Faldo conference call

At CBS, Lanny Wadkins is out and Nick Faldo is in. Here are excepts from a conference call with the media..

EXCERPTS FROM CBS SPORTS’ OCTOBER 3
NICK FALDO ANNOUNCEMENT CONFERENCE CALL

Sean McManus, President CBS News and Sports:
One of the things that we’re proudest of at CBS Sports is the quality of our on-air commentary team and throughout the years whenever we’ve had a chance to improve that line-up we’ve tried to take advantage of those opportunities, most recently with James Brown. One of the things we’re also most proud of is our golf line-up. We think we have the deepest, most experienced and best golf announcing crew in the business. But just like in other sports, when we have an opportunity to make ourselves better and improve ourselves, we’re going to take advantage of it.

Tony Petitti, Executive Vice President and Executive Producer, CBS Sports:
…We viewed it as an opportunity to strengthen our team, a team that we already believe is the best in golf, and to add Nick to this great golf line-up is just an exciting day for us and we’re really looking forward to the great work he’s going to be able to do for us, and the schedule he’s committed to being a full-time broadcaster. That was important to us, important to our golf team…it was a really easy decision for us to add Nick to our team.

Nick Faldo on Different Personality in the Television Tower from Playing Days:
When you’re a competitor and I was, I deemed myself as a good, honest, sporting competitor. I had some great men to play against. I felt I was there to win and it was very much, that was the style and I would say the style I played you know the head down, get on with it, blinkers on that kind of look… the bottom line to be really honest, I’m a shy guy, and I guess given this opportunity to project yourself, or the way I am on TV, is just me, simple as that. I’m not putting anything on and I’m enjoying. You know number one for me is I really enjoy this work now. It’s a new string to my bow and it’s as simple as that.

Faldo on Greatest Assets as Analyst:
I think my ability. I can sense or look into the players eyes and I can sense what’s really going on. Most people think, well you’re going to get nervous down the back nine as an example. And I can obviously look at somebody and tell whether he’s right on the first tee or the last round. You might be able to tell after 54 or somewhere in there or even 36. Guys might be leading the tournament and you can tell where they’re comfortable or uncomfortable. I know what the players like. I know what they really do find difficult and all these sorts of things. I think that’s what I’m trying to bring, a little bit of insight to what’s going on, the way they think. Sometimes it’s not as plain sailing as we would believe, what their difficulties are. And obviously, I know what pressure is all about as we call it, finishing off a tournament, what that takes at all the different levels. I think it’s just an insight into their minds and I think I can make a pretty good calculated guess that how I felt is obviously how they would feel.

Faldo on the Masters®:
That’s a major decision for me. I will be in the tower next year at Augusta for the whole week so I will not be playing. Obviously that was a major part of my decision. I think that shows my commitment to the broadcasting world that I view this as a fabulous opportunity for me, which may only come once every 10 years or something. So to join CBS, to be there, as I said (with) Jim Nantz, lead analyst is a very exciting prospect for me. It will seriously curtail my playing career, as you know I turn 50 in July. I will play the British Open. I will play our British Seniors the week after. And then obviously I will do my best to play where I feel I’m capable of playing on the Champions Tour. So my playing days aren’t completely over. I’m going to do my best but, obviously, my priority is now given to CBS.