more NFL, MLB, basketball, etc.

Hi again! Here's the second post for the weekend. First, some articles on Colts head coach Tony Dungy deciding to return for at least one more year (Yeah!) last Monday. Here's a quote about how Dungy came to his decision:

During the past several days at their Tampa, Fla., home, the Dungys weighed the pros and cons of being divided, of Tony being a thousand miles away in Indy while Lauren looked after four kids in Tampa.

They talked, prayed, sought advice from their pastor and some of Dungy's current and former players.

Here's the article: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080122/SPORTS03/801220374/1247/NLETTER12.

The other two articles are about Colts associate coach Jim Caldwell, a Christian, who will become the Colts coach when Dungy does decide to retire. Here's a quote from him about why he decided to do what he did:

Over the past three years, Jim Caldwell has spoken with Buffalo, Minnesota, Arizona, Dallas, Baltimore and Atlanta about their head coaching vacancies. They called because he was an attractive candidate.

He was shrewd enough to recognize an attractive job. Home was the place to hang his hat.

"Typically you go into a situation where you have to restructure, rebuild, etc.," Caldwell said Monday, when he was formally introduced as the Indianapolis Colts' associate head coach. "Here's an opportunity that doesn't come along very often, so I really feel blessed."

Here's the article: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080122/SPORTS03/801220350.

The other article has some more on Caldwell: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=Ak6id1n7I35Jx5ngf3kib_B.T4h4?slug=ap-colts-caldwell&prov=ap&type=lgns.

Here's an article on recently retired Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs, a Christian, who's back to working with his family NASCAR team, Joe Gibbs Racing. He formed the racing team after he retired as Redskins head coach the first time, and one of his sons took over control of the team when Gibbs went back to the Redskins. Here's a quote from him about returning to racing:

``The whole time I was in football, we knew football was going to be for a limited amount of time,'' Gibbs said. ``And we knew, hopefully and Lord willing, racing was going to be forever. We want this to be something we continue into the future.''

Here's the article: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news;_ylt=AgjMJpH2xG7lW5AeuziW3fB.T4h4?slug=ap-nascar-gibbs&prov=ap&type=lgns.

Next, an article on retired Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell, a Christian, who celebrated his 90th birthday last Friday. Here's a quote from him about what he thinks has allowed him to live so long:

When it comes to his longevity, how high is fitness on the list of important factors?

"That would be in the top one or two or three, I would say," Ernie says. "I'd say diet and physical fitness and mental attitude would be the three top things."

Any big dos or don'ts on diet?

"My biggest don't is I don't eat a lot of fats and sugars," Ernie says. "But I have a tendency to break over once in a while and have a dessert.

"I don't drink alcohol because I don't like it that much and I don't want to expend all my calories on it. It's sort of an empty kind of thing as far as nutrition is concerned.

"I stay away from bread as much as I can. My big bugaboo is going to a restaurant and they bring out the bread and butter before they serve you. It's a great temptation to load up on that before they bring the entrée."

As for attitude, Ernie says, "The greatest thing is my trust in God. I know that whatever happens is for the best, and I try not to worry about anything, because worrying is a sin and He's going to take care of me."

Here's a quote from him about keeping busy since he retired:

These days, Ernie is more than fulfilling what he said in his farewell to his radio audience on the final day of the 2002 season, moments after he called the Tigers game that marked the end of his run as a full-time announcer:

"I'm not leaving, folks. I'll still be with you, living my life in Michigan, my home state, surrounded by family and friends. ... Now God has a new adventure for me. And I'm ready to move on."

Here's the article (including a video): http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080122/SPORTS02/801220365/0/COL01 (originally found at: http://apps.facebook.com/sportsuperfan/teams/news/113). Also, here's a link to his website: http://www.eharwell.com/ (originally found in Sports Spectrum's Power Up!).

Here's an article about Virginia high school wrestler Nathan Shuler, a Christian, who's following in the footsteps of his dad and two older brothers in wrestling. The four of them have gone on wrestling mission trips to southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia. Here's the article: http://www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=LNA/MGArticle/LNA_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173354306184&path=!sports.

Also, an article about the MLB Players Trust giving time and money to help out the victims of Tropical Storm Noel in the Dominican Republic: http://mlb.mlb.com/pa/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080123&content_id=2353697&vkey=mlbpa_news&fext=.jsp.

Here's a touching article about Northwestern forward Kevin Coble, who set out the first semester to be at home in Arizona with his mom while she was undergoing chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer. He came back in time for their first Big Ten Conference game in January, and has been their leading scorer. Here's the article: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/bigten/2008-01-22-Coble_N.htm?csp=34.

Next, another touching article, this one about how the New York Giants have been inspired this season by an injured army veteran. Lt. Col. Greg Gadson, who is still undergoing treatments for injuries that he suffered in Iraq, spoke the team early this season. The team was so inspired by what he said that it helped turn around their season and they've kept in touch with him. He and his son were on the sidelines when the Giants beat the Packers last Sunday. Here's the article: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ms-twoquestions012308&prov=yhoo&type=lgns.

Here's an article about MLB free agent Mike Sweeney, a Christian who has spent his entire career so far with the Royals, being awarded the Hutch Award which "is presented annually to the MLB player who 'best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire' of the late Fred Hutchinson, a former Major League pitcher and manager from Seattle." He was also taken on a tour of the Hutchinson Center. Here's a quote from him about it:

"I work out and go to church regularly with a couple of previous Hutch Award winners, Mark Loretta [2006] and Trevor Hoffman ['04], so I pretty much knew what this award is all about," Sweeney said.

"But it's different when you actually go to the Center. The research being done there is amazing."

A five-time American League All-Star, the 34-year-old Sweeney has been active in Kansas City's Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities program, and also started the Sweeney Family Foundation, which encourages people of Catholic faith to work with youth and families through a variety of urban-outreach missions, including youth baseball camps.

"I have always done my best on the field, but what I do off the field is just as important," he said.

Here's the article: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080123&content_id=2354075&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb.

Lastly, an article about former Dolphins head coach Cam Cameron, a Christian, being hired as the Ravens offensive coordinator: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AnCSyynhRXV3N4xbVs7bjto5nYcB?slug=ap-ravens-cameron&prov=ap&type=lgns.

NFL, music, and MLB

Hi. I'll try and send these articles as I have time tonight. The first article is about Colts punter Hunter Smith, a Christian, and his Christian music group Connersvine, which is a duo along with Chris Wilson. They released their first album last month. Here's a quote from Smith about where the group's name comes from, which I thought was interesting (I double-checked, and the group's name is misspelled in the article):

The duo's unusual name was inspired by a friend at church who gave them some fresh tomatoes, grown by his son Connor, thus coming from Connor's vine.

"We looked at other names, but Connorsvine kept coming back," Smith said. "We felt like it had a great meaning behind it -- the whole idea of a young man with childlike faith who planted seed and reaped a harvest and was bearing fruit."

Here's the article: http://www.reuters.com/article/musicNews/idUSN022667220071103 (originally found at: http://apps.facebook.com/sportsuperfan/teams/news/14).

Here's an article about former NFL player Harry Swayne, who is now the team chaplain for the Bears, talking about his career and his work now: http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-sp.wherenow02nov02,0,6683853.story (originally found at: http://apps.facebook.com/sportsuperfan/teams/news/25).

Next, an article about Tigers pitcher Joel Zumaya and the serious shoulder injury that he suffered and required surgery to fix. He hurt his shoulder while trying to get somethings out of the attic at his parents' house in the San Diego area before they had to evacuate because of the wildfires. The injury was so serious that it's unknown how well he will come back from it. Here's a quote from him about it:

"It's in God's hands now," Zumaya said, "and I have faith."

Here's the article: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071102/SPORTS02/711020421/1050 (originally found at: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071105&content_id=2292292&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb).

Here's an article about Lions kicker Jason Hanson and Broncos kicker Jason Elam, both Christians, and the success that they've had in the NFL. The article also mentions Ravens kicker Matt Stover, also a Christian. Here's the article: http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2007/11/hanson_elam_still_have_scoring.html (originally found at: http://apps.facebook.com/sportsuperfan/teams/news/11).

Lastly, an article by this sports writer in Colorado who doesn't agree with the Rockies being a Christian-run team. He said that the Rockies lost the World Series because "Apparently God is not a Rockies' fan after all." Whatever! I completely disagree with this guy, but I thought that I would include the article: http://www.fortcollinsnow.com/article/20071103/GUEST/71103009 (originally found at: http://apps.facebook.com/sportsuperfan/teams/news/97).

Sorry that this is so short, but I'll post more tomorrow hopefully.

MLB, football, basketball, and music

Hello! I finally have time to get caught up some here. I just have to say first of all that last night my mom and I went to "Hoosier Hysteria", IU basketball's first practice, last night. It's always a good opportunity to check out the new team and get excited about the upcoming season--as if we need any help getting excited about basketball here in Indiana! It was a very exciting night here in Hoosierland. A note from last night: after the men's basketball team was introduced, head coach Kelvin Sampson singled out a couple of players, one of whom was junior college transfer DeAndre Thomas. Sampson said that Thomas had lost 58 pounds in 8 weeks, going from 356 pounds to 298 (and he's still huge!). Sampson said that he was able to do it with "a lot of hard work and the grace of God."

The first article is an interesting Christian article about the Colorado Rockies team from the "Saved In Sports" blog. They seem to be a Christian team that is reluctant to be labeled as such. Here's the article: http://savedinsports.wordpress.com/2007/10/10/colorado-rockies-nice-guys-can-finish-first/.

In the above article, there was a link to another good Christian sports blog, "The Christian Sports Blog" by freelance writer Lee Warren: http://christiansportsblog.blogspot.com/.

Next, an article about 49ers quarterback Trent Dilfer, a Christian, letting go of a grudge against Ravens head coach Brian Billick for the way Dilfer wasn't brought back by the Ravens the season after helping them win the Super Bowl in 2001. Here's a quote about it from Dilfer:

Dilfer felt disrespected when Billick didn't contact him personally after the Ravens dropped him, and that hurt has festered. The quarterback has lobbed several verbal shots at the coach since then, culminating in a critical interview in the Baltimore Sun in February.

"I regret many of the things I said in February," Dilfer said. "What I do stand by is the fact that I'm heartbroken that I didn't get the chance to repeat and go through the struggles of what that entails. Where I've been wrong ... is I haven't been able to let it go.

"I feel very hypocritical," Dilfer said, "because I'm dealing with my sixth grader every day and talking to her about relationships and how to handle these relationships, and yet I'm a 35-year-old man and I can't let something go in the past."

Here's the article: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3048284.

Here's an article about how veteran Diamondbacks 1st baseman Tony Clark, a Christian, has become a father figure for the young team: http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=283678.

Also, an article about Redskins wide receiver Antwaan Randle El, a Christian, and how he has become more important to the team's offense this year in his second year with the team. Unfortunately, the former IU quarterback was injured last week and is questionable for this week. Here's the article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/03/AR2007100302271.html?nav=hcmodule (originally found at: http://apps.facebook.com/sportsuperfan/teams/news/32).

Here's an article about Buccaneers kickoff/punt returner Mark Jones before their loss to the Colts last Sunday. Here's a few great quotes from him about trying to get the first kickoff return for a touchdown in Bucs history and his being released and then re-signed by the Bucs this year:

If you return kickoffs for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it's important to keep the faith.

That's why it helps to be the son of a preacher.

"That's how I approach all of them, that this is the one," said Mark Jones, the latest player attempting to end the Bucs' franchise-long streak of 1,862 kickoff returns without a touchdown. ...

But the fourth-year pro from Tennessee, who has been signed or released six times by the Bucs, never stopped believing. It's a lesson he learned growing up the son of a minister in Wallingford, Pa.

"That was pretty much it. I just stayed consistent to the Word and continued to work out physically and stay in shape," Jones said. "I didn't talk bad about anybody or ask why or tried to figure it out myself. I just said, 'Lord, it's in your hands.' " ...

Now, about being the first to return a kickoff for the Bucs?

"I know what I did the past (three) weeks," he said, "but I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for me this week."

Here's the article: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071005/SPORTS03/710050450.

Next, an inspiring article about Jordan Ewart, a freshman basketball and baseball player at Pendleton Heights High School in Indianapolis, who plays with a prosthetic leg. He plays on a level playing field with other "normal" kids, even though he lost the lower part of his leg in a lawn-mower accident when he was four. In a recent freshman football game he had three sacks. It just goes to show that if you set your mind to it you can do anything, no matter what apparent limitations you might have. Here's the article: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071005/SPORTS0202/710050465/1247/SPORTS.

Here's an interesting article about University of San Diego freshman forward Rob Jones, the grandson of the infamous Jim Jones of Jonestown fame. He's the son of the Jim Jones, Jr., the adopted son of Jim Jones and his wife. Just a warning, the article is kind of graphic as it tells about what happened with the mass suicide at Jonestown. Jim Jones, Jr., was away from the compound playing basketball when the suicides happened, so he survived. I knew very little about what happened, so it was interesting, but hard to take too. There's also a video of the ESPN "Outside the Lines" segment about it, which I haven't watched. Here's a quote from Rob Jones about his dad:

"I thank God every day," says Rob, now a freshman forward at the University of San Diego. "I'm a real lucky man just to have a father and that he's there supporting me in whatever I do, no matter what."

Here's the article: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=3047543.

Also, an article about how a few successful veteran NFL quarterbacks have gone from being starters, to backups/mentors, and then back to at least short-term starters. The 49ers Trent Dilfer (a Christian), Cardinals Kurt Warner (a Christian), and Rams Gus Frerotte all became starters because of the injury and/or ineffectiveness of the younger starting quarterbacks. Just a note: since this article was written, Cardinals starting quarterback Matt Leinart was injured and is out for the year, making Warner the starter. Here's a quote from the article about Dilfer, Warner, and Frerotte:

It is not inconsequential that, in addition to being terrific teammates, each of the three O.G.'s (that's "old guys" or "original gangstas," depending upon your musical orientation) is an even better father and husband.

Here's the article: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AkixaeqtkTqXo2Cjy5OMhpo5nYcB?slug=ms-thegameface100507&prov=yhoo&type=lgns.

Here's another inspiring article, this one about Washington State guard Taylor Rochestie is giving up his basketball scholarship next season so that the team can give it to a top recruit: http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/stories/100507aaz.html.

Next, an article about the gruesome arm injury suffered last season by then Wake Forest quarterback Ben Mauk. While trying to recover a fumble early last season, players fell on his arm and shoulder, breaking his upper arm and severely injuring his shoulder. He had a plate with eight screws put in his arm and a separate surgery to tighten the shoulder with three metal anchors. Even with some pain, he has been able to return to playing college football after transferring to Cincinnati for his senior year this year. He's helped turn around the football program there, leading them to the #15 ranking this week. Here's a quote from him:

Ben Mauk has given some thought to what he'll do when his football days are done.

"I've thought I'd be somehow involved in churches, maybe being a youth pastor or a motivational speaker, something like that," he said.

This kid could give some speech.

Here's the article: http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stories/100507abp.html.

Here's a good quote from Braves 1st baseman Mark Teixeira, a Christian, and then Braves general manager John Schuerholz about his being traded to the Braves from the Rangers on July 31st and hopefully making the playoffs next year:

... When Teixeira thanked John Schuerholz and told him how much he'd enjoyed these past two months, the Braves general manager reminded him that he hadn't yet experienced ultimate jubilation.

"I told him, wait until you have somebody pour champagne on your head," Schuerholz said. "That is really fun."

How many players thank the GM for trading for them? I thought that was neat. Here's the article: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071005&content_id=2251761&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb.

Also, a Christian note from Thursday's "The Daily" from Sports Spectrum about Rockies outfielder Willy Taveras, who, in last night's NLCS game against the Diamondbacks, made a game-saving catch and walked in the winning run in the 11th inning:

ROCKIES ADD WILLY: It's nice to be able to add a .320 hitter to your lineup as you being an important series. The Colorado Rockies did that on Wednesday by adding Willy Taveras to their roster for the NLCS. Taveras, who missed the last month because of a leg injury, gives the Rockies' offense another guy who can get on base. He's no power threat, but his on-base percentage of .367 is fourth-best on the Rockies. Additionally, he led the team in steals with 33 this season. But best of all, if you like to know which athletes to watch because you like to follow fellow Christians, note that he was the Real Life subject in the July-August edition of Sports Spectrum. Among the things he said was that his favorite Bible passages are "Psalm 23 and Psalm 91. You put everything on God, and He will take care of you."

Here's the webpage: http://www.sportsspectrum.com/daily/archives/071011.php.

Next, Colts punter Hunter Smith and his group Connersvine's self-titled debut contemporary Christian music album is coming out on October 23rd. Here's their website for more information: http://www.myspace.com/connersvine.

Lastly, a preview of the articles in the new November/December edition of Sports Spectrum Magazine is available on their website, including Bucks guard Michael Redd, Bears head coach Lovie Smith, Louisville football head coach Steve Kragthorpe, Bengals defensiveback David Pollack, and the Senators Mike Fisher: http://www.sportsspectrum.com/.

lots of football and MLB

I'm kind of behind on reading, but I'm starting to get caught up some. Here's some of the articles that I've read this week so far, which is a lot. First, a couple of quotes from Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday, a Christian, the first quote on what he thinks about the Rockies fans chanting "MVP!" when he comes up to bat and the second one on what he thinks of his chances to get the MVP Award:

"It’s nice to hear," said Holliday. "I’m humbled and honored that anyone thinks enough of me to chant that." ...

"If it happens, it happens," Holliday said. "If it doesn’t, then that’s okay, too. It is not for me to decide. And it is not for me to have an opinion."

Here's the article: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/sports_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_83_5703372,00.html.

Here's a couple of quotes from Phillies pitcher Tom Gordon about getting better after getting pneumonia earlier this season while he was still recovering from a shoulder injury:

"I never felt anything like that to the point where I felt so miserable," Gordon said at the time. "I had headaches for two days. I didn't know what to expect and what to do. Thank God I was able to get here and get to a hospital to where I could get seen. It actually gave me a little more time to allow my shoulder to get a little stronger, too, but that's not the way you want to do that." ...

So how fresh does Gordon feel?

"I don't even know the meaning of that right now," Gordon said, with a laugh. "I went through so much. I thank God for helping me get through what I went through. It was tough on me, but I didn't give up."

Here's the article: http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070923&content_id=2225393&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi (both articles originally found at: http://mlb.mlb.com/pa/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070924&content_id=2227357&vkey=mlbpa_news&fext=.jsp).

Next, an article about Cardinals 1st baseman Albert Pujols, a Christian, taking the time during a recent series against the Astros to talk to Astros rookie outfielder Hunter Pence about baseball and how impressed Pence and Astros manager Cecil Cooper were by Pujols doing that (page down a little): http://blogs.chron.com/baseballblog/archives/2007/09/wade_arrives_w.html (originally found at: http://mlb.mlb.com/pa/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070926&content_id=2231202&vkey=mlbpa_news&fext=.jsp).

Here's an article about Jane Hoeppner, the widow of late IU football coach Terry Hoeppner who died last June from complications from brain cancer. She has continued to come to the IU football team's home games and support the team with the same enthusiasm that her late husband always did. She's helped the players through their grieving and vice versa. Here's the article: http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=277873 (originally found at: http://apps.facebook.com/sportsuperfan/teams/news/222).

Also, an article about Ravens kicker Matt Stover, a Christian, and how important he is to the team's success: http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=277892.

Here's an article about Reds outfielder Josh Hamilton, a Christian, and how pleased he was with his rookie season: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070926&content_id=2231735&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin.

Next, another article about Albert Pujols, this one about him becoming the only ML player to record at least 30 homers and 100 RBI's in each of his first seven years of a career last week. Here's a quote from him about it:

"It's always awesome," said Pujols. "It's an honor to get 100 RBIs. That's tough to do every year. But I wish I could trade that and be in the postseason, playing next month. But that's the way it goes.

"Obviously I need to thank my teammates because I couldn't do it by myself. They're getting on base, being aggressive running the bases. It's a big accomplishment that hopefully I can continue to do."

Here's the article: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070926&content_id=2232453&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb.

Here's an article about Colts tight end Dallas Clark, a Christian, and the increased number of passes and touchdowns that he's caught so far this season: http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=79afffa2-f3ca-4698-a2bc-3a94b9452c34.

Also, an article about Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger partnering with Marathon to raise money to support youth football in his hometown of Findlay, Ohio: http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/CLTH018B27092007-1.htm.

Here's a good blog post from Tigers closer Todd Jones, a Christian, on how the end of the baseball season isn't the end of the world. He said that meeting a couple of kids fighting cancer this season helped him to keep baseball in perspective. Here's the post from his blog: http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=278198.

Next, a good Christian article about Florida State fooball head coach Bobby Bowden and how he witnesses to his football players and coaches, including former assistant coach and current Georgia head coach Mark Richt: http://www.floridabaptistwitness.com/7874.article (originally found at: http://www.fca.org/).

Here's an article about Angels pitcher Chris Bootcheck and his new perspective since his wife gave birth to their first child, a girl, a couple of weeks ago. That along with his unexpectedly making the team last spring and the Angels making the playoffs, has made for a really special season for him so far. Here's a quote from him about it:

"This whole season has been one blessing after another," Bootcheck, the Angels' hard-throwing middle reliever, said.

Here's the article: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070927&content_id=2233937&vkey=news_ana&fext=.jsp&c_id=ana&partnered=rss_ana.

Also, two more articles on Lions quarterback Jon Kitna, a Christian, about his faith and the affect of his example on the team, and about Christianity and football in general. Both articles are from ESPN's David Fleming: the first one is from ESPN the Magazine (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3036235) and the second one is more about Fleming's opinion about the issue (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=fleming/070927&sportCat=nfl). I love this quote from Kitna in the first article:

"I'm always happy," Kitna answered. "Only time I'll be happier is when I get to heaven."

Here's another good article about Bobby Bowden, this one from before Florida State's game last Saturday against Alabama. Bowden grew up in Alabama, rooting for the Crimson Tide teams of the 1930's and 40's, and the article is about him reminising about that before his first game ever against Alabama: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/feature/featureVideo?page=bowden/bama (originally found at: http://www.timellsworth.com/).

Next, another article about Reds outfielder Josh Hamilton looking back at his rookie season. The article mentions how his season was a success just because he played after coming back to baseball from drug abuse. Here's a quote from him about the season and something that his coach/mentor Johnny Narron, also a Christian, told him:

And that's where he is this week, with his season over, gaining perspective on his first season in the big leagues.

"I don't look at the season and think about what I should have done different," Hamilton said. "Everything you do, you do for a reason. Johnny said to me at the beginning of the season, and this helped me a lot, 'God already knows what you're going to do tonight. No reason to get mad about it. He knows if you're going to go 0-for-4 or 4-for-4, so just go out there and do the best you can because it's already written down.'"

Even if it is already written down somewhere, everyone else - including Hamilton - is looking forward to reading the next chapter.

Here's the article: http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AE/20070928/SPT05/709280320/.

Here's a note about Braves outfielder Jeff Francoeur, a Christian, and his wanting to play every game this season, even after the Braves were eliminated from the playoffs and other players on the team were being rested:

No rest for Francoeur: During Friday's series opener, Cox gave Andruw Jones and Brian McCann a chance to rest. He'd planned to do the same for Jeff Francoeur until the 23-year-old right fielder convinced him that he wanted to start every game for a second consecutive season.

"When you've come this far through 159 games, it's something that you want to do," said Francoeur, who, including Friday, has started 324 consecutive games dating back to Oct. 1, 2005.

Here's the article: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070928&content_id=2236891&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb.

Also, an article about University of Indianapolis basketball head coach Todd Sturgeon resigning this week so that he could spend more time with his kids. Here's a quote from him about it:

"It just came down to having young children, the time demands the job requires to do it right and kind of being at the point of my life where I needed to make a decision to be a lifer and coach forever or give something else a try," said Sturgeon, whose sons are 9 and 6.

"I wanted to give something else a try that didn't require me to be away from home so much."

Here's the article: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071002/SPORTS06/710020382/1247/NLETTER12.

Here's an article about the Rockies voting a full playoff share (money) for the family of late Rockies Double-A Tulsa coach Mike Coolbaugh, who was killed earlier this season when hit in the head by a foul ball. The Coolbaughs have two children with a third due this month: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071004&content_id=2249499&vkey=ps2007news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb.

Lastly, the websites of some Christian Major Leaguers that I've come across this week and will be added to my Christian baseball links. First is the personal website of Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins: http://www.jimmyrollins.com/ (originally found at: http://mlb.mlb.com/pa/programs/player_sites.jsp). The others are playoff blogs for Rockies 1st baseman Todd Helton (http://toddhelton.mlblogs.com/) and Diamondbacks 1st baseman Tony Clark (http://tonyclark.mlblogs.com/) (Both blogs originally found at: http://mlb.mlb.com/pa/index.jsp).

Colts and etc.

First, a picture of the Colts in the lockerroom after they had won the Super Bowl last Sunday.

Hi. First, an article about Colts head coach Tony Dungy speaking at the Super Bowl Breakfast: http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=5540.

Here's an article about the Braves Jeff Francoeur reflecting back on his off-season and looking forward to the upcoming season at the Braves Winter FanFest. Here's a couple of quotes:

"In this sport, it's really easy to get away from the real world," Francoeur said. "But I think you have to always come back to your roots and where you're from. To stay humble, I think you just have to remind yourself that you're just a regular person like everybody else."...

All of this success has Francoeur waiting anxiously for the start of Spring Training. Braves pitchers and catchers will report to camp on Feb. 15 and the first full-squad workout will be on Feb. 21.

"I can't wait," Francoeur said. "First and foremost, I feel the best I've ever felt spiritually. Mentally and physically, I'm in the best shape of my life."

Francoeur's maturation as a man has been a product of him getting engaged and moving into his own house over the course of the past six months. The added responsibilities combined with a renewed religious faith have him truly feeling like an adult.

"I've really become more of a man and matured a little more," Francoeur said. "So I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens."

Here's the article: http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070203&content_id=1793691&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl.

Next, an article about the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration last Friday night. Some of the NFL players there were Rams tight end Roland Williams, Saints lineman Willie Whitehead, Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris, and Ravens fullback Ovie Mughelli. Also there was former quarterback Randall Cunningham, who is now a pastor in Las Vegas, Tony Dungy, and Sara White, the widow of Reggie White. The White family has recently published a book and video about Reggie and the family. Here's the article: http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=5541.

Here's an article about Colts quarterback coach Jim Caldwell, NFL executive Gil Brandt, and Bears assistant coach Gill Byrd: http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=5542.

Also, an article about some of the media's take on Colts owner Jim Irsay and Dungy expressing their belief in God following the Colts winning the AFC Championship. The article includes Jim Nantz, who broadcasted both the AFC Championship game and the Super Bowl for CBS, Sterling Sharpe, who was a CBS commentator for both games, and James Brown, who was the CBS pre-game, half-time, and post-game anchor for both games. Here's the article: http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=5544.

Here's another article on what the Colts Gary Brackett went through with the deaths of his family members. Here's a quote:

Before each game, Brackett joins the "back 7" defensive players for a time of prayer. Then he walks over to his locker and talks to his late parents and brother.

Here's the article: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs06/columns/story?columnist=mosley_matt&id=2752985.

Next, an article about Tony Dungy and now former Colts assistant coach Leslie Frazier, who just yesterday was hired as the defensive coordinator for the Vikings. Frazier mentions a time a few weeks after Dungy's son committed suicide that he helped a guy who was suicidal after his fiancee broke up with him. Here's a quote from the article:

Frazier has insight into the coach not just as a colleague but as someone who shares the coach's religious beliefs. When Frazier was fired from his previous job, in Cincinnati, he and Dungy prayed together.

Here's the article: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070204/SPORTS03/702040357/1100/SPORTS03.

Here's an article about Tony Dungy and Colts president Bill Polian and how they've worked well together even though they are totally opposite personalities. Here's a quote from Dungy about it:

It's been fascinating, watching Polian and Dungy, two polar opposites in terms of personality and approach, work together to form a management team that works.

"I think the Lord put us together for a reason," Dungy said. "It's kind of like a marriage where opposites attract. I think it's been very good.

"(Polian) has been good for me, to give me a little more sense of urgency, and I think I've been good for him to make him a little more patient. I think we balance off each other very well, but it's fun.

"We've had very few, if any, disputes on how we want to go, how we want to progress with the team. I think it's been a good balance."

Here's the article: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070204/COLUMNISTS01/702040409/1100/SPORTS03.

Also, an article about LSU basketball player Glen "Big Baby" Davis and how he's had to deal with his mom being a drug addict and in and out of jail: http://www.ajc.com/uga/content/sports/uga/stories/2007/02/02/0204bigbaby.html.

Here's a good article about Jeff Saturday, being the Colts center, and playing with Peyton Manning. Here's a quote:

Saturday played at North Carolina but wasn't drafted. He signed with Baltimore as a free agent in 1998 but was waived. The Colts signed him in 1999 and he's been their starting center since 2000.

His journey to the Super Bowl was much different than Manning's highly publicized path.

"The journey I've been on has definitely been God's favor," Saturday said. "I don't deserve what I have. It's been an awesome experience. I have so much fun in what I'm doing; I never envisioned it, that's for sure."

Here's the article: http://www.ajc.com/falcons/content/sports/falcons/stories/2007/02/03/0204afcafc.html.

Laslty, an article about Peyton Manning giving the team the credit when he was given his Super Bowl MVP trophy at a press conference Monday morning. That's one of the biggest things that I love about the Colts, they're a "TEAM" with a capital "T". Another thing that I liked was that the team couldn't wait to get back to Indianapolis and celebrate with the city. I don't know if any other team would have hurried back from Miami the day after the Super Bowl to ride out on open floats in 10 degree temperatures! Here's the article: http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=4640.

sports misc.

Hi. Here's several articles. First, an article with the latest from the Bengals David Pollack: http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/uga/stories/2007/01/12/0113pollack.html.

Here's an article about Notre Dame basketball player Luke Zeller, who's from near here in Washington, IN: http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=5522.

Here's an article about Ravens kicker Matt Stover and Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070113/SPORTS03/701130492/1100/SPORTS03.

Next, an article about a medical mission that Albert Pujols is leading right now in the Dominican Republic: http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070113&content_id=1778804&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl.

Here's an article about the Royals Mark Teahan helping to raise money to build fields for disabled children in the Kansas City area: http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070114&content_id=1779149&vkey=news_kc&fext=.jsp&c_id=kc.

Lastly, an article in our local paper about the local Martin Luther King celebration on Monday. It included guest speaker Anthony Thompson, who played football at IU in the mid-'80's and is now a minister in Bloomington. Here's the part about him:

They also came to hear the guest speaker, Anthony Thompson, former Indiana University football All-American and pastor at the Lighthouse Community Church in Bloomington.

Thompson called the celebration “a day of unity, a day of fellowship and worshipping together.”

“Unity is not uniformity,” he said. “It’s uniqueness moving toward a common goal.”
The bulk of his remarks, however, were pointed to the church members in attendance. He called Sunday “the most segregated day of the week” because American churches are often divided by race.

“We want revival in this country? Well, it starts in the house of God,” he told the crowd, which included blacks, whites and Hispanics. “What you see today — that’s what heaven is going to be like. There’s not going to be a black section over here, a white section over here, a Hispanic section over here. ... We need to be a more diverse church, a more diverse body of Christ.”

Unity, he said, begins with the admonition to love one other.

“That’s how we celebrate Dr. King,” Thompson said. “And, more importantly, that’s how we live out the mission of Jesus Christ.”

Here's the article: http://www.tmnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4172&Itemid=43.