Here at Prayers For Blowouts we love to let our members spout off their opinions on anything and everything.

Recently we asked them to tell us about the most expensive sports ticket they had ever purchased.

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I paid $500 for a ticket to the infamous Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS at Wrigley. Better known as The Bartman Game. I was there, but I was on the same side of the field (3rd/LF) and could only tell that the ball went down the line and then there was a lot of booing and beer flying through the air. I had to call my brother at home to find out what was going on. Then, the rest of that awful inning happened and it was like Wrigley was in a bubble that had no oxygen.

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My sophomore year of college (97)- My dad, four friends and I paid twice face value (roughly $150) a ticket to travel to Pittsburgh to watch the Badgers get demolished in the first round of the Tournament. It was a magical season that took beating #2 Minnesota on the day before the brackets were announced just to get in. Looking back it was an absolute waste of money but absolutely worth it!

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I don’t like to shell out a lot of money on sporting events or musical events. (I have been lucky enough to score free tickets to see the Titans play twice already this year though!)However, on the flip side, my cheapest ticket ever was to see the Texas Rangers play for $5…it was a double header AND the guys and I got to be on Fox Sports for taunting Pedro Martinez from the upper deck without shirts on. Priceless.

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I think the most I ever paid for a sporting event was $130 for the Final Four a couple years ago. Totally worth it. Three games over two days and a whole lot of fun.

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$40 to the Bobcats game.

Probably wouldn’t do it again, but it was with my son so it was worth it.

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I paid probably $30 to see the Dallas Stars face off against the St. Louis Blues in a Stanley Cup playoff game back in ‘94 or so. My first live hockey game. Completely worth the money.

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Sadly, I don’t get to see many sporting events live, mostly because I’m a poor freelance writer who can’t afford pro-level tickets. However, as a Twins fan from Texas, I do plan to make my way up to Minnesota during the 2009 season for a long weekend/3-game series to pay my fond respects to the Metrodome (and its glorious blue baggie) before they tear it down. I have no clue how much this endeavor might cost me, but it will be worth it!

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The most I ever paid for a ticket to a sporting event was $50 to go see Maryland play Tennessee in the Peach Bowl (now the Chick-fil-a Bowl), Maryland won 30-3 so it was definitely worth it; especially getting to heckle all the UT fans and their horrible fight song.

What? You’re not a PFB Member yet? What are you waiting for, a personalized sermon from Kurt Warner? SIgn up to become one of he elite Prayers For Blowouts Members, by sending your name, favorite team, and a headshot to prayersforblowouts(at)gmail.com. Membership is still free for anyone who loves sports, so do it now, or we will cry a thousand rivers. We want you to hear what you have to say!

Romo

Oh that Tony Romo. A few weeks ago he was changing the tire of a broken down couple. This week he took a homeless man to the movies. “I haven’t showered in days,” the man said. “Don’t worry about that,” Romo allegedly replied. “I’m used to locker rooms.”

Is he a genuinely good guy or is he pulling these stunts for publicity? Personally, I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, if he was that worried about his public image, he would have dumped Jess Simpson a while ago.

What do you think? As these stories keep coming out, do you nod your head in approval, or roll your eyes in annoyance?

Here at Prayers For Blowouts we love to let our members spout off their opinions on anything and everything.

Recently we asked them to tell us their favorite college basketball team, and how far they thought they would go this year.

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Wisconsin Badgers - The media has us #3 in the Big Ten and 20-something nationally which is exactly where Bo Ryan teams like to be. I like our chances to make a run for the B10 title- we’d have to catch some lightning in a bottle to get past the Sweet 16. GO BIG RED!

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My fav college hoops team is the UNC Tarheels, who have already been successfully jinxed by the preseason #1 ranking.  I fully expect them to have a dominant year and easily win twenty, maybe twenty-five, but the odds of a national championship are not in their favor, sadly.  I predict a final four showing, but all the giant killers will be out, and the big trophy will be very hard to obtain.

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Bama.

Slim to None.

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My favorite college team is my alma mater, the Illinois State Redbirds.  Chances on winning the national title?  Less than 0.  But, we have a great chance at winning the ever competitive Missouri Valley Conference and going to the NCAA tournament.  Then at least we have a shot at the title.

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College bball?

Meh.

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My favorite college basketball team is Georgia Tech.  For the third year in a row we’re in “ok, this team is not good, but you should see the recruiting class we have coming in!” mode.  One of these days those great recruits will actually turn into great players, right?  As far as Tech’s chances to win the ACC, since they share the ACC with North Carolina, I call the chances slim and none.  Making the NCAA Tourney this year would be a big accomplishment, much less winning the whole deal.

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Having started college at a Division III school and then eventually graduation from a Division I-A school (that was a big-time commuter college), I feel inadequate answering questions about college basketball, mostly because I only watch the sport (as exciting as it might be) during the month of March.  I can only tolerate so much Dick Vitale.  That being said, my general prediction is this: Tyler Hansborough will go down with a knee injury in January, wrecking UNC’s chances of winning the title, paving the way for the Florida Gators to win the title and once again hold two major college sports titles at the same time.

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Favorite college basketball team is the University of Maryland.
They have little to no shot of winning the ACC much less the NCAA championship. I hope they can just make the ncaa tournament.

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I am a Longhorn fan, all day, everyday, but I don’t keep up with CBB as much as I do CFB.  But I know UT always has a decent BB team and that with Abrams and Atchley as seniors leading the team, they will all play really well together.  I was even surprised when the rankings came out that they were ranked so high.  First big test will come Dec. 4th against a hot UCLA.

If you’d like to become one of the elite Prayers For Blowouts Members, just send your name, favorite team, and a headshot to prayersforblowouts(at)gmail.com. Membership is still free for anyone who loves sports, so what are you waiting for? We want you to hear what you have to say!

The PFB Sports Survey is a 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 embalmers to see if they like sports as much as we do.

Today’s spotlight is on Ted Kluck, who deftly manages to slam Keith Olbermann, Kevin Costner, and the entire city of Ann Arbor, Michigan in the span of twelve questions.

Ted’s work has appeared on ESPN.com, and in ESPN the Magazine, and he’s the author of four books, including Facing Tyson: Fifteen Fighters, Fifteen Stories and Why We’re Not Emergent (by Two Guys Who Should Be). In 2009 he will be releasing books on topics including professional wrestling, the church, international adoption, and a collection of essays on sports from a Christian perspective. Ted has played professional indoor football, coached high school football, trained as a professional wrestler, served as a missionary and he speaks frequently to churches, schools, and writing groups.  You can check him out here for more info, and you can check out his blog to let him know how great he is.  He’s especially partial to the phrase “intellectual tour de force.”

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

TK: I would have to say “9″ during the Fall, because I do have a literally and figuratively unhealthy obsession with football - literal because I can’t stop playing, and subsequently getting hurt playing, and figurative because I am unhealthily obsessed with my fantasy team, The Rusty Hilgers (see: fantasy question below).  Probably about a “5″ during the rest of the year, with a spike again in April due to the NFL Draft.

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

TK: Pro Football, College Football, Pro Boxing

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?

TK: I root pretty passionately for the Chicago Bears, the team of my youth.  I cried when Walter Payton retired, and I cried when they lost to the Dolphins in ‘85 to ruin the perfect season.  And I’m not a crier.  Living near East Lansing I’ve developed a nice hatred for the University of Michigan, but I’ve decided what I hate more than UM is the actual city of Ann Arbor, which I describe to people as “like one giant Starbucks.”

4. Do you play fantasy sports?

TK: Yes.  I swear off fantasy football every year, and every year I play in one league, with one team, The Rusty Hilgers.  Heading into Week 11 we’re 9-1 without my #1 pick, Tom Brady.  Oh, and I refer to my fantasy team as “we” as though the players are real people with whom I interact on a regular basis.

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

TK: My first NFL game, with my dad.  We saw a preseason Indianapolis Colts game in the Hoosier Dome, where the Colts played Warren Moon and the Oilers.  I was so excited I hyperventilated at the stadium.  True story.

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

TK: My best highlight was going, again with my dad, to Indiana University for a football recruiting visit and being toured through the facility, walked out onto the field, etc.  The lowlight was any time I have ever tried to play basketball (this includes childhood and adulthood).  I really suck.

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

TK: I would get rid of the spread offense in college football - partly because it produces bad NFL quarterbacks, but also because I miss the I-formation.  I’ve become addicted to the classic games on the Big Ten Network.  I miss fullbacks.  I would also get rid of Keith Olbermann - partly because he produces bad television…and partly, well, really mostly for that reason alone.

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

TK: I want to be okay with this, but in all honesty it usually ends up being cringe-worthy and prosperity-gospelish.  I always kind of enjoy listening to non-Christian athletes talk about Jesus - Mike Tyson and Ricky Williams come to mind here.

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

TK: Neither…I don’t remember a lot about gym, except the short, nylon shorts and the fact that little skinny guys could always do more pull ups than me.

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.

TK: Sports are okay because they’re okay.  They’re just something fun to do with other people.  (Aside: I promised myself I would try to write this section without using the words “community” or “participatory.”)  Some of my best friends in life have come from sports, and some of the best spiritual, gospel-sharing conversations I’ve had with non-Christians have come because of sports.  And they make the church lobby just a little bit less awkward for guys.  Plus, to quote Brokeback Mountain, I can’t quit sports.

11. If you had to compete against other bloggers, 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.

TK: Definitely arm wrestling…or eating

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

TK: Probably Paper Lion starring Alan Alda and Lauren Hutton, which was made in 1968 and was a great football movie because it used real football players.  Chariots of Fire is probably the best movie ever written about men and male issues.  I also love the hockey movie Slap Shot for its authenticity, and the baseball film Field of Dreams, which in Europe is alternately titled “Kevin Costner’s only good movie, ever.”

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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.

Ha! Just took over 1st place in my fantasy bb league w/ the Hillsong United guys. No turning back now — take that, Aussies!

And THAT RIGHT THERE is the reason this site exists. Because we feel you need to know these things.

As the Bengals missed the game-winning field goal with 7 seconds left in overtime, I wondered how many blogs would run with the whole “a tie is like kissing your sister” headline. Then I started to think about that cliche. I’m not sure I agree with the premise, which posits that kissing your sister is some kind of neutral event. It’s a positive that you’re kissing someone, but it’s negated by the fact that it’s your sister.

I usually hug my sisters. And unless you’re in grade school, should you even be kissing your sister? I don’t know, I’m not sure I agree with the notion. I’d like to make a motion that we remove “kissing your sister” from the vernacular. We need a better way to describe the frustration of ending the game in a tie. How about “a tie is like kissing a girl but then waking up and realizing it was a dream” or “a tie is like kissing a girl with bad breath” or “a tie is like playing soccer”?

We’ll have to work on that.

I have to say though, one thing I didn’t expect was that some of the players had no idea an NFL game could end in a tie. Seriously. Here’s Donovan McNabb:

Wow.

As for that shady ending to the Steelers/Chargers game? Yeah, that was pretty bad. It takes a lot for me to levy charges of corruption against NFL Refs, and I’m not sure I’ll do it here. But for them to review a meaningless play after time had expired, and incorrectly overturn it, directly affecting which team covered the point spread? That looks awfully fishy. And it’s reason #482 why you shouldn’t be betting a lot of money on NFL games.

From VegasWatch:

“We should have let the play go through in the end, yes,” [referee Scott] Green said. “It was misinterpreted that instead of killing the play, we should have let the play go through.”

Green said the confusion occurred because there was a misunderstanding about whether Tomlinson’s pass or Chambers’ pass was in question.

“The first pass was the one that was illegal, but it only kills the play if it hits the ground,” Green said. “That was incorrect to have killed it at that point. The ruling should have let the play go on.”

Being a numbers geek, I was fascinated by the fact that this was the first NFL game to end with an 11-10 score in over 12,000 games. Maybe the refs wanted to be a part of history?

(h/t: Deadspin and VegasWatch)

We’ve got a Badgers fan, a Packers fan, a Cubs fan, and a Twins fan.

Members get to share their opinions and display their team pride for the entire free world to see. It’s pretty rad.

If you’d like to join, shoot me an email with your name and favorite team. Also, attach a head shot or give me a web address where I can grab one of you. The cost is still free.

The email address is prayersforblowouts@gmail(dot)com

Looking forward to adding you to the squad!

It is this:

Texas Tech coach Mike Leach looks a whole lot like country singer (and Amy Grant husband) Vince Gill. They look so much alike it’s kind of scary.

Want proof? Watch this video. You will be so happy you did. I promise.