Backtime Speech Writer: Bob Huggins Edition

We applaud Bob Huggins' decisiveness to take the mic when his own fans were becoming unruly. "That's stupid!" Huggins chided the crowd, urging them to turn in anyone throwing anything onto the floor.

The Backyard Brawl, West Virginia's storied rivalry with Pitt often gets chippy to say the least, but when objects come hurtling out of the crowd that's when a stand needed to be taken.

Pitt assistant coach Tom Herrion was still hit in the face with a coin. This on the heels of home dates against Ohio State and Louisville, when the West Virginia home crowd made some very unsavory and disrespectful chants.

Now hated rival Pitt was in town, and the behavior convergence had reached a boiling point. Huggins' words were admirable but not 100% effective.

So we at Backtime have crafted a new address to the Mountaineer faithful before Monday's big game at Villanova.

I am proud to be a Mountaineer. I have played here, I have coached here and you are the best fans in the world... But there are individuals in this building that give you all a bad name.

If any of you see anyone trying to cause harm, I want them out of here. I will take my team off the floor, and we will play the rest of our home games in an empty gym if we have to.

This team works like hell to make you proud of them... Make them proud of you.

-Bob Huggins, two days from now

Big Mad Made Bad Men

I think I've found the formula for the one-hour serial drama, or at least the ones I can't live without: The leading man as anti-hero.

Yes there are layers and complexity and some goodness, but each lives by his own moral compass and will do whatever it takes to preserve the life they've created.





Tony Soprano was the original iconic character of this type. He was the mob boss with a conscience - or at least a sense of one, that was driving him into panic attacks and depression.

He preyed on weaker sorts and stepped on anyone that got in his way, but you could always feel the underlying sense of responsibility. And so could the multitudes that made HBO the new Must-See-TV.

Mad Men's Don Draper certainly seems like an idealist. But he lives off the the identity of a slain military mate. He is a professional scoundrel and serial philanderer. Yet he has million-dollar ideas scrawled out on cocktail napkins and an air of invulnerability, so he is respected by all.

In Breaking Bad, Walter White isn't cut from the same cloth. He was the stooge, a victim of unfulfilled promise on the road to nowhere and had a date with terminal cancer. So the chemistry teacher made his own destiny, creating the purest grade of crystal meth on the market. The series doesn't dwell on the effect of the drugs in the community (which is bad enough), but it does graphically show the death and destruction left in Walt's wake. Yet we still root for him.

Which leads me to Big Love and Bill Henrickson, the self-righteous husband of three and father of eight. Bill may have finally turned down a darker path with his foray into politics, and a campaign for State Senator.

Bill's ability to talk to people and tell them how things have to be is what's most admirable about him. He has Heavenly Father on his side, or at least he's 100% certain that he does. He is straight and true no matter how many dumpster-fires are popping up all over his rather large family. "This will be resolved." has become Bill's mantra.

First Wife Barb is stepping all over toes at the family-owned, tribal-run Casino.

Second Wife Nikki has always been the train wreck. Now she looks to be straightening out the ship for herself and her estranged teenage daughter, but her polygamist compound ties are pulling her back.

Third Wife Margene is the mid-20s hottie whose career is taking off as a QVC-style jewelry hawk. As one of three wives, she's not getting the attention from Bill, and has turned a longing eye at Bill's 18-year old son Ben.

Daughter Sarah took in a meth-head and her son. The Mom took off, and Sarah's been playing Mommy to the baby without alerting authorities.

Brother Joey killed Roman Grant "The Prophet of Juniper Creek," then burned the body. Now he's being blackmailed by Nikki's ex-husband, who has his sights set on being the next prophet.

And forget about Bill's nutjob parents.

But maybe the most heart-breaking move Bill had to make was in his cutthroat political race. He fed Don Embry to the wolves, making him fall guy for a polygamist scandal in Home Plus, Bill's home improvement franchise.

Don was Bill's managing partner and spiritual confidant, and Bill made him "take the bullet" so he could maintain his political campaign.

Now Bill has cast out (in some form) both his son and his closest ally, the two men he entrusted to be Priesthood Holders in the newly-minted Church Of Bill, or whatever it's called.

So while Bill's lifestyle choices and manipulation skills have always been present in what is now the 4th season of Big Love, now he has to make the hard choices and turn his back on the people he's closest with. All in the name of Bill Enterprise.

Bill has flipped, over-reaching with his time, businesses and ambition, and his pride is bringing out qualities we don't like quite as much.

But the show has turned the corner too. Big Love was once quirky and unconventional, almost a comedy. Now the problems are serious and the mood is much darker, and Bill mirrors that.

Rockin' the B Terminal @ ATL

As we close in on one year at Backtime, I get to travel around the country and talk to people (yes, plural) who like the blog. Some enjoy the opinion pieces, or at least enjoy disagreeing with them. Some enjoy the misadventures from the road. But rarely does anyone get any real useful information...until now.

If you happen to be stuck in Atlanta airport for 4 hours, then B Terminal is the place to be.

The first stop is the Sweetwater Draft House and Grill. Good beer selection, decent menu - chili and cobb salad were high quality, solid wines by the glass, and unlike most of Atlanta airport - excellent service with a smile.

It's a little cramped, but if you can grab a seat against the wall, you might be able to plug in your laptop and set up shop. But if you really want to jam on your work, the place to go is Minute Suites.

What it is essentially provides is a pod-sized hotel room at $30 an hour (or $15 for a half-hour)with high-speed internet service, a pull-out sofa, and a plasma screen. It's a brilliant idea and shhh....it's expensable.

Now I know what you all are thinking. Hotel room in an airport? Hourly rates? Sounds like a mile-high club at ground level to me, an and excellent business start-up plan for a well-connected pimp.

But seriously, it is a great place to get some work done or catch a quick nap without the rat race all around you.

Then maybe catch a Seattle's Best Coffee (Dunkin' Donuts is in terminal A if you still have time) before your next mundane connection.

A Big Blue and Gang Green Weekend

It was the culmination of an all-time sports week, whether I had to work or not. First Allen Fieldhouse on Wednesday, then Rupp Arena on Saturday. They are two of the meccas of college hoops, and currently house the top two teams in the nation as well.

While I take the history of Kansas' home court above all others, Kentucky's home is something to behold for other reasons. The deluge of blue all day along is unrelenting - from the food court to the convention center to the Hyatt, which are all connected to Rupp. And they are real fans that have been born into the tradition and the passion ("Bluebloods?").

On Saturday, the Wildcats took on historic rival Arkansas, who is a little down this year. Kentucky led 10-0 and never looked back. They even led 71-29 at one point, and nobody left - even after a resounding victory that launched the unbeaten 'Cats to the #1 ranking.

...And the crowd still wouldn't leave. The below picture was taken after the blowout win as the masses stayed to watch Coach Calipari on the Big Blue postgame radio show.

After a terrific dinner at Pazzo's, I woke up the next morning and piled all my stuff in for my 3-hour pilgrimage from Lexington to Indy, where I was certain to see a lot more blue at the AFC Championship game. My sub-standard Ford Focus rental had Sirius Radio but no cruise control.

It rained for the majority of my ride, but after I parked strategically (for my postgame getaway - a learned trait in all TV production types), and I took the bright sun emerging over the enemy battleground as a great sign.

And there were a ton of Jet jerseys out on the street. The New York/New Jersey/Long Island posse represented well in Indianapolis. They all, much like Rex Ryan and myself were feeling giddy about our chances.

It's a beautiful new stadium, and I perched myself in the Jets radio booth - miles above sea level, but dead-center.

The rule is no cheering in the press box, but I didn't stand a chance. After some early pressure on Peyton Manning and some great play calls by Brian Schottenheimer, the Jets had a 17-6 lead. I had dreams of going straight from my Gainesville game on Feb. 6 straight to Miami for Super Bowl XLIV, though I would not speak of it.

But it ultimately didn't matter what I did or said, it was about what Peyton Manning did and said, in a clinic on how to play QB on the biggest stage.

The Jets' run was epic, but it was over - much like my week on hallowed sports ground.

Dare to Dream? You've got the Green Light

I saw what I saw. It was a tough, will-imposing playoff victory on the road against a team that had won 11 in a row.

Rex Ryan seemed to know what "Jet Football" meant before the rest of us. I get it now. Run on 1st down, run on 2nd down, don't turn it over on 3rd down, and let the D do the rest. 17-14 is the way he drew it up.

The formula for momentum may be mass times acceleration, but momentum is built on moments. A few game-changing statements when Jets fans knew things were a little bit different this time.

There was the 2nd quarter effort where Jet Safety Jim Leonhard lost his helmet but came up with the football after he separated Malcolm Floyd from it. The fact that the play was called incomplete (in a dubious overturn) wasn't the point. The smallest man on the field was a guided missile all night.

When the Jets trailed 7-3 early in the 4th, Mark Sanchez rolled right on a 3rd & Goal on the 2. When nobody was open I shouted "Throw it away!" But Rookie QB bought time and space with his feet, and sure enough found 2nd Year TE Dustin Keller in the back of the end zone.

For a guy who threw for only 100 yards, these 2 yards were awfully big.

And for Kerry Rhodes with the massive sack and strip on Philip Rivers, there was a little redemption there. Rhodes was probably the best player on the Jets last playoff team in '06, but was maligned much of his first year in Rex's D.

And there was another rookie, RB Shonn Greene, two hands on the football, running over Eric Weddle and charging 53 yards to the Chargers' end zone. And if you take away all the intangibles that propelled this postseason ride, this runner is the #1 reason the Jets can beat anybody on any field.

But on the huge 4th & 1, to put the game away, it was Jet vet Thomas Jones who powered over the right side. It was the right move in a meeting of the minds of the OC and HC (who also happens to be the DC).

The fact that Brian Schottenheimer can buy into Rex Ryan's old-school vision is symbolic of the total team effort. That's something we can all buy into.

Backtime in Knoxville: Circus Interruptus

I got to Knoxville in preparation for the #10 Vols to take on #23 Ole Miss in a key early-season hoops battle. When I got there, it was a circus. But a funny thing happened under the big top, the new ringmaster showed up and cooled everything off.

Tennessee AD Mike Hamilton was serious (just look at his face) when he said he wasn't returning back to campus without a head coach. And when Louisiana Tech Head Coach Derek Dooley was introduced, Vol Nation was skeptical to say the least.

But Coach Dooley was extremely impressive and composed, and a further look at his resume shows that the Tennessee program may be in good hands for a very long time.

1. He was Recruiting Coordinator for Nick Saban at LSU, which included the 2003 National Championship.

2. He was not only the head football coach at Louisiana Tech, but athletic director as well. So not only does he know how to recruit, but knows a little something about compliance. Not to mention strong organizational and time management skills.

3. He's his "own man." After the previous head coach left for his "dream job," how does someone whose name is synonymous with Georgia football, convince the Tennessee fan base that this is his "destination."

Again, look at the resume. When he went to college, he could have flown into Athens on a magic carpet, but he decided to walk on at Virginia instead.

When he returned to Georgia, it was to continue his education. After 4 years of law school and 2 years as a practicing attorney, that's when he decided to get into football coaching.

After working for Saban with the Dolphins, he could have taken a high-profile assistant position at Alabama, but decided to step into the unknown in Ruston, Louisiana and move the La Tech program forward.

At Dooley's press conference, he said he couldn't sum up his goals in a soundbite. He wouldn't make any promises he couldn't follow through on. He said trust couldn't be asked for, it had to be earned.

Lane Kiffin grabs attention as wonderboy, and he still might be - the jury's still out. He hasn't been anywhere long enough to find out.

Dooley is just 41, and his grades are incomplete as well. But he seems to have pockets full of character.

While Kiffin plays pirate, Dooley is more like a president.

Determination, Thy Name is Bill

One of my favorite dramas, Big Love, often portrays the "normal" life of a "family" in extraordinary circumstances. So while the show evolves into the fantastic, that makes Bill Henrickson a super-hero. Which is what's alluded to in the show's new open sequence for Season Four.


The husband of three and father of eight also has his hands full running his own church, cleaning up the mess at the UEB, managing two Home-Plus superstores, and opening up the Blackfoot Magic Casino. He was the one with the foresight to sell the casino experience to the Mormon masses, just 85 minutes from SLC in Idaho.

Bill is "the sunny face of polygamy" according to his Native American casino partners. Though he's having a hard time escaping the shadow of Roman Grant, the disappeared (and dead) "Prophet" of Juniper Creek, one of the FBI's Most Wanted, and Bill's Father-in-Law.

But no matter how high the stakes are, and Bill has plenty to lose, he never loses his cool or backs down from his principles. Which is of course is "The Principle," which as best I can tell is to accumulate the biggest family possible to build a kingdom in heaven.

Since Bill built his kingdom from nothing - he was kicked off the polygamist compound as a teenager to fend for himself - it's easy to admire him. He won't sweat, lash out, or beg. He makes no apologies for his lifestyle. And he has the will and the presence to negotiate with all sorts of power players.

No wonder his wives love him so much.