WE WON!!!!

Hi. First, my Colts won! After it was over it was almost more relief and satisfaction than excitement for me.

Here's a quote from the weekly sales e-mail that I got from Hobby Lobby yesterday. I thought that it was really fitting with this year's Super Bowl:

"It is for us to make the effort. The result is always in God's hands."--Mohandas K. Gandhi

Have you seen the "I'm going to Disney World" commercial yet? I saw it this morning during SportsCenter. It has both Tony Dungy and Dominic Rhodes on it: "We're going to Disney World!".

The victory parade is today at 6:00, on one of the coldest days of the year here in Indiana. Right now it's 12 degrees with a windchill below zero.

A somewhat crazy note: most of the schools in central, southcentral, and northcentral Indiana had a two-hour delay today, which were announced yesterday. The official reason was because of the cold weather, which it was one degree when they went to school at 10:00. The unofficial reason was so all of the kids could stay up later and watch the Colts in the Super Bowl last night. There are some schools that are already calling a two-hour delay for tomorrow, so today's delay was probably fairly legitimate.

Also, an article about the Red Sox Curt Schilling and his wife and they're work for preventing skin cancer: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070131&content_id=1790894&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos.

Here's an article about the Pirates Salomon Torres, a Christian, switching to the closer's role for the Pirates: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_490644.html (originally found at: http://mlbplayers.mlb.com/pa/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070129&content_id=1788903&vkey=mlbpa_news&fext=.jsp).

Next, an article about Colts coach Tony Dungy speaking at the College Mentors for Kids annual gala in a couple weeks: http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=4618.

Here's an article about the Colts Anthony McFarland and his second chance at playing in the Super Bowl. He was on the Buccaneers team that won the Super Bowl in 2002, but was injured and unable to play. Here's a quote:

The teams on which McFarland played in Tampa were some of the must successful defensive units in the NFL, and in 2002, the Buccaneers beat the Oakland Raiders in the Super Bowl. McFarland missed that game, and he has spoken extensively this week of a second opportunity to play in the NFL’s biggest game.

“It’s just been a blessing,” McFarland said. “Sometimes you go through things in life, and when you have the ability to overcome and the ability to strive through the adversity, it’s good.

“I feel very, very blessed.”

Here's the article: http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=4613.

Also, a great article about Colts owner Jim Irsay, a Christian (although Hunter Smith is not a linebacker): http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=5538.

Here's another great article on Bears coach Lovie Smith, a Christian: http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=5533.

Next, a great article about the importance of Christianity on the Colts team, including players Matt Giardano, Hunter Smith, Jeff Saturday, Dexter Reid, and Justin Snow: http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=5536.

Here's an article about Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith posing for a picture for a newspaper advertisement for Campus Crusade for Christ: http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=5539.

I did some searching about that advertisement, and I came across the website that it was promoting. It has a lot of good links and testimonies from Dungy, Smith, and some Colts and Bears players: http://www.beyondtheultimate.org/.

Next, an article about the Colts helping to refurbish football fields in Indianapolis: http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=4619.

Here's an article about Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester arriving at spring training after having gone through treatment for lymphoma: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070201&content_id=1791656&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos.

Also, a couple of articles about Giants catcher Mike Matheny's retirement. Here's some quotes from him about it in the first one:

"It's been a fun ride, and I've been blessed beyond what I can imagine," he said. "It's what kids dream about."

Here's the article: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070201&content_id=1792094&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb.

In the second article, here's a quote from Matheny's long-time teammate Matt Morris about him:

"As my catcher and as a person he just meant so much to me," said Giants pitcher Matt Morris, who also threw to Matheny in St. Louis. "On the field he taught me how to be a professional. Off the field he taught me to be a man and a respectful person. He's going to be sorely missed by everybody.

"Unfortunately through his head trauma and concussions, it's just ending a little abruptly to him. He was a guy so hard-nosed and he wanted to play every day, so for it to end this way is unfortunate. After the blows to the head, he wasn't the same. We want the old Mike Matheny back, baseball player or not," he said.

Here's the article: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2751419.

Lastly, here's an article about Dungy and Lovie meeting together at a press conference Friday morning: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007702020539.