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No doubt that you’ve heard about Tim Donaghy’s recent revelations regarding misconduct by NBA referees in key playoff games. (If you haven’t, read here.) Though specific teams and referees are never mentioned, it’s clear from his statements that he is accusing the NBA of conspiring with other referees to fix the outcome of more than one playoff game.

The game drawing the most attention, and rightfully so, is Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals when the Lakers - on the brink of elimination - shot 27 free throws IN THE 4TH QUARTER to beat the Kings and force a Game 7. In fact, go back and read the AP recap of that game. Check out these quotes:

“I feel sorry for our team, because they did everything they could to win the game,” Sacramento coach Rick Adelman said. “It’s a shame, a real shame. … Our big guys get 20 fouls, and Shaq gets four. You tell me. Obviously, they got the game called the way they wanted to get it called.”

The officiating was so suspect, even Lakers’ coach Phil Jackson commented:

“There were some very interesting sequences in this game that were some eye-openers,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson admitted. “I’m sure we’ll want to take another look at them, both Rick and myself.”

ESPN’s Bill Simmons had this to say following that Lakers-Kings Series back in 2002:

What was the most disturbing subplot of the playoffs? Answer: The officiating, also the most disturbing subplot of the past four playoffs. If you examine the last four NBA playoff campaigns, during every situation where the league definitively “needed” one of the two teams involved to win — either to A) change the momentum of a series so it didn’t end prematurely, B) keep an attractive, big-market team alive in a series, or C) advance an attractive, big-market team to another round — the officiating appeared to be slanted towards the team that needed that game. I use the phrase “appeared to be,” because reviewing an official’s performance is purely subjective. Maybe I’m dead-wrong.

[regarding Game 6 between the Lakers and Kings] … LA needs a win to stay alive … from an officiating standpoint, the most one-sided game of the past decade … at least six dubious calls against the Kings in the fourth quarter alone … LA averaged 22 free throws a game during the first five games of the series, then attempted 27 freebies in the fourth quarter alone of Game 6 … rumors that David Stern wanted to pull a Vince McMahon and declare himself “The special guest referee” for this game prove unfounded.

The Lakers went on to win Game 7 against Sacramento (in OT) and beat the Nets for the NBA Championship that year.

If you’re wondering about the timing of Donaghy’s allegations, or the motives behind them, you’d do well to read Lester Munson’s analysis on ESPN.com. It should also be noted that David Stern has called the accusations “baseless”, and continues to refer to Donaghy as an “admitted felon” and a “convicted felon” - which he is.

My question is this: Do you think the NBA has conspired with referees in the past to affect the outcome of games? Yes or No.

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 taxidermists to see if they like sports as much as we do.

Today’s spotlight is on Sam Davidson, the only person I know who has actually played Fantasy Nascar.

Sam Davidson is a speaker, writer and dreamer who tells the stories that need telling in order to motivate others to change the things that need changing. He writes regularly on his personal blog and has been syndicated on EthicsDaily and YPCommons. His favorite topics include the potential of the next generation to change the world for the better. His first book, “New Day Revolution: How to Save the World in 24 Hours” was published on November 1 from Xyzzy Press. He writes most of the content for CoolPeopleCare, a website that exists to show you how to change the world in whatever time you have.

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1. What number best describes the role sports play in your life on a scale of 1 to 10?

SD: I’d say about a 6. I love to play and watch sports, but don’t have to be home for certain games…I grew up playing baseball, but now don’t even own a glove. I’ve given it up in exchange for running - I’ve completed 2 marathons and several half marathons.

2. Rank your 3 overall favorite sports, college or pro.

SD: I can watch any baseball game - college or pro. It’s a beautiful sport. I also love to watch Tennessee Titans football. And, I enjoy championships in any sport (World Cup, March Madness, etc). - Is ‘championships’ a sport?

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?

SD: I love all things Tennessee Titans and Mississippi State. Not really a hater of anyone, but I love to see the underdog come out on top.

4. Do you play fantasy sports?

SD: Believe it or not, I tried Fantasy Nascar once. Almost as boring as most Nascar events, it turned out. I also always fill out a March Madness bracket.

5. What is the most memorable sporting event you have ever attended in person?

SD: I attended a come-from-behind football win and got to witness Mississippi State beat Auburn when in college. But it was really memorable because I got to be there with my cousin.

6. What is the best highlight and/or worst lowlight of your sports playing career as a child or as an adult?

SD: My best highlight was making it to the Final 4 of my kickball (yes, kickball) league last year. My one lowlight was that I never could hit in baseball. I was good with a glove, but not so great with a bat.

7. If you could change one thing about sports, what would it be?

SD: I’d love to see fewer people (fans and players) take sports so seriously. C’mon - it’s a GAME. And, I’d love for ticket prices to be cheaper across the board.

8. Do you have an opinion on Christian athletes who, without being prompted, talk about their faith in post-game interviews?

SD: No opinion - most of the time, they don’t speak of their faith in a way that’s familiar to me, but to each his (or her) own.

9. High school gym class…your favorite 45 minutes of the day or the source of countless nightmares and embarrassments?

SD: ‘Twas always awesome, especially in grade school when we played less mainstream sports and instead became great at things like Jump the Creek, Dodgeball and Beanbag Toss.

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.

SD: Sports can be a great diversion, but yes, we need to remember there are more important things that deserve our time and attention. I wonder what problems could have been solved had we put the same amount of effort and money into say ending hunger. But, I don’t think about it for long, because it’s all about the choices we make as individuals. Sports often tell the greatest stories of our time as well.

11. If you had to compete against other media folk, 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.

SD: I could finish the run, but not fast…I’d have some okay holes out of 18, I haven’t shot a free throw in years, and I couldn’t arm wrestle my way out of a wet paper bag.

12. What is your favorite sports movie of all-time?

SD: I love The Natural, Field of Dreams and For Love of the Game. Hey - I’m a baseball guy.

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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.

This past weekend I did a Triathlon. I’m training to do a Half Ironman in September, and there are three triathlons I’m doing this summer as preparation. I’ve been having some shoulder issues from distance swimming but thankfully I had enough to get me through last Saturday. In general, open water swimming is the big challenge for me. I need to work on “sighting,” and a couple other strokes to adapt to rough waters. I joined a masters swim class at the nearby YMCA to help in my training.

Basically, if I can do a triathlon anyone can who really wants to. It is demanding, but do-able with proper training. I took up cycling and swimming just in the last year or so, and figured it out. There is a learning curve, but it’s not brain surgery either. The bike I used in Saturday’s triathlon is a used bike that was given to me.

That’s a pic of my bike in the “transition area.” Doing triathlons has had a significant impact on strengthening me physically, mentally, and spiritually. The challenge of competing and stretching yourself, the friends you make in the tri community, and the places and experiences you have a long the way are a few reasons why I’m glad I do them. There are different ways I relate the sport to my life as a whole and my spirituality. My wife and daughter are involved in most of the endurance events I do, which often involves visiting and exploring new places. A triathlon I’m doing in August is at one of our favorite state parks in Tennessee.

Many people in endurance sports compete with a purpose, like Team in Training or Lance Armstrong’s foundation. As added motivation, I do each event with someone particular in mind. For example, in May I did a Century (100-mile) bike ride event, and I rode in memory of Miles Levin, a teenage boy I got to know a few weeks before his death.

If you are interested in exploring triathlons, some helpful ideas would be:

go see a triathlon near you (check listings on active.com)

explore BeginningTriathlete.com

check out the Complete Idiots Guide

My shoulder is still a problem, and so I’m going to focus on biking and running, and hopefully give the other time to heal. Over-training can sometimes be a problem for me, and I conveniently blame it on being OC. Oh well. Okay, time to ice the shoulder and apply the IB-Relief and Arnica.

Happy swimming, biking,and running!

Sportsline columnist, Gregg Doyel, wrote a pointed commentary about athletes who point to God with their mouths while living apparently contradictory lives. Roy Williams, Cowboy’s safety, recently became a Christian and misguidedly (if Gregg is reading him correctly) attributed his problems on the field with Jesus’ persecution.

And that would be a stretch.

Gregg goes on to outline a brief history of “Christian Athletes” behaving badly. Gregg identifies himself as a former committed church goer. Now he apparently has no stomach for athletes who want to export the Gospel without first sampling the goods.

a few things to look into while you wait for the new iPhone to be announced this afternoon…

+ it looks like our very own Jim Palmer completed his triathlon this weekend and lived to tell about it. If we’re lucky, maybe he’ll expound a bit on his experience. (also, i think it’s safe to say that you will never see a PFB writer closer to naked than in this picture. at least, let’s hope not.)

+ a golf club you can pee in. (h/t: Deadspin)

+ Pastor CJ Mahaney unveils his list of 12 books for the beach. Among the list is 7 sports-related books.

+ George Halas was inducted into the Sports Faith Hall of Fame back in February. Who knew there even was a Sports Faith Hall of Fame? Not me. Apparently it is a Chicago-based Media Organization focusing on athletes living out their Catholic faith.

+ Blogger (and pastor) Geoff Henderson wonders if he would have an issue throwing a retaliation pitch if he were a major league pitcher. What do you think? Is retaliation in baseball a part of the game that falls outside the charge to “turn the other cheek”, or is it something a Christian should rise above, despite the unwritten rules that say you protect your teammates?

It’s kind of humbling to be starting at the bottom of a new belt system after achieving black belt in another. But that’s where I’m at. Bryan mentioned that I’m dabbling in MMA type training. I guess that’s a good description. My TKD background has me ready for all-things-kicking. I’ve had to beef up my boxing and striking. And I had to start from stratch with my ground game.
On Wednesday I need to do some endurance drills with the punching and kicking and then when I’m immediately need to execute two each of the following submissions within two minutes:

• arm bar from the mount
• American Lock
• Waist Clinch, Rear Sweep, Naked Choke from Behind
• Leg bar from the guard
• Triangle choke from the guard (Love the Triangle)
• Guilletene
• Snap down, Quarter Choke
• arm bar from the guard

So that’s about 12 seconds a submission at 2 minutes. My best time is 1′30″

What’s impressing me about martial arts is how deeply embedded mentoring is embedded into it. No matter how long you train, there is always someone ahead of you, farther down the journey. And there is always someone new coming up behind you that you need to bring along. I think this is something that we’ve lost along the way in our Western Christianity– the ethic that everyone is to be investing in somebody else’s life and showing them what it means to hear from God and to follow his lead in a practical way.

There’s a non-profit out of Portland, OR that I’m really impressed with, the Belmont Foundation. I highly encourage you to check it out. They are committed to find male mentors for the boys of single moms.

www.belmontfoundation.org

In honor of the upcoming only-time-any-of-us-even-thinks-about-horse-racing weekend, I’d like to perform a service for creativity-blocked breeders across the country: some help in naming your next winner. To help me help you, I’m turning to that noted inspirational tome, the 8th chapter of 2nd Chronicles in the Old Testament. King James Version, of course.

(Sorry…I can’t help myself.)

Seven Potential Thoroughbred Names Taken Word-for-Word from the 8th Chapter of 2nd Chronicles:

1. Bethhoron the Nether (verse 5)

2. Gates and Bars (verse 5)

3. That Bare Rule (verse 10)

4. Solemn Feasts Three (verse 13)

5. Charges to Praise (verse 14)

6. Eziongeber (verse 17)

7. Fifty Talents of Gold (verse 18)

Enjoy the delicious Belmont Stakes, kids. Go Big Brown.

Former Yankee great Dave Winfield arranged so part of the Major League Baseball amateur draft this weekend included old Negro League players who never made the majors — but should have — due to the color barrier. So guys like 103 year-old Millito Navarro (a Puerto Rican who played with Cool Papa Bell and Satchel Paige) got drafted by the Yankees. And 87 year-old Joe B. Scott got picked up by the Brewers.

Excellent idea, Dave.

“This is about letting them share,” Winfield said. “They’re on the fringes of the baseball family. Bring them in a little closer. Let them share in what the game has become. You have to build a platform and let people know that these guys are important. These guys were their heritage. Their connection to the sport is important. That’s what it’s about, why they’re still alive.

“The main thing is I’m happy that we’re doing something this year. You wait too long and there’d be nobody left. I think we have one chance to do something really good. It’ll be a great day.”

Winfield got the idea when Negro League player, coach, and statesman Buck O’Neill passed away, never having been honored by Cooperstown. “I kept thinking we should have done something for Buck,” Winfield said.

One of my big regrets in life was in 2006 when I was waiting for a Southwest Airlines flight in Kansas City, bound for Chicago. I saw an old black guy wearing a baseball cap and a Negro League Museum t-shirt sitting in one of the chairs in the waiting area. He was laughing and telling a story to the guy next to him. I heard his conversation partner say the name “Buck.” It was Buck O’Neill. I told my wife who he was. She told me I should find a way to sit next to him when we boarded. And when I walked onto the plane, the seat across the aisle from Buck was empty.

I smiled at him and kept walking. Stupid, stupid, stupid Jason. I’ve regretted it ever since.

Buck O’Neill died four months later, in October 2006.

Here’s a lesson, kids. Don’t pass those opportunities up. They won’t come again.

With the NBA finals starting this week, and everyone in the media (rightfully) talking about the importance of the LA / Boston match up, I decided to do something a little different (but equally important) for my first post here: A list of the top-5 NBA players who kind of look like their mascots. I’m sure that the sports media will agree that this story is of equal significance to professional sports as two of the greatest legacy teams ever facing off in the NBA Finals.

1. Chris Bosh :: The Toronto Raptors

This one is hard to do justice with just an image. To really appreciate Chris Bosh’s dinosaur-likeness, you have to watch him play. He’s got a fierce ability to slash to the basket and an overall bird-like demeanor (and anyone who’s seen Jurassic Park knows that automatically links him with the Velociraptor).

2. Adam Morrison :: The Charlotte Bobcats

I could talk about his aggressive jump shot, his ability to claw to the hoop or his wild ball-handling, but only one word really captures his bobcat-like appearance: whiskers.

3. Bryant Reeves :: The Vancouver Grizzlies

What NBA fan could forget Bryant “Big Country Reeves”? Not since Bill Wennington has professional basketball seen a real-life mountain-man take to the court. He was Paul Bunyan in basketball shoes. And though his size makes him a sure-fire contender for a bear look-alike contest (he’s 7-feet, 275-pounds), it’s his down home, back-country style that really captures the true spirit of the grizzly.

4. Baron Davis :: The Golden State Warriors

April, 2007: The 15 teams of the Western Conference descend upon you. The hard-nose, leave-it-all-on-the-court play of the Warriors point guard in the 2007 playoffs proved that like King Leonidas, Davis wasn’t afraid to stand against the mighty, top-rated Mavericks–the true embodiment of a warrior. The sweet beard helps too.

5. Mark Cuban :: The Dallas Mavericks

OK, I know this one is a little bit of a stretch considering Mark Cuban isn’t actually an NBA player. But, even though he doesn’t actually put on a uniform every night, Cuban’s animated sideline antics and his off-court dealings make him just as much of a player in the league as any athlete. He also bears an eerie resemble to a young Mel Gibson in the movie Maverick.

Just saw this headline on the front page of ESPN.com:

“McLaren unleashes after M’s loss to Angels”

Apparently Brian McLaren, the well-known Christian author who, according to his blog just returned from a trip to Africa, lost his cool with the media following the Mariners latest loss to the Angels.

While no audio of the tirade is available at the moment, Prayers For Blowouts did obtain a transcript of the anger-laden rant, which we are happy to share with you:

McLaren: “This is ridiculous! I am over in Rwanda, working with the fine people of Amaroho-Africa, and these Mariners get swept at home by the stinking Angels! They are 18 games under .500! 18 GAMES! Something has got to be done here. You want to know what’s got to change? EVERYTHING MUST CHANGE, THAT’S WHAT!

The Mariners have got to find their way again. I mean, this team’s payroll is $117 Million dollars. We can’t change that. It’s the story we find ourselves in. The problem is, we have the worst flippin’ record in the league. The WORST!

There’s no secret message here kids. It’s plain and simple. Win. We’ve got to win. These players might be more ready than they realize, I don’t know. But we’ve got to start winning now. We’re giving too many freaking games making the same stupid mistakes over and over again. It’s a generous orthodoxy, and there’s no place for it on the baseball diamond. NONE!

Don’t get what I’m not saying here, I don’t want any adventures in missing the point. Every player and coach is responsible for this, and we are all responsible for turning this around. And that’s the last word (and the word after that).

You can support Brian, and maybe help him calm down a bit, buy buying one of his books or donating to Amaroho-Africa.

You might also want to pray for Richie Sexson. If McLaren gets a hold of him, it might get ugly.