Super Bowl, MLB, football, etc.

Hello again. First, an article about Make-A-Wish kids being treated to the Super Bowl last weekend. Some of the past and present NFL players that greeted them there were Browns quarterback Brady Quinn, Dolphins quarterback Cleo Lemon, Browns wide receiver Braylon Edwards, and former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, father of Giants quarterback Eli and Colts quarterback Peyton. Here's the article: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2008-02-02-make-a-wish_N.htm?csp=34.

Here's an article about MLB 3rd baseman Corey Koskie, a Christian most recently with the Brewers, whose career is limbo while he waits for the effects from post-concussion to maybe go away. He can't start playing again until the symptoms are completely gone, so right now he's staying at home with his family, which of course isn't all bad. Here's a good quote from his son about it:

In his transition from professional third baseman to Little League dad, Koskie has found that some emotional hurdles are more difficult to surmount than others. Each night, he leads his three young sons through their bedtime prayers. During one recent session, he asked the boys if they had any special requests.

"God, can you please heal my daddy's head?'' asked Bradley, the oldest at age 7.

Here's the article: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=crasnick_jerry&id=3224294.

Next, an article from the Saved in Sports blog about why in the world would the federal government think that it should get involved with the Patriots spy-tape scandal. I think that I would have to agree. Here's the article: http://savedinsports.wordpress.com/2008/02/02/patriots-spy-tapes-why-is-the-government-involved/.

Here's a couple of Christian articles about Chargers runningback LaDanian Tomlinson being awarded the Bart Starr Award from Athletes in Action (AIA) for outstanding character. The award presentation was part of AIA's Super Bowl Breakfast. The first article is a little bit more about the award itself. Here's a quote about what Tomlinson does in the community:

Tomlinson’s influence has impacted the lives of thousands of young people. Tomlinson’s Touching Lives Foundation works to promote educational, social and cultural awareness and positive self-esteem to help enhance the lives of children and families who are less fortunate. The foundation hosts programs including youth football camps, Thanksgiving meals for needy San Diego families, Christmas gifts for ill children and scholarships which are presented each year to 30 college-bound students.

Here's the article: http://www.aia.com/news.aspx?newsitem=266.

The second Christian article about Tomlinson getting the Bart Starr Award is more about what Tomlinson and the other speakers there said. Other Christians there were Colts head coach Tony Dungy, Giants general manager Jerry Reese, Patriots team chaplain Don Davis and linebacker Rosevelt Colvin, Bears Hall-of-Fame linebacker Mike Singletary, and Buccaneers linebacker Derrick Brooks. Here's a quote from Tomlinson:

"When you're knocked down in life, Jesus Christ in us says get up and try again," Tomlinson said. "I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for allowing me to stand before you."

Here's the article: http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=5765.

Also, another article about AIA's Super Bowl Breakfast, comparing it to the other secular events going on during Super Bowl Week: http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/starr/archive/2008/02/03/the-other-super-bowl.aspx.

Here's an article about another Super Bowl week event, the Day of Champions hosted by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). Some of the Christians involved were Cardinals linebacker Gerald Hays, defensive lineman Bertrand Berry, and cornerbacks Matt Ware and Michael Adams; Raiders quarterbacks Josh McCown and Andrew Walter; and Chiefs wide receiver Eddie Kennison. Here's a quote about the purpose of the event:

More than a dozen 12 NFL players shared the stage at North Phoenix Baptist with Christian rap band Grits to underscore how true champions look to the power of Jesus Christ in their lives.

Here's the article: http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=5766.

Next, an article about another Super Bowl Week Christian event, the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration. The Christians involved were former Cowboys offensive lineman Marcus Price, Seahawks kicker Josh Brown, Giants wide receiver David Tyree, Colts head coach Tony Dungy, Patriots assistant coach and team chaplain Don Davis, Bears tackle Tommie Harris, Bills tight end Michael Gaines, Falcons fullback Ovie Mughelli, and Jets wide receiver Brad Smith. Here's the article: http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=5767.

Here's an article about former Redskins wide receiver Art Monk, a Christian, being elected to the Pro Football Hall Fame last weekend, along with former teammate and fellow Christian, cornerback Darrell Green. Here's a quote about what it meant to Monk to go in with Green:

For Monk, being elected to the Hall of Fame with Green "just makes it even more special to know that Darrell's in there with me. We had a lot of special times out there on the field. Even more importantly to myself and to him, was our relationship off the field.

"We've spent a lot of time together working within this community serving the underserved. We fellowship together at the same church. Our families are very close. Our children call each other aunts and uncles. It's just really special to know not only that we're in, but we're going in together."

Here's the article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/02/AR2008020202391.html?hpid=topnews (originally found at: http://apps.facebook.com/sportsuperfan/teams/news/32).

Also, a Christian article listing "the top twelve evangelical Christians in sports". Those in the list are NASCAR team owner and former Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs, Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, Lakers guard Derek Fisher, Seahawks runningback Shaun Alexander, track and field sprinter Allyson Felix, Colts punter Hunter Smith, Padres pitcher Jake Peavy, Colts head coach Tony Dungy, Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, NASCAR driver and team owner Michael Waltrip, PGA golfer Zach Johnson. Here's the article: http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080203/31065_Top_12_Evangelical_Christians_in_Sports.htm.

Here's a Christian article about former Bear and Hall-of-Fame linebacker Mike Singletary speaking at the Giants team chapel the night before the Super Bowl. The article also tells some about Giants wide receiver David Tyree's amazing catch in the Super Bowl. Here's a quote from Singletary before he spoke to the Giants:

"Reflect God's glory, don't hold it yourself," Singletary said he would be telling the Giants.

Here's the article: http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=27322.

Next, an article about Giants wide receiver David Tyree's amazing catch. Here's a quote about Tyree:

Deeply religious, Tyree fell to his knees on the field when the game ended. About a half-hour later, he was being interviewed as a star of the game.

Here's the article: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AhzKiz.P.bDMY7DZ4OOonKF.T4h4?slug=ap-superbowl-key&prov=ap&type=lgns.

Here's an article about the NFL donating the Super Bowl and other playoff losers shirts to the Christian organization World Vision to give out to needy children around the world. So there will be some kids somewhere wearing Patriots Super Bowl XLII Champions T-shirts. Here's the article: http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080204/31069_NFL_Donates_Super_Bowl_Loser.

Also, a great article about how faith plays a role in the decisions that high school football players make in deciding where to play college ball at. The article is especially about Clemson and their head coach Tommy Bowden, a Christian. Three Christian players who signed with Clemson who said that Bowden's beliefs were a factor in them going there are Dalton Freeman, Kenneth Page, and DaQuan Bowers. Here's a quote from Bowers about his decision to go to Clemson:

Definitely, says Clemson's DaQuan Bowers, a 6-foot-4, 267-pound defensive lineman considered the country's top prospect by ESPN and top five by most other services.

Bowers played guitar at Light of the World Baptist Church in his hometown of Bamberg and plans to take an active role with Clemson's FCA branch.

Religion "was a big part," Bowers said. "All the coaches, they're Christian men. I didn't want to go anyplace where I wouldn't fit in as a Christian."

Here's the article: http://news.aol.com/story/_a/coaches-prospects-say-faith-can-factor/n20080204162109990070?ecid=RSS0001.

Lastly, for now, a Christian article about a Christian outreach by Tennessee women's soccer goalkeeper Molly Baird and forward Sarah Van Sickle: http://www.aia.com/news.aspx?newsitem=267.

football, MLB, etc.

Hi. Here's some more articles, and I'll try to post as many as I can today. First of all, a couple of articles about Falcons runningback Warrick Dunn reaching 10,000 yards for his career on Thanksgiving against the Colts. This article includes about his charity, Homes for the Holidays, which helps to provide homes for single mothers (click on the link in the article for pictures of one such house). The article also mentions how excited Dunn was for Colts head coach Tony Dungy, a Christian, to be there to see it, since Dungy was Dunn's first coach when they were both with the Buccaneers. Here's the article: http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/falcons/stories/2007/11/23/falside_1123.html.

The other article is a blog post from Tony Dungy about the game, and he had this to say about getting to be there to see Dunn's 10,000 yard:

... So it was great for me to see him reach that milestone personally, and I think the Lord set it up to happen on a night when I was present.

Here's the post: http://www.mycolts.net/tonydungy/blogentry/8a8b15b6-c516-440b-955c-5a25e9c1c129.

Next, an article about the Mississippi State football team and their head coach Sylvester Croom, a Christian. They have a good chance of making a bowl game this year, with the bowl announcements tonight. Here's a quote about Croom from their athletic director Larry Templeton:

The other thing going for the Bulldogs is Croom. Widely regarded as one of the true gentlemen in the game, there's a significant amount of sentiment around the country that would love to see the first black coach in SEC history make it to a bowl game.

"I think all of those come into play. I'd be naive if I didn't think that," Templeton said. "What I have sensed happening is that everybody is pulling for this guy to be successful. Not because he's the black football coach. Because of the integrity and character of the man and the way he's gone about doing it."

Here's the article: http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stories/112307aah.html.

Here's a good Christian article about Tigers 1st base coach Andy Van Slyke from The Christian Sports Blog. Here's a good quote from him:

As a Christian and a father, he has learned how to keep the game of baseball in perspective.

"A lot of times throughout the year we have a tendency to put baseball on the throne," Van Slyke said. "But as Christians, that's the battle. We have to ask ourselves who's going to be on the throne today."

Here's the article: http://christiansportsblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/andy-van-slyke-making-impact.html.

Also, an article about star track and field sprinter Allyson Felix, a Christian, who was also nominated for the Sportsman of the Year Award from Sports Illustrated: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/magazine/specials/sportsman/2007/11/08/layden.felix/.

Here's an article about Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker, who is having a break out year in his first year with the Patriots. Here's a good quote from his dad, Leland:

Leland and Shelley know the only sure way to cover their son.

"We cover him in prayer," Leland says.

Here's the article: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/patriots/2007-11-23-sw-wes-welker_N.htm.

Next, an article about Lions kicker Jason Hanson, a Christian, and his television acting debut on a local kids TV show in Michigan: http://www.mlive.com/sports/grpress/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/119578650616020.xml&coll=6 (originally found at: http://apps.facebook.com/sportsuperfan/teams/news/11).

Here's an article on former Braves outfielder Otis Nixon and his recovery from drug abuse. In turning his life around he became a Christian and is now working on becoming an ordained minister. It's kind of ironic having articles from both Nixon and Van Slyke in this post, since Nixon's best known for his home-run-saving catch of a ball hit by Van Slyke, who was then playing for the Pirates, in the early 1990's. Here's the article: http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2007/11/25/whatever_1126_web.html.

Also, an article about Cowboys linebacker Greg Ellis, a Christian, and his getting better with age: http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=310109.

Here's an article about Tigers outfielder Curtis Granderson speaking to student athletes at Southern Methodist University: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071125/SPORTS02/711250650/1050 (originally found at: http://mlbplayers.mlb.com/pa/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071126&content_id=2307411&vkey=mlbpa_news&fext=.jsp).

Lastly, an article about Illinois defensive player J Leman, a Christian, being named a finalists for the Lott Trophy, which honors the college football Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year: http://www.bigtennetwork.com/news/article.asp?LIST_ID=1&STORY_ID=10086.

Okay, that's all for now, I'll post more when I can.

sports misc. and cancer

Hi. Here are some sports articles that I've read, which unintentionally have a cancer theme running through some of them. Just a warning, you might want to have tissues handy.

The first article, a good one from this month's Guideposts magazine, is about Packers quarterback Brett Favre's wife Deanna's bought with breast cancer in October 2004. She is currently in remission. I remember when Deanna was diagnosed with it and Brett told her that he was going to retire on the spot in the middle of the season. However, she told him not to, that she would be okay. Brett also said then something like, "You might think I'm tough, but she's the toughest one in this family." Deanna is now raising money to help other women with breast cancer (http://www.deannafavre4hope.com/). Here's the article: http://www.guidepostsmag.com/WEEKLY_FEATURE.ASP?DATE=10/1/2007. Also check here for more (page down some): http://www.guidepostsmag.com/familyroom/October2007/index.asp.

Here's an article about Cardinals 1st baseman Albert Pujols, a Christian, being honored by the Arizona Fall League with the unprecedented "Distinguished Alumni Award" earlier this month for his play in the league in October 2000. He used his success there as a springboard to making the Cardinals the next spring. Here's the article: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071010&content_id=2259409&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl (originally found at: http://mlbplayers.mlb.com/pa/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071011&content_id=2260845&vkey=mlbpa_news&fext=.jsp).

Next, a favorite quotation from John Schuerholz, former Braves general manager who was recently promoted to team president, which I thought was good:

Schuerholz's ability to surround himself with top-notch individuals and desire to succeed as a team allowed him to follow the message he constructed in a poem that he often likes to recite.

It reads:

"I" and "my" are words oft used
by those who themselves are confused.
Why won't their super egos trust
the use of words like "we" and "us"?

Here's the article: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071011&content_id=2261163&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl.

Here's a Christian article about Olympic heptathlete and high jumper Trish Porter from Lee Warren at The Christian Sports Blog: http://christiansportsblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/trish-porter-inspiring-others.html. Here's her website from the article too: http://www.trishporter.com/.

Also, an inspiring poem posted by late IU football coach Terry Hoeppner in the IU football facility. Hoeppner, who died last June from complications from brain cancer, lived out this poem in his fight with cancer:

DON'T QUIT
When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
And the road you're trudging seems all up hill;
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
For life is strange with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns;
But many a coward turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
But he learns too late when the night comes down
How close he was to the golden crown.
Victory is defeat turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds in doubt,
You will never know how near you are –
It may seem close when it seems afar.
So stick to the fight when you are hardest hit;
It is when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Here's the article: http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=725623 (originally found at: http://apps.facebook.com/sportsuperfan/teams/news/222).

Sticking with IU sports and cancer, an article about the Coaches vs. Cancer Breakfast that IU men's basketball head coach Kelvin Sampson held a week ago Friday to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Several speakers spoke about how cancer had effected their lives. Some of them spoke about former IU sports chaplain Galen Dolby, who passed away the week before the breakfast from kidney cancer. Here's the article: http://iuhoosiers.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/101207aac.html.

Next, a great article that I will warn you ahead of time is a major tear-jerker that you will want to have tissues close by before you read. The article is about four football players and a golfer at Lake Fenton High School in Michigan who were all nominated as candidates for the homecoming king for the homecoming game on October 12th. They got together and decided to throw out the vote and proclaimed sophomore Eli Florence the winner. Florence is dying from leukemia, and doctors have told him there's nothing more that they can do. It's just a matter of time before he dies, basically. The five king candidates decided that they wanted to give him the honor, since they school had been inspired by his fight throughout his illness. They did it as a complete surprise to him. Here's the article (make sure and check out the pictures too, especially #6 where the team joined Florence in prayer at the game): http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=3059155#. The article also included a website that to give updates on Eli's health. I checked it and unfortunately Eli passed away the afternoon of October 14th. Here's a post from his mom the next day: http://z13.invisionfree.com/Help_For_Elijah/index.php?showtopic=319.

Here's an article about Rockies manager Clint Hurdle, a Christian, and his daughter Maddie who has a rare genetic disease, Prader-Willi Syndrome, and has seizures. The article tells about how his daughter's health and his own struggles as a player help him to keep things in perspective and to help out his players. Here's the article: http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=289178.

Lastly, I was watching the IU/Penn State football game earlier today (IU lost :( ), and they talked to former IU runningback and 1989 Heisman trophy runner-up Anthony Thompson. They also mentioned that he's now a local pastor. I just thought that it was neat that they included that part.

football and MLB misc., etc.

First of all, an article about how important Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, a Christian, will be to his team's success this season: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070831/SPT02/708310345/1066/rss07.

Here's an article about the meeting between two MLB outfielders with great comeback stories last weekend: the Reds Josh Hamilton (a Christian) and the Cardinals Rick Ankiel, whose teams played against each other. Both had to overcome a lot to be playing in the Majors this season. Here's a quote from Hamilton about it:

"You have good days and you have bad days. That's playing ball and that's everyday life," Hamilton said. "This says a lot about God and how to stay faithful. There's really no reason why I should have been able to come back and play as well as I have."

Here's the article: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070831/SPT04/708310346/1071/rss08.

Next, an article about Red Sox relief pitcher Mike Timlin, a Christian, reaching the 1,000 appearance milestone last Friday night. He's only the 13th pitcher to ever accomplish that. Here's the article: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070901&content_id=2182508&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb.

Here's an article about the Virginia Tech/East Carolina game last Saturday, which Virginia Tech held on to win at home. It was an emotional day as it was the first major sporting event for Virginia Tech since the mass shootings there last April and they had pre-game ceremonies to honor those that were killed. Here's a quote from after the game:

... When it was over, both teams kneeled at the 50-yard line for a prayer. Then the Hokies turned toward the band in the north end zone, singing along while they played the school's alma mater.

Here's the article: http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegefootball/gamecenter/recap/NCAAF_20070901_ECA@VATECH.

Also, a couple of articles about Appalachian State's HUGE upset of Michigan last Saturday. Something funny that I did hear on ESPN about it was that the highest ranked team did win: Appalachian State was #1 and Michigan #5, but Appalachian State is only in Division 1-AA, not 1-A like Michigan. Michigan ended up completely dropping out of this week's rankings, and all hopes of a national title are gone. By the way, Appalachian State's head coach Jerry Moore is a Christian. Here's an article about the game itself: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=272440130&confId=null&date=20070901.

The other article about Appalachian State is about the celebration that began on their campus in Boone, North Carolina as soon as the game ended, including one of the goal posts being torn down and put in the chancellor's front yard. Here's a quote from Jerry Moore about his team:

"Just God bless them," Moore said of his players in his thick Southern drawl. "It's a crowning achievement. They're a great bunch of kids and they have worked so hard."

Here's the article: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news;_ylt=AkJ63Ikmi0Kb5iWjnsR8tgF.T4h4?slug=dw-appstate090107&prov=yhoo&type=lgns.

Next, an article about Braves 1st baseman Julio Franco, a Christian, returning from the minors to help the team try and make the playoffs with his leadership and pinch-hitting: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070901&content_id=2182886&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl&partnered=rss_atl.

Here's an article about Giants pitcher Russ Ortiz, a Christian, having to have Tommy John elbow ligament transplant surgery. He'll be out for all of next season as well as the rest of this one. Here's the article: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070901&content_id=2183564&vkey=news_sf&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf&partnered=rss_sf.

Also, a note about Braves outfielder Jeff Francoeur's (a Christian) consectutive games played streak:

Francoeur's streak second in majors
Jeff Francoeur started his 300th consecutive game Saturday, a streak that began with the last two games of his 2005 rookie season.

It's the second-longest active games streak in the majors behind the 330-gamer by Cleveland's Grady Sizemore, who hasn't started all games in his streak.

Here's the article: http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/braves/stories/2007/09/01/franco_0902.html.

Here's an article about the IU/Indiana State football game last Saturday, and the pre-game ceremony to honor IU's late head coach Terry Hoeppner. Hoeppner died last June from complications from brain cancer. The ceremony included Hoeppner's wife and kids. Here's the article: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070902/COLUMNISTS01/709020438/1247/SPORTS0107.

Lastly, an article about the track and field world championships in Japan last weekend, Allyson Felix, a Christian, won gold in the 200, 400 relay, and 1,600 relay. Another Christian, Catherine Ndereba of Kenya won the gold in the marathon. Here's the article: http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/trackandfield/news/story?id=3001868.

lots of sports misc.

I was able to get caught up some on the articles that I have to read, so there are several articles for today. The first two are from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes' Sharing the Victory Magazine. The first one is about Kenyan long-distance runner Catherine Ndereba: http://www.sharingthevictory.com/vsItemDisplay.lsp?method=display&objectid=DC6AFE6F-E45D-4085-A5C431F10DA7C8B1.

The other one is about three members of the Rice baseball team: Bobby Bramhall, Joe Savery, and Brian Friday: http://www.sharingthevictory.com/vsItemDisplay.lsp?method=display&objectid=04715208-C6B1-4378-953BAC0F51EED0E9.

Next, some articles about Zach Johnson, the guy that won the Masters last Sunday. I didn't watch the Masters, but I saw that he had won on the bottom of the screen during the Red Sox/Rangers game on ESPN Sunday night. I was like "Who in the world?!" Then I found some articles about him, and was like "Cool!" The first article is about the final round of the Masters and after. Here's a quote:

Even more gratifying to Johnson was winning on Easter.

"My faith is very important to me," he said. "I had people looking after me. It was awesome."

Here's the article: http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/masters07/news/story?id=2830090.

Here's another article on Johnson, this one from Fellowship of Christian Athletes: http://www.fca.org/vsItemDisplay.lsp?method=display&objectid=68044E01-0728-437C-8DF7E1FE962816BA.

The third article on Johnson, also a Christian article: http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=5559.

A paragraph about Johnson from Sports Spectrum's The Daily:

A MOMENT WITH THE MASTER’S CHAMP
Zach Johnson, who won The Master’s on Sunday, is not afraid to speak out about his faith. Here’s an excerpt from an interview he had with Bill Houston of Sports Spectrum Radio:

“Golf has always been something that I love to do, and I still continue to love to play golf. But it is still just a game. Even underneath that, to me it’s my job. Of course, I’m going to give 110 percent. It’s something that obviously pays the bills and helps my wife and me financially. But it’s not what matters in life the most. As far as priority ranking, God and Jesus are No. 1. That’s the reason I’m here. If I finish in the Top 10 or win a tournament, at the end of the day Jesus doesn’t care. As long as He knows I’m one of His and He’s my Savior, that’s all that matters.”

Here's the article: http://www.sportsspectrum.com/daily/archives/070411.php.

The last article on Johnson (for now): http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/masters07/columns/story?columnist=sobel_jason&id=2830348.

Here's a note about Cubs catcher Michael Barrett, a Christian, that I found interesting:

Free lunch: Cubs fans who stopped at the Cracker Barrel restaurant in Kenosha, Wis., on Sunday after the game got a treat. Cubs catcher Michael Barrett also stopped there, and decided to pick up the tab for all the patrons.

"I said [to my friend], what would it be like for these people if [former Cubs catcher] Jody Davis walked into the restaurant?" Barrett said. "So, I was going up to people and saying, 'Let me have your bill.'"

The manager of the restaurant took care of Barrett's tab. Barrett exited to a chorus of "Let's go Cubbies."

Here's the article: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070409&content_id=1888156&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc&partnered=rss_chc.

Also, an article about the Pacers helping to build a house for Habitat for Humanity and visiting a VA hospital: http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/habitat_va_070409.html.

Here's a good article about Braves outfielder Jeff Francoeur, a Christian, having his high school baseball number retired Monday night on the Braves off day (there are several pictures included in a photo gallery too): http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2007/04/10/0410gwxFrancoeur.html.

Lastly, I don't know if Japanese Seattle catcher Kenji Johjima is a Christian or not, but I thought that this comment of his about how to bat against Japanese Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka was funny:

Johjima has some simple advice to his Mariners teammates:

"I would first tell them to pray."

Here's the article: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article_perspectives.jsp?ymd=20070410&content_id=1890976&vkey=perspectives&fext=.jsp.