On a weekend in which Phil Mickelson genuinely won the hearts and minds of the American sporting public, CBS Sports cliche master Jim Nantz fired a shot across the bow of Tiger Woods psyche for using naughty words.

As stated in better words than I can say on here, those of us who follow the sport missed the real story of hardship coming in.  Really, how many of you thought that Phil and his 'C-game' had any chance on the first tee come last Thursday morning?  If anyone really knew his back story coming in, then they did a tremendous job in keeping it quiet.  Add what may be the greatest half hour of Saturday championship golf ever played and we end up with a story that Hollywood would throw into the bargain DVD bin as being too corny and too syrupy.

It was just so much to take in and it really was genuine.

The expectations for the Woods camp were just as huge, and while a tie for fourth would be a rousing success, there were some major gaffes along the way.

The biggest one was that Nike ad.  What was the thinking behind that?  It is bad enough that everyone and their brother is trying to cash in on the defrocking of Tiger, but the Woods camp and Nike went beyond tacky to produce a lecture from beyond the grave.  The Woods saga goes beyond the regular sports crowd, who just ignores stuff like this, and into the gawkers and celebrity haters who just revel in the misery of those well off in life.  Woods place on the pr scale certainly did not rise on this along with Tiger's showing of raw emotion when not executing his shots.

Bad, bad Tiger.

While those who dip into sports every once in awhile or are more taken with the chopped up highlights and fluffy stories variety of sports maybe they were shocked and appalled by Tiger's frank language, but Jim Nantz?  What planet is he from?

The man is the lead voice of the NFL and college basketball, all well known for those 'aww shucks' moment of language as one fails to execute whatever they are supposed to do.  Frankly, I'm surprised he even hears that sort of thing after being in the booth so long.

Yes, The Masters is all about preserving an image of purity and yes, Tiger has a potty mouth at times, but to call out Tiger for showing emotion is just beyond ridiculous.  Tiger is not innocent here as his tirades on the tee are legendary and not unique.  They have drawn quick apologies from the likes of Dan Hicks and Johnny Miller and pretty much anyone who has covered Tiger live.  The switch in cutting off those teeside microphones should be itchy with him.

For Nantz to call him out on it this weekend, however, is dirty pool.  Expecting anyone to be on their best behavior all the time at work is impossible.  People cut their fingers chopping food, ring up a register sale wrong, hit their finger with a hammer hitting a nail, and probably say a little more than shoot.  Woods does need to be a bit more respectable that he is in public earshot of those who might not like naughty words, but he is an athlete in his arena and there is a reason they call it locker room talk.

For Nantz, who comes across as genuine as a packet of Equal to begin with, to be offended by an athlete doing what they do is just dumb.  He has never said a bad word off camera about blowing a promo or missing a cue?  Would he rather Woods drop an f-bomb? If the broadcast networks are so horrified that a colorful word may be uttered on live television then that is what the dump button is for.  Perhaps they should use it.

It was not a great week for Tiger by his estimation and by those who are following and hoping he continues to foul up.  Yes Woods, or his handlers, should seriously look at how the Mickelson group handled a situation that makes Tiger's perils seem rather insignificant.  But for Nantz to be offended by Woods showing emotion, just like the rest of us do without a camera and microphone in our face, was one of the dumbest things said about a weekend that was magical.

Nantz should observe a tradition unlike any other and keep his personal thoughts to himself.

  With the 2010 season ready to tee off tomorrow in Hawaii, where there is 40 less inches of snow as there is here in Burlington, Vermont, here are a few things I am looking forward to this season:

1.  Majors Rotation-  Augusta, Pebble, St. Andrews, and the PGA.  The first three are on hallowed golf ground and, while winning a major is career defining and there is really nothing wrong with Whistling Straits, a win at the first three is a bit more special.  The winner will have conquered the most prestigious courses outside of Pine Valley.  Just good stuff to win where Arnie, Jack, and Tiger have won.  Also, ESPN promises full HD at St. Andrews.

2.  Tiger?-  If he decides to tee it up this year, what do we see?  He’s been exposed as a bad husband and it has cost him dearly.  When he comes back, the bullseye is right there.  Does he become just an above-average talent that is capable but not dominant or does he circle the wagons and do what he did ten years ago and shred courses?  It will make great drama when he does come back.

3.  Who Is Next?-  Will this be the year we actually see a consistent second best golfer in the world?  David Duval and Phil Mickleson have spent long stretches at #2, but very rarely have they stared down Tiger and won.  The sport needs a Trevino to counterpunch Nicklaus.  There is some incredible talent out there, but how hungry are they?  We need a summer like 1977 of Watson and Nicklaus.  Seeing some fear from Tiger is good. Is this the year an Anthony Kim can press the issue?

4.  The Growing of the Game-  I think it is fair to say that the quality of play has gotten better across the world.  We need to show the rest of the casual sports fans that there is more to this sport than Woods.  It’s a great game and with things consolidated around the Golf Channel and ,with it’s probable merger with NBC, the tours can promote themselves like the other leagues with their own networks.

  This should be a good year after maybe the worst off-season in history.  While things are in flex as far as sponsorships and whatever new television is to come there is still growth to be had, especially now that it has a full Olympic audition, and while the road may be bumpy, the future should be fine.

Really, are we that shocked that Tiger Woods is human?

More importantly, is it really any of our business?

Lets review.  Tiger crashes his SUV into a fire hydrant the morning after Thanksgiving and is cited for reckless driving, four points on his license and kind of admits that he sinned on the side sending the entire civilized world into a tizzy that many claim will change the way people think of him forever.  Because, you know, he is the first world-class athlete to possibly cheat on his wife ever.

Do we think anything less of Magic Johnson who acquired the HIV virus?  How about Alex Rodriguez for sleeping around.  Part of Joe Namath's reputation was based on him being a naughty boy and even Michael Jordan got divorced.  Yet they still stand on the top of their games and remain mostly on the pedestals we put them on.

So Tiger had an affair.  So did Kobe Bryant and he certainly got into much more trouble than Tiger did and somehow has been forgiven and gone on to success, both on and off the court,  since his mea culpa and 600 million carat ring he purchased for his wife.

So Tiger made a mistake.  He's not a saint after all and he cannot blame this one on Stevie.  Of course the swearing and club slamming he does has scared the millions who watch at home anyway as none of us ever judge ourselves harshly for a mistake we make on the job.

Tiger doesn't owe us a damn thing.  He has made his fellow players rich beyond their wildest dreams, raised millions in charity, and made golf a mainstream sport.  Yet, there are those who would not know the difference between a nine-iron and a walking stick who are jumping on the chance to tear this person apart and others who will make good money doing so.

Look, what he or Phil Mickleson or Craig Stadler or Anthony Kim do in their private lives is not any of our business.  Yes, I understand the irony here of the careful image he wants to portray and the level of privacy he wants to maintain.  It is his right, along with anyone else in the public arena, to portray themselves as they wish.  For some, like Charles Barkley, being so public has been a big boon to themselves For others, the spotlight glares too much.

Am I disappointed?  Yeah, I am.  But, my opinion means nothing as I'm just a part-time contributor to a golf blog.  When I watch an event on TV, I rarely think of the bad things or the money or the party habits of whom I'm watching.  I feel bad for his kids and bad that he put himself in the position to have these painful conversations with his wife, his agent, and his mother.  Whatever happens happens and frankly, it's none of our business.  Whether it's Tiger or anyone else.

Joey Sindelar remains hospitalized at Sonoma Valley Hospital, according to PGA.COM and the AP, after suffering a pulmonary embolism during yesterday's round of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.  Sindelar was on the fifth hole yesterday when he started complaining of dizziness and Golf Channel cameras taped him leaving the course on a cart with him receiving oxygen and talking to officials. 

Sindelar, 51, was seven under par and in contention during the season ending Champions Tour event when he became ill.

In what may be just one of the most incredible performances of all time, Nicolas Thompson had both a double eagle and a hole in one during his round today at the Fry's.com Open.

Currently 157th on the money list, Thompson found the hole on the par 5 1tth from 262 yards and a 3-wood, according to Yahoo and the AP. Then on the next hole, a 199 yard par 3, a 7-iron found the cup for the ultra rare double and putting him tied for 5th and one shot out so far in the 3rd round.

Thompson's hole in one was one of three, yep three, today.  Ted Purdy and Chad Campbell aced the 16th.

It's been a week since I wrote anything for others to read and Ryan just did the good old-fashioned random thought post.  Well, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so hopefully he's flattered.

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 It's about time that golf gets the due it deserves for being a top international sport.  As judged by the President's Cup rosters, South America, Australia, Africa, and Asia all saw representation.  If one looks at recent Ryder Cup rosters, several European countries are represented as well such as Spain and Germany along with the British Isles.  It is a growing sport played at a high level on all corners of the Earth and that will continue to improve.

For the women who play professionally, this will be a huge boost as they play their sport on a stage where casual people will be paying attention.  For the women in their twenties now, the payday that will come ith a potential Olympic gold will be beyond their wildest dreams and will help develop more players everywhere.

The men? A different story.

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There is nothing like a true playoff and it is too bad the PGA Tour doesn't have one.

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Once a highlight on the winter swing of the tour, the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic has fallen off the map as far as the average sports fan is concerned.  Relegated to the Golf Channel and smack dab in the middle of the NFL playoffs, this five round low scoring snooze fest is in dire need for a shake up.

The face lift that the Hope needs may actually help fix another problem in professional golf: the sagging number of sponsors on the LPGA.    Change the Hope's format to make it a pro-am, and turn it into a combined stop on both the PGA and LPGA Tour.  Keep it as a 90 hole affair as long rounds are already on the agenda.  The course rotation would allow a full field for both tours anyway.

One could try to equalize the two tours just by using the second set of tees for the LPGA pros, although the Hope courses have never been all that hard and get easier by the year.  From approach shots forward, they would be playing from the same distances and in some cases the same short irons/wedges.  It certainly would give a bit of spice to an event that has become the poor cousin to the AT&T National Pro-Am up the road at Pebble Beach.

Make the cut for Sunday, as usual and play the top 70 and ties, regardless of gender, on PGA West and may the best person win.  The talent is there that some LPGA star could pull off a top ten, and after a few years, could actually win the thing.

While a silly season event is probably more likely so it would not count on the PGA Tour side, the interest in seeing Michelle Wie or a Natalie Gulbis play with the big boys would draw some eyeballs.  Giving corporate America or Europe a good look at these players could lead to some sponsorship money going forward and better stability for the LPGA Tour.

With the Golf Channel committed long term to both tours, as the LPGA Tour has an exclusive cable deal starting next year, getting television coverage would be easy to coordinate.  Add the rumor of parent company Comcast buying NBC and a move on the schedule to the bye week between the NFL conference championships and the Super Bowl and you have a sure fire ratings hit.

It may not draw Tiger and Phil, at least to start, but there is enough talent on both tours to make this work and be high quality.  The USGA will conduct both opens at Pinehurst in 2014, this would make a great follow-up.

If Tiger Woods never hit another golf ball in anger, where would he be on the list of all time greats?

Call 2009 a bad year if you will.  A missed cut at a major and he let the PGA escape.  Yep, a year removed from major knee surgery, old Tiger Woods shanked it around the golf courses of the world only to win six times and earn over 10 million in prize money on his way to his second FedEx Cup.  If only the rest of us mortals could perform that badly on the job. 

He now sits with 71 career PGA Tour wins, mostly with fields deeper than the history he is trying to chase.  The major count still is at fourteen, but he did finish in the top ten in all three majors he made the cut in this season.  With $92 million in prize earnings, he has won nearly $31 million more than Vijay Singh, who sits #2 all time.  A three time career grand slam winner and has eleven international victories to add to the 71 PGA Tour ones. 

He has made quite the resume, but is he there?

It is really hard to compare one era of golf to another.  Tiger certainly plays with better equipment than Jack Nicklaus or Sam Snead, but the fields are better quality.  Having said that, there is no Lee Trevino or Tom Watson that seriously threatens to defeat Tiger week in and week out.  Accomplished golfers by the bunch, the Phil Mickelsons and Ernie Els of the world have yet to stare down Woods and beat him at his own game.

Yeah, Woods is showing that he's mortal now.  His length is not gargantuan and there is the first loss after leading a major after 54 holes, but he is playing smarter.  After the surgery, he's a bit more accurate off the tee.  Where he may claim to be the greatest ever is on the greens.  His putting displays at Bay Hill and Memorial were legendary and, of course, not three putting at all in the 2000 Open at Pebble.  It is very hard to argue against him not being the greatest putter of all-time right now.

Two things, however, make it impossible to say that he is the greatest ever.  He is not the most accurate hitter on Tour, although that has improved and, with his length, even his bad shots are average. Also, he has not played long enough yet.  We have yet to see the decline phase of Tiger's career.  Nicklaus went two years without a win when he won the 1980 US Open and followed that up with the '80 PGA and the signature moment of his career, the 1986 Masters.  Yet, he remained very competitive, notably finishing second to Tom Watson and his chip in at 17 at Pebble in 1982.  Jack's winning days were behind him, but you could never count him out.

It is hard not to crown the man right now.  Tiger's course management skills are his biggest asset and they are so far ahead of everyone else in this era, it's not funny.  It is impossible, because of the lack of coverage in the past, to compare him to Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, and Bobby Jones - who were all great thinkers.  Tiger's whole focus has been on Jack's 18 majors.  Most people will compare him to that standard.

Perhaps the fairer standard is Sam Snead and his 82 Tour wins.  Greatness is measured more than four times a year, it comes with how one does year in and year out.  Tiger could hit that by 2011, a mark that in the end may be harder to achieve looking back than 19 majors.  At that point, how could one not call him the greatest, but not yet.