The U.S. Open kicks off today (if it can stop raining), and with ESPN and NBC pairing up for the telecast, the schedule can get a bit confusing. That's why I'm here to help try and break it down for you. Here are your announcers, and when you should change the channel back and forth.

ESPN Coverage:

Hosts- Chris Berman, Mike Tirico, Curtis Strange, Andy North, Roger Maltbie, Gary Koch;
Hole Announcers- Terry Gannon, Gary Koch, Bob Murphy, Karl Ravech, Mark Rolfing and Scott Van Pelt
On-Course Reporters- Bill Kratzert, Dottie Pepper, Judy Rankin
Sports Center Reporters- Scott Van Pelt, Andy North, Tom Rinaldi, Jimmy Roberts, Rick Reilly

NBC Coverage:

Hosts: Bob Costas, Dan Hicks, Johnny Miller, Gary Koch, Peter Jacobsen and Bob Murphy
On-course Reporters: Roger Maltbie, Mark Rolfing, Dottie Pepper
Interviewers: Jimmy Roberts, Tim Rosaforte.
________________________________

Thursday, June 18th

10am-3pm (Live): U.S. Open Championship – First Round (ESPN)
3pm-5pm (Live): U.S. Open Championship - First Round (NBC)
5pm-7pm (Live): U.S. Open Championship – First Round (ESPN)
8pm-11pm: The Best of the U.S. Open Presented by Titleist, First Round (ESPN)
11pm-12am: SportsCenter Presented by IBM at the U.S. Open (ESPN2)

Friday, June 19th

2:30am-5:30am: The Best of the U.S. Open Presented by Titleist, First Round (ESPN2)
10am-3pm (Live): U.S. Open Championship – Second Round (ESPN)
3pm-5pm (Live): U.S. Open Championship - Second Round (NBC)
5pm-7pm (Live): U.S. Open Championship – Second Round (ESPN)
8pm-11pm: The Best of the U.S. Open Presented by Titleist, Second Round (ESPN)

Saturday, June 20th

12am-1am: SportsCenter Presented by IBM at the U.S. Open (ESPN2)
3am-6am: The Best of the U.S. Open Presented by Titleist- Second Round (ESPN)
1pm-2pm: SportsCenter Presented by IBM at the U.S. Open (ESPN)
2pm-8pm (Live): U.S. Open Championship - Third Round (NBC)

Sunday, June 21st

12am- 1am: SportsCenter Presented by IBM at the U.S. Open (ESPN)
3am-6am: The Best of the U.S. Open, Third Round (ESPN)
12:30pm-1:30pm: SportsCenter Presented by IBM at the U.S. Open (ESPN)
1:30pm-7:30pm (Live): U.S. Open Championship - Final Round (NBC)

Monday, June 22nd

12am-1am: SportsCenter Presented by IBM at the U.S. Open (ESPN)
1am-5am: The Best of the U.S. Open, Final Round (ESPN2)

One of the more obvious annoyances within the Sports media world, is Chris Berman's nickname schtick. People call him out on it all the time, but when Berman was added to ESPN's coverage of the Masters last year, he chose to keep it in his arsenal. And according to Neil Best at Newsday, he's not going to be changing anytime soon....

"But that doesn’t mean it’s a Caddyshack or even Tin Cup, which is a great film. Everything is treated with respect. It’s within the moment of golf. There will be a few nicknames. But it’s while they’re lining up a putt. It’s not distracting. You won’t hear it as the ball is halfway to the cup.

"Will you hear Ground Control to David Toms? You hear it once a year, not five times a year, once a year. Will you hear me intro Roger as Chocolate Maltbie? Sure. But once. Diet Koch? Sure, when it’s in the spirit of what I’ve done in my career for 30 years. Nothing has changed.

"In golf, it’s less. But pull up a chair and enjoy the hour or half hour or three hours you can spend with us because we make it enjoyable that a couple of friends might be talking about something that you the viewer and Roger and I and everyone on the course care about. That’s all."

While it bothers me as much as the next person, he does sort of have a point. It can't be easy to fill three hours of airtime, and if part of that time is spent lightheartedly....I don't really have a problem with it. It's when it becomes forced that I start to bang my head on the wall. Hopefully Berman can keep it to a dull roar at Bethpage this year.

Chris Berman says detractors are 'missing the point' (Newsday)

I have no idea what exactly and "Aussie Salute" is, but apparently that's what Robert Allenby gave a pesky fly during the first round of the Masters yesterday. And while that was certainly enjoyable, the fact that he called it a "bastard" on-mic, was much more entertaining....

You get curse words on television a lot, but rarely a use of the word "bastard". Leave it to those wily Australians.

ESPN and CBS have worked well over the past few years to split up major Golf tournaments, and this year's coverage of the Masters will be no different. ESPN will have the first two rounds, as well as the Par 3 contest, and CBS will take over for rounds three and four. In addition to that, CBS will also be streaming the action online, with live looks on 11-16. To get the full coverage, you have to get Masters Extra, which will carry the CBS feed. Oh, and there will also be an IPhone App release for perusal on your telephones....

Here is your schedule and announcers for the four-day event starting on Thursday:

CBS Team: Jim Nantz, Nick Faldo, Peter Oosterhuis, Verne Lundquist, David Feherty, Bill Macatee, Peter Kostis and Ian Baker-Finch
ESPN Team: Mike Tirico, Scott Van Pelt, Andy North, Tom Rinaldi

Wednesday, April 8

Masters Par 3 Contest (ESPN, 3pm)

Thursday, April 9

Live Coverage (ESPN, 4-7:30pm)
Replay of Round One (ESPN, 8-11pm)
Highlights Show (CBS, 11:30-11:45pm)

Friday, April 10

Live Coverage (ESPN, 4-7:30pm)
Replay of Round Two (ESPN, 8-11pm)
Highlights Show (CBS, 11:30-11:45pm)

Saturday, April 11

Live Coverage (CBS, 3:30pm)

Sunday, April 12

Live Coverage (CBS, 3:30pm)

Just wanted to touch on ESPN's Ryder Cup coverage quickly this afternoon as the morning matches come to an end. I've said before that the network's College Football coverage is head and shoulders above all the other Sports on the "Leader", but after taking in the U.S. Open and today's Ryder Cup coverage, it's safe to say that Golf is coming awfully close to matching it.

If you compare ESPN's Golf coverage to CBS' there's a bit more of a tendancy to over-explain aspects of the game, but there's nothing really wrong with that. I think the big thing with the Ryder Cup is explaining the format, and what wins and matchups actually mean leading up to the afternoon play and the Tournament as a whole. Mike Tirico is spot on and Andy North compliments him almost seamlessly. Both of them also work well with the on-course group of Judy Rankin, Bill Kratzert (although Rankin has described just about every shot as "very hard" this morning) and they have the ex-Golf Networker Van Pelt to round everything out. I could deal without Tom Rinaldi, but we're being positive today so I'll pass on him.

It's easy to focus on the negative in these parts because there's so much of it, but I'm really impressed with the improvements that ESPN has made to their Golf game. As far as the tournament itself, the Americans are actually winning early on and the afternoon four-ball matches are going to be a blast. If anything crazy happens I'll be sure to have the video, but if you can get off work early to watch some of the matches, definitely do so.

A Look At ESPN's Ryder Cup Coverage (Awful Announcing)

The Ryder Cup gets underway early on Friday and for the first time ESPN will have live coverage beginning on Thursday with the Opening ceremony. The network will carry 10 hours of various events and practices during the four day period and each Sports Center will carry live reports.

The team that the "Leader" is sending will be anchored by Mike Tirico who will call action with Andy North, Judy Rankin, Bill Kratzert and Scott Van Pelt will be out on the course and Tom Rinaldi and Rick Reilly will be there for updates. Here's the schedule if you want to block off any of the days on your calendar....

Thursday, September, 18th

2pm-3pm: SportsCenter at the Ryder Cup (ESPN)
4pm-6pm: Opening Ceremonies (ESPN News)

Friday, September 19th

7am-8am: SportsCenter at the Ryder Cup (ESPN)
8am-6pm: Ryder Cup First Round (ESPN)
6pm-1am: Ryder Cup First Round (ESPN Classic, Tape)

Saturday, September 20th

12pm-1am: SportsCenter at the Ryder Cup (ESPN2)
7pm-Midnight: Ryder Cup Second Round (ESPN Classic, Tape-NBC)

Sunday, September 21st

Midnight-1am: SportsCenter at the Ryder Cup (ESPN2)
6pm-7pm: Closing Ceremonies (ESPN News)

Monday, September 22nd

Midnight-1am: ESPN2SportsCenter Presented by American Express at the Ryder Cup
5pm-10pm: Ryder Cup Final Round (ESPN Classic, Tape-NBC)

There's been a run on Golf analysts who were former players as of late on all broadcasts for some reason and new ones seem to pop up for each Tourney. During the US Open ESPN/ABC brought on Curtis Strange, who was far from impressive, and now they're tabbing Tom Watson for their British Open telecast starting on July 19th....

ESPN’s production of The Open Championship from Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Lankanshire, England, will be broadcasted on ABC including live weekend coverage on Saturday, July 19 (9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. ET) and Sunday, July 20 (8 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. ET). Additionally, on ABC, SportsCenter at the Open Championship late-night highlight shows will air following the Thursday and Friday rounds from 1:05-1:35 a.m. (both ET and PT) and Saturday and Sunday from 5-6 p.m. (2-3 p.m. PT).

Mike Tirico will anchor the telecast alongside 2008 Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger and Tom Watson, who has won the Open Championship five times (1975, 1977, 1980, 1982 and 1983). Peter Alliss and Terry Gannon will serve as hole announcers with on-course reporters Andy North, Judy Rankin and Bill Kratzert. Tom Rinaldi will provide essays and interviews and ESPN The Magazine’s Rick Reilly will contribute commentary.

The amount of ex-player analysts in Golf is just staggering. It's coming close to rivaling Football these days and the funny thing about this hire is that Tom Watson even admitted to ABC that he's bad at on-air TV work. Via USA Today....

Watson says ABC/ESPN, which no longer covers much golf, went to him about working a few events. "I said no. I'm not good at it," says Watson, who's had "no more than a handful" of TV jobs. "I have a difficult time talking over somebody talking in my ear. It concerns me. I could start stuttering."

But he says he couldn't resist working the British Open: "There's no better venue to give this a try."

He also goes on to say that Golf needs more humor in its broadcasts because it's such a "cruel game". I couldn't agree more which is why I'm wondering where Chris Berman is. He's ESPN/ABC's go to guy for humor right?

(Via ESPN PR)

Leave it to a reader watching women's golf during a crappy Sports weekend to find this clip for me to post. Reader Mike caught this awesome f-bomb after Eun-Hee Ji won the Wegmans LPGA Tournament yesterday....

Umm....so many questions. Since when do they have bottles of the Moet on hand following a Golf Tournament? Is this a common practice? Who are the other three women on the green? Is the LPGA normally this hot and/or intense? I know what a phenom is but what the hell is a FEEEE-NOMMM?!

It's sad that I'll never watch an LPGA event long enough to find out, but if anyone knows please pass along the information.

(P.S.- Notice that I didn't go with the easy angle of multiple Asian women pouring champagne on each other. Apparently there's a movement we have to adhere to these days.)

TNT currently has the opening two rounds of the British Open but according to Ron Sirak of Golf Digest (via Sports Business Daily), ESPN is interested in aquiring the rights when they're up in 2009.

GOLF WORLD's Ron Sirak cites sources as saying that discussions are "under way for ESPN to take over" broadcast rights for the British Open in 2010 when the tournament returns to the Old Course at St. Andrews. TNT currently has a contract to broadcast the Open through the '09 event. Sirak writes ESPN, which currently has weekday coverage of The Masters and the U.S. Open and is "involved with NBC" in Ryder Cup coverage, "seems to be developing a 'big event' strategy when it comes to golf."

If this goes down this would be the only major which would be aired on the Disney family of networks. ABC has the final two rounds and making the move to pick up the first two makes a great deal of sense. Obviously it's good that Tiger's knee will be healed by 2010 and that the Tournament will be heading back to the Old Course at St. Andrews for the first time since 2005.

ESPN/ABC would also become the only solo network/entity to air coverage for a Major Tournament in its entirety over the four day period.

Media Notes (Sports Business Daily)

Ninety one holes....91! I questioned the 18-hole Playoff before the start today to myself, and more often than not this format probably end in a blowout, but today and the whole five-day period completed arguably the best rounds of Golf I've ever seen. The ride of Tiger Woods' Round yesterday and the drama of the Playoff today was simply amazing and Golf has never captivated me in this way before.

I thought at the beginning of the day that Mediate had a chance, but when he went down three at the turn I (and everyone else) counted him out. In the section of the course that Tiger owns, Mediate went birdie, birdie, birdie, and tied it up. He then sank an astonishing putt on 16 and took the lead. Tiger saved his best for last and on the Par-5 18th he made the green in two and put the pressure on Mediate. Tiger got his birdie with a two putt and then Mediate was left with the longest four footer of his life. He stepped up to the challenge and forced the sudden death portion of our program and I think all of us were left shaking our heads.

The 19th hole obviously went to Tiger and you can see that below, but the best part about this Tournament was Mediate. It's easy to root for or against Tiger at times, but I don't know how anyone could root against Rocco. The guy just loves Golf and after the putts on the 19th in the video below, you can see why he became America's Sweetheart over the weekend....

The best part of this whole duel wasn't the 19 holes (even though each one was special in its own right), but that it was one of those rare occasions where it didn't even matter who won. Mediate didn't come out on top, but no one is going to soon forget his run at Tiger Woods. Just a great, great Tournament and both deserve praise for a great run.

The sportsmanship, play, and tension made this a Father's Day weekend for the ages. I think we were all lucky for witnessing it (and if you didn't today, then I hope this site helped a bit) and thanks for playing along with me during the live-blogs. Tiger Woods continues to amaze me and there's nothing left to do but marvel at his greatness. Unbelievable (there's that word again).

Well that was an unexpected miss by Rocco on nine. He could have pulled all square but he three putted. Woods leads by two heading to the tenth.

Hole #10:

Par 4, 414 yards: Tiger's drive is right and he's in the deep stuff. Tiger let's out a g'damn and Miller follows with this....

"That's not the way we want to open our show with that little reaction like that. Sorry about that."- Johnny Miller

You couldn't hear the damn part, so you're good NBC. Mediate's drive is straight down the heart of the fairway. NBC goes into their intro, and I'm going to make a sandwich.

Tiger chucks it out of the rough and his shot rolls down the fairway. Not much else he could do. Rocco's got another shot at getting back in it. Very high shot...and it's short of the green. There's a front hole placement though and he's got a shot at birdie.

"There were guys in the stands at 6am and they don't get to see a shot at 1:30."-
Johnny Miller

Eff that. Tiger's got a weird lite with half of it in the fairway and half on the fairway edge. Wow...that was some spin. He went two yards past the hole and came right back off. Rocco's third is just a terrible shot. He barely skips it onto the green and he's got eight feet left. It just might not be in the cards today if he's missing all of these opportunities.

Tiger is putting from the fringe and he's got eighteen to go uphill. SINKS IT! And that's a dagger if Rocco misses this one. He does and that might be all Tiger needs.

Tiger: "Hey Rocco, check out this guy behind us. He's holding a giant rod to his crotch."
Rocco: "I love that gag." (Via Pete)

Good caption.

Scores: Woods- E, Mediate- +3

Hole #11:

Par 3, 193 yards: Tiger is in yet another bunker and Mediate has yet another opening.....great shot! Just past the hole at about 10 feet. He's not out of it yet. Woods out of the bunker......Wellllll past the hole. Mediate is away though and he's off....just right. Par for Mediate. Tiger for his Par....MISS! Rocco gets one back.

"ROCCO! ROCCO!"- San Diegoans

"That's my good friend Steve (someone), my duck hunting friend."- Johnny Miller

Johnny Miller, channeling Joe Morgan (do I really have to call him Dr. Morgan?)... dropping the name of his Duck Hunting buddy sitting in the grandstands at 14. (Via Anon)

No, you don't have to call him Doc.

Scores: Woods- +1, Mediate- +3

Hole #12:

Par 4, 505 yards: Rocco is right down the center on his drive and Tiger follows with a shot into the fairway bunker. Here we go! Commercial break.

Mediate's second is a beauty....just rolls past the hole and he'll have a birdie attempt. Tiger is short and right into the rough and he lets out yet another G'DAMMIT!

Tiger's third shot, a chip uphill, is short and he'll have another 12 feet to go. He didn't seem to hit that one well either. Mediate's birdie attempt.....no good. Woods is taking forever to lineup his long Par attempt....Nope! And that should be another stroke for Rocco!

Woods sinks the Bogey five and Rocco has a five footer to move to one down....sinks it!

Scores: Woods- +2, Mediate- +3

Hole #13:

Par 5, 539 Yards: This is the Tiger Eagle hole so we'll see if he goes for it again. Rocco's drive is left and just barely in the fairway. Tiger's goes a bit past Mediate's but well into the left rough. Commercial break....

"And that should be another stroke for Rocco!"...That's what she said. Zinger.- Jeremy D

Side note for the masses... would you consider this a "Come from behind victory" for Tiger if he pulls it out? Just wondering. (Via Anon)

It should be, but probably won't be referred to as such. Rocco is going for it! Just short and into the bunker. Woods is on though with a heck of a shot!!! He'll have an eagle attempt.

Rocco's bunker shot looks like an easy one for him....not bad. Left but a makeable putt from about 7 or so. Tiger's Eagle attempt....just short. He had the right line, but was just a bit to weak with it. Mediate.....gets it! We're going to fourteen with Woods up one still.

Scores: Woods- +1 Mediate- +2

Hole #14:

Par 4, 269 Yards: Mediate almost drives the green on the short Par 4 and he's in the fairway. Here comes a double eagle attempt from Tiger....

"This little tiny hole is eating his lunch."- Johnny Miller

Same distance as Rocco's but in the rough to the right. Commercial break. Tiger comes out of the rough left and leaves it about eight feet away. The door is open for Mediate here.....just misses it left! He's a foot away. Birdie three for Rocco.

Tiger's eight footer or so......OOOH! Just lips it out. Now we're tied! Good lord this is fun!!!

Scores: Woods- +1 Mediate- +1

Hole #15:

Par 4, 478 Yards: Mediate is away and his drive bounces into fairway along the right. Some luck there for Mediate. And Tiger sends it into the gallery to the right. An awkward swing there with the knee bothering him now.

Rocco's got 191 to the hole.....great shot! A bit right and a bit long and it's within 20 or so. Oooh Tiger's actually in a bunker that's on the previous hole I think. 170 to go......

OH MAN! WHAT A SHOT!!! He sticks it inside of Rocco's ball! Unbelievable. He has to be the best scrambler in the history of Golf. Rocco just shakes his head.

WOW! Rocco drills his putt!!! This is just too much fun! Mediate has three birdies in a row and the pressure is on Tiger's putt. It should be almost the same as Rocco's though....Tiger misses!

Rocco Mediate leads with three to go! Insane.

Scores: Woods- +1 Mediate- E

Hole #16:

Par 3, 225 Yards: Mediate is away and Tiger is gnawing on an apple as he waits. 4 Iron.....Very short. Now Tiger has an opening he clubs up after seeing Mediate's shot. The wind slows down and Tiger switches back to a four....it hits short as well and releases just onto the front of the green. Commercial break.

Mediate is going to putt this one....interesting choice. JUST BY THE HOLE! Great attempt there. He'll Par the 16th. Woods once again though gets the benefit of having almost the exact same putt. I didn't move much so he should have a good chance to sink this.....

OH MY GOODNESS! Just one half roll short. As close as he can get. Rocco taps in and he's still up one.

Scores: Woods- +1 Mediate- E

Hole #17:

Par 4, 441 Yards: Mediate's drive is just in the first cut and Tiger follows with a slight hook right into the heart of the fairway.

Tiger's got just over 160 and great job by NBC's crew to pick up the conversation between Woods and his caddie about the wind. He's taking his time with this one and rightfully so. He steps back again as Williams calls him off the ball. Good lord this is intense. Woods switches again based on the wind...eight iron....

Great shot. Just hops it past the hole and it stops about 15-20 past. Rocco's got 154 from the rough....Short! Oooh...he gets a kick onto the green. Both have pretty tough birdie attempts.

"Jack Nickalaus is playing my tournament in Salt Lake City as we speak, I'm not there."- Johnny Miller

Rocco is away...uphill from about 40 or so....ooooh good putt. Slides it by and leaves himself about a five footer. Tiger has a long one in the opposite direction but not nearly as far...probably 25 feet....

NOT ENOUGH! Leaves it short and Rocco has a short putt for Par that will seem like 80 feet.....GOOD! Onto eighteen and Mediate is up one still!!! So intense.

Scores: Woods- +1 Mediate- E

Hole #18:

Par 5, 525 Yards: Mediate pulls it into the left fairway bunker! Woods over the ball....playing a fade....and he's right in the middle. Here we go!!!

Rocco is away and his second shot will be from the bunker.....and he's back into the middle of the fairway. Tiger though has a shot at the green and a potential eagle. Wind is coming from left to right. Tiger spits and then steps back over the ball.

HE'S ON! Barely over the pond in front!!!

Mediate is up for his chip.....great shot! Dead center of the green and he'll have a nice birdie attempt. Man this is so great.

Tiger is up first with a thirty footer plus.....

He misses right and leaves himself with a heck of a birdie putt. Rocco can win it here. The commentators say it might go a little right and it's uphill.....

MISS! Tiger is up again with a six footer or so....and a bird just flies right over his line. Too funny....

GOOD!!!!! Now Mediate has the toughest short putt of his life to move to sudden death....

HE MAKES IT!!! 90 holes isn't enough! We're going to even more free Golf!!!

Scores: Woods- E Mediate- E

Hole #19 (#7 on the course):

Tiger has the honor and he birded this hole earlier in the day. I just can't believe this is going to go the whole day. Let's play another eighteen, let's play two!

"They wanted a show, they got a show."- Rocco Mediate to Roger Maltbie

After a long walk and some food Tiger sets up in the middle of the tee and he's ready to go....he's drive is right inside the fairway on the right hand side.

Rocco's drive is going left.....into the bunker!!! That's not good. Okay Rocco has a ball below his feet here and....he pulls it! It hits left of the cart path and hits off the grandstand. Not the worst of spots but Tiger's got a good look here.

156 to go....the wind picks up a bit and he switches clubs yet again. Here we go...beautiful. About 15 feet short and right on the green. Almost the same spot he made the birdie from on seven.

"Let's Go Rocco! Clap, Clap, Clap Clap Clap!"- Gallery

Rocco gets relief from the stands and he gets a drop in the rough. Beautiful lie after the drop and he'll have a shot here. Tough to get it by the hole though....

It heads well past the hole to about twenty feet and that'll be the one he has to make to stay in this Playoff. Tiger needs to hurry up because the thunder storms are coming through AA Central. If I disappear you know why.

Tiger to win it......

OHHHHH! Another one he leaves just short and Tiger falls to his knees. He taps in though and Rocco needs this one to go to another hole. This is it....

NO GOOD! And Tiger Woods wins it!!!

Unbelievable day of Golf and I'm just left shaking my head at Tiger. You have to feel for Mediate though but in the end it just wasn't enough to best the number one player in the World.

"He's so hard to beat obviously."- Rocco Mediate

"It just showed me that I can still compete, and I want to still compete."- RM

How can you not like this guy? Interviews, thoughts and more videos to come if the power hangs on for me here. Thanks for playing along folks....it was a hell of a good time.

I hope you get a chance to watch this rare treat yourself but in case you're at work I'm going to try to give you as much video and play-by-play as I can. ESPN has the first nine holes from about 12pm until 2pm and then NBC will take it the rest of the way. Should be fun!

Hole #1:

Mediate is on the tee and he slams one right down the left side of the fairway. Tiger is up now and is looking to keep this one anywhere near the fairway.....oh he gets a nice kick out of the rough into the fairway. Both laugh and head off for their 18.

Hicks and Miller are on the call for ESPN and it they'll be on the case the whole day. Greaaaaat. Gary Kock, Bob Murphy, Roger Maltbie, Mark Rolfing, and Jimmy Roberts are your leftovers from the weekend. The other thing to note is both players are wearing almost the exact same outfit. Black pants and red shirt. Might be some head games (HEAD GAMES!) from Mediate there.

Rocco's second is from 177 and lands in the bunker and Tiger's goes within twenty below the pin. Mediate gets out of the sand and puts it past by about four feet. Tiger's putt from 20....not really close. And ouch. Rocoo misses his par. Tiger taps in and we're off to #2.

Scores: Woods- E, Mediate- +1

Hole #2:

Both players drive into the rough on either side of the fairway and ESPN goes to an interview with Mediate and Jimmy Roberts that has no sound. Just birds chirping.

"Wanna apologize to the ESPN listeners out there apparently you were not able to hear the interview. WE were able to hear Jimmy's interview with Rocco, but uh, it was good. They're all good, trust us."- Dan Hicks

Let's start the blame game! Tiger's second comes up short of the green in the rough and Rocco's is way right in the rough. Bad shots by both. Mediate chips it close and he'll have an easy putt for Par. Tiger puts it short and he'll have a little longer go at it. Woods drills his putt and so does Mediate.

I like to pretend in this interview that Rocco really is chirping like birds. (Via Stevie D)

I need the video of Mediate talking and no actual audio from the interview, just the ESPN overlay of generic bird sounds. I just about pissed myself. How could they never fix the audio? The announcer's didn't even here it... must've been perfect over at Torrey Pines. (Via Zak)

Coming shortly.

You think Rocco is working on a sponsorship from Starbucks? On the interview sans sounds, he was holding a Starbucks cup and taking sips inbetween questions. (Via Anon)

Scores: Woods- E, Mediate- +1

Hole #3:

Our first Par 3 and Tiger is hitting a seven iron. He sinks it straight into the front bunker. That ball is buried in the sand. Mediate's six iron....OHHHHHH! Just missed a hole in one by 2 inches!

"It's plugged in there pretty deep."- Roger Maltbie

Tiger chips out of an impossible san lie and leaves himself about a 10 footer. No good and Woods will bogey #3 and that'll be a two stroke swing.

Does anybody else want to decapitate the people who feel the need to yell "Get in the hole!!!111" after every single shot? (Via CJ)

So annoying.

Scores: Woods- +1, Mediate- E

Hole #4:

Par 4, 488 yards: Rocco hits it into the left rough on the drive and might be in a little trouble, Tiger follows with one of his own to the left and they're right next to each other. Tiger's second from 288 ....short in front of the bunker on the left.

"He's choking way down on something here John."- Roger Maltbie

Ooooh and Rocco breaks out a hybrid! He nails it on to the green. Great shot. Tiger's third is chipped right up next to the hole...beautiful. Mediate misses left but is right outside Tiger's Par putt. Both drain their gimmies, but Rocco makes an adventure of his. Rocco leads by one heading into hole five.

Scores: Woods- +1, Mediate- E

Hole #5:

Mediate hits his drive well right and he's in the deep stuff. Both players aren't driving well at all today. Until now....Woods hits it right down the middle.

"Looks like Tiger is waiting for the blimp to get out of the way."- Dan Hicks

Stupid Snoopy....get out of Tiger's way. Tiger's second from 169 yards and is a little below his feet. He hits it well left on the green and it draws back some. About 30 feet away. Mediate is actually in the bunker and is just going to blast it out. Uh oh! He hits the cart path twice!!! He's over by the third tee way past the hole!!!!

Mediate is all the way into the hay on the left of the green. He's got an okay lie and scoots it past the green onto the fringe. Wait, it inexplicably rolls back on the green. Great shot. His Par will be from about 10 feet, while Tiger's Birdie will be from 25 or so. Oooh...close but he slides it just by on the right.

Rocco just misses and he'll Bogey five, Tiger taps in and we're tied.

Scores: Woods- +1, Mediate- +1

Did Johnny Miller attend the Madden school for telestrating? (Via Anon)

Yeah he's way off with those arrows. FYI, the interview vid is up....god those fake bird noises are annoying.

Hole #6:

Par 4, 501 Yards: Tiger is away and his drive goes over the tree to the right of the dog leg right and after he sticks his tongue out....it sits right in the middle. Look out Rocco. Mediate's shot is spanked as well and his ball will come up about 25 yards behind Woods' drive in the middle of the Fairway. Now we're playing!

Ooh I was close with the yardage. 23 yards further and Rocco is up.....his ball is going right and he's on the fringe well past the hole. Tiger's got 185 to the hole and he's hitting an eight iron (that's just sick). STICKS IT! Within five feet.

Rocco follows with a heck of a shot of his own. He chip the ball way left and then heads down a ridge towards the hole. He's within Tiger's putt. Woods from five below the hole.....good! And that's he's first birdie. Not an easy tap either. Rocco makes his left to righter and Tiger leads by one.

Scores: Woods- E, Mediate- +1

Hole #7:

Par 4, 463 Yards: Tiger's up first again.....DRILLED! Straight down the middle. He's on point today. Mediate's drive kicks right and is in the short rough. Commercial break.

I don't know what's worse... that I took the half day to come home and watch, or that I could have stayed at work and followed along with AA... oh the hell with it, i've got the grill going too. Is it sad that I miss Dottie Pepper? Has anyone ever said that? (Via Anon)

Great call with the grill. Today's a day that you have to take off work. I'm thoroughly enjoying this live-blog. And I'm with you in regards to Pepper. She's a little nuts, but solid on the course. Okay we're playing again....

Mediate's second is pin high but well right. He's got about 35-40 to go. Tiger's got 145 to the hole....AND AGAIN! He's within about 10 feet right below the hole.

FYI....Mediate's almost hole in one back on three is up. Sorry for the delay and I promise the vids will be coming quicker from here on out. Mediate's putt on seven is juuuuust short and he'll finish with Par. Tiger's got a good look at birdie and he's looking it over from every angle.

He sinks it! Two shot lead for Tiger.

Scores: Woods- -1, Mediate- +1

Not to go all 'ESPN Featured Comment of the Day' on you, but if Tiger keeps driving it like this, Rocco will have to play out of his mind to win. (Via CJ)

Huh Murph? Huh Murph? Huh Murph? (Via Hollywood Wags

Miller just completely ignores Hicks doesn't he? He goes to everyone else on the course before the lead.

Hole #8:

Par 3, 171 Yards: Tiger changes up clubs on the tee and is well past the hole into the back bunker.

"When you're playing you have to focus on your strengths, not the other guy's advantages."- Johnny Miller

Oh really? Mediate has an opening now and his tee shot is well short of the green in the little slice of fairway in front. Commercial break.

If Tiger wins, I hope you rips the shirt off of Rocco and yells "Red is my color, punk!" (Via Nick)

That's Tiger Woods' Music!

What's the over/under for awkward high-fives/hand-slaps between Tiger and his caddy? 4? 5? (Via Pete)

I think we're at three already. Tiger is out of the bunker and he shoots it all the way back over the green next to Rocco's ball. Mediate puts it a little ways past the hole, and he's got a tough downhiller for his par. Mediate also shot very quickly so Tiger couldn't really get a look....good move. Tiger is just following Rocco now and they're in the exact same spot again. Tiger is away and he's.....got it. Bogey for Woods. Mediate with the same putt.....good. One stroke lead for Woods.

Scores: Woods- -1, Mediate- E

RE: Rocco's red shirt... I remember when one of the Euro players (or maybe Baddley) wore red playing the final round with Tiger to "psyche himself up"... then got DEMOLISHED...I see Rocco wearing it more along the lines of... "I was too tired to do laundry, it it was my last clean shirt" (Via Anon)

Hey...did you guys know there's a US Open playoff today and Tiger Woods is playing in it? I haven't heard about it all day, and I thought I'd let everyone know.(Via Adiadb)

I hadn't heard.

Hole #9:

Par 5, 612 yards: Rocco is right down the middle and he needed that one. Woods is in the fairway on the left with a huge shot, but he has his first grimace of the day after the drive. Ouch. He felt that one. Commercial break.

Mediate is trying to layup, but he ends up in the rough to the right about 50 yards away. Tiger's breaking out the five wood to get to the green. He's walking after it and he's in the bunker to the left...short but with a good lie. Mediate is up and he hits one....OOOH right over the hole. Miller points out that because of the rough there is no spin and it's about 12-15 feet past the whole. Tiger from the bunker....

WOW! Tiger duffs one and it's buried in the rough short of the green!!! Tiger's fourth is a short chip and he's within six feet or so.....ESPN is switching over and I'm going to start a new thread as well after this hole, which isn't over yet. Very annoying because NBC is still showing All My Children or something like that.

Hi Bob Costas!!! Tiger saves Par after Mediate missed his Birdie. HE MISSES! Ouch!!!! Rocco will be down by two now. That was painful. See you in the new thread.

I know the thought process is to try and paint Rocco Mediate as an everyman during coverage, but for some reason people are trying to paint him as a ridiculous underdog. Sure he's not favored (+275, just a bit under 3 to 1), but he's no slouch either. He has been ranked in the Top 20 before and now has four Top 10 finishes in Majors. It's to the point that it's coming across as insulting if you ask me.

The biggest culprit of this has to be Johnny Miller, who's not exactly known for being sheltered when commenting on Golf. Multiple times yesterday the NBC analyst virtually insulted Miller with comments he made in regards to his averageness. He said that, "Guys with a name 'Rocco' don't get on that trophy", at one point and then later even likened Mediate to Tiger's "pool boy"....

Miller isn't alone though. I don't know if this is the angle that ESPN has decided to play, but all morning long they've said that Mediate is an improbable foe for Tiger today and that he doesn't have a shot. Mike Greenberg and Trey Wingo even compared the matchup to Buster Douglas vs. Mike Tyson. That's just a bit over-the-top.

I understand that average Sports fans haven't heard of the guy but give him some credit. I wouldn't be surprised if he ran away with it today, Tiger's knee an issue or not.

Update: You can now add First Take with their "Chaminade-UVA" comparison and Rick Reilly's "June Bug vs. Hurricane" to the mix...

Johnny Miller Thinks Rocco 'Looks More Like the Guy Who Cleans Tiger's Swimming Pool' (Fanhouse)
Comparing Rocco Mediate vs. Tiger Woods to Buster Douglas vs. Mike Tyson Is Ridiculous (Fanhouse)

I have to admit that I was just as confused as some of you this morning with ESPN's coverage. For some reason the network didn't go into "total coverage" until 1pm, but I had no idea that's what they were planning. For two hours to start the day we got a few shots of the "Big Three" teeing off and putting but it was interrupted by 10 or so reports on players and the course itself. Karl Ravech and Andy North waxed ecstatic for the better part of the two hours and went to Tom Rinaldi and Colleen Dominguez early and often for the reports mentioned above. It's not that the reports were bad, there was just zero golf and no explanation for it.

Well right before 1pm, Ravech explained that they were currently in "ESPN U.S. Open Extra Coverage" and that Berman would be coming on with Roger Maltby and Dottie Pepper. The network went to break and then magically transformed into a regular Golf telecast. It makes sense to wait until most of the players are on the course, but it was very confusing to say the least.

Now that we're over 30 minutes into actually coverage, I have to say that it's actually pretty good. Chris Berman is doing a good job of not being "over-the-top", and while most of the coverage is on Tiger Woods, they're spreading it around just enough to other players. Not a bad start at all. Sure Berman has had his moments, specifically when referencing Chargers fans after the gallery cheered for Tiger, but he's not bothering me (yet) in the least.

I know a lot of you are TIVO'ing the first round so I'll skip on telling you about the play and just leave this spot as a running open thread for quotes and videos. Here are some of the early comments by the crew at Torrey Pines....

Day One Quotes:

“This is his mini-driver, 11 and a half degrees.”- Andy North
“And let’s not confuse the people at home who may think Minnie Driver might be walking around following Phil. It’s not Minnie Driver the actress, it’s Minnie Driver the golf club he’s hitting.”- Karl Ravech

“That 50% mental really applies to you Karl considering how much you do with Baseball.”- Tom Rinaldi

“Sounds like a Chargers crowd at home here.”- Chris Berman

“He’s [Tiger Woods] have never finished out of the Top 10 here. Pretty remarkable at Torrey Pines.”- Roger Maltby
“He knows where the bodies are buried…….and he knows where the putts are buried.”- Chris Berman
“He buried that one.”- Roger Maltby

(P.S.- Berman has some seriously wide shoulders these days.)

Squeezing 40 hours of coverage into a two-day period has to be near impossible given the fact there's only 48 hours to fit it in. This is why ESPN is starting things up tomorrow and Wednesday with two hour long Sports Center Specials. The rest of the coverage will come fast and furious from Torrey Pines Golf Club starting at 11am on Thursday and finishing up on early Monday morning with a highlight package of the Final Round.

Mike Tirico and Chris Berman will be your hosts and they'll deal with a cavalcade of reporters out on the course. Here's the breakdown:

Hosts: Mike Tirico and Chris Berman
Analysts: Curtis Strange, Andy North, Roger Maltbie Gary Koch
Hole Announcers: Bob Murphy, Mark Rolfing, Terry Gannon and Jimmy Roberts
On-course Reporters: Tom Rinaldi, Judy Rankin, Dottie Pepper and Bill Kratzert
Sports Center Hosts: Karl Ravech, Scott Van Pelt, and North

You can also prepare yourself for a ton of Rick Reilly over the weekend as well. He'll be providing commentary and essays much along the lines of the Belmont one he did this past weekend.

Here's the whole schedule if you're interested....

Tue., June 10

1-2 p.m.- SportsCenter Presented by American Express at the U.S. Open (ESPN, Live)

Wed., June 11

1-2 p.m.- SportsCenter Presented by American Express at the U.S. Open (ESPN, Live)

Thu., June 12

11 a.m.-1 p.m.- U.S. Open Extra Presented by Titleist (ESPN, Live)
1-3 p.m.- U.S. Open – First Round (ESPN, Live)
5-10 p.m.- U.S. Open – First Round (ESPN, Live)
5-9:25 p.m.- U.S. Open – First Round (ESPN Deportes, Live)

Fri., June 13

12- 1 a.m.- SportsCenter Presented by American Express at the U.S. Open (ESPN2, Live )
2 a.m.-5 p.m.- U.S. Open – Best of First Round (ESPN2, Delay)
11 a.m.-1 p.m.- U.S. Open Extra Presented by Titleist (ESPN, Live)
1-3 p.m.- U.S. Open – Second Round (ESPN, Live)
5-10 p.m.- U.S. Open – Second Round (ESPN, Live)

Sat., June 14

12 a.m.- 1 a.m.- SportsCenter Presented by American Express at the U.S. Open (ESPN2, Live)
3-6 p.m.- U.S. Open – Best of the Second Round (ESPN, Delay)
1-2 p.m.- SportsCenter Presented by American Express at the U.S. Open (ESPN, Live)

Sun., June 15

12- 1 a.m.- SportsCenter Presented by American Express at the U.S. Open (ESPN2, Live )
3-5:30 a.m.- U.S. Open – Best of Third Round (ESPN, Delay)
1-2 p.m.- SportsCenter Presented by American Express at the U.S. Open (ESPN, Live)

Mon., June 16
1:30-2:30 a.m.- SportsCenter Presented by American Express at the U.S. Open (ESPN2, Live)
2:30- 5 a.m.- U.S. Open – Best of Final Round (ESPN2, Delay)

I watched most of ESPN's Masters Coverage today and wanted to share a video and a few words. I might be jumping to this conclusion a bit too quickly but without Chris Berman involved the two (well three actually) day span covering the major Golf tournament could rival College Gameday as the best produced event/show on the network.

Mike Tirico is solid and seems to really be enjoying himself and Van Pelt's work with Andy North was stellar as well. If you're working tomorrow you can check it out online or be sure to TIVO it. It's one of the last true portrayal of a Sport without people yelling over one another and over-the-top graphics. I don't say this often, but great job today ESPN. The Par 3 Contest was fun to watch and the previews of the tournament, the course and there players were all well done. Including this one....

(P.S.- I put the vacation post up before I wanted to, so you have to deal with me for a few more posts. I'm heading out first thing tomorrow, so I'll try to get some things up before I head out)

Just amazing news today from the NY Post. Last year's attempt at injecting Chris Berman into ESPN's coverage of Golf is a one and done. He won't be around this April....

Berman will have nothing to do with this year's Masters telecasts, no presence whatsoever. There's not even a pro-am for ESPN to show him clowning in. Mike Tirico will be the only ESPN person seen through the network's Thursday and Friday, 4-7 p.m. window. And Tirico is assigned to conduct interviews from Butler Cabin.

The rest of ESPN's telecasts will be in the hands of CBS and CBS personnel. Berman won't even be a member of ESPN's three-man, on-site "SportsCenter" team.

While this is great news for Golf fans, I'm going to agree with Post writer Phil Mushnick when he says that this, "doesn't rhyme with ESPN's usual big-game scheme." It seems to be yet another small step towards substance over style and if they keep going this way Chris Berman isn't going to have anything left to do but the Homerun Derby.

It has to be tough to sit down your highest paid individual, and I'd be hard pressed to think of a better decision ESPN has made in recent years. If anyone remembers last year's coverage of the U.S. Open they remember that the first two days of the Tournament was a joke. Berman is incapable of not acting like his nicknaming self and him not being involved this year is a blessing.

Merry Chriss-Miss Golf Fans (NY Post)

(Thanks to JP for the link)

I really don't know how the whole "In Partnership With ESPN" thing works, but there are a multitude of websites that ESPN has brought on to add online content. One of those is Golf World and a writer for the magazine/website is none too happy with the network...

My friends at ESPN have decided golf is no longer worthy of more than a drive-by on "SportsCenter," maybe 15 seconds after a race-car reporter gives me three minutes on Jimmie Johnson's intake manifold prior to the start of the GreaseMonkey 500. If Tiger Woods is playing, however, we might get a half-dozen highlights and Stuart Scott's best Flip Wilson impersonation....

It's arrogant. It's a bit irresponsible. More than anything, it's so petty. The worldwide leader can talk all it wants about how golf doesn't fit its demographics, but there are a zillion middle-aged men in this country whose only use for the remote is to turn on ESPN. A lot of them play golf. I'm relatively certain more than a few of them care about what's going on in pro golf, even at the Honda Classic.

Editor's note: John Hawkins appears regularly on Golf Channel, but even if he didn't, he would still be mad at ESPN because of its lack of golf coverage. Trust us.

Well then. Golf is such an enigma these days, but the "Tiger Factor" plays such a huge role in coverage. I'm willing to be that Mr. Hawkins won't feel this way when ESPN covers the first two rounds of the Masters this year. It's like they make up for all of the lack of coverage in two days.

The Angry Golfer: Hey ESPN—Give Golf Its Due (Golf Digest)

PGA continues to make changes under new Chairman Billy Payne as he's moving the first two rounds of the Masters from USA to ESPN. The HD telecasts will air from 4:00-7:00pm ET, with replays from 8:00-11:00pm. ESPN also plans to use CBS’ production and announcers, but ESPN’s Mike Tirico will host the telecast.

This is huge for ESPN, but you know they plan on getting Berman involved in this somehow too. Can you feel my excitement?!?!

(Via an ESPN Press Release)