[rodge827]

An interesting perspectve.

Watch the video and draw your own conclusions.

http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/04/08/fanhouse-tv-mickelson-the-anti-tiger/

Rodge

[drphoto]

 

[jsaliga]

Basically it puts forward the argument that Phil should win because he's a nicer guy.  Personally, if he wins I sincerely hope it is because he was the better player.

The Masters, as with any major championship, is supposed to be a test of golf and not a test of character...

--Jerome

[drphoto]

I agree that a major should be a test of golf period. But I don't think that's what the guy was saying.

I think his point was that Phil was always (and continues to be) a truly good guy. I always admired him. He was a rich kid who could have just screwed around with golf but instead became one of the game's best players.

 I think he always had his priorities straight and put his family first, which may have been the reason he had that rep for years he couldn't win the big one. (the why can't he be more like Tiger argument)

And he always seems truly appreciative of the fans which is part of why people love him.

[jsaliga]

I think he always had his priorities straight and put his family first, which may have been the reason he had that rep for years he couldn't win the big one. (the why can't he be more like Tiger argument)

I've seen nothing in Mickelson's career performance that suggests he wasn't fully committed to golf.  I've always admired and respected his talents.  If there has been any fairly consistent weakness in his game over the years it has been with the flatstick.  He even missed two par putts this week that were 2 feet or less.  But he has made some improvements in his putting stroke and it shows.  We'll see how he does tomorrow.  I like his chances.

And he always seems truly appreciative of the fans which is part of why people love him.

No doubt about that.

--Jerome

[rodge827]

Gents,

There are many parallels between the two.

The message that I got from the video is this :

Tigers problems (crisis) were all brought about by his own irresponsability. In Phil's case life jumped up and threw him a seven.

Tiger is now more concerned about fixing his tarnished image to regain lost revenue. Who knows what "deal" he may have with his wife. Time will only tell and FWIW I hope Tiger and Elin get through this and the marriage prospers. Tiger has been more fan friendly than ever. Hopefully he is starting to "get it" from the fan point of view.

Phil received the news that no husband wants to hear. So, golf be damned, his heart leads him in the right direction. Then he returns to the office and is able to perform at a very high level. Intense focus, mentally strong, whatever ? The serious issues that personally face him haven't changed the person that he always was. A good husband, good dad, a good ambassabor for the game, and one heckuva great golfer!!!!

Rodge 
 

[satfrat]

Tiger's fan base hasn't gone anywhere and his track record in the Majors speaks for itself. Only 4 strokes back,,,, Don't no one ahead of Tiger (including Phil Mickelson) wants to hiccup tomorrow cuz Sunday's Majors has historically been Tigertime. 

It should be fun to watch,, well as fun as golf gets anyways. 
 
Cheers,
Robin

[jsaliga]

And who knows, there are a few other names -- such as K.J. Choi, Hunter Mahan, and Ricky Barnes -- that have chance of walking away with a green jacket if the guys at the top of the leaderboard falter.

I'm looking forward to an exciting final round tomorrow.

--Jerome

[satfrat]

Less we not forget mention the Master's leader after 2 and 3 rounds, Lee Westwood. But can he stand up next to Mickelson in Sunday's head to head final round matchup?
 
Then there's the bigger question on everyone's mind,,, what's Tiger up to tonite with the wife at home?     
 
Cheers,
Robin

[Rob Babcock]

Basically it puts forward the argument that Phil should win because he's a nicer guy.  Personally, if he wins I sincerely hope it is because he was the better player.

I wish the media had that opinion re Duke vs Butler.  Yeah, if Butler won it would have made a better movie for Lifetime, but sometimes 30 years of blood, sweat and tears pays off.

Sorry if this it OT- I have no opinions regarding "pasture pool."

[twitch54]

The Masters, as with any major championship, is supposed to be a test of golf and not a test of character...

--Jerome

Actually some of us believe it's BOTH !

[jsaliga]

And I think you are dead wrong.  A test of golf, absolutely.  A test of endurance, perhaps.  But a test of moral virtue?  Sports, and the world at large, is filled with people who have personal flaws of one kind or another.  If major championship golf was a test of character then John Daly should have never won the PGA Championship in 1991 or The Open Championship in 1995.  He won because he was the best golfer in the field at the time, and that is exactly how it should be.

--Jerome

[zybar]

Less we not forget mention the Master's leader after 2 and 3 rounds, Lee Westwood. But can he stand up next to Mickelson in Sunday's head to head final round matchup?
 
Then there's the bigger question on everyone's mind,,, what's Tiger up to tonite with the wife at home?     
 
Cheers,
Robin

Actually, I don't give a rat's ass about what Tiger is doing with his wife or anybody else. 

This whole time I only cared about his golf game.  All of the other stuff is between Tiger and his wife and is frankly none of my business.  I never viewed Tiger as a role model, I viewed him as one of the two best golfers I have ever seen.

George

[satfrat]

Actually, I don't give a rat's ass about what Tiger is doing with his wife or anybody else. 

This whole time I only cared about his golf game.  All of the other stuff is between Tiger and his wife is frankly none of my business.  I never viewed Tiger as a role model, I viewed him as one of the two best golfers I have ever seen.

George

I'm in full agreement with ya George,,,, bad joke. 
 
I'll ge rooting for him to win another Masters & earn the Green Jacket. 
 
Cheers,
Robin

[zybar]

Actually some of us believe it's BOTH !

Why???

Like the rest of life, sports is filled with people who are incredibly talented at what they do, but miss the mark when it comes to other areas.  Just because somebody can hit or kick a ball, swing a bat, racket, or stick doesn't mean they should or can be equally successful when it comes to character and morals.

We set such a ridiculously high bar for our athletes, yet seemed amazed when they fail to live up to such standards.  It's a shame we don't instead try to focus on how each of us might strive to be better and become what we push on our athletes.

George

[jsaliga]

I'll ge rooting for him to win another Masters & earn the Green Jacket. 

If anything is missing from Tiger's resume it would be comming from behind in the final round of a major to win.  He has been incredibly successful as a front runner...winning 14 of 15 times leading or tied for the lead after 54 holes.  He has never won a major when trailing going into the final round.

Interestingly enough, Phil Mickelson has never come from behind in the final round to win a major either, though I think both players have it within them.

--Jerome

[Dan Driscoll]

If anything is missing from Tiger's resume it would be comming from behind in the final round of a major to win.  He has been incredibly successful as a front runner...winning 14 of 15 times leading or tied for the lead after 54 holes.  He has never won a major when trailing going into the final round.

--Jerome

Neither has Phil.

[keenween]

Why???

Like the rest of life, sports is filled with people who are incredibly talented at what they do, but miss the mark when it comes to other areas.  Just because somebody can hit or kick a ball, swing a bat, racket, or stick doesn't mean they should or can be equally successful when it comes to character and morals.

We set such a ridiculously high bar for our athletes, yet seemed amazed when they fail to live up to such standards.  It's a shame we don't instead try to focus on how each of us might strive to be better and become what we push on our athletes.

George

  You're right, I should focus on not cheating on my wife with a plethora of women. I should probably focus on ending my dog fighting ring too.

I don't hold athletes to any standard, but when they choose to get paid for marketing and advertisements based on an image, then said image is destroyed due to their personal actions, then a giant PR campaign is launched instead of addressing the issue straightforward with fans and people wearing clothing with their insignia...I lose respect. But that is just my opinion. Tiger will still entertain people with his great golfing performances, and that is what matters to many fans.

I was not amazed when he failed to live up to a standard, just disappointed for all the little kids wearing Tiger hats that might view him as a role model.

Like Mike, I want to be like Mike. 

[satfrat]

You're right, I should focus on not cheating on my wife with a plethora of women. I should probably focus on ending my dog fighting ring too.

I don't hold athletes to any standard, but when they choose to get paid for marketing and advertisements based on an image, then said image is destroyed due to their personal actions, then a giant PR campaign is launched instead of addressing the issue straightforward with fans and people wearing clothing with their insignia...I lose respect. But that is just my opinion. Tiger will still entertain people with his great golfing performances, and that is what matters to many fans.

I was not amazed when he failed to live up to a standard, just disappointed for all the little kids wearing Tiger hats that might view him as a role model.

Like Mike, I want to be like Mike. 

That is all fine & good as you are looking at it from Tiger's business end of things but when it comes to head to head competition, the morality aspects end at hole 1. It's mano against mano and may the best shot win. The advertising, high standards of being in the public eye comes after the competition is long over.
 
Cheers,
Robin

[jsaliga]

You're right, I should focus on not cheating on my wife with a plethora of women. I should probably focus on ending my dog fighting ring too.

I don't hold athletes to any standard, but when they choose to get paid for marketing and advertisements based on an image, then said image is destroyed due to their personal actions, then a giant PR campaign is launched instead of addressing the issue straightforward with fans and people wearing clothing with their insignia...I lose respect. But that is just my opinion. Tiger will still entertain people with his great golfing performances, and that is what matters to many fans.

I was not amazed when he failed to live up to a standard, just disappointed for all the little kids wearing Tiger hats that might view him as a role model.

Like Mike, I want to be like Mike. 

You are completely missing the point.  None of what you are arguing has anything whatsoever to do with major championship golf.  George asked twitch54 why he thought a major golf championship was both a test of golf and a test of character.

Both George and I are focusing on golf and are of the opinion that a major championship's aim is to produce the best golfer.  If you find it more personally satisfying that a nice guy like Phil Mickelson wins then that's fine as far as it goes.  But being a morally upstanding and all around nice person doesn't make Phil the better golfer.  What he does on the golf course is what makes him a great golfer.  What he does off the golf course might make him a great person.

And how many kids growing up in the 1950s and 1960s wanted to be just like Mickey Mantle, Huh?  Let me tell you something...I was one of those kids.  The revelations that came out about Mickey might not have made him the shining moral beacon that I thought he was as a kid, but that didn't diminish one iota his brilliance, mettle, and grit as a baseball player.  Mantle, like Tiger, was an imperfect man and professional athelete but in Mick's case he played at time long before the internet and the 24 hour news cycle.  If Mickey was an active player now and most of the dirt on him came out it might have ended his playing career prematurely.  And while that might have been a satisfying outcome for the moral pontificators out there who love to stand in judgment over others, it would have been tragic for true baseball fans.

--Jerome