Feasting on the Tour

Bob Wishnie, a member of the CBS TV crew, has a bone to gnaw, er pick, with Jim Moriarty and his Feb. 29 Golf World column, Eating a la Tour. Moriarty set the pecking pecking order: players first, sponsors second, caddies third. "Below even the caddies," wrote Mo, "are the TV folk:"

In response to Jim Moriarty's 'Eating a la Tour', as a member of the CBS golf technical crew for 24 years, I believe we are the best fed crew in sports. I realize the article was tongue in cheek, but the guys on our catering truck work lousy long hours to feed around 200 people twice a day 4 days a week. Thanks to our producer Lance Barrow, we've enjoyed Unique Catering out of Los Angeles since the early 90's. Barry and Roger will go out of their way to help someone's dietetic requests, including daily alternatives at a pasta, taco, quesadilla or omelet station. I don't know if Patton's Third Army ate better, but I guarantee we have more choices.... >

Wishnie, the camera operator who caught Tiger's chip-in at the 16th at the Masters and zeroed in on that final turn into the hole, goes on to provide mesmerizing detail on the feeding habits of CBS talent:

McCord and Feherty are anything but just tasters. David has to bike up to 50 miles every morning so he can gorge at lunch and I've seen McCord pin his mustache up to avoid mac and cheese stains. As far as unionized technicians being the 'evolutionary equivalent of carnies', I invite Mr. Moriarty to lunch at any CBS golf event this summer and enjoy our feast and company. Look me up behind the camera at the 17th green but be on time as I'm usually the first in line for lunch.

Maybe you guys eat well, Bob. But Tom Mirus, a tournament volunteer from Kentucky, believes that your Golf Channel counterparts do even better:

...having volunteered a number of years for the Telephone Pioneers at the old Bruno's Memorial Classic (now the Region's Charity Classic) I had the opportunity to dine at the Volunteeers Tent on much of the local fast food quisine. However, the last year that I worked before moving from the Birmingham area, I was able to volunteer with the Golf Channel. Let me tell you, those folks eat well as do their volunteers. They bring their own chef and kitchen and put on a spread for breakfast and lunch that would be hard pressed to beat even at the Champions Club food fest. Feeding a bunch of sometimes wet and cold or hot and sweaty people from close to daylight to late afternoon with sufficient food is a challenge in itself, but to do it in style with great tasting food is something out of the ordinary. Thanks to the Golf Channel folks, I didn't go without sufficient calories needed to work their tasks.

No need to broadcast that, Tom.

--Bob Carney