Archive for the ‘The PFB Sports Survey’ Category
Thursday, May 1st, 2008
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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.
Tags: Sports Survey
Posted in The PFB Sports Survey, site news | 10 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.
Tags: Brian McLaren, PFB Sports Survey
Posted in The PFB Sports Survey | 8 Comments »
Tuesday, April 8th, 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 security guards to see if they like sports as much as we do.
Today’s spotlight is on Tony Jones, who just might have played for the worst football team ever.
Tony is the author of a whole bunch of books (after you hit 10 they stop counting) and a leading voice for folks who identify with the Emergent Church movement. His most recent release, “The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier” was released by Jossey-Bass last month.
He blogs regularly at his website, TonyJ.net. (and yes, blog is a verb)
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1. What number best describes the role sports play in your life on a scale of 1 to 10?
TJ: I fluctuate between an 8 and a 5. As you’ll see in my answers below, I have a deep ambivalence about sports.
2. Rank your 3 overall favorite sports, college or pro.
TJ: Major League Baseball, College hockey, high school hockey (sorry to break the rules, but nothing is so sweet as Minnesota high school hockey)
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?
TJ: I root for the Minnesota Twins (though I hold out little hope for this year) I don’t hate any teams, but I probably dislike the Yankees the most.
4. Do you play fantasy sports?
TJ: No, I don’t. It seems like you’d have to know so much and follow the sport so closely that it’d take time away from other, more important things.
5. What is the most memorable sporting event you have ever attended in person?
TJ: I umpired for about 20 years, starting with softball when I was 14. I worked my way up to college baseball, and in my final season I umped an NCAA Division I game. That was the most memorable.
6. What is the best highlight and/or worst lowlight of your sports playing career as a child or as an adult?
TJ: That DI baseball game I just told you about was the best (not playing, exactly, but I was never much of a player)
Worst: My 6th grade football team never scored a point all season. Not a single point. Or the time I was hit by a ball and knocked unconscious while umping a Little League game.
7. If you could change one thing about sports, what would it be?
TJ: Free agency. It has almost completely ruined pro sports because it has erased any loyalty that players had to teams and towns.
8. Do you have an opinion on Christian athletes who, without being prompted, talk about their faith in post-game interviews?
TJ: I usually find it very forced, cheesy, and embarrassing. I occasionally find it poignant.
9. High school gym class…your favorite 45 minutes of the day or the source of countless nightmares and embarrassments?
TJ: Somewhere in between, but leaning toward the nightmarish.
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.
TJ: I think we’ve grown numb. When we hear about a 10-year, $150 million contract for an athlete, we don’t bat an eye. Last year, I sat on a plane next to one of Michael Vick’s attorneys, and he said that a guy who comes from a background like Vick’s just has very little idea about what to do with that much money. The amount of money in pro sports is crazy.
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.
TJ: Arm wrestling, for sure.
12. What is your favorite sports movie of all-time?
TJ: Slap Shot.
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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.
Tags: PFB Sports Survey, Tony Jones
Posted in The PFB Sports Survey | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, April 1st, 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 hot dog vendors to see if they like sports as much as we do.
Today’s spotlight is on Stephen Brewster, who once spent 4 quarters chatting up Justin Timberlake.
Stephen is a Senior Director of Marketing at Integrity Music. If you’re in to music, Christianity, and/or people who aren’t afraid to think way outside the box, you need to be subscribed to Stephen’s blog. I mean, how many people do you know who have rubbed shoulders with Bono, Beyoncee, and Josh Groban at a post-Grammys party?
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1. What number best describes the role sports play in your life on a scale of 1 to 10?
SB: I am a 9+. Kids make you unable to be as loyal to your idol worship as you would enjoy, but if my wife and kids are 10, sports is a solid 9.98352
2. Rank your 3 overall favorite sports.
SB: 1. College Basketball, 2. Pro Basketball, 3. W College Basketball, 4. WNBA, 5. Wheelchair basketball, 6. College Football (The Canes are rising), 7. Pro Football, 8. Tennis, 9. Golf, 10. Baseball
Okay, so I have 10 but 1-5 kinda all count as 1, right?
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?
SB: I root for the Orlando Magic even though they break my heart on a yearly schedule. I have been a Magic fan since Terry Catlidge, Otis Smith, and Reggie “Curls”. At the same time, I HATE the yankees. HATE THEM!
4. Do you play fantasy sports?
SB: I love fantasy sports. I have won the NBA championship 3 years running and look to be in the 3rd or 4th seed going into this year. I am pretty much a dynasty. 
I have toyed with College Pick’em (I forgot way way way to many times). I like Pro Football but the league I was in was to much drama. Maybe I will join a new league next year. I am open to a league if you want to invite me. I have had 2 teams in the same sport running at the same time…thats all I could manage. I have major ADD issues.
5. What is the most memorable sporting event you have ever attended in person?
SB: Baseline at a Grizzlies vs Magic game in Memphis. Justin Timberlake was sitting right behind our group and talked to us the entire game. Not only was the game a great experience, but it was just a dope night in general.
6. What is the best highlight and/or worst lowlight of your sports playing career as a child or as an adult?
SB: Highlight…well as you know your high school career gets better every second you get older. I had some moderate success in sports as a youth. I hit a kid in the head with a bat in 1st grade. I got a chance to play in the District Finals in tennis. I loved basketball…Wow, I am just not sure. I guess my lowlight would be going “0fer” my senior season of varsity basketball. That SUCKED!
7. If you could change one thing about sports, what would it be?
SB: I would do a couple of things:
1. Make baseball season shorter
2. Shorten pre-season football
3. Make a 4 team playoff of College Football
4. Add an extra day to the NCAA tournament
8. Do you have an opinion on Christian athletes who, without being prompted, talk about their faith in post-game interviews?
SB: It is cool if they want to talk about their faith. The key is to then live up to their faith. Nothing is worse than a guy who is thanking Jesus then getting a DUI like 2 nights later. Classy. I think that in life it is better to just live your faith, let your faith speak through your life. If I live it, I do not have to scream about it all the time. And understand, I am the chief of sinners so in this is ZERO condemnation or judgment. We are all just trying our best to live up to His code.
9. High school gym class…your favorite 45 minutes of the day or the source of countless nightmares and embarrassments?
SB: BY FAR the best 45 minutes of the day.
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.
SB: Since I use them as a drug, I am going to be forced to continue to keep my life line connected and say that sports are a great diversion from life. Also, being a massively competitive person, I love to see great competitors step up and do amazing things. That alone is a great diversion and sometimes even a place to find inspiration.
11. If you had to compete against other music industry execs, 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.
SB: Well the Team Gotee Williamson County Rec team was a good time…I would put my hoops game up against anyone 5′9 and under. I could probably hang on the tennis court with a few people, as long as I had some time to get my game back in order. Free throws I could do okay…Trash talking would probably be a lock. I am sure that I can beat some serious tail in Fantasy Hoops against other Music Industry peeps.
12. What is your favorite sports movie of all-time?
SB: HANDS DOWN….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.
Tags: PFB Sports Survey
Posted in The PFB Sports Survey | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, March 25th, 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 ticket scalpers to see if they like sports as much as we do.
Today’s spotlight is on Travis Prinzi, who, unlike half the people at your church, does not think Harry Potter is of the devil.
Travis, a resident of Rochester, NY, has a wife (Tricia), a daughter (Sophia), and an M.A. in Theological Studies from Northeastern Seminary (unnamed). He is the author of a forthcoming book on the Harry Potter series (also unnamed at the moment) which will be published by Zossima Press. He also runs the ship at a few faith-related websites: The Hog’s Head and Restless Reformer . You can subscribe to his podcasat, The Hog’s Head Pubcast, on iTunes.
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1. What number best describes the role sports play in your life on a scale of 1 to 10?
TP: I’ll call it a 7. It’d be a 4 or 5 if not for hockey. Last year, I actually live-blogged the day of the trade deadline. On a theological blog. I hadn’t written much of anything for ages, but suddenly Buffalo Sabres news was taking over my blog, and the day of the trade deadline I started worrying about myself…It’s not normal to liveblog a trade deadline on your theology site.
2. Rank your 3 overall favorite sports.
TP: 1. Pro Hockey - We used to do whatever we could to pull in Hockey Night in Canada while we were kids. The picture was blurry and fuzzy, but we watched it anyway. I played youth hockey and street hockey (in organized leagues for both) growing up. It’s the scoring, the hitting, the talent demanded (they play the whole game on two thin metal blades!).
2. Pro Football - Well, let me put it to you this way: I lived through four Buffalo Bills Super Bowl attempts, and I’m still a fan. We were even at the AFC championship game for that fourth year. We chanted, “Four! Four! Four! Four!” Sadly, we were simply chanting the number of Super Bowls we choked in. But I keep watching.
3. Baseball - My sports insanity begins to calm a bit after Hockey and Football. I grew up a fan of the Evil Empire, and a fan of the Evil Empire I shall remain until I die. Go Yankees. Though, in reality, I don’t pay much attention to anything, and usually don’t even watch a full game, until the playoffs. I do enjoy a night out at Frontier Field here in Rochester, watching the minor league Red Wings.
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?
TP: I root for the Sabres more than any other. I was at the 1999 triple overtime game six of the Stanley Cup playoffs in Buffalo, when Brett Hull scored that illegal goal to NOT win the Cup that year, NOT eliminating the Sabres, though the records books would take out both NOTs. We had stayed overnight in the parking lot of a local Tickets.com site to make sure we got Stanley Cup playoff tickets. The site was located at a grocery story service desk, so we spent all night playing hockey in the parking lot, tipping the shopping carts over for goals. We even brought down a little grill and had hot dogs. We were eighth in a line of a few hundred people, and the last ones to get tickets.
I really hate the Ottawa Senators. And the Toronto Maple Leafs. And the New England Patriots. And the Dallas Cowboys. And, of course, the Red Sox. I really, really hate all of those teams. They all need to just go and … how clean do you want to keep your website? I should probably stop right there.
4. Do you play fantasy sports?
TP: I play Fantasy Football regularly. I had two teams this past season, and I won the championship in both leagues. I tried playing Fantasy Hockey twice, but it doesn’t work as well as football. I did win the second time I play fantasy hockey, but that was mostly because all the other teams had quit paying attention halfway through the season.
5. What is the most memorable sporting event you have ever attended in person?
TP: Game 6 of the 1999 Stanley Cup finals, Buffalo vs. Dallas (see above), and the 1993-94 AFC championship game, Bills vs. Chiefs.
6. What is the best highlight and/or worst lowlight of your sports playing career as a child or as an adult?
TP: Highlight - Scoring a goal in my PeeWee championship game, which we won, and which would turn out to be the last ice hockey game I’d ever play.
Lowlight - Being lied to a bout the MVP award in my street hockey league. My coach had been told by the league commissioner that I’d be awarded the league MVP after the championship game. But we won the game, and the league disliked our team, so they gave it to someone else, last minute. The other lowlight would be when my junior high basketball coach told me, “You should just stick with hockey.”
7. If you could change one thing about sports, what would it be?
TP: Well, since Fox did wisely get rid of the glow-puck shortly after they foolishly invented it, I don’t have to mention that, so…
I’d want Congress to get the hell out of sports. They think they own everything these days.
Oh, and Gary Bettman, NHL Commissioner, should be fired.
8. Do you have an opinion on Christian athletes who, without being prompted, talk about their faith in post-game interviews?
TP: Just try not to sound too dumb, ok? Mr. Atheist Quarterback threw some great passes, too, and he didn’t pray at all.
9. High school gym class…your favorite 45 minutes of the day or the source of countless nightmares and embarrassments?
TP: Depended on what sport we were playing. Hockey, softball, handball, great. Wrestling, no thanks.
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.
TP: Alistair Begg says Christians should be leading the pack when it comes to sports. We should be playing them, and we should be playing them the best. I think he’s right on the mark.
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.
TP: I’d lose them all, but if I had to choose one, it’d probably be the free throw shooting contest. I was starting to get decent at basketball, despite my junior high coach’s disparagement of my skills before I got distracted by an entirely contrived crisis of unexplained teenage angst and started writing poetry and music instead.
12. What is your favorite sports movie of all-time?
TP: Can’t just pick one: Field of Dreams, Necessary Roughness, The Natural, Rudy
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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.
Tags: PFB Sports Survey
Posted in The PFB Sports Survey | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, March 18th, 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 manicurists to see if they like sports as much as we do.
Today’s spotlight is on Jeff Miller, who likes ketchup on his eggs and who almost left his bandmates over a Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings spat (ok, not really).
Jeff is the bassist for INO recording act Caedmon’s Call, who have sold over a million copies of their 14 studio albums to date. When he’s not on the road or in the studio with the band, Jeff gets the bills paid by putting his University of Texas MIS degree to good use as a computer/IT dude in Houston, TX. Jeff shares a birthday with yours truly (9/28), which, as a result, makes him unbelievably cool.
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1. What number best describes the role sports play in your life on a scale of 1 to 10?
JM: I’m probably right in the middle, maybe a bit further to the 10-side on this one…so, let’s say 5.1 just to be different. I’m one of those fans that is fanatic about “my” teams, but, with the exception of baseball and college BB (and golf when I have time to nap), I probably don’t follow sports in general as fanatically as some.
2. Rank your 3 overall favorite sports.
JM:1. MLB - I was not a BB fan all my life until about 8 years ago…now I count the days to the Astros season opener!
2. College BB - March Madness is the best sporting event of the year, hands down! Anyone can win on any given day and I love that about this sport.
3. Football (although golf and/or tennis comes in a REAL close 4th as golf/tennis are really the only sports I personally play that much anymore - besides being incredibly bad at “old guy” softball)
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?
JM: Definitely the Houston Astros. And I think this year, if Tejada doesn’t get shipped of to a Federal Prison, and we have a surprise or two in the starting rotation, we will be “in it”! I’m also very passionate about Texas Longhorns sports - all of them! (since I went to school there and currently live in Austin) I try and catch a Longhorn football, baseball, or BB game whenever I can (which isn’t too often these days).
Along with being a Longhorn fan, I have to say that OU/OSU fans are absolutely the worst - any school/state that markets themselves (not only their sports but their entire institutions) as being “better than Texas” has some issues they need to deal with. I mean - walking through Hobby airport in Houston last year, there were ad billboards up all over the place on how OSU was “a brighter orange”?! How does that say anything constructive about why I would want to go to school there other than it is not Texas?
4. Do you play fantasy sports?
JM: I play fantasy football with the guys in my Sunday School class. That’s pretty much it (although my brother tries to get my into Fantasy gold, baseball, hockey, and probably soon-to-be curling every year)
5. What is the most memorable sporting event you have ever attended in person?
JM: When I was young (maybe around 10 years old) we went to Steelers Training Camp in LaTrobe, PA. While not really a sporting event, per se, I got to meet Joe Green and Jack Ham and Lynn Swann and Rocky Bleir, and see Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, etc. - that was definitely the coolest sporting thing that has ever happened to me. BTW - that Steeler team of the late 70’s was by far the best EVER (sorry Dolphins and Patriots fans!)
6. What is the best highlight and/or worst lowlight of your sports playing career as a child or as an adult?
JM: Highlight would have to be just playing tennis back in Houston - we would play every day for fun as well as play on the neighborhood team and enter in tournaments…it was the way sports should be played…for the love of the game. And I was pretty good too!
Lowlight would have to be playing softball last year on my work softball team - we were the worst team in the novice league and I was by far the worst player. Maybe I shouldn’t have quit playing sports when I picked up a bass guitar?
7. If you could change one thing about sports, what would it be?
JM: Definitely (get rid of) the DH…
Oh, and I hate the fact that it seems like most athletes these days are in it for the money and fame as opposed to the love of the game. I’ll watch Brett Favre or Craig Biggio (not anymore for either of them) or Hines Ward any day over TO or Kobe. If you act like a jackass everytime you make a tackle or hit a three-pointer you should get over yourself! I think professional sports has lost the “team” and “love/respect” aspects of the game and rewards athletes who showboat as opposed to those that just want to play the game because they love it!
8. Do you have an opinion on Christian athletes who, without being prompted, talk about their faith in post-game interviews?
JM: I probably shouldn’t be, but I guess I’m ambivalent about this question. I don’t go around and thank God publicly when I roll-out a successful new piece of functionality to my company’s website, so I wouldn’t expect an athlete to do so after winning a game. I think that if they play to the best of their ability and play professionally, with good sportsmanship and have fun doing it (no showboating!), that is the best example they can give of who they really are as Christians. Someone who does a crazy touchdown celebration and gets into fights on the field and then talks about God post-show comes off as a little strange to me…
9. High school gym class…your favorite 45 minutes of the day or the source of countless nightmares and embarrassments?
JM: I didn’t have to go to high school gym?! Since I was on the tennis and basketball teams I was able to skip gym. Of course, when I was in elementary school I hated gym because I couldn’t do a forward roll. That was embarrassing.
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.
JM: For most folks I think this criticism is invalid. Sports can be a great way to fellowship with others and it can certainly be a diversion. Not to mention that exercise is good for the body…but that’s a whole other argument. For someone who spends more time watching or playing sports than spending time with their family, well then, that’s probably not a good thing. I don’t see how pastors and clergy can single out sports as a negative influence in general however.
11. If you had to compete against other musicians, 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.
JM: Definitely Golf or Bowling.
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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.
Tags: Jeff Miller, PFB Sports Survey
Posted in The PFB Sports Survey | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, March 11th, 2008
The PFB Sports Survey is a weekly 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 dragon slayers to see if they like sports as much as we do.
Today’s spotlight is on Susan Isaacs, who lived across the hall from Elaine Benes in Season 7, Episode 5.
Susan is an actress, comedienne, and writer with an IMDB page that would impress even Ron Burgundy. She holds an MFA in screenwriting from USC and occasionally writes for the Burnside Writers Collective. Her comedy memoir, “Angry Conversations with God”, will be published in March 2009 by FaithWords.
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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”.
SI: Three. I like watching baseball with my husband. The rest doesn’t matter that much to me.
2. Rank your 3 overall favorite sports.
SI: Pro Baseball - College football - College basketball - Amateur snookers
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?
SI: I LOVE(D) the Yankees, I lived in NYC for five years. My husband is a Dodgers fan, and I ask myself why? They’re a mediocre team. They haven’t done anything admirable for years. They don’t deserve his love and loyalty. But if I ask that too much he might start wondering what admirable things I’ve done to deserve his love and loyalty. So while I don’t “hate” the Yankees, I don’t root for them. And now that we’ve got Joe Torre, I can cast my un-earned loyalty to the Dodgers.
4. Do you play fantasy sports?
SI: Why would a woman play fantasy sports, when she’s got Lifetime TV? I don’t like any ‘fantasy,’ it’s a waste of time. But if a woman is desperate enough to waste the valuable moments of her yet-unwrinkled life to a fantasy, at least waste it on something where you can see a hot guy with his shirt off, paying attention to a lady instead of a ball.
5. What is the most memorable sporting event you have ever attended in person?
SI: Meadowlands race track with my then-boyfriend. We won $100 in a trifecta. It’s memorable because everything that went after that was a loss. And what was I doing dating a guy who bet on horses?
6. What is the best highlight and/or worst lowlight of your sports playing career as a child or as an adult?
SI: In fifth grade the school bully, Kristen Shanahan, asked me to let her win the 50 yard dash because she was feeling bad about herself and needed a boost. Kristen had bullied me consistently for two years. Now she was confiding in me that she had a low self esteem, and asking me to let her win. If I did, she might be nice to me for a whole week. When we got to the race track I couldn’t do it. I ran my best and beat her.
She kept bullying me but it was worth it.
7. If you could change one thing about sports, what would it be?
SI: Ban HGH in MLB retroactively and get Barry Bonds’s record erased.
8. Do you have an opinion on Christian athletes who, without being prompted, talk about their faith in post-game interviews?
SI: Yeah, go for it. Why not? It’s their moment.
9. High school gym class…your favorite 45 minutes of the day or the source of countless nightmares and embarrassments?
SI: High school track was a blast because of the cute guys in short shorts.
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.
SI: Everyone needs a hobby. We all need to relax, and men love competition. They could also go after women and their quilting circles. That can be as addictive as sports. Except with quilting circles you get blankets at the end.
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.
SI: Five-mile run. I trained for a marathon once!
12. What is your favorite sports movie of all time?
SI: “Pride Of The Yankees,” the story of Lou Gehrig. When I was a kid, which was a long time ago, local TV stations would get the rights to a film and air it every night for a week. And then it was gone. I must have seen “POTY” five nights in a row, every year, for the first ten years of my life.
I also loved Chariots of Fire. Yes, track is a sport!
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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.
Tags: PFB Sports Survey, Susan Isaacs
Posted in The PFB Sports Survey | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, March 4th, 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 busboys to see if they like sports as much as we do.
Today’s spotlight is on Scot McKnight, who, as a junior in High School, was capable of high-jumping over Luol Deng.
Scot is a widely-recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. He is a professor, speaker, and author of more than 20 books. His new book, “40 Days of Living the Jesus Creed”, releases in late April . His blog, JesusCreed.org, has been ranked by Technorati as the #1 site for the Emergent Church.
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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”.
SM: 6. Sometimes there is a really good game on TV and I have something to read, etc., and I choose the latter. I prefer sports, like golf, that permit me to read and watch at the same time.
2. Rank your 3 overall favorite sports.
SM: 1. Golf - great TV sport for me.
2. MLB - we love to watch the Cubs
3. NCAA Men’s Basketball - though I tire of the pace and lack of good passing
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?
SM: The Cubs. The NY Yankees.
4. Do you play fantasy sports?
SM: No. I feel the same way about card games and board games - too much luck involved. I don’t see the attraction to Fantasy Sports.
5. What is the most memorable sporting event you have ever attended in person?
SM: Final night of Olympic Track and Field in Atlanta.
6. What is the best highlight and/or worst lowlight of your sports playing career as a child or as an adult?
SM: Highlight - High-jumping 6′9″ as a junior in HS.
Lowlight - Failing to reach the finals in the State track meet highjumping as a junior.
7. If you could change one thing about sports, what would it be?
SM: DH in baseball, definitely. (Ed. note: I’m assuming he wants to get rid of it, being an NL guy)
Also, Congress should break the MLB Players Union so all drugs can be tested.
8. Do you have an opinion on Christian athletes who, without being prompted, talk about their faith in post-game interviews?
SM: Not as long as it is done with some integrity and intelligence.
9. High school gym class…your favorite 45 minutes of the day or the source of countless nightmares and embarrassments?
SM: At our high school we did not have to attend HS gym class if we were on a sports team.
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.
SM: Yes, this can be a fair criticism. Sports are a diversion but can readily become all-consuming.
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.
SM: 18 holes of golf or FT shooting. (I once made 144 in a row!)
12. What is your favorite sports movie of all time?
SM: 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.
Tags: PFB Sports Survey
Posted in The PFB Sports Survey | 2 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.
Tags: PFB Sports Survey
Posted in The PFB Sports Survey | 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.
Tags: Internet Monk, Michael Spencer, PFB Sports Survey
Posted in The PFB Sports Survey | 2 Comments »
