Hawkins Let's Slip: Morning Drive's Kuselias Reassigned

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Stephanie Wei on Golf Channel confirming the reassignment of Morning Drive co-host Erik Kuselias, revealed not by press release but by John Hawkins in a Golf Channel online chat.

To be clear, Kuselias, a former ESPN personality whose contract wasn’t renewed in 2009, was not fired, according to Golf Channel spokesperson Dan Higgins.

“Erik has been working with the NBC Sports Network and been on assignment with ‘NBC Sports Talk,’ where he’s done a great job, so his focus is being shifted to that, instead of Morning Drive,” said Higgins via phone.

Kuselias has quite the interesting Wikipedia page.

More importantly, you've seen the fill-ins over the last few months. Who do you like to replace Kuselias? I smell an instant poll coming this week!

Beckett's "Golf Business" Leads To Trade Talk!

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Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett played golf with Clay Buchholz on his day off after skipping a start because of a sore shoulder and the wonderfully patient, forgiving Red Sox Nation is outraged.

Looks to me like Beckett missed an opportunity to weigh in on the state of the golf business when he was questioned. From Gordon Edes' column:

Thursday night was the first opportunity for Beckett to explain himself. But that was beneath him. He made it clear it was an affront to his right to privacy for anyone to even question why he would play golf the day after Sox fans were told he was physically unable to perform. Or for anyone to ask him, in light of how badly the Sox are playing, if he even thought of how it might look from the outside.

No, this is what Josh Beckett chose to do instead, on a night he was savagely booed as he left the mound having given up one run for every out he recorded (7 runs, 7 outs) before departing.

Question (paraphrased): Did the golf business have any impact on how you pitched?

Answer: None. None.

Question: Anything to say about the golf business?

Answer: No. I spend my off days the way I want to spend them.

Question: Any regrets?

Answer: My off day is my off day.

Question: Given that you were skipped a start with what was described as a tight lat muscle, do people have the right to question why you were golfing?

Answer: Not on my off day.

Question: Do you understand the perception that leaves when the team is playing as poorly as it is?

Answer: We get 18 off days a year. I think we deserve a little time to ourselves.

That's Beckett. Defiant to a hurtling-off-the-cliff fault.

Buster Olney reports on the possibility of trading Beckett over his round of golf.

There is a disconnect between the Red Sox fans and Beckett, reflected in the boos he heard as he came off the mound -- and even in the Boston front office, the question of whether he has irreconcilable differences with the team for which he pitches should probably be asked. The Red Sox should probably begin exploring trade avenues. Moving him might not be easy, short of giving him away, and even if a trade partner could be found, Beckett maintains 10-and-5 rights, and thus the ability to veto any deal.

Josh, I have two clubs ready to take your money: Riviera, Bel-Air. Come west young man!

“Let me make sure I understand this, he rode a jet to Augusta to collect dirt?”

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Steve Crawford follows up on the story of Clayton Price Baker, who attempted to fill a cup with bunker sand Sunday of this year's Masters, only to be arrested and charged. His case was dismissed but not before some incredible details were revealed and confirmed by his attorney.

Claridge said the incident had caused his client a great deal of embarrassment and money. In addition to losing his Masters badges, the meter was running on a private jet he had booked to fly him home while he sat in the Richmond County jail, Claridge said.

“Let me make sure I understand this, he rode a jet to Augusta to collect dirt?” asked Judge William D. Jennings III.

Claridge clarified that his client had come to see the Masters Tournament.

“So he came here to collect special dirt,” Jennings said. “Had he been successful in his attempt, what, pray tell, would he have done with it?”

Claridge explained that his client tries to collect dirt from ballparks and other sports venues he attends as sort of a hobby.

He's not alone in the sample collecting world, as reader Emile forwards this ebay link to a sale of the "actual" pine straw divot of Bubba Watson. From the seller's all-caps entry, always the sign of a healthy mind.

WE JAMMED OUR WAY INTO THE CROWD OF PEOPLE TO WATCH BUBBAS MIRACULOUS SHOT. AS SOON AS HE HIT IT, EVERYBODY STARTING CLAMORING OFF TOWARDS THE GREEN, BUT WE ALREADY KNEW THAT WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO GET ANYWHERE CLOSE TO THE GREEN, SO WE DECIDED TO JUST STAY PUT AND JUST WATCH WHAT WE COULD AND LISTEN FOR THE CROWDS REACTION. AS SOON AS THE CROWD HAD LEFT, MY FRIEND WENT OVER TO WHERE BUBBA HAD JUST HIT HIS SHOT. MY FRIEND HAD A PIMENTO CHEESE SANDWICH  BAG AND WENT OVER AND COLLECTED ALL THE PINE STRAW FROM AROUND THE DIVOT, AS WELL AS THE SMALL AMOUNT LEFT IN THE DIVOT, AND PUSHED TOGETHER THE LOOSE PINE STRAW IN FRONT OF THE DIVOT (MOST OF THE PINE STRAW FROM THE DIVOT FLEW FORWARD). HE PUT IT ALL IN THE PIMIENTO CHEESE SANDWICH BAG AND BROUGHT IT BACK TO MACON, GA WITH HIM. HE WAS PLANNING ON GETTING IT FRAMED WITH A PICTURE OF BUBBA, BUT JUST DECIDED HE WOULD JUST LIKE TO SELL IT, IF ANYBODY WANTED IT. SO HERE IT IS. 100% AUTHENTIC AND WEIGHS A LITTLE UNDER 2 OUNCES. I TRIED TO GIVE AS MUCH INFO AS POSSIBLE, BUT IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS, JUST LET ME KNOW. THANKS FOR LOOKING. 

How did I miss this on my daily ebay search for Bubba Watson's pine straw divot!?