Mitt Romney to appear on the Paul Finebaum Radio Network – What could go wrong?

Nationally syndicated talk radio host Paul Finebaum announced via his twitter account that Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney will appear on his radio show today. If Finebaum opens the phone lines, Romney may never set foot in this part of the country again.

This is either going to make talk radio history, or it’s going to be an unmitigated disaster. There is no middle ground.

Follow the Twitter hashtag #MittonFinebaum and you’ll see what I mean.

It will be talk radio history if Romney acknowledges that Nick Saban is really the most powerful man in the world and the POTUS is just another wannabe. If he then goes on to do a better job of SEC mascot impressions than Tammy, the White House is his to lose.

It will be an unmitigated disaster if Darryl from Columbus spends the whole segment mancrushing over both Romney and Finebaum, the Hale County Gorilla crashes the studio during the broadcast or Romney confesses to have poisoned a couple of trees.

All bets are off if this lady makes it through the call screeners.

EXIT QUESTIONS: Where is that damned gorilla, and why do things like this have to happen the day after we all sacrifice an hour of sleep on the altar of Daylight Savings Time?

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Talking heads put Saban in no-win situation on Coaches Poll vote

Nick Saban was the only SEC coach who separated his Alabama Crimson Tide and the Oklahoma State Cowboys by more than one spot on his USA Today Coaches Poll final ballot. Saban ranked LSU No. 1, followed by No 2 Alabama, one-loss Stanford at No. 3 and Oklahoma State at No. 4. When the ballots were made public yesterday, the news set off a firestorm of media criticism and even caused radio talk show host Paul Finebaum to jump on the bandwagon with the following Tweet:

Finebaum then joined fellow talking head and BCS ignoramus Tim Brando on the latter’s radio show, where the two went on and on with a tongue wagging tsk-tsk session taking Saban to task for trying to manipulate a system in which he had only one ballot.

By the way, Tim Brando fancies himself a fiscal conservative, having appeared on Sean Hannity’s Great American Panel on FOX News and elsewhere running his yap about how evil the BCS is. But Brando, like many sports media talking heads, doesn’t understand that the BCS is just free market capitalism at work.

But lest I digress too far, back to the allegedly nefarious and darkly underhanded deeds of Nick Saban.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is not Mack Brown, smilin’ and dialin’ coaches and media members and brazenly politicking for votes to get his team in the BCS National Championship. This is a coach with skin in the game, but choosing the one-loss Stanford over the one-loss Oklahoma State is an easy argument to make for anyone voting in the poll.

Hell, my ten-year old daughter could make a case for ranking Stanford ahead of Oklahoma State. Stanford’s only loss was to the BCS’ 5th ranked team, Oregon. Oregon too would probably have been ranked ahead of Oklahoma State, except the Ducks have two losses—one to top ranked LSU and another to a USC team that, if eligible, would be a Top 10 team.

Oklahoma State lost to Iowa State. Where’s Iowa State ranked in the AP, USA Today or BCS standings, y’all? Go find’em and come back. We’ll wait.

According to the argument put forth by Finebaum, Brando and all the other talking heads, Saban gamed a system—a system in which he had only one vote—by ranking a better one loss team over an inferior one loss team. And as the argument goes, the only reason he did that was so that the inferior one-loss team would be denied the chance to play LSU for the BCS National Championship.

It is a specious argument and people like Finebaum, Brando et al should know better than to buy into it.

The debate should never come down to whether Alabama or Oklahoma State was the better one-loss team. The debate is whether Oklahoma State or Stanford deserved to be ranked No. 3. Saban and four other coaches gave the nod to Stanford, which was clearly the better team based on the quality of the opponent responsible for their only loss. It’s really very easy. If my 10-year old gets it, why the hell don’t Finebaum, Brando and all the other tongue waggers?

Saban is in a no-win situation with the media. He’s being castigated because a solid majority of coaches and Harris poll voters wanted a rematch, and his ballot was consistent with the consensus. His option was to rank Oklahoma State over a more deserving No. 3 Stanford and risk losing a shot at the title and an even worse media firestorm. That’s not happening in the worlds of 10-year olds or grownups.

The only reason he’s being singled out is because his team benefits from an outcome over which he had very little influence. That he had any influence at all may not sound fair to you, but that’s just too bad. Who told you life was supposed to be fair? A journalist?

Exit question: Do you think Nicholas Lou Saban gives one flying fook what people think of his ballot choice?

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Twitter Meltdown: Finebaum says “little brother,” Auburn fan base goes BOOM

At 11:18 am on Thursday, September 22, 2011, Paul Finebaum’s official Twitter account posted the following:

Finebaum's latest SI.com column: Even after winning national title, cloud still hangs over Auburn http://tinyurl.com/3dgn43t

The link goes to Finebaum’s column at SportsIllustrated.com, wherein he describes how events have conspired to seemingly prevent the Auburn fambly from fully enjoying their 2010 undefeated season and BCS Championship. No one knows where that fanbase’s buttons are better than the host of the Paul Finebaum Radio Network, which airs on Sirius/XM 91 from 2:00 to 6:00 each weekday afternoon.

If you want proof that he knows where their buttons are and how to push’em, here are some of the Twitter responses that followed in the one hour period following Finebaum’s tweet:

chriscotton77 @finebaum wow you are a journalistic stooge. Bama must have gotten the letter.

autigers1970  @finebaum This is just laziness. SI should demand their $$ back.

AUGreenLantern @finebaum hey Pawl I got two words for you - YOU SUCK!!!

@finebaum Pawl give it a rest - so sick of your garage!!!!

aumjrpayne  @finebaum Are you afraid about the crimes of your boss Saban?

aubietodd  I've listened to @finebaum to laugh at the callers but the SI article is insane. Officially done supporting this garbage.

BettyCrocked  @finebaum still struggling with Auburn's National Championship. What a butthurt little updyke he is....

ajacobs78  @WarBlogle @finebaum And he wonders why he's not welcomed in AU. Again he proves he marches to the beat of bammers drums. Pathetic

RealistNation  @finebaum This article sucks just like you do Carpetbagger.

BadAUrabbit @finebaum: Finebaum's latest SI.com column: I am an idiot and am laughing that SI was stupid enough to hire me to write repetitive fantasy.

EDIRPUA  @WarBlogle @finebaum Blogle would you stop giving that scumbag the free pub? He will not stop until he ruins us. AU folks need to stay away.

Auburn_fan1  @WarBlogle Its football season. @finebaum listeners have real sports writers & commentators to listen to.

bamshackle @finebaum Way to beat a dead horse. The cloud will always hang over Auburn until people like you stop reporting like TMZ.

ANDREZY6205  @WarBlogle @finebaum I use to respect this guy not anymore he is trying his best to bring AU down and he uses radio and now si to do loser

TracedelaTorre  @finebaum A cloud only hangs over AU bc people like you continue to bring it up every chance u get, then seemed shocked when its brought up

SassySouthBlog @VanAllenPlexico @finebaum I just unfollowed. There is only so much asshattery I can take and Finebaum just hit it. That's not journalism.

WarBlogle Ratings must've gotten low. WE @finebaum Even after winning national title, cloud still hangs over Auburn tinyurl.com/3dgn43t

ANDREZY6205 @finebaum It's funny how u are the only person still talking about Cam. There is nothing you can do about our 2010 title I use to respect u

@VanAllenPlexico @finebaum Who is little brother??? Bama has won what? Two of the last 10 against AU. FB is such a jealous little homer.

n2auburn @finebaum little brother? To who?

ajacobs78  @finebaum AUBsession at its finest.

VanAllenPlexico It's not as much anger from an Auburn fan/alum as just surprise at the sheer dull repetition of this one-note wonder. @finebaum

brooksw44 Like I've said many times, @finebaum is the epitome of poor journalism. bit.ly/pm6z0G

JB8510 @finebaum Another genius piece on a breaking story of Cam Newton and Auburn's young football team. Ever think abt having your callers write?

VanAllenPlexico The lack of imagination, creativity & originality displayed by @finebaum writing his SI column on Auburn "cloud" is breathtaking.

rossenator22 Why did SI employ you again? @finebaum: Finebaum's latest SI.com column: Even after winning national title, cloud still hangs over Auburn

joshdub23 @VanAllenPlexico @finebaum Its a horrible article. I have seen message board rants written better than that

VanAllenPlexico ARE U KIDDING?! RT“@finebaum: Finebaum's latest SI.com: Even after winning natl title, cloud still hangs over Auburn tinyurl.com/3dgn43t

BigDavidMullins @finebaum new SI article says a cloud still hangs over #Auburn and the Title. It's only there because you dont have $&!t else to talk about

lunatickfringe @finebaum, the new face of copy and paste journalism. Well, at least he's recycling.

joshdub23 haha...@finebaum couldn't make it three whole sentences without making a mistake in his joke of an article

mbjclay Trolling at its rage-inducing finest RT @finebaum: Even after winning national title, cloud still hangs over Auburn bit.ly/oFziaO

This is what passes for “professional journalism” at the Birmingham News

This is laughable. 

One expects blatant homerism from columnists writing for Rivals, Scout and 247 sites. One also expects those writers to rely on questionable, unnamed sources to drive the narrative in a light most favorable to the program they’re covering. It’s what they do.

But if you expect a major daily newspaper in the state of Alabama to be an objective observer and provide an unbiased look at a news story affecting one of the two SEC programs in the state, you will be sorely disappointed—maybe even embarrassed—by Kevin Scarbinsky’s column in the Wednesday editions of the Birmingham News. If there is a bigger Auburn crybaby anywhere in the state, you’ll need to look up Phillip Marshall or Jeffery Lee.

Scarbinsky is whining about ESPN’s decision to send Urban Meyer to cover Saturday’s Auburn vs. Clemson matchup in Death Valley. Meyer, former Florida Head Coach and two-time National Championship Winner, knows a little about football and is expected to provide insightful color and technical commentary as the game unfolds.

But the Auburn fambly isn’t happy about the decision, as Meyer has been pointed and specific in his criticism of major college athletics recruiting practices and includes Auburn among the programs he thinks stretch the rules too far.  Auburn fans also deeply believe that Meyer was one of the “wizards behind the curtain” who orchestrated a media conspiracy to wreck their 2010 championship run by exposing the Cam Newton pay for play scheme, a scheme that Cecil Newton admitted to participating in. Newton was briefly declared ineligible as a result of the scheme, only to have his eligibility reinstated by the NCAA, which then took the unusual step of explaining the loophole Auburn used to spring the one-and-done wonder from the NCAA doghouse.

Scarbinsky writes:

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In the spring of 2009, after Auburn hit the road in its Tiger Prowl recruiting limos, Meyer told the Gainesville (Fla.) Sun that the NCAA should investigate. He also took a few shots at Auburn's tires.

"We're trying to sell graduation rates and academics and trying the sing and dance routine," he said. "The Florida coaching staff will not be riding around in limos or ripping off our shirts."

That shirt reference was a shot at Lane Kiffin and his Tennessee staff, but still. Even two years later, Meyer trying to drag his program onto the high ground, despite its arrest record, remains a shining example of hypocrisy.

He didn't stop there. In December of 2010, Meyer was the only SEC coach with a vote that didn't put Auburn No. 1 on his final regular-season ballot in the USA Today poll. He put Oregon first and Auburn second.

But those slights pale next to the role Meyer may have played as a wizard behind the curtain of the Cecil Newton-Kenny Rogers story last fall.

According to multiple news reports, before that story broke, Meyer had vowed on a three-way call with his protege, Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, and former Mississippi State quarterback John Bond to tell it to The New York Times and ESPN.

Who broke the story of Newton and Rogers asking for money from Mississippi State boosters, Bond included, to send Cam Newton to State? The Times and ESPN.

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For those of you keeping score, the NCAA is still investigating the whole “Prowl” affair, and is investigating it as an institutional affair rather than a series of individual secondary violations. But the real laugher is the reference to “multiple news reports” regarding a three-way conference call between Meyer, Mullen and Bond.

His source: A single blog post by the most obtuse Auburn homer on the planet. The blog post is behind 247Sports.com’s paywall, but trust me—as a news source it’s about as credible as my Aunt Tootsie’s pool boy.

The alleged three-way call—which at least one of the participants said never happened—had Meyer telling the other two that he was going public with the pay-for-play scheme and tipping off the New York Times and ESPN.

This is what passes as a credible source for the Birmingham News? When was the last time this blog ever ran a story citing a single, unnamed source and passing it off as credible journalism? When the credibility standards of a part-time blogger exceed those of Alabama’s largest newspaper, it’s no wonder that the News’ circulation is circling the drain.

The Scarbinsky column also comes in light of the righteous indignation from the Auburn fambly over the appearance of nationally syndicated talk show host Paul Finebaum at last Saturday’s game between Auburn and Mississippi State. Finebaum’s show—the Paul Finebaum Radio Network—has come under intense fambly indignation over the appearances on the show of Danny Sheridan, the USA Today Sports Analyst. Sheridan has said he has knowledge of the identities of key players in the Newton pay for play scheme. The fambly has begun mounting an email, letter and fax campaign insisting that Auburn University revoke Finebaum’s media credentials.

It also comes in light of last Spring’s events when another radio talk show host—Scott Moore—told his listeners that he had heard recordings that implicated both Cecil and Cam Newton in the pay-for-play scheme. When Moore indicated that he was willing to share that evidence on the air, the fambly rose up and hounded the radio station until Moore was forced off the air. Never mind that, regarding the existence of the recordings, Scott Moore was telling the truth.

The implications here are as chilling as they are crystal clear—bother to tell the truth about a football program under intense NCAA scrutiny, and the fambly will do everything in its power to shut you down. There will be no airing of the fambly’s dirty laundry, whether that airing is on a local radio talk show, a nationally syndicated radio talk show, or even ESPN.

Exit question: Mr. Sheridan, could you give me the odds on Auburn issuing me press credentials for the Florida game at Auburn?

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Sports Illustrated to welcome Paul Finebaum (amid controversy)

According to his official Twitter feed, Paul Finebaum, host of the nationally syndicated Paul Finebaum Radio Network, is set to debut his first column for the venerable Sports Illustrated magazine on Thursday.

There’s no questioning Finebaum’s journalism credentials. He joined the Birmingham Post-Herald more than 30 years ago and worked as an investigative reporter and a columnist. He also had a twice weekly (later weekly) column in the Mobile Press-Register for nearly 10 years, discontinuing it in 2010.

It looks like the writing bug has bitten him again.

The move comes at a very interesting time, indeed. Finebaum’s radio show has been a focal point of controversy in recent weeks. USA Today Sports Analyst Danny Sheridan has appeared three times since the kickoff of SEC Media Days last month, claiming to have direct knowledge from a source inside the NCAA that the league’s enforcement staff has identified the financier, “bag man” and a witness in connection with allegations that former Auburn Quarterback Cam Newton’s father received cash in return for his son’s signature. Sheridan has refused to divulge the name(s) of the persons he’s been told were involved.

Sheridan’s comments on Finebaum’s show and a Friday appearance with Danny Sheridan on ESPN’s Outside the Lines has sparked a tit-for-tat public relations battle between Sheridan and the NCAA.

Finebaum is also in the midst of a heated, ugly legal battle with WJOX parent company, Citadel Broadcasting over a contract dispute. And, we also learned this week that Cox Media Group is launching a new 24-hour sports talk radio station in the Birmingham market. The new station, 97.3 The Zone, will feature content from Yahoo! Sports Radio and include the popular Tim Brando Show.

Since Brando’s show will compete with WJOX’s morning lineup, WJOX has forbidden Finebaum from having Brando make his regular Monday appearances on Finebaum’s show. Brando explains here and again, here.

As an outside observer (I live on the Gulf Coast), it appears that Finebaum has outgrown WJOX and the station’s ownership is behaving like a spoiled little boy whose sandbox has been invaded by a bigger kid.

There is—obviously—a great deal of speculation that Sheridan has shared whatever information he has with Finebaum. Sheridan has also used the likelihood of litigation against him as the reason why he won’t name names. Some have argued that as an employee of USA Today, Sheridan enjoys protection against litigation as a journalist. However, most serious legal analysts dispute that notion since Sheridan doesn’t file news reports or produce content that a reasonable observer would consider “journalism.” Finebaum however, is a bona fide journalist and would enjoy complete protection, so you can probably guess what the exit question is…

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AUburgeddon: The NCAA blew it with Sheridan statement

Sometimes, in the heat of an angry moment, it’s best to step back, take a deep breath and think things through before lashing out at the source of your frustration. That’s what the NCAA should have done last Friday following the appearance of USA Today Sports Analyst Danny Sheridan’s with Paul Finebaum on ESPN’s Outside the Lines.

Sheridan was on the show to discuss comments he’d made during earlier appearances on the Paul Finebaum Radio Network, in which he said that sources “inside the NCAA” had given him the name of the person they believed was responsible for payment to Cecil Newton during Auburn’s recruitment of the eventual Heisman Trophy and National Championship winning Quarterback, Cam Newton.

Those statements led to the NCAA enforcement staff requesting an interview with Sheridan last week, an interview that both Sheridan and the NCAA have confirmed. But in the heat of anger, the NCAA released the following statement a few hours after the OTL segment ended. I’ll explain later why I believe that move was a mistake, but here’s the statement again:

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Danny Sheridan continues to make vague, unsubstantiated claims without backing them up with proof. Contrary to his claims of having an inside source with details on the Auburn investigation, the NCAA has not provided information to Sheridan or anyone else.  As a matter of due diligence, the NCAA spoke with Sheridan this week to determine if he had any facts pertaining to the investigation. Sheridan, however, did not provide any information to the enforcement staff and certainly did not provide a name. Instead, he unsuccessfully attempted to gather information for his own use.

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Sheridan’s detractors seized on the statement as a crushing blow to Sheridan’s credibility. No one’s mind will be changed by what I write here about Sheridan’s credibility and there don’t seem to be any fence sitters on that matter.

The Mobile Press-Register’s Randy Kennedy then reported on Sheridan’s response to the NCAA statement with an equally terse retort:

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"The NCAA statement about me is total propaganda and an absolute misrepresentation of the facts. For the record, I do have sources at the NCAA and that's why the organization has chosen to shoot the messenger.

"The NCAA called me through my attorney and requested an interview. I spoke with two NCAA investigators last Wednesday for almost an hour. I was consistent with them as I have been with the media and the public in refusing to divulge my sources.

"I also politely declined to share the name of the individual I have been told gave money to Cecil Newton. For the NCAA to claim I did anything else is specious, deceitful, disingenuous and completely false. I will be happy to take a polygraph test on these specific issues and challenge them to do so as well."

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No one’s mind will be changed by what I write here about the NCAA’s credibility and there don’t seem to be any fence sitters on that matter, either. But if you’re keeping score, right now it stands Sheridan 1, NCAA 0.

The NCAA statement is the league’s first on-the-record acknowledgement that there is an active and ongoing enforcement investigation of Auburn University. No ifs, ands or buts about it. The statement doesn’t mention any other schools and it doesn’t limit the scope of the NCAA’s probe of the school to just the Newton case. Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News notes today that there are at least two other matters being probed by the league, and sourced media reports described an additional matter being looked into down in South Florida as late as June. IBCR has confirmed at least one other matter that was being looked into in Montgomery just last month.

So why was it a mistake for the NCAA to issue that statement? Anyone who’s familiar with the anatomy of an enforcement investigation knows that the league does not publicly comment on ongoing investigations as a matter of NCAA policy. The statement itself—including the key phrase “Auburn investigation”—is a violation of that policy and it has opened the door to a response from the Auburn Defense Team. The school can now publicly demand that the league either issue a Notice of Inquiry or drop the matter, because it is the league—not the school—that has violated a policy intended to protect the integrity of the investigation.

For all intents and purposes, the six-month clock between official notification of an investigation and delivery of a Notice of Allegations (or termination letter) started Friday afternoon. It’s anybody’s guess as to whether the school and its legal team forces this to a head, but it sure seems like an opportunity to push the issue.

The question is, would the school get the outcome it wants?

Exit Question (and answer): Why score it Sheridan 1, NCAA 0? Because Sheridan has forced the hand of the league. He got someone in a position of high authority in the NCAA to lose their cool and step beyond the bounds of the league’s longstanding veil of silence policy.

Whether you believe him or not, you must give him credit for moving the chains on a story that has been closely followed by fans and media in the state, the region and the country for the last 10 months. The story is far from over and the outcome remains in doubt. It’s sure been a source of free blogging here at IBCR.

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Confirmed: Paul Finebaum in nasty dispute with Citadel Broadcasting

On August 8, 2010, IBCR first reported here on a lawsuit filed by sports talk radio host Paul Finebaum against his employer, Citadel Broadcasting Co., the parent company of WJOX in Birmingham. WJOX hosts the Paul Finebaum Radio Network, a nationally syndicated radio show. The suit was filed in the Northern District of Alabama US District Court.

Capstone Report has followed the story as well, filing a report here and most recently, here yesterday.

As noted in the IBCR post of August 8, the case had been sealed by the Court, preventing public access to case filings. Capstone Report learned that a request had been filed by a third party to unseal the case and that the Court was expected to rule on the motion yesterday:

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The Birmingham Business Journal has asked a federal court judge to unseal the lawsuit filed by Paul Finebaum against WJOX owner Citadel.

According to a Business Journal report, “The Birmingham Business Journal has filed a request with the court to unseal the case, and a court official said the judge would issue a ruling on issues in that motion Thursday. However, it was not clear if any other judgments related to the case would be rendered and the BBJ has not been notified of a ruling as of 12:30 p.m.”

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At 2:20 pm CDT yesterday, the Court ruled that there was no reason to keep the case under seal and ordered it opened, but gave the parties until noon today to file redacted documents and remove confidential financial and other sensitive information.

According to court documents obtained by IBCR, Finebaum alleges negligence, conversion (a civil tort of theft of property), wantonness (action taken with reckless disregard for the consequences), fraudulent misrepresentation and suppression. The defendants deny the claims and accuse the plaintiff of negligence himself and failure to exercise due diligence.

Adding to the drama of a nasty legal dispute are strong rumors circulating among broadcast industry insiders that Finebaum seeks an exit to his 2007 contract with Citadel and has reached an agreement in principle to move PFRN to WNCB 97.3 FM. That station, said to be struggling under the “New Country” music format, is owned by Cox Radio Interactive of Atlanta, Georgia and has already taken steps to move to a sports radio format.

Capstone Report also found yesterday that Eli Gold—the Alabama Football Radio play-by-play announcer—has reached a deal with Cox to host a radio show on 97.3 beginning next Wednesday.

WJOX has been a longtime market heavyweight in Birmingham sports radio and is an ESPN Radio affiliate. Recently, WNSP in Mobile, Alabama bolted from ESPN Radio as programming quality remained flat and uninteresting to southern sports fans. WNSP subsequently joined Sporting News Radio, which was recently combined with Yahoo! Sports to create Yahoo! Sports Radio. Speculation among industry insiders is that Birmingham’s 97.3 may be making the move to Yahoo! and adding PFRN to its lineup would represent a significant challenge to WJOX’s reign in the Magic City.

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Mark Emmert to Danny Sheridan: Gimme a call sometime

Scroll down for update.

On a Friday broadcast heard on SiriusXM 91, NCAA President Mark Emmert was asked about Danny Sheridan’s recent comments on the Paul Finebaum Radio Network. As you may have heard, Sheridan appeared on PFRN Wednesday to discuss the ongoing NCAA investigation into the recruitment of former Auburn Quarterback Cam Newton. Sheridan appeared on the show as scheduled but under advice of counsel, declined to reveal the name of “the bagman.” But Sheridan also claims that his source is inside the NCAA.

Sheridan made waves at SEC Media Days when he told PFRN that the NCAA had identified at least one key figure in the case—the much ballyhooed “bagman.”

Here’s the audio clip of the conversation between show host Jack Arute and President Emmert:

Arute brings up an important point echoed throughout mainstream sports journalism—how troubling is it, given the firewall that is supposed to exist between the gambling world and the governing body of college athletics, that someone with so many ties to sports wagering has an “inside source?” My sense is that Emmert either ignored that aspect of the matter or he doesn’t get it.

Another key takeaway—what does it say about the state of affairs in college sports if the President of the NCAA is asking a famous sports odds analyst to give him a call sometime? Does he expect Sheridan’s information to somehow corroborate what enforcement already has?

Exit question: Is it just me, or does Emmert sound like Newt Gingrich?

This bizarre story keeps getting more bizarre with every turn.

UPDATE: Danny Sheridan tweeted a statement in response to President Emmert’s comments.

“My response to NCAA president Mark Emmert comments today: I very much appreciate what President Emmert said today. I would be willing to meet with him at his convenience and discuss items of mutual importance.”

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Breakup? Paul Finebaum vs. Citadel Broadcasting Company

Click here for the Justia.com entry.

Citadel Broadcasting is the parent company of Birmingham’s WJOX. The station hosts the Paul Finebaum Radio Network each weekday from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm Central.

The case number shown in the link doesn’t show up on the Federal Court System’s PACER database. But here’s the skinny from Justia:

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Finebaum v. Citadel Broadcasting Company

Plaintiff: Paul Finebaum

Defendant: Citadel Broadcasting Company

Case Number: 2:2011cv02765

Filed: August 3, 2011

Court: Alabama Northern District Court

Office: Southern Office

County: Shelby

Presiding Judge: Abdul K Kallon

Nature of Suit: Contract - Other Contract

Cause: 28:1441 Petition for Removal- Declaratory Judgemen

Jurisdiction: Diversity       

Jury Demanded By: None

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When the case shows up in PACER, I’ll grab the documents and see what’s up. Cases filed under this nature and cause often indicate that someone wants out of a deal.  The question is, if the South’s most powerful media figure wants out of his deal with WJOX, where’s he going?

If such a move were to occur, I have an idea about a potential future home.

Helmet taps to @KJStrata and Auburngate.com.

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Paul Finebaum: Comparing AU to a Ponzi Scheme?

Earlier today, the Auburn blog site WarBlogle.com posted the audio from a Paul Finebaum lecture at Birmingham Southern. The subject of the lecture was the Business of Sports Management, but Finebaum strayed a bit off of that reservation during his comments.

I rarely listen to Finebaum’s nationally syndicated radio show. In my community, the WNSP 105.5 Sports Drive with Pat Greenwood and Randy Kennedy takes over the airwaves at 4:00 pm, leaving only the “working hours” of 2:00 to 4:00 for me to listen. While the times that I have listened to the show have both horrified and entertained me, I don’t think that’s a good way to spend two productive work hours. I’m much more drawn to Greenwood and Kennedy’s show, which is lot less sizzle and a lot more sports steak.

That said, I have heard Finebaum speak on a number of occasions here in Mobile, and I always found his weekly columns in the Mobile Press-Register  to be “must read,” even when I strongly disagreed with him. Like him or love him, in his speaking engagements and his columns, he is much different than he is on the air.

That’s why this audio clip from WarBlogle.com doesn’t surprise me at all. This is the real Finebaum, telling it like he thinks it is and explaining why he believes what he does.

Here’s the link to the 40 minute audio. He doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to Auburn, LSU, Alabama and SEC Football in general.

I have to applaud the WarBlogle admin for posting this audio. I understand its availability has not gone over well with the crowd that successfully stifled the voice of Scott Moore and WZZN radio in Huntsville.

Exit Questions: How long before teh fambly pressures WarBlogle into taking the audio clip offline, and does Never To Yield now turn its sights on the states most influential media voice?

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Alabama Politics and Alabama Football!

This is that deliciously rare opportunity I get to write a blog post covering my two favorite subjects--politics and Alabama football.  In his weekly sports column for the Mobile Press-Register, writer and syndicated talk-show host Paul Finebaum explains a firestorm of controversy over alleged comments by Republican gubernatorial hopeful, Tim James:

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Last Friday, a rumor started floating around that James had blasted Alabama coach Nick Saban at a campaign stop. There were variations on the rumor, one of which had James using a pejorative in front of Saban's name. The other simply said he would cut Saban's nearly $5 million a year salary. Two people told me they heard the comments but the candidate was clearly joking.

The mere mention of the possibility, whether James was joking or not, had tongues wagging and phones melting down on radio talk shows. But before the conversation ever left the earth's atmosphere, James turned a mild tempest in a teapot into a nuclear war -- at least on the most commonly traveled highways where politics and sports intersect.

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Finebaum explains that James, like his father and former Governor, Fob James, both went to and played football for Auburn University, Bama's in-state rival (yes, Auburn is actually inside the state of Alabama).  He also notes that James' chief primary candidate, Bradley Byrne, obtained his Master's Degree from Alabama.

Notwithstanding the fact that James, as Governor, has virtually no power over who state university athletic programs hire as coaches, the fact that James is a self-proclaimed "Auburn man" is reason enough for Alabama fans to view his candidacy with suspicion.  You see, in this state--football is not a sport, it is a religion.  Each fall, the athletic equivalent of jihad is declared between two fanbases and emotions don't settle down until sometime in January.

Finebaum makes note of the fact that James committed two mistakes in handling this:  One, he repeated the rumor on Twitter in the process of denying it, thus giving it legs and a longer life in the news cycle and two, whoever posted the denial tweet blamed it on Byrne, a Bama man.  But what Finebaum didn't point out was the fact that public opinion surveys conducted each fall show that Alabama isn't just a red state, it's a "Crimson Red State."  Polling started in the late 1980's and is usually conducted in the week leading up to the annual showdown called the Iron Bowl.  While the Iron Bowl rivalry is a fairly close one on the field (Bama holds a 40-33-1 edge in the series), the rivalry for public support isn't close at all.  Alabama fans routinely outpoll Auburn fans by large margins, from 37-23 in the late 1980's to a nearly two-to-one edge, 64-33, in the late 2000's.

This means that, not only was James joke and denial an 11th hour mistake, it was a mistake that could cost James in the polls.  The primary field for the Alabama Governor's mansion is crowded and most likely headed for a runoff.  James' internal polling showed him with a slim lead last month and other public polling shows a very tight race.  Byrne, the Bama man, is the establishment choice in the race, while James is the maverick with stronger Tea Party support.

I'm going with James in the primary next Tuesday.  I believe the crack really was a joke and I really don't care if a junior staffer manning the Twitter account doesn't understand the sensitivity of how that thing can play out.  Byrne is a good candidate and should he win the primary, I'll throw my support to him.

But if James wins the primary and goes on to beat likely Democrat candidate Artur Davis, I and many other Bama fans will keep a close eye on that Barner.  

Extra Point: Current Alabama Governor Bob Riley -- Bama grad.