The Heart of a Champion

This post is coming a few days late. The whole world has been talking about Tiger. I decided to wait until the talk died off a bit. I wanted your undivided attention. Now that I have it, maybe I can help you realize what you are witnessing, and make you appreciate the position we are in. Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer to ever play the game. And we are seeing him make history right before our eyes.


Maybe a comment or two for you Tiger haters--because I know you are out there. First off, most of you hate Tiger just because he is the best. You probably like the Cubs or Indians, one of those franchises that always lose. And so you can't like a winner. You probably don't like Twilight either, because it's a winner. (heavy dose of sarcasm here) That's fine, I can appreciate that, but don't let the hatred blind you. Personally, I hate Dennis Rodman, but I knew he was the best rebounder in the game during his prime. I hate the Pittsburgh Steelers, but can complement their hard-nosed way of playing football. I also hate with all the hate in my body the New York Yankees, but I can overcome that hatred and appreciate....well, actually I can't think of anything positive to say about the Yankees. (Although I do like the fact they haven't won in who knows how long). If you are a Tiger hater, admire him for at least these two reasons. One, he wants to win so bad, he will do anything to get it done. He'll play through pain two months after knee surgery--and with broken bones in his leg! What?! He's a animal! Talk about motivation, hunger, desire. He's no Mike Hampton.

Another reason to appreciate Tiger Woods is he is the best celebrator in all of sports. As much as I love watching Larry Bird in his tight shorts waving the white towel when he beat the Lakers, Tiger gets the nod here. After he hit that putt on the 18th hole at Torey Pines to tie Mediate and force a playoff, he was so pumped I swear the television at my in-laws was shaking. I just wish he would give post game interviews like the one Kevin Garnett gave. (I didn't understand a word he said) Why do I like it? Because I can see that he cares. I can feel his emotion, I see his heart and his dedication. I think he might need to give Pau Gasol some lessons--the chest punching gets a little old after a while.

And here's Tiger kissing the US Open trophy. Poor Mediate, he's in the background as runner up, but that's not what he's thinking about. He just realized he forgot to clean Tiger's pool. You have to hand it to Rocco though, he didn't even qualify for the Open, he had to win a playoff to even be invited, and he took the #1 player in the world to the brink. Pretty impressive. Unfortunately, when you have the heart of a champion, you find a way to win. Even when all the odds are against you (like being down 3-0 to the yankees with a sutchered ankle) a champion can overcome those obstacles.

Tiger just found out some news from Rocco. Let's listen in.

Rocco: "Hey Tiger, great playing--but I got some bad news"

Tiger: "What? You suck at golf?"

Rocco: "No, well yes, but no, that's not what the bad news is."

Tiger: "What's the bad news?"

Rocco: "I forgot to clean your pool. Isn't that funny?"

Tiger: "That's not funny, now go get it clean before I hit you with this trophy."

Let me conclude with this. The day will come when Tiger will be old like Arnold, you will be old like your grandpa, and your kids will have kids. And you will all be sitting around the television when your grand kids will turn to you and say "Grandpa, did you ever watch Tiger Woods play?" You'll gaze off into the distance soaking in all the memories, then you'll jump up on the couch and give a fist pump for the ages as you kiss your can of Sprite and say "Heck yeah". (or something like that)