I don't know if watching golf is big in your house, but it's huge in my family. Dad, mom, uncle, aunt - they all love golf. There's an easy explanation. It's because we all gamble on it. Nothing brings our family closer than watching golf or talking about our fantasy golf teams. Every year in January we all get geared up for the new season that will make every Thursday-Sunday a little more exciting.

Today is the big day. Opening day of the Mercedes Championship. Life is good. And this may be the last year life is this good. Last season, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem announced that starting in 2007, the PGA season would be shortened and there would be a new points-based "FedEx Cup" to finish the season. Finchem claims it will make the season more exciting for the players and the fans, and as a result, boost TV ratings (which is the real reason.) But, who cares about the players and TV contracts? What about my fantasy golf league dammit? Does Finchem know he's messing with years of perfect fantasy golf harmony? We'll have to see how the family golf pool survives and adapts next year.

And then today I read that ABC is out of the running for the next big TV golf contract starting in 2007. Are the golf gods really that cruel? First the whole stupid FedEx Cup crap, and now we're losing Tirico, Faldo and Zinger? Golf's future is truly grim. I just hope the void that ABC leaves isn't filled with Jim Nantz, piano music and pictures of trees blowing in the wind. I'm almost falling asleep just thinking about it.