Some Gobble Up Tiger's Mac And Cheese, Some Don't

Those cynics who didn't buy into Tiger's Newsweek column and the anecdote about making the kids mac and cheese will find comfort in knowing my colleague Tim Rosaforte mopped it up!.

So what's the message? That Tiger realized what he lost, and he's doing everything he can to save what's more important than a green jacket, player of the year honors and a $10 million FedEx bonus.

It's easy to say Tiger should have come to this realization earlier, but that's in the past. His renewed commitment to his children seems as real as a side dish of macaroni and cheese on Thanksgiving Day.

Who eats macaroni and cheese on Thanksgiving?

Robert Lusetich wasn't quite as taken by the PR offensive, but he also was not as offended as some.

The knee-jerk reaction among most of my peers was to decry it all as a cynical stunt. Woods, they cried, is a phony.

I disagree.

Each of those acts reveal exactly who he is, just where he’s at a year after his life was deconstructed by a sex scandal, and why from here on out we should only care what he does as a golfer.

The Newsweek piece shows that while he’s trying to reach out to fans, he’s still listening to IMG and that they’re both clinging to the dream of rebuilding the Tiger Woods brand with big sponsors.

Good luck with replacing those 50 rocks a year, fellas.

And John Feinstein unleashes.

It is clearly just another image-rehab attempt by Woods and his sycophants to try to win back corporate money and fans—the fans being important because their support leads to corporate money. It is no coincidence that the latest blitz comes a couple of weeks prior to Woods’ 18-man exhibition event in California which he hasn’t played in for two years. (First year injury; second year, um, injury so to speak). He’s trying to keep his sponsor on board after two disastrous years and unveiling the latest version of his new self all at once.

Do I believe Woods when he says he’s learned the joys of giving his son a bath in the last year? Maybe. But if it is so joyful and SO important to him why was he in Australia chasing appearance money a couple of weeks ago when he could have been playing a couple of miles from his house at Disney? Why is he going to Dubai early next year to chase more appearance money?

Comments

[vwgolfer]

The guy crashes his car. Drunk on sleeping pills and a couple of beers(probably). Shock! And a year later after giving his son one bath and mac and cheese. What? Tiger you might as well talk about the joys of smelly diapers too. But somehow that might be a little tooooo human. BLAH...he is still a corporate robot.

[Willie]

It's like he never got a chance to be a real person. He's sorta like Michael Jackson, minus the plastic surgery, NeverLand, the kids, the zoo animals, the plastic surgery, the crazy siblings, the grammys, the plastic surgery, the fake marriage to Elvis' daughter, McCauley Caulkin, the plastic surgery . . . ok, he's not like Michael Jackson -- well, except that he seems to have no idea how to relax and be natural in public.

[seak]

Apparently Tiger cheated on Feinstein or something, because the level of personal vehemence coming from the guy doesn't leave much room for any other explanation. And really he hasn't changed unless he lets you interview him? And then continue to beat a dead horse bc apparently you are the only one with the ability to ask tough questions (and seriously what questions would those even be?)

Yep Tiger still wants to make money, and be a pitchman shock! My guess is he cares at least a little bit though, or his game wouldn't have gone so deep in the crapper, but that's just a theory.

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

Um, actually, in this backward neck of the woods macaroni and cheese (the made-from-scratch baked kind) is a staple and often found on the Thanksgiving Table among the mashed potatoes, pole beans (wider than usual green beans to the uninitiated), turnip greens, cornbread dressing, giblet gravy, turkey, ham, cranberry sauce, yeast rolls, pecan pie, pound cake, peach cobbler and sweetened iced tea. Damn. Now I'm hungry, but in a few days I'll have all of that except for the pecan pie. Y'all come! I do kind of doubt it is that common in Cypress, Isleworth, or on Jupiter Island, though.

[RM]

I'll likely be enjoying some mac n' cheese on Thanksgiving Day as well, more of a caserole style though with a layer of crumbled ritz crackers on top. And this week will be all about family and being thankful, not rehashing the night Tiger's world crumbled...like so many ritz crackers.

[sir real]

Feinstein getting a solid ripping ....by the Shack Attack crew! I think some of the lashing is a bit much...the man has produced some good work... though in short supply of late.

I recall he also bellowed early on, that the scandal would have little impact on Eldrick's endorsements. While Tiger still has a significant, patheticlly large haul , due to the avarice of some corporate whores for whom profit potential trumps all;, it is far less than the past.

In the end Tiger has to live with his flaws, try to improve as a person, as we all do in life, and win again to some degree as he did in the past. It's not easy, on any of those counts..time will tell.

Happy Turkey Day all...yeh, even you Tiger...have yourself a bit of extra stuffing!

[Marky Mark]

Here comes the Sycophant Apologist Brigade again - coming here to protect Tiger against Feinstein representing nosey journalists and that annoying 1st Amendment to the Constitution.

[Hawkeye]

I think Willie is right - Woods just doesn't feel comfortable on a personal level in the public eye, but it hasn't occurred to him that refusing to "play the game" is an option. Becoming a slave to your own creation isn't exactly new...

[Troglodyte]

I think the bottom line to the PR blitz and the scribes' reaction to it is that nothing has changed. Not among those who follow Tiger as part of their job nor among those who do so as avid golf fans. Just as there were varying degrees of outrage and disgust at last year's revelations, the reaction to what is so transparently another phony ploy to rebuild an image depends on what one thought of Tiger before this all went down.

Before the crash some where happy to look past the arrogance, cheapness, and boorish behavior and simply admire his other-worldly talent. Others couldn't get past the fact the best golfer of all time would turn out to be such a cold uncouth creep.

Tiger's meltdown just further polarized those views. Post-crash some said his personal life was nobody's business. Others were further offended that the man made millions with an image that was just one big lie.

A year later, nothing has changed. Not the divergent views. And certainly not Tiger. He is still arrogant, cheap and boorish. He has the same people around him who fostered and enabled the lies. I'm not sure Tiger has it in him to present himself honestly to the public. Another PR campaign is no evidence of change. It's just more of the same. Nothing has changed.

[Alien 2010]

@ Troglodyte
That definitely seems to be a description of yourself. You have looked at your life under a microscope and have come to these conclusions. Hooray for you!. I wish many posters on this blog would examine their own lives also and then go and make improvements to do some Noble actions. For example, spread love and stop hatred, be compassionate and stop bitterness.
Just asking, but you sound as if you have a personal intimacy with Tiger Woods - You know him personally, eh?

[Brad Ford]

At the end of the newsweek story, the TW Foundation claims to have educated 10 million kids. While I am sure it did some good things, that claim is an enormous exageration without any foundation in fact.

[tlavin]

Feinstein is a cipher. He hasn't written anything worth reading in more than a decade, perhaps since he wrote that puerile man hug to the usga about the Open at Bethpage. His Tiger rants have the sort of rage that make you wonder whether it is he who needs some rehab.

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

It does surprise me to hear that someone actually read a column or story by either John Feinstein or his doppelganger Tom Friedman, aka the Mustache of Understanding...

Happy Thanksgiving to all in ShackLand!

[AK47]

Feinstein is very convinced he's the greatest golf writer living, no matter how delusional that appears to everyone else. Woods stiffed him so many times that JF's oversized ego couldn't handle it and so he's hated him and Team Tiger since. A few guys touched on it above and I think it's right: Woods cares too much what people think, that's why he's played like a dog.

[tlavin]

The only reason, in fact, to like Feinstein is that he bears a passing facial resemblance to the actor who played the mohle in the famous briss episode on Seinfeld. Regrettably, he seems to lack that actor's tremendous comic timing.

[Smolmania]

Feinstein has written -- very past tense --some good stuff, but not much lately. It's pretty easy to kick Tiger now, his fall from grace has been well documented and undeniably justified. But why would he want to go to a fun course in the Sand Belt, where they're going to pay him to come, instead of a fall series event in Orlando? And why go to Dubai, where they've paid him beaucoup bucks to design a golf course to play in another event? Because that's his job! Did Gary Player or Ernie Els not love being with their families because they made a decision to travel the world playing golf? Give Tiger, and the rest of us, a break. . .

[RickABQ]

KLG - kudos to anyone who can drop in a Tom Tomorrow reference in here. There is no one in the USA who has gotten more publicity and fame out of the most obvious statements than Little Tommy Friedman. As for all the Shack critics here, perhaps Geoff should just tell them to "suck. on. this."

[Wonk.]

That's pretty presumptuous stuff from Feinstein. What if Tiger wasn't allowed to see his kids two weekends ago? He has no idea what Woods' custody arrangement is like to be spewing the "why wasn't Tiger playing at Disney rants!?!" rants. He didn't play Disney because he wants to make money playing overseas during the offseason, just like Mickelson. Nothing wrong with that.

Imagine if Tiger played every Fall Series event and won. It would take away the "beauty" of second tier golfers battling for their tour cards, which is something that Feinstein and his ilk love to elevate.

[golfboy]

1st amendment?

really?

[Margie]

Just Mom and Tiger for Thanksgiving.

[Tom T.]

I'm no TW apologist, but Feinstein is ridiculous. Only a Feinstein sit down will prove TW's sincerity? Give me a break. The downward spiral of the Golf Channel continued when they brought Feinstein on as a regular contributor.

[Alien 2010]

I ask on a golf chat the other day as to the reason that Feinstein passsionately hates TW (he spewed a wall of hatred on TW on golf channel) and I was dismayed as to the bigotry. Earlier on TW's career at the height of Tiger mania, TW turned downed numerous attemps for interviews and also to be included in a book Feinstein was writing. Feistein lost monetary big time and the turn down did not sit well. Remember, young kid, minority, did not invent golf, was not a legend in the Arnie, Nicklaus mold.
Feinstein is petty, past his sold off date as a jourrnalist,vindictive, bitter etc. By the way I understand that he just got married( not sure what # this marriage is) and had a kid a few months after marriage at 55+ years old (I guess he will be going to a high school graduation in a wheel chair) I am just being facetious here and not mean spirited. But Feinstein is trying to play God and he is not remotely qualified

[John]

Mac and cheese at Thanksgiving is a must! Hopefully it wasn't the Kraft orange stuff. Not that it doesn't have it's place, but... As regards Feinstein, it must be tough being on top of Mount Pious your entire life.

[AK47]

Yes, Tiger blew him off (or more likely Steinberg) and Feinstein never forgave him. (As if either Woods or Steinberg give a crap). Feinstein's a weird dude. Huge ego for a so-so writer.

[Erik J. Barzeski]

Feinstein - because there's not already enough negativity in the world... :sigh:

[Matt]

I never was a tiger "Fan" he's a great golfer and was awesome to watch; however, when the scandal broke none of my friends were more disgusted in his behavior than I and I let people know how I felt.

Interesting - he may have realized how badly he screwed up, how badly he has hurt Elin and his kids and he may be truly trying to be more humble, that people are still cynical towards him and on his case. What if he truly is trying to reach out and say he's sorry?