John Daly Getting Another Reality Television Show

He's cleaned up his life, but what is the fun in watching that?

By KURT HELIN

Updated 7:46 PM CDT, Thu, Jul 30, 2009

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In a decision that could burn out thousands of high-definition plasma televisions across the nation, John Daly and his multi-colored pants will have their own reality show.

The Golf Channel — the people that tried to fix Charles Barkley’s swing — are jumping deeper into reality television with a show that will follow around the big hitting, chain smoking, heavy drinking Daly. That’s what they did in 2006 with “The Daly Planet,” 13-episodes that basically mixed in golf with a less international version of the show Three Sheets, where the host spends every episode drinking and looking for hangover cures.

But this time it will be different, Daly promises. He is back to focusing only on golf after returning to the PGA and European tours after his second suspension for conduct. He’s eating right and has lost weight. He’s cleaning up his life and that is what the show is about. He wants to title it, “Out of the Rough.”

Honestly, and sadly, the only way this show works is if he slips up on this promise.

It would be good for Daly to get back to the form that won him the British Open and PGA Championship. Him contending at a major is about the only way to get Tigeresque ratings without Tiger. But a guy who on Sunday goes to church, plays a polite 18 holes then goes home and plays pinochle with the family may be a great person but he makes for lousy television. Regardless of how ugly his pants are.

The John Daly who got drunk and arrested at a Hooters last year makes good television. The John Daly who lives the live of his drinking/smoking/sexing autobiography (with a dash of golf) makes good television.

And that leaves us fans in a conundrum. Do you really want to watch a television show where you root for the main man’s self-destruction? Or do you want to watch a television show where the main man eats right, says all the right things and leads a nice, stable life?

Can we vote for none of the above?

Kurt Helin lives in Los Angeles where he does not discuss his pants and runs the NBA/Lakers blog Forum Blue & Gold (which you can also follow in twitter).