Best part of ESPN’s Masters coverage: No Chris Berman; Augusta National doesn’t want him

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Did you notice what you didn’t hear on ESPN’s Masters coverage yesterday? No promos for upcoming shows (won’t miss hearing the endless plugs for Two Broke Girls on CBS this weekend); obviously limited commercials; and drum roll please, no Chris Berman.

Each year, ESPN commits a major golf crime by allowing Berman to be part of its early-round U.S. Open coverage. His schtick is completely out of place at such a huge event.

You know Berman only is there because he tells ESPN he wants to be there. He enjoys golf and this is his chance to have his shot at a major. ESPN has to know he is horrible, but the network goes along with it because he’s “Boomer.” They want to keep him happy.

In 2008, ESPN lands early-round coverage of the Masters. Well, if Berman loves doing the Open, you would think he would take up residence in Augusta for a chance to work the Masters. Make no mistake, he definitely wants to be part of ESPN’s team for the biggest tournament of the year. It’s “a tradition unlike any other.”

So why isn’t he? Unlike the United States Golf Association, which mysteriously allows Berman on its telecasts, I am certain the august officials of Augusta National said, “No Boomer.” They don’t want his prattle (Clifford “The Big Red Dog” Roberts) messing up the pristine Masters telecasts.

As a result, we heard Mike Tirico handle the host chores Thursday. Now there is an ideal fit for ESPN and the Masters. We heard the familiar voices of CBS; the birds chirping when the fans, er “patrons,” went quiet; and the cheers when somebody rolled in a birdie putt.

We didn’t hear Chris Berman. The sound of that silence was beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

New book on Lenny Dykstra: Downfall of a bizarre man

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As part of his 30 baseball books in 30 days package, Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News, has a write-up on the new book: Nailed! The Improbable Rise and Spectacular Fall of Lenny Dykstra.

First, though, Hoffarth writes how Dykstra once tried to recruit him for his magazine:

“I’ll pay you a dollar a word to write for my magazine,” he said about five years ago, after I’d finished having a discussion concerning the MLB draft status of his son, Cutter, about to graduate from Westlake High.

“Lenny, that’s ridiculous, no one gets paid like that,” I told him.

Dykstra gave me the name and number of the editor of “The Players Club,” a very high-end magazine he published that targeted athletes with money to burn.

Kinda like him.

As for the book, it is written by Christopher Franke, who Dykstra hired to edit his newsletter in 2007. Franke documents the whole bizarre tale, which wound up with the former baseball and financial star in jail.

Hoffarth writes:

This is no Mona Lisa. No smiling allowed. To repeat the litany of Dykstra transgressions here would take a few blog holes, and we’re not even up to stomaching any of that, really. As PhillyMag.com wrote in a headline about a review of the book: “Lenny Dykstra is Grosser, More Racist, More Self Destructive Than You Ever Thought.”

But in a book that, frankly, had a lot to be desired in how the way the pages are laid out and the typeface is presented in such small print, Frankie lays it all out there — disgust and all.

“There were plenty of red flags that would have sent many running for the hills, but there were equal reasons for me to believe success was right around the corner,” Frankie writes on page 160, explaining how Dykstra recruited him to the Players Club. “Plus, I had grown accustomed to the chaos.”

 

No play-by-play man: Will TNT idea work for tonight’s game?

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Steve Kerr had a great line while appearing on Tom Waddle and Marc Silverman’s show on WMVP-AM 1000 yesterday.

When asked about tonight’s Oklahoma City-Golden State game on TNT (10:30 ET), which won’t feature a traditional play-by-play man calling the action, Kerr said: “We told them it was time to get rid of Marv Albert.”

Kerr, of course, was joking. After tonight, he likely will have greater appreciation for Albert, Jim Nantz, Kevin Harlan and other play-by-play voices.

In an interesting experiment, TNT is using Kerr, Reggie Miller, and Chris Webber for tonight’s game. Kerr said he will serve as the traffic conductor, but he won’t be doing play-by-play.

USA Today’s Reid Cherner reports:

The idea for the new booth came from a conversation between Turner Sports COO Lenny Daniels and Senior VP Craig Barry.

“Lenny and I are always talking that television has always been done the same way for the last 40 or 50 years,” Barry told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday. “Why not just have a team captain and have three guys who know the game inside and out?

“They are all charismatic, they are all capable of carrying a show, so why not just have them talk basketball?”

I applaud innovation, and it’s good way to spice up a late-season NBA game. However, I don’t think play-by-play men should get too nervous that the concept will put them out of jobs.

 

 

 

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Master tweeter: Dan Jenkins excels in 140 characters; Golf Digest editor talks about working with him

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Quite simply, the best thing going on Twitter is an 83-year-old man who struggles to operate a computer.

Dan Jenkins is back tweeting at the Masters this week. He is a must follow. You’ll never read a better use of 140 characters in social media.

It’s all about witty insights, biting sarcasm, and laugh-out-loud punchlines for Jenkins. Basically, Twitter is an extension of what he’s done for his entire career.

The week is young, but Jenkins already has zinged poor Colin Montgomerie:

Saw Colin Montgomerie looking for gifts in the golf shop, but they’re already out of majors for guys who have never won one.

Michael O’Malley, executive editor for Golf Digest, assists Jenkins with his tweets at golf’s four majors and the Ryder Cup. He definitely has the best seat in the house.

I asked O’Malley for his observations about working with the great one.

When did you start the tweets with Dan? What was his reaction when you first broached the subject? Was he aware of Twitter?

He made his debut at the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage, his 200th major, and was an immediate hit. He wasn’t familiar with the format but instantly recognized that it was made for him and allowed him to make quick observations on things that might not make it into a story. When a writer dropped by and said, “I never thought I’d see the day: Dan Jenkins on Twitter,” Dan replied, “It’s a new world.” Dave Kindred, who was there at Bethpage, said it best: “Now everyone is going to be able to hear all the funny lines that people in press rooms have been listening to for decades.”

How does the process work between you and him? Do you have to serve as a filter?

Dan likes to say, “Electricity hates me,” so he throws out a line and I’ll plug it in, and if he’s exceeding the 140-character capacity, we’ll talk it out. The first story of his I ever edited was from 1996, my first year at Golf Digest. When I hemmed and hawed about a suggestion, he put me at ease by saying, “Hell, Mike, everyone needs an editor.” He’s been great to work with.

What subjects/players intrigue him? For instance, he seems to enjoy sticking the needle in Sergio Garcia.

As Dan likes to say, “I root for my story,” meaning the bigger the drama, the better. High-profile players are part of that. I think Sergio’s body language is such that sometimes it looks like he’s wearing a “kick me” sign, and Dan obliges. But it’s just for fun, and Dan can take it as well as receive it. He loved it when David Ogrin called him “a hostile voice from a previous generation.”

Easy question, but why is he so good at it?

He’s the wittiest, funniest, most knowledgeable golf writer of this or any other generation. Pretty good combination. Most people can’t remember what they ate for lunch, but when something happens in a tournament he can instantly come up with the historical perspective and deliver it in a way that makes you laugh out loud.

Can you recall a couple of your favorite Dan tweets?

My favorite is from the 2009 British Open, when Ross Fisher said he would withdraw if his wife went into labor with their first child. Fisher then took the lead in the final round before making a quadruple bogey. Dan’s tweet: “Women say men don’t know what labor is like. Ross Fisher, whose wife is due any moment, just gave birth to an 8. They’ll call the child Quad.”

Some others:

–On Tiger Woods, after he kicked his 9-iron at the Masters: “Best contact he’s made all day.”

–At the British Open: “Miguel Angel Jimenez’s warm-up routine remains so suggestive that spectators are trying to stick dollar bills in his belt.”

–On Keegan Bradley’s pre-shot routine: “He kind of looks like the kid at the pool who’s not quite ready to go off the high board the first time.”

–After the 2012 British Open: “Lee Westwood finishes 13 strokes out of the lead and remains the Best Pretty Good Player Never to Have Won a Major.”

–Assessing John Daly’s fashion sense: “John Daly, the trailer park called after seeing your pants. They want their shower curtains back.”

–After Louis Oosthuizen’s double eagle on the second hole at last year’s Masters: “Requirements before they build a monument to Louis after his double eagle: 1. He wins. 2. They know how to spell Oosthuizen.”

 

Same old complaint: Not enough TV coverage of Masters

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Tiger Woods tees off at 10:45 a.m. ET on Thursday. That means he will be nearly done with his round when ESPN comes on the air at 3 p.m. ET.

Here’s another “tradition unlike any other”: Complaining about the lack of Masters TV coverage.

While all the others major golf tournaments receive virtually sun-up-to-sun-down telecasts, the Masters, the one event we want to watch the most, continues to dish out the smallest portions in the game.

My complaint is more about Thursday and Friday than the weekend. At least on Saturday and Sunday, there is 18-hole coverage of the leaders. During the final round, CBS comes on at 2 p.m. ET, almost an hour before the last group tees off.

What tests the patience level are the first two rounds. To make fans wait until mid-afternoon to see play from Augusta National is ridiculous. You miss virtually the entire wave of morning pairings.

When Billy Payne took over as chairman, he initially relaxed some of the club’s antiquated notions about limiting TV coverage. He expanded the weekends to track all 18 holes with the leaders. ESPN is televising the Par 3 contest today. There’s live coverage of holes and groups on Masters.com.

This year, CBS Sports Network will have On The Range shows from 11 a.m-1 p.m. ET during the four days of the tournament. A new addition to the menu.

Yet I thought Payne would do more. The add-ons are nothing but morsels. Golf fans want more. We’d watch pre-dawn coverage of the course superintendent’s crew cutting the grass at Augusta National.

I mean, why show viewers On The Range programs on tournament days when you have actual play occurring on the course? What happens if one of the morning players comes to 18 with a chance to break the course record during the 11 a.m.-1 p.m. window? Would CBS Sports Network be able to show it?

I asked CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus if he saw any upcoming increases in live Masters coverage. As you would expect, he was diplomatic, saying CBS is “satisfied with the level of coverage” on the weekend.

That’s corporate speak. I know McManus and ESPN president John Skipper, behind the scenes, are pushing for more coverage. Gently pushing, because that’s the way things are done at Augusta.

Ultimately, it is up to the chairman to make the call. C’mon Billy, it’s 2013. There’s cable TV. It’s time to give us what we want: All day coverage of the Masters.

 

 

 

Is there any change on the horizon?

 

 

 

Not just a name: Jim Nantz is serious about making impact as winemaker

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Part 3

Jim Nantz is on a mission. He is determined to get me one of his bottles of wine.

Even though he is running late, the veteran voice of CBS is scurrying through the lobby to find a box of his wine that has been dropped off at the Palmer House in Chicago. He asks at the front desk, but they haven’t seen it. He checks the bell desk. Nope.

I say, “Don’t worry about it.”

“No,” Nantz said. “I want you to have a bottle.”

Finally, we go down an escalator and find another bell desk that has the elusive box. He cuts it open and proudly pulls out a bottle.

“A lot of work went into this,” Nantz said.

If being the play-by-play man for CBS on the NFL, golf and the NCAA tournament is priority No. 1 for Nantz, making wine has vaulted to No. 2.

Nantz and industry entrepreneur Peter Deutsch have combined on The Calling, a label that currently features four wines on the market.

Nantz has quite a lofty vision for The Calling.

“We want to create the next great premium American wine brand,” Nantz said.

Indeed, this isn’t a hobby for Nantz. He is totally immersed in the business. Nantz and his wife, Courtney, moved out to California so they can be closer to the vineyard that produces the wine. He says they literally get their hands in the dirt while working on the property.

Considering Nantz’s jammed broadcast schedule, where does he find the time?

“Well, you find the time,” Nantz said. “This is something I love.”

Courtney handles much of the day-to-day business operation of the label, while Nantz grinds on the promotion end. He made several appearances for the wine while in Chicago for the Big Ten tournament. When he’s on the road to call an event, he tries to find a restaurant that carries The Calling. If Jim Nantz walks in, it’s a show of support for the brand, he said.

Yet Nantz’s biggest commitment might be in the name. Early on, Deutsch asked Nantz, “Does your name need to be on the bottle?”

“No,” Nantz said. “He said, ‘Good, let’s keep talking.'”

Nantz said the success rate for “celebrity” (“A word I hate,” he said) wine is extremely low. With few exceptions, people don’t take those wines seriously.

Hence, The Calling. Obviously, it plays on Nantz being on the call for sporting events. However, the biggest message, he says, “is about finding your calling in life.”

Not to get too sappy, but Nantz believes he has a calling to make wine (OK, I got sappy). He has a high interest in fermented grapes, and it is something that he has wanted to do more than decade.

“I am a spokesman for a lot of companies, but I don’t own anything,” Nantz said. “This is something I own. It is so rewarding. It’s a thrill to go into a restaurant, open the menu, and see The Calling is available.”

The Calling is in 3,000 restaurants, and the reviews have been highly favorable. Nantz gave me a bottle of the Russian River Chardonnay.

While I am more of a Guinness guy, in a tribute to Roger Ebert, I’d give The Calling an enthusiastic thumbs up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ESPN spends 10 days in China reporting story on 14-year-old Masters amateur

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That’s quite a commitment from ESPN for a story that airs on SportsCenter at the Masters today at 4 p.m. ET. I’m sure it must have been an interesting eating adventure for my good friend, Gene Wojciechowski.

From Wojciechowski:

“Whatever you think you know about China, you don’t. Ten days in three different cities doesn’t make me an expert, but I can tell you from a golf perspective that if the government there ever puts its full support behind the sport, you’ll eventually see a Chinese player slipping on a green jacket.

“I wish I had the building crane concession in China. And the breathing mask concession. And until I went, I had no idea Guangzhou was the third-largest city in China, or that Tianlang Guan, so celebrated in our country this week, is hardly noticed in his own country.

“It was a cool, bizarre, surreal experience. I’ll never forget the hospitality of the Guans. Or Christmas carols in March.”

*******

Kim Jarvis writes about the trip on ESPN Front Row:

ESPN.com national columnist Gene Wojciechowski and a crew from the network recently spent 10 days in China getting to know Tianlang Guan, who at 14 is the youngest golfer to ever qualify for the Masters.

Wojciechowski and ESPN camera crews following the teen phenom from China to Augusta National in Georgia. Front Row spoke with feature producer Sharon Matthews — who helped supply the photo gallery above — about making the video feature, which is scheduled to air Wednesday during SportsCenter at the Masters (ESPN, 5 p.m. ET), which follows the network’s Par 3 Contest coverage (3 p.m.). ESPN will televise the first and second rounds of the Masters on Thursday and Friday (3 p.m. each day).

Tell us about the trip.

It took us more than 40 combined hours to get to Guangzhou, China. We had to adjust to the 13-14 hour time difference after we arrived. With the additional help of two translators, we were able to film in different locations from Guan’s school classroom to Augusta. We wanted to take viewers behind the scenes of his life as a humble teenager on the verge of making golf history.

This was an opportunity of a lifetime. We looked forward to not only interviewing Guan, but to embrace the culture, try the different foods and see the atmosphere.

Most viewed tournament in 19 years; Will Turner, Marv Albert, do Final Four next year?

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Updated:

Well, did that game work for you? Looks like it did.

The ratings were impressive. From CBS:

The 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV is the most-watched NCAA Tournament in 19 years, according to Nielsen.  The 2013 NCAA Tournament averaged 10.7 million total viewers, up 11% from last year’s 9.6 million viewers, and is the highest average for the NCAA Tournament in 19 years (11.2 million; 1994). 

The National Championship game, which saw Louisville defeat Michigan on CBS on Monday, April 8, earned an average fast national household rating/share of 14.0/22, up 14% from last year’s 12.3/19 (Kentucky-Kansas).  The National Championship game averaged 23.4 million viewers, up 12% from last year’s 20.9 million. 

 The Championship game coverage peaked in HH rating/share with a 16.1/27 and average viewers with 27.1 million, from 11:00-11:30 PM, ET.

 Coverage for the entire 2013 NCAA Tournament across Turner Sports and CBS Sports averaged a HH rating/share of 6.7/14, up 10% from last year’s 6.1/13, and is the highest average NCAA Tournament rating in eight years (6.9/15; 2005). 

******

As I wrote previously, the tournament was a huge success thanks in part to the CBS-Turner partnership. Making all the games available really pulled viewers in for the long haul.

Now the big question: Which network will do the Final Four next year?

CBS and Turner were supposed to begin alternating the Final Four in 2016. However, apparently there is a provision in the contract that allows Turner to telecast next year’s Big Dance in Dallas.

Both networks said in joint statement, “There is no timetable for a decision.”

However, without knowing the monetary aspect, it would seem to be a no-brainer for Turner to grab next year’s Final Four. Why wait two years when the tournament is surging?

If Turner does get the Final Four, would it bump Jim Nantz and use its signature voice, Marv Albert, for the play-by-play? You would assume that would be the case.

Ernie Johnson definitely would be the main studio host, reuniting with Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley. And does that send Doug Gottlieb to the sidelines?

All questions that will be answered soon.

 

 

 

Q/A with Jim Nantz on the Masters: A tradition ‘unlike’ any other; not as genteel as it looks on TV

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Part 2 of 3:

Jim Nantz has been saying the phrase so long he felt the need to correct Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner.

During a conference call Monday, Williams recited the famous line as, “It’s the Masters tradition like no other.”

Nantz jumped in to set the record straight.

“It’s a tradition unlike any other,” Nantz said. “I think I’ve said that a time or two in the last quarter century.”

Indeed, while Nantz is seen by more than 100 million viewers when he calls the Super Bowl, and by a huge primetime audience for the NCAA Final Four, the Masters is his signature event.

This will be Nantz’s 28th Masters. He did his first in 1986 when Jack Nicklaus roared to his epic victory. Ken Venturi told the young kid: “Jimmy, you might do 50 of these, but you’ll never see another one like this.”

While Venturi was right, Nantz has called a few Masters that have packed plenty of memorable stuff. If all goes as planned, Nantz plans to retire when he does his 50th Masters at the age of 75.

Nantz, though, isn’t thinking about 2035. His focus is on Thursday.

Here’s my Q/A with Nantz:

What is it about you and Masters?

It’s the one event which people relate with me the most. I might be talking to a football coach in August, and they’ll ask me, “What about Augusta?” Fans at games ask me, ‘Who’s going to win the Masters this year?’

It’s the one event I think about all year long. The Masters is in my heart.

For me, I trace my wanting to be a voice to watching the Masters during my adolescence.  I was captivated by the Masters and I knew I wanted to be a part of it. It was a like a young Nick Faldo in ’71, ’72. He was training to be a cyclist. He watched the Masters, turned to his parents and said, ‘I want to take up golf.’ He was inspired by watching Jack Nicklaus.

I obsessed over it. I wanted to get good enough to get there. That’s what the Masters did for me.

How difficult is it for you to shift gears? You’re going from the commotion of the NCAA tournament to the more genteel environment of Augusta National.

It’s never an issue. They each have a different rhythm and pacing. But stylistically, you don’t worry about how you’re going to approach the game. That’s organic. When you’re sitting in a place absorbing the scene around, you adapt to the energy level.

I get asked a lot: “How in the world do you go from the Final Four on Monday with all that excitement and the next weekend, your voice drops to a whisper?” Most people don’t think about it. If you go to a basketball game one night and a golf tournament the next, would you still be shouting at the person next to you? It’s not that complicated.

What’s your routine when you get to Augusta?

When I get there on Tuesday, I’m not going to observe the birds. I’m not checking out the flora. I want to find every top player and have a face-to-face with them. I’m trying to get some fresh information. The problem is they all want to talk to me about the NCAA tournament.

It looks genteel and that’s the way it should look on TV with the sweet Augusta music that molds you as a viewer. “Oh, they must have just rolled out bed to do this. It looks so peaceful.” No, the reality is much different. It’s not genteel for us.

Do you cover this tournament differently?

Nobody’s telling me to do anything differently. We have more broadcast positions than we do for any other tournament. So it’s different in that sense.

Through the years, I have so many stories and information stored in my head. Someone will hit a shot and it’ll strike a comparison to a shot someone hit in the ’70s.

There’s so much history there. I love the fact that you can feel the presence of the fathers of the sport. I think of Furman Bisher (the late long-time columnist from Atlanta who was a fixture at Augusta). Sarazen. Nelson.  I do. I can’t explain it.

I just happened to be there the last time Byron Nelson walked the course. He was escorting his wife Peggy down to Amen Corner. I ran up in a golf cart and said, ‘Can I take you down there?’ It was a special moment.

Every year, you reflect back on a famous Masters prior to the final round Sunday (Jim Nantz Remembers Augusta, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET). What is this year’s selection?

Ben Crenshaw winning in 1995. It was the week he lost his coach Harvey Penick. We flew in Carl Jackson (his long-time caddie at Augusta National) to do a side-by-side interview. It’s going to be an unbelievable show. I’m not trying to sell you anything here, but it’s probably the best of all these shows we’ve done. It’s a very, very touching story.

Wednesday: Jim Nantz, winemaker.