ARE WE OUT OF THE WOODS WITH TIGER?

Now that the Masters is over, and Tiger had his best opening round ever, are we finished with the scandalous Tiger, and back with the under par Tiger, in other words: are we finally out of the Woods?

I’m not the fan I used to be of Tiger Woods. However I admire his ability to play the game, even if he has sullied his reputation. What he did I never figured him to do, yet so many of us disappoint ourselves and loved ones once in a while. I’m sure I can’t cast any stones, yet betrayal is hard for me to accept.

There is Roger Clemens and others similarly who have sullied their sport, and lost the adoration of their fans. It happens in Hollywood, politics and everyday life.

There are druggies, wife beaters, cheaters, schemers and perjurers, all about us. They may be us at one time or another, or someone we love or know. The harsh reality is: it is most of us in some form or another. It is what life is about, not what life shouldn’t be.

We relish when a politician slips and falls, when we discover infidelity in a neighbor or friend, we bask in the spotlight cast on those caught in some crime or scam the brings down the high and mighty.

I don’t know of many who fall into the categories I’ve just mentioned. Not in the big, media attention way, and thankfully so. Most of the people I do know are good, honest, kind and law-abiding people. But they are good, honest, kind and law-abiding people with the potential to do wrong. Me first!


I know you can’t make judgments without first-hand intermit knowledge of the events that unfold. What kind of pressure caused someone to err? Sometimes it is monetary need, job security, and need for love. We like to paint the evil picture, not the unbiased one, because then we can put it all in a category and move on, leaving the victims to pay an awful price in their career, and personal lives.

When I was working in the city as a young designer, a major airline was a big client of ours. The contact of the national carrier had given us so much work, that I was working Saturdays and Sundays for weeks at a time. My boss had invested huge amounts of money and time into the account. Then one day the account rep said to us we had better start paying him some of the money we were making, and paying it under the table!


My boss was an honest, good and religious man. He was also loyal to the people who worked for him. If he reported the situation, or refused to cooperate, he would lose all the business of the airline, and would have to fire or lay-off half of the staff, and move out of very choice office space in the heart of Manhattan! He chose to cooperate, but in the end lost everything!

As an outsider I would say he was a crook, but as an insider I would say he was a victim.