DUDLEY DAWSON
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
FAYETTEVILLE -- It was a beautiful
day here on Wednesday, temperatures in the 40s and the sun shining
bright.
So nice that there were random acts of kindness
breaking out all over Northwest Arkansas instead of bones and
other things being broken out of fury as they were during our
recent ice storm.
It would have been a perfect day to open the 2001
University of Arkansas baseball season with the traditional foe
Missouri Southern.
But ...
As we all know, you can plan on another winter blast
to arrive just in time for the opener on Sunday, Feb. 4.
Count on it. Mark it down. You don't need a Doppler
or a meteorological degree to know it's coming.
It's the same way almost every year so why would
anything be any different at Baum Stadium this season?
I don't know if it will be snow, ice or just freezing
temperatures, but it will be something. It won't be comfortable,
it just never is.
But I suspect that each and every fan that braves
the elements will get an immediate warm feeling inside when skipper
Norm DeBriyn trots out with the lineup card.
DeBriyn, who collapsed right before Christmas while
working out, spent some time in the hospital over the holidays.
But he is bouncing around these days, getting ready
for his 32nd season at the helm of the Diamond Razorbacks, who
slipped to a 24-30 mark last season but are expected to be markedly
better this season.
DeBriyn is one of the nicest, classiest guys you
will ever be around, and the one thing that could help his heart
as much as anything is to post plenty of wins this season.
Having now healthy hurler Charlie Isaacson around
instead of him being on the shelf gives the Razorbacks a chance
to win any game he pitches.
He'll join Gary Hogan in giving the Razorbacks a
great 1-2 punch on the mound while both the offense and defense
around them should be better this season.
Of course, it better be as Arkansas plays in the
toughest conference -- and the toughest division of that conference
-- in the nation. You could conceivably be the sixth-best team
in the country one year and the sixth-best team in the SEC West.
Baseball remains my favorite sport to watch, basketball
my favorite to cover and football was my favorite to play.
I need a baseball fix quickly, and you can only
watch so many major league games on ESPN Classic before you need
something live.
Toss out the bats and balls, somebody.
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At least there
is one way to get ready for the season and that's taking a look
back at last season's stats, this season's schedule and how former
Razorbacks did this past summer and in the pros.
All that information and more is available at a
"minorhogs" website run by Charlie and Dale Shields,
a married couple who are both 21 and students at the University
of Arkansas.
Charlie is a a journalism/political science major
from Texarkana, Texas (Liberty-Eylau HS) and Dale is from Booneville
and is majoring in kinesiology.
Not only does the site get you a baseball fix, but
they also have added stats for former UA basketball and football
players currently playing either in the pros, the minor leagues
and even overseas.
It's a labor of love for the Shields, who can be
found at most UA home sporting events.
"We're just both huge Razorback fans, mostly
baseball," Charlie Shields said. "I have been to every
home game the past two years (70 games), and Dale for more than
that. We listen to all the away games on ARSN. "
Those wanting to call up the sites can do so at:
HTTP://WWW.GEOCITIES.COM/MINORSHOGS (the
main site)
HTTP://WWW.GEOCITIES.COM/MINORSHOGS/FBALL.HTML
(the football section)
HTTP://WWW.GEOCITIES.COM/MINORSHOGS/BASKETBALL.HTML
(the basketball section)
EDITOR'S NOTE:
Dudley E. Dawson works for the Northwest Arkansas Times,
and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is carrying his column
on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in the Northwest Arkansas
edition as a service to our readers.
This article was published on Thursday, January 11, 2001