What's Gretzky's Next Move?

Last week, my old friend Steve Ovadia suggested that I might know somebody who could help Wayne Gretzky manage the media malestrom kicked up by the gambling investigation instigated by the NJ State Police. After thinking about it, I figured...

More Thoughts On My NHL

Here's Dave Zukauskas on the NHL ad campaign: Seeing an ad of a woman in a locker room helping a hockey player get dressed reminded me of the promotional ads that the XFL used to produce, showing cheerleaders doing pole...

Martha Burk Targets NHL

With her campaign to integrate destroy Augusta National in tatters, the publicity-seeking Martha Burk of the National Council of Women's Organizations, is taking the NHL to task for their just-debuted television ad campaign: Martha Burk, the chairwoman of the National...

Lunchtime Links

It's raining at the Masters. The current tee time is set for 1:30 p.m. U.S. EDT. As reader Marc Hoff reminded me this morning, we may not have playoff hockey this Spring, but we do have the NCAA Frozen Four....

Late Night Links

Just one more day till the first round at Augusta, and Tiger Woods is sounding awfully confident. I wonder what he thought of Phil Mickelson's choice of lobster ravioli. Apparently, Martha Burk won't be back this year. Reggie says goodbye...

Please Step Away From The Keyboard, Mr. McErlain

I need a break. And I need one now. I know I've said this before, only to show up 12 or 24 hours later to jump back into the fray. But I mean it this time. A combination of new...

Masters Week

With the Martha Burk show apparently moving on (though I'm sure she'll stick her head up once a year from here till eternity until Augusta admits a female member, all the better to be there to take credit for it),...

More On The Kiss Cam

Thanks to the reader who sent in an email followup to yesterday's Kiss Cam item: The Mystics used to do a "couple of the game" contest -- until lesbian fans of the team complained to [Washington Sports President] Susan O'Malley...

Singh To Sorenstam: Drop Dead

Former Masters champion Vijay Singh apparently hasn't learned the rules of political correctness when it comes to the battle of the sexes: Vijay Singh believes Annika Sorenstam has no business playing in the Colonial next week, and he would withdraw...

Wind Deserts Martha's Sails

The wheels are coming off Martha Burk's bus down in Augusta. Here's the AP's Tim Dahlberg on Augusta Chairman Hootie Johnson's defiant press conference yesterday: At Augusta National, the men apparently still like to get together with men. Maybe it's...

Masters Notebook

Now that Martha Burk has lost her legal challenge to protest at the gates of Augusta National, and Hootie Johnson has had his publc say over the club's membership policy, it's time to play some golf. The first round starts...

When Is A Golf Tournament Not About Golf?

When it's The Masters, that's when. So, despite the fact that Tiger Woods will be going for his third straight Masters title, much of the focus around this year's event will focus on Martha Burk and her effort to get...

Master Rescinds Age Limit

Looks like Arnold Palmer will be back for this year's Masters after all. One year after decreeing that no former champion over 65 would be allowed to play in the tournament, Augusta National Chairman Hootie Johnson has changed his mind,...

How Low Can Burk Go?

Here's the AP's Steve Wilstein on Martha Burk's latest complaint about CBS, The Masters, and Augusta National: Sorry, Martha Burk, you just lost me. You say it is "appalling" that women soldiers can lay down their lives for democratic values...

Burk: Masters Should Be Cancelled In Case Of War

Just when you thought Martha Burk couldn't sink any lower in her pursuit of any and all types of publicity in her quest to get Augusta National to go co-ed, we get this courtesy of the Washington Post's Leonard Shapiro:...

Catching Up With Augusta

The AP's Jim Litke has a great catch up piece on the Augusta National dispute on the wire today that has some interesting facts. Late last week, National Council of Women's Organizations President, Martha Burk, was cackling at high volume...

Bad News For Hootie

Just across the AP wire: a group associated with the Ku Klux Klan is planning on staging a protest in support of Augusta National Golf Club during the playing of this year's Masters: "We intend on making speeches and picketing...

Golf Roundup

With Tiger Woods winning his first tournament since returning from arthroscopic knee surgery, talk about the PGA Tour is heating up. Plenty of people are looking forward to the Match Play Championship in a few weeks, the first tournament where...

Norman Won't Be Back At The Masters

With the best years of his career behind him, it shouldn't be a surprise that Greg Norman won't be back at The Masters as a competitor this Spring. Last year, Norman needed an exemption from Augusta National in order to...

Catching Up With Augusta and Martha Burk

I'm woefully behind when it comes to the latest activities of Martha Burk and her quest to make Augusta National co-ed. But thankfully, Post Watch has been keeping close tabs over the last day or so. Start here, and work...

Augusta Officially Radioactive

Anticipating what could have been a pretty rough speed bump during his confirmation hearings, Treasury Secretary-designate John Snow has resigned his membership at Augusta National Golf Club: White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters Monday morning before Bush's announcement that...

Saturday Evening. . .

The New York Times posted the columns on the controversy at Augusta National by Harvey Araton and Dave Anderson that had previously been spiked by senior editors at the newspaper. You can find Anderson's column here, and Araton's column here....

Glad To See That Media Bias. . .

In the case of Augusta National is finally drawing some attention from the bigger players in the blogosphere. The flash point for all the renewed interest was a piece that ran in yesterday's New York Daily News, revealing that the...

It Looks Like. . .

It Looks Like. . . Martha Burk's crusade to integrate Augusta National has ">hopped the Atlantic Ocean: An Irish women's group wants to end the men-only membership at a golf club that hosts a PGA European Tour event -- a...

More Experts Second-Guessing Johnson And

More Experts Second-Guessing Johnson And Augusta. . . This time in a long analysis of Augusta's media straqtegy that's ">running on the AP wire. Funny, but I don't recall too many pieces questioning NCWO Chairman Martha Burk's strategy in attacking...

Also In The Post. .

Also In The Post. . . Football and TV sports beat writer Len Shapiro has a curiously short piece questioning the methodology of the poll that was commissioned by Augusta National Golf Club, that the club contends shows overwhelming support...

Looks Like I Missed The

Looks Like I Missed The Boat. . . On the Hootie Johnson story last night. By now it should be clear that Johnson and the folks at Augusta National are in the midst of a huge PR effort to burnish...

About Four Months Too Late.

About Four Months Too Late. . . The Associated Press has decided to get up close and personal with Augusta National Golf Club Chairman Hootie Johnson. Moving on the wires tonight are a significant feature story, a Q&A, and a...

More News On Augusta: Martha

More News On Augusta: Martha Burk, head of the NCWO, and leader of the attempt to get Augusta National to admit women as members, has announced that she is going to start pressuring PGA Tour sponsors in order to pressure...

Over The Weekend. . .

Over The Weekend. . . Reports leaked out of Augusta National Golf Club that a group of members are upset at the way club chairman Hootie Johnson is handling his public fight with Martha Burk and the National Council of...

Congratulations To Phil McCombs. .

Congratulations To Phil McCombs. . . Staff writer for the Washington Post, for writing a 30+ column inch love letter to Martha Burk, head of the National Council of Women's Organizations and leader of the man-bashing effort to force Augusta...

Here In Washington, D.C. .

Here In Washington, D.C. . . There are few things that can kill a career quicker than a lengthy write-up in the Washington Post detailing some sort of personal misbehavior or criminal malfeasance. For the most part, despite the words...

CBS To Air Masters Next

CBS To Air Masters Next Year: In a letter responding to an inquiry from National Council of Women's Organizations chairman Martha Burk, CBS Sports President Sean McManus informed her that the network will continue to air the annual tourney from...

Players Start Speaking Up On

Players Start Speaking Up On Augusta: If Martha Burk, head of the National Council of Women's Organizations, thought that pressuring players would be a good strategy in getting Augusta National, she might want to think again: John Daly said Thursday...

Just Who Is Hootie Johnson?

Just Who Is Hootie Johnson? That was a question I was asking myself this morning about the Chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club. It seemed over the past few weeks, that Johnson was being turned into a mere caricature,...

NCWO To Target Players: Saying

NCWO To Target Players: Saying that members of the PGA Tour, "need to take a moral stand," the chairwoman of the National Council of Women's Organizations (NCWO) announced on ESPN Radio's Dan Patrick Show, that her group would begin pressuring...

A Few Days Ago. .

A Few Days Ago. . . I tried to outline the financial implications of the decision by Augusta National to take the Masters commercial free. In the comments box there, Illway, a frequent contributor, mentions a salient fact that I...

After Being MIA Over The

After Being MIA Over The Weekend. . . Martha Burk, the head of the National Council of Women's Organizations, the group spearheading the public lobbying campaign against Augusta National Golf Club, made herself available for an interview with Len Shapiro...