With Musberger, hard to trust your ears
FOR ALL the fond TV and radio farewells to
Brent Musburger, who was relegated by ESPN to its SEC Network then left, we have not heard from a single reader expressing sorrow. Quite the contrary.
As slick as Musburger thought himself, first at CBS then ESPN, the knowbetter public never trusted him, considered him a hear-through thumper for his network and its wares — and a fanny-kisser of any front runner, college coaches especially, under any circumstances.
For all his “Folks, I’m here to tell you” bluster, he always could be counted on to avoid or minimize unfortunate truths. Viewers found that insulting.
And that he soon proudly will enter the dubious gambling info/tout business — as if his presence and name will instill confidence in prospective clients — further affirms what so many for so long sensed. ➤ Switching between YES and MSG’s telecast
of Wednesday’s KnicksNets, we kept bumping into good stuff.
MSG’s Mike Breen and Walt Frazier noted Car
melo Anthony was wasting more gas arguing with the refs than getting back on D.
YES’ Jim Spanarkel, told how as a pitcher at Duke — Ian Eagle called him the original Bo Jack
son — his coach was baseball Hall of Famer Enos “Country” Slaughter. Who knew? Neat. Back to MSG, where Breen noted the Knicks, to that late point, had 21 offensive rebounds — sagely adding that when you shoot 34 percent, the opportunities are maximized. ➤ Though LeBron James is right — TNT’s
Charles Barkley is the last guy who should be questioning anyone’s character — Barkley’s also right: James has become a self-entitled whiner. How would you like to be a Cavaliers guard while James com- plains he needs better players to feed him the ball?
But Barkley’s counter — LeBron’s angry response to Barkley was a case of “murder the messenger” — was ironic given Barkley, for all his transgressions, including criminal, is extremely sensitive to criticism, even attacking his critics — mere “messengers” — with on-air vulgarities.
Barkley and James are two more who are better at throwing punches than taking jabs.