People always have questions going through their minds when making a decision, especially over two similar products. Which one will satisfy my taste buds? Will my whites be more white with this brand? What ride should I buy to make the ladies take notice?

The same is true when comparing accomplishments of athletes. There’s always someone who will question ability and circumstance, asking `Who had it tougher?’ or `Which one was better?’

With all of the arguments in the Bonds-McGwire debate, I offer my own humble perspective.

I Can Do Anything You Can Do Better

Let’s begin with Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire.

McGwire had pressure when he broke the home run record in 1998. However, that pressure only came from a legend, a ghost, if you will. What Bonds has been through this year might make many men cry. He not only had the pressure of a legend, but a pennant chase added on.

Bonds’ Giants were closing in on a chance to win a division title (or a wild card berth), while Big Mac’s Cardinals weren’t close to the playoffs three years ago. Barry accomplished the feat in fewer at-bats and with more walks than his large-muscled counterpart.

Factor all of this with his past problems with the media and his teammates, which were all his doing, and I give this award to Bonds. By the way, Bonds seems to have grown in likability in the past few weeks. We’ll see how this plays out next season.

Now on to the Woods and Nicklaus debate.

This is a comparison that involves many questions. What if Jack were playing in his prime today? Would Tiger have dominated in the `60s and `70s (barring the fact that he might not have been able to play in some tournaments)?

A few years into each one’s career, the two compiled similar accomplishments. Both have played against several rivals during their time. Nicklaus took on such hall-of-famers as Palmer, Player, Trevino and Watson. Woods battles against current stars Mickelson, Duval and Garcia week in and week out.

However, this time I have to go old school and say the Golden Bear wins this tussle of mammals. While Tiger has done some great things, he’s still trying to do what Jack has done. In about 12-15 years, I’m sure I’ll change my decision.

Sampras vs. Agassi or McEnroe vs. Connors

OK, so this isn’t a hot button as far as sports debates, but I thought I’d throw this in for effect.

These two matchups feature four of the greatest Americans to run from the baseline to the net.

The number of major titles are amazing. Sampras is the all-time king with 13 crowns. Connors holds eight, while McEnroe and Agassi each have seven.

Over the past five years, the Sampras-Agassi battles have extended beyond the tennis court. Remember the commercial where Pete and Andre played on a New York City street. Yeah, that was cool. Both guys can’t wait to play against one another, providing us with gripping tennis that makes people ooh and aah.

This is the reason I decided the Connors-McEnroe contests would be the better pick. The looks these guys had when they were across the net from one another would burn the hair off the back of your neck. These two hated the other with a passion that faded, but didn’t go away, off the court.

With both meeting nine times in Grand Slam events, all of them in the semis or finals, they seemed to help elevate the sport through the late `70s and early `80s. When a rivalry can do that, it must be good.

Of course, there can be no rival when it comes to…

Absurd Predictions

Well, it’s about time. Don’t buy that? How about `Oh, happy day’? Yours truly, the Lowdown, finally got a prediction right, sort of. I watched Barry Bonds as he hit number 71 into the Friday- night air of San Francisco. It was majestic, awe-inspiring, and just plain sweet.

I said this summer that he would get the record, but wouldn’t enjoy it without a World Series ring. I was undoubtedly wrong. It’s great to see Barry nowadays, but enough of the single-season home run king. It’s on to new business.

This Saturday night, former boxing champ Mike Tyson will go into the ring to face Denmark’s Brian Nielsen. The fight seems to be a tough one, full of flying fists.

Tyson controls the first two rounds, but then something will go wrong.

He sees that his opponent is stronger than he anticipated. Nielsen won’t go down. Iron Mike starts to press, missing opportunities to put the Dane away. By the sixth, the power shifts over to Nielsen. He wins the next three rounds before finishing the job. The upset occurs when Tyson goes down in the ninth from a crushing right hook.

Then Mike will wake up from his nightmare and pummel the guy in the second.

Hey, you gotta give me some credit. Tyson may be ruthless, but it sure is fun seeing what he’ll do next.

Jonathan Lowe is a senior in meteorology from Kansas City, Mo.