She's the Beatles of Basketball Coaches

I've been meaning to post about this since last Friday, the day Governor Bredesen visited Knoxville for a speech for the Chamber Partnership. It was also a day after UT Lady Vol Coach Pat Summitt won her 1,000th game.

Earlier in the week, the Governor was quoted by the Associated Press questioning the coaches salaries for the UT football team, essentially saying "when your neighbors are hurting is not the time to flash the cadillac in the driveway." We asked the Governor if Summitt's contract extension, pay raise and large bonus after her 1,000th win, was another example of "flashing the cadillac?"

Clearly this was a loaded question, but also fair game given his comments to the AP. You could almost see the wheels turning as the Governor paused before answering.

His answer: "I think of Pat as someone so outside the ordinary, so extraordinary...that you don't flash the cadillac in your neighbors driveway, but maybe if you're the Beatles it's OK.."

"She's the perfect example of what a coach should be and I would give her a pass on that," he said.

Not even the Governor of Tennessee wants to mess with Pat and face "the stare."

For the entire interview with the Governor go here to the Tennessee This Week website.