TELEVISION / LARRY STEWART : Making the Calls With Simplicity

The best thing about CBS announcers Jim Nantz and Billy Packer is they simply call the game.

No unnecessary editorializing, no gratuitous plugs for buddies in the coaching profession, no tired cliches. And you’d never catch one of them yelling, “Yeah, baby.”

It wasn’t that long ago that CBS had Brent Musburger calling these national championship games, and Musburger made sure viewers knew he was there. He did everything but yell, “Yeah, baby.”

Musburger came across as though he thought he was the star of the show.

At least CBS never paired Musburger and Dick Vitale. Imagine Vitale on a national championship game with its millions of viewers, seizing the opportunity to plug all his friends--and who knows what else.

The mere thought of Vitale on a game as big as Monday’s is scary. Thank goodness it was Nantz and Packer. They added to the enjoyment, not detracted from it.

They were informative yet not intrusive; emotional yet controlled. They treated the game with reverence--and levity.

But Packer is not there for levity. He’s there to add perspective and insight. And he does it better than anyone.

Packer has long been the best college basketball commentator in the business, and Nantz, in his fifth year with Packer, is the perfect partner.

Nantz had the appropriate call at the end of the game when he said Jim Harrick could hang a banner in Pauley Pavilion.

Monday’s game was one shining moment for Nantz and Packer, as well as their support staff.

And kudos to director Bob Fishman. He didn’t miss anything, and didn’t overdo the shots of family members.

Rick Gentile, the executive producer of CBS Sports, said from Seattle: “I was proud of the entire crew for a telecast that was first rate from start to finish.”

Well, not quite.

Did you happen to catch the grungy opening of the pregame show at 5 o’clock? Sorry, grunge rock is a Seattle stereotype.

The opening was overproduced. So were other parts of the pregame show.

A better opening would have been to chop off the first minute or so and begin with the clips from some of the earlier thrillers during the tournament.

And we certainly didn’t need to interrupt an interview with John Wooden to show someone who calls himself Halo Man standing atop the Space Needle.

After that, pregame host Pat O’Brien said, “We have too much time on our hands.” No doubt about that. There is a time for local color, but this wasn’t it.

Speaking of Wooden, it was interesting that O’Brien felt compelled to coach him, asking him to raise his microphone closer to his mouth. But then it was Quinn Buckner who could barely be heard.

Another coach, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski didn’t offer much. The highlight for Coach K came at halftime when he got to critique President Clinton’s hook and jump shot.

Clinton offered a pretty good critique himself, saying of his jump shot: “I don’t think my feet left the ground.”

The Clinton interview took place in a Little Rock restaurant. The President did well, although Southern Californians probably didn’t appreciate him talking about “our team” (Arkansas) and “their team” (UCLA).

Locally, the worst thing about Channel 2’s pre-pre-game show was a lengthy news report in the middle of it. It ruined what was otherwise a pretty good show.

Why would Channel 2 do that? To promote that night’s Action News, why else?

One last thing. Want to guess what Marques Johnson said on radio at the end of the game? You got it: “Yeah, baby.”

He said it twice.