MLB, football, etc.

Hello. I'm going to go ahead and finish posting the articles that I have now so that I'll be all caught up with the articles that I've read for now. The first article is one about the Rockies donating a share of their playoff money to Amanda Coolbaugh, the widow of Mike Coolbaugh, one of their minor league coaches who was killed when hit by a foul ball last summer. The share ended up being $233,505! That's a lot of money, which I'm sure will help her out with raising their three children. Here's the article: http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/nov/27/coolbaughs-wife-will-receive-233k-share/ (originally found at: http://apps.facebook.com/sportsuperfan/teams/news/97).

Here's an article from The Christian Sports Blog about Christian athletes being soft or not: http://christiansportsblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/are-christian-athletes-too-soft.html.

Next, an article about the ways that Reds utility player Ryan Freel gives back to the community: http://mlbplayers.mlb.com/pa/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071127&content_id=2310269&vkey=mlbpa_news&fext=.jsp.

Here's a blog post from IU runningback Bryan Payton, a Christian, about his Thanksgiving and what he's thankful for. Here's a quote:

I just want to say I hope you had a blessed and joyful Thanksgiving. It was by far my laziest day of the year. I ate with my parents before watching three football games (not including the Colts). I also spent most of the day walking around with a headache, sore throat, burning eyes and snotty nose. Boy, was that great! Nevertheless, I was so happy to be with my parents and being sick didn't put a damper on my Thanksgiving. I took the time to thank the Lord for everything I have and to spend quality time with my family.

Here's the post: http://insideiufootball.blogspot.com/2007/11/so-thankful.html.

By the way, IU found out tonight that they are going to be able to fulfill their late coach Terry Hoeppner's dream to "Play 13" (12 regular season games and a bowl game) by playing in the Insight Bowl against Oklahoma State on December 31st! This will be IU's first bowl game since 1993. I'm so excited!!!!!

Also, a couple of articles about the death of Redskins safety Sean Taylor last week. The first article is about the reaction to his death by his dad, Pedro. Here's part of what he had to say:

As of Tuesday, Jesus Christ was the only answer Taylor's family and friends could cling to in the death of the 24-year-old man. Taylor's father, Pedro, who is the police chief in nearby Florida City, repeatedly talked about his and his family's faith as he spoke with reporters Tuesday night.

"The mood is still the same, God is always in control," Pedro Taylor said when asked about the change from late Monday, when he and others were hopeful Sean Taylor would recover, only to have those hopes crushed. "We have no control of life or death. It's in the power of Him. We thank Him for all 24 years of having Sean here. I know it sounds short, but that's His will."

Here's the article: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AkPIKQoBOy0G0S_5teGUlDQ5nYcB?slug=jc-taylorreaction112707&prov=yhoo&type=lgns.

The other article about Taylor is the reaction by Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs, a Christian, to Taylor's death:

Earlier, Redskins Head Coach Joe Gibbs explained how his Christian faith is helping him get through this tragedy.

"For me personally, the way I'm going to deal with it is the fact that God tells us that it's going to take a thousand years for us to appreciate heaven, and that our life on Earth is a puff of smoke compared to the time that we get to spend in eternity with Him if we have a personal relationship with Him, said Gibbs.

Here's the article, including a video: http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/277461.aspx.

Lastly, here's some recent sports news about Christians and others. First, an article about Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne, a Christian, temporarily naming himself the football head coach last week until another head coach could be hired: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news;_ylt=AisIJr.OFj8sKXym2R2._Xd.T4h4?slug=ap-nebraska-coachosborne&prov=ap&type=lgns.

Next, an article about the Rockies re-signing relief pitcher Matt Herges, a Christian, last week: http://cbs.sportsline.com/mlb/story/10504992/rss.

Staying with the Rockies, their manager Clint Hurdle, a Christian, yesterday raised awareness for the disease that effects his daughter, Prader-Willi Syndrome, in his hometown in Florida: http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071202/SPORTS/712020345/1002/SPORTS (originally found at: http://apps.facebook.com/sportsuperfan/teams/news/97).

Lastly, an article about Red Sox closer Jonathon Papelbon helping to promote a food drive for local hunger organizations in Rhode Island yesterday: http://www.projo.com/news/content/SHAWS_DRIVE_12-02-07_4U83I1C_v11.2624d6c.html (originally found at: http://apps.facebook.com/sportsuperfan/teams/news/110).

Well, I'm finally caught up for now. I'll post some more late this week probably.