US Open: So How’d NBC and ESPN Do?
Golf, Media Gossip/Musings June 17th. 2008, 11:35am
We can’t give a complete critique because we didn’t devour every iota of coverage, but one obvious question pops out: There were no fewer than 1,004 mentions of Tiger’s knee surgery during the five days of coverage … but does anyone know what the surgery entailed? How come there was never any specific mention as to what kind of surgery he had? Recovery times are vastly different for each surgery. MCL? ACL? Meniscus? A tendon rupture? A scope? Something else?
(Ultimate conspiracy theory: In January, Tiger says the Grand Slam is easily within reason. He loses the Masters and two days later announces that he has to have surgery on his knee. The details of that surgery have been cloaked in secrecy. He has talked about his past surgeries, so why keep this one so hush-hush?)
Another critique: Should Tiger have been called out for throwing his club after a poor shot on 12 Monday? Eh. We’re indifferent. The announcers seemed to give him a pass … but would Kobe get a pass for freaking out late in the fourth quarter of a tight game, or Tom Brady throwing a fit on the final drive of the Super Bowl? We’re not so sure.
Other than that, the only thing we noticed was that the usual CBS crew led by Nantz speaks in hushed voices, but Hicks and Miller spoke at a more audible level. (Hicks who had the call of the tournament: “Expect anything different?” after Tiger forced the playoff by sinking a putt on 18 Sunday.) Also, CBS has this soothing little music riff – piano? – that turns up heading in and out of commercials, and sometimes when the scoreboard is presented onscreen. We missed that this weekend.
Photo: Icon Sports Media
67 Responses to “US Open: So How’d NBC and ESPN Do?”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:38 AM
Phillip Rivers is not impressed with Tiger’s “recovery” from a knee injury.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:40 AM
NBC gets the nod over ESPN because ESPN has Erin Andrews at their disposal and not once did I see her walking around in a short summer dress. Furthermore they both lose because the tee time for the playoff was so early. It should have been a 5:00Est tee off.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:40 AM
I thought NBC did a good job all in all, but I just can’t stand Nantz so I may be biased
June 17th, 2008 at 11:41 AM
Tiger was just trying to gain back some hockey cred.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:41 AM
rivers also sucked…tiger won.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:41 AM
Yeah, CBS > ESPN > NBC for golf. Give me Nantz, Feherty, and McCord any day over Tirico and crew, and certainly over Hicks and Miller.
I honestly hadn’t listened to that much Johnny Miller for the past few years (sports are frequently on mute in my house), and I was pleased he wasn’t doing the old lion, I-shot-63 routine yesterday…until he managed to sneak it in on the fairway of the 18th that the course director “shot four 63s” this week. I turned up my nose and made note of it in the blog, though…
June 17th, 2008 at 11:43 AM
It was an arthroscopic surgery to repair ligament damage similar to the one he had in 2002. The surgery was performed by Thomas Rosenberg, and Tiger spoke about it after the fact.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:44 AM
TBL, the type of surgery was indeed mentioned. I heard ‘arthroscopic knee surgery to repair cartilage damage’ at least twice last weekend.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:45 AM
Yes but did they have the Web MD graphic? I think not
June 17th, 2008 at 11:45 AM
They’re still putting golf on TV, so I say “fail.”
June 17th, 2008 at 11:45 AM
Ok, I’m going to break all sorts of world wide weblog rules by linking to my own site, even though it was on the PM Roundup yesterday. Because I’m an attention-grabbing whore.
Tiger’s Knee BS
Tiger took 2 months to recover from arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage. A football player like Roethlisberger had arthroscopic surgery for a torn lateral meniscus and only missed two straight games.
Does anyone who knows anything about surgeries tell me which one is more serious? I honestly have nothing to personally base the comparison off of? The original ESPN article said Tiger was supposed to miss 4 weeks. How is the world’s most physically fit golfer still having knee pain 2 months later, while guys who play full contact sports can get right back into the game?
June 17th, 2008 at 11:46 AM
but would Kobe get a pass for freaking out late in the fourth quarter of a tight game
Not from you TBL, there would be a post dedicated to it and then some LeBron is the greatest references thrown in for good measure.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:46 AM
I usually don’t much like Nantz’ treacle, but he’s really soothing and a perfect fit for the Masters, which I don’t think anyone but CBS could do well.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:46 AM
What Tiger did as far as throwing his club would be akin to a bad act on the court/field by Kobe or Brady that would have been borderline technical foul or unsportsmanlike conduct. Not a big deal, but something worth mentioning during a wrap-up.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:49 AM
At a minimum just getting your knee cleaned out is a few weeks of recovery. No matter how small the procedure it swells up the size a a football. Takes about a week to just get it to make the full motion. Then another week maybe two to get the comfortability to try and strengthen up the surrounding muscles that are now weak as shit from not being able to complete full motions. I have had 5 total scopes, both knees, different procedures for each. This is the best case scenario.
You would be surprised by how quickly you muscles become weak from not being able to move a joint. Doesn’t matter if you are a superduper athlete. The pain and stiffness are going to get to you.
I think Tiger was not so forthcoming about the extent of what was being done, and by the looks of his shots it’s obvious more was wrong than said. I think they went overboard with it though. The guy had a scope, decided to play golf on it. That’s his choice. If you aren’t playing you are hurt, if you are playing you 100%.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:51 AM
Canon and Nikon owners still think he’s a pussy.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:52 AM
the throwing of the club is a non-story. everyday people go play golf and get mad and chuck a club…it’s normal. tantrums on the court because you didn’t get a foul called are way different. You are trying to intimidate the ref to get calls. Tiger was pissed at himself for making a bad shot. He tossed a club like most guys would do in a normal round of golf. Happens every day on the course.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:54 AM
Tiger throwing his club isnt like Kobe or Brady freaking out at a teamate. Its as if Brady threw his helmet down on the sideline after missing a receiver on 3rd down. No big deal.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:54 AM
Jemele Hill thinks his win on the bum knee was the equivalent of Jesus turning water into wine. Gregg Easterbrook impolitely disagrees from his bunker
June 17th, 2008 at 11:55 AM
Or another hypothesis is that Tiger was using steroids, and knee injuries are common for athletes using PHDs, especially ones regarding ligament damage. But hey, free pass. Who needs investigations, baseball is the one that is f’d up.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:56 AM
So when Tiger throws a club it’s considered passion and competitiveness, and when John McEnroe threw a racket it was poor sportsmanship and immaturity.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:59 AM
what the fuck is that eagles? we should be surprised that more golfers don’t have more knee problems with torque that is put on the knee when they swing the club. Go back to oprah.com.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:59 AM
@ Triston27: if all Mac did was throw his racquet a few times he’d be fine in my book… it was the constant whining, yelling and crying that got annoying, IMO.
I always expected him to start crying, then take his shoes and socks off mid-set one day.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:00 PM
I was ok with Mcenroe throwing his racket, tennis wasn’t.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:00 PM
Well, tennis and golf are really different. I mean, tennis had a history of throwing rackets, and golf had Tommy Bolt.
Also, people like Tiger, and people detested Mac.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:00 PM
Anyone that questions Tiger and his acheivements is a HATER
June 17th, 2008 at 12:01 PM
C’mon Triston, that’s a terrible comparison. Johnny Mac was white. Tiger is cablinasian. Cablinasians have always been treated with kid gloves by the media.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:01 PM
The constant slobbering over Tiger during any broadcast is pretty grotesque. But Tiger pays the bills for every one of these networks, so I have pretty much come to expect it.
As far as the club throwing goes, yeah it happens on the course every day. But if you want to put it in a real world scenario, what if someone in your office got pissed everytime they had to deal with some prick on the phone? I would think that a repremand would be coming at some time, even if you are the best employee in the office.
I know everyone gets pissed when you compare sports and real world office scenario’s, so go!!!
June 17th, 2008 at 12:02 PM
If we’re going to call out Tiger for throwing a club in the sand, then I guess we’re going to have to go back and retroactively call out Woody Austin for breaking a putter shaft on his head and Tom Lehman for breaking a 1-iron over his knee.
Or we can call it a non-story…
June 17th, 2008 at 12:02 PM
Careful cbh…Don’t want to get sportsgal all riled up again.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:02 PM
do we even have to argue, you’re talking about an office setting. golf is a game/sport/whatever. Tiger is mad at himself, not some douchebag calling him.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:05 PM
You’re right August. If only Mac had someone to do all this for him, maybe someone who would also carry his rackets around.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:05 PM
Sterlin had the appropriate analogy. Tiger throwing his club is akin to Brady throwing down his helmet on the sidelines on an overthrow on 3rd down. A non-story.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:05 PM
@sandi. Ok, so say your computer at work fucks up and you start cussing and slam a stapler into the monitor. Better comparason?
And I’m not saying I haven’t slammed a club into the ground before, I’m just saying he shouldn’t get a free pass just because he is tiger and he pays the bills for every golf telecast.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:07 PM
Sigh. If you’re not going to read the memos, I’m going to quit writing them. Paragraph 3, section 1: “We, the TBL Commenters, all agree to stop using this phrase because it’s gayer than two dudes on a motorcycle and provides zero insight.”
June 17th, 2008 at 12:07 PM
My biggest complaint with NBC is Miller. I like Hicks, and Maltbie, Pepper and the reporters with the group do a fairly good job. I just can’t stand all of the incessant questions to which he already knows the answer. Instead of just asking, “What does this putt Roger?” it’s the egomaniacal “This putt will break about 12 inches left, won’t it Roger”. Now, the freaking guy in the field looks like a douche if he disagrees.
CBS golf is better than both ESPN/ABC and NBC though.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:08 PM
@ark – no…I’d be mad at my puter for fucking up and then destroying someone elses property. Tiger threw his own club in the sand and at his bag for something that he screwed up. He did not hurt anyone or try and put pressure on anyone to do anything. Sterlin had it right.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:08 PM
everyone who has ever played golf can relate to throwing a club. non-story.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:09 PM
I’m done with this office v. sports argument, it’s making me tired.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:09 PM
“Hater” > “Fraud” > “Shenanigans” > “Indefatigable” > “Douche”
June 17th, 2008 at 12:09 PM
can’t believe I let you con me into getting into this argument…I’m such and idiot.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:10 PM
Mike, you completely jumped the “greater than” shark with that one. Thanks. It’s all we had left.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:11 PM
I will continue to use all the variations of ‘douche’ that I can think of to describe someone who is exhibiting douchesque behavior.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:12 PM
@sandi. I knew I would be able to get someone.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:13 PM
This is for Sportsgal, faces and heels, Stone Cold, Rock, DX.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:13 PM
would we be having this conversation if tiger had not played? I don’t think so, so I think we can let him do whatever the fuck he wants.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:13 PM
CRM, are you interested in splitting the TBL crash traffic today? Since you work here, we’ll take the eskimoS, asian photoshop boys, hurricane fans, and…obviously…the jews. You get the housewives, office milf, whitey, and the kobe slurpers.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:13 PM
I’m late to the party, but I quickly scrolled through the comments and didn’t see one mention of Tirico on ESPN. I didn’t watch the entire broadcasts, but I think he translates to golf exceptionally well. His voice is a million times more appropriate than Berman’s.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:13 PM
ark +1
June 17th, 2008 at 12:14 PM
I’m watching you, cbh.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:15 PM
Hmmm, must be a lot of doctors on here to question the effect of Tiger’s knee. I’m not one either, but if I’m not mistaken it’s his third surgery on the same knee. It stands to reason that it’s harder to recover after the first one. He was limping quite noticeably after the playoff so I don’t think there’s any chance he was exaggerating the injury.
Oh, and NBC’s golf coverage is the best in my opinion. During the Masters, Nantz was questioning Tiger’s demeanor, which looked pretty silly after Tiger announced the surgery a few days later.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:15 PM
Got to give Berman some props…he didn’t destroy the coverage.
/Screamin’ A Amith
June 17th, 2008 at 12:15 PM
Mike, we’ve disagreed on many things, but this might be the most inexcusable. Good day, sir.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:15 PM
sterlinsharpe summed up the club throw best. he has no teammates to get discouraged by a freak out, and he can’t get a penalty like a technical foul or personal foul in football. so whatever, it’s fine.
and i don’t think it’s as bad as mcenroe. mcenroe usually threw his shit around bc of the official/judge (?). plus, he did it in front of the entire audience. not only was the gallery spread out when tiger did it, but they were probably all watching the ball, not his reaction.
it’s a complete non-issue.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:18 PM
Tiger throws his club because he is disgusted with a bad shot. I, playing as Tiger, throw my PS2 controller down because I can’t make digital Tiger throw his club. Therefore, the ruling is he is allowed.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:24 PM
I give the nod to NBC’s coverage b/c they actually break down the golf – CBS just tells me what I’m seeing. Hicks is very underrated (what the hell else is he doing all year). Johnny Miller is an egomaniac, but you do get insight from him and having him openly question guys on tour is good for TV.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:27 PM
They mentioned this during the NBA broadcast I believe, but they said a major reason Tiger was still feeling pain when he played is that he snaps his left knee into a locked position in order to gain more power in his shot. They showed an excerpt from Tiger’s book “How I play Golf” (I think that’s what it’s called), and Tiger had written that that is exactly what he does. So that, and just the fact that pro golfers put more torque into their knees in general, could possibly be the reason why Tiger was in pain when he shouldn’t have been.
And as for the announcers slobbering all over him- what do you expect? He’s only 4 majors away from tying Nicklaus, he’s far and away the best player in golf right now, and he constantly hits amazing pressure shots. I’d be all over his nuts too, if I was announcing.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:27 PM
SHIT. NBC broadcast.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:29 PM
I’ve got you paying attention Sportsgal, that’s all that matters.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:32 PM
Hi Hater!
(this song cracks me up: “Hustle hard, stack paper, it’s all right, y’all haters, it’s nothing, we major, you see me, hi hater!”)
June 17th, 2008 at 1:04 PM
I’m in complete disagreement. Calling someone a hater provides the insight that said person is just being negative towards something for no apparent reason. At least thats how it goes in my book. If you have an actual argument, you can’t be a hater. Example: yesterday a friend of mine said golf isnt a sport because its boring. Since there is no real argument being presented here, he is a hater.
June 17th, 2008 at 1:18 PM
It’s no big deal. He could have done a lot worse.
June 17th, 2008 at 1:21 PM
@Pittsburgh Sports and Mini Ponies
In Tiger’s swing (especially his drive), he snaps his left knee out for extra power. This puts a lot of stress on the knee.
June 17th, 2008 at 1:24 PM
The conspiracy theory is ridiculous. So is making a big deal about throwing a club. The TV cameras are on Tiger 24/7. Ever been to a PGA event? Some of those guys go ape shit.
June 17th, 2008 at 1:36 PM
The Ultimate Conspiracy Theory…..Tiger didn’t even have the surgery. How do YOU know for a fact that he did? Dude lives in a bubble and just had a baby that he is obviously smitten with.
Maybe he wanted to get away and hang with the family for a while.
What is the big downside for him if he did? The endorsements don’t go away. He still writes his ticket for anything he desires professionally or personally. I can’t see what he would lose out on. Everyone always talks about how all he cares about now are the majors…..maybe it’s true.
If he admittedly skipped all tournaments except majors he would take serious heat from fans and the press.
The notable tourneys he missed are TPC which he never plays well (except the one win) and Wachovia which is a bigger tourney that he does play well……BUT, not really a big deal if he misses either.
Or maybe he needed a reason to explain his weight loss. Yes, no announcer will ever, and I mean EVER say a word to suggest anything about Tiger’s physique for fear of Tiger never acknowledging said reporters presence ever again, but his shoulders and back are smaller than the Masters. Tiger has lost weight. And he has lost significant weight from about 3 years ago when he was flat out HUGE.
Why is he smaller now? Maybe he hasn’t been lifting as much because he couldn’t run because of the surgery and he didn’t want to get too big. Or maybe with the Tours drug testing policy going into effect in July he had to put down the HGH. He figured he would set up a reason for the weight loss if it came up.
Tiger has always been forthcoming with his surgeries in the past….what do you know about this one? Nadda. What does he say about the pain? Nadda. Why keep all this stuff secret? Would any player gain an advantage by knowing anything about his knee? Nope. Doesn’t it fuel more questions from the press because he isn’t answering as opposed to saying exactly what’s up? So why do it?
Think that is absurd? HGH will allow an athlete to recover when he is on the range smacking 500 balls a day, and putting for hours, and lifting, and running 5 miles……every day.
Anyone else notice how much weight Vijay has lost? Vij says it was because of a terrible stomach virus. Maybe he did get a virus. Maybe he didn’t. But Vijay lost something like 19 lbs and hasn’t been the same.
Please allow me to take off my conspiracy hat and step back into reality…………
June 17th, 2008 at 1:42 PM
PurdueMatt – Agreed, but football players put arguably as much or more stress on their knees, and a 2 month wait after that surgery is unheard of (for something arthroscopic).
June 17th, 2008 at 3:51 PM
tiger couldnt lift himself out of a bunker on sunday at augusta, anyone questioning whether he was hurt or not is a retard and probably has underlying reasons for knocking tiger at every chance. the guy is a dick, but hes the best golfer ever.
in regards to the coverage, they cut to commerical when the last pair was walking up the fairway at 18. thats the classic shot of a tournament, fucking garbage