April 11^th, 2008  a Friday

Let’s talk about Tiger.  You knew we would. It’s Masters weekend.  And isn’t everyone talking about Tiger? In fact, a lot of people wouldn’t even notice the Masters was happening if it wasn’t for Tiger. 

A lady did a scientific study about the Tiger effect on tournaments and the other players. I saw it on cable tv.  She said whether Tiger was playing on any given week had a real impact on how the rest of the field approached that tournament.  Tiger either makes players push hard because they know they really have to play their absolute best, or not bother because they know they can never be as good as him, she said. It works out to a 1.5 stroke advantage to Tiger before any golf ball is struck on Thursday morning.  But my favorite part was that the players should just forget about Tiger lurking around on some other hole because for sure, Tiger wasn’t thinking about them at all.  Not one bit.  Never mind if they actually have to play in Tiger’s group.  Forget it.  Tiger has a dominant effect on his sport in a way that no other athlete has ever had on their sport.  That’s what she said. 

Well, Tiger was kind of mad at himself yesterday on opening day because he didn’t have one birdie. Not one.  He chipped one in from the fringe for an eagle in a Tiger moment, two bogies and the rest pars.  He finished even for the day, four strokes off the lead.  He sometimes swears when he hits a bad shot or when one of the dozens of  photographers around him all the time clicks the shutter during his amazing backswing.  Sometimes he can stop his swing in mid-motion but sometimes the ball just goes off where he doesn’t want it.  He and his caddie get really pissed when that happens and storm around in a threatening manner. The PGA fines players for that type of thing but the fines are not made public.  So we are left to guess as to whether Tiger got punished for cursing in an unprofessional manner and had to pay his fine.  (Yes, that will definitely stop him from ever doing it again.)  I think it is just because he cares so much about every single shot.

When you think about it, pro athletes have a big advantage over the rest of us.  They can set goals that are very clear and easy to explain. Maybe they want to run a half second faster, make the most three pointers, win the championship, or sweep all the Majors in one season (or if they are like me, do just one pull-up).  And they know the exact moment when that goal is met.  Then they get a lot of attention and praise for it and everyone congratulates them and gives them high fives and knuckle touches and then they make even more money.  And they seem to have all the time in the world to train for these goals (unless they are Olympic athletes and then they may have to work also which is why we should not boycott the Games).  Oh, if only life’s regular goals were that simple and easily defined. Say you wanted to stop smoking, or lose weight, or stop cursing (likeTiger is trying to do).  Yeah, that would be much harder to explain and to accomplish.  You would have to stay away from cigarettes, eat less and exercise more, and just stop saying swear words.  That’s much worse than getting up every morning at 6 am and going to the gym and sweating and grunting for hours and watching every bite of food you put in your mouth just to knock off that half second.  Yes, athletes have it much easier than us regular folks (and bears) in terms of setting goals and actually accomplishing them. 

People say “but athletes have all that talent so it’s easy for them to make the commitment”. I’m not so sure about that. Having talent isn’t the same thing as being motivated to do the hardwork.  Imagine how many really talented athletes are out there in the world who never work hard enough or care enough to do anything special with it. And lots of those who make it big are not the most talented but the hardest workers.  They show up every day and try and try and try. It isn’t easy to be the one who tries the hardest all the time and cares the most.  Sometimes people who don’t try their hardest think that isn’t cool and make the ones who do feel like dorks. 

No, we can’t all be Tiger Woods, no matter how hard we work.  But we can think like Tiger Woods.  Wouldn’t it be great to go out with the guys for a round of golf and win by 7 strokes because you secretly hit balls and practiced putting every night for a month?  To have the nerve to actually do it.  The guys probably wouldn’t like it that much because later, over beers in the clubhouse, you would win all the money.  That’s probably how Tiger feels every Sunday when he puts everyone on notice by wearing that trademark red shirt and then wins the big purse.  Does he wish all those guys liked him more?  Probably.  But would he rather chalk up another win for the record books along with another million bucks for his bank account?  I’m thinking yes. 

I once heard this lady golfer, an LPGA Rookie of the Year winner, say that everyone always tells her “what they wouldn’t give” to have her beautiful golf swing.  She said they think that swing came to her like a gift from God, just handed down from above.  When actually behind every single swing was a lifetime (including childhood) of hitting bucket after bucket of balls and practicing every single day.  It was no gift. Her father pretty much decided that was going to be her life because he wanted it so bad.  For her, of course.  And what did she get outof it?  A beautiful swing, envied by all.  She didn’t do all that well on tour.  You have never heard of her. 

Decide what you want and go for it.  Just do it.  But Nike isn’t going to pay you a damned dime for it.  Get over it. 

GR