Buck: “Whatever we did in 2015 will be markedly better in 2016.”

I missed yesterday's Fox conference call and can only rely on what was shared, but it sounds like everyone was pretty positive and humble heading into the network's second U.S. Open. Except of course, Joe Buck!

“Going into last year’s U.S. Open and coming out of last year’s U.S. Open, I’ve never been more proud of an event that we’ve covered at FOX, period. I refuse to come on here and apologize for 2015, that’s ridiculous. The critics who were unkind, that’s not a newsflash, that’s kind of the way of the world and when you start, you’ve got to earn your position. And until you’ve done it, you’ve got no idea what it takes to do that."

That no idea part, I believe, was what Johnny Miller said and you mocked in your opening remarks of the telecast, to a critical lack of acclaim. That's if memory serves.

“What do I take out of it? Besides the satisfaction, I think where I failed most of the time last year was injecting the heart and soul into what these guys were trying to do. I was completely caught up in managing the scoreboard – going from one green to the next, back to a fairway, then to a tee and back to the green where we just saw somebody hit out of the fairway. There’s a lot of moving parts in golf and you make the mistake of thinking going in that it’s going to be slow. It’s actually the opposite. It’s by far the fastest event when you’re sitting in the chair.”

No Joe, don't you go neglecting heart and soul!

As for the actual telecast, it will inevitably improve without Greg Norman. Couple that with Azinger/Faxon/Buck being a much better fit personality wise and with a more manageable golf property for television, the story should be a positive one.

Martin Kaufmann has a preview from the call and what viewers can expect. Judging by the piece, and the news notes on upcoming tech plans, it should be a pretty visually stunning telecast.

As for Buck, The Ringer's Bryan Curtis has filed a terrific profile on Buck that explains why he approaches things the way he does and why he is underappreciated as an announcer.

Curtis will be on next week's ShackHouse to discuss the piece in advance of the U.S. Open.