TIGER WOODS IS A LOSER!

...how could he have let this one get away?

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I don't keep up on Golf anymore, so while I know that the PGA's last major tournament was held this past weekend, I can't remember the name of the event...but, A Great One Has Fallen, at least according to blitzing, breathless, 24-hour-a-day intense coverage of Every Single Player's News (which is probably what the initials "ESPN" really mean). And, folks, it's a shocker! For the first time ever in his storied career, Tiger Woods lost a tournament after having been in the lead at the start of Sunday's final round. In short, Tiger had never 'given it up' on the final day of a tournament in which he was in the lead. Oh, my! Such a travesty! What I can't believe, is that afterwards, Tiger was seen on ESPN, almost being forced to apologize for Not Winning! Taken To Task for not playing well enough to get the Green Jacket, or whatever was awarded to the winner. And I'm thinking, "Tiger! Why are you so contrite? You came in SECOND, you BEAT a whole lot of OTHER GOLFERS, and you took home a hefty amount of hard cold cash!" I had been in Tiger's shoes, I would have said, "hey, everybody, I came in 2nd, made a lot of money, and, I GET TO PLAY GOLF FOR A LIVING and you don't!"

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I notice the same thing during each Olympiad...the commentators are always saying how so-and-so HAD TO SETTLE for a 2nd place or a 3rd place medal. SETTLE? That sorta implies that they didn't really Try All That Hard. SETTLE? Hell, no...they WON the second or third place medal, beating a whole lot of people in the process. When I used to run marathons, I was a big, slow runner. But I got a medal for finishing. And I earned my medal just as much as some tiny, skinny ghost of a runner who weighs maybe 120 lbs. and finished in the Top Ten. I'd almost say that since it took me twice as long as the top finishers, that perhaps I worked harder...I finished later in the day, when it was HOTTER. In short, I "ground it out". I didn't settle for my medal; I EARNED it. Big difference there. And, I just have to accept the fact that I am just not Really Good at anything; at best, I'm 'somewhere in the pack, but that's okay; there's plenty of folks back there with me. I used to work at a radio station, and one day, the Chief Announcer, who was my boss summed me up thusly: "You may not have a lot of talent, but you're a good worker". Talk about 'damning with faint praise'...

Of course, if I'd been more successful in my life, maybe I'd think all the folks who didn't do as well as me were losers. But I've always had a problem with trying to live up to others' expectations, and I tend to root for the underdog. Plus, even at my thinnest, I was still a big, semi-flabby person who wasn't really good at very much of anything. I've had people tell me I'm smart, but so what? That doesn't mean anything other than people are constantly evaluating and judging each other, whether or not they'd care to admit it. I know a whole lot of people who I'm smarter than (I'd like to think so anyway), who did a lot better in life than me. But I don't want to be At The Top. I'd rather be on the Outside Looking In. I don't go for social frivolities; I was never much for company picnics or staff meetings or get-togethers or all the other dumb stuff people do, trying to make others (and themselves) believe they're Actually Having A Good Time. Bah humbug...
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Well, there it is...a posting Early In The Week, something which hasn't happened lately. But this one didn't take long...I'd been stewing about this subject for a few days. I always blog faster when Eschewing Smartassed People's Negativities...(maybe That's what 'ESPN' stands for...