DKW 86 7,423 Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 http://www.dawgsports.com/story/2007/6/3/17131/86645 Nick Saban: Making Friends and Influencing People (Again)By MaconDawg Section: Football Posted on Sun Jun 03, 2007 at 05:01:31 PM EDT You don't generally have to look very far to find people who don't like Alabama coach Nick Saban. Of course, when you're a congenital liar* and an unapologetic cheater** you tend to make enemies faster than the average Joe, so that's no surprise. But Slick Nick may have just gotten under the skin of the one person on Earth who you figured was impervious to him. Mark Richt. The, uh, news, comes courtesy of the Shreveport Times, which did a story Friday on the relationships among the various SEC coaches attending the Conferences annual meetings down in Destin. It was probably intended to be one of those fluffy pieces reporters look for during these meetings, with snarky quips from Spurrier, indeciphirable growling from Orgeron, yada, yada, yada. However, reporter Glen Guilbeau got more than that. I'll let him take over the story at this point (pulling from the Shreveport Times article): Georgia coach Mark Richt looked forward to the meetings in his first year in 2001. "I was curious as to what it was going to be like in there," he said. "I was almost shocked at how cordial everybody is and how they seemed to get along real good. I think what I found is you've got a bunch of guys who have a respect for the job that the other has."Just then, Florida coach Urban Meyer walked by, and Richt said, "Hey Urban, how are you?" Back on subject, Richt said, "Everyone knows just how difficult of a job it really is."But then Saban walked by, gave a friendly hello and told Richt he had recently been in an Athens, Ga., nightclub to watch his son Nicholas Saban's band play and said he noticed a lot of Georgia's football players at the club. Richt was obviously taken aback by the comments. Was Saban kidding? Does Saban, who spends a lot of off time in north Georgia on Lake Burton, realize that Richt just lost Parade All-American, redshirt freshman linebacker Akeem Hebron? Hebron just transferred after being suspended for two semesters following a pair of recent alcohol-related arrests. Richt had no comment, but witnesses said he did not appear cordial and seemed angry. Now, if I were an Oklahoma fan, I have to admit I would find this little anecdote pretty funny. But knowing both a)the trouble we've had recently with alcohol-related conduct issues, and b)Coach Richt's personal faith, I have to say that if true, this was incredibly poor form. Now, Mark Richt is not the type of guy who angers easily in public. But if I was doing an interview and Saban walked up and tossed a proverbial hand grenade like that, I would remember it. I'm willing to bet that Mark Richt won't forget it, either. Oh, no doubt Coach Richt's heard worse, but Saban's Spurrier-esque delivery confirms that there is indeed a new jacka## in town. And I think the recent revelation about his improper contact with three Miami-area recruits points to the fact that some in the media, and probably in coaching circles, have their eyes on Saban. Maybe I'm wrong, but something tells me this guy is going to do or say some things that Alabama fans are going to end up regretting. *This is really just a joke on my part. Totally harmless fun. Kind of like telling a Coach who's trying to instill discipline in his players that you just saw some of them in a bar. That's so funny in a 9th grade, "shaving cream in the hand"sort of way. **I'm not joking at all about this. Saban's going to get Alabama in hot water with the NCAA (again) within the next four years, assuming he stays around that long. Bank it. Why am I not shocked?Many of Steve Spurrier's former players have commented on the impact the 1966 Georgia-Florida game had on the Evil Genius. The Bulldogs' victory over the Gators in Darth Visor's senior season soured his Heisman Trophy-winning campaign and deprived the Big Lizards of their first S.E.C. title. Much of Florida's Cocktail Party dominance in the 1990s could be traced back to that one defeat. We may look back on the 2003 S.E.C. championship game as a similar turning point. Nick Saban's L.S.U. Tigers, who were fortunate to pull out a 17-10 victory over the 'Dawgs in Death Valley earlier in the season, absolutely throttled the Red and Black in the Georgia Dome. Mark Richt, it seems, did not forget that thumping. When Coach Saban's squad came to the Classic City the following fall for what was expected to be a bruising battle, the Bulldogs humbled the Bayou Bengals by a 45-16 final margin. The following year, Coach Richt once again took it out on Louisiana State, handing the Fighting Tigers a 34-14 setback in the S.E.C. title tilt. Now that Coach Saban is back in the Southeastern Conference, will Coach Richt focus his considerable talents on humbling Slick Nick at his latest coaching stop? From the sound of it, I'd say that's likely . . . and, from where I sit (meaning no disrespect to Alabama), that's a good thing. by T Kyle King on Sun Jun 03, 2007 at 05:53:18 PM EDT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUloggerhead 2,231 Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Nice. Just for a little contrast, consider Mark Richt's treatment of CTT last season. UGA could easily have scored more and made the margin of victory another 7 points larger. However, Richt called off the Dawgs with about 3 minutes left to play & UGA in AU's red zone. Even though another TD wouldn't have made much difference in an already horrendous loss anyway, I thought it was a pretty classy move on Richt's part and it demonstrated respect for CTT & AU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietfan 233 Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 My favorite line: ...Saban's Spurrier-esque delivery confirms that there is indeed a new jacka## in town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AU alum 2 Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Nice. Just for a little contrast, consider Mark Richt's treatment of CTT last season. UGA could easily have scored more and made the margin of victory another 7 points larger. However, Richt called off the Dawgs with about 3 minutes left to play & UGA in AU's red zone. Even though another TD wouldn't have made much difference in an already horrendous loss anyway, I thought it was a pretty classy move on Richt's part and it demonstrated respect for CTT & AU. Good point! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAMMERPERRY 0 Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 When I go to IHOP, I usually get the funny face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger in Spain 0 Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 When I go to IHOP, I usually get the funny face. I took you more as a Rooty, Jr kind of guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthLink02 8 Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 The LSWho was a great game in 2004 but it cost us the next week as true freshman Eric Ainge whipped us the following week at home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinCrimson 61 Posted June 6, 2007 Share Posted June 6, 2007 1. We're not going on probation 2. Saban is a jackass. But, so what? So are Spurrier, Tuberville, Nutt, and Meyer. Big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUslug 1 Posted June 6, 2007 Share Posted June 6, 2007 1. We're not going on probation 2. Saban is a jackass. But, so what? So are Spurrier, Tuberville, Nutt, and Meyer. Big deal. 1. Don't speak in absolutes, it comes back to bite. 2. Indeed he is a jackass and he may be on par with Spurrier but he is leagues ahead of Tubby and Meyer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiger88 934 Posted June 6, 2007 Share Posted June 6, 2007 Saban is a jackass without a sense of humor. At least spurrier has a sense of humor about his ribbings. Saban is just a smug little prick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BoStillKnows Posted June 7, 2007 Share Posted June 7, 2007 When I go to IHOP, I usually get the funny face. You are the funny face. That makes you some sort of auto-homo-cannibal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKW 86 7,423 Posted June 7, 2007 Author Share Posted June 7, 2007 When I go to IHOP, I usually get the funny face. You are the funny face. That makes you some sort of auto-homo-cannibal. :hail: Post of the Day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAR-MATT 2 Posted June 7, 2007 Share Posted June 7, 2007 Saban is a jackass without a sense of humor. At least spurrier has a sense of humor about his ribbings. Saban is just a smug little prick. When Spurrier issues a jab it's normally deserved. “I found out later Alabama's scholarships were worth more than mine". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UA-CT 1 Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 Saban is a jackass without a sense of humor. At least spurrier has a sense of humor about his ribbings. Saban is just a smug little prick. When Spurrier issues a jab it's normally deserved. “I found out later Alabama's scholarships were worth more than mine". "a fire at Auburn's football dorm has destroyed 20 books: But the real tragedy was that 15 hadn't been colored yet." Steve Spurrier 1991 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAR-MATT 2 Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 Saban is a jackass without a sense of humor. At least spurrier has a sense of humor about his ribbings. Saban is just a smug little prick. When Spurrier issues a jab it's normally deserved. “I found out later Alabama's scholarships were worth more than mine". "a fire at Auburn's football dorm has destroyed 20 books: But the real tragedy was that 15 hadn't been colored yet." Steve Spurrier 1991 A joke versus reality. Oh I forgot you Bammers don't live in reality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarTim 3,456 Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 Looks as if the west vancesters have gotten what they deserve. It is gonna' be a ton of fun watching the whole thing further unravel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUesquire 1 Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 Let's see...last two years were miserable failures at Miami. He sets the standard for lying and is ripped to shreds by virtually everyone in the national media. He has already been implicated in recruiting violations and rumored to be turned in for numerous others. Now, he's pissing off those in the SEC coaching fraternity, specifically one coach who has an infinitely better program than he does right now. And he hasn't even signed his contract yet...... Oh, but there were 92,000 at a spring scrimmage. So, he's got that going for him. Great start there Nicky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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