I got an interesting e-mail from John Kilgo today in regard to my Thursday column about the way CBS routinely sets late start times in the NCAA tourney for UNC and Duke.
Kilgo, for those new to our area, is one of the most respected men around in sports journalism and broadcasting. The Observer's Langston Wertz recently named him as the best radio sports broadcaster Charlotte has ever had. Kilgo now broadcasts Davidson games on the radio. He also co-authored Dean Smith's autobiography and has been close to the Tar Heels' basketball program for decades. I'm leaving a lot out of the bio, but in any event here's a lengthy excerpt from Kilgo's e-mail to me (he gave me permission to reprint it):
Hello Scott --
Enjoyed your column today. Here are a couple of points you might consider.
1. By putting Carolina on at 10 p.m., they are penalizing the No. 1 seed in the South. By playing so late, which means about a 3 a.m. bedtime, it puts the No. 1 seed at a competitive disadvantage for the Elite Eight game. Why is television allowed to render the rest of the season meaningless just so it can have bigger ratings?
If Carolina wins Friday, either Oklahoma or Syracuse, both lower seeds, will have a competitive edge. Completely unfair and should be unacceptable. At least Duke is not the No. 1 seed. It shouldn’t have the game-time advantage over the No. 1 seed in the region.
2. The colleges are to blame for this nonsense. They usually try to argue that television doesn’t set the times that teams play. You laid that lie to rest. The NCAA should grant television none of these powers. If CBS doesn’t want the tournament under fair and reasonable rules, then three other networks would be standing in line to take the games.
Why don’t the colleges learn from the Masters? They tell CBS which holes it can televise, what time it can come on, what announcers it can and can’t use, what sponsors are satisfactory and how many commercial minutes (four) it can run each hour. And they give CBS a one-year contract. CBS falls all over itself to renew each year under these far-reaching restrictions. It would react the same way for the NCAA tournament if the colleges ever grew a spine.
3. The CBS guy says his job is to get “the biggest ratings possible.” He.... can be expected to think that way. The whole purpose of the tournament should be to crown a national champion under the fairest rules and guidelines possible.... The colleges should be totally embarrassed for giving the network the power to influence the outcome of the tournament.
Best Wishes,
John Kilgo
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9 years ago
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14 comments:
Kilgo, for those new to our area, is a grumpy old man who is complaining about having to stay up late on a Friday night. Big surprise. He's also upset that Davidson laid an egg in the 2nd round of the NIT tournament. What a bitter old man he is.
no big deal. syracuse, oklahoma, and gonzaga are all going to catch the kilgo virus before the weekend is through.
The pre-choke excuses flow in every year. And you guys wonder why you are the "Whine and Cheese" crowd. Or as Brando recently labeled the "Berries and Cream" crowd.
Bates... but he is saying it about all teams that play that late... it just happens to be UNC that is the number 1 seed. You are missing the forest for the trees.
I suppose the lights go out before 10pm at "Carmel Place" Kilgo is a complete idiot.
The days he is on local sports talk I turn off the radio. He is a OLD man living in the past. Quite frankly it is sad.
John Kilgo may have been relevant in 1970 but he should fade away with dignity rather than embarass himself and his family.
Did Kilgo complain about the start times in 2005?
He may have a point, but he complains so often about so much he reminds me of the old character on SNL that appeared a few times on weekend update - I think Dana Carvey played him and he was called grumpy old man or something similar. "In my day they didn't have these fancy..." whatever. "In my day we ....." did something no one could possibly enjoy..."and we liked it! We loved it!"
Unfortunately the only example I can think of would get deleted!
Also, I don't know how Kilgo came to be considered such a sports media legend, but I do know he's the worst play by play man I've ever heard. No one who talks that slow should be doing hoops PBP! Pretty comical.
Kilgo may have a point, but he whines and complains about pretty much everything, so most people just dismiss him as the old SNL character..."In my day, they didn't have these fancy...and that's the way it was and we liked it! We loved it!"
Wow, that is just sad. What a bitter old Tar Heel Kilgo is. He is a legend in his own mind. The only claim to fame he has is that he was the only guy doing talk radio around here in the 70s. All those years of fluffing Dean have addled the old man's brain. Kilgo, we are no longer in the 70s in case you did not get the memo.
Currently reside out of the area. Nice to see that John is still with us. Wonder if his brother Jim is still here. Remember him from his days as a weather guru on WSOC and DJ @ Big Ways...
John should not concern hisself with CBS and the NCAA...Highly unlikely CBS will be around this time next year in the present form. The company is floundering and you can buy the stock for a few $...
John is one of the most respected sports journalists in the country, regardless of medium. It is one thing to disagree with his point - a 10pm starting stime is just stupid, regardless of the team you support or who is playing at that time they are at a disadvantage in the upcoming round. It is a very diffeent thing to attack John as an individual.
You should be ashamed of yourselves. If your parents read your comments and recognize you as the author, they will be ashamed of you. Time to grow up kids.
Scott - thanks for posting the email.
I didn't know John was a legend, but I certainly do enjoy hearing his opinions on PrimeTime. He is an interesting and entertaining personality.
I have to just wonder why Carolina was the ONLY #1 seed that had to play the late game on Thursday or Friday. The higher seeds earned the right to play first and have more rest. However, you still have to play the games that are in front of you.
Gonzaga - Kilgo-ed
Syracuse - Kilgo-ed
Oklahoma - to be Kilgo-ed later this afternoon.
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