CRAPPY BROADCASTED SPORTS

Derek Jeter : Tiger Woods :: Alex Rodriguez : Phil Mickelson

I'm sure I'm not the first to make that analogy, but I'll be the first to blog it, by damn! It pretty much speaks for itself, but humor me as I belabor the point. Jeter and Tiger are mentally focused leaders, proven clutch performers, with gaudy championship resumes to prove it. A-Rod and FIGJAM have possibly the most raw talent of anyone in their respective sports, but they don't have that mental toughness, and more often than not will completely fold in a big spot. The former just want to win, while it seems as if the latter are preoccupied with being well-liked. At least FIGJAM has won SOMETHING; as for A-Rod that remains to be seen (but ironically, he can't do it without Jeter).

Speaking of, ol' Tiggs has made it 4 tourneys in a row, beating Ryder Cup captain's choice Stewart Cink on the 4th playoff hole of the Bridgestone Invitational. However, I just had to mention what a horrible job CBS did televising this thing. Because of the impeding inclement weather they moved up the tee times, so Tiger ended up teeing off at 11 AM (instead of 2 PM), but instead of showing it in an earlier time slot, they showed it as if it were "live". (Apparently, CBS couldn't pre-empt the Agassi/Roddick "Kid's Day" exhibition match, featuring a humorless Ellen Degeneres in the umpire chair--no, I'm not joking.) I was watching it with my family and was only half paying attention until the final few holes, but it wasn't until the playoff when CBS finally admitted with an onscreen disclaimer that the action was "recorded earlier". The broadcast then turned into a complete mess, as they cut out the time between shots and showed a whole bunch of the action out of order. One moment they were on the 18th green, and after a 30 second commercial they were suddenly on the 17th fairway; as they hit their approach shots on the final hole, it went from overcast, to another short commercial, and then to suddenly pouring rain. What a crappy way to treat the audience that was tuned in for this tournament, by not showing them taped coverage and passing it off as live. I've come to expect horrible televised baseball, hockey, and football games, but when they start botching golf broadcasts, that can't be a good sign.