Ryder Cup day 1

The Ryder Cup

Before the BBC-apologists, terrestrial TV lovers, interfering, meddling MPs, or their ilk start to get their grubby fingers grubbier playing about with sports coverage, they need to look at the Ryder Cup and television coverage.

The Ryder Cup is three days golf. I take on board the fact that while there may be a very small minority quite happy to watch bits and pieces, among other viewing. However, the majority will either care not a jot about the whole shebang, or care about little else for the three days.

Who did the BBC or the terrestrial channels really serve? The tiny minority happy to watch bits and pieces. The don't cares were irritated by constant updates on some silly beggars playing golf somewhere. The golfers wanted to watch the golf. Not the 3:15 from Haydock Park, not Mrs Pete Beale at the kitchen sink, not the Tory / Labour / other lot prattling on at their conferences / not etc. Three days of glorious, intense, wonderful matchplay golf. Nonstop. End to end. Stop the world, I want to know what's happening on the sixteenth tee.

Sky have delivered the golf watchers from frustration. Hell for the sports fanatic is terrestrial television. The coverage is superb. Yes there's some adverts. No, there's not huge gaps while they report the starting prices now they've weighed in at Wincanton. Hands off, Westminster. You lot have not understood sport since Heath and Wilson had the grace to attend every cup final, no matter how much you spout off about the Olympics.

An honourable mention for Radio Five which I listened to at work today. Good coverage, but when I got in the car? The news. Then the news in depth. Then other stuff. For three days I want to be captivated by, and escape to the Ryder Cup, and Greece, Spain, Portugal and whoever can be as skint as they like, the Yanks can do what they like on their election campaigns, and the world can go to hell in a handbasket for all I care.

Chicago weather

We've had rain all day. Medina, Chicago, is dry and sunny.

OK some other things do matter

We play Chelsea at ours tomorrow.

Something SKY could do better

Tell Monty he's not allowed to say “momentum” repeatedly.

Rain

Next to last game of the season tomorrow, and it's unlikely to go ahead. Due to the rain. Every day this week, heavy rain. The pitch is going to be like a quagmire (whatever one of those is), and they look after it themselves, so are not going to want it torn to pieces just before the autumn months.