Tiger does it again..

Tiger Freakin' Woods...has there ever been a more dominating athlete? Has there ever been an athlete with better mental control? What category do you place this guy in? I wish the opportunity was there to have Nicklaus and Woods playing side by side in their hey-day. But, when Nicklaus was in his prime, the courses he was playing don't even compare to what the tour is playing now.

Now, I'll give Nicklaus plenty of credit. His generation needed control more than they needed distance (so I think...). But, Tiger can pull out the distance or the control, or BOTH at the same time if it's needed. I admire the dedication that man has put into his game. I sometimes think that if I work hard enough or try hard enough at something that I'm passionate about, I can have the kind of overwhelming positive outcome like he has with golf. That's why it is so enthralling to watch him, or other athletes, because for the most part you understand what they are trying to do and I you can see someone with enough physical and mental gifts to make it happen.

The most exciting experience I've ever had watching a sport live, was the 2006 AFC Championship, Colts/Pats in Indy. There were people willing to pay multiple thousands of dollars for tickets to that game. You couldn't have paid me enough to give up the chance to watch that game live, w/ my brother next to me, and my parents and one sister three rows in front of us. When ever I hear "In the Air Tonight" I can't help but think of Bob Sanders saluting the crowd in the pre-game, Peyton focused on the task at hand, Reggie Wayne there wondering if he would make a big play that day, Dwight Freeney loosing up the fastest legs coming out of a three point stance in the league...all the while my dad, brother, and I looked out on that field from our upper deck seats and knew what the Colts had to do that day. We weren't going to make a block that day. Saturday wasn't going to get hurt and we weren't next on the depth chart anyhow. But, our minds and hearts were in it, along with the majority of 56,000 other fans. (I will say though that my fellow Indy fans are still living in Hoosier Hysteria (b-ball) and do not have a full grasp on the game of football...getting better though.)

We were in that game all night. The play seemed to move so slow for us. We, as fans knew what the Patriots were going to try to do, and it was easy to anticipate what we'd see next. I can't even imagine how slow that game would have seem to move for Peyton, Marvin, Saturday, Glenn, etc. The preparation, physical and mental toughness necessary to succeed at their level is so rare. I feel fortunate that I, along w/ my Dad and brother, have been blessed with even just a small piece of the mental capacity to understand the game of football as well as those guys do. It may not be for everyone, but for us its rewards are worth more than most.

On a different note, Krissie is on her way to Norway now. She left yesterday around 6pm EDT, 7pm ADT. I'm not sure what timezone she is in now. She told me that the ship they are on is the fastest cruise ship in the world. The web says that the MV Explorer tops out at 28 Knots, but I was told today by a former cruiser that the ship can actually go 35 Knots. I guess they could get across the say in just a couple of days if they wanted to. But, for whatever reason, they have chosen to just mosey over there. It seems like she is having a pretty good time on the ship. I haven't really heard from her today. But, she did post on her blog. That was a neat read.

Off to read more of my book Blink. Up early to work out (I'm working out twice a day now) and then to run a few quick errands before hitting up the office. I'm all packed in my office now and nearly finished in my apartment. I'm not quite sure when I will start up in the new job. It will certainly be after vacation next week. So, until then, it's smooth sailing!!
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