Tiger Tiger Tiger Woods Y'All

Tiger Woods won today.  He is back to being the #1 player in the world.  This, in a way, is big news.  It is news because the sports world has been without Tiger as the #1 player for a couple years.  We have tried anointing new stars to take his place.  We fell in love with Bubba because he was a kind-hearted good ol' boy with a pink driver who makes insane shots.  We decided that Rory would be the next Tiger after he won one major, and then cannot fathom why he hasn't gone on a huge run.  We still want Phil to be the perfect foe for all of these players.  But, truthfully, none of it mattered.

None of it.

Why?  Because none of these people were Tiger.

Tiger Woods has always been the #1 player in the world, even if the rankings didn't reflect it.  There is no athlete more important to his sport than Tiger.  The NFL is about the uniforms more than the faces underneath the helmets.  Take LeBron and Kobe away from the NBA and someone else will come along to take their place.  MLB is too worried about its stars being on PEDs to be a star-driven sport, as well as being so traditional that is doesn't need them anyway.  But golf needs Tiger Woods.

PGA rating on TV are astronomically higher when Tiger is in the hunt on Sunday, across the board.  Tiger Woods, even after his personal troubles, is still one of the most recognizable and marketable stars in all of athletics.  I guarantee that if he just embraced his bachelorhood, along with returning to some of his winning ways, American would embrace him again.

So, Tiger is coming back.  Does he need to return to his complete dominance of the entire sport?  Probably not.  The chase for Jack's Major record is enough for him, and winning 5 more Majors in his entire life would pass Jack's 18.  Tiger is also only 5 wins, total, back of Sam Snead for the most wins all time.  Eyes will be glued to the screen any time he is in contention to move closer to being the best ever.

The #1 player in the world?  Of course he is.  He never dropped.

NCAA Tournament: Weekend 1 Reaction

The first weekend of the NCAA tournament is in the books.  Here are some thoughts:

-  Well, it seems odd to me, but my Syracuse Orange are in the Sweet 16.  I don't see us getting past a solid and deep Indiana squad, but making it this far was nice.

-  Georgetown might win the "Biggest Disappointment" award.  They didn't show up at all, and got sent packing.  This could hurt Otto Porter's draft stock, recruiting, and maybe even effect JTIII's job security if they continue to struggle so much in the NCAAs.

-  The team that beat the Hoyas, of course, was Florida Gulf Coast.  They have the honor of being this year's Cinderella.  Sure, La Salle is still there, and Wichita State beat Gonzaga.  Yet a 15-seed has never advanced to the Sweet 16.  Add in that this is the team's second year playing in Division 1-A, and first NCAA Tournament appearance, and you have one of the better Cinderella stories in recent memory.

-  The Big 10 (12, soon to be 14) is representing itself very well, with four of their top teams making the second weekend.  These four (Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State) have looked very good so far, but not unbeatable.  It will be interesting to see if one or all of them is able to make it to Atlanta and the Final Four.

-  There's been a ton of talk on ESPN about how questionable some of the officiating has been.  I think that the officials have been fine, but the rules (like the Flagrant 1 rule) are a bit iffy.  Its not worth yelling that much about.

-  Not as many buzzer beaters and close games as I would want.  Also, not as many dominating performances from the big stars we have gotten to learn about over the season.  Its a bit odd.



Looking ahead to Weekend #2, have have some solid matchups.  The East regional is the only one where all 4 top seeds advanced.  I'll be at the Verizon Center here in DC to watch Miami/Marquette and Indiana vs my Orange.

The West regional is total chaos, and should be Ohio State's for the taking.  The Wichita State/La Salle game should be a lot of fun, and knowing one of those teams will be in the Elite Eight is nice.

Kanasa/Michigan highlights the South region, though all eyes will be on the FGCU Eagles against the Gators.

Then, the blue blood matchup in the Midwest of Michigan State vs Duke reminds us all that the traditional powers are still playing.  Louisville's ugly new uniforms will take on Oregon, who have had very nice traditional unis so far... which is fairly amazing.



Enjoy the basketball!

Feeling More Blue than Orange

So, I haven't written in a while because I have been angry at sports.  Not all sports, mind you.  Just college basketball.  My Syracuse Orange have been the worst 20+ win team I have ever seen play.  There is no leadership, no hustle, no consistency and no organization whatsoever.  It is difficult to watch.  Today, they were thwomped by Georgetown in the last ever meeting of the two teams as Big East rivals.  True, my Alma Mater still wins the all-time series, 48-41.  But it is a shame that we ended the rivalry with such an unworthy group of players.  Honestly, aside from CJ Fair, I would like to see them all leave. 

We have seniors that jack up 3s they can't make.  We have a point guard who turns the ball over constantly.  We have an injured center, and one with stone hands.  I am unsure how this season, which appeared to have some promise early on with wins over SDSU/Arkansas/Louisville and a long home undefeated streak, came to such a catastrophic end.  This makes last year's Fab-less team look like All-Americans.  I guess Dion Waiters really was that good (my boy is doing things for Cleveland.  Watch him sometime).

So, what is the solution?  If we magically win the Big East tournament, I suppose all is forgiven.  If we make it to the Sweet 16, I'd say we overachieved.  I am expecting to be a 5-seed, and lose in a classic 5-12 matchup to Davidson or La Salle or a bubble team like UVA.  Bring in our solid recruiting class and start over in the ACC next season.  That's the only course of action.  We will lose early in the tournament.  It will be awful to watch, but it'll be nice to know that this group of guys will never get to wear the Orange again.


Thank God it's almost baseball season.