I watched Tiger Woods face the cameras and his friends, live. This is as good a first report as any, from the L.A. Times.

Depending on your empathy level, this was somewhere between uncomfortable and excruciating to watch. My usual satirical edge was ground right off. I don’t have much respect for the media people who’re zinging Tiger for trying to control this situation. It’s reasonable for him to try. It’s unreasonable for him to expect to succeed. It’s just as self-serving for the media mouths to taunt him for it.

Yes, I made sure I was watching in “real time” as he made his public apologies. I’m interested in what’s going on. I’m willing to respect his plea for privacy now.

Tiger talked about his wife, by name, a lot, this morning. He was talking mostly to her, saying in a variety of ways, she and the kids are his first priority now. He convinced me.