PGA needs Tiger back

New Daily Reporter column: PGA needs Tiger back. Published Thursday, April 7.

I'm not that interested in golf without Tiger Woods. I cheer for greatness. Tiger is the only golfer going now that I put in that category. Mickelson is good. He's great at times but he doesn't move the meter for me. I find it hard get into golf without Tiger.

I probably would be considered a "casual golf fan." As that, I can speak for other casual fans in saying Tiger is necessary on the leaderboard for any viewing or interest.

I've tried to be patient while he gets his head right after his personal life disaster. It's time to get it back on track though. During the Lakers/Warriors game Wednesday night Mark Jackson was discussing the Masters and Tiger's struggles since his drama. Comparisons to Jordan and Kobe were brought up. Jackson said, "I wouldn't put him in that category because Jordan and Kobe would have figured it out by now."

I would have to agree with Mark.

Tiger Far From Finished

He just needs some more time.

Tiger shot a career-worst 18-over par this weekend on a course he's always dominated. He's bottomed out on the course. His game and swing are in the gutter with his personal life, marriage, reputation and image. It's never looked worse for Tiger Woods.

But it's always darkest before the dawn. His current turmoil is just a road block for Tiger. Not even that, just road construction. He needed a lot of work done after speeding down sport and celebrity's Autobahn of riches, women and power. Potholes are plentiful and dangerous there.

Last Thanksgiving was the arbitrary date when his dark side got exposed. That cat was getting out of the bag at some point. Tabloid covers were coming eventually. On top of that, covering tracks and behavior was unhealthy for Tiger personally. Whoring around at every turn, addicted to sex and the power he had with sex.

Problems would form eventually whether the press got ahold of it or it just tore him up personally. The media just hit fast forward on the whole thing. Blew it up, sped it up and threw it up. He may have been able to hide it until he's 40 but what then? All this happens in five years and it's probably uglier. Now in five years, he'll be in a completely different place with a different mindset and he'll be killing it on the Tour again.

So he's about to be 35 in December, with 14 majors. Four behind Jack. The record is still so within reach it's not even an issue in my mind. There are 17 majors before he turns 40. I really like Tiger's odds to win three out of those 17 even with none this year or next. Then it's just two from 40 on.

Tom Watson should have a won a major last year at 59. Tiger will have plenty of golf in him from 40 to 50. So he wins one major every couple of years, big deal. He only needs five more. And I know it's easy to say, "only five more" but, with Tiger, you can. He takes care of his body, physically, better than most on Tour so longevity shouldn't be an issue.

We all thought he'd smoke Jack's record early but it's just not going to happen in that time frame. That was a huge pothole he hit last year and you have to know it will cause damage and delay the arrival at the destination. In this instance, the destination is 19 major championships and Greatest of All-Time.

The only way Tiger doesn't break Jack Nicklaus' record is if he retires from competitive golf and doesn't play in the tournaments. Don't dump your Tiger stock. I'm loading up right now while it's at a garage-sale price and riding it for the next 15 years.

This Tiger Guy Is Good

What was going on with Tiger Woods again? I briefly remember his name mentioned in the news over the past few months, but it must not have been too big of deal.

Tiger got out of the gate very quickly yesterday on day one of the Master's. To the tune of his best first round score at Augusta ever (68.) That is focus.

I thought he could compete this weekend, but took the field. He had ever reason not to be on the leaderboard after the five-month fiasco that still won't quit. News that he allegedly banged his neighbor's 22-year old daughter just surfaced.

If anyone can pull this off it's Woods. As Earl told him, "You'll never meet someone as mentally tough as you. And he hasn't, and he never will." When it comes to golf, I might agree. When it comes to resisting sexual urges, he's no more mentally tough than Charlie Sheen trolling for hookers in Vegas. Maybe he is now, after months of  "therapy," but I digress.

I like Woods even more than I did before the scandal. Sure, he is/was a degenerate, but that just makes him more relatable. I like my superstar athletes to overcome adversity. I'm still waiting for a shoe to drop with LeBron. Nobody stays perfect forever.

I'll be pulling for Tiger this weekend, and every weekend, just like I was before.

NEW NIKE COMMERCIAL

Everybody is up-in-arms about the new Nike commercial featuring Tiger's dad. "Shameless" and "despicable" were used to describe it. "How could he use his dead father like that?!" I don't see what the big deal is. Tiger knows what his dad would be okay with.

The reason Tiger is the way he is, in every sense of his life, is because of Earl Woods. Earl told him there was no reason for him to get married. Earl had his own infidelity issues. He made Tiger into the best golfer ever, because that's what Earl wanted. It's common knowledge how close the two were. Tiger said he was his "greatest role model." He's Earl's son.

Now Tiger deserves a lot of the blame and credit as well, don't misunderstand. But why not incorporate Earl into an ad which subtlety addresses these issues? Earl would have had his back during this scandal. He would have understood what temptations Tiger had readily available. I assume he might object to the discretion used and quantity involved, but those temptations (or perks, depending on how you look at it) come with the territory of being the best in world. And Earl knew that.

It seems like a well-thought out sound bite that is effective. Allow me to narrate a conversation between Earl and Tiger, based on the questions asked in the Nike ad.

Earl: "What were you thinking?'
Tiger: "Well, Dad, I could have sex with any and every woman I came into contact with. After a few years of that, it gets pretty hard to resist. It wasn't really affecting my performance, so what's the big deal?"
Earl: "Good point, Tiger. But what are your feelings?"
Tiger: "My feeling is why get to the status of greatest ever if you can't bang every chick you meet?"
Earl: "Another good point. Have you learned anything?"
Tiger: "Yes, don't let it get out of control and be more careful. I'll need to take my privacy to another level. I'll probably get divorced in a couple years, also."
Earl: "Good work, son. Now go win a golf tournament."

Cavs Bring In Jamison & Tiger Speaks

NBA Trade Deadline

The week of the trade deadline was once again a jumbled mess of salary dumps and last-ditch efforts. The Cavs made a move to get Antawn Jamison, not Amare Stoudemire.

I thought Cleveland already made its move to win the Finals in the off-season. The Diesel came to "Win a Ring for the King." Even though they have the best record in the league, Danny Ferry felt he needed to go get another somewhat high-profile player.

Jamison will obviously be more helpful than Zydrunas. He can do a lot of things well, and seems like he's able to accept a role. The Stoudemire idea wasn't going to work (see 08-09 Phoenix Suns.) I like that Ferry didn't give up J.J. Hickson for a quick fix that wouldn't have paid off.

If Jamison's first game as a Cav is any indication of things to come: Uh-oh! I don't care how anxious/nervous/excited he was, 0-12 is horrendous and unacceptable. You don't think he's already feeling the pressure? There's a ton of pressure on Cleveland. Mike Brown and LeBron are feeling it, and now Jamison is, too. Shaq would but he's no longer able to contribute enough to matter.

I'm not convinced the Cavs are the team to beat. Whoever comes out of the West is the favorite. I like the Lakers and Denver over Cleveland. I think Dallas, with its new acquisitions, could beat Cleveland. They should get out of the East, but that means they'll have to beat Orlando, which they haven't proven yet.

Wild Theory: Ferry brought in Jamison to replace LeBron after he leaves this off-season. Jamison is, of course, older and not nearly as good, but is a big swingman who can do a lot of things. He's a solid player. Ferry knows, like I do, that LeBron is leaving Cleveland after this year - win or lose. He needs to have some quality players that he can use to stay afloat after James bolts for a better situation (and better coach.)

The Lakers, Nuggets and Magic all are moving forward with the team they have in place. That's a reason I like those teams more than Cleveland. They already believed they can win a championship. Cleveland told the league, "We still need more help." Now Cleveland must try to incorporate Jamison with 25 games to play.

Tiger Finally Makes a Statement

Tiger came out of the woodwork to make a rehearsed, prepared statement. He said some good things, but he had to. No points for admitting to cheating and being irresponsible. That's been so well-documented it's old news. He's still trying to say it's between him and Elin. No it's not, quit saying it is.

He read that scripted statement so slowly and dramatically that he should be nominated for an Academy Award. The stares into the camera when defending Elin were laughable. The creepiest part: the shade of his skin. I guess his sex addiction rehab-ERRR-"inpatient therapy" must not allow him to get sunlight. He looked like Sammy Sosa.

Bringing up Buddhism was an interesting strategy. Apparently he's a Buddhist. He kept that hidden better than his affairs.

He's sorry, I get it. He's going to change his ways, I hope so. He's heavy into therapy and treatment, whatever. He could have just posted that speech to his Web site. It was similar to the releases he put on tigerwoods.com after the crash. Very controlled and non descriptive.

Here's what Tiger should do: Answer some questions, speak off-the-cuff and get on the golf course.