Clark Kellogg's impossible to miss in the press room. The 6-7 CBS analyst would stand out in any room but Kellogg was particularly conspicuous on Sunday at the UNC-Duke game for a different reason.
He's not Billy Packer.
CBS has had a run of regular-season college basketball games with either Kellogg or Greg Anthony in the No. 1 analyst's chair since the decision to let Packer walk, or Packer resigned — whichever the case — after last year's Final Four. But Sunday was the first game it became real that Packer's 37-year broadcasting career was over.
That's either a good thing or bad thing. To a vocal segment of ACC and college basketball fans, it's cause for celebration.
Carolina fans, still weary from Packer's defense of Duke's Gerald Henderson in the Bloody Nose Foul of '07 were glad to see Packer retire after he declared last year's Final Four game against Kansas "over" with 7:32 left in the first half. (He was right, but not before Carolina almost made it a two-point game in the second half).
Just about any ACC fan has a Packer "moment," and it's usually of the irritating variety, but that's a function of the passion that runs so deep in our corner of the college basketball world. I'd argue that's a good thing.
At his worst, Packer was pompous, but at his best he had no peer (in either football or basketball) in recognizing and articulating why Team A was winning (or losing). Hence the arrogance.
Thing is, Sunday's big-game broadcast without Packer wasn't as good as it would have been with him. That's not a knock against Kellogg. Packer and CBS play-by-play man Jim Nantz started working college basketball games together in 1991. You can't recreate 17 years timing and rapport in one weekend.
Judging by how many times Nantz asked Kellogg to set up the storylines of the game (I counted three in the first five minutes), Nantz is trying to get used to life without Packer, too.
Comments
BP - Billy Packer
Tue, 03/10/2009 - 12:31 — gymbeauBP’s pappy was the college coach for at least two HOF coaches. One of whom coached at Bernie Madoff’s alma mater during all four of his college years. During his last year at Hofstra, he even coached a 26-1 team that included Stephen Dunn, a to be Pulitzer prize winning poet.
BP was an assistant coach for two of the best ACC coaches in my opinion – so I think that he knew of what he spoketh during his time with CBS. Incidentally, BP’s second head coach at Wake had as a basketball manager the SPIC receiver for Madoff Securities. In any case, I can remember BP talking about listening to the 1955 NCAA final on the radio with disbelief. The 1954 champion from the East as coached by a former roommate of President Ford who taught JFK about leuf as a tennis coach as well as being a classical pianist and lawyer was unceremoniously dethroned by the first of the back to back Bill Russell champions from the left coast. As Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. said “a page of history is worth a volume of logic.”
News Flash
Tue, 03/10/2009 - 14:12 — the_wb91News Flash... just because you sat under someone as an assistant done mean you learned jack $#!^. You have people who sit in classrooms and boardrooms everyday that can't tell you a damn thing that went on. The proof was him being a terrible coach and then having the nerve to be arrogant at anything associated with basketball.
unc bias
Tue, 03/10/2009 - 00:12 — saltydawg1packer never kissed dean's ass, so to tar hole fans he sucked...when most of them do.......literally!!!
Careful Salty Dog, your
Tue, 03/10/2009 - 08:46 — WNCMikeCareful Salty Dog, your envy and hatred are showing.
salty and in a dream world
Tue, 03/10/2009 - 08:40 — the_wb91Yeah I'm sure Dean wanted a washed up bitter coach to kiss his ass. No sucking describes your team farmboy.
Called the Game
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 22:10 — omegamanBP called the game and stuck to the game not unlike another announcer we know who forgets the program is about the players and the game - not about how much or who he knows.
BP was a working man's announcer.
BILLY PACKER
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 21:45 — HUGHHILLBILLY PACKER REPORTED AND RESPONDED TO THE GAME AS IT WAS PLAYED. YOU DON'T HAVE TO AGREE WITH EVERTHING HE SAID BUT HE DID TELL YOU WHAT WAS GOING ON ON THE COURT. MOST OF THE TALK GUYS NOW SPENT ALL THE TIME TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING OTHER THAN THE GAME AT HAND. I FIND THIS TO BE A BIG DISTRACTION AND USUALLY KEEP THE SOUND TURNED DOWN SO I CAN TRY TO KEEP UP WITH THE GAME BEING PLAYED. FOR EXAMPLE, DID THE REF CALL A FOUL AND WHO COMMITED THE SAME. I MISS BILLY!!!!
Billy Packer
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 19:42 — gradyjlI did not like everything BP said, nor did I agree with everything he said. I am a UNC grad and fan, but I think BP was the best and that it will be along time before we see his rival. I think it is a shame that many fans were so thin-skinned about their team and that Billy is no longer on TV as an analyst.
Correct
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 22:10 — the_wb91gtrain82, is correct and you would have to be blind to see that. He sounded bitter and angry all the time... I guess because no one wanted him to coach. What some fail to realize you don't have to sound like Billy Packer, mean, nasty, and arrogant to be "telling it like it is". That is quite shallow. You also don't have to sound like Dickie V, easily, excited, and a chatter box to be a lively color commentator.
The enjoyment of the game
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 16:37 — gtrain82As we can see from these comments, people had a lot of problems with Packer and many of them are valid. However, to me the biggest problem was simply that he never seemed to actually enjoy college basketball. His constant negativity and nitpicking could often make it hard to enjoy watching the game. He had a great job that many of us would kill for and it would have been nice to see him appreciate it more.
With that said, it was great to have someone as a national announcer who had such great reverence for the importance and history of the ACC. I grew up listening to Steve Martin and Dan Bonner, etc. on the local ACC broadcasts which is where so many in the ACC region learned to appreciate the history of our great conference. Packer extended that reach to the country, so kudos to him for that.
Too long to get rid of Packer
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 16:31 — the_wb91Packer should have been let go a long time ago... from what I heard he was actually forced out. The e-mails from all over the country was at record levels. Which is funny because as arrogant and pompous and Packer was he had actually gotten a little bit better. I remember when Packer was let first let go. It was hilarious when I read the article about all of the e-mails CBS received about getting rid of him. The most ridiculous thing about Packer is that he was wrong so much it was laughable that they kept him on... why? Because he is an arrogant jerk? It didn't make a lot of sense. Yes, Clark Kellogg hates UNC but at least he wasn't arrogant about it... he would just look like he was uninformed. I have never heard him pick UNC as the favorite in any circumstance. No matter how good the team was even in the Final Four in 2005 he showed why every other team could possibly win except UNC. When UNC is playing someone who is a heavy underdog, he constantly talks about how it might be possible that the underdog can beat UNC... but at least he isn't loud with it.
Not The Same...
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 16:07 — ccven84...But better. Kellogg is not great, but Packer was far, far worse...
Billy Packer
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 15:45 — jaybobutlerGlad he's gone. Should've retired years ago. Kellogg''s a refreshing change of pace.
He was horrible
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 15:27 — staggerleeHis whole shtick was to tell us what every player and every coach should have been doing . It was, this player messed up, he should have blah, blah blah. Or, the coach should have blah, blah, blah. He was never entertaining...he was just a mean old, grouchy, cynical, never having anything good to say about anyone sob.
I remember listening to him 20 years ago thinking he was horrible.
Overrated
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 15:01 — heelsno1With all of Billy Paker's snide and harsh critiques of players over the years, do you think that he ever played on a national championship team? Never.
Paker's voice became old fast, and so did his constant cynicism. Jim Nantz is always upbeat. Welcome to Clark Kellogg...you did a great job...particularly the comments that your first encounter with the Duke-Carolina rivalry far exceeded your expectations. Billy Paker never exceeded mine.
Packer was horrible
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 13:31 — weslindsey... and I don't miss him one bit. Of course, Kellogg, with his recently revealed love affair with Duke, isn't any better. ESPN has the best commentators, period. Jay Bilas is the man - and that's coming from a Carolina grad (me).
Billy Packer was the best
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 12:01 — festerBilly Packer made me cringe often with his over the top jabs and costant needling on one point but at the end of the day he was better than anybody else in the biz as a color guy. His knowledge and ability to see what is happening in the moment of games is incredible. Kellog was TERRIBLE yesterday. I turned off the TV audio and listened to Woody Durham for the 2nd half eventhough he was ahead of the video feed on TV (which was also annoying and why I don't regularly). Kellog wanted UNC to lose so bad (he hates UNC) it was more than obvious. While you can often get a hint of bias from TV commentators, most atleast try to cover their bias but Kellog is an idiot that belongs in the studio. Billy Packer was easy to hate but good at what he did and CBS is hating losing the best in the biz. I hope Jay Bilas is able to do Tourney games. Are we gonna have to listen to Clark Kellog during the Final 4, if so kill me now.
Bilas
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 12:47 — gvillegatrhe does tourney games and I believe he has teamed up with horrible and old Dick Enberg in the past.
I do agree he ought to be Nantz's pard. he loves him some Carolina!! seriously, though, he calls it like he sees it when he is not spewing his liberal bias on the viewer i.e. 10 players on the All ACC team. get real.
billy packer
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 11:41 — paddygFor the most part, Billy Packer told it like it was. Too bad a lot of fans couldn't handle it.
No doubt in my mind he was the best.
kellogg or Anthony is by far
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 11:34 — kdjones0602kellogg or Anthony is by far a step up on basketball knowlege than packer.....it was time to move on and CBS knew it was TIME!!!!
kdjones
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 12:40 — gvillegatrBilly Packer has more basketball knowledge in his left pinky, than Kellogg has in his entire body.
Anthony "ain't" bad, but he does not hold a candle either.
Nope
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 12:03 — festerFalse statement
correction
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 11:25 — cbizzycarolina never got within 2 points in the second half vs kansas. the closest unc came was 54-50.
danny green had a chance to cut it to two when it was 58-53. i swear his 3 went halfway down then came back out.
i still believe had green made that shot kansas would have panicked. bill self's previous tournament failures would have resurfaced in his mind and carolina would have completed a 28-pt comeback. i remember pat forde at espn.com did a story that said as much off of that game.
instead my heels lost and i'm spending way too much remembering my wasted trip to san antonio last year. such is life...
Green's 3 was the shot I was thinking of ..
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 15:28 — jpg (author)thanks
— JPG
Don't even miss Billy.
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 11:08 — NoNewGunControlPacker always resented getting his butt kicked by UNC when he played for Wake Forest and it showed. He second guessed Dean Smith with regularity....but as Coach Smith said, "Those who can coach..do. Those who can't, broadcast and commentate" You can put both Packer and Vitalle in that group, but at least Dick is fun to listen to. I have not missed Packer for one second. The game is a better place without his BS
Greg Anthony
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 10:49 — wufpack76I think Greg Anthony does a good job in the analyst chair and he would be my pick on the #1 team with Nantz.
I agree that Kellogg is a good/better fit in the studio. Seth Davis isn't that bad in studio other than when he is bringing up HWSNBN every other sentence and saying the Big 10 should get 9 teams in this season ...
Packer
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 10:26 — davetHis blatantly obvious hatred of all things UNC stained an otherwise quality talent. Defending Henderson was just the most recent and obvious. I don't think he'll be much missed. I had forgotten that he was gone, quite frankly.
The ANSWER is ..............
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 09:57 — Worz4UNCJay Bilas or Greg Anthony!!!!
NO MAS to Clark Kellogg FOREVER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I like Anthony
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 10:02 — jpg (author)I suspect CBS is rewarding Kellogg for his years of solid studio work (have no problem with him there) and will eventually — if Anthony wants to — give the first chair to Anthony.
— JPG
Billy Packer
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 09:52 — gvillegatrI am in the minority when I say I will miss him. Putting his BS aside, Billy gave you the court perspective ... not just the ball hanlder or the guy shooting the ball at that particular time. It is like he had 5 sets of eyes. The best ever when breaking down a game. no question.
As far as being pompous ... very true. he never backed down from what he thought his eyes saw and no one got more mad with him than I (or me?) when he would take a bad call to a new level. i.e. Gerald Henderson elbow. But, i'll take his knowledge over his pompous demeanor anyday. Kellogg is terrible.
Definitely not the same...
Mon, 03/09/2009 - 09:42 — HeelDownEastI definitely miss the personal attacks against players (most notably Rashad McCants) and the questioning of coaches' decisions more than the defense of the indefensible.