Tiger's Apology: Proof of Priorities

By George Burnette
Reactions to Tiger’s private press conference have run the gamut from deeming him arrogant to bewilderment at the thought of him apologizing to anyone other than immediate family to suspicion that the silence-breaking statement was sterile, contrived and made-for-TV.
But much was unearthed while Tiger emoted for thirteen minutes:
We learned that his wife, Elin, (above left) is demanding that Tiger walk the walk rather than talk the talk.
We also learned that although he is one of the world’s most recognizable and, as a result, wealthy people, he maintains the unrealistic expectation that his private life should and will be kept private. His blood pressure reached camera smashing levels when he mentioned the paparazzi’s overzealous pursuit of Sam.
His first grouping of mass apologies was directed to his friends (some of whom, undoubtedly, admire and envy their buddy’s sexual conquests), his employees (whatever hit-in-the-pocket they took was negligible), his business partners (see: his employees), his foundation (those donations of time and money will soon rebound) and his Learning Academy students (this was sorely needed).
He admitted that he was both embarrassed and needed help. These self-admitted shortcomings go a long way in reeling in Joe Six-Pack.
He took as much pressure as possible off Elin.
He gave no timetable as to when his return to competitive golf may occur. Although he did use the words, if, return, this and year in the same paragraph.
His second wave of direct apologies was to his wife, his kids, his Mama, his (fist-pumping) friends, his foundation and to all the kids in and inspired by the “I am Tiger Woods” ads.
He managed to get in some housekeeping along the way. He dispelled rumors of Elin’s pugilistic exploits and of his alleged steroids use, but left us to wonder if prescription drug abuse is part of the puzzle. And there are Buddhists all over the world, especially in Asia, who are now getting around to doing something they’ve always wanted to do: take up golf.
He made mention of “core values” he was taught by his parents to believe in. There is a difference, however, in being “taught” to believe in something and coming to that conclusion on your own. Herein may lay the problem. When is Tiger going to stop taking instruction and do some soul-searching of his own? It’s high time that Butch, Stevie, Barkley, Jordan, Tida, Fluff, Hank, O’Meara, Cook, the image builders over at IMG and Nike and others get out of his ear so he can think for himself.
The world will find room in their hearts to forgive Tiger, but first Tiger needs to find room to sort out his life and his priorities.








Collage: NYDailyNews.com

Tiger Woods Faces the Nation

By A. Scott Walton
Say what you will about Tiger Woods, but the man who's bigger than the very sport he plays can't be labeled a coward.
A coward is someone who has the audacity to demand a stroke-by-stroke account of all of another man's infidelities.
A coward is someone who hides behind the false shield of a media credential to take indiscriminate shots (verbal and visual) of a man and his family in the obvious throes of anguish and disappointment.
A coward calls another man "arrogant" for stepping forward to apologize, but not confess the details of his sins to a public that cannot and will not do anything meaningful toward the redemption he seeks.
A coward passes judgement; cloaked in the devilish security blanket over his own hidden and misgiven thoughts and deeds.
A coward faults a man who declares that the privacy and security of his wife and children should be protected at all costs, and that any decent human being should want the same for their own household.
A coward wouldn't attempt in a lifetime what Tiger Woods achieved at the podium in 13 minutes today.
Every so-called "hero" has a flaw.
Tiger Woods just showed the courage to expose his much more than any of us has the right to know about.
FOR MORE: Watch the world's No. 1 golfer make his first public statement since things spiraled out of control here.
If you agree, or disagree, offer your thoughts in the COMMENT BOX below.

How Stellar Players Get Their "Groove" Back

Way back in July of '09, Fore!BlackGolfers posed the question of whether this year's new groove rules imposed on the PGA players' clubs would register on readers' range finders.
Six months later, there's a simmering suspicion that top players like Phil Mickelson and John Daly might (or might not, in the latter's case) be employing vintage Ping wedges with groove configurations that evade the new rules to their advantage.
In response to a controversy that will surely brew throughout the PGA players' transition to clubs with grooves that conform, guest blogger George Burnette takes aim at the parties responsible for the fracas in the first place...
By George Burnette
I mentioned previously that sports’ governing bodies’ ability to deal with the steroids issue will be tested in the upcoming months and years. As a precursor to that quagmire, the sport of golf is embroiled in a different messy controversy of it’s own. The issue of grooves is at the forefront and the sport’s second most visible player, Phil Mickelson, is at the center of the fuss.
The depth and shape of grooves largely determines the amount of spin one can apply to a shot. The PGA, in it’s zeal to minimize the effect that new technology has on competition, implemented new regulations which prohibit deep grooves with hard square edges. They did this knowing full well there was a loophole involving PING wedges manufactured before April 1, 1990 that could, and likely would, be exploited. The list of exploiters is growing every week and the biggest name amongst them is Mickelson.
Tour vet Scott McCarron has taken the mantle of lead whistleblower. Although he admits that the letter of the law has not been violated, I agree with him that the “spirit of the law” has. As more and more players stick square-grooved PING wedges into their bags, the slope for Tim Finchem and Co. gets slipperier and slipperier.
Will Finchem pull a page out of David Stern’s book and take deliberate and decisive action to nip this controversy in the bud? Will he somehow close the loophole? Will he force PING to file another lawsuit? Will he render an opinion or take sides? Stay tuned to Fore!BlackGolfers for answers and opinions to these and other burning questions.

Feel free to set Burnette straight in the COMMENT BOX (below the funky, flashback video) if you think his opinion's out of bounds.