SWINING FOR THE FENCES

By Matt Watson

Something said at the post-game press conference after the hoops Hogs’ big overtime win Saturday over Auburn struck me as a little odd.

“Make no mistake about it, there is nothing fun about this.”

What does a thrilling overtime victory, four straight conference wins and sole possession of first place in the SEC West add up to?

Just work, if you ask Arkansas coach John Pelphrey.

Maybe coaching basketball for a living sounds easy, but put yourself in Pelphrey’s shoes for a second.

Outside of sports, who else has to field questions about their job performance every day, only to have the answers and criticism of said responses published for millions of people to scrutinize?

How many people go to work with 15,000 people physically looking over their shoulder? I don’t know about you, but there aren’t even 15,000 people who know I exist, much less care.

Not many other professions get as much attention as those in the sporting world. Maybe politics, but there’s still greater turnover in the collegiate coaching ranks than there is in Washington. Not that orchestrating a motion offense is easier than authoring legislation, but both politicians and coaches face similar scrutiny in the court of public opinion in this country.

Then take the high visibility of the job and add the wavering power of the almighty W – the Razorbacks are riding a four-game win streak that could just as easily be part of a six-game losing streak (dating back to a program-worst loss to Kentucky). Arkansas has won four SEC games by 19 points and trailed in the second half of each contest. No one knows more than Pelphrey how quickly everything can go wrong. You can’t blame a guy for not getting too excited about a small win streak after the Hogs knocked out two top 10 teams last year and then won exactly two of their next 17 games.

Many called the Oklahoma win a fluke, but after Arkansas toppled Texas the Razorback nation was ready to knight Sir Pelphrey. Kentucky was struggling at the time and everyone called for a contract extension to keep the Hog coach away from his alma mater – a year later, the Wildcats beat Arkansas by 31 and the same fans called for Pelphrey’s head.

It’s even easier to lose fan’s faith in football, where losing one game can cost a team a season. A year’s worth of work can be lost in three hours. If the Arkansas football team loses to East Carolina, is anyone talking about a potential BCS bid next year?

Pelphrey and Co. are saying the right things in the midst of their timely turnaround – Courtney Fortson, who has become the face of the Razorback resurgence, said Saturday that the Hogs need to stay humble and hungry.

Pelphrey said on his radio show Monday that fans shouldn’t “pat players on the back” but instead “kick them in the rear” to keep them going.

One loose ball, one long rebound could’ve tilted the Auburn game either way in regulation Saturday. No one is better than Pelphrey at weathering emotional ups and downs week-to-week, because he understands the streaky nature of the game.

There comes a point when winning streaks and losing skids don’t matter, because in sports every time there’s an opening tip, kickoff or starter’s pistol, every one is back to the same playing field.

Matt Watson is the sports editor of The Arkansas Traveler. His column appears every Wednesday.