Monday Morning Halfback: Tiger still commands our attention, and picking the perfect hockey panel

OPINION Monday Morning Halfback: Tiger still commands our attention, and picking the perfect hockey panel CATHAL KELLY AND JAMIE ROSS PUBLISHED 12 MINUTES AGO Open this photo in gallery: The source of people’s continued fascination with Woods is that he has been the greatest athlete in the world, and then its most spectacularly failed athlete, Cathal Kelly writes. EZRA SHAW/GETTY IMAGES COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Jamie Ross is the Globe’s Sports editor; Cathal Kelly is the national sports columnist. J.R.: Cathal, Tiger Woods lost his driver’s licence for five years this week after a brief court appearance related to his latest car wreck. You could hear the presses screech to a halt at the outcome, and the news interrupted whichever war the TV anchors were droning about. Has there ever been an athlete with this tight a grip on our attention? C.K.: Jamie, the ability to command attention is now the ultimate power. If you can make people turn and look – for whatever reason, however debased – you occupy the highest perch in our culture. The source of people’s continued fascination with Woods is that he has been the greatest athlete in the world, and then its most spectacularly failed athlete. Having once been so high, he has a chasm to fall through, and he’s still going. Cathal Kelly: Tiger Woods’s never-ending shadow will smother golf until he leaves the game It’s also in the unique nature of golf that he can continue to appear at the biggest events well into his dotage. Once you’ve abandoned dignity – as most people are now happy to do in order to get hold of a little corner of celebrity – why stop? It’s trite to say that the whole thing is sad. It’s certainly emblematic of the era. Woods is our Marilyn Monroe. The story I’ve been thinking about this week is the sudden eruption of Canadian sports media news, which never happens in this country. I guess Sportsnet is playing hardball with Saturday Hockey Program™ regulars Elliotte Friedman and Kevin Bieksa, who are out of contract. They’ve already punted Kelly Hrudey and may be doing the same to Jennifer Botterill. That’s 80 per cent of the intermission panel. Simon Houpt: With NHL season around the corner, Sportsnet’s lineup has yet to take shape Now all the same people who loved to complain that Hockey Night in Canada needed changing are irate that they’re changing Hockey Night in Canada (or whatever they’re going to call it now that CBC isn’t involved). What’s your prescription for…