Burns is at the wheel of Saban's black Mercedes S550, and because he knows Saban's musical taste veers toward the Eagles, Al Green, and the Rolling Stonesno countryhe's got "Gimme Shelter" cued up on the stereo. Saban sits shotgun, and I climb in the back. As Burns guides the sedan past columned fraternity houses on the arbored Alabama campus, Saban mentions he's seen the Stones twice. In an attempt at levity, I tell him I'd recently tried to turn my four-year-old daughter on to the Stones but that she had responded by earnestly asking me, "Dad, how come the man in these songs can't sing?"
Saban spins around from the front seat and shoots me the bug zapper.
"Mick Jagger can sing," he says, before turning back to face the windshield. "Mick Jagger is a great entertainer."
....
Before the applause dies down, I'm chasing Saban out of the auditorium. He's late for a meeting with some recruits. Just before he reaches his Mercedes, Saban is approached by an Alabama fan who wants to thank the coach for signing a football for his son. It meant so much to the boy, the man says. Saban gives the man a confused look, as if not comprehending how this large animate object had suddenly appeared in his path, and gets in the car without saying a word.
