prayers for blowouts

Josh Hamilton is a Man-Beast

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Being the slow sports news day that it is, there’s no way you can escape coverage of Josh Hamilton’s historic performance in the first round of last night’s Home Run Derby. It was a pretty magical moment, to be honest.

Imagine if, 5 years ago, I had told you that this drug-addicted kid would have all of Yankee Stadium chanting “HAM-IL-TON, HAM-IL-TON” as he pounded 13 homers in a row into every deck of right field. You might have believed me, I guess, just because of the enormous potential that this kid always had. But to see him follow up a 95-RBI first half with that sick display of power was, in the words of Tommy Boy, “AWESOME!”

We wrote about Hamilton back in January, pointing you to a story on his recovery in the Dallas Morning News. It’s a good read if you’ve got a few minutes. The story talks about Hamilton’s faith, something he mentioned last night in multiple interviews with ESPN’s Erin Andrews. Before his turn at bat last night he talked about a dream he had of hitting home runs in Yankee Stadium and using the platform to tell people about what God has done for him. 28 Home Runs later (including one that traveled 518 feet), he did just that, telling the crowd and the National TV audience how amazed he was that God turned his life around so fast.

It was a heartfelt moment of sincere gratitude and praise for God on the grandest stage of all, and something Hamilton will probably remember for the rest of his life.

I know I will.

Update: Here’s the video of all 28 of his first round homers.

Tags: Home Run Derby, Josh Hamilton

3 Comments | Posted in » MLB |

Parker’s First Trip to Fenway

I was born and raised in Southeastern New England, and as such, I’ve been a die-hard Red Sox fan as long as I can remember. Up until a few years ago, this was a tragic-yet-noble badge I wore with pride. But with 2 World Series trophies in the past 4 years, it’s something I’ve taken off my sleeve and put in my pocket. There’s so many Red Sox fans out there these days, I don’t mind keeping my fandom to myself as much as possible.

This doesn’t mean I didn’t spend time brainwashing my family, of course. I’m proud to say that my wife (who’s lived in PA all her life) and both my children are all serious Red Sox fans now as well. I like to think that being a Sox fan is in your blood - a genetic gift I passed on to my children at conception - but no matter how they became infected, they are now. And that’s a good thing.

I’d been to Fenway a handful of times growing up. I was there on Opening Day in 1988 when new reliever Lee Smith gave up a game winning homer to the Detroit Tigers. My first trip as an adult was in 2004 when I took my wife for the first time. Erica loved the experience, and was excited to go again this year as we had decided it was time for Parker to see his first game at Fenway. Kylie opted to stay home because she finds 3-hour baseball games a bit boring, and she had a better offer from her grandma to help bake her own birthday cake (but she still loves the Sox).

We purchased tickets for July 11th a few months ago, and as luck would have it, this happened to be the same night that Red Sox Foundation Volunteers were being honored during the pre-game ceremonies. My brother Josh had volunteered for the Foundation during the first half of the season (my bro Jordan helped out also), and as a reward, he was allowed to take a guest up to the seats over the Green Monstah during batting practice. Since his family was in from out of town, they let us all go up there.

From left to right that’s me, Parker, and my two brothers Jordan and Josh. Yes, there is only a small railing keeping people from falling onto the field. Yes, in that picture my left hand is holding Parker very tightly. Between the tiny railing and the home runs balls being pelted our way, it wasn’t the time to relax and soak everything in. In fact, my wife Erica and my sister Karyn were scared the entire time. It was pretty awesome being up there though.

The only ball that came near us was a blast off of Youkilis’ bat. It sailed a few feet over Josh’s head, caromed off the cement stairs, and flew back down onto the field. Here we are begging relievers Javy Lopez and Manny DelCarmen to throw the ball back to up to us. They did not.

The aforementioned sister Karyn on the left and wife Erica on the right hanging out on Yawkey Way before the game. As you can see, it’s a sea of Red Sox paraphernalia out there. You can also see a beer sign in the background, but what you can’t see is how much a 12-oz cup of beer will cost you. Want to know? How about $7.50. I’ll stick to swallowing my own spit, thank you very much.

Here’s the picture of the boys on Yawkey Way. Parker is all smiles after a couple of $7.50 beers. (i kid, of course)

Our seats were in the centerfield bleachers, where Parker followed along surprisingly well with the action. His eyes lit up when we walked up the runway and were so close to the field. That was cool to watch. He loved seeing Papelbon, Manny, and Big Papi in person (even though Papi didn’t play.) He also loved watching the wave go around.

He did not love seeing Clay Buchholz throw 29 pitches in the first inning. He also did not love the call that Tim Eddings made at 1B when he called Julio Lugo out on a ground ball.

I mean, look at this. Might the worst out/safe call I’ve EVER seen. We were hollering from the bleachers for a while after that one.

In the end we had a great night. The Sox lost 7-3, but we made a bunch of memories we’ll always have. It was so cool to be able to take my son to Fenway Park just like my dad did with me.

And that’s one more reason to love sports, for the special moments like this that it gives us.

What about y’all? Do you remember your first trip out to a game with your parents? Planning a special memory with your kids someday? Love to hear about it.

5 Comments | Posted in » MLB, fandom |

Chicago, Here We Come

…and by “we,” I mean me, my lovely wife, and former Oakland ace Rich Harden.

Back in January, I entered a storytelling contest held by a design & marketing company in Chicago. I wrote about my granddad and his experiences in World War 2, then got everyone I knew (and, in turn, everyone they knew) to vote for my story.

I won the contest. (Click that link to read the story, if you’re interested. It’s not sports-related, but it is Jason-related. Not sure why I just wrote that.)

The grand prize was a weekend trip to Chicago to watch the Cubs play. This, of course, was why I entered the contest, and it just so happens that the trip is this weekend. I’m watching the Cubs play the Giants Friday at Wrigley and — even better — get to see Rich Harden make his Cubs debut on Saturday afternoon. Should be wild. Welcome to Chicago, Rich. Stay healthy. Hope the risk is worth the potential reward.

I’ll update upon return.

3 Comments | Posted in » MLB, fandom |

Most Hypocritical Christian Athletes

PFB reader Zeke Smith pointed us to a recent blog entry at Holytaco.com listing the 8 Most Hypocritical Christian Athletes. They put their own spin on the piece by listing the athlete’s christian resume as “How Much He Loves Jesus” and by listing the athlete’s transgressions and/or poor decisions as “Why Jesus Hates Him”.

A bit over the top? Yeah, probably. But that’s how you stand out here on the interwebs these days, so it’s no surprise. Clearly their goal was just to have some fun slamming some outspoken athletes who’ve said or done some stupid things.

Here’s their list:

8. Ryan Church, 7. Charlie Ward, 6. Carl Everett, 5. Evander Holyfield, 4. Andy Pettitte, 3. Jeff Gordon, 2. Curt Schilling, and 1. Deion Sanders.

A few thoughts:

1. It seems to me that the reason folks love to make these lists is because for too long Christians have put such an emphasis on behavior. “You smoke, drink,and cuss and I don’t“. I’m not saying what we do isn’t important…of course it is. But if you think what sets you apart as a Christian from folks who aren’t Christians is how well you behave, you’re missing the point. Besides, Jesus said that all the laws and behavior codes that were in the Old Testament hang on “loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself”, so if you’re looking at your behavior, why don’t you start there and let me know when you’ve got those two down pat.

2. My first thought was that it would suck to be on this list. But then I thought, you know what, any of us could be on a list like this. “Top 10 Hypocritical Christians at Your Church” or “Top 25 Hypocritical Christians at my Work” or “Top 4 Hypocritical Christians in my immediate family”. Instead of being thankful we’re not on this list, let’s realize that we could be. Why? Because, like I said, we all have screwed up before. Folks who have a bone to pick with Christians are going to view our bad decisions as acts of hypocrisy. They just will. I guess on a personal level we need to humbly communicate to those folks “Look, I make bad decisions like everyone else. I try not to, but I do.” And from that place of true humility, where we are not judging or casting a condescending eye on anyone, we can share more about why faith in Jesus is important to us.

3. I think this is a good reminder for us that we don’t live in a vacuum. Our lives are connected to everyone else’s in a myriad of ways. But instead of acknowledging that and saying, “I better be very careful what I do because there’s lots of folks waiting for me to slip up,” let’s turn it around and think “There are so many ways that I can positively impact the lives of the people around me. God help me to be involved in other people’s lives at the risk of screwing up. Help me to spread your love through the relationships and friendships that I have.”

What about y’all? Anything you’re taking from this (positive or negative)?

Tags: hypocrites

8 Comments | Posted in » Christianity, morality, sports |

Dark Night of the TV Viewing Sports Fan

I don’t do baseball. Sorry, co-writers and readers. I’m aware that Madonna use some mind-trick to convince A-Rod that it’s 1985. Other than that, I’ve got nothing. The NBA Finals are done (and somehow I didn’t find time to watch three minutes of the series. Life moves too fast). Some where in the universe, Arena Football is in their playoffs. Tiger did the impossible, and Wimbledon is in the bag.
So for me, it’s a long, dark night until the NFL kicks off. I’m one of those fans who celebrate that the NFL creates so many off-season milestones. The Draft, Free Agency, Mini-camps. Heck, I’m tickled that Favre is toying with hearts in Green Bay. It gives ESPN radio jocks some NFL fodder and takes the talk away from the MLB.

So I’m hanging in there. Waiting. Maybe this year I’ll even have more dignity than to watch a pre-season game from wall-to-wall.

2 Comments | Posted in » fandom |

The “Oldtimers” Kick a Little Butt

It used to be that age 40 meant you were soon headed for the nursing home or at least should be highly cautious of over exerting yourself. That was then; this is now, and the over-40 crowd are kicking butt and taking names.

For example, there’s Dara Torres (age 41) who won the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle in the Olympic Trials, making her fifth Olympic team. And let’s not forget Eamonn Coghlan, who ran a sub-four minute mile at the age of 41, and Kent Bostick at age 42, who beat out Mike McCarthy (age 29) to make the US cycling team in a previous Olympic games.

I’m in the 40 crowd now myself, and I have discovered the same reality plays out among us nobody types who don’t have the genetics of people like a Lance Armstrong or Dara Torres. The fastest growing segment of people doing triathlons are people 40 and over. I’m one of them. Basically, if i can do it you can if you want to. If you don’t believe me, check her out. I’m pretty sure my window for making the Olympic team has passed, but I do enjoy passing along the little I have learned to others who want to swim, bike, and run. If you are currently a couch potato, and wake up tomorrow morning and decide you want to do a triathlon, I hope this helps.

(photo by Leo Reynolds)

3 Comments | Posted in » sports |

Nadal, AK, and Favre’s Return

a few things to consider from the cavern of my brain while you wonder where your weekend went…

+ The Federer-Nadal Match was as great as people were saying it was. The thing I love the most about tennis is how you’re never really out of it. Your opponent can have championship point, and all you need to do is get him to deuce, win the game, and try to win the set. More than any other sport, the scoring system in tennis is broken down into small chunks, and since all you can win is one point at a time, all you really need to focus on is one point at a time. There’s no trying for the 3-run homer, no no-huddle offense to try and score quickly, and no barrage of 3-pointers to try and close a big deficit. It’s one point at a time, with no clock counting down to zero to stymie your comeback. Federer almost pulled it off yesterday, but in the end, Nadal earned his first Wimbledon. You may now go back to NOT watching tennis.

+ In Bill Simmons’ latest podcast he interviews his friend Rob Stone (of ESPN) about a bunch of things, including the fill-in work that Stone is doing for Tony Reali on Around the Horn. What I found fascinating about this was the talk about the logistics of the show. They have a conference call earlier in the day to talk over the topics. I’m assuming this is when they decide who will land on what side of each issue, and what order they will argue in. Also, Stone talks about the scoring system, which really is at the discretion of the host.

+ Good read from Peter King on CNNSI.com. Here’s all you need to know about the current Favre-Packers situation:

“…what I can tell you for sure is this: No. 4 wants to play football again, and the Green Bay Packers desperately do not want him to.”

Not sure how I feel about this right now. Favre has earned the right to play whenever he wants…but…c’mon Brett. Really? We’re going through this again? Such a tough choice for the Packers. Last year they were a legitimate contender for the NFC crown. They might be again this year with Brett back. But at what point do they cut ties and move on? I say now. If I’m the Pack I wish Brett well, and tell him he can go play for the Chiefs or the Dolphins.

+ I watched a Sox-Yankees game from a bar in Boston on Saturday with my two brothers. That was a lot of fun. Would have been more fun had the Sox not lost 2-1, but whatever.

+ Did you know the Tour De France started last week? Do you care? I don’t. But then again, I didn’t even care when Lance was riding, so I’m probably the wrong person to ask.

+ i’ll admit it, I was already planning on watching the Ryder Cup. But if Anthony Kim makes the team, I’ll definitely watch. No, he won’t come close to being the next Tiger - nobody will - but he’s got that “it” factor that makes the cameras love him. Here’s some more info on him, if you’re interested.

+ Don Miller is still riding his bike across the country. They started in California last month and they’re currently in Arkansas. My quads are burning just thinking about it. You can track his progress here.

4 Comments | Posted in » sports |

It’s July 4th, but are you free?

One day I answered a call on my cell phone, asking if I was the Jim Palmer who wrote Divine Nobodies?” Instantly I knew who it was because I was familiar with his distinct voice as an NBA fan. Ernie Johnson Jr., host of the NBA broadcast for TNT with Charles Barkley, had read Divine Nobodies, and called to chat about it. He had gotten the book from Paul Byrd (Cleveland Indians pitcher), which eventually led to my friendship with Paul. Both Ernie and Paul are a couple of the humblest, down-to-earth, spiritual, and compassionate people I know.

In recently-released Free Byrd: The Power of a Liberated Life Paul tells his story of finding freedom in Christ beyond the legalisms and boxes of “religious” Christianity. If you are a true baseball fan, you won’t be disappointed; there is some awesome baseball stuff.

Here’s an excerpt:

“Once upon a Monday night in August, I accidentally got to pitch in the big leagues. I buttoned up a red pin-striped jersey and threw a baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies. I was playing for the Braves Triple-A team at the time, and the Phillies purchased my contract off the waiver wire. I was supposed to be sent to Philadelphia’s Triple-A team, but some crazy rule in the wavier process forced Ed Wade, the Phillies’ general manager, to send me to the major leagues for at least a day. Because the Atlanta Braves minor league system had seen enough of my act the previous two years, they peacefully let me go with a handshake.

I will never forget that call.

After a few days of hanging out in limbo and holding hands with my overly calm wife in our cozy Richmond, Virginia, apartment, Mr. Wade called and said, “One of our pitchers got hurt yesterday. Congratulations, you’re going to the big leagues.” Then he chuckled and followed with, “You’re going to get one start on Monday night against the Houston Astros and Randy Johnson. After that we have no idea what’s going to happen.”

I was in shock. My wife, Kym, was in shock. And as my two toddling boys, Grayson and Colby, pulled at my blue-jeaned pant legs, I realized that I had just gotten called up to the big leagues by some cosmic mishap — and in three days I was going to have a gun-slinging showdown with one of the greatest pitchers of all time. Confusion, joy, fear, thankfulness, anxiety, and all sorts of other claustrophobic emotional nouns seemed to take turns licking my brain senseless. Part of me wanted to compete and immediately grab a ball and hit the catcher’s mitt to take down Randy Johnson and the Astros — and the other side of me wondered if this is what a man on death row feels like days before he’s going to be executed.”

6 Comments | Posted in » Christianity, MLB, reviews |

Tebow’s Off-Season Mission

Here’s an interesting article by Gene Frenette on Jacksonville.com about Tim Tebow. I’ve said it here before, but for someone who is arguably the most popular collegiate athlete in America right now, he really seems like he’s got his head on straight.

“I don’t like to let people down. The criteria is, where can I have a bigger impact to show my faith? So many times, the public wants to look at the negative. It’s tough to make the headlines doing something right. That’s just our society.”

“A lot of kids in my position would choose to do something different with their time. But my whole life, my goal has been to not be normal. I want to be a good example for the gospel. I don’t want to do what the crowd would do.”

The article also says that Tim’s so busy trying to stay on top of football and sharing his faith that he doesn’t have time for a girlfriend. Now THAT’S commitment.

Have a great holiday weekend everyone!

Tags: Tim Tebow

2 Comments | Posted in » Christianity, college sports |

MLB 08: The Halfway Point

Hey everyone, welcome to July! The first day of July is important for a few reasons:

1. There’s a whole bunch of folks in our country enjoying their last few days with all ten fingers intact. (Seriously though, be careful this weekend. Don’t be one of the 6000+ people who wind up in the emergency room.)

2. Half of your office is empty, and the people who are there aren’t doing a whole lot of work.

3. It’s the halfway point of the baseball season! Time to review those 13 preseason predictions I made back in March.

A Mid-Season look at Bryan’s 13 Predictions for 2008

1. The Yankees will win the AL East - Not Looking So Good!

As I said at the time, I wasn’t too sure of this prediction. I think I just made it to hedge my bet because i despise the Yankees oh so much. (My buddy even Geof emailed me when I predicted the Yankees would win and called me out on that too.)

This first paragraph also contained the worst individual prediction of the article, which said, “Cano might win the batting title…“. Inspired by my endorsement, Robinson went out and hit .155 in April, joining up with Troy Tulowitzki (who hit .152 in April) to double-handedly put my Roto team in the basement for most of the first half. I also thought Hughes and Kennedy would pitch well for the Yankees, which didn’t work out so well either. Can’t say I’m bummed though.

2. The Mets will win the NL East - Not Looking So Good!

I reasoned that Santana’s pitching down the stretch would make the difference, so there’s still a chance of that coming true. But right now the Mets look anything but amazing. On the flip side, the division is Philly’s to lose right now (I don’t think the Marlins can stay close), so it could get interesting.

3. The Diamondbacks and Angels win the Wests - Looking Great!

Both teams are enjoying a 3.5 game lead in their respective divisions. I said I didn’t believe the hype with the Mariners, and I nailed that too (31-51, the worst record in baseball).

4. Ryan Howard will lead the NL in homers this year - Jury’s still out

Howard has 20 HRs, but he trails teammate Chase Utley and Florida Marlin Dan Uggla, who both have 23.

5. The Cubs will win the NL Central - Looking Great!

No team has scored more runs that the Cubbies, who have 50 wins and a 2.5 game lead over the surprising Cardinals. Am I the only one feeling like this just might be Chicago’s time?

6. The Houston Astros will finish in the bottom 3 of their division - Looking Great!

Houston is currently in 4th place out of 6 teams, 4.5 games out of the 3rd sport. That they took 2 of 3 from my Red Sox was a bit annoying, but once Berkman comes back to reality, they’ll finish with a flourish of mediocrity. Jeff Miller, eat your heart out.

7 - The worst record in baseball will belong to the Orioles - Not Looking So Good!

Surprise, surprise…the Orioles aren’t half bad. George Sherrill has been getting the job done as the closer (until last night), and the O’s haven’t been the intra-division doormats that I thought they would be (16-18 against the A.L. East). It should also be mentioned that I said “I’m not as high on the Blue Jays as many are“…and the Blue Jays are in last place in the A.L. East, so that has to count for something. Or not.

8. The Tigers will not win their division - Looking Great!

The bad news: the Tigers are 5 games out and in 3rd place in the A.L. Central right now after a dismal start. The good news: they are the hottest team in baseball, having won 18 of their last 22 games. I predicted the Indians would win this division, but at 37-46 the only thing the Tribe are going to win is a high first round draft pick.

9. The Cy Young awards will go to Santana and Halladay - Jury’s still out

Halladay: 9-6, 2.90 ERA, 106 Ks, 19 BBs

Santana: 7-7. 3.01 ERA, 103 Ks, 32 BBs

Both have good numbers, but the frontrunners have to be Cliff Lee in the AL and Brandon Webb or Edinson Volquez in the NL.

10. The final playoff spots will be won by the Phillies and Tigers - Not Looking So Good!

This one looks wrong because it appears the Phillies will win their division, while the Tigers are 3rd in the Central and 5th in the Wild Card standings at this moment. Lots of baseball left, though.

11. The Yankees and Indians will meet in the ALCS - Not Looking So Good!

Looking horrific, actually. If I had to put money on it right now, I’m not sure which two teams I’d put in the ALCS. The Central is wide open, the Red Sox should win the East, and the Angels will probably hold off Oakland in the West. With a mulligan I think I’d go out on a limb and call it a Red Sox-Twins ALCS.

12. The Diamondbacks and Cubs will face off in the NLCS - Looking Great!

The National League playoffs could be extremely exciting. The Phillies hit like an American League team, the D-Backs have the strong starting pitching, and who’s not pulling for the Cubs?

13. The Yankees will beat the Cubs in the World Series - Not Looking So Good!

Is there a chance of this happening? Of course. But it’s looking pretty slim. The Yankees are going to need miraculous pitching to get into - and through - October. I do think the Cubs are the favorite to win the NL, and until dethroned, I think the Red Sox are the team to beat in the A.L. Like every year, injuries will play a key role. Big Papi’s wrist? Carlos Zabrano’s shoulder? It should be a wild ride. And you can bet that FOX is praying for a Red Sox-Cubs matchup in the World Series.

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How about you, faithful readers? Any predictions for the season here at the halfway point?

4 Comments | Posted in » MLB, previews |