CBS Masters Its Focus on Golf

Martha Burk? Protests outside the gates of Augusta? T-shirts bearing the CBS logo and the words “Continues to Broadcast Segregation”?

That was so last year.

For the CBS Sports crew, so dedicated to preserving the status quo at the Masters, so careful not to upset the polished-apple cart that Hootie built, it’s almost as if last year never happened.

When asked this week during a conference call about the difference in covering this year’s Masters as opposed to 2003’s controversy-marred tournament, Lance Barrow, coordinating producer for CBS golf, said he couldn’t think of any.

“In my opinion, we’re approaching it the same way we approached it every year that I’ve been a part of it, that I can remember being a part of it,” said Barrow, who produced his first Masters for CBS in 1997.

“As far as I was concerned, this year, just like last year, it’s business as usual for CBS Sports.”

This year, just like last year, CBS will make no mention of any protests on Washington Road. That’s because no protests are expected this year.

Last year, CBS simply ignored the protests. Business as usual for CBS Sports. See, the network has this partnership with the Masters. CBS begins its 49th consecutive year of televising the Masters this weekend and has decided it will do just about anything to extend that streak to 50.

Last year, that included airing no commercials during the tournament and making no mention of the Burk-led debate over the refusal of Augusta National Golf Club to admit any female members. This year, the commercial-free policy remains intact.

No commercials at the Masters -- not precisely the legacy Burk was hoping to leave.

“I’m really concerned with doing the golf tournament,” Barrow said. “That was my concern last year. I have enough to worry about [besides worrying] about what’s going on Washington Road.

“That’s the way I approach it this year, last year, every year I’ve been a part of it.”

Jim Nantz, hosting his 19th Masters this weekend, addressed the subject as if it were a troublesome putt on the 18th green -- circling gingerly around it.

Responding to a question asked by a writer from the New York Times, Nantz said, “No. 1, as far as are we thankful because now it’s commercial free? Let’s remember that this tournament was always different in terms of the commercial load. There were four commercial minutes per hour, as one of the many things that people love about Augusta. It’s always felt commercial-free.

“Now, as for the other topic, you know, my love and passion for broadcasting the Masters, I have never lost that. I’ve never felt any different walking onto the grounds of Augusta to broadcast it, any year. This will be my 19th year.

“I knew in advance last year -- everybody saw the headlines. Your paper was responsible for 38 stories about that ... including on the day of the, um ... well, I won’t even get into that.... You know, I think that’s a question for Sean [McManus, CBS Sports president] to answer.”

Farewell to Arnie

A more agreeable topic for discussion was Arnold Palmer, who is playing his final Masters this week.

Nantz said, “I love the man.”

Barrow said CBS planned to open its Saturday coverage with a retrospective of Palmer’s 50 years at Augusta.

“Obviously, somewhere in our telecast, we will look back on Arnold’s Thursday and Friday, his two days if he doesn’t make the cut,” Barrow said.

“If he did make the cut, that would be the biggest story ever in the history of golf, in my opinion. As a matter of fact, that might be something that we will never reach again in the history of golf. It would be unbelievable.

“You know, sometimes people write that we show too much of Tiger [Woods]. Let me tell you, if he made the cut Saturday and Sunday, you will see every golf shot Arnold Palmer hits.”

Palmer shot a 12-over-par 84 during Thursday’s first round. Today should be the finale.

NCAA Ratings

A tale of two college basketball finals:

On Monday night, Connecticut defeats Georgia Tech for the NCAA men’s championship -- and the game draws an 11.0 rating with an 18 share on CBS, the lowest-rated prime-time final ever. The numbers were down 13% from 2003, and down 27% from 2002.

On Tuesday night, Connecticut defeats Tennessee for the NCAA women’s championship -- and the game draws a 4.3 rating on ESPN, the highest-rated basketball telecast, men or women, in the network’s 25-year history.

Conclusions to be drawn:

* Everybody likes a good feud. The women’s final featured the two biggest rivalries in the sport: Connecticut Coach Geno Auriemma versus Tennessee’s Pat Summitt, followed, several rungs back, by the Connecticut and Tennessee women’s basketball programs.

Connecticut and Tennessee currently dominate women’s college basketball. That is a concept that sells -- the best, going head to head, with the championship to the winner.

Auriemma and Summitt also know how to hype a fight. Last year, Auriemma called Tennessee “the Evil Empire,” just to stoke the fire a bit. At this year’s Final Four, Summitt claimed that she and Auriemma “really don’t have a relationship” and Auriemma said that if his car broke down on the road and Summitt happened to drive by to offer a ride, “I would walk.”

Acrimony also sells. Meanwhile, in the men’s division, Connecticut’s Jim Calhoun and Georgia Tech’s Paul Hewitt spent the two-day run-in saying very nice things about each other. A nation of fans yawned and said they wished they’d taped the last eight minutes of Duke-Connecticut.

* Nobody likes a rout. In the men’s final, Connecticut led Georgia Tech by 15 points at the break and by 25 during the second half. After quarterfinal and semifinal rounds chockfull of down-to-the-wire finishes, the final felt flat, tired, emotionally wrung out. Kind of like most Super Bowls.

* CBS needs to re-seed. Not the teams, the announcers. The country seems to be tiring of Billy Packer’s act. And he was all over this tournament. There was no respite, not even during the commercial breaks.

And keeping Dick Enberg on the sidelines during the Final Four is tantamount to keeping Emeka Okafor on the Connecticut bench. Basic rule of basketball, be it coaching or making broadcaster assignments: In the big game, you always want to use your best talent available.

Big Opener for Angels

The Angels’ 10-5 season-opening victory over Seattle on Tuesday afternoon garnered a 3.0 rating and a 7 share for Channel 9, the team’s largest audience for a weekday day game on any local outlet since 1997.

The 3.0 rating represented a 76% increase over the Angels’ first 2003 telecast on KCAL -- a Saturday telecast on April 5, 2003, against Oakland that drew a 1.7 rating with a 4 share. And last April, the Angels were coming off a World Series championship.

Evidently, when you’re the Angels, it’s not what you’ve done lately. It’s what Arte Moreno’s millions have bought lately.

Adu’s Debut

Major League Soccer got want it wanted -- improved television ratings -- with Freddy Adu’s much-hyped professional debut with D.C. United on Saturday. The United-San Jose Earthquakes game drew a national rating of 1.8 on ABC, with a 2.0 in the Los Angeles area. That represented a 64% increase over the first MLS game televised by ABC in 2003, Galaxy versus Columbus, which managed a 1.1 mark.

For MLS, it’s a start. Which is what Adu had better start to do -- he played only the final 30 minutes Saturday -- if the league wants new viewers to stay interested.