A Rant w/ Chris

A new study was done yesterday by the Golf channel and one of their analysts regarding Tiger Woods and his recent woes on the course. First off, maybe I'm giving this too much credence by calling it a study, it was a guy spouting off about how Tiger will NEVER be the player he used to be like it was a bad thing.  Like Tiger is coming up short by NOT being head and shoulders above every other golfer in the world.  First off, name me one athlete, just one, who was "head and shoulders" above the rest after the age of 35. Look at other sports. Hockey - Wayne Gretzky, widely considered the greatest hockey player of all time had 15 seasons of over 100 points, 3 of which he tallied over 200; holds must of the offensive records in NHL history and won 4 championships.  Guess how many championships and scoring titles "The Great One" won after 35, ZERO. How about football, Peyton Manning who is considered one of, if not, the best QB in the game right now and he may not make it on the field to start the season for the first time in his career due to an injury. He turns 35 this year.  Even the great Joe Montana, even though he led the Chiefs to the postseason at the age of 36 and 37, had a significant drop in his abilities WHEN? after he turned 35. Babe Ruth may be the only exception to this rule.  He had great seasons in his 35th-37th years of life, but who knows what was up with that guy; he also weighed like 300 pounds so I think HE is the exception to every rule. Finally lets take a look at the Golden Bear, the guy Tiger is so often compared to, Jack Nicklaus.  Anyone want to guess how many majors Jack won after the age of 35? Four. Anyone want to guess how many majors Tiger needs to tie Jack? Four. Jack turned 35 in 1975 when he won two majors, but then he didn't win again for three years.  I know he was way more competitive in '76-'78 than Tiger is now, but Jack also never had to have his knee reconstructed. Look, I know this idiot on the Golf channel likes to think that if Tiger would come out and placate these reporters and act like a contrite human all of this bashing of him would go away; I beg to differ.  I think if Tiger gives in to these vultures, then it would only get worse. Look, this dude on the Golf Channel is already comparing Tiger to Ty Cobb. TY COBB? Why because Ty Cobb was "surly" to the media? Tiger is not surly, he's careful. Ty Cobb had like maybe 5 reporters around him who had to type everything and by the time a story about Cobb surfaced, he was on to the next thing.  Not to mention, if Cobb didn't want to hear about it, he wouldn't have to. I highly doubt Tiger could escape himself if he tried. Comparing Tiger to Ty Cobb is so off base here. Ty Cobb used to go on the field drunk and punch women for sport.  That sounds more like John Daly territory, not Tiger Woods. Tiger is a lover of the women.

History may decide that Tiger was the most dominant golfer ever, whether he gets to 18 majors or not.  Sometimes it's not totally about the amount of championships you win over a whole career.  Let's look at Wayne Gretzky again, he won 4 Stanley Cups in his first 10 seasons and never won again.  Mark Messier, who is a legendary player but not as Great as Gretzky, won 6 in his career and yet he will never surpass Gretzky in this discussion. I think that Tiger is a victim of this day and age, and the constant 24/7 media coverage we have here. I bet there is some obsessive compulsive out there right now with a super powered lense saying "ever since the knee injury he wipes only four times instead of seven after a twosie, that means he's off his game." There is such a thing as "too much." Jack Nicklaus never had to contend with that.  The treatment of Tiger is on the same plain as the treatment of LeBron James. James made a decision to move cities; a decision most of us has made at least once, but due to the world we live in he felt compelled to announce it on ESPN with a captive audience in somewhat of a self indulgent TV special.  I get how ridiculous it was but do you really think that is the full reason why the hatred for LBJ has gotten to this point? NO! The only decision that would've gotten LeBron love would've been to stay in Cleveland. But that is because of the 24/7 media scrutiny these guys are constantly under. If LBJ had the luxury of playing his career in the '70's, and that media coverage this hatred would be gone by now. Take Kareen Abdul-Jabbar moving from Milwaukee to LA back in the mid 70's.  I'm sure that was a contraversial move, and I believe one similar to a move from Cleveland to Miami. Kareen had won a championship in Milwaukee and was the face of that franchise but no matter, he wanted out.  So he went.  Now I know circumstances were different and it was a trade and blah, blah, blah; I get it.  The point is if Kareem had the 24/7 camera and microphone up his ass judging his demand for a trade out of luxurious Milwaukee, his persona and the fact that he was a beloved player might have been different.

So back to the point at hand, Tiger suffered a massive injury, something Jack Nicklaus never went through. Tiger has had some personal issues that should be just that....PERSONAL, but the "24/7, these people need to get a life or a date of their own and stop getting on Tiger for getting some, since he's now officially single anyway" reporters have made them public issues, which Jack never had to go through.  Also, did you know that Tiger was so dominant and so good that courses were altered to try and even the playing field? Also something Jack never had to go through.  There are like 200 golfers on the pro tour right now, only 10% of which will ever win a major, and Tiger has won 14 already. That's a massive number; 14.  How about this, it is my opinion as a Golf expert (hilarious) that Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer of all time, RIGHT NOW.  It's already done. Look at the body of work. I know the general view is that Jack had tougher competition; Watson, Player, and of course Palmer, but Tiger has a field just gunning for him and him alone.  Even caddies who have been let go (he will not be mentioned by name because he's a douche) are gunning for Tiger; in the media, and on the course, whenever he steps out there HE'S the target.  There is no other star to shoulder some of this heat like Jack had.  True, Jack had better players to beat, but Jack also had some star buffers; other guys to take some of the media heat that was put on these guys (and that heat was nothing compared to today's heat). Nobody cares about any of these other guys on this tour other than Phil Mickelson; he's the only other guy with an iota of star power.  The rest of these hacks only get mentioned when they beat Tiger, say something about Tiger, or get annihilated by Tiger; THAT'S IT! You see, Tiger IS Golf. As a matter of fact, without Tiger, golf wouldn't make this page or any other page, except for golf pages.

So Golf channel guy who thinks he knows the answer to the great mystery that is Tiger Woods let me say this to you, if it weren't for Tiger and his problems or his success, you would be out of work. Just remember that when you are about to load up another round of BS to spew to your 17 viewers on the Golf Channel, and I hope you eventually pay homage to the man that has made your sport more than the elitist, racist, and boring piece of horse dung it is.