2009's Most Embarrassing People

UPDATE: ELIN NORDEGREN MOVES OUT OF THEIR HOME.

2009 HAS YIELDED A BUMPER CROP OF chumps doing very embarrassing things, if not down-right despicable damage to themselves, their reputations and to others. None of us is immune to bad behavior and all of us have done embarrassing things we regret. Still this year's field is so crowded with indiscretion that we'd be hard-pressed to choose a winner who's managed to bring the greatest destruction and shame to himself, his family and career in the least amount of time.

From Gov. Mark Sanford's, John Edwards' and David Letterman's sordid marital infidelities to Kayne West's music-award hijacking, Carrie Prejean's ups then fall from grace after the Miss USA contest, Levi Johnson's baby daddy publicity stunts and finally the couple who broke through security at the White House state dinner recently---just to name a few---our heads spin as we see ourselves and our own cultural and moral depravity paraded before our eyes 24/7. The Daily Beast today gives a graphic panoramic slide show of this year's top contenders, most notably leaving out David Letterman (Why?).

For me however, 2009's hands down loser-winner is a no-brainer. The main contender has to be someone I basically liked and respected in the first place, even from a great distance. Since many contestants are people I simple didn't know existed much less cared about, most of these embarrassing people can be eliminated quickly---though not for their lack of trying.


But if there's one person that takes my breath away this year, whom I've lost all respect for as a man, a husband and father and finally a professional, it's Tiger Woods. He has managed to so out-do himself in shattering his own image so drastically that I cannot imagine his life will ever be the same again. Some say the public has a very short memory and he'll be fine long-term. But I doubt he will with me. Or I should say, he can only recover in some way by the painful process of the Grace of God. My heart goes out to his wife, his little children and to his family. Can't imagine that daddy Earle isn't twirling in his grave, though I don't know much about his own lifestyle choices back when he was raising Tiger.

Whether you're surprised or just sad and disgusted, Tiger is my loser chump of the year, decade. His life is clearly out-of-control and I can't read any more. Shallow, devoid of integrity and most of all devoid of sex appeal---that's what I think of this golfer named Tiger Woods.