Think about it. While you were reveling in Rocco's attempt to pull off a historic upset and Tiger's back-to-back 18th-hole comebacks Sunday and Monday, you didn't know the half of it.
I couldn't be more impressed if Tiger had shown up at the TD Banknorth Garden on Tuesday night and dropped 26 points on the Lakers.
Let's review: The guy first ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in 2007 and delayed surgery long enough to win five of his next six tournaments. He finished second at the Masters, finally underwent arthroscopic surgery, suffered more knee damage in May and then played five rounds and a playoff hole to win his 14th major championship.
In a sense, this layoff might actually enhance his renown (not that it needs much help at this point), since he's going to be sitting for the next six or eight months on one of the most memorable individual athletic performances in a generation.
It's too bad that he won't be able to play in his own tournament - the AT&T National at Congressional in two weeks - but, at this point, he probably could draw the biggest gallery driving a beverage cart.
Golf will go on, just not with the tremendous momentum that Tiger and Rocco created with their amazing duel Sunday and Monday. They brought the sport to a tremendous crescendo, only to have the leader of the band limp off the stage.
The biggest events - the British Open, the PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup - will still look great in HD, but they will all have an existential, Waiting-for-Tiger quality until he comes back from this lengthy rehabilitation period.
It is just another testament to his tremendous impact on the sport that he'll continue to loom large over those events even while he's home changing diapers.
peter.schmuck@baltsun.com
Listen to Peter Schmuck on WBAL (1090 AM) at noon most Saturdays and Sundays.
