WINDOW SHOPPING

There is good news and bad news.

Here are some homes available for around $250,000.

They are not in Vancouver.

In Vancouver, $250,000 will get you a quarter time share in a 600 square foot leaky condo on Noisy Nightclub, Murder & Mayhem Boulevard.

The pastel house above is in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

The blue house with four bedrooms is near Indianapolis.

The good news is that the food and the weather are said to be pretty good in New Mexico. And, if you hurry, you can get to see the last few years of Peyton Manning winning games for the Colts.

And the price.

That's the real good news.

The bad news?

These and other amazing bargains can be found in the Excited States where everyone is packing heat and no one wants affordable health care.

TIGER, TIGER, BURNING BRIGHT - UH, NOT QUITE

I'm a big Tiger Woods fan.

I don't even play the game, but if Tiger's on TV, I'm there.

Apparently, I'm not alone. If Tiger's on TV, so are millions of others. The ratings spike when he's on the leader board and they are pedestrian at best when he is not.

You can't help it. He's one of the greatest athletes in history and to watch him perform is fairly regularly amazing. To list his statistical accomplishments would take pages. Just Google him; you'll see.

But...

I confess in recent weeks, the shine has somewhat come off the apple.

Yesterday was the second week in a row that Tiger has refused to speak to reporters after a competitive round of golf. He is sitting at 30th in the Deutsche Bank FedEx tournament that will be completed today.

Woods is the wealthiest person in sport.

Without the press, he'd be making a pleasant living.

If the only time, we get to hear from the Great Man is when he wins, we will have to start viewing him as not the most charitable fellow on earth.

Whatever happened to "gracious in defeat?"

Then, last week, he openly criticized fellow golfer Ernie Els. Woods carped publicly that he didn't think Els had work hard enough at rehab after an injury.

Way out of bounds, Tiger!

You may or may not have such thoughts. But it is hardly your business to air them.

Tiger seems to be having some confusion of late about when it is appropriate to open his mouth.

As one of the most immaculate athletes of all time, he should well know by now that t-t-timing is everything.