Hour 3: A Tiger Forever

Summary

The Paul Finebaum Show – Hour 3: A Tiger Forever

Date: August 14, 2026
Host: Paul Finebaum (ESPN)
Central Theme: Remembering Skip Bertman and His Impact on LSU and College Baseball

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Overview

This episode of The Paul Finebaum Show centers on the passing of Skip Bertman, legendary LSU baseball coach and athletic director, at the age of 88. Paul and a range of guests and callers reflect on Bertman's transformative legacy—not only for LSU but for the sport of college baseball and the broader SEC landscape. The latter part of the hour returns to classic Finebaum fare: lively and sometimes irreverent listener calls on college football, program updates, and musings on life as a sports fan.

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Segment 1: Remembering Skip Bertman – The Architect of LSU Baseball

[00:45–09:51]

Key Discussion Points

• Unique Legacy: Bertman is described as “larger than life” and not merely a legend, having built LSU baseball from an afterthought to an SEC powerhouse (Scott Rabalais, [01:43]).
• From Nothing to Dynasty: Before Bertman, LSU’s baseball program lacked prestige or even real attention—coaches were often reassigned football trainers. Bertman changed that, lifting LSU to 5 National Championships in a 10-year span ([01:56], [03:09]).
• Administrative Excellence: After coaching, Bertman became LSU’s athletic director, hiring figures like Les Miles and being instrumental during Nick Saban’s tenure. He revolutionized revenue models (the Tradition Fund) to support LSU athletics ([03:58]).

Notable Quotes

• “To say he was a legend puts it too mildly...he was a larger than life figure.” – Scott Rabalais ([01:43])
• “We’re still living in the age of Skip Bertman at LSU.” – Scott Rabalais ([02:38])
• “He built [LSU baseball] up to where, you know, football will always be king at LSU...but baseball is number two.” – Scott Rabalais ([01:57])

Memorable Moments

• Bertman’s attention to detail went as far as inspecting bathrooms and coffee at ballparks, showing his drive to not just win, but create experiences ([03:58]).
• Bertman’s humor and storytelling: recounting confused fans yelling about “points” and “referees” during baseball games ([05:48–05:58]).
• Bertman is placed firmly on the “Mount Rushmore” of LSU Athletics, next to Billy Cannon, Shaquille O’Neal, Pete Maravich, and Simone Augustus ([06:08]).

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Segment 2: Lasting Influence and Personal Impact

[06:24–09:51]

Key Insights

• Mentorship and Coaching Tree: Bertman mentored future champions and coaches: Paul Mainieri (LSU), Mike Bianco (Ole Miss), Ray Tanner (South Carolina). He also mentored Saban and Johnson ([06:45], [07:17]).
• Powerful Leadership: Motivation, resilience, and meticulousness defined Bertman—he overcame personal (house burning down) and professional challenges, always coming back stronger ([08:33]).
• Personal Reflections: The grief is palpable—“Every LSU fan’s kind of lost their granddad” (via Scott’s brother, [08:08]).

Notable Quotes

• “He was tough. He was demanding in a Saban kind of way, in a Kim Mulkey kind of way. But ... these players ... love [him] dearly.” – Scott Rabalais ([07:48])
• “He set the standard. And it was a standard for every coach and every program with LSU—not just the baseball program.” – Scott Rabalais ([09:27])

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Segment 3: Callers Reflect on Skip Bertman’s Place in LSU and College Sports

[11:19–14:26]

Highlights

• LSU’s "Greatest Coach": Augie and other callers echo Bertman’s status as the most impactful coach in LSU history, compared with other icons like Saban, Dale Brown, and Pete Maravich ([11:25], [12:53]).
• Transformational Change: Emphasis on Bertman’s elevation of baseball to a cultural force at LSU—"made that job almost impossible for anyone else who follows" ([11:25]).
• Pride and Appreciation: “The best thing I can say about Skip Bertman is he was ours. And we’ll always be proud of that. So, Skip, thank you for everything…” – Augie ([14:04]).

Memorable Quotes

• “He’s the greatest LSU coach in any sport at any time in the history of LSU athletics. Would you agree with that?” – Augie ([12:48])

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Segment 4: The Broader Impact on the SEC and College Sports

[14:31–16:30]

Key Discussion Points

• SEC Influence: Bertman’s success forced other SEC schools to elevate their own baseball programs, changing the entire conference landscape ([14:32]).
• Coaching and Recruiting Excellence: The conversation briefly pivots to Nick Saban’s recruiting prowess and its significance in winning titles ([15:41]).

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Segment 5: Open Line Friday – Classic Call-In Banter

[16:35–40:26]

Highlights

• Personal Touches: Callers catch up, joke with Paul and each other, reference previous calls, and even announce their sabbaticals from the show. There’s camaraderie and gentle ribbing—classic Finebaum flavor.
• College Football Takes: Paul gives a read on Tennessee’s prospects (split against Texas and Alabama is key; [20:52–21:48]) and briefly discusses Appalachian State’s football situation ([20:52]).
• Listener Community: Emotional moments include Ms. Faye thanking Paul for bringing her comfort as she marks her late son’s birthday ([23:50]). The tone shifts from sports to life, showing the warmth and impact of the show’s network.
• Meta Discussion: Several callers and Paul reflect on the nature of the show itself—its purpose as fun and escapism—as some callers describe needing breaks from even a sports call-in show ([18:33–19:44], [29:24], [34:07]).

Notable Quotes

• “This show is not supposed to be stressful, it’s supposed to be fun.” – Paul Feinbaum ([18:33])
• “I've always viewed this show as a cocktail party…You got your little drink, whatever it is, and you're speaking and nod and saying hello and…having a little conversation…” – I Man ([32:38])

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Segment 6: Lighter, Community-Focused Calls

[35:39–40:26]

Highlights

• Banter regarding SEC predictions, job workload jokes, and some playful roastings among regulars.
• Callers reminisce and poke fun at each other, underscoring the show’s loyal, sometimes eccentric audience.

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Key Timestamps and Notable Quotes

• [01:43] – “To say he was a legend puts it too mildly...” – Scott Rabalais on Skip Bertman
• [03:58] – Bertman’s focus on detail and promotion
• [08:08] – "It's kind of like every LSU fan's kind of lost their granddad." – Scott Rabalais’ brother
• [12:53] – “He’s the greatest LSU coach in any sport at any time...” – Augie
• [18:33] – “This show is not supposed to be stressful, it’s supposed to be fun.” – Paul Feinbaum
• [32:38] – “I've always viewed this show as a cocktail party…” – I Man

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Final Thoughts

This hour is both a moving tribute to Skip Bertman as a transformative force in college sports and a lively example of the unique culture of The Paul Finebaum Show—a blend of hard-hitting sports talk, personal stories, irreverence, and listener community.

If you haven’t listened:
You’ll come away understanding why Skip Bertman’s legacy looms so large at LSU and in college baseball. The community feel and vibrant, candid caller participation are also on full display, making this a quintessential hour of Paul Finebaum’s show.

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[End of Summary]

Transcript

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[Podcast Host]

Pride, passion and pageantry of college football lives here. This is the Paul Feinbaum Show. Our three podcasts.

[Scott Rabalais]

This might be college football.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Welcome back. As we continue where we started the program with the news of the passing of Skip Bergman. We have spent a lot of time, time on that today, passing away overnight. 88 years old, hard to put into words and we have tried. We spoke earlier with Ben McDonald, one of his best players. Now we speak to Scott Rabelais who covered most of the tenure which was epic. 5 National Championships course serving as the AD when both Saban and Les Miles won titles. Scott, thank you very much for the time. So much going on. But we wanted to get your voice in on the death of Skip Burtman. But really what he meant to so many people in your community.

[Scott Rabalais]

Well, to say he was a legend puts it too mildly. It's not a good enough word for it. And he, he was a larger than life figure.

[Caller or Guest]

He really was.

[Scott Rabalais]

I mean, he was, yeah, I created something that had never existed before at lsu. The baseball program was, was more than an afterthought. You know, they used to, the coach used to be like one of the football trainers, you know, you know, go coach the baseball team when you're not doing football. And they had no tradition whatsoever. And he built that up to where, you know, football will always be king at lsu. And I think Skip Berman would have been the first to tell you that. But baseball is number two and it's a sport that people really care about. And he made it a winner with five national titles in a 10 year span. Something that I think will never be duplicated. Then he became athletic director, hiring, hiring Les Miles who won a national championship, hiring some other national championship coaches at LSU and really showed everyone how to win and how to succeed and how to promote their programs. And this is as I wrote in a column today, we're still living in the age of Skip Berkman at lsu. He is the most influential figure in LSU athletic history, one of the most influential figures in the history of college baseball because he taught a lot of people, hey, it doesn't have to be a money fit.

[Caller]

You can Break even or maybe make,

[Scott Rabalais]

make a little money at baseball if you put some, put some money into it. And he was so influential in so many ways and was what we definitely missed. We knew this day was coming probably, you know, soon, but sad. But it's still great to look back on a great life and a man who accomplished so much.

[Paul Feinbaum]

And Scott, I know we've talked about it and I know you've talked to many people and know, know the story so well, but help the rest of us understand because we've hear you have said we Talked to Ben McDonald earlier. We read all the statements. But to folks who have heard his name and maybe seen a documentary, but really did not live in his era, how would you describe what he did and really the legacy that continues today?

[Scott Rabalais]

He came from the University of Miami, who was a baseball power, and he, he learned how to, you know, about coaching from Ron Frazier, who's the successful head coach there, and he learned about promotion. You know, he brought in things like the San Diego Chicken, some people might remember that, and made it a real, you know, just, just, just the attention to detail and the high standard that he had for everything. He'd go around the ballpark before games in his early years to the concession stands to make sure the coffee was hot, to the bathrooms to make sure that they were clean and just to, you know, to encourage people to come back to the ballpark. And of course they started winning and of course it started feeding on itself. But he was a master motivator, always had some story for his players, for the game, you know, something inspirational. He was a great leader of first his program, then the whole athletic department at lsu and, you know, saw a statement from Nick Saban today. So he learned a lot from him. He was the head coach when he was athletic director, rather when Nick was head coach at LSU and led LSU to that national championship. And he was savvy at business, always seemed to have a great timing for everything, whether it was what time to go to the bullpen to bring someone in or to set up in 2003, before they won the national title, they started the Tradition Fund of LSU WA to pay a seat license to buy season tickets. And he said, I need Nick to win big this year. He came and told us at the Advocate, the newspaper were working. Of course they won the national championship. So his timing was, was perfect. And a great storyteller. Paul, I don't know if you ever spent much time with Skip, but just he, he was just wonderful at spinning a yarn, telling an, anecdote it just. He was just always, you know, he told a story about in his early days. He's going out to the mound.

[Caller]

Hey, Bertram.

[Scott Rabalais]

They're yelling at him from the stands.

[Caller]

We're two.

[Scott Rabalais]

We're two points behind.

[Caller]

Yes, sir.

[Scott Rabalais]

They're called runs, and they.

[Caller]

Bertram, the.

These.

[Scott Rabalais]

These referees stink.

[Caller]

Yes, sir.

[Scott Rabalais]

They're called umpires, and they do. You know, that was one of his popular stories. But, man, just the guy who's gonna be missed so much.

[Caller]

Just the.

Paul.

[Scott Rabalais]

If there was a Mount Rushmore of LSU athletics, he would have to be on it. You know, I would say Billy Cannon. You can pick Shaquille o' Neal or Pete Maravich. By Simone Augustus. For all the success LSU's had in women's athletics and as a coach and administrator, you had to pick someone. I think it would be skipped.

[Paul Feinbaum]

And it's interesting because he's really been off the. I mean, 88 years old. He hasn't been on the. On the main stage in a long time, but you still heard his name. Everybody mentioned him. Just in terms of seeing him and talking to him after he left. What was it like?

[Scott Rabalais]

Well, yeah, he was. I mean, he was this. Yeah, he was always.

[Caller]

His presence.

[Scott Rabalais]

I mean, you know, he. He was a mentor to Paul Manieri, who won a national title at LSU after Skip. He also grew up in the mi. In the Miami area. He was a. He was a mentor to Jay Johnson. Jay Johnson talks about how. How nervous he was meeting Skip Bertman for the. For the first time.

[Caller]

Not.

[Scott Rabalais]

Not like, not be around. Like, not be around telling people, well, I should have done. They should have done it this way, I would have done it that way.

[Caller]

Not.

[Scott Rabalais]

Not like that. But just, you know, offering. Offering advice. And of course, he had this, you know, you know, quite a coach. You know, a coaching tree. You know, Mike Bianco won a national title at College World Series at Ole Miss, was a catcher for him with Ben McDonald when Ben was pitching. And Ray Tanner, who won two College World Series at South Carolina and also became the athletic director, was on his staff on the Olympic team when they won the bronze medal in Atlanta in 1994.

[Caller]

He just.

[Scott Rabalais]

And these players, he was tough. He was demanding in a Saban kind of way, in a Kimballty kind of way. But he was someone who. These players, as you see from the statements you've seen from Ben McDonald, from other players that have referred from today, just is someone who they love dearly. And I think my brother texted me today and he put it best. He's An LSU fan, of course, from here. And he said it's kind of like everybody, every LSU fans kind of lost their granddad. You know, that's kind of, I think, I think that puts it very well.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Yeah. And I think, Scott, I mean, we've all been there, you know, it's going to happen, but when it happens, you just can't believe it.

[Scott Rabalais]

Yeah, exactly. I mean, exactly. I heard the people, they knew, they'd gone to visit him in the hospital. Verde Osbury, the athletic director, told our beat writer Copie Riley went to visit the hospital and kind of knew the end was near. But then he always kind of said he'd come back. You know, Skips, his house burned down, mostly burned down in 2004, rebuilt it. He was fine. His wife was fine. His wife Sandy, who passed away early last year. A tree fell in this house from a storm earlier this summer. As the last time I spoke to him, he said, I'm fine, everything's fine. Did some damage, but he was okay. Always seemed like a very resilient, resilient guy. Just kind of expected he'd been around for so long. I mean, he came to LSU in 1983, was hired by Bob Brodhead, who was the athletic director back then because he knew of him from Miami. Somebody said, you know, hey, when Brodhead was with Miami Dolphins and people said, you need to look at this guy. And of course he came to LSU and just created this monolith that has never abated. You know, it's been added to, of course, with championships won under and Jay Johnson. But he set the standard. And it was a standard for every coach and every program with lsu, not just the baseball program.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Scott Rabelais on the passing of Skip Bertman. Many thanks, Scott. We appreciate you coming on and discussing this with us. We will take a short break. We are coming right back.

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[Podcast Host]

You're listening to the Paul Feinbaum show podcast.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Welcome back. We continue here on a Friday afternoon. Augie, next.

[Caller]

Hey, Paul. Paul.

[Augie Garrido]

Skip Burtman. What. What can you say about that guy?

[Caller]

I love that guy.

[Augie Garrido]

Never met him. He came to LSU my senior year. And I mean, he is to LSU with Saban and Bryant are to Alabama. And I mean, it's a baseball coach. What was baseball before he came to lsu? It was just something to do if you were really bored during the week or nobody on the weekend would go to those games. He shows up. I mean, the man elevated baseball at LSU to the top of the pantheon of college baseball. I mean, he. He's made that job almost impossible for anyone else who follows in his footsteps. You know, Monary, he wasn't terrible, but let's face it, Paul, he left because of the Skip Burtman standard. And Jeh Johnson, he might be the only guy that is capable of sustaining the Skip Burtman standard. The man is. He's, he was transformational. He's an icon in Louisiana. I think he's an icon in college baseball history. And he represented LSU with, I think rabble said it best. Class, humor, dignity, honor. In my opinion, he's the greatest LSU coach in any sport at any time in the history of LSU athletics. Would you agree with that?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Yeah, I mean, I think you would have to, because the other contender, I mean, I think Dale Brown is someone who is to be treasured, but when you don't win titles, it tends to affect you. Rightly or wrongly. Saban just wasn't there long enough. And, you know, I think when you think about other figures, you know, I mean, in this whole. I was talking, I was on a show this morning talking about Daniels, and, and I said, you know, I mean, Burrow had his moment. But to me, if you, if you. And again, some of this is age, some of this is the fact. I lived in Louisiana, covered lsu. But if you said, who's the most famous LSU player of all time? I would say Billy Cannon, although that's already probably changed from generations. But if you ask the most famous coach, it is Skip.

[Augie Garrido]

You're right, no doubt, Skip. And you brought up another one, Paul. Dale Brown. Dale Brown transformed LSU basketball. Now, Pete Maravich did what Pete did.

[Paul Feinbaum]

He did.

[Augie Garrido]

But Dale really changed the whole nature of LSU sports. And, you know, those are two guys that. Yeah, they won't be around forever.

[Scott Rabalais]

We.

[Caller]

It was.

[Augie Garrido]

I wouldn't say losing Coach Burtman was a tragic event because the man lived a great life, and he gave us something nobody else did. And I think the best thing I can say about Skip Burtman is he was ours. And we'll always be proud of that. So, Skip, thank you for everything you brought us.

[Caller]

Thanks, Paul.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Thanks, Augie. Really appreciate that. Trey is up next.

[Caller]

Hey, Paul.

I agree with Augie that not only

did he elevate baseball at lsu, he elevated the whole sec, and the other schools had to get better. He was a. He had a big impact on the sec. In a hole. But do you mind if I address two callers from yesterday? Paul, can I do that? You mind?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Of course.

[Caller]

First person I want to address is Ellie May from Ohio. I mean, Paul, Ellie May's this prima donna who quit the show during spring sports. And we all know why she didn't call in during spring sport. And you know that Essie said all that he did last year. I gave him a ton of credit. That was funny, but it's old. He needs to come up with something else. And I guarantee you, as soon as the Big Ten does not win a title, we won't hear from her. Now, Andre, talking about Nick Saban yesterday. Paul, I want to ask you a question, then I'm going to elaborate on it. Don't you have to be a great recruiter to get great players to win? Is recruiting not one of the most important parts of coaching?

[Paul Feinbaum]

It's the most important part.

[Caller]

I agree. And the thing about it is, that guy acted like Saban just recruited the players and went upset in the stands and had a Pabst Blue Living or something. I mean, that was one of the worst. That was one of the dumbest calls I've ever heard. And not only did he recruit great players, he recruited great coaches who are coaching all around in college football these days. I mean, his assistants are unbelievable at where they're coaching. And so he also stockpiled coaches. Stockpiling coaches, stockpiling talent. Great recruiting equals championship. You'll never find a team that doesn't have great players that wins a championship, Hall. And that's in any sport.

[Scott Rabalais]

Do you agree, Trey?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Completely. Thank you very, very much. Brian is up next in Tulsa.

[Caller]

Hey, Paul.

How you doing, my friend?

[Paul Feinbaum]

All Good.

[Caller]

Hey, first of all, I've never been calling. Not because I got kicked out the regular. It's just I've had a lot going on lately to school.

It's about to get started.

While I'm working at. You got kids coming back and I've been working like almost 40 hours over the last two days. So that's why I have a call. I'm gonna say this expired.

Thank you for that call yesterday.

I listened to it this morning. That was a really good call. I've always, I've always been a fan of yours. I do like your calls. And the one thing that we sooner and Aggie fans do have a common expires. We both hate that ugly burnt orange color. So I. I'd rather put up with gigam then hook him. And Paul, finally, you know, the other day I made a stupid call and I should not have done that over the two days and I shouldn't have got my attitude the way it was. But real quickly, the reason why I mentioned that Teletubbies thing is.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Hey, hey, Brian, Brian, let me jump in here. I don't think anybody really needs an explanation from you, so why don't we just move on now?

[Caller or Guest]

Paul, Paul, I was just going to

[Caller]

say the only reason why I knew that is because back in the 90s I had. I was watching my nephew and that was the show he watched. So that's the only reason why I knew about that. That's the only explanation why. But Paul, I'm gonna take a break

[Scott Rabalais]

from the show for a while.

[Caller]

I've got so much on my plate right now. But anyway, whenever I come back, whenever I'm ready to be back on show, Paul, I'll be back on. So until then, my friend, I'll talk to you later. God bless you, Boomer.

Sooner I'm out.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Thank you, Brian. We certainly wish you well. I've never heard that before. I've heard people quitting the show for people angry. I've never heard anybody taking a sabbatical from the show. Is it. I know this is maybe inappropriate. Can I just talk to myself? Is this show that stressful to all of us that we need to take a break? Is it? I mean, this show is not supposed to be stressful, it's supposed to be fun. This is entertainment. This is like you come here in the afternoon because you want to get away from the news of the day and all the politics and all the screaming and the lying. You want to come here and talk sports and hear what your team's up to get some perspectives. And I'm concerned that Brian, after the whole Tell Abby controversy, maybe I should have let him finish that I just didn't really want to hear any more about it is having to walk away and deal with things. Anyway, enough of my rant. I'm done. Let's go back to the calls. Dan in Gastonia, North Carolina.

[Caller]

Hey, Paul, this coming football season, I have two dogs in the hunt, Tennessee Volunteers and Appalachian State University Mountaineers. I have degrees from both of those institutions. And I wanted to ask you, first of all, could you give me a little bit of analysis on Tennessee? I know they've got a new quarterback. What do you think about the quarterback? Could you comment on Tennessee's strengths and weaknesses? And just in general, how well do you think they're going to do this season? And I know you may not know a whole lot about Appalachian State, that's not a Southeastern Conference school, but maybe you know a little bit about it. I'd be interested in hearing what you have to say about that. I was just going to mention also that I found in the one of these magazines that I bought at the newsstand that Appalachian ranks 62nd in the country in recruiting for this season. And given there's 135 teams, I believe, and they're playing Division 1 football, that sounds pretty good. So I just love to hear any comments you can make on either one

of those two universities.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Yeah, let me talk about Appalachian State first, because I, I know you live in Gastonia. Until recently I lived in Charlotte, which Gastonia is right outside of Charlotte. So I knew a lot about Appalachian State, had a couple of good friends that had played there and a number of people that went there. So I'm pretty familiar with the program. Eli Drinkwitz was there. Other really successful coaches have been there. I think they're really, I mean, I think the passion for that school, I mean, didn't Luke Holmes go there is pretty amazing, really impressive because when I got to North Carolina, I didn't know anything about it. I knew that they'd beaten Michigan as far as Tennessee. I think the quarterback situation will take care of itself pretty quickly. I am mildly optimistic about Tennessee. I think they need to split two games at home and those two games are in the first half of the season and the two games are Texas and Alabama. I think they have a better chance of beating Alabama than Texas. And if they can negotiate or navigate the front half of the season, then I think they're going to be okay at Texas A and M late in the year I don't think is winnable. LSU is entirely dependent on where LSU is. If LSU is on the way to the playoffs, I don't like Tennessee's chances. If LSU is crashing after a difficult first half of the season, then that changes the perspective of that game. Thanks for the call. Appreciate it. We're up against the break. We are coming right back.

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[Podcast Host]

You're listening to the Paul Feinbaum show podcast.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Welcome back. Ms. Faye in Virginia is up next.

[Caller]

Hey. Hey, Mr. Paul. Thank you for taking my call. I just wanted you to know that I appreciate you being there for us. Especially for me. You help me just about every day. My son's birthday is tomorrow. He died in 2019. This is our 8th birthday birthday without him and somehow made me feel better. And also I was just reading an article on Coach Bryant. I didn't realize why he left Arkansas. He left Arkansas, he said, because sometimes they couldn't get along with the basketball coach. Adolf Ruth. And I wondered if maybe you could dwell a little bit about that after we hang up.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Mistake number one. It always pains me when we when we talk about your son, but I know your memories of him are special and I know tomorrow will be a difficult day. But let me get to Coach Bryant

[Scott Rabalais]

for a second, okay, sweetie.

[Caller]

Thank you.

[Paul Feinbaum]

He did. That is one of the great myths in the history of sports that he and Adolph Rupp did not get along in. And I'm not. I have no personal knowledge. But I've said before, one of my close friends is Coach Bryant's grandson. So I know the family and I know the history extremely well. And I've even talked to Coach Rupp's son. And they all say that as a myth, that the two were very close friends, that the line that Coach Bryant got a, a lighter once after winning the the SEC and Coach Rupp got a curve convertible is just simply not true. But anyway, Coach Bryant left Kentucky because he had an opportunity to go to Texas A and M. And that's a job that I don't think he ever wanted to leave really. He loved it out there. He loved being with the oil money and the fat cats. And I think he knew that was a gold mine. But you also know that he couldn't turn down Alabama.

[Caller]

I heard that also. Thank you, Mr. Paul.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Thank you very much.

[Caller]

And I thank you for being there for all of us. And you have a blessed day.

[Paul Feinbaum]

You too. We'll be thinking of you tomorrow. I mean, the famous line that's been told for 60 years, but coach Brian said mama called. He went to Alabama. He was an Alabama graduate. And we all understand that. Nobody more than Iman calling right now. I, man, you're the one that's perfected the Bryant story with Adolph Rupp. So I'm to going. Glad you're here next.

[Caller or Guest]

I tell you what, that, that's a, that's an unusual story. I mean, you know, you know, there's several movies out there and we were talking about them last night, the Junction Boys and you know, I think it was Tom Behringer played in that. He got off the airplane. The beer can fell out. Well, that was a problem right there already. What Bryant was drinking didn't come in an aluminum can. And, and then, you know, I thought the story, the movie was real cheesy and low budget, but the movie with Gary Busey was pretty good. It hit on some high points, but it was just real cheap production and it was terrible. Yeah, it was, but kind of moved along at weird pace and, and maybe they could have found somebody else, but,

[Augie Garrido]

but, but he did.

[Caller or Guest]

They, they hired him.

[Caller]

You know, Paul, I.

[Caller or Guest]

Is there anybody that's ever talked their self into more corners than I have on this program? I mean, I've been threatened by the best. I mean, by the biggest beast. I mean, rock stars, football players, and, and, and, and hell, you had that DE Snyder guy gonna call in and you told him real quick, you know, you had some friends and, and I let it be known real quick, could nobody teach me nothing? And because I, you know, I, I know what I know and, and, and I respect other people, but at the same time, I'm gonna call them like I see them. Too. But if this show is not for everybody, and, and sometimes people trying to talk smack, they're out of their element. And yeah, you know, maybe sometimes it's just best to sit back and listen and not try to call every day. I mean, call maybe when you got something to say. And, and some of these people aren't really worthy of responding to. I mean, I got a couple people that are, you know, they're just not worthy of responding to. They're living off coattails. They're irrelevant people. And I don't know. I. I'm mystified by that call a while ago. I mean, I think I like the guy. I mean, he's a good guy and he's. I wish him the best, but, you know, sometimes I guess this show gets too. Too headstrong for some.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Was I wrong? I man to rush him along on the tell above the explanation. Did you want to hear more about.

[Caller or Guest]

No, no, I think that. I think that you was. Okay, but going in interrupting because maybe he should have stayed online so you could say it's supposed to be fun. If you're not having fun. Fun with his show. I mean, that's what it's kind of designed for. And, and you know, at one time ESPN thought we. We had a fun show, but now they, they seem to have changed their mind about a lot of things. And, and, and maybe the SEC network has to. Well, that's just too damn bad because we are who we are and y' all are who we. Y' all are who y' all are. And guess what? We ain't the ones that changed. Y' all are the ones that change. And, and we do have some callers that have been espnized. That's. That's the problem. And I remember when you got on the SEC network, I mean, how proud you were. And I was proud for you because you worked hard not to. Yeah, I've watched a lot of people put their thumb on you and kind of push you around when you were doing interviews with people that don't really call and you interview that much anymore, but at the same time, you respected those people and they were guests on you years programs in years past. But, you know, at one point, everybody thought this was, you know, a great program and they were using our clips and, and ESPN has totally flipped its, its direction. And, you know, it all started about what, 10 years ago during an election, if you will, and everything got real political. And then it got even worse when it came to the COVID And. And then everybody really started showing Their, their, their, their, their lack of a backbone. And, but now it's supposed to be fun and I have fun with this program and, and I tell you, going through what I've been going through and I'm, I'm not somebody that thinks they're extra important, Justin. I don't think I'm self important. I'm just a regular caller and that's all I've ever been. I know I've never cared about being number one. Number two, winning an argument, losing an argument. You know, I just call this show to have fun. Legend has said it time and time again it's about having fun. Squirrels having fun with it. See, that's the difference in maybe some of the black cats and some of these other folks out there, they, and some of the other folks that they get it to. It's, it's a fun show. And, and, and we get this talking. You know, this may be what's hurt them the most offseason. They got caught up in all this portal in this playoff and they all know how to fix it and they don't know a damn thing. And you know, they, they got, they got, they got caught up in all that conversation and, and they're not taking care of themselves. And I would hope that they would. Paula went to the doctor yesterday and had a pretty good report. Everything looks the same, Everything's being contained. It's, there's. The words remission aren't being mentioned, but it's still treatable. And I go back in eight weeks, we'll do some more checks and, but I had two different scans. I had PET scan and an ultrasound, whatever that, not ultrasound, but a PET scan and some other kind of scan over the last two weeks. And everything looked good except for this one spot on the rib. And they're monitoring that and if push comes to shove, they might do some radiation there. But no, I mean, you know, I'm pleasantly surprised. And, and I tell you, going through what I'm going through, I still find a way to have fun with this show. I just don't get to call as much as I, as a, as I normally would, but that doesn't stop me from listening. And you know, I, some of these people have just taken the show one way, way, way too serious. And if they're not having fun with it, I would don't come on here and just say you, you gotta leave or are you going to quit? There's no parades, there's, you know, just, just kind of step back in the corner for a Little bit. Take a break. I mean, just like you would. I've always viewed this show as a cocktail party. You just kind of standing there with your hors d' oeuvres and you're kind of walking around the room. You got your little drink, whatever it is, and you're speaking and nod and saying hello and you're, you know, having a little conversation. You see somebody, you walk over there, I'll be right back. And you walk over there and just kind of keep talking to work in the room. That's all it is. You know, you're not, you're not having to meet Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard and, and all these folks in each one of these groups. And if you chose that, you've chose the wrong avenue. And I don't know, I was really surprised that, that this show has, I've never heard anybody say this show has stressed them to the point that they needed to take a break. I was really surprised by that.

[Paul Feinbaum]

I mean, thank you so much. We'll be thinking of you as you continue on with the report. So we'll take a short break. We are coming right back.

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[Podcast Host]

You're listening to the Paul Feinbaum show podcast.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Welcome back. Long is up next in South Carolina. Hello, Long.

[Caller]

Good afternoon, Paul. I normally don't say this, but that was a good call. I Man's call. He hit on a lot of points. But the point that I was most interested in is what he said about his health. I mean, I think you were looking for ct, but that is really great news and I hope the R word is in your future, in the near future. Paul, you had somebody on talking about Auburn that works for the newspaper. His name was like Tara Lipinski. What was that gentleman's name?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Tara Lipinski. That's exactly who it was. Kevin skarpinski.

[Caller]

Okay, so Mr. Lipinski, is that Polish?

Would you guess that Polish?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Could be.

[Caller]

Okay, let's just assume it is because it would either. It would either take A Pollock or someone named JD or AJ to honestly think that Auburn is going to be in the playoff this year. I mean, that he must have had a deadline.

[R]

He said, man, anything.

[Caller]

What? Okay, Auburn's gonna make the playoffs. Let's write that. But anyhow, I digress. Lonesome Joe, I mean, Handsome Joe. He's now Handsome Joe. I'm now referring to Joe as Handsome Joe. Where are my damn cookies? Don't make me call Sarge. And then the only other caller I wanted to talk about today and it has been addressed and you've asked other callers should you have let him continuing to talk about Bella Bubbies or whatever they're called. My answer is yes, because I am the belly bubbie that I was.

[Augie Garrido]

That.

[Caller]

That was me. But I'm sorry, Brian, you've been stressed. But Paul, I just. Can you clarify one thing that he said? Said, could you do that for me?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Yes, of course.

[Caller]

He said that he has been working a ton. He has almost worked 40 hours in the last 10 days.

That's a lot of work.

[Paul Feinbaum]

That's a lot of work.

[Caller]

40 hours a work week.

[R]

Or.

[Caller]

I mean that's four hours a day

[Paul Feinbaum]

I'm going to show my age. But. But not anymore it's not.

[Caller]

You know what? That's a far deeper conversation right there. But, but. And then finally, I mean, Brian, I mean, I love the excuse. My nephew ate my homework. Really? Come on, don't blame it on some kid. We know the truth.

There is nothing wrong.

You do not have to be in this fine bomb form a closet Teletubby monster fan. You just don't have to do it, Brian. I'll miss you, but no one will miss your calls. Have a great weekend, Paul. Be safe.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Thank you. John is up next.

[R]

Hey, Paul.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Hello, John.

[Caller]

Happy Friday. Happy Friday to you, Paul.

[R]

Anyway, I was reiterate. I called a couple days ago and I. I enjoy the calls coming from San Antonio and Matt and Paul. Let's make Matt a more of a presence, okay, on the show.

[Caller]

Paul,

[R]

what about my man in Madison, Mississippi, Ricky? I haven't heard Ricky in a long time.

[Caller or Guest]

Paul.

[Caller]

What?

[Paul Feinbaum]

He called within. He's, he called about a week ago.

[R]

No, he didn't call.

[Scott Rabalais]

I didn't hear him.

[Paul Feinbaum]

You know, listen, John, unlike a lot of people, I mean, I, I, I'm, I'm here every day for the whole show, so I, I would probably have.

[R]

Paul, you're not at this whole show. You, you give lip service to me. That's what I don't like. Okay? And also, there's a young man down in New Orleans. Is that Harry or Harvey down there?

[Caller]

Those are the good calls.

[R]

Paul, are you there?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, where am I supposed to go, John? I mean, I'm, I'm not like you. I don't come and go with the wind.

[Caller]

I just.

Paul.

[R]

Okay, Paul, I just ask you a question. You didn't answer it.

[Paul Feinbaum]

I don't know. I didn't. I really, I wasn't listening. I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention to what you said. My bad.

[Podcast Host]

You're listening to the Paul Feinbaum show podcast.

[Uber Eats Advertiser]

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emergencies that somehow become your problem? That's why I love Uber Eats.

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don't like peanut butter anymore, or I need five green highlighters for a project due tomorrow, Uber Eats has you covered.

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On Uber Eats.

Order now ends 97. $5 or less before taxes and fees. Select items only. Availability varies. See app for details.