When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
John Ourand reports on an intriguing development for followers of the NBC-Comcast merger.
Ebersol flew in and out of the Golf Channel’s headquarters the same day, a trip that increased speculation that Comcast will pick the longtime media executive to oversee the merged company’s sports channels, including Versus, Golf Channel and Universal Sports, as well as NBC Sports.
Ebersol long has been viewed as the odds-on favorite for that position, which would report to Comcast’s chief operating officer, Steve Burke.
It appears unlikely that Comcast’s regional sports networks would be grouped with the national sports networks. Rather, sources say, Comcast seems to be leaning toward grouping the RSNs with NBC’s owned-and-operated stations.
From the former USGA Executive Director, Frank Hannigan:
The CBS handling of the Dustin Johnson conviction was disgraceful. All that mattered was that Johnson grounded his club in a bunker. Two shot penalty. Sad. End of story.
The Golf Channel stands by Jim Gray, and their description of the brouhaha today must have been painful for some VP to proofread.
After Pavin’s news conference, Golf Channel contributor Jim Gray, who broke the story Tuesday, approached Pavin to discuss the disagreement. According to Pavin’s wife, who was standing next to him, Gray told Pavin that he was a “liar” and “you’re going down.”
In a statement Golf Channel said it stands behind the accuracy of Gray’s report. “As far as any subsequent conversation between Gray and Pavin, it was meant to be private and should remain as such,” the statement said.
On Live From the PGA Championship Wednesday afternoon Gray said, “there is absolutely not one part of what Corey Pavin said to me that has been misquoted. And quite frankly, I happen to like Corey Pavin. I’ve known him an awfully long time, and in this instance, he is being disingenuous and is not telling the truth.”
Naturally, there is much to enjoy about Golf Channel now having to mop up Gray's mess since they mysteriously brought him on board last year and he opened with an incoherent appearance. And this, after no one else would hire him and he was buying his own star on the walk of fame.
Steve Elling missed his calling as a boxing writer.
In a tense exchange in the middle of the PGA Championship media center on Wednesday, Golf Channel reporter Jim Gray stuck a finger in U.S. captain Corey Pavin’s chest, called him a liar and barked, “you’re going down.”
And a certain Golf Channel reporter has been to one-too many boxing newsconferences!
Oh and there's a recording. Lisa, can you say YouTube!
As Gray approached him and they jawed at each other, Pavin said he tried to hold his ground.
“I just said, ‘You’re full of ‘something,’ ” Pavin said. “I’m not going to let that happen. He got upset. His eyes were a little odd … He was just a little crazy.”
Pavin’s wife was extremely agitated about the exchange and ripped Gray for not broaching the issue when more reporters were in the room. She was overheard complaining to a PGA of America official that Gray was a “wuss.”
Of her husband’s supposed guarantee to Woods, she said, “He’s not stupid. He’s had media training.”
Brooks has posted video of Gray's midday clarification of yesterday's precipitating events leading to today's bout
**Steve DiMeglio with some follow up Tweets quoting Captain Pavin:
David Feherty's suggestion of Colin Montgomerie securing a possible injunction preventing a tabloid from publishing potentially embarrassing revelations comes after a hysterical few months of the CBS announcer and Golf Magazine columnist railing against the media for reporting the private life of Tiger Woods. It also comes just days after Feherty confirmed that Tiger is going through a divorce, something no other major golf reporter has actually suggested.
The latest Feherty episode is heartbreaking because, well, I selfishly dread the day when CBS golf telecasts no longer include his quick wit and insight, moving them even closer to resembling unusually long and dull infomercials. And after a string of embarrassments, that day may come soon.
However, when contacted to comment on Feherty's remarks or the possibility of Feherty offering more reporting on the potential Ryder Cup impact of this revelation during this weekend's CBS telecast, spokesperson LeslieAnne Wade had "No comment..."
Let's review what Feherty and interviewer Dan Patrick said Tuesday. A full transcript as well as YouTube audio version of the interview is up at SportsByBrooks.
Dan Patrick: “I’m hearing there’s a story in the News of the World and it has to do with a prominent golfer. Have you heard anything about the player filing an injunction against the newspaper to keep the story out of the press?“
David Feherty: “There’s all kinds of stuff swirling about this. It’s a Colin Montgomerie story and no one seems to know what it’s about but apparently there’s been an injunction filed to keep this story out of the newspapers for how long you can do that I don’t know.”
Dan Patrick: “Are there pictures? … he got divorced, right?”
David Feherty: “He got divorced and then remarried and then there was something about another woman that I really paid very little attention to in newspapers on either side of the Atlantic.”
It was Feherty who brought Monty's name into the equation. But he's not paying much attention to media reports. Just confirming the most inflammatory rumors on a nationally syndicated radio show!
Dan Patrick: “But the timing of this … with the Ryder Cup and he’s the Ryder Cup Captain?”
David Feherty: “Oh, yeah.”
Dan Patrick: “Yeah, that’s the big issue. You can file an injunction to keep a story (out of the press), you can do that in Europe, right?”
David Feherty: “You can do it in the United Kingdom for a certain length of time but the chances of this remaining a secret until after the Ryder Cup I think are just zero. I’m not sure what’s going on, but it’s not very good.”
Dan Patrick: “It’ll break here in the United States, wouldn’t you think?”
David Feherty: “I would think.”
And how did it break? Why, it was this very interview! Nice going fellas.
Many golf writers have heard some version of this Monty-injunction tale with no hard evidence of its veracity. Not one of them has written about it or revealed it and certainly not revealed the rumor on a national radio show. Yet Feherty has been outspoken in his contempt for the media's reporting of the Tiger saga.
From his February, 2010 Golf Magazine column:
That being said, I've been trying to think of an equivalent example of the grim, ghastly, gleeful, and positively gloat-ridden coverage of a prominent public figure's fall from grace. So far, I've come up empty. By comparison, Bill Clinton got off with a slap on the trouser-trout, and he was in charge of the free world! I guarantee you, the only thing Tiger Woods is in charge of right now is a border collie named Taz. Kobe Bryant blinged his way to the land of forgive-and-forgetfulness, Michael Vick is playing football, yet Tiger's crucifixion continues, hoisted up and stabbed daily by the TMZ-US and People magazine culture that needs to know every detail about every transgression committed by every person who has a public side to their life. I hate it, and I'm glad the bastards haven't found out about me.
The only reason the public knows about Monty's possible situation is you, Mr. Feherty. Yes, a few blogs reported it within minutes of your remarks, but they don't quite get the attention that Patrick's show garners.
So what's the difference between talking about Tiger and Monty's possible indiscretions?
Perhaps the answer lies in an interview at ArgusLeader.com when talking about the Tiger coverage.
Having gone through a British tabloid divorce myself, it was predictable at first and then just became sickening after a while. The amount of people who owe Tiger Woods something - people on TV stations, sports stations that probably wouldn't have a job if it weren't for Tiger Woods - are complaining he's not giving them the information that they need. I don't know where that sense of entitlement came from where we have to know everything about everybody and what happened. He said, 'Hey, look at the police report and that's it.' That should have done it.
But that didn't satisfy the TMZ crew or the entertainment faction and it kind of infected the sports journalists, as well, where I think a bunch of them kind of forgot just what he's done for the game.
So does this mean Monty hasn't done enough for the game to deserve the respect for privacy he longs for Tiger to receive?
Wow, GC going all Jay-Z using a song with an Explicit tag! (That would be the part after the first 20 seconds, right? Explicity bad, eh?)
Either way, I just know this is going to bring in the kids. And a call from the Commissioner letting it be known that if they ever cue up this music during PGA Tour "product," that 15 year deal will come to a screeching halt!
The WGC Bridgestone drew a 2.3 overnight rating on Sunday, off 51% from last year when he won and the same as 2008 when he didn't play.
But hey, it was the highest rating any non-major PGA telecast since the final round of The Memorial in June (3.2).
So at least Tiger still can say he delivers a television audience. Or so it appears.
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
