Billy Packer Fouls Out

Message

silverscreenselect · #1 Post by **silverscreenselect** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 6:21 pm

CBS Sports has fired Billy Packer, longtime analyst for college basketball, who has done the Final Four every year since 1975. Details are somewhat sketchy as to the reasons, but Clark Kellogg will replace Packer working with Jim Nantz next season as CBS' top team.

Look for Packer to spend more time doing ACC broadcasts next year where he is always welcome.

Buffacuse · #2 Post by **Buffacuse** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 6:33 pm

Nope--he won't be doing ACC either--he said tonight the decision was reached before last season but kept quiet...he had been working on a series on one year contracts and CBS simply decided not to do another year.

mellytu74 · #3 Post by **mellytu74** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 6:51 pm

Some local basketball messageboard pundits are saying it's a combo of several things.

Stuff like the "It's over!" comment during the Kansas/NC game in the Final Four. And then NC came back to make it close.

And his seeming inability to say anything nice about teams that do not play in the ACC. Or even acknowledge that teams not in the ACC might be good.

I've always thought that was one of his big failings but I attributed it my going to a non-ACC school.

A few years ago, when St. Joe's was having such a wonderful year, Packer took every opportunity to dis them. He finally shut up when St. Joe's beat Wake Forest, his alma mater, in the Elite Eight.

I respect the opinion of the local guys I read, so I think there may be something to that.

mrkelley23 · #4 Post by **mrkelley23** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 6:56 pm

Four years ago, when my oldest son was beginning to form his own opinions about sports teams, but was still heavily swayed by others' opinions, we were watching a Packer-enhanced game (irony alert).

Packer made one of his usual insightful comments, and Alec wanted to know if that was true, because he didn't think so. I told him, "Son, listen very carefully to everything Billy Packer says, because if you take the opposite of it, that's what will be true 9 times out of ten.

Since I made my peace with that, he has rarely disappointed me. I won't be sorry to see him go. Clark Kellogg is not one of my favorites, but he's worlds better than the Packman.

Tocqueville3 · #5 Post by **Tocqueville3** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 7:34 pm

David calls Billy Packer Billy Whacker because he is whack.