Woods, of course, had that mess back around Thanksgiving where he was outed for being a serial cad but has since gone to cad rehab, had cad counseling and seems to have straightened out that slice that was causing a huge rift in his marriage.  Tiger Woods has not made any public statements about an actual date of his return… just that he would return in due time.

As to picking up endorsements, that remains to be seen but the world forgets easily and forgets even easier when the errors were committed by a winner. Once Tiger Woods returns and wins a few tournaments life will go back to normal, the endorsements will roll in and the revenue stream will come back to the household of Elin and Tiger Woods.

Perhaps he will strike it perfectly at the Arnold Palmer and start the process of becoming the most dominant golfer of our time.

Want to Break 80 When You Play – Click Here!

Sure, the athletes are covered in endorsements and the big names will get on the cover of major magazines, make the rounds with Jay Leno, Oprah, David Letterman et al, but the Olympics as an event is a losing proposition for the host city.  The host city has to hope to recoup the millions spent to bring the games to their city by attracting industry, manufacturing and other large businesses.

Every time you see Lindsay Vonn fly down the ski slope or Shaun White do something with a snowboard that demonstrates some alien ability, the city of Vancouver is hoping that the viewers that control large corporations is thinking about a trip to Canada to peruse the landscape for their company which would bring jobs and generate tax revenue.

The lesser athletes are fortunate to be able to go to the Olympics and expect little to nothing in endorsements as they are just glad to represent their country.  Unlike the Super Bowl, where the city rakes in all sorts of revenue, and the city is flooded with a plethora of athletes hawking anything from pots and pans to hair gel, the Olympics attracts a smaller audience and a dearth of endorsements.

If the TV revenue was up there, the Olympics would be considered a financial and economic success but advertisers pay based upon viewers and if the Olympics are not front and center on a major network, the dollars are just not there.

And he thought it was not fair.

Here is a guy that is on the downside of his career, throws like a 7 year old school girl and only had a great power hitting year because of the jet stream that was grabbing pop ups to second and sending them over the right field wall. Damon turned down a 2 year 14 million dollar deal (or was it Scott Boras?) last year because he felt that he should not get a pay cut after that solid offensive season.

The economics of baseball, at this time, do not dictate that a player in his twilight get a raise… especially one that appears to be just a hired gun.  He had some good years in Boston, some good years in New York but his defense just isn’t there any longer. His contract with the Yankees was 13 Million per year for four years; a total of 52 million.  He earned that contract based upon him being a center fielder which is a premium position and now there is now way he could cover center field.

At best he is a left fielder and will probably earn his money as a DH most of the time with the Tigers.

Baseball’s economics has changed greatly over the past few years due in part to the economy as well as the statistical analysis and Mr. Damon is just not a hot commodity.

Shortstop, Left Field, Right Field… it matters little when the Yankees put a contract in front of New York’s most famous eligible bachelor. He should command somewhere in the 20 million dollar range and will probably get a three or four year deal. Here we have a guy that is approaching the twilight of his career, one who has won several world championships and earned over 200 million dollars in salary and bonuses, makes huge bank with endorsement money and is going to make another 50 to 60 million dollars guaranteed.

That’s good work if you can get it.

Part of the salary will be based upon his current ability and what he brings to the team and part will be as a reward for being a good Yankee since being drafted out of Kalamazoo, MI.

Does he deserve that kind of jack?

He does if the Steinbrenner hierarchy says so.

He does if you are a Yankee fan.

He does if you are a baseball fan.

He brings a quality to the field and to the game that can overshadow the whole steroid era and is one of the guys that brings a lot more than physical ability to the field. He has baseball smarts that makes even the most intelligent and crafty manager envious. His leadership skills rival that of President Reagan and his ability to keep the Yankee baseball club united is on a par with Oprah.

So, some day in November or December of this year, Brian Cashman is going to sit down with Jeter, ask him how much and for how long, and we will see this multi-millionaire sign a contract that will keep him a Yankee for the rest of his days.

If there ever was a solid business move, this would be it.

Danica the driver is not nearly as powerful as Danica the brand as a combination of decent driving ability, good looks and outstanding marketing has turned this 105 pound woman into a cash cow.  While many people in Nascar welcome her arrival there are detractors as well. Those that are not thrilled to see Danica Patrick at Daytona are less than impressed with her ability behind the wheel of a stock car and those that are glad to see Danica Patrick at Daytona welcome the new and increased interest in the waning sport.

Several drivers have come right out and stated that Danica is too green in Nascar to be driving at Daytona  while others have indicated that she has to start somewhere and it might as well be starting in Daytona.

The plus is that Nascar is getting some new publicity at it’s largest venue and draw a new group of viewers simply because the brand that is Danica Patrick is there.  These new viewers will increase TV ratings as well as spend money to sit in the stands at Daytona and may very well get turned on by the sport and become regulars. Danica’s presence at Daytona, as well as in all of Nascar, should generate new sponsorships for a sport that badly needs the influx of capital.

Granted, Danica is driving in the Nationwide series, the junior circuit if you will, but the attention will flow over to the Sprint series with the media swarming the track. Danica might be just 105 pounds of feisty but as a brand she rocks the corporate world and one thing Nascar needs right now is a rock star.