In his rookie season, Nick Saban has safely circumvented the rubbish pile of failed TV sports activities analysts as soon as ticketed for stardom.
The previous Alabama soccer coach, 73, greater than met the expectations of school soccer zealots had for him earlier than he joined the solid of ESPN’s usually predictable Saturday morning “College GameDay.”
Saban and the ESPN crew will probably be beneath the brightest of spotlights in Atlanta Monday evening for “GameDay” previous to the Notre Dame-Ohio State nationwide championship tilt telecast.
With a lot concentrate on Tom Brady coming into Fox’s No. 1 NFL sales space, Saban’s 2024 ESPN debut was virtually an afterthought. The coach additionally entered “GameDay” with some extremely publicized in-house competitors. In 2022 the “unorthodox” and animated Pat McAfee joined “GameDay,” shortly changing into a dominating presence on the present.
Regardless of his credentials and stature, the Saban type got here out of nowhere. Those that had seen different coaches try and make the transition to TV, just like the legendary Invoice Parcells or the late iconic Invoice Walsh, had been used to seeing guys who needed to get again into teaching. To them, TV gigs had been freeway relaxation stops.
Saban is totally different. His phrases and opinions revealed somebody who’s all in. Somebody who didn’t have one foot out the door earlier than his seat was heat.
From the get-go on “GameDay,” Saban wasn’t shy about criticizing gamers, coaches or faculty soccer’s powers that be. He didn’t give off a good-ole-boys clubby vibe. Nor did he come off as an Alabama apologist. His evaluation was not delivered in coach-speak, even when he was making technical factors utilizing video.
Saban didn’t maintain again nor did he launch gratuitous critiques. He clearly is aware of the soccer stuff and advantages tremendously from the credibility he’s developed succeeding on the best stage of the sport.
But Saban has demonstrated three attributes that can’t be taught — persona, presence and likeability. This will have shocked “serious” faculty soccer followers who solely noticed Saban as an unbending, intimidating sideline drive.
But on digital camera his facial features and tone of voice are largely deadpan. Nonetheless, by the poker face he usually delivers humor. Typically he goes for yucks to make a degree. Like when the Southeastern Convention fined universities after college students stormed the sector, Saban mentioned: “It’s like worrying about mouse manure when you’re up to your ears in elephant s–t.”
Saban delivers these strains with a fantastic sense of timing, particularly when he seems in commercials. Just like the one for Vrbo when he tells his “guests”: “There’s a great barbecue outside — but don’t touch it.”
Perhaps we shouldn’t be shocked by Saban’s performances in entrance of a digital camera. Nonetheless, if this season has revealed something it has been this: Saban is not any one-trick pony.
ESPN ought to discover extra for him to do.
JERRY GRABS THE SPOTLIGHT
Even along with his Cowboys out of the playoff combine, Jerry Jones, in what seems to be an deliberately high-profile teaching search, has upstaged the NFL’s postseason.
Jones’ “process,” which began with a bang when Deion Sanders’ title “suddenly” leaked out as a candidate for the gig, is not any shock to the Cowboy proprietor’s NFL brethren — together with Roger Goodell — however nonetheless have to be aggravating the league “establishment” that wishes the playoff product to be the one focus of followers.
Goodell desires no distractions.
But, it’s occasions like these we applaud Jones. For isn’t he appearing identical to different NFL house owners who assume solely in their very own $elf curiosity?
They approve the NFL’s stashing video games for billion$ behind streaming providers, or enjoying evening video games in frostbite circumstances whereas, on the identical time, claiming their mission is to make the league extra “fan friendly.”
Jones is not any pretender. If conducting an prolonged search, which incorporates massive title candidates, is sweet for his underperforming staff’s enterprise, he ought to let it drag on for so long as potential.
THE DOG AND DYLAN
Is Christopher (Mad Canine) Russo a bit confused?
Apparently, he believes Timothee Chalamet is the actual Bob Dylan.
Why else would an obsessed Doggie 1) Strive Dogging down the 29-year-old actor, who stars as Dylan within the biopic “A Complete Unknown,” for an interview on his SiriusXM afternoon present? and a couple of) Fly to London on Tuesday to fulfill Chalamet and attend the UK premiere of the film (which Russo had already seen) and stroll the purple carpet?
That’s a variety of effort to fulfill with Miracle Whip, not Hellmann’s.
So maybe Russo will now attempt equally as exhausting to get an interview with the 83-year-old Mr. Dylan.
Ain’t nothing like the actual factor.
MORE MINDLESS CHATTER
It’s no secret native sports-talk radio has been diminished to Gasbags discovering stuff to speak about on X (aka Twitter) then pontificating on the topic.
Nonetheless, a number of the “analysis” will not be value on a regular basis dedicated to it. Such was the case on Thursday when 880’s David Rothenberg and Rick DiPietro went on and on and on over Karl-Anthony Cities daring to put on an Eagles shirt whereas he sat on the Knicks bench Wednesday evening throughout Knicks-76ers.
This was hardly a compelling topic (until you fall into the senseless class). Guess the fellas had been working out of their “A” materials. Or just ran out of gasoline whereas speculating on Jets coach/GM candidates.
TRIBUTE TO MR. BASEBALL
Neither being a Brewers fan or baseball aficionado was needed to like Bob Uecker, who died Thursday on the age of 90.
If laughing is a precedence, Uecker, who entered the Brewers radio sales space in 1971, was your man. But it was his self-deprecating method, great likeability and comedic timing that allowed him to transcend the sport and cross-over into the sitcom world (George Owens on ABC’s “Mr. Belvedere”), late-night TV (“The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson”), motion pictures (“Major League”), and commercials (Miller Lite).
Uecker’s broadcast “style” was unattainable to duplicate. If something, his radio play-by-play, was underrated. His everyman wit was off the charts however he by no means purposely soared over a listener’s head. His storytelling, so important in a baseball broadcast, was pure.
His nickname, “Mr. Baseball,” was a gag, Nonetheless, Bob Uecker’s persona was larger than the sport, however for all of the notoriety he achieved he by no means tried to turn out to be larger than baseball.
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DUDE OF THE WEEK: JIM NANTZ
The CBS Sports activities vet logged his five hundredth NFL recreation final Sunday. And he continued his custom of not making the telecast about him. Simply the info with a dose of humor and opinion.
DWEEB OF THE WEEK: COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF HATERS
Effectively, nicely. The worm has turned as the faculty soccer playoffs have delivered pleasure whereas the NFL postseason received off to a largely predictable begin.
DOUBLE TALK
What Tom Thibodeau mentioned: “I really don’t read what you [Knicks beat writers] write.”
Initially Printed: January 18, 2025 at 8:00 AM EST
