Augusta Ga. – Why can’t I see the Masters? Why did Tiger Woods complete his round on Friday 2 hours before ESPN went on the air with coverage? Why is the coverage on Thursday and Friday beginning 8 hours after the golfers start hitting the course? I just don’t understand it. I know what you’re thinking. I should feel lucky that the racist crackers who run Augusta National have allowed Thursday and Friday to be televised at all. It’s the toughest ticket in sports, so it can’t be gate receipts that they are worried about. ESPN/CBS have live coverage every day so it can’t be a production issue. ESPN would normally be running Poker/Sportscenter re-runs, so it can’t be a ratings issue. Weather delays rarely happen so Mother Nature cooperates as well. Why don’t they want us to see it? Until a few years ago viewers never, I mean never, even saw the front nine. I never even knew there was a par three tournament on Wednesday until a couple of years ago. How great was it seeing The Golden Bear, The King, and The Man in Black playing together? Did you see how laser-focused Jack was? It was terrific. In today’s modern world, with internet access, email, facebook, myspace, twitter, 24 hour news, satellite radio, cab tickers, cell phones, crackberries, and nosy neighbors, do you have any idea how hard it is to stay in a news blackout so I can watch the “plausibly live†(thanks Phil Mushnick) coverage? It’s almost impossible not to know every detail already? Now I don’t expect the networks to go live at 8am every day. Just throw me a bone and start at noon. It’s no secret that I like golf. I enjoy playing it (no carts; they’re for sissies) and I enjoy watching these guys play, because as a bogey golfer I know how hard the game is and how amazingly skilled these pros are. They bomb it out of sight, shape these ridiculous iron shots, get up and down from the parking lot, and drain 15 footers like they’re gimmies. I’d just like to see them play a major as it happens! By the way Tiger and Phil are paired together today, which is interesting, although neither will win. I’d like to see Kenny Perry do it. He’s a little older, got serious game, and really hits it long and straight, which you absolutely have to do at Augusta. He just needs to make a few putts and the Green Jacket will be his.
Until next week
Rex
