Athletes never listen to mama

A sports guy, or was it mama, once said about athletes and their late night antics: nothing good happens after midnight.
Since hearing this statement, when any athlete gets in any trouble, the first thing I do is quickly dig into the article and find out what time the trouble occurred.
And every time, the incident is after the witching hour.
Once again this week, this admonition rings eerily true.
Nov. 27 @ 2:25 a.m. - Tiger Woods, arguably the best golfer in the history of mankind, rams into a tree and fire hydrant. His super-model wife, Elin, has to smash back window out of their Cadillac Escalade to excavate her husband.
Dec. 1 @ 3:25 a.m. - Carlos Dunlap, NFL first-round lock and Florida Gator superstar defensive end, was found asleep behind the wheel of his running car at a traffic light.
On one end of the spectrum is Woods, the epitome of media savvy and astute public relations moves. In fact, Woods' purposeful choice to be totally secluded from the spotlight both infuriates sports fans and adds allure to his Superman mystique.
But now the media, public and allegedly the authorities are pulling on Superman's cape to discover what was the Kryptonite that caused this mysterious early a.m. meltdown.
The public cry is : What in the world is Tiger pulling out of his driveway at 2:25 a.m.? Couldn't he tell the Nanny to go get the diapers at WalMart or go get another gallon of low-fat milk?
The actual incident and subsequent fallout is even more glaring and astonishing considering how secretive Woods' private life has been.
And on the other end of the sports spectrum is Dunlap's front-seat green-light nap.
Compared to Woods' ultra polished media experience, Dunlap is an immature, big-man on campus - 6'6",290 lbs lieral big - who probably actually thinks he is Superman, Batman and Spiderman all rolled into one.
And why not think he's unbreakable: last year's BCS Defensive MVP, SEC Championship game this weekend, NFL riches about to be laid at his feet, so who's to blame Dunlap for being punch-drunk with it all.
Unfortunately, Dunlap decided to (allegedly)get drunk on some adult punch and was charged with DUI, after failing a field sobriety test and refusing a breath test.
Now days before the biggest game of his young life, Dunlap will sit home with his suspension.
Like many before him, the cloud of bad character will hang over him, and likely cost him millions of draft-day dollars.
On the other hand, Woods uses cash as garden compost, so any collateral monetary damage from this incident doesn't matter a lick.
The only damage, and it may be substantial, is to Woods' aura of robot-like perfection.
Why Woods hasn't stepped up and simply explained the circumstances of this incident is mysterious.
Yes, Woods now has been cleared of any wrongdoing, and will pay one-billionth of his annual income, or a $164 fine.
Yes, this was on private property and thus, Woods correctly asserts it can remain a private matter. And if you could read the cartoon bubble above Woods' head, it would be peppered with his famous sailor's language, "It aint none of your f*$%* business."
All this is true, but reality is in today's cyber world, every 10-year-old now blogs, takes digital pictures and tweets. The result? Every public figure's business is everyone's business.
So, Superhero and College BigMan, take some simple mama's advice: Just stay home and don't go out after midnight, 'cause nothing good happens after midnight.