CBS' Spotter Good At Keeping Tabs On Everyone

(From The USA Today -- By Michael Hiestand)

TOM SPENCER, who works alongside play-by-play announcer
JIM NANTZ on CBS' lead NFL game each week, starts by serving as an "extra pair of eyes."

He's a TV spotter who has worked with Nantz for a decade. He confirms details -- "with all those bodies flying around, a 6 can look like an 8 from 200 yards and you don't want to guess" -- and keep track of traffic for Nantz, who also juggles replays and reads on-air promos. Spencer sometimes points to names on a board.

"The biggest challenge is keeping track of who's in the game," he says. "There can be eight (subs) at once, and I have two seconds to identify key guys."

Says Nantz -- "The role of the spotter has become more difficult each year as substitution patterns skyrocketed."

Spencer, who also reports for a San Francisco radio station, spots for Nantz on golf, too. That's "totally different" because he follows players before they arrive at Nantz's 18th-hole perch -- "I'm trying to keep track of every golfer to help tell their story, whether it's the story of their round, their week, or even of their life."

Says Nantz -- "Tommy is a vital part of our storytelling process."

Football, says Spencer, is harder, partly because Nantz likes to track all NFL action -- "We're constantly looking at our laptops to keep track of other games. And PHIL SIMMS always wants to know how his son (Chris, the Tampa Bay quarterback) is doing."