European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 6, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Friday april 6, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 25 commentary the lbs Shock that burned Brent Flash. Brent Musburger leaves lbs. Jumps to an. Says he can to wait to broadcast Baum older b3justbkidding. You a think this was april fools Day Only we re nearly a week late. Then again on april 1, lbs fired Musburger. The move was so shocking his to colleagues figured it was an april fools joke. 1 sure did. The Story came Over the associated press wire sunday night. One of our staffers Tom Saunders saw it and announced a a lbs just fired Brent that Tom. Always the prankster. He no doubt typed in the Story and stuck a a apr on it. I did no to believe it. When it finally Sank in that lbs had fired the biggest name in sports broadcasting we squeezed the Story onto a Page. And prayed it Wasny to a trick. We Felt like newsmen from april fools Day 1968, when Lyndon Johnson said he was pulling out of the presidential race. No Way lbs. But he Wasny to fooling. Neither was lbs in 1990. Evidently the network wanted to Cut Back on Musburger a massive air time. He wanted More Money. So Bye Bye Brent. That axing had to be the biggest sports broadcasting bomb since the St. Louis cardinals dumped Harry Caray in 1969. Or maybe since the new York Yankees fired Mel Allen in 1964. Or maybe Ever. Musburger filled the screen at lbs. He dominated pro football sundays with his anchoring of a the nil today for 15 years. He carried Aba telecasts to new Heights. He called such memorable Mcaa basketball classics As the 1985 Villanova upset of Georgetown and the 1989 Michigan thriller Over Seton Hall. I mean this Guy was As sure As a univ fast break. Just hours before the april fools Day massacre Early sunday morning while Musburger a play by play of the Duke Arkansas semifinal came Over an i blurted out to a Friend a i like my Friend agreed and we talked about the solid Job he does knows the language knows the game is prepared has a Strong voice. It really was an admission by both of us. Musburger raving was never fashionable. He took heat for his Rah Rah approach in the Early Days of his Aba work. He lately took razing for overexposure. One to Type was quoted As saying after the firing that Musburger was a too big for his in another word arrogant. Could be. 1 met him fleetingly six years ago and he seemed aloof. But so what he Wasny to the Best a Bob Costas is a but he was terrific on the air. And not just on to. He took Howard cosello a advice and kept doing radio work. Musburger aired some of his Best reporting on radio such As when he exposed Joe Montana As one of the White quarterbacks who was left alone after allegedly failing a drug test. Musburger also was a crack baseball announcer on radio. He carried a weak Johnny Bench on lbs radio games until the former Cincinnati Catcher finally caught on As a decent sidekick. Musburger gave his Farewell broadcast monday night. To his credit he ignored the Brent Musberger Story until the univ Duke Story ended. He sounded More Low key then Ever when before the Tipoff he said a we get ready for the championship no bellowing. Just Fox Musburger made like a Point guard in his lbs finale. He set up plays and let another Guy score Points. Namely Billy Packer. Musburger went through Long stretches of silence. That would get Packer to say things like a Brent done to you sense that Duke is not right As far As getting in sync with this ballgame Quot later Packer started an Exchange by reviewing a Larry Johnson diving save a an All american player in every respect. Tremendous attitude. Tremendous work ethic. And obviously very Musburger a and probably fortunate that he Wasny to injured on that play the Way he was Cut Down at the Packer a i was worried about the floor not Johnson. He a too Strong to get thus we heard the big switch analyst drawing out comments from the play by play Man. Packer produced his usual excellence with words and Musburger Wasny to about to stick in periods. A Packer collection when in Lvi Sanderson Hunt ran into a ref a for those fans that wonder that a the rub of the Green right there. Obviously Hunt would be been Able to catch that Ball if he Hadnot run into the official. But its gotta be turned Over to when in Lvi a Johnson scored a there was a Case of a great clearcut in the Post for Larry Johnson. Isolated completely Down there was Dukes Christian laettner. No help whatsoever. And you la watch him turn and use that tremendous upper body strength to go right at Christian laettner. There it is. The touch. Backs laettner off. And despite the disadvantage in size he gets it off. You cannot afford to not have somebody doubling Down on him to make it a Little tougher for him to turn and Packer sensed a rout Early. Musburger called it Over with univ up by 28 Midway through the second half a Hunt hits a three. And folks this ones All after the rebels had run away 103-73after the rebels had run their pos game Mouths. Brent and Billy had the floor. It was time for the great goodbye. Brent a most Points. Greatest margin. Ill Tell you this is a night that belonged to the running rebels and that a the Way it should be. But As you know this was my last assignment for lbs a after 22 years with the television network radio network and the stations. And i have had an Opportunity to work with some of the greatest directors producers technicians in the world not to mention analysts like my Good Friend Billy Packer. Billy we have shared some great Billy a Well we saw a great Champion Here tonight. Its been a great Honor for All of us to work with a great Champion in Brent a folks i have had the Best seat in the House. Thanks for sharing it. Ill see you Down the then he headed for an. Just fooling. The Star and strip Pentagon hiring freeze precludes an s making an offer to surprisingly unemployed Brent Musburger a Job a unseemly a Costas says new York apr mums the word on the Brent Musburger replacement search. Lbs which dismissed Brent Musburger on sunday denied a report on wednesday that abcs a1 Michaels will work a practice baseball broadcast this weekend. No cd a Bob Costas meantime said he was not interested in the lbs baseball announcing Job left open by Musburger a departure. Speaking on Abc radio Costas said trying to switch networks would be a an unseemly thing to a if Neal Pilson of lbs were to make that offer a Costas said referring to the president of lbs sports a i could go to them on that basis and make that request but 1 will not do that even if i had a Chance to move Over a and i done to think that i will a for a simple reason. A they did no to try to lose baseball a said Costas who was the no. 2 play by play Man at Abc. A it Wasny to their fault. They dealt with me in Good Faith and i think that 111 be Best served if i stay where i am and Hope that Abc has baseball Back in 1994. And then As a Good team player it will be my assignment to have instead of trying to Man Uever myself All Over the network map. I just think its an unseemly thing to Costas contract is Good for three More certain to expand by �?T93, Tagliabue says from wire reports nil commissioner a Tagliabue said the league will ex-1?Ter than 1993 a a be first time be nil has set a specific timetable for lading teams. Expansion is a very top priority pos july by 1992, certainly by 1993,�?� Taglia Pue said wednesday Dunn a teleconference to discuss a summer preseason lame m London Between the los an is raiders and the new Orleans taints. The London game on aug. 5 is one of our such events to be held outside the United states in 1990. The announcement of the clash was Nade at Wembley stadium traditional Home of England a International soccer team and site for London a american bowl. A i think that internationally we re making Good Progress. This series of games we think is going to be very successful a Tagliabue said. Tagliabue is to travel to Japan next week to promote Tokyo a american bowl clash Between the acc Champion Denver Broncos and the Seattle sea Hawks scheduled for aug. 5, the same Date As the London game. Last week the nil announced the Kansas City chiefs would play the los Angeles rams aug. 11 in Berlin at the olympic stadium a the a Fly a first foray into Germany. The fourth american bowl will pit the new England patriots against the Pittsburgh Steeles at Montreal aug. 9. The first american bowl was held in London in 1986, and the event has been a sellout at Wembley Ever since. Tagliabue said Britain a football hungry fans could eventually be treated to an nil playoff game at Wembley an idea that has been under consideration for some time. A a we re looking at changes in the playoffs we re open to other games. I certainly Rule out Wembley at this Point Quot he said. Tagliabue and former commissioner Pete Rozelle previously said expansion would take place two years Afler a new collective bargaining agreement had been signed with the nil players association. The league and Union Nave been without an agreement since 1987. Nil spokesman Dick Maxwell who attended the news conference in London said the league would add four teams a either four at once or two in one season and two More shortly thereafter. Tagliabue said the nil was concentrating on the . For new franchises but said cities in Mexico Canada and Britain could be considered for expansion teams. Asked about the possibility of an nil franchise outside the ., Tagliabue said a i could see that Down the line. I think its possible that it could be in this decade. That is a development that i do
