Sorry state

Of all the smart moves Derek Jeter made in becoming a prince of the city, in becoming the first Yankee to be named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year, this was by far the smartest:

Staying single.

Jeter’s most famous teammate, Alex Rodriguez, was caught stepping out on his wife, and now Jeter’s most famous friend, Tiger Woods, has been caught doing the same.

My best guess is the 35-year-old Jeter hopes to be an equal partner in a faithful marriage, and has remained a bachelor this long to ensure that he’s ready for the commitment and, you know, worked it all out of his system.

The temptations of a life on the road for rich and famous athletes are as strong as the rich and famous athletes themselves, and Jeter knows better than most. He’s been in the company of more beauties than Hugh Hefner – Jeter’s even been linked to one of the women named in the Tiger scandal – and yet there he was the other night, everybody’s All-American boy, an untarnished megastar accepting SI’s award with one Beaver Cleaver complaint:

He wished his mother and father were pictured with him on the magazine’s cover.

Jeter sat before a crowd and did a question-and-answer session with SI writer Tom Verducci, and with one line about a Jim Carrey character the shortstop showed a self-awareness that Tiger lost in the rough.

“ ‘The Truman Show,’ ” Jeter said. “That story’s about my life.”

That story’s about Tiger’s life, too, a fact the world’s most recognizable athlete wishes like hell he could shoo away. On his Web site, maybe the last piece of his public life still under his thumb, Tiger offered the following:

“I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far from perfect.

“I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves. For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology.”

Wedged between those remarks was a Woods lecture about the windows on his soul, the ones pried open by inquiring minds. “Personal sins should not require press releases,” Tiger said, “and problems within a family shouldn’t have to mean public confessions.”

Except, of course, when a supposed mistress goes to Us Weekly magazine with hundreds of text messages and a damning voice mail either left by a nervous Tiger or a sharp Frank Caliendo.

Yes, one would have to be something of a creep to save texts and voice mails from an alleged lover for the purpose of humiliating that alleged lover in a public forum. I’m sure the parents of that cocktail waitress are most proud.

But in the end, Woods is responsible for his reckless conduct. The golfer famous for controlling his tournament environment – officials, opponents, volunteers, press, everyone – couldn’t control himself. Tiger took a 2-iron to his own reputation.

Will his career survive it? Sure, why not? The careers of Kobe Bryant, Marv Albert and David Letterman appear to be doing just fine.

Woods is a billion-dollar brand with an otherwise clean product history. He needs to retreat into his bunker, weather this bimbo eruption for a couple of months and then get back to making birdies.

Chances are he won’t lose any big endorsements, and he’ll break Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major titles without breaking much of a sweat.

Only Tiger never will be completely out of these Woods. People will never look at him the same way. Everything about Tiger appeared perfect – his swing, his poise, his physique, his teeth – until he revealed just how imperfect a champion can be.

As it turns out, the automaton is all too human. His face is as red as his shirt. Who would’ve guessed that Tiger Woods and Allen Iverson would be in the news on the same day, and Woods would be the one apologizing for his off-the-court conduct?

Tiger has bogeys all over his card here. He drove recklessly on his own property and nearly caused himself serious harm. He refused to talk to police investigating the accident, sending a horrible message to the millions of children who look up to him.

He came across as a man with something to hide. He allowed his handlers to keep him on the bench, to let Internet-driven speculation about his wife, Elin, and a possible confrontation spin out of his control.

Caught between a digital rock (TMZ.com) and a hard place (Twitterland), Tiger released his confession long after he’d squandered any chance to stay ahead of the story. He paid a much greater price than his $164 fine would suggest.

Back in the day, Woods wouldn’t have had to worry much about his night moves. The second-most popular golfer of all time, Arnold Palmer, was rumored to have been a Grand Slam lady-killer and yet spent his prime without being TMZ’d.

“The press loved Arnold,” Palmer’s friend and fellow pro, Bob Toski, said in my book, “Arnie & Jack.” In fact, Toski said of reporters, “They protected him like they protected JFK.”

Riding high in a different age, an age without protection, Woods apparently was as careless with his personal life as he was with his SUV. So on the night Tiger’s good friend, Jeter, was honored for his character and grace, people were talking about the guy with 14 majors rather than the guy with five rings.

Nike and the rest are still standing by their man, and so business remains good. Tiger Woods hasn’t lost any sponsorships.

Just his innocence.