Imus and Jim Nantz Get Personal, Which is Never a Good Idea
Jim Nantz's glamour shotIt had been a few months since his last appearance on this show, and Jim Nantz, the lead football announcer for CBS Sports, was feeling unloved this morning. So, Imus lifted his spirits by telling Nantz that he and his broadcasting partner Phil Simms “have got it going on.” In response, Nantz nearly broke down and cried.
“He’s a great guy, so respected around the league,” he gushed about Simms. “I ride his coattails every week.”
The two have worked together for seven years now, leading Imus to wonder when Nantz would throw Simms under the bus, as he did his former NCAA broadcasting sidekick Billy Packer. “He had a career unlike any other,” is all Nantz would say about Packer.
Since he’s too prissy to watch HBO’s Hard Knocks, which takes a behind-the-scenes look at a different professional football team each pre-season, Nantz criticized Imus for being a fan of the show.
“You have this Manhattan, myopic view that everything centers around your teams, like the Jets,” Nantz said, referring to Hard Knocks focusing on the New York Jets this year. “But I’m a little broader than that. I’m out here in America, I-Man.”
And Nantz probably spoke on behalf of most Americans this morning when he observed that Imus’s makeup artist at Fox deserves an Emmy.
Back to football, Nantz noted that even though the New England Patriots are turning their roster over to younger players, they’re still “battling it out” with the Jets in their division.
Imus’s two cents? “Brady’s longer hair makes him a more attractive man, don’t you think?” Nantz demurred, but Imus pressed on, insisting Nantz grow his hair out, and, while he’s at it, “stop by the gym, and hit that salad bar.”
Having made one too many lifestyle recommendations, Imus moved on, asking Nantz if he had ever called a baseball game. “I did one game in my career,” Nantz said. “I’m not qualified to do it. I know my limitations.”
He elaborated, telling some mind-numbing story about Mel Allen, and an old-timers game in the 1980s, to which Imus predictably replied, “I’ll be darned.” Then, “Ever send a picture of your penis to anybody?”
Nantz avoided this question by telling Imus that the woman to whom Brett Favre allegedly sent such pictures, Jen Sterger, has an interesting last name. “If you spell her name backwards, you know what it would be?” he said. “Regrets.”
Which is likely an emotion Nantz, like most Imus in the Morning guests, was experiencing as today’s interview drew to a close.
-Julie Kanfer
Jim Nantz 
Reader Comments (1)
Just finished watching the Nantz interview, and read this column. . . Brilliant!! As Mr. Wallce stated, you can just read Julie's Corner and you don't even have to watch the show. True, thank you!