APBlue

March 21st, 2011 at 12:33 PM ^

He does.  In that picture, in particular, he really looks like the mascot.  Check it out:

 

I wonder if Duke is intentionally making slight changes to their mascot's face each year to increase the resemblance. 

JimLahey

March 21st, 2011 at 12:37 PM ^

I love how he tries to act mature and all high n mighty in his interviews and then has a facebook page on which he comes off like a arrogant little girl.

SysMark

March 21st, 2011 at 12:41 PM ^

Jim Nantz is a total asshole.  How long did it take him to come up with his "Fab Fabricated" witticism?  WTF does that mean anyway?  I wanted to smack the TV when I heard that.

Kudos to Clark Kellogg for pushing back on him.

el segundo

March 21st, 2011 at 1:17 PM ^

I've never been able to stand Nantz's non-stop, transparently disingenuous, sanctimony about the NCAA tournament.  He's more than happy to overlook corruption, dishonesty, and hypocrisy by coaches and athletic departments, but he goes overboard in criticizing players involved in scandals.  I wanted to throw up when he said the Fab Five ruined Michigan basketball.  Was it really just the players?  What about Steve Fisher and the coaches who all knew what was going on?  Of course, he can't mention Fisher because that might hurt ratings for an upcoming game.  Or make the NCAA angry.

I'm not sure that I would say that Kellogg really "pushed back" on Nantz.  He kind of offered a limp alternative view of the Fab Five, without really negating what Nantz said.  And he spent half the broadcast kissing Nantz's ass about everything else.

Mannix

March 21st, 2011 at 8:02 PM ^

you're a really cool hip white guy who does the opposite right, because everyone knows only cool, white hip guys do the exact opposite of what you typed.

I am and do those things you typed and still dig the Fab Five and hold no conditioned responses about the Fab Five due to the aforementioned things you typed.

Furthermore, I don't like Nantz even though Nantz and I may share a worldview which you typed! Crazy! On top of all that, the Fab Five may not do any of the things you typed that I do, yet, I still think they were awesome. 

Of course, I cried when the 76 Wolverines lost to Indiana and when the guy with the one letter next to his name that graduated from Michigan lost to the guy with the other letter next to his name. I was 10.

 

jmblue

March 21st, 2011 at 4:58 PM ^

Nantz subscribes to the traditional announcing view that coaches are blameless.  It's not Steve Fisher's fault that players took money under his watch, or Brian Ellerbe's for having zero leadership, or Tommy Amaker's for not getting past the NIT.  It's the fault of those no-good kids.

The FannMan

March 21st, 2011 at 5:43 PM ^

I think Kellogg pushed back about as hard as a commentator could on a play-by-play guy.  He let Nantz blabber on about Jalen and then said something to the effect that Jalen's comments showed a difference of socio-ecomonic upbringing b/t him and Hill and how that played out in the minds of 18 years at the time.  He then said that you basically have to take it for what it is and - I think remember this part excatly - "you move on."

Given that they were on live national TV and Nantz outranks him at CBS, this amounts to telling Nantz that he was clueless and should STFU.   There was a pause that showed Nantz knew what had happened.  He then backed down and moved on.

Admittedly, I am reading a lot into what Kellogg said.  However, there is no way that Kellogg is going to actually call-out Nantz on this.  I mean what did you expect him say - "You know Jim, I can't believe you said that.  You are an elitist ass-hat.  You either didn't pay attention to what Jalen actually said, or you have a serious comprehension problem.  Are you so sheltered that you don't get how Jalen looked at Grant and saw what his life would have been like had Jalen's dad been around the way that Grant's was?  Don't you get how that must have felt to an 18 year old kid?  Or did Jalen's baggy shorts just scare your lilly-white ass to the point that it just doesn't matter.  By the way - Jalen Rose has waaay more money than you do.  Take that to your country-club and smoke it!"  That would have made Kellogg the best ex-broadcaster of all time.

louieelbel1898

March 21st, 2011 at 12:52 PM ^

Thank god I was at the game live and didn't have to listen to Nantz and Kellogg during the game!!!  Watched the game on DVR last nite, and listening to those douchers made my ears bleed...Billy Packer was very irritating and extremely anti-Michigan as well, especially in the Fab Five days. At least he is off the air, and not paired up with "Nantcy" any longer

htownwolverine

March 21st, 2011 at 1:03 PM ^

you could taste the disdain when he called the Fab 5 'that bunch'. Clark K was at least diplomatic when he talked about Jalen and Grant. Nantzy was dead silent however when Clark called Jalen, '...a good role model.".

BRCE

March 21st, 2011 at 4:55 PM ^

Nantz really said the "Fabricated Five"?

I wouldn't know because when he got into that topic yesterday I hit the mute button.

bronxblue

March 21st, 2011 at 6:44 PM ^

As someone said yesterday, as a bsketball announcer, Nantz is a good golf announcer.

Good stuff for Coach K - nice to see he knows who to be friends with.