UALR | Mike Dougherty's Blog

Congrats to ASU Red Wolves, coach on classy behavior vs. MTSU

March 8, 2011
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The Sun Belt Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournaments conclude today at Summit Arena in Hot Springs.

The University of Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans edged the Western Kentucky Lady Hilltoppers in the just-concluded women’s title game, and the UALR men will face the North Texas Mean Green in the men’s championship at 6 p.m.

I went over for the UALR quarterfinal games in each division on Sunday and got to see part of the Arkansas State women’s team’s win over top-seeded Middle Tennessee State in the first quarterfinal that day in Summit Arena.

For Middle Tennessee, it was the first game since the murder of the Blue Raiders’ Tina Stewart earlier in the week. Clearly, the MTSU players were hurting, but the Red Wolves played well for a relatively easy win. ASU women’s coach Brian Boyer did a nice thing late in the game. He called a late timeout, which, on the surface, looked unnecessary with the Wolves’ healthy lead. But later, it leaked that Boyer took the stoppage to remind his players that they would NOT be celebrating their victory when the final buzzer sounded. He said the team would politely congratulate the MTSU players on a good effort and then quietly walk to the dressing room before raising their voices or showing their joy in any visible way.

It was a thoughtful and respectful response to the game effort by the women from Murfreesboro just four days after they learned that they had lost a key part of their championship unit. Stewart, a Memphis junior, was found in her Murfreesboro apartment by her boyfriend; she had been stabbed numerous times. She was declared dead at a nearby hospital. Her freshman roommate was arrested and charged in the case.

ASU fell in the semifinals Monday afternoon against Western Kentucky.

Hogan ‘homers’ Canseco in Travs’ pre-game exhibition

July 9, 2010
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UALR Associate Athletic Director Gary Hogan was announced as the unofficial winner on points 39-37 of the boxing exhibition against former American League MVP Jose Canseco at Dickey-Stephens Park on Friday before the Texas League baseball game between the Arkansas Travelers and the Midland (Texas) RockHounds. Technically, the hometown judges may have been able to account for Hogan having more points, but mercy points apparently were not being awarded to the 1986 AL Rookie of the Year.

Hogan, 60, was game and tried to get the former big bopper and tell-all author to slug it out with him after a two-minute first round in which the two “fighters” felt each other out.

Canseco, 46, threw few punches until the fourth and final round. In rounds 2 and 3, he measured Hogan with left-hand jabs to the face a few times, but seemed content with that. What those jabs showed was that Canseco still was much the quicker athlete and could have landed blows of a much more serious nature if he felt like it.

Neither man was wearing protective headgear as advertised before the match. That fact seemed to be on the mind of the much taller, bigger and faster Canseco as he held off the feistier Hogan except for a few harmless blows to the midsection.

Both men picked up the pace in round 4, but Hogan was unable to do damage and the former Oakland Athletic, Texas Ranger, et al, seemed unwilling to do so.

The crowd booed the author of “Juiced” and “Vindicated” from the beginning of announcer Phil Elson’s introductions. The unruly patrons then jeered at both boxers for their lack of activy until the fourth round. By the third round, some wiseacres were chanting for Travs’ GM Pete Laven to bring on the midget wrestlers, an exhibition not scheduled at D-SP until August.