I just spent about an hour arguing with some of my coworkers on the merits of now former CBS college basketball analyst, Billy Packer. If you haven't heard Packer and CBS parted way Monday ending a 27 year relationship. Packer has been a part of college basketball longer than I've been alive. He's called every Final Four since 1975, the year I was born. I just sort of got used to hearing his voice on the air. Now Clark Kellog will take his place. I like Kellog. He's solid. He knows his stuff. But the game will be different without Packer behind the mic.

I'm not saying Packer was the best analyst around. I'm just saying he's been a part of college basketball for so many years you kind of just get used to having him around. I know a lot of fans in Kentuckiana are happy to see him go. But I don't get all the venom and hatred for the guy. You may disagree with his opinions. He may even call out your team. But to me that's what a good analyst is supposed to do. You're not going to always agree with what he says but you can't fault him for having an opinion. Some say he's always negative. But I bet you those are the fans biased because he was critical of their team.

A lot of people point to the Kansas-North Carolina semifinal game from this year as reason it's time for Packer to go. With the Jayhawks up 38-12 in the first half he proclaimed, "The game is over." Some think he shouldn't have said that. I say, "Why not?" I thought the same thing. That game was over. He just said what many people were thinking. Kansas was just playing too well, and Carolina so bad that game looked to be over. And you know what? It was over. Sure the Tar Heels made a run and cut it to four but the exerted so much energy getting back into the game they could never overcome the deficit. They wound up winning by 18.

Packer may not have been the best analyst in the world but he always gave you his honest opinion. What's so wrong with that?

Let me know what you think.

1 Comments

Kristy said:

Yea any sports announcer is going to have there own opinions,however Billy Packer was a very negative person --very hypocritcal guy--And yes im a Ky fan --however the christian laetner incident is brought up by EVERY announcer out there ~I bleed blue however that just one of the many greatest 2 seconds of Basketball!!!! but Billy was always on the wildcats~~ And why dont you all have a section dedicated to UK --We may live in Louisville but our state IS Kentucky??? and whens the last year UL won a championship?? Ok this is goin into another subject so YES im glad to see Billy go BUT something tells me He will be back~~ Wouldnt mind seein Dick Vitale go next !!!!!

July 14, 2008 10:40 PM

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