Step on a Stepbrother?

(But she's so pretty! I mean the other women look like they lost a fight with a 'two by four'... Oops!)

I haven't updated my blog in awhile. The last month at work was hectic, and I did not have lots of time and energy to spend on The Franchise. While I have a spare moment, I decided to talk about this month's current hot topic.

Since 1997, my stepbrother, whom my Mom claimed as her 'pride and joy' until recently, won every title imaginable. I believed Tiger Woods was the yardstick by which Mom measured my accomplishments, so it was easy to feel in second place. His greatest accomplishment on a golf course, which is his U.S. Open victory in 2007, remains the most remarkable individual sporting moment I ever saw; what is more incredible is that he played better golf on one leg than most if not all golfers in the world on two. Nevertheless, Tiger Woods was 'everything my Mom ever wanted in a son', until...

It would be easy to harp on Tiger after recent news of his infidelity drove the #1 golfer to playing his home golf course in the still of night. I am disappointed not just because a man cheated on his wife and kids, thus crippling the family unit, but another one of my heroes went out like a villain.

Keep in mind Tiger was once 'everything my Mom ever wanted in a son', so excuse me for not celebrating my return to the good graces of my Momzo. Tiger's story is similar to that of many young men in this world: How many young men with money, fame, power, ability, or intellect ever heard the world tell them 'No'? Nothing is impossible for us, and when we are successful the world is our biggest fan. There are examples of this everywhere: Asking for our autographs, shaking our hands, sliding a free drink down to us at the local, and as Frank Herzog of 'Skins radio fame said in an interview "giving us all the goodies - even the cocaine", or the women.

Whether we are athletes, analysts, prognosticators or die-hard fans, each of us have a duty to each other and to those we hold dear to keep things in perspective and not fall victim to the hype around our money, fame, power, ability, or intellect. After all, when those things go away, character is all you have to your name and that never goes out of style.