The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Brian Costa profiled Golf Channel's Brandel Chamblee, who has "become the game's resident contrarian." Chamblee dispenses opinions with a "mix of advanced statistics, video review and uncommon bluntness." He is a "professorial provocateur" and reactions to him are as "notable for what they reveal about golfers as for what they show about him." Chamblee said that he "does not enjoy getting a rise out of people, but he has shown an exceptional ability to do so." He has provided something of a "running soundtrack" to Tiger Woods' "fall from greatness." He said that he has "blocked more than 10,000 people on Twitter for what he deems nasty comments toward him, including a few players." But Golf Channel has "stood firmly behind him" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/7).
NO DAYS OFF: Browns LT Joe Thomas last night said that he has been "exploring his options in sports broadcasting and his retirement isn't far off." Thomas, attending the National Football Foundation Annual Awards Banquet, said that he "hasn't been offered any broadcasting jobs yet." However, he noted he has been "putting himself in front of the decision makers'' and the "end is coming sooner than later.'' In Cleveland, Mary Kay Cabot cites a source as saying that Thomas recently "auditioned for a variety of roles" at Fox and FS1 and "went through 'the car wash' at ESPN when he was there in January to appear on several shows" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 3/7).
BAR EXAM: In Salt Lake City, Scott Pierce notes Real Salt Lake "tried something new with its first television broadcast of the season" on Utah-based KMYU-MyNetworkTV. Several times during the RSL-FC Dallas on Saturday, the telecast was "interrupted by segments featuring Rebecca Cade doing pointless interviews at a fan watch party at the Beer Bar in Salt Lake City." The segments were "disruptive" and added "no value to the telecast." The tradeoff was the "high annoyance factor for people who tuned in to watch" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 3/7).
