WHEN Tiger Woods & Co. feel that his name and image are being unfairly exploited by the PGA Tour and its sponsors, it’s a big story. Woods, after all, has become pro golf’s greatest TV ratings meal ticket. If Tiger is upset, everyone must make extra nice.
Far less newsworthy is Woods’ exploitation of the PGA Tour, and we’re not talking only about playing on TV while dressed in his Nike swoosh outfits for which he’s paid many, many millions of dollars. That kind of exploitation of the Tour is so common that we hardly even recognize it for what it is – exploitation.
We’re talking about the kind of exploitation that would circumvent the U.S. PGA Tour’s rules against accepting appearance fees. Woods and Co., as far as I’m concerned – and more than a few big-time golf people agree, although they wouldn’t dare take a swing at Tiger in public – are in violation of these rules through his multi-million dollar endorsement deal with Buick.
This week, Buick announced that Woods, who carefully picks and chooses his U.S. Tour events and has eschewed some to play abroad for millions in appearance fees, will play in the Buick Open next month in Michigan.
Woods decided to play two weeks ago in the Buick Classic in Westchester.
Woods generally plays in the Buick Challenge, which will be held in October.
Woods never plays in the Colonial, in Texas, in May. Then again, it’s officially the Mastercard Colonial. Woods has a multi-million dollar deal with American Express.
Of course, there are golf TV commentators and big shots within golf’s administrative bodies who believe that Tiger & Co. have exploited the U.S. Tour’s rules on appearance fees to the point where they’ve been broken. But they’ll say no such thing out loud. Perish the thought.
But as long as Tiger Woods & Co. feel that the Tour and its commercial sponsors who don’t have deals with Woods have exploited his name and image, well then, by golly, the Tour, with over a billion dollars coming in its new TV deals, is going to do everything possible to make Tiger & Co. happy. Rules, schmules.
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CYCLONES & UMPS FLUN FIRST FOUL-WEATHER TEST
The minor leagues, Brooklyn Cyclones Sr. VP R.C. Reuteman reminded us yesterday, “are for learning, and that extends to new leagues, new teams and even new umpires.”
Sunday’s Cyclones game against the New Jersey Cardinals featured some bad decisions that led to some major-league-like abuse of fans.
With 7,500-seat Keyspan Park sold out and the game scheduled to begin at the family-friendly hour of 5 p.m., the start was delayed 40 minutes because of rain.
But after just two batters, the game was stopped cold by heavy rain, thunder and lightning, sending everyone for cover.
At that point, with a nasty weather forecast and the field soaked anew, there was only one logical, fan-friendly way to go: Send everyone home. Have them use their ticket stub as a rain check because this game is postponed.
But the game – now in the hands of the umps, who conferred with officials from both teams – was resumed in the top of the first at 8:50, with three-quarters of the crowd having long departed. The scheduled 5 p.m. start ended at 11:30 p.m. Preposterous.
Patrons who called the next day were told that no refunds or rain checks would be issued because the game was played. But by Tuesday, the Cyclones’ position had softened.
The club will now try to accommodate those holding ticket stubs to the game based on seat availability, meaning it can’t guarantee the same seat or section. Fans with those stubs should call ahead to check on the anticipated attendance of the game they’d like to attend.
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Tom McCarthy, host of Phillies’ pre- and post-game radio shows and a weekday afternoon host on ESPN Radio’s Trenton affiliate, has been named the radio voice of Rutgers football (heard here over WOR, 710 AM). Chris Carlin, “Mike and the Mad Dog Show” producer, will be the sideline reporter.
The “Jetsons” cartoon show is inspiration to two all-time baseball look-alikes: George Jetson and Dodgers’ voice Vin Scully, Elroy Jetson and Ex-Yankee manager and current ESPN analyst Buck Showalter.
(Phil Mushnick’s columnreturns July 13).
