ONIONS! and Grant Hill

[mr. synellinden]

I thought this might deserve a separate thread from the announcer thread. CBS announced that Billy Raf and Grant Hill will do color commentary alongside Jim Nantz at this year's Final Four. Of course this is after Steve Kerr left to coach the Warriors and Greg Anthony was arrested for soliciting a prostitute.

This is awesome news. Raftery has always been my favorite analyst (with the smooch!) and Grant Hill is just so smooth and insightful. And he's got a good enough cool factor and sense of humor to play well off Raftery.

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/02/03/final-four-broadcasters-grant-hill-bill-raftery-jim-nantz

[Reilly]

Grant Hill is cool. Bill Raftery is fun. Maybe CBS is trying to atone for the many years of inflicting Billy Packer -- who is neither of those things -- on us.

[brevity]

Grant Hill deserves some credit for working outside the ESPN empire, which can't be easy, but is probably more fun.

[Tom B.]

Raftery is one of those guys who seems like he's been on TV forever (I mean, "Send it in, Jerome! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh9PToHOquI)" was 27 years ago), but I checked and he's only 71 (he'll turn 72 in April). That's four years younger than Vitale, and just four years older than K. Basically, Raftery started coaching right out of college -- he coached at Fairleigh-Dickinson for five years and Seton Hall for 11 years. Then he left coaching in 1981, at age 38, and went into broadcasting.

[TKG]

Great first step by CBS. Now if they would just replace Nantz.......

[Karl Beem]

Great first step by CBS. Now if they would just replace Nantz.......

Indeed.

[NashvilleDevil]

This is great news. Love Raftery and of course Grant. As long as Jim stays out of the way it should be entertaining Final Four. Doubly so if Duke is there.

[hurleyfor3]

Grant is back in the Final Four!

Nantz needs to, like, get caught in a three-way with Tom Brady and Tiger Woods.

(From what I've seen and heard of him after our various national championship victories, Nantz seems like a cool guy. But seriously, Bill and Grant? Just keep quiet, Jim.)

[hurleyfor3]

Oh, and speaking of onions (http://www.theonion.com/articles/nation-wondering-what-telegenic-eloquent-grant-hil,32704/)...

[mr. synellinden]

Oh, and speaking of onions (http://www.theonion.com/articles/nation-wondering-what-telegenic-eloquent-grant-hil,32704/)...

When you said, "speaking of onions" - I thought for sure you were going to link to this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmYtrXQswT8). Please pay close attention to Amile on the bench.

[Jackson]

I fear that Grant will acquire that "objectivity" that Bias and JWill have since they became sports journalists. Heck, Williams wore a UVA jersey on Gameday!

[Newton_14]

I thought this might deserve a separate thread from the announcer thread. CBS announced that Billy Raf and Grant Hill will do color commentary alongside Jim Nantz at this year's Final Four. Of course this is after Steve Kerr left to coach the Warriors and Greg Anthony was arrested for soliciting a prostitute.

This is awesome news. Raftery has always been my favorite analyst (with the smooch!) and Grant Hill is just so smooth and insightful. And he's got a good enough cool factor and sense of humor to play well off Raftery.

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/02/03/final-four-broadcasters-grant-hill-bill-raftery-jim-nantz

This is awesome. Thanks for sharing with the board. I am a huge Bill "man2mane" Raftery fan as well as Jim Nantz. Adding our own Grant Hill to this Class A team is icing on the cake. I am sure they will be great in calling the two Duke games, no matter who our opponents are. :) Grant getting to call the Blue Devils 5th National Title game in his first Final 4 will be special for him too. :)

I may be in the minority on this, but I really hate what happened to Greg Anthony. I know the guy messed up and only has himself to blame, but I do hate it happened. I think Anthony is easily one of the best college announcers in the game, and I greatly enjoy listening to games he calls. Hopefully after he pays the debt for his sin, CBS sees fit to reinstate him in his role as a college hoops announcer. Paging a hooker certainly isn't the worst thing in the world a person has ever done. Just a really bad decision made there.

[gep]

I fear that Grant will acquire that "objectivity" that Bias and JWill have since they became sports journalists. Heck, Williams wore a UVA jersey on Gameday!

You think, if unc is ever favored over Duke, that he will wear a unc jersey?!??!?

[brevity]

I may be in the minority on this, but I really hate what happened to Greg Anthony. I know the guy messed up and only has himself to blame, but I do hate it happened...

Dude, it was 24 years ago. He fouled out with 3:51 to go, and had to sit on the sidelines and watch the rest of the game. It's not like he committed a crime or something.

[subzero02]

Grant Hill is cool. Bill Raftery is fun. Maybe CBS is trying to atone for the many years of inflicting Billy Packer -- who is neither of those things -- on us.

Billy Packer was a bitter old man... I despised him as a commentator.

[flyingdutchdevil]

When you said, "speaking of onions" - I thought for sure you were going to link to this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmYtrXQswT8). Please pay close attention to Amile on the bench.

Apparently, Amile spent some time with Marshawn Lynch prior to this game. ;)

[Tripping William]

Dude, it was 24 years ago. He fouled out with 3:51 to go, and had to sit on the sidelines and watch the rest of the game. It's not like he committed a crime or something.

No kidding. I mean, it's not like he went all Warren Sapp or anything . . . . :eek:

[MChambers]

Dude, it was 24 years ago. He fouled out with 3:51 to go, and had to sit on the sidelines and watch the rest of the game. It's not like he committed a crime or something.
I'd spork you, but apparently I need to spread the love more broadly.

[jmck214]

The trio of Nantz, Hill, and Raftery will be making their debut in the Notre Dame Duke game tomorrow. Will have to turn the volume up a tick

[elvis14]

I'd spork you, but apparently I need to spread the love more broadly.

I sporked him for you MChambers b/c that was funny!

[MChambers]

I sporked him for you MChambers b/c that was funny!
The post definitely deserved some very positive feedback.