JACKASS

Today I called the Paul Finebaum Show. I've been listening and calling for over twenty years now. Today, as has been the case for the better part of twenty years, I made a fool of myself.

The topic that motivated my call today was the public perception of Nick Saban, head football coach at the University of Alabama. Keith Dunnavant was a guest on Paul's show and the topic was how he perceived Saban's now infamous quote while still head coach of the Miami Dolphins:

"I'm not going to take the Alabama job."

When Dunnavant was asked his thoughts on the statement he didn't give a positive response. He didn't feel like Saban came off looking very good after backing down on his word. He and Paul both feel, as do I, some of the media criticism he's received since was valid.

This provoked the typical homer response of an Alabama fan who called and immediately began repeating the boilerplate excuses and defenses of Saban that after a year and a half or so I'm, frankly, sick of hearing. When Nick Saban told the Miami media he wasn't going to take the Alabama job he made a serious mistake, whether he took the job or not. You never allow the media to nail you down like that. Nick Saban made enemies in the Miami sports press corp. When didn't keep his word it gave the media, Miami at first, then nationally, a club to beat him over the head with. And without fail, they haven't missed an opportunity.

The point I did a piss-poor job of trying to make is that after 1 1/2 years, Alabama fans need to quit worrying about what outsiders think of Saban. As long as the Alabama family are happy with what Saban's doing, we should give a whit what anyone else thinks, media or otherwise. Since Saban's hiring, it certainly hasn't been a smooth road. I myself haven't agreed with every decision Nick Saban's made with my Alabama Crimson Tide. But had Saban made the correct decision in every move he made with this team, on the field or off, it wouldn't have made one bit of difference to the Colin Cowherd's and Dan LeBatard's of the world.

They'd still be ripping him to shreds at every opportunity.

As a matter of fact, I'd RATHER have a coach that's doing what he was hired to do and is hated by our opponents and the media than to have a coach who's clueless on how to run a bigtime college football program but is given glowing reviews because of his last name.

Call me the anti-Sally Fields.

"You hate me! You REALLY hate me!!!!!