[KChiefs1]

Last one tonight as I settle in to watch the Royals.

nytimes.com

30 SECONDS WITH PAUL FINEBAUM

An SEC Partisan on Rooting for Greatness

Originally a newspaper reporter, Paul Finebaum found himself on the business end of a microphone 30 years ago when he began hosting a Birmingham, Ala.-based sports radio show called “Fussin’ With Finebaum.”

“I was in the right place at the right time,” he writes in his new book, “My Conference Can Beat Your Conference,” which he collaborated on with a longtime friend, the ESPN national columnist Gene Wojciechowski.

Finebaum’s show, now on ESPN Radio, is Southern football’s fireside chat, except all the heat comes from the callers. Most infamous was Al from Dadeville, a die-hard Alabama fan whose real name is Harvey Updyke Jr. and who announced on Finebaum’s show that he had poisoned the two beloved oaks at Toomer’s Corner in Auburn.

Finebaum, who will have a prominent role in the newly launched SEC Network, is a patriot of the Southeastern Conference, his book a chest-beating paean. “Why not root for greatness?” he writes in the introduction.

The book is centered on last season, when Alabama, the early favorite to win the Bowl Championship Series title, lost to Auburn in the Iron Bowl in perhaps the most dramatic ending in college football history. Auburn then fell to Florida State in the championship game, ending the SEC’s title streak.

Q. Had you hoped to write about the eighth consecutive SEC championship in the book?

A. I think naturally you start with the hope that the SEC will win. I thought the three-peat for Alabama was a delicious story, although I will say as the season began to unfold, it became tedious — whether that was Alabama fatigue or SEC fatigue. But I wouldn’t change a thing. This is a nonfiction book, but in some ways it’s almost a make-believe story.

Q. To sound like one of your callers: Has Alabama Coach Nick Saban lost his magic after a loss to Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl? Or will the hiring of Lane Kiffin as offensive coordinator help right the ship?

A. I don’t think he has. Right after the Oklahoma game, I doubted like everyone else. I’ve seen him a number of times since then. I think the Kiffin hire was smart — he decided to try something new. He continues to recruit in almost unbelievable fashion. I think Alabama is well positioned.

Q. You say the SEC is “indestructible.” Yet with concerns about head trauma and the future of college sports, those are two things that could destroy SEC football. Why won’t they?

A. I’m not going to be disingenuous and say it can’t change. The SEC is built for the long term because there are so many quality teams and the competition is so intense. But no, in all candor, things can change very quickly in this world.

Q. The SEC commissioner, Mike Slive, a friend of yours, said he was “pleased” by the O’Bannon ruling. Can you translate?

A. I think there’s a little bit of a reality check. Mike Slive is a very compassionate, considerate lawyer who I think deeply cares about the student-athlete. The whole Power 5 deal, he was a big part of that. He sees the future. He sees what’s happening at Northwestern. If you don’t start paying homage to the student-athlete, you’re going to get run over. Mark Emmert could learn from that.

Q. You devoted an entire section to Texas A&M. Are the Aggies the next SEC football power?

A. No doubt. They are the most legitimate threat to Alabama. That is an incredibly powerful group of people — one of the most potent alumni groups in the country. It doesn’t hurt that the governor who’s been in power since George W. Bush ascended to the presidency is the No. 1 Aggie. I’m not saying they’ll take over the SEC, but they’ll win the SEC, and when they do, you better watch out.

Q. You said you weren’t a fan of the way the rape allegations against Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston were handled, but you also voted for him to win the Heisman. How do you negotiate that?

A. I didn’t like the way it was done. The whole thing had a putrid smell. But you have to adhere to the laws, and if they weren’t going to prosecute him — and I knew a lot less than they did — I didn’t think he should be denied the Heisman.

Q. Both you and your employer, ESPN, have a large stake in college football and the SEC. Do you feel free to be critical?

A. I do. No one at any time has ever said to me, “We don’t want you to do this.”

Q. Have you had any contact with the rapper Drake since last year, when he compared you to his history teacher after you scolded his friend Johnny Manziel?

A. No. That was such a cool experience for someone of my generation. It gave me tremendous street cred.

Q. Which is your second-favorite conference?

A. I’m not trying to come up with a sequel, but I think the Pac-12 is clearly No. 2, and after that I don’t think it’s much of a contest. When we went into this, we thought it was going to be a little bit of an in-your-face toward the Big Ten. I thought I would spend most of my time attacking the Big Ten in fun, and it’s not even fun.