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The most extravagant forecast for the spring and summer sports season has Tiger Woods winning golf's Grand Slam.
Some in the media, including TSN's Dave Hodge, took that implausibility even further by wondering whether Woods might go undefeated on the PGA Tour, a ridiculous notion that was quickly quashed by Woods when he lost at Doral two weeks ago.
Not surprisingly, with the Masters a week away, the CBS broadcast crew was again asked to ponder the likelihood of 2008 producing golf's first winner, in one calendar year, of the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship.
Masters host Jim Nantz noted that Woods started the debate when he stated on his website that winning the Grand Slam was "easily within reach."
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- Boston Bruins
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Edmonton Oilers
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Andrew Cogliano
- Nick Faldo
- Sam Gagner
- Patrick Kane
- Jonathan Toews
- Tiger Woods
Analyst Nick Faldo followed up by suggesting during CBS's coverage of the Buick Invitational in January that the major headline in golf this year could very well be the Woods sweep.
"We all know the odds are astronomical," Nantz said. "But anything with Tiger is not that far-fetched."
Woods, should he win the Masters, would be a heavy U.S. Open favourite at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, where he has enjoyed success, most recently at the Buick.
"If Tiger does it [at Augusta], then it's going to create quite a buzz," Faldo said. "At Torrey Pines, he has an awesome record. Then he'll be well focused for the PGA."
Masters TV coverage will consist of ESPN televising the first two rounds (on TSN in Canada), with CBS coming in for the weekend coverage (on Global).
Online coverage has increased with live streaming of the 15th and 16th holes as well as Amen Corner (the 11th, 12th and 13th holes).
CBS is introducing new technology involving computer animation that illustrates the contour of the fairways and greens.
"It's always hard on TV to show the ups and downs of golf courses," co-ordinating producer Lance Barrow said. "[The technology] is like flying in a helicopter and hovering over the fairway to show what it's like from the point of view of the golf ball."
Leafs in playoffs?
Peter Gross's early-morning sportscast on Toronto's 680News yesterday produced a Toronto Maple Leafs scoop. The Boston Bruins had been playing with an ineligible player, an underaged Swede. Therefore, four of the Bruins' wins against Toronto were overturned, leaving the Leafs in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with 90 points and in the playoffs.
Gross received a call from a reporter with WGR in Buffalo attempting to confirm the story. Gross's response was, "What's the date today?" The name of the Swede might have been a tip-off — Aprolis Jokereen, which was meant to suggest an April Fool's joke.
World hockey TV
Gord Miller and Pierre McGuire will call the world hockey championship telecasts for TSN.
The network will draw larger audiences than usual for the May tournament because, for the first time, it will be played in Canada, at Halifax and Quebec City, which means the games will air live in prime time.
The tournament is likely to also feature some of the top young players in the game — Jonathan Toews (Chicago Blackhawks) and Andrew Cogliano and Sam Gagner (Edmonton Oilers) for Canada, and Patrick Kane (Chicago) for the United States. It's speculated that Steve Stamkos, the top prospect in the 2008 draft, could be invited to play for Canada if the Sarnia Sting's season is over.
- Rogers Sportsnet's website is rapidly cornering the market in whack-job analysis. First, hockey commentator Pierre LeBrun called Chicoutimi goaltender Bobby Nadeau a "Nancy boy" for not fighting Quebec counterpart Jonathan Roy in the junior brawl last week. Now, Mike Toth argues Nadeau was not attacked by Roy. Toth doesn't explain what he thinks Roy's pummelling of Nadeau was, just that it wasn't serious because "goaltenders are protected by a pile of space-age padding."
- Not many father and son broadcasters have worked on the same telecast, but Jim Van Horne and his son Mark Melnyk will be the co-hosts of the World Fishing Network's WFN Tour Bass Championships. "I'm absolutely thrilled," Van Horne said.
- Still with Van Horne, he has joined the CBC's Beijing Olympics team. He will call softball and baseball.
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