Packer could be pretty cranky on the air about what he was seeing on the court, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing - nothing wrong with holding players and coaches to some kind of standards rather than just oohing and aahing about their brilliance.
However, as Diane Pucin of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "What stood out about Packer over the last few years was inability to project joy. He had one of the most recognizable voices in NCAA tournament history but never sounded as if he was having fun."
Kellogg, on the other hand, as we've seen in his studio work, does project the excitement and fun of the sport.
*Though he has left his post as WMAR's sports anchor, Scott Garceau retains his place as Baltimore's representative on the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection panel, at least through the process for picking the class of 2009, announced at the Super Bowl. As long as he's a working member of the media - which he still is, though not on the same full-time basis for Channel 2 - he is eligible to stay on the committee, the Hall said.
*Was it my imagination or did Tim McCarver seem uncharacteristically quiet during stretches of Tuesday's All-Star Game on Fox? Maybe he had a hint the game would go 15 innings and was saving his voice.
*During yesterday's British Open telecast on TNT, analyst Ian Baker-Finch made it sound as if he thinks Phil Mickelson psyches himself out when he comes to the event. According to highlights from TNT, Baker-Finch said: "Phil concerns me because he always seems to be worried about his trajectory when he comes over to the Open Championship. I think the players that have done well in the Open Championship go out with their own game; they just play. Phil is trying to change things, and I think that's why his Open record is so poor. I really believe that he tries too hard to change his game and prepare for this event rather than bringing his own game here."
ray.frager@baltsun.com
