The People's Champ Is Back, Gus Johnson Is Going Deep Into The Tournament
Friday, March 14, 2008
I would never take credit for a movement this big, but I'm just glad I was a part of it. Gus Johnson is now back on one of the top four teams for CBS this Tournament season and he has a great interview with Tom Hoffarth from the L.A. Daily News today that you should check out. Here are some of the highlights...some of which come from you the AA commenter!
"Please put Gus on the number one crew (for the NCAA Tournament this year)," writes a reader on a post at AwfulAnnouncing.com, one that highlights the final few minutes of Georgetown's insane overtime win over Marquette that Johnson called two weeks ago.I've told Gus before, and I may have gotten it from Bill Simmons (can't remember), but if someone actually tells me they don't like Gujo....I don't think I can be friends with them. I think I speak for everyone Gus when I say don't change a thing. We're looking forward to this March because of you.
"If he doesn't get you excited about college hoops, you don't have a soul."
Yet, on that same posting, there's a response: "I call Gus Johnson 'Maxwell Mouth' because he gives you an instant headache. Please Gus, SHUT UP."
"It's funny about that crazy criticism, it weighs more on some of us than the praise does," said Johnson, who did last Saturday's USC-Stanford regular-season finale and will call CBS' coverage of the Pacific-10 Conference tournament final from Staples Center on Saturday afternoon (3 p.m.).
"To a lot of listeners, just being different from the others may not be what they're accustomed to. I do worry sometimes (about being too over the top). Sometimes, I try not to bug out and just let it go. I'll hide how I feel and what I see (during a broadcast) and try to be more conservative, so I don't subject myself to more (criticism).
"We care about how the viewers react, and are careful not to overreact ourselves," said [CBS Producer] Tony Petitti. "The NCAA committee felt the same way - they saw Gus' connection to the game. And honestly, nothing against JB, but Gus called more games during the regular season and it made more sense to bring him back."
Rise and Fire!
Let us embrace the `Gus Factor' (LA Daily News)
Pairings For the Sweet Sixteen and Elite 8 Games (Awful Announcing: 2007)
P.S.- Hey CBS....could you maybe provide us with some more photos of Gus? The photoshop (above) I made last year just isn't cutting it anymore.
8 Comments:
Off topic: Bobby Knight just went on a rant about how poor parents are in today's society. Someone asked him "What's the difference between coaching kids today as opposed to those in the 60s & 70s?" I was waiting for him to drop an f-bomb but it never came.
cool
I love Gus - he IS the NCAA basketball tourney. He's better than Nance all day long.
Ugh, I hate Gus Johnson. He gives me a headache.
Love Gus. Nantz and Packer should ride off into the sunset and let a new era begin with Johnson as lead announcer...perhaps Special K as his sidekick?
@sportsattitude:
I think Nantz & Packer are the reason why the SEC Championship was moved to ESPN2. It must be in their contracts to get the last word on CBS, despite the fact the winner of Wisconsin-Illinois will be lucky to score 45 points.
I really like Gus, but when he talked about the SEC Championship game being moved he said it was "moved to our cousins at ESPN2." I must've missed that marriage, especially since Dana Jacobsen was the best man.
Gus Johnson is awful. It's like having a radio announcer for the local team on the television broadcast -- except he is cheering for everything a la Vitale.
"Johnson for three, YES"
-Marv Albert