Apparently during the Mercedes Championship she made a reference that Tiger be "lynched" . I've seen the the video on YouTube and in context of the discussion she and Nick Faldo were having. I can see how it would be a bit offense to the African American community and apparently right after the comment she to the initiative to call Tiger and apologize to him and her audience before the "crap" hit the fan. Well I guess that wasn't good enough and Al Sharpton had to get involved. The Golf Channel was only going to give her a slap on the hand, then Al started calling for her to be fired for her comments that he likened to the Imus comments about the Rutger women's basketball team.

Anyone who watches Kelly know she's no a racist and that she didn't mean anything by it, but I guess it was still and insensitive remark. That would be like saying her saying "maybe we should gas him" to a Jewish person. I dunno I kinda have mixed feelings. What are you thoughts?

This is great…there couldn’t be a better subject to bring me out of my winter golf hibernation! This is juicy, real juicy…so let’s get right to it.

"lynch him in a back alley”

I love it!

So true…the only way to beat Tiger or compete with him is to have him injured and injured soon, so we might give Tanya Harding a call and see if she is available. Would it not be great to see Phil crouching around the corner waiting for Tiger and jump out like Jim Rockford and explain to him that he is a black belt in 7 Iron? Oh that would be they day. Tiger dismantled by a Callaway 7 Iron just outside the Augusta clubhouse. And all the golfers of the world holding hands swaying sining we are the world since the PGA Tour is fair again...I guy can dream...a white guy

Ok, maybe this is extreme, but I am getting to the that fact that Kelly really did not say anything wrong other than to make a humorous point about a back alley blanket party for Tiger Woods put on by the rest of the top 10 golfers in the world. Its not like she called hi Tigro. If this would have been said about Jim Furyk we would not have batted an eye. And why? I can give you plenty of links to civil war web sites that will show the lynching of plenty o whitey’s. Yeah, we have been lynched too and you won't see a white activist come running, but in this life in time you have to watch every fun little analogy and comment because there might be someone near by that might get his or her feelings hurt.

Just remember loveable Fuzzy Zoeller. The jovial golfer who we all loved was making some fun of a situation when Tiger was going to take over the world after winning his first Masters. He was referring to Tiger as a “little boy" a young man refernce...not as bail that cotton “boy”, plus the comments made about food were just fun. But as we all know this situation put Fuzzy in purgatory forever, forever, forever. (sandlot) All this makes no sense as I listen to my Eminem CD and that a white boy just called out a bunch of "niggers". Hmmm, do you think NWA will come after slim shady for the racial slur? I think not, he might even get some props for the hommies for it. F me, now I am doing it now too,  maybe Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton will track me down from this post and launch my white butt into purgatory too…Which would be fine because Fuzz and I could call up JD and get busy gambling and playing golf.  

This all is so double standard and silly, plus Kelly is hot. Tiger should just hold these comments against her and …well, no he is married now right? Well, she did and should get some slack from the golfing world and the human golf race should let it be known that mistakes happen and double standards exist and will be broken from time to time. I know all of our mommies, black or white ( that’s ok right) all told us to never say anything if we cant say something nice and I believe that Kelly was trying to do so.(I am an exception, I dont have a mother) Just like Fuzzy this was meant as fun and not to induce defamation or cause pain. I mean does Tiger really take this stuff serious, does he? I mean he is only like 7/16 black, so should it be worth his time or other activists trying to pull some PR for standing up for the slice of Tiger that they can call thier own "race"? Unreal. 

All in all...Tiger’s agent blew it all off saying that Tiger and Kelly are friends and it should not make a difference in their relationship. I agree. It was the OTHER media out there that made this a spectacle of the split human race we still have. Juicy yes and I had to spill my guts in no particular order about how I feel. I think you all get the picture and if not , I am a proud honky mo fo  that loves everyone in any race and can let comments and fun ride the rial until its personal and  this was not a personal attack, but if you would like to attack me I will take comments right under this post!

Have a Happy G Day!

Even if she and Tiger are friends, it's still not something you want to say on a television broadcast.  I really feel firing her would be overkill so I think the two week suspension is good.  Sharpton won't EVER be satisfied with any punishment.  He's basically calling for her to be lynched.  Moreover, the probelm I have with Sharpton is that if Kelly's comment was anit-semetic he wouldn't have gotten involved.

Hey....I have to give Tiger some kudos coming out publically that quickly and addressing this issue.  That shows me something.  I think the real issue  is that Kelly didn't mean that comment maliciously...even if it was a stupid thing to say.  I remember Howard Cosell saying on Monday night football, "Look at that monkey run!"  His career was never the same and he was branded as a racist from then on (even though he did more for racial equality in sports than most anyone).   I hope that it doesn't happen to Kelly. 

WHAT A GREAT FREAKING POST Happg G!!!! Tigro LOL!!!! More like TigroAsian in his case.

The one serious point I'd like to make is that yes white people have been "lynched", but when you hear the word today it's normally centered around African Americans. I really do think people are overly sensitive now-a-days and I think its sad, but you have to hold people accountable for what they say.

 Turko, I think Kelly will come out of this OK.

Golf Week Article-Perspective

Golf Week Article-Fuzzy

Two articles on the whole suspension... 

Personally, I don't think the suspension was necessary - I imagine the public flack and unflattering attention this is causing her is punishment in itself.  I agree that her choice of words were poor - but the fact that Tiger has addressed this and thinks it's a non-issue should be enough.

Good comments from everybody... 

This just gets better and better!

The slight of mouth by Golf Channel announcer Kelly T just will not die! And now we have Golfweek to thank for it! I love it.

A dumb-ass (or is he) editor for Golfweek magazine placed this picture on the cover of the latest edition.

Man, that is just beautiful. What was this idiot thinking, especially with the King day coming. I am sitting here is disbelief, I really don’t know what to think, but you can imagine that site is lit up today. Any publicity is good publicity, even if it’s a noose!

With our double standard, xenophobic world it amazes me the people are still blind enough to create this kind of crap. Then sit back at look at it and say “Man this looks great and I am sure people will not take offense to it.” What a pompous ass! Or a true genius! Who knows, but this guy did get the can and Golfweek has been spilled with traffic for their advertisers, well until the advertisers pull their ads. And to all of those advertisers, come on over to Tees2Greens I will buy your stuff, this site is sweeeeet!

I am very interested to see what will come of all this. What is the NAACP web site URL? I am sure that they are all over this. Should be some juicy reading!

A guy in my office said

Printing press - $1,675,000.00

Color Run of Golfweek Cover - $280,000.00

Salary for Golfweek Editor - $180,000.00 a year

Saving $180,000 by firing the Golfweek editor to pay for legal fines – Priceless

So true and they should have their ass handed to them soon, but in the meantime Mastercard is getting 5 million people looking at their ad on Golfweek. ( just a guess and I like the commercials)

Let’s sit back and watch this black and white web grow. This is not over!

BTW, here is the article ...

http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1704872,00.html

Hey golfers!  I will take a little time to comment on these two related punishments.  First, I think that what Kelly did was exactly what she was hired to do.  She is a commentator on the golf channel.  If TGC has a problem with her comments (exactly what they pay her to do) then they should just leave all their programs to just report the facts.  Nothing added, and totally boring.  OK, now for Golfweek, I commend the magazine for printing the cover, the article, and the golf news, which is exactly what the magazine is supposed to do.  Now, for Don Imus, what a farce!  In the first place, he was a "shock jock" and shock the listeners, he did.  And then they fired him for it.  That was totally crap.

 Kelly did not make a racial comment.  Period.  There is nothing racial about the Golfweek cover or article.  Soon, there won't be any commedy in the world because everyone will be afraid to offend someone.  I Furyk was number on in the world, nobody would thing a thing about the lynching comment.  Why can't we all just be a bunch of nice guys enjoying our golf no matter who is number one in the world.  I love this site!!

I hear what you're saying and I'll have to agree to disagree. If you are in the public eye you have to be accountable for what you say and do PERIOD!  If you ask anybody on the street which race they think of when the term "Lynched" is used and overwhelming majority would say African American, even though lots of other raced have been hung. I still dont think she meant anything by it, but thats the way it goes wrong or right.

http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/pga/news?slug=ma-golfweekQA011808&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Here is a follow-up Q & A with Dave Seanor, the Editor of Golfweek who was recently fired.

Well, I have to admit....at least he wasn't trying to B.S. his way through this. He answered the quesitons fairly well considering. 
I actually like his response to the sensationalism statement 'Oh, they're just trying to sell magazines.'   His reply: "We're 99 percent subscriptions. We're not even on the newsstand." I have to agree with that. 

You know Scoops....I didn't think about it that way.  And you know....you're right.  People like your Al Sharptons of the world (even though his intentions seem to be for the benefit and progression of race realtions...unfortunately he only worries about his own race) and they way they go about trying to "fix" race relations" actually can be counterproductive.  I know I keep bashing Sharpton....but he brings it on himself. 

Actually Troy Aikman made a great race point this past season when Tony Dungee and Lovie Simth both got the opportunity the become the first black head coach in NFL history.  Aikman said he understood why people are making the point that he's the first black coach to win and why he's being honored as such.  But he also said we'll never get past our race relations if we keep pointing out that one particular facet.  

Ok....yeah he's the first black coach to win a Superbowl.  I never even gave it a first thought that two black coaches were in the Superbowl to begin with let along Dungee being the first black man to win. The same can be said about Hallie Berry being the first black person to win an Oscar. Don't get me wrong...I understand and empathize with the importance of it.  However, it seems like every single issue like this has to be race related and pointed that he/she is the first of their race to win something of that magnitude.   

I guess we'll have to make that point with the first Latin head coach to win a Superbowl; Or first Jewish coach, or Asian, or Irish (wait....the Irish would be way too drunk to coach a football team so scratch that...JUST KIDDING... I'M IRISH....so I guess I can post that right?)         

But really let's compare apples to apples here.  Let's say Kelly Tilghman or Dave Seanor was black.  I still think people would be in an uproar.  But I don't believe either would have been suspended or fired.  What does that say?  Well, if you're not of the race or gender that you're cracking a joke about....it's socially illegal.  Which means we're not to the point to feeling comfortable to discuss issues that, make fun of said issues or even bring the conversation up with people of different races. 

I think until we stop making race the issue and looking at each scenario as if everyone were one color...we as humans will continue to catergorize and polarize each other.   Especially when someone is attempting to give the impression of supporting all of the worlds races (like Sharpton). 

Yeah....I know...maybe I got too deep here.  But I'm only human.  Sniffle Sniffle

Interesting and thoughtful commentary, Turko...I appreciated it.  I've read some of the discussions and articles about Kelly and Dave Seanor and to me it's just a shame this has turned into some polarized argument about humanity's inability to move beyond skin color as a determination of character and intention.   It's also sad to me that there is this sense of intolerance when what we really need is understanding and sensitivity in the light of some unfortunate decisions.

Humanity is flawed... we all say and do stupid things sometimes.   But it is because we recognize that we are flawed that we are able to take those mistakes and learn from them.  We're also given the ability to discern intention and motives - which means we need to go beyond our own perceptions and look through the eyes of someone else.  But I think most of us find it much easier to put on the robe and be the judge rather than rolling up our sleeves to make something positive out of a bad situation.

In both situations poor decisions were made, both admitted to their poor choices, I believe both did not intend malice, and both apologized - I respect both of them for their actions following their choices, and I think the decisions by their respective employers were made not based on what actually happened but what might have been perceived by people who it wasn't even intended for.  That's too bad.

I think I'm going to get off my soapbox and jump back in my fishbowl now...it looks safer there.