The Summer of Jim Gray Continues

Just when we thought he was gone forever from the National Sports Media Stage, relegated from ESPN to doing radio golf, and sideline reporting for the Sacramento Kings, guess who decided to pop back into the sports media scene?

If you had Jim Gray, you win.

First it was working in the employ of LeBron James to ask the softball questions during "The Decision." Now, he's working for the Golf Channel at the PGA Championship about to take place this weekend at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

Here he got the chance to interview Corey Pavin, captain of the US Ryder Cup team, about the prospects of every one's favorite 119th ranked golfer Tiger Woods, making the Ryder Cup team. What happened? Here's the story from Steve Ellig:

In a tense exchange in the middle of the PGA Championship media center on Wednesday, Golf Channel reporter Jim Gray stuck a finger in U.S. captain Corey Pavin’s chest, called him a liar and barked, “you’re going down.”

The exchange was precipitated by a conversation between the two that took place outside the player registration area on Tuesday night. Gray reported that when when asked if he would extend a captain’s pick to struggling star Tiger Woods, Pavin said, “of course I’m going to.”

On Wednesday morning, when he learned of the report while practicing on the Whistling Straits course, Pavin denied making any such statement or that any player had secured a spot as a captain’s pick, which are not finalized until Sept. 7.

Pavin and his European counterpart Colin Montgomerie had just concluded a scheduled Ryder press conference when Gray, approached Pavin after the room had mostly emptied.

Gray, whose employer earlier had issued a statement that it was standing by the facts of his report, stuck a finger in Pavin’s chest and berated him, according to Pavin and his wife, Lisa, who claims she recorded the exchange on her cellular telephone.

“It’s all right here,” she said, waving the phone.

“I just said, ‘You’re full of ‘something,’ ” Pavin said. “I’m not going to let that happen. He got upset. His eyes were a little odd … He was just a little crazy.”

If you seek comment from Jim Gray, he said the following earlier today on Live From the PGA Championship on Golf Channel '... there is absolutely not one part of what Corey Pavin said to me that has been misquoted. And quite frankly, I happen to like Corey Pavin. I've known him an awfully long time, and in this instance, his is being disingenuous and is not telling the truth.' "

If I had to take a side in this, give me Corey Pavin. Gray is nothing more than a hack, looking to stir up any controversy, in order to get back into media relevance. So enjoy telling Kings viewers about end of game strategy and just leave the rest of us alone.

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