ASK MIKE: Are the Diamond Hogs hosting a regional? | NBA future for Billy Richmond & Meleek Thomas

追加: 2026-05-18

[00:00:02]Back again. Another Monday, another edition of Ask Mike. Joined as always by the star of the show here, Mike Irwin.

[00:00:08]Mike, lot to get to here. We got the football team kind of Ryan Silverfield doing his thing, doing the press tour, about to decompress here for the summer.

[00:00:16]The basketball team still kind of like hanging in the weeds. Are they in on a big man? Are they out on a big man? And baseball, I think, making a push here.

[00:00:24]Really playing some good ball. Three straight series wins, although a dud on Sunday. Yeah, I've changed my mind on that back and forth several times. I I think baseball's probably rode. I mean, I just there's they could sweep Kentucky, but I don't think that's going to happen.

[00:00:39]>> Up to number 12 in the polls. RPI though still low. RPI more than double that at 26, but the rankings they are getting some love. There is starting to be some attrition. I I think if they do sweep Kentucky, I think they will be in they will be hosting a regional, >> but we I'll talk about later on why I don't think they can do that. And if they win two of three, Kentucky, win one game in the SEC tournament, that also probably puts them right there. One of my favorite sayings in this business is keep in mind it is a business. They want to sell tickets. They want eyes on the product. Arkansas Bomb Stadium does have something to do with that.

[00:01:14]>> First question here of the week from Hill Country Hog who asked, "Was Van Horn trying to lose that Sunday game to OU? The game was tied going to the seventh." Fiser gives up a two-run homer and then loaded the bases. He brings in Brissy who promptly gave up a grand slam in one inning. It went from 7 to7 to 14 to7 when Maguire and Mavane who are much better options were both available. That man is stubborn when it comes to managing his pitchers. Man, Mike, it did feel like AR they kept on making a push.

[00:01:42]Looked like they were going to find a way until they didn't. the managing of pitchers. I don't care if you're talking about major league when college what high school that is something that always gets questioned by fans by media.

[00:01:55]And the the the thing is none of us if we're not the guy that has to do that ever has to answer for what that what would have happened if you'd done this and that. The big complaint is that a you left the minute Fiser gave up that home run. He should have been gone. that according to a lot of fans I've talked to. So why did you let him load the bases? What's going on there? Especially when you consider that again you didn't you didn't pitch anybody but your starter on on Friday. So you had all these guys that did pitch on on Saturday, but most of them didn't pitch for very much.

[00:02:32]>> You had uh Tate Maguire who' pitched I don't know a couple of one inning I think. In fact just like 18 pitches or something. Um he did use steel eaves earlier when uh Gibler ran into problems. He used steel eaves and uh I think he went two innings and did fine. So he used him more. Why was he reluctant to use Tate Maguire? He brought in Tate Magguire for one inning.

[00:03:01]He got him out of trouble and then he was gone.

[00:03:04]>> And then he brought in the Kramer. It's like like he was trying to preserve something. And man, you get a lot of theories from people. I talked to a guy that said he wanted to lose that game because he doesn't want to play at home.

[00:03:16]He doesn't want a regional at home. Go ahead and lose it. Doesn't matter. I'm not going to stress my pitchers at all.

[00:03:22]I don't think that makes much sense to me. Uh I think here's what I think. I think a lot of times they've got a guy out there that that helps out with the pitchers that's watching the bullpen, what's going on out in the bullpen. And I think a lot of times they go with gut instinct.

[00:03:42]>> And maybe they saw something in Brissy while he was warming up that they thought, "Hey, he'll be fine." And then he wasn't. Uh I'm not sure about that.

[00:03:51]But I do know that these kind of arguments will go on forever. They've been going on as long as I I've I I remember my dad and and all the men around that. They'd go down to the East Side Cafe after little league games the next day and just gripe about that. Why did he do that?

[00:04:07]>> And these are 12y olds, let alone scholarship NIL players, >> you know, why why did you do that? Why didn't you put this guy in and why did you do that? I mean, you lost the game and you then you get into the uh Little League World or the playoffs for the Little League World Series and you'd go somewhere and you'd beat one team, but then you wouldn't beat the next one and you'd use the wrong pitchers and all that. Uh I do think it was odd. It seems strange to me. I leaving Fiser in to load the bases was just weird.

[00:04:38]>> He He clearly had lost it. And they had kept showing Van Horn in the dugout with his jaw set. And I've seen him do that before where he's just like, I don't care what people are saying. I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do. And so then, but then the Brissy thing, I don't know where that was coming from. Maybe again, he got word from somebody in the bullpen, he hasn't he didn't pitch yesterday. He he'll be fresher. He'll be fine. And obviously that didn't work.

[00:05:05]Um, all I know is this baseball team is strange to me. They they they hit a lot of home runs, but they give up a lot of home runs.

[00:05:15]>> And some crazy things have happened. You know, the eighth inning been very kind to Arkansas a lot of times this year.

[00:05:20]They've had a bunch of walk-off wins, but what you saw yesterday, how much of that can you chalk up to, hey, you know, I I know you've been watching college baseball a long time.

[00:05:27]>> Weird things happen in Sunday games. You just start to run out of pitchers. some weird things can happen in midweek games and we've seen that this year. You know, Arkansas the midweek game against Missouri State, some of these Sunday clunkers they've laid, you know, given 26 runs up to Georgia in a game this year.

[00:05:43]>> Yeah, I thought it could have could have gone the other way for OU. They were out of pitching, too. And I thought, wouldn't wouldn't have surprised me if Arkansas had come back and tied that game up. They they did hit hit some deep balls. Now, look, I had a guy You hear all kinds of stuff. had a guy trying to tell me that what they're doing is soaking the baseballs somehow and and I don't even know how this works. You're not allowed to bring your own baseball.

[00:06:07]>> Yeah, they do this in Colorado at Kors Field to to keep the ball from traveling quite as far. They keep them in a humidor to just try to get some moisture on the balls.

[00:06:15]>> Well, this was something where they were allegedly there there were balls that were going out of Bomb Stadium that wouldn't have normally been a home run.

[00:06:21]There's something phony baloney with the baseballs. Well, how would U control that? Will they let you do your own baseballs?

[00:06:27]>> Yeah.

[00:06:28]>> Just Oh, yeah. We're going to use these balls over here. The umps are always checking gloves and stuff. I don't I don't think that was it. Um it just it's just baseball. And again, it it does come down to those decisions. And I'd like to have Van Horn. I don't know. I didn't see his postgame press. I don't know if he got grilled on that stuff or not.

[00:06:47]>> Yeah. Naturally, and you know, the pitching decisions of course that was that was his explanation.

[00:06:52]>> Topical. Well, you would think, you know, we did I'm speaking parathetically for you, Dave. You know, hey, we did what the best we thought we could do with that situation. We were a little bit low on arms. This is what we had.

[00:07:02]>> Yeah. So, and I know you're low on arms, but you had again, you had your best reliever, which never got into the game, your closer, and he had pitched something like 20 pitches the day before. That's not a lot.

[00:07:15]>> You even wonder too, you know, Kucky's coming up, so a closing weekend. They do not play on Sunday, it's on Thursday.

[00:07:20]And is that in any way, you know, might have definitely might have definitely have played into it. There's just a lot of stuff there.

[00:07:27]>> Yeah. So, just three games left and then it'll be the SEC tournament which again is one and done. I believe that Arkansas can can still finish in the top four. I think if they if they sweep Kentucky Yeah. then and then they they you don't have to worry about it. They'll host.

[00:07:41]>> Yeah. And and it also seems like they I don't think they can play on opening day in the SEC tournament. I think they're pretty. Unless they get swept, maybe they'd be different, but just win one game in Kentucky, they probably are one of the top eight seeds. All right, Cinjun Hog, next question here. Wants to know, did losing game three to the Sooners knock us out of hosting? Sure looks like it, and it might turn out to be a good thing. We talked about this right off the top. This going to be a big topic, Mike. They're up to number 12 in the rankings. That would indicate they're they're in as of now, but who knows how that all plays out.

[00:08:08]>> Um, if they sweep Kentucky, absolutely.

[00:08:11]We've said that. Here's why I don't think they can. Kucky's only been swept one time this season and that was the first weekend of SEC play. Ever since then, they've lost two of three except they won two of three from Tennessee. Uh they've been playing much better the last two weeks. Um they lost a couple of weeks ago. I think they came within a run of tying that one game that they lost. They lost by one run, lost a game, and then won a game and then lost another game by two runs or whatever.

[00:08:46]And then uh they played Florida pretty well this weekend. That that was the one. Florida could have gone the other way. And so the the week before that, I think they almost got a sweep. So they're playing better and they just don't have a history lately of being swept. I just don't if Arkansas couldn't sweep uh Missouri at Missouri. I don't think they can sweep Kentucky at Kentucky.

[00:09:10]>> Kucky's been in most of the year. I do think they've had a little bit of dip.

[00:09:13]What What you're seeing, does it look like Kentucky is a tournament team or are they on the bubble?

[00:09:18]>> Well, they're looking better. Yeah, they might do something in the SEC tournament. I don't know. They just seem to be play Here's the thing Arkansas needs to worry about. What if they win two of three? And they could because they're playing better. You can't just go down there and assume you're going to win a series. You go down there thinking sweep and you may end up, you know, you may end up just winning one of those games and then then I don't know. I don't think I don't know if Arkansas could ever drop to a three seed, but they'd be a two in a tougher regional.

[00:09:48]>> Yeah. And looking at some of the uh the metrics there behind Arkansas, I don't know if 12- 10 or 12- 11 in quad one, which is I think, bear with me on this, I believe that's top 25 games at home, top 40 on the road, and Arkansas has played about as many quad one teams as anybody in the country.

[00:10:05]>> Yeah, there are metrics other than RPI.

[00:10:07]So, you know, and and people that start quoting and quoting this stuff, they they've never been in a room with a selection committee. And I never have either, but I've I've been around long enough to know that the selection committee, I don't care what sport you're talking about, they're constantly making decisions that people go, "How did that happen?" Because you think they're going to do something something a certain way and then they don't.

[00:10:32]>> Hear a lot about NCA tournament expansion. It's coming uh coming college basketball. We we know that now going to be to 76 teams. It sure looks like it's coming to football. Looks like you're going to double again. Go from 12 to 24 whenever that day comes. Why did anybody ever talk about college baseball expanding somehow? Now the format with how they play it and you know the 16 four team regionals that would make it, you know, could they maybe play a five team regional some? I I don't know. But why doesn't this ever get brought up?

[00:11:00]Some of it is that baseball by its very nature has to be a two out of three thing instead of a single elimination deal.

[00:11:06]>> And every weekend is two losses, whether it's best of three or the 14 pods.

[00:11:11]That's >> So I think that maybe that's why you still have the 64 teams and and you're still doing it like like you do NCAA basketball. It's just that's single elimination and this is double elimination.

[00:11:22]>> Yeah. And I do love the opening weekend of the college baseball tournament. You know, if you're somewhat foreign to the concept because in college towns Yeah.

[00:11:29]College baseball gets a lot of traction, but even for sports outsiders, man, and and the love of gambling in this country, that opening weekend is so exciting. There are games on all day long, double headers from, you know, noon till pretty much midnight here, central time zone. So, an incredible, incredible weekend and going to be coming up pretty soon, I should say, about two weeks away. So, just getting going here on Ask Mike. Time to take our first time out.

[00:11:57]Back with more here on Ask Mike and jumping right back into more of your questions. The Diamond Hogs right now top of mind. Next up, Batgirl says, "I still think Coach Hobbs can get the pitching problem solved. Not that long ago, strikeouts were killing us." And look at it now. We scored 34 runs against OU. If Coach Thompson can do it, so can Coach Hobs pitching wise, Mike, this was supposed to be a strength.

[00:12:19]They're about middle of the road in the SEC.

[00:12:20]>> Well, there's some flaws in that line of thinking. First of all, they're still striking out. In fact, they struck out over 30 times in those three games. And their team batting average is not that much better. What's it There are two things that have improved with this team with regard to hitting. They're still about where they were batting average.

[00:12:41]They're still striking out.

[00:12:43]>> They're hitting more home runs at a greater much greater pace, but they're also leaving fewer players on base.

[00:12:50]They're getting key hits, and they weren't getting key hits before. So, I think you got to give Nate Thompson a lot of credit for that. He gets criticized for the home run thing, but the home runs have kept them in it. So, I don't think that's the issue here because now when you start talking, well, you can also improve the pitching staff. How are you going to improve the pitching staff? Well, here's the problem. They are, this would shock me when I looked it up. Arkansas has given up more home runs this year than any team in the SEC. 73 or something.

[00:13:22]surprising >> more 72 uh or something like that.

[00:13:26]That's more than any other team in the SEC and it's happened over the last several weeks. It's it just seems like it's getting worse and worse and worse.

[00:13:36]So, what's going on? What's causing all of this? And I think they've just got I don't know how you if you're Matt Hobbs, I don't know how you change all of these pitchers to have control when they don't have control. That's the big problem all along. You wouldn't you wouldn't believe the number of home runs that that are on a pitcher's count. They get ahead on the count and then all of a sudden a ball's up in the zone and just gets tattooed. I think Arkansas has a lot of pitchers uh like Fiser for instance. Fischer can get away with this for a while because he's got a fast ball that'll sometimes surprise you. He's got a he's got a change up. He's got a he's got a curve ball. But sooner or later when you're all of those pitches are in the zone.

[00:14:20]They're up belt to waist high, you know, right in here. And when you keep doing that over and over again, sooner or later somebody's going to guess what the pitch is and they tattoo it on you. So you have that and then you look at somebody, you know, like your best pitcher, your starting pitcher, your guy that's doing everything. Uh Deetsz has pitched 90 something complete innings. No one else has come close to that. It's they're around 50 or something or maybe it's 72 complete innings. I get these numbers rolling around my head. But he has pitched more because he has better control because he's bringing the ball over where he he he puts it where he needs to put it. And that's I don't know how Matt Hobbs suddenly causes all these guys to have better control because the overall issue I see with this pitching ca staff is there's too many guys that they just don't control the baseball. They pitch well for a while and then all of a sudden it can come out of nowhere.

[00:15:22]You've been pitching well, you've been hitting the corners, you've been doing that, and then all of a sudden here's a fat one right over the middle of the plate.

[00:15:28]>> Do you think there's an element of this with Arkansas baseball? I think this year they've handled adversity pretty well when they've lost a tough game, a tough series when they really needed it.

[00:15:37]You know, that Alabama series, nobody saw them sweeping it and they did it.

[00:15:41]They've responded to adversity.

[00:15:43]>> It's the prosperity thing that they don't really seem to handle that they kind of let their guard down. And what I mean by that is if they get into a situation here, first weekend of the NCA tournament for a regional, yeah, everything's great if you're 2 and 0, right? You're sitting pretty. You probably have the pitching for it. And Arkansas's been fine Fridays, Saturdays.

[00:16:00]It's Sundays where again they haven't exactly handled prosperity. Played well Friday, Saturday, they just let their game guard down on Sunday. So if you're in a position now where you got to pitch bunch of guys, four game or excuse me, five games it would be if you lose one of those first two in in four days.

[00:16:15]That's something they never really do.

[00:16:17]How would they handle it? Do you feel they would get a little bit tight if they were thin on?

[00:16:20]>> I just I keep thinking, okay, if you can't win game three and when did they sweep anybody >> or game two? Yeah, they start two and0, right?

[00:16:29]>> On a weekend, but but they haven't swept people.

[00:16:33]>> Alabama only won all year long. It was Alabama.

[00:16:35]>> Yeah. So, if you haven't swept people and you generally have a problem on Sunday, uh how are you going to win a regional?

[00:16:44]How are you going to do that? But and then if you lose the game three because you don't have pitching now, you're really in trouble because you got to pitch game four >> and you pitched all these guys. So, I don't know. Van I I do think that once you get into a regional, Van Horn's going to use these guys more than he is right now. So, that may be the answer.

[00:17:03]>> See 100 deets twice in a weekend.

[00:17:05]Something like that.

[00:17:05]>> Or Yeah. Or or because Coyle didn't pitch well in a game, but you didn't hardly use him. Now, yeah, I'll use him the next day. You know, I'll I'll I'll use Gekkle.

[00:17:16]You know, some people have suggested to me that Gekko may end up being a starter again. Let's go back and make the starter out of him. And that he >> if you're if you're talking about a guy that could change this baseball team, just one guy that has to do something.

[00:17:34]What he said was gackle.

[00:17:36]If he could go back to what he was doing before, if he could be what he was supposed to be, and at times he looks that way. So if he could give you five or six innings and and only give up a run or two, >> then this this becomes a totally different situation. But they need that.

[00:17:53]They need they can't just have 100 deets, you know, go in six or seven innings and you win that game and then the next game you don't who do we start?

[00:18:02]Well, it doesn't matter. You can start this guy or that guy. It's not going to work.

[00:18:06]>> Yeah. And so if if if again Gekako goes longer then you save more guys maybe for the bullpin on Sunday.

[00:18:14]>> Yeah. And and Gako a little bit disappointing. You really see the stuff but you just you got to keep in mind beginning of the year this was projected to be a first round pick and was projected to be a first round pick as a major league starter and we just haven't quite seen that.

[00:18:26]>> Now the other thing is in a regional if you were to run rule somebody which they've been doing lately there in seven innings >> that that that cuts down on the pitching you have to use. Now, that happened this this weekend. It didn't matter, but maybe it would.

[00:18:40]>> Hard to run rules even in the postseason.

[00:18:42]>> It's absolutely, you know, those four seeds not not always exactly a cakewalk.

[00:18:48]Next up here, tally with an interesting observation here. He asked, "If or when we get to Omaha, how many of those home runs are just popups in that massive massive field?" Yeah, that's that's a great great uh suggestion, but it works both ways because if Arkansas's not giving up home runs as many because of that big field, they're not hitting as many home runs. So then it gets back to okay, how well are you how's your overall batting average? And the batting average hasn't changed much. So what you're left with, what if they're hitting getting key hits, which is what they've been doing, then maybe that's an answer. Uh, but you got to get to Omaha.

[00:19:27]And I just don't know how you get through a regional and a super regional unless the pitching gets a lot better.

[00:19:32]>> And I believe their batting average bottom five of the SEC pretty much all year long. Correct.

[00:19:37]>> I don't know if it's bottom five. It hadn't changed much. It's around 272 three. It's not changed. The strikeouts haven't changed.

[00:19:44]>> Arkansas's I don't know something like 10th or 12th in total number of strikeouts. Way down there. Strike out a lot. It's just that they've been getting key hits and they've been hitting more home runs. In fact, a lot more home runs on average per game than they than they were.

[00:20:00]>> Maybe some warm weather at Bomb Stadium kind of helping it helping it fly out, but I don't know. Going to Lexington maybe going to be a little little bit colder here. Next up, Popular Porkster asks, "Why do I want a home regional?

[00:20:11]Because I have season tickets and I'd rather see the Hogs NCA tourney games in person. I also think we have a better chance to advance as a one seed at home than a two seed against a one seed on the road. And and they're in fairness to this uh gentleman here, Popular Porker.

[00:20:25]Shout out, great name. His point, you know, you're probably going to be one of the lower national seeds, which would mean in in the Super Regionals, you're playing an excellent excellent team.

[00:20:33]>> Yeah. Um look, I understand why anyone who has season tickets wants this regional.

[00:20:40]You got you got blood in the game.

[00:20:43]You've got you've put effort into it.

[00:20:46]>> Compare a typical guy that sits at home and watches it on TV. It's easy, man.

[00:20:52]You don't have to worry about parking.

[00:20:54]You have to pay for parking. You didn't have to pay for the tickets. You don't have to pay high prices for food in the concession stand. You got food right there. You can invite a bunch of friends over. You got your big screen TV. The women all go in the other room and talk and have a good time. Unless they're baseball fans, then they can watch, too.

[00:21:11]I've seen it work both ways. But it's fun. And then if they lose, you can just let's go do something else. You just turn the channel. And if they win, you can turn and start watching other conference games to see how that affects the standings. So you don't have a lot into going to games. But people that go to games go to games for a reason. They like the live atmosphere. And you got to really want to do that because you're doing the opposite. You're putting up with all the traffic jams and the problems parking. You're putting up with paying for parking. You're putting up with not only paying for the tickets, but paying for the donation for the right to purchase >> $20 beers.

[00:21:52]>> You're paying for $20 beers. You're paying all kinds of money for food.

[00:21:57]Hamburgers are no telling what they cost now. So, you're doing all that stuff, but you're doing it because you like being at the games. And I like to scan when I'm watching a game, scan the crowd because those people are having a great time and they love being a part of the atmosphere. That's the other thing my dad always said. When you go to a game, you get to you get to be part of it by by being in the stands. If you're just sitting at home, you can't influence anybody. They can't hear you. But you can do things when a game's going on.

[00:22:28]>> So, I don't have any problem at all with somebody with season tickets saying, "I want to host." You may think that sounds selfish. You might say, "Well, they'd be better off if they don't this year, but they want to host." And I don't have any argument with him as far as what he said about he thought they would have a better chance at home.

[00:22:47]There's no way to know. You'd have to know who you were playing.

[00:22:50]>> Yeah.

[00:22:50]>> I've seen we've seen Arkansas go on the road >> and do some things that they couldn't do at home. I mean, I had never thought they were going to get out of that Stillwater regional two, three years ago. Trying to remember when that was now, but they I think 2022. And they were amazing in that game and and that series of games. They actually lost a game and still came back and won the extra game that you had to win and won it at night in spite of all those Oklahoma State fans and and the people that are there. It was awesome because I tell this story over and over again.

[00:23:25]What they do at Oklahoma State is they sell standing room only seat spots.

[00:23:32]>> They have a big line that they put around the back. Here's here's the seats and then there's a space back there and they put a line around it and you can pay pay money to stand in there. Okay.

[00:23:46]Then other people kind of mill around and stuff, but they're supposedly not gonna supposed to be in there. And some guy, some Arkansas guy got in there and was just standing there and there was a Karen type that was like, "You you don't belong here. You don't you don't do this. You don't." That's just a way of I love it. I love it.

[00:24:05]>> It's a way of defining that. But the guy was trying it. It was a woman, by the way, and she was saying, "You have no right to be here. You don't have this.

[00:24:13]I've got this ticket. You don't have this ticket. can't do this and the guy just went off on her. It was pretty funny. They were getting about to get into a physical argument over that stuff. So, there is there is something about you have these Razerback fans that even if if they play on the road, they're going to go.

[00:24:31]>> That's cool, too. You know, >> especially if it's, you know, I know Nebraska's dropped off Kansas, too, but something that's like kind of drivable, they will show up.

[00:24:39]>> They will go. They'll find a way to get in there. So, we'll see how it works out. I don't have a strong feeling right now either way. I'm If I had to lean now, before I said I thought they would, they would host. Now I don't think they will.

[00:24:52]>> Have you ever been to a game at Bomb Stadium in one of the boxes?

[00:24:56]>> No. Change your life, man. It really that there is no better way to watch a baseball game than that.

[00:25:02]>> Yeah, I don't know anybody important.

[00:25:05]>> Mike knows knows important people. Have free drinks, free food, air conditioning, got TV on the wall, private bathroom. like I like the concourse at bomb because there's a lot of talk going on out there.

[00:25:16]>> Even you know I've seen it I've been in the hog pen. I've been press box and the boxes all all of it. It is it's all fun.

[00:25:23]It's you get out out in the outfield some playoff baseball. It is an atmosphere unlike any we've ever seen before. And and >> you even see the players literally breaking down under that pressure with some of the antics they've had and some of the gestures they've made to the fans that impacts the game.

[00:25:38]>> But this year it's been a little bit different. I mean, I was had somebody tell me, >> right? Which is maybe maybe good. May maybe good, >> but I had a guy tell me that after that big outburst in the seventh inning, people just started leaving. They they didn't have faith they were going to come back. And maybe you should have, maybe they had done it before, but that people are just I don't know. I think you've got less committed people overall. Maybe there's still a core of people there that are committed, but they say that the corporate ticket people don't they're not the same as the others.

[00:26:11]>> And they buy the tickets and don't always show up.

[00:26:13]>> Don't always show up. And if they do, they're not as committed. Uh some people say they're mad at your ache. So, they're just not not going to I won't even go. I'm mad. You know, I don't know. I You'd have to know every one of these people and talk to every one of them to understand what's going on out there. But again, I I got no idea if they're going to host >> mad at you're a check or not. I'm blown away. Are you that the baseball program loses money? Apparently a $3 million deficit. That just doesn't make any sense.

[00:26:40]>> It it must have to do with NIL. That's the only thing I can think of that they're having to spend more to get players because they weren't doing that before >> or maybe paying off the facility. I just don't get how they could be losing >> and that that may indicate just how much it's changed, how much you've got to come up with money these days. You got to figure it out.

[00:26:57]>> That is the game whether you like it or not. All right, our game not done. Time for a timeout here on Ask Mike. We'll be back with more after the break.

[00:27:08]Back with more of your questions here on Ask Mike and actually about to talk some softball. That could be the better bet to get to the College World Series this year than the baseball team. Bogle Dandy says, "I've sat through every home softball game." Man, that that's a tough one. Some of those early games in February, it was cold and now it's paid off. What a bracket we're in. We're going to OKC this time. No doubt about it. You know, one year ago, they had somebody do their dirty work. Old Miss made the upset. They still couldn't get to the World Series. Hopefully, this is the >> Looks pretty good. I mean, Arkansas is the top two seed. And what that means is the first four rated >> uh regionals all have a one seed.

[00:27:45]>> Kind of like think the NCAA basketball bracket. Yes.

[00:27:48]>> It's like 111 one four then 222 and they go on down there like that. Now, we're talking not in that region, but a national and Arkansas. They're the top national two seed and so they're going to play right off the bat they're going to play forom. Forom is one game over 500 and they played one SEC team Georgia beat them twice 7 to1 and 5 to1. So you like Arkansas's chances in that first game probably to get to a super they're going to end up having to beat Washington maybe twice. They're one and four against two uh against SEC teams.

[00:28:23]The one win was over Auburn, but they got run ruled twice by Texas and once by Oklahoma. Arkansas won two of three against Texas and one of three against Oklahoma. But I like the idea that they could get out into the their own super.

[00:28:36]Now, do you get to Omaha to advance to a super regional? They're going to likely play either a national three seed Duke or a national six seed Arizona. Duke went three and four versus the SEC, but got run by ruled by both Georgia and Oklahoma. Arizona actually won a game against Oklahoma, then lost twice. Got run ruled in one of them. They lost twice to Texas, run in one of those games. Went one and two against LSU, two and six overall against the SEC. So, I like Arkansas. If they win their regional, I like their chances in the Super. And then if they get to Oklahoma City, they are the on the other side of the bracket from both U and Texas.

[00:29:17]Although Alabama would be on their side, >> which is number one overall, right?

[00:29:20]Yeah. Alabama beat them >> in the SEC tournament >> tournament.

[00:29:25]>> So, but I like it looks like a path to Omaha is there >> and I I believe Arkansas is still even after going one and one in the SEC tournament number one RPI softball in the country. Is that correct?

[00:29:36]>> I didn't look at that. I just again >> they played most of the power teams in the SEC.

[00:29:39]>> They moved up two spots from seventh to fifth this week and and won one SEC tournament game. They just the the people that do this just like what they've done this year. And the SEC was extremely deep, but man, Arkansas has played, they have played some power, power powerful teams.

[00:29:55]>> Yeah. Beat Texas two to three.

[00:29:56]>> And we're right there with Oklahoma. Um, you know, nearly took two or three from them. That Friday game, they had a four nothing lead. Gave up the grand slam.

[00:30:02]Could have went either way. They came back to win Saturday. They got tagged on in that Sunday night. Yeah, I think they got run ruled. So, they got beat up pretty good. But, you got to have a pitcher in softball, right? It seems like you could put her out there every single game. Robin Herren, can she be that kind of player for Arkansas?

[00:30:17]>> I don't know. I >> 1980 RA. She did get roughed up against Alabama here last time >> I think they've got two. I do.

[00:30:26]>> So I think they'll be fine. But I think they'll get to Oklahoma City this year.

[00:30:30]I'm going to make that prediction.

[00:30:32]They're going to make it >> hopefully finally. They're actually one seed lower than they were last year. A year ago they entered the tournament number four.

[00:30:39]>> This year number five. And no BLAS, but I think the lineup's deeper.

[00:30:43]>> Yeah. They they don't have that horse they can ride that that's a threat every single time at the plate to go deep but they've got a lot of balance. Tiana Bell, Dakota Kennedy, Ella McDow, all those girls. Uh double digit home runs this year. So hopefully Arkansas bringing the pop can have a great weekend. A lot of fun at Bogle Park.

[00:30:57]Talk to people at Arkansas. All the chairback seats are gone. So if you want a ticket, you got to be general admission there in the outfield. Next question here. Portal hugger who asked, am I getting this right here? Malik Euan is done with Arkansas if he gets a waiver. He's going to a Big 10 school.

[00:31:11]Why did Cal say you?

[00:31:13]>> Okay. I I remember hearing I watched Kevin McFersonson. He does all of our >> our recruiting, all of our portal stuff.

[00:31:21]Great job, Kevin.

[00:31:22]>> He does a great job. And And so I'll watch his podcast. I got my phone. I've been watching TV. I'll turn this off and watch Kevin.

[00:31:30]>> I think it was a few days ago that he talked about Euan. And I'm trying to recall what he said, but I believe what he said was Arkansas cannot afford to make promises to Euan about his how much NIL he'll get. They have to save it. And and basically Cal is in kind of an interesting position because he's not sure how much he's going to does he get Malik Thomas back? What's that going to cost? If he doesn't get him back, that gives you extra money. So you got that issue. Um, and so I I just I I the impression I got was that a they're still uncertain about he was still uncertain whether Euan would get his uh waiver and couldn't afford to make promises to him. Now the fact that Euan didn't go to this GLeague combine, that's the thing that shocked everybody because he was everybody assumed he would do that and he didn't. that has indicated according to Kevin it makes sense that he's probably somebody's probably agreed to pick him up and it's it's imminent he's going to get his waiver and I think he said the rumor is it's a Big 10 school if if he goes somewhere else more power to him I think he helped Arkansas I think earlier in the season he didn't do what people wanted him to do expected him to do but I think he came on uh from about the middle of the season on and played well there's no reason to get mad no reason to wish him ill will >> and I think it just had to happen. I I think Cal is looking at some other people and just couldn't make a commitment to him.

[00:33:06]>> Don't you think it was extremely clear coming out of that Arizona game what Arkansas's biggest need was?

[00:33:13]>> He got roughed up in the paint, right?

[00:33:14]>> Yeah.

[00:33:15]>> And can I make an argument that with no Malik Ewan, no Nick Pringle, you bring in Cooper Bowser, he got worse in the paint instead of better? Well, it depends on how the Smato or whatever his name is that that they've red shirted last year. I keep hearing talk to people that know him and have watched him and say he's better than you think he is.

[00:33:35]So, you've got that >> uh Mir replacement for Trevan Brazil, not a power body.

[00:33:41]>> Yeah, but supposedly he's he's better than Brazil. Got a nasty side to him.

[00:33:46]>> He's taller. He's got some attitude. He blocks shots. He's a shooter. He's a scorer and can play defense. The only thing you don't know about him is if somebody starts bumping him down low, could they back him up and then put up a little looping layup? But he's so good at blocking shots. I still think he's good defensively like that. So, and then I again the rumors are that Cal's looking at some international players.

[00:34:12]He's still looking at the kid that transferred to hit the portal from Georgia. So, I I don't I think we're not going to know a lot about what's going on with Arkansas. that final question in the portal until we find out who's going to stay in the NBA draft and who isn't in other words Malik Thomas >> and they've tried they have tried Santos serial they there were definitely conversations that how far they went I don't know Mustafa Chalam another one Abina Akezy who was the uh the prep recruit also there were conversations there they've really tried it yeah it could be a minor red flag though that they keep striking out is >> but it's also much more likely in my opinion that in the end he's going to pull somebody up and they're going to go okay >> what you want there's the answer I don't know how you can't after the way that Arizona game unfolded it was very very clear to me what it was that they needed young Turk is next up he wants to know is there anything new on Micah Handelotten and a fifthear waiver why is Cal so interested in him his numbers were not impressive at Florida >> yeah according to uh Kevin again now I watched this last night about 1:00 in the morning I woke up and I I'm going to watch.

[00:35:22]>> You don't strike me as a kind of guy that's staying up till 1:00 in the morning. No. Didn't your parents ever tell you only bad things happen after midnight?

[00:35:28]>> I woke back up about 1 in the morning. I thought I'm going to see if Kevin's got another one up. And so I watched him >> and he said that both North Carolina and Arkansas are interested in this guy. So it's going to be But they're also both known to be looking at international players. So does does one of them get them both? Do they split? Does does Cal offer so much money to one that that North Carolina goes with the other? It's it's not clear what's going to happen there. So why do both schools want him when he's averaging like 4.1 points a game last year? Because it's defense.

[00:36:02]He's a really good defensive player. I think when he was uh high school senior, no, when he was at Forom, his freshman year when he was at Forom, he was nationally ranked in block shots and rebounding. And so they want him for his defense. Now, here's what happened to him. He goes to Florida. In his first year there, he gets he I think he broke a leg. I think he had maybe a fracture, but he was supposed to red shirt last year. He was supposed to be out for the whole year rehabbing and red shirting.

[00:36:32]They got to February and had a couple of injuries on their frontline players. And I don't know whether he was asked to do this, whether he jumped up and volunteered, but he went to he he played the last 16 games of the year. And no, they didn't win at all. But if you understand what he was doing, playing when he should have been rehabbing, Todd Golden ended up, you know, just raving about his commitment. So, what you're getting if you get him is you're also going to get a guy that's unselfish, a guy that puts team in front of himself, and somebody that I got to believe would work his tail off to be what they want him to be. Now, he's also 71 and 250.

[00:37:16]That ought to be enough to tell you why Cal wants him. Maybe he doesn't >> push that around.

[00:37:21]>> Maybe he doesn't score but five points a game. But if he's 71 and 250 and you can't push him around and he's a good shot blocker and a good rebounder, that's what you want him for.

[00:37:33]>> That that is what they need. It's not, as you said, not necessarily about, you know, the sexy player, the stats or whatever. They need a body that is tough to deal with down in the post. Next up here, Hog in the South says, "I can't wait to see Jordan Smith Jr.'s defense next season, but a friend tuned me tuned me on to a breakdown of Dtori's game on YouTube." Wow, we have two kids who are going to shut off the inside scoring that hurt us last season.

[00:37:56]>> Actually, I would add a third one, JJ Andrews. All three of those guys, the amazing thing to me with that recruiting class is that Cal went out and found three guys that place really good perimeter defense or edge defense and then they can all score too. But what you will when people talk about what Arkansas needs inside to stop all that inside scoring that, you know, that Arizona did against them.

[00:38:23]>> Uh what they're leaving out of the equation is you got to get the ball into those people and on ball defense was terrible last year.

[00:38:34]>> They were guys were taking the ball and just going inside and then flipping.

[00:38:38]>> As good as Auff was, he was a liability defender.

[00:38:40]>> Bad on ball. And then and then I even saw some of the bigs, they'd draw their big our big, whether it was Euan or whoever, they draw them outside and then they dribble past them. You have somebody that can stop dribble, drive, penetration. And if you go watch, if you go what he I went and looked that up since he mentioned it. And Tore just he just stuffs people when they try that.

[00:39:04]And I'm not saying it works every time, but you watch him deal with on ball when somebody's trying to dribble around him and get to the basket and what he does, he'll reach up if they dribble around him a little bit and then try to pass the ball off to a big knocks it away.

[00:39:19]>> So, and I know that Andrews can do that.

[00:39:21]And I I'm pretty sure that, you know, your stud point guard that you're bringing in that that can also score and play defense, uh, Jordan Smith, I I I think he can do it, too. So, you got three that can do that. And I think Arkansas already has some guys on this team like Billy Richmond that can do that. I just think it's not just a matter of getting some big guy that can stand back there and force people back out, block shots and all that. Although I think they've got that. I think you're going to see less dribble drive into into the paint.

[00:39:53]>> Yeah. And you mentioned Billy Richmond there, the NBA draft combine coming up this week. So, those guys going to get some good feedback on where they stand.

[00:39:59]You know, if both of them get pretty solid first round grades, you would expect they'll probably both go. Beyond that, if they return to college, is it your understanding, are they available in the portal or no? Is it they're either coming back to Arkansas or they're going pro?

[00:40:14]>> I'm not sure about that.

[00:40:16]>> I I'm not either. I think I think it's Arkansas pro, but I don't know if they're if they're >> I just think Richmond is is coming back and >> nobody has him in the first round. And listening to Kevin last night on his podcast, he said he thinks it's about 5149 right now that Thomas would stay in, but it's still close. And again, that may be one of the reasons why they haven't decided yet on what they're going to do with this one final big because they need to know how much money they've got available.

[00:40:47]>> And you got to be careful. A lot of times you do come back to school, maybe that's not what's best for your development. Carter Knox, a lot of people, you know, had him >> going in the 20s last year, decides to come back and now he's going to be a college player. Absolutely.

[00:40:59]>> All right, more to come here on Ask Mike. Up next, we're talking some Arkansas football with Ryan Silverfield and what he's doing, making the rounds here in the state. That's up next. Don't go away.

[00:41:10]>> Back here one final time on Ask Mike wrapping up the show here this weekend talking some Arkansas football. Got Ryan Silverfield in the news. He is never shy in front of the camera and he's making himself always available. So, hey, shout out to coach Silverfield. We appreciate it here in the media. Hi ho Silverfield says, "With several schools set to spend $50 million on football players this fall, it looks like our new head coach is going to get left in the dust. I guess he has more to spend than Pitman.

[00:41:34]Pitman did, but it seems like we are always playing catch-up." Sure does.

[00:41:38]Last year's price ain't this year's price. If you if you're talking about maybe four at the most five of the of the highest spending teams in the SEC, then yes, you're still behind them. But I think he's got enough money this year to be in much better shape against some of those other schools. Now, it remains to be seen what that portal class will do. It's in place. He's talked it talked it up. We've seen them in a spring game.

[00:42:04]I've said I don't think you can tell squad about a team spring game. I want to see them on the field this fall. But we're going to find out if that's a better portal class. But he had more money to spend on it and I think it will be better. That's just my this is what I think as far as the future.

[00:42:25]Look, one of two things is eventually going to happen. Either a bunch of those schools in the SEC and the Big 10 are going to break off and do a 32 team super conference and just spend all the money they want and play some kind of crazy game that you don't even do in the NFL. NFL still has rules. These guys apparently wouldn't have any rules. They just out try to outspend each other.

[00:42:47]You'll either have that or you're eventually going to get some common sense. Somebody's going to step in. I I still think I don't understand why these schools academically are saying we don't want to make them employees of the university because that solves the problem. You make them get in a union >> a real contract >> and you hold them to a contract and and and there's a salary cap that you can put on that. You could do that.

[00:43:12]Apparently the on the academic side there's a lot of schools that don't want to do it. So get to get together all the schools that do want to do it and do it that way where you could regulate it. Um either that or do what Caliperry said and it's time to sue him back. One or the other. Uh I I got nobody's ever tried suing them back >> or or just said, "Go ahead, sue us.

[00:43:34]We'll see you in court." Nobody wants to say that.

[00:43:36]>> Yeah. We'll spend the money. You sue us and then we'll we'll send our own person in there and we'll defend this thing. Um so it's either that and the problem gets solved that way or it gets solved by we're not you're not even going to mess with this anymore. Arkansas wouldn't be in that group. I don't believe they would. I don't believe they'd have the money. And then Razerback fans, I think, would end up happier. I've said this all along. Let these people go on and play their little silly game over there by themselves where they got their nose in the air. We got more money than you and we're going to just do this. And you could have the rest of them could have college football back the way it used to be. You're paying them some amount of money, but not a ridiculous amount of money. And I still say, and I will continue to say, if you're going to pay these athletes money, they all ought to get an equal amount.

[00:44:25]>> But you can't do that. The backup long snapper can't make what the quarterback makes.

[00:44:30]>> I'm sorry. If you do it right, they can because this is still college and you give them all the same amount.

[00:44:35]>> And if they are employees and they did have a contract, theoretically, you could do that. But the players have never had a better, so they don't want off of what >> they would be. They would be fine.

[00:44:45]You're not in your super duper league where you're getting four and five and six million. You So you're just one of these other guys and you're getting your I believe if you do it go back to that because if you do this super league these guys aren't even going to school.

[00:44:59]>> They don't have to.

[00:45:00]>> You said 32 teams. So there's 34 teams Big 10 SEC Notre Dame would be in there.

[00:45:05]There'd be others, you know, Florida State, whatever. Let's say it's 40 teams. They get a 40 team breakaway with whatever they're going to call it. Does Arkansas truly have a seat at the table?

[00:45:15]No.

[00:45:15]>> Or should they maybe be a little bit worried? And and if they aren't worried, do they have enough self-awareness to know, hey, we got to improve because it can change so fast. A couple years ago, Indiana would have been one of those schools that was left out and they just won the national title. So things can change. I guess uh my feeling from talking to a lot of fans is they're tired of this and if it comes to that they'd rather just be in another conference, another organization where they do things the way they used to do it where guys are actually going to school because I promise you in this super league they won't even be going to school. They'll just be attached to those schools, >> minor league baseball, whatever it is.

[00:45:55]>> I feel like fans cheer for revenue like almost Arkansas is like, "Hey, hey, we're in the SEC. We're making all this money." But who really cares about re as you're saying like wouldn't it would it almost be better to go dominate the I'm not saying Arkansas should go that's not what I'm saying but we've gotten to this point where you know schools like Arkansas and Maryland and Ruters are like hey look at us we found a great landing spot in realignment we have all this money but you're not doing what you did in the ACC. You're not doing what you did in the Southwest Conference. All you have is more money.

[00:46:25]>> Yeah. I don't know if it happens it'll happen and then we'll see. But you could take a bunch of teams but that Arkansas could end up with in in this other situation. Oklahoma State would be one.

[00:46:38]Texas Tech I don't know if they'd want to steal that. Could they sustain that?

[00:46:41]>> Cody Campbell's been behind the unified kind of like one TV dealing media rights. He's been really championing.

[00:46:47]>> And then the the other answer to this is that these conferences are now starting to make deals with, you know, with these companies.

[00:46:54]>> Duke basketball. Yes. Yeah. And >> that's that could go to court. that that could go to court and you could also end up losing a lot of money that way because you're letting somebody else fool around with your money.

[00:47:04]>> So, I don't know if that's the answer, but it's just gotten nuts and it needs to be put under control. There needs to be some controls and right now there are none because they're not being enforced.

[00:47:13]>> They're not. There's no way to enforce it and they're making more money than they ever have before.

[00:47:17]>> There is a way to enforce it. The College Football Commission, which did all this revsharing stuff, could just say, "Nope, we reject this NIL. this is the amount you've got. If you don't like it, lump it and then they'll get sued and then they could just put up send their lawyers in.

[00:47:33]>> And I I like this too. NCA basketball tournament, college ball playoff, fine.

[00:47:37]You can't enforce the penalties of kids can do whatever they want with they want to pay or not follow the the cap or the transfer rules, whatever. But you can say this, if we know you violated the transfer portal rules or we know you violated the revshare rules or whatever, you're not allowed in the college football playoff. You're not allowed in the NCA basketball tournament. That would be the first step.

[00:47:56]>> Yeah, it would be good.

[00:47:57]>> Next question. Clark in Clarksville. I don't know if Silverfield can get the football program back on track, but I like the way he's speaking at these public functions. You have to go all the way back to Nut to find a head football coach who actually works at at promoting the Hogs.

[00:48:09]>> Yeah, this is something that the coaches have gotten away from, more so under Urich than uh Jeff Long. But we used to have and Frank Broles had it down. They used to have these Razerback clubs all over the state.

[00:48:21]>> And it wasn't always the head coach. A lot of times the assistant coaches would go to But here's the thing. You're sitting there in in a town. I don't just pick a Marian some some place >> Russellville whatever. Yeah.

[00:48:32]>> Yeah. And so you got a Razerback club and guess what? Somebody from Arkansas staff is coming and and speaking and telling you you're important to us. We like you. And they're seeing this guy face to face and they start giving the money. What they're trying to do now is say hey we need your money. Uhuh.

[00:48:50]>> We got to go from two wins to four wins.

[00:48:52]I just talked to a guy today about this very subject and he says they're not getting money from these people anymore because their attitude is why should I send money up there? I'm not even going up there anymore. I'll just sit at home and do what I have to do. Watch the games on TV. I got no skin in the game anymore. And again, this is going to start affecting businesses in Northwest Arkansas if if people fewer people travel up here to games. people coming in from the outside have to have motel rooms. They have to eat out at restaurants and stuff. You cannot expect Northwest Arkansas to support that entire football program on a weekend.

[00:49:31]And it used to again in Frank's day, they came from all over the state. They spent money up here. Everybody benefited from it. But it didn't happen just because you said, "Hey, come on up here." They went to them. And so this is what Silverfield is doing. I mean, he he went he's already been to Fyville. He's been to one of these in Little Rock.

[00:49:52]He's been to one in Jonesboro. I think tomorrow he's down at Jerry World. It's some kind of a big deal at Jerry World.

[00:49:58]So, that's going into Texas and saying, "Hey, we want you to come up here. I'm coming down here to talk to you." So, keep doing that. Now, he needs to get his assistant coaches involved. Bring back these Razerback clubs. It's the best idea I could think of.

[00:50:12]>> Yeah. I And this could be a small step.

[00:50:14]I'm a little Why the hell are they going to Favville? Right. Right across the street from the campus and that's the first but whatever. I like that they're going to Dallas. That's something a little more creative.

[00:50:23]>> Yeah. But it's a different way of raising money.

[00:50:25]>> Yeah.

[00:50:26]>> You now it becomes more important than ever to raise money. And why are you giving up the thing that raised the most amount of money for you?

[00:50:33]>> Why have you let that go?

[00:50:34]>> And there's something about embracing your tradition because I I think the school has gotten away from some of its traditions. Next up here, circle the track asked, "Why is indoor track a bigger thing on the UA campus than the outdoor season? At some track schools like Oregon, it's the opposite of that."

[00:50:48]They've had a lot of success in indoor track. So, shout out to Doug Case doing his thing. Two two completely different situations. I think indoor track is big in Northwest Arkansas for several reasons. First of all, the weather is controllable. You're not going to go in there and get rained on, freeze, get cold, or any of that stuff. But I also think when you combat compact the action, whether they're on the track or they're out there pole vaultting in the middle or high jumping in the middle, you've got everybody's close to the action. They can see what's going on.

[00:51:17]>> That's a good point.

[00:51:18]>> You know, it's a little bit more intimate.

[00:51:19]>> Yeah, it's more intimate for the fans.

[00:51:22]>> Now, when you go outdoors, here's what you run into. First of all, you have no idea early in the outdoor season if you're going to get freeze to death, suddenly get a a front come through. In May, you got severe weather.

[00:51:34]>> It can rain on you. Now, all these things can still happen to baseball, too. But the these people are not there's just not as many that are committed to track. So, if they come out and then the other thing is this, that track is facing the wrong direction. The home side is over on it would be like if if the uh east side of Razerback Stadium was where the press box was because that's where all the people sit and they're looking right into the sun. Now, why is that a problem? First of all, track and field the way it's structured goes on a long time. A meet from when it starts to when it's over. Can last hours >> and hard to be a live spectator sport, >> right? So if you're watching all that stuff and then all of a sudden there's 30 minutes where Arkansas's not involved and you're sitting there with the sun beating down on you or looking right into the sun, you want to get up and leave. U now why is Oregon Why is it bigger outdoor track bigger there?

[00:52:25]Hayden could probably because he lived up there.

[00:52:27]>> It's been a big investment up there.

[00:52:29]Well, >> USA track and field the whole >> Here's what I'm told. That's a big They're They're on the coast, right?

[00:52:35]Yep.

[00:52:35]>> It the weather's actually pretty good up there and they like People like to run outdoors. Outdoor that's a that's a sport up there, running. And so headquarters Yeah. So they like it and so they go to these outdoor meets and what Oregon does with the national meet is they've got it locked down. They've they you have to make a bid for that and they bid so much money and they can fill it up. They can even bring in extra seats. They've got a really nice facility. So, it's a thing in in Oregon that that's just what they like here.

[00:53:09]Again, I think they like indoor track.

[00:53:12]>> All right, really quick. We only got about 30 seconds for each of these.

[00:53:14]Unfortunately, McDonald fan forever.

[00:53:16]Arkansas is the best track program in the country. Why can't we ever host the SEC outdoor tournament or national championship? Well, they did host it in 2019, so that's going on seven years.

[00:53:26]All I can remember about that when this f when it first got built, the outdoor track was there were theoretically the SEC had a policy they're going to rotate it every year. And so you would if it were done that way, you you'd only host once every 16 years. The problem is that there are a bunch of schools that don't have a facility capable of doing it. So the idea was Arkansas's one of those four or five schools. they'll get it every four or five years. It looks like to me they're down to rotating it between maybe Florida, Kentucky, who's got a good facility, and&m, which has got a good facility. And I haven't been able to get an answer yet. I'll try to do that for next week, but it looks like to me that maybe Arkansas has just decided that's that's a real pain to do.

[00:54:09]I think they could do it. They've got the parking and they've got the facility and all that, but you got to have a lot of people involved in organizing that.

[00:54:16]And I think they got other things to do this time of year.

[00:54:19]>> And final question here real quick.

[00:54:20]Smitty Logan, what happened to the tennis group's meeting with Robinson and your check? It was supposed to be last week. All I've heard is crit crickets.

[00:54:27]Reportedly, it was Monday. Still no resolution from what I understand.

[00:54:30]>> Yeah. Uh it was originally supposed to be Thursday, then Friday. What I was told, and this is all unsubstantiated, it's all rumors. Nobody's officially confirmed any of this that your check postponed it from Thursday to Friday then then uh Friday to today. We'll see if it gets postponed again. All we know and this is based on talking to some of the people that claim they're going into the meeting is that you're a wants a commitment. He wants if he's going to save that program, he wants enough money to save it for 10 years. They've come up with enough to save it for two years.

[00:55:06]Will they compromise on this? I don't know.

[00:55:09]>> It could the program truly could come back. Out of time here on Ask Mike.