Gotta go with Tiger. All the elite athletes at this point in history are jerks; that's the culture. It's also one of the things that cracks me up about people who call Kobe a jerk (all the NBA players are that way and have been so since the 7th grade). Tiger will destroy Jack's record and that's what matters. If you want to call him a jerk, call him a jerk; Woods gets paid to be good at golf, not to be good at cussing.

Great athletes are remembered for as much of what they do out of their "arenas" as what they do in them. TY Cobb has some of the best numbers of any hitter ever, yet no one speaks about him in the same breath as Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, etc. because he was an a$$ to everyone including fans. Sportswriters can debate the merits of athletes and their greatness, fans are the ones who really determine who is the best or not because it is the fan who continues the legend of the player beyond their playing days. Tiger Woods hates fans...try to get him to sign an autograph after a practice round and unless its a photo opportunity, no dice. At the 2001 US Open, Phil Mickelson promised everyone on the 3rd tee box that he would sign an autograph for everyone who wanted on on the 18th green...he stayed after his round for 45 minutes signing autographs for fans. I am amazed at Tiger's incredible mental and athletic toughness...by far the most talented golfer ever...but in terms of best, I'll go with Jack Nicklaus...who I shared a few words with at the 2001 Open as he followed his son Gary around the course during that practice round.

Funny...I didn't know that Ben Hogan was an *sshole.

These are great points, must have some new readers on board.

There's something to the notion that part of being really great is turning into a king-sized punk -- the road to near-perfection makes a person a little nutty.

Jeff: I promise you Nicklaus didn't scream repeatedly GD-it at tee boxes in front of all sorts of fans -- haven't they had microphones at tee boxes since the beginning of time?

Aren't you talking about two separate things, WP? Athletic ability and personal characteristics.
How would the outcome of a match between Jack Niklaus and Tiger Woods be affected by the language one used?

True enough, TW's cusssing is a sign of immaturaty at best and total disregard for common civility at worst. And certainly his popularity can be impacted by it.

But it seems TW's cussing is of no relevance to his ability to dominate the sport today; and thus not a factor in determining who is a better golfer - TW or JN.

You seem to be confident that TW is yelling GD at the golf balls. In reality, it seems as likely that he is venting at himself for making a poor shot.

While pursuit of perfection can take its toll, and make one "nutty", is it also possible that one is "nutty" to begin with and that it is simply the catalyst that provides the drive to go down the road to perfection?

For those interested in comic relief, consider the irony of someone who calls himself "SH*T K*CKER" judging TW classless because he cusses.
That is a thigh slapper, for sure.

Best golfer ever = Tiger Woods

Best golfer personality ever = Arnold Palmer

Picker you're confusing yourself with your own topic.

Best golfer is obviously Woods. You are placing him in a non-competitive role of your own invention, ie "best golfer who doesn't swear on tv" in order to disqualify him and exalt Nicklaus which is a very dubious standard and does not apply in the sports world. Can you imagine what we would hear if all NFL or MLB players were miked every game? FYI, friends of mine who know Palmer say he is as big a racist in private conversation as has ever come down the pike.

Nit Picker, It is a violation of library policy to stay on for more than an hour a day by using someone else's card. Shame on you. If you mean to argue that Mr. Jordan reads this blog, then you just contradicted your earlier assertions regarding its readership. Then again, poor logic would be nothing new for you. Always enjoy a good laugh at your expense.

This blog is so moronic I can't believe that it is even being talked about. I can't believe that I am actaullay going to post. Not one of us knows what kind pain Tiger was going through during this tournament (125 mph club head speed with a broken leg and a torn ACL) and he still won the US freakin open!!! It is one of the most spectacular feats in sports history. The greatest golfer of all time and your personal criteria are totally subjective but you state it like its law or something. The bottom line is most people won't agree with you on this point, I know I don't. What I saw Tiger do for 91 holes last week ranks him number one even if he never plays again, period. Those are my subjective standards. Agree or not, I could care less.

Some of these pseudo-intellects have forgotten a lot of things. Hey picker, I haven't read all your stuff but I agree with most of it. Rave on!

TAB:
Glad I can still entertain you and make you laugh. But, it isn't at my expense--it costs me nothing.

MJ is Googling you as we speak.