12-0 but 0-29 still makes you the greatest

I am amazed at how we view successful athletes today. It seems that no matter how great they are it just never seems to be enough. Everywhere you look athletes that will no doubt go down as some of the best to ever play are scrutinized and criticized for their failure to meet the expectations of armchair QB's and fantasy geeks across the country. Now I understand that with alot of these athletes that the scrutiny comes from the lack of a championship(Alex Rodriguez, Lebron James, and up until this year Peyton Manning) but how then does that explain the unbelievable bashing that Tiger Woods has received following his 2nd place finish at the US Open. We are watching the greatest golfer in the history of mankind and when he fails to meet those overwhelming expectations we feed him to the wolves. Jack Nicklaus, with 18 majors and 19 seconds in those majors, never faced such scrutiny. Tiger Woods now for his career has 12 major championship wins and 4 second place finishes. In his last four majors he has 2 wins and 2 seconds. Sergio Garcia would waggle all the Denmark for those numbers in a year. Over the last couple of weeks talking heads like Skip Bayless of First Take on ESPN2 have bellowed at their loudest about how Tiger is 0-29 when attempting to come from behind in a major championship and that because of those numbers that Tiger is less than what we thought he could be and should be. In the midst of those ridiculous arguments the number that is lost is that Tiger is 12-0 when going into the final round of a major with a lead. To me that is what counts because it says that Tiger is a finisher and not a choker, that on the final round of a major when he holds the lead with two holes to play that he won't put his ball in a trash can or on top of the clubhouse like Phil Mickelson, and that he strikes fear in every golfer when he has the lead because nobody has ever risen to the challenge to catch him. Would it be nice to see Tiger come from behind and win on the final day? Absolutely but it does not diminish his legacy or greatness. Michael Jordan didn't win every championship or hit every game winning shot, Joe Montana didn't deliver on every last second drive, and Tiger Woods has never come from behind to win a major championship but they are all the greatest that their sports have to offer. Tiger Woods is going for one number and that is 19 and that is not 19 second place finishes which is what Jack Nicklaus has but rather 19 majors which would give Tiger more wins in a major than Jack. Tiger Woods is about winning and not seconds. It is unfortunate that those who criticize fail to see the same thing.