As I write this, Tiger Woods is playing in the Dubai Desert Classic.
It’s hard to tell if he has a chance of winning or not. And it’s hard to believe that there was a time when no one would have ever written that previous sentence. There was a time when it wasn’t even a question of will he win, but only how soon will he win? But things have changed.

I was a fan of Tiger ever since he turned pro. He was a great role model for us “mixed kids.” And it was nice to see a brown-skinned man dominating a sport other than basketball, football, or boxing. When folks ask today whom my favorite athlete is, I still say Tiger Woods. I just can’t help but root for him, but dang he has really been sucking lately, hasn’t he? Didn’t win a single tournament @ all last year.

When the cheating scandal first broke back in Nov. 2009, I was not surprised. He’s a rich athlete. I know this is stereotyping, but c’mon, athlete’s cheat. They just do. And it doesn’t matter how “hot” their wives may or may not be. Yes, Tiger’s ex-wife was hot. So is Kobe Bryant’s wife. Eva Longoria is hot, but that didn’t stop Tony Parker from cheating on her. Halle Berry is hot, but that didn’t stop David Justice from cheating on her. The temptation these guys get is enormous. Women throw themselves @ them almost everywhere they go. Add that to the fact that you’re usually spending several months every year traveling and, well, it’s really not hard to predict what’s going to happen.

That’s not to excuse the cheating. Cheating is always wrong. I always say, these guys should wait until they’re older, maybe retired, before they even think about settling down. Why even put yourself in that position where you might be tempted to cheat on someone? Just stay single, and do whatever you want. He’s not an athlete, but I look @ a guy like Warren Beatty as one who did it right. For decades he was known as a big Hollywood ladies man. He had all of his fun, enjoyed his fame, and then when he was in his 50’s he settled down and got married. And almost 20 years later, you haven’t heard of any scandals (he’s 73, probably too old to do anything if he even wanted to now). George Clooney is another guy who dates around, but has made it clear that he has no interest in getting married so, as long as he’s honest with the women he dates, no one can complain. So that’s the advice I’d give to any young professional athlete. Keep your options open until you’re really ready to settle down. But I’d also give advice to any woman who marries a professional athlete who is still active in his career: don’t be surprised if he cheats on you. I’m sorry, but that’s just a sad reality.

So, even with Tiger’s clean image, it still wasn’t a shock to me when I heard he may have cheated on his wife. However I did eventually become a little shocked @ had prevalent it apparently was. Having A mistress is one thing, but this dude had around a dozen! Sheesh. And talk about reckless behavior, he was dumb enough to actually leave voice mail messages to some of these women, and send dirty texts? How did he not think that would eventually get out? That was really stupid.

But when he first announced that he was taking a break from golf, I thought that was a mistake. It was clear that the marriage was over, so he should have just immediately started the divorce proceedings, give his wife a bunch of money to keep her mouth shut, and then went right back to playing golf. The thing about the public is, they are very forgiving of winners. Look @ Kobe Bryant. Or Mike Tyson once he got out of jail. Just start winning again, and people will forget about the personal life. But now Tiger is back playing, but he’s not winning. I can’t figure out what could be wrong. How could you go from being The Greatest Player In The World for over a decade to losing every game you play? Heck, maybe the problem is that he’s NOT out banging every chick in sight anymore. Perhaps that is what gave him his edge?

I’m mostly kidding when I say that.

Anyway, I just want him to get back on top, where he belongs. I know there are far too many folks enjoying his downfall, and I can’t wait until he shoves it down their throats. If he can.
*Fingers crossed*