WinChill Factor: Hogs Must Show Positivity, Pride, Poise and Progress

I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.

President John F. Kennedy’s “Special Message to the Congress on Urgent National Needs,” delivered May 25, 1961

That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

U.S. Astronaut Neil Armstrong’s statement upon setting foot on the moon, delivered July 20, 1969

* * * * * * * * * * *

The period of time that it took from President Kennedy’s challenge before a joint session of Congress until the day Neil Armstrong looked at Earth while standing on something not Earth was 2,978 days.  Let that sink in for a bit.  Two thousand.  Nine hundred.  Seventy-eight.  Days.

Alternatively, that equates to:

• 8 years, 1 month, and 25 days
• 425 weeks (rounded down for all the Math majors)
• 71,472 hours
• 4,288,320 minutes
• 257,299,200 seconds

So, what’d you do on your lunch hour today?

It’s not hard to see my point:  Time.  Your Arkansas Razorbacks could use some.  So could Coach Bielema.  I’m not saying it will take 2,978 days to become the type of football program we all want to be, but it’s not going to happen this season.  And it likely won’t happen next season.

But it will happen.

The thing is, it’s a process.  It’s a proc… (What?  I’ve said that already?  When?  Before the South Carolina game?  You sure?…oh.  Well, we’ll fix that in editing, along with my excessive use of parentheses).

Rest assured, WinChillers, that at some point closer to now than 257,299,200 seconds from now, we will be sitting at the Big Boy table with the elite of college football.  We will dine on lions, tigers and, well, more tigers.

Can I go off on a tangent here?  Maybe it’s me but for all the magnificence of the SEC, what’s up with the lack of original nicknames?  By my count, we have three tigers (Mizzou, LSU and Auburn – note that windbreakers do reverse alphabetical order; it’s just a thing we do; pay it no mind and don’t take it personally Auburn), two bulldogs (UGA and MSU), and is there really a (yawn) black bear at Ole Miss nowadays??  Oh sure, we have the Commodores (“Brick House” is still one of my faves, even though Lionel Richie’s leaving ended up being kinda Pujols-y in the long run), the Crimson Tide and – only the best mascot of all – the RAZORBACKS!!!  But still, step it up fellas.  Now, back to the report….

We will raise our glasses and toast our success and reminisce about the glorious struggles we faced and the way in which we overcame all of them.  Then we’ll push back from the table, roll up our sleeves and get back to work.  Because once we get back to that upper echelon, we plan on staying there a long time.  Lions, tigers and Lionel Richie…you’ve been warned.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Now, if I may, this week’s WinChill Factor is the letter “P” – please allow me to explain.  “P” as in Positivity, Pride, Poise and Progress.  It’s also in Polyester (but that seemed a bit self-serving) and I could have made a reference to the Black Eyed Peas, although that struck me as being a bit dated at this point.  At any rate, these four P’s are the things we want to display on Saturday night.  They represent concepts we can, and should, do now.  In our actions, words and deeds, it is time to show who we are while we struggle to reach where we want to be.

Let that sink in a bit, too – “where we want to be.”  Months ago I was in a factory.  I had many options.  I could have been almost anything (because you wouldn’t BELIEVE what they’re doing with polyester these days) but I clawed, fought, demanded and essentially willed myself to become a part of the Arkansas Razorback family.  Why?  Because we want it more and we’re willing to earn it.  Nothing comes easy to this state.  We have to do it the hard way because it’s the ONLY way.  I am here for the duration.  Through the rough times and the smooth sailing, I will be with you – and for you – as a symbol of hope and as protection from mildly inclement weather.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t also point out that letter “P” is in hosPitality.  Which is what we want to extend to our guests from Alabama because the holidays are coming up and, while they’re here, we need them to open their wallets and spread some stimulus up in here.  It’s the least those sweater-vest-wearing-goobers could do.

Until next week, Fear the Sleeves.

Photo Courtesy of ThomasWolfe’sGhost via FLICKR. To see more of these photos, click here.

***

Coach Bielema’s Windbreaker made its physical presence known on August 31, 2013.  It is chock full of Razorback spirit, has an unhealthy hatred of sweater vests and fears nothing (other than a hot iron on the “Cotton/Linen” setting).  As game days approach, the Windbreaker can be found interacting with the Razorback faithful on Twitter (@BielWindbreaker).

At times, the Windbreaker associates with Shayne Smith, a lifelong resident of central Arkansas who has been known to begin sentences with “Notwithstanding the foregoing….”