Sport of golf needs Tiger much more than Tiger needs sport of golf

Could it be, "Rants & Raves" wonders, that the best thing to happen to professional golf during the past decade is also the worst thing to happen to it?

An argument can be made -- strong or weak; it's for you to decide -- that the Tiger Woods phenomenon has grown to be somewhat counterproductive for the sport.

Forget the guarantee that if Woods holds the lead entering Sunday all we're waiting for is the 18th-green coronation and his fiefdom of dare-to-be-contenders to genuflect before him and kiss his, um, ring.

Woods IS the god of golf.

No, the concern we have is that by Woods playing in only the sport's four majors and a few select tournaments each season he has relegated all other tourneys to, at best, second-tier status. A golf tournament without Woods is like a rum-and-Coke without the rum.

Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, even the occasional Ernie Els appearance might help boost a tournament's prominence. But how many times on a Sunday have you turned the TV remote to something else because you suddenly remembered, "Oh, Tiger's not playing in this one"?

To be certain, Woods, now 31 years old and with 13 majors and 59 PGA Tour victories to his esteemed credit -- including his first professional win at the 1996 Las Vegas Invitational -- came along at just the right time, replacing the aging and already-faded Jack Nicklaus. He provided the chest compressions the sport desperately needed. Moreover, Woods drew in millions of Joe Everyman, who previously viewed golf as elitist.

But he drew them in as "Tiger Woods" fans, not as true "golf" fans.

It would be ridiculous to expect Woods, who makes $112 million per year in endorsements alone, to play in more tourneys. He simply doesn't need to.

But in our opinion, his sport does. ...

• There should be a deep hole -- the hazard to end all golf hazards -- at every tournament Woods plays in so PGA officials would have a place to push those idiots who scream on every one of his drives, "Get in the hole!"

Especially when he's teeing off on a par-5! ...

• The NFL is dismissing reports league commissioner Roger Goodell has decided to suspend Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick for the entire 2007 season for lying about his alleged ties to a dogfighting ring on property he owns in Virginia.

Rather, Vick just remains in Goodell's doghouse. ...

• The wife of ex-NBA referee Tim Donaghy has told the media in Bradenton, Fla., not to bother to "knock on our door, ring the bell or wave at us" if we're looking for comments, as she says, that "may improve (our) chances of moving up the food chain."

However, Kimberly Donaghy will take suggestions on how her husband, who has admitted to betting on league games and is alleged to have fixed quite a few, can move up the sports food chain from, say -- oh, pond scum. ...

• Miami Heat coach Pat Riley says he's committed to directing the team for three more seasons.

Take the under, Tim Donaghy whispered to us. ...

• President Bush has tabbed baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. to serve as our sports ambassador to the world, through a position in the U.S. State Department.

All kidding aside -- "Yeah, let's see him field ground balls at Kabul Field," for instance -- what a wonderful boost baseball's impeccable "Iron Man" would give to U.S. troops if he were to make a few safely guarded trips to Iraq and Afghanistan. It's difficult to think of a more inspiring individual to our tens of thousands of weary military members than someone who showed up to work for 2,632 straight games.

Granted, Ripken didn't have to dodge gunfire or IEDs. But he did have to play 3 1/2 seasons under Earl Weaver. ...

• Coming soon atop the Review-Journal Sports section: a graphic titled "Chasing Barry Bonds," featuring St. Louis Cardinals pitcher-turned-outfielder Rick Ankiel.

OK, just joking. Then again, why not? The dude's got three home runs in four games since being recalled from Triple A on Thursday and, at his current pace, Ankiel would finish the season with 38 home runs. ...

• Ankiel's baseball renaissance actually is a remarkable story: He has gone from not being able to find home plate to crushing pretty much everything that crosses it. ...

• Hey, has anyone seen the Los Angeles Dodgers lately? One minute they were leading the National League West and the next they couldn't see the top of the division with a telescope from the Palomar Observatory.

Joe Hawk is the Review-Journal's sports editor. His "Rants & Raves" column is published Tuesday. He can be reached at 387-2912 or jhawk@reviewjournal.com.