Tiger Speaks

Hello LTD followers and I'm sorry I've abandoned you the past few days. I worked about 50 hours last week and am on pace to do it again this week so needless to say I haven't had much energy to blog.

But now it's Sunday and I have a lot to say so let's get to it.

Last week Tiger Woods spoke for the first time about his indiscretions and what he's been up to for the last three months. I didn't watch the video but I did read the transcript of his speech and I thought it was all pretty interesting stuff.

First of all, the setting. Just Tiger with a prepared speech. No questions from reporters. A select group of friends and associates were allowed to attend. His wife wasn't there. His mother was. Interesting stuff. Is this Tiger trying to keep some sort of control over the situation? Possibly. Every other aspect of this situation has been inspected and scrutinized so maybe this is Tiger's way of saying now we play by my rules. You can't really blame him for that I don't think. I feel like any celeb would take the chance to say if I have to do this, we're doing it my way after going through everything that Tiger has been through.



So did he have to do this? I think yes. As much as he and anyone else would like to say that this is a matter between him and his wife, and it is, at the same time he's still a very very public figure and this my friends is not something that will go away with a quick word from his "rep". It's just something that had to be commented on by him. That being said, I do think that his focus on how he and his wife are handling it was very appropriate and absolutely where the focus should be right now. Above all else, she is the only one who should matter at all to him throughout this whole ordeal. Not the fans, not his sponsors or boosters, not the people who work for him.

I couldn't help but be reminded of Kobe's press conference after the whole scandal with that girl in Denver. The two situations are very different down to how they chose to deal with it. Kobe had a very public press conference with this wife by his side who, might I add, appeared to be flashing a giant diamond ring. Is either way the right way or the wrong way? Not at all. They just chose to approach the situation differently. For Kobe and his wife, it meant that she would be there to show her support and love for him - and her appreciation for her brand new giant diamond ring. Okay I'll stop. But for Tiger's situation, I feel it was appropriate for his wife Elin to not be present.

So Tiger's said his piece and I'm pretty sure that's all we're ever going to hear from him on the matter. I think he made good points. He acknowledged what happened, acknowledged the consequences and talked about what the future holds. I don't know, I think overall it was a decent job. There's been a lot of mixed reactions to how he handled it and some I agree with, but overall I think he just did what he had to do and what he felt was appropriate and right for this situation. The best part for me was that he didn't blame anybody else. He shoulders it completely and I think he knows that he's pretty alone right now but he also understands that he's the only one that can make this right.

Will it ever blow over? Probably not. But he's taken a step. He knows what's in store for him and what it's going to take to get back to greatness. So all we can do now is wish him luck and hope it all works out.

Part Dos of Triple R-The Tiger Woods Edition

Okay we are ready now for part two of "Romance Rumors and Rumblings - The Tiger Woods Edition". I took a few days off because it was the fall finale of "Glee" then we had Scotto and James in the house (shoutout) all weekend.

On to the good stuff. On Tuesday we discussed the mistresses and Tiger's wife so that means today we will discuss the man of the hour himself as well as what the future may hold for Mr. Woods. This could also be long too, so that's your disclaimer.

Tiger Tiger Woods Y'all

I'm semi-stealing this joke from CM but somewhere Phil Mickelson is having a great week. Man I did not see this coming. An affair with one woman maybe but upwards of 10? I'm not going to go through who each and every woman is but let me tell you, there's no one special on that list. A bunch of waitresses, some partygoers and club hoppers, I think a porn star was mentioned; where are your standards Tiger? But I think I'm getting ahead of myself.

So why does one of the most successful pro athletes in the world (money and championship-wise) end up in trouble like this? My first thought is that it stems from boredom. We all think he's amazing. We can't take our eyes off him when he plays and can't stop talking about him around the water cooler the next day. But maybe he thinks of it as just another day. Maybe because golf is technically his job he sees it like we see our jobs. You get up and go to work. Sometimes you have a good day and sometimes you have a bad day. The day ends and you come home. You eat dinner, talk with your family, maybe argue with your wife. You watch TV. You go to bed. And you do it all again the next day. I know it's crazy to think because his job involves travel and fancy cars and clothes and all the riches of a celeb lifestyle. But maybe he really is tired of it.

Think of something you've been doing since you were what 3 years old? Not many of us really have a thing like that. I guess mine is reading so I'll use that. How big of a "passion" do I really have for reading? At the end of the day, I like doing it. Some days I really can't wait to snuggle up with a good book and some nights I'm like ugh reading sounds like way too much work right now. But it doesn't define me like golf defines Tiger Woods. Tiger has been playing golf for a really long time and I don't think it's the actual golf that he might be bored with, but possibly more of everything that goes with it.

So with that comes a second guess as to why this is all happening: the pressures of his lifestyle. Again it's hard for us to imagine but it's not out of the realm of possibility is it? Having never played real golf in my entire life, I'm not gonna lie, I think golf is an incredibly stressful sport. I don't really understand what's so relaxing about it, except if you play it my way. And my way includes flip cup, iPod speakers blasting Journey and snacks. I don't know, golf just seems really stressful. It's just you out there in your own head and that can take a toll on a person. And god forbid the ball gets stuck in the sand or next to a tree. Then you basically have to make a shot that involves phrases like "98 degree angle" and magic/wizardry isn't allowed. That stresses me out just thinking about it. So not only does Tiger have to play golf, but he gets the privilege of doing it with 8000 people standing four feet away from him staring at him. I'm sorry but these all sound like very high pressure situations to me. Plus because he's Tiger, he's not supposed to lose. So if he does for some reason lose, he gets analyzed and questioned and that can stress someone out too. He also has to maintain a certain image for his endorsements; he has to be that ultimate man all the time to fit the brand of Nike and Gillette and Tag Heuer watches and Gatorade.

So boredom and/or stress seem to be some plausible ideas as to why he could have gone semi-out of control like this right?

Okay so now why these random, obscure women? And why so many? I cannot understand why someone cheats. If things aren't good at home and you want to be with someone else, then leave and go. Divorce isn't that great for your image but trust me, you look like an even bigger jackass now. So I will never understand cheating and frankly I don't want to. Perhaps this is him rebelling. If he is that sick of the lifestyle and the standards he has to uphold all the time, maybe this is his way of doing something completely out of character and the exact opposite of everything people think about him. Maybe if he is sick of his boring life, this would be the obvious way to make things a lot less boring. I just don't think he was expecting to get caught. So that's his bad for getting with LA cocktail waitresses who want to get famous fast. Clearly they are loving this attention.

So do I feel bad for Tiger Woods? Not really. He effed up. (Warning: girl power talk about to commence) He had a wife who appeared to love him and support him and his career and not to mention the two children they have. If nothing else, the kids have to come into play at some point to make someone think twice about their decisions. Although they're too young now, I'm sure at some point in their life things will come up and then what? I'm just saying that he had it all and for whatever reason, he felt the need to throw it all away. I just don't get it. Like I said before, if you're that unhappy with things, just leave. You'll look bad at first, but people will get over divorce a heck of a lot faster than they will when it comes out you slept with 13 women over the last few years.

The Future

So what lies ahead for these three parties?

Well clearly the mistresses are already doing their part to cash in on the situation. One is already getting offers to do Playboy, I think all of them are hiring Gloria Allred for some situation. Why do THEY need a lawyer? That's what I don't get at all. The paparazzi is all about them. So slowly but surely, I feel like they're all getting what they wanted. Like I said before, cocktail waitresses and socialites are usually about one thing: the attention. So congrats girls, I guess.

We've started to see the direction that Tiger's wife might take. It's rumored that she's bought a house in Sweden and did it all on her own. Apparently she was also spotted without her wedding ring while pumping gas in Florida. So maybe that means that she's getting used to the idea of living life without him? I'm not gonna lie, I would probably walk away if I was her. Take Tiger to the house, take the kids, hire a bunch of maids and nannies and just make it work.

Finally we've also started to see the "fallout" that Tiger is suffering. A couple of sponsors have dropped him, most notably Gatorade and Gillette. He's taken an indefinite leave from golf. But you wonder if somehow it's the fact that he's not playing golf more than anything else. Gatorade came out pretty quickly and said they were stopping his drink, but otherwise it's been slow announcements here or there with most of them not happening until after he announced he wasn't playing golf for the next little while.

In the end I think Tiger will come out just fine. Nike's standing by him as is EA Sports. He'll come back to golf and dominate just like he did after his knee surgery and every other time he's needed to. If he's smart, he waits until his wife tells him he can go back to playing golf. His focus should be on figuring out what he wants. But he also needs to realize that what he wants might not be what he gets to have. Right now, his future probably lies in the hands of his wife and he has to be okay with that. She gets to call the shots right now and he needs to respect that.

Triple R - Special Tiger Woods Edition Part I

It's Tuesday so that means it's time for everybody's favorite new feature: Romance Rumors and Rumblings. Today though it's time for a very special edition (already!?). Today we dedicate our feature to our good friend Mr. Tiger Woods. It's time.

To keep things clear, we are going to break things down into a few categories: the mistresses, the wife, Mr. Woods himself and the future.

First, a little history for those who have been living in a cave for the past 2 weeks. I didn't know this but apparently the very first mistress story came about before the entire car accident thing happened. The National Enquirer ran this story about a New York socialite having an affair with Tiger but the woman denies it. Then a few days later it comes out that he got into a car crash and hit a tree. That weekend, things start to get shadier and shadier. Why was Tiger leaving his house at 2:30 in the morning? Why doesn't he talk to police about what happened? Well then our good friends at TMZ report that he and his wife had been fighting over these rumored affairs and he stormed out of the house. So then they issue a statement where he says his wife acted courageously and helped him during the crash. After this, another woman comes forward and says she had a 31-month affair with him. Then the voicemail comes out where he tells her to take her name off her phone. So Tiger tries to man up and issue another statement about his "transgressions". But despite all of that, chaos has ensued and now as many as 10 women are coming forward claiming to have been with him.

The Mistresses
Like I said, as of Monday, as many as 10 women have come forward to say that they were somehow intimately involved with Tiger Woods. For some, it was just a couple of nights here and there while others insist that they carried on long-term relationships with the golfer. The most notable ones are the one New York socialite who started this whole thing and then a second one who was on some terrible show on VH1 and has quite the rap sheet.

So my beef with the mistresses is this: is this really the way you want to get your 15 minutes of fame? Are people that obsessed with becoming famous that they'll go to these lengths? These women have gotten a hold of pretty much every trashy tabloid and newspaper that will listen to them and disclosed basically everything. The more details the better. But is this really how you want to get your name out there? With Radar Online and TMZ sharing every gory detail of your past with the world? These websites and tabloids will get their hands on anything and everything and run with it. So apparently these women really don't have a lot of pride in themselves, which I guess is clear based on the fact that they fully consented to having an affair. Sorry if that's harsh but give me a break. For 15 minutes of fame, you're going to let videos and topless pictures and news about how you were in jail once and did all of these scandalous things come out? Why can't you just try and get famous by being really terrible on an audition episode of American Idol like normal people?

Furthermore, do these women really think people are going to believe their "I had no idea he was a celebrity" sob stories? Please. He is Tiger Woods. Even if you don't watch golf, you mean to tell me you've never flipped through a magazine and seen a Gatorade ad? You've never seen one of those Gillette commercials on TV? Have you ever heard of Nike? Come on. Or on second thought, I guess if all you do is party and waitress and go out to clubs, maybe you don't have time to watch TV or look through magazines.

And in my final notes about the mistresses, who saves 100s and 100s of text messages without thinking to themselves "You know, at some point these could be really valuable." I love CM a lot but I have no desire to save any of his text messages. I'm sorry but it's true. Furthermore, how is it even possible to save that many? I'm just saying that I am 99% sure these women fully knew what they were getting themselves and had a master plan to expose everything when the time was right the whole time. Shady.

The Wife
So if all of these affairs really did happen (and at this point, it's getting pretty hard to find evidence that says otherwise), how pissed are you if you're Elin? If she did in fact go after his car with golf clubs because she was all sorts of infuriated with him, who can blame her. She's stood by him as the trophy wife for the past five years and this is the thanks she gets? Golf is boring and she watched a lot of golf to show her support for him. Plus, she's a supermodel. It doesn't really get any better than that for a dude.

So what are her options? Well, she can leave him. And she can stay with him. Usually the immediate answer is you leave his ass. But not so fast. There of course is the almighty prenup to consider. Originally she would get 20 mil if she stayed with him for 10 years. Now things have apparently been rearranged so that she can get up to 80 mil for only 7 years. For those keeping score at home, that's in only two more years. Furthermore, pictures of her and their kids are going for like 250K. So then she can sell her story to the highest bidder: Why I Stayed with Tiger. US Weekly would love it.

Is this really the path that celebrity marriages have taken? Everything ultimately ends in dollars? That makes me pretty sad. Yes they were apparently doing some intense counseling when all the affair news started coming out and you have to give them credit for that because something tells me not a lot of high profile couples take that route and if so, they don't talk about it. But at the end of the day, people aren't talking about that are they? People aren't writing stories about deals where if Tiger goes through three years of intense counseling then she'll stay with him are they. Dollars baby, dollars.

But I'm sorry Elin. I'd still leave him. Five years, two children - and something tells me that Tiger Woods was not the easiest guy to live with. If money's what you want, I'm pretty sure that can be arranged. There's already stories that say she bought some castle or something in her home country of Sweden and that she hasn't been at their home in a few days. So maybe things are already heading in that direction. She has every right to take him to the house right now because he's essentially made a fool out of her. And yes maybe I'm getting all girl power on everyone right now but I'm sorry, she'll have a lot of judges on her side who will give her what she wants over how ever many years she wants it. Take the kids, get child support, and then sell your story of how you were hurt and embarassed but now you're a single lady making it in a big bad world. Yeah ladies!

Ooooh looks like I'm leaving you guys hanging. This is long enough for now... tomorrow or Thursday we will post part dos and discuss Tiger himself as well as what the future holds for everyone.