Great Expectations

This past Sunday I was sitting in a restaurant, in the San Diego airport, watching the Masters. I was surrounded by many spectators who were joining me in watching the round unfold. As I watched I heard many cold hearted comments from the gallery. Everyone in the Bloody Mary Restaurant seemed to have some sort of a degrading comment on Tiger's game and thought he was playing terrible. It seems to be a consensus in the golfing world that if Tiger is in the last group on Sunday (especially in a major) it is all but wrapped up. I have to admit I expected Tiger to win, he always seems to perform at his best on the grandest of stages. However, if he did not win I was not going to be shocked, and by the time he had reached the 8th tee I just had a feeling that today was not his day. When I got the inclination that he would not be crowned Masters champion for the fifth time, I could not believe how the people around me kept complaining on how "bad" Tiger was doing. At this moment I came to a interesting conclusion.

We as fans expect extraordinary things from our best athletes all the time. We always seem to just assume that our "hero" will always win out, but let's be honest folks that is not going to happen every single time.

So, as I ate my warm cheese and chicken quesadilla I drew a comparison I had never thought of before. The comparison was that Tiger and A-rod are very much alike in their respective sports, especially when it comes to the "expectation factor".

We all know Tiger is the best golfer in the game hands down. We also know that A-rod is one of the best players in the majors if not the best. Then why is it that when these two athletes don't thoroughly impress us with their every swing of the bat or 3 wood they are hung out to dry.

Think about it, on Sunday the winner Zach Johnson finished at +1 when was the last time that happened? It just shows you how hard the course was playing and how horrible the weather conditions were. Even last years Masters champion Phil Mickelson finished at +11 no where near the leaders. Yes, we all know Tiger did not have his best stuff this past Sunday but, he still finished second in the biggest and hardest tournament of the year. He still has 12 majors and 4 green jackets and I know he will get more.

Also consider this, why is it when A-rod strikes out with two outs and a runner in scoring position or commits an error at the hot corner he is immediately booed and when this happens to Jeter there is nothing more than a small sigh? OK fine Jeter has won the World Series a couple times but, it is almost a fact that A-rod will hit at least .300 with 115 plus RBI's and 35 plus home-runs. I guarantee Jeter no matter how good of a season he has will never do that.

Here is a little food for thought for all you sports fans out there. When it is all said and done for these two incredible athletes they could both go down as the greatest players ever in their sports. Tiger was the youngest to ever when the Masters in 1997 and will more than likely break Jack Nicklaus's illustrious record of 18 major titles. As for A-rod the youngest player to hit 400 home runs and probably during the course of this season will become the youngest to 500 dingers. If he stays healthy he might even take a stab at Barry Bonds home run record (I figure the sooner I come to grips with it the easier it will be) before his career is over.

So, the next time you are watching one of these two athletes on TV and they make a mistake think twice before you spat your criticism...everyone deserves an off day.

Going, going, gone
DeLa