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Because I am a native Minnesotan, I am taking my son to see what ballparksofbaseball.com calls “one of the worst venues in baseball,” The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis.
It may not aesthetically pleasing, but we won’t be swatting at mosquitoes as we watch the Twins take on the dreaded Chicago White Sox in all its 72-degree beauty. Ah, summer! Next year, when the Metrodome will be abandoned for the great, new outdoor Target Field, we can talk about the wonders of outdoor baseball. But, for tonight, we’ll take what we can get.
Click on image to see the ESPN report featuring Ed Thomas that ran last year.
Ed Thomas may have been remembered as the man who coached football (successfully) at Aplington-Parkersburg High School in Iowa. He may also be remembered as the man who was shot early Wednesday morning by a former student and died shortly afterward at a high school. To those who knew him, however, he will be remembered as a man who followed a greater mission in life than football. From a report Wednesday by the Associated Press:
“Coach Thomas was very special to me and many other young men from the Aplington-Parkersburg communities,” said Green Bay Packers linebacker Aaron Kampman. “His legacy for many will be associated with his tremendous success as a football coach. However, I believe his greatest legacy comes not in how many football games he won or lost but in the fact that he was a committed follower of Jesus Christ.”
At times like these we must step back and wonder about how God works mysteriously. It’s a mystery in that he does not tell us his plans, but it is enough to know that it is to bring himself glory. Our success is not his ultimate goal, but there will be times when it works out that way. Our failure or suffering is not his ultimate goal, but there will also be times when that will come about. What is his ultimate goal? Having people see Him as supreme. And people like Ed Thomas do that. Today, through the testimony of those who knew him, we are reminded of that.
We break into the humdrum of everyday life (abortion, life, death, world sickness) for this important news (to those who are cursed to be Minnesota Vikings fans):
The St. Paul Pioneer Press is reporting that Brett Favre will have routine surgery this week and thus put him in line to sign with the Vikings:
Free-agent quarterback Brett Favre is scheduled to meet Tuesday with noted orthopedist James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., about surgery to repair a partially torn biceps tendon in his right shoulder, the Pioneer Press has learned.
Surgery to release the tendon is considered routine and is expected to be performed by Andrews later this week. Rehabilitation for Favre would be six to eight weeks.
If it goes well, Farve, who will turn 40 in October, is expected to sign with the Minnesota Vikings.
Free-agent quarterback Brett Favre is scheduled to meet Tuesday with noted orthopedist James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., about surgery to repair a partially torn biceps tendon in his right shoulder, the Pioneer Press has learned.
Surgery to release the tendon is considered routine and is expected to be performed by Andrews later this week. Rehabilitation for Favre would be six to eight weeks.
If it goes well, Farve, who will turn 40 in October, is expected to sign with the Minnesota Vikings.
Born in 1910, John Wooden is the first person to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame both as a player and coach. ESPN ranks him as the greatest coach of all time, across all sports, as he won 10 NCAA men’s basketball titles — including seven straight — and had winning streaks of 47 and 80 games. In his 40 years at UCLA, he mentored legends such as Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. His career has been illustrious to say the least, and he has created a model, the Pyramid of Success, and authored several books to impart his insight on achievement to others.
Wooden wanted his players to be victors in life and not just on the court, so he treated them as an extended family and emphasized that winning was more than scoring. Indeed, most of his inspiring theories were born from conversations with his father, as a boy on their farm in Indiana. One that sums up his ideology quite well is his often quoted definition of success: “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”
There is much to be gained from the wisdom of a 98-year-old man. Below is video of a talk Wooden gave in 2001. It would also be worth your while to check out his Web site and some of the wisdom contained there.
I was curious to come across this post by John Piper addressing girls wrestling boys because the same thing happened here in Nebraska. While the state tournament is ongoing in Minnesota, it already happened here and the result was the girl managed to finish second in the 103-pound weight class. In both cases, it was the first time that a girl wrestled in the state tournament.
While much positive media attention was given to the girl in each case, not as much was focused on the boys who had to wrestle against girls or those who had concerns. One writer who was at the event in Omaha said the fans at the arena were decidedly against the girl even though she wrestled for an Omaha school. For as many positive reactions to the story about the Minnesota girl, there were also comments like the one below:
First, let me start by saying that wrestling is a great sport for girls. Next, let me challenge them to the same standards boys have to go through if they want to play a typically female sport. They can’t handle it. You see for everyone that makes excuses and whines about it’s sexist to keep them out – it’s not. In fact it’s equality at work. The problem is girls like this don’t understand being equal DOES NOT mean they get their way. First double standard, where boys are strong than girls post-puberty, the girls are allowed to play on boys’ teams in middle school when the girls are bigger. If they get to beat up on the boys in middle school, you can’t whine when boys return the favor in high school. Second, in wrestling, this girl has an unfair advantage because she can maintain lower weight classes later in life, thus giving her more experience. Any wrestler worth his or her salt will tell you experience will trump gender anytime. She often ends up wrestling freshman. Not only that, since girls have a lower center of gravity, it’s harder to throw her. Third, what about the sexual harassment? Boys are uncomfortable wrestling her and she doesn’t care. I wonder how she would feel if a bunch of boys decided to come shower with her. You know, nothing sexual – just a shower. If the coach explains it’s just a shower I’m sure she’ll be ok with it. God knows the boys can’t complain because her right to participate overrides their right not to be harassed. Basically, girls have no problems taking boys’ spots but then they whine and cry like babies when boys – even small boys – show up to take theirs. Heck, they whine and cry even if the boys don’t want their spots and just want an equal chance to participate in their own sports. (Look at the Title IX quotas)You see mhandler, You have NO idea what you’re talking about. There are about 3 states, PA, NY, and MA that allow boys on girls teams. The rest don’t. Wanna know how I know? My 70 pound godson wanted to play field hockey because his roller hockey team isn’t sanctioned and the state said he was too big and strong to play against the 200 pound girls. Again, it’s fine if she wrestles. Let her go out and get a bunch of girls so she can wrestle them – just like a boy would have to do if he wanted to make a new team. Is it too much to ask the princesses to simply live up to the same rules the boys have to live by? Fight for equality. Fight Title IX
A rant, yes, but some strong points as well. I’m sure that there are advocates who would argue just as strongly the other way, but in the end it’s pretty clearly a no-win situation for any boy. Girls who want to wrestle should wrestle — with other girls. But mixed gender wrestling does no one any good.
UPDATE: After seeing the video on SportsCenter several times, I can see that the play made an impression on more than just me. The player involved was Cincinnati’s Marty Gilyard and his unintentional victim was 7-year-old Garrett Monroe. For his trouble, Garrett was interviewed during the game by ESPN’s Erin Andrews and then signed autographs for fans around him. No one interviewed Gilyard, but it was a classy gesture on his part. Click on the image below to see it. The play itself and the interview are a ways into the highlight, so be patient.
In this video highlight from ESPN, Cincinnati receiver Marty Gilyard shows some tenderness for a fan who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I just saw a college football player from the University of Cincinnati go crashing into the stands after trying to make a touchdown catch.
The cool part was when we realized that he had run over a small child he quickly removed his helmet and gave the tearful boy a hug to comfort him.
This gesture spoke volumes to me. Way more than any celebration, taunting, dancing or yelling. Just a beautiful moment.
And now back to the cruel world.
Thanks to Justin Taylor for posting this. I would echo Justin’s comments that it is an awesome thing when a public person like Georgia football coach Mark Richt so openly expresses his faith. I am not a Georgia football fan, but I am a huge fan of Mark and Katharyn Richt. God is good. Click on the image to view the video.
Georgia head football coach Mark Richt talked about his adopted children and his faith on ESPN GameDay recently.
Allyson Felix takes a handoff from Mary Wineberg on the second leg of the Olympic women's 1,600 relay. The U.S. women won in 3:18.54.
One of my favorite all-time movies is Chariots of Fire. I love it when Eric Liddell tells his sister that when he runs he feels God smiling on him. It sounds so self-centered, but the point is that Liddell is running for God’s glory, not his own. And that is a good way to look at sports or any other interest that we may pursue. It is because God has blessed us with a talent we should do it our best for His sake, not ours.
All of that brings me to the recent Olympic games in Beijing, China, where many athletes did many outstanding things. I am sure that there were many who understood that the talents that got them to China were bestowed by a great God on humble human beings. One of those great athletes is Allyson Felix of the United States. Felix, who is a sprinter, won a gold in the 1,600 relay and a silver in the 200. She was disappointed in her performance in the 200, where she was the reigning world champion, but she didn’t let that stop her from giving her all in the relay.
In a feature segment run during the games, she is clear about where her heart is. Clink on the image below for the video:
And, to remember a truly great Olympic athlete and a dedicated servant of God:
And, because baseball was meant to be played outdoors so we could see it and appreciate God’s great work in nature at the same time, here is a link to a video tour of the new Minnesota Twins ballpark. The new park will open in 2010. Click on the image below to watch the tour. (Note: Watch you see in the image is just a model of the ballpark so, no, that is not Paul Bunyan standing behind it getting ready to grab some Twins fans. As a bonus, you get to hear a real, live Minnesotan describe the ballpark in his real, live Minnesotan accent. Ah, it brings back memories. 
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The news Twins ballpark will open in downtown Minneapolis in 2010.
And, to make it unique, get ready for the Stone Zone.
While we are soaking in the pageantry of the Olympics this summer in China, let us not forget what life is really like for the Christians there. In a great post at The Blazing Center, Mark Altrogge compares what we see with what God sees:
The Lord who spoke the worlds into existence is not impressed by our pomp and technology and fireworks. But he is impressed by his people glorifying him despite persecution by a wicked government. His eyes are on his precious sheep singing his praises behind closed doors of their homes or praying under their prison covers.
When you watch the Olympics this week, lift up a prayer for the persecuted saints in China. Ask Jesus to have mercy on them, fill them with his joy and give them the grace to persevere. Ask Jesus to bring his kingdom, the most impressive kingdom of all, to earth.
