Tom Weiskopf has many happy memories of the Masters golf tournament. And a few unhappy ones. The unhappy ones don`t necessarily have to do with the demanding Augusta National course, where Weiskopf spent one frustrating afternoon 10 years ago carding a 13 on the par-3 12th hole.
”I don`t even think about that anymore,” said Weiskopf, who never won the Masters but finished second four times. He did, however, win 15 other tournaments, including the 1973 British Open.
But it wasn`t always great for Weiskopf, especially the two years
(1987-88) he had to ”baby-sit” Brent Musburger, the recently ousted CBS Sports anchor, at Augusta. Weiskopf, who had been a regular member of the CBS golf crew since 1985, found the whole experience, well, impossible.
”Brent Musburger was not a golfer,” said Weiskopf, who will be the network`s studio analyst again this weekend. ”Brent did not know or understand the tradition and terminology, or jargon, of the game.
”I got along with him because I was the baby-sitter for him. I had to get along with him. My job was to baby-sit Brent Musburger in this telecast. I was told: `Your job is to baby-sit Brent. And tell him everything you know about Augusta National, the golf course, golf in general, and help him with his terminology.`
”It was not a pleasant situation.”
Former University of Houston golfer Jim Nantz replaced Musburger as studio host last year. The change was ”wonderful,” Weiskopf said. ”Jim`s a golfer. Pat Summerall`s a golfer. They understand the traditions of the game, the history of the game. And they have the terminology that goes with the game. They know the difference between a chip and a putt. They know the difference between a chip and a pitch. Bunkers are not called sand traps.
”I just did my job. I`m not saying Brent was unkind to me. He was not. My job was to baby-sit him. It`s very difficult to be an analyst. When your answers are yes and no, you cease to be an analyst.
”It`s difficult when you`re trying to give some facts, and you`re trying to really help the telecast. . . . and you`re sitting next to somebody who doesn`t understand what`s really going on.
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”He was miscast for the job. Brent`s a studio guy. He`s a numbers guy. He`s a statistics guy. If you`re going to put in somebody to talk about a sport, are you going to put in somebody who doesn`t know anything about it? Or are you going to put in somebody who really knows something about it?
”It was a difficult situation for me in an important situation in a major telecast, like the Masters is. But that was his contract. That`s the way he worked it out. I mean, he was visible at all their significant events, wasn`t he? They told me: `Your job is to baby-sit Brent. Help this guy.`
”Is that really my job, to start worrying about the guy sitting next to me? I was so damned afraid to say the wrong thing.”
As Weiskopf added, ”He`s a big guy. He`ll wind up someplace else.” One of those places mentioned is WGN-Ch. 9. But Dennis FitzSimons, WGN general manager, didn`t see that happening, at least not real soon.
”We`re big fans of Brent here, but the question is where would he work,” said FitzSimons. ”Harry (Caray) has indicated no desire to retire. He holds down that (baseball) spot, and in our estimation does a great job. I don`t think you`ll see three people in our booth. I just think it gets kind of crowded.
”We`re always interested in talking to somebody with the talent
(Musburger) has. It`s a question of what slot, and if Brent is looking to do more local television and come to one market. Or is he still looking to have network exposure? That`s what the conversation would have to be about.” – Joining the CBS crew for the cable telecast of Friday`s second round of the Masters at 3 p.m. are USA host Bill Macatee and analyst Peter Kostis, a golf coach whose students have included Jack Nicklaus, Mark Calcavecchia, Bernhard Langer and Corey Pavin.
– ”The Thoroughbred Connection,” a five-minute radio show hosted by ABC award-winning sportscaster Jim McKay, makes its debut at 6:35 p.m. Sunday on WGN Radio. The weekly program is produced by Thoroughbred Racing
Communications Inc., in conjunction with Tribune Radio Networks.
– ”NBC Saturday Sports Showcase” begins this week with a boxing double-header featuring IBF featherweight champion Jorge ”Maromero” Paez defending his title against Louie Espinoza in a rematch of last year`s controversial draw. NBC boxing analyst Ferdie Pacheco says: ”Paez has waited until the last minute in each of his last two fights to make the (126-pound)
weight. Espinoza never has a problem with weight and will be in tip-top shape. If Paez has a problem, he`ll get knocked out.”
– NBC`s Marv Albert will host ”The Opening Pitch-Baseball `90,” a one-hour preview show on WLUP Radio at 6 p.m. Saturday and produced by Chicago-based PIA Radio Sports.
– CBS pro basketball analyst Hubie Brown is recovering in a Los Angeles hospital from a blood clot in his right leg. Brown collapsed at the Lakers`
practice Saturday. A CBS spokeswoman said ”he`s fine” and remained hospitalized because of his medication but was expected to be released Friday. Bill Raftery was rushed in to replace Brown on Sunday`s Lakers-Jazz telecast and will replace him again this week. It was that kind of a weekend for CBS.
– SportsChannel debuts a local half-hour studio show, hosted by former WMAQ-Ch. 5 sports anchor Mike Liederman, at 7 p.m. Sunday. Former Blackhawks Stan Mikita and Keith Magnuson guest. The program will air prior to every Hawks and Bulls playoff game this spring. . . . John Paxson guests on this week`s ”Bulls Report with Phil Jackson” at 10:30 a.m. Sunday on WBBM-Ch. 2.