* A Sad Chapter in a Sad Life. Few Razorbacks basketball players have seemed as troubled as Ron Huery. The 6′6″ Memphis native, who was so critical to Nolan Richardson’s rebuilding of the program in the late 1980s, wrote a rare feel-good chapter to his life’s story in 2005, when he returned to the U of A to complete his degree.

Well, prepare to lose that warm-and-fuzzy feeling: Huery has just been sentenced to five years in prison for attempting to break into his ex-girlfriend’s home. As you can see by clicking on the link, Huery has compiled quite the rap sheet over the years - and the article doesn’t even mention his various college-era misdeeds, such as pointing a gun at a dude’s head at a U of A frat party.

Here’s hoping that Ron is able to somehow, someway pull his life together at some point, but to be honest, this story doesn’t seem destined to have a happy ending.

* Being a Coach Means Never Having to Say You’re Sorry. Check out Peter King’s most recent “Monday Morning QB” column to read two Bobby Petrino-related items. (Thanks to The Slophouse for the link.) Spoiler alert: King is critical of Petrino. Shocking, we know.

First off, King lampoons Petrino’s recent statements that the criticism surrounding his move from Atlanta to Fayetteville was tough on his family. Fair enough.

Then, after reprinting a Lou Holtz quote saying that Nick Saban and Petrino will one day regret leaving the NFL, King writes, “The most incredible thing, to me, is that Petrino has never called Arthur Blank to say, ‘I’m sorry.”’

Boo hoo hoo.

Seriously, what is it with these guys and their obsession with Petrino? We’d be the first to admit that Bobby shouldn’t receive any accolades from Miss Manners for the way he exited Atlanta. But, as we said back in December, this ain’t finishing school; it’s a rough-and-tumble business.

And who’s to say we’ve ever gotten the full story on what went down in Atlanta? Blank appears to be a master schmoozer of the press, though, so if there is another side to the story, don’t expect to hear about it anytime soon.

Let’s check in on the ex-Hogs who have recently joined the work force:

* The Raiders held their rookie minicamp last weekend, and naturally D-Mac was the star of the show. Initial reviews were very positive, and the Bay Area media is getting their first taste of his versatility: “McFadden does too much, too well to stick him in an I-formation box. In two days of practice, he has sprinted around the edge, powered inside the middle, run routes as a wideout and caught passes out of the backfield. He even lined up at quarterback.”

* What did Mr. McFadden think about his first taste of life in the NFL? Be sure to read the full transcript of his press conference, but here’s a sample quote on one of the differences between college and the pros: “They hand you a playbook with pens and highlighters with a notebook to take notes, that’s something you don’t get in college, if you want to take notes you have to come with your own stuff, so I knew it was serious once they handed the playbook like that.”

* Raiders’ coach Lane Kiffin gives McFadden a very positive initial review.

* On the flip side, here’s an example of the disfunction I was referring to when I was ranting about why I didn’t want D-Mac to be a Raider. Expect plenty more stories like this one.

* Jerry Jones likes Felix Jones’ “bubble butt”. No further comment needed.

* In Dallas, the debate still rages as to whether or not Felix was the right choice. Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning-News weighs in with the opinion that he “should be the ideal complement to Marion Barber”. So that’s good…

* The Cowboys’ training camp will be looked at, up close and personal, on this year’s edition of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” reality show. Of course, don’t expect to see much of Felix on there…not only will he be overshadowed by notorious camera hogs like Terrell Owens (and Jessica Simpson?), he’s only the third most famous Jones on the team (behind Jerry and Pacman).

* The Huddle Report predicts that Peyton Hillis is going to be “a big-time RB” for the Broncos.

* A breakdown of the Chicago Bears’ draft that wound up with Marcuses Harrison and Monk.

* Speaking of Monk, it’s tough to make the team as a 7th rounder, but Chris Bahn of Arkansas Sports 360 reports that he’s making the most of his opportunity.

* The Chicago Sun-Times looks at the Marcus Harrison draft pick, and notes that although there are character-related concerns over his arrest last fall, he was “too good to pass up.”

As America’s favorite non-sporting sporting event, the NFL Draft certainly receives a lot of coverage. And, with six players drafted the Hogs were a major factor this year. Here are some links I’ve been saving up:

* Probably the best thing I read after the draft was this interview with Felix Jones. He landed in a great situation and sounds incredibly excited about it…he refers to it as “a dream come true” three times in a short span. Here’s a good quote on how he happy he is to be a Cowboy:
It will be an honor. I know that for sure. That star represents a lot. That is something I am going to wear and play my best and I am just happy now that I am getting a chance to put it on. This is a dream come true for me. 

* Of course, there are always naysayers and Arkansas Sports 360 reminds us that some folks in Dallas aren’t too happy about Felix being their first round draft pick. (editor’s note: Why??)

* On the flip side of that argument, SI’s Don Banks has the full story on why Jerry Jones went with Felix and ESPN’s John Clayton praises the choice.

* Surely you’ve been wondering what Warren Sapp thinks about D-Mac going to the Raiders. Well, wonder no more…according to this interview with Michael Silver, he wholeheartedly approves, calling the match “a perfect fit”.

* More from Don Banks: he pegs the McFadden vs Bush vs Fargas running back situation in Oakland as one of the top training camp battles to watch.

* Several undrafted Razorbacks were invited to various training camps. Tom Murphy has the latest on Robert Felton, Michael Grant, Matteral Richardson, Weston Dacus and more.

* What does Wally think about all this? Here’s his breakdown of the draft.

Sorry about our slacker posting habits lately. Real life occasionally interferes with blogging, but we’ll get back on track soon. In the meantime, a quick rundown of some recent Hog links:

* The football Hogs have opened their first spring practices under Bobby Petrino, and there have already been some changes from the old regime. Nobody covers this sort of thing better than the RazorBloggers, so be sure to check out their most recent reports here and here.

* Nolan is heading to the Hall of Fame (but someone should make sure he’s not seated next to his old buddy Billy Packer at the induction dinner…that could get awkward).

* What do the Razorback Expats and Darren McFadden have in common? Aside from blazing speed and a nose for the end zone, we’re both Arkansas bloggers. The difference is, D-Mac has been posting a lot more than we have lately…here’s one where he breaks down his famous tattoos.

* Remember that guy who played QB before the Casey Dick era? Mitch somebody? If you do, Arkansas Sports 360 has clued us in to a radio interview he did in in New York or Seattle or wherever it is that we heard he’s playing now.

* Ever since Wally clued us in to the possibility that the Oklahoma State job opening could leave to John Pelphrey’s departure, we’ve been keeping tabs on that situation. Our Kentucky friends at A Sea of Blue have a good report on what’s what.

* News flash: Bobby Petrino is the 10th best coach in the SEC.

* We’ll take Whit E. Knight’s three part retrospective of the 1978 Final Four season over anyone else’s, but if you want more of Eddie & the Triplets, check out Bob Holt’s recent article in the Dem-Gaz.

* Overall, you’d have to say that Wally’s column from today wasn’t too bad, particularly by his standards. Still, get a load of this groaner: “[Stan Heath’s] sideline de-meanor bothered a lot of the fans because he seemed docile. Pelphrey is quite different. The more mistakes the players make, mental or physical, demeanor he got.”

* John Brummett gets all huffy about Arkansans booing the Texas Longhorns in Alltel Arena this past weekend, and ArkansasSports360.com’s Jim Harris, who recently stopped by this site for a visit, says that Brummett could use some history lessons.

* For the “Sun Rises in the East” file: A Razorback football player has a brush with the law.

* For the “Good News” file: Marcus Monk appears to have improved his draft stock.

* Sweet (New) Home Chicago? Bears coach Lovie Smith recently lunched with former Hog running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones.

* Quick Programming Note: With the basketball season just completed and the new football season still a few months off, posting may be a bit slower than usual here at RazorbackExpats.com - at least for the next few weeks or so, as we take a little time to pause and catch our breath. But, we have an active spring and summer planned - with the unveiling of the RazorbackExpats Hall of Fame and more Q&A’s with various Hog heroes on the schedule - so check back often.

• Nolan Richardson won’t be coaching the ASU Indians Red Wolves. That’s disappointing.

• Jeff Long says the Hogs will likely continue to refuse to play in-state schools. That’s also disappointing.

• Done deal: the Hogs and Texas A&M Aggies will renew their football rivalry with an annual match-up in The House that Jerry Built. That’s not disappointing. (The series starts in October 2009.)

• Oh, the irony … what if John Pelphrey’s former team keeps his current team out of the field of 65? Well, that would be very, very disappointing.

Links to enjoy while you’re pondering the NCAA Selection Committee tea leaves:

* Careful readers of this blog will know that I’m mildly obsessed with the 1994 basketball team. So, I greatly enjoyed this Morning News article about the detente between the team (i.e., Nolan) and the school. (Thanks to commenter First Floor New Dorm for the tip on this.)

* Continuing the theme, I also enjoyed this article in Little Rock Family about Corliss’ post-NBA home life. I now await the restraining order from Corliss’ attorney.

* While writing about the heart-stopping ending to last weekend’s Vandy game, Jim Harris laments that nobody remembers Lawrence Moten’s erroneous timeout at the end of the 1995 Arkansas-Syracuse game. Don’t worry Jim - if you ever want to talk old-school bball moments I still recall that one like it was yesterday, and I’m quite sure that my fellow expat Stephen does too.

* Remember the name of new basketball recruit Aaron Ross…you’ll certainly need a good memory, because the 6′7″ guard/forward won’t be suiting up for the Hogs until 2011. That’s right, he’s only 15 years old. I hear his game his good, but he needs to work on his driving.

* Perhaps Nolan Richardson reads RazorbackExpats.com…it seems that he’s actually talking to A-State about their open coaching position.

After slaving away for countless hours in our attempt to bring you a tasty buffet of the latest and greatest Razorback news, we realized that Brandon Marcello of The Slophouse has pretty much stolen our thunder. His early afternoon post touched on almost everything we wanted to cover, so we’ll just link to it here.

Before you leave us, though, we did want to make special note of how much the Razorbacks seemingly improved their NCAA chances just over the weekend. As of Friday, ESPN’s Bracketology page had the Hogs making the tournament by the skin of their teeth. Now, the page is projecting Arkansas as a No. 6 seed in the West, slated to take on No. 11 seeded UNLV in Anaheim. Not a bad weekend’s work.

Tough Love: Charles Thomas was suspended indefinitely today. Pelphrey isn’t saying why, but, according to Chris Bahn’s article on ArkansasSports360.com, the coach said of Thomas, “As a head coach, I’ve never been more disappointed in a young man’s choices.”

Cause for Optimism: I didn’t get to see Saturday’s game, but it sounds like a nice, solid win. I know, I know: LSU is no great shakes, but given this team’s recent history, any road win is a cause for celebration; a double-digit, never-really-in-doubt road win is cause for a ticker-tape parade.

Special mention goes to Sonny Weems, who drained all five of his three-point shots while notching a team-high 21 points, and Patrick Beverley, who continued his Dean Tolson/Nicky Davis/Dennis Rodman impersonation by hauling in 15 rebounds. 15! The 6-1 guard has now posted double-digit rebound totals in three of his last four games. His offensive game has shown definite signs of a sophomore slump, but make no mistake: this guy is a special player.

Overall, we’d say that the LSU win was impressive enough that perhaps Pelphrey should consider making those 1:30 a.m. Sunday practices a weekly event.

Future Hogs: Three recruits made oral commitments over the weekend to play for the Hogs and Bobby Petrino. Somewhere, Sean Salisbury must be fuming.

* Carolina on His Mind: After less than three weeks on the job, Razorback defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson has resigned to take the same position at South Carolina. Johnson replaces Brian VanGorder, who left the Gamecocks to become defensive coordinator of Bobby Petrino’s former employer, the Atlanta Falcons. Petrino (or, more likely, the athletic department’s PR person) was gracious in remarks contained in a news release, although, let’s be honest: Is there anyone on the planet who has less of a right to be upset, even if the resignation comes less than two weeks before national signing day?

* Don’t Forget: Help us find this man.

* 799 Down, 1 to Go: Eddie Sutton finally got his first victory as coach of the University of San Francisco last weekend, meaning that he now has to win only one more game to reach 800 career victories. His next chance at reaching the magic number comes this Saturday against St. Mary’s. The San Francisco Chronicle points out that four of Eddie’s wins could be seen as a gift from Oklahoma State administrators. Whatever. If/when Eddie achieves the milestone, no one will be cheering harder than the staffers at RazorbackExpats.

* Coach Hard Ass: Let it never be said that John Pelphrey isn’t trying to toughen up and wake up his slumbering band of Hog hoopsters. After returning from a 13-point drubbing at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, Pelphrey put his team through a one-hour practice at Bud Walton Arena that began at 1:30 am. We’d like to think that being put through the wringer like that will result in an inspired performance this weekend in Baton Rouge, but we’re not holding our collective breath. Four years of watching this senior class will do that to you.

* Spot On: Jim Harris of ArkansasSports360.com has an inspired take on this year’s basketball team and the constantly shifting opinions of Razorback fans.