Win a Chance for a Bob Knight Beatdown, Support Cancer Research in the Process
May 14, 2008
This might be the worst fundraising idea ever. The only saving grace is that it’s for a great cause, although the Dick Vitale Gala for Cancer Research organizers should consider taking out extra personal-injury insurance in case the way-too-obvious eventuality is realized:
As part of his yearly fundraiser for cancer research, Lakewood Ranch resident Dick Vitale is offering the opportunity for a round of golf with Bob Knight and John Havlicek on May 16 at the Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club.Bids for two threesomes will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. Saturday for nine holes with each basketball legend.
Bids start at $10,000 and include 18 holes of golf in the morning, a pre-gala party and the third annual Dick Vitale Gala for Cancer Research that evening at the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota.
I suppose nine holes is in everyone’s best interest; if nothing else, it’ll minimize the chances Knight wraps a putter around some guys head for a seemingly innocuous comment about chairs or something. To be fair, Knight has mellowed since retiring, although, as FanHouse’s Chad Rich suggests (via Knight’s cat, via MJD), that may have more to do with the mind-numbingly awful Digger Phelps and his highlighter.
So here’s to hoping Doug Gottlieb is the high bidder. Not only would the money go to a worthy cause, but there’s a better than 50 percent chance that Knight maims Gottlieb before the third hole. That’s a win for cancer research and college basketball.
UPDATE: FanHouse reader Johnny leaves moving-pictures proof of what Gottlieb can expect. Which makes me think pay-per-view is the way to go.
Hat tip: Larry Brown Sports
Tigers Woods Has Knee Surgery; Will Have to Stare at This for the Next Five Weeks
May 14, 2008
I’m guessing Sky Sports’ Tony Wrighton laughed his ass off when he heard that two days after his second-place Masters finish, Tiger Woods went under the knife:
Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee for the second time in five years and will miss at least four weeks while he recovers. … “He’s been having a lot of trouble,” swing coach Hank Haney stated. “He doesn’t talk about stuff like that. He doesn’t want to use excuses, you know? I don’t think it affected his play. It affected his practice a tiny bit.”
During his 12-year professional career, Tiger’s biggest challenger has been … his balky knee. How demoralizing must that be for the rest of the tour? Woods anticipates to miss a month, which means that he won’t defend his title at the Wachovia Championship, and could miss the unofficial fifth major, The Players Championship.
Assuming everything goes well, Tiger hopes to return for Jack Nicklaus‘ tournament, the Memorial, on May 29. Which is just two weeks before the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.
The bad news: that’s not a lot of time to prepare for a major, particularly one that requires precision tee shots. (Especially when second shots out of shin-high rough can be taxing on recently repaired knees.) The good news: Tiger owns Torrey Pines and has cleaned up there in recent years, winning the Buick Invitational on six occasions.
In the meantime, Woods will have to sit around the home and stare at Elin for five weeks. Tough break.
Trevor Immelman Does David Letterman Top 10 List: Immelmania!
May 13, 2008
Filed under: Golf
In an appearance that is guaranteed to turn Immelmania into a household word (OK, not really), Masters winner Trevor Immelman appeared on Late Show with David Letterman last night:
Immelman said he trademarked the word “Immelmania,” that President Bush congratulated him on “winning Wimbledon,” and that he had to console Tiger Woods afterward.
Immelman’s appearance was a good one, but I still prefer the No. 1 item from Zach Johnson’s list last year.
ESPN’s Masters Coverage Draws Large Ratings Even Without Chris Berman
May 12, 2008
ESPN’s Masters Coverage Draws Huge Ratings Even Without Chris Berman
Apparently, the ESPN yukkety yuks in charge of this year’s Masters programming were right to leave Chris Berman at home (preparing for the NFL Draft, no doubt). The Network has been internationally televising the tournament since 1993, but this was the first year it covered it domestically. In addition to the first two rounds, ESPN also carried the Par-3 Contest, the first time the event was ever put on the teevees.
And it went better than anybody could’ve imagined:
The broadcast of the second round Friday was the most-viewed golf telecast on cable, producing a 3.1 rating. It’s the first time either of the first two rounds of the Masters has drawn a 3.0 rating. Coverage of Thursday’s first round produced a 2.2 rating. …
“We are very excited about both the broadcast and new media results from our initial domestic association with ESPN,” Masters chairman Billy Payne said. “This expanded reach, along with our other initiatives, significantly helps us with our goal of growing the game of golf.”
The next logical question is how can ESPN expand their coverage going forward. Which, for fans who don’t respond particularly well to the Skip Bayless-ing of the sports news landscape, raises all sorts of concerns.
Luckily, Augusta National, unlike professional sports leagues, doesn’t care about money. There’s a reason we get to watch The Masters with “limited commercial interruptions.” It’s because the green-jacketed mafia feels the commercialization of their little event somehow sullies its good name.
Of course, the net worth of Augusta’s members is well into the billions of dollars (Bill Gates is in the club), so it’s not like they’re looking to make a swift buck . Whatever, thank God for really rich old white dudes.
Trevor Immelman Does David Letterman Top 10 List: Immelmania!
May 11, 2008
Trevor Immelman Does David Letterman Top 10 List: Immelmania!
Filed under: Golf
In an appearance that is guaranteed to turn Immelmania into a household word (OK, not really), Masters winner Trevor Immelman appeared on Late Show with David Letterman last night:
Immelman said he trademarked the word “Immelmania,” that President Bush congratulated him on “winning Wimbledon,” and that he had to console Tiger Woods afterward.
Immelman’s appearance was a good one, but I still prefer the No. 1 item from Zach Johnson’s list last year.
ESPN’s Masters Coverage Draws Massive Ratings Even Without Chris Berman
May 10, 2008
Apparently, the ESPN yukkety yuks in charge of this year’s Masters programming were right to leave Chris Berman at home (preparing for the NFL Draft, no doubt). The Network has been internationally televising the tournament since 1993, but this was the first year it covered it domestically. In addition to the first two rounds, ESPN also carried the Par-3 Contest, the first time the event was ever put on the teevees.
And it went superior than anybody could’ve imagined:
The broadcast of the second round Friday was the most-viewed golf telecast on cable, producing a 3.1 rating. It’s the first time either of the first two rounds of the Masters has drawn a 3.0 rating. Coverage of Thursday’s first round produced a 2.2 rating. …
“We are very excited about both the broadcast and new media results from our initial domestic association with ESPN,” Masters chairman Billy Payne stated. “This expanded reach, along with our other initiatives, significantly helps us with our goal of growing the game of golf.”
The next logical question is how can ESPN expand their coverage going forward. Which, for fans who don’t respond particularly well to the Skip Bayless-ing of the sports news landscape, raises all sorts of concerns.
Luckily, Augusta National, unlike professional sports leagues, doesn’t care about money. There’s a reason we get to watch The Masters with “limited commercial interruptions.” It’s because the green-jacketed mafia feels the commercialization of their little event somehow sullies its good name.
Of course, the net worth of Augusta’s members is well into the billions of dollars (Bill Gates is in the club), so it’s not like they’re looking to make a swift buck . Whatever, thank God for really rich old white dudes.
Tiger Woods Swears at Himself
May 9, 2008
Filed under: Golf
The Masters didn’t go quite the way Tiger Woods was hoping, and as a result, he swore at himself. A lot. And it was audible to Television viewers. Here’s an example of him calling himself, “dumb a–”:
Woods also dropped a loud F-bomb that got on TV today when he hit an errant tee shot. He’s been doing a lot of that the last four days, and it’s been interesting the way he swears at himself, even addressing himself by name when he does it.
I’m personally not the least bit offended by the occasional bad word coming out of the mouth of the occasional golfer, but I am offended by the way people around golf in general and Augusta National in particular try to hold themselves up as somehow morally better to the rest of the sports world. The truth is, these guys are just pro athletes engaged in competition, and sometimes pro athletes engaged in competition let loose with the profanity.
Previously on FanHouse:
Is Tiger Woods the PGA’s Most-Fined Golfer?
Tiger Woods Will Break Your Neck If You Snap a Photo in His Backswing
CBS Broadcasts Audible F-Word From Genteel Augusta
Vijay Singh Was More Profane Than Stuart Appleby
It Looks Like Woods Will Have to Settle for the Tiger Slam
May 8, 2008
It Looks Like Woods Will Have to Settle for the Tiger Slam
Tiger Woods is some two hours into Sunday’s round, and as he heads to the back nine, he finds himself six shots off the lead. Eldrick stumbled his way to even par on the first nine holes, and at 5-under, he’s still looking up at Trevor Immelman and Brandt Snedeker, today’s final pair.
After a rocky begin to his Sunday round, Immelman recovered nicely, although he yipped a great birdie chance on No. 7. Still, with Snedeker at 2-over today, Immelman just needs to par out, and put pressure on the handful of players with a sliver of a chance to make a run.
As for Woods, his week can be summarized in two words: unlucky and frustrating. Of course, this applies to virtually everybody in the field, but most fans don’t care why Stephen Ames finished the weekend at 8-over.
That said, when you’re talking about the world No. 1 there’s always a chance. Or that’s the perception, anyway. I guess, but all nine more holes of even par guarantees is that the Grand Slam speak will be over after the first major.
On the other hand, if Woods is going to make a move, it’ll probably take a 4-under effort coming in. Given the conditions and the way he’s played this week, I don’t see it happening.
Plus, Immelman, who hasn’t even thought about cracking a smile all week, is currently the ideal golfer on the course.
Steve Williams Would Caddie Shirtless if the Tour Would Let Him
May 7, 2008
Steve Williams Would Caddie Shirtless if the Tour Would Let Him
During the third round of The Masters, I noticed that Tiger Woods‘ caddie, Steve Williams, wasn’t wearing a hat. Not a massive deal, really; plenty of golfers — and those tasked with carrying their bags — prefer the look, but it seemed out of place at Augusta National because, well, it’s out of place at Augusta National.
[Williams] incurred the wrath of Masters officials on Saturday when he worked part of the third round without wearing the official green tournament cap. According to other caddies, Steve Williams was approached by an official on the back nine and instructed to put the cap back on, after going hatless for several holes…
Ah, yes, a tradition unlike any other. One caddie, who in no way could be jealous of Williams’ good fortune, had some thoughts on the matter:
“If I’ve got to wear the cap, everybody’s got to wear the cap,” said one caddie, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “Every caddie has heard about what he did and nobody approves of it. Some of these people forget they’re just a caddie. “It should be an honor to come to The Masters. If you don’t want to wear a hat, don’t come. Believe it or not, the tournament will still go on without you.”
Duly noted, anonymous angry guy.
Still, I wonder what would’ve happened if Williams had refused. I have the ability to imagine henchmen, on instructions from the green-jacketed mafia, emerging from azaleas to hold Williams down long enough to duct tape the hat back to his head. Not only would he be in compliance with the rules, it would send a very clear message to the rest of the would-be non-conformists.
Apparently, though, this isn’t Williams’ first run in with fashion-conscious rules officials: Once, at the Dunlop Phoenix tournament in Japan, where caddies also have to wear Masters-style white overalls, Williams peeled them down to his waist.
That’s so Tony D’Annunzio.
ESPN’s Masters Coverage Draws Huge Ratings Even Without Chris Berman
May 6, 2008
Apparently, the ESPN yukkety yuks in charge of this year’s Masters programming were right to leave Chris Berman at home (preparing for the NFL Draft, no doubt). The Network has been internationally televising the tournament since 1993, but this was the first year it covered it domestically. In addition to the first two rounds, ESPN also carried the Par-3 Contest, the first time the event was ever put on the teevees.
And it went better than anybody could’ve imagined:
The broadcast of the second round Friday was the most-viewed golf telecast on cable, producing a 3.1 rating. It’s the first time either of the first two rounds of the Masters has drawn a 3.0 rating. Coverage of Thursday’s first round produced a 2.2 rating. …“We are very excited about both the broadcast and new media results from our initial domestic association with ESPN,” Masters chairman Billy Payne said. “This expanded reach, along with our other initiatives, significantly helps us with our goal of growing the game of golf.”
The next logical question is how can ESPN expand their coverage going forward. Which, for fans who don’t respond particularly well to the Skip Bayless-ing of the sports news landscape, raises all sorts of concerns.
Luckily, Augusta National, unlike professional sports leagues, doesn’t care about money. There’s a reason we get to watch The Masters with “limited commercial interruptions.” It’s because the green-jacketed mafia feels the commercialization of their little event somehow sullies its good name.
Of course, the net worth of Augusta’s members is well into the billions of dollars (Bill Gates is in the club), so it’s not like they’re looking to make a quick buck . Whatever, thank God for really rich old white dudes.
