Comments on: The Shot (about to be...) Seen Around The World

The Shot (about to be...) Seen Around The World

pwb503 — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 17:02:09 -0800

[wmv] (mirror [wmv]) you would have thought it was faked like that LeBron ad.

Well if Wieden+Kennedy isn't already working on it, they surely will be shortly. "... they have a Nike-sponsored golfer wearing a Nike shirt, a Nike hat, Nike golf shoes, using Nike clubs, held in hands covered by Nike gloves, hitting a Nike prototype golf ball that was chipped onto the green, rolled, turned, rolled some more, then teetered on the edge of the cup with that Nike "Swoosh" turning and facing the television cameras for a full 1.5 seconds."

By: Doug

Doug — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 17:11:37 -0800

Not to be snarky, but isn't this the reason Nike pays Tiger Woods to wear all that crap?

By: futureproof

futureproof — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 17:18:39 -0800

That is the reason Doug. And IMHO it's disgusting. That being said I've watched that clip about twenty times and will keep watching it as it's an amazing depiction of art, skill, and grace. I'd border on saying it was one of the greatest shots in golf history, (well it definately is, but the degree of which it is i'm unsure of). What are some classic golf shots, and are there any clips of them online?

By: null terminated

null terminated — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 17:20:46 -0800

Why not link to the guy who made the fake commercial?

By: futureproof

futureproof — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 17:24:44 -0800

umm... he did.

By: SeizeTheDay

SeizeTheDay — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 17:25:03 -0800

That shot is waiting to be a commercial. It was fantastic; when I saw the ball drop, the first time when it was live, I swear my heart stopped for just a second. It was probably the most incredible golf moment I've ever had (and all I did was watch it). That said, I hope to god that they don't make that into a commercial. It's like a great song; if you hear it over and over again, it loses all meaning and feeling.

By: futureproof

futureproof — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 17:28:15 -0800

Upon watching it for the twenty first time, I noticed that the cameraman gets so excited the camera shakes when the ball drops. Yes, it was that good. Where can I find a higher resolution clip of this? SeizeTheDay: While I share the same hope I don't see how they cannot make this into a commercial. Nike execs see dollar signs, not cultural relevance.

By: notsnot

notsnot — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 17:36:14 -0800

Seems to me that a plan view (from the blimp) of that shot would trace out something very like the swoosh, too. Ick. Great shot, but ick.

By: rxrfrx

rxrfrx — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 17:42:27 -0800

More fantastic hoops [QT]

By: stuartmm

stuartmm — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 17:44:15 -0800

Can i also add great camera work. Great tight shot and when the shake happens because of everyone shouting and jumping even better.

By: Justinian

Justinian — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 17:44:30 -0800

Can someone post another mirror? Both of the links are busted and I want to see what the heck y'all are talking about.

By: Justinian

Justinian — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 17:46:32 -0800

Never mind it came back.

By: ..ooOOoo....ooOOoo..

..ooOOoo....ooOOoo.. — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 17:47:53 -0800

The rights to the video belong to the Augusta National Golf Club. Nike will have to pay SERIOUS money for those rights. And as cranky as those old farts are, they may not just do it out of spite. Remeber they gave up all advertising money for two years and only allowed three advertisers this year so they could continue denying women membership without complaints from boycotted companies. They even used not to allow ANY tv coverage until the last nine holes. Like I said, it's not a given Nike will get the rights.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 17:52:28 -0800

Mirror is working now.

By: odinsdream

odinsdream — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 18:02:17 -0800

I'd like to note my extreme amazement at how good Microsoft is at providing quality video codecs and players that can somehow detect the exact moment of peak intensity in a video and absolutely freeze, never to play again. Microsoft's quality software really helps those suspenseful moments last, and last... and last. Thanks Microsoft! seriously... stop with the wmv shit. it's fucking crap.

By: Turtles all the way down

Turtles all the way down — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 18:03:59 -0800

Mirror is working now. No it isn't. :-[

By: Turtles all the way down

Turtles all the way down — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 18:05:05 -0800

Oh, and: seriously... stop with the wmv shit. it's fucking crap. Quicktime, please!

By: uncanny hengeman

uncanny hengeman — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 18:15:26 -0800

I think I'm gonna puke. I don't often watch golf. Yet I spent more than 45 minutes glued to the set watching the closing stages - I even made myself slightly late for work. I leave the room for 30 bloody seconds and that's what I miss!!! Even worse, I miss the opportunity to constantly bore people with "I saw it live". That's the first time I've seen the shot. I wondered what all the shouting was about. futureproof, this maybe 1% answers your question: http://www.usforacle.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/04/12/425bc65008bb0

By: graventy

graventy — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 18:16:19 -0800

Speaking of incredible shots...does anyone have video of that Minnesota highschool baller (Blake Hoffarber) sinking the long distance shot from his back? I never got a chance to see it. That said, awesome shots really aren't related to the skill of the shot-maker. I mean, Tiger will make that shot more than anyone, but every day people (who aren't professional golfers) get holes-in-one. The only thing that makes this shot important is the stage. And, he dimished this by bogeying the next two holes. Niice.

By: Ynoxas

Ynoxas — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 18:17:37 -0800

The Masters is usually the only golf I watch all year. The shot appeared to go against the laws of physics. It came to what looked like a complete, total stop. Energy had to be added to bring that body at rest (that tends to stay at rest) back into motion. I assume it was the several thousand people all yelling and jumping up and down. Perhaps it was enough to add just a tiny bit of energy and help the ball into the hole. Either that or God just loves Tiger.

By: twd3lr

twd3lr — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 18:21:27 -0800

Funny, I turned on the TV right as the ball held onto the lip of the cup, and I wasn't sure what the heck was going on, but then I saw the replay and honestly felt disappointment for having not witnessed it when it actually happened.

By: BlackLeotardFront

BlackLeotardFront — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 18:31:17 -0800

Odinsdream I am of the same mind. I like how it picks the middle of the shot to silence itself and freeze, instead of saying "you need to update this or that." Oh, and for a while the colors were inverted too. Still waiting on the codec update but from what I hear this should be worth the wait even for a non-golfer.

By: futureproof

futureproof — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 18:33:57 -0800

Speaking of people jumping up and down (though it looked to me like it just slowed down to a CRAWL and then dropped) it was fun to see Tigers shot on an earlier hole hit the green and cause Dimarco's ball to roll down to the edge of the green.

By: futureproof

futureproof — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 18:36:16 -0800

I just realized that Nike doesn't need the rights. Someone else made the clip for them. Millions of people saw it live, millions more have seen it since, and millions to come will see it. So fucking gross.

By: Rothko

Rothko — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 18:39:16 -0800

Meh. Needs more cowbell.

By: fungible

fungible — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 19:27:16 -0800

No one has noted that even the shape of the shot itself is the Nike Swoosh. I guess Madison Ave. finally got the ear of God.

By: euphorb

euphorb — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 19:32:21 -0800

Yes, someone did.

By: greasy_skillet

greasy_skillet — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 19:32:53 -0800

Yeah, yeah... it was a great shot. Let's just ignore his first round, where he putted into the freakin' river! /rooted for DiMarco

By: jalexei

jalexei — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 19:35:40 -0800

I loath golf (and wouldn't have had it on the TV if my father-in-law wasn't visiting) and have to say that was one of the most amazing things in sport I've ever seen.

By: damnitkage

damnitkage — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 19:54:25 -0800

Link farked. anyone have a mirror?

By: fungible

fungible — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 19:56:29 -0800

oh drat.

By: pmurray63

pmurray63 — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 19:56:54 -0800

NY Post says it's already in the works.

By: kanewai

kanewai — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 19:57:46 -0800

Why would Nike bother to pay for the rights to this? That clip will be sent through the metaverse without Nike paying one more red cent - showcasing Mr. Woods' Nike shirt, his Nike cap, and the ball stopping on the cusp of the hole with the frikkin' Nike swish showing.

By: ericb

ericb — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 20:20:04 -0800

By: airguitar

airguitar — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 21:03:38 -0800

While I share the same hope I don't see how they cannot make this into a commercial. Nike execs see dollar signs, not cultural relevance. Cultural relevance?

By: uncanny hengeman

uncanny hengeman — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 21:18:41 -0800

Speaking of great shots... and this is going entirely from memory... Sandy Lyle. Links course, possibly the British Open. Probably late 80s early 90s. Huge, undulating green. Lyle is on the green but a long way from the pin. He gets out a wedge and chips it in! Arguably not as good as Tiger's shot. But never before or since have I seen someone chip when they are already on the green. (I'm guessing he chose to chip because he couldn't be azzed trying to "read" all the undulations. Why not just chip over them?!)

By: uncanny hengeman

uncanny hengeman — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 22:09:59 -0800

I got a laff out of how his caddy totally mangles their celebrations. They go the high five - so far so good - then it looks like the caddy goes to shake Tiger's hand (American style), realizes Tiger's not going to shake hands, decides to shake hands with thin air instead, realizes this looks stupid so tries to disguise it as a fist pump, then goes the high five again, and then walks off pumping his fist as if he'd sunk the putt. Or maybe it's just me.

By: phyrewerx

phyrewerx — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 23:01:35 -0800

Haha uncanny, I just rewatched the segment you talked about. Wow, that probably bugged him when he went home that night.

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 01:24:57 -0800

By: neckro23

neckro23 — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 02:14:44 -0800

I was walking through the living room where a housemate was watching Sportscenter (or some crap) on TV. I catch a glimpse of the TV just as they're showing the ball stopping just at the edge of the cup... I comment out loud, "Awwww." Then the ball drops in. "Oh."

By: trey

trey — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 03:56:24 -0800

If nothing else, I'm just glad to see that someone is finally using the "hole" tag!

By: mattr

mattr — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 04:22:15 -0800

They go the high five - so far so good - then it looks like the caddy goes to shake Tiger's hand (American style), realizes Tiger's not going to shake hands, decides to shake hands with thin air instead, realizes this looks stupid so tries to disguise it as a fist pump, then goes the high five again, and then walks off pumping his fist as if he'd sunk the putt. Don't understimate just how much influence a caddy has on a shot...they help read the green, select the club, select the shot and select the speed/line of the shot...Tiger relies on his caddy as much as anyone else...he can feel proud as well.

By: uncanny hengeman

uncanny hengeman — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 04:49:17 -0800

I am well aware of what a caddy does. Maybe a bit of humility might have been the go? But again, that's just me. For example, I get equally annoyed when the wife of a politician gets on stage, post victory, and starts pumping her fists. Even though she's a valuable team member, don't underestimate just how much influence she has yada yada. But I 99.99% was trying to point out the goofy post-putt celebrations and share a laff. I don't wish ill upon his caddy. (Spot the mistimed celebratory sporting high five. One of my favorite pastimes.)

By: mattr

mattr — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 05:00:03 -0800

Uncanny - cool...wasn't being snarky...just wanted to point out that they do make a difference...often underappreciated members of the golf team. No offence meant...

By: uncanny hengeman

uncanny hengeman — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 05:47:35 -0800

Caddies and rally car co-drivers. Under appreciated team members in sport... and yet... wouldn't it still be a level playing field (no pun intended) if they just did away with them all together? Co-drivers: maybe there's a safety aspect to consider. But caddies? If we banned them would the sport be any poorer?

By: parliboy

parliboy — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 06:29:00 -0800

First place at the Masters was over $1.2M. Caddies usually get around 8 to 10% of winnings at that level; so I really wouldn't care if I looked like an idiot, given the potential payday.

By: The Dryyyyy Cracker

The Dryyyyy Cracker — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 06:33:57 -0800

I don't particularly like Tiger (or Nike), but it was an amazing shot (and moment; even my girlfriend, who is bored stiff by televised sports, sat up and took notice). But I wouldn't say it was the best or most dramatic shot in Masters history. What about Larry Mize in 1986, chipping in from farther away, during a playoff to boot? Of course, Larry didn't have the Nike hype machine working at full steam behind him... Enough snark, though. Hats off to Tiger.

By: uncanny hengeman

uncanny hengeman — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 06:38:07 -0800

First place at the Masters was over $1.2M. Caddies usually get around 8 to 10% of winnings at that level; so I really wouldn't care if I looked like an idiot, given the potential payday. I think for a period, New Zealand's highest paid sportsman was Tiger's caddy! Don't quote me on that, but it sounds believable. (I think maybe Jonah Lomu was 2nd.)

By: pmurray63

pmurray63 — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 06:41:24 -0800

I don't remember the Larry Mize shot you're talking about, but I think Tiger's had one seemingly unique element: that last-moment hesitation, when it apparently stopped. I didn't see it live, but that was the element that guys in my office were dwelling on the next day. I saw a replay that night and had to agree. Skill, luck, whatever, it was memorable.

By: The Dryyyyy Cracker

The Dryyyyy Cracker — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 06:46:24 -0800

Well, that's true. Tiger's shot definitely had a better sense of theatre. I was just starting to think "If I were Tiger, I'd wait a couple of minutes to see if it falls in on its own" when....plunk.

By: hootch

hootch — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 07:35:11 -0800

Speaking of incredible shots...does anyone have video of that Minnesota highschool baller (Blake Hoffarber) sinking the long distance shot from his back? There's a link to the video just under the headline.

By: rocket88

rocket88 — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 08:49:06 -0800

From what I saw, the ball actually did stop for a considerable length of time before falling into the cup. It was probably blades of grass slowly bending under the weight of the ball that tipped the balance and finally caused the ball to drop. As for Dryyyyy Cracker's comment, this is covered by Golf Rule 16.2: 16-2. Ball Overhanging Hole When any part of the ball overhangs the lip of the hole, the player is allowed enough time to reach the hole without unreasonable delay and an additional ten seconds to determine whether the ball is at rest. If by then the ball has not fallen into the hole, it is deemed to be at rest. If the ball subsequently falls into the hole, the player is deemed to have holed out with his last stroke, and he must add a penalty stroke to his score for the hole; otherwise, there is no penalty under this Rule.

By: tomplus2

tomplus2 — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 10:02:32 -0800

awesome. Good for him. Good for Nike.

By: futureproof

futureproof — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 10:07:32 -0800

cultural relevance? Probably not the best choice of words but I was commenting on the post previous to mine on a reason that a commercial would be a bad thing.

By: thomcatspike

thomcatspike — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 12:09:35 -0800

Under appreciated team members in sport... and yet... wouldn't it still be a level playing field (no pun intended) if they just did away with them all together? The golfer carrying his own bag 18 holes will be a lot more work for him. Looking at this years tournament which because of rain the golfers played two rounds and the for last hole the golfers’ swing would be greatly effected by the bag’s weight.

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 12:52:30 -0800

Everybody who knows rally know the co driver is the guy who actually wins. The driver is just a voice input control device for the car. I'd talk about Tiger's cool shot but both the vids are server on 8090! which is blocked here.

By: howling fantods

howling fantods — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 14:06:58 -0800

The golfer carrying his own bag 18 holes will be a lot more work for him. i'm sure golf fans would vehemently oppose this (and crucify me for saying so), but why not have them carry their own bags? physical conditioning being a prominent factor in a sport can't be such a bad thing.

By: uncanny hengeman

uncanny hengeman — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 16:37:03 -0800

The caddy helps in much bigger ways than being a pack animal and umbrella holder. They have huge input with regards to things such as club selection and helping line up putts, as mentioned above. It is this aspect that some MeFites said allowed caddies to take some of the credit for goods shots. That's the bit where I can't see why it can't be banned. By all means, have a porter to carry the clubs if you think that's still necessary. However, I kinda like howling fantods' idea and rationale. Get rid of caddies altogether.

By: howling fantods

howling fantods — Tue, 26 Apr 2005 06:56:37 -0800

it was only a matter of time. i saw the ad this morning. its essentially the raw footage with the following white text on black screen interspersed: "We gave you a wedge that gives you more feel" "We gave you a ball with better control" and closing with: "And you couldn't even line up the logo" (i'm paraphrasing here, but that's the gist of it)

By: uncanny hengeman

uncanny hengeman — Wed, 27 Apr 2005 03:57:51 -0800

Not bad!