[Jay Flemma]

I had a little fun with this one (Don't I all the time, though?) Have a great week everybody!

http://www.cybergolf.com/golf_news/the_2014_masters_no_tiger_no_problem

Two administrative notes.  I put the quote at the top in italics, but somehow it ended up in the same font, but Melvin's quote is meant to be ornamental.  Also, my editor insists on putting some of my aphorisms in quotes that I never intended should be in quotes - like when I refer to Augusta as Golf Heaven for example.  I follow Strunk and white, but he likes AP. 

From the piece:

"Dan Jenkins once said that it's amazing how much grace and class we can attach to major winners, but with guys like Curtis and Zach Johnson and Webb Simpson, grace and class come to them naturally. They always remind us of the old adage, "Measure your worth and not your wealth," and both fans and the game are richer for it. We need to see more of them, not more of the same.

The writing is on the wall but, just like the music industry with file-sharing, those media are the last to notice and react. They are preconditioned, afraid of change and constantly repeat their mistakes. They only like things they've seen before, consistently underestimating Middle America, and they often trade casual eyeballs for ardent fans, ultimately losing both in the process. Causal eyeballs are fickle eyeballs and they don't spend money. When you chase the casual fan, you lose the ardent fan and come out one eyeball fewer, not one more eyeball richer. The last dollar on the table is still a bad business model."

[Keith Grande]

Regarding your last quote:

What's the link between advertisers, network producers, and the accountants?  Apparently the data is showing that more eyeballs=higher ratings=advertisers happy?  What die-hard golf fan is not going to watch because of "too much tiger"?  Anyway, when it comes to the masters, advertising is low on the priority list for ANGC.

But yes, I'm looking forward to seeing more of "the field"

[Jason Thurman]

Do you really think your readers are so stupid that they won’t see the trick you’re trying to pull here?

“No Tiger, No Problem!” clamored the writer trolling for clicks.

[Michael Moore]

Jay, you write that Jason Day has "already got two runner-up finishes at the Masters".

I have a serious question for you. Are these articles edited or fact-checked?

[John Kavanaugh]

Thanks Jay.  That was so interesting I doubt that I will ever read again!!!  What are the 10 states in that you haven't played? And I don't mean the state of consciousness.  Also, where can we get your book outlining the value of public golf?

[Jay Flemma]

John since you're not reading ever again, I don't see the point in answering . And besides I don't like you collecting information on me. My life is not your business.

Mike, I haven't heard from u in 7 years, so I find your aggressive tone odd and unfounded. When you ask me a question nicely and treat me the way you want others to treat you, you'll get an answer.

[Tim Pitner]

Jay,
Why the shot at Lindsey Vonn?  Overrated?  She won an Olympic gold medal in the downhill and four overall World Cup titles. 

[Jay Flemma]

Tim, 3 reasons

1. She hasn't done much lately;
2. She distributes the pix of her & tiger with Look at us! Look at us! Now respect our privacy! and
3. There's plenty of girls much hotter than her.  I find her Sharon Stone pix skanky.  She's overrated on alot of levels

Did you watch GC today??!! All Tiger talk. Right Dick Daley

[RJ_Daley]

I thought we had an insider information at the GC with MY's thread that there would be a directive put out that Tiger references would be squelched this year.  But, as I told Jay in a phone call to day, the little I watched the "live from..." show, they had plenty of Tiger references.  I'll be curious to see how the official CBS broadcast goes. 

But, I think Jay has a great article that won't endear him to the mainstream media honcho's given he is calling them out for the commercial Tiger sycophant coverage.  So you Jay bashers that seem to show up every time he posts a link to one of his articles, implying Jay is cruising for clicks or popular following; it seems the accusation is a bit spurious given the powers that be in the media he took on. 

And when it comes to spelling and minor factoid checks, I reckon his editor isn't exactly in a NYT league.  Jay, it is Justin Rose, not Juston Rose, and Day came in second to the 72 hole finishers, missing the playoff, so a hair splitting with calling him a 2 time runner-up. 

If you don't enjoy reading the guy's work, why read it?  It is on offer for you to read it or not.  And, constructive criticism is probably something any writer could use, always. 

[Jason Thurman]

But, I think Jay has a great article that won't endear him to the mainstream media honcho's given he is calling them out for the commercial Tiger sycophant coverage.

He's calling out the media for Tiger sycophant coverage in his own Tiger sycophant article.

I've never been a Jay hater. I've never read one of his articles before, but I've always thought people seemed over-the-top harsh with him. But let's be honest - it's a little ridiculous to suggest that other pros could garner just as much popularity in an article that says Tiger's name 35 times and the names of other pros about ten times combined. The hypocrisy is profound.

Even if his footprint is small, Jay is a small part of the media himself. The fact is that this article does exactly what it complains about, and in doing so proves that the only thing anyone, including the author, really cares about in pro golf is Tiger. When a piece disproves its own thesis so dramatically, it deserves the heat it catches.

But hey, he'll still get more clicks talking about Tiger than he would with the article he wishes someone would write about Zach Johnson. It would have been much more courageous to actually write the Zach Johnson or Jason Day article instead, though.

[RJ_Daley]

Fair points Jason.  Yet, I am not sure how one makes the point Jay does, without mentioning the name of that guy he is making the point about.  I guess the only fair question about this article in my mind is, is the point valid, meritorious, on point, or not.  I think he has a good point.  Others may not. 



 

[Jason Thurman]

There are countless articles written on the same subject throughout the year by people in the mainstream media. An inevitable part of the buzz around any heavily-buzzed entity is the buzz that calls for a backlash. Blake Griffin generates it. Lebron generates it. John Calipari generates it. Robert Griffin III does too. Tiger has gotten it for 20 years now. There's nothing original here, and again, the point he's trying to make is made completely impotent by his own inability to stop discussing the very guy he wants everyone to stop discussing. It's the journalistic equivalent of feeding the trolls.

The only way to actually make the point that Jay is trying to make is to be the example he wants to see. Write a great article about Zach Johnson or Dustin Johnson or anybody but the one guy that everybody spends all their time writing about.

[Gib_Papazian]

Jay,

I've been accused of inflicting puerile wingnuttery on my readers - as well as taking everyone on a disjointed bird walk, followed by a discursive wander down the labyrinthian rabbit hole of my eccentric ramblings.

However, it is possible your padded cell in the scribes lounge is even further up the nutbag elevator than mine.



     

[Steve Lapper]

Tim, 3 reasons

1. She hasn't done much lately;
2. She distributes the pix of her & tiger with Look at us! Look at us! Now respect our privacy! and
3. There's plenty of girls much hotter than her.  I find her Sharon Stone pix skanky.  She's overrated on alot of levels

Did you watch GC today??!! All Tiger talk. Right Dick Daley

Jay,

  I won't opine on the quality of your prose, but I will question your assumptions about Ms. Vonn. To your point #1, she is still, without question, the greatest female US ski racer ever and her gritty and ultimately aborted attempt to come back from a severe knee injury earns her respect you'll never know. She's exhibited excellence and accomplished a dominance in a very difficult sport over a long period. Can you remotely say the same about any achievement? Lastly, it's tough to do much recently without any part of an anterior cruciate ligament and little of a posterior one. I believe you were injured recently and rendered unable to attempt even hack golf....how'd that feel lately?

On the second, we live in a 24/7/365 social media society with a never-ending demand by both scribe and fan for pictures, stories and celebrity worship. The media (yes...that's you by only your definition) fuels and thrives off this thirst. It's totally disingenuous to criticize a sports figure like her (especially during an injury-related down time) for maintaining some media relevance while calling for limits that paid (not you) hacks regularly ignore.

Lastly, while you are most certainly entitled to your personal taste in this case, it is, like your writing, of little interest to the rest of the world. Lindsay is an attractive girl, maybe more, or less, than others....beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What she is, however, is the most accomplished female speed skier ever, dating a questionable, but also once dominant famous male athlete. That combination makes it interesting to many contemporary sports fans...so much so as to give you a reason to spill ink. Perhaps you'd be closer to the mark to attack the real skank in the room: Paulina Gretsky, as her greatest accomplishment might well be (besides winning the in the gene pool), is how fast she can snort a pile of snow.

[Jay Flemma]

Steve, professional sports is a "what have you done for me lately" business.  It's been a while since Lindsay's been dominant, injury aside.,

Can I claim the same in my life?  You know very much I can...ass we've often discussed.  I'm proud of my accomplishments, and will work extra hard tomorrow to try to do more.  I'm gonna spend the rest of my life getting better but I can think of no better way to spend a lifetime.

As for my injury - excuse me, but of the two of us, I'm the one who ten days after cracking two ribs walked 18 at Teeth of the Dog and came up 18 with the staff and caddies applauding, and on a diet of extra strength Tylenol and Brugal rum- no pain killers of any kind.  I played 83 of the 90 holes in 5 days and walked the whole way.  And those of you that did the Dixie Cup with me saw me walk thirty-six a day with shin splints killing me the whole way...so bad I had to ice both ankles for the entire rest of the day just to be able to get up play the next day - so you have nothing to say about my grit and determination.  As for my shoulder, I'm doing it the same way.  Both times I took the attitude, "okay, I'm hurt? Eff that, I'm coming back.  PT starts now," and the second my sling was off I was doing my exercises.  And guess what? The doctor who told me at first 12-15 weeks no golf, then amended it to four to six...and this weekend, only one month removed, I'm at least going to try to see how far I can swing a club.  I don;t care what I shoot, I care about beating back this injury with grit and determination...the same grit and determination I give every client in my law office and every article I write.

As my idol Dan Jenkins says, "you gotta play hurt."

As for Paulina, I've already written about that and I agree with you except in one way - I think it was both reckless and immature of you to come on this BB (or any public forum) and accuse her of using drugs.  You should know better, but you too often cave into the temptation of posting before you think.  Even if it's true - and I never heard anything about that till now - what did that have to do with this discussion?  Talk about a "drive by shooting", that was just weird. Also, I most certainly AM paid for my work as a journalist - and you knew that before you typed it...another example of think before you type.  

As for skiers, give me Alberto Tomba any day:) Forza Italia!

[Mark Bourgeois]

on a diet of extra strength Tylenol and Brugal rum - no pain killers of any kind.

Those are painkillers.

[Jay Flemma]

...not for cracked ribs, they're not

[Sven Nilsen]

Steve, professional sports is a "what have you done for me lately" business.  It's been a while since Lindsay's been dominant, injury aside.,

....

As for skiers, give me Alberto Tomba any day:) Forza Italia!

Having your cake and eating it too.  At least Vonn won something in this century (also, its Lindsey, not Lindsay).

If you had gone with Michaela Shiffrin, you might have had a point.

[Jay Flemma]

Sven, I picked Tomba because I'm Italian:) I root for Italy in everything:)

[Sven Nilsen]

Sven, I picked Tomba because I'm Italian:) I root for Italy in everything:)

What are you rooting for Tomba to do nowadays, eat some more spaghetti?

[Jay Flemma]

The implication was he's my favorite skier of all time...

[Sven Nilsen]

The implication was he's my favorite skier of all time...

Your other implication was we shouldn't talk about athletes unless they are currently dominant.  Surely you see the hypocrisy. 

[Mike_Young]

I thought we had an insider information at the GC with MY's thread that there would be a directive put out that Tiger references would be squelched this year.  But, as I told Jay in a phone call to day, the little I watched the "live from..." show, they had plenty of Tiger references.  I'll be curious to see how the official CBS broadcast goes. 

But, I think Jay has a great article that won't endear him to the mainstream media honcho's given he is calling them out for the commercial Tiger sycophant coverage.  So you Jay bashers that seem to show up every time he posts a link to one of his articles, implying Jay is cruising for clicks or popular following; it seems the accusation is a bit spurious given the powers that be in the media he took on. 

And when it comes to spelling and minor factoid checks, I reckon his editor isn't exactly in a NYT league.  Jay, it is Justin Rose, not Juston Rose, and Day came in second to the 72 hole finishers, missing the playoff, so a hair splitting with calling him a 2 time runner-up. 

If you don't enjoy reading the guy's work, why read it?  It is on offer for you to read it or not.  And, constructive criticism is probably something any writer could use, always. 

Dick,
Read the title of my thread again....It specifically says "CBS"...I sort of figured GC would do a few TW things and probably continue since they are in a cabin at Augusta country Club and not broadcasting from ANGC.  My entire thought was that ANGC would not allow one player missing to consume the conversatipns...that was what it was intended to be.  I still think it may be that way.  GC is another story.  Just two years ago they escorted my favorite GC personality front he grounds becuase he stepped outside the press room to call a cameraman.  Of course they later "forgave" and all has been good but they can be tough....cheers

[Tim Pitner]

Tim, 3 reasons

1. She hasn't done much lately;
2. She distributes the pix of her & tiger with Look at us! Look at us! Now respect our privacy! and
3. There's plenty of girls much hotter than her.  I find her Sharon Stone pix skanky.  She's overrated on alot of levels

Did you watch GC today??!! All Tiger talk. Right Dick Daley

Jay, I do hope you appreciate the irony.  Female athletes often have to do things (like pose in skimpy outfits) to garner the level of exposure and income that male athletes receive.  You criticize Vonn for this.  Then, in what way do you consider Vonn (who won the overall World Cup as recently as 2012, is 2nd all-time in World Cup wins, and now has an injury) overrated?  With respect to her looks. 

[Jay Flemma]

They use their sex when it sells,  but then demand not to be objectified. I call that out as wrong. Don't feed the beast.

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