Reflections on Sports

Super Bowl XLVI Prediction

2012-01-30T13:10:00.001-06:00

I know it's Monday and there is still 6 days to go before the Super Bowl but I have a little time right now to get my prediction written down. I have a fairly busy week this week with leading small group, several times speaking and this weekend helping take some college students down to Myrtle Beach for Converge (winter retreat for college students across the state of South Carolina).

Once again, I go into the Super Bowl matchup with a 6-4 record after correctly predicting the conference championship games. This year's matchup is a rematch of Super Bowl XLII back in February 2008 between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. New York vs. Boston, another epic matchup between those two cities.

The last time both teams were in the big games was that matchup that saw the then undefeated Patriots lose to the underdog Giants. I'm sure there will be many references to that game for the next week or so. In fairness, these are two different teams now than when these two teams faced off 4 years ago.

This version of the Patriots have a defense that is less than stellar, though they did pick it up in the playoffs. Their receiver corps is probably less talented than the previous version but their TEs with Gronkowski and Hernandez are better (though the health of Gronk's ankle will come into question). I would say the Pats running game this time around is a little better and one can never count out Tom Brady especially with a week off to rest up.

This version of the Giants has again a top notch front 4, I would say their linebackers are probably not as good as their SB winning team and their secondary is hit or miss. Their receiving corps is better this time around with Nicks, Cruz & Manningham. Their running game is probably better but it's inconsistent though recently they've been a little bit more consistent. Eli Manning is playing better this year and could rightfully be considered a top flight QB.

Last time around I picked the Pats because I wanted to see an undefeated season. This time around there's not that so it makes for a harder game to figure. Both teams have their strengths and weaknesses. Both head coaches (Tom Coughlin & Bill Belicheck) are veteran coaches who know how to win.

Best way to decide? Go with the fantasy football team. I have three players in this game: Wes Welker and Stephen Gostkowski for the Pats & Ahmad Bradshaw for the Giants. Both Welker & Bradshaw had weeks where they scored the most points for my team in the regular season. Welker had more of those. I'm going with that. Pats get revenge for Super Bowl XLII and beat the Giants.

Patriots 27 Giants 24

Random Sports Reflections

2012-01-23T12:37:00.000-06:00

As I take a few minutes out of a cold, rainy Monday in the Upstate of SC to ponder about some stuff...

*True to form, I picked the AFC & NFC title games correct just like last year. Well if that holds to form, whoever I pick for the Super Bowl should win right? Haha, hmmmm probably not so fast on that one. Lot of time to think through that. I am glad that Baltimore isn't going. That would've been a rough game to watch. It's like the Yankees playing in the World Series, not worth watching cause I don't like them. Instead we get a rematch of Super Bowl XLII. I'll have my thoughts & predictions of that game next week.

*Sad to hear about the passing of Joe Paterno over the weekend. It is a tragic story in many ways and one that can at times leave one speechless. I refrained from blogging about the story when it came out last November. Partly because I didn't know what to say & partly because it seemed that everyone else was talking about it. I didn't know what I could contribute that was any different. The whole scandal is a reminder of how we live in a fallen world. I hope that JoePa was a believer and I hope that would give comfort to his family as they mourn his loss. And I hope that there is continued prayer for the people of Happy Valley and the Penn State community for those who are having to deal daily with the effects of the actions of Jerry Sandusky. And I hope that there are believers in that area who are able to share Christ and let Him work & heal broken lives there.

*If you haven't yet, check out the site SportsYapp. They are a part of Sports Spectrum, a magazine that talks about Christianity and sports. They have a podcast that's updated fairly regularly and have done some interviews with some players, reporters and announcers sharing their testimonies like Dave Pasch, Clark Kellogg, Chris Broussard and Brett Kern. There's a link to the latest podcast here on my blog (it's on the right side of the page, just scroll down and you should see it.) Really good stuff and I suggest giving a listen sometime.

2012 Conference Championship Picks

2012-01-20T09:35:00.000-06:00

Well after a great 3-1 Wild Card round predictions, my divisional round picks fell flat on their face. I went 1-3...but in my defense I didn't see the Saints turning the ball over 5 times & not double covering the Niners' best receiver (Vernon Davis), nor did I see the Texans muff a punt that swung momentum early in the game & the Texans couldn't ever recover, nor did I see the Packers receivers dropping so many passes...for what it's worth (Ironically, last year I was the same record after the divisional round 4-4).

So now the conference championship games. To be honest, both games are eh to me but it is what it is. There are two scenarios that I'd be fine with and there are two that would make for an ugh Super Bowl. You can probably guess which two would make for an ugh Super Bowl (just think Super Bowl XXXV). Okay onto my picks (as always the scores don't really matter just the picks).

The first conference title game is the AFC Championship game between the Baltimore Ravens vs the New England Patriots. Let's be honest, is there any doubt who I'm picking in this game? But for the sake of a semi thorough review, here goes. The Ravens are coming off a victory against the Texans in the divisional round. Their defense is playing well and when they utilize the run game with Ray Rice, they are a good team. However, I'm not sold on that secondary (aside from Ed Reed) and I don't think that Joe Flacco is reliable in the big game or on the road (which this game is both a big game and on the road). The Patriots are coming off a beat down of the Broncos. Yes the Patriots have one of the worst defenses statistically in the league this year and they didn't beat a team with a winning record in the regular season. But the Pats still have Tom Brady, they still have the offensive weapons. On Sunday it will be the Pats' strength (offense) vs. the Ravens' strength (defense). What puts it over the edge? Two guys on the Patriots (Wes Welker & Stephen Gostkowski) were on my fantasy football team that won the championship, Ravens had 0. Advantage Patriots

Patriots 31 Ravens 17

The late game is the NFC Championship game between the New York Giants vs the San Francisco 49ers. To be honest, probably most NFL fans would've rather saw the Saints and Packers in this game but this is the game we've got. The Giants are coming off a victory against the defending Super Bowl champs while the Niners are coming off a victory over the Saints. A lot of people are comparing this Giants team to the one that won the Super Bowl in February 08. I think the better comparison was one I saw earlier this week with this team and the Packers team of last year. They have a great pass rush and the passing game is right up there. Rushing has been kind of inconsistent but it's kinda coming into form now. They are a team that seems to be hot at the right time but it also could be they're catching teams at the right time. On the other side, the 49ers have had a stingy defense and a great running game. Jim Harbaugh, in his first year as the Niners head coach, has turned this franchise around and have put them in a position to go to the Super Bowl since the mid 90s. Alex Smith has looked more like the #1 pick this season. However, this team is the more inexperienced team when it comes to the playoffs and their receivers dropped a lot of passes last week, something they cannot afford to do this week. This one is very tough to pick. Both teams have a legit shot of winning. Giants have the experience but the 49ers are at home. 49ers have a tough defense but Eli Manning has become one of the elite QBs in the league. Looking at my championship fantasy football team roster, I have one player from each team (Alex Smith vs. Ahmad Bradshaw). Deciding factor: Alex Smith was on my bench, Ahmad Bradshaw was a starter. Going with the Giants

Giants 20 49ers 13

2012 Divisional Round Predictions

2012-01-13T18:01:00.000-06:00

Well, I didn't do too bad with my Wild Card predictions going 3-1 (missed on Atlanta but then again they didn't show up last week). This weekend's games have some easy to root for teams for the most part. Lets see if I can keep the winning tradition going (as always the scores don't really matter just the picks).

The first game of the weekend is New Orleans vs San Francisco. The Niners are in the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade. They have a stifling defense & a potential coach of the year in Jim Harbaugh. The Saints are coming off a win against Detroit in the Wild Card round. This is a tough matchup. The Saints aren't the best road team in the world but they do have playoff experience and a top QB in Drew Brees. The Niners do have a solid running game in Frank Gore and the aforementioned tough D. Out of the 4 matchups, this will be the toughest to pick. However, despite the road concerns, I'm taking the Saints. Their defense will give Alex Smith fits. I think for another week Saints fans can chant "Who Dat?"

Saints 27 49ers 17

The night game on Saturday is Denver vs New England. Brady vs. Tebow II. A lot has been said the first time around so there really isn't more that needs to be said. Patriots won the first game though the Broncos put up a great fight in that game. That time it was in Denver. This time it's in New England. Tebow had a great game last week against the Steelers. And New England hasn't won a playoff game since the 2007 season. Then again, if we go by history the division winner that no one expected to win in WC round lost the next round. Think this time will be no exception. Close one but think it'll be the Pats again.

Patriots 34 Broncos 30

The early Sunday game features Houston vs Baltimore. Let's face it. I don't like Baltimore and will not pick them to win. Even with a 3rd string QB and little playoff experience, Houston does have a tough running game & their defense is top notch. Plus I don't think Flacco is that great a QB. Texans keep hope alive in Houston

Texans 24 Ravens 10

The final game features the NY Giants vs Green Bay. They matched up earlier in the year with the Packers pulling out the victory in dramatic fashion. The Giants are coming off a win against the Falcons and many are comparing them to the team that won the Super Bowl in the 2007 season. Eh, I'm not really seeing it. They are still inconsistent and their secondary is weak. Aaron Rodgers can and will exploit it. Packers keep up the chance for a repeat

Packers 37 Giants 27

2012 Wild Card Weekend Predictions

2012-01-02T14:13:00.000-06:00

2012 is here and the first post of 2012 is predictions for the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs. Lots of intriguing matchups this first week of the playoffs and will be tough to pick.

(FYI, this is my opinion, the main thing is who I'm picking & not the score...)

The first game on Saturday will see Cincinnati vs Houston. This is a rematch of a regular season game in week 14 which saw Houston win at Cincy. This time the game will be in Houston. This is the first time the Texans have reached the playoffs & this is the third time for Cincy since 1990 (which was the last time they won a playoff game). The Texans are essentially on their 3rd string QB as they lost their top two to injury during the season. Cincy has a rookie QB in Andy Dalton starting for them. Though Houston had a stumble towards the end of the regular season, I think their defense will be enough to get them through this round and get their first ever playoff win.

Texans 27 Bengals 17

The second game on Saturday will see Detroit vs New Orleans. This game is also a rematch of a regular season game in week 13 in which New Orleans won at home. For Detroit, this is the first time they've been in the playoffs since 1999. New Orleans is two years removed from their Super Bowl win. The Lions have an explosive passing offense but not much of a running game. The Saints offense are clicking on all cylinders & QB Drew Brees is an MVP candidate. Like the Texans/Bengals matchup, don't think Lions will get revenge here. Saints will roll.

Saints 37 Lions 24

The first Sunday game is Atlanta vs the New York Giants. Atlanta is in the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in their history and a year removed from being the #1 seed in the NFC. The Giants are in the playoffs since 2008 season, the year after they won the Super Bowl. Some are saying this Giants team is like the Super Bowl team of 2007. I'm not so sure. I think this Falcons team is better than last year's team and I think could be "sleeper" team to make the Super Bowl. It'll be close but I think Matty Ice (Matt Ryan) will get his first playoff win.

Falcons 27 Giants 20

The final Wild Card game is Pittsburgh vs Denver. Big Ben vs Timmy Tebow. This is probably the matchup that everybody "knows" how it's going to be. Pittsburgh did a good job in bucking the trend of Super Bowl losers the previous year not making the playoff the next year. Since 2000 only Tennessee in 2000, Seattle in 2006 and Indianapolis in 2009 and now Pittsburgh pulled it off. In the previous 3 instances, only the Seahawks won a playoff game that next playoff season (the WC game against Cowboys with the botched FG attempt). The Steelers come into this game with a hurt Big Ben (who should play) and a now hurt RB Rashard Mendenhall (who is out for the playoffs) but have a very tough defense. The Broncos are in the playoffs for the first time since 2005 and did so by "backing" into the playoffs. It has been a roller coaster year with Tebow at the helm after a 1-4 start. They had a 7-1 run then lost their last 3. A lot (and I mean a lot) of people are bashing Tebow (rightly so or not). I don't think I've ever seen a player who was a "nice guy" who gets critiqued so heavily. Although I'm not happy that Tebow helped contribute to the Titans not making the playoffs (with the crazy scenarios) I'm tired of so many people bashing him. Most everybody is picking the Steelers to demolish Denver. But this game is in Mile High and don't know how mobile Big Ben will be. This game has a feeling of last season's Saints/Seahawks game. We all know how that game turned out. I think for at least one more time this season, it'll be Tebow Time

Broncos 20 Steelers 17

Random Sports Reflections

2011-12-08T10:44:00.001-06:00

Lot to talk about (hopefully I'll get back into a regular blogging routine in 2012) so it's bullet point time:

*I can't say that I'm disappointed about the BCS Championship Game, because it being the BCS, one should not be surprised. I've said it before & I'll say it again, if every level of football except Division 1 football can have a playoff and do well with it, why not them too? I had several discussions on facebook about it, almost to the point that I got sick of it. I don't fault my friends who are Alabama fans who are happy about being in the national championship game but the BCS is a messed up system. Would a playoff be perfect? No, but at least a championship would be decided on the field and not by computers and voters. Maybe someday there will be one but we'll see.

*Lots of Tim Tebow talk going around. It seems every week (or even every day) there is new Tebow talk. In a lot of ways it reminds me of Brett Favre and the media attention he got in the past few years. It seems a lot of writers and media come up with a story, slap Tim Tebow's name on it and boom. Given the 24/7 nature of news (sports or general), it's a given. But there comes a point when a lot of it is just rehashed news (he's not seen as the QB of the future, his faith being mocked, etc) pointing back at events that were a month or more ago. It will be interesting to see how long this media frenzy will hold up. When the offseason comes, will the Tebow talk still continue? Should be interesting.

*Albert Pujols signed with the Anaheim Angels (still refuse to call them the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) this morning. I can't fault him for signing the 10 year 250+ million dollar contract. I just fault him for signing with the Angels, mainly because they're a rival of the Mariners & it means for the next 10 years (barring him waiving the no-trade clause) I'll have to root against him. Well I guess there's Tim Tebow to root for.

How a Christian Can Be a Critic of Tim Tebow & Still Like the Guy

2011-11-04T12:55:00.000-05:00

There have been a lot of articles (and by a lot I mean an exorbitant amount) written about Tim Tebow. There have been a lot of them written recently. Some of them are really good and some of them not so much. For a lot of people, the Denver Broncos QB is a polarizing figure. From where he went to college, to his faith, there seems to be a lot of reasons why people choose to be on opposite sides.

The problem comes when there is criticism (whether constructive or not) is placed on Tebow. On one side, any level of criticism regardless is seen as a personal attack on him. On the other side, people feel he gets a free pass and that he's been given a lot considering where he is and done.

Where do I stand on the matter? Given that I am a follower of Jesus, my worldview is in line with Tebow's. I don't know all his theological stands (I've never met him nor talked with him) but from what I've read and heard they are in line.

So do I feel that people who criticize him are persecuting him because of his faith? Not necessarily. Now granted there are some who are critical of him because of his faith but I'm sure they would be critical of me or any other Christian as well. But those who share criticism (particularly constructive criticism) are doing it of Tebow the player, not Tebow the person.

Right now he is a second year NFL QB. He has had at this point 5 NFL starts in 2 seasons. He has shown to make some spectacular plays. He has also looked really really bad. He was drafted by and for a head coach in Denver who is no longer there. He is under a head coach that didn't want him and for all intents and purposes still doesn't want him. There are some fundamental things as a QB he needs to learn to do (read defenses, anticipate throws, throw the ball to open receivers) that are slow in developing. Does this mean he is a bad person or that is challenging his faith? By no means. It's simply stating facts.

Tebow has been hurt in his development as an NFL QB because of the coaching change with the Broncos along with the NFL lockout which cut out the offseason of minicamps & a full training camp which would've benefited him greatly. It doesn't help that Cam Newton, who came from a similar style system in college & who was once Tebow's backup at Florida before transferring, has come out of the gate like gangbusters in his rookie year.

I like Tebow, despite the fact that he went to Florida. I think he needs to improve if he wants to be a starting QB in the NFL. I'm sure he understands that as well and is working hard to improve. Being critical about his timing or his tendency to take a lot of sacks is not the same thing about being critical about his faith. A Christian can be a critic of Tim Tebow, the Denver Broncos QB and still like and support Tim Tebow the person.

The Decision 2011...Or The Next Step For Me

2011-10-04T15:24:00.002-05:00

"What a long strange trip it's been." I seem to quote Bill Walton quoting the Grateful Dead at regular instances in my life. Once again, that seems to be the case. To be honest, this entry has been about 4 months in the making.

When I graduated from seminary back in May, I had already been in the process of looking for a ministry position. I loved the position that I had in Kansas City but it was an unpaid position and I needed to find a paid position. In some ways, it is like a free agent in a professional league. You look around at what's out there (send out resumes), give "tryouts" to show off talent (participate in interviews) and wait to hear back on an offer.

It has been a long process. There have been hundreds of resumes sent out. There have been several interviews that I've done. And there has been a lot of waiting and a lot of rejections. I personally have gotten to know the phrases "We are going in a different direction." and "We wish you the best in your ministry." very well, even to the point of never wanting to hear or say those phrases ever again.

It has definitely been a lot of learning (or better yet relearning) patience. There were several times throughout this process where I really thought I was about to hear a yes, that I got a certain position only to get a no. It has been a lot of trusting God that He knew what was best for me.

Finally, today I received word. After over four months of praying and seeking and waiting, the decision has been made. I will be bringing my talents to.....Spartanburg, South Carolina. Yes I will be taking a position as an Associate Campus Minister for the Spartanburg BCM (Baptist Collegiate Ministries). There are 5 universities in the Spartanburg Area and I'll be helping out on a couple of those campuses. I'm excited about the opportunity.

There is still a lot to work out. The position does not start until January. That's good because there are several things that need to be taken care of before then. One of those is the fact that at this point it is only a part time position (or better described as a part-part time, 10 hours a week). I will need to find something else to help supplement my income. The BCM Director has assured me that she along with the DOM (Director of Missions) of the Baptist Association in the area will work to help me in maybe getting a part time church staff position. It might be an option to raise support but that's still to be determined.

I'm excited and thought I don't know how it's all going to work out, at least now I know what the next step is. Looking forward to 2012 and starting the next "season" of my life.

Bartman and Both Sides of Forgiveness: Review of Catching Hell

2011-09-28T10:57:00.000-05:00

Last night on ESPN was the debut of the documentary movie "Catching Hell". Initially this movie was to be included last year in the 30 for 30 Series but got bumped. However, they released it as the first movie in the new "season" of documentaries on ESPN and in my opinion is right up there with some of the best in the 30 for 30 series.

The story of "Catching Hell" essentially one of a scapegoat. Although the main part of the story is about Steve Bartman, Chicago Cubs fan, there is also the story of Bill Buckner, Red Sox player that bookends the story. In both instances, the label of scapegoat is placed because fans essentially want someone to blame for the losses that their long suffering teams had to face.

The movie itself was very good. When it first started and the majority of the first twenty minutes was about Buckner I was kinda eh. I was like "When are we going to get to Bartman?" But the director, who's a Red Sox fan, tied it together and it ended up working out using Buckner in that capacity.

As some may know, growing up as a kid in Tennessee in the 80s, my allegiance to a MLB team were fluid. In 1986, it was the first time I actually kinda kept up with it. I liked the Red Sox and was pulling for them. At the time, I was disappointed that they lost but didn't realize until later why I wasn't supposed to like Buckner. Later on, I found out why and looking back now I understand why part of the blame should go to him but not all of it. It wasn't just him who caused the team to lose but it was easy to put the full blame on him. (Side note, in the documentary there was a clip of the postgame interview of the losing pitcher who was more than willing to throw Buckner under the bus, highly disappointed in that guy for not standing up for his teammate). Red Sox fans for the longest time could not forgive Buckner, so much so that he had to move from Boston.

Fast forward to 2003, both the Red Sox and the Cubs were in the championship series with a chance at the World Series (side note, one of two contentions with the documentary, the movie made it seem in a sense that the Red Sox/Yanks series was over with prior to the Cubs/Marlins series, those two series were going on at the same time). At the start of the playoffs, I predicted a Red Sox/Cubs World Series....mainly because I thought it'd be an awesome series. Unfortunately on the AL side that didn't happen thanks to Grady Little and Aaron Boone in Game 7.

On the NL side, the Cubs had the opportunity to clinch a World Series berth in Game 6 of the NLCS. They had the lead into the 8th inning when an innoculous foul ball hit by Luis Castillo is interferred with by a Cubs fan. Later on in the inning, an error by Alex Gonzalez extends the inning and from that the Marlins blast open the game and end on winning Game 6 to force a Game 7.

At the time, I thought two things. One, how in the world could a fan of the home team reach out onto the field when the home team was playing defense? Second, what was he thinking?

After the fact, was it told who the person was & there was a firestorm from it. Local media then national media picked up on the story. Everyone knew about him but no one knew him. And he wasn't talking, he issued a statement that was read by his brother in law but other than that nothing. The Cubs ended up losing the series and the long streak of no World Series victories continued.

I had thought that Cubs fans were mad at Bartman more so after Game 7 but watching the documentary it was evident fans in the stadium were mad that night. Home video from inside the stadium showed how hostile "The Friendly Confines" became. The documentary does a great job of incorporating that footage into the story. I think the main things that I picked up from that footage are that from an angle in the upper deck right over the play....it really does look like Bartman interfered with OF Moises Alou in making the catch (there was long dispute whether Alou really had a chance at it) and that people really hated Bartman for that.

Since that incident, there has been no public words from him. Aside from an ESPN.com reporter trying to track him down in 2005, there has been seemingly no contact with him. He has seemingly disappeared. And in some ways, it has made it even easier to keep protraying him as a scapegoat for that series.

What is a scapegoat by the way? It refers to an Old Testament ritual that was established for the Israelites after they had left Egypt. As part of the process for atoning for the sins of the people on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would have two goats brought to him. One of the goats would be sacrificed in response to the need for atonement. The other goat would be presented in front of the people. The high priest would then lay hands on the goat and that symbolized the sins of the people being placed on the goat. The goat was then released out into the wilderness, hence the scapegoat.

(The other point of contention with the documentary was that they had a female Unitarian minister explain what a scapegoat was...could've got someone with a little more authority to speak on that but that's my opinion)

The documentary ends showing Buckner throwing out the first pitch at Opening Day at Fenway Park in 2008 after the Red Sox had won the World Series for the second time in four years. It was a touching moment because Buckner was shown to have forgiven the media (who he blamed, not the fans for the troubles) and the media and fans forgiving him. I had forgotten about that scene and was really cool to see. With Bartman, there is a question mark still left. The director thinks (and maybe rightly so) that Cubs fans will forgive Bartman when the Cubs win the World Series.

After watching the documentary, there were several things that came to mind that I tweeted about. One, what would it have been like if Twitter or iPhones had been around? In 2003, social media wasn't what it was today. There were blogs but not to the extent there is now. Texting hadn't really taken off as a means of communication. Second, how would it have been different if the play had taken place in like the 1st inning or the 3rd inning instead of the 8th inning?

I think the main one was "What if Bartman had spoken up right after it or that offseason?" I think it's one thing to issue a statement, it's another to speak out. I wonder in some ways if Bartman hasn't forgiven Chicago and Cubs fans for how they treated him that night. I wonder if he still holds a grudge and if that isn't a part of why he has never talked about it. I don't know. I do know that forgiveness is best when it's both ways. God calls us to forgive one another. When situations happen and when we are wronged, we are to forgive as He has forgiven us. Sometimes the other person will not forgive but we are still to forgive them. We are to do our part to reconcile.

It would be cool for this story to have a happy resolve. That would be up to the city of Chicago and Cubs fans and also to Steve Bartman. There can be a great example of forgiveness and redemption here. Hopefully, someday that can be seen.

"Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." (Colossians 3:13 ESV)

Predictions for 2011 NFL Season

2011-09-07T15:40:00.001-05:00

It has been over a month since my last post. I really need to write more. Maybe this will be the start. Considering that the NFL season starts tomorrow, I guess I should get in my picks (sure to be wrong) for 2011.

NFC East
Philadelphia
Dallas
NY Giants
Washington

NFC North
Green Bay
Detroit
Chicago
Minnesota

NFC South
Atlanta
New Orleans
Tampa Bay
Carolina

NFC West
Seattle
St. Louis
Arizona
San Francisco

Wild Card: New Orleans, Detroit

AFC East
New England
NY Jets
Buffalo
Miami

AFC North
Pittsburgh
Cleveland
Baltimore
Cincinnati

AFC South
Tennessee
Houston
Indianapolis
Jacksonville

AFC West
San Diego
Kansas City
Oakland
Denver

Wild Card: Cleveland, Houston

Super Bowl: Tennessee over Atlanta

CM Punk and The Art of Making an Impact

2011-07-29T22:38:00.002-05:00

(First off, let me give this preface. I know that to say that that professional wrestling is a sport is a bit of a stretch but just go with me on this one.)

I enjoy watching professional wrestling (or sports entertainment as some like to call it) from time to time. Watching wrestling usually goes in cycles for me. When I was a kid, I was a huge wrestling fan. Growing up in the 80s, I was a big fan of Hulk Hogan, "Macho Man" Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior. During my junior high/high school years, it was Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. When I was in college, my watching of wrestling was off and on but I kept tabs on it now and then. Since college, I have went in cycles. There are times when I watch a lot of it and other times not so much. To this day, I will still watch old matches in large part due to the nostalgia factor.

Recently (because I've had more access to cable), I've been watching more wrestling. I would attribute this in due part to the "storyline" of one wrestler. His name is CM Punk. For those who don't know who that is, he's a wrestler from Chicago, IL. Prior to working in the WWE, he wrestled in several wrestling organizations around the world. He was been world champion in various organization, including several times in the WWE. His "gimmick" is tied into his real life in that he is straight edge. The straight edge lifestyle is one in which a person refrains from alcohol, tobacco and recreational drugs. There are others who hold to this lifestyle in sports including Texas Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson.

Punk has played both the "face" (good guy) and the "heel" (bad guy) during his time in the WWE. When he was a "face", his straight edge life was protrayed as a positive thing in which his "drug" was competition and winning. When he was a "heel", his straight edge life was protrayed as a negative thing in which he was holier than thou with the fans and the "face" wrestlers.

Recently, his character had been kind of floundering and wasn't among the "top card" wrestlers. However, that changed when he was named the #1 Contender to the WWE title. This also coincided with the fact that his contract with the company was about to expire in real life. So on June 27th, CM Punk came out on Monday Night Raw and told the fact that his contract was expiring. He then went on to say that he was leaving the company and taking the belt with him.

What really stood out was the "shoot" message he gave at the end of the show. A "shoot" is a real not fake thing. What he did that night was a "worked shoot", which meant he had permission to say what he said but it was pretty real. Usually if a worked shoot is done well, people don't know the difference and that night was a clear example of that.

That night onward leading up to the pay-per-view event "Money in the Bank", CM Punk created a buzz that even drew into mainstream media. By the time of the event in his hometown, it was at a fever pitch. His entrance to the ring was one of the loudest I have ever heard. If you get a chance, watch his entrance. There's no fireworks, nothing super flashy. But the response of the crowd was loud. Punk went on to win the match against John Cena and took the belt with him. This has led to the storyline of there being two champions and will be settled I'm sure at the next PPV.

What got me thinking was about was does this translate into reaching out into a community with the Gospel and if so how? What lessons (if any) can we learn?

1.) Let the Gospel make an impact. We, as followers of Jesus, are called to share the Gospel. We are not responsible for what happens afterwards. We leave that up to God. God will use our words and actions to change hearts and minds. He is the one, through the work of the Holy Spirit, that makes that impact happen. We are called to be faithful to share.

2) When Christ is at work, there will be a buzz. When the impact of the Gospel happens in a community, it's hard not to tell others about it. Word spreads all around. People talk about it, even those you don't expect to talk about it. It has an impact in people's lives.

3) Keep the message in the forefront. After winning the title, Punk kept popping up at various events with the title to let people know he was around and had the belt. As followers of Jesus, we're to keep the message of the Gospel out there, popping up in various places as we travel along sharing our stories.

It will be interesting to see how the storyline goes with CM Punk and the title. But it'll be more interesting to see how God uses believers to continue to reach the world with the Gospel in the various contexts that He has placed us.

The "Ricky Bobby" Prayer: Reflecting on the Prayer from Saturday's Nationwide Race

2011-07-25T15:40:00.003-05:00

During the summer months, there's not much sports related news taking place. Baseball is in the middle of their season but it's not to the point of pennant races. Basketball, football and hockey are in their offseasons. MLS is quietly going on with little fanfare. The only other major sporting event going on is racing. In other words, it's pretty quiet. So when I heard about what happened a few days ago at a race in Nashville, it caught my attention in several ways.

I had previously blogged (2 years ago) about how NASCAR is the only major sport that has an invocation or prayer prior to their event. This is the case both at the major circuit (Sprint Cup) and their secondary circuit (Nationwide Series). Last Saturday, there was a Nationwide Series race at the Nashville Motorspeedway. Like other races, there was a pre-race invocation prayer. I personally didn't see the prayer live but I later watched it on replay.

The pastor who led the prayer, Pastor Joe Nelms of Family Baptist Church of Lebanon, TN proceeded to give a prayer that has been talked about on sports talk shows, SportsCenter and newspapers across the country. In his prayer, he gave thanks for the racing fuel, for some of the car owners providing engines for the cars, the tire company. He also thanked God for his "smokin’ hot wife tonight, Lisa, and my two children, Eli and Emma, or as we like to call the, ‘The Little E’s". He finished his prayer by saying "In Jesus’ name, Boogity Boogity Boogity, amen."

Here's the clip from YouTube of the prayer:

Some newspapers rightly described it as the pastor channeling Ricky Bobby in the prayer. For those who don't know, Ricky Bobby is a fictional character from a movie called Talledega Nights which starred Will Ferrell as a race car driver. Ferrell's character prayed a somewhat similar prayer saying grace at the dinner table.

To be honest, when I watched this I felt uncomfortable. After watching it, I thought to myself "Would I pray like that if I was given the opportunity?" The answer I came up with was "No." I just wouldn't feel comfortable praying in such a manner as Pastor Nelms did. It does make me think of how I pray privately with God. Do I honor God with my prayers? As a follower of Christ, I should be able to come before God and talk to Him like a child to a father. Just as a child is comfortable talking to one's father, there is also a level of respect there too.

Did Pastor Nelms get attention? Yes. The question is what will he do with this attention? Will his "Ricky Bobby" prayer help him as he shares the Gospel? That would be a great question to ask him. In the meantime, I know for me it has reminded me of how I pray to God and what I pray about to Him.

A Lesson on Selflessness With a Baseball: Derek Jeter's 3000th Hit

2011-07-11T18:34:00.001-05:00

There are moments in sports that are special and historic. There are moments that happen spontaneously and others that build up to the moment. They are those "where were you?" moments. One of those happened over the weekend. Derek Jeter, shortstop and captain of the New York Yankees (a team which I cannot stand but I respect him), had his 3,000 hit. Going into Saturday's game, he had 2,998 hits so it was only a matter of time before he got to 3,000.

Going against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and starting pitcher David Price (who's originally from Middle Tennessee), Jeter got hit 2,999 in the first inning to set up his next at-bat and a shot at 3,000. I caught wind of it via Twitter and turned on my PS3 to watch it happen live on MLB.tv I somehow expected a hit. What I did not expect was a home run. Sure enough, Jeter hits a home run into left center field for his 3,000 hit. That was only the 2nd time out of 28 men to reach the milestone that it was done via home run (the other was Wade Boggs). Jeter ended up going 5 for 5 and winning the game.

To me, the cool part of the story came out later. Christian Lopez, a 23 year old cell phone salesman, was the one who ended up with the ball. He got the tickets for his birthday from his girlfriend. As soon as he got the ball, he was whisked away by security to the Steinbrenner's suite. When asked what he wanted in return for the ball, Lopez said nothing and was willing to give the ball to Jeter for free. Lopez did end up getting stuff, including season tickets in the Legends section (which is some big time stuff) for the rest of the season including playoffs, a couple of signed bats and jerseys from Jeter, spent some time in the YES Network booth and got to meet Jeter in person.

It's a cool act that Lopez did. There are a lot of people who have said he should have held onto the ball and sold it. There have been some who have even called him a moron for doing this because he doesn't make a lot of money at his job and has a lot of debt from school.

Personally, I definitely don't think he's a moron. I think what he did was a pretty stand up act. He looked out for someone else's interest ahead of his. It's a good reminder that those of us who follow Jesus should put others' interest ahead of ours. Lopez was rewarded anyway for his selfless act. For followers of Jesus, our ultimate reward is in heaven but we also get to enjoy benefits of serving Him now.

Hat's off to you Mr. Lopez. You made this anti-Yankee fan stand up and salute you.

Sports Analogy: The Draft

2011-05-31T15:58:00.000-05:00

I thought about writing this post last month when the NFL draft was going on but it's still appropriate with the upcoming drafts of the other major sports (NBA, MLB, NHL). When thinking about the draft, it works well with the situation of life that I'm in right now. I just finished my Master's of Divinity degree and am in the process of looking for a full time ministry position. In many ways, it is similar to a college athlete who finished his collegiate career and waiting for the time of the draft.

There is the declaration that you are available, the answering of questions, the checking over of one's background and credentials. And then there is the wait. We see the players as they wait to hear their name called and find out where they will be going to play. In a lot of ways, that is how I'm feeling right now. Sending out resumes, answering questions, and waiting. Waiting to get a call saying I have been hired, that I've been "drafted".

Just as certain teams look for a particular need to fill for their teams, the same is true in ministry. God has designed me with gifts and abilities that work well with certain ministries (college/young adult, discipleship). And I know that He has the right place for me to serve. I just pray and wait for the call.

Wherever I get "drafted", I'm excited about the next phase of my life and what God has in store for me. Until then, I wait for the call...

Diamond Club and a Walk Off Win: Sixth Royals Game of 2011....In Review

2011-05-20T08:38:00.000-05:00

It was about time for another Royals game. As my time in Kansas City is coming to the end (because I'm graduating from seminary), I wanted to make sure that I got in at least one more Royals game. So to celebrate that (and because my friend Kyle came in to visit), we, along with Lane and Tyler, headed out to the K to see the Royals take on the Texas Rangers.

We got some really sweet seats off of Stubhub. They were Diamond Club tickets (so some of the really sweet seats behind home plate) for almost half off. The tickets also included premium parking (which was pretty sweet). When we got to the ballpark, we got to park literally right across from the ballpark (inbetween the K and Arrowhead). We went through the Home Plate Gate and headed into the Diamond Club section. It was really cool. The club section has a suite area that has its own restaurants and seating area. We sat at a table and someone came up and took our orders. We could even have started a tab (we didn't). I had a slice of oven bricked pizza (a BBQ brisket pizza) that was really good and some Dr. Pepper and watched the Rangers do BP.

When the game started, we headed over to our seats. We were 12 rows back from the field (not counting the BATS section which is directly behind home plate) on the first base side (think where the left handers bat from and that's the section we sat in). The seats had a cushion built in to them and there was in seat ordering of food as well. I ended up ordering a foot long hot dog (that was really good too). The game itself was interesting. There was a HR by the Rangers in the 2nd inning and for most of the game that was the score. Luke Hochevar, starting pitcher for the Royals, pitched well aside from the HR he gave up. He ended up pitching 8 2/3 innings before they went to the bullpen. The Royals finally got the clutch hit in the bottom of the 9th to tie it up and they went to extra innings. Then in the bottom of the 10th, Jeff Francoeur came through with the walk off base hit to win the game 2-1 in 10 innings. The winning pitcher, Greg Holland, was called up that day from Triple A and pitched 1 1/3 innings.

After that win, the Royals were now 5-1 in games that I've attended. After my time in Kansas City, I've grown to enjoy watching baseball even more. I will miss watching games at the K. We'll see where God leads me next.

Buck Night & Fireworks Friday: Fifth Royals Game of 2011...In Review

2011-05-07T10:21:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was my second Royals game in a row to attend and fifth of the season. I went with a couple of guys from church and got to take in another Buck Night/Fireworks Friday. Buck night is $1 hot dogs, peanuts and small cokes and then Fireworks Friday is a fireworks show after the game.

Yesterday was also a Baseball Equipment drive that the team was doing to collect money and used baseball gear for those who need it. And for a $20 donation, you could get a brown bag with an autographed baseball inside. I tried it and ended up with a Jason Kendall autographed ball. Eh, not who I wanted but it's something.

It was also the debut of superstar prospect 1B Eric Hosmer. He was called up after Thursday's game and the sports world was buzzing afterwards. His name became a trending topic on twitter. People were making up "Hosmer Facts" in the same was as they're "Chuck Norris Facts". For his first game, he didn't do too bad. He helped turn a double play in the 1st inning. He had two walks & a stolen base. He did strike out looking two times to finish the night 0-2 (I will say at least one of his called third strikes looked like ball four).

The game itself was a good one for the most part. Alex Gordon hit a home run. Sean O'Sullivan pitched a pretty good game (a quality start). Unfortunately one bad inning proved to be the downfall as the Royals lost 3-2. They now have a record of 4-1 in games I attend.

It was a fun night for the most part and I'll miss going out to the K once I graduate in a few weeks.

School Day at the K: Fourth Royals Game of 2011....In Review

2011-05-06T09:12:00.000-05:00

It had been awhile since the last time I had been to the ball park and I was itching to get back out there again. So me and Lane made the trek out yesterday to the K to see the Royals take on the Baltimore Orioles. It was School Day at the K which meant lots and lots of little kids. We learned our lesson and got tickets in a section not in that area. In fact we got Dugout Box seats for really cheap, they were 4 rows from the field. They are probably the closest I've ever been to home plate & the field.

We were fortunate as we were late getting to the ballpark because of class (it was a day game, 1:10 scheduled start). However there was rain that morning and on the way to the ballpark so there was a delay. When we got inside the ballpark, the rain pretty much ended. There ended up being about a 45 minute delay to start the game. Once the game got started, there was no rain until we got back into the car at the end of the game.

The game itself was a good one...for the Royals. Aside from giving up a run in the 1st inning, starter Bruce Chen pitched a really great game. And the offense really came through early and often, including a 4 run 1st inning which even included a play when the sun peaked out and it caught the Orioles off guard and it dropped right down.

The scoring got capped off with a home run in the 8th by Melky Cabrera. The Royals went on to win 9-1. The cool thing also about the game was that Lane and I got on TV several times, mainly like blink and you miss but if you pause it at certain points you can make us out pretty clearly. That was cool.

So right now the Royals are 4-0 in games I attend. I joked with Lane that the Royals should bring me on the payroll in some capacity since they win every time I go to their games....just a thought. :)

A Flair for the Dramatics: Third Royals Game of 2011...In Review

2011-04-23T09:02:00.000-05:00

On Thursday night, I went to my third Royals game of the year. This time I went with my girlfriend, who is in town for a few days visiting. It wasn't the best weather for baseball. It was cold, windy, and rainy (the not raining hard but light rain/mist). There were only about 9,000+ at the ballpark that night.

It was the first time I had been to a game during the week at night where they really weren't any promotions (except for the all you can eat seats). The seats that we got were super cheap and were essentially front row in the lower level, third base side near the foul pole.

The Royals were playing division rival Cleveland (alas no Trevor Crowe as he's on the DL). It was the last game of the series. It was the second time in as many games I saw Sean O'Sullivan start (he started the game last Saturday too). It was a pretty uneventful game for the most part. I think weather played a part in that.

It came down to the 9th inning, Royals down 2-1. They hadn't led for the entire game. But they came through on some clutch hitting and ended up with a walk off hit by Melky Cabrera. They ended up winning 3-2. It was an exciting ending to say the least. Aaron Crow picked up his 2nd major league win.

The Royals are now 3-0 in games I've been to this year. I don't know how many more games I'll be able to make but hopefully it'll be as exciting as the end of this one was.

Divided Loyalties: Mariners vs. Royals: Second Royals Game of 2011...In Review

2011-04-17T15:52:00.001-05:00

It was another great day to head to the ballpark and so yesterday (Saturday) I did. It was a convergence of several things to make it a reason to get out to the ballpark. First, it is major league baseball, so that's a good reason. Two, it was free jersey day and as been tradition I've went to the previous three years in a row. Finally, it was a game against my other "home" team, the Seattle Mariners. Add all that up, and it was enough reasons to make it out to the ballpark.

It was another early start to a Saturday game (12:10pm first pitch) so that meant getting out to the ball park early to make sure to get a jersey. It was cold out for sure. It had rained the previous day and dropped the temps and the wind was blowing. It felt like football weather more than baseball weather. However, once we got to our seats (lower level, third base side) it felt okay as we weren't getting the wind blown much on us. Plus right before the game started, the sun came out and that helped warm things up.

The free jersey was a road (grey) jersey. It was cool looking. I still say my favorite free one was the powder blue Billy Butler jersey I got. There's just something cool about having a jersey with a name and number on the back of it.

This was the first year that I did not wear Mariners gear to the game. I went with Royals gear. The Royals have been off to a hot start and I wanted to support that. As always when it comes to these games, my loyalties are divided. I've grown to love the Royals and I love the Mariners so it's always bittersweet when they play each other. I'm happy on the one side and sad on the other.

The game itself was a pretty good one. It was a pretty close game until the 5th inning. Seattle had their ace, Felix Hernandez pitching while the Royals had Sean O'Sullivan their 5th starter who was starting his first game of the season after starting out the year in the bullpen. The Royals offense got the job done while the Mariners offense did not. Some key moments/stats in the game:

*Alcides Escobar has some really huge defensive plays including robbing Ichiro of a hit (which is really hard to do)
*Speaking of Ichiro, he went 0-5 snapping his multi-hit streak he had at the "K" which was the longest of anyone at that stadium, breaking the record a few days ago that George Brett held.
*Got to see Tim Collins pitch, the dude is short but he can throw. He looks like a mix between Hideo Nomo and Tim Lincecum in his windup, it is crazy looking. The Royals have a bullpen with three rookies (Collins, Jeffress, Crow) who can seriously throw the ball and throw it hard.
*The Mariners left 11 guys on base and scored 0 runs. The Royals scored 7 runs and left only 4 on base.

The Royals ended up winning the game 7-0. With that win, they went to 10-4, which is the 3rd best start in team history. Last time they did this well was back in 2003. The Royals went to 2-0 in games I've attended this year and record in series of games between the M's and Royals since 2008 (moving to KC) it is a split with each team winning 3 game apiece. It should make for an excited next few weeks as my time in K.C. winds down.

Albert Pujols and 60 Minutes

2011-04-11T12:52:00.001-05:00

Last night on 60 Minutes there was a piece on Albert Pujols, star first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals. It was about his time that he spends reaching out to people both in the U.S. and the Dominican Republic. He is one of those players that I have a lot of respect for and who I've followed since he came into MLB a decade ago. The more I've heard his story, the more I've seen how God has used Pujols through his testimony. I recently got Pujols' biography that came out in February (and was cowritten but Tim Ellsworth, who works at my alma mater Union University) and I look forward to reading it.

Here's a link to the piece from last night

Spring is Here and So is Baseball: First Royals Game of 2011....In Review

2011-04-03T16:10:00.001-05:00

It's spring and it's time for baseball again. I had really gotten tired of winter so it was nice for spring to come around and with it the start of baseball season. With this being my last few months in KC, I want to try and make as many games as I can as I don't know where I'll be in a few months so I made sure to be at the ballpark for the first homestand. It also happened to be a doubleheader as they also were going to have the "Futures Game" between the Royals AA (Northwest Arkansas) and the AAA team (Omaha Storm Chasers).

Because of this, it was a day game on a Saturday. Lane and I made the trip to the ball park and it was a pretty easy ride out. There wasn't any real traffic out and got into the ballpark rather easily. There were some changes between last year and this one. First off, they have free programs they give out instead of buying a program (which means I was one of the last ones in history to win the autograph in the program contest). Second, there are some different sponsors out in the signage (including the Fountain seats not called the Dri Duck seats anymore). And third, the Royals switched bullpens (now out in left field instead of right field).

It was free magnet schedule day so that was cool too. The game itself was a decent one against the Anaheim Angels (I refuse to call them Los Angeles Angels). It was a back and forth game with the teams trading leads. I got to see one of the young phenom pitchers in Aaron Crow pitch. I will say he was really good. He seems as good as advertised. Royals scored in the bottom of the 8th with new Royal Matt Treanor coming through along with Chris Getz. Treanor is awesome in my book because his walk up music is The A-Team theme. That is awesome. Soria came in the 9th to shut it down and pick up the win, which was Crow's first career win. Ironically, it's the first time since May of '09 that the Royals have been above .500 (they were never above .500 all of last year).

After about 30-45 minutes, the second game started. It was cool seeing all the young stars playing. I was really impressed by Mike Montgomery, pitcher for Omaha. He had 4 no-hit innings. Lane and I lasted to the end of the 5th before calling it a day, partly because we both got sunburnt.

It was a good start to the year and looking forward to seeing some more games before the end of my time in Kansas City

Comparing Charlie Sheen & "Pacman" Jones: A Case Study

2011-03-02T16:15:00.000-06:00

Given the news that's been going on the past several days regarding Charlie Sheen, I've been thinking a lot about the way he's acted and the things he's said. I've tried to figure out the best way to address it. And then comes along an article from Yahoo Sports on a person who has been written about several times on this blog: Adam "Pacman" Jones. I figured it'd be a great time to address the two.

Charlie Sheen, like "Pacman" several years ago, pretty much is living life with reckless abandon. Sheen is partying it up both inside his home and outside of it, said in interviews some ridiculous things, & pretty much exlemplifying the motto "eat drink & merry". On the outside he's protraying this "I don't care about anything, I'm enjoying my life" persona but deep down there has to be a lot of hurt and pain.

It seems that Sheen is on a crash course and seemingly is okay with it. I thought this was the case with "Pacman" as well but thankfully in Adam Jones' case I was wrong. Jones has stayed out of trouble since he joined up with the Bengals. In the Yahoo article, it talks about the changes he's made in his life including cutting out going to the clubs and spending more time with his fiancee and kids. He's quoted in the article as saying "What am I sorry for? There are a million things. I’m sorry for everything.”

I don't know if at this point Jones has a personal relationship with Jesus. The article does point out that it is a process that Jones is going through and he's not all the way there. But it is encouraging. From the man that gave the quote "It ain't no sin to go to the strip club" to be where he is now is encouraging and I hope that it continues. And I wish the same for Sheen as well. I do hope at some point Sheen can turn things around and begin a relationship with Christ. Then indeed he will be winning.

(The Yahoo article on Jones can be found here)

Using the Platform...Trevor Bayne and the Daytona 500

2011-02-23T16:09:00.000-06:00

We as sports fan or just people in general love stories about people who come out of nowhere and are successful. Those who overcome the odds to win. We like hearing those kind of stories. As believers, we also like it when those people who are successful recognize God in the process...even more so when we know more about their story and life.

Trevor Bayne is an example of this. Before Sunday at around 4:00pm, I didn't know who he was. You could have put him in a lineup with other NASCAR drivers and I could pick him out only because he'd be the only one I didn't recognize. But after Sunday at around 4:00pm, I found out more. He's 20 years old & a native Tennessean like myself (he's from Knoxville). He had only raced in his second Sprint Cup race ever and he had just won the Daytona 500. From what I watched, he ran a great race and deserved to win.

In Victory Lane, he was excited and shared that excitement. During one of the many interviews post race, he said "We said a prayer before. We pray a lot, and we expect a lot of things, but this just shows how powerful God is." I was like, "Ah that's cool." But didn't think nothing of it.

Then the next day, I did some looking around about Bayne. Come to find out, he is a very strong follower of Jesus. He has a twitter account (@tbayne21) and prior to and after the race was tweeting about his faith and verses of scripture that he had been reading. I've read transcripts of interviews that's he's done since the race where he shares about his faith in Jesus.

A lot of times we see and hear athletes talk about God and Jesus. Sometimes we wonder if they mean what they say, especially when the succeed. That's between them and God. But when someone whether they're known or not known is sharing their faith, that's encouraging, especially someone like Trevor Bayne. I love working with young adults and seeing them grow in their faith. It's nice to see someone like Trevor who is out there and using the platform God has given him to share his testimony. May we use the platforms that God has given us to likewise share.

Super Bowl XLV Prediction

2011-02-04T15:14:00.000-06:00

It's time again for the Super Bowl, Super Bowl XLV. I had an interesting picking time this postseason. I was .500 until the Conference Championship round when i picked both games correctly. Coming into this game, I'm 6-4 picking games.

This year's matchup is the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. the Green Bay Packers. Two teams known for their toughness and their defenses, though they both have pretty good offenses. Pittsburgh has won the Super Bowl twice in the last five seasons while Green Bay hasn't won since the '96 season.

I'll make this short and sweet. I don't like Pittsburgh. I still think back to Super Bowl XL where the refs pretty much gave the game to them against the Seahawks. And I usually go with a rule that if I don't like a team, I'm picking against them. Even though the Madden simulator had them winning (and they've been right except for once the past six years or so), I think one key element will play a huge factor. Starting Center Maurkice Pouncey is out for the game. Given the Pack's 3-4 D, it'll be tough for a backup center to hold off B.J. Raji.

I'm going with the Pack and Aaron Rodgers (part of my fantasy football team [K.C. Masterpieces] that won the championship in the Speed Kills league) to get the championship.

Packers 27 Steelers 17

End of an Era: Reflections on Jeff Fisher and Titans

2011-01-28T11:13:00.000-06:00

I was taken aback when last night I heard that Jeff Fisher and the Titans were parting ways. After a few weeks ago it seemed that Fisher was going to be the coach for next season, it changed. I have mixed feelings about this. I remember when Fisher became the coach of the then Houston Oilers back in 1994. He has been the coach of the team that became the Titans and a team that me and people from Tennessee could call our own. He took the team to the Super Bowl and was one yard away from having a chance to win it. There have been ups and downs.

I like Jeff Fisher as a coach but I'm okay with him leaving. At some point, there should be a change. I wouldn't be surprised in a year or so he's back coaching. And I think he would be successful. I also think that the Titans will be successful as well. I think they will find the right coach and the team will rally behind the coach and I think that they will have a chance to make the playoffs next season.

2011 Conference Championship Picks

2011-01-21T09:40:00.000-06:00

It's time to make my picks for the AFC & NFC Championship Games. It's funny so far I've been a combined .500 so far this year in the playoff (4-4). The odds are that means I'll pick one right and one wrong....or I could pick both correct or get both wrong. So we'll see...

The first game is the NFC Championship game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears. These two long time rivals are facing each other only for the second time in the playoffs (the last time was in 1941). These two split the season series matchup. The Bears beat the Packers in the first matchup while the Packers won in the last week of the season to get into the playoffs.

After early season bumps, both teams turned it on later in the season. The Bears found somewhat of a balance between pass and run and their defense is as strong as it always is. The Packers fought through injuries to key players and are riding a hot streak into and through the playoffs.

The two key questions are the following: Can the Bears trust Jay Cutler? Can the Packers win three road playoff games?

In thinking through who to pick in this game, two factors play into it. One, the Bears beat the Seahawks, one of the two teams I root for. Two, I had Aaron Rodgers on my fantasy football team (the one that has won 4 championships in 10 years). With those two factors in play, I picking the Packers to win.

Packers 17 Bears 13

The late game is the AFC Championship game between the New York Jets and Pittsburgh. They faced each other in the regular season with the Jets getting the win.

The Jets are the definition of up and down. They have the talent but they also squander it on numerous occasions. The Steelers overcame the loss of Big Ben early to end up the #2 seed. Both teams have really good defenses. Both teams have offenses that can make plays.

This matchup I really don't care about at all. I don't really like either team. But I do respect Pittsburgh's coach Mike Tomlin. And I don't respect the way the Jets talk and act. If I have to pick between these two, I'm going with the Steelers.

Steelers 24 Jets 10

Trash Talk: Is It Really Entertaining?

2011-01-18T14:42:00.000-06:00

I think I've been on a blogging roll of late. It helps that I have some time to it, plus there have been some topics to talk about. One that has recently stood out was last week's playoff games, particularly in the AFC. Both in the Ravens/Steelers and Jets/Patriots there was a lot of words being said from both sides. What seemed different from the usual "We're the better team" or "We guarantee we're going to win", there was more vulgar and harsh words and actions being used.

For instance, Terrell Suggs of the Ravens wore a shirt that showed him giving a finger (the middle one in particular) to the city of Pittsburgh. Then you had Antonio Cromartie of the Jets calling Tom Brady an expletative (I'm not even going to mention what it is). Then Bart Scott of the Jets, in reference to comments that Patriots WR Wes Welker made in reference to Scott's coach Rex Ryan, said that Welker's "days in a uniform will be numbered.", insuating that he'd take him out of the game.

On Monday, I was listening to one of my favorite sports talk shows out of Nashville online, and they were talking about this. All three of them agreed that it was fine and was in fact entertaining and shouldn't be legislated out (the NFL over the weekend sent memos to teams saying to tone down the trash talking). When I heard this, I was disappointed. How is calling someone something inappropriate entertaining? Same goes for flipping the middle finger at a city?

Words do matter and they can affect a lot of things. Personally, I think it's more entertaining what happens on the field rather than words that are said off the field. Words do have an impact. I know personally how much of an impact words have in people's lives and what my interaction is with them. As a follower of Jesus, I'm reminded of the words that Jesus himself said in Matthew 12:34b where He said "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks". What's in my heart is reflected on what comes out of my mouth. When I'm following after Jesus like I should be, it will be reflected in my words and actions.

When I hear trash talk like this past weekend, I'm not entertained, I'm saddened. I hope that there are people who can speak into those players' lives and show them Christ. Let the product on the field be the entertainment, let the conduct off the field be more respectful.

Interesting and Cool Experiences Last Week

2011-01-17T09:39:00.001-06:00

Last week I had two cool things happen to me that I wanted to share with you, my faithful readers.

The first was this. To preface, I follow Seahawks coach Pete Carroll on Twitter. This past Monday, he tweeted that the first 25 people to e-mail the publishing company that published his book "Win Forever" would get a free copy of it. I thought to myself "Why not?" and so I did. A few minutes later, I get an e-mail back from a representative of the publishing company saying they would love to send me a free copy and asked for my mailing address. A few days later, I get the book sent FedEx and it didn't cost me a thing, not even for shipping and handling. That was pretty cool.

The second cool thing also came about initially through Twitter. One of the guys who works at the radio station that is the broadcast home of the Tennessee Titans & also works for Titans Radio as their "insider" Jonathan Hutton, tweeted this past Tuesday that he was looking for someone to write an article for Titans Radio website. All season, they have this section called the 12th Man and they have fans submit articles and post them. Hutton was asking for someone to do it for January. I thought to myself again "Why not?" So I e-mailed him about being interested in writing the article. I get an e-mail that evening saying I was selected to write it and gave me the parameters on it. I wrote the article in about 15 minutes, edited it and sent it off. On Thursday, it was published and is on the website now. Here's a link to the article here.

It was some pretty cool experiences and with some stories worth sharing.

2011 Divisional Round Predictions

2011-01-14T09:52:00.000-06:00

It's time for more predictions, the Divisional Round is here and last week I went 2-2. Ironically it was the first game and the last game of the weekend that I got correctly. This weekend has some intriguing matchups with some hard decisions as to who I will pick. So here's the picks:

The first matchup of the weekend is Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh. If there was any matchup this weekend that I didn't like either team, this would be it. I kind of wish this was an instance where it was like pro wrestling and there was a double disqualification and both don't advance. However, that's not the case. Baltimore came off a win against Kansas City. Pittsburgh enjoyed the bye week off and got some rest to help with some of their injuries. A key stat is that Baltimore's coach John Harbaugh has never beaten Pittsburgh when Ben Roethilsberger starts for the Steelers....he's starting for the Steelers.

Steelers 24 Ravens 17

The primetime game on Saturday is Green Bay vs. Atlanta. They met in the regular season in one of the marquee games of the year and the Falcons came out on top. Aaron Rodgers got his first playoff win last weekend on the road against Philly and it was the first time Green Bay had won a road playoff game since the late 90s. Matt Ryan has lost only two times as a starter at the Georgia Dome (20-2) however, he lost his previous playoff game in a shootout against Kurt Warner and the Atlanta Falcons a couple of years ago. This will probably be the game of the weekend. I like both teams. I could see either of these teams in the Super Bowl. But given propensity to who I'm picking in the next game. I'm going to say that Rodgers and Green Bay get revenge and eek out a victory.

Packers 27 Falcons 24

The early Sunday game features Seattle vs. Chicago. Last week Seattle won in a shootout over the defending champs New Orleans. They put together one of their best games of the season. The running game came alive and QB Matt Hasselbeck channeled the 2005 version and had a big game. Now they travel to Chicago to take on the Bears. These two teams met earlier in the year and Seattle won that matchup. The Bears are a different team but so are the Seahawks. One key stat is that first time starters in the playoffs since 2003 are 5-19. On top of that, this is the first postseason game in the career of Jay Cutler, college or pro. And then a thought, prior to the playoffs starting I said that these Seahawks remind me of the 08 Cardinals, inconsistent in the regular season, turn it on at the end and make a deep playoff run. Last week didn't do anything to deter me from that thought. I'm going homer and picking the Hawks.

Seahawks 27 Bears 17

The final game of the divisional round is between the NY Jets and New England. This has become of the big rivalries in the NFL with both sides spouting off at the mouth. I know there are a lot of people who can't stand New England. I don't mind them that much. I used to like them but after the 2009 game against the Titans when Belicheck ran up the score I don't really like them anymore. But, I'm really not a fan of the Jets. So simply put, I'd like to see what happened the last time these two teams met happen again. Pats roll.

Patriots 42 Jets 17

So there you have it, I'm thinking a Packers/Seahawks NFC Championship game and a Steelers/Patriots AFC Championship game. So lets see if I end up right or not.

Syncretism and LeBron James: Mixing Karma and God

2011-01-13T10:01:00.000-06:00

There are times when I should know to not be surprised. When it comes to LeBron James, I guess I still get surprised by some of the things he says. The latest thing he said was in a tweet Tuesday night that came out after his former team the Cleveland Cavaliers got blown out by the Los Angeles Lakers. James tweeted the following: "Crazy. Karma is a b****. Gets you every time. It's not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!"

When I first read the tweet (which was later retweeted by Michael Smith, ESPN columnist), I didn't know the context of the Cavs/Lakers game. I just read it straight up. My first thought was "You're mixing God and karma....they really don't go together." I wondered if he understood that or if to him they're the same thing or if he thinks God uses karma or whatever. When I found out the context, I thought "Well it seems he is still bitter and holding onto some hurt there."

The next day he then responds kind of backpedaling saying the following: "It's just how I was feeling at the time. It wasn't even a comment from me, it was someone who sent it to me and I sent it out It wasn't toward that team. It definitely wasn't a good showing by that team last night, I know they wish they would've played better." First off, if he retweeted it, probably would have been designated as a retweet. Second, he doesn't say where it comes from, he just says someone sent it to him. Aside from the twitter ettiqute of knowing what you're tweeting, it is interesting how he will say a controversial comment one day and then the next day try and defend or retract the statement.

But as much as that stood out, another comment that he gave stood out. He said when talking about karma, it is a word or concept that "I've kinda always used my whole life." You want to know something (or someone) LeBron that's better than karma? Jesus. Instead of getting what we deserve for the bad that we do, we can put our faith and trust in Jesus, who died for our sins and we don't have to worry about trying to do good to save ourselves (because we can never do enough good for that).

I hope that LeBron comes to know Jesus in a personal way as his Lord and Savior. Because right now it seems that he's trying to do his own thing to appease karma. And you can't really mix karma & God. Doesn't really work...

Predictions for the 2011 BCS National Championship Game

2011-01-10T13:42:00.000-06:00

The time for the national championship game is here. It's funny how late it is now that the 1-AA national championship along with NFL Wild Card Weekend is already done. Hmmmmm......maybe yet another reason why there should be a playoff.

Anyway, the big game is here. Oregon and Auburn. Pac-10 vs SEC. And as someone who has lived in both areas, I know what the conference fan bases are like. It's true that the Pac-10 get slighted out east & are better than the perception is. And the SEC is really really good and it plays out on the field as such.

The two teams are offensive powerhouses. Oregon is a full throttle offense that doesn't want to stop. Auburn has the Heisman Trophy winner in Cam Newton. Each team's strength is their offense and their defense, while not bad....isn't as good. So many people are predicting a shootout.

Two questions are key to this matchup. One, how will the layoff affect these teams & which team will overcome that. The other is which defense will stop the other's offense.

I'm okay with Auburn. They're not Alabama or Florida to me so I don't have a problem rooting for them. Now Oregon on the other hand I can't root for. As a Washington fan, there are three rivals for me. Washington St (Wazzzu), USC and Oregon. So, weighing everything. I'm going to pick the Tigers to end up winning this game.

Auburn 48 Oregon 41

2011 Wild Card Weekend Predictions

2011-01-07T08:46:00.002-06:00

The first entry in 2011 is predictions for the start of the 2011 NFL playoffs, Wild Card Weekend. After an up and down season, the playoffs are here and should be interesting.

(FYI, this is my opinion, the main thing is who I'm picking & not the score...)

On Saturday the first game is the Saints verses the Seahawks. The defending Super Bowl champs vs a division winner that finished with a losing record at 7-9. The Saints are banged up but they do have a lot of talent. The Seahawks have the underdog role and Qwest Field advantage. I like the Saints, I really do. But I have to go with the Seahawks and the upset.

Seahawks 20 Saints 17

The second game on Saturday is the Jets verses the Colts. The Jets have been a hard team to figure out. They have beaten top teams like the Patriots and Steelers but have lost some unexplainable games. The Colts made the playoffs on the last week and have overcome a lot of injuries. I think Peyton will prevail in this matchup.

Colts 27 Jets 17

The first game on Sunday is the Ravens verses the Chiefs. The Ravens aren't the Ravens of previous years but they are annoyingly tough. The Chiefs are a surprise division winner and are hosting their first playoff game since 2003. I don't like the Ravens at all so it makes it easier to make this pick. My Kansas City friends will be happy as I think the Chiefs will roll.

Chiefs 31 Ravens 10

The final game is the Packers verses the Eagles. This is probably the most intriguing matchup of the weekend. The Packers are probably the most dangerous team in that you don't know what to expect. They are one of those teams that could make a deep run. The Eagles have some explosive offensive players including the should be Comeback Player of the Year Michael Vick. This one is a tough one to pick. I'm going with the Packers in this one but it'll be close.

Packers 34 Eagles 31

Reflections on Phil Jackson and Christmas Games

2010-12-22T11:27:00.000-06:00

I thought it was rather interesting when I heard the latest comments from Phil Jackson, head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. He was addressing the media this week about playing on Christmas Day. He starts out rather innocently by saying "It used to be two teams. It used to be Phoenix and L.A. and New York and Boston or New York and Philly or somebody on the East coast. Now I see that they have like six games on Christmas." (it's actually five games this year)

He then goes onto say this: "I don't think anybody should play on Christmas Day. Soccer teams don't play this time of year, they take a break. I don't understand it. When I was in the CBA, we had a commissioner who had a Christmas Eve game. I had to call him up and say that's the holy time. ... You just have to keep reminding them that this is a special day."

The one quote that actually stood out was the following: "It's like Christian holidays don't mean anything to them anymore. We just go out and play and entertain the TV. It's really weird." This stood out for several reasons. One, this comes from a man who follows Zen Buddhism. Two, in the article, it mentions that he is the son of a minister (which I didn't know).

My thoughts on this: I don't necessarily have a problem with what he's saying per se. Growing up there was really only one NBA Christmas Day game. It was special. Now it's almost like any other slate of games for a day/night. There are actually more than double the games on Christmas Day than Thanksgiving Day (only two games). There are more people who will be working on Christmas than Thanksgiving this year in several NBA cities.

As a follower of Jesus, I am glad for Christmas. It is a reminder of the birth of Christ. We should not forget that importance. Even more so, we should not forget the importance of this death and resurrection. For those who are working on Christmas Day, including players, coaches, staff, arena workers, I hope that in the midst of working that the are reminded of for lack of a better phrase "The Reason for the Season". And I would love for Phil Jackson to not just recognize the time of the year but to also recognize Jesus as his Lord and Savior.

Back at LP Field after a Hiatus....Tennessee Titans Game in Review

2010-12-21T08:26:00.000-06:00

I'm back after a short hiatus and the first entry back talks about a return from another hiatus....attending a Tennessee Titans game. I was at the Titans/Texans game on Sunday. I went with my girlfriend Casey and it was my first Titans game I've attended since December 2007.

It was cold game but not too bad. Our seats were in the lower level in the north end zone right next to the Titans tunnel. The sun was shining on us for pregame through essentially the first half which made it feel kinda warm. The sun kind of hid behind the stadium for the second half and it cooled down.

The Titans, who had been cooled down for weeks, finally warmed up and essentially laid the smackdown against the Texans. They jumped up early on the Texans in the first quarter and rolled to a victory 31-17. Here were some observations from me:

*I liked the aggressive nature by the team. They went for it on 4th down twice and converted both times. They probably should have done that the week before but at least they did it this week.
*I didn't notice it was Vince Young on the sidelines until he was leaving. I saw a guy jogging to the tunnel and he waived. While he was doing this I turned to Casey and said "I think that's Vince Young."
*All the scoring except for the field goal at the end of the 1st half was on the other end of the field. I was disappointed that the refs called an offsides on the Titans negating a Pick 6 where McCourty ran towards our end.

After this win, the Titans are 5-1 in games I attend (the lone loss was in a preseason game). It's a slim chance that they can make the playoffs but with the way this season is going I wouldn't be too shocked.

Reflections on Steve Johnson & His Tweet to God

2010-12-02T14:22:00.000-06:00

Sometimes there are stories in sports that are just ripe for talking about. This happened to be one of them. Steve Johnson (or Stevie Johnson as he's also known) is a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills. He's having a breakout season in his third year in the league. He has 9 touchdowns already and is on pace for a 1,000 yard receiving season. He helped the Bills in a comeback win against the Bengals a couple of weeks ago.

Last Sunday he didn't have such a great game. He dropped several passes including one in overtime that would've won the game for the Bills. Instead the Steelers went on to win on a field goal. After the game, Johnson talked with the media and shared about how he won't forget about that dropped pass. You could tell he was really taking it hard. I felt bad for him.

A few hours later, on his twitter account was this tweet:
I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO...

His tweet was addressed to God. When I first heard about this I was like really? It came across initially as he was blaming God for dropping those passes. Now prior to Sunday, I knew a little about him and it seemed like he had faith in God. So when I saw that tweet I was like huh?

Have there been times in my life when I've questioned God? Yes but I usually kept that between the Father and me. I never really expressed it aloud, and I didn't tweet about it. There have been times I've been frustrated with God. So in that sense I understand some where Johnson was coming from. Would I have sent that tweet if I was in his shoes? Probably not. I might have typed it out but I don't think I would've hit the send button.

Do I think he has a legit faith? Yeah I think so. I would hope this has been a learning experience for him. I think I've learned from it. It's a reminder that God allows us to throw up questions to Him. He may not give us the answer at the time but He does answer. He has a plan and purpose for all of us.

We have a sphere of influence with which God allows us to express our faith and witness for Him. We are to take the opportunities God provides whether good or bad and use them for His glory and purpose.

(The next day after his tweet to God, Johnson responded by saying this:
I learned A lot Within 24hrs. Saw Both Sides.(Ups&Dwns) I AM HAPPY & THANKFUL 4 YESTERDAY! w/out Sunday iWldnt have grew closer w/The Lord!!
And No I Did Not Blame God People! Seriously??!? CMon! I Simply Cried Out And Asked Why? Jus Like yal did wen sumthin went wrong n ur life!
So Before Yall..well I'm pretty sure you've awready judged me. I hope you guys look n the mirror. I dnt blame u 4 being mad @ my gm I WAS 2!
Spoke To Friends Fam Teammates and Most Importantly I Spoke With My Wife. I Honestly Believe Evrything Happens For A Reason! Everything!)

Random Sports Reflections

2010-11-22T12:15:00.000-06:00

Some quick hit reflections:

*I'm happy to hear that Michael Vick has really turned his life around. I talked last time about forgiveness when it comes to Randy Moss. It could definitely apply to Michael Vick as well, maybe even more so. What Vick did with the dogfighting was wrong and he was punished for it. The fact that he has shown contrition and has turned things around is good to hear. I hope that he continues on this path and that it continues to be a good story.

*What happened with Vince Young yesterday was sad to hear. I know there are both sides to a story and that probably we won't know the whole thing. But there are certain things that have to be taken away from it. 1) No matter how frustrated you get, you don't storm out of a meeting with your boss. 2) You don't cuss out under your breath at your boss when he's in the room during a meeting. 3) If your job is to address people after an event, you don't ignore those people when things don't go your way.

I like Vince Young. But I know that one has to be responsible for their actions whether it be standing up and taking responsibility when an incident happens or being apologetic when you don't react appropriately. I keep thinking Vince will reach that level of maturity that comes from experience. But it hasn't happened yet. I'm thinking at this point, he might need a change of scenery to get that maturity. The sad thing is that it detracts from a season where the Titans are still right in it. Hopefully, they'll turn it around and make a run for a deep playoff push.

How Many Times Must I Forgive....Randy Moss?

2010-11-04T11:32:00.000-05:00

To preface this entry let me say that I'm a huge Titans fan, have been for a very long time.

When news about Randy Moss being released popped up on Monday, I was shocked. He had just been traded to Minnesota from New England four games ago and for the most part was producing. It was official on Tuesday and he was on the waiver wire for about 24 hours. He was promptly picked up by Tennessee who was 22nd of 31 teams to be able to pick him up. They were also the only team to put in a waiver.

Randy Moss is without a doubt a talented WR. Some experts say that he has a genius football IQ. He is loved by his teammates but not so much by coaches, management and the media. In his early years, he got in trouble with the law but has in recent years stayed out of trouble in that sense. He is on his third team this season.

I've had friends comment on my facebook or tweet to me their concerns about picking up Moss. One even laughed and said "Good luck with that." I've thought about it and several thoughts come to mind. First, forgiveness. He talked himself out of New England because the Patriots weren't willing to commit to a new, huge contract (aside from Brady is typical) and he was upset about it. He gets traded to a Vikings team that wasn't doing well, had a head coach that was trying to keep things afloat and a QB that had controversy surrounding him. It was a bad situation and it kind of boiled over and it got to the point where Vikings HC Brad Childress couldn't handle it and cut him without consulting anyone.

Where does forgiveness come in? Moss has made mistakes. He is a good player but he has made mistakes. At what point do you quit forgiving him? I'm reminded of the time where Peter asked Jesus how many times he was to forgive when someone sinned against him and threw out seven times. Jesus responded "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven." (Matthew 18:22) Those who are followers of Jesus are called to forgive again and again so that we lose count. Is it easy to forgive? No it's not but it's something believers are called to do.

I personally don't know Randy Moss. I would probably say I'm like 20 something degrees of separation from him (random number, I don't know it might be more or less). But what I do know is he is human just like me. He has a sinful nature just like me. He makes mistakes just like me. And I hope that he knows that he is forgiven just like me by Jesus Christ.

Second, I hope this story has a good ending. I would love to see him come to the Titans and play well (and along with that the Titans go to the Super Bowl and win). More importantly, I'd hope that he comes to Nashville and finds a home and people to be supportive and show the love of Jesus to Him. I hope that if he doesn't have that relationship with Christ that he starts that relationship. And if he does have one, I hope that it is strengthened.

Too often it's easy to dismiss or laugh about an athlete and one who's gotten himself (or herself) in trouble. It's another to forgive, especially one who has needed forgiveness multiple times. I'm not perfect but I'm striving to be more like Jesus, this includes forgiving others....including Randy Moss

Random Sports Reflections

2010-10-18T14:32:00.001-05:00

It has been awhile since my last post but there hasn't been anything pressing so it's always good to throw up a few random reflections in bullet style points.

*A friend of mine had a tweet about the possibility of college football being an idol. Now I know where my friend is coming from. I know him from college and I'd consider him a good friend and he's a strong believer (and also a youth pastor which means he has a huge calling in my book) so I know he's not like sports is evil. Though there are some people that do have that feeling. To them I would say this. Sports is not evil. It is like anything. It is good and honoring to God....if it is in the proper relationship to Him. If sports is put above God, then yes it is an idol. However, anything can be put above God and hence become an idol. Food, friends, one's spouse, anything can become idol. But those things in an of themselves aren't bad. God created those things to be enjoyed in the proper place. And I feel that sports is one of those things. Do some people make sports their idol...yes. But one should not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Sports can be an instrument for God to be glorified. It's about keeping it in the proper perspective.

*I thought it was really cool (though I don't like Texas) the celebration the Rangers had in their locker room following their ALDS series victory. They celebrated with ginger ale, because they wanted to include OF Josh Hamilton in the celebration. Hamilton, a follower of Jesus and a recovering alcoholic, skipped the AL West clinching win celebration because they used champagne because he didn't want to be tempted to drink. This time his teammates used ginger ale. I respect Hamilton because he's someone who has made mistakes, owned up to those mistakes and continues to move forward and be honest about his faith and his struggles. That is something that should be an encouragement to all believers as we struggle to live out our faith on a daily basis.

*Speaking of baseball, all the teams I rooted for in the Division series lost....which means I'm stuck with four teams that I'm not really fans of (or don't like at all). I'm pulling for whoever wins in the National League.

*Hockey season has started as well and the Predators are 3-0-1 in their first 4 games...not bad at all :)

Fan Appreciation Night 2010....Ninth Royals Game of 2010

2010-10-04T19:55:00.000-05:00

Saturday night was the ninth Royals game and the last one of the year that I attended. I went along with my friends Kyle, Lane and Tyler. It has been a tradition to go to Fan Appreciation Night so this year was no exception. It involves giveaways, raffles and other stuff like that. Plus the opponent was the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays who were fighting for first place in the AL East. So it made for a good night.

The giveaway at the gate was a Royals Snuggie or a "Sluggie". Got to enjoy a free Snuggie. Throughout the night they were giving away prizes with those who have the ticket drawn. They also had raffle tickets they were selling to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House, those who won got the jerseys off the players' back. Neither of those did I win. I did win something and there was a interesting story behind it. So normally when I go to the game I buy a program. This time was no exception. After I got past the gate and picked up my snuggie I went by a stand to pick up a program. The lady standing there looked at me and said "You know what? I'm going to give you the winning program". In every program there is a page called the "Lucky Page Giveaway". If there is an autograph on the page, you win a prize. So when I heard that I was kinda like I didn't know what she meant so she told me what she meant. She did this while reaching underneath the stand and pulling a program out from underneath. When I figured it out I was thinking "There's no way she's doing that." So after I found my seat and got food and ate, I pulled out the program and looked at the page. Sure enough, there was an autograph of Josh Fields (3rd Baseman) on the page. So I went to Guest Services to pick up what I won. I ended up with $20 worth of gift certificates at a local sub shop. So that was cool.

The game itself wasn't too good. The Royals put up 8 hits and had a couple more runners on top of that. Yet....they did not score a run. The Royals just couldn't put up runs. The Rays got 4 runs and that was more than enough. The Rays did set a Major League record for the most pitchers used in a 9 inning game for a shutout with 8 pitchers. One of those was ace starting pitcher David Price, Tennessee native, who threw an inning in relief. So in the end the Royals lost 4-0.

At the end of the 2010 season the Royals finished 4-5 in games I attended (3-1 in games that i wore the powder blue jersey, 1-0 in the royal blue jersey) and for teams i rooted for 6-3. Hopefully next season will be better for both the Royals and the Mariners.

Yes, God Does Love (fill in the blank city)

2010-09-20T10:04:00.001-05:00

This post has been sitting in my head for a while but I finally feel like I've got the momentum to actually write it. Bill Simmons, columnist for ESPN.com and nicknamed "The Sports Guy", in the past several months has talked about different cities who have suffered losing teams and championships by saying that "God hates" that city. An example would be Cleveland. In an September 9th article in essence previewing the NFL season he said "The Browns finished 2009 strong and reek of sleeper potential, but we're eliminating them because God hates Cleveland." He has also mentioned this about Seattle, (a city near and dear to my heart).

Now granted I know he is a columnist and sometimes columnists say things for show or to get reactions from readers. But it does get one to think. Does God really hate a city? Because a city hasn't won a championship in 20, 30 or 50 or more years, does that mean God doesn't care about that city?

People who know me know I love sports. I love the competition and I love to win. I root on teams and hope they win. But I also understand it's not the end of the world if my team loses. I understand in perspective that it is just a game and there are bigger things out there.

But back to the question at hand, does God hate Cleveland or does God hate Seattle? My answer is no. God does not hate Cleveland or Seattle or New York or any city. In fact God loves those cities. I lived in Seattle for three years and I can attest that God loves that city. You can see God's creation as you travel around the city. It is simply awe inspiring. But more importantly, God loves the people in the city. How do I know this? Because he sent Jesus his son to die for the people of Cleveland, Seattle, Boston, Kansas City and around the world.

I'm reminded of the story in the book of Jonah. God tells Jonah to travel to the city of Nineveh to warn the people. Why? Because God wanted the people to repent. Even though they were not Israelites, God loved them and wanted them to turn to Him. And guess what? Jonah went (reluctantly) and they did repent. God loved the city of Nineveh and the people in it.

So yes, God loves (fill in the blank city). And what's more amazing? He loves you and me.

Random Sports Reflections

2010-09-17T13:49:00.001-05:00

It was about time for another post and there are several things rummaging in my head so I figured why not get them down in a random post.

*This week Reggie Bush returned his Heisman Trophy that he won back in 2005. This was the first time this had happened and he said "I just felt like it was the best thing to do, the most respectful thing to do because obviously I do respect the Heisman. I do respect all the things it stands for." It stems from the controversy of his family receiving benefits while he was at USC. He says that him returning the trophy is not an admission of guilt. Personally I feel conflicted. On the one hand, if he was innocent and everything then there's no reason to give up the trophy. OJ Simpson never had to give up his trophy and look at the controversy he caused. On the other hand, he shouldn't have the trophy to begin with (I would have said that back in 2005, Vince Young should have won it). Regardless, the Heisman people now say that it is vacant. However, just like the NCAA may take away tournaments and wins from people, we all know that Reggie Bush won the Heisman in 2005. It seems Bush has learned his lesson and is trying to help youngsters not fall into the "alleged" trap that he and his family fell into.

*The NFL season is underway and I'm super excited. Both the Titans and Seahawks won their season openers, which was the first time since 2007 (my last fall in Seattle). Given how the two teams were last season, I'm cautiously optimistic they could do well and maybe even make the playoffs this year (again first time since 2007 both teams make the playoffs).

*I'm disappointed in how the baseball season turned out with the Royals and Mariners pretty much laying over and playing dead most of the year. It is cool that the Cincinnati Reds are doing well and they're my team to root for come the playoffs. As long as the Yankees don't win, I'll be happy.

Well that's all that's been rattling in my head. It's great that it's fall with football here. It's good times indeed.

Sports Analogy: Training Camp

2010-08-30T15:31:00.000-05:00

It has been a long time since I had a sports analogy but one recently popped into my head and it was appropriate time and season for it. Right now, I'm starting what will be a year long internship (broken up into two semesters) in which I will (hopefully) finish my Master's of Divinity at Midwestern Seminary. In one sense, it will be a daunting task but in another sense it will be good.

I was mulling over this past weekend what I needed to do in the next nine months to get to graduation. Like I said earlier looking at it initially it seems rather daunting, this internship is what's riding on me getting my degree in May. But I was reminded by the Holy Spirit that I'm given just today and I have to take it one day at a time. It is very much like training camp (which is appropriate given the time of year for football). Players and coaches have a goal of winning the Super Bowl. And in July and August, that does seem like a pretty daunting task. But they take each day of training camp to prepare for the season. They take it one day at a time. Then when the season comes, they focus on the next game at hand. Soon enough, they are at the end of the season and are holding up the championship trophy. They didn't skip all the way to the end. They took it one game at a time, one day at a time.

Too often we (myself included) get caught up and worried about how we're going to accomplish certain goals. We need to be reminded by the Father that all we're given is today. We need to be diligent at doing the work for today and the long term goals will be taken care of as we reach the designated time frame for each of them. We all go through seasons of life where we are either to begin a new season, in the middle of a season or coming to the end. Whatever season you're in, focus on the task at hand and what God has given you to do.

Hanging out at the New Arrowhead....Kansas City Chiefs Preseason Game in Review

2010-08-29T17:00:00.001-05:00

Everyone who knows me knows how much of a football fan I am. It is my favorite sport. So anytime I can go to a football game is a good time. And living in Kansas City for three years I've lived in a town with a pro football team (the Chiefs). When it came to my last year in KC (hopefully as I'll graduate from seminary in May and be looking for a job) I figured I should try and go to a Chiefs game. So I began to scour around looking for tickets. Sure enough, while I was on eBay, I found some cheap tickets. And when I say cheap, I just mean in price because the seats themselves were sweet. Lower level, near the end zone, 10 rows from the field. I ended up getting 4 tickets (plus shipping) for less than just purchasing one of them at face value. It was a sweet deal indeed. So this past Friday, I along with my friends Josh, Ryan and Andrea went to see the Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles. Here are some observations from the night:

*Traffic to the stadium is bad. Granted it was Friday and that included rush hour plus a wreck on one of the interstates plus construction but it was ugh. I thought traffic to a Royals game was bad, this was worse. It doesn't help that it's out on the edge of the city so coming from the Northland it takes about 20 minutes on a good day, it took about double that night.

*Parking is also bad. One of my chief complaints about that complex is that it's the only place to park. You pretty much are stuck with parking there cause there are no other options. We sprung to get reserved parking so we got closer to the stadium but still, it is kinda ridiculous.

*Because of traffic and such, pretty much missed the pregame stuff. We got there right as the National Anthem was being sung and got to our seats right after the opening kickoff. Other than that, it wasn't too hard finding out seats. To get to our seats, we walked through the new Chiefs Hall of Honor, pretty cool stuff. I would have loved to have spent more time around it but the game was going and didn't want to miss it.

*The view from our seats was great. We were in the north end of the stadium and had great line of sight for most everything (except when the teams were on the other far end of the field). Unfortunately, nearly all the scoring except a 4th qtr FG by the Chiefs' Ryan Succop took place at the other end.

*It was funny how after a few bad plays to start out, the Chiefs fans booed the team. That was a first. Then again, my experience at stadiums had typically been with teams who were at least decent if not really good. When the Chiefs did get going and took the lead, then the crowd got into the game.

*Arrowhead Stadium, newly renovated, looked pretty cool. It was one of those stadiums I saw on TV growing up and looked really good, especially with all the work they done to it. The famed noise level....didn't really notice it. Maybe because it was a preseason game and the team is still not at tip top shape but it wasn't deafining. And I've been to preseason games where it's been louder. To this day, I will still say the loudest stadium is Qwest Field in Seattle.

*The game itself was pretty good. The 3rd preseason game is the closest to a regular season game because it's the game the starters play the longest. It was funny but both sides played their starters through 3 whole quarters, rare in the NFL (they usually only play a half maybe a few plays into the 3rd quarter). The Chiefs, after being down 10-0 rallied and even took the lead and held it with about 2:00 minutes to go 17-13. Then then proceeded to give up a touchdown with about :25 seconds left and wound up losing 20-17.

This was my 9th NFL game. I've now been to 4 preseason games, 4 regular season games and 1 postseason game. It was fun times and I'm excited that it's football season again!

Predictions for the 2010 NFL Season

2010-08-27T09:09:00.000-05:00

Football season is rapidly approaching and with that is the time of the year for predictions. So, in the spirit of usually being wrong at the end of the season, here are my picks for this upcoming season:

NFC East:
Dallas
Washington
Philadelphia
NY Giants

NFC North:
Green Bay
Minnesota
Chicago
Detroit

NFC South:
New Orleans
Atlanta
Carolina
Tampa Bay

NFC West:
Seattle
San Francisco
Arizona
St. Louis

Wild Card: Minnesota, Atlanta

AFC East:
New England
NY Jets
Miami
Buffalo

AFC North:
Cincinnati
Baltimore
Pittsburgh
Cleveland

AFC South:
Indianapolis
Tennessee
Houston
Jacksonville

AFC West:
Kansas City
San Diego
Oakland
Denver

Wild Card: Tennessee, Houston

Super Bowl: Tennessee over Green Bay

Reflections on the Retirement of Glen Coffee

2010-08-19T16:45:00.001-05:00

Last week I (along with many other football fans) were shocked by the announcement that Glen Coffee, RB for the San Francisco 49ers announced his retirement. A lot of shock was because he was a 3rd round pick last year out of Alabama and was expected to continue in his role as backup/3rd down back to starter Frank Gore. People speculated as to why he retired (didn't get along with how HC Mike Singletary ran training camp was one main one. When he finally answered question, Glen simply said that he felt that it was time to go and that in part it was because of his faith and trust in God that he decided to walk away. In an interview with a sports writer for the Sacramento Bee, Glen mentioned how he came to faith in Christ while at Alabama and that he shouldn't have entered the draft because his heart wasn't in it. When asked why he couldn't reconcile his faith and football, Glen responded: "His [God's] will, I felt, wasn't football. I felt like I forced football because everyone expected me to play football. He told me a long time ago to walk away from the game." Glen is heading back to Alabama to finish his bachelor's degree then pursue a master's degree.

This story is similar to one back in January that I blogged about. There, a prospect for the Oakland A's, retired to pursue a calling as a priest. The two stories are similar in that both were young and felt God's call into ministry. The difference being Glen was already in the highest level and was getting snaps and playing time while the baseball prospect may or may not have made it to the highest level.

While there are those who have played in the NFL while being bold in the faith, Glen Coffee didn't feel that was God's calling in his life. The important thing is to follow God's will. I understand in some way how Glen feels. Pursuing God's calling in your life is hard but in the end is the most rewarding. I wish him nothing but the best in the weeks, months and years ahead.

(Here's a link to the interview)

T-Shirt Tuesday & The Race to the End of the Race: Eighth Royals Game of 2010 in Review

2010-08-18T11:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I went to my eighth Royals game of the year. My friend Lane and I took advantage of another deal on tickets and got some good seats cheap (Field Box, third base side). It was another T-Shirt Tuesday which meant another free T-Shirt. Aside from a fitted hat, all my Royals gear has been free (I got at games or during Royals chapel). Can't go wrong with that at all.

The funny part about this game was this: So Lane and I got to the stadium just as the gates opened. We got our T-Shirts and went to our seats. We sat down and were looking around. We see this guy with a headset on and a Royals polo shirt walk over and ask us if we'd be interested in doing one of the games between innings. We were like sure. He said it was the Inflatable Slugggurrr race. Basically it's these blow up suits that look like the mascot Slugggurrr and people are to run two laps out at the Little K (small ballpark for kids) in the suits. He asked us to stand up to check our heights and he told Lane "Yeah you're great." and he looked at me "You'll be okay" because the preferred height for this was 5'5" to 5'10" (and I'm 6'). So he had us sign a waiver and said meet over by the Little K in the middle of the 2nd inning.

Middle of the 2nd inning we walk over and meet up with the guy. He has us go onto the field of the Little K and look into a camera there and wave to the camera so they could tape us and the fans could see our faces since we'd be in the suits during the event. At about the end of the 3rd, they strapped out feet into the suits put a thing on our backs like a backpack and started getting us into the suits and inflated them. I was in the "Royal blue" Slugggurrr while Lane was in the "Powder blue" Slugggurrr (there usually is a 3rd suit but it's out of commission right now). The middle of the 4th was when the race took place. The real Slugggurrr was there along with Tim, the "host" and also several members of the K Crew (who help with giveaways and entertainment stuff). He tells us beforehand to "run as hard as we can and have a great race". When the time comes it's a countdown and then we're off. I start slow the first lap mainly because I'm having to look down a little because the line of sight is lower than I am and I was still trying to get a feel for the suit. I round the cone that I started from to complete the first lap and I started to pick up speed. When I rounded the cone to start the home stretch I just ran as hard as I could in that suit. When I got to the end I was a little tired but I found out I won the race. I could look out and see Slugggurrr standing in front of me waiving the flag and then he bopped me in the head gently with it. They then got us out of the suits and I was handed an envelope for winning and Lane for runner-up. I got back to my seat and opened up the envelope. It had a couple of coupons for KC Masterpiece products and a $25 dollar gift card from Hy-Vee. Not bad at all. (The race to the end of the race in the title is a reference to Homestar Runner in case you didn't catch it)

The game itself was pretty good. Zack Grienke pitching is always a good night and he got a quality start. It was another low scoring game but two solo home runs made the difference. Soria came in for the save and it was good times. Royals end up winning the game 2-1. The other highlight was they were playing Cleveland which meant Trevor Crowe was playing, our favorite Cleveland Indian player. He did get a double in the game so that was cool.

Overall the Royals are now 4-4 in games I've been to (3-0 when I wear the powder blue jersey, last night wore the royal blue jersey so it's 1-0) and for teams I've rooted for the record is 6-2. Good times abound!

Reflecting on The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels

2010-08-13T11:08:00.000-05:00

People who know me know that I grew up a professional wrestling fan and to some extend I still am today, though I'll watch old matches more than I'll watch new ones. One of my favorites to watch growing up was "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels. He wasn't a big guy or really muscular, but he above and beyond the call of duty in putting on a show for all the fans in the arena and watching on TV. He is a guy who I respected as a wrestler and have come to respect even more so as a person.

For those that don't know his story, to try and sum it up would be difficult. But he was someone who had achieved a lot of success but was feeling empty, he tried to fill that emptiness with drugs, with fame, and it didn't work. On the outside he was successful but on the inside he was a wreck. He had an injury to his back that forced him out of wrestling in 1998. That was the beginning of a rough time in his life but it was also the time God used to work in his life. He got married, started a family but things weren't clicking in his life fully. His wife got back into church and invited him to go. He did and heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ and from that accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior and has been following him ever since.

From that point on, there was a change in his life. He had turned his life over to the Lord, began making amends with friendships and relationships that had been hurt by his previously destructive behavior, got involved in his local church leading bible studies and would share his faith often. He got back into wrestling in 2002 after his back had healed up and continued to wrestle until his retirement after Wrestlemania 26 this past March.

He is someone who is an encouragement of the work of Christ in someone's life and the impact that has. Shawn is quick to point to his faith in interviews even to this day. This week Bill Simmons, ESPN.com writer and podcaster, interviewed Shawn and during the interview there were several times Shawn referenced his faith and the importance that it has in this life (you can click on this link to check out that interview). Also, if you ever get the chance watch the DVD "Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story". It is produced by WWE and tells the story of Shawn's life and career through 2006. It talks about the highs and lows of Shawn's life and does share a little bit of his testimony of his conversion.

It's always good to point out those who are active and sharing their faith and using the platforms God has given them to do this. Kudos to Shawn and hope that God continues to use him in such a manner.

Supporting a Good Cause through Fantasy Football

2010-08-08T08:43:00.002-05:00

I came across this through Twitter and wanted to pass it along. Everyone that knows me knows I love football and I'm excited about the upcoming season. I also enjoy being involved in fantasy football, and I'm not alone. There are millions across the country that are signing up for leagues even as we speak. It's a great way to supplement watching the games, have bragging rights and enjoy winning a championship every now and then.

It is also a means by which people can help support a good cause. This last week Alexandra Schlereth, actress and daughter of current ESPN NFL analyst and former NFL great Mark Schlereth set out a twitter message promoting two openings in a fantasy football league that she and her dad participate in. The way these two spots were to be filled were by people donating $20 to Generosity Water. Generosity Water is a non-profit organization that is "committed to ending the clean water crisis" (from their twitter page). Their mission is: "Dedicated to ending the clean water crisis in developing countries, one community at a time. Through innovative awareness campaigns, strategic implementation and in depth accountability, we hope to inspire people to think globally and live generously." (from their website) For each $20 dollar donation, there was one entry put in and at the end of the week Alexandra drew two names and those two are invited to play in their league. Overall, there was nearly $800 dollars raised.

It's great to hear stories like this. God can use fantasy football to help raise money to help out those in need. What passions has God given you that you can use to help out those in need and to share the Gospel with others?

(If you want to donate to Generosity Water, you can go to their website)

Reflections on Amare Stoudemire

2010-08-03T11:09:00.000-05:00

Last week there was an interesting article on ESPN.com (the link to the article is right here). In the article, Amare Stoudemire, PF formerly of the Phoenix Suns and now of the New York Knicks, was interviewed about his visit to Israel and his search for his Jewish roots. His mother side of the family is Jewish and he is tracing his roots back on her side of the family to confirm this.

The interesting part of this article was a quote that Stoudemire said. When talking about his upbringing, he said this: "I grew up in a very spiritual home. It's not about religion, it's about spirituality for me." A very interesting quote, and I would venture to say quite common in this postmodern society we live in. Personally I think Amare is half right. It's not about religion. However, where I would disagree is what it's about. It's about relationship. In both the Old and New Testament, God has (and still does) wanted relationship between people and Himself. We see this throughout the Old Testament reflected in the relationship between God and the Israelites. We see this in the New Testament through Jesus Christ, who lived on this Earth and reflected the relationship God wants with His people and then died on the cross so that we can be able to have that relationship again without sin blocking our access.

I will say that I'm encouraged that Amare is looking. I hope that while he is looking, the Holy Spirit works on his heart and shows him that the Messiah has already come and that it can be more than just spirituality, but a relationship between him and the Father, through Jesus Christ.

Retro Feeling: Seventh Royals Game in 2010 in Review

2010-08-01T16:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I went to my seventh Royals game of the year. It was the first one in nearly two months (last one I went to was early June). Worked out to get cheap tickets and was in the city so away I went. It was free hat giveaway, they gave away a Kansas City Monarchs hat, in honor of Negro Leagues Celebration they do every year. The Royals were facing the Baltimore Orioles and both teams wore Negro League jerseys.

The game was a quick one (a little over two hours) and Zack Grienke got the win. The highlight was the 2 run homer by Billy Butler in the bottom of the 8th to allow the Royals to take the lead.

One other thing that stood out was the amount of people that walked up and down the aisles during the innings. In Seattle, the ushers in the lower levels wouldn't allow people to go while an at-bat was going on. In KC, they allow it. It gets kind of annoying when people are walking up and down and blocking the view of the game. My friend Kyle and I started joking about it after awhile and added that to the list of things he's going to teach on when he does his Baseball 101 class someday.

Overall the Royals are 3-4 in games I've been to, (all three games they've won I wore my Billy Butler jersey) and for teams I've rooted for the record is 5-2. I'm hoping to make it to a few more games before the season is done but we'll see.

Reflections on "The Decision"

2010-07-10T15:14:00.000-05:00

It has been several days since "The Decision" and I went back and forth about whether to write about it. There have been probably millions of people who have weighed in on it.

Let me preface by saying that I don't enjoy the NBA like I used to. One of the main reasons why I don't can be traced back to the team that now resides in Oklahoma City. David Stern, the commissioner of the NBA, allowed the owner of the team to pull out of Seattle, an owner who never had any intention of staying and pretty much let a city get hung out to dry. From that point on, my respect for the NBA dropped tremendously. I will still watch from time to time but I don't enjoy watching it like I used to.

Fast forward to Thursday, LeBron James has a one hour televised event to decide where he is going. Speculation abounds as to where he was going. There was as much (if not more spectacle) than there should have been for someone deciding where they were going to sign. In the end, he decided to leave Cleveland and go to Miami.

There's so much that can be said but I'll just focus on two. The first is the allowance of an hour long special in the first place. I understand why ESPN did it (for the ratings) but really there was no need for it. In a lot of ways, it was just feeding the ego of someone who was seeking attention and approval. LeBron is the type of person who has been (and continues) to try and seek approval. He's not the type of player it seems that is competitive and wants to win and strives in that regard, he just wants people to like him and wants attention. That's not in and of itself a bad thing but when that's all you look out for, then that can be a problem.

The second was lack of foresight that he had with his decision. I think the nature of the whole thing lead to the backlash that is now present throughout not just Ohio but around the country. There are millions of people that really don't like him right now. I think there would have been people regardless who wouldn't have liked that decision. But it could have handled better. Forget the hour long special, have a press conference in Cleveland. Answer the tough questions. And above all else, go out on a high note. If that had happened, there probably wouldn't have been as much backlash as there is.

Kevin Durant, up and coming superstar, announced he was re-signing with (that team) in a twitter message. No circus, no hour long tv special. LeBron, take note and next time handle it a little better.

World Cup and A Lesson in Humility

2010-06-29T13:25:00.000-05:00

Like millions upon millions (or maybe even more than that), I have been watching the World Cup finals. Like I said in my last post, I'm not as knowledgeable with soccer (or football) as some of my friends are. But even I and my limited knowledge have watched games where there have been a lot of blown calls. Goals that weren't allowed that should have been, goals that were allowed that should not have been, among other various and sundry calls that were not good. Overall, it has not been a good World Cup in that regard.

FIFA, the governing body of soccer and who runs the World Cup, has been questioned again and again about these blown calls and the work of the officials throughout the tournament. Time and time again, they would reply that the officials do not have to explain themselves nor are they going to seek to improve the game via instant replay or goal line sensors or anything involving technology because it takes away from the human mistakes which makes the game what it is.

I think there are two things with which one can take away from this. One, it is a reminder that we are human and we are not perfect, as if we needed another reminder of this. We all make mistakes, we all mess up. Soccer officials are not different than anybody else and this World Cup has shown that to be the case. However, there needs to be a level of humility in that. We need to own up to when we mess up or make mistakes. I think back to the incident with Jim Joyce, the umpire who made a bad call and cost the Tigers pitcher a perfect game, he admitted he made a mistake and apologized. Fast forward to the Mali referee who made a bad call that cost the U.S. a goal in its game with Slovenia, there was no apology, no recognition of making a bad call, not even an explanation of what the call was that he made. When we mess up, we need to own up to our mistakes. The good thing is as followers of Jesus, when we own up and confess them to God, he will forgive us of them (1 John 1:9).

The second thing to take away from this is that even though we aren't perfect, we should strive for perfection. As followers of Jesus, we have been called to follow after Him and to live right and holy lives, even though we aren't perfect. Having the Holy Spirit in us helps us to do that. We don't take joy in our mistakes nor celebrate them but seek to improve and do better. Just like going to check the replay or the goal line marker to see if it was a goal or not helps to get things right, we as followers of Jesus seek to not just stay where we are but to press on to the mark that Christ has set (Philippians 3:14).

So as the World Cup continues, there will probably be more blown calls just as in any sport. But hopefully there will be improvement. And for followers of Jesus, we should seek to grow and improve in our walk with Him

Reflections on World Cup 2010

2010-06-15T10:37:00.000-05:00

One of the major sporting events in the world has begun. It is the World Cup, the major championship for soccer (or football as it is known in the rest of the world). It takes place every four years and involves the 32 top nations in the world that qualify for the tourney.

It is probably the one major sporting event I have little knowledge of personally. I didn't get into soccer until I was in college. I do barely remember when the World Cup was in the U.S. back in 1994 but I didn't really keep up with it. When I was in college, I roomed for a time with a missionary kid (MK) from Nigeria and it was through him (along with other MKs and internationals) that I really learned about soccer and started to take notice of it. I would watch soccer in the afternoons on ESPN when I got back from class.

I still would not say I'm an expert in any sense of the word. I do like watching the games, especially when it's a major event like the World Cup.

This year it is in South Africa, first time the World Cup has been in Africa I do believe. It must be weird to be playing a "summer" event in "winter" (since it's in the southern hemisphere). So far the weather hasn't been much of a factor so we'll see if that continues.

Of course personally, I am rooting for the USA. I would love to see them win. I do root for an international team. I would be rooting for Poland but they didn't qualify. So, I'll be rooting for France. Yes, France. I like their team and have since they won the cup back in 1998.

The World Cup stage is one of the biggest in the world. I hope and pray that those players who are believers will be a good example and will have the opportunity to share their faith to teammates, opponents and to the world.

It's also a great way to pray for countries. When you're watching a match, pray for those countries and for the believers that are in those countries. Who knows, God might lead you to go to one of those countries and share your faith there.

Free Tickets and Bobbleheads: Sixth Royals Game in 2010 in Review

2010-06-06T14:31:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I went to my sixth Royals game of the year and the second one this week. This time, I got a free ticket to the game. My friend Kyle got the tickets from someone at the church where he serves as a youth pastor. So of course, I couldn't turn down free tickets to a Royals game. It also was a free bobblehead night as they were giving away a bobblehead of their former SP and 2 time Cy Young award winner Bret Saberhagen.

The tickets were in the Dugout Plaza which means they were really good seats. They were the closest to home plate I've ever sat at a ball game. So I got a really good view of the action. The other cool thing was it just so happened the section that we were sitting in had several of the players' wives and family. That was pretty cool.

The game itself was a pitcher's duel. The matchup was between Luke Hocheaver and Justin Verlander. Through 6 innings the score was 1-0. The game ended with a 4-2 Tigers win.

The Royals record in games I've been to this year now stands at 2-4 and for the teams I've rooted for 4-2.

T-Shirt Tuesday: Fifth Royals Game of 2010 in Review

2010-06-04T09:37:00.003-05:00

Finally, here's the review of the fifth Royals game of the year. I and the usual crew (Kyle and Lane) hit the ballpark for T-Shirt Tuesday. They were giving away 25th anniversary shirts of the 1985 championship. We got the usual E-Savers ticket deal so it was cheap tickets FTW (for the win). They were Field Plaza (aka lower level) in the same section a few rows away from where we sat when the Royals played the Mariners.

This time the Royals took on the Anaheim (I refuse to call them LA) Angels. It was a really quick game (just a shade over 2 hours). It saw the first time a replay was used in a game I was at (Matsui hit a ball that was ruled a ground rule double but they had to check to make sure it wasn't a home run, replay upheld the ruling). The Royals came back from being down 2-1 and ended up winning the game 6-3. We even got a free Sonic slush because Jose Guillen hit a home run in the Sonic Slam section in the 8th inning.

In keeping with the wearing the Billy Butler jersey, the Royals are 2-0 in those games. Overall, they are 2-3 in games I've been to. The record for teams I've rooted for is 4-1. Hopefully, they'll continue on an uptick and get closer to .500 by the All-Star break

An Example of Grace on the Baseball Diamond

2010-06-03T11:21:00.003-05:00

I was expecting yet again to blog about the Royals/Angels game today but then last night happened with Griffey's retirement and then a few hours later the almost perfect game. It is the talk of baseball after Armando Galarraga came within an out of pitching the 21st perfect game in MLB history and the 3rd one this year. Jason Donald, Cleveland Indians shortstop, hit a grounder that was essentially a bang bang play. The umpire, Jim Joyce, called Donald safe on the field. Millions of replays later showed it to be the wrong call. It cost Galarraga the perfect game but he came back and got the next batter, Trevor Crowe (personal favorite) out and ended the game.

Galarraga through it all didn't get upset or mad at Joyce. In fact, after the game, the pitcher and umpire met and the umpire apologized and they hugged. Too often, we hear of players and managers getting into it with umps, rightly so or not. It's nice to hear of an example of grace shown. It's another reminder that we are human and we make mistakes. In those moments we can choose to show grace and forgiveness. This was a time when someone was wronged and they showed grace. I hope in all the talk about the loss of perfection, that grace will be talked about as well.

Reflections on the Retirement of "The Kid"

2010-06-02T19:20:00.000-05:00

I was going to write about going to the Royals game on Tuesday with my next post but news that just came over the wire takes precident...

Ken Griffey Jr. has announced his retirement today. It has been rumored for about a month but to be honest it was still a shock. I just heard literally like a few minutes ago so I'm still trying to sort through thoughts and memories.

He was a ballplayer that I grew up with of sorts. He debuted in the majors in 1989, when I was 9 years old, so right in the wheelhouse of memories. He had the hype of being the son of Ken Griffey Sr., who was a good player in his own right. But he lived up to the hype. I remember trying to collect his rookie cards and how some of them were so expensive (I think it was the Upper Deck one that was the most expensive one....I still have those cards somewhere, I'll have to look for them at some point).

I rooted for Griffey even being a boy from Tennessee with no connections (at the time) to Seattle. I latched onto the Mariners for the first time back in 1995 with their crazy run to the playoffs and then beating the Yankees in the 95 Divisional Round. I remember playing the Ken Griffey Jr. MLB game for Super Nintendo as a teen for hours on end.

I was sad when he left Seattle and went to Cincy but I understood because he wanted to be closer to family. I felt bad for him when he had the injuries that cost him in my mind a shot at the home run record. It was cool that when I got to see my first MLB game in St. Louis it was against the Reds in 2002. Unfortunately, Griffey wasn't playing but I saw his team. Then in 2007 while I was living in Seattle, I saw a video tribute that Griffey gave to Edgar Martinez when Martinez was inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame. Everyone cheered for him. Later in the season, the Reds came to Safeco and he routinely got standing ovations. I wasn't able to make it to the ballpark but I watched those games on TV. It wasn't until 2008 that I got to see Griffey live and in person. By then, he was with the White Sox. It looked weird seeing him in a White Sox jersey but I was happy to see him playing in person after all those years.

I was really excited when he re-signed with the Mariners last year. I saved up money and ordered a Mariners jersey (because I missed Seattle and wanted a M's jersey) and I got a Griffey one. I wore it proudly when the M's came to KC and the M's were undefeated when I wore the Griffey jersey.

I will remember fondly earlier this year when they were in town. I was standing down by the visitor's dugout watching BP and saw Griffey up close, probably the closest I'd ever seen him. I saw him smiling and taking BP and it reminded me of when I was 15 watching him play on TV.

He is a one of a kind player, a once in a generation player. He will be missed from the game and I hope that whatever the next step is for Him I wish him nothing but the best. He will always be "The Kid".

Start of a New Era: Fourth Royals Game in 2010 in Review

2010-05-15T11:14:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I took in my fourth Royals game of 2010. It was an interesting game to say the least as the Royals took on division rivals the Chicago White Sox. It was the first game for new manager Ned Yost after Trey Hillman was fired on Thursday. Before I go further, I want to say this. I think Trey Hillman is a great guy, I've met him in person and heard him speak. He's a faithful follower of Jesus and I still think he's a good manager. He just didn't get the best situation with having enough talent to compete with his style. I really hope he finds another chance to manage in the big leagues and with a team with the talent to compete.

With a new manager there some new hope. I will say this for about 4 1/3 innings I was pulling for Mark Buehrle because he was pitching a perfect game, then after that was given up I was back to pulling for the Royals. I was there with a group from seminary up in the "cheap seats". One thing you can be sure, if it's a group outing, chances are you're sitting in the "cheap seats". There's really not any bad seats at Kauffman so that's fine. You just have absolutely no chance at a foul ball. I did come close to having a home run ball during batting practice. Kyle, Lane, Andrew and I walked out to the Party Porch while the Sox were taking BP. Just as we get to a spot, the batter hits the ball. Kyle and I are looking at the outfielder who turns his head to look in our direction. It was like "Oh no" as we can't track the ball and all of a sudden there's a "thump" right over our heads, then it bounces down and to the right of where we are. A teenager ended up with the ball. If we had been there probably a minute before, we could've tracked the ball and ended up with it.

The game itself ended up with a win. They scored 5 runs in the 7th inning and batted around the order to get the victory 6-1. It was the first win of the year for the Royals in games I've been to (which means they're 1-3). Though for teams I'm rooting for, I'm 3-1 (I did root for the Mariners in 2 games). I was wearing my Billy Butler powder blue jersey which in the past two years has a winning record for the Royals.

After the game, it was Fireworks Friday so there was a fireworks display that lasted about 10 minutes or so. Overall, great time and a good victory and hopefully the start of something good for the team.

Running Journal for Royals Chapel 3.0

2010-05-06T10:13:00.002-05:00

Last Tuesday, Midwestern Seminary hosted it's third (I guess you can say at this point annual) Royals Chapel. This year it was just Trey Hillman, manager of the Royals who was involved as GM Dayton Moore was unable to come due to a scheduling conflict. It was a similar format as in previous years where Dr. Roberts, the president of the seminary, asked Trey questions and did it in a dialogue format.

It started out with a funny quip as Dr. Roberts told Trey that it he was back in the hot seat of Midwestern Seminary to which Trey replied that the seat at the "K" is hot too.

Dr. Roberts asked Trey to give a quick testimony of his background for those who hadn't been to previous chapels. Trey briefly shared his testimony and also shared some new stories. One was that he grew up in a Church of Christ church down in Texas and one time when he was a youth on a Wednesday night he was over at the Baptist church leading worship with his guitar and that his parents, when asked where Trey was by those in the congregation of the Church of Christ church, told them that he was leading worship at the Baptist church. That got a pretty good laugh out of everyone there.

He mentioned that he and his family attend a Baptist church in Liberty Hills, TX where his home is (and where he lives during the offseason). He mentioned how as time went on, he felt more at home in a Baptist church and so that's why he worships at the church he's at now.

Trey then talked about one thing that has been on his heart the last ten years is that he has asked God that he be less judgmental. He mentioned how it's our job as Christians to love people and that he's trying to do a better job of that.

When talking about his job as a manager, he mentioned how he's heard words put together with his name that he couldn't even fathom.

He then talked about his time in Japan as a manager and how he was able to do a lot of mission work with the missionaries there and the great opportunities that came about from that. He said that wherever God puts him, he plans to honor God and be bold in his witness.

He acknowledged he felt the prayers of everyone from the seminary and that he couldn't wait to come back to campus to thank everyone for them.

Dr. Roberts then asked him what his typical day was like. Trey mentioned that he's there at the ballpark 12-15 hours a day. Before he discussed his routine, he said that it's important to surround yourself with people not only who encourage and support you but who you can encourage and support as well. He said that there are 2 types of people, energy givers and energy suckers and he wants to be around energy givers and more importantly around people encouraging with the Holy Spirit.

He then got into the day in the life of a MLB manager. He said he gets to the ballpark and does about 3 to 5 miles on the treadmill. He works out early in order to work out stress. He then spends about 45 minutes to an hour for video review. The early work for the players on a typical day starts at 3:00 and official stretch time starts at 4:15. He said that a lot of it is essentially "hurry up and wait". He will do two press conferences a day. The first one is prior to batting practice while the second one is 8-10 minutes after the game. He said they as managers are required by MLB to be available for those two press conferences. He then talked about meetings with players and he said usually he doesn't meat with the team as a whole prior to a game. It will usually be either with the pitchers or with the position players. He said it could be anywhere from 3 to 7 meetings a day and that "you don't really know what your day is going to be like".

When asked about using Twitter, Trey said that he's not a "twister" or "tweeter" but that he does text. He then mentioned one piece of advice he gives to this 16 and 13 year old kids "Don't text anything that you can't say to someone's face".

He then talked about this new technology he found out about recently. One of his coaches or scouts (don't remember off hand) came into his office and gave him this notebook. In it it had tracked a pitcher's arm slot release. It was color coated and had it from 2008, 2009 and this year. He said he was shocked about all that was involved in it.

Trey then talked about how he likes to have conversations over confrontations and that given how everyone is watching him, in order to speak to a player he has to go 20 feet into a tunnel. Case in point, two years ago during a game he made a joke with the pitching coach Bob McClure and then later took some time to encourage SP Gil Meche as he was coming out of the game. Trey was later accused of picking a fight with the pitching coach and punking out his pitcher. He said that his wife told him that he needs to smile more and that would help some with that.

He mentioned how part of his job is to help with players' "ego management system". He also said that he wants to be confident but not perceived as arrogant and understands there's a fine line there.

He shared a story about while he was working in the Yankees organization he ran the fantasy camp that they held. One time he was with Bobby Richardson and he told the story about Mickey Mantle came to knew the Lord while he was in the hospital just before he died.

Dr. Roberts then asked him some baseball questions (and he couldn't respond with the answer Royals or any Royals players) and here was his responses:

Best pitcher: Tim Lincecum (Giants)
Best hitter: Joe Mauer (Twins)
Best athlete: Adam Jones (Orioles)
Best reliever: Mariano Rivera (Yankees) (he also shared briefly that while Trey was with the Yankees organization he got to know Rivera personally and talked about how Rivera loves the Lord and is a strong Christian)
World Series: Yankees vs. Giants

Dr. Roberts then asked Trey how to better pray for him. Trey mentioned how he was humbled and truly appreciated the prayers. He said that he would ask them to pray for wisdom, how to be best used in the platform God has given him, patience, and prayer for the families of players and coaches. He then said that he prays for the campus and very much appreciates the seminary having him come and speak.

I've found these chapels to be a blessing and I'm glad that the seminary has done them and I hope that it something that will truly be an annual event.

Mariners vs. Royals---Day 2: Third Royals Game in 2010

2010-04-29T17:33:00.002-05:00

Yesterday (Wednesday) I went to my third Royals game of the year, second game verses the Mariners. This game was a day game and as I don't have classes on Wednesdays, I didn't skip anything. For this game, my friend Lane and I took advantage of a deal where it was "All You Can Eat Seats". They are in the Loge section (kinda inbetween the lower level and the upper deck) and on certain Wednesdays this section you can get all you can eat hot dogs, popcorn, nachos, pretzels, and drinks from the time gates open until the 7th inning and really the cost is the same for the tickets if you didn't have that so it's a pretty good deal.

Of course along with the excitement of that, there was the game. I was of course wearing my Griffey jersey again and cheering on the Mariners. This game was interesting as it was more scoring. It was 5-1 Seattle into the 6th inning before the Royals came roaring back to tie it up. Then the M's took the lead again getting to the Royals bullpen and ended up winning the game 6-5. Along with that, I got to see the #1 Web Gem on Baseball Tonight (the Jack Wilson snag and jump throw to get Kendall out).

After 3 games I've attended, the Royals are 0-3. However, in 2 games I've attended the Mariners are 2-0. I'm hoping that the next game I go to the Royals win. I'm also hoping to go to St. Louis in June and catch the M's play the Cards in interleague play.

Mariners vs. Royals---Day 1: Second Royals Game in 2010

2010-04-28T18:19:00.001-05:00

Yesterday (Tuesday) night, I went to my second Royals game of the year, though I was cheering for the other team. Yes, my "home" team, the Seattle Mariners were in town. There were in Kansas City for the only time this season and I wanted to see them twice (since that's how many times I saw them last season) and so I got tickets back to back nights.

I got asked several times why I still root for them and I tell people because I still consider Seattle my second home. I will root for Kansas City because I'm here now but deep down I'm a Mariners fan and will continue to be even though I don't live in Seattle.

Onto the game, I got there early to watch batting practice. When I lived in Seattle I believe I saw them take batting practice once in three years. So I went down by the dugout and watched. I saw Ichiro, Griffey, and the rest of the guys up close. It was really cool. And I was this close to coming away with an autograph. Mike Sweeney, the backup DH and former Royal, at one point saw some old friends of his and stopped to talk to them. He literally jumped the railing and came into the stands to talk with them for a few minutes. He was probably ten feet away from where I was standing. I thought to myself "Hey I'll wait and see if I can get an autograph. And I was literally standing right next to an usher who said nothing to me while BP was ending and Sweeney was standing there. Unfortunately, another more stricter usher came down another aisle nearby and started to shoo people away. This in turn made the one standing right next to me ask me "Do you have a ticket for this section?" I sighed, shook my head no, and then grabbed my backpack and made the long walk back to my seat. It was kinda disappointing but oh well. Sometimes that's how it is.

It was Zack Grienke pitching for the Royals which meant more than likely it was going to be a low scoring game. And sure enough it was. It was fitting of the promotion of the night, buck night (1 dollar hot dogs, peanuts, Twinkies and small drinks) as runs were low. It was 2-0 Royals through 7 innings as Grienke was pitching in a manner that was reminiscent of his Cy Young year last year. The M's were gutting it out as the pitching was keeping it close. Then it became a game of bullpens...and has been proven through the season so far, Mariners have a bullpen, Royals don't. Royals gave up 3 runs in the 8th inning and then M's shut them down in the bottom of 8th and 9th to get the victory.

It's a weird feeling to be heavily outnumbered by fans and your team wins. I walked out of that stadium wearing my Griffey jersey after the game ended on a fluky double play hit into by Podsednik and I felt bad for my friends Kyle and Lane but at the same time excited for my team and my friends and M's fans back in Seattle. In games I've been to seeing the M's play since I moved to K.C. after last night's game, they were 2-2. For the Royals they were 0-2 after last night's game of this season of games I've been to.

Twitter, Sports and Opportunities for Encouragment

2010-04-25T13:01:00.003-05:00

I've thought about writing on this for awhile and finally have found the time to do it. One of the trends in the past few years is the use of Twitter. For those who don't know what Twitter is, it's a form of social media that people use 140 characters to convey messages about where they are, what they're doing, or what they're feeling as well as conversing with others. It has grown in scope and usage to where people from a variety of places and popularity use it. It has become a place where people get their news (I found out the death of Michael Jackson's death from Twitter first), some promote products or connect with other people. This is particularly the case with celebrities/athletes as many have Twitter accounts and regularly tweet (write a message).

Back in January there was an ESPN.com article written by Amy K. Nelson that touched on the access that Twitter has given to fans and athletes regarding Chad Ochocinco (Johnson) and a fan of his who passed away and the tribute Chad gave to the fan last season. I would recommend reading the article and you can find a link to the article here.

I personally initially did not get into Twitter but I eventually did get an account and have regularly tweeted since then. Of course most of what I've tweeted about has been either about my faith, what's going on in my life and about sports. I follow friends of mine along with following athletes, coaches, sports reporters, analysts, and other "famous" people in the arena of sports. From this, I've found it a great way to learn more about my favorite teams and players and people that I watch on TV. A great example of this is Mark Schlereth. He is an analyst for ESPN for the NFL. He was an offensive lineman who played for the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos and on Super Bowl winning teams with both franchises. Along with tweets on the NFL and his chili that he promotes, he regularly talks about his faith. On Sundays, he shares a "churchy thought" which consists of sharing a Bible verse and a thought along with it. I've found it to be a nice source of reflection and a blessing to read as I'm out the door to church or back from church.

One of the cool things that Twitter allows people to do is a thing called at reply. Basically you put the @ symbol along with the username of someone on twitter and you can communicate with them. I use that a lot to talk to friends. I also use it to communicate with those athletes, coaches, reporters and analysts. It is a opportunity to communicate in ways that previously weren't there. And what I've tried to do along with expressing my opinion on sports is to also send a word of encouragement. I'm sure many of them get thousands of messages or more a day. But just as I'm called to encourage those I come in contact with in real life, in reflecting Christ to them, Twitter is a way to encourage and reflect Christ not only to those you know but also to those you don't. In some small way, I hope that word or two is an encouragement to them. I truly believe that God can use you through Twitter just as He can use you through other means of communication.

The cool thing is God has gifted each one with talents and passions to use for His glory. When we're doing that, He's being glorified and we're doing what He's called us to. So whatever your passion and talent, see how you can do it for God. For me, that's blogging and tweeting about Jesus and sports. :)

Playoff Hockey...Nothing Like It

2010-04-20T22:13:00.003-05:00

Growing up in Tennessee, it may not look like it but I'm a huge hockey fan. I've mentioned before how as a teen I grew to love hockey and even more so when the Predators came to Nashville. I have been to a few games since the Preds started back in the fall of 1998, including one this year when I was home for spring break (which they won in a shootout against Phoenix).

But as great as regular season hockey is, it's even more so in the playoffs. I hope one of these days to go to a playoff game but in the meantime I watch it on TV.

To me, there's nothing like watching playoff hockey. The action is intense and even more so if it goes into overtime. If you've never seen a hockey game before, the playoffs are a great time to start. And if you'd like a team to root for, you can jump on the Predators bandwagon :)

Dueling Pitchers: First Royals Game of 2010....in Review

2010-04-11T16:22:00.003-05:00

It's the time of the year where spring is in the air and baseball teams are on the field. Yup, it's baseball season and with that comes going out to the ballpark and yesterday was the first opportunity of the year for that. I almost went the entire first homestand of the Royals without going but I ended up going because A) it was the Red Sox they were playing, B) it was a pitching matchup between Josh Beckett and Zack Grienke and C) it was free jersey night.

The weather was absolutely beautiful. The temp at first pitch was around 70 degrees which is probably 30 degrees more than it has been the last two first games I've been too in the previous two years. It felt like a late May day and definitely no complaining. Normally I'm wearing layers and trying to stay warm whereas this time around it was this time around wearing short sleeves and shorts.

At the game was me, my friend Kyle and a friend of his from class. The seats were in the outfield, out in left field, to the left of the Red Sox bullpen. It was a good game....unfortunately for the Royals...the Red Sox won 8-3. Some highlights:

*It was a pitcher's duel for probably about 5 innings. Beckett was pretty much on for most of the game. Grienke wasn't as much but held on a lead until giving up some runs. Beckett ended up winning the game and is still undefeated against the Royals.

*It was the first Red Sox game I had been to since 2008. That game I also saw Josh Beckett start and win the game.

*Sitting out by the fountains, you can't hear as well as normally can around the stadium...which is kind of to be expected.

*The fans in the outfield are a lot more rowdy than they are in other parts of the stadium. I learned this some last year at the first game of the year and it was confirmed again. There was some drunk guys who were yelling out at Rick Ankiel (the new CF) when he would make plays like "You're awesome Rick!" and stuff like that. It was almost like reverse heckling. Of course there was some regular heckling of Red Sox players and Red Sox fans. I was glad I went with the Royals gear and not with the Red Sox gear.

*There was also an "incident" that happened during the game. There was one drunk guy who sat below us who kept getting up and leaving every so often (mainly because the vendors didn't walk through the outfield as much as other areas so to get beer one had to get up and get it). I can't remember it it was in the fifth or sixth inning but I was looking out towards right field and all of a sudden I feel somebody just come crashing down on me. It startled me more than anything. When I turn around, I see it's this drunk guy from below us. He was trying to step down on the seat to try and get to his seat but he stumbled over the rail and fell onto me. He was all like "I'm sorry dude. Are you alright dude?" I answered I was fine, I was shocked more than anything. I felt bad for the guy as he was wasted. He ended up finally making it to his seat but then about an inning later he was gone again and never came back.

The Royals are now 0-1 in games I've been to this year. Hopefully, they'll win the next time I go and see them.

Reflecting on Video Games and College Basketball

2010-03-31T13:11:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday, I participated in a video game tournament that made for a really good story and one I thought I would share with you. To preface, in January I started listening online to a sports radio show out of Nashville called 3 Hour Lunch. I spend my middays working on homework and listening to their show. Well, I found out that they were holding a video game tournament and it just so happened to take place while I was back in Tennessee for spring break from seminary. So I signed up and looked forward to it.

The tournament was held at The Score which is a video game store in Cool Springs. Not only do they buy, sell & trade games but they have places where you can play games including the "arena" which is in the middle of the store and has like stadium seating and two big screens projecting games. It was pretty cool. So I got there kinda early and just kinda hung out and looked around. It was to start around noon but didn't officially get going until around 12:15.

The rules were then laid out for the tourney. It was a single elimination tournament playing NCAA Basketball 10 on XBox360. The brackets were just like the real brackets. Each participant would draw the name of a school from a box in the order in which they signed up online. The team you drew was the team you played with. There weren't 64 participants so if there was a matchup and there weren't two participants then you got a bye. It was to be 5 minute halves on varsity and played on neutral courts.

So each person's name was called and drew a name. I was probably the 10th person or so to be called. I went up drew a name and got....East Tennessee State. Yup, a 16th seed from the Atlantic Sun Conference. I wasn't the only one who got bad draws. A lot of the ones who went early got bad draws. At the end 3 of the 4 #1 seeds finally got picked and I think only 1 of the #2 seeds. There were a lot of high seeds that were pulled.

When I first walked in, my goal was to make the Sweet 16. When I saw a lot of teenagers there, I adjusted my goal to not getting embarrassed. I found myself playing in the first round against a kid who was probably 8 or 9 years old. He was wearing a Kentucky jersey and was there with his dad who was also wearing a Kentucky shirt. Needless to say, there was irony in the kid drawing Kentucky.

So it was Kentucky vs. ETSU in round 1. And I met my first goal....I didn't get embarrassed. In fact, I ran the kid right out of the gym. Even with him having John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, me and my Bucs beat the Wildcats and advanced into the 2nd round. How do you ask? Well I did the only thing I could do with a team that wasn't that talented or had great 3 point shooting, I played an up-tempo game and ran, ran, ran. I would get a rebound and sprint down the court and get a layup. I'd inbound the ball and get it to my point guard, who happened to be my best player, and just went coast to coast with a layup. He couldn't ever stop it so I kept doing it. I was like, well if it works, keep doing it.

So, I got one win. I was happy and waited around until the next time I played. In the 2nd round I matched up against Texas. This was an interesting matchup as I was going against one of the hosts of the show, Brent. He had never played the game and so during the loading time, he asked me a few questions and I told him what to do (like what's the shoot button, what's the pass button, etc.). This was a tough game as he got ahead on some quick buckets. But I just went with the same gameplan as in the 1st round and it worked according to plan. I sped up the game and in the end pulled out another victory. 2-0 for ETSU and onto the Sweet 16.

So I made my original goal, at least make it to the Sweet 16 and I earned it with two victories. Now I had a matchup with Temple. This game was with one of those many teenagers that were running around. I was kinda worried but I was like, I'm playing with house money, I got nothing to lose. So again, played same up-tempo style...and it worked again. I got so far ahead that in the game the fans started chanting "Warm up the bus". 3-0 and onto the Elite 8

It was getting nervous time as I got ready to play in the Elite 8. I went up against a guy who had West Virginia. This was going to be hard because 1) he was a good player and 2) he had a talented team. So I had to buckle down and play well. In the first half I got ahead but then went cold and he was head by a point at half. In the second half I got down at one time by 6. I then switched up how I was playing defense and that coupled with him missing shots crawled back into the game. With 8 seconds left, I was down by two. I went the length of the court and tied it up with 3 seconds left. He then inbounded the ball went the length of the court and hit a shot at the buzzer to win the game. It was a tough way to lose but in gracious fashion I shook his hand and congratulated him on the victory. He later ended up winning the the whole thing so I lost to the champ.

In the end, I didn't do too bad. I took East Tennessee State, a 16th seed to the Elite 8. I was the highest seed to advance to the Elite 8 and did so winning 3 games with no byes. I was even complimented on two occasions including the guy who beat me as saying that I was "one of the best ones here". And though I didn't win a prize, I did a pretty good job and I have a great story to tell.

Reflecting After First Weekend of March Madness

2010-03-22T10:34:00.004-05:00

I can safely say that this first weekend of March Madness is probably one of the craziest in my lifetime (30 years). The first day alone saw buzzer beaters, overtime, upsets galore and lots of excitement. Most of my brackets are busted (thanks to Northern Iowa's win), the only ones that aren't are homer brackets (meaning go UT and U-Dub!). Several things that stood out this weekend...

*The two teams I root for made it to the Sweet 16 and potentially could make the Final Four. Going into the tourney I thought only one had that chance (U-Dub) but Tennessee played well their first two games and were helped by upsets in the toughest region. Both will face the #2 seeds in the Sweet 16 but don't be surprised if these two underdogs make the Final 4

*A new phrase has joined the English language..."Going sharpie". This was coined by CBS analysits Greg Anthony and Seth Davis on their tweets. It means a team is pretty much going to win so they write in permanent marker on their brackets (Sharpie). I like the phrase. I will say this...my college roomates and I did something like this as a tradition starting back a decade or so ago (wow...can't believe it's been that long ago). Instead of a Sharpie, we used highlighters to mark our brackets we had posted on our living room wall. Orange or Yellow= correct pick, Green or Pink=incorrect pick. So if you hear me using the phrase "going sharpie" now you know the context.

Hopefully next weekend will live up to the standard that the first weekend set. If it does, then it should be a doozy of a weekend.

Reflections on March Madness 2010

2010-03-17T15:54:00.003-05:00

It's Wednesday and it's the eve of March Madness. The next four days starting tomorrow is one of my four favorite days of the year, especially Thursday and Friday. I love watching the tournament and the excitement that comes with it. I have filled out brackets but before breaking down the brackets, here's some random reflections on college basketball.

*I'm not the first to say that the selections committee did a not great job and I won't be the last. It's a tough job but they could've done better than stacking the Midwest region with the overall #1 seed and the East with the #2 seed and making the South and West lighter. Also, Tennessee should've gotten higher than a 6th seed in the Midwest, you beat the #1 and #2 overall teams in the country and that gets you only a 6th seed in the toughest region?

*With all the talk about raising the amount of teams to 96 and such...I'm neither for nor against that yet. I will say this, if I was running the show this is what I would do. I would make the 31 automatic bids the top seeds (so roughly 1-7 or 8 seeds). That way A) it doesn't penalize the teams that won their way into the tournament like the mid-major schools and B) you still have the top teams in the top conferences as the 1 or 2 seeds because typically if they're that good they'll win their conference tournament. You then have your remaining 34 at large teams be the lower seed 8-16 with the last two "bubble" teams play in the play-in game. Of course that will never happen but it's a nice thing to think about.

*One thing that I have been reminded of in recent weeks is something that I talked about a while back in one of my video posts. I talked about how at least I am trying to talk positively about the teams I root for and not talk negatively about teams that are rivals or those I don't necessarily like. And for the most part, I've done a good job. If my team has won, I was excited and said great things about my team but I didn't denegrate the other team. If my team lost, I said they put up a good effort and gave the winning team their due. What has disappointed me is that I've seen, read and heard those friends of mine who haven't done that. They have made it a point to say bad things about the other team for no reason it seems like. Case in point. I have several friends who root for Kentucky. In the last few weeks when Tennessee played them in basketball, they made it a point to make snarky (a word I use sometimes that means like a sarcastic putdown) comments both when Kentucky lost and when they won. I don't know why they felt they had to say those things, maybe they're around Tennessee fans who make those kind of comments around them and they feel they need to respond in kind, I don't know. I know my tendency deep down is to respond like that if people are saying those kind of things and I kinda wanted to respond to them like they were responding but instead I thought about what good that would do and instead chose to say good things both about my team and theirs. I think definitely those who are pastors and ministers like myself need to be reminded that our words do mean something and they have an impact like our actions, and that includes being a sports fan. One cannot separate being a fan and being a follower of Jesus, because it's all wrapped into the person God has made you and called you to be. I'm not perfect in this but I'm trying and hopefully that will end up being edifying to God.

Now...onto the brackets. Just like last year I filled out 14 brackets (10 on ESPN, 3 on Facebook and 1 on Yahoo). I went with a variety of ways of filling out the brackets. Some were scientific (Strength of Schedule, Average of RPI and Strength of Schedule, Records vs. Top 25) and some were simply not scientific (Mascots, Numbers out of a Hat, Completely Random, First Impressions). Here are some thoughts on the brackets:

*I'm not buying some of the easy upset picks that a lot of the "experts" are going with, and not just because I'm a Tennessee guy. I don't think Tennessee or Vanderbilt will be upset. In fact, I think Vandy will be a sweet 16 team. Some sleeper teams I'm picking are Utah St., Washington, Minnesota and Cornell.

*I have seen a lot of Big 12 games living in Kansas City. It is a tough conference and Kansas is a very tough team. They have talent + experience which to me is a deadly combination. I think a lot of people think that Kentucky is the top team like a lot of other people think Kansas is the top team. I've seen both teams and there's no question, Kansas is better. Kentucky does have talent but Wall is too much of a kamakaze point guard who has a propensity to turn the ball over and have a Kobe Bryant mentality of shooting shots. Cousins is a player who could just as easily take his team out of a game as well as keep them in it with his attitude. Their best player to be honest is Bledsoe. When you're top three players are all freshmen, I do think that's not a formula for tournament success (see Michigan in 1993 with Fab 5). Kansas has the depth and talent with Collins, Aldrich, and the Henry twins. Along with that talent they have experience with Collins and Aldrich being seniors. That will play a factor to me as the tourney goes on.

I have two brackets in which I'm thinking are my best. In my first bracket I have in my final four: Kansas, Kansas State, West Virginia and Villanova and in my second bracket I have the same with the exception being Baylor instead of Villanova. I have in the championship game in both brackets Kansas and West Virginia with Kansas taking the title.

Good luck to everyone filling out the brackets and hope you enjoy watching some basketball!

2010 Major League Baseball Predictions

2010-03-14T13:11:00.003-05:00

Spring is almost here and so it's time for predictions for MLB. Of course these predictions are purely mine and are a mix of what I'd like to see and what I think, which means there's definitely room for error.

AL East:
Boston (division winner)
NY Yankees
Tampa Bay
Baltimore
Toronto

AL Central:
Chicago White Sox (division winner)
Kansas City (wild card)
Minnesota
Detroit
Cleveland

AL West:
Seattle (division winner)
Texas
Anaheim (LA) Angels
Oakland

NL East:
Philadelphia (division winner)
Atlanta (wild card)
NY Mets
Florida
Washington

NL Central:
St. Louis (division winner)
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati
Milwaukee
Houston
Pittsburgh

NL West:
Arizona (division winner)
Colorado
Los Angeles
San Francisco
San Diego

Playoffs:
ALCS: Seattle vs. Chicago White Sox
NLCS: Philadelphia vs. St. Louis
World Series: Seattle vs. Philadelphia
Champs: Seattle

AL MVP: Justin Morneau
NL MVP: Albert Pujols
AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez
NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay

What A Game: Men's Hockey Gold Medal Game

2010-02-28T17:14:00.003-06:00

I was going to write a post on the USA men's hockey team. I think all that can be said is in the game that just took place. Though I'm disappointed that the team lost, I think it says a lot about how the team played. It's a much younger team than previous times and one that wasn't expected to do much. Most thought it would be Canada, Russia, Czech Republic and Sweden would be the top teams. For the U.S. to do what they did (go undefeated in pool play, get to the gold medal game, score with 24 seconds left in the 3rd period to tie the game), I think it says a lot about their heart.

It's a great lesson in playing hard and that even though they didn't win the gold, they were successful in what they accomplished. I hope the NHL allows their players to play in 2014, it makes it way more entertaining and I think showcases the NHL in more ways than if they didn't.

It definitely was a great way to close out the Olympics. Now the countdown is on for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London [and my birthday as well :)]

Great Story on an Olympic Speedskater

2010-02-27T22:02:00.003-06:00

I can't believe that the Olympics are almost over (last day is tomorrow). It has been a great two (or so) weeks of action with lots of drama and stories to go around. I will definitely blog about the U.S. men's hockey team but that will come tomorrow or Monday.

One story that stood out to me was that of Chad Hedrick, the speedskater. I remember him from previous Olympics especially in Turin where he had great success on the ice but he kind of a rough reputation off the ice. Given the way the stories go with Olympic athletes, I didn't hear anything about him until four years later. Then I read an article at the start of the Olympics in Vancouver about how he gave his life to Christ recently and how he and his family have began walking with the Lord. It was a really cool testimony which he is vocal about how his life has been changed because of Christ. This Olympics was his last and he went out with a medal in his final race (team pursuit) with a silver medal.

He plans on sharing his story with others after hanging up the skates. I wish him the best and hope that God continues to use him in sharing Christ with others.

(Here's the article that I read, done by Tim Ellsworth, who's also the director of news and media relations at my alma mater Union University)

Reflections on the Winter Olympics (Opening Weekend)

2010-02-14T14:37:00.003-06:00

Everyone who knows me knows how much I love the Olympics. This is even more so the case of the Winter Olympics. I was born on February 29, 1980, five days after the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid (FYI, my due date was originally the 22nd, which was the day the "Miracle on Ice" took place). I was still too young to remember the 1984 Olympics but in 1988 I remember watching the Winter Olympics that were in Calgary and really fell in love with it. It was awesome to watch both Olympics in the same year. I was disappointed when they separated the two and moved the Winter Olympics to a non-Leap Year after the 1992 Olympics.

I've had some great memories watching the Winter Olympics. One of my best memories is in 2002 when I was a senior at Union and watching the Men's Hockey Finals in the upstairs of Hurt Commons with friends. It was cool watching the U.S. and Canada play each other.

This year, the Olympics are in Vancouver. It is a beautiful city. I was there for a week back in 2005 on a mission trip. If I still lived in Seattle, I would make the trip up to go to the Olympics. If I wasn't in seminary right now, I'd definitely have done it. By the way, if you've never been to Vancouver, you should visit.

Aside from the tragedy of Friday with the death of the luger from Georgia, it has been a good start. The U.S. team has gotten 4 medals after yesterday and will hopefully add to the total. I was very happy that Poland got a silver in Ski Jumping (Normal Hill), which is one of my favorite sports in the Olympics.

I'm excited for the next two weeks to watch some Olympics. I think there will be some memorable moments and hopefully I'll have time to blog about it.

Super Bowl XLIV Prediction

2010-02-05T08:29:00.002-06:00

It's almost time for Super Bowl XLIV. The game is on Sunday and so it's time for my pick. This postseason I've done really well with picking as I've gone 7-3. I'm assured a winning record for the playoffs but it'd be nice to pick the winner of the Super Bowl as well. Last decade (in case you were wondering, from Super Bowl 34 to 43) I went 5-5 in picking the winner of the Super Bowl. We'll see how the new decade shapes up.

We get a great matchup in the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints. In the regular season, I picked this as the Super Bowl matchup, though after Week 16 I thought otherwise (more on that later). We get two high powered offenses, two big name quarterbacks (Peyton Manning and Drew Brees) and what should be one exciting show.

In breaking down the matchup, it seems a lot of people are favoring the Colts because of Peyton Manning and rightfully so. He is arguably one of the best quarterbacks ever. He is the franchise player for the Colts for over a decade. This team rides on his arm. On the other side, you have Drew Brees, who wasn't a slouch at all at QB. He revived the Saints franchise and has been both a leader on and off the field. As much as what Peyton means to the Colts, Drew means as much as the heart and soul of the Saints.

One of the things I think that has gotten overlooked and what I think will play a factor is the running game. As much as it's been a pass happy league the last few years, running the ball is important (and I don't count bubble screen passes as runs) and I think will play a role in this game. When I look at the two teams' running games, Indy has a solid running game in Joseph Addai and the rookie Donald Brown. But, the edge goes to the Saints in that their running back duo (Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush) has been a little more consistent this season and has the ability to break a run for a big gain.

Another key will be special teams. The Colts have the oldest player to start a Super Bowl in K Matt Stover. He's reliable but won't be able to kick long field goals. That will factor in. The Saints K Garrett Hartley is young, has the leg but has missed some key field goals (though he did hit the game winner in OT in the NFC Championship game). Return game edge goes to the Saints (Reggie Bush/Courtney Roby vs Chad Simpson/T.J. Rushing).

Obviously a key story is Dwight Freeney and his injury. I think regardless of whether he plays or not, he will not be 100% and that will be a factor. He is known for his speed and with his ankle not 100% he won't have the full speed he needs to disrupt things. That in turn will upset the balance of the rest of the defense.

Important stat: In the regular season, the Saints had a +11 giveaway/takeaway while the Colts had a +2.

It has been a tough decision to figure out who to root for and who will win. For me, there are three factors in which I went with the decision I did. First, the Colts decision to basically quit on the last two games of the regular season. I thought then it was wrong and still do. I wouldn't want to reward them with a Super Bowl for doing something like that and deep down I think they won't win and that will be rectified. Two, though many people are picking the Colts, if you're not a Colts or Saints fan, the rooting interest might be steered more towards the Saints. Three, in a Madden simulation of the game earlier this week, the Saints won that game. That simulation has predicted the winner of the Super Bowl 5 out the last 6 years.

As much as I love Peyton (being a UT guy), I think the choice for me is clear....

Who Dat rolls to the victory

New Orleans 38 Indianapolis 30

MVP: Drew Brees

Reflections on Kurt Warner's Retirement

2010-02-01T13:50:00.003-06:00

This past Friday, Kurt Warner, All-Pro and MVP quarterback retired from the NFL. It was expected but at the same time kinda sad. He went out on his own terms and did so while still having something left in the tank.

There are several things I've thought about in reflecting on Kurt. First, he's a great guy and a class act. He is someone who is strong in his faith and has reflected Christ both on and off the field. I must admit, I wasn't too happy when his team won the Super Bowl (the Rams back in Super Bowl XXXIV because they beat my Titans) but I admired the guy from where he came from. This was even more the case the past few years in Arizona. Though he was a rival to the Seahawks (who became my second team after living in Seattle for three years), I was really impressed by how he handled being a backup to Matt Leinart to coming in and lighting up the desert. I was rooting for Arizona last year in the Super Bowl and for Kurt.

There's always the debate about when one retires. In the end, I hold it's up to the person. Just as much as Brett Favre deserves to play as long as he wants, I think Kurt's right in deciding to retire now. God has blessed those who get to play the game with the ability and desire. I'm sure Kurt still loves the game but I believe he loves Jesus and his family more than the game and rightfully so.

Kurt, you will be missed and I hope you continue to do big things and serve God in whatever way He calls you to.

Reflections on Calling, Career and Baseball

2010-01-27T13:42:00.003-06:00

I heard this story last week and I thought it was interesting. Grant Desme, a prospect for the Oakland A's, decided to quit baseball and follow after a calling to join the priesthood. It was first mentioned on ESPN.com and then this week Desme was interviewed with Dan Patrick. It was a really interesting interview and I would recommend listening to it if you get the chance. Here's a link to the interview.

One point that was brought up in the interview was a comparison between Tim Tebow and Grant Desme. Tebow is going to go to the NFL and use the platform as a professional athlete to share his faith while Desme is going into the priesthood to share his faith. I think it's hard to say that Desme is wrong for quitting baseball while he's still a good prospect (he was the Fall League MVP) and has an opportunity to make the big leagues. He feels lead by God to pursue ministry and that is something that we all must individually deal with.

I liked one quote that Desme said to Patrick. He said this "I want to throw everything I have into giving everything I have for God." That's something that I'd hope to do in my life.

Championship Weekend Picks

2010-01-22T10:55:00.003-06:00

Those who watched yesterday's video post know my picks, here's the picks in writing:

NY Jets 20 Indianapolis 14
New Orleans 45 Minnesota 38

Divisional Round Picks

2010-01-16T06:50:00.003-06:00

Busy week with classes, so here's the quick and dirty on the playoff picks for this round:

New Orleans 34 Arizona 31
Indianapolis 27 Baltimore 10
Minnesota 24 Dallas 21
New York 28 San Diego 24

Wild Card Weekend Predictions

2010-01-08T16:32:00.002-06:00

Well the predictions for 2010 are off and running. Yesterday didn't do so well with the BCS National Championship game. Of course didn't expect McCoy to get hurt on Texas' second series. Oh well, onto the pros. It's Wild Card Weekend and it's the first year since 2004 that a team I root for is not in the playoffs. Here's the breakdown for this weekend's action.

On Saturday, you have Jets/Bengals and Cowboys/Eagles. Both are rematches from Week 17. In Jets/Bengals, got to go with momentum. Jets have it Bengals don't...

Jets 24 Bengals 17

With the Cowboys/Eagles, it's hard to win three times against an opponent. Don't think Cowboys can do it.

Eagles 30 Cowboys 24

On Sunday, you have Packers/Cardinals and Ravens/Patriots, also rematches from the regular season. With Packers/Cards, you have the toughest game to pick. Last year I went with the road team, this year going with the home team in a close one

Cardinals 27 Packers 24

With Ravens/Patriots, simply put. I don't like Ravens and that makes this an easy pick.

Patriots 35 Ravens 17

Prediction on the BCS National Championship Game

2010-01-07T13:43:00.003-06:00

Tonight is the BCS National Championship Game. Not to be confused with the "other" BCS game which included two undefeated teams which I dubbed the "other National Championship game" between TCU and Boise State which was played on Monday. This one is between #1 Alabama and #2 Texas.

Anyone that knows me knows that I can't stand the BCS system and that there should be a playoff. But be that as it may, this is what we're stuck with for now.

In this game, we've got two teams which personally I either don't care about or don't like. Which means on the surface, I don't have a real rooting interest in this game. I'm not going to root for Alabama, simply because I don't like Bama. They're a rival to Tennessee. I don't care if they're in the same conference. They're a rival. Same goes for Florida. There's no scenerio where I would root for Florida. Any other SEC team I'm fine with but not those two.

On the other hand, I don't really care about Texas either. At one time, I didn't like Texas because of how they treated their one time starting QB Major Applewhite by benching him for Chris Simms but time has smoothed it out to where now I'm indifferent to them.

So in predicting this game I went with both sides, both sides being stats and gut feeling. The stats come down to this. The SEC is 5-0 in BCS National Championship games while the Big 12 is 2-4 in BCS National Championship games. Those lend themselves to Alabama. However, Alabama is winless in BCS games (0-2) including losing last year to Utah. Texas however is undefeated in BCS games (3-0) including winning the National Championsip game back in 2006. Also, the #2 team has won the last 4 matchups and 6 out of the last 7.

So there's the stats, here's the gut feeling. When I first heard the matchup, I immediately thought about the 2006 Rose Bowl game. There are several similarities between this year's game and that one. Both are being played in Pasadena. Both feature Texas as an underdog against a team that everyone expects to win the game. Both feature the opposing QB who has been successful (Matt Leinart: Heisman winner, Greg McElroy undefeated). Both feature a highly touted running back with the opposing team (Reggie Bush/Mark Ingram).

After weighing the stats and my gut feeling, I came to this conclusion. It'll be a hard fought game but in the end I think Texas gets the win. 41-38 Longhorns. In the words of Yogi Berra "It's deja vu all over again..."

Reflections on the Winter Classic 2010

2010-01-01T22:42:00.002-06:00

It's New Year's Day and I got to enjoy what has become a tradition for me. That tradition is watching the Winter Classic on TV. For those that don't know, the Winter Classice is a regular season NHL Hockey game that is put on outside. It was started in 2008 as a way to draw attention to the league. The first one was indeed a classic as it was the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres playing in Buffalo. It snowed during the game and the game ended in a shootout with the Penguins winning. Last year, the Chicago Blackhawks played the Detroit Red Wings in Chicago at Wrigley Field. The Red Wings won the game played on that historic field.

This year it was the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers and the game was at historic Fenway Park in Boston. The game was a classic game between these two rivals. There was a fight, lots of checking into the boards and even some goals. The game ended in overtime with Boston getting the win 2-1.

When they were thinking of implementing this back in '08, there was a lot of skepticism. New Year's Day was college football. Would hockey make a dent? I think the last three years have shown that it has. With less bowl games on New Year's Day along with really good matchups at historic venues, the Winter Classic has been a success. It is something that I look forward to now each year. I would not be surprised if next year it's in New York with the Rangers as the home team and they're playing at Yankee Stadium. I'll go with that as a prediction, my first of the year. We'll see next New Year's if it holds true.

Reflections on the Sports Landscape of the 2000s

2009-12-31T13:55:00.004-06:00

Looking back at the decade that was in sports, there were a lot of memorable moments. Time and space do not allow to cover all of them but here's the ones that register in my mind. Feel free to comment about yours:

*The Music City Miracle: I was there and I saw it live. It was considered one of the top 10 NFL plays of the decade (it was even in the top 5) and I saw it in person. To this day, I still remember the excitement and the celebration that happened when Kevin Dyson scored that TD. Hearing the radio call later by Mike Keith and Pat Ryan still gives me chills. Awesome.

*The World Series in 2001: Probably the only time in my life that I liked the Yankees. After the events of 9/11, it almost seemed fitting that the Yankees were in the World Series that year. It was something to watch that series and see all the dramatic elements that came with it. In the end, I was glad that the Diamomdbacks won but for a time, I did like the Yankees.

*Steroids at the forefront in baseball: Nothing disappointed me more than all the things that came out when steroids, HGH and performance enhancing drugs were brought to light in baseball. It's sad to know that for most of my life, especially my childhood is now tainted by the label "steroid era". If there's any good that comes out of this, I hope it cleans up the sport. But it doesn't take away (like the strike in '94) the disappointment.

*Return of football to New Orleans in 2006: I watched the first game in the reopened Superdome with the Saints and the Atlanta Falcons. It had the feel of a Super Bowl and it showed. The game itself was a good one and it was really cool to watch.

*The Olympics: It was a good decade for the Olympics. With the Winter (2002, Salt Lake City, 2006 Turin, Italy) and the Summer (2000, Sydney, Austraila, 2004, Athens, Greece, 2008, Bejing, China) there was a lot of memorable performances. It'll be interesting to see how the next few Olympics turn out as well.

*Red Sox and breaking of the Curse: Obviously, the championship run by the Boston Red Sox in 2004 was memorable. To beat the Yankees four straight in the ALCS after being down 0-3 was simply sweet and then to then sweep in the World Series was icing on the cake. 86 years without a title and then finally one. Along with winning in 2007, it was a good year.

All this and more made for a memorable decade. Looking forward to the sports decade that is the 2010s

To Go Perfect Or Not And Other Random Sports Reflections

2009-12-30T16:16:00.002-06:00

I can't believe 2009 is nearly coming to an end. There's been a lot of sports stories that I haven't been able to cover as I would like. Given that I'll have a lot more flexibilty in my schedule it is looking like next year, it'll be a better time with posting and reflecting. I hope tomorrow to do a decade in review of reflections regarding sports. Today I wanted to hit on some things I've been mulling over.

*I (along with millions) are very disappointed in Jim Caldwell and Bill Polian in their decision to not go for an undefeated season. Anytime the '72 Dolphins celebrate is a bad time. What gets me is it seems like multiple contridictions that those two were about. They don't care about history yet Polian in an interview said they wanted to have the record for longest winning streak in the regular season and the most wins in the decade. Hmmmm, how are those better than an undefeated 19-0 season? The mantra of any sport is to take it one game at a time and to not look ahead and yet when you rest players you're looking ahead to something that may or may not happen. Herm Edwards got it right, you play to win the game. You don't play to rest players to play in a game you may not even make it to. The most condemning aspect of their rationale is they've done this two other times in the past four years. What happened to them? They lost and didn't make the Super Bowl. The one year they played hard to the end, they won the Super Bowl. I haven't done my playoff predictions but I'm going on record, Colts aren't making the Super Bowl and it goes back to a game in December deemed "meaningless" by Caldwell and Polian.

*I saw my first NBA game on TV on Christmas Day...and it was like I hadn't really missed it much. I still hold the NBA in not high standards after the debacle with Clay Bennett and David Stern allowing the Seattle SuperSonics moving to Oklahoma City. Honestly it's disappointing because there's probably some good action going on. But when I think about how that transpired and how uncaring Stern was to the people of Seattle and state of Washington and the tradition of the Sonics, it makes me sad. Until that is rectified, I will continue to be ambivilent about the NBA at best.

*As much grief that Brett Favre got about his waivering, I hope Urban Meyer gets the same amount of grief. I think it's one thing to take a break to take care of health and family, it's another to say you'll retire, to then say you'll take an indefinite leave of absense to then say you'll more than likely be back next season. As much as I didn't like Steve Spurrier when he was at Florida, I can be pretty sure in saying even he wouldn't do something like this. It seems Meyer cares more about himself than the school and when that becomes the case that ends up hurting the school.

Special Fantasy Football Thursday Edition

2009-12-24T19:22:00.003-06:00

Sorry for the vacation of sorts but life kinda got in the way. In the midst of this fantasy football kept going. This year was not kind to the three highlight leagues as I can finish no higher than 5th in the three of them. This includes the end of defending my championship in the Speed Kills league. The good news is that I'm still in line for two championships...they just happen to be in leagues that weren't highlighted. One league is where me and three buddies from church are in and the other is a friend of mine from seminary and his friends. I'm already strategizing for next season including being in at least one maybe two less leagues so I can better focus on the ones I'm in. But overall it's been an exciting year as always.

Update...upon further review it seems that I still have a chance in the Speed Kills league. Woke up this morning (Christmas day) to find out that Yahoo adjusted the score and in fact I won instead of losing. So I still have an opportunity to get the three-peat. We'll see if that plays out but it's still awesome that I have the opportunity.

On Blogging Vacation....

2009-12-05T08:47:00.002-06:00

For those few and faithful who've been reading, I've been on a blogging vacation. One week I was in Kansas for Thanksgiving break and with no internet and this last week I've been busy with papers and projects. I hope to be back next week :)

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 10 Edition

2009-11-17T07:11:00.002-06:00

It's time for Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 9 Edition. This was another rough week as the teams went 1-2 in the three highlight leagues. Here's the breakdown for Week 10 and the look ahead to Week 11...

Breakdown:

In the Speed Kills league, the K.C. Masterpieces won their fourth game in a row as they defeated KILLA B by the score of 103.29 to 67.77. The game was decided during the Sunday Night game as QB Peyton Manning and WR Reggie Wayne manned a comeback that led to the Masterpieces getting the victory. With the win, the Masterpieces are in first place in their division for the first time all season. The leading scorers for the Masterpieces were Reggie Wayne, Peyton Manning, DeSean Jackson and David Akers. After Week 10, I'm in 3th place overall (1st in the Shakespeare Division) with a record of 6-4.

In the League of Evangelical Baptists, the Kansas City Titans have lost two in a row as they were defeated by the Baptist Brawlers by the score of lost a heartbreaker to the Purple Cobras by the score of 81.75 to 78.62. The Titans weren't able to hold off the Brawlers as they won on a FG made by K Stephen Gostkowski in the 4th quarter of the Sunday Night game. The good news (if there is any) is that they are only one game out of the division lead even with the loss. Leading scorers for the Titans were Drew Brees, Steve Breaston, Minnesota DEF, and Dwayne Bowe. After Week 10, I'm in 5th place overall (3rd in the Annie Armstrong Conference) with a record of 6-4.

In the Pigskin Prognosticators league, the Krakow Tigers lost their first game in six weeks as they were defeated by Chi-Chiwawa's by the score of 100.39 to 83.44. The game was decided during the Sunday Night game with the huge performance by Randy Moss sealing the victory for the opponents. The loss snaps a five game winning streak by the Tigers. A bright spot was the Tigers have clinched a playoff spot. Leading scorers for the Tigers were Adrian Peterson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Wes Welker and David Akers. After Week 10, I'm in 3nd place with a record of 6-4.

Outlook for Week 11:

In the Speed Kills league, the K.C. Masterpieces (6-4) will look to keep the winning ways going as as they square off against Dooley's Dawgs (3-7). With the bye season over, there will be no more worries about people on the bye. The status of RB Michael Turner is in question because of health. If the cannot go, RB Fred Jackson will get the start. The Masterpieces have a one game lead in the division with four games left in the regular season (the last three matchups are division opponents). Key matchup will be the TE position (Antonio Gates vs. Jason Witten). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Masterpieces as the favorite.

In the League of Fantasy Footballers, the Kansas City Titans (6-4) will look to reverse the trend of losses as they face off against the LouisVillians (2-8). The Villians are managed by Jason, a friend from my days at UT Martin. The Titans will have a decision to make with regard to RB. There are no clear cut starters at this point and will probably go with a gametime decision as to who will start. This is a must win for the Titans as they look to stay in playoff contention. Key matchup will be at the QB position (Drew Brees vs. Tom Brady). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Titans as the favorite.

In the Pigskin Prognosticators league, the Krakow Tigers (6-4) will look to get back in the win column as they take on The Sleepers (5-5). This is a rematch of a Week 4 matchup that saw The Sleepers get the victory. For the Tigers, it's a game about pride. For The Sleepers, it's a game to get into the playoffs. Key matchup will be at the DEF position (Philadelphia vs. Green Bay). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Tigers as the favorite.

That's all for this week. Tune in next Tuesday for another installment of Fantasy Football Tuesday...

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 9 Edition

2009-11-10T06:16:00.002-06:00

It's time for Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 9 Edition. This is was a very wacky week. Going into the fourth quarter of the Monday night game, it was looking like I would finish 0-3. Instead, the teams went 2-1 in the three highlight leagues. Here's the breakdown for Week 9 and the look ahead to Week 10...

Breakdown:

In the Speed Kills league, the K.C. Masterpieces stormed a miraculous comeback as they as they defeated Deal's Gap Dragons by the score of 112.71 to 109.90. It was a matchup that looked like a loss going into the Monday Night game as it was a double digit deficit and only Hines Ward was going for the Masterpieces. It took the second TD catch by Ward with about a minute or so left in the game to complete the comeback. The Masterpieces have now won three in a rwo and are above .500 for the first time all season. The leading scorers for the Masterpieces were Michael Turner, Hines Ward, Peyton Manning, and David Akers. After Week 9, I'm in 6th place overall (tied for 1st in the Shakespeare Division) with a record of 5-4.

In the League of Evangelical Baptists, the Kansas City Titans lost a heartbreaker to the Purple Cobras by the score of 113.86 to 98.90. The Titans weren't able to make a comeback like in the other leagues. The good news was every other team in the division lost so they didn't lose ground in the standings. Leading scorers for the Titans were Drew Brees, Steve Breaston, Arizona DEF, and Ryan Moats. After Week 9, I'm in 5th place overall (tied for 1st in the Annie Armstrong Conference) with a record of 6-3.

In the Pigskin Prognosticators league, the Krakow Tigers have now won five in a row as they made a miraculous comeback in a victory over MidwestCoastOffense by the score of 114.36 to 108.70. The game was up in the air until after the Monday Night game. It took coming down to the last minute of the game for the Tigers to get the victory. With the victory, the Tigers now have the longest winning streak in the league at the moment. Leading scorers for the Tigers were Ben Roethlisberger, David Akers, Rashard Mendenhall, and Philadelphia DEF. After Week 9, I'm in 2nd place with a record of 6-3.

Outlook for Week 10:

In the Speed Kills league, the K.C. Masterpieces (5-4) will look to keep the winning ways going as as they square off against KILLA B (6-3). The Masterpieces will be at full strength again while KILLA B will be without WR Steve Smith (from the NY Giants)as he'll be on the bye. The Masterpieces are looking to keep place with division leader Headhunters as right now there is a tie for first place. Key matchup will be the QB position (Peyton Manning vs. Tony Romo). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Masterpieces as the favorite.

In the League of Fantasy Footballers, the Kansas City Titans (6-3) will look to rebound from last week's loss as they face off against the Baptist Brawlers (6-3). The Titans will be without a starting RB from Houston (Steve Slaton/Ryan Moats) as they'll be on the bye while the Brawlers will be at full strength. This will be a tough matchup and one with playoff implications. Key matchup will be at the DEF position (Minnesota vs. Chicago). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Brawlers as the slight favorite.

In the Pigskin Prognosticators league, the Krakow Tigers (6-3) will look to keep the win streak alive as they take on Chi-chiwawa's (6-3). This is a rematch of a Week 3 matchup that saw the Chi-chiwawa's get the victory. For the Tigers, they will be without RB Brandon Jacobs as he’ll be on the bye. The Chi-chiwawa's will be at full strength. The winner of this matchup will have sole posession of second place in the league se two teams have the two longest current winning streaks. Key matchup will be at the K position (David Akers vs. Nate Kaeding). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Tigers as the favorite.

That's all for this week. Tune in next Tuesday for another installment of Fantasy Football Tuesday...

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 8 Edition

2009-11-03T06:09:00.002-06:00

It's time for Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 8 Edition. This is was both a dramatic and exciting week, for the second week in a row the teams went 3-0 in the three highlight leagues. Here's the breakdown for Week 8 and the look ahead to Week 9...

Breakdown:

In the Speed Kills league, the K.C. Masterpieces put together a solid performance as they defeated the Buffalo Buckeyes by the score of 115.64 to 86.26. Despite an atypical performance by Peyton Manning where he scored less than double digits, the rest of the team picked up the slack. In fact there were six players with double digit point totals. The Masterpieces put together the second best point total this week and have now won two in a rwo and have gotten back to the .500 mark. The leading scorers for the Masterpieces were Reggie Wayne, DeSean Jackson, Domenik Hixon, and Michael Turner. After Week 8, I'm in 6th place overall (2nd in the Shakespeare Division) with a record of 4-4.

In the League of Evangelical Baptists, the Kansas City Titans stormed back and got a miraculous victory over rival Souper Bowl Sundays by the score of 73.40 to 72.92. It came down to the Monday Night game. Going in the Titans were in a huge hole, due in large part to the .5 point total by K Matt Prater and the ever more anemic -.4 by Steve Slaton. The Titans, behind MVP Drew Brees and WR Lance Moore did all they could to close the nearly 30 point gap. It came down to less than three minutes left in the 4th quarter and a 1 yard TD pass but the Titans were able to pull out the victory. Leading scorers for the Titans were Drew Brees, Kevin Smith and Minnesota DEF. After Week 8, I'm in 4th place overall (tied for 1st in the Annie Armstrong Conference) with a record of 6-2.

In the Pigskin Prognosticators league, the Krakow Tigers have won four in a row as they got a close victory over Fear This by the score of 99.82 to 95.44. The game was up in the air until after the Monday Night game. The Tigers held off Fear This and continue to have the second longest winning streak in the league. Leading scorers for the Tigers were Adrian Peterson, Philadelphia DEF, Jay Cutler, and Steve Smith. After Week 8, I'm in 3th place with a record of 5-3.

Outlook for Week 9:

In the Speed Kills league, the K.C. Masterpieces (4-4) will look get above .500 as they square off against the Deal's Gap Dragons (2-6). The Masterpieces will be at full strength again while the Dragons will be without K Rian Lindell as he'll be on the bye. The Masterpieces are one game beind for the division lead and will be going all out to try and reach it. Key matchup will be the TE position (Antonio Gates vs. Greg Olsen). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Masterpieces as the favorite.

In the League of Fantasy Footballers, the Kansas City Titans (6-2) will look to keep pace with the division leaders as they face off against the Purple Cobras (3-5). The Titans will be without Minnesota DEF along with TE Visanthe Shiancoe as they'll be on the bye while the Cobras will be without K Ryan Longwell. There are huge question marks at RB as Steve Slaton may or may not be benched given last week's horrible performance. He along with Kevin Smith (health) will be gametime decisions. Key matchup will be at the DEF position (Arizona vs. New York Giants). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Cobras as the favorite.

In the Pigskin Prognosticators league, the Krakow Tigers (5-3) will face off in the matchup of the week as they take on the MidwestCoastOffense (8-0). The Offense is managed by Stephen, a great friend and fellow alum from Union. The two teams squared off in Week 2 with the Offense getting the victory. For the Tigers, they will be without star RB Adrian Peterson as he’ll be on the bye. The Offense will be without WR Percy Harvin as he'll will be on the bye. These two teams have the two longest current winning streaks. Key matchup will be at the K position (David Akers vs. Nick Folk). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Offense as the favorite.

That's all for this week. Tune in next Tuesday for another installment of Fantasy Football Tuesday...

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 7 Edition

2009-10-27T09:04:00.001-05:00

It's time for Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 7 Edition. This is my best week so far this season. My teams went 3-0 in the three highlight leagues. Here's the breakdown for Week 7 and the look ahead to Week 8...

Breakdown:

In the Speed Kills league, the K.C. Masterpieces made a tremendous comeback as they defeated Domination by the score of 121.80 to 107.45. The matchup was crazy in that Domination had two players out (one injury, one bye) and yet was leading big going into the Monday night game. The Masterpieces’ ended up winning, largely due to the performance by DeSean Jackson. His 23.90 performance on Monday night helped secure a comeback victory and helped the Masterpieces get back on track. The leading scorers for the Masterpieces were Peyton Manning, DeSean Jackson, San Diego DEF and Reggie Wayne. After Week 7, I'm in 6th place overall (tied for 2nd in the Shakespeare Division) with a record of 3-4.

In the League of Evangelical Baptists, the Kansas City Titans won a close game against the Seminary Slingers by the score of 97.49 to 92.46. It came down to the Monday Night game as the Slingers made a run. The Titans were able to hold them off and secure their fifth win of the season. It was a big win as several leading teams were upset this week. Leading scorers for the Titans were Drew Brees, Minnesota DEF and Steve Slaton. After Week 7, I'm in 4th place overall (tied for 1st in the Annie Armstrong Conference) with a record of 5-2.

In the Pigskin Prognosticators league, the Krakow Tigers have won three in a row as they got the win over The Purple Pegasus by the score of 117.69 to 113.91. The Tigers fought back and staged a comeback thanks to the Monday Night game. With Philly DEF and K David Akers, the Tigers won and have the second longest winning streak right now in the league and are above .500 for the first time since Week 1. Leading scorers for the Tigers were Philadelphia DEF, Wes Welker, Adrian Peterson and Brandon Jacobs. After Week 7, I'm in 4th place (essentially tied for 3rd) with a record of 4-3.

Outlook for Week 8:

In the Speed Kills league, the K.C. Masterpieces (3-4) will look to keep the winning ways going as they square off against the Buffalo Buckeyes (2-5). The Masterpieces will be without WR Hines Ward as he will be on the bye while Domination will be without TE Kellen Winslow. The Masterpieces are looking for their first two game winning streak this season along with trying to keep pace for a playoff spot. Key matchup will be the QB position (Peyton Manning vs. Matt Schaub). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Masterpieces as the favorite.

In the League of Fantasy Footballers, the Kansas City Titans (5-2) will look to keep the winning ways going as he faces off against the Souper Bowl Sundays (3-4). The Slingers are managed by Adam, a friend from the days at Union. The Titans will be without 2 starting WR (Dwyane Bowe and Andre Caldwell) as both are on the bye. The Sundays will be without WR Chad Ochocinco and TE Heath Miller. The Titans have been scrambling the waiver wire to meet the WR need and will probably make another move if necessary before Sunday. It should be a tough conference matchup. Key matchup will be at the RB position (Steve Slayton/Kevin Smith vs. DeAngelo Williams/Ricky Williams). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Titans as the favorite.

In the Pigskin Prognosticators league, the Krakow Tigers (4-3) will look to get another big win as they face off against Fear This (0-7). Fear This is managed by Jon, a great friend and fellow alum from Union. The two teams squared off in Week 1 with the Tigers getting the victory. For the Tigers, they will be without WR Wes Welker as he’ll be on the bye. Fear This will be without RB Clinton Portis and TE Kellen Winslow as they will be on the bye. They also lost RB Leon Washington for the season with an injury. The Tigers will look to keep pace with the leaders and stay in the playoff hunt. Key matchup will be at the K position (David Akers vs. Jason Elam). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Tigers as the favorite.

That's all for this week. Tune in next Tuesday for another installment of Fantasy Football Tuesday...

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 6 Edition

2009-10-20T07:11:00.000-05:00

It's time for Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 6 Edition. This was unfortunately another blah week. My teams went 1-2 in the three highlight leagues. Here's the breakdown for Week 6 and the look ahead to Week 7...

Breakdown:

In the Speed Kills league, the K.C. Masterpieces lost a tough game over Plax’ Gun Club by the score of 135.10 to 71.89. The Masterpieces’ lost could be heavily contributed to the bye week that QB Peyton Manning and WR Reggie Wayne. Their absence hurt the Masterpieces and because of this they continue to be in a hole trying to dig out. The leading scorers for the Masterpieces were Hines Ward, DeSean Jackson, David Akers and Fred Jackson. After Week 6, I'm in 8th place overall (tied for 3rd in the Shakespeare Division) with a record of 2-4.

In the League of Evangelical Baptists, the Kansas City Titans lost a close game against 2-2-0 by the score of 117.89 to 110.73. It was a matchup that was decided before the Monday Night game. The Titans tried to make a comeback but WR Earl Bennett and K Robbie Gould couldn’t put up enough points to come back. Leading scorers for the Titans were Drew Brees, Steve Slaton, Dwayne Bowe and Andre Caldwell. After Week 6, I'm in 5th place overall (tied for 2nd in the Annie Armstrong Conference) with a record of 4-2.

In the Pigskin Prognosticators league, the Krakow Tigers have won two in a row as they got the win over Romo’s Wingman by the score of 117.34 to 101.52. The game was decided before the Monday Night game. The Tigers won despite only getting 0.52 from WR Steve Smith. It was a well needed victory as the Tigers now found themselves back at .500. Leading scorers for the Tigers were Jay Cutler, Wes Welker, Adrian Peterson, and Philadelphia DEF. After Week 6, I'm in 5th place (essentially tied for 3rd) with a record of 3-3.

Outlook for Week 7:

In the Speed Kills league, the K.C. Masterpieces (2-4) face a tough matchup as they square off against Domiation (5-1). The Masterpieces will be at full strength while Domination will be without RB Chris Johnson and TE Todd Heap. The Masterpieces need a win to get back in the race for the playoffs and defend their championship. Key matchup will be the WR position (Hines Ward/DeSean Jackson/Reggie Wayne vs. Randy Moss/Chad OchoCinco/Lee Evans). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Masterpieces as the favorite.

In the League of Fantasy Footballers, the Kansas City Titans (4-2) will get back in the win column as they face off against the Seminary Slingers (3-3). The Slingers are managed by Kyle, a friend at seminary. Both teams will be at full strength with no players on the bye. It should be a tough matchup as both teams are trying to keep pace. Key matchup will be at the QB position (Drew Brees vs. Matt Schaub). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Slingers as the favorite.

In the Pigskin Prognosticators league, the Krakow Tigers (3-3) will look to get another big win as they face off against The Purple Pegasus (2-4). For the Tigers, they will be without T.J. Houshmadzadeh as he’ll be on the bye. The Purple Pegasus will be without WR Mark Clayton, RB Willis McGahee and K Rob Bironias as they will be on the bye. This will be a huge game for both teams as they try gain momentum at an important part of the season. Key matchup will be at the TE position (Tony Gonzalez vs. Chris Cooley). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Tigers as the favorite.

That's all for this week. Tune in next Tuesday for another installment of Fantasy Football Tuesday...

Two Good Examples of Leadership

2009-10-15T14:14:00.002-05:00

This coming Saturday in Dallas, Texas is one of the big games in the college football season. It is a rivalry game known commonly as the Red River Shootout (or the Red River Rivalry) that takes place annually between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the University of Texas Longhorns. It is one of college footballs biggest rivalry games and one that is a bitter rivalry between the two schools.

In the midst of all this, stands two quarterbacks: OU redshirt junior QB Sam Bradford and UT redshirt senior QB Colt McCoy. Both QBs are highly touted with many school records and accolades including a Heisman Trophy for Bradford. They are considered high draft picks in next year's NFL draft.

They are also strong followers of Jesus. In many interviews both large and small, they have made clear their faith and their walk with Christ. It is something that is really refreshing to hear from young men in positions such as these who excel in athletics but are also looking to grow deeper in their walk with Christ at a young age.

Baptist Press Sports recently had an article on an interview they did with McCoy talking about his recent trips to Peru with Fellowship of Christian Athletes. While he was there traveling to various villages helping to build homes, teaching various sports and sharing the gospel, it left an indellible mark. You can read more of the article here.

Also, here is a video with the two of them talking about their faith:

They along with Tim Tebow are young men who I look forward to seeing compete on Sundays and contining to share about their faith during the week.

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 5 Edition

2009-10-13T09:00:00.002-05:00

It's time for Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 5 Edition. This week was the best week so far in the 2009 campaign. All three teams posted victories as they went 3-0 this week in the three highlight leagues. Here's the breakdown for Week 5 and the look ahead to Week 6...

Breakdown:

In the Speed Kills league, the K.C. Masterpieces bounced back from a heartbreaker last week to get an impressive victory over Tuna Helper by the score of 118.23 to 52.71. It was an impressive victory and one desperately needed by the defending champs. The Masterpieces got huge performances from some of the key players including the first big performance by RB Michael Turner. The margin of victory was such that it was recognized at the Toyota Biggest Fantasy Blowout for Week 5. The leading scorers for the Masterpieces were Peyton Manning, Michael Turner, Hines Ward and Reggie Wayne. After Week 5, I'm in 7th place overall (3rd in the Shakespeare Division) with a record of 2-3.

In the League of Evangelical Baptists, the Kansas City Titans got their second as a row as they defeated the Increditurtles by the score of 95.41 to 86.38. It was a matchup that was decided before the Sunday Night game as both teams had all their players finished before then. Both teams had one player with 0 points (Cooley for the Titans, Sims-Walker for the Turtles). The Titans got enough support from the rest of the guys to get the victory. Leading scorers for the Titans were Minnesota DEF, Brett Favre, Dwayne Bowe and Steve Slaton. After Week 5, I'm in 3rd place overall (tied for 1st in the Annie Armstrong Conference) with a record of 4-1.

In the Pigskin Prognosticators league, the Krakow Tigers broke the losing streak as they got a victory over Roses N Runningbacks by the score of 118.35 to 110.34. The Tigers built up a huge enough lead that they were able to hold on through the Monday Night game. It was a well needed victory as the Tigers look to get a winning streak of their own going. Leading scorers for the Tigers were Ben Roethlisberger, Adrian Peterson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Philadelphia DEF. After Week 5, I'm in 6th place (essentially tied for 4th) with a record of 2-3.

Outlook for Week 6:

In the Speed Kills league, the K.C. Masterpieces (2-3) will to get two in a row they face off against Plax' Gun Club (4-1). The bye week affects the Masterpieces in losing two key contributers: QB Peyton Manning and WR Reggie Wayne. Plax' Gun Club will be at full strength as no one on his team is one a bye which will make things tough for the Masterpieces. Key matchup will be the QB position (Matt Hasselbeck vs. Joe Flacco). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Gun Club as the slight favorite.

In the League of Fantasy Footballers, the Kansas City Titans (4-1) will look to keep the winning streak alive as they square off against 2-2-0 (4-1). The Titans will be at full strength this week with no players on the bye. 2-2-0 will be without WR Reggie Wayne for the bye. The Titans continue to tweak the lineup at WR trying to get the best combination. Hopefully that will be the case this week. Key matchup will be at the TE position (Chris Cooley vs. Brent Celek)). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting 2-2-0 as the favorite.

In the Pigskin Prognosticators league, the Krakow Tigers (2-3) will look to get another win as they face off against Romo's Wingman (2-3). For the Tigers, they will be at full strength as no starter is on the bye. Romo's Wingman will be without TE Dallas Clark and K Nick Folk. The Tigers will try and build on last week's performance to keep the winning ways going. Key matchup will be at the DEF position (Philly vs. Washington). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Tigers as the favorite.

That's all for this week. Tune in next Tuesday for another installment of Fantasy Football Tuesday...

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 4 Edition

2009-10-06T07:10:00.003-05:00

It's Tuesday which means its time for Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 4 Edition. It was yet again another poor performance as my teams went 1-2 this week in the three highlight leagues. Here's the breakdown for Week 4 and the look ahead to Week 5...

Breakdown:

In the Speed Kills league, the K.C. Masterpieces lost a heartbreaker as they were defeated by Memphis Explosion by the score of 112.81 to 110.91. The Masterpieces were losing big going into the Sunday night game then were leading by three going into the Monday night game and lead until the fourth quarter when the Explosion squeaked by. The Masterpieces scored the third highest point total but it was for naught as they now stand at 1-3 after 4 weeks. The leading scorers for the Masterpieces were Antonio Gates, Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne and Hines Ward. After Week 4, I'm in 8th place overall (3rd in the Shakespeare Division) with a record of 1-3.

In the League of Evangelical Baptists, the Kansas City Titans bounced back with the slightest of victories over the Panters by the score of 106.22 to 106.16. It came down to the Monday Night game as the Titans with Minnesota's DEF held off the Panthers with QB Aaron Rodgers and RB Ryan Grant. Another subpar performance by the WR core almost led to the second straight loss. However, huge games by the dynamic duo at RB helped carry the day. Leading scorers for the Titans were Minnesota DEF, Steve Slaton, Kevin Smith and Chris Cooley. After Week 4, I'm in 4th place overall (tied for 1st in the Annie Armstrong Conference) with a record of 3-1.

In the Pigskin Prognosticators league, the Krakow Tigers lost for the third time this season in another heartbreaker as they lost to The Sleepers by a score of 97.34to 91.94. The Tigers couldn't make up a huge deficit going into the Monday night game and have not lost three games in a row. Leading scorers for the Tigers were Jay Cutler, Bernard Berrian, and New England DEF. After Week 4, I'm in 6th place with a record of 1-3.

Outlook for Week 5:

In the Speed Kills league, the K.C. Masterpieces (1-3) will try and right the ship as they face off against Tuna Helper (2-2). The bye week affects the Masterpieces in losing TE Antonio Gates, K Robbie Gould and San Diego DEF. Tuna Helper will be without QB Philip Rivers and Green Bay DEF. Key matchup will be the TE positio(Vernon Davis vs. Owen Daniels). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Masterpieces as the favorite.

In the League of Fantasy Footballers, the Kansas City Titans (3-1) will look to keep the winning ways going as they square off against the Increditurtles (2-2). The Increditurtles are managed by Joseph, another former Union alum. Titans will be without QB Drew Brees and K Robbie Gould because of the bye. The Increditurtles will be without WRs Vincent Jackson and Greg Jennings along with K Nate Kaeding as they'll be on the bye. The Titans will finally get back WR Dwayne Bowe this week. Hopefully with him and Steve Breaston back in the lineup the WR core will be up to par. Interesting matchup as the Titans QB this week is Brett Favre and one of the Increditurtles starting WR is Percy Harvin and starting RB is Adrian Peterson. Key matchup will be at the K position (Jason Elam vs. Kris Brown). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Increditurtles as the favorite.

In the Pigskin Prognosticators league, the Krakow Tigers (1-3) will look to get back into the win column as they face off against Roses N Runningbacks (2-2). For the Tigers, they will be without QB Jay Cutler because of the bye. Roses N Runningbacks will be without TE Jeremy Shockey. The Tigers will have WR Wes Welker back in the lineup and will otherwise have all their big guns in the lineup. Key matchup will be at the DEF position (Philly vs. Baltimore). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Tigers as the favorite.

That's all for this week. Tune in next Tuesday for another installment of Fantasy Football Tuesday...

Fan Appreciation Night...Ninth Royals Game of 2009 in Review

2009-10-01T15:50:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday, I went to my ninth Royals game of the 2009 season. It was also Fan Appreciation Night along with a giveaway involving a George Brett figurine. Aside from getting the figurine and a tentative calender for next season, that was it. I didn't win any of the giveaways nor the scratchoff for the jerseys off the players backs. That was a bummer.

As far as the game itself, there were two highlights. First was the back to back homers by Alberto Callaspo and Branyan Pena. The second was seeing Billy Butler getting his 50th double. With that, he became one of five players to post a 20 homer, 50 double season before the age of 24 (joining Hank Greenberg, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera).

Aside from that, the game wasn't so good. The Twins (whom the Royals were facing) ended up scoring 11 runs and won the game 11-6.

The Royals ended the year 5-4 in games that I attended. Overall, not bad, it is a winning record. Hopefully, they will have a better year next year.

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 3 Edition

2009-09-29T08:37:00.002-05:00

It's Tuesday which means its time for Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 3 Edition. Another lackluster performance as as my teams went 1-2 this week in the three highlight leagues. Here's the breakdown for Week 3 and the look ahead to Week 4...

Breakdown:

In the Speed Kills league, the K.C. Masterpieces finally got their first win of the season as they defeated MidwestCoastOffense by the score of 123.23 to 115.63. As opposed to last week, the efforts of Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne on Sunday night led the charge as they staged a comeback typical of Manning and Wayne to help the team post their first win of the 09 and with hopefully momentum in the weeks to come. The leading scorers for the Masterpieces were Peyton Manning, DeSean Jackson, Reggie Wayne and San Diego DEF. After Week 3, I'm in 8th place overall (3rd in the Shakespeare Division) with a record of 1-2.

In the League of Evangelical Baptists, the Kansas City Titans lost their first game of the season to the Spurgeons by the score of 128.19 to 75.23. Several key factors led to the loss. One: The wait until the last minute for WR Dwayne Bowe to be inactive which led to 0 points plus the ineffectiveness of the Saints offense which led to 0 points for WR Robert Meachem and a subpar performance by QB Drew Brees. Two: Huge performance by their opposing QB (Peyton Manning). Overall, a disappointing performance turned in by the Titans. Leading scorers for the Titans were Minnesota DEF, Steve Slaton, and Kevin Smith. After Week 3, I'm in 6th place overall (tied for 1st in the Annie Armstrong Conference) with a record of 2-1.

In the Pigskin Prognosticators league, the Krakow Tigers suffered their first second of the season in a heartbreaker as they lost to the Chi-chiwawa's by a score of 85.13to 82.93. The Tigers had the lead going into the Monday night game but could hold on despite having WR Steve Smith going for them. WR Wes Welker being out for another week which led to WR Ted Ginn Jr starting who unfortunately got 0 points was the main reason for the loss. Leading scorers for the Tigers were Jay Cutler, Brandon Jacobs, David Akers, and Philly DEF. After Week 3, I'm in 6th place (essentially tied for 5th) with a record of 1-2.

Outlook for Week 4:

In the Speed Kills league, the K.C. Masterpieces (1-2) look to build off of their first win of the '09 campaign as they square off against the Memphis Explosion (1-2). This will be the first matchup of the season out of division and also the first one affected by the bye week. The bye week affects the Masterpieces in losing WR DeSean Jackson and RB Michael Turner. The Explosion will be without Philly DEF. Key matchup will be the RB position (Fred Jackson/LenDale White vs. Reggie Bush/Chester Taylor). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Masterpieces as the slight favorite.

In the League of Fantasy Footballers, the Kansas City Titans (2-1) will look to rebound and get a win as they face off against the Panthers (2-1). The Titans will be without WR Steve Breaston as he's on the bye along with K Jason Elam. The Panthers will be without WR Larry Fitzgerald and K David Akers as they'll be on the bye. The health of WR Dwayne Bowe is still in question and there may be some roster moves pending to shore up the depleted WR core. Key matchup will be at the TE position (Chris Cooley vs. Greg Olsen). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Titans as the favorite.

In the Pigskin Prognosticators league, the Krakow Tigers (1-2) will look to get back into the win column as they face off against The Sleepers (0-3). For the Tigers, they will be without WR Steve Smith, TE Tony Gonzalez, K David Akers, and Philly DEF for the bye. The Sleepers will be without RB Brian Westbrook. Again, WR Wes Welker's status is questionable and may have to go with Bernard Berrian or Ted Ginn Jr if need be. Key matchup will be at the QB position (Jay Cutler vs. Peyton Manning). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Tigers as the favorite.

That's all for this week. Tune in next Tuesday for another installment of Fantasy Football Tuesday.

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 2 Edition

2009-09-22T09:18:00.004-05:00

Tuesday=Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 2 Edition. This week wasn't the best as my teams went 1-2 this week in the three highlight leagues. Here's the breakdown for Week 2 and the look ahead to Week 3...

Breakdown:

In the Speed Kills league, the K.C. Masterpieces lost a heartbreaker to No Name? by the score of 89.71 to 79.06. Despite the valiant effort of Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne on Monday night, the team couldn't make up the huge deficit encurred on Sunday. Poor performances by both starting running back LenDale White and San Diego's DEF are major factors in the loss. The loss leaves the Masterpieces with a lot of work ahead of them to get back in contention. The leading scorers for the Masterpieces were Peyton Manning, DeSean Jackson, and Michael Turner. After Week 2, I'm in 10th place overall (3rd in the Shakespeare Division) with a record of 0-2.

In the League of Evangelical Baptists, the Kansas City Titans have kept the winning ways going as they put together another solid win against rival LouisVillians by the score of 101.67 to 88.87. Another huge day for QB Drew Brees as he is definitely making a name for himself with the Titans. He helped to get the team to a huge lead and they held on through the Monday Night game for the second win of the season. Leading scorers for the Titans were Brees, Minnesota DEF, Dwayne Bowe and Chris Cooley. After Week 1, I'm in 2nd place overall (1st in the Annie Armstrong Conference) with a record of 2-0.

In the Pigskin Prognosticators league, the Krakow Tigers suffered their first loss of the season as they lost to the MidwestCoastOffense by a score of 117.64 to 86.85. The Tigers were struck by the injury bug as WR Wes Welker was unable to play and was stuck as a starter before it could be changed. Coupled with a poor performance by the Philly DEF and RB Brandon Jacobs, the Tigers were unable to withstand the barrage of points the Offense put up. Leading scorers for the Tigers were Jay Cutler, Adrian Peterson, Tony Gonzalez, and Steve Smith. After week 2, I'm in 5th place with a record of 1-1.

Outlook for Week 2:

In the Speed Kills league, the K.C. Masterpieces (0-2) look to get their first win of the '09 campaign against against MidwestCoastOffense (0-2). MidwestCoastOffense is managed by my good friend Steve (who incidently beat me in another league last week) and is sporting an 0-2 record in this league as well. The Masterpieces have shook up their lineup a little with going with RB Fred Jackson starting this week in an effort to jumpstart the offense and hopefully capture that first win of the year. Key matchup will be the TE position (Antonio Gates vs. Tony Gonzalez). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Masterpieces as the favorite.

In the League of Fantasy Footballers, the Kansas City Titans (2-0) will square off against the Spurgeons (1-1). The Titans will be facing off against a team that has several players that I own in different leagues which makes for a tough time. Key matchup will be at the RB position (Steve Slaton/Kevin Smith vs. Steven Jackson/Larry Johnson). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Spurgeons as the slight favorite.

In the Pigskin Prognosticators league, the Krakow Tigers (1-1) will look to get back into the win column as they face off against the Chi-chiwawa's (2-0). The Chi-chiwawa's are coming off two wins in a row. The Tigers will look to bounce back from their Week 2 loss. WR Wes Welker's status is questionable and may have to go with Bernard Berrian or Ted Ginn Jr if need be. Key matchup will be at the K position (David Akers vs. Nate Kaeding). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Chi-chiwawa's as the favorite.

That's all for this week. Tune in next Tuesday for another installment of Fantasy Football Tuesday.

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 1 Edition

2009-09-15T08:55:00.004-05:00

Yes, it is time for Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 1 Edition. This week had it's ups and downs as evidenced by the games involved. My teams went 2-1 this week in the three highlight leagues. Here's the breakdown for Week 1 and the look ahead to Week 2...

Breakdown:

In the Speed Kills league, the K.C. Masterpieces started their defense of their championship on a very sour note with a loss to the Headhunters by the score of 108.36 to 99.02. This is the second year in a row, the Masterpieces have lost to the Headhunters in Week 1. The upside this year was no season ending injuries in Week 1. Poor performances by both starting running backs are major factors in the loss. The bright side was the WR core who combined for over 55 points. The leading scorers for the Masterpieces were Reggie Wayne, DeSean Jackson, and Peyton Manning. After Week 1, I'm in 8th place overall (3rd in the Shakespeare Division) with a record of 0-1.

In the League of Evangelical Baptists, the season started off well for the Kansas City Titans as they put together a solid win against rival Souper Bowl Sundays by the score of 117.37 to 95.68. It was a gutsy performance from a team that had one starting WR inactive (Breaston) and another get hurt (Gonzalez) which combined for 0 points between the two. They were bailed out by a huge performance by Drew Brees and his 46.82 points. The leading scorers for the Titans were Brees, Minnesota DEF, Kevin Smith, and Chris Cooley. After Week 1, I'm in 4nd place overall (tied for 1st in the Annie Armstrong Conference) with a record of 1-0.

In the Pigskin Prognosticators league, the Krakow Tigers put together a solid performance as they beat Fear This by a score of 132.08 to 101.00. The Tigers secured the victory before the Sunday night game on huge performances by Adrian Peterson and the Philly DEF. This lead to the team being the highest scoring team of the week and was the Toyota Biggest Fantasy Blowout for Week 1. Leading scorers for the Tigers were Peterson, Philly DEF, Jay Cutler, and Tony Gonzalez. After week 1, I'm in 1st place with a record of 1-0.

Outlook for Week 2:

In the Speed Kills league, the K.C. Masterpieces (0-1) look to try to get back on track with a win against No Name? (1-0). No Name? is managed by my good friend Jon and comes in on a roll after winning their opening game. The Masterpieces hope that the RB duo of Michael Turner and LenDale White get back to their high scoring ways as well as continued solid performances from the rest of the starters. Key matchup will be the QB position (Peyton Manning vs. Kurt Warner). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting No Name? as the slight favorite.

In the League of Fantasy Footballers, the Kansas City Titans (1-0) will square off against the LouisVillians (1-0) in a matchup of undefeated teams. The Villians, managed by Jason, friend from my days in Martin, had a Week 1 victory that was decided by a mere 2 points. The Titans will be looking to the bench/waiver wire as WR Anthony Gonzalez will be out for several weeks and WR Steve Breaston's status is still up in the air. Key matchup will be at the RB position (Steve Slaton/Kevin Smith vs. Brian Westbrook/Reggie Bush). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Villians as the favorite.

In the Pigskin Prognosticators league, the Krakow Tigers (1-0) will face off against the MidwestCoastOffense (1-0). The Offense, managed by my good friend Steve from my college days) are coming off a Week 1 victory as well. The Tigers will look to continue their winning ways and seek to keep the momentum gained from their impressive Week 1 performance. Key matchup will be at the DEF position (Philly vs. NY Giants). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Tigers as the slight favorite.

That's all for this week. Tune in next Tuesday for another installment of Fantasy Football Tuesday.

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 1 Preview

2009-09-08T11:43:00.002-05:00

It's time once again for Fantasy Football Tuesday. It will once again be a good time to review and preview the weekend that was and will be in fantasy football and as a way to kick off the season, here is the Week 1 preview...

Outlook for Week 1:

In the Speed Kills league, the K.C. Masterpieces (0-0) take on the Headhunters (0-0). The Headhunters are managed by Scott, a friend from my days at Union and is a division rival in the new Shakespeare Division. On paper, this looks to be like an interesting matchup. Both teams have quality QBs (Peyton Manning vs. Drew Brees) and have pretty good TEs (Antonio Gates vs. Jeremy Shockey). RBs are fairly even (Michael Turner/LenDale White vs Ronnie Brown/Larry Johnson). Key matchup will be at WR (Reggie Wayne/Hines Ward/DeSean Jackson vs. Terrell Owens/Eddie Royal/Steve Breaston). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Headhunters as the favorite.

In the League of Evangelical Baptists, the Kansas City Titans (0-0) square off against Souper Bowl Sundays. The Sundays are managed by Adam, a good friend from college and are a division rival in the Annie Armstrong Conference. The matchup appears to be an intriguging one. The QB matchup features two quality QBs (Drew Brees vs. Philip Rivers). Both teams have DEF from the NFC North (Minnesota vs. Green Bay) and have solid TE (Chris Cooley vs. Heath Miller). The key matchup will be at the RB position (Steve Slaton/Kevin Smith vs. DeAngelo Williams/Jonathan Stewart). As of right now, Yahoo is predicting the Titans as the favorite.

In the Pigskin Prognosticators League, the Krakow Tigers (0-0) will face off against Fear This. Fear This is managed by Jon, another good friend from college. This will also be another tough matchup. The QB matchup will be one to watch (Jay Cutler vs. Donovan McNabb) along with the K matcup (David Akers vs. Jason Elam). The key matchup will be DEF postion (Philadelphia vs. New York Jets). As of right now, Yahoo has the Tigers as the favorite.

Well that's the outlook for Week 1 of the Fantasy Football season. Good luck to all who are participating and look forward to a great season!

2009 Fantasy Football Preview Extravaganza

2009-09-07T08:45:00.002-05:00

The NFL season only four days away, which means it's time again for fantasy football. As is tradition, I'm here to break down some of the leagues that I'm in and my teams. This year there will be again three leagues that are must watch/keep up with and to start off here's a draft recap.

*To start off, the first league is Speed Kills, this league is one that I've been participating in since 2001 (now in it's 9th season). I have finished in the top 3 five times and have won the championship three times with now being the two time defending champs the past two years. It is made up of some friends from college and some friends of friends. The team name again this year is the K.C. Masterpieces. In this year's draft, the Masterpieces had the 3rd overall pick and with it selected Michael Turner. The rest of the starting lineup is as follows:

QB - Peyton Manning (2st round-22nd pick)
RBs - Michael Turner (1st round-3rd pick), LenDale White (5th round-51st pick)
WRs - Reggie Wayne (3nd round-27th pick), Hines Ward (6th round-70th pick), DeSean Jackson (7th round-75th pick)
TE - Antonio Gates (4th round-46th pick)
K - Rob Bironas (8th round-94rd pick)
DEF - San Diego (9th round-99th pick)

Key backups drafted:
QB Matt Hasselbeck (11th round-123rd pick), RB Fred Jackson (10th round-118th pick), WR Justin Gage (13th round-147th pick), TE Anthony Fasano (12th round-142nd pick)

Season Prediction: This will be again be a tough year. Several top teams have returned (including Jon and Stephen). No team in this league has won three in a row. The starting lineup appears to be better than last year. However, there is questions marks with the backups. If the team plays up to expectations, this team does have the potential to compete deep into the playoffs. I do think they will finish in the top 3 with a chance at a three-peat.

*The second league is one called the League of Evangelical Baptists. This is the first year of the league and features several friends from college (Adam, Joseph), one from my grad school days (Jason), a friend from seminary now (Kyle) and several of their friends. The team name in this league is the Kansas City Titans. In this year's draft, the Titans had the 10th overall pick and with it selected Steve Slaton. The rest of the starting lineup is as follows:

QB - Drew Brees (2nd round-15th pick)
RBs - Steve Slaton (1st round-10th pick), Kevin Smith (4th round-39th pick)
WRs - Dwayne Bowe (3rd round-34nd pick), Anthony Gonzalez (5th round-58th pick), Steve Breaston (8th round-87th pick)
TE - Chris Cooley (6th round-63rd pick)
K - Jason Elam (9th round-106th pick)
DEF - Minnesota (7th round-82nd pick)

Key backups drafted: QB Brett Favre (10th round-111th pick), RB Jerious Norwood (11th round-130th pick), WR Nate Washington (12th round-135th pick), TE Anthony Fasano (13th round-154th pick)

Season Prediction: This team, the first of the three for me to live draft, is probably the wild card team. There is a lot of potential for success. However, there is a lot of potential for bust action to happen. This will also be a very competitive league. It will be hard to win the championship in this 12 team league but I think this team can be a very dangerous team and one that will be a tough matchup each week.

*The third league I'm in is another league with friends and friends of friends. It is called the Pigskin Prognosticators league. This league has my friends Jon and Stephen so it should be a good time. The team name in this league is the Krakow Tigers (named in honor of the American Football team in the city in Poland where I worked this past summer). In this year's draft, the Tigers had the 1st overall pick (third year in a row I've had a team with the first overall pick) and with it selected Adrian Peterson. The rest of the starting lineup is as follows:

QB - Jay Cutler (7th round-49th pick)
RBs - Adrian Peterson (1st round-1st pick), Brandon Jacobs (2nd round-16th pick)
WRs - Steve Smith (3nd round-17th pick), Wes Welker (4th round-32th pick), T.J. Houshmandzadeh (6th round-48th pick)
TE - Tony Gonzalez (5th round-33rd pick)
K- David Akers (9th round-65th pick)
DEF- Philadelphia (8th round-64th pick)

Key backups drafted: QB Ben Roethlisberger (12th round-96th pick), RB LenDale White (10th round-80th pick), WR Bernard Berrian (11th round-811st pick), TE John Carlson (13th round-97th pick)

Season Prediction: Talent wise, this is the best team. Given this was only an 8 team league, that's understandable. The strength of this team is depth at definitely the starting RBs along with good depth at TE along with QB. The question marks will be at WR and whether they will continue to put up numbers that they have done in previous years. If there is any of the three highlight teams to pick for the championship, I would say this is the one.

This has been the great Fantasy Football Preview Extravaganza. In a day or two (probably by Wednesday) will be the Week 1 preview matchups from each league. Until then, later days...

Predictions for the 2009 NFL Season

2009-09-02T10:27:00.002-05:00

Given the amount of chatter (both on my blog here and on the subsequent copy of the post on Facebook) about my college picks, it should be interesting to see how my NFL picks turn out. So without further adieu, here's my picks:

NFC East:
Dallas
Philadelphia
NY Giants
Washington

NFC North:
Minnesota
Chicago
Green Bay
Detroit

NFC South:
Atlanta
Carolina
New Orleans
Tampa Bay

NFC West:
Arizona
Seattle
San Francisco
St. Louis

Wild Cards: Chicago, Seattle

AFC East:
New England
Miami
Buffalo
NY Jets

AFC North:
Pittsburgh
Baltimore
Cleveland
Cincinnati

AFC South:
Tennessee
Indianapolis
Houston
Jacksonville

AFC West:
San Diego
Kansas City
Denver
Oakland

Wild Cards: Indianapolis, Miami

SUPER BOWL - Tennessee over Atlanta

College Football Predictions for 2009 Season

2009-08-31T13:15:00.002-05:00

It's about time again...football season! And with that comes the predictions that are surely to be wrong (or maybe right). Here's the predictions for this year:

First, here's my predicions for the conference champions:
ACC: Virginia Tech
Big 12: Texas
Big East: Rutgers
Big Ten: Penn State
Conference USA: Southern Miss
Mid-American: Western Michigan
Mountain West: TCU
Pac-10: California
SEC: Ole Miss
Sun Belt: Troy
WAC: Boise State

Other predictions:Washington will make a bowl game (definitely pie in the sky I know)
Heisman winner: Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
National Championship: Texas vs. Penn State
National Champion: Texas

So there you go, feel free to agree or disagree and give your opinion on the subject.

Record Breaking Night...Eighth Royals Game in Review

2009-08-26T15:15:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I took in my eighth Royals game in review. It was also the fourth time seeing the Royals vs. the Cleveland Indians and the third time seeing Zack Grienke match up against the Indians (the fourth time seeing him pitch was against the A's). It was also T-Shirt Tuesday which meant a free t-shirt as well :)

Anytime Zack takes the mound, it is the chance to see something special and last night was no exception. He ended up breaking the team record for strikeouts in a game with 15 through 8 innings.

The team helped out by scoring 6 runs and ended up winning the game 6-2. The Royals are now 5-3 in games I've attended this season. Given how that looks compared to the record when I don't attend, they might think about giving me free season tickets or something :)