Crazy Al's coach emporium loses another

The Raiders fired Lane Kiffin by telephone Tuesday, according to the New York Times.

Here's a segment of the story:

Lane Kiffin's brief odyssey into the bizarre world of the Oakland Raiders ended -- finally -- when his long-rumored firing finally came Tuesday. By telephone.

Kiffin, 33, was the youngest head coach in the N.F.L.'s modern era when maverick owner Al Davis hired him last year. But he fell out of favor before his first season was over and he was fired four games into his second season.

Kiffin's firing has been anticipated since the off-season, but it became clear that Kiffin would not survive the Raiders bye week when Davis began interviewing possible replacements Monday evening -- before Kiffin was let go. The next coach will be the eighth in 13 years. Kiffin is the second NFL coach fired in as many days -- Scott Linehan got the ax in St. Louis on Monday. And last week, the Detroit Lions dumped team president Matt Millen. And the season is just four weeks old.