CBS
Offers Shaky By George Stahl and Randy Williams NEW YORK (AQB)--Nasty collisions and scary moments are normally relegated to football; however, CBS had to deal with one Friday night in Michigan State's win against Oklahoma. And the network didn't deal with it perfectly. Michigan State guard Mateen Cleaves ran head-on into a solid screen set by Oklahoma big man Eduardo Najera. Both men fell hard to the court and didn't immediately move. CBS then went to an extreme close-up of Najera's face with his eyes closed, apparently unconscious. I thought this was a tasteless shot after a very scary collision. There is no need to scare Najera's friends and family, as well as all other viewers, with that close-up. CBS later returned to that shot to show Najera bleeding from his chin onto the court. Another gratuitous shot. Meanwhile, on the audio side, Jim Nantz and Billy Packer handled the collision adequately. They showed proper concern for the injured players and compared it to an injury suffered by college basketball great David Thompson in a game 25 years ago. Neither announcer thought Najera would return, but only Packer said Cleaves should stay on the bench while Michigan State held onto its lead. However, Cleaves returned two minutes later. And then, to the surprise of everyone, Najera returned heroically from the locker room 2 1/2 minutes after Cleaves. "I don't think Najera should be back in the game," Packer immediately exclaimed. But he quickly converted after a couple of screens by Najera. "How tough is he?" Packer said. "I don't think I've ever seen anything tougher than that in my life." Sideline reporter Bonnie Bernstein, who I thought took a little long to give an injury report, compounded the problem by incorrectly saying that Cleaves had a bump on his chin (it was on top of his head). She also said Najera suffered a "laceration on his chin." Hey Bonnie, how about dumbing down the medical analysis and saying that he had a cut or a gash on his chin? Bernstein, though, redeemed herself later by reporting that the doctors allowed Najera to return because he passed a standardized concussion test in the locker room. Overall, a mixed performance by CBS. CBS
makes right move After quick knockouts of Florida A&M and Tulsa in the first two rounds, Duke didn't get its first double-digit lead over the gritty, gutty Bears until a few moments into the second half. Shortly after that, with about seven minutes left and the Blue Devils leading by 18, CBS showed perfect timing by switching to the closer Oklahoma-Michigan State game. A move any earlier might have seemed too quick a TKO to Southwest Missouri State fans, whose team just ran out of gas in the second half, while a move later would have prolonged the agony for college basketball fans hankering for a good game. For
a switch, CBS did the right thing. Good
line: Lundquist-McGuire
solid McGuire made many good points throughout telecast, such as both coaches' links to Indiana boss Bobby Knight, the need to double-down on Duke center Elton Brand and the family atmosphere. The
former Marquette coach, though, did get into trouble often by getting
ahead of himself and predicting the action too much, but the 70-year-old
has done that throughout his broadcasting career and ain't changing
any time soon.
Do you agree with our assessments? Do you have items to add to our page? Then SPEAK OUT or E-MAIL US.
Back
to the Top
|
||
Today's Lineup | Sports
Pages | Features | Newsstand
| Sports Links
Speak Out | Mailing
List | Spotters | About
Us | Home
