MONDAY COMMENTARY – ROLL TIDE

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary at 9:50 am and 5:20 pm on Cat Country 98 FM)

ALWAYS LOOKING AHEAD, RARELY LOOKING BEHIND.

THE BIG TIME FOOTBALL ACTION CONTINUES TONIGHT WITH THE U-S NATIONAL COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME FEATURING THE ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE VERSUS THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY BUCKEYES IN MIAMI.

FROM THE OUTSIDE – SITTING ALL THE WAY UP HERE IN COWBOY COUNTRY – YOU WONDER WHY YOU’D CARE?

WELL I’LL BE WATCHING THE GAME INTENTLY TONIGHT FOR ONE GUY: ALABAMA OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR STEVE SARKISIAN.

NOW YOU’RE REMEMBERING THE NAME. YES, HE WAS THE ROUGHRIDERS BACK-UP QUARTERBACK FROM ’97-’99.

THAT’S WHEN I BECAME VOICE OF THE RIDERS, AND SARK AND I GOT ON PRETTY WELL.

HE’D OFTEN COME HANG OUT AT THE RADIO STATION, BRINGING HIS YOUNG BRIDE AND SLURPEES FOR THE ANNOUNCERS.

BUT HIS TIME WITH THE RIDERS WAS ROCKY. HE WAS UPSET THE TEAM WOULDN’T BRING HIS WIFE ON THE TEAM CHARTER TO THE 1997 GREY CUP. HE OFTEN WONDERED WHY REGGIE SLACK WAS STARTING AHEAD OF HIM SINCE REGGIE WAS A PROBLEM CHILD, AND STEVE WAS A MODEL CITIZEN.

AFTER THAT ’99 SEASON STEVE RETIRED AND IMMEDIATELY TOOK UP COACHING AT A COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN CALIFORNIA AT AGE 26.

AFTER DANNY BARRETT TOOK OVER THE RIDERS, SARKISIAN’S GOOD FRIEND DAN FARTHING CALLED HIM UP AND SAID HE SHOULD GIVE THE RIDERS ANOTHER CHANCE, BECAUSE HE’D LOVE D-B’S WIDE-OPEN, SINGLE-BACK, SPREAD OFFENSE.

BUT STEVE SAID ‘NO THANKS’. AND BY 2004 HE WAS QUARTERBACKS COACH OF THE OAKLAND RAIDERS.

AND TONITE, HE’LL COACH HIS FINAL GAME WITH ALABAMA AS HE’S HEADED TO AUSTIN TO TAKE OVER THE PRIZED PROGRAM OF THE TEXAS LONGHORNS, WITH A SALARY OF $5.2-MILLION PER YEAR.

STEVE SARKISIAN’S HAD A LONG ROAD. THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF PAIN THAT HE PREFERS NOT TO TALK ABOUT.

IF YOU TUNE IN TONIGHT, YOU’RE SURE TO SEE HIM. HE’LL BE FEATURED ON CAMERA AS MUCH AS FAMED ALABAMA COACH NICK SABAN.

ROLL TIDE.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY ON CAT COUNTRY 98.