The Master
So Tiger Woods defeated Chris DiMarco in a playoff to win the Masters today.
But I must have missed something ... was Tiger the only one playing?
Excuse me for my bitterness about Woods. It's just that beginning this morning, the hype was in full force.
"Tiger's BACK," the sports reporters screamed.
Uh, just where did he go?
Look, I know sports telecommunications likes to hype and hype and hype, but it was pretty irritating to try to watch the Masters and see six hours of the Tiger Variety Show. Heck, why not have him invite guests while he crosses the eighth green?
I would have at least liked to have seen more of Ernie Els, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson, even if they weren't in contention.
And just for the record, Mass Media, remember that Tiger Woods, great as he is, choked away a three stroke advantage in the final nine holes before winning. Remind yourselves of that before you start praising him like one not of this earth.
I got the impression onlookers today were saddened that Tiger didn't romp, and saddened that a Tiger dominance is not on the horizon.
You probably know by now that I pull for not one player, but everyone not named Tiger in major tournaments.

Vitamin Z's Magnificent (and overhyped) seven
1. Yankees-Red Sox (Yeah ... we GET it. It means something to you guys, but did you ever notice that many of us in the Midwest don't CARE? We have our own teams.)
2. Michael Jordan (You know why I like you Michael? Because you proved them wrong. Like when they said you could never play MLB baseball ... oh wait)
3. Barry Bonds (Ever wonder why he's so great?)
4. LeBron James (Yes, I love LeBron, but if I lived in another city, I would say to wait until he made noise in the postseason before shoving him down everyone's collective throat.)
5. Tiger Woods (Reasons noted above)
6. Randy Moss (Should be obvious)
7. George Steinbrenner (Although the Yankee collapse will be fun to watch.)