Tiger Woods' lack of talk ends honeymoon with
media
By KEVIN B. BLACKISTONE / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS - "The first part of our marriage was very happy,"
recalled Henny Youngman. "Then, on the way back from the
ceremony ... ."
Tiger Woods should consider his luck as well as count his money.
The bliss in his marriage - that would be with those of us who
portray images to you - lasted a whole lot longer.
There were his four days in early April making history at Augusta,
Ga. There were the four weeks that followed when he jetted around
the country attending NBA playoff games at courtside and doing
other things pop icons do.
There was his weekend in Dallas in early May just before the
GTE Byron Nelson Classic when he conducted a clinic for inner-city
kids. There was the weekend that followed when he won the Nelson
before a record crowd.
There was the following weekend, last weekend, in Fort Worth
when he finished a mortal fourth in the MasterCard Colonial before
another record turnout. He fell out of a tie for first late in
Sunday's final round and double bogeyed the next-to-last hole
to finish three shots back.
NO SHOW A NO-NO
During that time, there was the Fuzzy Zoeller flap, which Tiger
handled - or his handlers handled - with aplomb. There were Tiger's
off-color, offensive jokes in "GQ" magazine that most
in the media allowed to go unchallenged.
It wasn't until Tiger prepared to depart the Colonial - after
spending 13 of 17 days in Dallas-Fort Worth - that his honeymoon
ended, suddenly.
It wasn't because he lost. It was because the rookie pro committed
a sin in the secular world of sports. He was not as gracious in
collapsing as he was in conquering.
In short, he didn't speak to the media. That is a no-no. At
least he was speaking to the press in "GQ."
Tiger was a no-show in the post-tournament interview tent.
He didn't stick his head into the area of the locker room where
reporters and players meet afterward, either. His security detail
even shooed waiting media members out, in violation of PGA Tour
rules.
Tiger just issued a statement, or his handlers issued one for
him. It had all the warmth and personality of a command from that
chess master Deep Blue.
That isn't good even in a sport where a lot of the competitors
do seem to have all the warmth and personality of a metal box,
and the media let Tiger know it.
Not that Tiger was required to talk to reporters after the
final hole. The PGA Tour, said spokesman John Morris, generally
requests only the winner and runner-up meet the press.
"Tiger was not called upon," Morris said. "To
say he declined to come to the interview room, that would be unfair."
It just would've been nice - no, make that smart - for Tiger
to spend a few more minutes with the media. It would've ensured
his image suffered no harm. It might even have pushed it to a
new level had he stood up to answer questions about what went
wrong for once, rather than about what went right.
A LESSON TO LEARN
Instead, in a few short minutes, a guy who had become a media
darling the past month and a half, and rightfully so, looked like
another prima donna and sore loser. Or, his handlers allowed him
to resemble one. He's only 21.
"Jack Nicklaus was not always the most comfortable guy
to be around," recalled Morris, who was a golf reporter for
many years starting in the early '60s. "But he learned. Tiger
will learn. His instincts around people are very good."
If Tiger learned anything last weekend, it shouldn't be about
his short game or his five-iron. It should be about how tenuous
the relationship is between stardom and those of us who cover
it and how best a star can preserve it.
Michael Jordan and Ken Griffey Jr., Tiger's elder Nike stablemates,
learned that long ago. Despite their status, they are always accommodating
to the media and, hence, their fans. Win or lose. Hero or goat.
They epitomize professionalism.
"We have a tendency to put our heroes on pedestals,"
Morris noted. "And there's always somebody who wants to knock
them off."
Most everyone seems to feel good about Tiger, save some of
the longtime pros he's left in his wake. A recent survey revealed
more people would rather caddy for Tiger than sleep over in the
White House.
The point is, Tiger has returned excitement to a game that
had lost it. He's packaged his approach in a style it's never
seen, and it transcends the sport. He smiles easily and just as
easily displays his emotion. He just should've gotten over his
disappointment at the Colonial quicker and met his makers and
breakers.
Now, the Tigermoon is over. He's fair game.
(Kevin B. Blackistone is a sports columnist for the Dallas
Morning News. Write to him at: Dallas Morning News, Communications
Center, Dallas, Texas 75265.)
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