If you haven't noticed, sports fans, the superstar torch has been passed.

You might not think so, but it has.

For the last decade, the spotlight of the sports media has shined directly and unimpeded upon Michael Jordan, undoubtedly the greatest basketball player ever and possibly the most dominant competitor of all time.

Without a doubt, Jordan has during his career redefined the role of the sports superstar.

Who else dominated their sport in such awesome fashion? What other athlete in history has been able to turn a sneaker company into a corporate nightmare the likes of Nike?

Nobody has. Just Jordan.

Michael Jordan has his own shoes. They're called Air Jordans, and every kid on the court wants them.

Michael Jordan has his own cologne. Every teen-aged Jordan wanna-be wears it.

Michael Jordan has his own adjective, "Jordanesque." Every color commentator this side of Bristol, Conn., uses it.

And Michael Jordan has his own league. It's called the National Basketball Association. Apparently, he owns the referees.

Jordan has been the torchbearer for excellence in the world of sports for quite some time.

Rightly so.

Jordan has earned every second he has spent in the spotlight.

Jordan's time in the spotlight, however, is over.

His reign as the king of sports is over because there is somebody out there more amazing.

There's someone out there withmore talent.

There's somebody out there who, like Jordan over a decade ago, is taking the sports world by storm.

His name, of course, is Tiger Woods.

And if Tiger keeps his head, he'll go down as the most dominant athlete in the history of big-time pro sports.

Sorry, Michael.

You've had an amazing career, but if Tiger continues his current pace, there's no telling what he can accomplish.

Tiger Woods has played in 12 professional events, and he has won four of them. He's batting 333.

For someone who doesn't know much about golf, that might not seem like a big deal. But take into account that some players -- good players, that is -- can go years without winning a tournament. Some players will never win as many tournaments in their careers as Tiger has captured in his first dozen.

You just don't bat .333 in golf. Unless, of course, your name is Tiger Woods.

When most tour pros head into a tournament, they set the following goal for themselves: Make the cut after two days.

Making the cut is by no means an easy goal to attain.

For some, making the cut is tough.

For many, winning a tournament is a miracle.

For Tiger Woods, winning a tournament is expected.

As Tiger has said many times, when he enters a tournament, he is satisfied with nothing less than a championship. He knows the chances of his winning every tournament aren't good, but he doesn't care.

He wants to win anyway.

Tiger attacks golf courses. He can outdrive any player on tour. He can putt with such amazing accuracy it's scary. He chips himself out of trouble like a seasoned veteran. And he knows when he has to play for real.

At the Pebble Beach National Pro Am two and a half weeks ago, Tiger found himself in a tie for 67th place after two days. He almost didn't make the cut.

The next day, he began laying the rest of the field to waste. He started playing like he had to.

He hit birdie after birdie after birdie. Slowly, he crept up the standings.

The galleries watched in amazement.

By the time he came to the last hole of the final round, Tiger was in second place.

With an eagle on the par-5 18th, he would have tied then four-time Pebble Beach National Pro-Am champion Mark O'Meara and forced a playoff.

Somehow, Tiger reached the 18th green with two perfect, gargantuan shots.

Nobody had accomplished that feat throughout the entire tournament. Tiger had his chance for eagle.

Though everyone expected him to pull off the miracle, Tiger missed the putt. He finished second.

His reaction?

"Second sucks."

With his insatiable appetite for winning and unreal talent, however, you shouldn't expect to see Tiger upset about finishing second all that often.

But you should expect Tiger Woods cologne to hit the stores any day now.