Just amazing news today from the NY Post. Last year’s attempt at injecting Chris Berman into ESPN’s coverage of Golf is a one and done. He won’t be around this April….

Berman will have nothing to do with this year’s Masters telecasts, no presence whatsoever. There’s not even a pro-am for ESPN to show him clowning in. Mike Tirico will be the only ESPN person seen through the network’s Thursday and Friday, 4-7 p.m. window. And Tirico is assigned to conduct interviews from Butler Cabin.

The rest of ESPN’s telecasts will be in the hands of CBS and CBS personnel. Berman won’t even be a member of ESPN’s three-man, on-site “SportsCenter” team.

While this is great news for Golf fans, I’m going to agree with Post writer Phil Mushnick when he says that this, “doesn’t rhyme with ESPN’s usual big-game scheme.” It seems to be yet another small step towards substance over style and if they keep going this way Chris Berman isn’t going to have anything left to do but the Homerun Derby.

It has to be tough to sit down your highest paid individual, and I’d be hard pressed to think of a better decision ESPN has made in recent years. If anyone remembers last year’s coverage of the U.S. Open they remember that the first two days of the Tournament was a joke. Berman is incapable of not acting like his nicknaming self and him not being involved this year is a blessing.

Merry Chriss-Miss Golf Fans (NY Post)

(Thanks to JP for the link)

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