Archive for April, 2008
Wednesday, April 30th, 2008
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Remember that shocking Appalachian State victory over Michigan last year that involved a blocked field goal at the end of the game to preserve the win? That FG was blocked by #47 Corey Lynch, who was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the NFL Draft on Sunday.
The interesting thing about the Bengals selecting Lynch is that not only is he a devout Christian, he also happens to be the grandson of Billy Graham. Lynch, who is married to Franklin Graham’s daughter Sissy, says that Billy Graham is a football fan who often asked him how the team was doing.
That the Bengals are a team of troublemakers and shady characters is no secret; their run-ins with the law were a punchline 6 arrests ago. Add to it this season’s off field drama with WR Chad Johnson begging out of town, and it becomes obvious that the Bengals still have a ways to go before their reputation as a good program is restored. (then again, was it ever “stored” in the first place?)
Some might see their selection of Lynch as a move in the right direction, a change in philosophy emphasizing character over talent. But with 24 career interceptions and some game-changing plays under his belt, chances are the Bengals were thinking about winning games, and not winning souls, when they handed in their card for the 177th pick. That Lynch is a good character guy is an added bonus.
I can see it printed in the team’s media guide already: Corey Lynch - Special Teams/Safety/Missionary
Posted in Christianity, NFL | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
The PFB Sports Survey is a weekly feature here at Prayers For Blowouts where we throw a few sports related questions at some of the most notable voices among Christian authors, pastors, musicians, and telemarketers to see if they like sports as much as we do.
Today’s spotlight is on Brian McLaren, who was responsible for every goal scored against his middle school soccer team one season.
Brian has written at least 8 books on his own, and has co-authored many more. In addition to being an author, he is also a speaker, pastor, musician, networker, and activist. He was once featured in TIME Magazine as being one of America’s 25 most influential evangelicals.
He has two new books out, “Everything Must Change” (which is currently out of stock at Amazon) and “Finding Our Way Again” (which releases one week from today). He also produced a CD of original music last year called Songs For a Revolution of Hope. For more information, and to check out his blog, visit BrianMclaren.net.
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1. What number best describes the role sports play in your life on a scale of 1 to 10?
BM: I’d say I’m around a 2 most of the time, and occasionally make a massive jump to a 4.
2. Rank your 3 overall favorite sports, college or pro.
BM: College football, college basketball, pro football. I also like to listen to baseball on the radio for some reason when I’m driving.
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?
BM: University of Maryland football and basketball, and the Redskins. I share most Washingtonians disdain for the Dallas Cowboys.
4. Do you play fantasy sports?
BM: No.
5. What is the most memorable sporting event you have ever attended in person?
BM: I was sick as a dog once in Johannesburg South Africa. In my fevered delirium, alone in my hotel room, I watched on TV a game of cricket. It turned out to be the greatest game of cricket ever played, breaking all kinds of records. It wasn’t exactly in person … but I was in the same city as the game, and it’s the only cricket match I’ve ever seen.
6. What is the best highlight and/or worst lowlight of your sports playing career as a child or as an adult?
BM: I played soccer in middle school. I believe our team was undefeated and unscored on - except for one goal that was scored while I was playing fullback. Embarrassing.
7. If you could change one thing about sports, what would it be?
BM: I wish we all played a lot more amateur sports instead of being spectators of the pros.
8. Do you have an opinion on Christian athletes who, without being prompted, talk about their faith in post-game interviews?
BM: I have mixed feelings. Sometimes it feels like a Disney World plug. Sometimes it feels sincere.
9. High school gym class…your favorite 45 minutes of the day or the source of countless nightmares and embarrassments?
BM: Somewhere in between. I enjoyed it - good camaraderie, good exercise, good skill development, maybe even some good character development. And lots of fun too.
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.
BM: I think that sports fill a lot of functions for us socially and psychologically. They in some ways tap into our desire to belong to tribes. They provide nonviolent outlets for emotion and maybe even aggression at times. They build a sense of togetherness and belonging in cities or universities. They provide us with lots of metaphors for life - and of course, they provide pastors with plenty of sermon illustrations too. I think everything can be abused - including church! - but the best antidote to misuse is not disuse, but proper use, as the old saying goes. So I’m all for sports being enjoyed in every good way.
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.
BM: The truth is, I’d be the best at bass fishing! I think I’d be a sure loser for all the ones you’ve listed. My golf game is pure comedy. I’m incredibly inconsistent in free throws. I bowl worse than Barack Obama. I might survive a 5-mile run, but wouldn’t win it.
12. What is your favorite sports movie of all-time?
BM: Remember the Titans was great.
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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 | 8 Comments »
Friday, April 25th, 2008
Over at my personal blog I shared some thoughts yesterday on a friend who passed away due to complications from cancer surgery. Dale was a manager in the softball league I am president of, and he will be sorely missed.
This one is a bit personal, but since it is absolutely sports/faith related, I thought I’d link to it.
If you have a moment, please say a quick prayer for Dale’s family as they lean on God and each other to deal with their loss.
Posted in sports | No Comments »
Thursday, April 24th, 2008
Giving away up to 33% of what he makes to his church and other causes.
Starting a Bible Study with inner-city kids in Philly.
Pulling up his socks to cover his calves (for modesty’s sake)…ok just kidding about that one.
Hard not to like Kyle Korver after reading this Ross Siler column about him in the Salt Lake Tribune.
and free of charge, here’s 5 things about Korver you didn’t know.
Posted in Christianity, NBA | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008
The flop has got to stop.
It just has to.
Flopping is an integral part of the game in soccer, and I’m ok with that. But basketball? No, It can’t be allowed.
In soccer, your average penalty has little effect on the game. Players do not get penalized when the whistle blows, unless it’s for something flagrant demanding a yellow or red card. The team who gets possession of the ball will rarely score on the kick that results from the penalty because, well, teams in soccer rarely score.
But in basketball, fouls are extremely important. Because you’re limited to 6 per game, a couple of cheap ones early can mean the difference between your star player being on the floor and riding the pine. Though hockey comes close with its penalty box, no other sport is like this. No other sport puts a limit on minor rule violations that results in taking minutes away from players. Whether or not that should be changed is a whole other discussion, but for now, let’s get back to flopping.
If you saw the end of last night’s Rockets-Jazz game, you know why I am bringing this up today. Houston’s Bobby Jackson hit a game-tying 3 pointer in the waning moments of the game, only to have the points taken off the board because Luis Scola was called for a foul on Andrei Kirilenko. At first glance, it looked like Scola did commit the foul (because you are watching Jackson shoot, you only see the play out of the corner of your eye). Upon another glance, however, it is clear that Scola barely touches Kirilenko…and then Andrei flails about as if he’s been punched in the chest by Ed Hochuli and the Incredible Hulk at the same time.
Is flopping just a part of the game that fans, refs, and players are going to have to adjust to? I don’t think so. The NBA needs to put a stop to it, and I think they can. I don’t have a problem with a guy exaggerating a bit when he is taking a charge. What I’m talking about is the away-from-the-ball antics that sneaky players employ. They know the refs have their focus elsewhere, so they put on a huge show to force the ref to blow the whistle. I don’t care how corny it sounds…it’s just not in the spirit of the game.
If I was David Stern, I would put something in place to allow the league to penalize players for flopping. Take a stand to keep it from becoming a permanent part of the game. Let them know that all games will be reviewed for “flagrant flopping” and that it will be up to the league’s discretion to penalize players for it. First offense will result in a warning, second offense will result in a 1-game suspension, and so on. Define Flagrant Flopping as “a deliberate attempt by a player to deceive the referee into thinking a foul was committed when overwhelming evidence exists little or no contact was made”.
The only other good suggestion I’ve heard of is to charge the flopping player with a foul. In theory I like this notion, but I don’t think it would work well at the speed of an NBA game. You’d be forcing referees to make split-second decisions on whether or not Manu Ginobili just took an elbow to the chin, or if it missed him by 3 inches and he pretended to get clocked. That would be a tough call for a ref to make.
There needs to be some penalty to discourage players from flopping or it is going to continue happening, and if I’m David Stern, I would be very concerned about it. For a sport like the NBA, which is a distant third in popularity in this country, the little things that can be done to improve the game SHOULD be done. Players should be winning games with their basketball talent, like Manu Ginobili did in Game 1 of their series on Saturday, not with their acting talent, like Andrei Kirilenko did last night against the Houston Rockets.
MEMO TO DAVID STERN: Fans don’t tune in to playoff basketball to see sneaky players affect the outcome of games by pretending to be fouled away from the ball. And if you’re not careful, they will tune out because of it.
Posted in NBA | 9 Comments »
Monday, April 21st, 2008
On my way in to work this morning I was listening to the First Team on FOX on XM and they had a 5-minute interview with Amy Grant. As you might have guessed, she was doing sports radio solely because she is promoting something. And as you also might have guessed, what she was promoting seems like a great cause.
(fyi - yourfamilytable.com - where you share a small change you are making in your diet, and they donate a meal to someone in need)
Here’s a few tidbits about Amy from the interview. Most of them are true…
+ Amy and Vince have season tickets to the Titans, but often can’t make it because of other commitments.
+ Amy was an avid golfer for about five years before becoming obsessed with something else (she mentioned camping and biking as more recent hobbies).
+ Amy once ran a marathon with a guitar strapped around her shoulder…dragging a fender amp behind her in a red wagon.
+ Amy’s husband, Vince Gill, is a darn good golfer.
+ Amy is a big Nashville Predators fan, and recently had Preds Right-Winger Jordin Tootoo over her house. Apparently her country friends had him square dancing (or was it line dancing) in the front hall.
+ Amy hates Christmas.
Posted in sports | 5 Comments »
Friday, April 18th, 2008
a few thoughts on golf on a gorgeous friday in the Northeastern part of the country…
+ Fred Funk spoke at a Christian Breakfast on Tuesday morning, covering topics from wearing a skirt during the skins game to how he avoided Sugar Ray Leonard in the boxing ring. He also spoke on his faith, saying that the time he spent with devout Christians as a young golf pro helped him stay committed to his faith. Jim Faber has a full write up at islandpacket.com.
+ My friend Chad Gibbs, who writes for Burnside, plays golf with a bunch of friends in an unofficial league they refer to as Two Majors. They’ve got a website set up for themselves and everything, it’s pretty amusing. Their first major is tomorrow at the Legislator Course in Prattville, AL. I think there’s a few tickets left if you want to head out to the course and heckle some amateur golfers.
+ last year i played about 6 rounds, an took 8-10 lessons. The pro we were learning from was great, and I learned some valuable things, but I don’t think I’m going to be taking any lessons this year. I just feel like Golf Teachers are trying to get you to have the perfect swing, which is nice I guess, but it doesn’t translate directly to lower scores. I’ve always had a decent swing, and yet I’ve never broken 90 (I’ve shot 90 twice). I’ve decided that what I want is a decent, repeatable swing. When I’m 155 yards from the green and I’m standing over the ball with my 7-iron, I don’t care if my swing is technically sound. I just want to get the ball on the green. So instead of putting in extra time honing the intricacies of my swing, I’m going to play more, and trust my swing a bit more. Will it work? Probably not. But if I break 90 this year, you can bet you’ll hear about it.
+ One last thought…I’ve noticed a bit of a generation gap when it comes to how golf fans feel about Tiger Woods. Seems that people my age (in their 20s and 30s) really like Tiger and root for him all the time. But the generation about 20 years older (folks in their late 40s and 50s) don’t like Tiger very much. They find him arrogant, cocky, and moody. It cracks me up though, because these people often act the same way that Tiger does on the golf course. For some reason, it’s okay for them to be disgusted with themselves for missing a put or hitting a bad shot, but when Tiger does it, he’s being a jerk. Has anyone else noticed this? How do you feel about Tiger and What age group are you in, I’m curious to know.
Posted in Golf | 5 Comments »
Wednesday, April 16th, 2008
As you probably don’t recall, before this NBA Season started we paid 4 experts an exorbitant amount of money to offer their predictions for the season. Those 4 experts were myself, the Burnside Writers Collective’s Jon Adams, Chad Gibbs (of Two Majors fame), and my then 4-year old son, Parker.
Now that the playoff teams have been set, I thought this would be a good time to look back at our predictions to see who’s in the best shape.
Here’s your Playoff Teams, followed by our predictions:
The East: BOS, DET, ORL, CLE, WAS, TOR, PHI, ATL
Bryan - [6 of 8] CHI, DET, BOS, WAS, ORL, CLE, NJ, TOR
Jon - [5 of 8] CHI, TOR, BOS, CLE, WAS, MIA, DET, NJ
Chad - [3 of 8] BOS, DET, MIA, CHI, NJ, IND, CHA, ATL
Parker - [2 of 8] NJ, NYK, MIL, MIA, IND, DET, CHI, BOS
The West: LAL, NO, SA, UTA, HOU, PHX, DAL, DEN
Bryan - [7 of 8] HOU, SA, DAL, DEN, UTA, PHX, POR, N.O.
Jon - [7 of 8] SA, DAL, PHX, HOU, DEN, UTA, GS, LAL
Chad - [7 of 8] PHX, UTA, NO, DAL, DEN, LAC, HOU, SA
Parker - [4 of 8] POR, HOU, PHX, DEN, MEM, MIN, SA, SAC
I’ve got the edge right now with 13 of 16 playoff teams chosen correctly. Jon had 12, Chad had 10, and Parker only 6 of 16 correctly. He will be grounded for a week.
By the way, these were our Finals picks:
Bryan - Phoenix over Boston
Jon - Boston over Dallas
Chad - Phoenix over Boston
Parker - Chicago over Phoenix
I’d say Jon is in the best shape right now. If I had a redo, I’d probably take Boston over San Antonio in the Finals (or maybe Detroit over the Lakers). I do think the East will win, unless LeBron somehow gets the Cavs back to the Finals. (FYI…Boston went 25-5 against the “mighty” West this year.)
We’ll revisit this again when the NBA Finals are over. So…see you again in a few months.
Posted in NBA, reviews | 4 Comments »
Monday, April 14th, 2008
Good morning everyone, hope your weekend was better than you expected.
Wanted to give you all a heads up that I have an article on the front page of the Burnside Writers Collective this week. It’s a piece that started off as a blog post and turned into a chapter of the book I’m writing. It’s called Kicking and Screaming.
Hope you like.
Posted in youth sports | 1 Comment »
Friday, April 11th, 2008
The following post was written for PFB by Jason Boyett, author of the Pocket Guides to the Bible, the Apocalypse, and Adulthood (among others). If you’re not subscribed to his blog, you better have a really good excuse.
Forgiveness is a powerful thing. Nothing better soothes the sharp edges of sin than the mercy and restoration that forgiveness provides, and sometimes it takes the sporting world to show us that.
Earlier this week, Bill Buckner threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Boston Red Sox home opener, and by all accounts, it was a profound moment for everyone involved. A few quotes from coverage of the event:
“I’ve probably never almost been in tears for somebody else on a baseball field. I think that was just the most unbelievable thing,” [Red Sox first baseman Kevin] Youkilis said. “I wanted to shake his hand, because that’s a true man in life.” (USAToday)
The experience, Buckner said, was “probably about as emotional as it could get.” (ESPN)
“It was kind of neat. I know he was emotional on the mound. You know, it was emotional for me, too.” (Dwight Evans in the Boston Globe)
Buckner was one of my favorite players as a kid. My brother and I were Cubs fans, and we loved the great mustachioed one. I was sad when he left the Cubs in 1984, but I was even sadder for him when he made the error that cost Boston the 1986 series. I wasn’t surprised, though. As the Cubbie faithful, we learn to expect that kind of thing. (It wasn’t even that surprising when it was revealed that, underneath that fateful first baseman’s glove when Mookie Wilson’s ball passed through his wickets on October 25, old Billy Buck was wearing a Cubs batting glove. Figures.)
So I was thrilled to read that the whole ugly episode might be put to rest at Tuesday’s home opener. And by all accounts, it was. Buckner almost didn’t come — he knew the questions about the play would come up, and after having had that scab ripped open time after time after time over the last 22 years, he wasn’t interested in doing it again. But finally he agreed to do it. And the crowd cheered for the goat. An entire ballpark got goosebumps. Eyes turned red. Grown men got a little weepy. At the press conference afterwards, it took Buckner several seconds to gather himself enough to speak.
He had been forgiven, but he had to forgive, too.
“I really had to forgive…not the fans of Boston per se, but I would have to say, in my heart, I had to forgive the media…” Buckner told reporters. He stopped again to collect himself. “… for what they put me and my family through. So I’ve done that. I’m over that. And I’m just happy that I just try to think of the positive. The happy things.”
The guy made one mistake, and it defined the last two decades of his life. That’s incredible. That’s horrible. Hopefully he can put it behind him. Hopefully Boston can let it go, too. Hopefully we can remember how good it is to forgive, and to be forgiven.
Next in line? Steve Bartman. Someday.
Posted in MLB, sports | 2 Comments »
