Tiger Woods really doesn't owe us an apology

Whenever anyone asks who the greatest athlete of all time is, my answer is that I can't separate a group of three: Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.

They're my three favorites of all time, the Babe Ruths of their sports, the Babe Ruths of my lifetime.

I consider it good fortune that I've had the chance to witness their magic.

They possess characteristics that can't be taught or passed on, unmatched physical and athletic skill, combined with an almost inhuman mental toughness and complete refusal to give up or accept defeat.

But human they are, and just like Babe Ruth they carry in common a predilection for infidelity.

So the question this week has been almost universal: Are you shocked by the Woods revelations?

And then answer is, "No."

I'm not truly shocked by much at this point in my life.

Disappointed? Sure.

Shocked? No.

Shock is not finding out that a professional athlete worth a billion dollars, who has women throwing themselves at him in every city, has strayed.

It's not something I condone or encourage, but I'm also not sure it's something about which we're supposed to judge.

I realize this is the time in which we live, but you would think trying to live our own lives would be enough work for any one person.

Instead, it's a time in which we're excited to learn on Facebook that our cousin is headed for the grocery store and discover on Twitter that our former college roommate is angry it snows in December in Chicago.

It's a time when the fascination with others' lives trumps the interest in our own. Maybe that's because life is so difficult for so many right now.

I just know that I find pain in others' pain and don't know if it's my place to tell others how to live their lives.

Especially when, in the case of Tiger Woods, it's so early in the story.

In the first 24 hours, there were 50 different versions of the events, about 49 of which turned out to be incorrect.

If this were the Masters - as a friend pointed out Wednesday - it feels like we've completed one round, and there's a long way to go in the tournament before we know the entire story and have a conclusion.

When we'll get the rest is unclear, and maybe we'll never hear it all, but even if we do, it's dangerous to make assumptions about what goes on in someone else's home, or presume to know the reasons for someone's private behavior.

Tiger apologized Wednesday for cheating on his wife, but did he really owe us that? Or did he apologize several days into this fiasco because he'd been told by his reps that he must?

It's his family he has injured and it's his wife who is deserving of his remorse. It's only his wife - and someday his children - who can forgive him for the terrible pain he has caused.

As for the rest of us, if he has 50 million fans worldwide, I doubt there are many who will stop watching him pursue Jack Nicklaus, and I doubt the cheers will be any less thunderous when next he chips in for eagle at the 2010 U.S. Open.

At least that part of it has provided a small dose of humor in the midst of this mess, the suggestions that it will hurt Tiger's game, destroy the PGA Tour, or ruin his endorsement deals.

Has it ever cost Michael Jordan in any manner, expect for a spectacularly expensive divorce?

And, seriously, I never got the whole endorsement thing anyway.

Did you ever buy a Nike golf ball because of Woods, when you knew the Pro V1 was the best ball in the land?

Did you purchase Hanes underwear because Jordan said on a commercial that it made him feel good?

As for the Tour, as long as he plays, people will turn out to watch because Woods is the best who ever lived and it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

His game? If you haven't figured out yet that the surest way to get Woods' very best game is to tell him he won't be the same, then you'll probably be amazed by what he does next summer.

An angry Tiger is a Tiger who can sweep the Grand Slam, so this is not bad for the Tour, only bad for the rest of the Tour players.

It's early in the story, there is still a lot more to be reported, and maybe some of it will even be accurate.

In the meantime, I'm certainly glad so much time has been spent discussing this on the TV news networks.

Lord knows, we don't have more important things to worry about.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=341153">Woods says he lets family down, apologizes for transgressions <span class="date">[12/02/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>