Tiger In the Wild

Tiger Woods with Arnold Palmer after his victory at Bay Hill.

I’ve been lucky enough to witness some really great sporting events during my lifetime. Epic comebacks in the NFL and NBA, overtime winning goals in the NHL playoffs, walkoff homeruns, world record Olympic performances, brutal boxing upsets and so many more. Some of the first ones that I always think about include Jordan’s game six jumper in Utah during the 1998 NBA Finals. Adam Vinatieri’s game winning field goal in Super Bowl XXXVI. The Boston Red Sox comeback versus the New York Yankees in the 2004 ALCS. Derek Fisher’s game winner against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2004 NBA playoffs. These are all big moments, but there’s always one year that comes to mind first when I think about sports.

Let us journey back to 2008, when I was in the U.S.Army and at CSC (Convoy Support Center) Scania in southern Iraq. I’ll never forget that year in sports because I wasn’t in America to experience it. The Lakers were back in the NBA Finals for first time since Shaq had left. (I won’t talk about how they lost to the Celtics.) Memphis lost to Kansas in overtime during the NCAA Men’s Basketball national championship game. The New York Giants ended New England’s bid at perfection in the Super Bowl. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal battled at Wimbledon in what many experts call the greatest tennis match of all-time. I saw all of these amazing things on a tiny TV, in a dusty little office located in one of the most dangerous places on the planet.

All of those don’t even compare to the best sporting event I saw that year and probably ever. There was one event that had my fellow soldiers and I at the edge of our seats and cheering our heads off. One athlete from that amazing year had us in complete awe and that athlete was Eldrick “Tiger” Woods.

It was the 2008 U.S. Open played at Torrey Pines. On one leg, Woods gutted his way to an amazing

Woods celebrates after his tying putt on
the 18th hole during the 2008 U.S. Open.

victory over Rocco Mediate. I’ve never seen a ballsier performance from a professional athlete. Ever. Like “ever” ever. He won the toughest golf tournament in the world with a torn ACL, while playing an extra day of playoff golf on Monday no less.

It’s hard to believe, but that was the last time Tiger Woods won a major. It’s almost been five years since that amazing victory and it’s seems even longer than that. I’m not going to talk about the dumpster fire Woods turned his life into shortly after that because it’s pointless. We all know what happened. When an insanely wealthy, hyper competitive Black athlete under the age of seventy cheats on his wife I don't find it shocking in the least bit. (I don’t think he had a sex addiction either. It was just a PR move to find a reasonable "excuse" for his infidelity other than him being a lying no-good dog like every other man that has cheated on his wife and gotten caught. I've always said a man is only as faithful as his bank account "allows" him to be. Tiger Woods’ bank account could allow him to have sex with straight men. If I had been a professional athlete, it’d go one of two ways. One, the Derek Jeter way. No kids, no wife, just single pimping for 20 plus years. Or the Travis Henry way. All I'll say is click this link and you’re welcome.) During that time, the “dark years”, golf just wasn’t as interesting. Yeah, we’ve had some great tournaments, great wins, great stories and Rory McIlroy made a little run, but there’s been nothing close to Tiger.

Woods getting the Green Jacket for first time in 1997.

I’m just going to come out and say it. Golf is just better when the Black guy’s good. I’m sorry but it’s true. We all like seeing greatness and Tiger Woods is as great as any athlete in the history of sports. I’m not saying he’s all the way back, but he just “looks” different and it “feels” like he’s back. So far in 2013, Tiger has three wins, he’s the number one ranked golfer in the world for the first time since October of 2010, he’s putting better than he has in years and he’s going into the Masters with a ton of momentum. In fact, most experts have him taking the green jacket. Not only do I hope Tiger wins the Masters, I hope he wins it 1997 style. Dominant, clear and unchallenged. I hope Tiger sends a loud message to the world, showing all of the doubters that he’s back and Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors isn’t as safe as they all thought it was.

I don’t love golf. I don’t love NASCAR. I don’t love women’s basketball. I don’t love track and field. But you know what I do love? I L.O.V.E, love watching greatness! We, normal humans that is, love to see when someone can shine on a “god-like” level in a sporting event. We love to see when athletes/teams achieve feats above and beyond anyone before them. That’s why I loved watching NASCAR when Jimmie Johnson was winning five championships in a row. It's why I marveled at the UConn’s Women’s Basketball team that won 90 games in a row. Why I loved watching Usain Bolt at the 2012 Olympic Games and why he was the only non-American athlete I rooted for. (I'm sorry, but I may as well have been Bob Marley that night because I was rooting that hard to see him win. Hell, if North Korea produced a super-human, once in a lifetime athlete, they could bomb us and I’d STILL root for that athlete like I was Kim Jong Un.) It's why I as a diehard Lakers fan wanted to see the Miami Heat win 34 games in a row. I love seeing things that I’ll never forget. Things that I’ll be proud to tell my son I got to see. Things that he’ll be jealous I saw. Things that will cause my friends and I to light up with excitement and youth, like we’re being transported back in time because of that particular memory.

Tiger Woods, as far as sports are concerned, has provided the best moment so far. I can remember the smell of the office, the looks on people’s faces. I can even remember the feel of the “high-fives” we all shared during his tournament-tying putt. So here’s to you Tiger Woods and the hope that you give me another timeless memory.

Time for your take. What do you think of the blog? Was I right? Was I wrong? What's your favorite sports memory? Do you think Tiger Woods is back? Leave me a comment below and don't forget to share the blog, subscribe to the blog and follow me on twitter @ParisLay. Thanks for stopping by and as always... Enjoy the View!

Weekend Recap

Sometimes I feel like I don’t write about enough topics in sports. With so many different and interesting things happening in the entire sports landscape, I couldn't possibly give you a full and rich post on them all, but I’ve figured out what to do. Why don’t I just do a full post on the WHOLE weekend? Countdown style. So here it goes. These are my top five stories from the weekend in sports.

5: Michigan Beats Michigan State

Trey Burke leads UM over MSU.

Talk about getting a big time victory when you need one. Michigan was falling apart at the worst possible time of the year. They were coming off an ugly lose to Penn State and were losers in three of the last five games, but they righted the ship with a thrilling victory over the number nine Spartans in Ann Arbor Sunday night. Trey Burke proved that he still deserves to be in the National Player of the Year discussion by making every critical play Michigan needed to seal the win.

The Wolverines let a 10-point lead slip away but at this point, a win is a win. If they can win their next two games (At Purdue and home versus Indiana) and make a nice run in the Big 10 tournament, I can’t see why they still couldn’t get a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament. (Full disclosure, I’m a huge Michigan fan so I’m more than a little pumped about this win. Give me a second please… I just did a chair dance. GO BLUE!)

4: Rory Withdraws

This is why I love Tiger Woods. I’m sorry to say this, but golf is just better when the “black” guy is good. I’ve got a huge piece coming on the greatest sporting event I’ve seen in my life, so I’m not going to go into too much detail, but I will tell you that it was Tiger Woods’ victory at Torrey Pines in the 2008 US Open. (And saying that is a big deal because 2008 was the greatest year of sports in my lifetime. Go back and look it up. And of course it was the greatest year in sports because I wasn’t even in the United States of America when all that great stuff happened. Thanks Bush, that time I spent in Iraq was super useful… can you smell the sarcasm coming from your computer screen because I can.)

Rory McIlroy takes his ball and goes home.

Tiger Woods won a freaking major championship on one leg! He even played an extra playoff round of golf on that following Monday to boot. People already say golfers aren’t athletes and when the number one player in the world, Rory McIlroy, dips out of a tournament because of a "toothache", that narrative isn’t going to be helped. I always think back to that amazing performance in ’08 when I start to think that golfers aren’t tough. (I wouldn’t walk to the end of my driveway for free money on a torn ACL so I couldn’t imagine walking 18 holes of golf and swing a club. That’s tough!)

McIlory has to at least finish that round out. I’ve had tooth pain before so I know how hard it could be trying to do anything in that kind of pain, much less play a round of golf, but he’s getting paid just for BEING THERE. Fans want to see him play and when you hear that weak excuse, he just comes off like a guy that was having a tough day and decided to throw in the towel. Me, you or any regular Joe Blow and Susie Q, can do that, but not the number one player in the world. Want to hear something even crazier? Dude still cashed his appearance fee check. Rory McIlroy, you’re a true gangsta indeed.

3: Lakers Get Even

It’s about damn time! The Los Angeles Lakers have finally gotten back to .500 after beating the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. It marks the first time they’ve been at least even in the win-loss column since December 28…of 2012!! Kobe Bryant had a monster game, included a thunderous jam over Josh Smith and the game winning layup with nine seconds left. True, the Lakers were in control for most of the game and they did blow a big lead, but LA still found a way to win a tough game against a quality opponent.

Josh Smith will have nightmares for months.

The team is playing much better over the last 14 games to the tune of a record of 10 wins and 4 losses. They’ve only allowed over 100 points in 5 of those games and they even managed to win one of said games. Kobe’s been on a scoring tear as of late and what makes that so great is they’re actually winning while he’s scoring 30 plus. Something the Lakers hadn’t been doing all season. It seems like they’re finally finding a groove, playing better defense and actually looking like a real “team” for the first time all season.

The Lakers are only three games back of the eight seed in the Western Conference and have the makings of a troublesome team if they can get into the playoffs. I’m still not sure they get in because they need the teams ahead of them to slip a little. This time of year, you’d much rather be in control of your own destiny. But hey, they at least got a shot now.

2: Blackhawks win… Again

These bastards just won’t lose. It’s getting down right comical and I'm honestly not taking it well. The Chicago Blackhawks have yet to lose a game in regulation this season while recording a point in a NHL record 22 straight games to start a season. What really makes this streak mind-boggling is the moment you realize they’re playing this well without the benefit of a full training camp.

Why won't you f*$%ing lose already!!!

The Blackhawks are first in the NHL in goals against with a 1.7 goals allowed per game average, so they’re streak really stands on the amazing play they’ve been getting between the pipes (Pause. For those who don’t know, that’s a hockey term so it’s not “that” bad. I still felt like a “pause” was needed.) from goalie Corey Crawford. My Detroit Red Wings were expected to be the first real road block in Chicago’s road to “perfection”, but the Wings came up short in a shootout.

This team looks ready to make another run at the Stanley Cup. The core of that title team is still intact and still very young. Team captain, Jonathan Toews is only 24 as is Patrick Kane and Crawford is only 28. When all your stars are still on the north side of 30, your team's in great shape. (Damn, I hate you Blackhawks and I truly hope this post jinxes you and you lose. Sincerely, Bitter Red Wings fan.)

1: Heat Win… Again

The Miami Heat are starting to become that unstoppable juggernaut we all feared they’d become when they got together two seasons ago. They’re just on a whole other level right now. They’ve won a franchise record 15 straight games and it’s looking like they could get to at least 17 before they face a team that could actually beat them. (Oddly enough, that team is the last team to beat them, the Indiana Pacers.)

LeBron James has been scary good this season. (27-7-8, 56% from the field and 41% from beyond the 3 point line?! What the hell?! I honestly wouldn’t be surprise if news broke on SportsCenter that dude was an alien sent to Earth from a faraway planet to play basketball and dominate the NBA. He’s so good I’m seriously starting to question if he’s human.) He’s the only player in NBA history that can legitimately guard all five positions, at an All-NBA Defense level no less, he can pass with the best point guards in the league, he’s improved his jump shooting and he drives the lane better than any player in the last 20 years not named Michael Jordan. Remember when people really thought Kevin Durant had a chance at winning the MVP this season. That seems like a really long time ago now. When you see the way James is playing for the defending champs, I’d argue that he should win the award unanimously.

It was just a season ago that this team was still reeling from their embarrassing lost to the Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals and almost lost to the Celtics in six games during last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. The next thing you know, Lebron goes into beast mode, the Heat win game six, win the series, then the Finals and then James leads the USA Team to a gold medal in London. (He seemingly hasn’t come out of beast mode since game six versus the Celtics.) With the pressure of winning that first title finally off his back, Lebron James' is playing that fun loving style of basketball we've come to know from him.

Greatest at its finest. LBJ.

I feel like most of the “heat” (Awesome pun, I know.)  is off of James and the team for this craziness. Just look at the “Harlem Shake” video the Heat released last week. They were about two weeks late, but it still got a ton on buzz. The Heat just look like they’re having a ton of fun together and like that genuinely enjoy just being around each other. (Seeing Miami’s team chemistry makes me so jealous as a Laker fan. The only video I could seriously see the Lakers doing together is snuff film where they torture Mike D’Antoni to death. AND NO THAT’S NOT A GOOD IDEA LAKER NATION.) The only people that don’t like Lebron James are from Ohio... or their name rhymes with “Slip Dayless.”

I think most people just want to marvel at greatness. We’re watching this era’s greatest player, and a top 10 all-time and soon to be top 5 all-time player, during his prime. So enjoy because just like the way my dad gets to rave about how great Wilt Chamberlain was, we'll get to say the same thing about Lebron James one day.

Time to let me know what you guys think. Did I miss a big story from this weekend? What are your thoughts on my list and who do you think has been the best player in the NBA this season?

Leave a comment below and don’t for get to subscribe to the blog and to follow me on Twitter @ParisLay. Thanks for reading and until next time, ENJOY THE VIEW!