Win or Lose, Tiger Factor Never Can Be Discounted

Yes, sometimes it seems Tiger Woods is the only golfer that TV or most newspapers care to follow. (Model headline: “Tiger Slips, Some Other Guy Wins Tournament.”)

Yes, he won’t win every event or every major or maybe not even as many times in 2000 as Phil Mickelson or David Duval or Vijay Singh or any of the other vastly talented some other guys on the tour these days.

Yes, Woods did not win the Masters for the third year in a row.

Singh won it, by playing wonderfully, by gutting out the gusts of Saturday, and by casually absorbing bogeys on 11 and 16 Sunday with barely a blink.

But Masters 2000 once again gave live-wire vindication for all the Tiger-centric tension, because in almost every grinding moment, even when he was out of contention, Woods was tilting the ground and affecting everybody else:

* Think Duval tells his caddie that he needs to be more aggressive and fires a risky second shot right at the pin on 13--and, sorrowfully, into the water--if he wasn’t trying to ride a Tiger-like stream of adrenaline?

* What better way to jump-start the final group--Duval and Singh--than to watch Woods bolt out with a few birdies early Sunday?

It would’ve taken a perfect round for Woods to win, especially with Singh putting so surprisingly well on the Augusta National greens and with Duval and Ernie Els also starting the day several strokes ahead of him.

But is there any other player besides Woods, or, I’m guessing, Jack Nicklaus 25 years ago, who would be as unfulfilled after a final-round Masters score of 69?

* I’m thinking that, in 2030, when Woods has however many green jackets he can accumulate, Mark O’Meara in 1998, Jose Maria Olazabal last year, Singh this year, and whoever else does it will have special footholds in history.

They’ll be akin to Ken Norton (who defeated Muhammad Ali), the 1974 North Carolina State basketball team (which defeated John Wooden’s UCLA team) and all the other memorable athletes that interrupted a legend in his prime.

THE BIG PICTURE

It’s always more interesting when things are edgy and nerves are jangly, and Bob Baffert and John McEnroe delivered again.

In different ways, in different sporting events, but within a few days and within the borders of our sometimes too mild Southland borders, the atmosphere got a little lively and slightly uncomfortable for some involved.

Not that I ever need much inspiration, but, taking cues from Baffert (who took a joking shot at trainer Jenine Sahadi, who had the last laugh when her horse, The Deputy, defeated his Captain Steve, in the Santa Anita Derby) and McEnroe (who took shots at just about everybody in the middle of the U.S.’s testy, 3-2, victory over the Czech Republic at the Great Western Forum) . . .

* Most of the time, unlike McEnroe and Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras seems as uncomfortable in a team situation as anyone I’ve ever seen, but put him on a court, facing a pressure moment, and who else would you rather have?

* Playing an incorrect version of the Czech Republic national anthem on Friday was a big mistake. But if President Vaclev Havel had his way, it’d be something by Frank Zappa, anyway.

* Note to Sahadi: Tell me this isn’t true--It’s great to win, and even better when your rivals lose.

* Note to Baffert: Somehow, I think you’ll get over this.

* Agassi’s playing marvelous tennis, but is the best player in the world really supposed to model his look on George Costanza?

WEEKEND TALKING POINTS

1. Anna Kournikova and Pavel Bure, deny rumored engagement: The happy news is that Al Martin can propose to her now, after all.

2. Tommy Hearns, twists ankle in botched farewell fight: I keep telling these guys--if senior citizens are going to fight, they’ve got to bring their walkers with them into the ring.

3. Greg Norman’s Masters round-by-round totals of 80-68-72-70: Hey, this is Norman at Augusta. Isn’t the 80 supposed to come at the end?

4. Andres Galarraga, three game-winning homers: After a week, we already have baseball’s story of the year.

5. Ken Griffey Jr., good-will gesture: After early slumping, he wants Tony Perez’s semi-retired No. 24 after all. Also apparently wants Pete Rose’s lucky dice.

6. Vladimir Guerrero, the next one: Let’s see, he can hit .380, 50 home runs and drive in 160. That’s only if he faces the Dodgers 50 more times, though.

7. Pedro Martinez vs. Kent Bottenfield: In case you didn’t know it, Sunday’s game matched two of baseball’s winningest pitchers last season.

8. Rush Limbaugh, self-announced “Monday Night Football” commentator candidate: Add Dr. Laura, and Al Michaels might never have to speak again.

9. Lakers, minus Shaq: His ankle is fine. But that April 19 game in San Antonio might mean just a little more to the Lakers than a normal regular-season finale.

10. Kings vs. Red Wings in first round: The loser gets sad. The winner gets the Blues.

LEADING QUESTIONS

So, how many games out of first place will the Dodgers be by the time Kevin Brown and Gary Sheffield make it back?

If somebody said eight games, you think Davey Johnson would take that right now? Maybe 10?

Which do you like better, the thought of Carlos Perez or Jeff Williams facing the other team’s ace every other series for about a month?

Or a Dodger lineup featuring Eric Karros, Shawn Green and nobody else who really threatens a pitcher?

Are Don Sutton and Kirk Gibson still available?