Mea culpa

I have been taken to task by several people following yesterday's blog - including one of my best mates and my wife!

Mea culpa. I did over-egg the racist line yesterday and that was a mistake on my part. The point I was trying to make is that many newspapers and magazines are fully aware of other people's misdemeanors - no names obviously for legal reasons - but choose to ignore them. Why?

Because it's easier to kick somebody when they're down rather than to be brave, investigate a story properly and break the news themselves, that's why. The fact the people to whom I was referring are white may, or may not be coincidence. And I should have made that clear.

But sod it. I'm not a national newspaper. My blogs tend to be written in a five-minute spell in my lunch-hour. It does not go through a sub-editor nor get passed by a legal team. I speak from the heart so may phrase something a little wildly at times. I'm sorry.

I'm an angry, grumpy malcontent at times and that's what galvanises me to write this rubbish.

And I have, for some time, been appalled by the right-wing media in the US who do not approve of a non-caucasion being the world's #1 golfer. You might think that is ridiculous, but try asking people who work in golf.

It is a minority of the media, but it does prevail. Some things are pushed under the carpet. Woods' infidelity was manna from heaven.

As Michael Gilchrist commented on my post yesterday, Woods SHOULD be ashamed for what he has done. I'm not defending him, I'm just appalled by the attitude of a media which chooses what to and what not to report.

I hope that's clear now. And I also hope to write in a more light-hearted vein the next time I vent my spleen.

Tiger, Tiger taking flight

So now there are seven. Or possibly eight. Nine, if it's true about a fling with a British TV presenter.

I wouldn't dream of defending Tiger Woods' philandering but, even as a journalist, I have a distaste for kicking a guy when he's down. And a professional idealogy of relevance. To do neither you need a certain type of newspaper.

In today's edition of a 'certain newspaper' - I will not give it the oxygen of publicity among my 12 regular followers - it drags out the former fiancé of one of the mistresses.

Naturally, to heighten the dramatic effect of the world number one's fall from grace, businessman Derek Schmidt is billed as "a golf fan who used to idolise Woods".

His ex, Jamie Jungers, was first approached by Woods in 2005, according to the right-wing tabloid.

"He immediately started hitting on her and telling her she was beautiful," said Schmidt, who we can only presume from his intimate knowledge of the events that unfolded, was happy to look on armed only with a pocket tape recorder and a Polaroid camera.

"I was a massive Tiger Woods fan. I had Tiger Woods memorabilia all over my house and even collected Tiger Woods videos," continued Schmidt, who, at his age, really should have had a semblance of a life.

Schmidt added: "I think Tiger is a great competitor on the golf course, but away from it he is a horrible person."

One can only assume he can make that judgment because he spent so much time in the company of Woods. His view couldn't be at all clouded because of the presence of a cheque-book.

Woods is an idiot. He's made monumental errors of judgment in his personal life which will probably affect him and his family for the rest of his life. He's left the family home for privacy apparently - he doesn't deserve sympathy. But he's not a murderer - just a naive fool. He's still a great golfer.

And it begs the question would the same newspaper report with such glee similar philandering by a white golfer who was at the top of the tree? Or maybe a popular white British sportsman with a reputation worse than that of Woods?

They must surely have had the opportunity.

They'd be better off trying to analyse the state of Woods' mind. After all he's married to Elin Nordegren - and have you seen some of those women he's alleged to have been with?

And we always thought Tiger didn't like it in the rough...