Tiger Woods...from the Perspective of an NHL Fan

In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that golf to me is not a sport. This is not meant to say those who compete are lesser people than those who compete in things I consider sports, so save your hate responses. 

I respect it as a competition, but to me a sport has to have defense (and athletic demands, which golf has). Do not even try to tell me that the trees, rough, sand traps, wind, etc., are defense. Real (read: outdoor) teams in the NFL, they have to deal with rain, snow, sleet, wind, heat, cold, muddy or icy surfaces, fog...plus they run around in it.

Did the Bears and Eagles call the latter their defense in the Fog Bowl? Did Lombardi or Landry claim the nearly 50 below zero windchill of the Ice Bowl should get any passes defensed? Was the rain in last year's Steelers-Dolphins game credited with any tackles?

Take solace that at least it's not racing, which I do not respect as a competition. Driving around in circles cutting people off while burning tanks of gasoline and lining the pockets of terrorists is not worthy of my respect.

I consider golf courses a waste of land and a deposit of excessive pesticides, and I am also more in line with Dan Piraro's comic, Bizarro: a man in a robe said to his wife something like "I'm debating whether to watch golf or listen to the dust settle on the mantle piece." She reminds him the doctor said not too much excitement, and he replies, "Okay, golf it is."

However, many of my fellow sports enthusiasts are not into theatre, ballet, or opera either. And many people may feel the same way I do about wasted space with regard to the stadiums I want public help to support so I can see my favourite teams play. To each his own.

In a further display of full disclosure, I should also say I do not like Tiger Woods very much. He manufactures grudges, acting all offended if someone dares say he's beatable. I mean, what are they supposed to say, yeah I have no chance? And does Eldrick really need bulletin board material when he is obviously better than the field?

Furthermore, I do not like the way he downplayed what Kelly Tillghman said. I am sorry, but references to lynching should never be made, but especially with regard to someone who, at least by birth and appearance, is a plurality African American.

I believe he downplayed it because he is the white corporate world's darling, getting endorsements from them by playing a historically white man's game, and that protected his bank.

I thought the last straw was when everyone gave him so much dap for winning the U.S. Open on a bum gam. After all, he had only had it scoped and that was nearly two months ago!

Hockey players, required to cut on their repaired knees and risk hard contact, routinely return from such surgery in less time, or play through bad knees for months. I am not saying you do not put stress on your knees golfing, but there is no comparison. And not everyone is as tough as a hockey player, but just do not call them tough.

But then we find out he is ending his golf year by having surgery to repair a torn ACL.This means he either re-injured it or the arthroscopic surgery was unsuccessful. It also means he finished the tournament in pain, and won it even though he had to play an extra nineteen holes!

Tiger is still not in the league of Jack Youngblood, the Rams defensive end who played on a broken leg. He's not in the league of Joe Thornton, who played a playoff series with torn rib cartilage. But I must begrudgingly give him his due.

I already thought he was the most focused, mentally tough competitor in the world. I do not even watch or follow golf and I know (from all the ridiculous coverage it gets on ESPN) that when he needs a big putt, he gets it.

If two people were going to compete at something neither had ever done, I would bet on Tiger over anyone else. He is money.

He will blow away Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 majors unless his knee never recovers. I know the argument that The Golden Bear had a lot more competition, so I will stop short of saying he is the greatest golfer ever and leave that debate to someone who knows. And someone who cares.

For my money, he may be the greatest competitor ever.