This week's announcer in focus: our good friend Jim Nantz!
Not much introduction for Nantz is really needed, is it? Nantz was born in Charlotte (actually, that explains a lot about his bias in the NCAA tournament) , lived in New Orleans and ended up in high school in New Jersey. He went to college at the University of Houston - majoring in broadcasting and playing on the golf team. Who was on the golf team with him those years? Freddie Couples; Couples and Nantz were roommates for most of his college career. Nantz recounted a time in college when he and Couples were sitting around one day; Couples said he was going to win the Masters in the future, and Nantz pipes in: "And I'll be there to announce your win!". So it was clear early on what Nantz's goals were.
(Note: Blaine McCallister - another PGA Tour member in the 80s and 90s - was also on that team).
His first jobs out of school were working Houston and Salt Lake as a sports broadcaster; Nantz joined CBS in 1985 and almost immediately went to the forefront of CBS Sports. I won't recount his whole history at CBS - we all know it - but it's amazing how quickly he became the face of CBS in the late 80s. he started with golf and NCAA basketball/football; he was leading NCAA studio shows in his 2nd year and then was in the 18th tower for CBS's golf towers in 1989. He was doing NFL games in the early 90's, went to host NFL Today when CBS re-gained the NFL package and then went back into the announcing booth in 2004 and became the #1 announcer then. We'll get to the NFL in a second....
....but first, some trips down memory lane. Here is our hero doing a promo for the '86 Masters - which would be his first Masters broadcast. Nantz lays out the importance of Amen corner and recaps the disaster that befell Curtis Strange in '85.....handing the green jacket to Bernhard Langer.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcObgJ1UMeo
(Note 1: If Strange doesn't falter, Langer doesn't get on the cover of Golf Digest in late '85....and a young golfer in Maryland who was struggling with his putting would not read an article on how cross-handed putting helped Langer.......yes, Langer was the inspiration for me to go cross-handed, and that was 32 years ago....32 years!)
(Note 2: I want that all-red outfit that Langer wore. How in the world did that go with the green jacket?)
So they put Nantz in the 16th tower in 1986....and, the rest, they say, is history. Nantz delivered probably the greatest setup to a historical shot ever - ever!!!! - and this clip still gives me goose bumps. He knew Nicklaus's history to perfection, set up Weiskopf, and the timing was per
fect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqLiTrTiP0E
(note 3: How in the hell can Weiskopf joke about losing the Masters to Jack? That had to have been painful.....what a professional)
Since he led studio shows for NCAA, he was the first face we saw at 6:00 pm on the second Sunday of March for the selection show! Here's one from the archives - the 1987 show, with our gambling hero Brent and the old curmudgeon, Billy Packer, at his side.
I loved those 12' foot boards from "Kansas City" - before computers, this is how they really formed the bracket, right? Moving around pre-printed magnet labels of teams around the board to create the perfect bracket and the perfect path for Dean Smith and North Carolina? *
(* - sorry, my Maryland fandom is showing. They always got easy paths to the final four in the 80s. Pure fixing.....)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUIavVHt_qU
And one more for history - Nantz as the studio host for the last Olympics not televised by NBC...the 1998 Nagano Olympics, complete with the smarmy, drug-induced introduction of a flower growing in snow...It's a huge upset that we did not hear "Hello Friends...."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4_1ey4MGu8
What do I think about Nantz as an NFL announcer? I'm sorry to say, not much. He clearly favors the big teams and I think he's very unemotional. Here's exhibit A - and this has stuck with me for a while. Cleveland-Pittsburgh, 2007. Late November game, winner leads the division. Game at Heinz field. The Steelers just scored to go back ahead (18 unanswered! Nantz for sure points this out). And then the kickoff to the Browns...
Just imagine if Gus Johnson made this call. Ian Eagle.....Sam Rosen.....anyone but Nantz.
He made this sound like a routine 3rd down conversion....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q7w28cfSJ0
Cmon, be just a little excited....
And - found this beauty - Jeff Garcia with an epic performance against the Cowboys in 2004. This game was memorable for us as we scored late to get within one score (with :09 left, I think); then went for the on-side kick; and on the kick, Winslow injured his leg and was out for the year....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6uHaiJpTrE&t=147s
On to the games:
Buf 23, Mia 16. There has to be a letdown after the emotional Monday win for the Dolphins..
Car 23, GB 20. Just have no feel for this for Rodgers' first game. If Green Bay wins this and makes the playoffs, those Packers fans owe us Browns fans big time.
Jax 24, Hou 20. Talk about a letdown - can't imagine the Jags will play at the same level they did vs. Seattle. And Houston and Yates are motivated; Yatets is trying to show what he can do for next year.
Min 27, Cin 13. Cincy played 3 at home in a row, with the 2nd one being the Steelers collapse. Now they go on the road against a team off a loss, trying to gain top seed?
NO 26, NYJ 13. Can't see the Saints playing with much urgency here; they will do what they can to win and get out.
Phi 24, NYG 23. Just look at what the Eagles have been through! At Seattle, at the Rams - huge emotional games. Now 3rd road game in a row, without Wentz, and this is the Giants' Super Bowl.
Was 27, Az 16. Washington has too much pride to lay down at home, and I don't trust Gabbert on the road.
Sea 30, LAR 28. We all know the drill by now. Seattle falls behind, then passes for 532 yards in the 4th quarter to make it a one-score game. They seem to have the Rams' number.
NE 31, Pit 23. I'm convinced Belicheck had the Pats play possum last week, and the Steelers' pass D is awful now.
SF 24, Ten 17. Yes, ok, I'll ride the Jimmy G bandwagon. And my cynicism of the Titans is well known.
Dal 27, Oak 20. The Cowboys will stop th Raiders enough to win here.
Atl 20, TB 17. Tampa's Super Bowl, and Atlanta struggles this year playing outdoors.
Best bets: 15 of them. Last week: 11-5; overall: 105-84-4
Buf -3
GB/Car under 47
Hou +11
Hou/Jax over 38
Min -11
NYJ/NO under 47
NYG +7.5
Phi/NYG over 40.5
Was -4
LAR/Sea over 47
NE -2.5
SF -1
Dal -3
TB +6
Atl/TB under 49
Supercontest: Last week: 5-0; overall: 44-24-2
Hou +10.5
Min -10.5
NYG +7.5
Was -4
NE -3
Not much introduction for Nantz is really needed, is it? Nantz was born in Charlotte (actually, that explains a lot about his bias in the NCAA tournament) , lived in New Orleans and ended up in high school in New Jersey. He went to college at the University of Houston - majoring in broadcasting and playing on the golf team. Who was on the golf team with him those years? Freddie Couples; Couples and Nantz were roommates for most of his college career. Nantz recounted a time in college when he and Couples were sitting around one day; Couples said he was going to win the Masters in the future, and Nantz pipes in: "And I'll be there to announce your win!". So it was clear early on what Nantz's goals were.
(Note: Blaine McCallister - another PGA Tour member in the 80s and 90s - was also on that team).
His first jobs out of school were working Houston and Salt Lake as a sports broadcaster; Nantz joined CBS in 1985 and almost immediately went to the forefront of CBS Sports. I won't recount his whole history at CBS - we all know it - but it's amazing how quickly he became the face of CBS in the late 80s. he started with golf and NCAA basketball/football; he was leading NCAA studio shows in his 2nd year and then was in the 18th tower for CBS's golf towers in 1989. He was doing NFL games in the early 90's, went to host NFL Today when CBS re-gained the NFL package and then went back into the announcing booth in 2004 and became the #1 announcer then. We'll get to the NFL in a second....
....but first, some trips down memory lane. Here is our hero doing a promo for the '86 Masters - which would be his first Masters broadcast. Nantz lays out the importance of Amen corner and recaps the disaster that befell Curtis Strange in '85.....handing the green jacket to Bernhard Langer.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcObgJ1UMeo
(Note 1: If Strange doesn't falter, Langer doesn't get on the cover of Golf Digest in late '85....and a young golfer in Maryland who was struggling with his putting would not read an article on how cross-handed putting helped Langer.......yes, Langer was the inspiration for me to go cross-handed, and that was 32 years ago....32 years!)(Note 2: I want that all-red outfit that Langer wore. How in the world did that go with the green jacket?)
So they put Nantz in the 16th tower in 1986....and, the rest, they say, is history. Nantz delivered probably the greatest setup to a historical shot ever - ever!!!! - and this clip still gives me goose bumps. He knew Nicklaus's history to perfection, set up Weiskopf, and the timing was per
fect.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqLiTrTiP0E
(note 3: How in the hell can Weiskopf joke about losing the Masters to Jack? That had to have been painful.....what a professional)
Since he led studio shows for NCAA, he was the first face we saw at 6:00 pm on the second Sunday of March for the selection show! Here's one from the archives - the 1987 show, with our gambling hero Brent and the old curmudgeon, Billy Packer, at his side.
I loved those 12' foot boards from "Kansas City" - before computers, this is how they really formed the bracket, right? Moving around pre-printed magnet labels of teams around the board to create the perfect bracket and the perfect path for Dean Smith and North Carolina? *
(* - sorry, my Maryland fandom is showing. They always got easy paths to the final four in the 80s. Pure fixing.....)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUIavVHt_qU
And one more for history - Nantz as the studio host for the last Olympics not televised by NBC...the 1998 Nagano Olympics, complete with the smarmy, drug-induced introduction of a flower growing in snow...It's a huge upset that we did not hear "Hello Friends...."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4_1ey4MGu8
What do I think about Nantz as an NFL announcer? I'm sorry to say, not much. He clearly favors the big teams and I think he's very unemotional. Here's exhibit A - and this has stuck with me for a while. Cleveland-Pittsburgh, 2007. Late November game, winner leads the division. Game at Heinz field. The Steelers just scored to go back ahead (18 unanswered! Nantz for sure points this out). And then the kickoff to the Browns...
Just imagine if Gus Johnson made this call. Ian Eagle.....Sam Rosen.....anyone but Nantz.
He made this sound like a routine 3rd down conversion....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q7w28cfSJ0
Cmon, be just a little excited....
And - found this beauty - Jeff Garcia with an epic performance against the Cowboys in 2004. This game was memorable for us as we scored late to get within one score (with :09 left, I think); then went for the on-side kick; and on the kick, Winslow injured his leg and was out for the year....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6uHaiJpTrE&t=147s
On to the games:
Buf 23, Mia 16. There has to be a letdown after the emotional Monday win for the Dolphins..
Car 23, GB 20. Just have no feel for this for Rodgers' first game. If Green Bay wins this and makes the playoffs, those Packers fans owe us Browns fans big time.
Jax 24, Hou 20. Talk about a letdown - can't imagine the Jags will play at the same level they did vs. Seattle. And Houston and Yates are motivated; Yatets is trying to show what he can do for next year.
Min 27, Cin 13. Cincy played 3 at home in a row, with the 2nd one being the Steelers collapse. Now they go on the road against a team off a loss, trying to gain top seed?
NO 26, NYJ 13. Can't see the Saints playing with much urgency here; they will do what they can to win and get out.
Phi 24, NYG 23. Just look at what the Eagles have been through! At Seattle, at the Rams - huge emotional games. Now 3rd road game in a row, without Wentz, and this is the Giants' Super Bowl.
Was 27, Az 16. Washington has too much pride to lay down at home, and I don't trust Gabbert on the road.
Sea 30, LAR 28. We all know the drill by now. Seattle falls behind, then passes for 532 yards in the 4th quarter to make it a one-score game. They seem to have the Rams' number.
NE 31, Pit 23. I'm convinced Belicheck had the Pats play possum last week, and the Steelers' pass D is awful now.
SF 24, Ten 17. Yes, ok, I'll ride the Jimmy G bandwagon. And my cynicism of the Titans is well known.
Dal 27, Oak 20. The Cowboys will stop th Raiders enough to win here.
Atl 20, TB 17. Tampa's Super Bowl, and Atlanta struggles this year playing outdoors.
Best bets: 15 of them. Last week: 11-5; overall: 105-84-4
Buf -3
GB/Car under 47
Hou +11
Hou/Jax over 38
Min -11
NYJ/NO under 47
NYG +7.5
Phi/NYG over 40.5
Was -4
LAR/Sea over 47
NE -2.5
SF -1
Dal -3
TB +6
Atl/TB under 49
Supercontest: Last week: 5-0; overall: 44-24-2
Hou +10.5
Min -10.5
NYG +7.5
Was -4
NE -3
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