* Billy Packer is leaving CBS.Would any other statement in college sports cause as much universal celebration as that one? Some might come close, but I dare you to name two people you know who actually like Billy Packer. Some may be indifferent, but does anyone actually enjoy the man? I honestly can't name a single person I know.
CBS ended its partnership with the controversial basketball analyst on Monday, 27 years after Packer landed arguably the best college basketball job in the country. He has worked 34 straight Final Fours, has probably seen more Duke-Carolina basketball games than Mike Krzyzewski, and served as the voice of arguably the greatest game of all time -- the 1983 National Championship game NC State won at the buzzer:
"They won it... on the dunk!"
Despite all that history, I dare you to Google Billy Packer and find positive posts from bloggers, sports writers or ... well ... anyone. Seven of the top 10 things you will find are all critical, two offer today's headline that he is leaving, and the only other thing listed in the top 10 is Packer's Wikipedia page, which details plenty of the controversies he is known for:
• He called Allen Iverson a "tough little monkey" in 1996.
• He allegedly asked two Duke students, "Since when do we let women control who gets into a men's basketball game? Why don't you go find a women's game to let people into?" when the two students asked to see his credential in 2000.
• In 1979, 2004 and 2006, Packer criticized the inclusion or ranking of teams in the NCAA Tournament only to later eat his words when those teams performed well.
What is perhaps most surprising is that the disdain for Billy Packer is held across both rivalries and conferences. Do Carolina fans like Billy Packer? Ha, head to Google again and type in "Billy Packer UNC." The first five hits are all along the lines of the first one -- "Fire Billy Packer." Ironically though, the enemy of their enemy is still hated at Duke. Blue Devil fans can't stand the man either. Ditto for the average Maryland fan, NC State fan... and you get the point. Maybe those "indifferent" people all went to Wake Forest, but being from Winston-Salem, I know plenty of Demon Deacon fans who loathe Billy Packer as well.
Now it's Clark Kellogg's turn.
I enjoy Kellogg's analysis for the most part on CBS, though I am hoping he goes a little more indepth with his analysis this year. (Personally, I was hoping for ESPN's Jay Bilas even though I knew it was wishful thinking.)
The thing I like most about the switch -- and the reason most people dislike Billy Packer -- is this will end the negative analysis. Too often, Packer criticized college kids for not making plays. If someone got their shot blocked, it was because they made a bad play -- not because the defender made a good play.
I'm happy to hear fair criticism and I encourage it, but Packer went far too negative far too often. He also gave analysis of players' body language. As an analyst, don't go there. Tell me about basketball, tell me why UCLA's guard play is giving Stanford fits, but don't tell me that one player's heart just isn't too the game or that he's quitting on his team. You have no idea what's in his heart or what's in his head.
I'm happy to be getting an analyst and not a shrink.
Goodbye Billy Packer. Good riddance.
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