Airwaves: Sacramento’s Napear is one of the greats
By: Artie Gigantino
Special to The Examiner
July 5, 2009
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| Grant Napear, right, talks with Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, center, and Jerry Reynolds before a Kings game. If you’re a sports fan, Napear’s show is one of the best. He can be described as Sacramento’s version of Gary Radnich. (Rocky Widner/Getty Images) |
Grant Napear is a great radio host and might even be a better play-by-play man. This Syosset, N.Y.-native is the Gary Radnich of Sacramento TV and radio. To begin with, Napear co-hosts the top rated Sportsline 1140 show which can be heard everyday from
4 to 7 p.m. on KHTK 1140 AM.
This hard-hitting, always-entertaining pure sports show is, simply put, the best radio sports talk this side of the Big Apple. Mike Lamb, an ex-USC Trojan offensive lineman who had a cup of coffee with the Raiders is the other co-host.
Lamb is more soft-spoken with many very solid opinions. He does a great job of balancing the very opinionated Napear. Grant will not tell the callers, who are many, what they want to hear. He will tell them what he thinks.
On the show, it is very clear he is a New Yorker, due to his affection for the New York teams, especially the Giants, which he still has season tickets for. Like him or not, people listen when the redhead talks on the airwaves.
If you evaluated Napear’s DNA, you would come to the conclusion his real passion in the broadcasting is play-by-play work. Currently he is the TV voice of the Sacramento Kings. He has been in this chair since 1998. Prior to that, he was their radio voice, and all in all, has been a voice for the Kings for some 21 years.
He has some Napear-specific phrases that he’ll bring out in a broadcast that are most memorable. After a big play, he shouts, “Oh boy!” This adds an exclamation point on top of a great play. My favorite expression of his is when he states, “If you didn’t like that, you don’t like NBA basketball.” All cool stuff that adds to the flavor of what comes out of this talented man’s mouth.
Recently, this broadcast journalism major from Bowling Green, N.Y., has beed filling in as a guest host for Jim Rome. This is just further evidence of the respect and national acclaim Grant has in the sports-broadcasting world. Although we are located in KNBR territory, tune into Grant and Mike.
They are at their best when something big is going on or just the following day after a Kings win or loss. Personally, I love their Monday show in the fall during the football season. You talk about the boards being lit up with fans from all the NFL teams offering their insight and take on what just happened on Sunday. On top of all that, they have great guests ranging from Mike Singletary to Phill Simms.
Just as the Bay Area is lucky to have Gary Radnich, The Razor and Tom Tolbert, Sacramento is very lucky to have Grant Napear in its market and on its airwaves.
Kiffin can’t stay out of the spotlight
You know Lane Kiffin. He is the spoiled brat that was the head man in Al’s Castle for a year and change. He has the Tennessee faithful all jacked up as the 2009 college football season rapidly approaches. Like him or not, the one thing he has done is keep the Vols football program in the news.
First it was the comments about the Raiders, then it was getting after Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer. Now here it is, in a dead time of year for college football and he makes news by getting the word out that a 13-year-old kid named Evan Berry has already committed to playing for the Vols.
Things are out of control in Knoxville. Fact is the real reason young Lance, as Al called him, got the job was because he agreed to bring his dad, Monte, along for the ride. I can’t wait to see how this whole thing turns out.
-- Yesterday, the NFL Network aired six shows on the 49ers and the Raiders. In their “America’s Game” series they showed six Super Bowl teams. Today at 7 a.m., if you are up and out of bed you can see the 1994 49ers. Depending on your personal situation that time of morning, it might be worth it.
-- Maybe it’s me, but Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow don’t seem as jacked up on the air this year as they have in the past. I could be wrong, but the zip seems to be missing. Now, they still do a great job and are basically Giant homers. I get all that, but just listening to them this past week was not the same. It might be the fact we have become so used to hearing them or the fact of life that they are getting older. Who knows? It might be all of the above or none of the above.
-- Just asking, are the Comcast SportsNet shows improving or staying the same? I see a little of both. “Chronicle Live” is up and down depending on the guests to surround Greg Papa. Some sportswriters just should never be on TV.
On Target
Duke hoops coach Mike Krzyzewski announced again this week he would not be interested in the Lakers job if and when Phil Jackson were to retire. As stated here three weeks ago, Jackson will retire. So when it does happen, Coach K will not be on the short list. Rumors like that can obviously hurt recruiting, so K wanted to get it over with before all the rumors started. Duke is fortunate because Coach K has said he will not leave coaching until he leaves Duke.
Who said it
John McEnroe
“His achievement is even more difficult than what Tiger Woods pulled off,” said the Opinionated One of Roger Federer’s 14 Grand Slam Titles. McEnroe is always good for a quote or two. However, in this case it is apples and oranges. It is really hard to compare different sports and what happens within the games.
Kobe Bryant
“I’m not going nowhere. I know I ain’t going nowhere, so it’s a waste of breath just talking about it,” said the NBA Champion after it was announced he will renegotiate the final two years on his Lakers contract. Duh! Not only is he a great player, but an honest guy. Now does any living soul out there think Dr. Buss would allow him to walk? If you do, I have some Raiders Super Bowl tickets that I can sell you.
One to watch
Today on CBS the AT&T at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. will be one to look out for. I have been there, and wow is that a great place. Jim Nantz and partner Sir Nick Faldo will call the action. Should be great stuff. Next year, this event will be in Pebble Beach.
Sports by numbers:
21 Years grant napear has been broadcasting kings games
5 Wins by lane kiffin as coach of the raiders
0 Wins by lane kiffin as coach of tennessee
Artie Gigantino spent 25 years as a coach at the major-college and NFL levels, was lead college football analyst for Fox Sports Net for seven years, was with CBS for one year and was an executive with the Raiders for three years. E-mail him at agigantino@sfexaminer.com.
