Billy Packer Could Take The Joy Out Of Sex

Monday, March 05, 2007


It seems like a Billy Packer bashing kind of day, so I'm going to join in. Before this Hansborough-Henderson Incident, before the Mid-Major controversy last year, before the St Joes incident, and before the Allen Iverson "tough monkey" incident.....I've hated Billy Packer.
There are not many announcers I say I hate. Sure I dislike A LOT of them, but hate isn't a word that I just throw around. I may use it when describing people like Joe Buck and Joe Theismann, but I never really mean it.


Well with Billy....I MEAN IT.

There is not a more misinformed, loud mouth, sweeper of generalizations...than Bill Packer. Everything that comes out of his mouth is more often than not either A) Completely Wrong, or B) So entirely joyless...that I want to punch myself in the groin repeatedly. Everything has to be so forceful and lackluster for some reason. (And you thought I was negative?)

I don't think Packer has had a nice thing to say about anyone ever, and I'd like to have someone prove to me that he even likes the game of basketball.

The problem I have with announcers on a whole is that they NEVER admit when they are wrong. It's okay to make mistakes...we understand. But when you do...let us know, and tell us WHY you made the mistake. What exactly was it in the pitch, the coverage, the baserunning, the penalty, the foul, and/or the replay...that you missed? We may have missed it too! It's not hard to do at all really. Say what you will about John Madden, but he has always done this after mistakes....that is what gives him a free pass with most viewers.

Well my hatred all came to a (screaming) head last night when he commented that Gerald Henderson was going for the ball (when the ball had been out of the screen for a good whole second) on the Hansbrough foul at the end of last night's Duke-UNC game. The replay clearly showed multiple times that he was wrong, and he continued to hammer away at it. That wasn't even the worst part.....he then said that not only shouldn't Henderson get a flagrant....that he shouldn't get a foul at all?!?!?!


"And you know what? It was not a nasty shot. Henderson was not looking for a cheap shot there. It was not an intentional foul at all. You can see right there he was going for the ball. It's one thing if a guy is going for a dirty punch....sucker play."

(What the hell is a "sucker play"?) Are you even watching the replay?!?!?! The ball is off the screen and already past Henderson when he makes the swipe. Hard foul yes...intentional maybe....going for the ball? Not a chance. It's people/broadcasters like Billy Packer that give the others such a bad name. Let's look at the aforementioned "rap sheet"......

  • -In 1996, during an on-air broadcast of a game between Georgetown and Villanova, Packer described the Hoyas star guard Allen Iverson as a "tough monkey".
  • -In 2000, Packer publicly apologized to two Duke University students for alleged sexist comments he made before a men's basketball game in Cameron Indoor Stadium. According to published reports, when the students asked Packer to show his press pass, he responded, "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?"
  • -In 2004, he was involved in an on-air spat with Saint Joseph's University head coach Phil Martelli, when he questioned the #1 seed that St. Joe's was given by the NCAA committee. The Hawks ended up being defeated one game short of the Final Four. This is similar to his criticism of Larry Bird's undefeated Indiana State University team getting ranked #1 in the media polls and a #1 seed in the 1979 tournament. Indiana State eventually made the final game, losing to a Michigan State team led by Magic Johnson.
  • -In 2006, Packer again hit sports headlines after blasting the inclusion of mid-major teams in the NCAA tournament, when larger conference teams like University of Cincinnati and Florida State University were left out altogether. [1] His comments caused a backlash among fans of mid-major conferences such as the Missouri Valley Conference and Colonial Athletic Association, both of whom have ended up having successful tournament showings (Bradley University and Wichita State University making it to the Sweet Sixteen and George Mason University advancing to the Final Four). Packer complained on Selection Sunday that teams from these two conferences had won just one game between them in the past three year's tournaments, despite committee chairman Craig Littlepage repeatedly telling Packer and his colleague Jim Nantz that past tournament performance was not a factor in determining the field.
Seriously, can someone start a petition to nix this dick from all future broadcasts. Every year he does/says something so stupid that I cannot even think. I could care less if he's done every D-1 Final since 1974.....bench his ass. He drags Jim Nantz down every year, while great color guys like Bill Raftery sit at home and throw darts at his face.

Billy Packer, Information Dissemination Specialist (Deadspin)
Gerald Henderson's Elbow on Hansbrough: Video (Tarheel Mania)
Billy Packer (Wikipedia)

Posted by Awful Announcing- at 10:37 AM

13 Comments:

You know what I hate about Packer (the most). He will make a point about a game/coach and the rest of the game is all about prooving his point. Everything else that happens, no matter how unrelated, is connected back to that first point. Also, he eats puppies.

Hank said...
Mar 5, 2007, 11:43:00 AM  

Hank is correct on both counts.

AA wrote: despite committee chairman Craig Littlepage repeatedly telling Packer and his colleague Jim Nantz that past tournament performance was not a factor in determining the field

I distinctly remember this. Packer and Nantz were so fucking clueless that the only two options remaining for Littlepage were slowly drawing his explanation in crayon (complete with backward S's) or double murder. I clearly would've preferred the latter. Littlepage had this look on his face like, "Seriously, assholes? You don't get this yet? What is your problem here?"

What does Billy Packer get out of his major-conference BJ's, anyway? A mouthful of Jim Delany?

Scrappled said...
Mar 5, 2007, 12:34:00 PM  

I didn't see the whole game, but what I find funny from the clip is Nantz (I think it is Nantz calling the game with him, i could be totally wrong) backing off and not calling Packer out on being wrong about it, and just letting him ramble himself into more and more trouble.

Also, please, never EVER relate Packer to sex again. I do not need that image in my mind, or the thought of him doing color in my bedroom and blatantly miscalling what was an orgasm by my girlfriend as "some mild arousal".

Anonymous said...
Mar 5, 2007, 12:52:00 PM  

So you don't like B.P. much then no?
;)

"I'd like to have someone prove to me that he even likes the game of basketball."

You do have to wonder don't you?

And btw, that priceless pic is brilliant!

Anonymous said...
Mar 5, 2007, 1:19:00 PM  

I wanted to flagrantly elbow packer in his head for his stupidity.

Anonymous said...
Mar 5, 2007, 1:19:00 PM  

I suspect this is why we all like to root for mid-major teams in the tourney sometimes -- just to make Billy Packer look so flagrantly wrong on air.

Signal to Noise said...
Mar 5, 2007, 1:58:00 PM  

This is the best post in Awful Announcing history and should be included in your resume when you become eligible for the Sports Blog Hall of Fame.

Rob I said...
Mar 5, 2007, 2:32:00 PM  

My first visit to AA and I agree--awesome post. Maybe Billy has more in common with Dickie V than he really knows--Duke apologist.

Could you imagine how much more fun the tourney would be with Raftery? Dare to dream...

Anonymous said...
Mar 5, 2007, 4:34:00 PM  

For what it is worth, Duke fans think Packer hates Duke. They will swear on Coach Ratface's life to this. In fact, everybody thinks Packer hates their school. I went to Wake Forest (as did Packer), and we think he hates us too. It is really amazing; one little old man, so much hate.

Hank said...
Mar 5, 2007, 5:05:00 PM  

Happy to see there are others who appreciate Bill Raftery. Not only is he insightful about the games hes watching, he also makes it fun without being obnoxious, being one of the few announcers who makes it possible to laugh WITH him. It's a shame he can't get a #1 NCAA or NBA announcing job. He really does his homework.

Unknown said...
Mar 6, 2007, 2:16:00 AM  

You hit the nail on the head...Packer is a douchebag of the first degree. Love the picture, also. I have to say, I did not know that he ate puppies, but I guess I'm not surprised.

Anonymous said...
Mar 11, 2007, 10:27:00 PM  

I'm an old guy and have hated Billy Packer for many years. Al McGuire ( the NCAA Champ coach at Marquette) had it right when he worked with Billy and identified him as a guy who was frustrated because no college would hire him as a coach. I can't figure out who Packer is blackmailing at CBS to keep his job.

Unknown said...
Mar 31, 2007, 6:55:00 PM  
Anonymous said...
Mar 16, 2008, 6:26:00 PM  

Post a Comment