Finchem Goes Into Hard Sell Mode On FedExCup; Slips In Rare Aviation Metaphor

You had to think all of these years flying on Air Tim I or II would have led to more aeronautical metaphors, but today's was the first I've come across in several years of agonizing through Tim Finchem press conference transcripts.

From East Lake and sandwiched in between some awards announcements:

About this year, I think it's been a kind of long, grueling year from the standpoint of workload. It's been a tremendously rewarding year from the standpoint of first watching so many good young players succeed and positioning the Tour for the next ten years. And as I said a couple weeks ago in Boston, we're delighted with our new television agreements. It really gives us a long runway.

Yes, it is indeed a long runway. You could take off, land and take off (again) in your Citation on this runway.

These next comments on parity were the primary takeaway remarks for wire stories in search of deep meaning from today's presser.

And then the other thing I'd say about the competition, and I don't know exactly how to articulate this, but clearly we've gone very quickly from a point in time when we were very much a sport that was -- had a dominant player to all the way to the other end of the spectrum, not part way, but all the way to the other end of the spectrum. We had a player on the Player Advisory Council on some issue we were talking about in New York saying we're at a point of total parity. Anybody out here can win any given time. And it occurred to me that that's true, and so far the fans seem to really like it, and it'll be interesting to see what develops in that regard going forward.

Key words: so far.

Our ratings are up this year as a result of that interest, and I think that interest triggered a lot of what was very positive in our television negotiations. On both fronts, television and the caliber of our competition, we're very, very pleased as we come to the end of the FedExCup.

That's because they hit rock bottom last year!

Alright, strap in, here comes the FedExCup pitch.

Then toward the end of the -- just before the Playoffs, we had a really good upsurge in the quality of the field at Wyndham with Harrington and Els and others playing, which is another indicative of how strongly players feel about the importance of the Playoffs in and of themselves and the FedExCup overall.

You know, if you go back in golf and look at any tournament, go back to Tom Morris, however far you want to go back, there is a graduation of stature of any event that rides with the extent to which players prioritize that event.

Whoa there. Did Old Tom Morris just get lumped into a FedExCup/quality of field discussion? Did he ever play the Wyndham to enhance his chances of making it to Cog Hill before the second reshuffle?

And then perhaps most importantly is measuring and recognizing the reaction of the fans to what the FedExCup is. We've had an increase in overall awareness every year, our attendance, our overall gross attendance has been up with one exception the last three years. We attribute the fact that our overall ratings are up this year to the fact that, especially in an era of parity, perhaps, fans are more interested in figuring out who these guys are, spending more time with the telecast and watching them proceed through the FedExCup competition. And so the number of minutes on average that our fans spend with the telecast this year was up nicely.

Or maybe it's just been hot and rainy outside?

Nice adjustment here by the transcript editors. Cume looks so much better than the old transcript spelling:

In addition, our overall cume viewership, 84 million Americans watched us more than ten weeks, 146 million Americans have watched us some. We continue to be on just an event to event basis second only to the NFL in terms of the total audience that's with us in a particular event up against any other sport on average. These are all trends that are really important to the health of our sponsorship, but they emanate from the interest that the fans have.

They just can't get enough of the algorithms?

He did leave a bit of an opening for a change to the end of the FedExCup, with the groundwork laid to blame television for a tweak to have the final days (or day) as a true playoff:

But I do think there's an argument for continuity and letting people settle in with what's happening. It's particularly -- it's a challenge for television to cover when you have two different competitions going on, particularly like last year here where you had a lot of different stories, and the first three weeks in the Playoffs you've got a lot of different stories with the cut line, and then you've got stories at the top. I think it's great television, and I think our partners are doing a really good job. It's a challenge, but I think they've really stepped up and really hit on it now, and I think it's captivating for our fans, and it's good.

DVR Alert: ESPN On 10th Anniversary Of Casey Martin Case

For Immediate Release...

A decade ago, Casey Martin was at the center of a debate that transcended sports. An All-America and teammate of Tiger Woods at Stanford, Martin turned pro, despite an incurable and debilitating disease weakening his right leg. He asked the PGA Tour for permission to use a cart in competition under the Americans with Disabilities Act. When the Tour refused, citing the integrity of competition, Martin sued. A four-year legal battle culminated in a Supreme Court ruling, May 29, 2001, granting Martin the right to use a cart on the PGA Tour. Shelley Smith catches up with Martin in his hometown of Eugene, Ore., where he is now head golf coach at Oregon. This report will also feature rarely seen video from the January 1998 depositions of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, each supporting the PGA Tour.

Bet The King and The Bear are thrilled to see those grainy, embarrassing depo's surface!

“I don’t have ill will towards the Tour or Tim Finchem at all, I really don’t. I look back and say ‘thanks’ in a lot of ways, because certainly when you have that tension and that drama, it makes for a great story and people want to be around it and it’s kind of made me in a lot of sense, who I am today.” -- Casey Martin, on the four-year legal struggle with Commissioner Tim Finchem and the PGA Tour
 
“Casey has exceeded my expectations over the past 10 years. I would’ve thought that he would have either had a fracture or had enough discomfort that he would request an amputation, so I anticipate that will be the case in the future, but I would love to be wrong.” – Dr. Donald Jones, Martin’s orthopedist since the 1970s
 
“My career as a golfer wasn’t a great one, I’m not going to lie. I was frustrated most of the time. It’s hard to compete at the PGA Tour level, period, no matter who you are, let alone if you have a physical disability that you’re dealing with and then all the attention that comes with it.” -- Martin, on making the cut only once in a PGA Tour event after the Supreme Court’s 2001 ruling
 
“We were only required to provide a cart in cases where it was absolutely necessary for being able to play the game at all. It’s kind of like they (the seven Supreme Court justices who decided for Martin) wanted to give him a cart, but they wanted to protect the basis of why we were making the argument.” – Finchem, on his view that the Supreme Court’s decision for Martin was a “win-win”

Ahhhh...that's the spinmeister we love and know!

Viewing times:

Outside the Lines (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, ESPN; re-air 10 a.m. ESPN2)
The Sporting Life with Jeremy Schaap (Friday, 10 p.m., ESPN Radio)

And a preview...

"I was on the range with him for a half an hour on Tuesday."

A few of you noticed something we scribes missed during Tim Finchem's press conference to discuss various topics, including Tiger Woods. Steve Elling writes:

Making his first comments to the print media in two months, Finchem strongly reaffirmed statements he made on television earlier in the week after a Golf Channel analyst asserted on the air that Woods only played this week because he had been pressured by the tour to appear at its flagship event. Woods withdrew after nine holes after claiming that he had re-injured his ailing knee.

The tour called the Golf Channel and strenuously complained about the report and Finchem still seem riled about it on Sunday.

"Well, it's not about him, it's any player," he said. "I don't twist players' arms, and as far as Tiger being hurt, guys, that's a decision he has to make, and I had no information that he wasn't ready to play golf.

"I don't think anybody did. I don't think he did. I was on the range with him for a half an hour on Tuesday.  He was hitting it really well. He went and played nine holes, and he didn't have a problem. He played the next day, he didn't have a problem. He stayed on the range that day, he didn't have a problem."

Finchem was with Tiger for a half hour while he hit balls? No wonder Tiger got out of town. He needs to practice in peace!

"So it's all nonsense as far as I'm concerned, and I don't want to talk about it anymore."

Brian Wacker sums up and shares some highlights from the Commish's impromptu meet and snipe session this morning outside the media center while Tim Finchem nursed a cup of green tea.

Here's the full transcript.

TIM FINCHEM: I'd be happy to try to answer anything you want to talk about.

Shortest introductory comments ever!

Q. You were on CNBC on Thursday talking about the incident with Tiger and being forced to play here.

TIM FINCHEM: I'm answering questions.

Q. I'll ask you a question.

Off to a roaring start!

It seems like irrespective of Tiger, it's not unusual for the commissioner to contact players to see if they're going to play in an event or try to tell them how important it is to play in an event, is it?

TIM FINCHEM: Well, I think the question that was put to me, and I'll answer the question that was put to me, it's been rumored that I pressured Tiger Woods to play in the tournament, and my response was no, I did not do that.

Q. Can you answer my question, then?

TIM FINCHEM: We communicate with players all the time with weak fields, weak field events, and we encourage players to move their schedule around and try to include a weak field. We never go to a player and say, would you please, please, please play this event, this event or any other event, ever, and I don't recall ever talking to any player in my tenure about whether or not they were going to play THE PLAYERS Championship unless they came to me and said, I want you to know I'm not playing THE PLAYERS Championship or I want you to know how delighted I am that I am going to play THE PLAYERS Championship. I hope that sets the record straight.

Not really.

Q. You seem to have been put off by the situation that you would twist Tiger's arm to play when he might be hurt.

TIM FINCHEM: Well, it's not about him, it's any player. It's any player. I don't twist players' arms, and as far as Tiger being hurt, guys, that's a decision he has to make, and I had no information that he wasn't ready to play golf. I don't think anybody did. I don't think he did. I was on the range with him for a half an hour on Tuesday. He was hitting it really well. He went and played nine holes, and he didn't have a problem. He played the next day, he didn't have a problem. He stayed on the range that day, he didn't have a problem. So it's all nonsense as far as I'm concerned, and I don't want to talk about it anymore.

See, he's not put off by the question!

Q. Have you been in touch with Mark Steinberg about Tiger since he left here or do you expect to be?

TIM FINCHEM: No, I sent a note to Tiger saying sorry you couldn't finish the tournament, good luck on your rehab and hopefully we'll see you soon, as you would expect. I do that with pretty much any player that has a problem.

He's been sending a lot of notes to Tiger lately. I wonder if Doug Barron ever got such a note?

Q. After five years are you happy with the date in May?

TIM FINCHEM: We like the flow of May, we like the weather. We had the storm yesterday, but it's the first rain delay we've had in the five years. You go back and look at the previous 24 years it's been irregular. We've gotten to the point, we're still working on getting this golf course ready, and this year we were helped by the weather, but we did a lot of things during the course of the year that should help us should we get another date.

Get another date? Don't you set the date? Or is that Dick Ebersol's decision?

So we like it, players like it, fans like it, and we're very pleased with it thus far.

Unless you get another date!

As for the fans, they haven't been coming out as much according to those who attended in March. Or are they coming dressed as stadium mounds and I just don't see as many? Anyway, my contribution to the proceedings:

Q. Deane Beman on has a new book out about his career. I don't know if you've read it, but in it he says that had he known that the governing bodies would have handled the equipment issues the way they did, he wouldn't have left when he did. Do you have any comment on that?

TIM FINCHEM: Well, no. We handled them the way we did. We think we've handled them quite well, but I'm not going to publicly get into a debate with Deane. Maybe over dinner one night.

I guess if it's a public debate that would ensue, it's safe to say he does not agree with Beman's take.

We did learn about the likely timing of the next television negotiations.

Q. Can you talk about the scheduling and television negotiations?

TIM FINCHEM: It isn't set. It isn't set. It's a combination of schedule, it's a combination of us finishing up some pieces of business that we would get done before we sit down with television. It's largely about schedules and time frames. Different networks have different things going on. Also NBC just came through this merger. But my guess is sometime this summer we'll get to it.

Bad news, the FedExCup format isnt changing, at least not until they get new dates.

Q. Do you envision the FedExCup Playoffs being virtually in the format we're in now, and do you expect FedEx to stay on through 2013 and beyond?

TIM FINCHEM: Yes and yes at this point. We like the flow of the schedule. I suppose that -- I suppose there are things out there that could impact that from a scheduling standpoint. There's an awful lot of speculation about where the NFL is going to land on their schedule, but that probably affects the first quarter more than our playoff schedule, although you just don't know.

I would say generally yes, but I wouldn't say -- don't hold me to that.

Oh we will!

Dawson: Tours Need To Open The Books On Disciplinary Action

I'm sure the R&A's Peter Dawson's fellow powerbrokers at the various tours just loved the International Golf Federation head's answer to the question Tuesday about the tours opening up their books and making public disciplinary actions. Iain Carter reports.

"In terms of what Tour disciplinary policies should be and whether disciplinary action should be made public I think if you look at the wider world of sport that has become the norm.

"I think keeping it quiet, whilst there are many good reasons for doing that at tour level, is probably something that tours should look at changing because I do think that keeping these things in the public domain has a lot of benefit in keeping our standards of behaviour high," Dawson said.

This is especially true with pace of play, not that what he or anyone else thinks matters to the tours.

Meanwhile Dawson did a nice job squelching the much-talked about behind-the-scenes grumbling about the "shock exit" of R&A championship manager David Hill, reports Martin Dempster.

"David had groomed some very good people, the likes of Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, Michael Wells, Robin Bell and Rhodri Price, for example. We are confident that the knowledge David has passed on and their experience will see us through."

Jim McArthur, chairman of the R&A's championship committee, added: "After 32 years, David decided to retire and we thank him for his immense contribution, as well as wishing him well."

The members of Hill's Open team are currently reporting to Dawson, who revealed he will be waiting until the autumn, after the last of the events the R&A run is held, before looking at the options in terms of a new director of championships.