Towards the end of the Patriots/Raiders game Thursday night, Oakland QB Kerry Collins threw his third TD pass to cut the New England lead to ten. Correctly going for a two-point conversion on the ensuing play, Collins threw the ball up to his new WR Randy Moss in the endzone. The Patriot DB had great position on the play and as he leapt for the ball, Moss clearly grabbed his jersey and pulled him to the ground. A yellow flag came in and anyone watching the game knew that Moss had been whistled for offensive pass interference…except the two guys calling the game. Al Michaels and John Madden, two of the best and most competent announcers in business, completely missed the play. Madden, who must have had his attention trained elsewhere, simply stated, “They’ll give them the ball on the 1-yard line.” Michaels simply agreed and when the duo realized that the officials had called Moss for offensive pass interference, they responded with veritable shock and awe. After seeing a pair of slow motion instant replays – the proof even more obvious – they still weren’t convinced. It wasn’t until the fifth or sixth shot that Michaels finally acknowledged that Moss had interfered.
Personally, I found it astounding that the pair missed the play. But at least they admitted their mistake when it was all said and done. The incident reminded me of several that my least favorite announcer of all time – Billy Packer – has had during his career. Packer, a former college hoopster himself, certainly has the knowledge to be a capable basketball announcer, but he lets his own ego get in his way. He delivers his points with such certainty that when events of the game transpire to prove him wrong, he still doesn’t admit defeat. The most recent Packer moment occurred during last spring’s men’s NCAA tournament. A defender blocked a shot and fans in the arena were screaming for a goaltending call. Packer dismissed their screams saying that the ball was “clearly on the way up.” Moments later, several replays showed that the ball was clearly on the way down. Packer’s usual whipping boy, Jim Nantz, questioned Packer’s position, but Billy just ignored the replays, apparently not wanting to admit he was wrong. It’s gotten to the point that I can barely listen to a game that he’s calling. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that, unlike Nantz, I played college ball myself, and I don’t fall for Packer’s BS. But this begs the question – who are your least favorite announcers and why?
