Report: Billy Packer out at CBS

by Mike Rutherford on Jul 14, 2008 9:37 AM EDT in Basketball Comment 8 comments

Ladies and gentlemen, our long national nightmare might be over.

I don't even care that Kellog g is the replacement.

Billy Packer's streak of Final Fours is over after 34 years, The Miami Herald reported Monday.

Packer, a color commentator, will be replaced in CBS' coverage by studio analyst Clark Kellogg, network representative Leslie Anne Wade confirmed to the newspaper. Jim Nantz will continue in his Final Four play-by-play role.

Packer, 68, will leave CBS after 28 years to pursue "other projects in basketball," according to the report. An announcement was expected Monday.

As long as those other projects don't involve making me want to take a sledgehammer to my balls every March, then we're cool.

I'm generally a pretty strong advocate for the prolonging of traditions, especially when it comes to things I love like the NCAA Tournament, but there is absolutely no part of me that doesn't want this to happen.

So in the spirit of Packer making ridiculously obvious remarks about things that have already taken place, I'll leave you with this: Bad hire, CBS.

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No more ACC homerism! No more Duke- UNC is

the greatest!

by frankpos on Jul 14, 2008 9:46 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

One day i'll get that Hat Tip,

Maybe I should I just take not being made fun of for reading USATodays Blogs as thanks enough.

by Blocky on Jul 14, 2008 9:57 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Nevermind, turns out Mike and I both happen to have Billy Packer on Google News Alert.

by Blocky on Jul 14, 2008 10:00 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It was actually Curt Gowdy who triggered the alert

Curt Gowdy.

by Mike Rutherford on Jul 14, 2008 10:02 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

"The" Curt Gowdy?

by Blocky on Jul 14, 2008 1:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Deacon Blues

Thought of him as extra baggage kept on as a bit of a goof, but you guys somehow muster up some impressive vitriol for this old Demon.

As far as Duke/NC being the top college hoops rivalry in the past quarter century, with the risk of total excommunication from Cardinaldom, I’ll ask, “Well, wasn’t it?”

Yeah, Packer was slippin’, the game passing him by, but just like Phil Rizzutto announcing the Yankee games long after he even cared, Packer was the face of CBS college basketball for a long time, and just as Rizzutto was to be forgiven for rooting outwardly for the Yankees, Packer’s pro ACC’s predudices, were for me, both irritating and tolerated. Again, at the end, he was a goof.

Now with Kellogg at the helm there will be real problems.

by Roz on Jul 14, 2008 1:09 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Woo

Huzzah. That is great news. Now if only Gus Johnson would get the promotion he deserves. The Kellog experiment will be short-lived, I hope. Nothing against him, but when you have a chance to have Gus Johnson…..

by CardsFan922 on Jul 14, 2008 1:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs