Here are some rantings from the world of professional golf. Sort of. THE STREAK IS OVER While I don't think Tiger Woods' consecutive cuts made streak that was snapped this weekend ranks above Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak, Cal Ripken's consecutive games played streak or UCLA's winning streak in the disco era, it's impressive nonetheless. I do think it is more significant than Susan Lucci's Daytime Emmy losing streak, but I also think my consecutive streak of 10,185 days of breathing on my own is more important than Ms. Lucci's. But a streak is a streak. Detractors will say that Woods played in 31 events during that seven-year span that did not feature a 36-hole cut. While almost all concede it is a remarkable accomplishment in consistency, he did not go on a 142-event winning streak. He went on to finish in the money 142 consecutive times. What they don't bring up is that in playing in an era with arguably the best depth in history. Byron Nelson won 11 straight tournaments and that's remarkable, but the level of competition was not close to what it is now. Nelson's record also has the asterisk that some American players were off at war. Or how about the fact that only two other players in the history of the sport have done what Woods did. Don't think it's an awesome feat? Then why is Ernie Els now the leader with only 20? Only five more years to go, Ernie. Assuming you play 25 times a year and don't string together two bad rounds. (Just to clear up one thing. Tiger last missed the cut at the 1997 Canadian Open. He failed to make the cut at the '98 Pebble Beach Pro-Am because he withdrew after 36 holes when a storm washed out play. The event had a 54-hole cut and tournament officials decided to finish the tournament close to seven months later and he decided not to go. Can't blame him.) So a streak that was bound to end sometime has ended. While it doesn't span decades like Ripken's, his streak has been going on since 1998. Here are some interesting factoids about life since Tiger didn't go back to Pebble Beach. - In the news that month of the Pro-Am, NASA announced that John Glenn would be headed back into space, Unabomber Ted Kaczynski pleaded guilty to being...well, a Unabomber and President Clinton (oh yeah, he was in the Oval Office at the time) said something about not having some type of relations with Monica Lewinsky. Still paying for that one, aren't ya, Mr. President? - Things that had yet to happen in 1998 - "Titanic" sweeps the Academy Awards, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa rejuvenate baseball with home runs (and steroid allegations, and corked bats), and the death of Frank Sinatra. - Current athletes - LeBron James turned 14 years old about a month before Pebble Beach started. Michelle Wie was seven. Not that she's exactly a seasoned pro now, but that's amazing to think about. - No. 1 golfer in the world in '98 - Greg Norman. His ranking now - 698th. - Television - one show in last week's top-10 in the Nielsen ratings was on the air then, "Everybody Loves Raymond," and that show is now off the air. No "American Idol," no fascination with shows about forensic science spread out geographically throughout the country. Three shows remain today from the 1998 top-10 ("ER", "Monday Night Football" and "60 Minutes"). I am an admitted couch potato, and one show I never heard of was in the top-10 back then. "Union Square?" Any help on this subject would be appreciated. - Me - I was getting ready for my final, and some say greatest semester at La Salle University. Instead of books and papers, it was more wiffle ball and beer. It wasn't for another four months before I led the procession at graduation (then was ultimately ignored by our school's President when it came time to hand me my diploma - he gave it to my friend Ed by mistake. Picture me alone on stage. Parents had to be proud.) This streak is an amazing feather in Woods' cap and deserves to be put up there with his run of consecutive Amateur titles and weeks at No. 1 in the World Rankings. It's not close to owning all four majors at once, but who am I to quibble? One thing that has gone unmentioned in this story is Woods' heart. How many pros do you think give maximum effort when they are closer to the buffet line than the cut line? Woods endured many close calls, but until last Friday, always found a way to get it done. This may not be one of sports' best streaks, but it's certainly one of the top runs in golf history. Starts all over again at the Memorial.