San Francisco Columnist Condemns Tiger's Idiocracy

Maybe it was time for one writer to stop slobbering over Tiger Woods' U.S. Open victory, but San Franciso Gate columnist Gwen Knapp appears to have gone a little overboard with her contrarianism. In her column titled " A golfing genius takes a dumb step", Knapp just levels Eldrick for his outright stupidity. Let's go to the lede:

Tiger Woods is an idiot. A mesmerizing, peerless, incandescent idiot.

Knapp goes on to highlight Woods' "idiocy" throughout, labeling him as such because he chose to play through the pain at the U.S. Open, and possibly jeapordize the rest of his career. She uses football players as exhibit A in highlighting the dangers of playing with such an injury and how competitiveness can be costly. To prove her point about how much of an "idiot" Tiger is/was, she dusts off Jerry Rice and lets him babble about the dangers of knee injuries.

You never really, really get back to 100 percent," Jerry Rice said in a phone interview Wednesday.

Rice tore two knee ligaments - the ACL (like Woods) and the MCL (medial collateral ligament) - at the beginning of the 1997 49ers' season and stubbornly set a goal of returning in December, well ahead of the typical recovery schedule. He was 35, three years older than Woods is now. Rice met the goal, but the knee, weakened by the previous injuries, gave out in his first game back. The patella tendon ruptured on a touchdown catch, sending him to the operating room again.

"If I had known the consequences of it," Rice said, "I wouldn't have come back."

Thank you, dancing star. But since when is Tiger Woods ever in jeopardy of getting tackled? Or running, even? It's one thing to be a 35-year-old wide receiver attempting to go back and play football after knee surgery, but golf?

As much pressure as Tiger may put on his knee through his violent swing, it seems a little far-fetched to think that this injury is possibly career-ending. Honestly, they have track stars who use little kid skis for feet right now and you're telling me that Tiger won't be able to golf anymore because he suffered an injury that so many others have bounced back from in their career?

Honestly, take it easy, lady.

A golfing genius takes a dumb step [SF Gate]