"I am waiting on a mountaintop for the moment that the sky will strike." -- The Offspring

There's no question that Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl is a lightning rod. In the past week he's been a hot topic on ESPN, Sports Illustrated and The Jim Rome Show. In the national press he's been described as "fiery" and "unapologetic about making waves."

And, boy, has he been making waves.

Two weeks ago, LSU coach John Brady became upset when Pearl jokingly walked Dane Bradshaw to the scorer's table, arm extended like the heavyweight champion of the world.

Three days later, the alleged rift between Pearl and Memphis coach John Calipari became hot news again as folks broke down what, by all accounts, was a rather nasty recruiting battle over West Tennessee's Willie Kemp.

Just last week, ESPN ran a clip of Pearl screaming at his players during a UT practice, then asked, "Is Bruce Pearl insane?" (For the record, the pundits believed him to be no crazier than any other basketball coach).

Pearl was even caught on tape using the mildest of profanities while rallying a large group of UT students prior to last Saturday's upset of Florida. (The word in question should be considered baby-talk when compared to Kevin O'Neill's vocabulary).

The Cincinnati Enquirer even joined in with a column by Dustin Dow detailing Xavier coach Sean Miller's complaints that Pearl left the Musketeers high and dry by refusing to play at Xavier this season (when a contract was already in place between the schools).

Dow went on to retrace Pearl's Nixonian tape recording of a recruit nearly two decades ago, his whistle-blowing on Illinois, and his subsequent "blackballing" to the depths of Division II basketball.

Right now, in college hoops, Bruce Pearl is THE story. Good.

"Nothing you could say could tear me away from my guy." -- The Supremes

There are three types of coaches in the world. The guys who coach and have little or no personality. The guys who have personality, but coach for someone else ... we'll call them "their" guys. And the guys who have personality and coach for your team. These are "our" guys.

Steve Spurrier is a classic example of a "their" guy. First of all, he wins. A lot. But he also has a way of rubbing your team's nose in it as he piles up the victories.

It's all verbal with Spurrier. His digs and backhanded compliments leave opposing fans sick to their stomachs. "I'm glad he's their guy." In reality, even UT fans would love him if he was an "our" guy. Want proof?

Ray Mears was an "our" guy, right down to his bright-orange blazer. The most oft-heard comparison of the day was to P.T. Barnum. And that kind of flair goes over great with the home fans, not so well with opponents.

For example, one old story tells of Mears once walking across the court at Vanderbilt during a JV game. He walked Tennessee's varsity squad from the stands to the locker room during a game. Vandy fans booed and hissed. It was a legendary act, bravado to the max.

UT fans loved it, because to them, Mears was "our" guy. But how do you think Vol fans would have reacted if Vandy's coach had pulled the same stunt in Knoxville?

"Now this looks like a job for me. So everybody, just follow me. Cause we need a little, controversy. Cause it feels so empty, without me." -- Eminem

Vol fans should be reveling in the attention that Pearl is garnering for Tennessee basketball. The fact that opposing coaches have begun to bristle at the mere mention of his name is also a good thing.

Coaches don't dislike guys they can beat. They dislike guys who turn doormats into contenders.

To the Big Orange faithful, Pearl is an "our" guy. His emotion and passion have ignited the UT fanbase. And that same emotion and passion will likely make Pearl a very unpopular man in 11 other conference arenas.

All of this reminds me of yet another SEC coach. He took his program to new heights. He was controversial, a natural on talkshows, known as much for his personality as his coaching. He was loved at home, hated everywhere else.

Like Pearl, former LSU coach Dale Brown was a showman. He said what he thought (even when it sounded half crazy). He couldn't hide his emotions if he tried. And his methods weren't exactly celebrated by opposing coaches.

But he was a darn successful coach. Two Final Fours, 448 career wins, four SEC titles, and four SEC Coach of the Year trophies in 25 years on the Bayou.

Now the comparison isn't perfect. Pearl probably won't ever rush the floor to defend a 7-foot player. Will he ever go off in search of Bigfoot or Noah's Ark as Brown has? I would guess not (though the pre-season odds of him finding an NCAA tournament bid were probably just as long as him finding Sasquatch in West Knoxville).

But the energy, the passion, the circuit-rider mentality all seem to be a match. So does the success.

What's that? You say you still don't like comparing Pearl to Brown?

Well, that's because Dale Brown was "their" guy. Bruce Pearl is an "our" guy.