Tiger Take 2

Just got up to Tahoe for a little impromptu trip.  Sorry TW for bailing on your football game.  Perhaps the next time the Owls are ready for battle, I will be there in full force.

Since the drive was 3 ½ hours (traffic) I naturally did some thinking while my finger continuously skipped through the next song on the iPod set at random.  Several months back I put in a new stereo that has the iPod adapter and man that has been the right purchase.

Anyways, I have a snort of brandy in a glass and a movie ready to go, but decided to put down a few of my Tiger thoughts before they’re gone and past.  So here we are.

What triggered the Tiger thought, outside of a billboard I passed of him modeling a Rolex (actually was amusingly quite close to a strip club sign) was the five minutes of Rome I heard this morning when he posed the question to the Clones, “Do you think less of Tiger now because of this?  Is this, for you a big disappointment, or do you shrug it off and separate it from Tiger the ‘athlete’?”

The radio went to a commercial break and I to lunch or whatnot so I didn’t have a chance to hear the moronic replies of the stuttering Clones.  Nor the apparently ‘hip’ takes of Clone Icons like Jeff in Richmond or wherever.  The fact that Rome supports that guy is beyond me.  “Jiiiiiiiiiim”.  The guy’s a complete idiot.

But since I didn’t call in or anything, I may as well sound off here…

This is how I am affected by these sorts of things.

Am I disappointed by Tiger’s actions?  Do I see him differently now?  And will this prevent me from rooting for him in the future?

Well here it is.  First off, I never really liked Tiger.  I liked watching him when he was dominating, but I never really cared for him at all personally.  He actually seemed a bit of a doofus.  ‘Lefty’ I would take any day over this guy.  Not to mention Tiger is incredibly boring outside of his fiery play.  Fiery relative to golf of course.

But when he struggled on the course, I almost enjoyed watching him get all flustered and irritated.  So clearly I am not too big of a fan of Tiger.  I respect and get amped up over dominance on a sports field, and that’s about all Tiger brings to the table for me.

Cause as I’ve previously mentioned, I get easily caught up in those athletes that transcend their sport due to their dominance.  I know it’s not original or unique but I think I’m beginning to understand myself in the respect that I am easily swept up and taken by this sort of thing.  Thus a Tyson or a Jordan, or a Nadal, or what have you gets me fired up like an 8 year old.  And like an 8 year old I go to fantasy play out back with a basketball, or to the ocean with a surfboard, or grab a football what have you and translate that charge into my mental version of imaginary dominance.   Or small scale dominance with some local pick-up games.  I’m 35 now, yet I still get overly excited by this sort of thing.  I swear my enthusiasm hasn’t waned a bit since childhood.  And I was an overly amped up kid.  To be honest, I’m not entirely sure it’s a good thing that I still froth at the mouth.  Balance, you know.  A tough thing for this one to find.

Back to Tiger.  “Am I disappointed in him?”  Absolutely.  Am I surprised?  Not at all.

Reason being is the obvious.  We know next to nothing about our sports heroes.  Not to mention actors, politicians, and whomever we pedestal.  What we may love about these individuals is how they act or perform in their own arena.  Like kids we get fired up and inspired over their talent, or are moved by their words and eloquence.  However, our affections and adoration are only for the specifics that we see.  We are only given the tip of the iceberg with these people.  Which doesn’t mean that a murky mess lies beneath, but that the majority of who these people are lies well below and out of sight, and what that is compromised of is anyone’s guess.

Now I am not a cynical person.  Far from it, but I do feel that I am a realist; as much as I can claim what I feel is real or not.  But I am aware of the predominance of infidelity, not to mention the lack of moral character.  Now maybe that sounds cynical, but I think it’s fairly accurate.  True solid character is not a dime a dozen attribute.  I truly feel it is a special and uncommon thing to find.  Which the optimist…or positive part in me, appreciates those people more, rather than wasting any real effort shaking my head at the others.  Those with unflappable character gives us all something to shoot for.

And before I get to another point, I do want to respond to the stupid fucking phrase that all guys cheat.  Or that it’s in our nature.  Or that a person is faithful relative to his/her options.  It’s such bullshit, and I know you know that.  That’s why we keep it small here.  No Jeff in Richmonds to go, “But B-NNNNNNN”

It all comes down to character, doesn’t it.  If you could do it and get away with it, would you?

The answer has to be no if you are operating from a place of character.  It’s not about someone finding out.  Your wife intercepting your emails or phone calls and bludgeoning you with a Big Bertha.  It’s about how you hold yourself up to yourself.  A) Why the fuck would you do that to the person you are with?  But B) and more importantly, how can you respect yourself for being so weak and pathetic?  Because that is what it truly boils down to.  It is a weak and cowardly action.  If one needs to fuck, then fuck your wife or girlfriend (and the flip side of course).  If you can’t handle that, then you get the fuck out of the relationship.  It’s that simple.  Because there is no fucking Judgment Day when it comes to this sort of shit.  Judgment Day is everyday when you look yourself in the mirror.  Not that you should take yourself so seriously, however you shouldn’t take your self so lightly.  It’s important and integral to maintain integrity.  And God damn when you have children, and they ultimately find out about these things, how can that mirror reflect anything but a sad and pathetic person.  Man, who cares if you can put a little ball in a hole?  Or your wiener in another one?  That shit means nothing compared to what’s truly at stake.  And a whole lot is at stake.

So yes.  Of course I am disappointed in Tiger.  And even though I won’t vilify him, cause sadly his actions more reflect the attitudes of the masses, I surely wont see him the same way anymore.  I will see him as less.  As, sadly, and more significantly will his kids.

And even though it doesn’t surprise me, I do get disappointed every time I hear stories about bigger than life players doing such things and worse.  Even though I am only exposed to the tip of the iceberg, I’d optimistically like to think the subterranean is a solid foundation and supporting the glowing upper echelons where they shine.  Cause there certainly are those athletes and other stars that seemingly shine top to bottom.  And to reflect my earlier sentiment, those are the small handful that can motivate the rest of us to shore up and solidify our integrity.  For ourselves.  For our spouses.  And when/if we have kids…then arguably even more importantly for them.

Shame, El Tigre.  Shame.  But you get that.  At least you get it now.

BN