"So it's all nonsense as far as I'm concerned, and I don't want to talk about it anymore."
/Brian Wacker sums up and shares some highlights from the Commish's impromptu meet and snipe session this morning outside the media center while Tim Finchem nursed a cup of green tea.
TIM FINCHEM: I'd be happy to try to answer anything you want to talk about.
Shortest introductory comments ever!
Q. You were on CNBC on Thursday talking about the incident with Tiger and being forced to play here.
TIM FINCHEM: I'm answering questions.
Q. I'll ask you a question.
Off to a roaring start!
It seems like irrespective of Tiger, it's not unusual for the commissioner to contact players to see if they're going to play in an event or try to tell them how important it is to play in an event, is it?
TIM FINCHEM: Well, I think the question that was put to me, and I'll answer the question that was put to me, it's been rumored that I pressured Tiger Woods to play in the tournament, and my response was no, I did not do that.
Q. Can you answer my question, then?
TIM FINCHEM: We communicate with players all the time with weak fields, weak field events, and we encourage players to move their schedule around and try to include a weak field. We never go to a player and say, would you please, please, please play this event, this event or any other event, ever, and I don't recall ever talking to any player in my tenure about whether or not they were going to play THE PLAYERS Championship unless they came to me and said, I want you to know I'm not playing THE PLAYERS Championship or I want you to know how delighted I am that I am going to play THE PLAYERS Championship. I hope that sets the record straight.
Not really.
Q. You seem to have been put off by the situation that you would twist Tiger's arm to play when he might be hurt.
TIM FINCHEM: Well, it's not about him, it's any player. It's any player. I don't twist players' arms, and as far as Tiger being hurt, guys, that's a decision he has to make, and I had no information that he wasn't ready to play golf. I don't think anybody did. I don't think he did. I was on the range with him for a half an hour on Tuesday. He was hitting it really well. He went and played nine holes, and he didn't have a problem. He played the next day, he didn't have a problem. He stayed on the range that day, he didn't have a problem. So it's all nonsense as far as I'm concerned, and I don't want to talk about it anymore.
See, he's not put off by the question!
Q. Have you been in touch with Mark Steinberg about Tiger since he left here or do you expect to be?
TIM FINCHEM: No, I sent a note to Tiger saying sorry you couldn't finish the tournament, good luck on your rehab and hopefully we'll see you soon, as you would expect. I do that with pretty much any player that has a problem.
He's been sending a lot of notes to Tiger lately. I wonder if Doug Barron ever got such a note?
Q. After five years are you happy with the date in May?
TIM FINCHEM: We like the flow of May, we like the weather. We had the storm yesterday, but it's the first rain delay we've had in the five years. You go back and look at the previous 24 years it's been irregular. We've gotten to the point, we're still working on getting this golf course ready, and this year we were helped by the weather, but we did a lot of things during the course of the year that should help us should we get another date.
Get another date? Don't you set the date? Or is that Dick Ebersol's decision?
So we like it, players like it, fans like it, and we're very pleased with it thus far.
Unless you get another date!
As for the fans, they haven't been coming out as much according to those who attended in March. Or are they coming dressed as stadium mounds and I just don't see as many? Anyway, my contribution to the proceedings:
Q. Deane Beman on has a new book out about his career. I don't know if you've read it, but in it he says that had he known that the governing bodies would have handled the equipment issues the way they did, he wouldn't have left when he did. Do you have any comment on that?
TIM FINCHEM: Well, no. We handled them the way we did. We think we've handled them quite well, but I'm not going to publicly get into a debate with Deane. Maybe over dinner one night.
I guess if it's a public debate that would ensue, it's safe to say he does not agree with Beman's take.
We did learn about the likely timing of the next television negotiations.
Q. Can you talk about the scheduling and television negotiations?
TIM FINCHEM: It isn't set. It isn't set. It's a combination of schedule, it's a combination of us finishing up some pieces of business that we would get done before we sit down with television. It's largely about schedules and time frames. Different networks have different things going on. Also NBC just came through this merger. But my guess is sometime this summer we'll get to it.
Bad news, the FedExCup format isnt changing, at least not until they get new dates.
Q. Do you envision the FedExCup Playoffs being virtually in the format we're in now, and do you expect FedEx to stay on through 2013 and beyond?
TIM FINCHEM: Yes and yes at this point. We like the flow of the schedule. I suppose that -- I suppose there are things out there that could impact that from a scheduling standpoint. There's an awful lot of speculation about where the NFL is going to land on their schedule, but that probably affects the first quarter more than our playoff schedule, although you just don't know.
I would say generally yes, but I wouldn't say -- don't hold me to that.
Oh we will!
