Maybe all that music on NP was to just try and make it seem different than the norm. It wasn't a very exciting game on its own, so it probably was an "added value". Bud didn't do badly, despite the game...but a show like that begs to be more personality driven - a looser host, with an occasional quip to lighten the dull load. Bud seemed pretty stiff on this one.
Soapy Williams? Gee, Brother O, you're either quite the history buff, fellow Michigander, or just a bit older than I am...