If you have wondered why the Arkansas Razorbacks would schedule a team known as the Mocs, don’t.

It is all about the money.

Tennessee-Chattanooga, which once lost to NAIA powerhouse UCA (coached by Harold Horton ), is coming to the Rock for a tail-whipping for $ 325, 000.

A more quality opponent would have cost between $ 600, 000 and $ 750, 000.

ADVERTISEMENT

So a half-priced team was hired to provide some mild entertainment Saturday night at War Memorial Stadium.

Don’t take that wrong. The Mocs will give it their all and probably only be behind at the half by 35 or 42 points.

They opened the season with a loss to a couple of gentlemen named Carson and Newman, who are undefeated, including victories over St. Augustine, Dixie State and Newberry. Carson-Newman faces Mars Hill on Saturday, and no one could make this up.

After that, the Mocs were thumped by former UA Coach Jack Crowe and Jacksonville State before winning at Georgia Southern.

After that they were trounced by The Citadel, which beat the Hogs once and got Crowe fired.

No doubt the Mocs, who hail from a beautiful, scenic area, will earn every penny of their paycheck.

Of course, it will be a Rock festival on the golf course for the fans.

Tens of thousands will come early and stay as late as the law allows.

Every game in War Memorial Stadium is a homecoming for the fans because there is so much room for everyone to congregate and celebrate the Hogs.

Might not be a great game, but the atmosphere will be topshelf.

Mitch Albom, the award-winning sports columnist for the Detroit Free Press and author of three books, will speak at the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock on Oct. 24.

Albom’s first book, Tuesdays With Morrie, was a best-seller and was made into a movie.

Albom followed that 1997 book with The Five People You Meet in Heaven in 2003, and it became the all-time most successful first novel in hardback in the United States, with more than 8 million copes sold worldwide.

Last year, For One More Day was released.

Albom is a noted speaker nationally.

Albom actually became wellknown in Arkansas in 1994, at least for a couple of days, when he predicted on ESPN’s show The Sports Reporters that the NCAA basketball champion would be the smart team.

He made that prediction the day before the Arkansas Razorbacks faced Duke in the championship game.

Our man Stephen Caldwell asked Albom after his prediction if that meant he was picking Duke and was told not necessarily.

That as far as Albom knew, both teams were smart.

Of course, the smartest-playing team, Arkansas, won the next night.

Anyway, Albom has a strong reputation as a speaker, and this is a great opportunity to be enlightened during lunch.

Sunday kicks off literacy awareness week in Arkansas.

With some help from his friends, Dr. Fitz Hill has made this one of the most worthwhile events of the year.

At 6 p. m. Sunday, in the Parkview auditorium, the Montage Theater of Dance from Jackson, Miss., will perform.

There are other cultural events almost daily, but the highlight of the week will take place next Saturday at War Memorial Stadium when Arkansas-Pine Bluff hosts Grambling State in another great football game.

Last year for the inauguration of this great week, Grambling State gave up a home game and played in the Rock to support the literacy awareness campaign.

Dr. Hill, once the head coach at San Jose State and recruiting coordinator and receivers coach for the Razorbacks, is now president of Arkansas Baptist College, which has seen its enrollment quadruple since he took over the leadership of the school.