Bill's Bowl Blog: Arrival Day
7:09 p.m. — Don’t forget that you can also send questions in to Ask the A.D. for this week as we work out final details for a special bowl week road edition of Jeff Long’s sit down with the fans through ArkansasRazorbacks.com.
7:03 p.m. — Noticed that Digital Hoop Blast just ranked Arkansas fifth in the SEC for digital promotion of men’s basketball; you can read more here. Speaking of basketball, you can send your questions in for women’s basketball coach Tom Collen and the next on-line episode of Courtside.
7:00 p.m. — Is there something you want to know about bowl week? Do you have a question for the players or coaches that we might be able to use at one of the media events? Send in your bowl week questions to the RazorVision team here in Memphis by using this questionnaire form.
6:55 p.m. — The package is up and linked here to the arrival day blog.
6:45 p.m. — The quick package with a couple of players is ready, and we’re uploading it as we speak. We asked both Ray and D.J. questions that the rest of the media didn’t — looking for something personal from the players.
5:15 p.m. — Back from the brief media event and the marching of the ducks here in the lobby. The Razorback players are continuing to check in downstairs. Jake Bequette, Ray Dominquez and D.J. Williams took questions from the assembled media for about 30 minutes.
As you may expect, the football questions surrounded the recent events at Florida with Urban Meyer and the speculations in the media regarding Coach Bobby Petrino. Most of those questions have faded with the announcement earlier today that Meyer would take a leave of absense. Meyer was to meet with the media about the same time the Razorback players had their session.
We focused a little less on the game and a little bit on the fun that the team gets to have tomorrow with the NBA game and the player’s event with the ECU squad prior to the Grizzlies-Wizards game. That video will be posted here later this evening.
A couple of preview items from Ray Dominquez and D.J. Williams — each tabbed Joe Adams or Ben Cleveland as the players to watch in the bowling (although D.J. revealed that Michael Smith is a 200-range average, but his hamstring might hold him back). D.J. also reminded us that he played AAU ball against O.J. Mayo, and is looking forward to the game from a personal perspective.
The rest of tonight is settling in, unloading equipment and getting ready for tomorrow’s events.
4:00 p.m. — Welcome to Memphis, and the Arkansas Razorbacks’ headquarters hotel, The Peabody, in downtown. Of course, the ducks were in the fountain when we rolled in, and will be the background for team player arrivals all day.
Today is the check-in day for the Razorback football team and the members of the support crew that will be here all week. Matt Wolfe and I set up shop for fans to follow the daily events this evening.
On the schedule today is a brief media availability around 4:30. Monday is the first in-city bowl week practice in the morning. Tomorrow we will have full video from the Razorback practice at Rhodes College, plus the first of several official AutoZone Liberty Bowl press conferences. Tomorrow night, the players from both teams get together for friendly competitions before heading to the Memphis Grizzlies’ NBA game at FedEx Forum.
A little more than a year ago, I was here in Memphis as the Razorback women’s basketball team faced the University of Memphis at FedEx Forum. The town is a little quiet today — a combination of a downtown area on a weekend and the day after the day after Christmas.
Here’s the way the week will work for the blog:
Twitter updates of team happenings will be posted on @ArkRazorbacks and here on the Bowl Blog.
When we get to game day on Jan. 2, we plan to also run the @RazorbackRoad feed for the same home-game style detailed notes; however, we need to verify connectivity at the Liberty Bowl later this week.
Expect Twit Pics and other special notes on the @ArkRazorbacks feed, as well as the chance to pick up a pair of tickets to the Alumni Association’s event on Jan. 1 — HogWild on Beale. Fans needing a calendar of open events, jump here or go to the official bowl central page.
The blog will be at all the official team practices and events — with some special video packages planned for each morning, but more details on that later.
The Peabody Ducks welcomed the team to its road headquarters
