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Sidelines Kalani Simpson |
Pouncing on a once
untamed TigerTHE world has turned for Tiger Woods.
Everybody's ripping Tiger these days. Rick Reilly. USA Today. Half the columnists in the country, from papers big and small, those who cover his events in person and those who sit and watch them on TV, have decided it's T-ball season. And time to take a swing.
And Tiger deserves it.
His caddie is a maniac, an attack dog let off the leash. He's taken a fan's camera and thrown it into a lake. He's charged into crowds to snarl and intimidate.
At the U.S. Open he kicked the camera of a newspaper man who dared snap a picture of his boss.
Kicked it!
Who is he, Freddy Adu?
It sounds like a Fox TV special: When Caddies Attack.
But don't worry, denizens of the golf galleries. Fear not, mild-mannered country club dwellers. The nation's press will protect you.
Sports Illustrated's Reilly wrote this week that Tiger's caddie "has the look on his face of a man who'd very much like to pinch your head off."
"As subtle as a pit bull and as stable as a crackhead looking to score the next fix," a Washington Times writer chimed in.
And Tiger is taking heat.
Good.
But wait a minute. Hasn't he always deserved this? Hasn't Tiger always done whatever he wanted, gone by his own set of rules? Hasn't his caddie (and I hope Tiger doesn't fire him, because I would hate to see Mr. Wie snatch him up next) been a menace for years?
Well, yes.
In fact that throw-the-camera-in-the-lake incident happened in 2002, and let's just say the uproar was, um, somewhat muted.
But you're certainly hearing about it now.
(Eh, timeout. What would happen if a giant psychotic New Zealander jumped into the gallery and snatched your camera and threw it in the lake? Would you crack 'em?)
SI has turned on Tiger. The Washington Post thumped him. He's lost Singapore Today!
(You know you're in trouble when you've lost Singapore Today.)
Tiger Woods, savior of golf. And everyone with a keyboard is doing a Gillooly on him in righteous indignation.
Everybody's piling on. He's down, and they're all taking a swing.
So there we have it. Tiger -- formerly untouchable. Rabid caddie -- always been a maniac. Press -- taking Tiger out at the knees without mercy.
Why the sudden outcry?
He's losing.
Or rather, he's human. Before, he was unbeatable. Now he's vulnerable (or, as Fabio puts it, "voonerable").
Now he has to answer for stuff, like everyone else.
It's amazing that all these same things can go on while Tiger is rewriting the record books, and everything is cool. But as soon as he can't find the fairway the emperor is suddenly well short of swoosh-emblazoned clothes.
The press has found its courage as Tiger has lost his game.
Good.
But if something is wrong, it is just as wrong if the perpetrator is on top of the world.
Isn't it?
Apparently not.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com