SOMETIMES WE'RE NOT GONNA SEE EYE-TO-EYE

SOMETIMES WE'RE NOT GONNA SEE EYE-TO-EYE
Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

THE MASTERS, THE APPLE OF MY EYE



Heaven on Earth
It's day one of the famed Masters tournament and I'm up early - waiting!

Augusta National is America's version of royalty and we can't seem to get enough - only in my humble opinion - we aren't getting enough.  In this respect, the Masters has a lot in common with another pet peeve, Apple.  The makers of things we crave - iPhone, iPad, iMac, iPod.  Marketing geniuses, Apple reigns supreme in creating buzz about its products.  Make it exclusive, give 'em a taste, create an industry.

I'm watching the Golf Channel, which is reporting live from Augusta, but I'm left with lots of chatter and shots from the putting green.  Hey, I'm starving so anything is satisfying.  I had to wait until 10:45 AM to start seeing live coverage, not on television, but on the web!  The TV coverage doesn't begin until 3 PM Eastern!  If you have DirecTV, you then have the opportunity to watch the action unfold on several screens, covering multiple holes.  Sure would have been nice, however, to see Retief Goosen eagle No.1 live!

The demand is certainly there so why make the lovers of this event wait?  Sure, I could have leveraged my assets and bought a ticket, get a hotel room and flown to be there in person, but I figure if it's already a packed house, why not feed the masses?  Having covered a Ryder Cup & U.S. Open at Oakland Hills Country Club, I personally prefer watching golf on television more.  I get more out if that way.  I can follow the action better, not be restricted to a pairing or two, and the bathroom is reserved for my use.  Plus, when I hear "YOU DA MAN" shouted, chances are it's my wife.  Okay, granted, that's an exaggeration.

Ian Poulter tweeting from Augusta
In this technological, social networking age, it's nice to get Twitter updates from the likes of Ian Poulter.  He just tweeted: "In my Masters Thursday outfit just on my way. buzzing"  (10:11 AM).  Here's the accompanying picture he posted.

I suppose I should be thankful for what I get because it wasn't that long ago that Augusta National eased coverage restrictions.  We didn't used to see live action from the front nine at all.  Still, forgive me for wanting wall-to-wall coverage.  There's just something about Augusta that makes a grown man salivate.  My golfing friends admit we'd pay a grand just to play a round there.  When you consider that my wife would gladly fork over the same amount to get a pair of  Christian Louboutin shoes, I don't feel bad at all.

Oh, well, let me go check the leaderboard online.

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