Reilly lecturing again

[DanOregon]

It's funny, I remember when the argument against Tiger, and golfers in general, is that they didn't show enough emotion.

 

[spnited]

Exactly, Dan.
We all ***** about athletes acting like robots, then when one of the all-time greats shows his temper because he's playing like ****, we rip him for it.

 

[playthrough]

I don't necessarily go for the "what about the kids?" take, which took all of five paragraphs for Reilly to pull out. I hope to take my kid to see Tiger play sometime, and if he goes into this act, so be it. It's his office and if he wants to be a jackass, it's tough to legislate against that. My kid might emulate it once because that's what kids do, but it sure as hell won't happen twice. I don't need Finchem ordering Tiger to tone it down for the sake of my kid.

(climbing down off soapbox)

 

[SixToe]

I don't care if Tiger says **** or slams his clubs. Big deal. Just play and move along.

His father used to jangle keys and throw stuff at him when he's putting and now he freaks at camera being shot? What happened to the steely resolve?

If he allowed it once on the course, every shot would turn into a zoo with people trying to spook him. So he's become Mr. Quiet for anything from a sneeze to a camera shutter.

It would be funny to see someone honk an air horn at the top of his backswing just to see him melt down, though.

 

[Songbird]

Exactly, Dan.
We all ***** about athletes acting like robots, then when one of the all-time greats shows his temper because he's playing like ****, we rip him for it.

I agree, but there's a time and a place. There is a happy medium where you're not a robot and you're not John McEnroe.

 

[spnited]

So Tiger's exaggerated fist pump when he drops a long putt is cool, but his emotions when he sucks are reason to villify him?

 

[JackReacher]

So Tiger's exaggerated fist pump when he drops a long putt is cool, but his emotions when he sucks are reason to villify him?

Yes, when his emotions include loud F Bombs. He's not cursing on camera when he drops a long putt.

I think all the stuff about slamming his clubs....whatever. No big deal. I do have a problem with his dirty mouth, though. Does send a bad message.

God, who am I?

 

[Songbird]

Don't mind the fist-pumping so much, although it's a bit silly at this point. But Reilly has a point: kids will emulate him, and soon we'll have a nation of golf courses on which punk-asses are dropping f-bombs and sullying what is supposed to be a "gentlemanly" sport.

I guess my question for Tiger is: What's the point of cussing so much? Yeah, we know you have the killer instinct. But c'mon, deal with a bad shot. It happens to everyone. Give the caddy the stick after a bad shot and enjoy the exercise of walking to the ball for the next shot. The **** ain't life or death.

 

[housejd]

The column was not great, but an easy read. And I even agree with Reilly.

The big problem I have is the fact the guy is paid hand over fist and can't even muster the effort to talk to anyone. Wanna blast Tiger? Then have the balls (and integrity) to talk to the guy. Ask him why he gets so upset. Question whether he thinks he needs to be more of a role model.

Talk to kids watching. Do they throw clubs as much as they do the Tiger fist pump? Do parents watching there even care what Tiger does?

Reilly just doing the legwork a blogger could do is crap. I thought sports journalists were paid to bring people places they couldn't go. It would seem Tiger Woods' mind and feelings would qualify as that.

Just my two cents ...

And Reilly gave his two cents. He's a columnist, not a beat guy. He's not obligated to talk to Tiger for an opinion piece on Tiger. Columns can be one-sided, ya know? That's kind of the point.

Oh, I understand a column has an opinion. But that doesn't excuse laziness.

Columns can, you know, be good journalism.

 

[broadway joe]

Perfectly good column. He makes a reasonable argument, whether you agree with it or not. He also shows a willingness to do something other than kiss the ass of the big names. It doesn't make the list of his greatest hits, and yes, if he'd gotten Tiger to address the matter it would have been better, but it's still a good opinion piece. Save the Reilly-bashing for when it's warranted.

 

[JackReacher]

The column was not great, but an easy read. And I even agree with Reilly.

The big problem I have is the fact the guy is paid hand over fist and can't even muster the effort to talk to anyone. Wanna blast Tiger? Then have the balls (and integrity) to talk to the guy. Ask him why he gets so upset. Question whether he thinks he needs to be more of a role model.

Talk to kids watching. Do they throw clubs as much as they do the Tiger fist pump? Do parents watching there even care what Tiger does?

Reilly just doing the legwork a blogger could do is crap. I thought sports journalists were paid to bring people places they couldn't go. It would seem Tiger Woods' mind and feelings would qualify as that.

Just my two cents ...

And Reilly gave his two cents. He's a columnist, not a beat guy. He's not obligated to talk to Tiger for an opinion piece on Tiger. Columns can be one-sided, ya know? That's kind of the point.

Oh, I understand a column has an opinion. But that doesn't excuse laziness.

Columns can, you know, be good journalism.

Eh. I still don't see the need for Tiger quotes. If it's a trend piece, sure. An 800-word column? Not so much.

 

[Small Town Guy]

Don't mind the fist-pumping so much, although it's a bit silly at this point. But Reilly has a point: kids will emulate him, and soon we'll have a nation of golf courses on which punk-asses are dropping f-bombs and sullying what is supposed to be a "gentlemanly" sport.

I guess my question for Tiger is: What's the point of cussing so much? Yeah, we know you have the killer instinct. But c'mon, deal with a bad shot. It happens to everyone. Give the caddy the stick after a bad shot and enjoy the exercise of walking to the ball for the next shot. The **** ain't life or death.

the only people I've ever golfed with the last 10 years or so are people over 30. I've heard dozens of F-bombs on the course. Regular golfers have been swearing on the course forever. I don't see Tiger's cursing leading to a surge of unruly cussers on the course. And maybe it will have the opposite effect: the generation of American tennis players after McEnroe and Connors were among the most boring, lifeless personalities the sport's ever seen. I'm sure we'll still have plenty of boring, lifeless, well-mannered American PGA players in 15, 20 years.

 

[Guy_Incognito]

He spurred real, legitimate debate. I happen to agree with him, but either way this was by far the best thing I've seen from him in a while - though I don't read him regularly anymore.

 

[BTExpress]

The generation of American tennis players after McEnroe and Connors were among the most boring, lifeless personalities the sport's ever seen.

That generation included Agassi. And I would hardly call Jeff Tarango a boring, lifeless personality --- but then, he wasn't an elite player so most people don't know about some of his antics, which would easily rival McEnroe or Connors. But the other top Americans --- Sampras, Courier, Chang, Wheaton, Martin, Washington --- pretty boring, I guess. But they had a lot of class.

Makes me wonder, though.

Put McEnroe and Connors in today's game, with Hawk-Eye replay system, thereby taking away 99 percent of the temper they showed (arguing with umpires and stewing about questionable line calls), and would they be nearly as compelling?

I'd like to think there was more to "emotion" than being an ass or simply losing it just because you thought the linesperson made a bad call. But maybe there wasn't.

 

[spnited]

Jeff Tarango? Bad player, worse temper. Does not belong in this discussion

 

[SixToe]

But Reilly has a point: kids will emulate him, and soon we'll have a nation of golf courses on which punk-asses are dropping f-bombs and sullying what is supposed to be a "gentlemanly" sport.

No, we won't.

I've yet to see any John Daly lookalikes running around the courses, chain-smoking and popping peanut M&Ms into their fat pieholes.

Tennis courts didn't go to hell in a handbasket when McEnroe and Nastase were parading around trashing umpires and gear.

There isn't a group of young drivers in Quarter Midget and lower regional NASCAR events cursing out media types like Tony Stewart did or acting like a bitchy Kyle Busch.

Why? Because when all that juvenile f-bomb activity is on display publicly, rational people including impressionable teens realize how stupid it looks. Parents typically tell their kids "Don't act like that" and use those events as examples of how not to act.

 

[GB-Hack]

The generation of American tennis players after McEnroe and Connors were among the most boring, lifeless personalities the sport's ever seen.

That generation included Agassi. And I would hardly call Jeff Tarango a boring, lifeless personality --- but then, he wasn't an elite player so most people don't know about some of his antics, which would easily rival McEnroe or Connors. But the other top Americans --- Sampras, Courier, Chang, Wheaton, Martin, Washington --- pretty boring, I guess. But they had a lot of class.

Makes me wonder, though.

Put McEnroe and Connors in today's game, with Hawk-Eye replay system, thereby taking away 99 percent of the temper they showed (arguing with umpires and stewing about questionable line calls), and would they be nearly as compelling?

I get the feeling McEnroe at least would think the system was rigged, and still be pissed off.

 

[BTExpress]

Jeff Tarango? Bad player, worse temper. Does not belong in this discussion

He was a top 50 player. Exactly how high up the rankings do you have to be to enter the discussion about bad behavior?

 

[Small Town Guy]

The generation of American tennis players after McEnroe and Connors were among the most boring, lifeless personalities the sport's ever seen.

That generation included Agassi. And I would hardly call Jeff Tarango a boring, lifeless personality --- but then, he wasn't an elite player so most people don't know about some of his antics, which would easily rival McEnroe or Connors. But the other top Americans --- Sampras, Courier, Chang, Wheaton, Martin, Washington --- pretty boring, I guess. But they had a lot of class.

Makes me wonder, though.

Put McEnroe and Connors in today's game, with Hawk-Eye replay system, thereby taking away 99 percent of the temper they showed (arguing with umpires and stewing about questionable line calls), and would they be nearly as compelling?

I'd like to think there was more to "emotion" than being an ass or simply losing it just because you thought the linesperson made a bad call. But maybe there wasn't.

I agree all those guys were classy (and, in Wheaton's case, Minnesotan, which makes him an even nicer man). And that's my point, those guys grew up watching McEnroe, Connors, Nastasse, and instead of imitating them, went the opposite directions, anti-Tarango if you will. Meaning, I don't think we have to worry about the next generation of duffers occasionally saying **** simply because they've seen Tiger do it, what, 20, 25 times in 12 years.

 

[poindexter]

Jeff Tarango? Bad player, worse temper. Does not belong in this discussion

He was a top 50 player. Exactly how high up the rankings do you have to be to enter the discussion about bad behavior?

Maybe the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam? Tarango never sniffed a semi-final of a Slam, did he?