Since I’m sure most of you weren’t there and don’t really know what all happened and the backstory this weekend, here’s my experience in the hog pen this weekend with Mr Morris John
Idk about anyone else but I thoroughly enjoyed that running narrative throughout the weekend. The hog pen always goes after the LF from visiting teams, but the real fun started during the NJIT/Nebraska game.
Someone in the hog pen found out that Mojo is short for “Morris John”, and people started calling him Morris and “Chad” Morris (Chad was met with groans from hog fans). Idk how much y’all follow anything related to Arkansas sports, but that’s about the worst thing a hog fan could ever call someone.
As for him flipping off the hog pen, I was there when it supposedly happened, and all I saw him do was turn around and mean-mug the hog pen as he skipped backwards following a 1-2-3 inning from NJIT. He definitely let us know he heard us and gave it back to us a little by glaring at us and showing us up, but I didn’t see him give anyone the bird. I think some hog fans made that up to try and justify some of the meaner heckles coming from the stands and on Twitter, but I was there and I didn’t see him do that.
After the subs came in in the 7th, those of us that were left started cutting up with the Nubbies in the bullpen. Actually it started way before that, but someone told those guys to tell Mojo to lighten up and give it back to us. Said we don’t mean any harm and we’re just having fun. That message clearly got to Mojo, because during the Sunday night game, he was turning around and jawing with the hog pen the whole game, smiling whenever he did, and everyone around me was doing the same.
That it turned into him being booed like Roger Goodell every time he stepped on the plate was just perfect. Everyone around me was dying laughing between boos every time that happened. Just really added to the ongoing “fued”, and he put his hand up to his ear as he ran back out in left field after his first at-bat, and waved his arms like he was telling us to get louder, laughing the whole time. I also liked how Nebraska’s presence cheered the loudest for him at the plate in response to our fans booing him. Just a cool dynamic, I thought.
I think it was about the 5th inning of the Sunday game, but someone down the 3rd baseline screamed “hey Mojo, stand up!” Dude is only 5’8. Well about 2 seconds pass, and Mojo went from a bent over stance, stood up, and then stood on his tippy toes. Everyone who saw it died laughing.
Anyways, he was a great sport about the whole situation, but I’m sure the vast majority of fans on both sides and anyone watching the game had no idea why he was suddenly “public enemy #1”. Really wasn’t anything bad or malicious, and he took it all in stride. Seems like a good dude and I hope he enjoyed Fayetteville. I know that little side story was enjoyed by everyone in the hog pen. It was a pretty unique experience for a college baseball atmosphere.
Sorry y’all got screwed on selection Monday. Hell of a team y’all got. As for the quality of the men on your roster, y’all should be nothing but proud of those guys. They all seemed like genuinely good dudes and gutsy competitors. From up close, I observed nothing but class from every player and coach that interacted with fans and jawed with us during the games.
