We tried to stay away, but it's become impossible. I'm sure by now most of you are sick of the Tiger stories, so I'll keep this short.This is a rare case where pretty much everyone is rip-able. Let's begin with Tiger.
Listen, it's not my job to comment on where adultery ranks among human transgression. But how could a smart, image-conscious guy like Tiger be stupid enough to leave so much evidence behind? Voicemails, text messages, etc. The message he left Jaimee Grubbs actually sounds a little pathetic, as he pleads for her to change her recorded greeting. I'm not a Tiger hater. I'm a huge fan, but this whole thing has become so messy that he needs to be ripped.
Now, the media. The main problem I have with the media is not the stories about his affairs, but the handling of the accident. Has there ever been a non-story pumped up like this one? I know Mr. Buckner said he felt Tiger should have had a press conference, but I disagree. I understand he's the most famous athlete in the world, so naturally everything he does is a big deal. But the guy hit a fire hydrant near the end of his driveway. Is that really worthy of round-the-clock, stake out his house coverage? Once the police said he hadn't broken any laws and the injuries were deemed minor, I think the frenzy could have been toned down a notch.
Finally, people in general who have sexual relationships with married people or other shady dealings, then sell their story. Again, I'm not commenting on the fact that they sleep with married people. That's not my place. But do they have to sink to the point of shopping their dirty laundry to the highest bidder?
I think a lot of these people sleep with celebrities for the express purpose of blackmail or selling the story, and that's pathetic. If you're doing that, sorry, you're a prostitute. If you don't start the relationship intending to make money but then eventually sell, that's still pretty lame. I mean, can you go out and make a real living?
All in all, I find this whole thing annoying. If Tiger was caught using PEDs, that would be a monster story. But I'm just not interested in this.
Maybe I'm the only one.
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Make up your mind . . . if you are not interested, don't bother ripping. But if you are taking the trouble to rip, you probably do care, so . . . what is your point?
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, much of my rip was about how we got this shoved in our face by the media and how annoying that is. Second, just because I write one rip about it doesn't mean I'm watching or reading about it. I was interested in hearing Tiger's voicemail, just because I couldn't really imagine he'd be dumb enough to leave something like that, but I was wrong. Other than that, I really don't care. I found the constant updates about the accident quite annoying. Third, this is a sports blog, and like it or not, we have to at least address this incident.
ReplyDeleteHere's a sports angle to the story: how will this affect his game? Here's my take -- Tiger seeks solace the only way he can, on the golf course. He practices like a mofo (even more than he insanely does now) and channels all his anger with the media and himself into improving. I think he CRUSHES everyone (after a month or two, which doesn't matter so much in the winter anyway).
ReplyDeleteI agree. The way this does or doesn't impact Tiger is definitely a story, and I'm sure if he struggles at the beginning of this season we will hear about how his personal life is hurting his game. But it's not really a story anyone can write until he either does or doesn't struggle. It will all be speculation until he's actually out there, and I was we know, Tiger's season doesn't really begin until April anyway.
ReplyDeleteI think the other aspect to watch is how Tiger controls his temper. He's always had a short fuse, whether he's cursing at himself after a bad shot or sending out his caddie/personal police officer to intimidate a fan who possibly burped too loud before a shot.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is that he will really try to tone down that "intimidating" part of his behavior. And if he's constantly thinking about what he can and can't do, it will hurt his game.