Alexander Haig getting “Punk’d”. Irving R. Levine hosting “Fridays”. Bobby Knight’s successful residency at Caroline’s. All of the above historical precedents come to mind when considering the following remarks by Jets head coach Eric Mangini regarding Giants counterpart Colonel Tom Coughlin, as relayed by the New York Post’s Mark Cannizzaro :
“I haven’t gotten to know him too well,” Mangini said. “I met him a few times and then I sat next to him at Romeo (Crennel’s) daughter’s wedding and got to spend some time with him there. He’s a pretty funny guy. You don’t know somebody until you get to know them, and I really enjoyed the time we got to spend in that situation. And I thought he had a great sense of humor.” “That’s the unique thing about a public persona versus who a guy really is,” Mangini said. “I’ve enjoyed talking to him in the offseason and I think he’s an excellent coach. He’s been an excellent coach everywhere he’s been. I like his approach and his attention to detail.
“You know, maybe he’ll be doing some things at the Improv, I don’t know” ‘Coughlin-Mangini, one night only.’ Can we get that on pay-per-view? I think it’s going to be big. You heard it here first.”
Asked if he and Coughlin talked about any funny Bill Parcells stories, Mangini said, “I don’t know how many funny Parcells stories there are.”