I was especially hard on Fox during last year’s U.S. Open, but that was some low hanging fruit. I was pretty confident that a more familiar and historic venue, plus a year under their belt, that they would have a much better go around this year, and I think they’re on their way there.

 – They spent more on these graphics than HBO has spent on Khaleesi’s dragons all season. I thought at one point we might see a fire graphic come from Azinger’s mouth as he ran off a hot take! This is one of the few things on the entire planet that everyone agrees on. There’s not one person that sees a ProTracer shot and gets annoyed by the bright colors on their screen.

 – There’s not a more difficult time to have to ad lib than when you have almost no highlights to show. Four minutes into their broadcast, the horns blew, and they were stuck trying to figure out what to do with their hands for hours. Azinger was a great fit in the booth, and Holly Sonders spent four years filling time on the Golf Channel on Morning Drive, so this was right up her alley. I was especially hard on Buck last year, but he’s not really that bad. I’m not a Buck fan (there aren’t many), but the hate for him has probably gone too far.

 – Admittedly biased call here, as he’s a friend, and he’s in an interview role that I would otherwise not notice had I not personally known him. But kudos to Fox for putting a young guy in this role to talk to the players, and avoid the Rinaldi like “emotion” questions. He asked specific questions, and filled a LOT of time in these delays with player interviews, and looked really comfortable doing it in his first go around.

 – I saw two things I’d never seen before, and never knew that I wanted to see until I saw them. The first is the Golden Tee style split screen that even included some ProTracer porn. My only gripe is that I only saw this once, and of course it was on a Spieth lay up. The second was the rolling graphic showing the slope of the greens, similar to the mid 2000’s Tiger Woods games. Obviously we’ve seen graphics showing green slope before, but just digitally overlaying it over the actual green (rather than a cutaway to a digitally created green) was appealing to me. I’m pumped to see what else they have in their arsenal for the weekend.

 easily the best thing Fox has done so far 





— Michael Shamburger (@mshamburger1) 

: I’m nitpicking a bit, as I do want to stress that it was an overall positive. But their transitions from their ProTracer use to the result of the shot was a bit sloppy. They were consistently late to getting to the shots on the green, and sometimes completely losing the ball if it was landing in the rough. They just need someone a little quicker on the draw at the switches.

: They seemed to really hone in on the Spieth-ZJ-DeChambeau grouping, which is understandable. But what we don’t need to see is DeChambeau searching for his ball, walking up to the green from forty yards out, checking his yardage book, etc. Or Spieth’s entire (lengthy) pre-shot routine. That time is better spent showing more players in other groups, even if it’s on delay. We’re hard on CBS for not showing live golf shots, but that’s on a Sunday when the field is trimmed in half, and only 20-30 guys even remotely matter. On the opening day of a major, everyone is still in it, so don’t hone in too much on one group (especially when we have the option to watch every shot from that featured group online).

: They should be fined by the FCC every time this happens. At minimum, a shock collar to stop them mid-take. There’s nothing you can add over a caddie/player conversation that is more interesting than listening directly to the players.

Day 1 2016 U.S. Open Coverage

We put a pause on doing tournament previews until the new site was up and running, and we do apologize for the time away. Rest assured, No Laying Up will likely look different the next time you visit it, and we thank you for your patience throughout this process. But it’s a major week, and it needs to be previewed.

I broke down the US Open with Shane Bacon from Fox

, who will be on the coverage this weekend. Next, I talked about the US Open, Oakmont, the USGA, and a whole host of other topics with 

. I’m not lying when I say that Charles has gotta be the best guest we’ve ever had, and if you’re ever going to listen to one of our podcasts, please let it be this one. He’s one of the nicest and most genuine guys I’ve ever met, and he gave some fascinating answers to some questions, especially when asked how much of his career earnings he felt he “owed” to Tiger Woods.

2016 has been a bit of a disappointment to many American golf fans like myself. What was shaping up to be a legendary Masters performance ended in horrific collapse, and was followed by the disappearance of the top American golfers over the last two months. Trophies were lifted by Brian Stuard, James Hahn, and William McGirt, while Rickie Fowler missed the cut at the Masters, the Players, and the Memorial.

This week kicks off a 111 day stretch where we get the U.S. Open, the British Open, the PGA Championship, the Olympics, the FedEx Cup, and the Ryder Cup. I’m just saying, The Wire starts out a bit disappointing (let’s be honest, the first four episodes are slow), but we got through it, and it ended up being the greatest television series ever. I’m holding out hope that this stretch starts with a big name winner, and ends with Patrick Reed planting the American flag in Ian Poulter’s chest on the 18th green at Hazeltine.

One of the topics that Charles and I discussed was of course the U.S. Open. I picked his brain on what he thought about how the USGA sets up golf courses, and here is what he said (13:58 mark of the above link):

“I think Mike Davis, yunno, let’s be honest, Mike Davis has a healthy ego. And Mike Davis wants to put his imprint on professional golf, and he’s running a major, and I think sometimes it gets a little bit overboard, to be fair.”

My beef with the U.S. Open has always been that the golf course becomes the story for the week, with the difficulty and the borderline ridiculousness dominating the headlines. This is our national championship, and I have no problem with this test of golf being different than the routine stops on tour every year. But with the USGA turning a blind eye to ever growing distance issue in golf, the challenge of making a golf course more difficult leaves the margin for error too small. Because guys are hitting wedges and 9-irons into holes that were originally designed for 5-irons, they are forced to grow out rough, dry up and trick out the greens, and move tee boxes sometimes off the property.

Let’s face it, last year at Chambers Bay was a debacle. The golf course itself, failed. Ridiculously unfair bounces, unpredictable greens (with sprinkler heads on them!), lack of viewing areas (which greatly affected the atmosphere), and a virgin broadcaster was the perfect storm for a disaster. Gary Player, though known to exaggerate from time to (every) time, called it a “tragedy.” Thankfully, for the USGA’s sake, they were bailed out by a great leaderboard, an anxious finish, and a chosen winner. The response to the overwhelmingly negative feedback: 

I have no doubt that Oakmont will serve as a much better venue than Chambers Bay, but some of the evidence I’m seeing so far already has me a bit concerned. Insanely fast and undulated greens and ankle deep rough seem to be the theme, and by now I’m guessing you’ve seen some of these:

Rough short of 17 green… Yeah, I'd say Oakmont is ready ? @usopengolf

A video posted by Justin Thomas (@justinthomas34) on Jun 12, 2016 at 1:44pm PDT

bit of slopes and fast green speed… @usopengolf #oakmont #⛳️ #?

A video posted by Byeong Hun An (@benan0917) on Jun 12, 2016 at 1:37pm PDT

Rickie Fowler's latest snapchat story shows just how fast the greens at Oakmont are. ? (Rickie is RickieFowler15 on ?!)

A video posted by Golf Digest (@golfdigest) on Jun 12, 2016 at 6:17am PDT

If the greens are truly rolling this fast, these rounds are going to take six hours. Ain’t nobody got time for dat! I have no problems with players being challenged, but when it stops become a test, and starts becoming a mockery, that’s when they lose me. High scores for the sake of high scores does not make for a great test. Fans often roll their eyes at the pros when they complain about the conditions, but the complaining absolutely has an effect on the way the USGA sets up the course. Last year, Mike Davis let Spieth personally set the tee markers on the 18th hole.

The players know a thing or two about course architecture and course setup, so when someone has a specific critique, I’m willing to listen to it. People often like to cite the “they’re all playing the same course” line, and while it’s true, it doesn’t mean that the whole thing should just become a crap shoot of luck. Good shots should be rewarded, and bad shots should be punished. Last year, there were balls that were landing left of the fairway, and missing the fairway to the right!

I’m not saying this week is going to be a disaster, I’m just skeptical so far. I just wish the golf course wasn’t the main topic of conversation. The course should be the setting, not the story.

In defense of the USGA, I must say that the three US Opens before last year were great tests of golf, worthy champions, and more than fair. The reaction from the players this week doesn’t seem to be one of great concern, despite the videos above. I have to admit my experience with the golf course is limited, so for more detailed insight, I suggest the podcast with Shane Bacon linked above.

The Steel City is going to be out in full force, repping their Penguins gear, and probably even waving their Terrible Towels. As a native West Virginian, it’s in my DNA to hate the University of Pittsburgh. When it comes to the actual city and the sports teams, the state is divided between the “this is the closest professional team to me” Steelers/Penguins fans, and the “I can never root for any team from that city” loyalists like myself. I don’t even have a favorite NFL team, but have managed to work up a hatred for the Steelers in my lifetime, mostly because I know the scum Pitt fans wear black and yellow on Sundays.

I expect the Yinzer fans to bring the noise, and the buzz that was lacking from last year’s event will be long forgotten come Thursday. There’s so much history at this place, and the Pittsburgh fans know their stuff (although I still expect plenty of Baba-booey’s).

I picked Spieth to win the Masters, and the heartbreak was some of the worst sports pain I’ve felt in a long time. I can’t bear to go through that pain again, so I’m going with a guy that I know for sure won’t break my heart….

It’s the trendy pick now, but this was 

 and I’m sticking with it. My thinking was that the greens are going to be so hard, that they’re going to kind of neutralize the putting aspect of the entire tournament. That could be some comically awful rationale come Sunday, but I also just think DJ is going to win a major this year, and always pictured the US Open being the one he would win first. He’s in prime form, rolling it well, and can hit iron in a lot of places on this course where most of the field can’t.

If you put a gun to my head, and I had to pick one guy, I would take Spieth. I feel like he’s such a safe bet to be in contention, and someone like DJ is much more likely to bomb out. I get the feeling that we’re going to see Spieth do some major #Reeding and basically just top-5 every major he plays in for the better part of his career.

I hadn’t had strong feelings towards Rory leading up to this event until I saw him in person at the Memorial. He had such control of his golf ball, and rolled the ball really well all week. With rain in the forecast for Thursday, this could actually be a great setup for him. It may depend on how much the course dries out over the weekend.

I’ve poured over the betting sheet, and have talked myself in and out and back in to about 35 different guys, which is tradition. It also means it’s time to get this thing started.

Sorry that the return of the previews is a shorter one. I exhausted most of my takes in the podcasts. SPEAKING OF WHICH: I know I have been pimping these to death lately, but I’ve been really encouraged by the feedback we’ve gotten recently, both on twitter and on iTunes. Seeing a podcast I ghetto-ly record from my iPad to my iPhone from my apartment 5,000 miles away at #18 in sports podcasts, and #1 in golf in iTunes (at the time of this writing) makes it all feel worth it. Help us out 

 if you do not already do so, and leaving a rating and review. In exchange, we’ll continue to pound out the podcasts, as well as announce a second No Laying Up podcast from Big Randy and Tron here in the very near future.

 of the misery behind Phil’s runner-up U.S. Open finishes.

Enjoy the week and catch us on twitter during coverage 

2016 US Open Preview

I’m way late posting this, but I’ve been on the road for a solid week now with no chance to share my thoughts from the Memorial. This does not explain why I’ve written nothing over the last three months, but as usual, real world stuff has been consuming me for quite some time. This won’t be an in depth look at the tournament, and won’t even mention William McGirt past this sentence, but I wanted to share some stories and tidbits from the ground.

I’ve lived abroad for about 20 months now, and haven’t been to a tournament in the states in two years. Walking the grounds of Muirfield Village for the better part of four days was a refreshing reminder that tournament golf is so different than it appears on television. It’s easy to sit back and watch Spieth miss a green five yards to the right and wonder how in the world he could miss that badly. Then you stand behind him and are reminded that a 200+ yard shot over water to a tiny sliver of a green is like flipping a 

. The “golf is hard” idiom is a bit cliche, but sometimes it takes seeing it in person to be reminded just how ridiculously talented these guys are. It turns out, I needed that way more than I even realized, as I found myself in awe watching three of the best players in the game on Friday afternoon.

The PGA Tour media folks were gracious enough to grant me inside the ropes access on Friday afternoon, knowing that I had flown a long way to see the Spieth-Rory-Thomas grouping. Following from outside the ropes would have been next to impossible, as this was far and away the feature group of the first two days, and the Friday afternoon Memorial throng was out in full force. I’ve never seen a golf tournament from that close before, and honestly, it kind of ruined golf viewing for me. It’s hard to go back to fighting crowds after being that close. So for that, I want to thank the tour for taking the chance that I would make the right judgment as to whether or not I should run out and hug JT in the first fairway.

I couldn’t help but notice how incredible routine everything seemed for these three. Normal conversations about food, other sports, travel, etc. There didn’t seem to be a real sense that this was a super serious round of golf, and felt more like an afternoon stroll with some buddies than it did a professional sporting event. At one point, Thomas was waiting on a rules official on number ten to help him with a drop after a fan picked up his ball and threw it. Spieth and Rory actually (bizarrely) played ahead and ended up putting out, only to wait about fifteen minutes to catch up. If there is a rivalry between the two of them, you couldn’t tell. They hammed it up and talked about the spelling bee until they were greeted with a “Hey guys!” from Thomas as he finally made it to the green. It was a moment I could not picture Tiger and Phil having in the mid-2000’s, and to see the number two and number three player in the world interact and laugh it up mid-round stuck out a bit to me.

The maturity difference between the 27 year old McIlroy and the two BFF”s was evident the entire day (perhaps attributed to the fact that Rory played very well). McIlroy seemed to be in complete control of everything for the entire day. His emotions, his golf ball, and his putting stroke were all perfectly in check for four and a half hours, and he was a few shots away from really putting together a special round. He hit rope after rope, and it felt like he was never going to hit a ball off line. It culminated with an devastatingly pure tee ball on the par-3 16th, only to see it land strangely right next to the hole, and roll off the green. Five years after the redesign, the 16th green is still a disaster, and a bad hole overall.

“Best f’n shot I hit all day,” he murmured as he walked off the green. He ended up settling for a 66 that he would tell you should have easily been a 63.

Spieth finished with a 68 that felt like a 78, which is kind of becoming his thing. I don’t know whether I left impressed or not. I ran into several friends throughout the week, both golf fans and non-golf fans of all ages, and I heard the same common them from them all. “Spieth came through here earlier. He was not happy at all.” I don’t really have a take on this, other than it really is becoming a thing.

JT opened with 77, which actually seemed to loosen him up for Friday. It didn’t take long for him to get to IDGAF status, especially once it became clear that he was not going to be around for the weekend. I really liked how Muirfield setup for him, and coming off a T3 finish at the Players in his last start, I was prepared for him to have a great week. But given 

 about the psychological effect some of the feature group pairings had had on him, and considering the large Kentucky gang he had out following him, I was not altogether shocked to see him have a poor couple of days, possibly due to the distractions.

He hit iron off of the par-5 fifth tee, and I was pretty sure he was trolling me until he ended up going for it with another iron with his second, clearing the water, and reaching the green. But the greatest moment came on the 14th hole, and I’m thankful that Chris Chaney was there to witness and attest to it, as otherwise it might not be believed. I tried to summarize it on twitter as best I could, but it needs further explaining.

As mentioned, Thomas is going to miss the cut by a mile. The 14th hole at Muirfield Village is 362 yards, with a creek that comes in around 270-280 yards from the tee box. The green is extremely narrow, and surrounded by water to the right, and bunkers to the left. No one goes for this green, as there really isn’t any where to land it, it’s a really tough carry, and there is very little benefit to doing so. During the Presidents Cup, they moved the tees up for a day to let players try to drive the green, but they never do this for the Memorial. Everyone hits iron, as driver makes zero sense. But JT DGAF.

Spieth had honors, took out an iron, and is preparing to tee off. JT pulls the driver out of the bag. Chaney and I are standing maybe 15 feet away from him, and we look at each other incredulously.

We kind of start laughing about it. Spieth stripes one, puts his club back, sees JT’s club, and his eyes get wide.

“Driver!?” he mouths in JT’s direction. A smirk came over Thomas’ face, and he turns towards me and Chaney to see us laughing. He’s not seriously going to do this is he?

“Is this for me??” I whispered in his direction.

Rory puts an iron in the fairway, and as JT makes his way to the tee, there’s a buzz in the crowd. There’s no standard bearers on the course, so many fans around the tee likely had no idea that Thomas was as many over par as he was. The excitement builds as he puts his tee in the ground.

A “NO LAYING UP!” yell comes from somewhere in the crowd. Is this really happening?

Thomas swings out of his shoes, launches one, but it’s going left into the gallery. The Wayward Drive Point and the “FORE” yell ensue, and I can’t help but to start laughing. Spieth is laughing. The players take off down the fairway, and I’m making my way over to the cooler to grab a water, but notice Rory is heading in the same direction. I lay back for a second to give him space. He looks over at me, still laughing about the shot, and says loudly (enough for the crowd behind the tee to hear):

“Looking forward to the tweet about that shot!”

I was too dumbfounded to come up with anything creative.

 I wanted to make a 1 🙁



— Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) 

It was a great to meet several people that I’ve interacted with on twitter for years but had never met in person, and am looking forward to attending more events in the future. I’ll try to share some more stories from the week on the podcast next week, which should feature a certain player that I met on the grounds. For now, I’ve got a flight back to Holland to catch. Thanks for the hospitality, America.

Memorial Tournament Recap

NLU Feature piece by contributor Tim Collarmore:

Sports journalism is chock full of cliché hot takes and retread narrative crafting. One such cliché involves arguing whether “player x” or “coach y” is good or bad for the sport in question. Usually, this narrative is saved for an individual that fits one (or more) of a particular set of criteria: young, dominant, eccentric, or unconventional. Golf, a sport in which as of a few years ago wearing bright orange was relatively as noteworthy as dressing like Dennis Rodman, is particularly guilty of reinforcing the “good or bad for the game” narrative amongst its think-tank of journalists. To be fair, it’s really hard to come up with original insights or narratives in the age of instant data and over-analysis.

It’s especially true in golf, a sport in which the establishment is perceived as being the Stuffy Old Guys Illuminati and the game itself is misunderstood. Golf journalism is tiredly aimed at the stereotypical “traditional golf fan” who reads Golf Digest to pick up new swing tips with zero functional utility, get aroused by images of new equipment and by the always embarrassingly misogynistic “hottest women in golf” issue, and peruse the same old boring puff pieces. Put more plainly, golf lends itself to low-hanging-fruit analysis and commentary due to the size and makeup of its perceived target audience. I say “perceived” because I don’t think this is reality.

At the same time, the majority of our society feels the same way about watching golf as it does about going to the symphony. There’s a distant appreciation of the skill required to control the little white ball, but there’s still a consensus that it’s far too boring to be interesting. In turn, golf fans tend to overcompensate by feeling the need to justify their fandom of the game. Trying to convince your college-age friends that watching the PGA Tour on Sundays is a worthwhile endeavor is basically like trying to convince vegans that a ribeye is better than a filet. They’ve already made up their mind and will never experience what you’re describing, so what’s the point?

As weird as I feel when I become evangelical about my golf fandom, I can’t help it. Golf produces more organic drama than any other sport in the world! Its players are more accessible, visible, and relatable to an average person than any other professional sport! And it’s a game that constitutes an absolute meritocracy, free of nepotism, politics, free agency, and all of the disgusting aspects of every other pro sport. Aside from sponsorships, there are no contracts and there is no grey area; a golfer earns what he objectively deserves. What’s not to love?

So when an exciting new golfer with remotely unique characteristics comes along, every journalist understandably pounces on the opportunity to whip out a quill and make a keen observation. One of the most typical observations is whether this new golfer will be good or bad for the sport. Rickie Fowler, who burst on the scene with long hair, flat-brimmed hats, and bright colors, is an obvious case study of such narrative crafting. Even years after his emergence we’re still subjected to the same themes. 

You can basically boil the common themes down to “this guy is young and flashy and has some game and will be good for golf because he will attract a new viewership.” First of all, it’s pointless to try to assess whether a golfer will be good or bad for the game. It’s a lazy narrative based on obvious assumptions that are neither here nor there. What does it even mean to be “good” for golf?

That’s logical fallacy number two. If Rickie Fowler is able to increase the breadth of golf’s viewership by drawing in people who otherwise wouldn’t have watched golf, who is it benefiting? Perhaps it’s the players on tour. The players are arguably who benefited the most from the Tiger era as purses ballooned exponentially in the matter of a decade. Maybe that’s still the case, although there’s no guarantee that increases in ticket sales or TV revenue would increase purse sizes.

In all likelihood, it would be the PGA Tour itself and corporate America (ie, Puma or Under Armour) who benefit and stuff their pockets with cash. But for the rest of us humble viewers? I could probably argue the opposite; that currently the PGA Tour is one of the last bastions of being relatively free of the irritating hype surrounding the NFL or NBA (as much as I love both of them). An even more disastrous consequence of expanded viewership is if more people actually go out and play the game, making my slog around the local muni take even longer because some guy wearing jeans in the group ahead of me is taking 2 minutes to read and 8 footer.

The third logical fallacy surrounding this argument is assuming that just because Rickie’s emergence is coupled with more and more people wearing orange in the gallery, the game is reaching a new audience. It’s quite possible that the only people who care about Rickie Fowler are already golf fans. I have zero data to back this claim up other than to question whether Fowler, Spieth, Day, and McIlroy are resonating strongly with anyone who isn’t already a golf fan. My anecdotal experience says that if this is happening, it’s most likely Speith who is drawing people in, but I’m still dubious that this is happening at all.

This brings us to Bryson DeChambeau. I’m going to go out on a limb and say he’s the most interesting player to hit the PGA landscape in the last few decades. He is the perfect storm of talent, youth, polish, style, quirkiness, intelligence, cockiness, and exuberance. He’s an amalgamation of Phil’s swagger, Furyk’s homemade technical individuality, Boo Weekley’s outspokenness, Bubba’s emotional volatility, and Spieth’s appreciation for golf history. If his career were to fizzle after one impressive professional start, he would still be noteworthy for being golf’s equivalent of the Dos Equis guy.

Cats like Bryson DeChambeau don’t find their way to the tour very often. As such, he will be extremely polarizing. There will be those who can’t stand his swagger. There will be those who don’t understand him and scoff at not being able to put him in a box. When he misses his first cut, the doubters and haters will write about how much this young man has to learn and how much better he might be if he carried himself like Tom Watson, Tom Lehman, Tom Kite, or any of the other guys named Tom who played on the tour and were conventional gentlemen. When he gets his first win, the supporters will start talking about him winning more majors than Jack and possibly curing cancer in his free time. The gallery will start filling up with people wearing “cabbie” hats and you’ll undoubtedly have a co-worker who won’t shut up about how he’s ordering clubs of all the same length.

Again, there’s nothing wrong with these narratives. Sports are meant to be fun and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. It’s encouraging that recent years have seen the emergence of writers who bring fresh insight, analysis, and, most importantly, a sense of humor to golf journalism. A good journalist can heighten the joy of watching the game. It’s a breath of fresh air from the tired narrative crafting that has effectively superseded and detracted from the fantastic drama taking place on the course. Never has there been more top-to-bottom talent on the PGA Tour. Never has the coverage been better (except when it’s on CBS). Never have we needed artificial storylines less. It’s human to label things in order to understand what we see with our eyes. We have to talk about Sergio being a choke artist because there’s no other way we can wrap our head around why he hasn’t won more tournaments and is winless in majors.

There’s fun in finding the stories, but let’s also remember that every Sunday there’s drama and amazing golf to witness regardless of who ends up winning the tournament or how it happened. I know I sound like the “leave Britney alone” girl right now, and believe me when I say I’m crying to myself as I write this, so I’ll step down from my soapbox now. Let’s all enjoy ourselves out there.

What Does "Good for the Game" Even Mean?

Televising golf is inherently difficult. Eighteen new holes every week spread out over 150ish acres, each its own veritable arena with evolving weather conditions, variable topography, and different sunlight orientation. There’s a technology element – dozens of cameras and microphones, miles of cabling, satellite trucks, elevated mini-studios spread out across the course, graphics packages – a nerve system serving up dozens of feeds into a nerve center with a lead producer calling the shots. There’s a people element – a different tournament director, charity and corporate title sponsor at each stop, all of whom require back scratching. I’d imagine the most challenging part is the competition itself. 150 players, scattered about. All said, it’s a lot to handle and I don’t pretend to be an expert or intend to be an armchair quarterback. But at this point the entire golf world is simultaneously realizing that CBS golf telecasts have devolved into unmitigated dogshit over the last two seasons.

The history of golf on CBS is probably worthy of it’s own book, but here’s a quick synopsis. In the late ‘50s and early ‘60s the PGA Tour was still a relatively nascent traveling roadshow and needed stars. Frank Chirkinian, aka “The Ayatollah,” became the executive producer for CBS’ telecasts, identifying and oftentimes creating those stars. CBS was the gatekeeper, deciding which players fans saw and what the narrative was. Meanwhile fans knew most of what they knew about professional golfers from the weekend telecasts. Chirkinian led 

 from 1959 to 1996 and by all accounts he was brilliant (his cameo in Tin Cup was insightful). The guy was a pioneer; blimp shots, microphones scattered around the course, diverse camera angles, a propensity for showing as many golf shots as possible, the blueprint for the televised masterpiece that is The Masters – that was all Chirkinian. Most importantly, he understood this: 

“Bob Jones once told me, ‘Frank, the more golf you show, the better your product is.”

 CBS had a responsibility to the game, and under Chirkininan’s leadership they lived up to the task. He retired in 1996 and longtime CBS employee Lance Barrow took the reins at the auspicious outset of the 1997 season. Barrow cut his teeth as executive producer during the halcyon days of the Big Cat Era. Tiger was the narrative, the messiah (insert hilarious Earl clip), the second most famous athlete on the planet after MJ. With ratings skyrocketing, the demographic skewing younger and younger, and Corporate America jonesing for a piece of the action, all Barrow had to do was focus on Tiger (the rest of the field be damned), keep the telecasts between the mayonnaise and the mustard, and not piss off the members at August National.

The warning signs began manifesting themselves a few years ago when Big Cat missed The Masters for the first time and the telecast seemed a little lost. The rest of the season suffered with Cat fighting injuries and eventually shutting it down. The issues escalated during the West Coast Swing in 2015 – with a steadfast refusal to show up-and-coming stars in the hunt (see: Koepka at Phoenix) and the Pebble Pro-Am unwatchable. Around this same time NBC’s telecasts improved, showing more live golf in stark contrast to CBS whilst mixing in oodles of ProTracer and even some decent feature pieces (

Josh Elliott’s impassioned Mother’s Day monologue at The Players notwithstanding

, even the casual golf fan was disillusioned, and Soly nearly passed out from beating the Koepka drum so hard.

Koepka shoots 66, sits at T6. Literally 4 shots shown, and not one of them live. And they literally just called him "one to watch"!



— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) 

If you look closely in the background you can see world number 1 charging 

Any hope that CBS would heed some of the criticism, take a look in the mirror and make the requisite changes for the 2016 season was quickly dashed when they butchered coverage of Torrey Pines. The next week saw a respite with NBC taking over duties while CBS was busy getting crushed for crappy Super Bowl coverage. CBS took over again for the annual atrocity at Pebble Beach. That telecast is perennially the worst on the entire schedule – B-list celebs, to the 2:30-3 coverage gap hitting three of the most famous holes in the world, to the lack of actual golf shown (at several points there were more professional golf shots at Pebble shown on the PGA Tour’s twitter account than on CBS). It’s essentially a B-list celebrity orgy. This sums it up:





— Nick WanderscheidPGA (@NWander1) 

Which brings us to Riviera for one of the BSD tourneys on the schedule, being played in the midst of a vitriolic Twitter mob converging on CBS. Figured this was a good opportunity to take a closer look at yesterday’s coverage of the Northern Trust Open to see if the frustration is warranted or if this is all overblown. Here’s something to consider as we dive into the 175 minute telecast: CBS presented 184 live or semi-live golf shots, between 90 and 95 commercials (depending upon your local affiliate), and a mind-numbing amount of fluff in between. I don’t pretend to know how these commercial metrics measure up with a typical NBC telecast, but the fact that we’ve never really noticed suggests that’s not an issue on the Peacock. I do know that 184 shots is not a lot, AT ALL. Also, if these issues were new I’d be inclined to give CBS a pass. But the reality is that these trends have always been present, and people haven’t wised up until now because we’ve just gotten used to it. CBS with the long con!

Some ground rules for how I tallied everything:

I was generous, considering everything outside of 1-foot tap-in a “golf shot.”

The slow-mo “SwingVision” stuff doesn’t count as a shot.

Jim Nantz rattling off sponsors after commercial breaks count toward commercial time, but not commercials. Same deal with shots of the “MetLife Snoopy Two” blimp

2:30pm – Golf Channel coverage ceases and the dreaded coverage gap starts. Ostensibly the thirty minute gap is to allow the production crew to switch over to the CBS graphics package. Whatever, it’s 2016. Figure it out.

3:00pm – CBS coverage is slated to start, but as happens every week a terrible college basketball game is running over the allotted time. At 3pm there is 2:22 left in the game and the score is 92-62. Not even a degenerate gambler would’ve been interested. We’re told that coverage is available on PGATour.com.

3:05pm – The basketball mercifully ends. We’re in the clear. Actually, nope. CBS runs NINE commercials and then we’re treated to a CBS Sports Desk. Thanks for the scores guys, I don’t have the internet.

3:10pm – After five wasted minutes, golf coverage starts, sort of. We’re treated to four and a half minutes of golf during which eight live(ish) shots are shown. By this time every group has played 10. Nantz makes sure to mention that 10 is one of the best holes on tour, and he’s right. But then they proceed to not show Bubba’s tee shot on said hole. In all, we see just four tee shots on 10.

Next we get the typical intro montage package, then one Adam Scott putt, then Nantz does the “Hello friends” routine (he actually “Hello friends the viewers at home and then greets Faldo with a “Hello friend” – crazy double dip!). At this point we’re essentially 13 minutes deep into coverage and have witnessed nine shots, six of which were putts. Imagine tuning into any other sport and missing pivotal live action due to sponsor promos, self-serving commentary and highlights of stuff that we missed. What glorious madness!

3:18pm – Interspersed with a 22 second Gary McCord critique of Chez Reavie’s technique for cleaning out his golf spikes we’re afforded sixteen minutes of live coverage and 24 shots. Now we’re cooking, maybe CBS heard our desperate pleas! At one point they show a clip from earlier in the week of the players hitting shots with clubs from different eras (persimmon woods, etc.). Missed opportunity to show how far they’re hitting them, maybe get some quick feedback from the guys on how the clubs felt. Instead we just get cliche fluff.

After that nice burst of golf we’re treated to five commercial breaks spanning fourteen and a half minutes (totaling 30 commercials) with just fourteen and a half minutes of golf coverage mixed in (featuring 23 shots). But hey, I am getting a freaking education on the epic side effects of OPDIVO, which treats something called squamous non small cell cancer which I’d never heard of until the 2016 PGA Tour season. According to the commercials, “OPDIVO can cause your immune system to attack normal organs and tissues in many areas of your body and can affect the way they work. These problems can sometimes become serious or life-threatening and can lead to death” among a multitude of other side effects (

) I’m starting to think CBS golf coverage carries similar risks.

After 29 minutes of hell, the broadcast team realizes they’re losing the locker room and we get 23.5 minutes of golf (37 shots) with just one commercial break in between. Thank you! And kudos to the broadcast team for an expansive discussion of “sticky grass” (I’m being serious, that was good stuff). Seeing quite a few Farmers Insurance commercials – I sense a golden sponsorship opportunity insuring Ted Scott “against almost anything, since they’ve seen almost everything.”

Will it continue? Nope. Time to pay the piper with a 31 minute span offering up 15 minutes of commercials (six breaks plus a de facto break with Nantz pimping a promo for Sunday rodeo coverage and then rubbing the Michigan/Maryland basketball game in our faces…you know, the one that is guaranteed to delay Sunday golf) and 16.5 minutes of golf. 29 commercials, 34 shots. Incredible. Coverage wouldn’t be complete with 10-20 seconds of music fading in and out of commercial breaks, with some prime long shots of sailboats, the Santa Monica pier, etc. Gotta establish those SoCal #vibes though.

It’s now just after 5pm and the leaders are in the thick of competition. Lance Barrow decides we’ve earned a nice 20 minute stretch featuring 18 minutes of golf (32 shots) and just 2.5 minutes of commercials. Rory buries a putt and we have the first real drama of the day. The crowd is into it. We’re treated to leaderboards/music at every turn. No reason to present this info in a box in a corner of the screen when you can cut away from the action, take up the entire screen, and play some music. It’s a no-brainer!

Fun’s over. As we enter what should be the meat of the golf (5:20pm-ish) we get about 18 minutes of golf (25 shots), 6 minutes of commercials (12 ads), 1 minute of a CBS News Update, a 2 minute charity interview with Amy Alcott. At this point, I’m watching on mute because I simply can’t handle the music anymore. Lance Barrow and the squad need to go to rehab for how addicted they are to the smooth composition of Helmut von Lichten. They use it at every opportunity, sometimes just to fake us out and think they’re going to go to commercial break when they’re really not. It’s mind-numbing. And the Taylor Made commercial being foisted upon us are actually already outdated, as they’ve already released four new drivers since they filmed this spot, including the new M6. By the way, crazy good up and downs by Bubba and DJ on 18.

The final group ambles up to the 18th green and finishes seven minutes early at 5:53pm. CBS uses the extra time to show 4 and a half minutes of commercials (including Nantz pimping the PBR Rodeo series “Bucking Battle” and rubbing tomorrow’s basketball game that will run beyond 3pm right in our faces) and 90 seconds of Nantz and Faldo yucking it up (although a nice shout-out to former colleague Peter Oosterhuis who is 

missed during coverage). Somehow they only conduct one post-round interview, and that “interview” was only one question posed to Bubba. Who needs Feherty when Dottie’s really providing the goods (to be fair I did appreciate her college golf feature near the start of coverage).

A few issues with regard to technology: No effort made to show the design of the golf course. Flyovers, explanations, some way to show elevation changes, nothing. NBC often uses technology to show the slopes of each green (and does so without interrupting the action) – would be a cool feature on a classic course like this with, ya know, severe greens. Also very limited use of ProTracer. I get the sense that they’re on a budget and skimping hard. All of this is particularly ironic considering 

Don’t recall hearing any caddie-player convos. Shame.

At least half the top twenty players on the leaderboard did not have a single shot shown on television.

It’s unbelievable how many PGA Tour produced commercials there are. We’re already watching your tournament, let the action speak for itself instead of putting together some splashy commercial that everyone resents after the third or fourth week of it airing.

I’m convinced at least 20% of the shots are canned, most of which aren’t mentioned as such.

I enjoy Peter Kostis – I get the sense that he knows the coverage is crap and is more or less stuck. That’s probably true for a lot of people working on the telecast,t; professionals who follow orders.

Frank Chirkinian passed away in 2011 at 84 years old. His 

“I showed lots and lots of golfers and lots and lots of golf shots,” he told Sports Illustrated in 1995, “and I try never to subordinate the event to my ego. When I die, I want my epitaph to read, ‘He stayed out of the way.’

Quit pissing on his legacy with each passing week.

Eye on CBS (an intervention)

Before he was euthanized, I would lament that the PGA Tour season used to have two beginnings: the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, and whatever week Big Cat first showed up. Sure the season was officially underway, but it didn’t feel like it 

 started until He showed up. Now with the fall series, and the fact that the large feline is holed up playing Call of Duty under an alias, the rollout of the PGA Tour season looks more like an intro to a GOP debate than it does a grand opening. It’s not on the same aforementioned Tiger level, but this week, I find myself legitimately giddy about Rory’s U.S. debut for the 2016 season. The tournament hasn’t even started yet, and he’s already won the week twice:

I really wanted to say "suck my white ass ball" but they wouldn't let me! 

At times both under appreciated and forgotten in 2015, a rejuvenated Rory has chosen the best possible setting for his arrival. Riviera is the crème de la crème of the West Coast Swing, and the class of the field this year matches the glorious setting in the Pacific Palisades. Man, just saying “Pacific Palisades” gets me halfway there! A palisade is defined as “a fence of wooden stakes or iron railings fixed in the ground, forming an enclosure or defence,” which is fitting because Riviera screams exclusivity, and “invite only.”

Everything about this week just oozes class. Gone is the over saturated, forced, corporate stench of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and in comes a great test of golf in a tournament that prides itself on being about the actual golf. Hogan’s Alley is perhaps the most universally loved course that we see every year on the tour, and you need a certified sommelier to properly describe the graceful aging process for this So Cal masterpiece. Prep thyself for a four-day ball striking blowout on a top shelf course accompanied by choice visuals (gallery, blimp shots, weather, etc.).

Riviera is dope. Period. Point blank. I had a chance to play it unexpectedly in 2008, and I haven’t shut up about it since. George C. Thomas designed Riviera (par 35-36-71), which opened in 1927. A ballstriker’s paradise, Riv ranked 

 in a 2012 poll of PGA Pros’ favorite courses (trailing only Augusta National and Harbor Town). As with most well-aged tracks, accuracy off the tee is of utmost importance, as is the ability to work the ball both ways (obviously a boon to Gerry Watson). Just listen to what some of the pros are already saying about it:

Never gets old coming to Riviera. Truly one of the best courses/tests ever made



— Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) 

Riviera this week.. In my top 5 courses I've ever played



— Jordan Spieth (@JordanSpieth) 

The day begins with a downhill, 505 yard par-5, which always plays as one of the easiest holes on Tour, easing competitors into the challenge that awaits them. Another example of “par” being irrelevant.

View off the box of #1 (photo courtesy of NorthernTrustOpen.com)

The rest of the opening nine is a collection of 400+ yard par-4’s (the shortest measuring 408 yards, longest 471 yards) along with a couple stretched out par-3’s (199 yards and 236 yards, respectively). There are no signature holes, necessarily, but each will call for shot-making, a certain amount of creativity, and an ability to properly wield every club in the bag (motifs which carry over to the second nine).

Golf.com’s 6th best hole in the United States

, the driveable 10th that measures just 310 yards. Jack Nicklaus noted this hole has more options than any short hole in the world. Expect to see #10 heavily-featured on the telecast (deservedly), but don’t expect many drives to hit the green.

On Sunday, especially, when they cut the hole on the far right portion (from the players’ vantage point), and given the slope of the green and bunkering surrounding it, it’ll be a challenge to get near the hole with a wedge after laying up, let alone with the Big Dog from the box. Nantz and Sir Nick will be quick to point out, repeatedly, that although a tiny par-4, bogey is always in play on #10, no matter if guys go conservative off the tee or not. In general, we give guys a pass on not trying to take on this green from the tee, because it’s far from a no brainer, and the chances of a ball staying on the surface are quite minimal. In all, it’s as good a hole as advertised, and a ton of fun to watch.

View of #10 green. Sunday flag will be cut just over right side of the right-hand bunker in background. (Photo courtesy of NorthernTrustOpen.com)

After #10, guys get a grown-up par-5 (the first of two on this side) measuring 583 yards. Then it’s a few more 400+ yard par-4’s with another mid-to-long iron par-3 (#14, measuring 192 yards) thrown in. The finishing trio of holes is mega-solid. A diverse mix, it offers bit of everything for both players and viewers.

Sixteen is a relatively short par-3 at 166 yards and gives guys an opportunity to stuff the pinata with a well-struck short iron. Seventeen is a cavernous, uphill par-5 that measures nearly six-hundo. There’s a chance some big sticks get home in two this week, but overall eagles will be pretty rare (unfortunately). It is a prime chance to trap some more common feathered flyers, though. There’s a good chance the board will be bunched Sunday, and seventeen will be the last best chance to make birdie before the daunting eighteenth.

The finishing hole is among the most famous in golf. It’s a very challenging 475 yard par-4 which plays uphill, a bit left-to-right, and with a green that is hilariously in-conducive to holding the requisite long-irons into it. The upper left side of the hole is framed by 

, and the putting surface is tucked in at the base of a hill with the iconic Riv clubhouse looming bossily in the background. The natural amphitheater gathers huge crowds and for good reason: there is usually serious Sunday drama unfolding just below.

View of #18 green. (Photo courtesy NorthernTrustOpen.com)

Freddie Couples is widely known to have a love affair with Riv

, a fact that underscores and reinforces her sexiness (as if she needs such legitimizing). Count on her to again separate the ballstriking wheat from the chaff, yielding an ultra-glitzy board come the weekend.

Gone are the pornographic ocean views that frame Pebble Beach and Torrey Pines, and absent are the boisterous galleries that define TPC Scottsdale, but don’t you dare go feeling sorry for the Northern Trust Open. At minimum, this is a top three non-major event. The vibe is mostly ‘California-cool,’ which means laid back and genial with still a hint of LA phoniness and self-aggrandizement sprinkled in. So make yourself a nice drink, don your most festive party attire, and smoke ’em if you got ’em–this is the class of the West Coast Swing.

A comedy of errors led us to 3 man playoff where James Hahn edged Dustin Johnson and Paul Casey by nailing a 23 foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole. Preceding that, Sergio bogeyed the last two holes to miss out by a shot, Spieth missed a six foot par putt on the 72nd hole that would have put him in the playoff, Casey bogeyed 18 with the chance to win outright, and DJ bogeyed the par-5 17th with wedge in his hand on his third shot.

We wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t mention Weir won this tournament. Twice. Back-to-back. ’03-’04 were dark, dark times, man.

This was the site of Nick Faldo’s last career win (1997). He was never the same after getting paired with Tiger in rounds 1 and 2 of the 1997 Masters and watching that massacre up close and personal.

Riv boasts a hilarious roster of former champs: Len Mattiace in ’02, Kirk Triplett in ’00, Pavin ’94 & ’95, Walrus 1.0 ’96, Mayfair ’98 (beat Eldrick in playoff), and TC Chen in ’87.

Of course we have to discuss the 6-man playoff in 2001 where Robert Allenby beat Toshi Izawa(!), Brandel Chamblee (couldn’t quite slay the dragon), Bob Tway, Jeff Sluman (Paychex, y’all), and Dennis Paulson.

Some memorable moments from previous years, including Tiger’s PGA Tour debut, his playoff with Billy Mayfair, and more:

– It’s painful to do, but at a course he likes, his odds should not be that high. Winner in 2014.

T3 at Scottsdale, and he’s got a top 10 in the bag here at Riviera.

It’s as ugly as you could imagine, but he comes in here smoking hot with top-5 finishes in three of his last four starts. Add in a top-5 finish here in 2013, and he’s worth a play at these odds.

This is basically the end of Chucky Triple Sticks season, so I’ll waste one more unit as sort of a “pour one out for the homie” measure.

Top 20’s in five of his seven starts this season. He’s 5th on tour in strokes gained tee to green, and this course rewards ball striking.

Matsuyama has a strong history here, as do Spieth, Schwartzel, Sergio, and Walker. Rory will also be in my lineup.

Re-familiarize yourself with Kikuyu Grass – also known as Pennisetum Clandestinum (Latin for clandestine penis?) – as Ian Baker Finch will mention it ad nauseum during the telecast whilst . It’s essentially a sticky, inexpensive, drought-resistant weed native to East Africa, but thriving in SoCal. Not shockingly, it’s been known to cause paranoia around the greens.

Tron went on an epic anti-CBS rant on Saturday, 

which Adam Sarson put in a storify for you to read

. It’s starting to be beaten to death, but I think it’s entirely necessary for actual changes to be made. After reading this 

, and the interview with producer Lance Barrow, I’m not holding out any hope for change. As Tron said, they just don’t get it. Like, not even at a little bit. The vanity of the irrelevant bits, self-serving dialogue, and cringe inducing narrative driving has reached a level that would inspire Patrick Reed, and viewers have had enough. A year ago at this event, Jordan Spieth wasn’t shown live until the 17th hole, and the guy made 5 on the 18th hole to miss the playoff by a single shot! The negligence level they’ve obtained borders on malpractice, and we’re going to be stuck with it for the foreseeable future (or until somebody actually checks the mentions on the @GolfonCBS account).

Here’s a primer on the LA private golf scene

 (although this article somehow left LA Country Club off?). The fact that the USGA refuses to hold an Open at Riviera is ridiculous. I’m already excited for the 2023 US Open at LA Country Club. West Coast US Opens are the best – primetime spectacles that should be ratings bonanzas. Can’t understand why the USGA doesn’t get out here more often. Links mag published an 

instructive comparison of the two courses

I’m kicking myself for scheduling a trip on the weekend of the Northern Trust rather than the AT&T, but I’ll be doing a Band of Brothers tour in Bastogne, Belgium this weekend. Easy Company did not lay up, and I’m pumped to see the scenes of the Battle of the Bulge. If you’re not familiar with the story, 

 for cheeky commentary before, during, and after the broadcast. Cheers.

2016 Northern Trust Open Preview

Rickie Fowler is seated at a round table, feet perched up over the table top as he leans back in his chair, wondering aloud into a snapchat filter why he’s been called into this super secret meeting in the banquet room at The Woods Jupiter. The details on the e-vite were vague, and the title of “Scared Straight” has made him wonder if Tiger’s going to play clips of his 2015 season. He’s joined by the entire new Nike Golf gang, fresh off their Monday evening rollout of their sponsor’s new fashion line:

Today Nike launched the new apparel and footwear line for the year. IT IS AWESOME. 





— Tony Finau Golf (@tonyfinaugolf) 

“This better not be a task force meeting,” says Fowler.

“What are we even doing here, man?” quips Scott Pinckney.

“Something doesn’t feel right,” says Tony Finau.

Just as the crew was beginning to get restless, a large feline wearing a suspiciously tight short sleeve mock turtleneck bursts through the door, and violently smacks Fowler’s hi-tops off the desk.

“Boy, get yo DAMN feet off my desk! We about to find out how how tough you really are!” yells the Big Cat as he gets in Fowler’s face.

The entrance is met mostly with eye rolls as the youngsters barely look up from their phones. Tiger turns his attention to Brooks Koepka, and grabs him by the shirt.”

“You see this right here!? You see this?? DO YOU SEE WHAT I’M WEARING?! This is a SHORT SLEEVE mock turtleneck!! I actually tried to push these!! I won a mother f*#$king GREEN Jacket in one of these!! You think this is a game!?!? I can’t even frame a picture of the ’05 Masters!! Look at this shirt!! It’s only functional purpose is to cover up a hickey!! And they tried to sell these things for $90 a pop!!”

The mood of the room starts to change, as “the fear” becomes palpable. But Koepka’s not ready to back down.

“How are we supposed to learn fashion from you? Don’t you still wear cargo shorts?”

“Yeah, and those jeans!” pipes Patrick Rodgers from the back.

“Oh so you think you grown!? You think you got the whole game figured out!? You think it’s just me?! We’ve ALL been there. This ain’t no game, Patty. Brooksy. This is real f*&^king life!”

“He’s right!” booms a voice as the hinges come off a side door on the opposite side of the room. In strides the 45 year old left hander like a buoyant Vince McMahon, rocking the same skin tight mock turtleneck that the Cat is wearing.

The room is a balmy 75 degrees, but Phil’s nipples still somehow poke Jamie Lovemark in the back of the neck as he tries to squeeze through to come to Tiger’s side.

“I thought this was a good idea at the time! But look at me now! How f*&#king dumb do I look!?”

“Chill man, we’re not wearing mock turtlenecks. They’re just joggers, they’re coo-” interjects an uninspired Fowler, only to be interrupted by another bold entrance.

“OH YOU THINK IT’S JUST THE TURTLENECKS!?” declares Jim Furyk as he appears in his mid-2000’s button up short sleeve shirt.

“I thought I looked cool! Turns out I looked like a dad who was still wearing Hawaiian shirts two months after his vacation, except his wife made him tuck it in for a family picture!” yells the Five Hour Energy spokesman.

Furyk gets down on a knee to roast Fowler.

“Where’s the flood!?!? Huh?!? Where’s the water!?!? I ain’t tryin to see your ankles!!!”

“Look, we been there. You don’t wanna make the same mistakes we made. There ain’t no coming back from this. Remember the pleated pants?” says Tiger.

“How do I explain to my kids why I wore a shirt that shows off the exact depth of my belly button!?” yells Phil.

“His kids Evan, Sophia, and Amanda, and his wife Amy,” says Jim Nantz as he climbs in through the window wearing this tie:

“You think I like wearing a tie that looks like a clown that went through a paper shredder!? Freddie defriended me on Facebook because I had this as my profile pic. Speaking of clowns, let’s bring in our next guest,” demands Nantz, looking at a camera that doesn’t exist.

“LOOK AT THESE PANTS!! YOU THINK THESE ARE COOL!?!?”

“Ian you wore those yesterd-” Koepka says.

“YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH WHEN I’M TALKING!!”

No Laying Up

Writing

Day 1 2016 U.S. Open Coverage

2016 US Open Preview

Memorial Tournament Recap

What Does "Good for the Game" Even Mean?

Eye on CBS (an intervention)

2016 Northern Trust Open Preview

Scared Straight: A Lesson From the Ghosts of Mock Turtlenecks Past

The Definitive Guide to Choosing Your Favorite PGA Tour Pro

2016 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Preview

2016 Waste Management Preview

2016 Farmers Insurance Open Preview

January Mailbag, Part I

2016 Career Builder Challenge Preview

2016 Sony Open Preview

2016 Hyundai Tournament of Champions Preview

Winner of the 2015 Saucies

2015 Golf Tweets of the Year

Lacks Pop; Can't Play - The #LPCP Manifesto