Evidence that husbands, even famous ones, don't have to cheat

After years as the recipient of universal fawning over his sweet golf swing, Tiger Woods shanks his personal life out of bounds and we rush to replace the divot in his world with instant analysis about what went wrong for Mr. Perfect.

You can't listen to sports radio or pick up a tabloid without seeing an explanation of why the always-in-control Woods apparently recorded several unplayable lies he politely refers to as "transgressions."

No angle is out-of-bounds for the American public. One story says Woods told a lover he's "sensitive" about the size of his calves. Another reports that singer Chris Brown, still on probation for attacking his then-girlfriend Rihanna in February, heard police didn't pursue domestic violence charges in the Woods case, and immediately tweeted, "Case closed? Just like that?"

Nobody, probably not even Woods and his wife, Elin, can explain exactly why the world's greatest golfer with the seemingly flawless life ended up on the front page of every tabloid. But several callers to radio shows suggest, "If you're Tiger Woods and beautiful women throw themselves at you everywhere, you can't resist the temptation forever."

Tiger Woods, one of the most tightly wound competitors on the planet, doesn't possess the discipline to stay faithful to his wife? Please, the guy still obsessively practices golf even though he's already regarded as the greatest player ever. If he has the discipline to chip shot after shot onto a green for the billionth time, Woods has the discipline to ignore a pretty cocktail waitress. If professional athletes literally lacked the discipline to control lust, we'd never get an NFL game played without some linebacker making a tackle on a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.

"Maybe he got bored with his model wife?" others suggest.

Woods should be immune to monotony. Golf is so tedious and mind-numbingly dull, Ambien considers it a competitor.

Actor Paul Newman, in explaining why he didn't cheat on his movie star wife, Joanne Woodward, once observed, "Why go out for hamburger when you have steak at home?" The sentiment was nice, but the meat metaphor for wives was in poor taste. Not only does it put the adultery fault solely on wives, what if a guy wants a steak with a little less fat, or lobster for a change, or even a sleazy slice of pizza?

"It's biology," others argue. "Men have an innate drive to reproduce, and can't help but sow seed in as many plowable fields as possible."

Whenever I hear someone excuse adultery as an uncontrollable biological urge, I have this innate desire to punch the speaker. Yet, I am able to control that animal urge.

"Adultery is harmful, but all professional athletes do it," goes another argument.

Having never walked a par 5 in Woods' cleats, I can't tell you why he did what he did. But I can tell you that last excuse doesn't ring true to Shirley Williams, wife of Hall-of-Fame Cubs legend Billy Williams, who also possessed a sweet swing in his day. Shirley was 19, a teenager, when she married her high school sweetheart.

"I look at our marriage as a gift from God," says Shirley, a member of the DuPage African Methodist Episcopal Church in Lisle. She and Billy, their daughters and grandchildren are busy planning their Feb. 25 celebration in honor of the couple's 50th wedding anniversary.

"Billy and I grew up together. We have a bond where we understand each other," Shirley says. "I see what's going on in the world now and how athletes of today act. I don't know if they respect the bond of marriage as much as people in our day."

Billy Williams became a star in the 1960s, when temptations abounded. In the early years of road trips, "Billy would call me every night when he got to his hotel room," recalls Shirley. Later, she and the kids often accompanied him for spring training or road trips.

"You have to have the relationship with each other, the understanding with each other about how to get through when you see there are people out there trying to divide you as a couple," says Shirley, who credits her Christian faith for guiding their marriage. "He respected the marriage vows, and so did I. You have to have a foundation. You have to have a purpose. You have to believe your marriage is a good marriage and you can live with this person the rest of your life. People are tempted every second, but you have to have the will, and the love."

Spouses, even the rich and famous ones, need to consider "what's really important, instead of what fun they can have," Shirley says. "As long as you can talk with each other and believe in each other, that's really precious."

While she says she feels "blessed" in her marriage, Shirley also says that marriages are personal, and none of us can judge the marriage of Tiger and Elin Woods.

"My heart goes out to him. My heart goes out to his wife. It's so easy for other people to judge him," Shirley says. "They should have time to heal."

I'm not sure the media and the public will let them.