The glorious craziness that is a Paul Finebaum post-Iron Bowl show comes but once a year, on Monday, after the participants have had somewhere between 36 and 48 hours to compose their thoughts, gather themselves, and remember that the radio stations that have hosted Finebaum, and now the SEC Network, are family-friendly establishments. But what if we could see their spleen, blasted live into our living rooms as events are unfolding?
Luckily for us, some ESPN executive had the exact same thought. And so we get this:
In addition to ESPN broadcasting Alabama-Auburn this Saturday night at 7:45 p.m. ET -- the first Iron Bowl matchup on ESPN since 2007 -- Finebaum will do a version of his popular radio show on the SEC Network during the same window. The special is titled Finebaum Film Room: Iron Bowl Live, with Finebaum hosting a call-in show throughout the game.
I'm sure there are those who will be embarrassed or irritated at what would otherwise be filler on SEC Network being overtaken by this filler. No need. In the immortal words of Julia Sugarbaker: "this is the South. And we're proud of our crazy people. We don't hide them up in the attic. We bring 'em right down to the living room and show 'em off."
But just think of it: Phyllis from Mulga when Alabama picks off Nick Marshall, or Auburn has a big run. The possibilities are endless. (Which is presumably why it doesn't appear to be set for a radio broadcast as well -- no reason to set a new record for FCC fines.) Do not fight the crazy. Embrace it. Without it, we're just the B1G with faster defensive linemen.