As the late Academy Award winning Heath Ledger's character, the Joker, would say in "The Dark Knight," "And here we go..."

At the second round of the 73rd Masters Friday at Augusta National Golf Club, Mother Nature decided to make an appearance and tantalize, tease and confound the golfing professionals with spring breezes that swirled around the majestic pines and elevation changes that make up Augusta National.

As ESPN came on the air at 3 p.m., it could have been the "Anonymous Masters" or the "Who's on Top of the Leaderboard?" Masters, or the "Huh?" Masters. All to one degree or another could apply as Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell were tied at 9-under par. Leading in round two and with afternoon winds still swirling, it would be very difficult for any of the golfers still on the course to catch them.

That didn't mean however, that there wouldn't be valiant efforts.

Ah, we got it Mike. ESPN signed on and, unlike Thursday's first round, where it seemed as if the CBS folks on the property decided that 3 p.m. Central was a little too early to come on board, leaving ESPN's Mike Tirico to literally carry the first 12 minutes of the broadcast.

At 3:03 on Friday, Tirico handed it off to Jim Nantz and Nick Faldo, who immediately went to the 18th tee as Tiger Woods was about to put his drive in play. Then the less than dynamic duo (there seems to be, at least to me, no chemistry between the two) ran with it for the next nine minutes -- doing everything from calling shots to waxing poetic. The best moment missed was when Woods pushed a second shot into the bunker from the middle of the 18th fairway. It was clearly an unforced error and one that got Woods hot in a second and would lead to his second consectutive bogey on 18 in two days.

Nantz and Faldo were tepid at best to describe what possibly went wrong, instead talking about how Woods had "no momentum" on the day. OK, what exactly does that mean? Tirico came back to the fold at 3:12, clearly rested and rarin' to go.

Nicky? Anyone? There are moments when I believe that CBS, the Golf Channel and other media outlets expected Nick Faldo to shine as he did when he was paired with Paul Azinger in the old ABC days of broadcast golf.

Instead, we got Faldo, after watching Tiger's playing partner, Stewart Cink, not properly execute a bunker shot on 18, rambling on about nothing for two minutes while we watch Woods stare at the bunker, the ball, the green, then the bunker, the ball and the green.

Wash, rinse, repeat. C'mon already, give me something of substance. Explain why this is taking so long. Tell me what the drama is in this shot. Tell me what the risk/reward is on this shot. C'mon, give me something to chew on.

AK: Congratulations, Anthony Kim you are in the Masters record books and probably will be for some time. Friday's round for AK included an amazing 11 birdies, surpassing the previous record of 10 held by Nick Price who accomplished the feat in the 3rd round of the 1986 contest. Kim accomplished the feat in only his second career competitive round at Augusta National. What makes the feat more impressive is that Kim shot a 3-over 75 in round one and Friday's 7-under 65 featured not only the 11 birdies but also two bogeys and a double otherwise the round really would have been one for the ages.

Tiger Talk: Here's the thing, when you're going to interview Tiger Woods, and it's the Masters, so you know that you're going to have to interview Tiger Woods, fake it until you make it. Following Friday's round of even par 72, which featured a second consecutive day with a bogey at 18 (this one from the middle of the fairway following a piped drive, no less), Tom Rinaldi was dispatched to track down Tiger and get the goods. No small task. First of all, Woods doesn't say anything, even if he talks for an hour. Second, he's hot after the 18th hole bogey giveaway. Third, he's Tiger Freaking Woods and you're standing there staring him down. Fourth, you only have 30 seconds, one minute tops, so you have to make it good. Fifth, Steve "George Best" Williams is breathing down your neck making sure you don't upset "his Man" any more than he already is. Sixth, this is not the time to make your bones. Get in, talk about what went right, what didn't and where do you go from here. Do it with authority and purpose, be prepared, get in and get out. It sounds easy, but having been there (I host and rove for the PGA TOUR Network on Sirius/XM Radio) all you can really do is be prepared, be clear and breathe, whether it's Tiger or not.

Saying Goodbye: Gary Player is 73 years young and is playing in his record 52nd Masters, a mark that will stand the test of time. Think about it, do you expect to see Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson still playing in the Masters in their 70s? For that matter, can you see either the current No. 1 or 2 player in the world serving as the ceremonial first tee starter somewhere down the road?

But for Player it's a labor of love. Gary Player won the Masters in 1961, 1974 and 1978 and was never one of the longest hitters on the Tour but what he had was the heart to trust his talent and play the game his way. Zoeller is saying goodbye to the tournament proper at Augusta, 30 years after his inaugural win as a first-timer in 1979. He and Player know that it's time, but what each of them prove is that golf is the game of a lifetime and one of the few games on the planet where being an individual is an advantage.

Again? I'm sorry, again, nothing against Harry Connick Jr, but why is doing the narration for the Masters? I don't get the connection. You have so many names on the property who are part of the fabric that is the Masters Green Jacket and doing the narration is Harry Connick Jr? Did he win a contest or something?

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