AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2008 > February > 12 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USTiger, TV rule the PGA these days
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Furman Bisher
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH: (Not restricted to the pulled hamstring, strained oblique, inflamed tendon and sweatshop class alone, as you shall see.)
• As it must have come to your attention, we now have two PGA Tours: (1) The tournaments Tiger Woods plays in, and (2) the ones he doesn’t, in which television slumbers. In another way TV rules, as when the Tour decided to limit the number of players who can make the cut without strangling weekend telecasts. Players may make the official cut but be cut anyway because of the limit put on the weekend field. At the AT&T Crosby — I’m a stickler for history — J.B. Holmes and D.J. Trahan, winners of two earlier tournaments, made the cut, but were cut. Make sense? Of course not.
• Not to brand the Braves’ Class AAA club in Gwinnett with any bush-league label, but for public-relations and media purposes, would it not be wiser to give the team its own definitive name, such as Gwinnett Crackers? Revive the memory and do honor to the historic Atlanta minor-league franchise, and do away with a lot of headline confusion.
• No mystery why Woods and several other top-rated pros stay away from the Bob Hope Classic and, as it has developed lately, the AT&T Crosby at Pebble Beach. Small wonder that a carload of pros choose not to put up with a collection of amateurs for three or four days and the obnoxious semi-unknowns masquerading as celebrities. One day you saw more shots hit by Dan Marino — no unknown, he — than any of the pros. At Pebble Beach, one so-called celeb was identified as “male model of the year,” another simply as “an entertainer.” Whoopee! In the old days, Crosby’s celebs had names and faces.
• Did any of those celebrated Super Bowl commercials make you want to buy anything? Most of those I noticed should have come with identifying commentary. Tell the truth, two days later I couldn’t remember the name of any of the products that I saw. Yeah, I know, advanced dementia.
• Somehow or another, when reviewing the various talent misjudgments of the Hawks, one of the most glaring of them all is passed over. Pau Gasol was drafted third in the first round in 2001, then traded away (with two other players) for Sharif Abdur-Rahim, long gone from the scene. The tall European, meanwhile, has become an NBA stalwart for whom the Lakers just traded.
• Did you notice that some of the networks are doing away with female sideline football reporters — known to some as “eye candy” — and in some cases, not just the females? Their hasty interviews have been mainly a distraction, rather than enlightenment. Joe Paterno once turned one aside and said, “I’ve got to get to the locker room and talk to my team.” Now, if they can do away with those dugout “interviews” with major-league managers while the game is in progress. Cheers for Bobby Cox, who declined.
• How many times have you heard errant golf shots described as “unforced errors”? Sorry, but aren’t all wild shots “unforced”?
• Is it true that ESPN is talking about retooling its “Monday Night Football” cast again? Seems they can’t get it right, and Mike Tirico, Tony Kornheiser and Ron Jaworski don’t come off well. They’ll never have it as right as they did when the booth was manned by Frank Gifford, Don Meredith and Howard Cosell. It wasn’t a combination that liked each other very much, and that probably added to the atmosphere.
• When Cecil Travis retired from baseball, after a long career with the Washington Senators, what did the ballclub present him as a farewell gift? A milk cow. Try that on some of these self-exalted stiffs these days. Oh, and did you notice that Craig Biggio was rewarded by the Astros with a job as “assistant to the general manager”? Some teams have as many as of three of these, and I’ve often wondered: What does an assistant to the GM do? Go for the coffee?
• Did you pick up the hot tip delivered by one of the tour caddies the other day? How he shines shoes: Peel a banana, rub the inside on the shoe just as you would use wax. Presto! Shoes shined.
• Probably sounds a little retarded, but I’m probably the only person in the country who has a dial phone (two of ‘em), a typewriter and a pencil trimmer. And still using them all, now and then. (But no paste pot, once an old newspaper standard.) … Selah.
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By Murphy
February 12, 2008 10:13 PM | Link to this
MNF is like SNL, a shadow of its former self. And why the Gwinnett Braves? Buford Braves sounds better, but Crackers is a good idea.
By Boots
February 13, 2008 7:30 AM | Link to this
I’d like to see the new stadium replicate the old Ponce de Leon ballpark and the team call the Crackers, too.
The mound and flag in centerfield with Ralph “Country” Brown scampering up on the mound to haul in a long fly ball.
The signs in right field with the trains stopped up there behind the signs to watch a few innings.
The bleachers down the left field line.
My, my, what good memories of a simpler time.
By BiLL
February 13, 2008 10:09 AM | Link to this
Love the Cracker ideas - only problem is that there seems to be fewer of us folks around that appreciate history! Also am glad that TV is doing away with side line “bim bos” - now if that would just carry over to the Golf Channel (the one who can do no wrong) - I refuse to listen to her on Thursdays and Fridays.
By Steve in Richmond
February 13, 2008 2:46 PM | Link to this
I assume there will be much more about the AAA Braves than there was before. There was (repeat “was”) a lot of AAA Braves’ coverage in Richmond. The solution? There was the R-Braves and the A-Braves.
Call them the G-Braves.
By scooter11
February 13, 2008 5:06 PM | Link to this
Need a Kahn’s Weiner sign in Gwinnett ballpark. ‘H’ lights up green for a hit, ‘E’ turns red for an error. Then we could sit on our Taber Pontiac Rally Buttons. Most importantly, put a magnolia tree in right center.