John Daly is in Augusta. I'm in Augusta. But I have yet to talk to him or write about him. This is the most time I have spent at a golf tournament without talking to or writing about Daly.
Last year I left Augusta National Golf Club five minutes after hearing that he was peddling his wares along Washington Rd. I made a mistake and overshot his trailer and went to Hooter's. They told me where he was and I crossed the street and found him.
Reporters who had talked to him earlier were rejected or dispatched with a few one-sentence answers.So I walked to the long table in front of his trailer and bought a John Daly autographed cap for $20. Then I identified myself. Then we were friends. I hung out for about 30 minutes, talking to him and to his girlfriend, and and watching fans react.
And, no, I wasn't paying for the interview. I don't practice that kind of journalism. Nothing that applies to Daly constitutes journalism.
Daly seemed to have shrunk since I had seen him last. He was smaller than you would expect. I'm 5-9, and I could post him up. But I don't see him playing hoops because he never stopped smoking. He would take a long final drag, fling the butt to the ground and reach for another. He would be easy to track.
I doubt Daly has changed dramatically since last year, but who has? I'll make my way to his table this week. I could use a cap. The dog chewed the old one.
You and Daly have something in common. Nothing you write constitutes journalism.
Have you EVER looked in a mirror? You try to gain readers sympathy by your cancer story. Do you think you are the only one to have cancer? Most folks in that situation have a "vision" moment. You however are the same bitter, crater faced, untalented writer you were years ago.
No wonder you have been banned from WFNZ and now spend your time swapping recipes with the unmanly guys at WBT. What a sham you are Tom, a pure sham.
Daly has been thru many trials and tribulations. He has handled them ith grace never asking for sympathy. YOU COULS LEARN FROM HIM. Now go inject some chicken blood.
Posted by: Mark | April 07, 2010 at 02:09 PM
WOW Mark. What a hater you are. "Crater faced" -- really? Nice 12 year old response to an opinion of a columnist. If you hate Tom so much and think he is so awful, why are you reading his blog??
Posted by: jan | April 07, 2010 at 02:51 PM
Mark obviously didn’t take his meds today. What an angry man!
Posted by: Jay | April 07, 2010 at 02:58 PM
Hey Mark
Congratulations!! You win the Loser of the Day award!! Get out of moms basement and do something positive with your life.
Posted by: Joe Cool | April 07, 2010 at 04:09 PM
Mark as very harsh. With that being said I can telly ou first hand how much of a jerk Tom is.
In the past I have dealt with him on a professional basis. He was very arrogant.
The guy is a entertainment writer. Give him a wrestling story and he is on tip of his game. Anything else he is no better than a writer for a weekly paper.
Not sure why Mark reads Toms blogs. I read them to be amused at his stupidity.
Posted by: J. Brown | April 07, 2010 at 04:50 PM
Hard biting incisive commentary from Tom here. Dismissing the hundreds of potential stories of guys ACTUALLY PLAYING AT THE MASTERS, Tom steps outside of Augusta National and regales us with a meaningless, half-baked pseudo-"story" about Daly. Not even a quote.
Why bother even going to Augusta Tom?
Posted by: SS | April 07, 2010 at 08:18 PM
Wow, why are there so many haters of Tom..? I actually found this story pretty good, better then most of the ones from ESPN, and CBS Sports today... Tom, good Job...!!
Posted by: catsnmbr1fan | April 07, 2010 at 11:02 PM
I guess everyone is journalist these days myself included. I think Tom is all right, he writes well and does so from the heart.
I gave Tom a couple of suggestions for a story on Daytona a couple of years ago and he not only thanked me but used my ideas.
Very Cool No. One.
Then cancer jumped him, and one day he wrote about "the bell" too funny the bell is some crazy idea my sister came up with, its there for all to ring signaling a small victory in what will become a life long battle against cancer.
My sister wrote Tom and he wrote back. Very cool again. No. Two.
What I really like about Tom Sorenson is he lets the comments stay. I think if you write OpEd for a living you should be willing to let people say whatever they like.
Crater Face? ok I remember junior high school, pig nose, buffalo butt, arm pit.
In this case the story is not John Daley the story is Tom Sorenson. The story in the comments and that they haven't been deleated.
Very Cool No. Three.
Tom gets paid to go to Augusta Very Cool No. Four.
So say what you like, I doubt anything at this point in Tom's life would really shock him, unless Tiger gave him a one on one....
And hey, the week is still young.
Posted by: Cedar Posts | April 08, 2010 at 02:03 AM