My Sunday Feeling

I don't have a lot to discuss in this edition. Of course, that has never stopped me in the past. So let's get started.

More Houston Nutt. All of the time: I typically do MSF on Saturday afternoons as I like to use my Sundays for reading and playing golf. When I'm not engaged in intense religious contemplation, that is.

Anyway, by the time most of you open this up, we will know whether or not Houston Nutt, the high-strung and embattled coach of the underachieving Arkansas Razorbacks has saved his job by beating the visiting Auburn Tigers. My money is on the Tigers but that is why they keep score and until it is over it doesn't much matter what you and I think.

This week's brouhaha-and we do seem to average one a week up there-concerns the fact that somebody filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking university records concerning whether former running backs coach Danny Nutt is still on the payroll. For those who don't know, Danny Nutt was forced to retire from coaching due to recurrent bleeding in his brain stem which prevents him from flying or spending long periods in the hot sun.

Turns out Nutt is drawing the sick leave he accrued while employed by the University along with various fringe benefits to which he is entitled under his old contract. As far as I can tell, everything is on the up and up. A person who is not as touchy as Houston Dale Nutt might have said, " I will let the public record speak for itself" and leave it at that.

But no. He resorted to the petulance for which he justifiably renowned.

According to this morning's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, HDN said " When you get letters of inquiry, FOIs on your desk, it's so ridiculous. So ridiculous that somebody would think there's something new there [regarding Danny Nutt.]"

It may be ridiculous but anybody can file a FOIA request for any reason fair or foul about the public records concerning any government employee. The address of that employee's duty station, her job title, pay grade and annual salary are freely releasable 95% of the time. And the exceptions to the release of that otherwise basic information do not apply to a person employed as a football coach. Further, as Nutt also learned last winter much to his considerable chagrin, if your cell phone bill is paid for by John Q. Public, those records are releasable as well. Which is not good if you have spent what would appear to be an inordinate amount of time sending text messages to a woman who is not your wife on your University of Arkansas cell phone.

I know HDN is high pissed about all of this. But the better question would be: How did he manage to so lose the trust of a not inconsiderable segment of the Razorback fan base(some of them admittedly fullblown batshit crazy) to where an otherwise reasonable explanation of his brother's relationship to the program. Maybe if he hadn't stuck his brother in the coaching box wearing headphones during the Kentucky game while he was technically "retired" (the SEC told him to knock that off) eyebrows would not have raised.

I'm surprised folks haven't resorted to using FOIA to harass coaches before now. And quite frankly, I'm surprised I didn't think of it myself. But it's completely legal. And if Houston Nutt doesn't like it they he go to the NFL. Or take his act to Rice or Tulane. He wouldn't win many games.

But he could text his female associate without fear of it getting released.

The Latest on "V": My post a couple of weeks ago about my friend V brought me many e-mails and phone calls. Indeed, I attended a party the night after I posted it and a couple of women that read this blog inquired about her ,wondered how she was doing and offered help and consolation. To a perfect stranger.

The noted therapist Dr. GG asked about her yesterday. This is what I told her. As far as I know she is doing OK. I haven't seen her much since our talk. She says she is keeping pretty much to herself nowadays. Been there, boy.

Which, according to GG, accounts for the interest in her story. All of us have found ourselves unlucky in love. All of us have experienced situations that didn't work out. Many of us have heard explanations from "significant others" that didn't make a whole lot of sense. And it is a lot to unpack.

" And the women relate to it because all men are shits, right?"

"Absolutely," she replied.

V is a smart and attractive woman. She will remain on the shelf until she no longer wants to remain there. She will be OK. And that's all I know.

A Dispatch From The Field: Here is last week's IM from my excellent friend Jenny who finds herself mired in the upcoming nuptials of yet another of her nutty friends.

Jenny: Did I tell you that Charlene is getting remarried?

tmfw: Yeah. She's the one that hooked back up on the Internet with her high school sweetheart up in Maine or someplace and basically stole him from his wife the Episcopalian priest? That Charlene?

Jenny: I can't believe you remembered all that.

tmfw: Well, it ain't exactly your basic success story from e-Harmony.com.

Jenny: True. Tell me something.

tmfw: OK.

Jenny: What do you know about Soren Kierkegaard?

tmfw: Huh?

Jenny: He was a philosopher or something, right?

tmfw: Yeah. Danish existentialist Christian theologian. Very gloomy stuff. Why?

Jenny: I've been asked to read a passage from Kierkegaard at the wedding.

tmfw: WHAT?

Jenny: You heard me.

tmfw: What, were they not able find anything sufficiently depressing by Beckett or Camus?

Jenny: Bizarre, ain't it?

tmfw: My response is two-fold: That's the most fucked up thing I've ever heard and can I go with you?

Jenny: Sorry. Bob's in town. He's stuck.

tmfw: Damn. I would have liked to have seen that. Where is the wedding again?

Jenny: Happy Valley Country Club.

tmfw: I guarantee you that the only way those folks over there would have known about Kierkegaard is if he won the PGA. Which he didn't BTW.

Jenny: Gotta run. Will catch you later.

tmfw: Want to come over and get my copy of Fear and Loathing and the Sickness Unto Death just to see what you are getting into?

Jenny: Absolutely not. Bye.

tmfw: Just trying to be helpful. Bye.

There are indeed strange days. Fans are accosting HDN with planes bearing banners and FOIA requests. And Kierkegaard will be declaimed during a nutbar's nuptials. And I guarantee you that the bridal party has absolutely no earthly idea who Soren Kierkegaard was.

Like I said, I'm just sorry that I won't be there to see this in person. You just don't get the opportunity to see something this feet-in-the-air crazy very often and you should take advantage of it when you get the opportunity.