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Rick Burgess and Bill "Bubba" Bussey, known simply as "Rick & Bubba" to their enduring fans, have been in the business of sports since they were children. The two knew each other from high school athletics - Rick played defensive tackle on the Oxford High football team, and Bubba played basketball and baseball at Jacksonville. They became friends when they both worked for the college radio station at Jacksonville University, and later forged what would become the Rick and Bubba dynasty. Tagging themselves as the "Two Sexiest Fat Men Alive," the heavy-weight duo quickly became celebrities with their signature "no holds barred" discussions on any and every topic, especially sports. Being enthusiasts, as well as aficionados, eventually allowed them to take their opinions on the road where they commentated the ill-fated XFL's football games, lending much-needed comic relief. These days the pair are enjoying haggling and heckling everything and everybody on their top-rated radio and television shows.

At a recent lunchtime interview with New South Sports, in rare form while riding on a cheeseburger high, the dynamic duo spoke candidly about their time spent with the XFL, their thoughts on a dome, how they really feel about Gene Hallman, their philosophy on kids in sports, and who has the best cheerleading squads. They also give supposed breaking news about Auburn's new basketball coach, and share a startling revelation about radio talk show host Paul Finebaum - all in truly BIG Rick and Bubba style.

Q: You've both been involved in just about every kind of sport, either as athletes, fans or announcers. Any favorites?
Bubba:I'm big into any American sport. I'm anti any European import stuff like soccer.
Rick: We believe that it's ok for women to play soccer, but what we're doing to our young boys is just wrong. And we believe that soccer is a communist plot. Some say that soccer is the number one sport...well, not in America. Name one country where soccer is the number one sport that has ever won a world war.

Q: What's wrong with soccer?
Bubba:Well... it's just so Euro. It reminds me of Milli Vanilli. And the fact that there's no scoring in it, I'm bored to tears. If I was watching soccer, I'd probably get mad just to start a fight.
Rick: To me, I just can't go with any sport where there's insurmountable one-to-nothing leads.

Q: What's the truth about your experience with the XFL?
Bubba:Well, I know the XFL was very controversial, but we had a ball being involved with it, and doing their radio broadcasts for them. We got to go to a lot of great cities, got to meet a lot of very famous athletes, and we just had a good time doing the announcing for those games. We did it a lot like we do our radio show - very irreverent, but having a good time doing it. We hate that the league went away. And I think that a lot of the controversy was blown way out of proportion.

Rick:The XFL was one of the most fun things that we've done outside of our show. Like Bubba said, what we basically had there was every sports fan's dream. You got together with a bunch of your buddies, the guys you really like to hang with, and you got to travel to some really great cities to go see a football game. And then, you got to sit there with a microphone on and tell everybody how you felt about it. Again, like Bubba said, we did it like two guys sitting on the couch watching a game. My brother got involved with it, and we had a blast with him doing the halftime show. So for us, the XFL was a huge success, a lot of fun, and frankly, we miss it.

Q: How do you feel about arena football?
Pause (30 seconds at least)...
Bubba: (clearing his throat) Well...you know..it's inside, and... they seem to score alot. And, well...it's better then soccer. And, you know I think it has place. I'm just hurt that Birmingham does not have a professional team. I think we would support a professional team if it were done properly. And a lot of that has to do with having, a place to play. I know there's been a lot of dome controversy over the years, but hopefully we will get a dome that will house a team one day. You know Birmingham is one of the two largest TV markets that don't have a professional team - us and Las Vegas. But I think they're going to have to be realistic about who their people are that would come out to the games, and they're going to have to build a stadium, a dome preferably, that's in a place that's easy to get to for the folks in Shelby County. Go to the people that I think you're going to have to make your living on - the people that are going to be your season ticket holders. As opposed to building the dome downtown, I would like to see them build it in Alabaster. Think about it on National TV - The Alabaster Dome. It's kind of got a ring to it.
Rick: Arena football... well, I've taken the family to some of the Steeledog games. Now, if you're a football purist, it's not for you. It really doesn't matter what defense you run, because it's not going to matter. But it is a lot of fun. And as far as an event to take the kids to, it's great. There's a lot of giveaways going on, lots of loud music, and a lot of barking - which I like. So I enjoy it. I don't compare it to the NFL or to college football - to me it's in its own category. It's just another fun event to go to.

Q: What advice would you give to the "powers that be" on building a dome?
Rick Well, one thing we've got to quit going on the dome is pandering everybody. You look at the list of everybody you try to make happy, and you know what you end up doing - making nobody happy. Because you're never going to make that extremely long list happy. So what you've got to decide is - we're going to build it - we're going to pursue a team - and if you want to come along with us, come along, and if you don't - then stand over on the side and let us get it done. Like Bubba said, we've got to give it to downtown to make everybody happy. Because, undoubtedly, those people can't be made happy, and they don't ever support whatever it is, then they complain about it once it happens. And they're afraid that somebody is going to make money on it. Well, I've got news for you...It's never going to happen unless there's a way for someone to make it successful. Trying to give everybody a bunch of handouts doesn't work, because people don't ever appreciate it. So, what you've got to do, if it takes building it in Shelby County, then build it. Quit trying to pander everybody to make everybody happy. Here's what's going to make everybody happy - a nice facility, pursuit of a team, then events coming to that facility. And forget about the rest of it. The politics of it shouldn't even Matter.

Q: What do you really think about Gene Hallman?
Bubba: I love Gene Hallman as much as a straight man can.
I dream about Gene Hallman. I want to be Gene Hallman when I grow up.
I think he's a very intelligent man, he knows promotion and he knows the public. With the one exception of building the dome downtown, I find myself in agreement with Gene on a lot of topics. I think he's very talented, and as a matter of fact, I think that maybe several universities missed a great opportunity to bring him in as athletic director, because he does have a business mind, and that's what it's going to take.
Rick: I love Gene Hallman, also. He's a good friend. I think he brings a lot of events to this town that no one else can pull off. Let's face it - we haven't given him much to market with, and he's still made it happen. Again, he is wrong about the dome having to be downtown - I've told him that to his face, so I don't mind saying it now. And another thing, I really think that one of the best moves he's made was when he got Botox - his forehead looks great.
Bubba: We're debating among ourselves who it actually helped the most - Senator John Kerry or Gene Hallman.

Q: Your thoughts on the Alabama Slammers hockey team. Do you think they have a chance of making it?
Rick: Again, just like we talked about with the Steeledogs, the Alabama Slammers can't try to be the Bulls. They went to a smaller venue, which I think was wise, and they're playing decent hockey, considering they've just come out of the gate. I've talked to hockey fans - believe it or not we do have them in Alabama - and they say it's a good level of hockey. And again, I think if they don't try to be something they're not, they'll be fine. I think they're off to a good start.
Bubba: And, there again, we think that part of their success is due to location. The Pelham Civic Center is very easy to get to, you don't feel that you're in danger going there, and Shelby County is supporting it. No slam to Jefferson County, but you've got to have those suburbanites supporting it, and be season ticket holders, or you're not going to get anywhere.

Q: Auburn and Alabama seem to be vying for top billing in controversy. Your thoughts on the future of both programs?
Bubba: Auburn and Alabama are both victims of people who love the universities just loving them to death. They get into these power plays of who knows who and who played with who. Instead of making good decisions that will move the schools forward, they have just hurt themselves with some of these silly moves. And some of the people are not going to let it go. It's like a snapping turtle - you know they used to say that if it bites you it won't let go until it thunders - I don't know what the answer is, but you can see what the results are.
Rick: To me, the bottom line is that both of them have got to quit having knee-jerk reactions every time something doesn't go right. They need to get some solidarity. They need to not be afraid to remove people from the boards that have been damaging to them, and not let a few people run everything. And, well, I guess that this is as good of a time as any to announce that I have been named as Auburn's new basketball coach.

Q: Wow, thanks for the scoop! How were you selected?
Rick: Well, I've never been that good at basketball... I just know Bobby Lauder.

Q: Cheerleading squads - in your opinions, who has the best? And what do you think defines a good squad?
Bubba: Well, certainly the XFL cheerleaders were great. Being professionals, they had a lot of talent there. But I have to go back to my junior high basketball team which I felt was untouchable. You know, when you have Roxanne Dilley leading Rock Steady, who we think single handedly had that cheer taken out of high school because of her hip movements, that's hard to beat. There have been a lot of good ones over the years, but personally, I judge with a very basic list - I go for legs.
Rick:I will say the same thing. I have always been attracted tot he cheerleader body, and my wife is an example of that. I like the muscular legs.
Bubba: No runway models for us. We want you to have some meat on your bones.
Rick: Yeah, this beanpole look does nothing for me. I mean nothing. No one wants to date a skeleton. So, I want to see some muscle, I want to see a little meat in there, I want there to be a little junk in the trunk.
Bubba And we like big hair... BIG hair.
Rick: Yeah, big hair. And one thing about the XFL, well, I guess we can come out with this now.. you know we're married men, we're God fearing, so we have a green light on this - behind closed doors, our wives Sherri and Betty, well... let me put it this way... they have been known to wear the Birmingham Thunderbolt cheerleading uniform that we commandeered on our exit.
Bubba: As a matter of fact, we bought ours from Sunny. You may remember her Rick? The time that I tackled her in the promo, I realized that she was about the same size as Betty.

Q: Fast forward to your life today. You're both involved in little league - do you use the same ranking system for Good Looking Moms, or GLMs as you call them, that you do for cheerleaders?

Bubba: Well, now that's not us, that's Speedy. I don't know anything about GLMs because I stare at my wife, and my wife only. I really don't even know what other kid's moms look like.
Rick: I don't either. As a matter of fact, when people tell me that there are other women at the ballpark, I never notice.
Bubba: Yeah, because our wives are so stunning to look at, there's really nowhere else to look. Now, how Speedy and that bunch in Helena pick their teams... well, that's really none of our business.
Rick: Yeah, we play in the Oak Mountain system where that type of selection has been outlawed.