Brent Musburger

Brent Musburger came under fire during the BCS title game between Alabama and Notre Dame last month for what some perceived to be "creepy old man" comments about Katherine Webb, girlfriend of Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron, who was in the stands. When Webb was shown on camera watching the game, Musburger talked about how attractive she was, and that quarterbacks get all the hot women. Of course, if you really listened to his statements, it was all pretty harmless. Even Webb said she wasn't offended by it, and later thanked him for sparking interest in it helping her land a gig on a reality TV show.

Brent Musburger came under fire during the BCS title game between Alabama and Notre Dame last month for what some perceived to be "creepy old man" comments about Katherine Webb, girlfriend of Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron, who was in the stands. When Webb was shown on camera watching the game, Musburger talked about how attractive she was, and that quarterbacks get all the hot women. Of course, if you really listened to his statements, it was all pretty harmless. Even Webb said she wasn't offended by it, and later thanked him for sparking interest in it helping her land a gig on a reality TV show.

ESPN apologized for Brent Musburger's commentary on Katherine Webb, Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron's girlfriend and 2012 Miss Alabama. “We always try to capture interesting storylines and the relationship between an Auburn grad who is Miss Alabama and the current Alabama quarterback certainly met that test,” ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys tweeted. “However, we apologize that the commentary in this instance went too far and Brent understands that.” With about four minutes left in the first quarter of a game that already felt like a lopsided affair, Musburger began to talk about the women in McCarron's life, but mostly just focused on the beauty of his girlfriend.

Brent Musburger really is a dirty old man. Or maybe he's just a bitter man. Or a man with a good sense of humor. Or a man who garbled his words at the wrong time. Last week ESPN felt the need to apologize for the 73-year-old announcer's on-air admiration of Miss Alabama USA Katherine Webb, who was sitting in the stands at the BCS championship game watching boyfriend A.J. McCarron lead the Crimson Tide to victory over Notre Dame. Musburger made no mention of the incident during his first broadcast since then, Monday's college basketball game between Kansas and Baylor.

Brent Musburger really is a dirty old man. Or maybe he's just a bitter man. Or a man with a good sense of humor. Or a man who garbled his words at the wrong time. Last week ESPN felt the need to apologize for the 73-year-old announcer's on-air admiration of Miss Alabama USA Katherine Webb, who was sitting in the stands at the BCS championship game watching boyfriend A.J. McCarron lead the Crimson Tide to victory over Notre Dame. Musburger made no mention of the incident during his first broadcast since then, Monday's college basketball game between Kansas and Baylor.

Jim Valvano, forced out last winter as North Carolina State basketball coach, has agreed to a three-year deal with ABC for a reported $900,000. Dennis Swanson, the president of ABC Sports, said Valvano will be teamed on college basketball telecasts with Brent Musburger, who recently signed with the network after being let go by CBS the day before he broadcast the NCAA final for that network.

In the world of television, Bob Costas is kind of like a man without a country. His field of dreams has always been baseball--"the center of my broadcasting universe." But ever since his network, NBC, lost Major League Baseball to CBS, the prominent sports announcer has been restless for his first love. No matter that he has a successful NBC talk show, "Later With Bob Costas," which follows David Letterman nightly at 1:30 a.m. NBC clearly regards Costas, 38, as a budding all-around star.

I think Brent Musburger is a young Chris Schenkel. HERB WALLERSTEIN Beverly Hills

Many baseball players are scandalously overpaid but not so when compared to the obscene $2-million salary Brent Musburger is able to extract from CBS. ANDY ANDERSON San Bernardino

Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. The 1980 U.S. hockey gold medal. Roger Maris' 61 home runs. The Miracle Mets of 1969. CBS' firing of Brent Musburger. BARRY P. RESNICK, Orange

ESPN has apologized for Brent Musburger's comments about Katherine Webb during the BCS national championship game between Alabama and Notre Dame, even though the beauty queen apparently did not find his words offensive.  "If he had worded it different and said we were hot, or sexy, or commented on our body parts, it would have been completely different," Webb, the reigning Miss Alabama USA, told Esquire. "I didn't take any offense to it, because I think it's OK for a man to tell a woman that she's beautiful, no matter what age. " During the game's broadcast, the 73-year-old Musburger gave Webb, who is dating Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron, a lot of attention.  "You quarterbacks," Musburger said.

  What better way to liven up a boring BCS title game than to have ESPN play-by-play man Brent Musburger, 73, become a dirty old man after spotting the girlfriend of Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron in the stands. That's what happened in the first quarter on Monday. With Alabama leading, 14-0, the ESPN cameras found McCarron's girlfriend, Katherine Webb, in the stands. Musburger was intrigued. "You quarterbacks, you get all the good-looking women," Musburger said. "What a beautiful woman.

ESPN apologized for Brent Musburger's commentary on Katherine Webb, Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron's girlfriend and 2012 Miss Alabama. “We always try to capture interesting storylines and the relationship between an Auburn grad who is Miss Alabama and the current Alabama quarterback certainly met that test,” ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys tweeted. “However, we apologize that the commentary in this instance went too far and Brent understands that.” With about four minutes left in the first quarter of a game that already felt like a lopsided affair, Musburger began to talk about the women in McCarron's life, but mostly just focused on the beauty of his girlfriend.

If you answer the telephone and Brent Musburger is on the other end, you know as soon as the first word, "Hello," is said. A day later, when Pat Summerall is on the other end, again, no introductions were needed after "Hello." Musburger and Summerall and their deep-timbered, constantly tone-changing, higher, lower, emphatically textured sounds mean it's college bowl season, at least to those of us past a certain age.

USC, outraged over play-by-play veteran Brent Musburger's revealing during ABC's telecast of the Nebraska game what the Trojans contend was privileged information, fired off a complaint Monday to ESPN, which now oversees all sports programming on ABC. With just over 9 1/2 minutes to play in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game and USC leading, 21-10, Musburger began describing on the air how USC quarterback John David Booty lets his receivers know he has spotted a certain kind of coverage.

It has been 20 years since that memorable Super Bowl pregame moment when Raider employee Mike Ornstein tried to throw CBS' Irv Cross off the field in Tampa, Fla., while Cross was doing a live report. Ornstein, who now works for Reebok and is here for today's Super Bowl game, remembers it well. "Matt Millen was warming up and Al Davis thought Irv was in the way," Ornstein said. "Al told me to go over and get him to move. It was Al who made me do it. I didn't know he was on the air.

Thank you, CBS, for canning Brent Musburger. I haven't felt this good since ABC dumped Howard Cosell. Now if we could only get ESPN to get rid of Dick Vitale, we would not have anyone else around that we love to hate. BERNIE LAMAS, Newbury Park

During the Miami-Florida State football game, Brent Musburger commented that Barry Switzer and Jimmy Johnson do particularly well because they know how to get along with their black players. Are black players so "special" that they have to be handled differently? An interesting yet odd observation. RODNEY K. BOSWELL Los Angeles

Not quite 10 years ago, Brent Musburger was preparing to announce the national collegiate basketball championship game for CBS when he was abruptly fired. Today, he is preparing to announce the national collegiate football championship game for ABC. He and Gary Danielson will be in the booth for Tuesday's Sugar Bowl. "I hope the same thing that happened back then doesn't happen again," Musburger said this week. Musburger can laugh about it now.

A memory, only somewhat distorted, of the loud, irritating, self-absorbed blowhard Dick Vitale joining Brent Musburger in covering Sunday's UCLA-Duke basketball game for ABC Sports. Dick: UCLA against Duke. I been waitin' for dis all week, babeeeeee! What a classic matchup! What great schools, what great tradition! And speakin' a Duke's tradition, d'duke wit d'most tradition in my book was d'Duke of Windsor. He's one a my RDs, royal dandies.