Looking For The Next Jordan? Look Past The Hardwood.
Note: I know many of you (and by many I mean the loyal ones who read this) were expecting a Game 5 review but to badly paraphrase the scene on the mound from the final game in the Natural, hey Lakers, I'll start writing when you start playing. As for Kobe, it's like Mase said, if you play Clark Kent you better have your cape on. I'm not giving up on the Lakers. The Celtics are not impressive to me and Kobe is still the X, Y, and Z factors, so we'll see what happens in Bahston.
To start, I'm not one of those people who hates it every time a basketball player gets compared to MJ. I think it's fun. I don't think anybody has come close to ascending to Jordan's level thus far, but I think it's acceptable to try and find the second coming. All of the talking heads act like it's inconceivable that the next 1,000 years will produce someone 1/10 as good as Jordan the very second someone brings tries an MJ comparison. Fine, after watching Kobe in the Finals so far, I'll admit, nobody has come close to Jordan's level of excellence yet. However, for those searching for His Airness in another athlete, you may need to look past the hardwood, abut 120 miles away from Staples Center down the 5 this weekend. You need only look to Nike's latest cash cow: Tiger Woods.
I know it's a pretty far stretch to compare a basketball player to a golfer but the similarities between MJ and Tiger are there if you're willing to try and look. When people think of Jordan, they think of someone who you would never bet against, someone who redefined the way his sport was played. I remember finding a sucker every year during Jordan's reign that bet against the Bulls winning it all. There was never a doubt in my mind that Jordan would come through during his prime. Well, couldn't the same be said of Tiger? Would you ever bet against Tiger? I read some ESPN guy's predictions for this year's U.S. Open and he predicted that Mickelson would finish first and Tiger second. I'm semi-okay with someone picking Phil to win. Tiger could have had an off week, especially while hobbled with a knee injury that NBC made it a point to reference 632 times per round. Johnny Miller even circled Tiger's knee on the telestrator and said, "here is Tiger's left knee." Thanks for the anatomy lesson Johnny. Now go back to being a cynical jerk and over-criticizing every player in the field. If Tiger's out of contention, then sure, Phil could win. But Phil 1st, Tiger 2nd? Not a chance. If Tiger gets into a final group on a Sunday, in a major, with a "rival," then there is no way he loses. Especially to Phil. Phil would crap his bed and be four over for the day before even teeing off. And that's my point, my thesis. Tiger has a mystique, an aura, like Jordan had.
If you watched Tiger's third round, from 13 on it was breathtaking for lack of a better word. His eagle putt on 13, nuts. His chip in on 17 got a laugh out of him and then the eagle on 18 to top it off got a mild fist pump. I loved the interview with Lee Westwood where Westwood was asked what it would be like to sleep on a 54-hole lead. Note to NBC: Wait until Tiger finishes playing before asking this question next time. 54-hole scores: Woods -3; Westwood -2. And while it was amazing to watch, it wasn't all that surprising because we've seen it so many times before. That was the thing with Jordan. He'd amaze you so often that you were no longer surprised, just in awe and saying things like, "It's just not fair." You didn't say, "I can't believe it" because you could believe it. It was Jordan. That's what he did. And now it's Tiger and this is what he does.
The casual good golfer, pre-Tiger era, could watch the pros and think that he could maybe stand a chance out there if only his short game was a little better. But Tiger has redefined the way the sport was played. As in, nobody can play the same way Tiger does. It's just not possible. No casual golfer can even fathom hitting a 6-iron from 215 out, from a fairway bunker, over water, to a tucked pin on the 18th hole of a tournament. But Tiger can. You could go through the Tiger hits and seek out several shots that only one person in the world could pull off. People criticize Mickelson because of all of the chances he takes on the course. Well, Tiger tries some equally difficult shots in the most tense of situations, the difference being that Tiger pulls them off with regularity so they no longer seem like they are ill-advised or risky.
The look. The walk. The focus. The way they carry themselves. Those are the reasons why I make the MJ to Tiger comparison. When you watch Tiger, he gets a look in his eyes and you know it was over before it even began. I love watching someone try and challenge Tiger. Tiger goes into MJ versus the Knicks and Patrick Ewing mode. Let's see how many times I can dunk on them mode. I remember the match play event at La Costa. Tiger had been having trouble finding the fairway in previous weeks, prompting Tiger's first round opponent, Stephen Ames, to say that Tiger was beatable with the way he was spraying the ball all over. Tiger didn't respond to questions before the match about Ames' comment. Instead, he went out and won the first 9 holes. Every hole, then halved the 10th for a 9 and 8 victory. In the post-match press conference, a reporter asked Tiger what he thought about Ames' comments before the match. Tiger looked straight at the guy and in a cold voice said, "9 and 8." Another similar question. Tiger responded again, "9 and 8." Golf is a sport where focus is key. Lose it for a millisecond and the consequences are drastic. Most golfers can't focus on what another competitor says or does. Tiger reacts like he's Mel Gibson in Braveheart and someone just slit his secret wife's throat. He plays his best golf against Vijay Singh, Phil, Stephen Ames, basically anyone who has had the gall to publicly criticize any aspect of his game, even his Nike equipment. Tiger should steal Bernard Hopkins' nickname and call himself "The Executioner."
So as we watch Tiger in this year's U.S. Open, know one thing, anybody else with his knee injury would have missed the cut by 10 strokes or withdrawn. If you know you're going to experience pain with every follow-through, it's impossible to play well. It affects every aspect of your game because it's so hard to block it out of your head. The few times I forget to take medicine before I play and my back tightens up I lose my mind by the 13th hole. There's no way I play the last 5 holes of those rounds in anything better than bogey golf. And that's what makes Tiger such a machine. His mental game. His focus. The look. People don't realize what a spectacle Tiger is and I say that knowing how much attention and print he gets. He's better than we think. He's dominating the sport in a way that is inconceivable. With all of the money (7-figure winner's checks not uncommon nowadays) out there on the PGA Tour, you're getting the best competition in the history of the sport. It doesn't matter though and his competition knows it. If Tiger brings anything resembling his best, he wins.
It always bothers me when someone compares Tiger's feats to Roger Federer's. If a tennis player has an off day, he can still win because his sole opponent can have one as well. Same with a basketball team, football team, etc. All can win with a bad outing by their competition. But a golfer? Nope. If Tiger falters, he has an entire field of eligible players looking to capitalize and all it takes is one. But we forget this when we watch Tiger because it seems like it's Tiger and everybody else. You key on his name on the leaderboard with the other names becoming indistinguishable from one week to the next because they're just the competition. Nobody's name belongs next to his. People have stopped looking for the player to challenge Tiger and have settled on trying to find out who #2 is. Tiger has demoralized the competition to the point where they've collectively settled on second place. That is the kind of mental dominance that Tiger has over the entire sport. Jordan was the same way. Just ask any Knicks or Jazz fan about it.
As I'm rooting for Rocco at my desk at work today, I'll know that it's likely in vain. It's the feel good story that won't be, because he's up against him. People bet against MJ with the flu. They wouldn't make that mistake again. Tiger's knee? An almost-equalizer that makes him only a 4-1 betting favorite in Vegas today. MJ had the tongue, the shoulder shrug. Tiger has his fist pump. MJ had his stare. Tiger has his. But the comparison lies in how much they devastated their competition to the point where nobody in their right minds would ever bet against them. Jordan could be down by 2 with 8 seconds left, would you bet against him? Tiger could be down 2 strokes with 4 holes to play, would you bet against him? I wouldn't. So, while I said it's fun to think about the next MJ and how it doesn't bother me, I may go into hypocrite territory with this next sentence. You can't fathom the next Tiger. He has razed his competition for years now and will for years to come. When MJ retired you started hearing calls for his successor. People won't dare call someone the next Tiger because Tiger doesn't even play the same sport as his competition. Nobody can duplicate what he does on the course. He's larger than life and that's why, even with Rocco up 1 on 17 as I type this last sentence, I'm smart enough to know that Rocco's head is still on the chopping block and it's only a matter of time before Tiger lowers the axe. Did you have any doubt?
(If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at Eric.Rudin@gmail.com. If all 6 or so people who I'm guessing are reading this get me some good ones, we can compile a mailbag one of these days!)
To start, I'm not one of those people who hates it every time a basketball player gets compared to MJ. I think it's fun. I don't think anybody has come close to ascending to Jordan's level thus far, but I think it's acceptable to try and find the second coming. All of the talking heads act like it's inconceivable that the next 1,000 years will produce someone 1/10 as good as Jordan the very second someone brings tries an MJ comparison. Fine, after watching Kobe in the Finals so far, I'll admit, nobody has come close to Jordan's level of excellence yet. However, for those searching for His Airness in another athlete, you may need to look past the hardwood, abut 120 miles away from Staples Center down the 5 this weekend. You need only look to Nike's latest cash cow: Tiger Woods.
I know it's a pretty far stretch to compare a basketball player to a golfer but the similarities between MJ and Tiger are there if you're willing to try and look. When people think of Jordan, they think of someone who you would never bet against, someone who redefined the way his sport was played. I remember finding a sucker every year during Jordan's reign that bet against the Bulls winning it all. There was never a doubt in my mind that Jordan would come through during his prime. Well, couldn't the same be said of Tiger? Would you ever bet against Tiger? I read some ESPN guy's predictions for this year's U.S. Open and he predicted that Mickelson would finish first and Tiger second. I'm semi-okay with someone picking Phil to win. Tiger could have had an off week, especially while hobbled with a knee injury that NBC made it a point to reference 632 times per round. Johnny Miller even circled Tiger's knee on the telestrator and said, "here is Tiger's left knee." Thanks for the anatomy lesson Johnny. Now go back to being a cynical jerk and over-criticizing every player in the field. If Tiger's out of contention, then sure, Phil could win. But Phil 1st, Tiger 2nd? Not a chance. If Tiger gets into a final group on a Sunday, in a major, with a "rival," then there is no way he loses. Especially to Phil. Phil would crap his bed and be four over for the day before even teeing off. And that's my point, my thesis. Tiger has a mystique, an aura, like Jordan had.
If you watched Tiger's third round, from 13 on it was breathtaking for lack of a better word. His eagle putt on 13, nuts. His chip in on 17 got a laugh out of him and then the eagle on 18 to top it off got a mild fist pump. I loved the interview with Lee Westwood where Westwood was asked what it would be like to sleep on a 54-hole lead. Note to NBC: Wait until Tiger finishes playing before asking this question next time. 54-hole scores: Woods -3; Westwood -2. And while it was amazing to watch, it wasn't all that surprising because we've seen it so many times before. That was the thing with Jordan. He'd amaze you so often that you were no longer surprised, just in awe and saying things like, "It's just not fair." You didn't say, "I can't believe it" because you could believe it. It was Jordan. That's what he did. And now it's Tiger and this is what he does.
The casual good golfer, pre-Tiger era, could watch the pros and think that he could maybe stand a chance out there if only his short game was a little better. But Tiger has redefined the way the sport was played. As in, nobody can play the same way Tiger does. It's just not possible. No casual golfer can even fathom hitting a 6-iron from 215 out, from a fairway bunker, over water, to a tucked pin on the 18th hole of a tournament. But Tiger can. You could go through the Tiger hits and seek out several shots that only one person in the world could pull off. People criticize Mickelson because of all of the chances he takes on the course. Well, Tiger tries some equally difficult shots in the most tense of situations, the difference being that Tiger pulls them off with regularity so they no longer seem like they are ill-advised or risky.
The look. The walk. The focus. The way they carry themselves. Those are the reasons why I make the MJ to Tiger comparison. When you watch Tiger, he gets a look in his eyes and you know it was over before it even began. I love watching someone try and challenge Tiger. Tiger goes into MJ versus the Knicks and Patrick Ewing mode. Let's see how many times I can dunk on them mode. I remember the match play event at La Costa. Tiger had been having trouble finding the fairway in previous weeks, prompting Tiger's first round opponent, Stephen Ames, to say that Tiger was beatable with the way he was spraying the ball all over. Tiger didn't respond to questions before the match about Ames' comment. Instead, he went out and won the first 9 holes. Every hole, then halved the 10th for a 9 and 8 victory. In the post-match press conference, a reporter asked Tiger what he thought about Ames' comments before the match. Tiger looked straight at the guy and in a cold voice said, "9 and 8." Another similar question. Tiger responded again, "9 and 8." Golf is a sport where focus is key. Lose it for a millisecond and the consequences are drastic. Most golfers can't focus on what another competitor says or does. Tiger reacts like he's Mel Gibson in Braveheart and someone just slit his secret wife's throat. He plays his best golf against Vijay Singh, Phil, Stephen Ames, basically anyone who has had the gall to publicly criticize any aspect of his game, even his Nike equipment. Tiger should steal Bernard Hopkins' nickname and call himself "The Executioner."
So as we watch Tiger in this year's U.S. Open, know one thing, anybody else with his knee injury would have missed the cut by 10 strokes or withdrawn. If you know you're going to experience pain with every follow-through, it's impossible to play well. It affects every aspect of your game because it's so hard to block it out of your head. The few times I forget to take medicine before I play and my back tightens up I lose my mind by the 13th hole. There's no way I play the last 5 holes of those rounds in anything better than bogey golf. And that's what makes Tiger such a machine. His mental game. His focus. The look. People don't realize what a spectacle Tiger is and I say that knowing how much attention and print he gets. He's better than we think. He's dominating the sport in a way that is inconceivable. With all of the money (7-figure winner's checks not uncommon nowadays) out there on the PGA Tour, you're getting the best competition in the history of the sport. It doesn't matter though and his competition knows it. If Tiger brings anything resembling his best, he wins.
It always bothers me when someone compares Tiger's feats to Roger Federer's. If a tennis player has an off day, he can still win because his sole opponent can have one as well. Same with a basketball team, football team, etc. All can win with a bad outing by their competition. But a golfer? Nope. If Tiger falters, he has an entire field of eligible players looking to capitalize and all it takes is one. But we forget this when we watch Tiger because it seems like it's Tiger and everybody else. You key on his name on the leaderboard with the other names becoming indistinguishable from one week to the next because they're just the competition. Nobody's name belongs next to his. People have stopped looking for the player to challenge Tiger and have settled on trying to find out who #2 is. Tiger has demoralized the competition to the point where they've collectively settled on second place. That is the kind of mental dominance that Tiger has over the entire sport. Jordan was the same way. Just ask any Knicks or Jazz fan about it.
As I'm rooting for Rocco at my desk at work today, I'll know that it's likely in vain. It's the feel good story that won't be, because he's up against him. People bet against MJ with the flu. They wouldn't make that mistake again. Tiger's knee? An almost-equalizer that makes him only a 4-1 betting favorite in Vegas today. MJ had the tongue, the shoulder shrug. Tiger has his fist pump. MJ had his stare. Tiger has his. But the comparison lies in how much they devastated their competition to the point where nobody in their right minds would ever bet against them. Jordan could be down by 2 with 8 seconds left, would you bet against him? Tiger could be down 2 strokes with 4 holes to play, would you bet against him? I wouldn't. So, while I said it's fun to think about the next MJ and how it doesn't bother me, I may go into hypocrite territory with this next sentence. You can't fathom the next Tiger. He has razed his competition for years now and will for years to come. When MJ retired you started hearing calls for his successor. People won't dare call someone the next Tiger because Tiger doesn't even play the same sport as his competition. Nobody can duplicate what he does on the course. He's larger than life and that's why, even with Rocco up 1 on 17 as I type this last sentence, I'm smart enough to know that Rocco's head is still on the chopping block and it's only a matter of time before Tiger lowers the axe. Did you have any doubt?
(If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at Eric.Rudin@gmail.com. If all 6 or so people who I'm guessing are reading this get me some good ones, we can compile a mailbag one of these days!)
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