Paul Finebaum Caught on Tape

I listen to him very little because it is very obvious what he is. Some of the the Auburn fans that call in almost seem like they are “hired” to come on because they portray Auburn fans as redneck hicks. I know we have fans that are “Harvey Updike” types, but these people seem too unreal. One “AU fan” that calls in, named Tammy, is just unbelievable. I have NEVER met an AU fan like her.

At times I have thought about calling in to make a point but then my senses come around and I realize that he would then just make fun of me like every other AU fan that calls in. Why would ANY AU FAN think they could make a point on his show with his bias and his main audience?

Fbaum is scum and I am all for boycotting his show.

a show that i had never listen too. I tuned in during the Cam scandal just to see what folks were thinking and what news was going to break next. After that died down, I went back to my old routine… and PF is not in it.

His voice alone is like fingernails on the blackboard. His general attitude gives me a headache. As you see, I don’t listen for health reasons :)

i don’t fault finebaum, … he is one voice. i fault the professor that booked this guy.
nothing of significant business value here. he had no plan, except to talk about the ‘model’ of alabama, and the ‘model’ of auburn. i am not sure that a college football ‘model’ has any relevance to the business world at all.
if… IF… the ‘student athlete’ fell away, and the players started to get paid, then we’re talkin about a scenario where parallels could be made.
 
this is finebaum publicly boycotting Auburn…. something that he does on the periphery all day, everyday.

there is no doubt that Auburn’s NC was a surprise to many, even Auburn fans, but the notion that Auburn is settling for the 2010 NC, and not built to fight for another is an assumption that finebaum and many other bama folk will make to their own disappointment.

this isn’t a surprise to me. i absolutely LOVE how finebaum was pushed so uncomfortably in yesterday’s show. this tape was brought up several times and he clearly was broad sided. i think this tape will circulate and result in some additional conversation about the legitimacy of his sports radio show. ties to harvey updyke scenario, now this… PF is on the edge of the kind of publicity that hurts rather than helps.

because he’s a troll of the first order. A real-life troll, but the premise is the same as elfcrash on this site.

A few notes:

- I love the cherry-picking of examples for corporate comparisons. Leaving the low-hanging fruit of Wal-Mart being the first choice aside, he waited for one that he liked. Better to pick the massive corporate juggernaut with good marketing and a loyal fanbase that will defend it fervently, than to pick the massive corporate juggernaut that’s achieved its success by means as ethically grey as possible, and which tends to leave a sour taste in one’s mouth. Then again, maybe Apple is the proper comparison — in both cases, their devotees are manipulated the same as any other peer group, but good luck convincing them.

(then again, consider the “Auburn Family” concept — so touche there).

- He doesn’t address Alabama’s miraculous turnaround from the 2007 to the 2008 season in the same terms. Not to get all TKK on things here, but he’s laying out subjective parameters, and then applying them unevenly. God save the Birmingham Southern Business program, if their students are fleeced this easily. Maybe they ought to require a logic course in addition to business ethics for their degrees.

- He lays out a nice red herring, once Terrance Cody is brought up. The initial context is that a perfect season has moments that are flukes; Finebaum’s response is to ask if there were any allegations surrounding him. He’s now leading the argument down a path that is very engaging — but not consistent with the antecedents of his claims.

(and that’s ignoring the possibility — which I espouse for every program that’s considered clean — that they just haven’t been caught yet)

- His football knowledge is great, I’m sure, which makes some of his statements so damned asinine. Oregon was a fluke? How does he explain their Rose Bowl appearance the previous season, and their contention for (or sharing of) the PAC-10 title in the several years prior? And Oklahoma State? They’ve been on the cusp for quite some time now. They’re competing in the same division of the Big XII as Texas and Oklahoma, which has more to do with why they haven’t made it over the top than any half-baked notion that it’s because T. Boone Pickens just hasn’t decided to sink enough money in yet.

(oh, that, and he calls Stephen Garcia the worst quarterback in the SEC; maybe it’s a matter of opinion, but I’d have taken him over the two-headed monster of Lee or Jefferson last year at LSU)

- And whither Alabama? He agrees with the student that claims that every program breaks the rules. “Nick Saban is not a cheater; he is very smart.” ‘Nuff said. Oh, and he holds up Vandy as an exception. Really? Mr. Finebaum, Stanford would like a word with you — they have a list of some sort that they’d like to share with you….

- And Tiger Prowl and Big Cat weekend were desperate gimmicks birthed of ‘Bama Envy. "There’s no way we can catch up…" Well, except that in terms of recruiting, they did. And then they did on the field.

last year we beat bama, and won a NC. we won the SEC CG 56-17. We finished above bama in 2011 recruiting.

a single one alone would not itself = a trend,… but all 3? the fight is back on. it is getting good and ugly… and i wonder how anyone could complain about that.

Finescum is a master at portraying someone or some school in a paragraph long statement, and then using a one-liner to excuse himself. He almost always has an out.
I never ran my small business with the attitude he suggests. Integrity is not a word, it’s a life choice, PF has none.
The mere fact that he suggest that Auburn, Dye, and company sold out their ethics to “beat bama” is as absurd as his love for Saban.
No, I won’t listen to his show, no I will not listen to anymore of his idiocies. I am all for boycotting this waste of human tissue.

You realize this isn’t a joke… right?
Your words… you cannot escape, or spin away from their OBVIOUS intent.

I suggest you just stop, because you are embarassing yourself.

I am looking forward to Mr. Chew’s response to see what he thought was the “academic” value of your saban sermon at Birmingham Southern.

This isn’t about being too “sensitive”…

It doesn’t take a “lunatic fringe” fan to feel disrespect in your lecture. You need to work on the delivery of your point, and take the emotional charge out. I respect others with contrary viewpoints if they are logical and comprehensive. You, PF, were not either. You were emotional.

So, is your emotional attachment to Saban, or dettachment to Auburn a relevant subject for a class in business?

Only if you’re in the business of being disrespectful.

But I’ve never heard a more biased, water-carrying, insinuating homer than Finebaum. If he doesn’t have a man-crush on Saban, then there’s no such thing. This guy has no credibility as a journalist, he’s simply a pot-stirrer, who only sides with Auburn when he needs to pull his already-heavily weighted slant up off the ground.

I love how he constantly demands loyalties from the audience, and how no other fan is welcomed there—not even Tennessee, his alma mater. Alabama is the right way, Nick Saban had a plan, Auburn was happenstance, etc, etc.

His code for cheating is ‘cutting corners’. I hate when a snively little jerkwad pussies out and won’t just come out and say the word he really wants to. I’d respect him more for it.

Two girls are the ones who actually call him out on things. Where were the boys? Obviously, I don’t think Finebaum tries this BS with a audience of mature adults.

This guy is a joke on Atlanta sports radio. Nobody respects him for letting his audience run wild the way he does. Only in Alabama does he have power. If Auburn people quit listening to him, he would go away. I wish we would and he would.

clearly, they know how to use highlighters and are selective in hand picking what goes on air. i thought that PF was pretty funny today. i enjoyed his uncomfort. he was off his game. PF deserves this kick back from Auburn fans. reasonable people (humans at least) are capable of reflecting on what they’ve done and are willing to spend some amount of energy trying to understand a different point of view. i saw defense all day long from Finebaum today. I did NOT get the sense that it was the consensus of the listeners today that Auburn’s reaction was truly beyond expectation… or beyond reason. PF’s lean on the “academic” focus of his lecture was a joke. i enjoyed laughing out loud in the office when i first heard that. i would have felt much better if i got the sense that PF connected with the problem Auburn fans might have with what he said, but no luck today. it didn’t even sound like he took the time to listen to the tape of his lecture… that says enough for me.