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Packer could annoy, but he was almost always right
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Published: July 17, 2008
On a set full of blown-dry airheads and shameless network shills, Billy Packer always stood out. He was a basketball analyst who actually analyzed the game.
That talent probably doesn't hold much lingering appeal at CBS, which has waved goodbye to Packer after 27 seasons. Packer also plans to quit working ACC games.
CBS will replace Packer with Clark Kellogg, who usually needs 50 words to dance around an issue and seems quite comfortable restating the obvious, often using a silly synonym followed by a self-congratulatory cackle.
Packer's strong self-image, sometimes interpreted as a massive ego, enabled him to draw conclusions and deliver opinions without inhibitions. That was his charm as a young NBC announcer who eventually teamed with Dick Enberg and Al McGuire.
Enberg painted broad, dreamy pictures that incorporated every stereotype and prefabricated plotline, much like CBS event promoter Jim Nantz, but with far superior style. McGuire, the former Marquette coach, scouted teams by asking sportswriters about players whose names eluded him. His New York playground logic, colorful metaphors and plain good nature strolled right through the camera lens into America's living rooms.
Packer supplied the necessary third voice, the one that identified mismatches and anticipated momentum swings. He enlarged that role at CBS, where he became the matchmaker for intersectional games on the network schedule and thus wielded significant backstage power with coaches. He simplified the crucial elements for casual fans following the Final Four.
ACC viewers already knew Packer quite well, first as the feisty guard who complemented center Len Chappell on Wake Forest's only Final Four team (1962) and later as Jim Thacker's sidekick on regional telecasts sponsored by Pilot Life. Packer's break came innocently enough. When a veteran announcer couldn't make it to a game, ACC official Marvin "Skeeter" Francis enlisted his buddy Packer on the fly, without offering an escape route. It was a natural fit.
Packer shot from the hip, relying on instincts and local knowledge. He was good early and got better, his feel augmented by detailed preparation.
He could rub people the wrong way, especially fans who are hypersensitive about their favorite teams and interpret even the mildest criticism as a sign of outrageous bias, much like edgy political junkies screaming at cable pundits. But what good is an analyst without opinions?
Packer had opinions. He was the first broadcaster to emphasize college basketball's declining quality, the direct effect of teen phenoms turning pro before fully developing their skills or contributing to a mature team. Packer listed the official All-America team for a particular season and then revised the list to include anyone who had gone pro before graduation. Some years, the likely All-America team consisted entirely of pros who would have been seniors.
That's the way he saw it. He saw it clearly and didn't mind discussing the trend, which ran counter to those upbeat CBS promos and the general tenor of college apologists everywhere.
Sometimes the opinions seemed self-serving, such as his reflexive support for teams from a handful of established major conferences and his tendency to dismiss those from lesser leagues (which rarely appear on CBS before the tournament).
Going back to his formative years on ACC telecasts, Packer hollered for a timeout whenever Uncle Mo thought about changing directions or whenever Packer thought a certain player looked tired. College basketball crams about 50 timeouts into every game -- or so it seems when you see the same commercial for the 10th time -- but the coaches would have exhausted their share long before satisfying Packer.
As Kansas ran North Carolina into the floor during the opening act of the national semifinals last season, Packer sounded the timeout alarm. He was correct, up to a point, although Coach Roy Williams' testy words during timeouts didn't change anything. Just as Kansas nudged the score to 40-12, Packer declared the game over.
He was correct, up to a point. Carolina later rimmed out a shot that would have cut the lead to two. If the shot had gone in, would Carolina have found an untapped energy source? Would Kansas have wilted? Nobody knows. As it turned out, Carolina missed and promptly faded toward an 84-66 defeat, drained by the futile rally.
TV analysts cited Packer's speculative call as a potential final straw for CBS executives. NCAA ratings have fallen steadily for years, damaged by the array of cable options and the sport's general slippage. In essence, Packer invited viewers to consider the Kansas-Carolina deal done and choose alternative entertainment. That sounds like a stretch, particularly in view of Packer's insistence that the parties mutually agreed months earlier that 2008 was the last run.
At 68, he could see the window closing and got out with dignity. His personal timing was perfect, but that doesn't necessarily mean good times ahead for CBS basketball viewers.
■ Lenox Rawlings can be reached at lrawlings@wsjournal.com.
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