Column - 'The Sports Trail': Football mania overwhelmed by giant preseason magazines

Football has once again grabbed the minds and emotions of fans across the country, and nowhere is it more evident than right here in the little bitty state of Arkansas.

There's a new head coach and staff at the UA, headed by Bobby Petrino, and folks are really wanting to see this bunch in action.

So would the media, but they've been cut out. Yep, practices are closed now except for warmups. Writers are grumbling, but hey, with the modern electronic technology available now, entire practices could be recorded and sent to opponents.

Who knows when a Florida Gator supporter is lurking behind the hedges, or worse, a Texas Longhorn fan. Not that Texas will need any extra help. They'll just load the beef onto the bus and see the talent gets to the stadium.

Yeah, the Longhorns are loaded, and the Hogs have to go there on lucky Sept. 13. Texas is said to have a mean defense waiting for everyone, so that'll be just great. Eighty, ninety thousand screaming Longhorn fans and a loaded defense. Just what our freshmen need.

But don't let me preview any teams for you. If you bought a Sunday paper, you'll have everything you need, and more -- much more.

One football section stuffed into a daily newspaper Sunday had 104 tab-size pages, assembled by a cast of thousands, one would presume. I tried, really tried, to read through it but I got a headache and had to stop.

Another went with two sections in the big size, broadsheet pages. Fourteen pages each. And that was just college stuff. Next Sunday they're coming out with two more sections on just high school football in Arkansas.

Now, it's nice and all to know something about your opponent if you're a fan. Fleet-footed quarterback, power running back, pass happy offense. But nobody can memorize that much information.

Guess fans will have to study up for game day, or just carry those giant mounds of paper to the game with them.

"Hey, Bill. Who's the backup left guard?" might be heard in the bleachers, or, "They've changed numbers. I don't know who that is."

Anyway, it's a lot of fun for those who have suffered through a spring with only the ESPN Classic channel to sustain them.

I have to admit, just last week I watched a 2005 Razorback game, then the next night a 2006 game. They were like new, except I kept thinking I had felt that "Why don't we quit running into the middle of the line on third down" feeling before.

But the fun games are the junior and senior high matchups going on right here in Carroll County. Young men learning not only about a game but about themselves.

They practice hard, get tired, and get yelled at by the coaches, just like the college guys. But no television for them, unless you count the video filmed each game.

Their only hope for local fame or recognition is to make a big play that will be talked about for years, or maybe their picture in their hometown paper.

Oh, by the way, did I mention one of those darned football sections will be in your paper this Friday? It's all about Carroll County kids, and small enough to read. What a relief!