Miller post-announcing will spend more time overseeing his Silverado Resort and Spa and the Safeway Opengolf channel
Longtime NBC golf analyst Johnny Miller said his decision to retire was "pretty difficult," but over the past three years he knew he was "winding down." Miller said he will know what he misses about covering golf most in "about three, four months, after I start twiddling my thumbs and ask myself, 'What am I trying to do?'" Miller said, "I actually have some things I want to do. I'm one of the owners at Silverado Resort and Spa, dealing with the Safeway Open and improvements to the resort. I've got some golf schools and fantasy schools I want to do in Pebble Beach." Meanwhile, Miller said he "had no agenda" when he began broadcasting 29 years ago. Miller: "I just figured I didn't know what I was doing, so I'd be me. ... What I get from most people ... is, 'Hey Johnny, we love you announcing. Tell it like it is.' They want to hear the truth. The bottom line is people want the truth." Miller also said with the way he announced golf, it would "bring a little more growth, a little like Charles Barkley, the way he announces and people listen." Miller: "He does that naturally the way I do and I thought that would be a plus for the game" ("Golf Central," Golf Channel, 10/16).
BRUTALLY, REFRESHINGLY HONEST: GOLFDIGEST.com's John Feinstein wrote what "really set Miller apart" was "how different he was from virtually every ex-player who has ever set foot in a booth." The late Dave Marr, ABC's lead analyst for years, "once pointed out that golf analysts were there to 'gild the rose, make everyone look good.'" Miller, on the other hand, was there to "point out the good, the bad and the ugly." Miller did not "want to still be 'one of the guys' as so many ex-players are -- or want to be" (GOLFDIGEST.com, 10/16). GOLF.com's Alan Shipnuck wrote Miller had a "few irritating verbal ticks and doesn't do a good job hiding his considerable ego," but he is "by far the biggest presence the 18th hole tower has ever seen." For many telecasts, Miller is "as big a star, or bigger, than any of the players" (GOLF.com, 10/16). Golf Channel's Tripp Isenhour said Miller was "honest," and people "may not have like everything he said, but you couldn't argue with the fact he was giving you his opinion" ("Golf Central," Golf Channel, 10/16). In S.F., Ron Kroichick wrote Miller's broadcasting "resonated because of his credibility, intelligence, bravado and candor." He "informed and irritated viewers, offering his opinion no matter who it might offend." That was his job, and he "did it extraordinarily well." Miller worked in TV at a time when "many broadcasters were careful and bland," but he "stood out" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 10/18). TSN.ca's Bob Weeks wrote while many people "took exception to his words," Miller "never backed down." Weeks: "That's what made him so entertaining" (TSN.ca, 10/17).
PERFECT REPLACEMENT: MORNINGREAD.com's John Hawkins wrote Paul Azinger being chosen to replace Miller was a "no-brainer." Azinger shows an "ability to share information, translate wisdom and communicate in complete sentences, turning his second career into a vast success." No discussion was "necessary" in Azinger's selection. Hawkins: "Not only is Azinger very good at what he does, but he's cut from the same call-it-like-he-see-it cloth as Miller." Not to mention NBC "didn't have anyone" on its broadcasting team "capable of stepping into such a crucial role" (MORNINGREAD.com, 10/17).
