Mel Bracht: Craig James enjoying time in booth
Media: Former SMU back covering son’s game for the third time Saturday
By Mel Bracht
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Published: November 13, 2009
Even with a grueling schedule of calling Thursday night and Saturday football games for ESPN, Craig James is glad he’s no longer working in the studio.
Craig James has enjoyed getting out of the studio to call Thursday night and Saturday college football games for ESPN. PHOTO BY LORENZO BEVILAQUA, ESPN
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A former SMU and
NFL star running back, James much prefers the lively game atmosphere to the quiet studio. And for the first time, he gets to cover games involving his son,
Texas Tech sophomore wide receiver
Adam James, who has 14 catches for 130 yards and one touchdown.
James, 48, will cover his son for the third time this season when he broadcasts the Texas Tech-OSU game at 7 p.m. on ABC. He will be joined by
Mike Patrick and reporter
Heather Cox on the broadcast, which will go to only 17 percent of the nation.
James of Celina,
Texas, also is busy ranching his 10,000 acres west of
Fort Worth, and he recently released a book, "Game Day: a Rollicking Journey to the Heart of College Football.” He discussed a few topics this week:
→
Can you be objective in broadcasting your son’s games?
"At kickoff, I pray that the Lord will give him the focus that he needs to do his job and for me to do my job. I look at it if I don’t call the game honest, I won’t go back and do another one of his games. Everybody who has listened to those games was amazed that I could do it. I did it totally unbiased. If (Texas Tech coach)
Mike Leach messes up, I’m going to say something about it. If they are not going to do their job, I pointed it out.”
→What is your impression of some of Leach’s off-the-wall remarks, such as references to his players’ "fat little girlfriends”?
"Quite honestly, for a program that wants to win 10 games or more a year, it’s a challenge enough to do it on the field without distractions. So I’m not a fan. I think the greatest piece of strategy I ever played under was
Raymond Berry in
New England and he used the old adage that you just lay low in the weeds and let everyone else do their thing and then just come out and do yours. I think it’s not good having comments like those made.”
→Do you give OSU the edge Saturday night as the home team?
"It means a lot here in this game. That and the uncertainty of Texas Tech in their quarterback position. You know for certain that
Zac Robinson is going to be there and he is at home. Even with the
Dez Bryant situation and
Kendall Hunter being hurt, I’m impressed by the way Oklahoma State has kept it together.”
→Do you think the NCAA was fair in punishing Bryant?
"I thought it was absolutely unfair. From what we know as a public, he is absolutely getting messed around. If the NCAA knows more than we are being told, than so be it. ... I feel sorry for Dez Bryant.”
→Do you enjoy broadcasting games more than working in the studio?
"It’s not even close. On that opening weekend, I’m standing next to Mike Patrick, who is one of the best announcers out there. I’m listening to him and I’m watching the
Michigan band. I took my head phones off and I said to Mike, "I can’t see that sitting in that studio in New York.”
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