Archive for February, 2008
Friday, February 29th, 2008
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If you’re one of those people who has always wanted to ride your bicycle across the entire country, only you could never find a cause worthy enough…your search may finally be over.
Introducing the Ride:Well Tour:
The Ride:Well Tour is a bicycling expedition from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. to raise funds and awareness for Blood:Water Mission’s 1,000 Wells Project. The trip is open to anyone who is up for a challenge and desires to bring clean water to Africa.
The Bike Tour will start in L.A. in early June and and travel 3,150 miles to Washington, D.C. by the end of July. The cost is around $4000, so you might not want to spend that tax refund on that 1080p plasma after all.
You can get more info about the Ride:Well Tour here, more info on the Blood:Water Mission here, and you can apply for the ride here. (but hurry, there’s less than 12 hours left until registration is closed, and they’re only accepting 26 riders.)
UPDATE: according to this story, author Don Miller (Blue Like Jazz) will be one of the participants.
Posted in Causes, sports | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
a few quick hitters for you while you mourn the parting of ways between ESPN and Sean Salisbury…
+ We are still looking for folks to play in our PFB Fantasy Baseball League. Just a few slots are left, so if you’re interested, send an email to –>prayersforblowoutsATgmailDOTcom.
+ CJ Mahaney writes on his blog regarding Andy Pettitte’s press conference from last week:
As I watched Pettitte, I noted how high-profile Christian athletes miss opportunities to present culture with a compelling alternative: someone who has been genuinely convicted of sin and confesses those specific sins. Instead, the norm for these athletes (who are professing Christians) is to conform to the evasive language so common when someone has been caught…Reading these explicit references to God, I find it difficult to reconcile Pettitte’s statements with Scripture. He is a professing Christian, yet when it comes to his admitted use of HGH, we hear posturing and ambiguous language.
+ Moderately Cerebral Bias calls into question Nike’s unholy approach to marketing LeBron James.
+ An interesting story about a 17-year old Jewish girl who skipped a 3-point contest in order to observe sabbath. The twist: her appendix probably would have burst had she competed in the contest. She ended up breaking her sabbath, not for the competition, but for the emergency appendectomy.
+ about 40 students attended the 10th annual Fellowship of Christian Athletes Xtreme Leadership Day in Marion, Ohio. Pastor J. Patrick Street, who organizes the event, has written a devotional book for athletes.
+ Vegas Watch posted some odds from BetUS that caught our attention. They are giving 1000:1 odds on “Jesus to appear as a living man on earth in 2008″. The maximum bet is $25 to win $25,000. The qualifier: “Has to be proven to be the Son of God”. How exactly do you prove that? I mean, Jesus did a slew of miracles and lots of people still wouldn’t believe. Probably not a bet I’ll be placing.
+ Some bets I might place if I was a betting man? How about over/unders on MLB win totals for 2008. I’d take Arizona OVER 86.5, the NY Yankees UNDER 94, the Rays OVER 72, Toronto UNDER 84, and Detroit UNDER 93.5 (sorry Aaron!).
Posted in sports | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
The PFB Sports Survey is a new feature here at Prayers For Blowouts where we throw 12 sports related questions at some of the most notable voices among Christian authors, pastors, musicians, and glassblowers to see if they like sports as much as we do.
Today’s spotlight is on Jason Boyett, who couldn’t care less that Sammy Sosa hit home run #600 just for him.
Jason is the author of many books, including the Pocket Guides to the Bible, the Apocalypse, and Adulthood (among others). When he’s not guest posting here at PFB or on his personal blog, you might find Jason flyfishing, playing volleyball, or playing soccer.
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1. What number best describes the role sports play in your life on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is “i have absolutely no interest at all” and 10 is “My friends refer to sports as ‘Baal’ because I have an unhealthy obsession bordering on idolatry”.
JB: 5. I am passionate about the Chicago Cubs and have been since I was a kid. I grew up during the Cubs dynasties of 1984 and 1989 — and by “dynasties” I mean “winning seasons that fell painfully short of anything resembling the World Series.” But outside of the Cubs and major league baseball, I’m not too interested in much else. I’ll watch the Super Bowl most years, but professional football doesn’t matter too much to me. Every once in awhile I’ll catch an NCAA football game. I like March Madness and World Cup soccer. But professional basketball? Meh. NASCAR? Nope. Tennis? Golf? Nah. I’m pretty much just a baseball guy.
I also am a pretty good city-league volleyball player. Well now…that was about the uncoolest sentence I’ve ever written.
2. Rank your 3 overall favorite sports.
JB: 1. Major League Baseball
2. NCAA basketball
3. International soccer
3. What is the one team that you root for more passionately than any other, and is there a team that you hate, maybe a little too much?
JB: Did you not read my answer to #1? As a corollary to that answer, I hate the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago White Sox. I also hate the Yankees, based on principle.
4. Do you play fantasy sports?
JB: Yes. Baseball only. One season I was in three leagues at once: a public Yahoo! roto league, a private Yahoo! head-to-head league, and a private 5×5 auction keeper league at CBS Sportsline. I’m competitive in the private leagues, and I’ve won the championship in every public Yahoo league I’ve been in. But that’s usually because all the other owners get bored with it and stop doing anything around the first of June. Suckers.
5. What is the most memorable sporting event you have ever attended in person?
JB: I saw Sammy Sosa’s 600th home run at the Ballpark at Arlington in the summer of 2007. Most people would probably identify that was the most memorable event. But the most memorable game for me was my first game at Wrigley Field. It was a day game — Cubs vs. the Braves — in 2002. Carlos Zambrano pitched. The Cubs lost. Of course.
6. What is the best highlight and/or worst lowlight of your sports playing career as a child or as an adult?
JB: I was the point guard for my 8th-grade basketball B-Team, but on one game day I was thrilled to discover that the A-Team point guard was sick. So I got the start against our archrivals, the Crockett Junior High Pioneers. By some bizarre alignment of celestial bodies, I ended up scoring the first 6 points of the game — one of them on no less than a steal followed by a breakaway layup — and I just knew I’d be promoted to a full-time position in the big leagues. But nope. That was my first and only starting game on the A-Team.
The lowlight of my sports career was in 7th grade. I ran the 110-meter hurdles, although it may be argued that what I was actually doing couldn’t technically be defined as “running.” I always finished last. Except in the last meet of the season, the guy in the lane next to me — his name was Chad — fell on the second hurdle out of the gate. I left that kid in my dust, knowing that this time I would finish in 5th place and HE would be the last-place loser. But that stupid Chad got up…and caught me at the last hurdle. He passed me and finished 5th. I finished last. To a guy who fell down.
7. If you could change one thing about sports, what would it be?
JB: I think the NCAA system and all the potential infractions related to it — money and favors and student-athlete scandals — is fundamentally flawed. For all the attention and goodwill and cash they bring in, the athletes ought to be somehow compensated (in addition to their scholarships) as employees of the university. How you do it is for much smarter people than me to figure out, but something needs to change. The potential payday of a lucrative professional contract is only available to a small percentage of NCAA athletes. For all the hard work they put in, the vast majority of athletes don’t get much else out of it, other than some good stories to tell when they’re recovering from their third knee replacement before they hit 40.
8. Do you have an opinion on Christian athletes who, without being prompted, talk about their faith in post-game interviews?
JB: Before I answer this question I want to give credit to my personal Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who gives me the strength to press a keyboard with my fingertips and the skill to arrange letters into meaningful words, phrases and sentences. Any interesting turns of phrase and/or meaningful insights that follow do not come from me, but from Him. It’s all God, man. It ain’t me.
(Unless I make a typo or something. That’s probably me.)
See? It’s just weird.
9. High school gym class…your favorite 45 minutes of the day or the source of countless nightmares and embarrassments?
JB: I played high school basketball — or more accurately, I sat on the bench for the high school basketball teams in 9th and 10th grades — which meant I didn’t have to go to gym class. Eventually, my high school coaches started suggesting that I’d make a really good equipment manager. Or scoreboard operator. Or stats keeper. So the countless nightmares and embarrassments? They stem from that, not from gym class.
10. Sports are often the whipping boy of pastors and clergy because so much passion, money, time, and energy is poured into them. Do you think this criticism is valid, or are sports okay as a diversion from the stresses of life.
JB: Yes, it is a valid criticism. Sports can be a good diversion, I think, whether you’re watching them on TV or playing them. (I’ve found fantasy baseball to be an ideal community- and relationship-building pursuit among guys.) BUT…I think it’s important to maintain balance, especially for sports enthusiasts with families. I know a lot of football widows whose husbands are absolutely unavailable for half the weekend every fall. I know kids who have been driven to tears because Dad yelled at them for interrupting the game, or because his team was losing, or because the kids were playing too loudly and he couldn’t hear the announcer. I know kids who have never spent a Saturday morning at home with Dad because he’s always out on the golf course. Those things make me sad, and if my love for Chicago baseball ever takes me to those places, I’ll drop it in a second.
Fortunately, I’m blessed with a wife who loves the Cubs as much as I do and who loves to go to Cubs games, so it works out pretty well for us both.
11. If you had to compete against other writers, in which of these 5 competitions would you have the best chance of winning? 5-mile run, 18 holes of golf, free throw shooting contest, arm wrestling match, or a game of bowling.
JB: A free-throw shooting contest. No doubt. I can’t dunk, run fast, jump high, box out, drain three-pointers or do much of anything else on the hardwood, but I’m a dead aim when it comes to free throws.
12. What is your favorite sports movie of all time?
JB: When it comes to revealing my favorite sports movie, I’m always tempted to say the volleyball scene in Top Gun, just to get rumors started. And you’d think, as a baseball guy, I’d say Field of Dreams or The Natural. But no. It’s Hoosiers. Always has been. Those pasty corn-fed boys in the huge intimidating coliseum? Gets me every time.
Unless you consider breakdancing a sport. If that qualifies — and it should — then it’s Breakin’ at the top of the list, followed (obviously) by Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo. Turbo. Ozone. Special K. Good times.
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You can click here for an exhaustive (but not exhausting) list of everyone who’s been featured as a PFB Sports Survey participant.
If you’d like to be considered for the PFB Sports Survey, or know someone who should be, send along a name and email address to prayersforblowouts(at)gmail(dot)com.
Posted in The PFB Sports Survey | 4 Comments »
Friday, February 22nd, 2008
On his blog All Growns Up, reader Aaron Lewis convened a few baseball experts (and by “experts”, I mean “not really experts”) to share some thoughts on the upcoming MLB Season. Here were my answers:
1) Who is your favorite team?
The Red Sox (i was born and raised in Massachusetts)
2) What is your prediction for your team’s record and how far will they advance in the playoffs (if they make it)?
I’ll say 93-69, and first place in the AL East. I think they can repeat as champs, so I’ll predict that they will. I’ll also say that if they fail to make the World Series it will be at the hands of the Indians.
3) Give me one player to watch from your team and one player to watch from the league at-large.
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Clay Buchholz - With Schilling on the shelf, Clay looks like the man for that 5th spot in the rotation. He is projected to be a #1 starter someday, and with a MLB no-hitter already under his belt, it will be interesting to see if he can live up to some of that hype at the age of 23.
Joba Chamberlain - Even if he is as dominant as a starter as he was as a reliever, will the Yankees blow enough late leads to consider this a mistake? The Joba/Rivera combo kept the Yankees from crumbling last year, and one has to wonder if it will be their demise in a loaded American League.
4) In any order, name three players you would consider for the number one overall fantasy draft pick.
Hanley Ramirez, A-Rod, Jose Reyes
5) Who are your three favorite baseball writers?
Peter Gammons - because he ALWAYS has the most information.
Buster Olney - because his blog on the four-letter is an amazing resource
Sean McAdam - Providence Journal writer who covers the Red Sox and contributes to ESPN.com
6) Would you like the leagues to establish the same rule with regard to the DH? Which way, pitcher batting or DH?
I’m biased because I follow an American League team, but I like the DH and think both leagues should adopt it. Would football be better or worse if the Kicker had to play QB every tenth drive? Sure, there might be more strategy involved if that was the case, but it would not make for a better product.
7) Describe Scott Boras, A-Rod, and Joe Morgan in one word or term.
Scott Boras - boring
A-Rod - too intense
Joe Morgan - Muteworthy
8] What non-favorite team do you like to watch play?
Yankees, because i enjoy their losses almost as much as Red Sox wins.
9) On-going PED investigations - important or ready to move forward?
PED investigations should only stop when the game is cleaned up…which it’s not. I just wish it would focus more on the present/future than on the past. Trying to pretend PEDs are a past problem will put us in the same position 15 years from now.
10) Who is best and worst GM in the game?
While I love Theo Epstein, he does have the 2nd highest payroll to work with. I think Billy Beane is among the best, for the way he keeps the A’s competitive every year. Mark Shapiro seems to know what he’s doing in Cleveland as well. As far as the worst, I’ll say Ed Wade of the Astros based on the things he did with the Phillies over the last decade and the questionable moves he’s already made in Houston.
You can read everyone’s responses here.
If you want to share your answers to some or all of these questions, fire away in the comments.
Posted in MLB, previews | 8 Comments »
Wednesday, February 20th, 2008
On Sunday night I was watching the 2007 World Series of Poker on ESPN when I came across this amazing exchange.
At the final table of the Main Event, chip leader Jerry Yang bets 1 million with unsuited A-9. Poker Pro Lee Watkinson then raises All In (9 million) with an unsuited A-7.
If Jerry calls Lee’s bet and wins, Lee is out of the tournament. The camera cuts to Lee’s fiancee among the spectators, and that’s when we pick up the action:
Lee’s fiancee: “If he calls, he will double Lee up. No weapon formed against him shall prosper.”
Jerry Yang: “I Call!”
*crowd stands to their feet in anticipation*
Lee’s fiancee: “C’mon Father! In Jesus’ Name, no weapon formed against you shall prosper!”
Jerry Yang: “C’mon Lord. You know Your purpose for me.
*the flop comes 2-6-4 and the turn is a King. Neither player’s hand improves and Yang is still ahead*
Jerry Yang: “C’mon Lord. Have a purpose for me today.”
Lee’s fiancee: “C’mon, make him a believer. Make Lee a believer, Father.”
Narrator Norman Chad: “I’m not sure who the Lord is listening to, but Watkinson needs a 7 or he’s done.”
Jerry Yang: “Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, c’mon, let me win this one.”
*River card is a jack, and Yang wins the hand. Lee Watkinson is eliminated*
(you can watch the clip here, between the 0:45 and 2:20 mark of the video)
It’s crazy enough to see one person praying for a poker hand, but two? That’s as rare as a royal flush.
Jerry Yang, father of five and former part-time missionary, went on to win the Main Event, and a $8.25 Million dollar purse. He said he would give 10% of his winnings to 3 charities (Ronald McDonald House, Make a Wish Foundation, and Feed the Children).
In his post-win interview he said “(The day i left the refugee camp in Thailand) was the happiest day of my life. But my win today also means a lot to me, because I know that i can use this money to do a lot of good for other people out there.”
No word yet as to whether Lee became a believer or not.
If you got a chance to watch that exchange, what did you think of it?
*by the way, a “suckout” is a poker term that means “a strong poker hand that is beat by another player’s hand because they hit their draw”
Posted in prayer, sports | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
The PFB Sports Survey is a new feature here at Prayers For Blowouts where we throw 12 sports related questions at some of the most notable voices among Christian authors, pastors, musicians, and carnival workers to see if they like sports as much as we do.
Today’s spotlight is on Michael Spencer, who just might take a vow of silence if the Reds’ bullpen blows too many big leads in 2008.
Michael is a communicator and writer living in Southeastern Kentucky. Though he does not live in a monastery, he is known far and wide as The Internet Monk. (He also helps out over at The Boar’s Head Tavern as well.) You can learn more about him here.
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1. What number best describes the role sports play in your life on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is “i have absolutely no interest at all” and 10 is “My friends refer to sports as ‘Baal’ because I have an unhealthy obsession bordering on idolatry”.
MS: 6 during baseball season. 3 otherwise.
2. Rank your 3 overall favorite sports.
MS: 1) Any level of Baseball, 2) High School football, and 3) College Basketball
3. What is the one team that you root for more passionately than any other, and is there a team that you hate, maybe a little too much?
MS: Love the Reds. Hate the Yankees. No love for the Cardinals either.
4. Do you play fantasy sports? If no, why not? If yes, what is the most # of teams you’ve ever had for one season and have you ever won a Championship?
MS: No. Don’t have time and I have no interest at all.
5. What is the most memorable sporting event you have ever attended in person?
MS: Red Sox Clinch the 1987 AL East title.
6. What is the best highlight and/or worst lowlight of your sports playing career as a child or as an adult?
MS: I didn’t make the freshman basketball team, despite hitting lots of shots from deep. Never tried again.
7. If you could change one thing about sports, what would it be?
MS: Gee. I’d rearrange the AL East and end the DH.
8. Do you have an opinion on Christian athletes who, without being prompted, talk about their faith in post-game interviews?
MS: I don’t have a problem with acknowledging God in a thankful way, but other than that I’d like them to shut up and just live the Christian life.
9. High school gym class…your favorite 45 minutes of the day or the source of countless nightmares and embarrassments?
MS: Hell. I’m still dealing with it.
10. Sports are often the whipping boy of pastors and clergy because so much passion, money, time, and energy is poured into them. Do you think this criticism is valid, or are sports okay as a diversion from the stresses of life.
MS: Excesses and cultural sins are fair game, especially as they effect the family and parenting, but singling out sports fans is a too easy target. When I hear pastors make sports fans their whipping boys for “lack of commitment” I lose much respect for them. It’s a cheap shot in almost every instance.
11. If you had to compete against other writers, in which of these 5 competitions would you have the best chance of winning? 5-mile run, 18 holes of golf, free throw shooting contest, arm wrestling match, or a game of bowling.
MS: Bowling
12. What is your favorite sports movie of all time?
MS: Field of Dreams or The Natural
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If you’d like to be considered for the PFB Sports Survey, or know someone who should be, send along a name and email address to prayersforblowouts(at)gmail(dot)com.
Posted in The PFB Sports Survey | 2 Comments »
Monday, February 18th, 2008
In case you missed it, and you probably did, Dwight Howard won the Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday night in New Orleans. If you haven’t seen the highlights yet, you should check them out. Howard had a few amazing dunks, and Gerald Green blew out a candle on a cupcake sitting on the back of the rim as he dunked.
Unlike last year, when he wrote “Phil 4:16″ on a sticker he slapped on the backboard, Howard’s props did not involve any Bible references. Considering his dunks this year, I think that’s probably a good thing. With all due respect to Willie Aames, I’m not sure that a BibleMan costume would have gone over as well as the Man of Steel’s cape did.
(Is there any doubt that Howard will be referred to as ‘Superman’ from now on? You gotta wonder how Shaquille O’ Neal feels about that.)
Congrats to Dwight Howard. Somewhere, A.C. Green is spooning with his wife and applauding you.
Posted in NBA | 3 Comments »
Friday, February 15th, 2008
a few quick hitters for you while those valentine’s day flowers began their slow death on your kitchen table…
+ If you were wondering what Mike Golic is fasting this year for lent (and you know you were), he’s giving up on making fun of Mike Greenberg, his partner in crime on the Mike & Mike Morning Show. This has led to the creation of a sound bite by their extremely talented producers Joaquin and Liam, that Greeny plays whenever he thinks Golic is breaking his fast with an insult or quip. The clip is of a jovial Satan saying “We’re making room for you down here, big guy! Muahahahahaha!” (Personally, I’ve never been a big fan of hell jokes, but that’s just me.) I will say though, I plan on tuning in on the Monday following Easter, because I expect Golic to unleash a few weeks worth of insults on his metrosexual cohort.
+ Wondering how that conversation went down between Clemens and Pettitte in which Pettitte misremembered what Roger said and attributed his HGH use to some old guys on TV? Joe Posnanski provides a transcript.
+ The NBA Slam Dunk Contest might, (and I emphasize “might”) actually be good this year. Last year Dwight Howard gave us the “All things through Christ” sticker near the top of the backboard. This year he wanted the NBA to raise the rim to 12 feet but they refused. He’ll be facing off against Gerald Green, Jamario Moon, and Rudy Gay in a contest that, for the first time ever, will feature fan voting to help determine a winner. The NBA All-Star Saturday night festivities will air on TNT from 8pm-11pm EST.
+ Thanks to Matt Doan over at Orange County Pastor for the gracious linkage he posted at his blog. That kind of love will earn you a spot on the “Friends of PFB” blogroll every time.
+ Any NASCAR fans in the house? The Daytona 500 is this Sunday, which is kinda like the PGA Tour opening up their season with The Masters. Always thought that was a cool twist; to open the season with your biggest event. My brother-in-law is the biggest NASCAR fan I know, and he’s barely a fan, so I’m admittedly a bit detached from the sport. But I do know that he hates Jimmie Johnson, so that’s the guy I root for every week. And by “root” I mean “I don’t watch any of the event, but I hope he wins”. Go 48!
+ Here at Prayers For Blowouts we will not endorse any one political candidate. (Probably because we have no idea who we are voting for at this point.) But if a story comes along that touches the intersection of sports and faith, we’re all over it like Dick Vitale on Duke. In that vein, we found this 2005 story on Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee very interesting. Most folks know that Huckabee is a Christian, but did you know that he used to have a size 50 waist before he started running?
+ If you’re still buzzing over the fact that Pitchers and Catchers reported to Spring Training this week, perhaps you’d be interested in joining our PFB Fantasy Baseball League? Since most of you diehards are already in your own Roto league, I was thinking of putting together a Head-to-Head league for us to compete in. If you’re interested, send an email to –>prayersforblowoutsATgmailDOTcom.
Posted in sports | 1 Comment »
Thursday, February 14th, 2008
I watched a bit of the drama online yesterday, but honestly, I could only take about 45 minutes of it.
I did follow along on a few of the blogs while it was happening, and I caught the highlights later in the day like many of you did.
Some random thoughts from it all…
+ The congressmen who were attacking McNamee seemed way out of line to me. Congressman Burton seemed intent on shaming McNamee, not at getting at the truth. The way he called Clemens a “baseball titan” almost made me gag. Same can be said for Congressman Shays, who was basically namecalling and browbeating McNamee. I have no interest in defending McNamee, but it seemed clear that those bozos had an agenda, and that it was all about making McNamee look bad. Apparently Henry Waxman agreed with me, going so far as to apologize to McNamee at the conclusion of the hearings for it.
+ For the most part, Clemens was stumbling over his answers like a blindfolded parent walking through a messy toy room. It was hard to watch. I felt that McNamee was much more believable than Clemens, and all of the media outlets I have listened to in the past 12 hours have confirmed that I’m not alone. This morning on Mike and Mike, Bob Costas said that he already believed McNamee more than Clemens, and that for him yesterday’s events “moved the needle” away from Clemens even more. (no pun intended on the use of the word ‘needle’.)
+ Pettitte’s testimony was the star yesterday, and as was reported earlier, it was not good for Roger. Pettitte will be taking some hits over the next few days and weeks as well, however, as he is now admitting that he lied to the Mitchell Report about the extent of his HGH use. He now says he took some again in 2004, HGH that was given to him by his dad. Media folk are already using this to play the “hypocrite card” because of his faith, and there’s really nothing he can do except take his lumps, ask for forgiveness, and try to learn from this.
+ Seems to me that a lot of people told half-truths to the Mitchell Report. Both Pettitte and McNamee have now admitted under oath that they did not tell all of the truth because they were trying to protect people. McNamee hid the physical evidence he had so as not to embarrass Clemens, and Pettitte protected his dad by not mentioning the 2004 incident. Both men, however, were not comfortable lying to Congress and risking perjury, so they told all. (or did they?)
+ I liked a quote I heard this morning that was attributed to McNamee’s lawyers. When he asked them how he had done, they told him he did good because “he gave answers, not speeches”.
+ I bet the nanny thing is going to hurt Clemens as more and more info comes out. McNamee remembered the color of her bathing suit at the party (creepy much?)…if he was so sure about that, could he really be mistaken about Clemens being there? He even recalled conversations they had about the party. Why would he lie about trivial details like that? I just don’t see it.
(last one, i promise)
+ Clemens has prided himself on his work ethic and discipline in maintaining his shape and fitness. Steroids or not, it is clear that he has put in a lot of work, and it is very commendable. But if I could say one thing to him right now, it would be this: “Keeping us with these lies for the rest of your life is going to be harder than any workout program you have ever done. The thing about the truth is, it does not require much effort to maintain. That’s actually the great thing about the truth; it does the work for you. But these lies, they will take work, and they will drain you emotionally, physically, and spiritually every day of your life. Always remember, it is never too late to let them go and embrace the truth.”
Oh one more thing, I’ve never been more ready for baseball to start.
Pitchers and catchers report today! Woot!
Posted in MLB, morality | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, February 13th, 2008
So there’s this thing going down today in Washington D.C., and if all you listen to is sports talk radio, you would think this is a huge deal…the story of the year, perhaps. Well, thankfully it’s not, despite how much the talking heads (cough*Mike & Mike*cough) have been talking about it.
You all know the story by now, so there’s no need to retell it. Bottom line is this: Despite some evidence that says otherwise, Roger Clemens is sticking with his story that he never used HGH or steroids.
The interesting angle here, in my opinion, is the position Andy Pettitte is in. One of his best friends has been accused of doing something unethical and illegal, and under oath he had a choice to make. Tell the truth and dime out his friend, or lie for the sake of his buddy. It was clear from the beginning what stance Pettitte was going to take, because similar claims were made against him in the Mitchell Report, and he admitted they were true days later. If he wasn’t going to lie to save his own skin, he wasn’t going to lie to save someone else’s.
It’s common knowledge that Pettitte is a Christian, and while that doesn’t carry a lot of weight with the media, it does make me wonder. What was Pettitte’s main motivation for telling the truth? Fear of God or fear of perjury? I’m guessing it was an equal mix of both that made the decision an easy one to make. (note that I said easy to make, not easy to follow through with). Pettitte knew he had to be truthful with Congress, even if one of his best friends asked him to lie.
I know there’s a chance that Roger is telling the truth, but personally, I don’t believe him (your mileage opinion may vary). Assuming that he is lying, and that Pettitte is sure of it, what a crappy position for Pettitte to be in. How do you think you’d handle being in Pettitte’s position? Would the threat or perjury make it an easy decision? Could you ever feel okay about lying to cover up a friend’s past transgressions if there was no real victim to the crime?
So let’s sit back and see how things play out. If the evidence shows that Clemens is telling the truth, he gets my sincere apology. If it shows Clemens is lying, well, no surprise there. And if, like I think is going to happen, there is no strong evidence either way, well then this really wasn’t such a big deal after all, was it?
Posted in Christianity, MLB, morality | 2 Comments »
