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Perhaps you remember a couple of months ago when we mentioned Alex Legion’s mom, the woman who prophesied that her son’s Kentucky Wildcat basketball team would make the final four “providing they play together”?

Well, if you missed it last month, Alex announced he was leaving Kentucky, possibly for Michigan. Then he wasn’t so sure and considered going back to Kentucky. Then his mom wanted him to go to Notre Dame. Then Alex announced he was transferring to Illinois, probably so he could spend hours at a time staring at Bruce Weber’s orange sportcoat.

It’s easy to gloss over the details of this story and assume that Annette Legion is no prophet at all, but if you think about it, The Prophet Legion was actually right all along.

Originally we thought her “providing they play together” comment was a qualifier meant to hedge the bet of her prophecy. But now we see it for what it really was: her subtle way of telling us that Alex wouldn’t be playing with these guys all year, and that as a result, they would not make the Final Four. Of course, if Kentucky does make the Final Four without Alex, well, then we know she’s a fraud.

But at this point, I think she’s pretty safe on that one.

(h/t: Deadspin.com)

Though I know none of you were out there with baited breath waiting for my 2 cents on the Mitchell Report, I still feel like I should offer something up. The problem is, I don’t have much of an opinion on it. 86 players cheated in different ways and for different reasons. A few of them were outspoken Christians; namely Andy Pettite, Paul Byrd, and Brian Roberts.

Am i surprised that these Christian men were on the report? Not at all. Most Christians I know have cheated at something before. Maybe it was the foot wedge they used on the golf course, a shortcut they took at work to avoid tedious paperwork, going over the speed limit for a good (or bad) reason, or peering over at somebody else’s cards while playing poker.

Am i saying that cheating is okay because we’ve all done it? Of course not. I’m just saying that I wasn’t surprised. I’m guessing you weren’t either.

Kudos to Byrd, Pettitte, and Roberts for addressing the issue right away instead of waiting. Whatever their reasons for using the stuff they used, whether they were legitimate, illegal, or otherwise, I hope they learned something from it all. I guess I can say that about the whole league, not just about these guys. Sadly, I think the only thing that most players learned was that if you are going to do this stuff, don’t pay with a personal check and leave the clubhouse attendant out of the transaction.
Here’s 3 other things I thought about the Mitchell Report and its subsequent fallout:

1. Personally, I don’t believe Clemens for a second now that he is denying the claims. I just don’t. Does anyone? Why would McNamee lie about injecting Clemens over the course of many years? And now that Pettite has admitted that what McNamee said was true, we can take this question further: Wy would McNamee tell the truth about Pettitte, but lie about Clemens? Makes no sense.

2. I liked Bill Simmons’ point about the Clemens-Piazza bat throwing incident from the 2000 World Series. We never understood why he did that until now: Roid Rage.

3. Considering this document was constructed with only a handful of sources, I gotta believe that there were hundreds more players who tried this stuff at one time or another. Not only that, but it was both pitchers and hitters, stars and scrubs, young and old who were using it. When you think about it in those terms, maybe the steroid numbers (aside from HRs) aren’t nearly as inflated as we thought.

I won’t bore you any more with thoughts on this 409-page borefest (yes, i did skim through most of it). If you want to read some other interesting takes on it, try Tim Ellsworth’s take on things at the BP Press, Jordan Green’s humorous angle over at Burnside, or Bill Simmons’ thoughts in the first few paragraphs of this mailbag piece on ESPN.com.

Hope your holidays were, and continue to be, a smashing success.

reader Aaron Lewis sent us this article in the Detroit News on prayer in Detroit sports. Thought it was a good read, so I’ll pass it along to you.

Prayer is a key Player

Merry Christmas everyone! Enjoy the great sports on TV, but enjoy the time spent with family and friends even more!

Bryan

ESPN.com senior writer Bill Simmons posted his annual NBA Trade Value Column today, and in the section on Dwight Howard (who he posits is the second-most untradeable player in the league to LeBron) he writes:

One other bonus with Howard that nobody mentions: Because he’s a devout Christian, even when he turns 35 in 2020, those will be Christian years — he won’t have any of that smoking-drinking-partying mileage on him, which means he could play at a high level until his early-40s (much like how Kurt Warner keeps chugging along at age 36). In other words, Howard could and should shatter nearly every rebounding record if he stays healthy, and even if he averages a 23-13 for the next 12 years (a conservative guess), when you throw in his previous three seasons, Howard would suddenly be in striking distance of two-thirds of the conceivable NBA records that ever meant anything. And to think, just seven months ago, I wasn’t sure if he was better than Al Jefferson.

It’s funny, and I think there might be some validity to it as well. Someone needs to do a study on athletes who didn’t drink, smoke, or party like rock stars during their playing years to see if they lasted longer than those who liked to imbibe in multiple vices. I mean, A.C. Green played forever, didn’t he?

I found this interview with Kurt and Brenda Warner on the CBN website.

It’s about 5 years old, but I thought his comments on post-game Jesus talk were very interesting:

When you stand up and say, ‘Thank You, Jesus,’ they think you are saying, ‘Thank You for being here. Thank You for moving my arm forward and making the ball go into that guy’s hands so that we could score a touchdown and win the game.’ But, in essence, it is a matter of thanking Him for the opportunity, thanking Him for being there in my life, for being the stronghold, for being the focus and the strength to accomplish all things, to accomplish anything, and to be where I am at, to have gone through everything I have gone through. It is a constant thing in my life. It is not just for something specific He did on the football field to help us win; it is for everything that He has done in my life up to that point and for everything He will continue to do in my life from here until eternity.

I like what Kurt is saying here, I like it a lot. I’m glad that when he thanks Jesus after a game, it’s not because he feels like Jesus helped him win. I like that there’s more to it than that. The problem is, since his lengthy explanation doesn’t accompany his comments in the post-game interview, in most cases people don’t realize what is behind his gratitude. Like he says himself, they think he is thanking God for helping him win the game.

I guess that’s the problem that i usually have with athletes thanking their creator after games. The sound bites about God that athletes stick into these interviews almost always feel forced and a little bit contrived. Not contrived in that they are being insincere, but contrived in that it seems like they were going to get in their sound bite regardless of what the question posed to them was.

Again, I’m not questioning the sincerity of the athlete’s spirituality at all, just the motive behind their unprompted confessions of faith. It’s as if they are doing it out of a sense of duty more than anything else. If the only reason you’re namedropping Jesus is because you’re on national television and you feel like you’re supposed to, then maybe you shouldn’t.

These spiritual sound bites leave a bad taste in so many people’s mouths because there’s usually no context for them when they are spoken. If the reporter specifically asks the athlete what role his or her faith played in the game, then I can understand a response about God. But in most cases the athletes will ignore the question that was asked of them so that they can get in their statement of faith while the cameras are still rolling. At best, it comes across as unrelated and unnecessary. At worse, it feels sneaky and deceptive.

Imagine doing this in other areas of your life? Your boss calls you in to her office to ask how you managed to save the firm’s biggest account and you respond, “First of all, I just want to give all the glory to God and my savior Jesus Christ,” before eventually answering her question. Or what if you responded to a neighbor looking for lawn care tips with, “I’d just like to thank my personal savior Jesus for being there with me as I applied that weed and feed.” If you spent a month doing this I can guarantee you that thirty days later you’d find yourself living like Jose Canseco: lonely and unemployed.

Most of us are careful to only introduce our faith into situations where our beliefs are being solicited or where there is proper context for the discussion to take place. I personally never look to throw random spiritual truths into conversations just because I can. Ambushing people with statements about my faith when they’re not expecting it has never really worked out well for me. If it has for you, then may I suggest you look into missions work? (No seriously, you should.) I’m not saying that God can’t use anything we say to change someone’s life, but I just don’t see a lot of fruit coming from this particular form of evangelizing. Other than the handful of Christians who get excited because someone famous just made a positive comment about God on national television, the post-game interview “Jesus Namedropping” usually does nothing more than aggravate those who are watching.

Like i said earlier, I appreciated hearing what is behind Kurt Warner’s post game spiritual thank you’s, but in my opinion they don’t come across that well on TV.

What do you all think? Should we encourage others to give Jesus praise as much as possible, no matter the context? Should athletes only mention their faith when asked about it? Would you like to see more or less positive mentions of Jesus’ name coming from athletes and celebrities? I would love to get a little discussion going on this.

One other thing…I thought it was interesting that Brenda Warner doesn’t just look like a marine with her short haircut, she actually was a marine corporal. Am i the only one who didn’t know that?

In an article published in the December 3rd edition of ESPN the Magazine, Chris Broussard writes of the physical transformation that Michael Redd underwent this summer after spending time with the Olympic qualifying team.

The piece, which begins with Redd making fun of himself for the “flabby arms” and “neck rolls” that he was sporting before getting serious about his physical conditioning this past year, includes this amusing anecdote:

Who is going to question an NBA star who, because of his religious beliefs, was celibate for three-and-a-half years before he tied the knot in August 2006?

Honeys knocked on his door at 2 a.m., followed him to his car after games and left seductive messages on his phone, but through it all he was faithful, to his Lord and to his future wife, Achea. His teammates thought he was crazy.

“You gay, man?” they asked. “Scared?”

Once they realized he was neither, they got behind his decision.

Redd, who scored a season-high 41 points last night in a Bucks loss to the Sonics, is the son of a Columbus, Ohio preacher. As is noted in Sports Spectrum this month, Redd viewed his opportunity to play with Team USA this past summer as more than just an opportunity to show off his game.

“I think that [was] my purpose, other than just to shoot the basketball,” Redd says. “It gives me the chance to let others know about Christ and help them through situations they may be going through. I thank God for the opportunity and the privilege to share the gospel in no matter what setting–whether it be in Vegas, in a casino, in a hotel–just somewhere I can let these brothers know that they need Christ. It’s a privilege, man. It really [was] an honor to come out here and do that.”

I’m not sure how much impact Redd’s faith had on his teammates, but his skills certainly left an impression. Redd finished the tournament as the fourth leading scorer on the gold medal winning Team USA, including a team best 29 3-pointers.

Now teamed up with rookie Yi Jianlian, Redd hopes his new lean body and improved focus can help propel the Bucks into the playoffs, “I got spoiled this summer…I got used to winning, so now I have a low tolerance for losing. I’m tired of settling for mediocrity — in the playoffs one year, out the next. I’m ready to win, and it starts with me.”

According to the Detroit Free Press, Jon Kitna was overheard after Thursday’s game saying that the thing he is most thankful for is that “He doesn’t have to go to hell.”

Will Leitch at Deadspin.com picked up on the story on Friday and had this to say:

We don’t know if Kitna’s next comment was, “Unlike SOME people” while eyeing the reporter warily … but man, we hope so. Because nothing says love and devotion than doing something because you’re afraid you’ll be tortured for eternity if you don’t.

I’m not gonna flame Kitna for saying he’s thankful he’s not going to hell. I’m thankful for that too. I guess it’s not something that I go around saying all the time, because I realize that the comment alone, without proper context, can easily come across as condescending or arrogant. (see above Leitch quote).

What is the proper context? Well, I guess if you’re going to say that you’re thankful you’re not going to hell you should say why you believe you’re not going. Is it because you’ve led numerous teammates to Christ and you avoid nudy bars? Or is it because you believe that faith in Jesus’ life and death covers the sins that would otherwise separate you from God? I’m quite sure for Kitna it’s the latter, but without saying that he left himself open to the criticism.

Again, I’m not gonna jump on Kitna for the comment. Who knows, he might have even provided context for it that never got reported. As a Deadspin reader I was honestly more interested in Leitch’s commentary on the comment than I was in the comment itself.

In other Jon Kitna news, his Lions are 6-5 after losing 3 in a row and seem to be headed for another below .500 record with games against the Vikings, Cowboys, Chargers, Chiefs, and Packers left on their schedule.

While things might be falling apart for the team, things might be coming together for Wide Receiver Roy Williams, who, after a talk with Kitna a few weeks ago decided to examine his life to see what was holding him back from walking with God.

Here’s to hoping that Roy Williams, and all professional athletes living the “dream life”, do some examining in the wake of the tragic Sean Taylor passing this morning. Life is short and very fragile. If you get a chance today, say a prayer for them, and for Sean’s family and friends as well. They have some tough days and months ahead.

(h/t: Deadspin.com)

Other than the undefeated run that the Celtics have been on to start the season, one could argue that the most impressive team out of the gate this year has been the Orlando Magic. Ranked #6 at the moment in John Hollinger’s Daily Power Rankings, the Magic won on Friday night to improve their record to 8-2. Only the Celtics at 9-0 have a better record.

The biggest reason for their early season success is the play of Dwight Howard, who in his fourth year in the league has been tearing up Magic opponents to the tune of 21.8 points, 15.0 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game.

On Friday Howard scored 21 points and grabbed 19 rebounds to become the fastest ever player to grab 3000 rebounds in his career, at the age of 21 years and 343 days.

He destroyed the previous mark set by Shaquille O’Neal, who reached the milestone while he was a miserly 23 years old.

Howard, who is an outspoken Christian, is probably most famous for his dunk in the 2007 Slam Dunk contest when he placed a sticker at the top of the backboard with his left hand while dunking with his right. The sticker was a picture of his face with the words “All things through Christ - Phil 4:13″ on it. The dunk was amazing.

Ever since he was in high school, Howard has been focused on being a force in the NBA, both as a dominant big man and as an ambassador for Christ. As this Darren Rovell article from 3.5 years ago states, Howard’s goals going into the NBA were just as much spiritual as they were to become a superstar:

“I want to be able to speak to non-Christians so that I can get them saved or change their lives around,” [Howard said back in early 2004]…”I think I can make as much money or even more than LeBron. But it will be up to God for that to happen. If he wants me to market myself, then I’ll do it. I’m not trying to give glory for myself. I’m trying to give glory for Him.”

Just how much impact his life will have off the court remains to be seen, though he has already set up a foundation and helped out on ABC’s Extreme Makeover in his first few years as a pro. On the court, he’s already off to a great start.

A record-breaking start, actually.

As Joe Posnanski pointed out in his blog on Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays have officially changed their name to the Tampa Rays. Joe wonders if the people responsible for this were fans of the Devil, picketing outside Tampa Bay’s offices because the ball club was giving Satan a bad name.

Along with the new moniker comes some new duds too. (pictured below). The interwebs finest uniform critic, Paul Lukas, rendered his verdict on the new uniforms on his blog (Uni Watch), saying only this: zzzzzzzzzzz. I guess he’s not a fan.

I think the uniforms are an upgrade from those detestable forest green nightmares the Devil Rays have been wearing for the past few years. Then again, you could dress these guys up in bright red devil outfits, complete with horns, pitchfork, and cloven hooves, and it would still be an upgrade from last year.

As far as the name change goes, I’ve heard message board chatter claiming this change was pushed through in response to Christians who were opposed to the word “Devil” in the name. Seriously, I doubt that had anything to do with it. Clearly the team is desperate for a new identity, but the sad thing for them is, it’s going to take a lot more than a new name to make that happen. They’re still going to be finish a million games behind the yankees and/or red sox if they don’t spend more money on players.

This whole name change thing reminds me of when my younger brother Josh played youth soccer for a team that had black jerseys. They were called the Black Knights until a few of the soccer moms decided they didn’t particularly like that name. Under intense pressure (no more orange slices at halftime), they changed the name of the team to the Black Attackers. True story.

And for the record, if there are any Christians out there who spent more than 2 seconds caring about the word “devil” in the name of Tampa Bay’s baseball team, please shoot me an email so i can respond to you with a list of five hundred thousand more important things to care about.

This past Sunday two of your favorite Christian quarterbacks, Kurt Warner and Jon Kitna,  faced off in the middle of the desert to determine once and for all whose side God was on.

Let’s review what went down:

Touchdowns: Kitna threw for 2 touchdowns, but Warner threw for 3. Advantage: Warner.

Interceptions: Kitna threw 2 picks, Warner threw only 1. Advantage: Warner.

Fumbles: Kurt Warner fumbled the ball once (it was the 22nd time in his career). Kitna fumbed 3 times in the game, losing 2 of them. Advantage: Warner.

Halloween Costumes: Jon Kitna dressed up as a naked assistant coach to poke fun at the Joe Cullen, the Lions coach who was arrested for driving naked through a Wendy’s Drive-Thru last year. Though he later apologized for it, we here at Prayers for Blowouts thought it was pretty funny. Coach Cullen thought so as well. (and incidentally, one of Kitna’s teammates dressed up as a Bible-thumping John Kitna.) Kurt Warner dressed up like Kurt Warner, which was also pretty funny. Advantage: Kitna.

Body Armor: Kurt Warner wore a heavy arm brace to protect a torn ligament in his left shoulder. The injury kept him off the field in goal-line situations, where Tim Rattay was called upon because Warner’s brace made it hard to hand the ball off. John Kitna wasn’t wearing any armor, but he does have a shaved head, which counts for something. Advantage: Warner.

Final Score: The Cardinals won the game, 31-21. Advantage: Warner.

Concussions: Kitna miraculously came back from his third career concussion to rally the Lions over the Vikings in overtime earlier this year. Warner owes most of his success to concussion-prone Trent Green’s knee injury for the Rams back in 1999 that allowed Warner to lead St. Louis to a Super Bowl. Advantage: Kitna.

Pre-Game Prayers: We tried to hire some spies to go inside the teams’ locker rooms, but apparently they are all on staff with the New England Patriots at this time. We’ll call this one a push.

Conclusion: Warner had the better game, but Kitna and the Lions are having the better season. So, who’s side was God on this past Sunday?

The answer is clearly Carson Palmer, who led his team to a big division win over prayin’ Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens, with the achilles tendon of a 44-yr old mother who was killed by a drunk driver. (Hooray for organ donors.)