Barkley Says Tiger's Career More Impressive Than Jordan's

This is just about the toughest argument in the history of Sports, but Charles Barkley knows where he stands. The AZ Central asked Chuck about the careers of Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, and while you'd think someone who played against Jordan in his prime would pick "His Airness", Barkley decided to throw a curveball....

On Tiger Woods missing the cut at the British Open:

"It bothers me right now that people make such a big deal out of that. He missed one other cut in a major, and that was after his dad died. So that doesn't really count. And to go 13 years and miss one cut in the majors has to be one of the most remakrable achievements out there. That's really impressive. And it shows you the stupidity of certain people who are questionging him. I'll bet every pro has missed 10 or more cuts. but it just shows you the double standard. Some of those guys have probably missed 25 cuts. This is really his first one, and when I talk to him, I'll tell him, 'Bro, you're probably down and have the red ass right now, but to go 13 years and only miss one cut, that's one of your major accomplishments. You're talking about the world's hardest golf courses, and to go 13 years and only miss one cut is remarkable."

On who's more impressive, Tiger or Michael Jordan:

"I think Tiger is more impressive. He has to play against 130 guys or more every week. He can't control what other people are doing. He can only do his thing. They're the two greatest athletes I've seen in my generation. For me, it's cool to have competed against Michael and watched Tiger in his prime."

That's a tough one to answer, and Charles makes a couple of great points, but I would call it a dead heat. Michael Jordan was flat out unbeatable from age 23 to 33 (minus the attempt at Baseball), and Tiger just turned 33 himself. My personal view is that Tiger is starting his decline at the same time as Jordan's, and now that he has an injury to wrestle with and a growing family, winning might not be everything. Still though, it's a great topic to debate.

Sir Charles Speaks (AZ Central)