Before the AP's breaking story revealing that Tiger was snoring while lying on the pavement after Elin purportedly rescued him from his Cadillac, I was prepared to declare that the coverage tide was turning with Thursday's Rachel Uchitel news conference cancellation and subsequent suggestions she was not bought off by Tiger.

But asleep? Snoring? Expect that and other audio tape revelations to reignite questions about the Florida Highway Patrol's investigation.

As for the pre-nup negotiation stories, I've decided not to link the stories because they simply are not within reason. We're expected to believe that after the morning marriage counseling sessions, the Woods' are engaged in a re-negotiation of a financial agreement? And then going back for the afternoon marriage counseling session?

Regarding the idea of sources revealing what only a handful of people could know about, we're talking about Tiger Woods' inner circle. The same inner circle that is so disciplined they've never leaked a possible upcoming tournament appearance, much less information as sensitive as a supposed pre-nup renegotiations after a high-profile accident? (Then again, this inner circle may have been caught emailing travel arrangements to a mistress.)

But as for the pre-nup rumors, remember that it's easy to make up some tall tale about renegotiations since only an Elin-confession could prove or disprove such numbers.

On the accident coverage front, the tabloid sites are continuing to report Tiger's affairs while the media have begun to bicker about their favorite subject: themselves!

Thanks to reader Joseph for Jason Whitlock's lively shot at the mainstream sports media for their criticism of Tiger and in particular, his suggestions of hypocrisy directed at Rick Reilly and Charles Pierce.

Tiger is evil for exercising the most fundamental right we enjoy? He's stupid because he wants to deal with his marital problems in private? He owes the public an apology for promises he broke to his wife?

This is all a bad joke. This whole affair highlights why the mainstream media have lost the public's trust. We don't deserve it. We're controlled by hidden agendas.

Speaking of Reilly, he wrote this about Tiger's statement:

If you know the man, the apology Woods issued Wednesday is staggering. For him to speak of "regret" and "personal failings" is unthinkable. It's like a guy who detests snakes being lowered into a pit of them.

This is a man who gives quotes away like a hostile witness in a murder trial. When he answers a question in three words, he's mad he didn't answer it in two. He doesn't even like to reveal yardage.

John Paul Newport says a "compact with the media, both gossip and sports, has now been destroyed."

The golf media alone, cowed by Woods’s awesomeness as an athlete and his colossal role in selling the game, would probably never have unearthed what the gossip media has. The golf media never would have dared.

Culturally, however, this invasion has been a shock for golf—in particular the glee with which the gossip magazines, Web sites and television outlets have reported their allegations about Woods’s marital infidelity this week. That obvious delight is probably the biggest difference between the sports media and the gossip media.

Randell Mell talked to some PR gurus who make a good case for a public appearance by Tiger:

“It will look like he’s hiding something, and that will create questions among the media and the fans and in turn among his sponsors,” Gordon said. “That’s the exact flow chart. Media, fans, sponsors. Sponsors only care about people who buy their products. If he starts to lose credibility among them, the sponsors will care. Right now, the sponsors are holding firm, and they should. But if he tries to avoid the subject, it will continue to create questions rather than answer them.”

Woods’ addressed his right to privacy in three of the five paragraphs of his statement. How did that come off?

“There are certain things he just can’t say, or he will not have any credibility saying, at this time,” Maloni said. “He’s certainly not going to have a lot of credibility screaming for his privacy, at this time.”

Rich Lerner offers this somber take from the golf point of view, which has been confirmed by the sad vibe out at Sherwood:

Not long ago we talked about Tiger Woods in the same breath as Jack Nicklaus. Now, it’s Eliot Spitzer, Mark Sanford, John Edwards, Bill Clinton and Kobe Bryant.
Sad.

There is grieving for the end of an era, the end of Tiger as heroic and untouchable. He’s simply human now, like us.

And finally, Susanne Shapiro has analyzed Tiger's handwriting for Deadspin. I learned so much.