A trophy by any other name would smell as sweet

by Bryan Wright

Just imagine how glorious a July it would be, if the Calgary Flames invited four other NHL teams, of their choosing, to play in a round-robin tournament following the Stanley Cup Finals.  The five teams would each play each other a couple of times, before moving into some kind of playoff format, eventually crowning a champion for the 'mini-season.'  They could get a couple of sponsors on board, say Imperial Oil, donate a lot of money to charity, and make it an annual affair.  It could become known as the Esso Flames Challenge.  How exciting would that be?

What would be even more exciting, is if the Flames were able to win their own 'challenge.'  The press in Calgary, and the Flames' legions of fans could celebrate as if their team had just won the Stanley Cup, because let's face it, that would be as exciting.  The City could host the Esso Flames Challenge Champions parade and everybody could really let loose for a few days, to revel in their glory.

Book Review: 'A Course Called Ireland' by Tom Coyne

by Bryan Wright

Now that Calgary is firmly into the winter season, I thought it time to talk about my summer passion, golf.  Well, not necessarily about golf, but rather a book about golf.  Several months ago I read a book entitled A Course Called Ireland by Tom Coyne.  With the sub-title ‘A Long Walk in Search of a Country, a Pint, and the Next Tee,’ it chronicles the author’s four month journey golfing and drinking in Ireland.  Of course there are no shortage of books on the subject, so Coyne threw in a tiny caveat; he walked from course to course, circling Ireland, over 1,000 miles, on foot.

Obviously this book is aimed at the golfer in the crowd, but it’s as much about Ireland as it is about golf and could be classified as a travelogue as much as a golf book.  Instead of a shot by shot account of his over 55 rounds, he instead focuses more on the people he meets, the towns he visits, and the rigors of walking such a distance.

Do You Want Frys.com With That?

Brendan Steele, Briny Baird, Garret Willis, Matt Bettencourt.  Golf's Mt. Rushmore?  Not exactly. They sit atop the leaderboard and are merely four of the 85 golfers who are currently ahead of Tiger Woods at the Frys.com Open this week in San Martin, California.  My how the mighty have fallen.

Timber!

There was a time when Tiger Woods shunned tournaments with url's in the title, now it may be one of the few he's eligible for.  Not having played since an MC at the PGA Championship in August, there has been so much speculation that Tiger's career may be over.  He hasn't won a tournament in over two years now, and outside of a T4 at the Masters, hasn't even really contended in one for over a year.  He simply isn't the same golfer that dominated the sport for over ten years.

To silence the critics, Tiger needs a good finish, even if only a top ten, simply to say to everyone 'I can still play.'  Playing in the Frys.com Open, a smaller tournament with lesser known names, less media attention and less pressure, may seem like the perfect opportunity for a fallen star to regain his lustre.

But through one round, it hasn't been pretty for the IHOP frequent flyer, who struggled to a two-over 73 on Thursday.  The problem with playing in a smaller tournament, with lesser known names, less media attention and less pressure, is it is also interpreted to be 'easier' for a golfer like Tiger Woods to do well.  He shouldn't just finish well this week, he's expected to run away with this tournament.  Or at least old Tiger would have been.  New Tiger, Tiger 2.0, Tiger sans Steve, whatever we call him, shouldn't be expected to run away with this tournament.  In fact, it should be surprising if he does play well.  No longer is he Tiger Woods, the world's most dominant golfer.  Now he is Tiger Woods, 132nd in FedEx points in 2011, playing out what's left of the exemption from his 2008 US Open win.


-TheRev


Jersey Fouls
twitter.com/TheRevBW
thesportsroundup@gmail.com
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Glory's Last Shot or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the PGA

The last major championship of the year, the self-proclaimed ‘Glory’s Last Shot’, the PGA Championship begins today. In a way, the PGA Championship is the red-headed step child of the majors. It doesn’t have the historical significance of a British Open, the national status of a US Open, or the prestige of the Masters. Simply put, it’s the least important major. But, it’s still a major, it’s still a tournament the players want to win, and it still has a very good field. So how to pick a winner?



Don't be fooled by the flags, Americans
almost always win the tourney


To begin, the PGA’s field is different than the other majors. The other three fields feature a host of amateur players taking up spots from potential winners (I have nothing against amateurs in majors, but they don’t really have a chance of winning, and they do keep a professional out of the tournament), while the PGA has twenty odd club pros, who have absolutely no chance of winning. We can shrink the field down quite a bit when looking for potential winners, but there are still a lot of golfers with a chance at the Wannamaker Trophy.

What also makes it more difficult is the PGA’s tendency to crown more ‘one and done’ major winners than the other three. In the past quarter century we’ve seen such household names as Jeff Sluman, Shaun Micheel, YE Yang, Rich Beem, Wayne Grady, Mark Brooks and Bob Tway win this tournament. Hardly world beaters, these are players who never really amounted to much other than that one hot week. So when we look at the field this weekend, these ‘no-name’ players have to be considered, even though their biggest ‘win’ might be a T22 in the Lumber 84 Classic.

Rory's Glory Story

While I don't think anybody is surprised that Rory McIlroy has won a major championship, I'm sure there were a few raised eyebrows that he was able to win the U.S. Open by a whopping eight strokes.  Just as I'm sure it turned a few heads when he was able to rebound from the worst final round by the leader at the Masters, when he fired 80 on Sunday to blow a four shot lead and to come in fifteenth.

I have to admit, I was a little surprised he was able to pull it off, despite having said in my predictions last week that if he could have a solid first round, he'd win.  But to be honest, I didn't think he would have a great first round!  And I definitely didn't think he'd win by so many if it were too happen.

The US Open: Glory's Third Last Shot

The season's second major begins today outside Washington, D.C., where players will tee it up at Congressional Country Club, each trying to win the 111th US Open. The biggest story of course, isn't who's going to win, but who isn't going to win; Tiger Woods. Tiger has pulled up lame and will not be competing this year. The way he's played the past year, it's doubtful he really would have been a factor, but with him not even playing, it is truly wide open as to who's going to win. Perhaps the most wide open field since the late 90's.

The thing about the US Open, it's cachet if you will, is the difficult course set up, which normally sees a winning score a little closer to par than at other tournaments. The rough is thick, fairways tight and greens fast. For some, this means that it takes driving accuracy to win a US Open, while other claim it comes down to putting. But really, like almost every tournament, it comes down to a combination of everything. The person who puts it all together for 72 holes will come out on top. And that leads to the biggest question; who's going to win this year?

Let's take a look at the favorites:

Charl Schwartzel Wins the Masters

"You forgot the 'E-S.' " 
"Nope, that's how you spell it Tig."

I was trying to think of a better title, perhaps some sort of pun, but there just isn't a lot that can be done with Schwartzel.  Jason Day would have been a nice win; "A Day to Remember" or "A Master-ful Day."  Or Newman's idea if Rory McIlroy won; "Rory's Glory Story."  Alas, we're left with Charl Schwartzel.

Going into the day, with McIlroy holding a four stroke lead, this Masters had the potential of being merely a victory lap for the young man from Northern Ireland.  But instead, thanks to some amazing play, some lucky shots, and an epic collapse, it turned out to be one of the more exciting tournaments in recent memory, featuring seven different players in the lead at some point on Sunday.

My Personal Struggle with Mr. Tiger Woods

A little history about myself

I’m a golfer. I’ve played golf competitively since I was 12. I am currently a four handicap, up from a scratch when I was fresh out of high school. Those were the days when I could play 36 holes without wincing, without flinching, and be ready to go again the next day.

These were also the days where I watched my favourite golfer in the world change the game forever. I am of course talking about Eldrick Tiger Woods.

I imitated his every move, and did my best to emulate his every swing when given the chance – this was much harder than ever thought. I’ve worn a hat with the Tiger insignia on it as long as I can remember. I marvel at what he can do, as I’m sure many others do.

Who's Going to Win the Green Jacket?

Hello friends, it's that time of year again.  The week that every golf fan looks forward to more than any other, it's Masters week.  The azaleas are blooming, the grass is that special green and everything seems to be ready for play.  But which players are ready to win?  Augusta National seems to bring out the game's best players like no other layout in the world.  Perennial contenders and oft champions Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will dominate most people's picks for the coveted green jacket, but there are others players with a chance.

Let's take a look at who's got the best shot to win this week.  I've taken the Vegas odds, and offered my own opinion.

Match Play Problems

2011 Accenture Match Play Champion Luke Donals

I really like the idea of a match play tournament on the PGA Tour.  It's completely different from every other tournament, and provides fans with an exciting alternative to the same old same old that is most tournament's on the year's schedule. But then why aren't I crazy about the Accenture Match Play Championship that Luke Donald won this year?

I see many flaws in the tournament, but I'll be the first to admit I have no idea how to fix them.  The biggest problem in my mind is that on Saturday and Sunday, the television coverage is, in a word, boring.  On both the weekend, there are only four golfers playing and simply not enough golf is ever shown.  Instead we get to listen to the likes of Johnny Miller.  That's a chore at the best of times, but made far worse when he needs to fill air time while players walk 300 yards to their drive, then each go through a seven minute pre-shot routine.  As riveting as that may be to some, I only see it as an increased chance of me hearing about how great the '73 Open was.  No thanks, I'd rather go clean out the neighbour's litter box. 

Where'd you go Bob Hope?

While the name may live on, the Bob Hope Classic is a mere shell of its former self.  Long one of the more popular events on the PGA Tour schedule, "the Hope" has been reduced to a third tier tournament that no longer inspires either fans or players.

The tournament is the Tour's only five-round event, and features a four-day pro-am format, which pairs professional golfers with a celebrity partner.  The tournament was popular with fans who could not only watch some great golf, but also see their favorite personalities.  In its heyday, the Bob Hope Classic featured the best golfers on the Tour, A-List celebrities, and one of the World's most popular entertainers as its host.  Former champions include Arnold Palmer, Johnny Miller and Fred Couples, while former celebrity participants include Frank Sinatra, Presidents Eisenhower, Ford, Bush and Clinton, Burt Lancaster, and Bing Crosby.

The Rules of Golf

I love golf, it's without a doubt my favorite game.  I could golf everyday, and when the weather permits me, I try and do just that.  But why is it that the PGA Tour infuriates me?  As I've previously stated, I love the four Majors and can't get enough of them, but the rest of the year I'd rather watch Newman hit balls than watch a PGA Tour event.

January marks the start of the PGA Tour season, and after only one tournament, I'm already angry.  I suppose my beef isn't specifically with the PGA Tour, but more with golf in general, but as the Tour is the medium in which this happened, I'm going to take it out on them.  I am, of course, talking about the ruling against Camilo Villegas this past weekend, which saw the golfer DQ'd from the Tour's opening event.

Ryder Fatigue

Former Assistant Captain Olazabal and his team.

The Ryder Cup takes place this weekend. What used to be one of the most anticipated events on the golfing calendar seems to have lost a lot of its lustre. What happened to this once prestigious event? Like a Greek tragedy, the Ryder Cup's slow death can be attributed to its evil brother, the President's Cup.

Formally, the Ryder Cup offered golf fans a different sort of tournament; a match play event pitting once country against another. The unique format made it exciting and different, the fact it only happened every two years added to the prestige. Add to that, the top quality players who participated, and you had quite the event on your hands, exciting for fans and profitable for the organizers, the PGA. But by the early 1990's, golf began to change, as players from different parts of the world rose to prominence. Names like Greg Norman, Ernie Els and Nick Price. Not being from Europe or the Untied States, they were not eligible for the Ryder Cup, and the PGA was unable to showcase many of the game's top names. Unfortunately, greed crept into play, and brought the world the President's Cup, a bastardization of the Ryder Cup, played under the false pretence of "patriotism." A more contrived event has never existed in the world of golf, and I'm including the 84 Lumber Classic.

Is the Tour out of the Woods?

Wake up the kids, fire up the VCR, the TOUR Championship begins today; the tournament that pits the top 30 players on the money list...er...FedEx Cup points list against each other, in a winner take all, no-holds barred format. Oh sorry, that''s a different sport.  The TOUR Championship is the final event of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup, and pits the top 30 players in the Cup standings against each other, giving four or five players a realistic chance to win, while the rest simply play out the string and perhaps pad their wallet.  Few times does a sport's final event evoke so little drama and interest as this year's TOUR Championship, and while many of the problems can be blamed on the TOUR, there are also a few that are out of their control.

Captain Picks Tiger

So Tiger Woods was one of Corey Pavin’s captain's pick for the 2010 US Ryder Cup team. I suppose it shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody, as he is the sport's most recognizable star. However, should notoriety be the criteria for making the team, or should it be quality of play? Myself, I think it should be the latter, and I don't feel Tiger has earned his way onto this team.

The first thing that struck me was while I was listening to ESPN radio on Tuesday night, where the announcer wondered aloud, 'Would Tiger have been picked if he hadn't been playing well of late?' So this is the first argument of why Tiger should be on the team, because he's been playing so well of late. In the past few months Tiger has finished T46, T23, T78, T28, T12, T11. I guess he's finished in the top 100 every tournament, but I’d hardly consider those finishes to be 'playing so well of late.' I can guarantee that lesser-known players wouldn't have been selected with those stellar finishes.

Return to Sender

The FedEx Cup begins today, the PGA Tour's attempt at a post-season, with The Barclays Tournament.  Does this mean, like with most other sports that the real excitment of the season has begun?  Is it like baseball, where the playoffs is what it's all about?  In one word, no.  That's right, I'm bitching about the PGA Tour again!

I like the idea of having a playoff on the PGA Tour.  As I've stated before, most tournaments have as much appeal as a hernia, and the Tour has been in desperate need of something more exciting.  This holds especially true at the end of the season, where in the past, Spetember was a time for players to battle it out for 125th on the money list in such star-dudded fields as the 84 Lumber or South Farm Bureau Classics, hoping to earn their exemption for the following seasoon.  The World Golf Championships were the Tour's first attempt at ending the boredom, but have failed miserably.  Nobody can claim they have any more interest in the CA Championship over the Memorial Tournament, they're both just run of the mill PGA Tour events.

But the FedEx Cup was going to do what other ideas have failed to do, create suspense at the end of the season, and crown a season champion.  A grand idea, but one that has fallen woefully short, and threatens to do the same for many years to come.

Where did it all go wrong?

Rules of the Game

Martin Kaymer was crowned the champion of the 2010 PGA Championship this afternoon at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, beating Bubba Watson in a three hole playoff. Of course it wasn’t as easy as that, Dustin Johnson held a one stroke lead going into the 18th and final hole, but was assessed a two stroke penalty for grounding his club in a bunker, subsequently took a triple bogey seven, and missed the playoff by two strokes.


After watching the footage a couple of times, I’ve come to a couple of conclusions. First off, I can’t argue with the penalty, as Johnson clearly grounded his club before hitting his approach shot and the players had all been told there were no waste areas; all sand would be paying as regular bunkers. However, that isn’t to say I don’t have a few problems with how this all went down.

Major Let Down

President Obama recently spoke about the BP oil spill in the gulf and said, “I am furious at this entire situation, because this is an example where somebody didn't think through the consequences of their actions." I share these sentiments and would like to borrow his exact words for my feelings over something equally as tragic; PGA Tour television broadcasts. If you don't mind, I would like to rant.

For the past several years, I've pretty much restricted all of my golf viewing to the four major championships. Many a week have gone by where someone would ask me if I had seen that shot on the weekend, referring to some nobody's miracle shot in some run-of-the-mill tournament like the John Deere 'Classic' or the Greater Wherever Open. My standard response has been, "No, I don't really watch golf outside of the majors." Of course they always ask why, and after catching some of this week's "Bridgestone World Golf Championship brought to you by Office Depot from the Firestone Golf Club, a Presentation of the Conglomeration that Brings you godaddy.com and Ford Motors," I remembered why.

When you're watching the four majors, you are blessed with two things; the best golfers in the world and the fewest commercial interruptions. The average golf tournament on the other hand has become completely unwatchable. I turned on the TV yesterday morning and came across the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, and while this tournament may have a similarly strong field to the four majors, it is such a contrived, corporate event, it's impossible to pique much interest.

To begin with, the four majors exist for a reason. The Masters was designed to simply host the best golf tournament in the world, featuring the world’s best golfers (mission accomplished). The US and British Opens are National Championships, while the PGA is the golfers' own Championship. The Zurich Classic in New Orleans, (which isn't a classic in the same vein as, say, Led Zeppelin’s music), is held because a company called Zurich wanted some ad time and the City of New Orleans was looking for some economic stimulus, while the PGA Tour was looking for a raison d’être. While that's inspirational, it doesn't really have the same cache as a National Championship and it never will.

The second problem with most PGA Tour events, and by far the most annoying problem is the saturation of corporate name dropping. It's absolutely unbelievable. The gold standard for a golf broadcast is of course, the Masters, which boats only four minutes of commercials per hour of coverage. Yes, that means they’re restricted to covering the tournament, which means I get to watch almost every shot without suffering through an endless parade of commercials (which are no longer necessary for bathroom breaks or beer runs thanks to the PVR). While the other three majors have more commercials than the Masters, they have far less than the average tournament, which can average over twenty-five minutes of commercial time per hour! However, corporate name dropping doesn’t end with commercials.

First there’s the leaderboard, which during most tournaments is brought to you by somebody. "And now let's take a look at The Honda Classic leaderboard, brought to you by the good people at Invesco...leaders in the world of investing." Wow that's clever, they 'brought' us the leaderboard, and they're leaders themselves! Brilliant! I'm thankful for the good folks at Invesco for doing us this favour, or we might never know who was actually in the lead. Then there are the little side segments, which are supposed to be of interest to a golfer, but really only to throw in a few sponsor names and avoid showing additional golf coverage. By these, I mean things like the "Know the Rules with washed up pro 'xyz', brought to you by Goodyear," segments, where Roger Maltbie or David Feherty explain to us how to drop a ball from a hazard without receiving any further penalties. That's fascinating, as I only hit it into five or six hazards each round, and am completely unfamiliar with this process. Not only does the segment bore me to death, it also usually ends with, "While we were away, Phil and Tiger both holed out for double-eagle, then dropped the gloves to determine who's shot was better. Now let’s take a look at the leaderboard brought us by…"

So yesterday morning, I turned the TV on around 10 in the morning and saw that Tiger had already finished and the leaders had not yet teed off. This meant there wasn't really anything to show, so the cameras decided to glue themselves to such dynamic personalities as Jim Furyk and Ben Curtis (the Statue of Liberty, who has more personality than ol' loopy, hadn't teed off yet). Spellbinding television to say the least. Everything was going fine, I was maintaining my sanity for the most part, until the clock struck 10:28 in the morning, and I was broad-sided with a fancy graphic announcing the golfnow.com Shot of the Day! Let me set the record straight; there were still 20 golfers who hadn't even teed off yet and Jim Furyk, who hit the SHOT OF THE DAY on the 2nd hole, was now on the 3rd hole. By my rough count, the field still had 500 holes left to play! 500! How, or rather why, do you determine the shot of the day at 10:30 in the morning, when half the goddamn field isn't even on the golf course yet!?

In what can only be described as Krakatoa-style rage, I turn the TV off, vowing never to tune into another professional golf broadcast until the next major (which happens to be Thursday's first round of the PGA, but after that not until April!). Fuming, I head out to run a few errands. Returning to the house around 3:30, I turned the TV on (my usual bodily function upon getting home), which was still on the same channel as before, and still showing golf. Now I'm not making up what I'm about to describe, this is what actually happened. As I prepared to change channels, and maintain my vow of avoiding non-major golf, it was announced it was time for the Prudential SHOT OF THE DAY! This golf coverage has been so riveting, it needed two shots of the day! I threw up a little. Whoever came up with having two of those should get a promotion. "Let's have two shots of the day. The coverage is so mundane, nobody could possible watch for six hours; nobody will ever know."

I understand that the four majors have much stronger TV audiences than any other tournament, so the need for additional sponsorship isn't as large. But perhaps these other tournaments would be a little easier to watch if they weren't so laden with commercials, little blurbs about nothing, and constant looks back at last year’s event.

Absolutely flabbergasted, I changed the channel, and fired up the PVR to sooth myself with some footage of this year's Masters Tournament. Ahhh.....green jackets and a sponsorless leaderboard. Hello friends...and welcome to another golf tournament you can actually watch without poking your eyes out.

/end rant.



- TheRev

twitter.com/TheRevBW

NBC - No Broadcast Complete?

Well it looks like summer has finally arrived in Calgary, so I thought I’d switch gears a little and talk some golf, particularly about this past weekend’s United States Open Championship. Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland was able to take home the trophy, after making it around famed Pebble Beach at even par for four rounds. But I’m not here to talk about the tournament; I’m here to talk about NBC’s atrocious coverage of the tournament.

Am I talking about the commentary, including Johnny Miller’s out-dated and self-indulgent ramblings? No, although I could go on for hours on that one too, even longer than Miller can talk about his 1973 Open triumph. Am I talking about the schmaltzy attempt at tear jerking that is rampant in every golf broadcast? No, although I could talk endlessly about why Davis Love doesn’t win because of a nearby rainbow or why Tiger doesn’t win because he has a father or has lost a father; every player on tour is in the same boat. Nay, every person on earth is in the same boat. (It’s a big boat) But I digress; I am here to rant about NBC’s awful camera work on Sunday’s US Open telecast. This was without a doubt the worst sports broadcast I’ve ever seen.

Since I simply don’t have the time to go through the entire seven hour broadcast (although I’d like to), I’m only going to talk about the final few holes of play on Sunday. And to narrow it down even more, I’m only going to talk about the final three groups, playing those final holes. The problem I had as a viewer over this final stretch was all the ___ shots ___ missed while _____ ____ ___. That was the experience watching golf yesterday afternoon. Fill in the blanks, a fun game to play with the kids!

Okay, we’ll start with the Mickelson-Els pairing hitting their tee shots on 14. Actually, maybe that’s not the best place to start, as we didn’t see Mickelson’s drive on 14, nor his second shot, nor Els’ second shot, and they cut away to show something else before Mickelson’s third shot stopped rolling. In fact, it ended up rolling back forty yards before it stopped, but I had to deduce that as I never actually saw it finish.

At this point in the tournament, Mickelson, Els, Woods, Havret, and eventually winner Graeme McDowell, were the only players in contention, and hence the only players being shown. I can understand that, who wants to watch Dustin Johnson limp home to a final round 82? But if you have only five players to show, you’d think you’d be able to show all their shots! Through the final five holes, those five players took a combined 111 strokes in about 150 minutes, and NBC missed almost 25% of them. Unacceptable.

When they joined the Woods-Havret twosome on the fifteenth hole, we were left to figure out for ourselves how Tiger’s ball ended up in the rough beside the green, not having seen either his drive nor his approach shot on that hole. Fortunately, after his chip, Dottie Pepper was able to tell us that after hitting his tee shot into the rough, Woods hit his approach a little heavy, and found himself short of the green, in the rough, chipping for birdie. Well, I’m glad I didn’t have to see all that! It was much better hearing about it. Ironically, while Dottie was telling us about what we missed on 15, the viewers missed two more shots on 16, forcing Brad Faxon to tell us about Mickelson and Els’ shots there. If only there were a medium featuring only sound, and no picture; golf coverage would be almost perfect.

I could continue ad nauseam about other missed shots, but rather than waste your time, I’ll merely use one of NBC’s favourite lines from yesterday’s broadcast, “while we were gone, [insert player name here] made/missed his putt for birdie/par/bogey and tapped in for par/bogey/double bogey.”

Now let’s talk about the few shots they did show. Hmmm…there was Tiger’s putt on thirteen, which used such an odd angle, from below the putting surface, that you couldn’t see the hole, only the ball. When Tiger did putt, we watched it roll along and then wondered why all the commentators were gasping. On a reply we saw the ball burn the edge of the cup, and figured out their gasps were because of how close it was. I’m not sure why we couldn’t have seen that the first time around. Or how about Mickelson’s tee shot on 17, which we joined mid-backswing. You could hear the commentator rushing his words, “…Mickelsonon17withasixiron,” trying to squeeze it into the half second it takes for Mickelson to hit the ball. The same thing happened on Mickelson’s chip shot on 17, (an amazing shot from the deep rough near the grandstand that was merely glossed over by NBC), his bunker shot on 18, Els’ fourth shot on 14, and a Havret birdie putt.

The best instance of joining a shot at the last second however, was Mickelson’s approach on the fifteenth hole. While Mickelson addressed the ball, we were shown a head-on camera angle, but as he brought the club back they switched cameras, revealing Mickelson’s ball lying on a bed of TV cables! We see this for about half of one second before the ball goes sailing into the air. The ball finds its way into the rough near the green, but before it stops moving the cameras cut away to Johnny Miller and Dan Hicks joking about still being on the air after having their cables chopped at. Not only did they not set the shot up at all, they never offered any explanation as to why he hit it either. I don’t think I’ve ever seen somebody hit a shot off of TV cables in the US Open, in the final round, while in contention, but I guess NBC didn’t feel it was worth talking about. Imagine if that shot ended up finding the green, only a couple of feet from the pin. It would be one of the more dramatic shots in US Open history, but relegated to a mere footnote in NBC’s coverage.

Perhaps this is why hockey’s TV ratings are lagging in the United States. Is NBC doing the same thing for hockey games? “While we were gone, Ovechkin and Crosby each scored their third goal of the game and began arguing over whose hat trick was nicer. They then dropped the gloves in probably the most exciting hockey fight in the history of the game.” This of course would be told as the camera showed a young fan sleeping in his seat. Why watch it live when you can be told about it later? Of course it wasn’t all bad this weekend and the optimist in me always finds a silver lining in every storm cloud. The good news is, there isn’t another golf tournament on NBC until September 5th at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Enjoy.


-TheRev