My sense is that former U.S. Open champ and NBC golf color commentator Johnny Miller is not going to be joining B.J. Lisko of the Salem News for cocktails any time soon after this broadside prompted by a U.S. Open press conference earlier this week:

The kingpin jackass of all golf media had his own press conference. Yes, Johnny Miller himself took the stage and squawked and squawked and squawked. Miller is perhaps the most pompous, self-righteous, arrogant man to ever have played the game. And to top it off, aside from the miracle tournament he had at Oakmont Country Club back in 1973, his golfing career certainly didnít amount to anything epic. So now what does Johnny do? He squawks. Just like the rest of them. Only Johnny is on NBC Sports so we get the distinct pleasure of listening to him on an almost weekly basis.
Well, according to Johnny not only did he ìusher in Tiger and Phil,î but he also played ìtee to green, under pressure, the best round of golf heís ever seen.î
ìIím not trying to pat myself on the back,î he said. Yes, Johnny. Thatís exactly what youíre doing. And it didnít stop.
For over a half hour he yammered on about how great he was and how great and difficult the course that he won on was. ìThis is the finest golf course in the world,î he said.
Then Johnny went on to say that ìwhen you make a championship ridiculous, you can get ridiculous winners. You can get winners that will never win again, just happened to have a hot week putting or a good bounce here and there. We are trying to identify the A-plus player, not the only guy to survive that can hardly make a cut on the Tour.î
Okay then Johnny, I thought to myself. If weíre trying to find the ìA-plus player,î then why is every professional predicting perhaps the most ridiculous scores in the history of a major championship? Why did Tiger Woods say the funest hole on the course is ìthe 19th?î
So I asked him, ìIf Oakmont is as ridiculous as all the players are saying it is, and itís setting up like the winner is going to be a lot more lucky than good, does that change your opinion of the course?î
Well, this of course threw Johnny for a loop as he backtracked into saying how great the USGA was and that the USGA wouldnít let a tournament get so out of hand. Well, they already have. Numerous times. Some players wonít even try to qualify for the U.S. Open, and if they already did, wonít play in it. Why is that? Because the best ball striker, the best player on the course, likely doesnít win these tournaments. Good shots are not rewarded, and the scores go so high it becomes miserable for those in attendance. Iím not saying the U.S. Open shouldnít be hard. It should. But walking around the course, my feet completely obscured by the rough just off the fairway, running my hand over undulating fairways cut as low as the greens on most public courses, this thing is going to be ridiculous. Almost as ridiculous as the questions the press will be asking all weekend. But no where near as ridiculous as Johnny Millerís fantastic insight on what every player needs to do, even though he canít do it himself.