"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe" ... Tiger's toe done got caught!

It's a shame that Moses dropped that third tablet when coming down the mountain ... the one what said "Thou Shall Not Cheat!" Indeed, I think it belongs in the top 5!

For those who play golf, honor and integrity are among the game's revered tenets, its history is treasured ... breaking 90 on the Old Course at St. Andrews is a dream many of us have shared but few have realized!

A thorough knowledge of the rules is expected with strict adherence and their honorable application demanded ... the very thought of cheating is repugnant to any golfer. Indeed, players are expected to call penalties upon themselves when the rules are violated. Failure to knowingly so do is considered dishonorable, grounds for automatic forfeiture of the match, and expulsion from the competition.

Millions upon millions of folks play their games on both public and private golf courses using golf balls, tees and clubs ... treating those rules of which they're aware as general guidelines, adherence as a matter of convenience ... failing to count all strokes, taking so called "mulligans" and otherwise violating the rules when it is to their advantage and safe to so do. They see nothing wrong with it ... after all, it is but a game.

Yes it is that ... but the games they play aren't golf!

Certainly, the same can be said of some other sporting activities ... indeed the word "sporting" suggests that it is expected if not demanded that these same tenets apply to all ... but most certainly, they do not, at least not in their application.

Golf is a game reserved for the genteel ... demarcated not by breeding, birth or station in life, but rather by voluntary and strict adherence to a demanding code of ethics and behavior involving honor, integrity, courtesy, and playing by the rules ... a gentleman carries himself so as to be well respected without so demanding.

Like gold and iron disulfide, acting like a gentleman and being one are not the same ... but unlike the assayer, the game is not in a position to distinguish between the two ...

The game is open to all who fall into either class ... closed to those who do not! However, those who dishonorably conduct themselves so as to be an embarrassment should be rejected as "fool's gold" ... permanently expelled for conduct unbecoming ... in the best interests of the game.

I recognize that mine has become a minority viewpoint ... don't fully understand, but do so recognize. My father worked but for one company during his entire working career ... he rose from the lowest of rungs to the highest. He was good at what he did and he was indeed a gentleman!

Unlike my father, I changed jobs several times during my career ... though I never accepted a position with a company unless I thought it would be permanent ... last forever. Daddy liked Sam Snead and I liked Byron Nelson ... however, we did share one thing in common ... we had 24 hour a day jobs!

While that may sound strange, it wasn't ... it was commonplace back then ... no, nobody worked 24 hours a day ... but, were you to have asked "for whom do you work?" ... the answer would have been the same, regardless of the time of day or night! That's IMPORTANT ... or at least it was; not so sure anymore. The point is that as employees, folks knew that in the mind's eye of the public, they were identified with their employers ... and that how they conducted themselves, regardless of venue or time, reflected upon those for whom they worked, and in a broader sense, the industry! It's much the same as when we visit some foreign place ... how we conduct ourselves reflects on where we're from! That's why I pretend to be from Kansas.

It should go without saying that we all knew that had we dishonorably conducted ourselves, more than our reputations would have suffered ... it would have severely damaged our careers, resulted in punishment, including possible termination for "cause" ... that is, for conduct unbecoming ... in the best interests of the game!

And rightfully so!

We're all flawed ... but regardless of what the bailouts of recent times might suggest, there are no mulligans, even for our high profiled heroes ... most especially not for them!

Given recent events, it may well seem that this was written in response to the unfolding Tiger Woods' drama ... but it was actually birthed some time back as a result of the many honor and integrity issues associated with baseball and football, suggesting the need for lifetime expulsions for cheating and conduct unbecoming.

Back then the "issue" was "cheating" ... and the false notion that "guilt" comes with proof rather than the doing of the deed. Tiger's situation is obviously different but the question of conduct unbecoming and the need for effective punishment have been answered.

The verdict is still out regarding Tiger's situation and his place in history but he has shown himself to be an enormous impassioned talent with the ability to generate excitement and perform well under pressure. One cannot help but admire that talent, passion and dedication ... his is indeed in rare combination ... but I think the notion that his personal conduct is not relevant is wrong, dead wrong!

His reputation has by his own hand been severely damaged and he will most certainly long suffer for his behavior ... but, it is incumbent upon the caretakers of sport and especially golf to proactively address the situation. It is sport and specifically golf that has provided him with fame, fortune and his life's station ... and it is sport that must decide his fate relative to his continued participation eligibility ... not the fans, not his family.

Simply put, it is not enough to allow such situations to resolve themselves. The caretakers of each sport must be held accountable for taking care of that sport ... a seemingly difficult notion for most to comprehend, but not exactly rocket science. To otherwise think is almost as misguided as the commonly proffered notion that disreputable behavior simply reflects the fact that one is human ... though not nearly as repugnant and insulting.

Tiger is not alone ... regardless of the sport or the wealthy superstar, one would think that condemnation and lengthy suspensions, if not lifetime playing bans, for conduct unbecoming ... would not only be the most effective means of addressing such situations but also be in the best interest of sport. Certainly, this sport of gentlemen and Mary, Queen of Scots ... where honor comes before all else, cannot afford to be so degraded ... and though seemly harsh to some, no other solution suggests itself as being the appropriate action for the PGA.

Unfortunately, technology and business considerations combine to directionally undermine, if not ultimately destroy, the integrity of all sports ... from the Olympics to the sport of kings and it's highly unlikely that such action will be taken but that doesn't change its propriety.