I doubt Tiger Woods will be looked down upon much longer. No one ever seems to be down too long, except maybe Barry Bonds. Kobe Bryant still sells more jerseys than anyone, no one remembers Bill Belichick is a cheater and Mark McGwire landed on his feet as a hitting coach. Sports scandals come and go in a flash. Tiger just has to face the music so he can shift his focus forward. It may sound cold or cruel, but it would go a long way in my book if Tiger had a Kobe-esque apology. Put him in front of his family, the media and really the entire world and let me watch him squirm. I want to see that he really is ashamed and apologetic. We can go on from there. Until he stops hiding, there are going to be more people like Jesper Parnevik to take shots at him. Parnevik earlier today:
“I really feel sorry for Elin, since me and my wife were at fault for hooking her up with him. We probably thought he was a better guy than he is. I would probably need to apologize to her and hope she uses a driver next time instead of the 3-iron.”
Sometimes the ugly side of life manages to seep into the sports world and clouds things. What Tiger Woods has been doing is wrong, and I hope he pays for it, financially and otherwise. The ultimate outcome of this story, however, will be people make mistakes, wrongs can be righted and redemption is possible.
I expect Tiger will piece things together, get back on his feet and ultimately do much more good for the world than bad. In times like these, it's easy to forget about things like the Tiger Woods Foundation, which benefits underprivileged children, and the Tiger Woods Learning Center, which aims to encourage kids to think about their future education. Tiger Woods is not perfect, but he's not a monster, either.
There are some really great college football games this week, but I doubt any will be as entertaining as tonight's Oregon-Oregon State game. Obviously, this matchup dubbed “The Civil War” is a rivalry game, but there's even more fuel to the fire than usual. Last season, the Beavers needed to beat the Ducks to represent the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl. Oregon went into Corvallis and smoked Oregon State 63-38. The “war” takes place in Eugene this time around (ESPN 9 p.m. ET), with a Rose Bowl appearance in the balance for both schools. While I'm sure the Ducks would love to win the Pac-10 after a disappointing start to the season, I believe this is a bigger game for the Beavers. They want revenge, and they want to get back to Pasadena for the first time in 46 years.
This game also features several individual stars. Sophomore running back Jacquizz Rodgers has totaled 1,749 total yards and 20 Tds for the No. 16 Beavers. Junior quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has thrown for 1,865 yards and 14 Tds to go with over 600 yards and 12 touchdowns rushing the ball for No. 7 Oregon.
There are three games Saturday that have huge BCS championship implications, but I'm most excited to see this Oregon-Oregon State game.
I doubt Jamal Lewis will ever get the love he deserves. The last man to rush for 2,000 yards has been forced to end his final season in the NFL due to post concussion syndrome. Lewis finishes his career with over 10,000 rushing yards, ranking 21st all time. Many people will remember Lewis for serving a four-month prison term for conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute cocain, and rightly so. Many others will remember his later years, as he aged quickly (multiple knee surgeries will do that) and never duplicated the amazing numbers he posted in 2003.
I'll remember Jam as one of the first collegiate players I followed into the pros and I'll always have a soft spot for him because he helped win me my first fantasy football championship back in '03.
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