Category Archives: Sherman Spotlight

Q/A with Jim Nantz on the Masters: A tradition ‘unlike’ any other; not as genteel as it looks on TV

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Part 2 of 3:

Jim Nantz has been saying the phrase so long he felt the need to correct Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner.

During a conference call Monday, Williams recited the famous line as, “It’s the Masters tradition like no other.”

Nantz jumped in to set the record straight.

“It’s a tradition unlike any other,” Nantz said. “I think I’ve said that a time or two in the last quarter century.”

Indeed, while Nantz is seen by more than 100 million viewers when he calls the Super Bowl, and by a huge primetime audience for the NCAA Final Four, the Masters is his signature event.

This will be Nantz’s 28th Masters. He did his first in 1986 when Jack Nicklaus roared to his epic victory. Ken Venturi told the young kid: “Jimmy, you might do 50 of these, but you’ll never see another one like this.”

While Venturi was right, Nantz has called a few Masters that have packed plenty of memorable stuff. If all goes as planned, Nantz plans to retire when he does his 50th Masters at the age of 75.

Nantz, though, isn’t thinking about 2035. His focus is on Thursday.

Here’s my Q/A with Nantz:

What is it about you and Masters?

It’s the one event which people relate with me the most. I might be talking to a football coach in August, and they’ll ask me, “What about Augusta?” Fans at games ask me, ‘Who’s going to win the Masters this year?’

It’s the one event I think about all year long. The Masters is in my heart.

For me, I trace my wanting to be a voice to watching the Masters during my adolescence.  I was captivated by the Masters and I knew I wanted to be a part of it. It was a like a young Nick Faldo in ’71, ’72. He was training to be a cyclist. He watched the Masters, turned to his parents and said, ‘I want to take up golf.’ He was inspired by watching Jack Nicklaus.

I obsessed over it. I wanted to get good enough to get there. That’s what the Masters did for me.

How difficult is it for you to shift gears? You’re going from the commotion of the NCAA tournament to the more genteel environment of Augusta National.

It’s never an issue. They each have a different rhythm and pacing. But stylistically, you don’t worry about how you’re going to approach the game. That’s organic. When you’re sitting in a place absorbing the scene around, you adapt to the energy level.

I get asked a lot: “How in the world do you go from the Final Four on Monday with all that excitement and the next weekend, your voice drops to a whisper?” Most people don’t think about it. If you go to a basketball game one night and a golf tournament the next, would you still be shouting at the person next to you? It’s not that complicated.

What’s your routine when you get to Augusta?

When I get there on Tuesday, I’m not going to observe the birds. I’m not checking out the flora. I want to find every top player and have a face-to-face with them. I’m trying to get some fresh information. The problem is they all want to talk to me about the NCAA tournament.

It looks genteel and that’s the way it should look on TV with the sweet Augusta music that molds you as a viewer. “Oh, they must have just rolled out bed to do this. It looks so peaceful.” No, the reality is much different. It’s not genteel for us.

Do you cover this tournament differently?

Nobody’s telling me to do anything differently. We have more broadcast positions than we do for any other tournament. So it’s different in that sense.

Through the years, I have so many stories and information stored in my head. Someone will hit a shot and it’ll strike a comparison to a shot someone hit in the ’70s.

There’s so much history there. I love the fact that you can feel the presence of the fathers of the sport. I think of Furman Bisher (the late long-time columnist from Atlanta who was a fixture at Augusta). Sarazen. Nelson.  I do. I can’t explain it.

I just happened to be there the last time Byron Nelson walked the course. He was escorting his wife Peggy down to Amen Corner. I ran up in a golf cart and said, ‘Can I take you down there?’ It was a special moment.

Every year, you reflect back on a famous Masters prior to the final round Sunday (Jim Nantz Remembers Augusta, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET). What is this year’s selection?

Ben Crenshaw winning in 1995. It was the week he lost his coach Harvey Penick. We flew in Carl Jackson (his long-time caddie at Augusta National) to do a side-by-side interview. It’s going to be an unbelievable show. I’m not trying to sell you anything here, but it’s probably the best of all these shows we’ve done. It’s a very, very touching story.

Wednesday: Jim Nantz, winemaker.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q/A with Jim Nantz: His big week; On calling Final Four despite doing limited regular season games

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First of three parts:

This is the week Jim Nantz always has circled on his calendar. It is perhaps the best Daily Double in sports broadcasting: The Final Four with the championship game on Monday followed by the Masters.

Throw in the fact that Nantz did the Super Bowl in February, and it becomes a Trifecta.

Yes, it is good to be Jim Nantz.

Yet there are some who wonder if Nantz should have a monopoly on the big events, especially in college basketball. After calling CBS’ opening telecast in December, Nantz didn’t do another game until March. Should he call an entire season if he’s going to do the Final Four?

The guys at Awful Announcing recently addressed the issue.

Said Ken Fang:

How does Nantz get the Final Four when he only calls one regular season game a year? What’s up with that?

Said Matt Yoder:

It’s like Joe Buck just dropping in for a game or two in late September and then calling the World Series or Mike Breen showing up in April just before the NBA Playoffs.  Jim Nantz isn’t someone you associate with college basketball… until the Final Four when he says “Hello, Friends” and then “Goodbye, Friends” just as quickly.  Jim Nantz isn’t bad at all, in fact I think he’s stepped up his game a bit the last couple years, but does he need to announce every single major sporting event CBS televises till the end of time?

CBS apparently thinks so, as they want their signature voice on the tournament.

I addressed that issue and more in a two-part interview with Nantz:

This is the third time you’ve done the Super Bowl, Final Four, and Masters in the same year. What is that like for you?

It’s the ultimate sports ticket. I don’t take it for granted. I’m very fortunate. I’ve done this before so I know how to pace myself. I get the proper rest, eat right and exercise. I find the nooks and crannies of time management where you can squeeze everything in you can.

I embrace it. I feel a certain freedom with this. I’m having more fun with this.

You don’t do a full college basketball schedule. What do you say to people who contend someone else should be calling the biggest college games of the year?

People say all these guys have been doing college games all season. That’s not true. Maybe they’ve been doing NBA games, but that’s not the same.

I always do our season opener. I did Baylor at Kentucky on Dec. 1. Then I immediately flew out to do Pittsburgh-Baltimore the next day. When I show up at an NFL game less than 24 hours prior to kickoff, I’m twitching. But I want to do our first college game.

If you look at it in full context, I’m doing a ton of games in March: 15 in 24 days. Would doing four or five weeks more of college basketball make a difference? I don’t think so. Suffice to say, I’ll be prepared.

How difficult is it to be prepared when you see limited regular season games in college basketball?

First of all, I’m never far away from any of my sports (NFL, college basketball, golf). I follow college basketball all year round. I am always up with what’s going on. Golf, you know how much I follow that. And I’m constantly studying the NFL.

I don’t spend much time watching the other sports. I don’t concern myself with the NBA. I watch baseball as a fan, but I don’t pour over box scores.

(Regardless of the event), preparation is my biggest concern. I’m fanatical about it. I’m always looking to round up fresh stories. It’s more than calling a game. The voices of my youth were great storytellers. They told me things I didn’t know. For me, it’s not stat driven. It’s more about telling people about the people they’re watching.

This is the 30th anniversary of North Carolina State stunning your school, Houston, in the title game. What are your memories?

I sat at the other basket as I watched Lorenzo Charles dunk our national championship hopes away. I was trying to forget about it. Now that you brought it back up again I’m sure I’ll be feeling the weight of that anniversary.

Tuesday: Nantz talks his signature event: The Masters.

 

 

 

 

 

Losing turf: Media moved out of floor seats for Final Four; Down from 200 to 70

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It won’t be business as usual for many writers at the Final Four. Grumbling is sure to be at an all-time high.

The media loses again in the futile battle to maintain its turf. The NCAA has decided to reduce floor seating for reporters from in the neighborhood of 200 to around 70. The ousted members will be shipped to various spots of the Georgia Dome. More than likely, many of them, ticked off, will decide to watch on television from the press room.

Actually, this has been the routine for writers at venues for the entire tournament. NCAA officials told the United States Basketball Writers Association that it had other uses for those prime floor locations.

According to USBWA president John Akers of Basketball Times, the situation could have been worse. The media could have been booted off the floor completely.

“Last May, we got an inkling they were interested in moving us,” Akers said. “If we hadn’t gotten involved, there wouldn’t be anything at courtside. That’s not to say we did anything special because we still lost 2/3s of our seats. But we saved what we could.”

According to Akers, the NCAA plans to use those former media seats for family and friends of the teams; for use to raise money for charities; and for sponsors. “We all suspect the seats will go to CBS more than the others,” Akers said.

The likely reason is more about aesthetics than making money. The NCAA tournament generates billions of dollars; a few more bucks for floor seats isn’t going to make a difference.

Akers said the NCAA wants to have more fans closer to the floor. Cheering fans look better on TV than rumpled reporters pounding a computer. In some cases, those seats are empty, especially for the second game on Saturday, when media members are working on their accounts of the first game.

“They kept asking questions, ‘Why aren’t those seats filled?'” Akers said. “We explained, ‘People have to work on their game stories.'”

There’s the obvious question: Why is it important the media to be sitting on the floor in the first place?

“In basketball, you need to be down there to hear what’s going on,” Akers said. “It’s different than covering football and baseball. You wouldn’t want to be on the floor for those sports. Unless you cover basketball, you can’t really understand why it is important to be on the floor. If somebody doesn’t want to believe it, they aren’t going to believe it.”

Akers knows many media members won’t be happy with their new seat locations for this year’s Final Four. However, he doesn’t intend to be in charge of the complaint department.

The NCAA asked Akers and the USBWA to create a priority list for the floor seats. They declined.

“We didn’t want to get involved and have it be on us,” Akers said. “It’s on them. They wanted to do this. If people are upset, they should be upset at the NCAA.”

Akers joked that he “picked the short straw” in being on call as USBWA president this year. Normally, he said the job is mostly ceremonial. It wasn’t this year, and he expects it won’t be the case for future presidents. He anticipates the NCAA likely isn’t done when it comes to reducing media seats on the floor.

The situation could be worse next year when the Final Four is in vast Cowboys Stadium. Preliminary reports say some media seating will feel closer to Oklahoma than Dallas.

“People are going to have to put in more work than ever before,” Akers said. “And probably the best we can do is salvage what we have.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not talking: Tiger Woods snubs Sports Illustrated for cover story

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This week marks Tiger Woods’ 21st cover on Sports Illustrated. So it isn’t exactly a novelty for the old/new world No. 1 golfer.

Yet it still is Sports Illustrated. If the magazine is going to do a big cover piece, you figure you might make yourself available to spend a few minutes with the reporter. Right?

Well, in the no-surprise department, Woods snubbed SI’s Michael Rosenberg. In an email, Rosenberg wrote:

“Tiger did not talk to me. I knew he probably would not. His representatives were honest with me about that from the beginning. I told them I would love to talk to Tiger and get his voice in the story, but I did not beg for access. I told them my goal was not to defend or criticize Tiger, but to explain him.

“It’s no secret that Tiger Woods is one of the toughest subjects for a sportswriter because he is so guarded. But I felt strongly that there was a good story here, and I didn’t want to avoid it simply because he avoided me.

“I talked to many people who have interacted with Tiger. Most of them are not quoted in the piece, and many of them have no stake in Tiger’s career. They all informed my view of him. I hope readers will finish the story feeling like they understand Tiger better, and have a sense of how he recovered from his personal and professional nadir.”

******

Some things never change. I never had a one-on-one with Woods during my 12 years covering the PGA Tour. That was the case with virtually everyone out there.

Once, I spent three days in Southern California tracking his roots. I talked to his father, Earl, for two hours at his house; met with his first coaches; toured the courses where Woods hit his first shots.

I asked if I could get five minutes on the phone with Woods to talk about his early days. I thought it might be a topic he would enjoy discussing.

The answer? A definitive no.

That’s fine. However, where I have a problem is when Woods suddenly is available whenever he has something to promote.

There he is talking to Darren Rovell or popping up on CNN and CNBC. Woods is willing to chat when it suits his agenda.

I’m sure Woods’ handlers have advised, if not begged him to make himself more available. From a PR standpoint, it just makes sense.

But as I said, some things never change.

 

 

 

Q/A with CBS’ Tracy Wolfson: Horrific injury shows need for sideline reporters

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Tracy Wolfson was about four feet from Kevin Ware when the unthinkable happened Sunday afternoon.

“I didn’t see the actual fall,” Wolfson said. “Everyone was watching the game. The fall isn’t what you’re looking at. I heard him when he hit the ground. I was probably one of the first people who realized what took place. I remember I picked up my mic (and told producer Mark Wolff), ‘He’s down and it’s bad.'”

In seconds, Wolfson, CBS’ sideline reporter for the Louisville-Duke game, went into scramble mode for what would be the most challenging assignment of her career. Ultimately, she was lauded for securing vital information about the horrific injury and an emotional post-game interview with Louisville coach Rick Pitino.

Yet when I talked to Wolfson nearly 48 hours after Sunday’s game, you could sense the intensity of that situation still had a grip on her. She still hasn’t watched a replay of the telecast.

“You’re running on adrenaline when it’s going on,” Wolfson said. “It didn’t sink in for me until I got to the airport. I looked at Jim (Nantz). We let out a big sigh. It was a feeling of, ‘Oh my God, what just happened?'”

Here’s my Q/A with Wolfson on how she handled Sunday; how it validated the role of sideline reporters; how she hopes to see Ware during the Final Four in Atlanta; and how the Michigan grad intends to be impartial at the Final Four.

What was Sunday like for you? Did you ever have a comparable experience?

No, it was so unprecedented. You don’t expect to be in a situation like that. Sports is supposed to be lighthearted and fun. Then all of the sudden, you’re facing a news story like that. It’s almost like when the lights went out in the Super Bowl.

I remember I put my hands to my face. I knew I had a few seconds to catch my breath. You saw how devastating it was and you don’t want to get in the way. Then I realized, ‘OK, now I’m part of the story.’

Your job is to get as much information as you can get while trying to be respectful to the team and the coach. You have to find the right balance.

How did you and CBS achieve that balance?

CBS decided not to do any on-cameras interviews with the coaches at halftime like we normally do. Let’s just talk to (Pitino) off-camera. Let him regroup with his team and then see what he wants to say. If he didn’t want to say anything, that’s OK too.

He wound up giving us an inside look at what Kevin Ware said to his teammates and a reminder that his mom lives in Atlanta.

Louisville (sports information director Kenny Klein) was tremendous. There was no panic in him whatsoever. He gave us the information we needed.

How did you mentally prepare for the post-game interview with Pitino?

I wasn’t supposed to do the interview. Normally, (Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg) do the interview with the winning coach during the celebration. I interview the loser.

With three minutes to go, the producer said, ‘Tracy, we’re going to try to get this live before we go to 60 Minutes.’ The only possible way was for me to do it.

It was another delicate situation. You have to ask the right questions. I didn’t want to neglect what the team did. That was the one thing on my mind. You need to ask about Kevin Ware and the incident, but I wanted to get in one question about the team and how well they played despite everything that was going on.

Were you surprised at how graphic Pitino was in talking about the injury?

It did catch me by surprise, I have to admit. We saw the emotion. Maybe for him the best way to keep going was to give the facts. Sometimes, it brings you back to reality. It caught a lot of people by surprise, but they wanted to hear that.

A few days have passed. Are you still replaying what happened in your mind?

I’ve got to be honest. There’s a little bit like a sadness. Not that you don’t get to grieve, but I didn’t have time to actually process what went on. It was trying for everyone involved to not only balance it, but to feel for this kid. It takes a lot out of you. You don’t really have time to think.

What I’ve been doing is following him and seeing his progress and things he tweets out. It brought a smile to my face knowing that he’s going to try to be in Atlanta. I really hope we get a chance to sit down with him to see he’s OK.

You have heard people question the need for sideline reporters. Did your work Sunday provide a sense of validation?

I used the example earlier of what happened at the Super Bowl. I truly believe that is the need for a reporter.

I work with Jim and (Verne Lundquist). They are two of the best storytellers in the business. If you have a game without an incident, you don’t necessarily need someone.

It is in those situations (like Sunday) where you need someone. I’m OK being that person who only steps into that role when it is necessary.  I’m not someone who needs to be on the air six times a game because you have a reporter there and you have to put them on. We’re all a team and I add to the broadcast. I try to give to the viewer something they can’t necessarily get. In those situations (like Sunday), that’s a perfect example.

CBS doesn’t use sideline reporters for regular-season NFL games. You work as a sideline reporter for CBS’ college football games. How do you feel about that?

I’m biased. Of course, I believe there’s a need for sideline reporters.  It’s my job. I want to work. I see the difference between college football and the NFL. Any relevant information, injury reports. In the NFL, a lot of that stuff goes directly to the booth. But you did see in the Super Bowl where you need them.

There’s nothing wrong with having a sideline reporter present and just utilized pregame, halftime interview or report, postgame. It doesn’t mean they have to do those out-of-the-box stories during the game.

But you have access down there. You can see things that you don’t necessarily get from a PR person. In college you can hear things. You have relationships where you can get information.

It’s great to hear from a coach. It always brings to life the emotions, especially in tight games or when upsets are happening. I think that access is huge.

There’s nothing wrong with having someone down there and not doing a typical sideline reporter job that we’ve all known in the past that gets so criticized. The No. 1 thing is to have someone that can do that job and is knowledgeable is about sports. Also, (that person) can adjust on the fly to have to cover a blackout or a horrific injury like we saw Sunday.

The most visible element for the sideline reporter is to interview a coach after the first half. How do basketball coaches compare to football coaches when it comes to the halftime interview?

It’s always challenging. It depends on the situation and the coach. If his team is getting blown out by 20 points, he’s not going to be happy. It’s a delicate balance. You don’t want to put them in a bad position with your questions, but you want to get the best out of them.

You’re a 1997 grad of Michigan. How is it going to be having the Wolverines in the Final Four?

I’ll definitely know a lot of people in the stands. However, I won’t be wearing maize and blue. This is the Final Four. Once they tip off, it’s just another game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No pay for college players: Scholarship more than enough for playing a game

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All hail the start of the NCAA tournament. Given that it is 16 degrees in Chicago on the first day of spring, that seems reason enough to stay inside and watch basketball all day.

News flash: The weather sucks in Chicago.

The start of the tournament will launch the inevitable cries that the players should be paid. I can hear the chorus now: The NCAA and colleges make big money off the three-week basketball feast and the poor players get nothing.

Pay the players!

Well, as a public service announcement, I’m here to say it can’t happen and it shouldn’t happen.

The argument is based on a myth: College athletic programs are rolling in cash.

Just the opposite is true. Most athletic programs lose money, and have to be subsidized by their university. These are hugely expensive endeavors, considering the costs of scholarships, facilities, coaches, etc. People see the 100,000-plus in Michigan Stadium for a football game and believe that’s the case everywhere. It isn’t.

Also, the cost of success in college athletics keeps going up exponentially. It’s an arms race of ridiculous proportions. There’s a never-ending need to spend millions on lavish facilities to keep up with the school down the road. As a result, whatever money comes in goes out just as quickly.

For the vast majority of schools, the funds aren’t there to pay the athletes. Not without a dramatic cutback on sports and scholarships.

Also, just who would get paid? Only football and basketball players? They bring in the big money, right?

Again, another myth. Plenty of those sports lose money at schools not named Ohio State (football) or Kentucky (basketball). Meanwhile, there are women’s basketball and hockey programs that make a profit for their schools. Why shouldn’t those athletes get paid?

In fact, I can’t see any model that doesn’t include paying every scholarship athlete. It is the only equitable way to determine who gets a paycheck. If you’re going to pay the starting quarterback, you also have to pay the woman cross country runner.

If you include all the scholarship athletes, then you’re talking millions to cover the costs. Again, the money isn’t there. I can assure you schools will respond by cutting scholarships and programs.

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany got criticized this week for a hardline view about paying players. Sports Illustrated’s Andy Staples had the report about the commissioner’s remarks in Ed O’Bannon’s lawsuit against the NCAA.

Staples wrote:

In a declaration filed last week in federal court in support of the NCAA’s motion against class certification, Delany threatened that any outcome that results in athletes getting a piece of the schools’ television revenue could force the schools of the Big Ten to de-emphasize athletics as the Ivy League’s schools did decades ago.

“…it has been my longstanding belief that The Big Ten’s schools would forgo the revenues in those circumstances and instead take steps to downsize the scope, breadth and activity of their athletic programs,” Delany wrote. “Several alternatives to a ‘pay for play’ model exist, such as the Division III model, which does not offer any athletics-based grants-in-aid, and, among others, a need-based financial model. These alternatives would, in my view, be more consistent with The Big Ten’s philosophy that the educational and lifetime economic benefits associated with a university education are the appropriate quid pro quo for its student athletes.”

Many people viewed Delany’s comments as extreme. They can’t conceive that the Big Ten would forgo billions of dollars in athletic revenue.

Maybe not, but Delany knows paying players would create nothing but chaos. Such as: Why should the star point guard get paid the same amount as the 14th player at the end of the bench? Here come more lawsuits.

It isn’t a stretch for Delany to say the Big Ten presidents wouldn’t want any part of that.

Besides, the athletes already get paid. As a parent with a junior in high school, I am getting a harsh education about the cost of higher education. If my son wants to go Indiana, it will cost in excess of $40,000 per year for out-of-state tuition.

Yet thanks to their scholarships, the top Hoosier athletes get all expenses paid. That’s nearly $200,000 over four years.

Somebody please tell me how that’s not getting paid. I love my son, but I would love him even more if he could throw a football 60 yards.

So as you watch the NCAA tournament, just know that the players aren’t going home empty-handed. Those scholarships are a nice haul for being able to shoot a basketball.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q/A with Verne Lundquist: Appearing in Happy Gilmore ‘is gift that keeps on giving’; his love for NCAA tournament

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Verne and Raft and all is right in the world.

It wouldn’t be an NCAA tournament without Verne Lundquist. Thanks to some tweeks in his schedule, the popular play-by-play man is rested and anxious to go this week.

Now 72, Lundquist asked CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus for an extended break in the grind during college basketball season as part of his new contract. After he completed his football duties, instead of trekking  to exotic outposts like East Lansing, Mich. and West Lafayette, Ind., he and his wife headed for a trip Down Under.

Lundquist, though, returned to the microphone a few weeks ago.Thursday, he and his good friend, Bill Raftery, will dive in at Auburn Hills, Mich. for what Lundquist calls his favorite assignment. He did his first NCAA tournament game in 1982, teaming up with former LSU coach Dale Brown.

Here is my Q/A with Lundquist on going strong at 72; and how appearing in Happy Gilmore still is paying dividends for him. Also, I am rerunning his comments on calling the famous Duke-Kentucky game from a post I did with him in December.

How does it feel to being doing another NCAA tournament?

I’m coming up on 50 years in the business. Isn’t that staggering? It is to me. I have a good sense of what goes well and when it doesn’t. It’s like a competitor. When it goes badly, you want another at bat. You don’t have too many that go badly. I wouldn’t be here if I did. I’m proud of the fact I’m still working, still considered viable.

Is the tournament your favorite?

I do think so. Raft and I have become such good friends.

How difficult is it to do four games in one day?

It’s the hardest thing ever. There’s nothing equal to it. The first time, I thought I was up to the challenge, but I didn’t know how to organize myself in the proper fashion. You learn you don’t use up too much energy in the first game. Then you pray to high heaven the last game is compelling. There’s nothing like a blowout in that fourth game to make you really weary.

What sets apart the tournament in your view?

You can argue about what is the greatest sporting event. It’s certainly in the top three. To see the public embrace it has been great. Is the Super Bowl bigger? Certainly, from a corporate aspect it is. But it doesn’t have the charm the NCAA has because of the potential of a Butler winning the title. If (Gordon Hayward’s shot) goes in, Duke-Kentucky becomes the second greatest game.

You went more than 10 years without watching a replay of the famous Duke-Kentucky game. Why?

I thought I had a good broadcast. The truth of the matter is I didn’t want to intrude on the reality of my memories. I didn’t want to look at the tape and say, ‘For crying out loud, why did I do that?’

About 10 years ago, Billy Raftery and I were getting ready to do Marquette-Kentucky (in the NCAA tournament). He called and said they were airing the game on ESPN Classic. He knew I hadn’t watched it. I picked it up midway through the game. At the end, I thought I did a pretty good job.

What was going through your mind as Grant Hill got ready through the in-bounds pass?

At first, I was surprised that Rick Pitino didn’t have anyone guard him. I think if Rick had one do-over, he would have put somebody 6-8 on him.

Then for a split second, I remembered I announced Grant Hill’s birth on a Dallas TV station. His father, Calvin, and I were good friends. Now here’s this guy (Grant) about to throw in the pass. I thought, ‘Oh my God.’ It was very personal to me.

What was your assessment of the final call?

You hope you get the call right. Mine wasn’t particularly brilliant. I channeled my inner Marv Albert and yelled ‘Yes!’

Somebody once asked if I was proud of that call? I’m proud I didn’t muck it up. It wasn’t an innovative piece of broadcasting, but it captured the moment. Len and I then had the good sense to shut up and let (director Mike Arnold) do his job.

What was the reason why you didn’t work as many basketball games this year?

When I did my new contract, I asked them if they could relieve me of some games. There was too much travel to places like East Lansing and West Lafayette. It was very gracious of them to do that. I still watched the games, but I was thankful to be able to do it with my wife.

You’re 72. This is supposed to be a young man’s game. Why does it still work for you?

The fact that I’m working at 72 in a high-profile position makes me feel honored. I think there still is some connection to not only the generation younger than me, but maybe two generations. I have to connect with kids 18-22. I think (appearing in) Happy Gilmore is the gift that keeps on giving.

I’m being factious, but something like that accidentally kept me viable with the college kid crowd.

Do you still enjoy it?

I don’t think you can fake a passion for it. You have to do the preparation. You can’t shortcut the process. The only thing I don’t like is the uneasiness of dealing with the airlines. Everything, except getting from point A to point B, I still find immensely pleasurable.

How much longer do you plan to work?

I’m not gilding the lilly when I say I am so appreciative to management that they gave me the time in the winter. I’ve got a contract that (could take him to 75). Then we’ll see.

 

BTN B-I-G winner with surging Big Ten basketball; All-time high ratings

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It’s the big finale for the big year for the Big Ten.

“This is our Super Bowl,” said Dave Revsine of the Big Ten tournament, which begins Thursday in Chicago.

It’s all been BIG, with a capital B-I-G for the the Big Ten Network. The network will televise two games Thursday afternoon and two more games Friday night.

It will be one last chance for Commissioner Jim Delany’s brainchild to haul in some more huge ratings. If anyone has cashed in on the conference’s big (there’s that word again) year in basketball, it is the BTN.

Ratings for games on the BTN from January through mid-March are up 27 percent; at .91 from .72 in the network’s top 8 metered markets, according network president Mark Silverman. Ratings for its signature show, The Journey, have increased 20 percent.

It all translates into the BTN having its best January and February ever.

Little wonderful why Silverman appears to be almost giddy. He notes in Detroit, there were nights where Michigan basketball on BTN did better ratings than the Redwings and Pistons.

“This is significant, huge,” Silverman said. “We have had 7 different teams in the top 15 at one point during the season. And the next level of games showed the depth of the conference. It’s not just Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State.”

However, there’s little question the revival of the sleeping giant in Indiana and strong run by the Wolverines have helped fuel this surge.

“You’re only as good as you’re marquee teams,” Revsine said.

It drove viewers to the BTN, which is what it is all about.

“If you look at where we were six years ago (the BTN started in 2007) to where we are now, it’s hard to believe,” Silverman said. “People now know if it’s Wednesday night, we’re going to have a doubleheader. They know where to find the Sunday night shows. They’re coming to us.”

As for the future, the next challenge will be for Silverman to get the BTN into the local markets of the conference’s two new schools, Maryland and Rutgers. It will be a huge endeavor, especially in the New York/New Jersey area where Cablevision and Time Warner are known to play hardball. Time Warner waited until last year to add the NFL Network.

Silverman said he hopes to have “proactive talks” with representatives in those areas within the next 6 to 12 months. Translated, he should be wearing full armor to deal with cable companies who are getting increasingly reluctant to raise subscriber fees to add more sports programming.

Then again, Silverman has been through this exercise before. The BTN encountered considerable resistance when it launched, especially from Comcast. Yet it prevailed and now is in 50 million homes.

The idea, Silverman said, is to continue to grow the network. That’s one of the reasons why it goes by the short version of BTN instead of the Big Ten Network. It wants to be viewed as more than just a regional network of a mostly Midwest-based conference.

“I watch a lot of ESPNU and the other networks that cover college sports,” Silverman said. “Our goal is to be the best network for college sports, not just the best conference sports network.”

 

 

 

 

Jimmy Roberts on reporting golf story from Attica: ‘It’s a scary place; Everything you would think it is’

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Jimmy Roberts never imagined he ever would do a golf story at Attica State Prison. Yet there he was in a room interviewing convicted murderers.

“You never know,” Roberts said. “Attica is a scary place. It’s everything you’d think it is.”

The piece highlights the debut of his new show, In Play with Jimmy Roberts. The premiere episode is Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. on the Golf Channel.

This is the network’s version of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. The show, which will air once a month, will focus on long-form storytelling about all things golf.

There should be no shortage of material. Here’s the rundown for the debut:

Golf Vistas From Behind Bars – Sentenced to prison for a murder he claims he did not commit, Valentino Dixon has spent the past 21 years in Attica State Prison in Upstate New York. Eligible for parole in 2030, Dixon has never played a round of golf or even picked up a golf club. However, he passes the time in his cell drawing famous golf holes from around the world. Interviews with Dixon, Charlotte Ross, his childhood art teacher and Lamar Scott, who also is serving a life sentence but claims he committed the crime Dixon was convicted for more than two decades ago, are featured.

The King’s Warehouse – Latrobe, Pa., is an iconic location in American golf as the home of the sport’s most famous player, Arnold Palmer. In a massive warehouse is a treasure trove of memorabilia that Palmer has collected over the years. Rich Lerner joins The King for a rare tour.

Divots of Depression: Christina Kim – With her robust, upbeat persona, LPGA professional Christina Kim seems an unlikely victim of depression. Known for her incandescent smile and her full-throttle cheering at the Solheim Cup, Kim found herself in that unlikely position in 2011, wrestling with depression and contemplating suicide. Damon Hack sits down Kim for her first on-camera interview about her battle with depression.

Roberts’ prison story is really compelling; more than worth your time. I did a Q/A with the long-time NBC Sports reporter (@jimmyrobertsNBC) on the show and the art of telling a good story.

So this is the Golf Channel’s version of Real Sports?

That’s a very apt description. You need three things to tell a good story: You need the resources and time to report it; you need the time to tell it; and you need a good story.

With those three components, you have a fighting chance people will want to either see or read your story. Golf Channel made a commitment to storytelling with this show.

What is it that has drawn you to this role as a storyteller?

For better or worse, it’s the lot I’ve fallen into. I grew up with the Wide World of Sports, and later I was very fortunate to get to work with people like Jack Whitaker and Jim McKay. I’m not a stats guy. I’m more of an up-close-and-personal person. I still think there’s nothing like a good story.

(Below is Rich Lerner talking about his story with Palmer)

Why will this type of vehicle work for golf?

I think it was George Plimpton who said something to the effect, ‘The smaller the ball, the better the writing.’ A lot of what’s going on in golf is pretty compelling. You can watch golf on TV and enjoy the competition. But there’s a whole segment of the population, myself included, who play golf. We relate to the game in that aspect.

Golf may be a sport, but it’s also a culture. Golf Channel has done a good job of positioning itself as the voice of this culture. There are so many stories out there. We look forward to telling them.

What was it like going to Attica?

If you’re of a certain age, Attica means something to you. I got goosebumps walking in there. You remember the helicopter shots of the dead bodies (from the famous prison riot).

It’s a dark place; it’s a dangerous place. It’s Medieval. It’s every bit as dangerous as its reputation.

I’m glad I went there. It’s one of the more interesting stories I’ve ever been a part of. I’m glad I met (the main subject). I hope somebody sees his story and says, ‘I wonder if this is worth taking a look at.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q/A with Bob Hammel on doing ‘negative’ book with Bob Knight

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Bob Hammel says the response is universal.

“Every time someone asks about the title and they know it’s Bob’s book, they laugh,” Hammel said.

Of course.

Stereotypes will live on forever about Knight. However, the core of his new book The Power of Negative Thinking is in the subhead of the title: An Unconventional Approach To Achieving Positive Results.

The book, co-written by Hammel, is about Knight’s view of preparation that centers first on eliminating mistakes. He contends coaches and beyond (business leaders) lean too much on hoping something good will happen, an optimistic view that sinks most people. His mantra is “Less hope, more sweat.”

Now retired from the Bloomington Herald-Times, Hammel, 76, goes back with Knight more than 40 years ever since the coach arrived on the Indiana campus. The pair continue to be close friends, talking once a week, according to Hammel.

While most people have a highly conflicted perspective on Knight, everyone agrees on Hammel: He’s an all-world good guy, a terrific writer, and even better in my view, a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan.

Here’s my Q/A with Hammel on the book and his relationship with the coach.

This is your second book with Knight (Hammel was the co-author of his autobiography). How did it come about?

I think it started out as a joke. ‘We ought to do one on the power of negative thinking.’ It’s the only book I ever wrote where we started with the title and went from there.

I’m not sure when it actually became less of a joke and more of a book. However, it quickly occurred to both of us that there really was something there. We realized it was a reflection of how he really coached.

How did Knight use ‘negative thinking?’

People are inclined to think something will happen because you want it to happen. You become so expectant things will work out that you tend to skip over the hazards. The way Knight coached, he looked at all the things that could beat you and attacked those first.

He’s not talking about being a sourpuss or walking under a dark cloud. It’s about, don’t be in a rush. Stop and think. Less hope, more sweat.

There are a lot of literary phrases and historical references in the book. You refer to Napoleon and Hitler as being overly optimistic, which led to their demise. How much of those references came from you and how much were from Knight?

That’s a valid question. I’d think you’d be surprised. Bob is a Truman-o-phile, for example. He loves history. I’m probably responsible for more of the literature. But there’s a lot more genuine Bob Knight than you’d expect.

What is it like to do a book with Knight?

For most sports biographies, the writer spends little time with the subject. It gets written up, approved and out the door.

Well, it’s not that way with Bob Knight. He goes over every line, every word. He’s a surprisingly good editor. He catches me on some things and it’s embarrassing.

One time, we were riding somewhere. We’re talking, and I say, ‘My brother is a basketball coach and I’ve probably seen more than 2,000 games. Yet I go to a game with you (or his brother), and you see so much more than I do.’

His response was, ‘I sure as hell hope I do.’

So I go, ‘I see more in a sentence than you do.’

He said, ‘I’m not so sure about that.’

What was the process like for this book?

We probably talked about 10 times. If he was speaking in Indianapolis, I’d bring my tape recorder and we’d do sessions for two or three hours. Every time, it was in person.

I was actually happy to get the book shipped out. Every day, he was calling up with another suggestion. He was enthusiastic for doing a good job. I can’t fight that.

How would you describe your relationship with Knight through the years?

We’re both retired at this point. We’re good friends. We both got irritated with each other at times (through the years), but that’s inevitable in any kind of relationship.

We say a lot of outrageous things to each other. One time, I was saying that I’d like to write the great American novel. But I’m not wired that way. I don’t read fiction.

He said, ‘Hell, half that stuff you write is fiction.’

So you have to stay fast and loose with Bob.

Were there any surprises for you in this book?

I’ve never been able to get him to talk about his players. In a judgmental sense, he did more of that in this book. For example, he called Bobby Wilkerson (from his ’76 team) the most valuable player he ever had.

He compared his (undefeated ’76 team) to the all-time great teams. He never did anything like that before. He admitted because (of Lew Alcindor), the UCLA teams would have had the edge.

It’s not as definitive as I’d like, but it’s a lot more than I got out of him before. I think Indiana people will enjoy that segment.