Now that Tiger Woods' image is crumbling in light of his recent off-the-course issues, some have begun to speculate how he can rebuild said image. He should go on Oprah and spill his guts. He should apologize to everyone on the planet. Blah, blah blah.
Here's a thought you won't read anywhere else. He shouldn't bother trying to rebuild the Tiger Woods we all thought we knew. He should embrace what he has become in the public eye. Find his inner Happy Gilmore and give a big middle finger to everyone in the golf world, sponsors included.
The man has made a billion dollars as a professional athlete. He doesn't need more endorsement money. And since he, seemingly, will soon be without a wife, he'll have plenty of time to spend on the golf course, working on his game.
Then play a full PGA Tour schedule, and dominate. Embarass the competition (more than he already tends to). Win tournament after tournament, and in press conferences after the trophy presentation, ask Accenture, Gatorade and any other company that dropped him as a spokesperson, "How you like me now, chumps?"
Sooner than later, they'll come crawling back, and Tiger can tell them all, publicly, to F off.
Even though most will forget about all of the recent Woods news in a matter of months, some will never forget, or forgive him for what he did. So why bother trying to win them back?
Be Evil Tiger. I bet he'd be pretty good at it, and it would be pretty entertaining.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Taking sports for face value
These days, nobody in the sports world is clean, it seems. Between the steroid scandal in baseball, the referee betting scandal in pro basketball, the recruiting violations in college basketball and the sex scandal in golf, fans should be rather jaded. Some of them are, but this one is not.
Yes, I have my opinions. Barry Bonds shouldn't be allowed in the Hall of Fame, and Pete Rose should be inducted as soon as possible. I don't care what Tiger Woods did during his private time, he's still the Athlete of the Decade.
Call me an old softy, but I take sports for face value. I know there's going to be cheaters. There have been since the spitball (thanks Frank Corridon), but it never seems to bother me. I watch sports because I love the idea of competition and don't worry too much about what's happening off the field, court or course.
Yes, I think those who are guilty ruin the experience somewhat, but not enough for me to stand on my soapbox and scream bloody murder. For as long as teams will compete against one another, someone will find a way to cheat the system. Records have fallen because of cheaters, and games that were won should have been lost because of cheaters. Heck, even the BCS is cheating in a way, considering the NCAA only cares about lining its own pocket come bowl time. That's life.
I'd like to think, though, that for every incident involving cheaters, there's a thousand examples of why we love these games and these players.
Yes, I have my opinions. Barry Bonds shouldn't be allowed in the Hall of Fame, and Pete Rose should be inducted as soon as possible. I don't care what Tiger Woods did during his private time, he's still the Athlete of the Decade.
Call me an old softy, but I take sports for face value. I know there's going to be cheaters. There have been since the spitball (thanks Frank Corridon), but it never seems to bother me. I watch sports because I love the idea of competition and don't worry too much about what's happening off the field, court or course.
Yes, I think those who are guilty ruin the experience somewhat, but not enough for me to stand on my soapbox and scream bloody murder. For as long as teams will compete against one another, someone will find a way to cheat the system. Records have fallen because of cheaters, and games that were won should have been lost because of cheaters. Heck, even the BCS is cheating in a way, considering the NCAA only cares about lining its own pocket come bowl time. That's life.
I'd like to think, though, that for every incident involving cheaters, there's a thousand examples of why we love these games and these players.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Sad but true
Upon hearing of the death of Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry, one can't help but feel for his teammates, friends and family. But it's also hard to fathom how his death is not, in large part, his own fault.
This was a talented player who couldn't seem to stay on the field, most recently because of injury, but more often than not because he found himself in some kind of trouble, on or off the field. A couple years ago, when much was made of the Bengals piling up arrests, many of those arrests were Henry's. The Bengals released the sixth-year receiver out of West Virginia in 2007 after his fifth arrest. He eventually was brought back to Cincinnati, and had been on relatively good behavior ... until Wednesday.
In the coming weeks, more and more facts will come to light about how Henry was thrown from the back of his fiancee's pickup truck after what police are calling a domestic dispute. But regardless of what we learn, nothing changes the end result of this incident.
Perhaps other athletes can learn from this and avoid the pitfalls that continually found Henry. It's unfortunate, to say the least, that Henry was unable to figure out his life before he lost it.
This was a talented player who couldn't seem to stay on the field, most recently because of injury, but more often than not because he found himself in some kind of trouble, on or off the field. A couple years ago, when much was made of the Bengals piling up arrests, many of those arrests were Henry's. The Bengals released the sixth-year receiver out of West Virginia in 2007 after his fifth arrest. He eventually was brought back to Cincinnati, and had been on relatively good behavior ... until Wednesday.
In the coming weeks, more and more facts will come to light about how Henry was thrown from the back of his fiancee's pickup truck after what police are calling a domestic dispute. But regardless of what we learn, nothing changes the end result of this incident.
Perhaps other athletes can learn from this and avoid the pitfalls that continually found Henry. It's unfortunate, to say the least, that Henry was unable to figure out his life before he lost it.
Hitting on the NFL
PERFECTLY ANNOYING: As a Patriots fan, I'm starting to see how the other side lives. No, not the fact that New England is 8-5 and can only be considered an average team. But as the Saints and Colts get closer to completing perfect regular seasons, nobody can shut up about it.
So I'm starting to see how, maybe, it was a bit annoying two years ago, when the Pats finished 16-0 and the talk about the "perfect season" was everywhere. I didn't notice it then, only because I was in a complete euphoric state. Now, it's just plain old lame, especially because I loathe Peyton Manning.
SILENT OWENS: As the Patriots prepare for the Bills this weekend, I noticed that Terrell Owens hasn't been his usual loudmouth self this season. It could be that his numbers have dropped off as he plays in a stagnant offense, or that his team is one of the worst in the NFL. Still, it's been quite nice, don't you think?
RIP CHRIS HENRY: It just came over the AP wire that Bengals receiver Chris Henry died this morning after falling out of a pickup truck on Wednesday. I'll be honest, when I first heard he was "seriously" injured after what appears to be a domestic dispute, I didn't give it much thought. He's always been, and figured to always be, a trouble maker, having been arrested multiple times since 2005.
But no matter how much of a bonehead he was off the field, stuff like this puts things in perspective. Godspeed.
So I'm starting to see how, maybe, it was a bit annoying two years ago, when the Pats finished 16-0 and the talk about the "perfect season" was everywhere. I didn't notice it then, only because I was in a complete euphoric state. Now, it's just plain old lame, especially because I loathe Peyton Manning.
SILENT OWENS: As the Patriots prepare for the Bills this weekend, I noticed that Terrell Owens hasn't been his usual loudmouth self this season. It could be that his numbers have dropped off as he plays in a stagnant offense, or that his team is one of the worst in the NFL. Still, it's been quite nice, don't you think?
RIP CHRIS HENRY: It just came over the AP wire that Bengals receiver Chris Henry died this morning after falling out of a pickup truck on Wednesday. I'll be honest, when I first heard he was "seriously" injured after what appears to be a domestic dispute, I didn't give it much thought. He's always been, and figured to always be, a trouble maker, having been arrested multiple times since 2005.
But no matter how much of a bonehead he was off the field, stuff like this puts things in perspective. Godspeed.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Tiger's feats can't be denied
All anyone wants to know these days about Tiger Woods is who he's sleeping with, what his iron-aided pulverized face looks like and whether or not he took performance-enhancing drugs? Yes, his life has taken a turn for the worse.
But the world's greatest golfer, who is taking an 'indefinite leave' from the game while he deals with his personal life and marriage, was recently named the Athlete of the Decade by the Associated Press. The ballots went out right around the time of his car accident, and despite his "transgressions," Tiger received 56 of the 142 votes from Associated Press editors. More than half the ballots were returned after the Nov. 27 crash.
Scandal be damned. It just goes to show that perhaps Phil Knight, the czar at Nike, was right when he said "When his career is over, you'll look back on those indiscretions as a minor blip." Woods was - and when he returns, will continue to be - the most dominant athlete throughout the decade, winning 64 titles and 12 major championships.
Lance Armstrong, who won the Tour de France six times in the decade, finished second, followed by Roger Federer, Michael Phelps, Tom Brady and Usain Bolt. Phelps and Brady have had their share of unfavorable media coverage, but nothing to the extend of Woods, who's given late-night talkshows plenty of material.
Winning often makes fans forget about the past. Yes, there will also be that crowd that tosses out the occasional jab (you still hear Kobe rape jokes from time to time), but around this time next decade, I could very well be writing how Tiger again was named Athlete of the Decade.
But the world's greatest golfer, who is taking an 'indefinite leave' from the game while he deals with his personal life and marriage, was recently named the Athlete of the Decade by the Associated Press. The ballots went out right around the time of his car accident, and despite his "transgressions," Tiger received 56 of the 142 votes from Associated Press editors. More than half the ballots were returned after the Nov. 27 crash.
Scandal be damned. It just goes to show that perhaps Phil Knight, the czar at Nike, was right when he said "When his career is over, you'll look back on those indiscretions as a minor blip." Woods was - and when he returns, will continue to be - the most dominant athlete throughout the decade, winning 64 titles and 12 major championships.
Lance Armstrong, who won the Tour de France six times in the decade, finished second, followed by Roger Federer, Michael Phelps, Tom Brady and Usain Bolt. Phelps and Brady have had their share of unfavorable media coverage, but nothing to the extend of Woods, who's given late-night talkshows plenty of material.
Winning often makes fans forget about the past. Yes, there will also be that crowd that tosses out the occasional jab (you still hear Kobe rape jokes from time to time), but around this time next decade, I could very well be writing how Tiger again was named Athlete of the Decade.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
All's fair in fantasy football
Fantasy football doesn’t get any more intense than this: husband vs. wife for a spot in the playoffs.
That’s the drama that will unfold starting Thursday night within the Krueger-Steele household. Paula’s “Intergalactic Hussie” team and my “Disgruntled Goat” — both “Simpsons” references — are part of a four-way tie for second place, and only the top four go to the playoffs. So the scenario is not unlike those that real football teams will face in the next few weeks. Win and you’re in, lose and you’ll need help.
What makes this matchup particularly interesting is that, as far as couples go, you’d be hard-pressed to find one more competitive than us. Whether I’m dominating (basketball, tennis) or she’s making me look stupid (swimming, board games) or we’re evenly matched (Wii games, air hockey), there’s always plenty of trash talking and taunting.
Luckily, our fantasy football league is not the No Fun League. Referees don’t have enough flags for the amount of unsportsmanlike behavior we exhibit on a regular basis.
So, as we pore over our rosters all week, things are likely to get heated.
Since Paula already beat me earlier in the year, I’ll never hear the end of it if she sweeps the season series and keeps me out of the playoffs in the process. Similarly, I won’t let her live it down if, at her expense, I notch my seventh win in the last eight games and go to the Final Four without her.
Let the games begin.
That’s the drama that will unfold starting Thursday night within the Krueger-Steele household. Paula’s “Intergalactic Hussie” team and my “Disgruntled Goat” — both “Simpsons” references — are part of a four-way tie for second place, and only the top four go to the playoffs. So the scenario is not unlike those that real football teams will face in the next few weeks. Win and you’re in, lose and you’ll need help.
What makes this matchup particularly interesting is that, as far as couples go, you’d be hard-pressed to find one more competitive than us. Whether I’m dominating (basketball, tennis) or she’s making me look stupid (swimming, board games) or we’re evenly matched (Wii games, air hockey), there’s always plenty of trash talking and taunting.
Luckily, our fantasy football league is not the No Fun League. Referees don’t have enough flags for the amount of unsportsmanlike behavior we exhibit on a regular basis.
So, as we pore over our rosters all week, things are likely to get heated.
Since Paula already beat me earlier in the year, I’ll never hear the end of it if she sweeps the season series and keeps me out of the playoffs in the process. Similarly, I won’t let her live it down if, at her expense, I notch my seventh win in the last eight games and go to the Final Four without her.
Let the games begin.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Who are these Patriots?
There's little doubt the Patriots played to their capabilities during Sunday's 20-10 victory over the Panthers. But then again, do we know what their capabilities are anymore? Are we sure this is a playoff team? And if they get to the playoffs, will the Pats do any damage?
There's perhaps a handful of guys on the roster playing at a Pro Bowl caliber right now ... and even that's pushing it a bit. Randy Moss and Tom Brady have All-Pro talent, but they're faltering in the biggest of situations, and Jerod Mayo, last year's top defensive rookie, at times wears his invisible cloak on the field.
Wes Welker is the only star on this team, and he's single-handedly keeping the offense afloat. Yes, the offense that, at the beginning of the season, was supposed challenge the 2007 team for most points in a season.
How many times did Welker convert on third down to keep the chains moving? He caught five of his 10 passes on the go-ahead drive in the third quarter and finsihed with 105 yards. He leads the NFL in receptions.
Just one more point on Moss: He might be loafing, and he might be getting bored and he might be playing at only 75 percent (or lower), but he still draws triple coverage. And there's no other receiver I can think of who can do that.
There's perhaps a handful of guys on the roster playing at a Pro Bowl caliber right now ... and even that's pushing it a bit. Randy Moss and Tom Brady have All-Pro talent, but they're faltering in the biggest of situations, and Jerod Mayo, last year's top defensive rookie, at times wears his invisible cloak on the field.
Wes Welker is the only star on this team, and he's single-handedly keeping the offense afloat. Yes, the offense that, at the beginning of the season, was supposed challenge the 2007 team for most points in a season.
How many times did Welker convert on third down to keep the chains moving? He caught five of his 10 passes on the go-ahead drive in the third quarter and finsihed with 105 yards. He leads the NFL in receptions.
Just one more point on Moss: He might be loafing, and he might be getting bored and he might be playing at only 75 percent (or lower), but he still draws triple coverage. And there's no other receiver I can think of who can do that.
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