NBC earned record overnight ratings for its coverage of
the Ryder Cup. Saturday's coverage earned a 4.9/14 and
Sunday's coverage earned a 6.3/15. Sunday's action was up
62% over the '97 final-day overnight of a 3.9/13 (THE
DAILY). In Boston, Jim Baker reported that Saturday's 4.9/14
overnight included a 9.2 in West Palm Beach, FL, a 7.3 in
Providence and 7.2 in Boston (BOSTON HERALD, 9/27).
JOHNNY'S GARDEN: Many members of the U.S. Ryder Cup
team criticized NBC golf analyst Johnny Miller for being too
critical of their performance on Friday and Saturday. Near
the end of yesterday's broadcast, Miller said, "I try to
call them like I see them. I never lost faith that the
United States could pull this thing and there's nobody that
pulls harder for the U.S. than I do. But I got to call them
the way I see them and sometimes the players don't always
love my idea of announcing. So, I try to represent the
people out there and represent the game and those are the
people I try to answer to" (NBC, 9/26). USA TODAY's Rudy
Martzke writes that "rarely has an announcer been the focus
of such venom from players" (USA TODAY, 9/27). In Chicago,
Skip Bayless gives Miller "credit ... for having the guts to
say the Americans weren't showing any guts" (CHICAGO
TRIBUNE, 9/27). In N.Y., Phil Mushnick writes that while
Miller is "often brutally frank, he works only for the
viewer, a rarity among golfcasters" (N.Y. POST, 9/27). In
Richmond, Jerry Lindquist: "Miller is the best. He doesn't
look the other way" (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 9/27). In
Toronto, Rob Longley writes that for three days, Miller
"made up for the weak rah-rah commentary" from his partners.
Longley added that NBC's weekend telecasts "succeeded in
spite of itself. The natural drama and strong performance
by Miller carried the show" (TORONTO SUN, 9/27).
NBC COVERAGE: In Atlanta, Prentis Rogers writes that
NBC "effectively captured every moment" of the event (ATL.
CONSTITUTION, 9/27). In Houston, David Barron writes that
NBC's six-plus hours of coverage "was a tape to put away in
the vaults for future reference" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 9/27).
Martzke gives NBC an A- only for missing post-match European
player interviews Sunday (USA TODAY, 9/27).
WHERE DID THEY FIND THOSE SHIRTS? In Orlando, Jerry
Greene finds it "amazing" that the U.S. team had a $275,000
clothing budget "and bought those comical shirts out of the
trunk of somebody's car" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 9/27). FSN's
Keith Olbermann, on the U.S. team's shirts worn Sunday: "Oh,
these are team shirts, as opposed to some kind of fashion
Love Canal kind of disaster" (FSN, 9/26). ESPN's Rich
Eisen: "What's up with the shirts?" (ESPN, "SportsCenter",
9/26). In Calgary, Eric Francis: "I can say the only thing
more obnoxious than the [Americans'] behaviour yesterday was
their wardrobe" (CALGARY SUN, 9/27).
BOFFO WEEKEND: Greater Boston Convention & Visitors
Bureau officials feel the event may bring in more than the
estimated $150M economic windfall from the six-day
tournament. President Patrick Moscaritolo: "We may do
better than the original estimate. I'm sure on merchandise
sales we will." Some vendors reported selling 100% of their
inventory, and PGA officials "had indicated sales were at
record levels" (BOSTON HERALD, 9/27)....The BOSTON HERALD's
Michael Lasalandra wrote that while some "complained about
the traffic in and around The Country Club [in Brookline]
and the complicated system of trains and shuttle busses
needed to get to the course," some said the "transportation
situation is smooth, compared to Valderrama" (BOSTON HERALD,
9/25). Some felt that with attendance exceeding 30,000,
there "were simply too many people on a too small plot of
land" (AP, 9/26). On Friday, nearly 60% of the 40,000 in
attendance took MA public transportation to the event (AP,
9/25)....FSN's Keith Olbermann, on the U.S. team's
celebration after Justin Leonard's match-winning putt:
"Something amazing was won, but just as assuredly something
amazing was lost when his teammates and their wives stormed
the green. ... Congrats Ryder Cup, you're no longer a
tradition. Now you're a marketing scheme" (FSN, 9/26).
