Sunday Post #1: MLB, football, etc.

Hi. I'm back. Sorry that I haven't been able to post all week, but I've just been too busy. Friday night I did go to a Jeremy Camp concert, which was awesome. I strongly recommend seeing a concert of his if you ever have the chance. Now for some articles, etc.

First, an article about Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester, a Christian, who came back from having cancer treatments last fall to pitch this season. He started Game 4 of the World Series, winning the decisive game of the Series for the Red Sox. Here's a quote about his comeback from cancer from teammate and fellow Christian pitcher Mike Timlin:

"This is going to sound funny," said Boston reliever Mike Timlin. "But God blessed Jon Lester with cancer just to show a lot of people that you can overcome something that's so hard in your life you think, 'I'm not gonna make it.' He's going to be able to take his faith in God and the strength God gave him and tell a lot of other people a great story."

Here's the article: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2007/columns/story?columnist=crasnick_jerry&id=3084800 (originally found at: http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=5698).

Here's a blog post by former Cardinals pitcher Mike Maroth, a Christian, about his off-season so far. Here's a quote from him about being released by the Cardinals, being a free agent, and not knowing what the future holds:

... So, we'll see where God takes our family now. That will be the hardest part, waiting. We have been praying for the wisdom and guidance we will need to navigate through free agency and to choose a team that is where God wants us to be. We are anxious to see him work it out and lead us in a new direction. We trust Him to protect us and provide for us just like he has always been faithful to in the past.

Here's the blog post: http://www.marothbaseball.com/2007_10_01_archive.asp.

Next, an article about Cardinals outfielder So Taguchi, a Christian, doing some broadcasting for a Japanese TV station during the World Series: http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/6155413ACA8A34248625738000159A16?OpenDocument (originally found at: http://mlbplayers.mlb.com/pa/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071029&content_id=2286964&vkey=mlbpa_news&fext=.jsp).

Here's a good Christian article about Browns runningback Jason Wright and how he has learned about humility: http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=5692.

Also, a Christian article about the entire football team at Missouri Southern State University attending a revival at a local church and about how it effected the team and the church: http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=5693.

Here's an interesting Christian article about whether or not God cares who wins athletic events: http://www.mobaptist.org/thepathway/article19744.htm (originally found at: http://christiansportsblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/does-god-care-who-wins.html).

Next, an article about Athletes in Action (AIA) and its history: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071030/COL05/710300327/1009/EDIT (originally found at: http://www.aia.com/news.aspx?newsitem=253).

Here's a note about NASCAR driver Jimmy Johnson donating his earnings of $349,000 from his win on October 28th win in Atlanta to the relief effort for the wildfires in the San Diego area. The owner of the race track in Atlanta and his main sponsor Lowe's both matched his contribution. Johnson is from the San Diego area himself. Here's the note: http://christiansportsblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/jimmie-johnson-donates-349000.html.

Also, a note about Reds coach Johnny Narron, a Christian, not being brought back by the team next season. This is significant because he was also a mentor/confidant for Reds outfielder Josh Hamilton, also a Christian, who was playing in his first season back in baseball after coming back from drug abuse and MLB suspension. I just pray that a player or coach on the team will be able to replace at least some of what Narron did for Hamilton last season. Here's the article: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071031&content_id=2289843&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin.

Lastly, a Christian article about former Titans offensive lineman Bruce Matthews, his career, and his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last summer: http://www.sharingthevictory.com/vsItemDisplay.lsp&objectID=77283760-A4DF-4114-95377C234FBF4428&method=display.

More later.

MLB, football, etc.

First of all, an article about Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins, a Christian, credentials for the MVP Award. Two of the top candidates for the NL MVP Award are Christians, with Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday along with Rollins. Here's the article: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070930&content_id=2242483&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi&partnered=rss_phi.

Here's an article about Royals 1st baseman/DH Mike Sweeney taking out a full-page ad in the Kansas City Star last Sunday to thank the Royals fans and organization for all their support over the many years that he's played there. This could have been Sweeney's last season with the Royals, as he is a free agent. Here's a quote from him about it:

He has said he would like to play another year, taking a reduced role. But club officials have been noncommittal both to him and to the media.

"I talked with [general manager Dayton Moore] yesterday and he said he wasn't sure what direction they'll want to go in," Sweeney said Sunday. "But if this is my last game with the Royals, I know I've been blessed like very few people have ever been blessed. I've loved every minute of it."

Here's the article: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3043675.

Next, a good Christian article about recently retired Panthers safety Mike Minter, who is now going into the ministry: http://savedinsports.wordpress.com/2007/10/01/minter-retires-into-ministry/. Also, the article includes a link to Minter's website: http://www.mikeminter.com/index2.html and a link to the Ruckus House Learning Center in Harrisburg, North Carolina, a Christian based daycare/preschool/afterschool program that he runs with fellow Christians Panthers defensive end Mike Rucker, Rams runningback Stephen Davis, and Bears wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad: http://www.ruckushouse.com/.

Here's several new articles this month from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes' Sharing the Victory Magazine. The first one is about Padres pitcher Jake Peavy, a favorite for the Cy Young Award this year (includes video): http://www.sharingthevictory.com/vsItemDisplay.lsp&objectID=60ECE133-3E2D-430B-B0FCBDE53AEBEA3A&method=display. Here's a short note about him and a friend of his, former MLB player Turner Ward, too: http://www.sharingthevictory.com/vsItemDisplay.lsp&objectID=46498FAB-F957-46B8-BC86948E7CB173B2&method=display.

The next FCA article is about Clemson football head coach Tommy Bowden and how his faith helps him to deal with all of the pressure of his job (including a video): http://www.sharingthevictory.com/vsItemDisplay.lsp&objectID=D5F71ED2-33F7-43E1-864A78650FFEA0AA&method=display. Also, the article includes a link to the FCA's Bowden Breakfast (http://www.bowdenbreakfast.com/), which is held annually the morning of the Clemson/Flordia State game, where Tommy Bowden coaches against his dad, Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden.

Here's an FCA article about Olivia Brock, the kicker for the Conner High School football team in Kentucky. Yes, she's a girl playing football. Here's the good article about her: http://www.sharingthevictory.com/vsItemDisplay.lsp&objectID=E5079E65-22FA-490C-B4FF2F4953AE4128&method=display. Someone who's helped her with her kicking has been former Bengals kicker Doug Pelfrey, who's now involved with FCA and his own organization Kick's for Kids: http://kicksforkids.org/.

Also, an FCA article on Auburn football chaplain Chette Williams and his new memoir Hard Fighting Soldier: Finding God in Trials, Tragedies, and Triumphs. Also included in the article is former Auburn and current Giants linebacker Reggie Torbor. Here's the aritcle: http://www.sharingthevictory.com/vsItemDisplay.lsp&objectID=710FE6B0-36F6-4AEF-BE0E22476E0D6C5B&method=display.

Here's an FCA article about a father-son retreat led by Rogers (Arkansas) High School football coach Ronnie Peacock for the senior players on his team: http://www.sharingthevictory.com/vsItemDisplay.lsp&objectID=9453B812-8727-42FD-93B3950AA7FCD250&method=display. His former/current players include Missouri State's Cody Kirby and future Wisconsin player Jake Byrne.

Lastly, a few short FCA articles by Southern California offensive lineman Sam Baker (http://www.sharingthevictory.com/vsItemDisplay.lsp&objectID=CDA7DA59-0CEF-418C-976A10129566EB1B&method=display), Browns runningback Jason Wright (http://www.sharingthevictory.com/vsItemDisplay.lsp&objectID=B34FED23-4553-4EDC-81C5B76B7968DAB7&method=display), and Notre Dame volleyball head coach Debbie Brown (http://www.sharingthevictory.com/vsItemDisplay.lsp&objectID=BD53DE94-9657-4664-87F212118E471646&method=display).

mostly MLB and football misc., etc.

First of all, an article about Braves outfielder Jeff Francoeur, a Christian, hitting home runs for charity. For every home run that he hits this year, Delta Airlines is donationg 25,000 SkyMiles (enough for one round-trip ticket) to Dream House, an Atlanta-area charity that helps medically fragile children to live at home through programs that teach and support families to care for such children. Here's the article: http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/braves/stories/2007/07/11/0712francoeur.html.

Here's an article about a young girl in Wisconsin that was a huge Notre Dame and Brady Quinn fan who recently died at age 11 from a rare lymphatic disorder. When she was dying former Notre Dame and new Browns quarterback Brady Quinn and Notre Dame head football coach Charlie Weis both called her and Quinn sent her autographed pictures and jerseys. Here's the article: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news;_ylt=AmgDM8I0pgl9EqYvSgP3Zqk5nYcB?slug=rivals-141166&prov=rivals&type=lgns.

Next, an article about Magic forward Dwight Howard, a Christian, signing a contract extension last week. Here's a quote from him:

Still, Howard said he didn't feel pressured. Not as a team leader and not as the recipient of a rich new deal.

"God didn't give me big shoulders for nothing, so I feel I can handle a lot of pressure," he said. "I am just very excited."

Here's the article: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Ap9islqUg5cv0uUbGpupZaY5nYcB?slug=ap-magic-howard&prov=ap&type=lgns.

Here's an article about Orioles 2nd baseman Brian Roberts, a Christian, announcing his annual charity event to raise money for a Baltimore children's hospital. He also visits the children in the hospital regularly. He had open-heart surgery when he was five, so he's literally been in their shoes himself. Here's the article: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070712&content_id=2083034&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb.

Also, an article from ESPN the Magazine about Panthers quarterback David Carr, a Christian, and his upcoming season: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2931784.

Here's an article about Bengals linebacker David Pollack, a Christian, won't be able to play this season, but is still rehabilitating with hopes of coming back in 2008 from a broken vertebrae in his neck: http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/uga/stories/2007/07/13/0714pollack.html.

Next, an article about this year's Faster Pastor Race in Atlanta last Thursday, where Atlanta area pastors race to earn money for a local food shelter: http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/stories/2007/07/12/0713fastpastor.html.

Here's a note about Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday that I found in my local newspaper today and then found online:

Each time he goes to the plate, Rockies left fielder Matt Holliday stops just before he steps in the batter's box and draws a cross in the ground with his bat.

"It's something I started somewhere in the minor leagues," Holliday said. "Sometimes it puts my life in perspective. Sometimes I'm reminding myself there is a bigger game than baseball."

Here's the article: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/columnist/0,1299,DRMN_83_101,00.html

Lastly, another Colts head coach Tony Dungy website that I found, this one in his new Christian book, Quiet Strength, that I just got yesterday. I just flipped through it yesterday, but haven't started reading it. The website has information about Dungy and his book and podcasts from him to listen to, among other things: http://www.coachdungy.com/.

sports misc.

First article for today is about Reds outfielder Josh Hamilton (a Christian) and the write-in votes that he got for the All-Star Game. He led the Majors in write-in votes, but it wasn't near enough to make the team. Maybe rookie of the year though? We'll have to see. Here's the article: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070701/SPT04/707010377/1078/COL02.

Here's an article about Browns center LeCharles Bentley and his attempted return this season from a career and life-threatening knee injury. Here's a couple of quotes from him about it:

"It's unbelievable how far I've come in the last few months," Bentley said in a phone interview from Arizona, where he has been rehabbing and working out for the past few months. "I feel so blessed to even be in a position to think about playing again. I've come so far. I'm not going to stop now." ...

"People are quick to want to kill a dream. But a lot of work and a lot of prayers later I'm ready to play again. I've been blessed."

Here's the article: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2922740.

Next, an article about Reds manager Jerry Narron's (a Christian) firing by the Reds last weekend. One thing that impressed me about Narron after he was fired was that he said he was sorry about the Reds record. How many fired managers/coaches every apologize after they're fired? And it obviously wasn't even all his fault either. Here's the article: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070702/SPT04/707020322/1078/COL02.

Here's a good Christian article about Cardinals 1st baseman Albert Pujols and the Cardinals' Christian Family Day: http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=5619.

Also, a couple of articles about a new church outreach program centered around reaching non-Christian through golf: http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=5621 and http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=5620. Also, here's the program's website: http://www.inhisgripgolf.com/.

Here's an article about Jazz guard Derek Fisher (a Christian) and his decision to leave the Jazz to be with his family during his daughter's cancer treatments. Here's a quote from him about it:

"Life for me outweighs the game of basketball," Fisher told reporters after flying from New York to meet with Jazz owner Larry H. Miller and other team executives.

"When it comes to decisions related to them," he said of his family, "I do what's best."

Here's the article: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2924068&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines.

Next, a quote from a somewhat surprisingly humble Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano (a Christian) and who he would vote for in the All-Star Game Final Vote, which included himself:

"The only thing I was surprised at was that Chris Young of the San Diego Padres was not on the team. He deserves to go. Honestly, he's the one who deserves to go in that group."

So Zambrano would vote for Young?

"Last year, I was watching the Cy Young and who it was going to, and at the last moment, I wanted Brandon Webb to win because he had better numbers than anybody who was competing," Zambrano said. "That's the same thing here. I think Chris Young has better numbers."

Here's the article: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070702&content_id=2062498&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb.

Here's an article about some appearances that Colts head coach Tony Dungy (a Christian) is going to make next week to promote his new book Quiet Strength: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070706/LOCAL/707060519/1247/SPORTS.

Also, I just happened to find a link to a YouTube page with video of Notre Dame basketball player Luke Zeller's last second Indiana state championship winning shot for Washington High School from a few years back: http://youtube.com/watch?v=7N-qQfgn9MA.

giving back and football

Hi. I hope that everyone had a merry Christmas!

The first article is one by LaTroy Hawkins, now with the Rockies, about he and other MLB players continuing to give back to the Gulf Coast area still recovering from Katrina: http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/pa/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061222&content_id=1766586&vkey=mlbpa_news&fext=.jsp.

Also, a fun article about the Colts and their roommates when they stay in hotels. It's about guys who complain about their roommates loud snoring, some so much that they ditched their roommates. Other roommates are always "friendly" arguing about things. Here's a couple of other things that I thought were neat though. The first is about the Colts two Christian Pro Bowl offensive lineman, Jeff Saturday and Tarik Glenn:

...Pro Bowl offensive linemen Jeff Saturday and Tarik Glenn are neighbors and best friends. They ride to work together. They sit next to one another on team flights. They room together, and don't even argue over the television remote.

And...

Safety Matt Giordano exercises it [the opportunity to not have a roommate]. He likes his pregame quiet time. He reads the Bible and meditates.

Here's the article: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061222/SPORTS03/612220425/1100/SPORTS03.

Lastly, an article about Georgia football player Quentin Moses. He could have gone pro after his junior year, but decided to come back for his senior year instead. Even though he had a worse season this year, he said he was glad he came back and graduated. He was also giving the same advise to some of his teammates. I always admire college athletes who stay in school instead of going pro early. Here's the article: http://www.ajc.com/uga/content/sports/uga/stories/2006/12/22/1223gafoot.html.

Now, I'm going to start with some articles that I had saved before I started this blog. I'm going to work back from the most recent to the oldest. First of all, an article about the Colts sponsoring a Christmas party/shopping spree for needy kids earlier this month. The players involved were Jason David, Ryan Diem, Dwight Freeney, and Ben Utecht. Here's the article: http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=4372.

Next, a story about Red Sox 22-year-old rookie pitcher Jon Lester, who began undergoing treatment for cancer in August. He was declared cancer free earlier this month and should be ready to go by spring training. It's an amazing story, and I'll post another earlier article later when I come across it. Here's the article about Lester and the Red Sox learning that he's cancer free: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061205&content_id=1751228&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos.

Also, an article about a family crisis for the Patriots Daniel Graham. His brother needed a kidney transplant, and Graham was willing to give up his career to donate his kidney. However, his mother was a better match and she donated her kidney instead. His willingness to go it gained respect from his teammates. Here's the article: http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2006/12/06/patriots_graham_solves_family_crisis/.

Lastly, an inspiring article about a legless teenager who doesn't let his physical limitations stop him from doing things. He visited and inspired the Browns before a game earlier this month. Here's the article: http://www.boston.com/sports/football/articles/2006/12/06/browns_inspired_by_legless_teen/.