a few things to check out while you say “can you believe it’s June?” 145 times today…

+ Dwight Howard and his merry band of 3-point shooters vanquish LeBron James. How will they beat the Lakers in a 7-Game series? “God”, according to what Howard told ESPN’s Chris Sheridan:

Earlier, I asked Howard in the locker room to give me one or two reasons why I should consider picking the Magic to defeat the Lakers.

“God” was his answer, which was met with the counterargument that the Lord probably has better things to worry about than who wins a basketball game, and besides, religion and politics are usually best kept out of sports stories.

“That’s the reason, I’m telling you,” Howard replied.

+ Some MLB players go days without hearing their wife’s voice. The Rays’ Ben Zobrist hears his wife’s voice every time he steps into the batter’s box. Julianne Zobrist’s debut CD, The Tree, which “is considered in the Christian rock/alternative genre, (though) she has a broader sound.”, provides the musical backdrop for all of Ben’s at-bats.

+ Former Detroit Piston John Salley talks about his time on “I’m a Celebrity, Get ME Outta Here!” Why is he a Vegan?

Well, I don’t eat anything that has the right to live, meaning, I say this to all those Christians. God said thou shalt not kill. That means everything, not just humans.

So who’s crazier? Dwight, Ben, or John?

The Orlando Sentinel is running point/counter-point style editorials about a recent “Faith and Family” held as a promotion for a Magic game. Two columnists debate whether this type of event is a “smart promotion or an unwelcome intrusion of religion into sports?” (You can read the columns here).

The event was somewhat controversial for blending religion with sports, even though Magic star Dwight Howard is one the most outspoken Christians in the NBA.

Basically, one evening, fans could hang around after the game for a free Christian rock concert. To add a little sub-text to the controversy, the team’s owner is a well known financial supporter of conservative causes like the Amendment 2 ban on gay marriage—a fact that has made him somewhat of a lightening rod in the Central Florida press. Here’s a quote from Sentinel columnist Andrea Adelson, “The entire idea of a Faith & Family Night makes it feel as though the team is supporting that religion, and makes it even worse to know that it is trying to draw in fans with these beliefs in an effort to sell tickets. If this was a true Faith & Family Night, then Jewish groups and Muslim groups and other religious groups would be there singing their songs, too.”

One reason it didn’t get more press is possibly because it was just days after the Magic were involved another controversy—flopgate (or “the flop flap”) as it has become known.

As it turns out, Shaq flopping in the post while playing against Dwight Howard (and the ensuing war of words between the Diesel and Magic coach Stan Van Gundy) was far more interesting to the press than the blending of Christianity and sports.

I think the reason why it’s more fun to talk about Shaq, smack-talk-ridden press conferences and flopping than the political correctness and social repercussions of faith in the public square is because a lot of times, sports provide escapism from difficult issues. We watch sports because it’s fun and exciting—to get away from the screaming political pundits and gloom and doom news. Plus, tacking on a free Shane & Shane concert to the end of game isn’t really hurting anyone.

PS. I’d be amiss to post a story that mentions flopping and not include this YouTube clip of the worst flop in basketball history. I love Duke, and I’m excited about their ACC title, but it’s clips like this that make me understand why people hate them.

In case you missed it, and you probably did, Dwight Howard won the Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday night in New Orleans. If you haven’t seen the highlights yet, you should check them out. Howard had a few amazing dunks, and Gerald Green blew out a candle on a cupcake sitting on the back of the rim as he dunked.

Unlike last year, when he wrote “Phil 4:16″ on a sticker he slapped on the backboard, Howard’s props did not involve any Bible references. Considering his dunks this year, I think that’s probably a good thing. With all due respect to Willie Aames, I’m not sure that a BibleMan costume would have gone over as well as the Man of Steel’s cape did.

(Is there any doubt that Howard will be referred to as ‘Superman’ from now on? You gotta wonder how Shaquille O’ Neal feels about that.)

Congrats to Dwight Howard. Somewhere, A.C. Green is spooning with his wife and applauding you.

a few quick hitters for you while those valentine’s day flowers began their slow death on your kitchen table…

+ If you were wondering what Mike Golic is fasting this year for lent (and you know you were), he’s giving up on making fun of Mike Greenberg, his partner in crime on the Mike & Mike Morning Show. This has led to the creation of a sound bite by their extremely talented producers Joaquin and Liam, that Greeny plays whenever he thinks Golic is breaking his fast with an insult or quip. The clip is of a jovial Satan saying “We’re making room for you down here, big guy! Muahahahahaha!” (Personally, I’ve never been a big fan of hell jokes, but that’s just me.) I will say though, I plan on tuning in on the Monday following Easter, because I expect Golic to unleash a few weeks worth of insults on his metrosexual cohort.

+ Wondering how that conversation went down between Clemens and Pettitte in which Pettitte misremembered what Roger said and attributed his HGH use to some old guys on TV? Joe Posnanski provides a transcript.

+ The NBA Slam Dunk Contest might, (and I emphasize “might”) actually be good this year. Last year Dwight Howard gave us the “All things through Christ” sticker near the top of the backboard. This year he wanted the NBA to raise the rim to 12 feet but they refused. He’ll be facing off against Gerald Green, Jamario Moon, and Rudy Gay in a contest that, for the first time ever, will feature fan voting to help determine a winner. The NBA All-Star Saturday night festivities will air on TNT from 8pm-11pm EST.

+ Thanks to Matt Doan over at Orange County Pastor for the gracious linkage he posted at his blog. That kind of love will earn you a spot on the “Friends of PFB” blogroll every time.

+ Any NASCAR fans in the house? The Daytona 500 is this Sunday, which is kinda like the PGA Tour opening up their season with The Masters. Always thought that was a cool twist; to open the season with your biggest event. My brother-in-law is the biggest NASCAR fan I know, and he’s barely a fan, so I’m admittedly a bit detached from the sport. But I do know that he hates Jimmie Johnson, so that’s the guy I root for every week. And by “root” I mean “I don’t watch any of the event, but I hope he wins”. Go 48!

+ Here at Prayers For Blowouts we will not endorse any one political candidate. (Probably because we have no idea who we are voting for at this point.) But if a story comes along that touches the intersection of sports and faith, we’re all over it like Dick Vitale on Duke. In that vein, we found this 2005 story on Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee very interesting. Most folks know that Huckabee is a Christian, but did you know that he used to have a size 50 waist before he started running?

+ If you’re still buzzing over the fact that Pitchers and Catchers reported to Spring Training this week, perhaps you’d be interested in joining our PFB Fantasy Baseball League? Since most of you diehards are already in your own Roto league, I was thinking of putting together a Head-to-Head league for us to compete in. If you’re interested, send an email to –>prayersforblowoutsATgmailDOTcom.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A record-breaking start, actually.