Arnie’s SportsCenter bit hits the spot

The longrunning “This is SportsCenter” campaign is one of my all-time favorites. The humor is usually subtle and understated (my favorite is when anchor Scott Van Pelt asks the spelling bee champ to help him spell Pujols) and I often wish they would run them and save us from another Skip Bayless-Rob Parker yelling match. But I digress.

On Dec. 11, ESPN premiered one of the latest spots, featuring Arnold Palmer. I caught it during Monday Night Football. In the ad, we’re told it’s April 7, 12:23 p.m., – a nice touch for those in the know since working off this year’s calendar that would be Tuesday of Masters week – and the setting is the ESPN cafeteria. Anchors Scott Van Pelt and Stuart Scott are holding their lunch trays when Palmer and his caddie “play through.” Palmer fixes his eponymous drink of half lemonade and half iced tea. I love how Palmer goes back to top it off with an extra splash of iced tea (maybe that’s his secret to getting the taste just right?).

Anyway, unless you’re my buddy in Australia who has never heard of the drink the Arnold Palmer, it’s a humorous take and also nice to see The King able to poke some fun at his own expense (though he probably will turn a profit with the free branding he is receiving).

Enough already, watch the clip and enjoy.