Tail Of The Tiger

Like I said before, right after Tiger had that early morning accident and some of the tabloid stories that were floated just before that incident that it was something that was fine to mention in the news but that everyone should just let him be and deal with it internally. The only reason that this should even be brought up is when it affects him as a pro golfer. Unfortunately that happened late this week. This went from tabloid garbage and fodder for the night time talk shows to becoming a legitimate sports news story. With a number now up to a bakers dozen of woman that h has been linked to is now at a level that is irrelevant as 1 is too many, 13 shows a real either addiction or at least pattern of poor decisions as a married man.

His decision to take an indefinite leave from the game of professional golf again legitimizes this as a true sports story. Granted he needs to deal with all this in a private way but there now needs to be some public statements. A post on his website is nice to get the info out but he needs to make an in person public statement if nothing else but to show that he is actually remorseful and sincere. Tiger stated "I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person," which is the right thing to say...but it needs to be said and not written.

Slowly some of his sponsors are now slightly distancing themselves from Woods and the story by ‘pulling back on marketing’. They are not dropping him right away just limiting some of the exposure that he gets. Some of his major sponsors include Nike, Gillette, AT&T, Gatorade and Tag Heuer. Of those 3 have already made some sort of modification regarding Woods.

It is interesting when you think of it. Maybe it is just poor decision making if you are a professional athlete to get married before you are 35. The likleyhood of there being ‘transgressions’ has got be be higher then that in regular society. sew your wild oats while young and rich...then settle down. That might lessen the sting of acting like a playboy.

It is a sad story all in all. Who would have thought that it would be a marriage and scandal that is going to derail one of the greatest careers of anything we have ever seen in sports. You would have thought that injury was the only thing that could stand in Tiger's way... Not even close, he won a Major title on a BROKEN LEG and this is what brings him down. It will be interesting to see what takes a bigger hit, Tiger's image or the PGA Tour without Tiger (bad economic times on tour is not going to be easy to overcome).

Tiger Gate - The Saga Continues

Ok. So it is time to get out ahead of the Tiger Woods saga and then maybe we can move on. Sure this is not a good situation that he put himself into. Any difficulties that he is incurring or going to incur in the upcoming weeks and months are of his own doing and he must deal with that. First and for most this is a private matter that needs to be dealt with.. .In private. The only thing that people need to know is if any of the issues are going to affect his golf game. The rest should be irrelevant. Obviously that is not going to happen and people love sensationalism. The way society is now with its stars they will build you up and put you on a pedestal, but at a moments notice they will be more then happy to knock you down and tear you up.... Only to then be more then happy to build you back up as a reclamation project. Britney Spears I am looking in your direction.

Are we to believe that all of a sudden Tiger Woods has become the first celebrity or athlete who has ever had an affair or "transgression"? I am shocked that someone would do such a thing! agghhh maybe shocked may be a bit of an overstatement... Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Shaq just to name a few internationally known superstars. I am sure in due time that this will pass and Tiger will be able to put this time behind him. How long that will be is anyone guess but we are only in the beginning of this story and who knows what other info is out there just ready to be leaked to the media but it will all come out in the wash. But again to be fair business on the fairways and greens should be fair game... business with the family should stay within the family, if nothing else but for the kids. It is too bad that the TMZ’s of the world won’t let that happen.

For those who have not seen his release here it is, it is a very tough read and clearly a tough thing to have to put out to the public. Especially for someone who has held his private life so quiet and closely shielded from the public for so many years...now I guess we know why.

Tiger comments on current events
I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.
Although I am a well-known person and have made my career as a professional athlete, I have been dismayed to realize the full extent of what tabloid scrutiny really means. For the last week, my family and I have been hounded to expose intimate details of our personal lives. The stories in particular that physical violence played any role in the car accident were utterly false and malicious. Elin has always done more to support our family and shown more grace than anyone could possibly expect.
But no matter how intense curiosity about public figures can be, there is an important and deep principle at stake which is the right to some simple, human measure of privacy. I realize there are some who don’t share my view on that. But for me, the virtue of privacy is one that must be protected in matters that are intimate and within one’s own family. Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn’t have to mean public confessions.
Whatever regrets I have about letting my family down have been shared with and felt by us alone. I have given this a lot of reflection and thought and I believe that there is a point at which I must stick to that principle even though it’s difficult.
I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves. For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology.

It doesn’t help that fellow golfer Jesper Parnevik (who first introduced Tiger to Elin) had this to say about the situation: "I’m kind of filled with sorrow for Elin since me and my wife are at fault for hooking her up with him, and we probably thought he was a better guy than he is.
"I would probably have to apologize to her and hope she uses a driver next time instead of a three-iron."

So with that said lets get it all out of our system now and then we can start fresh. Yes, more people on the course will be yelling "Get in the hole!" after each of his shots. Yes, all of his clubs and balls are well polished. Yes, his equipment is top of the line. Yes, his favorite shot is the knock down shot. No he did not shank it and ask for a mulligan. No he was not following company orders from NIKE to Just Do IT when he was approached with the option of engaging in any of the alleged "Transgressions". I am sure that there are many other jokes to be had but I think that the main ones are covered and now it is time to move on.

If Tiger is really guilty of anything other then "transgressions" it is that of being greedy. He has a Swedish model wife with a twin sister already. Now he is out with other women...that is just overkill dude...share the wealth.

Y.E. (S) - Yang Hold Off Tiger In An Upset

When the weekend started it looked like it was just going to shape up like any other August weekend a bit of baseball, some NASCAR, a smattering of tennis with a sprinkle of golf. What it turned out to be was all that and the traditional bag-of-chips.

I don’t think that anyone would have thought that Tiger Woods who was the leader in the 4th and final Major on the PGA tour from nearly wire to wire would succumb to an unknown South Korean named Y.E. Yang on the final day...while entering with a 2 shot lead. 2 Shots on a Sunday to Tiger is like money in the bank. Up until yesterday that has never happened when he was either leading or had a share of the lead. That is just part of what makes this such a huge deal. In the US it is a Tiger gave it away which is somewhat true but then there is also the other side where in South Korea Yang is now a hero in the country and instantly became a household name. In probably one of the most unlikely situations Tiger couldn’t rise to the occasion and get his putter working to fight off Yang. He shot well enough to win but just couldn’t close out the way that he needed. The amount of puts that he missed by 1/4s of an inch...he should have breezed to another major. But hey that is golf and it is a game of fractions of an inch.

To Yangs' credit he hung in like a champ and didn’t get rattled by Tigers imposing shadow. Maybe not knowing the language, not knowing what he was doing was so monumental was the key. Yang was playful down the stretch throwing a ball into the crowd, waving to the CBS cameraman, it was almost like he was too relaxed, maybe that was his strategy to keep his mind off the impending pressure. At the end he grabbed his golf bag and lifted it over his head like it was a championship belt or the Stanley Cup. Either way he got it done. It was one of the largest upsets ever in golf and will probably go down as one of the bigger ones in sports. Being the stage it was on and the fact it was the first time that someone was able to stand up to Tiger and live to tell about it...through an interpreter.

What I hate was hearing form some people that Tiger choked and has not had a good year because he has no Majors and lost yesterday. The only way the you can come to this conclusion is if you put Tiger vs Vintage Tiger. 5 wins in a year coming off a "MAJOR" (pun intended) injury to his knee and going out with 2 wins and a 2nd place finish. All in all that isn’t bad. Is being the Player of the Year the sign of having a bad year, since he is probably going to win that again? I am going to say only maybe to Tiger.

Truly a Final Round Unlike Any Other

In a round that left 2 of the competitors 3 and 4 shots back, it was those 2 that made The Masters Tournament worth watching. It was exactly what the PGA and CBS were looking for. Phil Mickleson and Tiger Woods put on a show all day as Mickleson came out early firing on all cylinders and Tiger Woods started slow but then hit his stride. The beauty was that these 2 players were matched up together on Sunday and in pursuit of the Championship. Unfortunately they began fairly far back on the leader board making it very difficult to make up that kind of ground. These to greats did do their best to erase the deficit and put some serious heat on the leaders Kenny Perry, Chad Campbell and Angel Cabrera. Watching Tiger and Lefty end the front 9 and thru the back nine it was like they were the only 2 players on the course, despite the fact tat they never did even get a chance to tie for the lead. It was some of the most compelling golf with great shots and devastating misses . It had everything except the actual tournament on the line. Strange that 1 super pairing that just didn’t have a shot to win was the best storyline of the final day. Mickleson ended -9 and Tiger ended -8.

Crazy thing about it is the Masters eventually came down to a 3 way playoff between Perry, Campbell and Cabrera. Even with that exciting finish it didn’t have the same buzz that followed Phil and Tiger all day. One could compare it to winning an MVP while being on the loosing team. Each player did all they could to make a poor shot and do their best to give the tournament away in a sudden death playoff starting on 18 then eventually followed it up with a huge save. Campbell was the one exception as he missed a makeable putt that eliminated him from the playoff. Perry and Cabrera moved on to the 2 playoff hole where Perry missed a relatively easy 2nd shot into the green and opened the door wide open for Cabrera, who put his 2nd shot pin high and put all the pressure on Perry to get up and down from just off the green. He was not able and Cabrera held on for the victory. It is too bad, Perry would have been a good story with the chance to be the oldest to ever win a Major. Instead, Cabrera who is, for lack of a better team and interesting character and golfer at best, is victorious and earns the right to go to Butler Cabin and put on that Green Jacket.

It's Go Time- Let the Games Begin!

It is finally starting to get to that time of year where everything is starting to amp up in the sports world again, and it couldn’t have happened soon enough. With cold weather and the sun and warmth apparently on vacation until April at least, staying inside and enjoying some quality televised events seems like a logical thing to do. Sure the NFL is done, both the Super Bowl and Pro Bowls are over but winter sports are in mid flight and just past the half way mark and the spring and summer sports are thinking about getting going.

The first sign that spring will soon be in the air - pitchers and catchers are to begin reporting to Spring Training today. Baseball will hope to put some of the off field issues to the back burner and we can start talking about player movement, off season signings and then eventually the games themselves. A welcome change from the annoying chatter that is steroids and investigations.

The Australian Open just concluded. With one of the greatest one-on-one rivalries of all time between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal the Men’s side looks to have an interesting year upcoming with the clay in Paris the next stop.

The PGA has started to get going and tournaments have began. You may have missed it with Tiger Woods still rehabbing his knee but soon he will be back and the world can begin to start spinning again.

Over the last 2 weeks NASCAR has been in Speed Weeks in Daytona Florida. Last weekend they held the Bud Shootout and pole qualifying. Yesterday they ran the Dual’s at Daytona, the 2 race-in qualifying for the Grand Daddy of them all the Daytona 500 that is to be run this Sunday. But more importantly it marks my boy Jimmie Johnson going for an unheard of 4th consecutive Cup Championship. Even if I am perhaps a bit bias when it relates to the 48 Lowes Chevy Impala SS. I am not so blind to throw too many eggs into that basket as the competition is very tough and there are a number of great young drivers that are ready to break through and some veterans who want to re-invent themselves as potential contenders.

Then the further you go down the list one must start to begin to look at NCAA basketball. March Madness isn’t as far away as you may think. This is the top sports tournament around ( I feel that it can be called the top tournament even if some may think the World Cup of Soccer is, but it is disqualified from the running as it is not a real sport and it is clear that it is one thing to play but is virtually un-watchable). It is never too early to do some pre-scouting and thinking about getting that bracket ready!

Of course there are the staples of this time of year as well, the NHL and the NBA. The NBA All Star weekend begins today with all the events and "Hoop-La" that conclude with the game on Sunday. As for the NHL, they are in full force on the road towards the playoffs and possibly more importantly the trade deadline. That is really the only off ice business that is fun during the season.

This is a great time to be a fan...as long as we focus on the on field product and not all the other crap that we are bombarded with.

He Continues to Amaze

First let me say that I am a Tiger Woods fan. I want him to break Jack Nicklaus’ majors record and continue to rewrite the record books. There are many people that don’t like him, are intimidated by him, envious of him. I am however one that will more often then not side with watching legends and history unfold. If there is a chance that someone or some thing in the sports world that will either make history or create legend or infamy I am all for it. I rooted for the Patriots to go undefeated and then win the Super Bowl, I rooted for the Atlanta Braves to win a record number of division titles (14), Jimmie Johnson to repeat as NASCAR Champion, and on the other side I rooted for the Mets to have the greatest/latest collapse in MLB history and I would love to see an NFL team go 0-16.What Tiger Woods was just able to do in the US Open just a few minutes ago in Round 3 was nothing short of amazing...even for Tiger. That may have been the most gritty and overall best round of golf that i have ever seen. Players, including Tiger have shot way lower scores and Tiger has made some of the most amazing shots ever executed on a golf course, but this was special. Playing on effectively 1 leg by the end he gritted out the most difficult 67 ever, and in the process made 2 of the most incredible eagles and one of the most improbable brirdies in a tournament changing 3 holes. Even if he doesn’t win on Sunday (and there is a chance, ONLY because his knee is worse then he is letting on), he has found a way to make his legend grow yet again.
So sit back and take in history in all its glory and be thankful that you can say you saw the greatest golfer in history play.