Finebaum swinging the other way

[quietfan 233]

As surely as the ocean tides, or steady as a pendulum, Finebaum oscillates away from his recent Bama love:

http://www.al.com/sports/mobileregister/pf....xml&coll=3

Missteps put Saban under fire

Many years ago when Ed Koch was mayor of New York City, he would stop people on the street or in the hallway and ask: "How am I doing?"

Considering his reputation for being unapproachable in the hallways (some say there used to be rules in Miami about this), there isn't much chance Alabama football coach Nick Saban is doing the same in Tuscaloosa. However, as he celebrates being on the job for one month today (should this become a state holiday?) the question is worth asking: How is he doing?

Has the $4 million man shaken the SEC to its core? Or after his coronation last month befitting a king has Saban become just another SEC head football coach trying to keep up with Urban Meyer and the league's other top guns?

After the initial splash, complete with a landing in Tuscaloosa befitting the arrival of the Beatles in America, Saban has struck out as often as he knocked the ball over the fences.

Take his staff -- please.

Perhaps it's because Saban has said so little about which man will coach which position, but watching this gang is like watching sausage being made. It may taste good, but the process has been painful.

Honk if you turned down Nick Saban for a job!

Certainly there were many publicized rejections, notably from his former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher. On the other hand, this man does have a reputation as being difficult -- if not next-to-impossible -- to work for.

I will caution, though, that it is often tough to judge a book by its cover. It's worth remembering that many, including yours truly, wondered what Tommy Tuberville was doing three years ago when he hired Al Borges. Auburn is 33-5 since his arrival. Of course, I thought the iPod might be a fad, too.

Insiders believe Saban has hired recruiters first because he believes this is the key to winning in the SEC. The bottom line is Saban is still the head coach and that's the important thing.

When Saban arrived, most heralded him as one of best recruiters in recent SEC history. And he has made a difference. Still, because he is all-knowing, all-important, Saban's losses are going to be highly publicized and turned into huge victories for his opponents. Right now, Saban has multiple tire tracks from Tommy Tuberville and Les Miles on his forehead and upper body.

Recruiting is about building relationships and the opinion of most observers is Saban is well on his way to doing that. It's tough, though. While Saban was getting his brains beaten out with the Dolphins, SEC coaches were nurturing relationships. He missed a couple of years of this.

Perhaps Saban's most difficult battle in the past four weeks has been in the arena of public relations.

Nationally, he took a sadistic beating (some of it self-inflicted) and little has changed over his early days in Tuscaloosa.

From ESPN's Colin Cowherd saying Meyer of Florida "will own Saban" over the years to catty nicknames like "Flipper," because of his waffling statements in December, to the usual stream of "Slick Nick" and "Nick Satan," one has to hope the Alabama coach and his family have been too busy to read papers or listen to the radio. If Saban doesn't have a thick skin, he's likely to be well on his way to being down to skin and bones.

Saban was involved in another public-relations disaster this week with the "coonass" controversy. In many respects, it was unjust since he was relating a story in a private conversation with South Florida reporters. One would think the reporter who leaked the tape should be held accountable for violating a trust with Saban (other than being pulled from the Super Bowl), but instead some critics are making Saban out to be an insensitive lout.

In the wake of the story, the ESPN talking heads called him everything from "cheesy," to "greasy," with one, Skip Bayless, calling for him to be fired. Nothing like making a good first impression with the media boys.

Saban tried to address the story with a written statement, which was as difficult to follow as George W. Bush defending the war in Iraq. In the end, it probably elevated a minor story into a feeding frenzy.

Of all his shortcomings, public relations might be his biggest problem at Alabama. Saban is a huge target in the modern age of talk radio, the Internet and 24/7 sports networks. The opposition, whether it's Auburn fans or those from LSU or the ESPN Mafia, will pound him on a regular basis. And it won't be pretty.

So what can Saban do?

Just win, baby! Just win.

If he does that, everything else will follow suit. Until then, the legal hunting season on Nick Saban will extend well beyond his opening month. It will be year-round and there will be no bag limits.

...proving once again that PF is neither pro-Tide nor pro-Auburn...just pro-attention and pro-ratings.

[TigerOne 1,152]

don't kid yourself, he has to throw a bone Auburn's way every now and then.

He gives himself an out by the "just win" comment. Don't worry even lovers

discover they have a few differences. His man crush will be only grow (along with his manhood)

the closer we get to August. But they both will be disappointed.

[auwallace 6]

he has to be a bammer homer. His show would be off the air in a week if he pimped UT or AU.

[WAR-MATT 2]

I don't take it as anti-saban and I actually agree with the bald headed weirdo.

[TitanTiger 20,511]

When I first read that Finebaum had swung the other way I thought maybe he was coming out of the closet.

[DKW 86 7,441]

When he was with WERC...

Unfortunately he is now with the real Bammer homer station in Alabama, WJOX. His balance will slowy turn into the Crimson Bovine Excrement Tsunami. I do not look fior there to ever be any real balance to his show again until his ratings say Saban must go.