REAL CLEAR SPORTS.COM compiles nine reasons to root against Tiger Woods at The Masters this year:

HE’S NOT FAN FRIENDLY— Sure, everyone loves Tiger, but why? He doesn’t give autographs, stares straight ahead when walking through crowds, and offers little more than an occasional tip of the hat to acknowledge the throngs following him around the course. Not to mention he curses so loudly after hitting a bad shot that parents have to cover their children’s ears.

Woods may need all of that to maintain his supreme focus, but Arnold Palmer did all right with his career and was still more than willing to shake hands and say a few words to any fan who sought him out.

HE’S WON ENOUGH — Woods first won the Masters at the age of 21, and has done it three times since. If he wins this week he’ll have five green jackets and be within one win of tying Jack Nicklaus for the most Masters titles ever. Nicklaus would love to keep the record, but remember: It was the Golden Bear himself who predicted after seeing Woods in a practice round in 1996 that the young phenom would win more Masters than him and Palmer combined (10).

HE’S TOO SCRIPTED — Everything about Woods seems like it was pulled from some Hollywood movie of old, like the drama of last year’s U.S. Open, when he hobbled his way down the 18th hole on Sunday and then made a putt to force a playoff he eventually won. His comeback this year from knee surgery was true to form when he made an 18-footer in near darkness to cap a five-stroke comeback and win his last tournament. Nobody can possibly do those kind of things unless they’re drawn up in advance. Unless, of course, the name is Tiger Woods.

To read the rest of the reasons, click here.

Personally, I like Tiger for all the reasons listed above (outside of him not being fan friendly, that is), although I wouldn’t mind seeing a youngster emerge and give him a run for his money. Even though the general public continues to be amazed at what Tiger does on a yearly basis, I think the sport of golf would benefit from some competition. Even tennis has one of the better rivalries in sports with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, so if a young gun could challenge Tiger, professional golf would probably become even more of a spectator sport.

- INTENTIONAL FOUL has video of the top 7 dunks of the NCAA tournament. My favorite is Durrell Summers nasty dunk on Stanley Robinson in the MSU/UConn game.

- AZ FANS comments on James Harden expected decision to declare for the NBA Draft. Harden was unimpressive during the NCAA tournament, but had a great regular season. ESPN is reporting that Pitt’s DeJuan Blair is entering the draft as well. Both players should be solid pros.

- DEADSPIN has photos of Fox Sports West broadcaster, 50 year-old Bill MacDonald, as he snuggles with his 23 year-old girlfriend (who even MacDonald admits looks to be about 12) outside Angels Stadium.

- Rick Reilly appeared on Bill Simmons’ B.S. REPORT podcast this week. Want to hear a couple of writers pontificate about their different styles? This is the place.

- SPORTSBYBROOKS is furious about the New York Yankees latest scheme to separate Yankee fans from their money.

- THE LOVE OF SPORTS lists the top 10 reasons why it loves the Masters.

– Written by TSR contributor Joel Rahn

April is once again upon us and you can’t call yourself a golf fan unless you get excited to hear the light and airy magnificence of CBS’ theme song for The Masters buzzing in your ear. Who can hardly wait for the inevitable opening shot of the gorgeous Magnolias, lining both sides of “Magnolia Lane” and the television excellence of commentator Jim Nance, who undoubtedly will ramble on about the history of the Masters, Amen Corner, and the fun-loving Rae’s Creek?

The 2009 Masters has its share of storylines, but the most notable headlines are the changes applied to the course, Gary Player playing in his final Masters Week and of course, Tiger Woods.

Ever since Tiger put on a clinic at The Masters in ’97 by dismantling the field by 12 strokes, Augusta National lengthened and tightened up the course tremendously. Every year it seems that pros and critics alike that complain about these changes, but it’s hard to disagree with Club Chairman Hootie Johnson’s adjustments – especially when you consider Augusta National has the reputation of being one of the toughest tests in the sport of golf. (And quite frankly, they plan on upholding that reputation.)

The best golfers in the world – wielding the most advanced golf equipment known to man – are about to do battle against a 7,435-yard beast. It’ll be interesting to see who gets chewed up and who prevails and something to note for all the critics of the course is that Augusta is actually 10 yards shorter this year.

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Film and TV have become the new radio for debuting music, and now the major labels are using big events as a vehicle to showcase some of their top talent. Tomorrow night to kick off CBS’ broadcast of the NCAA men’s basketball championship, Warner Bros. will debut the new single, “Know Your Enemy,” from powerhouse rock band Green Day’s forthcoming album, 21st Century Breakdown.

90 seconds of the lead single, in its television world premiere, will serve as the backing music to the show’s intro featuring video of contestants Michigan State and North Carolina, who will then square off in the title game in Detroit. 21st Century Breakdown is due out May 15, and Green Day is planning a world tour immediately following in support of it.

For CBS, this is their 28th straight season broadcasting the Final Four. After that, the network will turn its attention to golf next weekend, when The Masters kicks off Thursday in Augusta, Georgia.

Welcome Back, Eldrick!

That should be on the marquee outside the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Tucson this weekend, as Tiger Woods makes his return to the PGA tour at the Accenture Match Play Championship. He has completed his rehabilitation from knee surgery and the next step for him is competing inside the ropes of a tournament. It has only been 253 days since Tiger’s tournament victory at the U.S. Open last June, but who’s counting?

The PGA executives were, that’s who. Their sport is back on the front page of websites and newspapers all throughout the world as everyone anticipates Woods’ return. The turnstiles will be ringing in Tucson this weekend, as golf’s main attraction will be on display once again. And the tour’s corporate sponsors will be smiling; television ratings should go through the roof. The tour has struggled to keep its sponsors, but Tiger’s return should give it a much-needed shot in the arm.

January opens a new chapter to all our lives, but it is a sign of renewal for some of our favorite pastimes as well. The PGA tour started their 2009 play on the isles of Hawaii as they begin their annual West Coast swing of the golf season. Golfers young and old are scrambling to establish themselves on the tour before the #1 player in the world comes back to work in late March.

Many believe that Anthony Kim has the attitude and game to compete with Tiger Woods this season. Camilo Villegas was a star in waiting during his first two years on the tour and blossomed during the 2008 FedEx Cup playoffs with two tournament victories. Both players have become the poster boys for the youth movement on the tour, but their success will be measured by tournament wins, especially capturing multiple major titles.

Defending FedEx Cup champion Vijay Singh did compete in the first tournament of the season, but will sit out the remainder of the West Coast swing. He will have knee surgery to repair a torn cartilage and is expected to miss five weeks of action. Sergio Garcia still remains the best player on the tour not to have won a major title. He tied for second place in the PGA Championship last year and has finished with a top-five finish in three of the last four British Opens. Unfortunately for Garcia, no trophies are given to the runner-up. And then there is the dilemma of Phil Mickelson.

Lefty had won a major tournament in three consecutive years before losing the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot with a double bogey on the 18th hole. Since then, Mickelson has not won a major and more importantly his round play has been inconsistent. Lefty in his last 10 major appearances has missed the cut twice and finished a combined 80 shots out of the lead. Drastic times call for drastic measures, and golf swing guru Butch Harmon has been brought in to assist Mickelson in regaining his stroke for the coming season.

What would a PGA tour preview be without a Tiger update? Well, he began hitting balls at a driving range in December and declared himself better than ever. Though he told Craig Sager at the Orlando/Boston game last night that his game just isn’t there yet. No one in the Woods camp will confirm his exact return date, but the official statement is that Tiger is ahead of his rehabilitation schedule after reconstructive knee surgery in June. It is safe to assume that Woods will compete in tournaments prior to the start of the Masters in April. But one thing is for certain, once Tiger returns, he will be ready to win.

Chicago Sun Times columnist and everyone’s favorite bigmouth Jay Mariotti called out Tiger Woods for not backing up his words at this year’s Masters, won by Trevor Immelman on Sunday.

In one disjointed sense, this truly was a piece of history we should tell the grandkids about. Never before has Tiger Woods been so fantastically presumptuous — and so gloriously wrong. Without prompting from any source but his own inner voices, he had the temerity to suggest that a calendar-year Grand Slam was “easily within reason” for him.

While we applaud him for manufacturing drama that otherwise wouldn’t have existed in April, do note that unkept promises usually aren’t part of a sports legend’s resume. What does it say when Plaxico Burress nails a Super Bowl prediction but the extraordinary Woods, never known for outlandish boasts of any sort, instantly blows the forecast and loses the Masters by three strokes to the worthy but previously obscure Trevor Immelman?

It tells us that Tiger, who made the comments on his personal Web site as the season began, might want to withhold such bold opinions if he can’t take the heat. As dusk fell over Augusta National, he clearly wasn’t happy that his self-fueled Slam talk had become such a hot-button topic — and a major letdown Sunday. What, when Eldrick Woods interjects “Grand Slam” into the discussion, people aren’t going to listen and react? Um, aren’t we talking about the world’s biggest sportsman, the first billion-dollar athlete?

Tiger can’t take the heat? After one bold comment on his personal website that wasn’t even that bad to begin with? Stop stirring the pot Mariotti – Tiger has nothing to prove and he’s always been a class act. And the comparison to Plaxico Burress was a reach to say the least.

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