Legends Defined

As if the US Open this past weekend was not impressive enough, we now find out that Tiger Woods played the tournament with a torn ACL and a double stress fracture in his tibia.  In fact, he has had a torn ACL for the last ten months - and has won nine of twelve tournaments during that time (one of the losses was a second place finish in the Masters).  And he did all of this WITH A TORN ACL!?!  I was still trying to get over the fact that he won the US Open less than two months after knee surgery - and that he did that by playing a 91 hole tournament where he had to birdie the 18th hole TWICE to stay in it.  That, my loyal readers, is the definition of a freak.

How demoralizing is this news to the PGA Tour?  They lose Tiger for the rest of the year.  The average ACL surgery knocks a top athlete out for 16-18 months.  That means Tiger should be ready by the Masters next year (10 months).  So now ratings will plummet.  But think of the rest of the golfers on the tour.  They thought that maybe, just maybe, they were getting closer to Woods.  His failure to close out the win at Augusta, the way he barely won the US Open.  Now they find out that he had a TORN ACL the whole time.  

I knew a guy with a torn ACL.  He limped around so bad.  I have had two knee surgeries.  Both of them knocked me out big time.  I was still on crutches after the first surgery six weeks later - the same time Tiger won the US Open.  It was curious that they played the Nike commercial with Tiger and his dad on Sunday during the fourth round.  His dad was talking and saying how he used to knock bags of clubs over when Tiger was in mid-swing as a kid - trying to distract him.  The point of the commercial was the ending, when his dad said that Tiger would never enter a tournament where he was not the mentally strongest competitor.  If that wasn't proven this past weekend, it never will be.  How you could ignore the usual pressure of a tournament ... no wait, a major tournament ... no wait, a major tournament playoff ... no wait, a major tournament sudden death playoff hole ... no wait, a major tournament sudden death playoff with a TORN ACL AND STRESS FRACTURES IN YOUR LEG -- I don't get it.

Compare that with Kobe Bryant.  There has been this big battle over the recent years, trying to convince sports fans that Kobe is as good as Michael Jordan was.  Sports fans think this is ridiculous - unless they are beyond stupid and blind Lakers fans in L.A.  Sports fans watched Michael Jordan and know that there never has been a player like that.  And there probably never will be again.  Not only was he the best player on any court he stepped on, he also was the most mentally prepared player, the most intimidating player, and the most powerful player.  This NBA Finals should put this whole argument to rest forever - in my opinion.

• Michael Jordan never would have pitched a media hissy fit and demanded a trade before the season - to the point where it nearly happened.
• Jordan never would have thrown his entire team under the bus to try to show how great he was.  He would have taken them aside in the locker room and eviscerated them there, threatening to maim them if they messed up again.  And then he would have hugged them and said on national television they were the most essential player ever.
• Jordan would never have allowed one of his teams to lose a game after having a 24 point lead in the 3rd quarter - AT HOME.  He would have put the team on his back and forced them to win.  Kobe just disappeared.
• And Jordan never ever ever would have let his team get blown out by 39 points in the series clinching game - especially not to their biggest rivals.  He didn't lose Finals.  6-0.  Bryant is 3-2, despite having the stronger team in both of those losses.

I'm sure we'll see a lot of excuses over the next few days about why the Lakers lost.  To me, the biggest reason is that #8, I mean #24 - Kobe "Black Mamba" Bryant - the man who HAD to be the centerpiece of the Lakers and destroyed a legacy to prove it - the man who desperately wants to be as good as Jordan - the man who hates his teammates, his coach, everyone but himself --- they lost because Kobe Bryant let his team down.  He disappeared when it counted.  He choked and did not deliver the goods.  He had no excuses.  The team had made trades to help him out.  He was healthy.  He had the best coach.  They even had better travel back to Boston.  And he couldn't get it done when it mattered.  Again.

Comparing those two stories, that is why Tiger is going to go down as the toughest, strongest, best golfer EVER.  And Kobe, in my opinion, is going to go down as a really good player who should have been better.  

WEEKEND LIST: 5 GREATEST ATHLETES I EVER SAW *UPDATED*

I was keeping up with the Bay Hill Invitational golfing tourney online to see what Tiger was up to.  Turns out, he was up to his usual tricks.  He was having a "pedestrian" tournament - until today when he made up the deficit and now is tied for first.  Again.  He's won six tournaments in a row - and every event he has entered this year.  It made me think about if he was the best athlete I have ever seen.  

This is not just a collection of ESPN's Sports Century.  These are players I saw play on TV or in person.  So it reflects my bias.  I didn't watch much hockey, so putting Gretzky or Lemieux in there would be me just putting people I knew should be in there.  Also, sports like gymnastics and figure skating are hard because you may have some dominant people, but are this generation's any more amazing than last?  I don't know if you can make the argument that Kristi Yamaguchi is better or worse that Katarina Witt.  Both of them were great, but is one THAT MUCH better?  That's why the only skater on here never won anything of much importance (largely due to racism on the judges part - not even kidding.)

Honorable Mention (6-20, no order)

• Andre Agassi - Anyone who can intentionally lose a set (6-0, too) of the Wimbledon Finals to conserve energy and win the title deserves some mention.  Especially if they still are in the Semifinals of the US Open at 38.
  
• Lawrence Taylor - He was so fast when the league wasn't yet.  His sack of Joe Theisman that shattered his leg demonstrated his ferocity and speed - and was a major gross out moment of my childhood.
  
• Surya Bonaly - French ice skater.  Only person who ever completed a flip and landed on one leg.  You should watch her on You Tube.  She skated like a guy and the skating community hated her for it.
  
• Lance Armstrong - He was the best mountain racer AND the best sprinter and won seven Tour de Frances in a row.
  
• Herschel Walker - People forget how great he was.  From 1980 to 1990 he was a force of nature.  He was the first real workout freak in football.
  
• Magic Johnson - Amazing court vision and game knowledge.  Why isn't he coaching?
  
• Carl Lewis - He won nine gold medals and one silver over the span of three Olympics - as a sprinter and long jumper.
  
• Michael Johnson - This dude was a freak as a runner.  Totally unbelievable and unbeatable.
  
• Deion Sanders
  
• Steve Young
  
• Martina Navratilova
• Mike Tyson - He won the heavyweight title in 63 seconds.  How do you do something like that?
  
• Jerry Rice
  
• Julius Erving
  
• Barry Bonds - Steroids or not, he was an amazing hitter.

5. Barry Sanders - I remember one game, Barry was racing up the sideline.  The Lions were playing the Steelers.  Rod Woodson was the All-Pro defensive back for Pittsburgh - widely considered best in the NFL.  Sanders came running up and Woodson prepped for the tackle.  Next thing you know, Sanders is on his way to the end zone and Woodson had blown his ACL.  Sanders literally juked him out of his knee.  At least Woodson had an excuse for missing the tackle.  Sanders spent his career making everyone look like an idiot.  He turned a mediocre Lions team into a feared opponent.  His college record for yards in a season still stands - and was set in four less games than whoever breaks it will have played in (over 2600 yards in just 11 games).

4. Larry Bird - I could not STAND Bird.  He was my least favorite player ever.  I thought he was dirty and arrogant.  There would be nothing better to me than leaving him off this list.  But to do so would only highlight my ignorance.  As I read Bill Simmons, I realize even more how amazing Bird was.  I don't remember every detail.  I just remember that game after game that should have been a loss for those blasted Celtics would turn into a victory because Bird hit some shot that shouldn't have gone in.  He could pass, defend, shoot like crazy.  Just not dunk - except for that one All Star Game.

3. Bo Jackson - What could have been.  Jackson could have been the greatest player ever.  If that hip had held up.  He was an All Star in both baseball and football.  He had amazing home run power and then would run right over players in football.  I saw him in college, and hated it when he played Georgia.  Then he spurned football to play baseball.  I always have wondered what would have happened if he had been able to keep playing.  Where would he have ended up?  Probably at the top of this list.

2. Tiger Woods - It is weird saying that a golfer is the greatest athlete or whatever.  They hit a tiny ball around a course.  But he is so dominant.  It is ridiculous.  Some of what he has done is just incredible - from winning major events with an 18 under par to winning by 12 strokes at other majors.  And he is so young.  He's won 66 tournaments (or something like that) and he's 32.  Add to that the sick money ($100 million from Nike alone).  Gooooo.

1. Michael Jordan - It is going to take a supreme effort to ever top this guy.  I have seen him do things that no human should be able to do.  He hung in midair, hustled on both ends of the court, and could stick a dagger in your heart.  The amazing thing was that he was Defensive Player of the Year several times, although he was known as a scorer.  He played one of his finest games when horribly ill with the flu.  I can't even limit his greatest plays to ten.  Anytime he was on the court, Chicago had a chance and you didn't change the station.