Enough Already

I hope he can now put his life together, outside the glare of my noble colleagues (although I realize that’s probably impossible). I certainly hope he resumes playing golf soon; I love watching him play.
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Joe, has it occurred to you that the “glare of your noble colleagues” enabled him to make the obscene amounts of money he’s made playing a game?
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But he IS rich and famous and you do want to watch him…. so lets just move forward and not look to the past, so he can go back to making money, and you can go back to enjoying your weekends at the links.
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Sound familiar, like something we’ve heard recently to justify not looking too closely at past practices?
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He’s making Jack Nicklaus look better and better by comparison, and the Bear didn’t really need the help. He did what he did against the likes of Palmer, Player, Trevino, and others.

You don’t think Jack Nicklaus slept around in his day?

How cute…

Don’t know… do you have any information to the contrary?
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However, if he did, I do know he didn’t turn it into an Olympic endurance event, as just happened.

I agree mostly with the love of watching him play. The rest I don’t care about one way or the other. As a personality I think Woods has got to have one of the most wooden (no pun), shallow, boring ones of all the famous people in the world. If he had the personality and charisma of Arnold Palmer it would truly be phenomenal, but he is no where near that. Admirable? Only playing golf.
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I think the media apology event was absolutely absurd, meaningless, stupid. I don’t need or want an apology, and I think no more or less of him. He should just maintain his usual detached, secretive demeanor and play golf. How he deals with his family and people he really owes an apology to, I don’t care.

You think you’re bored with this story, Joe? I can’t stand golf, and this is flooding the airwaves.
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For me, it’s like there’s 24/7 coverage of a scandal involving America’s pre-eminent j’ai alai player.

“…it can be argued that the things he did hurt no one outside his immediate family….”

Good thing you used the passive voice here, Joe, because I guess you wouldn’t want to argue he hurt no one outside his family. Some of those stockholders in companies that paid big bucks for the Tiger brand may think his “private affairs” hurt them, too.

The Constant Weader at http://www.RealityChex.com

formerly,
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I like watching him play, too. Some of the shots are just miraculous. And yes, he has a “poker face”. Even when he’s not at the table.
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I just think he’s the beneficiary of a marketing machine without equal and has been “blessed” by opponents who had, shall we say, “Origami Syndrome”, or a tendency to fold under pressure. Some HAVE stepped up and held him off, but I really wonder how he would have done against a Trevino, who had to win to eat early in his career, or a Gary Player. Or the Golden Bear himself.
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I just love how his more rabid fans complain ONLY about the “bad” press when he stumbles but welcome the “good” type with open arms.

I honestly just really don’t care. It’s a private matter, why the hell should we be subjected to it just because the guy is famous. If he’s smuggling Thai prostitutes around, that’s different, but…c’mon. Do we really need to turn every news outlet into a Star Magazine wannabe?

kevin.
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Standard question from my middle son when I stop on the Golf Channel: “How can you watch that crap??!?”
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He’s with you…

And while the corporate media attend the confessions of a disgraced golfer, this man and his organization of 1000+ architectural and engineering professionals hold a historic press conference attended by….?

http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2009/05/29/wake-up-show/

Actually, I’m with everyone else about this, including Joe: Enough, already!
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I just wonder how many of the fans standing around the greens watching him, will cheer quite as energetically for him, with their wife standing next to them. And, will he hear ANY boos, if not on the course, in the parking lot?
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Golf is VERY much a gentleman’s (and family) game.

It sounds like you are mixing three separate items, sir.
His personal life.
His atheletic ability.
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His income.
Are you combining them for a reason? All three are quite different.
If you are negating his abilities because of income…the Ranger’s pitcher…does he not get $225 million?
If you are attempting to show his income is obscene for his actions (infidelity) didn’t Bush Junior send 4200 of our nation’s children to death and he’s going to continue to cash in on his war stocks and bonds? (and his children)
Or are you stating his infidelity should reduce his income…(and by how much) by your thinking that there was no infidelity by the other athletes (which is just plain naive)

First, it’s not that he’s playing for media attention. He is likely following the lead handed him by some danged lawyer.
I rarely blame media for the actual news, but, sometimes the very puerile-ness of it confuses me. For example, locally, the BIGGEST news item is now that people are overwhelmingly done with hearing about this man’s problems.
And yet, now THAT is becoming the news twist.
And lawyer or no, the media is snapping up every inch of it as possible.
I’m with Mr. Klein…
I hope he resumes playing golf soon; I love watching him play.

For me, the Golf Channel is what I’d watch if I weren’t responding to a sleeping aid.

That said, I’ll watch the NFL Draft from start to finish, so, to each his own.

I guess John Daly is the exception that proves the rule?

kevin,
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Could be. Even he keeps his public activities under control (more or less).
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He at least tries to “walk the walk”.

Agree entirely. Tiger has been punished for his personal transgressions far more than anyone has been punished for, say, deciding to invade Iraq for no reason.

Yeah, I get it. Capitalism sportsmanship/morality. “Morals are morals but business is business.” or, in this case, “sports are sports.”
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The sort of thing I hear at church a lot these days. It’s how people justify their activities Monday – Saturday and still sit in a church pew on Sunday, with straight tie and pious face.
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One has NOTHING to do with the other.
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Umhmmm. Got it.

Until I receive a two personal apologies (one made directly to me and one to my 3-year old son), a private golf lesson from Tiger, and a year-long pass to play Pebble Beach for free, I am unwilling to put aside my moral indignation and forgive Tiger.

Until that day, I demand that the paparazzi scumbags noble colleagues of Joe Klein stalk Tiger and his family and report on every salacious detail of Tiger’s affairs provide periodic updates on Tiger’s failure to make proper amends.

..outside the glare of my noble colleagues.

grape_wife and I went out to dinner last night to one of those places that has flat screens attached to every available wall…some of the monitors had Fox Business Channel on, and what I thought was odd was that a business channel not only was playing The Apology in a near-constant loop, but that they had engaged a body language ‘expert’ to gauge the sincerity of Woods’ mea culpa. Other cable channels were not any better, with their interviews of bar patrons whose responses amounted to, “It’s a personal matter”.

If only Joe’s ‘noble’ colleagues were as wise as the average Joe sitting in a bar.

grape,
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For Nike and the PGA, Tiger’s rehabilitation is as much an important business issue as next year’s marketing.
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Think Tiger’s not important to Nike’s bottom line and stock price?
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Of course, the business channels are interested.

…I’ll watch the NFL Draft from start to finish…
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You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din.

If I had a choice, I would have all knowledge of golf’s existence removed from my brain.
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What scant knowledge I do have of it is taking up precious room that could be better used for, say, calculus.

Good to see Tiger “man up” instead of his usual hiding out. Not only is this part of his growing up, but it’s part of a 12-step program to acknowledge your problems and start to make amends. The statement was brilliant in many ways. It answered questions most legitimate media would have asked, while avoiding pseudo-journalists who just want prurient details. I was especially glad that he brought up Buddhism and his straying from it — should answer those who said Buddhism endorses his behavior and he should become a Christian. Most touching part was his mother comforting him afterward. Knowing you disappointed a parent is a horrible feeling.

For those who still remember the old sixties movie [the first or one of the first on the wide screen] on ‘How the West was Won.’ Well, this Post tells you ‘How the West was Lost.’

http://ikejakson.wordpress.com/2010/02/20/time-will-tell/

My amusement at men and some women and their fixation on sports figures is never ending. Preteen and teen age girls fixate on pop figures. They get crushes on teen idols. They read about these people and love the stories that feed their fantasies.
Men and some women fixate on sports figures. They read about them and love the stories that feed their fantasies. What is the difference?
Who cares what these people do in their personal life?
I do care that they encourage people to buy products produced in sweatshops.
By the way Joe, couldn’t you have let the Tiger Wood story go by not writing about it?
Joe you remember that book you wrote anonymously, Primary Colors, that perpetuated the Clinton smarmy stories?
Also, who invented golf? Let’s see. We will take acres of land, plant it with grass, put small holes at distance from each other, there will be sand traps, and the player will take a stick and try to propel a ball into the holes.
I’m sorry but I am a real downer about professional sports. It is a commercial enterprise that can be entertaining but is taken way too seriously.

Joe,
You can’t so easily blow this off. Tiger was a role model for children and young adults all over the world. I have a black son-in-law and three young bi-racial granddaughters who all looked up to Tiger. He was their hero. I don’t think we should dwell on this matter for a long period of time but it should not be swept under the carpet either. Young people need real role models and hero’s. They need to understand what Tiger did was evil and that in the short run he should not be a hero to anyone.

Anyone who tries to justify his immoral behavior need to look seriously at themselves. Tiger’s activities can not be justified in anyway.

Right on! Couldn’t agree more.

3x: No sports star should be a role model. Parents and people with relatable, realistic lives should be role models. Good teachers, brave firefighters, compassionate clergy, etc should be role models.
No one needs to justify Wood’s behavior. It is his business. If corporate interests and journalists did not deify sports stars and parents did not encourage the mystification of them, they would not be role models.
Quit worrying about his morality and concentrate on your own. Perfection is better expected of ourselves rather than others.

apr: Too many “shoulds.” I’m suspicious of people telling others what they “should” believe or whom they “should” aspire to be like. It seems perfectly reasonable that black children would hold black presidents, scientists, foundation founders, musicians, Olympians and other athletes, and parents as examples of what can be achieved. The problem is that they get the whole package and, if the models are human, may be found to have feet of clay.

Um, apr, I uh… um…. agree.

Mortal you are right. Should is too didactic. Let me say the people I listed are perhaps more realistic role models.
Children can admire celebreties and political figures and hope to achieve their success. But as role models for their behavior and morality, I think not.

Why…why…2third thank you.

Let’s see something on this:
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http://www.weeklystandard.com/daily/daily.asp#blog-421460
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The Dalai Lama and trash. The ChiComs must be cracking up.

3xfire, Klein did not say that Woods is a role model. He did not blow this off. I do not care about your black son in law, nor your biracial grandkids. What I am concerned about is your right wing bent which I suspect has much more influence on those kids than anything Woods can do or Klein can say about it. You blow and go, pontificate and resonate and puff yourself up. You are a clown to your precious grandkids, and to me as well.

IMHO, when you sign all the endorsement deals and market yourself like Tiger did and then fail spectaculary in your personal life like he did, you deserve all the attention you get. He didn’t seem to mind all of the hundreds of millions he got for being a role model, so why give him a break when it comes out that cheated on his wife with all of the other women?

Does anyone truly believe that he didn’t know that he was a mega celebrity in the public eye? If you’re going to put yourself out there, you have a responsibility to the people that pay you the big bucks to hawk their product and to the fans that follow you. He may be the best golfer that ever lived, but he’s also one of the most shameless. I feel bad for his wife and kids. For Tiger, nothing.

Well summed up sacredh.

I couldn’t care less about Tiger Woods, but his presser seemed staged solely to rehabilitate his marketability, and his presentation made me doubt his veracity and sincerity.

Is adultery legally allowed in the USA?
What is the percent of American men who do not indulge in extra marital affairs?
Was it necessary for Tiger to come out and apologize to the world when he could have simply sorted it out with his wife and kids?
Are all men in America, who are caught with a mistress, required to apologize?
Whats the fuss, really?

Oh my, there is not enough microphones kolamba. I would find it amusing to see all of the politicians and clergy lined up to apologize. Throw in a some journalists too. They seem to enjoy the circus the most.
I agree, the only apologies Tiger owes are to his wife and children. This ongoing reports just makes it harder on his kids. I was glad his wife wasn’t standing by looking up to him in a sad but adoring pose.

I mostly agree with you, though it could be argued that he hurt some stock holders of companies which endorsed him.

I don’t watch Golf or Tiger Woods. I didn’t think he made a real apology. He was not sorry it happened just sorry he got caught. We have more important things in this country to be concerned about than a loser like Tiger Woods. My girl friend said “Who would want to be married to a cheat like him even with all of his money”. A friend of mine, who loves golf, told me he will never watch or go to a golf match where Tiger is in it. My doctor, who has spend years treating men and women like Tiger Woods, tells me that most will repeat again and again.

It ain’t over until Tiger appears on Dancing With The Stars in a thong bikini, and his partner is a shark.

That’ll make his putter stand up.

apr2563: It always amazes me when a woman stands by her husband on a podium while they talk about cheating on them. I’d rather see a little surprise like a lawyer walking out and serving them with divorce papers while the woman laughs and runs her finger across her throat.

Sacred: Long ago my first husband announced his infedelity in a parking lot. I calmly got in the car and then proceeded to try to run him over. He used to be a college football player so he was very agile on his feet. I missed. But, I felt very gratified seeing the terror on his face.
Now, I am not advocating violence, but there is something to be said for letting your inner anger express itself.

apr2563: I think I’ve found my soulmate and hope we spend the rest of our lives together. OTOH, if she ever cheated on me, it would be over. I’m sure she feels the same way. I’m a little old fashioned that way (I can’t bring myself to say I’m conservative). I don’t blame you one bit for trying to run his ass over. I’d be tempted to do the same.
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A couple of years before I remarried I was seeing a woman that I was getting serious about and we even talked about getting married. She had every bit as colorful a past as I did. It didn’t bother me in the least that she’d had as much fun as I did. We got to talking about cheating one night and she asked me what I’d do if I ever caught her cheating (after marriage). I told her I wouldn’t divorce her. She said “Really?”. I told her there would be no point in divorcing a corpse. We lasted another few weeks.

Yes, enough already.

Guess you missed the other press conference, Mr. Klein?

http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/meanwhile/

Why is it the Canadians have the stones to cover this but the US media don’t?

sacred: Your soulmate is very lucky and so are you.

Yes, he apologized. Most highly paid athletes are morally depraved anyway!! Rape, assault, out of marriage children, baby mama’s… a big sesspool which makes Sodom and Gomorrah look like paradise!

These fellows are paid like demi gods and people around them contribute to making them feel they are immortal gods, they are not!

Tiger was CAUGHT, thats all. The rest of them are penis flinging, skirt chasing over sexed men who HAVE A TALENT. That is all! They are ordinary and mostly have little else to offer but talent on the court or elsewhere and a whole lot of penis flinging into whosoever is available.

I think it sickens me to see that because some funny looking man (Tiger aint handsome) plays good golf, his morals or lack thereof, leave and entire country in shock! WHY??? Having talent does not confer some sort of moral holiness on him.

People who have talent seem to be revered in America while those who do the brain surgeries and the hard stuff are considered people who have skill to SAVE LIVES (in many instances)– but do not merit the million dollar contracts etc. Atrocious culture. Despicable treatment.

Paris Hilton is more popular than most of the best and first rate minds in ANY industry. That to me is beyond stupid. The preoccupation with “celebrity” is pathetic. Many people ARE pathetic.

Well, I completely agree with Mr. Joe Klein to the extent that I do not give a rats behind where Tiger Woods chooses to thrust and lay his man parts.

If he decides to be a penis slinging athlete, that means he has his membership to the MAN WHORE club like all the other talented men who preceded him.

It is appalling that his morality is an issue for us.

WHO CARES WHO HE LAYS????? HE is just a GOLFER that earns good money for his skill. He is no bastion of morality. It is sick that he is held to some man made silly standard. He hits balls into little holes on the ground, well. SO, he aint to Dali Lama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Most of these athlete and “celebrity” for sex tape release engendered celebrities folks are dogs, and he was just unfortunate to be caught!

I hope his wife gets some good money to make up for the diseases she must be walking around with… and he learns, in the custom of his fellow athletes to be discreet!

Reading about him hurts my eyes.

I hope he will stop being tabloid fodder and go away with “his having sex with strangers and no protection using sorry self”. Gross.

Tiger should be known and respected for only what he is known to do well; PLAY GOLF. Morality???? Is that some sort of joke?????? Crazy. Just plain sensationalizing of some regular Joe who has a skill. How boring!

LM

http://theblindspotsofgod.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/stalking-criminality-the-law-and-women/

Joe

You are way of the mark on this one. Read the Comments, my man.

Hi sacredh! I like your wisdom. Keep well, you big guy.

http://ikejakson.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/home-again-and-out-of-touch-2/