DL551: Masters Preview with Jay Busbee & Shane Bacon (Sorry for Bad Audio)

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I hate Skype. The last ten minutes of this show and somehow MY mic was choppy. Inexplicable. If anyone asks why I’m giving up the show, you can tell them it’s because I hate the new Skype. Maybe that’ll get me a feature on Engadget or something.

Anyway, damn you Skype, but thank goodness the Masters is here. Jay Busbee and Shane Bacon preview the tournament, talking about some of the favorites, some of the players who have the most (and least) momentum. Seriously, PGATour.com has a meter determining each player’s momentum heading into the tournament.

Thinking about picking Anthony Kim? Don’t, his Uncle Mo’ has left him behind. That said, SANDLY LYLE has high momentum coming to Augusta! Yeah, it’s that kind of list.

We talk a lot about Phil, not as much about Tiger, and wonder if it’s more important to have a history of good play at THIS TOURNAMENT or to be hot coming into the tournament. Also, is the course better suited for a lefty, or do we lumpREAD MORE

News@Noon: Bradley to EPL, Strasburg Quits Chew, KD/Bosh, Media, SAGs, Phil’s Layup & Pujols Math

News@Noon is a collection of links from people we know and like or stories about folks in sports we know and like. It is, and will always be, completely arbitrary. If you have something you want linked, send along.

• The transfer window deadline day has been must see reporting and tweeting and reporting about tweets and tweeting about reporting. Plus, news(!) like USMNT midfielder Michael Bradley making the move, reportedly, to Aston Villa. Many people think Bradley is a prototypical EPL midfielder, and finally he’ll get his chance.

• Last week we linked to Richard Deitsh of SI, tweeting about whether or not he’d be interested in Ombudsing for ESPN. Here’s Deitsch’s take on Don Ohlmeyer’s run with the WWL and other media thoughts — including an interview with Mike Mayock — in his Media Circus column.

• Big League Stew posted a story from the Washington Post about Stephen Strasburg trying to quit chewing tobacco because his former college coach, Tony Gwynn, was diagnosed with parotid cancer. Hopefully high school kids who think it’s cool to dip — baseballREAD MORE

DL514: All Star Weekend, Pro Bowl, Bubba Watson, Djokovic, College Hoops, More

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Here’s the email I sent Nick this morning:

• Pro Bowl blowout • NHL All-Star weekend/skills competition/player All-Star Draft • Golf – Watson/Mickelson • Djokovic – Murray • Kevin Durant calling Bosh soft • Insane college basketball games (UConn 2OT loss, Duke smoked by St. Johns) • Soccer transfer window is insane

That’s the show. I was really excited for a great weekend in sports, despite having no meaningful football. Nick was less than thrilled. Where’d you fall and did I convince Nick that the weekend was better than the thought?

Call of the Day: Bubba Watson Wins, Tears Up On A Great Day For Lefties

During the off-season I joked with Shane Bacon that he was my second-favorite lefty golfer, other than Phil Mickelson, but he could drop to third if Bubba Watson ever got it going.

Boy did he, winning the Farmers Insurance Open atop of a stacked field, sinking a snaking 15-footer on 18 for birdie with Phil Mickelson a stroke back, waiting to hit his approach. This tournament serves as the de-facto start to the PGA Tour season, as well, with the likes of Tiger and Phil playing for the first time all season. With a leaderboard with names like Anthony Kim, Hunter Mahan, Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Nick Watney and rookie sensation Jhonny Vegas, It was Watson who took home the title.

It was a great moment for Bubba, and of course, a great moment for lefties.

Seriously, how can you not like this guy? He went from a bomber who nobody looked at as a serious contender to, likely, the next great lefty on Tour and one of the top players, names and personalities in the game.

Again, what aREAD MORE

Four Questions – Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters

Hey, look, a new recurring post we’re hoping to pull out a few times a week! Why is it called Four Questions? Well, because of this old story: My roommate in college had an internship at The Daily Show and his first day was also Jon Stewart’s first day. I told him that he’d make a great first impression if he suggested to Stewart that they change Craig Kilborn’s “Five Questions” to “Four Questions,” what with Stewart being Jewish and all. Instead, Stewart did five, four, three, two and one question on each of his first five shows in a quick and painless way to retire Kilborn’s bit. Alas, the Four Questions remained a dream…until now.

There’s a lot of news surrounding the announcement of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters. Shane Bacon and I go over some of the biggest questions to come out of the news.

1. Jim Nantz is the voice of the new Tiger Woods 12: The Masters game from EA Sports. We media wonks think this is a big deal because NantzREAD MORE

How Bubba Watson Just Became My Favorite Lefty (You’re Welcome)

I’ve been a Phil Mickelson fan since I was a kid. Why? Because he was a lefty. Because he became Lefty, and the best player to never win a major. He was really really easy for a left-handed hack like me to root for. I still do, to this day, even if people reply “FIGJAM” every time I tell them that.

But that doesn’t mean there’s not more room at the top. Let’s face it, how many more good years is Mickelson going to have left? Wait, this is golf, he could have like 10 or 15 more good years. Hmm…Well, it’s still time to bring in another young gun to the “favorite golfer” mix.

You win, Bubba Watson. You’re welcome.

Why Bubba? Because he’s officially awesome.

This morning, I sent a tweet out to my friend Shane Bacon, who is turning one year older than he was yesterday.

Happy Birthday to my second favorite lefty golfer, well maybe third if Bubba Watson ever gets going. Happy Bday @shanebacon! #ff

Just a random jab at Bubba for no particular reason otherREAD MORE

Live Golf on ESPN and NBC This Weekend? Thanks, Mother Nature!

Shane Bacon wrote an angry rant for us a few days ago about the news that NBC would be showing the Ryder Cup on tape delay.

Should we put a giant UPDATE on the top of that post? Here are some particulars, via Bacon at Yahoo:

Because of rain delays on Friday that have pushed the matches back considerably, ESPN will be showing live golf early Saturday morning from 2:30 – 8 AM ET and NBC will then pick up the golf, live as well, from 8 AM – 6 PM. Sunday, NBC will show live golf from 4 AM ET until play concludes.

Jim Remy, President of PGA of America told the ESPN audience a few minutes ago that all 28 points will be played for, hopefully by Sunday evening. Here’s the format:

As soon as the fourball matches are done (the second session that was supposed to finish today that will finish tomorrow), the players will go out with six foursome matches (also called alternate shot…every player will be involved in those).

Then…session three will consist of four fourball matchesREAD MORE

Call of the Day: “They’re Headed Someplace Dry To Find Something Wet”

Play is suspended at the Ryder Cup (note: this post is being written at 5:16am so by the time you read this, hopefully play will have resumed).

The ESPN announcers were talking about the decision to halt play will impact the players, before Curtis Strange remembered that it certainly impacts the fans as well:

Strange: “Yeah, one other person I forgot to mention — or group of people — are the fans that are disappointed. They have looked forward to this for six years, ever since they announced that Celtic Manor was going to get the Ryder Cup. So…they won’t go very far though, I suspect. Maybe the nearest…pub, or outlet to get a refreshment.”

Tirico: “They’re headed someplace dry to find something wet.”

I’ll say this: NOTHING would be better than an unruly, wet and half in the bag Ryder Cup crowd. They should let them down a few pints on the course…it’s not like we have to worry about spillage.

Call of the Day: These Guys Are Good, Ryder Cup Edition

Hey, the Ryder Cup starts tomorrow (well tonight in the States) so why not do a blast-from-the past Call of the Day to break up the run of baseball highlights we’ve had.

From 1999…when Ben Crenshaw had a good feeling about something. The video is NBC’s highlight package from just after the competition ended.

NBC’s Inane Decision to Tape Delay the Ryder Cup

When you wake up Saturday morning, fresh off a fun Friday night and getting ready for an afternoon of college football, you should be greeted with an exciting surprise.

The Ryder Cup should be live, giving you the opportunity to to see matches finishing up across the pond, hoping for your team to gain a couple of extra points before the all-important Sunday singles matches. That should be what happens.

But it won’t. Nope. Not with NBC. The network that decided to tape delay Michael Phelps’ run for Olympic history, and continued delays of the Winter Olympics and Wimbledon, has decided once again that live coverage be damned. On Saturday, the second day of the three-day team matches pitting 12 Europeans against 12 Americans, NBC will show the coverage on tape delay.

It’s interesting to point out that on Friday, when ESPN has the rights to the opening matches, golf will be live. The coverage will kick off at 2:30 AM ET (11:30 PM for west coasters!!), and go until the matches conclude. This will give those real golf fans aREAD MORE