Posted on 05/05/2006 12:08:31 PM PDT by Grendel9
Earl Woods, who died on Wednesday aged 74, was unable to sustain his dreams of becoming a great baseball player; he did, however, mould his son Tiger into one of the world's most alluring sporting icons.
When Tiger was four, Earl put him under professional instruction. His enthusiam for the boy was in sharp contrast to the indifference he had shown to the children of his first marriage... when Tiger bought his parents a house in an exclusive situation in Tustin, Orange County, Tida alone moved in. For a long time she and Earl had seemed to outside observers to be distant from one another, though the family tried to put a good face on matters... Earl couldn't stand Tida's Thai cooking, and that she couldn't stand his smoking.
They remained in touch, but often it was Tida alone who was seen at tournaments. Earl increasingly preferred to stay in Cypress and watch his son's amazing achievements - which included four successive Grand Slam victories in 2000-01 - on television.
His home, where Tiger had been an infrequent visitor since he left to go to Stanford in 1994, had become a shrine.
"I have prepared this house," Earl Woods would explain, "so that it can be converted into a national historical monument one day. All the floors in here are granite, they are not hardwood or any of that other stuff. Granite - the hardest stone. All of the wood you see is walnut. It is built to last - because I am certain that one day the birthplace of Tiger Woods is going to become widely acknowledged."
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
I wouldn't intentionally speak badly of the dead, but "the Chosen One...being able to impact nations?" That's a bit over the top.
Some other little known facts about Earl Woods:
- He was the first black baseball player in the Big Seven (went on to become the Big 8, and eventually Big 12) Conference at Kansas State University.
- Had a 20 year military career, and achieved the rank of Lt. Colonel.
- Served two tours of duty in Vietnam (62-63 and 70-71).
This sounds a little odd
I didn't realize Mr. Woods had died. How sad.
Well, on the basis of only that he didn't like Thai food, I think you're on to something.
I'll have his portion of the Nam Sad, Tida.
If the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, Earl Woods did a great job raising his son. Tiger's mannerisms, character, integrity, humor, and discipline not only say much about him, they speak volumes about his father.
Tiger always looked up to and spoke highly of his dad. I know that he will miss him tremendously. He and the rest of the Woods family are in my thoughts and prayers. His father's journey is done and he has gone home.
Rest in peace.
Geez, your not kidding! Almost makes me pity poor Tiger as a tyke....
I'm not trying to speak ill of him - it just seemed obvious that he was not well.
Elderly people, especially one with serious health problems, can say strange things. I wouldn't put too much stock in it.
He DISLIKED Thai cooking...?!
I admired Earl Woods for his service, his dedication and his raising an outstanding man of sport and a genuinely decent, generous guy in a world of self-absorbed sports types. I did find it interesting, however, that his obits all mentioned that "by the way, he had three other children by a first marriage" at the end of the obit. I'm sure they felt they were in the shadows.
Sounds like the description of Anakin Skywalker.
What father hasn't has those thoughts of his children, especially of a gifted son? I believe it is figurative rather than literal.
He was single minded in raising Tiger to be the champion he is.
Throwing stones at the man is petty.
I know that Tiger bought his folks a house in Tustin. My Mother-in-Law worked at Sears furniture store and sold his Mom furniture to furnish the house. Earl still lived in Cypress and died there, so it figures that they lived apart.
Earl has made some pretty strange statements, including that Tiger was "The Chosen One". Yak-host John Ziegler on KFI in LA played some of them the night Earl died. Ziegler is the founder of the website....
http://www.tigerwoodsisgod.com/index.php
The unusual depth of coverage
for an individual's life is one
of the reasons I read the obits
in the Telegraph UK. They
cover all the great and 'ingrate'
aspects of the person's life.
Always interesting.
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