a few stories to check out while your cousin shoots steroids in your butt…

+ Pastor Glenn Sprunger is using soccer to reach his community in Ashland, Ohio. His program, Spirit-driven soccer, is a co-ed league where players ranging from high school age to their 40s and 50s come out to play indoor soccer. Halftimes usually involve a brief spiritual lesson, and Sprunger estimates that more than half of the participants do not regularly go to church.

+ Here’s a story on the witnessing efforts put together by Sports Fan Outreach at the Super Bowl in Tampa a few weeks ago. The piece highlights Donnie Legg, who works in spring training as a major league baseball chaplain for the Washington Nationals and also for a Milwaukee Brewers farm organization.

+ The Community Sports Network is trying to get the testimonies of professional athletes into as many houses as possible, via printed booklets and videos. They’ve printed nearly a million booklets already, and have camera crews descending on spring training this year to record up to 60 hours worth of video.

+ This is a couple weeks old, but it’s a piece on religious displays in sporting events by Kurt Streeter of the L.A. Times. He says, “The constant pointing to the sky, the kneeling at the goal posts, etc., in most cases are thinly veiled attempts by sports stars to reel in converts, and only seen as OK because the athletes are in almost all cases Christians, the religion of our majority.”

+ Ted Kluck’s “The Reason For Sports”, which releases on August 1st of 2009, is now available for pre-order at Amazon. Says the product description, “…there is little thoughtful, Christ-centered writing on the subject that drives most of men’s banter with each other and consumes the bulk of their free time. Sports.” I enjoy Ted’s writing a lot, so this will be a must-read for me…

Looks like it was a legitimate catch after all, no?

Up tomorrow: A picture of Holmes catching the ball while levitating off the ground and wearing a cape.

For every 10 people you were watching the Super Bowl with last Sunday night, 7 of the 10 probably thought Santonio Holmes’ made a great catch in the corner of the end zone.

2 of the 10 were passed out from over-consumption of corn chips and bean dip.

That leaves 1 person who was convinced that Holmes’ didn’t get his right foot down. I don’t remember who it was at our party, but someone kept saying that he thought Holmes’ right foot was actually on his left foot, not on the ground.

Then comes this photo from (Arizona Cardinals’ fan) Will Leitch’s Tumblr:

I have no idea where this image came from.

It could be from Will Leitch’s camera phone, from Bill Belicheck’s personal videotapes of the game, or a photoshop job.

I don’t even know if it’s Santonio Holmes in that picture.

Heck, this could be from a pre-season game between the Cardinals and the Saints, for all I know.

Not to mention that Holmes might have put that right foot down just before or just after this photo was taken.

The point is, this photo proves nothing.

But…

…having seen that catch 50 times already (as you probably have as well), I know I’ll be watching it a little differently from now on.

Just saying…

Today’s the day! Can’t wait for the Big Bowl!

First, I’m going to attach the bowl of roasted red pepper hummus.

Then, I’m going after the bowl of boneless buffalo wings.

And after that, I’m washing it down with a bowl of Erica’s White Trash Dessert Mix, which might be the most addictive desert ever. (her recipe uses Kix, Cheerios, M&Ms, and no peanuts.)

And when it’s all said and done around 6:28pm EST, THEN I’ll watch the Super Bowl. Enjoy the game everyone!

Here’s a special message for you guys from Jon Acuff of Stuff Christians Like:

Stuff Christians Like #483

Feeling guilty for rooting against the Christian guy in the Super Bowl.

Yesterday, a reader asked if she should feel guilty for not supporting Kurt Warner, huge Christian, in the Super Bowl tonight. The answer is yes, yes she should and so should you.

Next to the World Cup and March Madness, I’m pretty sure the Super Bowl is God’s favorite sporting event. He’ll be watching the game and more importantly, He’ll be watching you. Don’t make the mistake I made and root against Kurt Warner. Years ago he was playing the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Hailing from New England, I decided to support my regional team instead of my religious team. Big mistake.

We might have won the Super Bowl that year but in years since we’ve been caught cheating, had our superstar quarterback injured for the whole season, and lost the Super Bowl, after going undefeated all year, on a miracle catch by a wide receiver for the New York Giants. A Christian wide receiver.

Coincidence? I think not.

So unless you want your crops to fail, your team’s quarterback to start dating an international supermodel (the kiss of death when it comes to sports) and want to be labeled as “that guy that rooted against God in the Super Bowl,” you better get on board with Kurt Warner and the Cardinals.

Unless there’s a Christian on the Steelers. And then, well, I don’t know what we’re supposed to do.

See you tomorrow for some recap, analysis, and diet advice.

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

This week we we asked them for their predictions of Super Bowl 43.

Here’s what they said…

First, the chalk-lovers who like the Steelers to win.

	Steelers 31 Cardinals 17. I’d like to see the Cardinals win because I know it would make a lot of the “but they sucked during the regular season” fans and Kurt Warner haters angry, but it seems highly unlikely Pittsburgh won’t be picking up Super Bowl No. 6 on Sunday.
	3-0 Steelers. They’ll get a field goal on their first possession and the rest of the game will be dull, making football fans everywhere realize they should be longing for baseball season instead of getting all hyped up for (what’ll turn out to be) a rather boring Super Bowl.
	Defense wins championships, so we’re going with the Steelers. I’d say Steelers 24-14 because I like the number 4, and because I don’t think Troy Polamalu can stop Fitzgerald every time. Plus Fitz played at Pitt, so I’m sure they’ve got some film on him and stuff.
	Pittsburgh wins 24-17. (It will be close, but Pittsburgh’s offense is much better than people think.)
	27-24 Steelers. The Cards proved they can still score a few points against a good defense, so they’ll put up a few. I think it’ll be close, and I’d like to see Arizona win, but I think Pittsburgh prevails.
	Steelers, 27-19

…and here are your riders of the Arizona Cardinals bandwagon.

	30-27, Cards in the 1st O.T. in Superbowl history. Are you going to get sued if people use the word Superbowl on here? Superbowl.
	31-17 Cardinals. I just think Kurt Warner is going to pick the Steelers apart and the Steelers can’t win a high scoring game
	Cards 28, Steelers 17
	The final score will be Cardinals 24, Steelers 23. Kurt Warner will throw for around 250 yards & 3 scores, but will only complete 20 of his 41 attempts. 13 of those (and 2 scores) will go to Larry Fitzgerald, who will subsequently win the SB MVP award. In general, the Steelers keep the Cardinals locked down, but Fitzgerald is simply a beast who can’t be denied.
	34-31, Cardinals; Hey, why not?
	Cardinals Eleventy Billion – Steelers 0 (as a Cowboys fan, I’m still a bit chuffed about Super Bowls X and XIII and don’t want them to become the first team to win 6)
	28-21 Cardinals. Two words… Larry Fitzgerald
	My prediction is that the Cardinals win the Super Bowl in stunning fashion 32 – 14, Arizona. I think that the offensive line of the Cardinals will step up to the challenge of protecting Warner. This will expose the weakness of the Steelers, and I use weakness very loosely b/c their defense is incredible, but the weakest part of their defense is their corners. The only answer the Steelers have for Fitzgerald is putting Warner on his back. Cards win, Warner goes to Disneyworld with the MVP trophy. My real reason for picking the Cards is, being a Browns fan, I rue the Steelers and the day they became a franchise!
	Cards- 16, Steelers – 15
	I really have no idea what’s going to happen on sunday between the Steelers and the Cardinals. Will Kurt Warner continue to keep his eyes down the field and keep finding Larry Fitzgerald for ridiculous amounts of yardage? Or will the speed of Pittsburgh’s defense be too much for the Cards’ O-line to protect? Because I have to make a pick here, I’ll go with Arizona in the huge upset, 24-16 Cardinals.

I have no idea who’s going to win the big game tomorrow. Neither do you.

Vegas thinks they know. They’ve got the Steelers as 7 point favorites. Then again, last year the favored Patriots lost, thanks to the sticky helmet of David Tyree. So I guess they don’t know either.

Side note: If you’re interested in some of the crazy prop bets Vegas is offering, check them out here.

If Kurt Warner leads the Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl, there will be lots of interviews and lots of opportunities to mention his faith in Jesus. He will jump on every one of those opportunities because that’s what he does. We all know that much.

If Kurt loses, he’ll have less microphones in his face, but he’ll still have his opportunities to thank God. And he still will. I guess we all know that too.

That’s what I find the most fascinating about this whole thing. No one wonders whether or not Kurt will praise God after a loss. Everyone knows he will. That’s a pretty cool place to be, I think, whether you’re a pro football player or an IT engineer. To be at a place where people know you’re consistent no matter the circumstances. Kurt’s a good example of that.

Another side note: for another take on the “God angle”, check out MSNBC’s John Walters latest article

As for the game itself, I hope it’s a good one. You never know with these Super Bowls. Some are classics. Some are so boring, I’d rather watch reruns of Dawson’s Creek. Hey, at least there’s the commercials, right?

I’ll be honest, I didn’t think the Cardinals would win any of their playoff games. So the fact that I don’t think they’ll win on Sunday is actually making me lean towards taking them. If they’re still in the locker room playing the “Nobody believes in us” card, regardless of whether or not it’s actually true, they will come out and start the game with more fire than the Steelers have. I see that as their best chance of pulling the upset.

So to answer the question, “Will God Allow Kurt Warner to Win the Super Bowl?”. I think the answer is ‘Yes’. He will allow it.

But the better question is “Since God has allowed it, will Kurt go out there and win the game?”

Yes, says the Schnoz. Yes he will. Arizona 26, Pittsburgh 20.

Enjoy the game wherever you’re watching it…and check back on Saturday as PFB Members share their predictions on the big game.

Until 7 months ago, I’d never lived in a city with an NFL team. In fact, as far as I can remember, I’d never even been in a city on the same day an NFL game was taking place.

Yesterday, with Mindy out of town and not much to do, I figured I’d head over to a sports bar and watch the Cardinals in the NFC Championship. It’s not every day the NFC Championship takes place in the city where you live, I figured. And it’s certainly not every day it takes place in Arizona.

I usually go to Hazelwoods because it’s close by and has NBA TV, trivia, and Big Sky IPA on tap. It was packed. I headed to Half Moon Bar and Grill, which isn’t quite so cool as Hazelwoods, but the parking lot was full there, too. So I drove all the way out to Scottsdale, to Papago Brewing, which has an excellent selection of beers on tap, good food and plenty of space.

And there, I watched the Cardinals stun the football world. After a flurry of touchdowns in the first half, I made friends with a lovely couple next to me. It didn’t surprise me at all to learn they were from Colorado Springs, and not Cardinals fans, either. This is the nature of Arizona Cardinal fandom, though Deadspin pointed out an even more appropriate (and disgusting) example this morning.

I’m adamantly opposed to bandwagon-jumping, but if ever there was a bandwagon to jump on it’s this one. Not many people believed the 9-7 Cardinals should even make the playoffs. Less believed they would make it past the Atlanta Falcons in the wild-card game. And no one thought they could beat Carolina and Philly to make the freaking Super Bowl. Not even the radio announcers I listened to during the postgame celebration, driving home. They were flabbergasted.

The most amazing story here, though, might be the ongoing saga of Kurt Warner. It was nine years ago Warner went from grocery clerk to Super Bowl Champion with the St. Louis Rams. And now he’s back again. In a post-game interview yesterday, Warner said, and I’m paraphrasing from memory, “I know you guys are tired of hearing it, but I don’t get tired of saying it…I’m here because of my Lord Jesus Christ.”

And I know there are horrible things happening in the world, and it’s difficult to understand why God would bless this man with such success while injustice rages everywhere else, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a man who’s done more with what God has given him. Kurt Warner, when given the opportunity, gives glory to God. And his quote yesterday made me a bit teary.

—

reprinted from the Burnside Writers Blog

Last Sunday my good friend and Pastor, Sam Masteller, told our congregation that he’d wear an Eagles jersey the following Sunday if the Eagles beat the Giants later that day. Sam’s a football fan, but he grew up in the center of PA, so he doesn’t really have an allegiance to the Eagles (or Steelers, for that matter).

The Eagles went on to beat the Giants, so yesterday true to his word, he showed up at church proudly displaying an Eagles jersey. Only, he never specified which one he would wear:

Yes, that’s a T.O. jersey. (And yes, it’s a youth sized jersey. It was the only one he could find. After all, what self-respecting, adult Eagles fan still has a T.O. Jersey that they haven’t burned or eaten?)

A few hours later, the Eagles and Cardinals gave us a memorable NFC Championship Game, and to the surprise of many, it was the Cardinals who prevailed 32-25.

Unless you’re an Eagles fan (and maybe even if you are) that was a great game. As much as the Cards dominated the first half, the Eagles dominated the second half.

Up until THE DRIVE that is. Kurt Warner led his Cards down the field on a 7:52 drive that gave the Cards a 7-point lead and left less than 3 minutes on the clock. On that drive he connected with the unreal Larry Fitzgerald a couple times and handed off wide-right to Tim Hightower on a 4th and 1 at midfield that kept the drive alive.

Had the Eagles driven down the field and scored, and then lost in OT, the goat would surely have been David Akers, who missed an extra point (and a FG as well). But McNabb and company could not finish off their inspired comeback, and the Cardinals hung on to earn their first Super Bowl berth ever.

In comparison, the AFC Championship game was a bit of a dud (unless you’re a Steelers fan I guess). Pittsburgh dominated on both sides of the ball, and Ben Rufflesburger made the plays he needed to make. Can’t say the same for rookie Joe Flacco, who threw 3 picks in the loss.

As for that, “who’s the best safety in the league” debate. On second thought, I think I’ll take Polamalu.

What about the Super Bowl, you ask? Well, we’ve got over a million seconds between now and when SB-XLIII kicks off, so we can wait a few days before we start ripping that match-up apart. I will offer you this nugget, though. The NFC is designated as the home team this year, so this picture should give you an idea of what the uniforms will look like on February 1st (h/t: Uni-Watch):

What about you? Give me some reflections and thoughts on the games yesterday. Were you excited or bummed about the results?

Last Week the Schnoz was 2-2 in his playoff picks, bringing him to 3-5 for the playoffs. How about finishing with 3 good picks to go 6-5? (don’t count on it)

Sunday’s games

Philadelphia Eagles (-4) at the Arizona Cardinals

+ I mentioned this last week, but if Tebow and Warner win the first two major sports championships of 2009, this could be the year of the Christian athlete. (If this does happen and I’m Michael Chang, I’m showing up at the Australian Open and begging for an invitation.)

+ This Eagles team is playing such inspired ball right now, I don’t see how they can be beaten. Then again, I didn’t see how the Panthers weren’t going to run all over the Cards last week either. Does Donovan McNabb have a “Jake Delhomme Crapfest” game in him? Absolutely. I’ve seen him throw at WRs feet too many times to think he’s immune to a stinker. But right now he’s playing like there’s a bowl of steaming hot Chunky soup on the line, and I think he’ll come ready to eat play.

+ Cardinals fans were LOUD in their first round game against Atlanta. Expect to see an equally boisterous crowd on Sunday afternoon. If the Eagles can go up by 10 points in the first quarter and take the fans out of it, Jim Johnson will unleash the defensive equivalent of Hades on the Cards and it might be over. But if the Cards can take an early lead or at least hang close to Philly well into the second quarter, I can see them gaining confidence and momentum that they can hang with the favored Eagles. Andy Reid isn’t known for his mental prowess in the last few minutes of a game…a close contest down the stretch could favor the Cards.

+ Not sure if this is true or not, but we received an anonymous tip this week that Kurt Warner could be overheard praying loudly in his bedroom, saying, “Dear God, please confuse Jim Johnson’s mind on Sunday. Make the synapses in his brain like that of the people who tried to build the tower of Babel.” Brenda Warner refused to comment…

+ I’m torn with this pick. I’m not an Eagles fan at all, so I’d like to see them lose. But I’ve picked against them two straight games and they’ve won. Do I pick the Eagles and hope the jinx holds? Or do I pick against them again because I think the Cardinals are going to win? Maybe I should I predict a tie in honor of Donovan McNabb’s brilliance? I think I’ll go with my oft-wrong gut…

The Prediction: Cardinals 28, Eagles 20 (sorry, I can’t help myself)

—

Baltimore Ravens (+6) at the Pittsburgh Steelers

some things to consider…

+ Joe Flacco is dangerously close to possessing a unibrow. That’s definitely something to consider.

+ From what I’ve been reading, sounds like Ravens Defensive Coordinator Rex Ryan is going to take the New York Jets Head Coaching job once the Ravens are done. If Ray Lewis catches wind of this during his one of his “I’m a crazy dude” spells, he might try to eat Ryan’s brain. Keep an eye on that one…

+ Forecast for Sunday evening in Pittsburgh? It will be in the 20s with an 80% chance of snow. Gotta love that.

+ The Ravens had no answer for Chris Johnson’s speed last week. This week they play a fast, but not AS FAST, Willie Parker. Just how old is this Raven Defense? I bet we’ll find out. Expect a healthy dose of Willie Parker and company for 4 straight quarters.

+ Head to Head in their last 16 games against each other, these teams are both 8-8.

+ Will this game feature the 2 best safeties in the game in Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu? I think so. Which one would you rather have on your team? I’d take Reed.

The Prediction: Steelers 26, Ravens 21

***

Potential Super Bowl Matchups

let’s take a quick look at the potential Super Bowl Matchups

Cardinals vs. Ravens – This is NBC’s worst nightmare. In fact, John Madden just read this and he started choking on the turducken leg he was eating. Your main storyline would be the Rookie QB vs. the Old QB. Yawn.

Brief Aside – I forgot to mention this last week, but I had this thought before last week’s games. A sort-of “dream scenario” if you will. What if the Cardinals and Titans had advanced to the Super Bowl, but in their respective Championship games, Kurt Warner and Kerry Collins had suffered significant injuries, forcing their backups to start Super Bowl 43? It would be a rematch of the 2006 Rose Bowl, Matt Leinart vs. Vince Young! Imagine that! Leinart improbably leads the Cardinals over VY and the Titans and exacts revenge for the Rose Bowl loss. Or Vince beats Leinart again and becomes a Super Bowl champion, restoring his shattered ego. Okay, back to reality…

Cardinals vs. Steelers – Is this an upgrade over the previous match-up? I suppose. At least the Steelers bring with them some polarization. Tons of folks who love the team, and plenty of Steeler-haters out there too. Your main storylines would be Ken Whisenhunt coaching against his former team and Kurt and Big Ben going for their second Super Bowl ring.

Eagles vs. Ravens – The clear storyline here would be McNabb getting another chance against the team he was losing to when he was benched. In fact, this would be forced down our throats (and the players’ throats as well) for two straight weeks. If this happens, McNabb might actually throw up BEFORE the Super Bowl instead of DURING it.

Eagles vs. Steelers – Probably the best potential matchup out there. Lots of animosity between Eagles and Steelers fans, especially where I live on the outskirts of central Pennsylvania. In fact, I work about 25 miles from Philly, but today at work there’s 1 Steeler jersey for every 4 Eagle jerseys. Even 300 miles from Pittsburgh, the Black and Gold are representing. The Battle of Pennsylvania. (I think it’s gonna happen)…

So, the Schnoz wants to know…who are you rooting for, and who do you think will win?

According to CNBC’s Darren Rovell, website AshleyMadison.com will not have an ad in this year’s Super Bowl program after all.

Last month AshleyMadison.com made some waves by announcing they had an ad running in the official Super Bowl XLIII program. The slogan on the ad was “WHO are you doing after the game?”

The ad also featured an oiled up woman on her knees holding a football and baring much cleavage…a little too racy for our sweet little site.

Oh, in case you don’t know what AshleyMadison.com is, it’s “America’s #1 Online Dating Service for people looking to have a discrete affair”. Their tagline: “Life is Short. Have an Affair.”

In other words, their site is a big ole piece of turd connected to the internet.

Once the NFL wised up to what was going on, they quickly pulled the plug. According to NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy:

“After realizing what the site was, the sales rep called back and told the company there was a mistake and that his company could not sell an ad to the site.”

As you might expect, this didn’t sit very well with homewrecker Noel Biderman, CEO of AshleyMadison.

“I find the rejection to be ridiculous given that a huge percentage of the NFL’s marketing content is for products like alcohol, which they sell in their stadiums, promote on their air and clearly have in the magazine,” Biderman said. “That’s a product that literally kills tens of thousands of people each year. So if the NFL is worried about legislating behavior and regulating what their audience should be exposed to then it should start with a ban on all alcohol advertising and products being sold, not AshleyMadison.com.”

Seriously Noel? You’re seriously going to compare alcohol to extramarital affairs? Apparently you’re not only a jerk for running a site that aids and abets folks looking to break promises and hurt the people who love them, you’re also as stupid as Balaam’s ass. If his argument made even a shred of sense I might knock it down, but it’s so dumb, I’ll just let it speak for itself.

Honestly, I seriously considered not even posting this item because any pub that this trashy Canadian site gets is probably good pub for them. And the last thing I want to do is get one of our readers thinking about ruining his or her life by “browsing” around at this online shop of nightmares.

Seriously, I’m close to folks who have risked everything they had to chase a little tail or get some emotional loving from someone other than their spouse. You probably know someone who has too. Has it ever gone well? It’s one of the most selfish and deceptive things a person can do, and besides the lifelong damage you do to yourself in exchange for a few thrilling moments, you usually hurt most of the people in your life who love you.

It was a no-brainer, but good job by the NFL for putting the kibosh on this one.

(h/t: Darren Rovell)