But in a lot of ways, sports, just like politics, are local. It's our own dealings with coaches that condition our perception of them.
My view is different because, very briefly, I saw Saban filtered through a lens of his best intentions. It enabled me to write one of my favorite columns. Saban's helpfulness and kindness were a big part of it.
A Christmas story
Christmas is past now, but it does us good to remember its spirit.
Saban became part of a Christmas column I wrote in 1998 about Kevin O'Keefe, who was one of the great Northeast Ohio high school offensive linemen of the 1980s at St. Edward.
Kevin was recruited to Michigan State by Saban. The coach formed such a tight bond with O'Keefe's parents, John and Elaine, that Elaine's voice, when I interviewed her for the story was warm as a Yuletide hearth when speaking of the coach.
