I don't know everything

I don't know.

Those are three words not used near as often as they should. I always said if I started a column I would name it, "I Don't Know." We will stick with it for now, tentatively. I guess it is a matter of how many, "You're right, you don't know," jokes I can take. If that is the joke you want to make, you are not being very original.

I say "I don't know" all of the time. I am often asked questions about sports, schools, politics and everything else. "I don't know" is my most common answer. I am not comfortable having an opinion unless I feel like I have all of the information I need. You will not see many predictions from me. It sets you up to look foolish. The times when you look foolish are remembered far more than when you look like a genius.

I don't know why Bret Bielema has failed so thoroughly at Arkansas. It is not as easy as labeling him as a "bad coach." He's not. Wisconsin has exceeded Bielema's successes, but he also never brought the Badgers down. He was a home-run hire for Arkansas, and things were headed in the right direction merely a year ago.

The Razorbacks won nine out of 10 games beginning with the 4-overtime victory over Auburn in October 2015. Their only loss the rest of the season was a 51-50 shootout to Dak Prescott and the Mississippi State Bulldogs, who added another chapter to the Bret Bielema tragedy Saturday. The Hogs' next loss was their annual collapse to Texas A&M, which kicked off the current 8-13 Arkansas run.

The avalanche picked up speed with two historic collapses against Missouri and Virginia Tech to end the 2016 season. Win those two games, and Arkansas finishes the year with a respectable record of 9-4. Instead, the Razorbacks are 4-9 since winning 58-42 in Starkville, Miss., exactly one year ago. I don't know the way forward, and I don't think anyone really does.

What I do know is I am extremely proud to follow in the footsteps of Bob Wisener. It is difficult to convey the significance of 37 years of excellence. I cannot do justice to the impact Bob had at our newspaper, in our community, in our state and throughout the country. Readers and sports fans all over know his name. I will do my best to live up to that standard.

I can also tell you I am extremely excited to be working with our sports team full-time. You already see how restlessly James Leigh and Zach Parker, two of the best sportswriters in the state, cover our local sports. I will throw some ideas at them and let them run with it.

You ask anyone, and they will tell you we have two of the best photographers in Arkansas at The Sentinel-Record. Mara Kuhn and Richard Rasmussen are also well known in the community and throughout the state.

We have two young, talented page designers in Jami Smith and Brittany Weaver. They, along with staff writer Grace Brown, design the "Her" magazine each month. I am looking forward to experimenting with our designs and mixing up our presentation.

All of that means nothing without our readers and the athletes we cover. Basketball season is heating up, and Oaklawn Park's 2018 racing season is less than two months away. Let's get to it.