Did this require its own thread? You did see the “Golf 2012” thread, right? Okay, there hasn’t been much going on in it, but that’s kinda the point…if there aren’t a lot of posts about the sport, you only need one thread.
But since you did start this, I’d like to ask you something. Just a really simple question. Are you willing to accept that maybe…juuuuust maybe…Tiger is going to come up short? That despite all his accomplishments, he won’t return to his mid 00’s form, he won’t break Jack Nicklaus’ major record, he won’t win another forty tournaments and become the undisputed greatest etc. etc.? Maybe? Possibly?
See, THAT’S the really annoying thing about all this, all the brash guarantees, usually done with an air of smug self-congratulation, where we should just be watching to see what happens. I thought that was one of the great things about sports, the amazing upset, spectacular overachiever, or miracle turnaround that blows you away and makes you grateful that you were there to see it. Imagine, for example, if after game 3 of the 2004 ALCS, you said that the Yankees were absolutely for sure 100% guaranteed to win it and the Red Sox may as well just give up. You’d have several omlettes on your face and feel absolutely miserable, instead of thrilling at an awesome landmark comeback like the rest of the country. And worse, even if the Yankees had pulled it out, what would you have gained? Oh, totally brave and bold of you to call it for a team that’s up 3-0.
And of course, what makes this even more egregious is the fact that, as has been proven over and over over at least the past three years, nobody knows anything. Hell, I certainly never called Luke Donald regaining #1 after two weeks (although that was just because of his limited PGA schedule; I didn’t think he was going into the tank or anything). We’re in a weird time in the sport, and it caught pretty much everyone off guard, but you’re just going to have to ride it out.
I mean, is your problem seriously that a bunch of yapping yahoos annointed Rory McIlroy the greatest player in the sport? That’s hype at work. They don’t know any more than you. If you look hard enough, you can find someone espousing some wacko declaration. It doesn’t mean anything, and neither does your guarantee that Tiger’s shooting straight to the top.
For crying out loud, the guy’s getting old. He’s been through a lot, and he can’t muscle his way out of power the way he did in the past. Sure, he’s still capable of the occasional burst of greatness. A lot of superstars can be occasionally great past their prime. But they’re still past their prime. You’re pretty optimistic when you say that he’ll just overcome his putting and short game issues. In my experience, accuracy is the first thing to go.
He’s proven that he’s not washed up. Fine. Good. I’ll give you that. Anything else, could we at least wait until, say, the halfway point of the season? Watch some college basketball. I hear they’re having some important games right now.
