"Not out the Woods yet"

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John Huggan files 25 questions for Tiger Woods...

10. Do you really expect us to believe that your mea culpa press conference was scheduled during the Accenture World Match Play for reasons other than sticking it to your former sponsors? What does that action say about your character, or lack of it?

11. Speaking of that press conference, how are we supposed to take anything you said that day – "I hope to play again this year" – seriously now that your comeback has been officially confirmed?

12. Ernie Els was outspokenly critical of both you and the timing of the above press conference. Will you confront him about that?

Steiney Exonerated! Steiney Exonerated!

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I come to you from the glorious Santa Monica Public Library after my modem died and the new one is not arriving until sometime Friday. It's a wonderful scene, really. Imagine a Twin Peaksextras reunion in an extra-large modern mental hospital reading room. That should give you some idea why today's lone post will be brief. (Not to mention that the library prevents me from reading several websites related to Tiger news.)

Besides, from what I can see, the only thing I missed were some wonderfully lurid and perverted text messages suggesting Tiger was concerned his agent, Mark Steinberg, would find out about his other life in Vegas. So Steiney, congrats, you've been exonerated! Even you appeared to have been kept in the dark.


In the final text, dated Oct. 4, 2009, Woods flipped out on James for apparently acting recklessly in public.

 

"Don't F--king talk to me," his text said. "You almost just ruined my whole life. If my agent and these guys would have seen you there, F--k."


Doesn't quite conjure up memories of the best of Bobby Jones, does it? Apparently there are more, but the SMPL isn't letting me see them. Something to look forward too with the new modem.

Good news though, as if we needed it, Larry Dorman reports that NBC is airing a 30 second spot featuring 5 seconds of reminder that Tiger is returning soon. I'm sure it'll make everyone forget what they read today and lead to several online spoofs. Something else to look forward to.

"Being in public life doesn't mean you have to succumb to the overwhelming curiosity factor that permeates everything in our society."

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Jon Wertheim talked to Ari Fleischer last week and wrote an interesting Scorecoard item this week about the former press secretary joining forces with IMG. And he's not acknowledging a working relationship with Tiger, but he has lots of advice that mirrors the Woods-IMG PR strategy to date:
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Tiger's Returning At The Masters Clippings, Vol. 3

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I can't speak to Tiger's game, but a day after his announced comeback at that Masters, I am more pleased than ever that he spared the game of exposing the world to the gluttonous Tavistock Cup.  Sure, Bay Hill would have been nice, but they give credentials to local TV stations and they are supervised by men in green jackets who think writers are merely arsonists with notepads.
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ESPN Would Really, Really Like Tiger To Play In The Par 3 Contest, Too

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Note how Sportscenter anchor John Buccigross asks Andy North if it might be a good idea for Tiger, as part of his image rehabilitation, should play in the Par-3 contest. You know, partake in that whole PGA Tour day care debacle that the Par 3 has become and which television audiences won't be tuning into much because it's so painful to watch.
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