What Happened to Karen Owen…

I’ve had a lot of people asking me this since I posted about her “senior thesis” a few days ago.

Well…I hate to tell you…I have no idea! I’m not sure why people would think I know where she is to begin with! I just passed along information on her thesis and PowerPoint

As most of you know by now, Karen Owen, a Duke University graduate, compiled a “senior thesis” which was created as a PowerPoint presentation she entitled “An Education Beyond the Classroom: Excelling in the Realm of Horizontal Academics”. Since the presentation was leaked to the Internet, Owen has become the talk of the Internet (at least until Tiger Woods new best friend, Cigar Guy, became the new “it” guy yesterday!).

My guess is that she has gone into hiding, embarrassed at the publicity that her mock thesis has brought (or waiting for her book and possibly made for TV movie deal).

I’m sure that the guys who were included in the presentation are pretty upset (except the guy who finished #1) and planning lawsuits.

Anyways…in case you don’t know who Karen Owen is, or what she created, you can read more about it here.

Be warned, though, that the content is graphic and many will find it offensive. Like they say at the Haunted Houses: enter at your own risk

From MSNBC:

Owen’s sex ranking is nothing if not precise. She took a list of 13 men she slept with, drawing mainly from Duke’s lacrosse team — the same team that was embroiled in a sex scandal of its own in 2006 — and created a bar graph ranking their sexual prowess. She left little to the imagination in creating a 42-slide PowerPoint presentation, detailing sex in the university library during finals week, sex in cars and, most of all, sex while inebriated.

“In my blackout state, still managed to crawl into bed with a Duke athlete,” Owen commented on one escapade.

Owen called her presentation “An education beyond the classroom: excelling in the realm of horizontal academics,” and was clearly having fun mixing her book smarts with her partying experience. She treated her sex ranking as a full-on thesis, writing, “Senior year and college in general often bring about certain situations that result in the seeking of so-called ‘sex.’ Until now, no studies have succeeded in developing a methodology for quantifying and ranking these so-called horizontal academics. In this study, we used data from four years at Duke University to create evaluation criteria for such encounters and applied these criteria to evaluated subjects.”

Tiger Woods Photo Makes “Cigar Guy” Famous

When I first saw the photo, I wasn’t drawn in my the artistic nature of the shot or the way that the cameraman was in the right place at the right time. Nope…it was the man on the right side of the picture with the Groucho Marx style mustache and a cigar hanging out of his mouth.

 

Credit: Mark Pain, The Daily Mail

 

Now, he’s the talk of the Internet! Many believe that he was edited into the photo…but I don’t think so. Either way, it’s an awesome picture that only came to be because Tiger Woods flubbed his shot.

Have you seen all the famous photos that “Cigar Guy” has been pasted into? Really good stuff! Rupesh Shingadia, also known as “Cigar Guy” will live on forever…or at least for his 15 minutes of fame!

From Yahoo!:

It’s the shot that launched a photo-editing frenzy: One image is of the now famous Tiger Woods photo, except everyone, including Tiger, has been turned into the Cigar Guy. Check it out here. There’s the Cigar Guy on a Beatles album cover. And the Cigar Guy taking out Sonny Liston.

While the original picture is incredible, it may be even more memorable for taking on a life of its own. A photographic hole-in-one.

Tiger Woods Returns to The Masters

Tiger Woods returns to the PGA Tour today at one of the greatest events each year, The Masters.

This return brings an end to his self-imposed exile stemming from a car accident in November outside his home which was followed by his admission of extramarital affairs.

I hope this doesn’t take the spotlight off the great NCAA Tournament game tonight between Duke and Butler. Celebrity gossip and Tiger shouldn’t be on center stage tonight. It should be the game in Indianapolis.

From CNN:

Woods is practicing this morning at Augusta National Golf Club, and is set to participate in a news conference – his second since the scandal broke – at 2 p.m. ET. (Our partners at Golf.com will live blog the news conference here)

The golfer – even since his early childhood – has thrived in the spotlight and it may shine brighter today than it has before with millions of spectators turning on nearly any channel to catch him – not even on the course but at a news conference.

And our partners at Time.com wonder if Tiger, let alone any athlete, can be mentally prepared for what will happen at the Masters this year given all the attention. The tournament, they said, will effectively be a test of his toughness in the face of all of the drama. For other golfers, the spotlight on Tiger could be a good or bad thing. Golf.com’s Peter Kostis says while all eyes will be on Tiger at the start of the Masters, the real drama surrounds some of the players over 40 and under 30.

Tiger Woods to Return at The Masters

Tiger Woods, who took a leave of absence from professional golf earlier this year after details of his multiple affairs surfaced, announced in a statement today that he will return to the PGA Tour in April at The Masters in Augusta, Georgia.

Thoughts?

From CNN:

“The Masters is where I won my first major and I view this tournament with great respect,” Woods said in a statement released by his agent. “After a long and necessary time away from the game, I feel like I’m ready to start my season at Augusta.”

The tournament is scheduled for April 5-11 at Georgia’s Augusta National Golf Club.

Billy Payne, the club’s chairman, welcomed the return of the sport’s top draw.

“We support Tiger’s decision to return to competitive golf beginning at this year’s Masters Tournament,” Payne said in a statement shortly after the announcement. “Additionally, we support and encourage his stated commitment to continue the significant work required to rebuild his personal and professional life.”

Tiger Woods Apologizes…Was it Sincere?

In a widely broadcasted, and tightly controlled televised statement, Tiger Woods gave an apology this morning for his irresponsible and selfish behavior.

I think it’s great that Tiger finally got up and made a statement. It needed to be done. I wish that he had said something earlier, though. He blamed the media and others for spreading lies. But, when you don’t come out and make a statement on your own, you have no one to blame but yourself.

I wish that this event could have had a Q&A session. Anyone can get up in front of an audience, with a prepared statement. But it takes someone who is willing to open themselves up to criticism and tough questions, who can be seen as someone who is truly sorry.

I’m sure that Tiger is sorry. He made mistakes. But until he is willing to sit down and answer the questions that people have, I can’t accept his apology as anything more than empty words.

Was it sincere? I can’t say. I’ve seen the statement twice and I think that he knows he did wrong, but is he truly sorry?  Maybe. What I saw was an arrogant celebrity who brought himself back into the spotlight in a sad attempt to regain some of the fans that he obviously lost over the past few weeks. I personally don’t feel sorry for him and hope that he understands that he will never regain some of the fan base that he spent so much time building.

The full text of the statement can be found here on CBSNews.com.

Thoughts?

From USA Today:

Tiger Woods, in what was an almost-15 minute speech today, said only one thing about golf:  “I do plan to return to golf one day. I just don’t know when that day will be.”

The rest of his statement was about being sorry and working on repairing the damage to his marriage, foundation and business partners.

“I want to say to each one of you simply and directly, I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior … Elin and I have started the process of healing the damage.” But he said, “My real apology to her will not come in the form of words. It will come from my behavior over time. However, what we say to each other will remain between the two of us.”

He wanted to be clear about Thanksgiving night: “Elin never hit me that night or any other night. There has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage. Ever. Elin has shown enormous grace and poise throughout this ordeal. Elin deserves praise, not blame. The issue involved here was my repeated irresponsible behavior. I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated.”

From CNN:

“I know I have bitterly disappointed all of you,” said the golfer, dressed in a blue button-down shirt and a blazer. “For all that I have done, I am so sorry. …

“I had affairs, I cheated. What I did was not acceptable, and I am the only person to blame.”

It was his first public appearance since his November car crash outside his home near Orlando, Florida — the beginning of what would become an torrent of bad news for the golfer.

The 11 a.m. ET event, at the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse in Ponte Vedra Beach, was carefully managed, with a small hand-picked crowd as an audience.

Tiger Woods Voted Athlete of the Decade

I’m guessing votes were tabulated prior to his recent “transgressions”.

Or, maybe they actually looked at his on the course achievements, rather than what he has done off the course.

From the Associated Press:

He won 64 times around the world, including 12 majors, and hoisted a trophy on every continent golf is played. He lost only one time with the lead going into the final round. His 56 PGA Tour victories in one incomparable decade were more than anyone except four of golf’s greatest players won in their careers.

Woods was selected Wednesday as the Athlete of the Decade by members of The Associated Press in a vote that was more about 10 years of performance than nearly three weeks of salacious headlines.

Woods received 56 of the 142 votes cast since last month by editors at U.S. newspapers that are members of the AP. More than half of the ballots were returned after the Nov. 27 car accident outside his Florida home that set off sensational tales of infidelity.

Lance Armstrong, a cancer survivor who won the Tour de France six times this decade, finished second with 33 votes. He was followed by Roger Federer, who won more Grand Slam singles titles than any other man, with 25 votes.

Record-setting Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps came in fourth with 13 votes, followed by New England quarterback Tom Brady (6) and sprinter Usain Bolt (4).

Five other athletes received one vote apiece.

Tiger Woods to Take a Hiatus From PGA Tour

Tiger Woods announced today that he is taking  break from the PGA Tour. I can only guess that it’s time to get his life straightened out.

Below is the statement issued by Tiger Woods from the Associated Press:

I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children. I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness. It may not be possible to repair the damage I’ve done, but I want to do my best to try.

I would like to ask everyone, including my fans, the good people at my foundation, business partners, the PGA Tour, and my fellow competitors, for their understanding. What’s most important now is that my family has the time, privacy, and safe haven we will need for personal healing.

After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person.

Again, I ask for privacy for my family and I am especially grateful for all those who have offered compassion and concern during this difficult period.

From CNN:

The 33-year-old golfer, who tops the sport’s world rankings, has been mired in controversy since he crashed his car outside his Florida mansion late last month. The crash prompted authorities to cite him for careless driving and fine him $164.

Woods was not required to talk to police about the wreck, and declined to talk with investigators on several occasions.

In the week following the crash, Woods apologized for “transgressions” that let his family down, on the same day that gossip magazine US Weekly published a report alleging that Woods, who is married to Elin Nordegren, had an affair with a 24-year-old cocktail waitress named Jaimee Grubbs.

Tiger Woods’ Wife’s 911 Call

People Magazine has the audio of a frantic 911 call made by Tiger Woods’ wife, Elin Nordegren, when her mother, Barbro Holmberg, collapsed.

From People Magazine:

It’s 2:35 a.m. and Elin Nordegren is in a panic. The children are crying. Her mother is on the floor in the bathroom of a Florida mansion.

“Oh my God! My mom just collapsed,” Nordegren tells the emergency operator in a 911 call. “She collapsed in the bathroom. What do I do?”

According to a tape released Tuesday by fire officials, for the next 3 minutes and 21 seconds, a dispatcher calms down Tiger Woods’s wife and then helps her cope with yet another family crisis.

Peter Gammons Leaving ESPN

Peter Gammons announced today that he is leaving ESPN.

Very sad as I always thought he was one of the top three talents on the network.

I hope that he takes some well deserved time off or ends up somewhere good!

From Forbes:

With player movement still minimal so far, the biggest bombshell at baseball’s winter meetings is the announcement on Tuesday that legendary MLB journalist Peter Gammons is leaving ESPN. Gammons leaves after a 21-year run at the network, preceded by five years at Sports Illustrated and a long career at the Boston Globe, during which he covered the Red Sox teams of Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice and Roger Clemens.

Gammons, 64, is known for his tireless work and old school penchant for getting information. In a crowded media landscape in which sports pundits look to stand out with loud voices and strong opinions, Gammons’ baseball reports hum along in print and on-air with detached analysis and conversational style.

Tiger Woods Issues Statement

I think it’s finally time to bury this.

Why should Tiger Woods have to apologize, unless he has something to hide which it appears that he doesn’t. ‘

Does this mean that everyone who is issued a ticket needs to make a public statement.

The police have let this go so why can’t everyone else? Thoughts?

From The Statement:

But no matter how intense curiosity about public figures can be, there is an important and deep principle at stake which is the right to some simple, human measure of privacy. I realize there are some who don’t share my view on that. But for me, the virtue of privacy is one that must be protected in matters that are intimate and within one’s own family. Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn’t have to mean public confessions.