A Day Will Come...

[Snaggletiger]

...when Paul Finebaum runs across someone who takes great exception to his bullshit, and knocks his ass out.  Here's part of his take on Jeremy Pruitt a couple of days ago.

"And it could've been avoided, but I don't like to throw stones at helpless people. Jeremy Pruitt is helpless because he's a blithering idiot,” Finebaum said. “But his stupidity, his reckless disregard for common sense is the reason why he is out of college football today — and, quite frankly, I don't see him getting back in, in any reasonable period of time."

A few days ago, he started out his show bringing up the whole Harvinz "coup attempt" garbage again, and singling out Jimmy Ranes, saying as long as he's silent about it, and refuses to do an interview, people will assume he's guilty. He's constantly going off on people in sports, saying shit behind a mic that he'd never say to their face.

First off, where the hell do you think Pruitt learned the art of paying players?  He's coached under, and learned from the best.  Greasy Jimbo Fisher wasn't just farting in the wind when he talked about how Saban didn't want to go there. Second, I guess he totally missed the interview Ranes did, addressing his involvement, or total lack thereof with the program. But facts be damned.

I've never been a Finebaum fan.  However, I guess I contradict that statement by saying I read his book. I think I was more interested in finding out what made this guy tick, and how a goofy looking dweeb like that became so popular.  Especially in the sports world.  And yes, it started back at Tennessee, where he had a job as a sports writer for the school paper.  He admitted he found out that controversy sells.  He's made a career off it.

Admittedly, I do listen from time to time.  I keep the Ford F-150 radio tuned to several sports talk channels, so I normally get a few minutes of his show every day when I'm cruising the Wiregrass back roads, with a pretty little thing in a sundress, windows down, cooler of long necks in the back, looking for a field out past the city limits, so we can park and look at the moonlight, while she slides over next to me on that bench seat.....

Hey, that might make a good country song.

But what is it about this pencil neck geek, that makes him think he can say that kind of crap about people, and it not eventually come back to cause him to suffer a good, country boy ass whoopin'?  I soooo want to see him have to do a few shows while doing his best Bobby Petrino press conference imitation.

     

[GH2001]

I talked to Paul for a solid 10-15 mins on the Friday evening before the 2017 Georgia game. Sec nation was there doing their remote for secn. He got a break from the show for a bit while it went quiet - show ended for an hour at like 5 and was coming back on the air at 6. So he came out and talked to a few people. Most left when the show ended but I stuck around mainly to see if Laura Rutledge would grace me with her beautiful self. She didn’t. But pawwll did.

Weird thing was, he was nothing like he is on the air. He was quiet but insightful, conversational and generally good to talk to. He answered every question i through at him. What I concluded from it was that he is an extremely good show man. He puts on an act to stoke the flames. A mix of jerry springer and pt Barnum. Riles people up, infers things but also knows the marketing game and how to sell his product.

That’s not my thing. Not sure I could sleep at night doing some of the shit he does. But he’s a master of it. As evidenced by his show being on espn now and immensely popular even if it’s mostly idiot types.

[Kaos]

Completely different Pawlxperience.

Talked to him several times in the pressbox at various games.  Typically treated like a bug stuck to his shoe. 

[GH2001]

Completely different Pawlxperience.

Talked to him several times in the pressbox at various games.  Typically treated like a bug stuck to his shoe.

Thats because he saw the temper tantrum you threw in the press box over Tomatoes being on the Chappys Sandwiches and the Mayfield ice cream being replaced with Winn Dixie brand. I would more blame Jay Jacobs than Pawlll.

Srsly tho....maybe hes schizo. Maybe its a kayfabe thing much like a rassler and hes so ingrained in it that the lines are blurred between being in character all the time and being his real self. You see that type of thing a lot with public personalities that make their bank on their schtick. Rick Flair is one that comes to mind.

[Kaos]

Thats because he saw the temper tantrum you threw in the press box over Tomatoes being on the Chappys Sandwiches and the Mayfield ice cream being replaced with Winn Dixie brand. I would more blame Jay Jacobs than Pawlll.

Srsly tho....maybe hes schizo. Maybe its a kayfabe thing much like a rassler and hes so ingrained in it that the lines are blurred between being in character all the time and being his real self. You see that type of thing a lot with public personalities that make their bank on their schtick. Rick Flair is one that comes to mind.

More like in the pressbox he was himself, not the character he plays on radio/tv.   Or it could have been bad days.  Or it could have been the way Housel introduced me to him (the year I beat him for a statewide award). 

He was a little like Jacobs in a way.  People like us were beneath him.

[Snaggletiger]

Many, many years ago, I ran into Lee Corso as he was getting out of his car the morning of the Iron Bowl. That's when Game Day was a desk under a pop up tent. Absolute polar opposite of his on air schtick.  Very nice and happy to talk for a couple of minutes.

[GH2001]

More like in the pressbox he was himself, not the character he plays on radio/tv.   Or it could have been bad days.  Or it could have been the way Housel introduced me to him (the year I beat him for a statewide award). 

He was a little like Jacobs in a way.  People like us were beneath him.

exactly though....blurred lines. Not sure what is what. Either way, they are equal to a carnival barker to me and it becomes a business. If Paul gets better ratings and more attention being a villain on air, to fans, etc - hes gonna shift the way of that wind. Im not sure anyone really knows who the guy really is deep down other than his immediate family. Maybe hes mellowed out some in person over the years now that's hes an established national persona and runs it on autopilot. Ive heard Jim Ross say time and time again, that he still doesn't really know who Rick Flair is.....hes only known Rick Flair. Hes never really gotten to meet Richard Flier (real name)because he keeps that behind closed doors almost exclusively. I just wonder if Paul operates similarly and is starting to drop his guard some.

[GH2001]

Many, many years ago, I ran into Lee Corso as he was getting out of his car the morning of the Iron Bowl. That's when Game Day was a desk under a pop up tent. Absolute polar opposite of his on air schtick.  Very nice and happy to talk for a couple of minutes.

YOOOOOOO!

Not so fast my friend....

[Snaggletiger]

YOOOOOOO!

Not so fast my friend....

Funny story I heard Corso tell in an interview with Dan Patrick several years back.  He was dead serious about the fact that during recruiting, Bo Schembechler would ask for the list of kids Corso was going after while he was at Indiana.  He said Bo would tell him, "We're getting this guy.....Woody is getting him....we're getting these two....."  Corso said he really appreciated it because that let him focus on real possibilities. There was no way Indiana was taking a kid from those two.

BTW, Flair was asked on his documentary what he was really like.  He said what you see in the ring and on the mic, is exactly his personality.  He was a hard drinking, non-stop partying mofo.  I had some friends that used to hit the bars with him any time he was in this neck of the woods.  They said at some point in the night, Flair's dick WAS coming out to show the ladies.

[GH2001]

BTW, Flair was asked on his documentary what he was really like.  He said what you see in the ring and on the mic, is exactly his personality.  He was a hard drinking, non-stop partying mofo.  I had some friends that used to hit the bars with him any time he was in this neck of the woods.  They said at some point in the night, Flair's dick WAS coming out to show the ladies.

Correct on all accounts. No one has seen Richard Flier since around 1980 per Bruce Pritchard when his in ring persona took off as the Nature Boy. He doesn't break character and doesn't get out of kayfabe hardly anywhere - out in public, at bars. Even in Aub a few years ago at the UGA game, he walking by frat houses yelling out WHOOOOOOO and chugging beers....Im sure his kids and close friends see a more mellow side but that ESPN 30 for 30 def shed a light on what you said above. I do think Pawwllll has a lot of that. They play to the crowd, and if business requires them to stay like that, then they will. Even permanently. They essentially become the on stage performer.