His beef was with a column I penned following the Iron Bowl. The commentary appeared on the pages of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and on the Bobcast, my daily podcast.
It examined former Bama coach Dennis Franchione leaving Texas A&M in disgrace and the rumors that Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville would be his replacement:
... for a brief time, Alabama fans gleefully considered the prospect of the coach who left them behind resigning in disgrace and the Auburn coach who has beaten them six years in a row abandoning the Tigers for the Aggies.
And, yes, it's sadly telling and rather pitiful that Alabama football fans are reduced to schadenfreude -- taking glee in others' misfortune -- as a way of bringing cheer to a disappointing 6-6 record.
And then concluded:
TCU's record in the years since Franchione departed Fort Worth for Tuscaloosa in late 2000 is 60-25 -- that's 11 more wins than Coach Fran amassed during his time in College Station and Tuscaloosa.
Within that stat is an admission that many are loathe to make in Alabama: Before A&M stole Fran from Alabama, the Crimson Tide lured him away from the Horned Frogs. Alabama fans are not innocents in this game -- as my wife, the TCU alumna, reminds me. They loudly cheered when inviting a promising coach to leave Cowtown. Little consideration -- most likely no consideration -- was given to the fate of TCU. Could it be that the Alabama faithful are paying for these sins with back-to-back 6-6 seasons?
Maybe karma comes clad in purple.
This, according to the writer, is akin to Dixie Chick Natalie Mains criticizing President Bush before an audience in England. Unlike the Chicks, I'm not gonna publish a "Not Ready to Make Nice" follow-up.
