Jim Nantz Lives A Sheltered Life

this picture is too funny not to useSince they both have homes in Westport, Connecticut, Imus and Jim Nantz know some of the same people, like David Komansky, the owner of La Villa, where Imus will dine tonight, and Bill Mitchell, the owner of Mitchell’s clothing store. In fact, Nantz likes Mitchell so much, he suggested Imus book him as a guest on this program.
 
“Why don’t you let us book the guests, okay, Jimbo?” Imus said.
 
Nantz, the lead football announcer for CBS Sports, was in Cleveland this morning, which is not Imus’s hometown, but a place he once worked. Nantz will be back in New York early next week to honor his broadcasting partner Phil Simms at the third annual “Remember When, Remember Now” gala to benefit research for Alzheimer’s, which afflicted Nantz’s father for 13 years before claiming his life in 2008.
 
“I want to do something like what you’ve done,” Nantz told Imus. “I want to channel my energy to do something that tries to make a difference for Alzheimer’s.”
 
Using Imus’s work with the Imus Ranch as a template, Nantz is in the process of sorting out how he can best help families dealing with Alzheimer’s. When he figures it out, Nantz would like to announce his plans on the Imus in the Morning program. 
 
“No, that’s not going to be possible,” Imus said. “But you can maybe let us know.”
 
On to football, Nantz will be calling the Jets-Browns game on Sunday, which is fraught with controversy: Browns coach Eric Mangini used to coach the Jets, and current Jets coach Rex Ryan’s twin brother is the defensive coordinator for the Browns. Plus, the Browns are coming off two huge wins against the Saints and the Patriots, while the Jets have been looking kind of sloppy the last two weeks.
 
Nantz is not allowed to pick football games because he calls them, but he knew that the Giants-Cowboys game had the biggest spread of the weekend, with the Giants favored to win by 14 points.
 
“It’s kind of interesting you know what the line is,” Imus noted.
 
Always one to give credit where it is due, Nantz applauded Vikings Quarterback Brett Favre’s performance in last week’s game, where he threw for more yards than in any other game of his career despite “all these other things circling around” him, as Nantz delicately put it.
 
And since Imus had never discussed this with Nantz, they got into the topic of why Favre would text a picture of his penis to a woman, as he’s been accused of doing. Nantz insisted he knows nobody who has ever done anything like that, and has never done it himself.
 
“You live an isolated life, in this little cocoon world of yours, hanging out with all your rich friends. You’re not out there with the real people, like me and Charles,” Imus said.
 
He added, “How’s President George H.W. Bush doing?” which upset Nantz very much.
 
Groaning, he warned Imus, “Please don’t segue from that story to ask me about the President. Can we talk about something in between?”
 
No.
 
-Julie Kanfer