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If you’re seeing this note, the server move is complete. There will be some more wonkiness as I upgrade a few things for Bryan and restore some things, but it’s gettin’ there.
It was about 7 months ago that I launched Prayers For Blowouts, and thanks to those of you who are faithful readers (you know who you are), the site has gained steadily in popularity since its inception. My goal when I started the site was to be a trusted source of insightful sports commentary and a bulletin board for issues that lived at the intersection of Sports and Faith. I think I’ve been able to provide that to this point, and hopefully I’m getting better at it all the time.
I bring this up now for 2 reasons:
1 - There will be some changes coming to the site in the next month or so that should improve upon the foundation I’ve established here. I am very excited to announce them…but I won’t just yet. Stay Tuned.
2 - In anticipation of the changes that I’ll be making, I’ve decided to move the site to a different server. This new server will not only provide a more reliable home for us, it will also make your teeth whiter, your breath fresher, and your tee shots longer and straighter.
The server change will happen tomorrow morning (May 15th). There may or may not be a few hours in there where we go off the air. I wanted to give you a heads up in case you were freaked out by the thought that we were closing up shop here and bidding adieu to the internets. On the contrary, I think we’re just getting started.
-bryan
ps…while I’m here, I might as well ask. Is there anything you’d love to see more or less of on the site? your feedback is more important than you think it is…
We don’t condone gambling here at PFB, we encourage it. No, I kid. (Although, as I’ve said before, I have no problem with gambling in moderation.)
If you’re the gambling type, or the “I can’t get enough of the NFL” type, let me direct your attention to Vegas Watch, who just posted the NFL Over/Unders for 2008. Those are the win totals in the first column. (source of over/unders: Sportsbook.com)
Seeing these for the first time begs the question (actually two questions)
1. If forced to put $500 double-or-nothing on your favorite team (ignoring the money lines), would you take the over or under on wins for the season?
2. Do any of these stand out to you as a pretty good bet?
I’ll give you my answers in the comments…
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 farmers to see if they like sports as much as we do.
Today’s spotlight is on Jim Palmer. No, not that Jim Palmer, this is the Jim Palmer who quit playing baseball after a bad hop at the hot corner sent him to the emergency room.
Jim Palmer has been called an amalgamation of Don Miller, Anne Lamott, and Brian Mclaren (try to wrap your head around what that might look like). He is the author of “Divine Nobodies: Shedding Religion to Find God (and the unlikely people who help you)“, and “Wide Open Spaces: Beyond Paint-by-Number Christianity“. He blogs at divinenobodies.com, and can be reached at jim@divinenobodies.com
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1. What number best describes the role sports play in your life on a scale of 1 to 10?
JP: If you’re talking about doing sports, I’d have to say 8ish on the scale. My wife Pam might say 10 because I’m currently training for a Half Ironman in October. I also do various running and cycling events. My daughter Jessica is always active in one sport of another – soccer, basketball, tennis, etc. In terms of watching sports, these days I tune in at playoff time like NFL Playoffs, Bowl games, Final Four, Division Series, that sort of thing. The Tour de France has interested me more in recent years. I do have a few idols like MJ and the dynasty Bulls. Okay, and I’m also a clone who listens regularly to the Jim Rome show. I know what you’re thinking; this all seems to be adding up to a 10. Well, we don’t have cable and so ESPN isn’t an option. Otherwise, I’d probably be watching stuff like International Ping Pong, and the Pacific Islands Professional Bowling Tour.
2. Rank your 3 overall favorite sports, college or pro.
JP: 1. Major League Baseball, 2. NFL Football, 3. Professional Cycling, 4. Tiger Woods
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?
JP: There isn’t just one. For reasons to lengthy too explain here, I’m passionate about the Cleveland Indians, Va. Tech Hokies, and Tennessee Titans. There are also several individual athletes I pull for. I don’t think I can ever forgive the Yankees for burying the Braves in the 1996 World Series after the Braves were up 2-0 and headed to Atlanta for game 3. We won’t mention what happened in 1999.
4. Do you play fantasy sports?
JP: I don’t play fantasy sports. Seems like there are too many numbers involved; I was never real good with math.
5. What is the most memorable sporting event you have ever attended in person?
JP: The Music City Miracle comes to mind. Do you remember that Titans-Bills playoff game when the Titans did their magic on a kick-off return on the last play of the game? I was there! Close behind it was my daughter’s first soccer game that she scored a goal. She was very Mia-esque.
6. What is the best highlight and/or worst lowlight of your sports playing career as a child or as an adult?
JP: Thinking of my adulthood, a highlight would be running a half marathon in 1 hour, 26 minutes. A lowlight would be taking a bad hop in the face when a baseball was cracked down the line in my direction while I was playing Third Base. Just a friendly little pick-up baseball game. Blood, ambulance, hospital…it was really ugly! I’ve never played baseball since.
7. If you could change one thing about sports, what would it be?
JP: The $ cost of most sporting events doesn’t rules out a bunch of people, especially families. In a perfect world, the number of people attending sporting events increases, and the number of people watching them on TV decreases. Also, I feel there’s a lot of room for improvement in making the Olympic Games a higher priority and focus in terms of U.S. sports interest.
8. Do you have an opinion on Christian athletes who, without being prompted, talk about their faith in post-game interviews?
JP: I don’t judge Christian athletes for speaking publicly or not speaking publicly about their faith. It’s all good, either way. Just keep it real.
9. High school gym class…your favorite 45 minutes of the day or the source of countless nightmares and embarrassments?
JP: Next to study-hall and lunch, it was my favorite 45 minutes. Hard to believe I actually got an M. Div.! However, I hated climbing that damn rope in gym class. I couldn’t do it worth a flip, and I was afraid of heights.
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.
JP: I don’t compartmentalize God or life that way. Some of my most transformative God-experiences and many of my most significant relationships are linked in some way to sports. Whether it’s my friendships at the local YMCA, coaching my daughter’s sports team, or involvement in a local cycling club, I see all as sacred.
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.
JP: In this order: 5-mile run, free throws, arm wrestling, bowling, golf.
12. What is your favorite sports movie of all-time?
JP: Rocky or Hoosiers
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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.
a few items for you wait for Matt Walsh’s videos to show up on YouTube…
+ a short piece on a New York High School senior, Jerry Ntumba, whose faith in God has helped him return from a 2005 car accident to compete in the Pentathlon. (written by Alanna Stage for the Democrat & Chronicle)
+ The Memphis Tigers baseball team is teaming up with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes to put on a baseball camp for 8-12 year olds in June. Kids who attend “will receive proper physical baseball skill development that includes instruction in fielding positions, mental and emotional game training, relational and teammate tips and spiritual development.” (CBS College Sports)
+ Binghamton University freshman Cazal Arnett just broke the school’s record time in the 200 and 400 meter race. A member of BU’s InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Program, Cazal was first introduced to track in high school when the track coach happened to see him run a mandatory fitness test. (Michael Sharp, Press & Sun Bulletin)
+ I just found Jamie Whitmore’s blog today, and it makes for inspiring reading. Jamie is an extreme athlete with pretty impressive credentials. Six weeks ago she underwent surgery to remove a large, cancerous tumor from her hip. Today, she is overcoming the challenges associated with her rehab, and trusting in God to help her get through. She details much of it in this post from a few days ago. Good stuff.
As of today I have officially jumped on the twitter bandwagon. If you’re a member of the twitter mafia and would like to add me to the list of blokes you follow, proceed at your own risk.
I’ve got an article featured over at the Burnside Writers Collective this week. It’s called “The ABCs of Summer Sports”, and as you can probably guess, it’s a gimmicky attempt at covering everything that’s going on this summer in the world of sports. I only had a few days to write it, but it was fun to put together. Love to hear your thoughts on it, positive or negative…
(bonus points to anyone who can name the volleyball player in the picture…without cheating)
You might not think you’re newsworthy enough to land a spot on the roster of folks who have taken the PFB Sports Survey. To that I say, “Pshaw!”.
There’s a bunch of loyal readers out there that deserve a chance to answer the 12 questions, so I’ve concocted a brilliant scheme to give you the opportunity to do so.
Over on the right hand side of the blog, you’ll see a heading called “Top Commentators”. This lists out the most frequent commenters on the site, along with how many comments they’ve posted in the past year. Anyone who (legitimately) hits 50, will earn the right to take the survey and get their answers posted on the site. When I say “legitimately”, I don’t mean that you need to have something important to say. I just won’t accept jibberish comments to boost ones numbers or anything like that.
Closest to the mark right now is Buddy Watts, with danny and aaron not too far behind. These guys could be seeing their name in lights before the NBA Finals end sometime in September.
So there you have it. The next time you have the urge to post a comment, go for it. The more you share your opinion, the more we’ll get to know you. And the next thing you know, you’ll have something in your email inbox that will make your day.
It will be like finding Wonka’s golden ticket, only you won’t have to endure the disturbing site of 4 octogenarians sharing the same bed.
