, some of it was with the sound off. Men's synchronized diving and men's floor gymnastics just don't hold an... July 28, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Hard to predict ramifications of enlarged SEC In the days and weeks to come, there will be great speculation and discussion about Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC. It will be years before we know how it affects teams such as the University of ... July 27, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Texas, Oklahoma will not renew media rights with Big 12. It is official. The University of Texas and Oklahoma University have informed the Big 12 they will not renew their grants of media rights with the Big 12 that expire in 2025. The statement: “Provid... July 26, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Razorbacks not drawing much attention HOOVER, Ala. -- By the time the Arkansas Razorbacks appeared for their two-plus hours of fame at SEC Football Media Days, 12 other teams had been endured. Georgia's Kirby Smart almost filibustered wi... July 25, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Texas plus Oklahoma equals more $$$ HOOVER, Ala. -- On Monday, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey talked about change and apparently he was warning that there is more on the way. On Wednesday, the Houston Chronicle broke the story that the u... July 23, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: It just means more teams? Finally the Arkansas Razorbacks made the big stage at Southeastern Conference Football Media Days and most of the talk was about Texas. It has been reported Texas and Oklahoma have contacted the SEC ... July 22, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Don't be fooled by SEC Media Days Saban HOOVER, Ala. -- Based solely on the 32 minutes Nick Saban donates each year at this annual event, no one would guess he is the G.O.A.T., but the fact he parked his Mercedes in front of the hotel door ... July 22, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Ask before you eat Tuesday night, after a full day of interviewing Southeastern Conference coaches and players, Tom Murphy, Bob Holt and yours truly were ready for some hot food and a break from sports. Tom found an It... July 21, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Saban protegee Smart at home in Georgia HOOVER, Ala. --Kirby Smart didn't look like a football coach. It was the immaculate perception. With a tailored suit and perfect tie, Georgia's football coach looks like he could be a big-time Houst... July 21, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Sankey a leader that college football needs HOOVER, Ala. -- A little leaner, and maybe a little meaner by necessity, Greg Sankey is not the same man who opened the SEC Football Media Days in 2015 as the league's new commissioner. Today he wear... July 20, 2021

Media days have transformed over decades Today after lunch, your trusty scribe will crawl in the back seat of a rental vehicle and head to Birmingham, Ala., for my 42nd football media days. Tom Murphy and Bob Holt will do most of the drivin... July 18, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Not all football media days are alike Tomorrow I’ll travel the six hours to Birmingham for SEC Football Media Days but it gave me pause when I realized I’ve been covering media days for more than 40 years. It started back in 1980 on the ... July 17, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Cromer smartly keeps Solich around Ohio Frank Solich has announced his retirement as head football coach at the University of Ohio after 16 years and a 115-82 record. He is 76 and retiring for health reasons. There is zero indication he w... July 15, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Exhibition losses not a good look for U.S. There was a time when it was unheard of -- almost un-American -- for Team USA to lose back-to-back basketball games, but that's what happened to the latest version. The games were just exhibitions, b... July 14, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Expectations heighten as Hogs' season nears It is hard to believe, but the Arkansas Razorbacks will start their football season in 53 days. Rice comes to town after playing only five games last season because of coronavirus postponements. The... July 13, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: SEC still hit hard by NLS -- Nick Lou Saban It is one thing that definitely cannot be blamed on the coronavirus, which has sneaked back into our lives with a vengeance. The SEC, for the second consecutive year, has four new head football coach... July 11, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: SEC concerned about coronavirus surge The Southeastern Conference’s football media days are still on schedule, one year after they were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. They start July 19, although nothing is carved in stone... July 10, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Running with the bulls, 35 years later, part II [Click here to read Part I of this two-part column.] I was sitting on a barricade in Pamplona, Spain, 35 years ago this week, waiting on the rocket to go off to start the running of the bulls. I cou... July 9, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Oaklawn still one of the best after changes To improve, one generally has to make changes, which is exactly what Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort did when it threw out its outdated racing schedule. When it was first announced racing would begin on... July 8, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Ex-Hogs could have benefited from NIL Almost as soon as it was official that college athletes could benefit from their name, image and likeness -- forever known as NIL -- a campaign began to have the Reggie Bush's Heisman Trophy reinstate... July 7, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Fourth of July a sign football's not far off The Fourth of July stands for many great things. It marks America's freedom, the Declaration of Independence and has become a national holiday generally celebrated with family cookouts and fireworks.... July 4, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Running with the bulls, 35 years later The Festival of San Fermin starts every July 6 in Pamplona, Spain. But it is what happens the next day, and every day for a week, that has made the Festival famous. It is the running of the bulls. A... July 3, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Softball greats set for induction double dose Last year's inductions into the Arkansas Softball Hall of Fame were postponed because of the coronavirus, so Friday night the classes of 2020 and 2021 will be honored. The ceremony will start at 6 p.... July 1, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Covid-19 remains prominent player in sports It would seem every fan of any program in the SEC would be happy that Vanderbilt and Mississippi State are in the College World Series championship series. Of course, if one of those programs is your... June 30, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Golf tournament gets family back together It was lunch time at Chenal Country Club in Little Rock. The annual Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame golf tournament attracted almost 50 teams this year, and half were coming off the course while the oth... June 29, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Begin chancellor search in UA's backyard If ever there was a time for the University of Arkansas board of trustees to get on the same page, or at lease a majority of the members, it is now. The trustees need to find a new chancellor. The ol... June 27, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Unemployment hurting tourist sites This morning’s report was unemployment in Arkansas stayed at 4.4% for May, but nationally it was down a little today. When we took our drive out West earlier this month every hotel, restaurant and st... June 25, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Real Deal to showcase supreme basketball In its 16th year, Real Deal in the Rock has become one of the nation's most respected basketball tournaments. Kevin Durant Starting tomorrow, this year's group of teams wanting the best competition,... June 24, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Steinmetz's departure about 4 years too late Several times a day, my iPad is checked for breaking news or updated stories. On Thursday, that's how it was learned that chancellor Joe Steinmetz basically had been told he had 24 hours to clean out... June 23, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: NCAA has questions left to be answered For 115 years, student-athletes were not allowed to be paid. At least not above the table. Now comes the Supreme Court, with a 9-0 vote, saying that is unfair and unjust, and that as long as the stu... June 22, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: It's a welcome home for Loggains and family Two smiles in Bryant, Ark., could have lit up the skies to Nashville, as in Tennessee. That was the closest Jenny and Larry Burnett have ever been to the grandchildren. They had been as far away as ... June 20, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Hug your loved ones today This was an emotionally difficult week so this is a personal blog instead of sports. Last Monday a friend, Richard Turbeville, died. Our lunch bunch had a send off for him on Thursday. On Friday we... June 19, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Changes reshaping college athletics forever The world of college sports is changing. There's the transfer portal, which is getting more traffic than Los Angeles. Conferences are waiting on Congress to make a law that allows student-athletes t... June 17, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Nobody on this team should be blamed It was inevitable. In the world of perspiring arts, there are always a few who need a specific reason why a team lost. Whether it is Little League or the World Series, those who need to blame usuall... June 16, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Hogs deserve to be remembered for first 61 Arkansas is not snakebit. There were no black cats. No one walked under a ladder. The Arkansas Razorbacks have had a few disappointing losses over the years, but probably no more than any other prog... June 15, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: We were alone A couple of weeks ago we loaded up the grandson (Fisher) and dog (Sophie) and took off for Santa Fe and the southern Colorado mountains. I was curious how people were treating what is hopefully the l... June 14, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: T-shirts don't fit quite yet for Razorbacks Friday night, the Arkansas Razorbacks -- the No. 1 ranked team in the country with a 50-11 record -- looked like they could order a new batch of OmaHog T-shirts. They romped North Carolina State 21-2... June 13, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Hogs' bats go cold in 6-5 loss to North Carolina State After looking like they might dance their way to Omaha, the Arkansas Razorbacks got a wake-up call Saturday when they could muster only four hits and lost to North Carolina State 6-5. Arkansas, the N... June 12, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: McDonnell unequaled in track and field From coast to coast these Razorbacks were feared. The John McDonnell-coached University of Arkansas track and field teams were almost unbeatable from the time he became the head coach in 1978 until h... June 10, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Hogs, Kopps hitting all the right notes It was 2-0 Nebraska after the top of the fifth inning, and Baum-Walker Stadium was booming like the home team was leading by a dozen. There seemed to be little doubt and tons of confidence that the A... June 9, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: It's a sure bet that Clement will be missed Long before everyone had a cellphone and when computers were still big and bulky, Fletcher Clement found he could research the bloodlines of thoroughbreds. This was in the 1980s. He would spend hour... June 8, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Oaklawn to add December racing dates In what will prove to be another innovative move by Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, it is changing its racing dates to primarily three-day weekends starting Dec. 3 of this year. The Arkansas Racing Com... June 7, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Belmont duel restores some luster to Crown A great stretch battle between two of the better 3-year-old colts brought the Triple Crown to an end with a tremble. No rumble. No grumble. Just a soft grin. The Belmont Stakes was won by Essentia... June 6, 2021

Pittman’s leadership easily recognizable Sam Pittman has established himself as an outgoing, charismatic leader. When he came to the Arkansas Razorbacks, the football program was on the rocks. The least of the beasts of the SEC. He inherit... May 30, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Real Deal a sign of return to normality Experts say Michigan and Gonzaga are getting a lot of mileage out of their NCAA Tournament success when it comes to basketball recruiting. The last year of recruiting was virtual, odd and wild. While... May 27, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Tebow complaining has gone overboard There was outrage. Tim Tebow signing to play for the Jacksonville Jaguars was too much for some of the talking heads whose talents include yelling at the camera. He's 33, they screamed. He's never ... May 26, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: UA fans enjoy extra spring in their step It is heady times in the state of Arkansas. Forgetting we are ranked 48th in the country in vaccinations is easy when the Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team is ranked No. 1 in the nation and the softb... May 25, 2021

OPINION | WALLY HALL: Affable Lucas reaches new coaching heights Anthony Lucas is one of my favorite people in the world. He also happens to be one of my favorite Arkansas Razorback football players. Last week he was named the head football coach at Pulaski Academ... May 23, 2021