Like it is

Golf, goodies and a whole lot of goodwill

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/STATON BREIDENTHAL --5/8/17-- Arkansas football coach Bret Bielema talks with the media Monday night before an event at the Pine Bluff country club.

Everywhere Arkansas football Coach Bret Bielema goes right now, he gets the same question.

It has nothing to do with the upcoming football season or last season.

It is about names, as in what names he and Jen are considering for their baby girl, who is due in less than six weeks.

If he knows -- and he pretty much says he doesn't -- he's not letting on.

Jen's due date is the same day he and his staff report back to work, so he's hoping the baby comes a little early, but not too early, since he kicks off the SEC football media days July 10 in Hoover, Ala.

It isn't like he and his staff are really off.

This is camp season, and Monday about half of Bielema's staff took part in the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame's annual Pat Summerall golf tournament at Chenal Country Club.

The others are working camps in Houston and in Florida, which could help recruiting.

One thing every Razorbacks head football coach learns quickly is you cannot win with just homegrown talent.

Arkansas isn't big enough, and in many areas of the state when boys turn 15 or 16 they are expected to work, not play games.

At a morning reception at Chenal, Bielema told Terri Johnson, executive director of the ASHOF, that he wants to be involved with the golf tournament on a yearly basis.

Granted, not all 32 golf teams consisted of Razorbacks fans, but this Hall of Fame isn't just about the Hogs.

Yet, the crowd that ate lunch at 11:30 a.m. was huge. It was more than just golf teams, past inductees and future inductees. There were people from all walks of life, including the Hogs No. 1 fan, Canaan Sandy, and his mom.

It was Sandy's birthday, and he wanted to celebrate it surrounded by sports fans and guys such as Ken Hatfield, Fred Marshall, Kevin McReynolds and dozens of others who have helped put Arkansas on the sports map.

Bielema, who had to excuse himself a few times to take calls (he didn't make any) from assistants, met with as many people as he could, and he patiently posed for pictures and signed his name to items.

It was obvious the assistants with him were ready for a little golf and a break in a job that has grown to be almost 365 days a year.

They took calls, too, but didn't make any.

They all mingled and mixed, and that's the way the ASHOF golf tournament has always been. There is no pressure on anyone.

Like a family reunion, it's a day of fun, usually in the sun, but Monday there were threatening clouds for most of the day.

Attorney General Leslie Rutledge was playing, as well as Hall of Fame supporters from almost every college in the state.

The golf courses -- the Founders and Bear Den -- looked great, despite all the heavy rains the past few days, and of course the golf carts were restricted to the paved golf paths.

Rodney Peel, whose team won the tournament last year, was back to defend his title. He said he was a lot like the coaches in that he was about recruiting and getting the best golfers he could.

By the time everyone finished eating lunch, taking pictures, and listening to a beautiful rendition of the national anthem and a prayer, everyone was ready to hit the course.

This tournament is loaded with prizes, everything from Wilson golf bags to Dallas Cowboys memorabilia, as well as something new in the goody bags -- a bottle of Tito's handmade vodka.

It is just a great event.

Sports on 06/06/2017