Gibbs, Dungy, football, baseball, and basketball

Hi. Here's the second post for the weekend. First, some articles on former Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs, a Christian, who retired last week to spend more time with his family. Here's a good note about the news conference from Sports Spectrum's The Daily:

THE REAL JOE: If you caught the press conference in which Joe Gibbs announced the reasons for his retirement, you got the clear picture of a man with a deep faith in God and His direction in his life. But if you didn’t see that and just read published reports about Gibbs’ retirement, you wouldn’t know how important faith is to him. That part get left out of nearly every report about Gibbs. What was mentioned was his love and concern for family, which is a good thing. But that love of family comes from Gibbs’ solid faith and Christian convictions. That’s what he said, but for most reporters, the essence of Joe Gibbs wasn’t important enough to write about.

Here's the webpage: http://www.sportsspectrum.com/daily/archives/080109.php.

Along those lines, here's a link to an article with video of the news conference last Tuesday if you would like to watch it, but it's kind of long--around half an hour I think--so I only watched the first part of six: http://www.wusa9.com/news/regional/story.aspx?storyid=67065.

Instead I found a transcript from the news conference, and here's the quote from near the end of the press conference referred to in the quote from The Daily:

... The last thing I want to say, it has been amazing for me to experience the fact that- we serve such a wonderful God that looks down and most cases takes a very average person, a physical education major in my case, with ballroom dancing and hand ball, and blesses him with some of the greatest experiences anybody could every have on earth. I have been blessed beyond belief. I want to say thanks to the Lord for letting me be a part of this and I want to say a personal thanks to all of you."

Here's the article: http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=33975.

Here's a Christian article about Gibbs retiring from the Saved in Sports blog, and a quote about Gibb's Youth For Tomorrow center:

Joe Gibbs is known as a hard working man of faith, both on and off the field. An outspoken Christian, he has mentored hundreds of players in more than just field plays, but life itself. His passion for providing a strong foundation for young people led Gibbs to found the Youth For Tomorrow center in nearby Manassas, Virginia, a “residential program combining character rehabilitation, quality education, personal faith, and life skills,” according to the mission statement. Since opening in 1986, Youth for Tomorrow has served 800 young people. The campus includes several specialized schools, a library, gymnasium, computer labs, auditorium, and more.

Here's the article: http://savedinsports.wordpress.com/2008/01/08/washington-redskins-to-move-on-without-joe-gibbs/. Here's the Youth For Tomorrow website: http://www.youthfortomorrow.org/.

Next, here's the general news article about Gibbs' retirement: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080108/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_redskins_gibbs_resigns.

Here's a good sports column from the Washington Post about Gibbs too: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/08/AR2008010804885.html?sid=ST2008010804632&sub=new.

Also, here's an article about Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Webb, a Christian, and the community work that he's involved in through his Brandon Webb K Foundation and the Diamondbacks in Arizona: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080109&content_id=2342454&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb.

Here's a good blog post about NC State women's basketball head coach Kay Yow, a Christian, and her upbeat attitude during her fight with cancer. Here's a good quote:

As we all know, Yow is fighting a terrible foe every day. She never takes off the "armor"-- made up of her faith, her hope, her positive attitude. That armor has served her well so far.

Here's the post: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=ncwexperts&entryDate=20080109.

Next, a Q and A article with Washington State guard Taylor Rochestie, a Christian, talking about how well the team has done so far this season and his giving up his scholarship for next year so that they could use it for someone else: http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=335345.

Here's a couple of articles on the possible retirement of Colts head coach Tony Dungy, a Christian, after this season. Unfortunately, the Colts just lost in the playoffs this afternoon to the Chargers, so now the Dungy watch is on I guess. The first article is a good one from the Indianapolis Star, and here's a quote:

It might not be enough. One of the most successful coaches in NFL history wants to be so much more.

Dungy has been involved in a prison ministry program in Tampa for several years and has devoted himself to All Pro Dad, a branch of the Tampa-based Family First. His book, Quiet Strength, recently sold its 1 millionth copy. When Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor was shot and killed in November, Dungy spoke of the need for people in positions of influence to address a culture of violence that seems so pervasive among today's youth.

On the other hand, Dungy allows that "there's a vehicle to get that message out, and the NFL's a pretty good vehicle."

Here's the article: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/SPORTS03/801100425/1247/NLETTER12.

Here's the other article, which gives some updated news about the Dungy retirement rumors: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=ArfW.TBnXvSah30L59.9ZEV.T4h4?slug=ap-colts-dungysfuture&prov=ap&type=lgns. More on Dungy another day.

Also, a couple of articles about MLB players will be receiving Thurmon Munson Awards. The awards will be given to recently retired Astros 2nd baseman Craig Biggio and Yankees outfielder Melky Cabrera, along with Mets 3rd baseman David Wright, Knicks guard Jamal Crawford, and Olympic gold medal-winning figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi. The award is for "excellence in competition and philanthropic work within the community." Here's the Biggio article: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080110&content_id=2343257&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb, and here's the Cabrera one: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080110&content_id=2343441&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb.

Here's an article about Bills tight end Kevin Everett, who sustained a severe neck injury the first game of the season and is now miraculously walking on his own. Last week, he spoke at the football banquet at his high school, Memorial, in Port Arthur, Texas, to thank everyone for their support during his rehabilitation. Here's a quote from him about it:

"I feel blessed entirely," Everett said Thursday before addressing the Memorial High School football banquet. "I deal with some pain sleeping but not to the point where I can't sleep. I take my medicine and I'm good to go."

Here's a quote from New Mexico quarterback Donovan Porterie, who was also attending the banquet:

"Every night, especially in that first week, I was offering up a prayer after I heard about his injury," Porterie said. "It was all over ESPN and the NFL Network and being from Port Arthur, it was a real big blow ... a real heartbreaker."

"So it meant a lot to see a guy of his status to bounce back and be here like this," he said. "It was a big lift. Jesus came through and delivered him from his obstacle."

Here's a quote from Everett's friend and Memorial offensive coordinator Kenny Harrison:

"This guy is amazing," Harrison said. "Kevin has taught me two things. First, he's taught me that nothing is too bad and second, that with God you can overcome anything."

Here's the article: http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10569837/rss.

Next, an article about Mariners pitcher Chris Reitsma, a Christian, signing a minor league contract with the team since he's coming off an injury: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AsB1_FEIAPyO4Y9qrD.sJFt.T4h4?slug=ap-mariners-reitsma&prov=ap&type=lgns.

Lastly, last night there was a great interview segment with Jaguars quarterback David Garrard and his wife, both Christians, before they lost to the Patriots. At least three times during the interview Garrard said "a lot of prayer".