Tiger takes lion's share of greatest ever votes
ESPN Golf Online
Tuesday, July 25
In this day and age of money and endorsements, Tiger thinks about one thing -- winning. That alone puts him No. 1 in my book. The truly great ones have that quality. No numbers, no money, just wins. Montana, M.J., Gretzky, Ali -- all have those same traits. Tiger will surpass all of the records including Nicklaus' because he is driven by winning, not money or fame.
Randy Shinn Jr.
California
I believe he is the most dominating physical athlete today in power and in mind. He controls his own destiny by his play alone, where Jordan still had a team behind him. Tiger has to do every shot on his own.
Brian Tinney
Kalamazoo, Mich.
Two words: Best Ever!
Tiger Woods has a good chance at ending up being the greatest golfer ever -- which is a lot. But since golf doesn't compare to other more physical sports -- including tennis -- Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, Jim Brown, and Wayne Gretzky will always be greater sports stars.
Carlos R. Blanco
Old Bridge, N.J.
A few more years of this, and he might be as good as Pete Sampras.
It's pretty simple: I never watched an entire golf match prior to this year. I never watched more than even a few holes (mostly while channel-surfing from football/basketball) before 1999. I watched the entire British Open, and, because I'm a Bay Area guy and a huge Tiger fan, I watched all of the U.S. Open this year at Pebble Beach.
Alex Niles
Pacifica, Calif.
I never thought I could enjoy watching and following any athlete as much as I did Michael Jordan but I guess I was wrong. Tiger and Michael are the two most accomplished, entertaining, respectable athletes that ever lived, period.
Tiger Woods has accomplished remarkable feats thus far in his career. However, he has yet to equal the consistency and longevity of a Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, or even a Mark McGwire. I would compare him more to Ken Griffey Jr. or Shaquille O'Neal. They are great players right now that seem destined to stroll with the greatest of all time, but they are not there yet. Tiger could fizzle, get injured, or just get bored and quit. Never review a movie before you see the credits.
Matt Baker
Birmingham, Ala.
Quite simply he is the best there is, the best there was and the best that there ever will be. Even his bad shots are good! Are people going to get sick of watching him? He is the reason I watch golf -- no Tiger and I'm watching something else.
Bernie Loquasto
Canisteo, N.Y.
Tiger Woods is the greatest athlete ever. What he is doing against the competition is unreal. He is completely dominating the hardest sport, in my opinion, there is. Jordan and McGwire are not on the same level as Woods is. He is doing it exclusively alone, where the others had help from teammates. His wins by double-digit scores is amazing. He will be ESPN's athlete of the next century. Mark it down.
Greg Wirtzberger
Lexington, Ky.
I don't think you can begin to compare Tiger to people such as Michael Jordan and Mark McGwire for one simple reason: he hasn't proven himself against people who can reasonably be compared to the greatest ever.
Where does Woods rank? Isn't it obvious -- he's the best ever and still getting better every tournament. Go Tiger.
He's the youngest, greatest player the game has seen in years! He has opened the game of golf to all, across any racial, ethnic or age barriers. Is there anyone that dislikes Tiger? His opponents may fear playing against him, but can't dislike him.
Matthew Arpino
Roswell, Ga.
While Tiger Woods and Mark McGwire's sports achievements are among the greatest there ever were, I must say that what Lance Armstrong has done eclipses both. Lance overcame and conquered, after facing death in it's face. He is on the top of his sport, on the top of his life and on top of the world.
Steve Brotman
Royal Palm, Fla.
At 26, I feel very lucky that I will be able to look back and say I got to see him grow up and develop into the most dominating athlete of all time. My parents saw man walk on the moon and my grandparents saw the end of WWII. I get to see Tiger Woods.
Everyone should sit back and enjoy watching history in progress. Forget golf, by the time he's done, he's going to belong to an exclusive club that only has Babe Ruth and Michael Jordan as members.
Joe Abramson
Royal Oak, Mich.
