Game preview coming; King Saban in AJC this morning

So I'm drinking my Sunday morning Sabamoca on Saturday morning. You know, I feel like a champion today. The press not only has stopped calling me a liar, they've gotten on the 'Bama bandwagon and see me as the next coming of the Bear. Did you see the article in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution this morning about the King Saban blog? Holy crap. My butt is getting smooched more than a monkey in heat.

So here's how it went down. Right after I made Corso do wind sprints to get an interview, the AJC wanted to send Barnhart into the interview room - again. I had already chatted this guy up, and frankly was a little over it. But the AJC insisted. They said, ok, what about Furman Bisher. Helllll no. Bisher is about 800 years old, but he wrote an article for the Saturday Evening Post in the 1960s accusing Paul Bryant and Wally Butts of rigging a game. Guess what? King Bear won $400,000 in damages. What a moron.

Running out of time, and annoyed, I looked over and saw this kid in the corner. "I want that guy," I said. Carter Strickland of the AJC? Yep, bring the young wingnut over here. The following is a transcript of that interview, pieces of which appeared in the morning paper.

Tell me about rebuilding the confidence in the Alabama program and what you have done that has allowed fans to believe in you and your style of coaching?

Basically I walked in and reminded folks about who they are. It's like Reagan did back in 1980 - he said, "Hey, we're America, and we don't suck." After reminding them that they are Alabama, and have won numerous championships, I made it clear that I was in charge and the buck ($4m of them) stops with me. It was interesting last Saturday night - when I chose to go for the field goal late in the game, there was some grumbling in the stands because the last few years have been so tough around here. You know what? I knew my boys could do it, told them they could do it, and they did. I'm guessing that's the end of grumbling for a bit.

Why is winning football so important to Alabama?

I think it really gets back to family and Southern roots. What people forget is that Alabama was a football power even before the Bear came along. It was a metaphor for the people of the state on a national level, which basically said, "hey, we're as good as you are, and we can compete on an even playing field." That still holds true today. We may be 49th in our test scores, but our QBs are as good as yours.

What are you going to do to Georgia?

I really wanted to tell him how we'd bend Georgia over and make girly dawgs out of them, and..... Mal nudged me when he saw the look in my eye and shook his head no. I usually don't do the game preview until the end of the week, but I will tell you this. Any thoughts from the press that my boys can't pull that emotional level again is just plain wrong. The energy level in this town this week is unbelievable. I'm not gonna pull any of that "Is Georgia Man Enough" crap, because they are a well-coached team. But I'd be surprised if we didn't jump on them early.

Are the expectations too much? And are the goals to unrealistic? I mean you already have people talking national title. And everybody expects Bama to be 8-0 when they pay LSU.

I've been asked this question by Corso and Barnhart already this week. You come to The University of Alabama precisely for these expectations. I think the enthusiasm the people of the state of Alabama are showing for this University, this team, and my family is unbelievable. Now there is a big difference between the fans, and our approach. This is about a process. You don't just become a champion, you have to establish building blocks to a championship. And this Saturday night will be another block to that end.

What took so long for Alabama to wise up and hire you?

That's a tough one to answer. Ok, I knew the answer was that the place was being run by a bunch of drunken sailors, but I had to be nice. To be honest, it's been a bit of a circus over here since Gene Stallings left. And when they married Shula, they really wanted that marriage to work out. It probably cost them a chance at Spurrier, but all the better for me. Have you noticed there's an extra place for the next coaching statue at Bryant Denny? Right next to Bear.

Who anointed you king?

Was Napoleon anointed King? Negative. No one really anoints you King. Good story, though. I did make it clear before we signed the contract that I was in charge, and folks would have to deal with it. Running a football program is not a democracy - and the real problem The University had over the last few years is that they tried to run it like one. Mal Moore said, "So this makes you King?" We both looked over at Paul Jr. and he nodded his head. So I looked back at Mal, told him yes, and to put that in my contract.

Do you prefer King Saban or St. Nick?

While St. Nick is nice at Christmas, I prefer King Saban.

Cartman Strickler, great butt-kissing material. You can have another interview.

Roll Bama.