<p>I think the commentary over whether his words were sincere is funny. Is the press going to pretend that he wrote the apology himself?</p>
<p>George Carlin remarked of how tired he was of being told who to admire in this country…Tiger, Lance Armstrong, etc. Too bad he didn’t live long enough to see one so-called hero get taken down by his own two hands.</p>
<p>I don’t see why anyone hero worships someone who is good at whacking a ball with a metal stick…and then walking three hundred feet to whack the ball again and again…and finally tapping it into a cup in the ground…and then doing all of this seventeen more times. </p>
<p>And yet some feel Tiger is the greatest athlete on the planet.</p>
<p>Live by the public relations sword, die by it.</p>
<p>He is a product of the amazing marketing campaign, his formerly squeaky clean image and our desire to have a hero.</p>
<p>That said, I am no fan of golf. It may be a great pastime, but until someone is trying to drown you while you swim to the other side, while holding or throwing a ball, sorry…I think water polo players are better “athletes”. It requires skill, stamina and muscles. (Okay, it’s my prejudice on this one. I admit it!) </p>
<p>I tend to think that if you are winded, sweaty or exhausted, or have been attacked by another player from playing the game, whatever it is, than it is more of a sport than golf.</p>
<p>Until Tiger carries his own golf bag all the way through the course…well, I won’t even go there. The caddy may be in better physical condition and be more athletic…just sayin.</p>
<p>Okay, but how do you feel about curling. I, for example, am fascinated by the question of how did this become a sport, and how much trouble did those boys on the river get when thier mother’s found out they’d ruined the broom again? You can get a gold medal for sweeping the ice. Seriously. You can. I’m not even making this up.</p>
<p>If you can compete pregnant, it might be more of a hobby. Like bowling.</p>
<p>One of the women curlers is preggers.</p>
<p>I probably would have beat my boys if they took my good broom out to sweep the ice. I doubt if it would ever fly the same, afterwards.</p>
<p>Are we supposed to own a decent broom? I think I have a ratty straw one in the laundry room whose bristles are worn out on a 45 degree angle.</p>
<p>As for Tiger, he asked the press to leave his wife and kids alone, but forgot, after including her earlier in his concern about the media, to ask them to leave his mother alone. Oops. Surely that was an oversight, or maybe she wasn’t just whispering supportive words when they hugged!</p>
<p>Funny too that he thanked one of his sponsors, Accenture. They dumped him on Dec 13! (according to the news, who showed a timeline of his fall from grace)</p>
<p>And did anyone hear Gloria Allred’s interview today? She is representing one of the “girlfriends”, porn star Joslyn James, who apparently was impregnated twice by Tiger, at least once when Elin was also pregnant. And Gloria (despite denials) is saying all the “palimony” buzzwords, that Joslyn “gave up her career” for Tiger. Gloria insisted Joslyn wasn’t a “mistress” and that she didnt take money from Tiger. Puleeze.</p>
<p>I think the reason he mentioned Accenture and said he hoped his “friends” there understood the timing of his announcement, was that the tournament taking place today (that was preempted on TV by his press conference) was sponsored by Accenture and there was speculation that he did that on purpose to spite them. (Wow, I watch too much news, why do I know this?)</p>
<p>^^ LOL. But I am confused. They news said they were at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedre. The tournament there isn’t until May. There is a tourney going on in Arizona right now sponsored by Accenture (The “Match Play” championship.). So if I understand correctly, he held his press conference at Sawgrass/Ponte Vedre Beach, but there was no event going on there at the time (which would make sense, to avoid a media circus). He was trying to spite Accenture? Not very smart. Even if he is no longer sponsored by them, he doesnt need to pi$$ off big corporate golf sponsors.</p>
<p>As a Buddhist, I found this interesting:</p>
<p>““I have a lot of work to do, and I intend to dedicate myself to doing it,” Woods said, reading a statement from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. “Part of following this path for me is Buddhism, which my mother taught me at a young age.”
“Buddhism teaches that a creation of things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security,” he continued. “It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously, I lost track of what I was taught.””
[Tiger</a> Woods’ apology brings new attention to Buddhism - CNN.com](<a href=“Tiger Woods' apology brings new attention to Buddhism - CNN.com”>Tiger Woods' apology brings new attention to Buddhism - CNN.com)</p>
<p>Award for the dumbest reference to the Tiger mess goes to Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty who said, referring to Elin </p>
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<p>In regards to Gloria Allred, I always had the highest regard for her but since the whole Tiger scandal broke, she is slipping into the realm of sleaze. She ia losing her credibilty as as someone with integrity and looking more like a well paid ambulance chaser. JMHO.
Her daughter has been defending and supporting her all the way.</p>
<p>Cartera, what a stupid statement, indeed!</p>
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<p>I 100 percent agree. Why do we as a society pay some folks a lot of money to hit a ball with a stick (golf, baseball) or throw a ball into a net (basketball), or move a ball 10 yards.</p>
<p>Are these folks creating jobs, curing cancer (or any illness)? Yet we somehow adore these folks and think the wall street bankers who make big bucks are the bad guys. The wall street folks are a lot more indirectly related to creating wealth and/or jobs than the ball player.</p>
<p>Although I don’t approve of Tiger’s behavior,of course, its not like he really owes anyone but his wife an explanation or apology. Unlike Spitzer or the South Carolina gov., he isn’t an elected official possibly using government funds to step out on his wife. Sure, he let his fans down and apologies are always welcomed, but not mandatory. He’s just an athlete. As for Gloria Allred I’m with milkandsugar…what the HECK was she talking about last night on cable about Tiger owing her (sleazy) client an apology?? How about her client owing ELIN an apology? I lost any respect for Gloria right there.</p>
<p>I would consider golf to be a Tier 1 pro sport if the rules were “slightly” changed. </p>
<p>Suppose the golf ball was launched up into the air and 50 players had to run and chase it. The player who reached it first and whacked it closer to the cup would earn 3 points. Three points for every time you hit the ball. Players would be allowed to prevent opponents from reaching the ball by tackling them, tripping them, or high sticking them. The player who finally taps the ball into the cup earns 6 points. </p>
<p>If it took five shots to get the ball into the hole a total of 18 points would be awarded. Whoever had the most points after 18 holes would certainly deserve the honor of being a top pro athlete. The fans would actually get a workout too trying to run and keep up with the players.</p>
<p>Morrism, you might want to take a second look at the Sports industry and how many people (not the players themselves) make a living indirectly in it. Yes, we all love the guys at Goldman but the MLB, NBA PGA Tour, etc. employ tons of people, not to mention the marketing companies, etc. Take another look.</p>
<p>GAMom - well you were on my mind last night. Well actually early in the a.m. I must have had a mild case of food poisoning, had a crabcake sandwich last nite (this is what happens when I stray from my vegetarianism) and was spending time with my head at the porcelain bowl. I kept thinking - “Hey, Elin wasn’t there and it was GAMom who threatened to get sick!”</p>
<p>In my misery, I was still getting a little chuckle. Well, maybe not a chuckle, but some mild amusement. </p>
<p>Feel better today - DH slept thru whole thing so he is not sure why I am so tired!</p>
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<p>This isn’t something "harsh’ that just “happened to him.” His predicament is entirely of his own making.</p>
<p>That said, I agree that he owes the “public” no apology. That should be reserved for his wife and family, anyone who was pressured to cover for him, and his sponsors who were presumably paying someone who posessed qualities so admirable that it would inspire millions to buy products he endorsed.</p>
<p>I also wonder at the “greatest athlete in the world” label I’ve heard in the media. While golf requires much skill, I don’t see golfers as being athletes, much less is one of them the greatest athlete in the world. Watching the Olympics just underscores that in my mind.</p>
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<p>I agree this is of his own doing… But I still feel a lot of the CC community as well as others,are very harsh and critical of him as a person… I’m just wondering where is human graciousness. We all have the ability to make bad decisions in our lives and hurt people that we may not even think about. We may all have been touched by soemone close who has done us wrong. Not saying it is right, but I find that humans tend to relish in the demise of someone else. We like to see someone get ther comuppance. We often have glee at the expense of someone else’s pain. I feel it is one of the ugly sides of human nature and I hate to see it here. I guess it was my upbringing to not cast stones and not judge because there but by the grace of God there go I.</p>
<p>^^ SAT word: schadenfreude</p>