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Open coverage: Fox should improve

The U.S. Open returns to tradition-rich Oakmont Country Club outside Pittsburgh this week, and Fox Sports returns as well – no doubt hoping to perform better than it did covering the national championship last year.

Part of the problem for Fox Sports last year was the rookie location (Chambers Bay near Tacoma, Washington) – a course that drew criticism from golfers and just looked poorly maintained on TV.

The other part of the problem was that Fox Sports itself seemed at times out of sorts covering the tournament. Plus, the broadcast partner was a change of pace for fans accustomed to others televising the tournament for years, and change always takes time.

This year should be better, just because of some experience. The broadcast lineup has also changed a bit.

Gone is Greg Norman, who lasted less than a year as a TV analyst. Paul Azinger takes his place as the network’s lead analyst. He’ll work with play-by-play pro Joe Buck and Brad Faxon in the 18th hole tower.

Six on-course reporters (among them Curtis Strange and Juli Inkster) as well as other hosts, reporters and a rules analyst push the number of on-air talent to 15.

To me, the most interesting, and he’ll have only a limited role, is Bob Ford, the longtime head pro and current director of golf at Oakmont. He certainly has an abundance of local knowledge and stories to share, if they ask.

There should be plenty of time for any number of storylines to play out and questions to be answered. There will be 22.5 hours of coverage on Fox and 14 on Fox Sports 1.

Coverage begins at 10 a.m. Thursday on Fox Sports 1 and moves to Fox from 5 to 8 p.m. That schedule repeats Friday before Fox provides all the weekend coverage, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Should a playoff be necessary, that would air Monday, June 20 on Fox.

Hopefully the network can provide a bit more consistency and quality this year.

There’s nothing wrong with change (and some of the critiques of Fox were unfair last year simply because things were different), but Fox Sports has room for improvement and would do well to take advantage of that room if it can.

‘OJ:?Made in America’

National commentators and critics have been almost unanimously praising ESPN – something that almost never happens anymore in the snark-filled sports media world – and the subject of their praise is “OJ: Made in America.”

Yes, it’s a five-part documentary about something many people know well (or think they do) or remember (or think they do). Still, it’s apparently strong filmmaking and ESPN’s first foray into a multi-episode documentary.

Part 1 aired on ABC Saturday night, but it makes its ESPN debut at 7 p.m. Tuesday, followed immediately by Part 2 at 9 p.m. The final three parts air at 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Count me among those who dutifully watched “The People vs. O.J. Simpson” on FX earlier this year, even while knowing it was not the best possible approach to the story. Still, it was some guilty pleasure TV.

With “Made in America,” though, the anticipation might be worth it, just because so many disparate voices have found reasons, many of them, to praise the filmmaking and storytelling.

While we know how the story ends (and we do with things like “Star Wars” or “The Avengers” too), appreciating how it gets told can be a good thing.

Tuner tidbits

n Man, Mike Emrick is just wonderful on play-by-play isn’t he? For Penguins fans, this postseason, with plenty of Emrick and extended time with Mike Lange if they listen on radio, has been a pleasure just because they get to enjoy the work of pros like that a little longer.

n Root Sports did a good job with coverage of Pirates pitcher Jamison Taillon’s debut earlier this week. The broadcast’s behind-the-scenes folks were ready with footage and still images from spring training as the broadcast started and for early commercial breaks. Also, the TV tandem of Joe Block and Steve Blass, like other media covering the game, were unaware of the team’s plans for Taillon beyond his debut and were honest in letting viewers know that. It was surprising that Blass stumbled to pronounce Taillon’s name, though.

Sampsell comments on TV and radio for the Mirror. He can be reached at stevesampsell@gmail.com.

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