Here’s why I find Jay Nordlinger so compelling as a columnist. On the U.S. Open Golf tournament, from his Monday NRO “Impromptus” column:
I thought the crowd stank. Absolutely stank. The NBC commentators spent the whole weekend kissing its rear-end — saying how great it all was for the game of golf — but I still think it stank: all that rowdyism, all that rudeness, all the un-golf-like-ness.
The commentators said, ‘Our game is becoming so much more popular, with fans coming over from football, basketball, and baseball — and they
<a href=”http://www.sneakingsuspicions.com/a0616222002.htm#061702″>http://www.sneakingsuspicions.com/a0616222002.htm#061702</a>
I can’t agree with Nordlinger’s comments about the crowd in total, and not just because I was there on Saturday and Sunday. There were several instances of boorish behavior (“you da man” is apparently still considered a funny/cool thing to say, if you’re drunk enough), but most people were the usual respectful gang you’d expect to see at an Open.
Besides the post above, I’ll have another one up tonight.
BR, Fritz/f
Well, I wasn’t there, so I can’t comment on actual crowd behavior, Fritz (beyond the little I saw of the coverage on NBC, during which time the spectators didn’t seem particularly raucous), but I think Nordlinger’s idea—that crowds should rise to the traditions of the game rather than the game settling at the level of the crowd—is apposite, generally speaking.
Well—I admit it. I’m a bigger golf freak than John Ellis. And if I want some drunk lout screaming asinine obscenities in my ear, I’ll just go to a Raiders game. I’m not an elitist; I’m pleased that golf is receiving new fans. But I would love to have a remote control which allowed me to shock every idiot who yells “In da hole” and “You da Man.” Even worse—I’d inflict an enforced viewing of The Legend of Bagger Vance on them (although I must sheepishly admit that I enjoyed that movie—but, as I said, I am a golf geek)