1. Whether you agree or disagree with Paul Finebaum’s stance on the Michigan cheating scandal, you have to admire his ability to stay in the trenches and not back down when it comes to tweaking the Wolverines and its fan base (unless you’re a Michigan fan, of course).
And if you don’t have a dog in the fight when it comes to this Michigan saga, you have to be grateful to Finebaum for providing some great entertainment.
It started on Nov. 1 when, before the Big Ten eventually suspended Jim Harbaugh, Finebaum said on ESPN’s Get Up, ”Two weeks ago, I sat here with you and made the biggest mistake of my professional career. I gave Jim Harbaugh the benefit of the doubt. Never again. ... This is a disgusting story with every revelation which happens every single day of the week. And the fact that the Big Ten has not done anything yet is inexcusable.”
"Two weeks ago I sat here with you and made the biggest mistake of my professional career. I gave Jim Harbaugh the benefit of the doubt. Never again. ... The fact that the Big Ten has not done anything yet is inexcusable."
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) November 1, 2023
—@finebaum pic.twitter.com/IZBp4ui2y1
Finebaum doubled down last week and angered the Michigan faithful when he said that if Jim Harbaugh was not suspended, a Wolverines national title win this season would be tainted.
"Everything that happens from here on with [Michigan] is going to be tainted. ... If Michigan wins the national championship and Jim Harbaugh is given that trophy, I think the rest of the sports world is going to turn its nose in disgust."
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) November 8, 2023
—@finebaum pic.twitter.com/KAo0erSrtq
By this point, Wolverines fans were frothing at the mouth when it came to Finebaum. However, the longtime ESPN college football analyst stood had no intention of backing down.
And trust me, some of the backlash against Finebaum was not only intense, but also completely unhinged.
I know others in the @UMich community will join me in the following: Dear @espn, either fire @finebaum or your channel will suffer more consequences than you can ever imagine. Enough is enough. https://t.co/DrFYvuebkH
— David Shuster (@DavidShuster) November 8, 2023
.@ESPN @CollegeGameDay top advertisers: @HomeDepot @Aflac @ATT @DoorDash and @GEICO. Alternatives where you can buy similar products: @Lowes @Statefarm @TMobile @GrubHub, and @Carprogressive. #BoycottESPN #FireFinebaum #Corrupt #bigten #Michigan #GoBlue
— David Shuster (@DavidShuster) November 8, 2023
So with Finebaum aggressively calling about Michigan and Jim Harbaugh in recent weeks, it was no surprise that he’d go all in on the coach for saying Monday that the Wolverines should be “America’s team.”
And Finebaum did not disappoint, accusing Harbaugh of living in an “alternate universe” and being “detached from reality.”
Finebaum also dropped the hammer on Wolverines fans Monday, saying on The Matt Barrie Show, “As somebody who deals with fan bases from primarily one conference, but it branches out a little bit broader beyond that, I’ve never come in contact with a fan base that’s as insecure and consumed with their own self worth in a false way. There’s no more sniveling fan base in America than Michigan, either.”
Well, hot damn! Tell us how you really feel, Paul.
This is serious stuff. Even “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair is pissed at Finebaum now.
Thank You @DesmondHoward For Putting @Finebaum In His Place! You’re Right Michigan Is America’s Team! And The Only Person With Personal Issues Is A Non-Athletic SEC Journalist That Should Leave The Great @CoachJim4UM & @UMichFootball Alone. Can You Imagine Paul Finebaum Having… pic.twitter.com/KzkokBJ1sL
— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) November 14, 2023
And Finebaum is still going. On Tuesday’s First Take, he called Harbaugh a “cartoon character.”
Paul Finebaum finds Jim Harbaugh "to be a cartoon character now trying to play the victim card." pic.twitter.com/Y67RgNgBHs
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 14, 2023
2. Speaking of Michigan, the game Saturday against Penn State drew 9,156,000 viewers on Fox. Despite the controversy surrounding the Wolverines, it was only the sixth-most-watched game of the season.
3. It’s not surprising that the best quarterback in football would know what he’s talking about, but this was still good stuff from Patrick Mahomes, who clearly has a future as an analyst after he wraps up his Hall of Fame career.
Patrick Mahomes called this Broncos touchdown drive PLAY FOR PLAY 🔮 pic.twitter.com/YGCUAJS5AI
— Omaha Productions (@OmahaProd) November 14, 2023
4. Here is this week’s edition of Bad Beats.
Bad Beats
— Stanford Steve (@StanfordSteve82) November 14, 2023
Week 11
Enjoy! pic.twitter.com/ZCPrwlT4B5
5. Paul Finebaum isn’t the only person with strong feelings on Jim Harbaugh and Michigan. Chris “Mad Dog” Russo gave one of his vintage rants on his SiriusXM show Monday.
“IRREPARABLE DAMAGE MY ASS. HE’S A FOOTBALL COACH. HE’S NOT GANDHI!!!”
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) November 13, 2023
Here is Radio Hall of Famer @MadDogUnleashed going ballistic about Michigan and Jim Harbaugh. pic.twitter.com/WjROT50VW4
6. The latest episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina features no guest. It’s an all–“Traina Thoughts” edition with weekly contributor Sal Licata from WFAN Radio and SNY TV.
This week, I detail my struggles in trying to book a guest for this week’s podcast, we reminisce about the horrible experience they had when we took pictures with Larry David and we discuss the NFL’s prime-time schedule woes and flex-scheduling changes that need to happen. We also discuss Troy Aikman’s call of Chargers-Jets on Monday Night Football, including his repeated criticism of New York quarterback Zach Wilson, and we speculate about LeBron James’s recent streaming issues with YouTubeTV.
We also address tweets regarding whether sports can be enjoyed without gambling on them, an important trait for NFL play-by-play folks, the Apple TV remote control and much more.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.
You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.
