Like (almost) everybody else, I love the holiday season.

If everyone was as polite year round as they are for a 30 some-odd day stretch, the world would be a much better place…well, if you exclude all the psychos in the stores.

I’m a 20-something bachelor, which means a few things: George Foreman is a deity in my eyes; up until about four years ago, the word “wedding” was worse to me than some four-letter words; and I Christmas shop around Dec. 23 every year. I don’t wait until the last minute because I lack Christmas spirit. I hold off for one reason and one reason alone: Christmas shoppers are the vilest, most evil people walking the Earth outside of the casts of every reality show ever, SEC football coaches and that dude who laid out Snooki last week on "Jersey Shore."

I’m sure you’ll all seen them: fighting over sweaters with reindeer on them when they know people hate getting clothes for Christmas, screaming at the top of their lungs about “Hannah Montana;” and getting up at the butt crack of dawn the day after Thanksgiving to save $3 on an MP3 player.

I was walking through a big box store — the name rhymes with “Mest My” — a couple weeks ago, and I swear I saw a man get tased by a 68-year-old woman because she had to have the last blu-ray copy of “District 9” for her grandson.

Why can’t people keep their cool when they’re in the mall during the holidays? My Mom is a serial shopper. She never met a sale she didn’t like, yet this is the only time of year she has tales of terror. It’s really not that difficult to devise a plan of attack for hitting the mall, yet millions of people unleash their inner Ebenezer Scrooge or Cruella De Vil and make fools of themselves during what is supposed to be the best time
of the year…next to college football season, of course.

I made up my 11-person shopping list about a month ago. It contains everyone’s name and what I want to buy them. I know of a number of stores that hold each gift, so I won’t go all Jack Torrance on some unsuspecting retailer who already hates their job if one store doesn’t have something on my list. I also have back-up gifts on the list, and I clear an entire day so I can devote as much time as needed to my search.

I understand people are adamant about getting the “perfect gift” for someone — usually because it’s asked for. But if you really know that person, it’s easy to have second and third gift options because you pay attention to what they like, their interests and tastes. If that person has a gripe about what you get them, they should be off your Christmas list altogether, or you should buy them nothing but Ben Affleck movies every year for as long as you know them.

I know it’s said a lot, but Christmas has become over-commercialized. I haven’t asked for anything since before I left home for college almost nine years ago. That was due more to the fact that I knew I’d need things earlier in the year, but you get the
point, right?

Family, friends, eating way too much food and laughing at your drunk uncle should be the focus of the season, not which sibling can get mom and dad the best gift because you know they’ll love whatever you buy as long as you put some thought into it. If you can’t afford to spend exorbitant amounts of money on someone, I’m sure you’ll think of something they’ll love that fits your budget.

So it really is the thought that counts when it comes to any gift; and since the NFL, college basketball and the college football bowl season are in full swing, I THOUGHT about buying everybody on my list gift cards and popcorn tins. I put a little more thought into it than that, though, so hopefully the people I had to shop for will be happy…because I threw out all my receipts.

Merry Christmas, everybody!

The New York Post this week reported that former No. 2 overall pick Darko Milicic said he's going to return to Europe to play ball at the end of this season.

"Whatever happens, I'm going back next year," the 7-foot-1 Milicic told The Post. "It's 100-percent certain. I have to be real and not lie. I'm not going to get it done in the NBA. I'm not going to get another opportunity and there's nothing wrong with going back to Europe. I don't want to create a bad atmosphere here, but it's not working in the NBA."

It took him seven years in the League to figure out it wasn't working? How’d he come to that conclusion? Maybe it was playing behind 450-pound Eddy Curry. That or the constantly hearing, “YOU SUCK, DARKO” yelled at him in 658 languages by NYC cabbies. He couldn't get off the oak in Detroit. He couldn't get any burn in Memphis, which is the CW Network of NBA teams. Now he can't get on the court for a New York team (Milicic has played in just eight of the Knicks 24 games) that had been 3-14 until a recent four-game win streak.

Darko is making $7.54 million this year to play 8.9 minutes a night. That's about $7.56 million more than he SHOULD be making. For his seven-year career, Darko averages 5.4 points, 4 boards and about 17 minutes a night. Those are numbers you expect to see for Dwayne Schintzius, not the No. 2 overall pick.

From here on, this is a re-hash of a blog I published prior to the 2007 NBA Draft in June 2007.

Let's play a game of "what if." The '03 draft turned out to be one of the deepest in history, being mentioned in the same breath as the '84 draft (Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, John Stockton) and the '96 draft (Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Ray Allen, Stephon Marbury, Jermaine O'Neal).

Darko was the second pick on the '03 edition of the draft. The second pick in the other star-studded drafts hasn't panned out how GMs and owners hoped. Sam Bowie's 10-year career was injury filled and Marcus Camby (selected number two by the Toronto Raptors in 1996) has turned into a serviceable big man, but not what Isiah Thomas hoped when he drafted him.

Waiting a few years to re-do or grade a previous draft is always a good idea, in my opinion. Who would have thought Josh Howard and Leandro Barbosa would have turned into stars after their rookie campaigns?

Number one in 2003 was a no-brainer. Cleveland was set to take LeBron James with the first selection. It gets interesting past that point, though, so we'll start with the second pick. The draftees' original spot is in parentheses.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers-LeBron James (1), St. Vincent/St. Mary's High School. Original pick: James

2. Detroit Pistons-Chris Bosh (4), Georgia Tech. A number of people have said Detroit should have taken Carmelo Anthony here, but the Pistons already had a small forward in Prince. Dwyane Wade may have fit here, too, but his minutes may have been minimal behind Hamilton and Billups. Many people have said Milicic didn't display any passion or work ethic, which led to him not getting any burn. I think Bosh, Anthony and Wade would have earned some PT. Original pick: Darko Milicic

3. Denver Nuggets-Dwyane Wade (5), Marquette. We all know Denver took Anthony in the spot four years ago. The 2006 Finals MVP could have worked out for the Nuggets, though. With the 46th pick, Denver could have chosen the undrafted Udonis Haslem, Wade's teammate in Miami, or the undrafted Marquise Daniels. Haslem has stayed healthy throughout his career, which is more than I can say for Nene. Haslem may have not commanded a $60 million deal the way Hilario did, either. Original pick: Carmelo Anthony

4. Toronto Raptors-Carmelo Anthony (3), Syracuse. Could drafting Anthony have kept Vince Carter in Canada? We'll never know, but this pick could have given the Raptors a wing tandem for the ages. Haslem was also still on the board when Toronto picked again at 52, which would have filled the PF hole. Original pick: Bosh

5. Miami Heat-Josh Howard (29), Wake Forest. The best defensive player on the list takes a huge jump from his original position. I don't know if Howard would have led the Heat to the second round of the playoffs the way Wade did his rookie season, but Howard's all-around, unselfish game would have meshed well with Shaq, assuming O'Neal would have still signed with the Heat. Milwaukee point guard Mo Williams was available at 33, as well, and Williams could have played the two in Miami. Original pick: Wade

6. Los Angeles Clippers-Chris Kaman (6), Central Michigan. Kaman was selected here by the Clippers in the '03 draft. He fit a need with the departure of former number one pick Michael Olowokandi. Kaman parlayed a couple solid seasons into a $50 million re-up before injuries put him on the shelf for much of the current season. Original pick: Kaman

7. Chicago Bulls-Kirk Hinrich (7), Kansas. Hinrich was originally selected here by the Bulls in 2003. The Jayhawk fit a need after '02 pick Jay Williams pulled a Rothlesberger before you could call it that. Hinrich has been a key cog in the Bulls' resurgence, helping lead the team to back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since the 1997 and 1998 seasons. Original pick: Hinrich

8. Milwaukee Bucks-T.J. Ford (8), Texas. Ford was selected here by Milwaukee and fit a need following the departure of Sam Cassell to Minnesota and Gary Payton to the Lakers. Ford was having a solid rookie campaign (7.1 ppg, 6.5 apg) before he suffered a neck injury. He was traded to Toronto for Raptors 2006 lottery pick Charlie Villanueva and has piloted Toronto to the top of the Atlantic division and the three-seed in the Eastern Conference. Original pick: Ford

9. New York Knicks-David West (18), Xavier. The 6’'9," 240-pound West had a quiet first two years with the Hornets, but West had a breakout season last year, averaging 17.4 points and 7.4 rebounds while shooting 51 percent from the field. Yes, I'm sure having Chris Paul helped, but West seems like a hard worker who'll do anything to make it in the League. Original pick: Michael Sweetney

10. Washington Wizards
11. Golden State Warriors
Either of these spots could have gone to two players: Boris Diaw (21) and Luke Walton (32). Diaw couldn't get off the bench in Atlanta, yet he has been a major part of a Phoenix team that has re-introduced "Showtime" to the masses, even garnering Most Improved Player honors at the end of the 2005-06 season. Starting at center for Phoenix that season in the playoffs, Diaw averaged 18.7 points, 6.7 boards and 5.2 assists. Walton has blossomed into one of the better all-around young players in the league. His adept passing skills have been put on display in Phil Jackson's triangle offense. In 48 games this season, Walton has more than doubled his career scoring (5.1 to 11.4 ppg), and assists per game averages (2.3 to 4.5). The original picks in these slots, Jarvis Hayes and Michael Pietrus, have shown flashes at time, but haven't played at the level of Diaw and Walton. Original picks: Jarvis Hayes (Wash.) and Michael Pietrus (GSW)

12. Seattle Supersonics-Udonis Haslem, Florida. I considered slotting Darko here, but Seattle has had a pension to take bangers the last few years (Reggie Evans, trading for Chris Wilcox). Haslem went undrafted in 2003, after playing overseas in 2002, but has worked his way into the starting PF spot in South Beach for the foreseeable future. Haslem isn't flashy, but he's a big body who isn't afraid to mix it up in the post. It also helps that he can hit an 18-foot jumper consistently. Original pick: Nick Collison

13. Memphis Grizzlies-Leandro Barbosa (28), Brazil. As of March 27, Barbosa is averaging 17.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 32.4 minutes per game. Barbosa is widely considered at the favorite to win the Sixth Man of the Year award. The speedy Barbosa could start on a number of teams, but he's happy with his role in Phoenix. Ironically, one of his teammates, Marcus Banks, was selected in this spot originally. Banks rarely sniffs the court in Phoenix. Original pick: Marcus Banks

If you notice, Darko’s nowhere to be found on the list. If I went that deep into the draft, Milicic would have fallen somewhere between Bow Wow’s character in “Like Mike” and the kid in my fifth-grade phys. ed. class who would just take a basketball and run in circles around the gym screaming “TOUCHDOWN! TOUCHDOWN!”

So, so long, Darko. I hope every team you play against starts a barstool at power forward. You’ll be a hall of famer for sure!

The Big 12 was once the Big Eight.

Florida State, and a slew of other football programs, were independents.

Joe Paterno, up until a few years ago, could hold his bowels on the sideline.

Things change. It's time for the Big Ten to change and join the 21st century and add a 12th team, which would bring some much-needed interest to a conference that has been treated like Elin Nordegren the last few years. Reports have surfaced that this is now a real possibility and it's something that should happen soon.

No matter what team it is (it's been rumored to be Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse or Iowa State), the Big Ten would be able to establish a conference championship game, which would mean an additional $5-$7 million for the conference. That conference game would be played in early December - uncharted territory for the Big Ten. That would keep the conference's top teams at the top of the minds of pollsters and give them a chance to impress the computers, as well.

A downside of scheduling a conference title game is the gate. Most stadiums (Beaver Stadium, The Horseshoe, The Big House) are much larger than where the conference title game would be played. If the game is played in either Soldier Field, Lucas Oil Stadium or Ford Field, some teams would lose 30,000 seats. But tickets for the conference title game would be at a premium and cost more than a regular-season game in Ann Arbor or Columbus.

Adding an additional squad would also call for a schedule shake-up.

Oftentimes (not always), Michigan and Ohio State will be at the top of the conference and would meet in the league's championship game. No one outside of Columbus or Ann Arbor would want to see the teams play two straight weeks, meaning the annual rivalry game could be moved around on the schedule, a la Texas/Oklahoma, Notre Dame/USC. Playing that game, let's say, six weeks before the conference championship game would allow the fanbases to stew and give Big Ten fans something to hope for come early December.

Adding a twelfth team would call for divisions to be formed in the conference. Some have said there should be an East (Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and the new squad) and West (Illinois, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Purdue). The East would be stacked, as it has all the power teams, meaning there would be basically no intrigue leading into a conference title game, unless the team out of the West has a special year.

I would opt for a North/South split, with the conference shaking out like this:

North
Michigan
Michigan State
Minnesota
Northwestern
Purdue
Wisconsin

South
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Ohio State
Penn State
(Pittsburgh/Rutgers/Syracuse/Iowa State)

I know it doesn't make a lot of sense geographically, but you keep the eight-game conference schedule, with the teams in each division playing every season, and rotating three teams in and out from the outside division. In order to keep rivalries in tact (I'll use Ohio State as an example), The Buckeyes would play their five division games - including a rivalry game with Penn State each season that would (most likely) have championship implications each year - Ohio State would still play Michigan every year (presumably in mid-October), while rotating two other teams from the North off their schedule every couple of years.

With the rotating games, teams that play for rivalry trophies would still be able to do so. Wisconsin would still have its game each year against Iowa, as the Badgers would have two teams in the South that would rotate off their schedule every couple of years, while the Hawkeyes would be a staple on Wisconsin's slate. Same goes for Northwestern (Illinois every season), Purdue (Indiana), Minnesota (Iowa), Penn State (Michigan), Michigan State (Penn State). Sure, some rivalry games would take place every couple of years (Penn State/Minnesota, MSU/Indiana), but the big ones would remain an annual happening.

A North/South split would balance out power in the conference. You have Michigan in the North, along with teams like (Wisconsin, Purdue and, sadly, not my alma mater in Green) that are capable of special seasons and winning a conference title. In the West, you have traditional powers in OSU and Penn State, along with Iowa, which has made runs recently, and the new squad. Putting the new squads in the same division with OSU and PSU, and having them play every season, would give the new squads a chance to legitimize themselves.

This move would be much more of a football one than basketball. There seem to be many more positives than negatives. The only major negative I see is if the new team flops and doesn't add anything to the Big Ten. So, if this does come to fruition, Commissioner Jim Delany and whomever else has a say better be careful which team they choose.

I only have one request, though: make it a squad State can beat. Please?

I get the business aspect of sports.

I stopped getting attached to athletes when I was around 17.

Players get traded from team to team, leave in free agency and retire all the time.

But this is different.

When I initially heard the Tigers were going to look at trading Curtis Granderson, I thought it was a joke. It made sense on a number of fronts: his contract is set to balloon in the next few years-it would get as high as about $13 million in 2013. His numbers at the plate have been on the decline. If the team was going to rebuild, he would be one of four or five players other teams would want.

All of that made sense.

Until the deal went through...

Earlier this afternoon, Curtis was dealt to the New York Yankees as a part of a three-team deal that sent Tigers No.-3 starter Edwin Jackson to the Diamondbacks, while Detroit picked up pitchers Max Scherzer (Arizona) and Phil Coke (NYY), along with outfield prospect Austin Jackson (NYY), who is said to eventually replace Curtis in centerfield.

While some people are saying Granderson will be a part-time player in the Big Apple. I think he'll start for the Bombers, as both Johnny Damon, who started in the outfield for the Yankees last season, and DH Hideki Matsui are free agents on the downside of the their careers who will be expecting big paydays.

I hate to see Grandy go. I never owned a jersey of a player from any Detroit team until I got a Granderson jersey for my birthday in 2006. That was the first summer he played full time, and Curtis was a catalyst in a lot of big wins that year. He also contributed greatly to a lot of fun nights at Comerica Park.

I hate to see Grandy go, but, for him, there could be a silver lining. He's made for Madison Avenue. ESPN gave him a blog two years ago BEFORE he became an all-star. He's been featured as an analyst as a part of TBS' postseason coverage the past two seasons, as well, getting his face out in the mainstream. Curtis has also started many charitable organizations that benefit the youth of Detroit and surrounding areas. He's easily been the most visible Tiger since he's gotten here. If he's able to keep that up in New York, and get his batting average up, he could be a huge star.

In a sense, Granderson is Derek Jeter Lite: a little overrated on the field; comes up clutch at times, but in a place like New York, you can make more money off the field than on it if you play it right.

Sure, Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long will have his work cut out for him with Granderson. Curtis couldn't hit a pitch off a lefty if the guy was throwing a beach ball to the plate. His career .210 batting average against left-handed pitching is a cause for concern, but if he doesn't have to hit leadoff, which I'm assuming he won't, that could help him out.

I hate this move. I can see Detroit is looking to build for the long-term, but Granderson should have been in those plans. Look at all the bad contracts the Tigers have: Nate Robertson, Jeremy Bonderman, Dontrelle Willis. But that's the problem. No other team wants those guys. If you're going to rebuild, you can only deal players other teams covet.

But fans don't have to be happy about it. I expect season ticket sales to take a major dip. I would go as far as to say the only sellouts they have will be when Justin Verlander pitches or when New York, Boston, the White Sox or Indians come to town. That or when it's a picturesque day outside.

The Tigers will be running all kinds of specials next season. You'll be able to get a ticket, pop, hot dog, T-shirt and pretzel for $13.85. I can't wait for "Bring Your Own Hot N Ready Day."

As a fan, this sucks. My Granderson jersey has a permanent home on a hanger now. But as someone who knows and understands the business of sports, the deal makes all the sense in the world. "Buy low, sell high" is the motto. That's what GM Dave Dombrowski did.

But I don't have to like it.

May 10-13. Tigers/Yankees. Comerica Park.

I'll be there cheering. But I'll be wear...I'll be wearing pin...I'll be wearing pinstripes.

Man, that was hard.

In case you didn't stay up to watch, last night's Monday Night Football Game between the Packers and Ravens was, statistically, the sloppiest game in MNF history. The game was sloppier than Tiger Woods and how he went about hiding his extramarital affairs.

Seriously, a real player wouldn't have his mistresses name AND number in his phone. You might even think someone with as much cash as Tiger would have a phone specifically set up for his Women On the Side. Either that or set up the, um, "meetings" as you go and don't have any phone contact.

Is it bad that I know so much about that kind of thing?

Back to football.

Some numbers:

-The two teams combined for 23 penalties, totaling a loss of 310 yards.
-Baltimore had almost as many penalty yards (135) as total yards (185).
-Green Bay had nearly twice as many penalty yards (175) as rushing yards (94).
-The squads combined for seven turnovers, including five interceptions.
-Joe Flacco looked like a combination of JaMarcus Russell and Matt Stafford, as he completed 41 percent of his passes (15/36) for 137 yards. That equals out to an average of 3.8 yards/completions. His QB rating (27.2), though, was higher than the combined IQ of the casts of "Jersey Shore" and "The Ruins."
-The Packers and Ravens combined to go 5-10 in the Red Zone.
-On 2nd and 3 from the Green Bay 3 with 8:46 left in the game, Flacco, with the Ravens down, 24-14, dropped back to pass, rolled out as far right as he possibly could, threw across his body to the other side of the field (a no-no for quarterbacks) and was intercepted by Tramon Williams to effectively end the game. The Packers went on to win, 27-14.

With news coming out that eight Michigan State football players have been suspended indefinitely following their involvement in a dorm brawl Nov. 22, head coach Mark Dantonio must take a stand immediately and tell everyone on that roster he won't stand for this anymore.

An alleged fight the night before - after the team played Andy Dufresne to Penn State's The Sisters - at a club supposedly led to the fracas, where 15 MSU players were allegedly in attendance, 10 of whom are said to have been involved. Of the eight who have been suspended, three (WR B.J. Cunningham, WR Mark Dell and CB Chris L. Rucker) get significant playing time.

I don't understand how not even ONE of the players thought to say "We stand more to lose than anybody in all this, so let's just squash it." They messed it up for everyone on the team. No more second chances. One mistake, you're gone. When you're trying to build a program and establish a reputation, things of this nature cannot be tolerated.

The frat boys who the players went after still get to do whatever they want. The idiots who ski-masked up, what do they get? Less practice time, no bowl game, criminal charges possibly, and in the case of Roderick Jenrette and Glenn Winston, no more football.

It's not like this was an immediate reaction, all of these guys had time, nearly an entire day, to think about it and still none of them though, "this probably won't end well."

Winston got two shots, now I don't know what's gonna happen to him. I always thought Dantonio giving him a second chance essentially saved his life, now I don't know what's gonna become of him. How can somebody be so dumb?

Dantonio has to be smart in all this, because a pattern is forming in East Lansing.

The MSU coach allowed Winston to return to the squad late last summer after he served four months in jail for an October 2008 assault in which an MSU hockey player was seriously injured.

Dantonio also threw Jenrette off the team for the entire 2008 season to attempt to fix unknown personal problems before giving him his roster spot back in 2009.

I don't care who it is. I don't care if Kirk Cousins gets caught trying to take the bell out of Beaumont Tower, he has to go.

I don't care if Larry Caper gets caught trying to take an extra steak or handful of fries at dinner. He has to go.

These types of incidents can't keep happening. Dantonio is the best football coach MSU has had in eons. I know he wants to win, but it can't be at all costs, especially at the cost of tarnishing the university's name.

Ever since Tiger Woods was in the most newsworthy traffic accident in the history of the world, various rumors have hit the airwaves that Woods has had a number of extramarital affairs.

This is getting bad. And it's most likely gonna get worse.

News this afternoon from TMZ.com had another woman come out and reveal she had an affair that lasted more than two-and-a-half years with Woods. She has admitted she did have an affair with Woods, while the woman who was talked about last week said she did not mess around with Tiger. The newest chick on the side says she has photos and voicemails from Woods. She must be the beacon of class, too, since she appeared on VH1's "Tool Academy."

Apparently Tiger is attracted to walking petri dishes.

It's becoming more and more likely that Elin Woods, Tiger's wife, early Friday morning was chasing Woods out of their Florida home after finding out about these women (that or getting fed up with it after knowing about them for some time), causing him to smash into a fire hydrant near the edge of his driveway. In a statement Woods made on his Web site, Woods said his wife acted "courageously" in helping him out of his Cadillac. Why would she smash out the back window of his SUV when he was in the driver's seat of the vehicle and the airbag hadn't deployed?

It just doesn't add up.

I think she was going Angela Bassett in "Waiting to Exhale" on her husband minus the flames.

Actually, what makes it likely that Woods DID cheat on his wife is the company he keeps: Michael "$160 million divorce" Jordan and Charles "I'm on my way to get the best B.J. Armstrong in the world" Barkley.

This whole situation is gonna get nasty. Tiger is the most recognizable person in the world outside of our president. Not only has this story been a mainstay on ESPN, but it's been the top story on Larry King Live and Campbell Brown this week, as well, along with being featured on every local newscast.

Every news outlet is covering this story. Had he just came out and said something - anything - other than "I'm not talking to police," his family issues would still be just that. But his unwillingness to cooperate with the authorities - in essence, "big timing" the cops, Woods "minor accident" is now mainstream news.

Now police are getting involved. Charges may be filed against Woods and not his wife. Information as to why those charges may be filed hasn't been released yet. I think him saying Elin acted courageously was, in a way, Tiger attempting to keep her from going to jail for domestic abuse. Elin going upside his head with that club is grounds for an arrest. Her being in cuffs would have made things worse, if that's even possible.

I'm not saying what he may have done outside his marriage was right. It's not. What he DID do right, though, was attempt to leave the situation and not strike his wife.

I refuse to go along with what many are saying and say that money makes famous men step out on their wifes. I've known guys who work 3rd shift at Ford's and who stock groceries who have a wife, a girlfriend, a late-night hook-up, etc. It's not the money. I don't know what it is. It's most likely the fact that they think they can get away with it. That's it.

This is gonna put serious strain on the Woods family. If he did cheat on his wife with some of the Real Chance of Love Girls, it's a personal matter between husband and wife. But Tiger is a PUBLIC figure. Everyone from Anderson Cooper to a dude with a YouTube screenname and a camcorder will want to get in on this story.

But Tiger has a sanctuary.

The golf course.

When Kobe Bryant was going through his rape trial in spring 2004, he would fly to Colorado for court, then fly back to L.A. or wherever the Lakers were playing that night and drop 40 on the opposition. That went on through the duration of that trial.

While both are awful, I'm not comparing (possibly) cheating on your wife to being accused of sexual assault, but Tiger and Kobe share that killer instinct and a keen ability to block everything out when it's time to go to work. He may get booed on the course from time to time, but no matter what happens, I expect Tiger to continue to play well on the PGA Tour. He's too much of a competitor to let anything get to him.

Yea, he may blow a gasket on the course from time to time, but he'll continue to play at a high level. Especially when he's so close to Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors. He was able to win the 2006 Open Championship two months after his father, Earl, passed away in 2006.

He has to play well, because if that these reports are true, golf may be the only thing he has come this time next year.