Second Chances

This has been a very strong, very emotional week in sports. There's been some great competitions, NCAA championships, the stretch run in the NBA and NHL and some great opening day action in baseball.

But it's fair to say the sports world — and probably large portions of the whole world — will come to a halt at 1:42 p.m. Eastern Time Thursday when a man named Tiger tees off in Augusta, Ga. The Master's is always a special tournament — even for those of us like myself that barely tolerate golf. And Tiger Woods is usually a featured attraction at the tournament, but he's never faced obstacles like this.

By now it would be hard to find someone who hasn't heard about Woods' transgressions, stint in rehab, and decision to return to golf. It's been five months since he played, and no one knows what to expect. People are flocking to follow him for a variety of reasons and there is generally some mixed feelings about his return. Some think he'll win, some hope he'll fall on his face, others share even harsher feelings toward Woods.

I have never been a Tiger Woods fan, in fact there were times when I practically loathed him. His arrogance on the course and in interviews rubbed me the wrong way. Now even some of his fans feel the same. But that's the part that bothers me.

Woods failed as a man. So have we all. Romans 3:23 says "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Of course, many put Woods on a pedestal, a position he appeared to welcome. So when his shortcomings became public, he had farther to fall than most.

I mentioned we are in an unprecedentedly exciting stretch for sports, which is true, but we're also in a time where professional sports has taken repeated black eyes. The rampant cheating in baseball continues to dog that sport, and in football and basketball the number of criminal cases being made against high-profile athletes continues to mount. Ben Roethlisberger may be charged with sexual assault and his teammate, Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes, may also face charges. Gilbert Arenas brought a gun into the locker room, Plaxico Burress was sent to jail for accidentally shooting himself and Shaun Rogers, of the Cleveland Browns, just got caught trying to bring a loaded handgun onto a plane.

Yet Tiger seems to be drawing the most ire from fans and pundits who are demanding that he give a full account of his actions. What Tiger did was wrong, but I have listened to his comments since then and, it seems to me, he is trying to set himself on the right path. My guess would be playing golf is a big part of that. It's probably something he can do to normalize his life and routine.

Everyone deserves a second chance. Woods said earlier this week that he was touched by the warm response he received during practice rounds. I hope that continues.

I don't watch much golf, but I'll be rooting for Woods this weekend. He's never been my favorite player, but, much like the hated Yankees in baseball, the game's more fun with him in it.