OT: Jim Nantz Will Call His Last NCAA Tournament
He's been the voice of the Final Four since 1991, but this one will be his last. Let's hope he's able to talk a LOT about Hunter Dickinson and the fellas in April.
Nantz isn't retiring - he'll continue doing NFL games and the Masters. But the Final Four won't be the same without him.
LINK.
October 24th, 2022 at 8:55 PM ^
"But the Final Four won't be the same without him cheering for Duke."
FTFY
October 24th, 2022 at 9:57 PM ^
Exactly this. Not a fan. Good riddance.
October 25th, 2022 at 1:34 AM ^
Remembering when he so cleverly coined the Fab Five as the Fraudulent Five. Bye bye
October 25th, 2022 at 6:57 AM ^
Him and Packer were transparently terrified of them and what they represented.
October 25th, 2022 at 9:26 AM ^
I don't know about that. Packer was effusive with praise for the Fab Five. Nantz went full hater after the sanctions and controversy but Packer was just short of outright cheering for Michigan in the '93 Final Four.
October 25th, 2022 at 8:28 AM ^
Can't stand the guy. Remember he used to give his tie to the MVP of the final 4?
CBS should take him out of the Romo Booth and just let him do golf.
October 24th, 2022 at 9:00 PM ^
Goodbye, friends...
October 24th, 2022 at 9:01 PM ^
Thoughts and prayers
October 24th, 2022 at 9:04 PM ^
Any news on Spike Lee retiring from credit card commercials?
October 25th, 2022 at 6:46 AM ^
He looks creepy & out of place on most of them.....
I guess that's his thing.
October 25th, 2022 at 10:54 AM ^
So--hopefully I am misreading this, and there's some better reason, but--people are criticizing a white announcer, Jim Nantz. And in some tit-for-tat Made in Amurrica, only-in-these-end-times way, that becomes the occasion to pluck out random Black guy (Spike Lee, come on down!) for 19 people--eager to let us all know that they're members of The Confederated Forces of Reaction--to harsh on?
If that's really what's going on here we should probably all just end it now, because that is low-life stupid on a level below which, what? And this used to be a place distinguished for the quality and intelligence of its contributors.
Tell me that I'm missing something, please.
EDIT: Good, I was missing something. Happy to have been wrong. Thanks for your answers. I don't watch TV, just Michigan sports on youtube TV, and I hadn't seen that ad. Sorry.
October 25th, 2022 at 11:59 AM ^
I'm not one to hesitate the call out racist dog whistling when it occurs, but in this case you are probably missing the fact that Jim Nantz and Spike Lee did those aforementioned credit card commercial together:
October 25th, 2022 at 3:44 PM ^
Thanks. See my edit above.
October 25th, 2022 at 12:02 PM ^
You're the one making it a skin-color issue. Spike Lee & Jim Nance are in some of the same credit card commercials. Is it okay if he doesn't like Spike Lee's contribution to the commercials? And yet he didn't name Samuel L. nor Barkley, just the one who possibly irritates him. Is it okay to be irritated by someone without making a distinction to skin color?
October 24th, 2022 at 9:06 PM ^
Excellent. Now maybe we can get someone who actually likes basketball and isn't counting down until the Masters,
October 24th, 2022 at 9:07 PM ^
Does this mean no more Capital One commercials? Darn.
To be honest, I like Nantz as a PBP guy, especially in college hoops. He's been the voice of college hoops for my teen and adult years. I know some would argue Vitale, but because he's on ESPN, he's essentially invisible come March and April.
October 24th, 2022 at 9:12 PM ^
They should replace him with Keith Jackson. He would be awesome!
October 24th, 2022 at 9:31 PM ^
Who wants to tell him?
October 24th, 2022 at 9:58 PM ^
I will tell him.
Sir, thank you, but I don’t really do college basketball games.
October 24th, 2022 at 10:23 PM ^
Keith! Man, we love you! You should at least come out of retirement and do football games again.
October 25th, 2022 at 12:32 AM ^
Oh..... that could be a will-breaker. Whoa, Nelly! Well, if I could learn how to stay composed… but I can't, because I love these people. Now if that doesn't whet your appetite, you're watching the wrong channel! But when you venture into the biggest house in football, you'd better come prepared, lest ye parish at the hands of the burly residents; and when the Wolves come onto the field, you'll hear a roar that'll knock pine cones out of trees fifty miles away! This is one of those... games... that echoes forever! This is a game that reaches across generations; that emphasizes the passion of partisanship. This is a game where players make the big plays. Oh, there'll be some raggin' around the table at Christmas; Clarence Williams' grandmother could have scored that one.
Frank Beckmann, who is the broadcaster for the Michigan team, came in before the game and said "What do you think?" and I said what I thought, and now I've decided I don't know a damned thing about anything. You wanna cry, you go ahead. I'll hold you up. You guys got me crying!
The music, the sound, the ambiance of a college football game -- never more pronounced than here in this big, big old oval called Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. Hail! to the victors, valiant! Hail! to the conq'ring heroes!
Look at that! Oh my goodness! One man! Goodbye… Hello, Heisman! One more and he's gone -- Touchdown! No flags!
This -- is Michigan.
Nobody's had more fun than I have.
October 25th, 2022 at 12:48 AM ^
I read this whole thing in his voice, all the while being so thankful that I could read this while thing in his voice.
October 25th, 2022 at 7:24 AM ^
Wow. What a voice. What a presentation. Like none other.
October 25th, 2022 at 9:06 AM ^
Thank you for posting the video.
October 24th, 2022 at 9:19 PM ^
Ian Eagle will be a dramatic upgrade.
October 24th, 2022 at 11:16 PM ^
This is so on point. Ian Eagle has earned this. Guy is great.
October 24th, 2022 at 9:20 PM ^
Good riddance, Mr. Fabricated Five.
October 24th, 2022 at 10:03 PM ^
Honestly, I'm shocked it's not Brian Anderson or Kevin Harlan. Harlan because he has such an iconic voice and has been the soundtrack to so many big moments (although I could probably do without Reggie). Anderson because he's (relatively) young and seems to be in line to be the "next" Nantz or Breen, etc.
Ian Eagle is a steady hand, but he always felt like a solid rotation guy to me... not really "the franchise."
October 24th, 2022 at 10:07 PM ^
And he isn't bald.
Bald eagles are so much better.
October 24th, 2022 at 10:20 PM ^
Jim will gift himself his own tie because he's been so impactful for himself throughout his career. Glad he will continue to do The Masters, it will be a lesser viewing experience for me once he stops that.
October 24th, 2022 at 10:34 PM ^
Losing Jim Nantz from March Madness is like losing Billy Packer was: addition by subtraction.
I'll miss Billy Rafftery when he retires. Definitely a fan of Kevin Harlan's excited calls in any sport. Would enjoy having Bill Walton do some tourney games "for the shear audacity" and constant one-upping superlatives.
October 25th, 2022 at 12:13 AM ^
From someone who watched Bill Walton broadcast Clippers games for many years, Bill is great for lousy games. I don’t think I would want him calling a game that matters.
October 25th, 2022 at 12:33 AM ^
Here's what Bill Walton had to say about the Fab Five -- before the two national championship games: "I think this is one of the most overrated and most underachieving teams of all-time. These are guys who come in and epitomize what is wrong with a lot of basketball players. They think they're better than they are." F**k Bill Walton, Dipsh*t.
October 25th, 2022 at 6:48 AM ^
He was high AF, so his opinion was distorted
October 25th, 2022 at 1:40 AM ^
A big yes to Bill Raftery, but I will never ever ever understand the love -- any love -- for Bill Walton. I live in Arizona, and he makes watching the Pac-12 games impossible. Non-stop blathering, talking about anything but the game he's watching, inordinantly pleased with himself all the time, he's the worst by far.
I can only assume people out East enjoy him because they don't actually care about the West Coast games they're watching. But if you're trying to enjoy the actual game, he makes that impossible.
October 25th, 2022 at 2:46 AM ^
The possibility of having to watch Bill Walton doing Michigan / UCLA games is enough to make my skin crawl. (As if I didn't already hate Big Ten expansion enough).
The only upside is that we get a peek into his warped reality: is the toothless Pac-12 still the Conference of Champions, or does the Big Ten pick up that title by adopting his beloved Bruins?
Now, if you'll pardon me, I need to go throw up.
October 25th, 2022 at 11:44 AM ^
I'm a Deadhead, so love Walton. That said I can tolerate his outspoken commentary most of the time. Usually so over the top that you have to laugh - and that can be difficult if your team is locked in. There were many years with subpar Pac12 basketball and Bill was there to entertain.
October 25th, 2022 at 4:01 PM ^
Do you drive a Cadillac?
October 24th, 2022 at 11:11 PM ^
I like him for golf but that's about it. Used to be OK in the studio back in the days before they became filled with doofuses on cheesy sets.
October 25th, 2022 at 12:10 AM ^
Time to bring in Spike Albrecht. I'd like to see him do a Louisville game and also hit on Kate Upton again.
October 25th, 2022 at 12:47 AM ^
I'd like to see Kate Upton as the new play by play face of March madness
October 25th, 2022 at 11:49 AM ^
It would be a genius move by CBS to keep people glued to their sets for each timeout.
October 25th, 2022 at 8:52 AM ^
The only sporting event I watch from my comfy chair with the audio on is the Kentucky Derby.
Then there are my childhood memories from Northern Indiana-listening to George Kell and Ernie Harwell on WKZO and Lou Boudreau on WGN.
October 25th, 2022 at 9:06 AM ^
I won't miss Nantz or his politics, but I have to admit he has a nice, distinctive voice.
October 25th, 2022 at 9:30 AM ^
Oh, this is one for the ages. Nantz is a sycophant - in every sport.
I will not miss his commentary, if you can call it that, at the NCAA. Hopefully, he'll have the opportunity to gracefully retire from Masters broadcasts in the near future too.
October 25th, 2022 at 12:30 PM ^
Here's an excerpt from Verne Lundquist's farewell letter:
ONIONS!!!!
Love,
Verne