Report: Tiger done for 2008

[cyclonenum1]

I am always amazed by any discussion of Tiger and the various viewpoints people hold of him. My perspective on Tiger is as follows:

+If, for some reason, he was never physically able to play another professional round again I believe that golf historians would put him on a level at least with Jack and probably ahead of him because he is a lock to surpass Jack's major win total if he continues to play...he is really just entering what is considered the "prime" for a professional golfer.

+MJ was certainly a dominant player in the NBA but I do not believe there is another player in any sport that has been as totally dominant as Tiger has been. MJ was in the league quite a while before he won...'84-'91 as I recall and ultimately he needed a sidekick to get it done (Pippen). Tiger has been the #1 golfer over 500 straight weeks. He wins over 25% of the majors he plays in. To put that into perspective, there are some golfers that are considered pretty good pros that have never won a major.

+I can certainly understand why many are so jealous of Tiger...tremendous professional success, fame, money, toys, smoking hot wife...he has it all. But jealousy is still a very unbecoming trait.

+All of those that knock golf as not being a sport or golfers as not being athletic...you most likely have never played a round where you walked the course. And you most likely have never been to a professional golf tournament to see these guys play. I can assure you that most of you could not hang with Tiger in his training regimen. What he did with the injury that he had this past weekend is amazing...adding to the legend of Tiger Woods.

+All of the remaining tournaments, networks, and sponsors are really going to lose with Tiger not playing for the balance of the year. Attendance and viewership will be significantly lower with no Tiger to root for (or against for some).

+Tiger will come back from this injury and probably be even more dominant (if that is possible) than he has been. I will never doubt Tiger...he is the best conditioned, most focused, most mentally tough, and most skilled golfer to ever play the game.

 

[CycloneErik]

are they allowing those now...didn't a guy have a lawsuit about that a few years back and lose?

Casey Martin wanted to use a golf cart, because of a leg condition. He was refused, but Casey Martin's no Tiger Woods.

 

[dosry5]

I had a torn ACL. I didn't have it immediatly repaired because my growth plates weren't closed yet (i was 15 at the time)... I lived with a torn ACL for about 8 months.

Walking was never an issue... even a jog wouldn't cause too many problems. I realize that the story is still amazing, but it isn't like he ran a marathon... He was playing golf. I don't think that it affected his play that much.

Apparently it only affected it when he hit a bad shot......

 

[HILLCYD]

Apparently it only affected it when he hit a bad shot......

Yeah, he is totally making it up to cover up bad shots.

</sarcasm>

 

[Cy Heavy]

An ACL injury affects people differently and affects different activities. I tore mine (left knee) while at ISU and the team orthopedic (Broderson at the time) did the surgery. He said I braved the pain of the injury and the surgery for better than most of the athletes he treated (it was the morphine). That surgery was 20 years ago, and to this day my knee swells and is sore after a round of golf due to the twisting and torque of the follow-through. And if you ever want to know if it's going to rain, just give me a call....

Based on my experience, and that doesn't include having a broken leg, what we just saw over the weekend was extraordinary. I know I sound like a cheerleader for Tiger and don't mean to, but simply returning without any significant practice, making the putts and incredible shots he made - you just can't minimize what happened. With or without the injuries. The game and the PGA is going to miss him.

It also depends on what else you injure when you tear your ACL. When I tore mine, I also tore the MCL and a few meniscus (sp?) I couldn't put any pressure on mine and had to be carted off the field (FB injury) Tiger also has a double stress fracture in the same leg. I haven't had a stress fracture, but I would guess that excerabates the injury beyond a simple ACL tear.

 

[dosry5]

Yeah, he is totally making it up to cover up bad shots.

</sarcasm>

You didn't seem him grimmace on any of his good shots. Retief Goosen even said the same thing, but then later issued a statement saying he was trying to be light-hearted.....but presumeably only because Tiger is reason the money is so good on the tour. Guess what---it's okay to think Tiger is the greatest player in the world and to realize that he was only showing any signs of pain after a bad shot. It's not jealously, it's not anything other than the truth of the situation if you watched the broadcasts. I have the tourney on DVR---it's only the bad shots where he acts out. Video doesn't lie.

 

[Palmer]

You didn't seem him grimmace on any of his good shots. Retief Goosen even said the same thing, but then later issued a statement saying he was trying to be light-hearted.....but presumeably only because Tiger is reason the money is so good on the tour. Guess what---it's okay to think Tiger is the greatest player in the world and to realize that he was only showing any signs of pain after a bad shot. It's not jealously, it's not anything other than the truth of the situation if you watched the broadcasts. I have the tourney on DVR---it's only the bad shots where he acts out. Video doesn't lie.

don't you think he would have made the extent of the injuries public knowledge pre - US Open if he wanted to be a drama queen?

and who's Retief Goosen?

 

[Tornado man]

You didn't seem him grimmace on any of his good shots. Retief Goosen even said the same thing, but then later issued a statement saying he was trying to be light-hearted.....but presumeably only because Tiger is reason the money is so good on the tour. Guess what---it's okay to think Tiger is the greatest player in the world and to realize that he was only showing any signs of pain after a bad shot. It's not jealously, it's not anything other than the truth of the situation if you watched the broadcasts. I have the tourney on DVR---it's only the bad shots where he acts out. Video doesn't lie.

I noticed the same thing. Rocco was also quoted as saying that he didn't notice anything in Tiger's swings during the playoff that was any different than classic Tiger form.

 

[dosry5]

don't you think he would have made the extent of the injuries public knowledge if he wanted to be a drama queen?

I don't understand what you're saying.....

Look--I freely admit he's the best ever. Ever. But he was only acting out in pain on the bad shots. Other pros saw that, Goosen even called him out. The difference is---there are way too many people out there who act like Tiger can do no wrong just because he is the greatest golfer of all time. It's like hero-worship. Be a fan, great, awesome, good for you. But it doesn't change the facts, even if you want it to.

 

[cloneu]

and who's Retief Goosen?

He has 1 less US Open championship then Tiger, so he must be the second best golfer ever.:dull:

 

[dosry5]

don't you think he would have made the extent of the injuries public knowledge pre - US Open if he wanted to be a drama queen?

and who's Retief Goosen?

I'm not saying he wanted to be a drama queen---I was just pointing out what was a bit obvious to quite a few people.

Retief is the 37th ranked player in the world and 2 time US Open winner.

 

[San Francisco Cy]

Apparently it only affected it when he hit a bad shot......

Some people just see what they want to see. It was pretty much on every drive that he grimaced. In fact, I remember the announcers saying twice, "Remember, just because he's grimacing doesn't mean it's a bad shot" after he swung. And sure enough, the ball landed right down the center of the fareway.

Pretty much anybody that has ever played sports through any injury would have to understand that your injuries don't always hurt every second. Once you get your body loose and warm, it seems to take away a little of the pain. But, the second that you strike the point of the pain, it all comes back like a ton of bricks. I'd say if the injury is bad enough to have season ending knee surgery, it's probably a bad enough injury to convince me...

 

[dosry5]

Some people just see what they want to see. It was pretty much on every drive that he grimaced. quote]


I agree with you there.....and with lots of people and Tiger, it's like hawk fans and JC.

 

[Palmer]

I'm not saying he wanted to be a drama queen---I was just pointing out what was a bit obvious to quite a few people.

Retief is the 37th ranked player in the world and 2 time US Open winner.

never heard of him.

I don't care for golf much of course.....but I do watch when Tiger is involved.

 

[cyclonenum1]

I don't understand what you're saying.....

Look--I freely admit he's the best ever. Ever. But he was only acting out in pain on the bad shots. Other pros saw that, Goosen even called him out. The difference is---there are way too many people out there who act like Tiger can do no wrong just because he is the greatest golfer of all time. It's like hero-worship. Be a fan, great, awesome, good for you. But it doesn't change the facts, even if you want it to.

This comment intrigues me. To my knowledge, Tiger is a "good guy" and has never been implicated in any nefarious activities of any sort. I have never heard anyone say anything bad about him personally (most say he is very nice) and I have never heard a single report of him not conducting himself in an exemplary manner. Is there something I have missed?

 

[CTAClone]

I can't disagree with Tiger being great and will probably be the best ever. Doesn't mean I'm forced to like him, or forced to worship his greatness. I think of Tiger as Ben Hogan. A great golfer but not very fan friendly. If he was gracious like some other players are, he'd have double the following he has now.

 

[Ficklone02]

Who freakin' cares if he only grimaced after bad shots or not. The point is he's still amazing to be able to win after not having competed for a good stretch of time, in the toughest tournament of the year. I love how competitive he is.

You could argue he's stupid for trying to come back too early and aggravating the injuries as a consequence....maybe he just wanted a built-in excuse to spend more time with his hottie wife. :smile:

 

[Palmer]

This comment intrigues me. To my knowledge, Tiger is a "good guy" and has never been implicated in any nefarious activities of any sort. I have never heard anyone say anything bad about him personally (most say he is very nice) and I have never heard a single report of him not conducting himself in an exemplary manner. Is there something I have missed?

i agree with this statement.

strange..that ESPN/FOX/other media outlets have not questioned this 'grimace' controversy.

 

[Palmer]

I can't disagree with Tiger being great and will probably be the best ever. Doesn't mean I'm forced to like him, or forced to worship his greatness. I think of Tiger as Ben Hogan. A great golfer but not very fan friendly. If he was gracious like some other players are, he'd have double the following he has now.

wat.

his 'fan following' equals anyone that has ever strapped on a jock/laced them up. Not quite sure how it could get any larger.

 

[dosry5]

[quote=CTAClone;512664]I can't disagree with Tiger being great and will probably be the best ever. Doesn't mean I'm forced to like him, or forced to worship his greatness. I think of Tiger as Ben Hogan. A great golfer but not very fan friendly. If he was gracious like some other players are, he'd have double the following he has now.[/quote]


This is exactly how I feel. Tiger is the greatest.....but I'm not wearing Tiger blinders. He's not fan friendly at all and I'm not his fan. I respect what he does, but I'm not man crushing on him like so many others. It feels like hawkeyenation in here sometimes when you have the audacity to not be a blind fan of Tigers...