Tiger Woods' Press Conference/Apology: Did it finally shed some light on this dark subject?

As we all know today was being referred to as “The State of Tiger Address”.  However, with that said I believe that all of the media coverage of this almost public apology rather than a press conference was something three months too late.  The only other athlete who we can compare with is Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant.  Bryant was accused of rape of a girl while in Colorado about six years ago.  The only difference between the two public apologies is that Kobe Bryant was out the very next day with his wife and daughter holding a press conference apologizing to his friends, fans, and most important his wife.  Tiger Woods went into almost three months of hiding.

I can honestly say that I was skeptical of Tiger Woods and how he was handling this entire situation regarding his first public appearance in almost three months.  Tiger set up basically a safe haven in a sense because he said he wasn’t going to answer any questions and chose who was going to be in the room while he spoke.  Basically I saw the same old Tiger and thought that he was almost dictating or manipulating the media like he always has.  However, I noticed someone who realized what he did and the negative effects this is having on him and peoples thoughts about him from the first time he spoke.

Tiger Woods started out his public apology with,

“Many of you in this room are my friends," he said during the emotional speech. "Many in this room know me. Many of you have cheered for me, or you worked with me, or you supported me. Now, every one of you has good reason to be critical of me. I want to say to each of you simply and directly: I am deeply sorry for my irresponsibility and selfish behavior I engaged in.”

This is what made me realize that he has learned from his actions and is working on fixing them.  He left a lot of room for interpretation though because he was very vague in everything he said.  One more thing I noticed is that Tiger Woods is slowly coming back, not in his sport but as a person again with the anger he showed through his voice in certain parts of his apology and the most coming with this statement and one later on.

“I know people want to find out how I can be so selfish and so foolish," he said. "People want to know how I could have done these things to my wife Elin and my children…My real apology to her will not come in the form of words. It will come in my behavior over time. We have a lot to discuss. However, what we say to each other will be between the two of us."

This was a huge step for Tiger but we were able to really see how he felt about how his wife and kids were being treated and something that he felt needed to be discussed and time the truth came out.

"There's one issue I really want to discuss. Some people have speculated that Elin somehow hurt or attacked me on Thanksgiving night. It angers me that people would fabricate a story like that. Elin has never hit me that night or any night. Elin has shown enormous grace and poise throughout this ordeal. Elin deserves praise, not blame. The issue involved here was my repeated irresponsible behavior. I was unfaithful, I had affairs, I cheated.”

"What I did was not acceptable and I am the only person to blame. I stopped living by the core values I was taught to believe in. I convinced myself that normal rules didn't apply. I thought only about myself…I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by. I felt I was entitled.  Thanks to money and fame, I didn't have to go far to find them."

Tiger Woods through it all had a pretty even keel manner but showed his old character, the one who let his anger get the best of him on the golf course.  Probably the most important part of his entire apology was five words that took up two sentences.  Tiger has shown us all that he acknowledges what he did was wrong and is truly sorry.

The most confusing or unexpected things from this all, not the conference itself, but when he brought up his faith in Buddhism and how he strayed away from that and when he mentioned ‘PEDs’.  Many of us, especially me never knew that Woods was once practicing this faith and that he was brought up this way and that he actually mentioned steroids in this day-and-age of all that’s going on with baseball. 

Tiger has had this notion of him being above the law and that the media should not follow him and his every move.  HELLO, earth to Tiger Woods! When you’re the best golfer on the planet and one of the top athletes people will dictate your every move.  When you throw in his marriage to Elin Nordegren (pictured on left) whom many of us can say is beautiful you’ve gotten something for everyone from TMZ to ESPN.  You will be followed and no matter how hard you try you cant just escape and run from things.  Here’s what he said,

"I still believe it is right to shield my family from the public spotlight. They didn't do these things; I did. For the sake of my family, please leave my wife and kids alone. I recognize I have brought this on myself, and I know above all I am the one who needs to change. I owe it to my family to become a better person. I owe it to those close to me to become a better man. That's where my focus will be."

Tiger did mention his thoughts on when he might return to golf but it may or may not be something many of us wanted to hear. He said that he has not ruled out playing this year but he has a lot of work to do before he can even think about a return and Woods commented about how he would return,

"When I return, I need to make my behavior more respectful of the game," he said, before wrapping up his comments.”

Woods may or may not have won the hearts of many with this press conference or public apology because of the way he acted throughout it all by looking down at his notes every other word or how he ended it.  I on the other hand believe that he (Woods) ended his apology the best way anyone in his situation could.  He apologized one last time and then turned and walked over to his mother (pictured on right) and embraced her for quite some time.  This was huge for me to see and I immediately wished the best for Tiger. His closing statement was this,

“There are many people in this room and many people at home who believed in me. Today, I ask for your help. I ask you to find room in your heart to one day believe in me again. Thank you."

I loved how he chose to say the word ‘believe’ instead of ‘forgive’ because he showed how human he really is and is taking on the role model position far better than he had in the past.

Heisman Snub...

Ok so once again the Heisman Trophy Winner may have shocked a few people. Last years award went to Oklahoma's QB Sam Bradford who didnt even has the most 1st place votes, that went to Florida's QB Tim Tebow.

I have a slight problem with the Heisman Winner. However, with that said Mark Ingram was well deserved of the award and an extraordinary player for the Crimson Tide this season. The thing that gets me though is that, now we are suppose to believe that he's the best player in College Football when he wasn't even the best player at his own position?!?! Toby Gerhart ranked 1st in every FBS ranking for a running back. Gerhart finished 1st overall in rushing attempts (311), rushing yards (1736), rushing touchdowns (26), and total points scored (160).

The Heisman is suppose to be given to the most outstanding College Football player in the nation. If the award goes to someone who wasn't even recognized as the best at his own position what does that say about the award as a whole. Theres a defensive player in Ndamukong Suh who is arguably the best player on defense yet alone the entire College Football players. His quickness, athleticism, and strength was on display on a national stage last week against Texas. He was able to get to Colt McCoy 4.5 times and almost beat the Longhorns with the pressure he put on Colt with the clock winding down.

Yes Ingram plays for the Alabama Crimson Tide and playing in the SEC along with playing for the Nat'l Championship next month but come on... to be the best player overall you at least have to be the best at your own position!!!

Robert Henson calls Redskin fans ‘Dim-Wits’ on his Twitter account

By: Ryan Plinske

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 at 2:15pm

Many people often think that at first you should stay under the radar for say when you’re new to a job. Now, this doesn’t describe Washington Redskins rookie linebacker Robert Henson at all. Henson was the Redskins sixth round pick (186th Overall) out of Texas Christian University in the 2009 draft.

Robert Henson has started out the 2009 season inactive for the first two games and still has been able to make a name for himself with the general public. 'How you ask?’ is probably the best question anyone out there is asking. The rookie linebacker was quoted from his Twitter page and had the following to say,

“All you fake half hearted Skins fan can.. I won't go there but I dislike you very strongly, don't come to Fed Ex to boo dim wits!! No I didn't play but I still made more than you in a year and you'd [gladly] switch spots with me in a second, I was talking to the fans [who] said the crazy stuff, I'm use [to] heckling but I've never been booed in my own stadium. Again that was for the half hearted but if everyone wants to jump in come on. The question is who are you to say you know what's best for the team and you work 9 to 5 at McDonalds. You don't wanna follow me anymore then fine but we play for you and win lose or draw we represent you!! My guy on the Rams said they never got booed even when they didn't win a game. We made mistakes out there but we fought through them tooth and nail.”

All I have to say is that how can this man call out every fan when he is not even on the field competing. Does he realize how many people out there would love to be working 9 to 5 at McDonalds with the economy the way it is. What does he have against McDonalds? He said that he has never been booed in his own stadium before but last time I checked he wasn’t out there on the field and was inactive the last two games. I didn’t really take the ‘dim wit’ comment any farther than a hearty laugh but for a man of his status or lack thereof to go out there calling the Redskin fans names was probably the straw that broke the camels back in a sense.

He later posted an apology on his Twitter account saying,

“I apologize for all earlier comments about and to the fans, I was hit with objects from the crowd and was frustrated. 1-1 looks good baby”

After hearing what he had to say both before and after his questionable comments I still wonder what kind of an apology this is. As kids at a young age they are taught to apologize for what they did and state it verbatim and be sincere about it in their apology. This was not what (Robert) Henson needed to do so soon; yes he needed to apologize but not like this. He has yet to start an NFL game but a step ahead of the likes of Chad Ocho Cinco, Terrell Owens, Brandon Marshall, and Terrelle Pryor this football season for saying the most ridiculous statement so far.

MLB Honors an American Hero

By: Ryan Plinske

Sunday, April 19, 2009 at 5:30pm

April 15th isn't just Tax Day but on a larger scale to most baseball players it is known as Jackie Robinson Day. On this date way back in 1947 an African-American man named Jackie Robinson was called up to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

He was drafted into the army during World War II (1942) and right away was rejected to start officer training and immediately fought for his right to be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. During an interview with ESPN, Truman Gibson an aid to Secretary of War from 1941-1945, helped relive one of Jackie's experiences during his time in the Army. "During the last phases of officer candidate training, a senior officer referred to a Black soldier as a 'stupid n***** son of a b****.' And Jackie said, 'Just a minute, that man is a soldier in the U.S. Army," said Gibson. "So the senior officer told Jackie, 'that goes for you too.' Well all of a sudden, that senior officer had no teeth." This sums up just what kind of person Robinson was even at such a young age. He was later court marshaled for insubordination when he refused to sit in the back of a military base bus, but he was later acquitted of the charge. Later a man named Branch Rickey; General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers decided that he was going to make Jackie Robinson the very first African-American in Major League Baseball. However he was to hold back his rage to retaliate against racism.

He went through so much controversy and racial slurs growing up that it only made him that much stronger of a person when he entered the league as the first African-American player. He received very many hate mail and death threats that involved him or his family. Another thing that stands out about him is that he kept on fighting for blacks everywhere. He was called every name you could think of by people just because of the color of his skin. How ridiculous is this statement..., very because it doesn't matter what color, gender, or race you are but what really matters is how you play the game and how much talent, heart, and determination you have in order to bring a championship for your team despite the racism amongst the situation.

What made Jackie Robinson stand out to me was that his character and determination was as outstanding as anyone. During the 1972 World Series Commissioner Bowie Kuhn and MLB had set up an event to honor Jackie Robinson but he refused due to the lack of an African-American manager in baseball. During an interview that asked what the conversation between himself and Jackie Robinson Kuhn said, "I told him, 'Supposed if I told you I'm working very hard on that right now and I promise I will get that done...it's just a matter of time, I will get it done, will that make a difference,' and he said 'I'll think about it'" "And the next day he called me and said he'd do it because of that promise." Robinson attended the World Series despite all of this going down but spoke that day just how he felt, which was very familiar to all who followed Jackie and his free spirit personality. Robinson gave a speech that day and said, "I'm extremely proud and pleased to be here this afternoon," Robinson said during the '72 World Series ceremony, "but must admit I'm going to be tremendously more pleased and more proud when I look at that third base coaching line one day and see a Black face managing in baseball." He would be very pleased to see that as of right now there are 6 African American managing a club today.

When Jackie attended UCLA (University of California Los Angeles) he was the very first four sport varsity letter winner. He played football, track, basketball, and baseball. Robinson was an outstanding athlete and excelled in all areas of every one of these sports. He was awarded as the Pacific Coast Conference (now known as the Pac-10) leading scorer in 2 seasons as a basketball player, NCAA champion in the broad jump (25 feet, 6.5 inches) and also becoming an All-American in football.

Many of Jackie's achievements throughout his career was being awarded the 1947 MLB Rookie of the Year, 1949 MLB MVP, World Series champion in 1955, 6 time MLB All-Star selection (1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954), and he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 when he received 77.5% of the vote and was a first ballot hall of famer. However one accomplishment that Robinson would say makes him the most proud of his number (42) being retired throughout all of MLB in 1997 to honor the 50th anniversary of his first major league game. He finished his career in the 1956 season on October 10th. The very talented second-basemen finished his career with 1,518 hits, 137 home runs, 734 RBI's, 197 stolen bases to go along with a MLB record of 19 stolen bases of home, 740 walks, 291 strikeouts, and a batting average of .311.

As we look back into history we will all be reminded what this day really stands for and how much inspiration one man had to free a whole culture of people. Jackie Robinson isn't just the man who broke the color barrier in sports but in fact he's so much more, a true American Hero.

David Zielke Chooses UW-Platteville

By: Ryan Plinske AuroraChristianBaseball.com Exclusive

Date: 3/26/2009

The time has come for Aurora Christian senior David Zielke to make a decision on where he will be playing next year. Zielke chose the Pioneers of UW-Platteville to further his educational and athletic career. He will be playing both baseball and football next year as a freshman at Platteville.

David Zielke, one of the most athletic kids to ever go through Aurora Christian, is now a 3-time varsity starter for the Eagles. His junior year was what helped him become one of the top players in the area. Last season, David hit .397 with 19 RBI’s, 2 doubles and 2 home runs. David was second on the team in steals and was one of the top pitchers on the Eagles’ staff in 2008. He had a 4-1 record with 2 saves to go along with an outstanding 2.88 ERA. He had the most innings pitched with 41.1 while also leading the team in strikeouts with 31.

David chose Platteville because of the immediate connection with the coaching staff, a business school with a phenomenal academic reputation that is tops in the nation. The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is one of the most competitive Division III conferences in the country. Platteville was #1 on Zielke’s list of schools because of their hard-work and dedication in the off-season. Zielke also mentioned the schools top-notch facilities and how the Pioneer baseball and football coaches kept in touch with him throughout the recruiting process. “It’s a great fit for me overall, and I instantly connected with both the players and coaches a lot.”

Aurora Christian Head Coach Andy Zorger thinks Zielke will be able to step right in and compete next season as a freshman. “David has the experience and command he needs but if he is able to get his velocity up a little bit, David has the ability to greatly impact Platteville early on in his career there. He has a real easy delivery but needs to continue to work on his off-speed pitches in the off-season but overall I see (David) Zielke that as someone who will definitely be able to step in and deliver as a freshman”.

Zielke also stood out on the gridiron this past fall as one of Don Beebe’s most explosive players in recent history. At the start of the season, Zielke was going to be Jordan Roberts’s go-to guy due to an illness of teammate WR Matt Morse. Zielke surpassed many expectations and began receiving interest from many college football programs. He racked up 49 catches for 641 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 13.1 yards per catch. During his final game in an Aurora Christian Eagle football jersey, Zielke put up huge numbers against Bloomington Central Catholic in the IHSA Class 4A State Championship game. He ended up breaking two IHSA records with the most receptions in a game (10) and most receiving touchdowns in a game (2).

David Zielke is a promising young athlete with a bright future who has all the tools needed to excel at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville both on and off the field.

Congratulations to David Zielke and best wishes for a great college career!