Perfect Game - not

If you missed it, Armando Galarraga pitched a perfect game, but due to terrible call by umpire Jim Joyce, it was lost after 8 and 2/3 innings. The call wasn't even close. The umpire blew it. To put this in to perspective, prior to this year, 18 perfect games had been thrown in the entire history of Major League Baseball. Those who have done it join an elite group. Galarraga will not be one of them do to an errant decision by the umpire.

However, there are larger messages to be learned from last night's perfect game that wasn't. If I were watching it with my son, I would hope to point out the following after the bad call:

• Nobody is perfect.
  
• Life is not fair. Never think it is.

The day after, here is one article that puts things in an even better perspective. In light of that article, I would note the following to my son:

1. The umpire acknowledged his mistake: "I just cost that kid a perfect game," he said.
2. The umpire approached the pitcher and expressed remorse and apologized. Apparently he had tears in his eyes and apologized multiple times the story above said.
3. Immediately after the call, Galarraga was smiling while many were wanting the umps head. Galarraga offered forgiveness. In reference to the situation, he even said to reporters, "What am I going to do?" and "Nobody's Perfect." Classy.

So while the rest of us are screaming, the pitcher and umpire are making things right. They are showing us how to handle the fact that we are not perfect and that life is NOT fair. They are showing us not perfection, but perhaps human nature at it's best. In the grand scheme of things, I'd rather observe these actions over 27 batters not reaching first base.

Another parting thought...

Here's another upside... Galarraga will not be on the growing list of those who have pitched perfect games. But how many can you name on that list? I've got two. Don Larsen who did it in a World Series, and Tom Browning who did it for the Reds, (and I listened to it while it happened). So I can remember two, but I also know of two games that were "almost perfect." Babe Ruth got thrown out of a game after walking the first batter he faced and Ernie Shore picked the runner off of first and then retired the next 26 batters. Shore was perfect, but since a runner reached first, it is only considered a combined no-hitter. And now I will remember this game where Armando Galarraga retired, in reality, 28 batters...with one really bad call. Ironically, and fortunately, he will likely be remembered more because of this than if he had pitched a perfect game.

5th graders win! Theeeee 5th graders win!!!

So, the other day my son comes home and tells me he didn’t enjoy playing football at recess.  I asked him why and he said his team didn’t do well.  I dug deeper and this is what I found.  It seems that in typical class order, the 5th graders decided the teams.  In particular, all the 5th grade “studs” decided the teams.  They essentially said, “OK, how about all of you 3rd and 4th graders on one team and the rest of us will do our best to give you guys a fight.”  Well, being an “underclassman” the younger kids agreed.  I mean, hey, there were more of them, right, so it should be fair.  And besides, the 5th graders are older than them and it is a class system, so what were there choices?  Well, needless to say the bigger faster and older kids took care of them.  I’m sure there were plenty of interceptions, fumble recoveries and long runs and passes for touchdowns.  Who doesn’t like to be on the winning side of that?  Well needless to say it wasn’t much fun for the younger ones.  I told my son that he DID have an option though.  He could choose not to play and/or speak up about the lack of parity.  Lesson learned.

On a completely unrelated note <wink wink>, I’d like to congratulate the New York Yankees on another World Series championship.  I know a lot of Yankees fans who are very happy about this.  I’m happy for them.  For the rest of the fourth-graders out there….well, maybe next year.  :-)

NCAA Football is in upheaval

In the past, I have offered up that sports are challenging my faith, but now I realize that something bigger is happening. Consider the following anomalies in college football. These facts will make your head spin and make you question if all is right in the universe:

• Notre Dame continues to lose and will not go to a bowl game for the second year in a row.
• Michigan has their first nine loss season in the school's history. They finished the season losing to Ohio State 42-7. (This one doesn't keep me up at night)
• Jim Tressel called for a fake punt against Illinois while OSU was leading by 21 with less than 10 minutes left to play. This may not seem like a big deal, but anyone who knows Jim Tressel, knows his conservative in coaching is second only to his conservatism in wardrobe. He's the kind of guy who would stop at 42 against Michigan when it could have been 56.
• The University of Cincinnati will be going to a BCS bowl game. Let me say that again. The University of Cincinnati will be going to a BCS game! The final four, yes; but a BCS bowl!?!
  

But the largest piece of evidence that College Football is in upheaval is this:

• Florida State has produced a Rhodes Scholar! Yeah, you think all that other stuff is crazy. Myron Rolle, a safety for the 'Noles, is a Rhodes Scholar. The guy wants to be a neurosurgeon and now has the opportunity to study in Oxford. Unbelievable. I don't know what shocks me more; the fact that this guy would go to FSU, or the fact that Bobby Bowden would even consider recruiting someone who would put their studies before football. A fluke indeed, but regardless - hats off to Mr. Rolle.
  

The times, they are a changin'. I should have known when OSU recruited the top quarterback in the nation. My world is being rocked.

OSU at USC: The Good News Either Way

Tonight, is a huge game for Ohio State! The Buckeyes are in Southern California to face the USC Trojans. I have to admit that my disdain for USC was born in the 1970s. At about the age of 8 I starting hanging around with a kid named Nick Jonson. His family was pretty rabid in their love for the Buckeyes and Nick and I were good friends for some time. The tradition became for me to watch all the OSU games (when the Jonson's didn't go to Columbus) with them. Anyhow, USC has faced OSU 5 times since I was old enough to know anything about football, and they are 5-0 since then. Moreover, they won the first match up 18-17 and denied OSU the 1980 National Championship game with a score of 17-16. (I still believe Charles White did not score on that last drive by USC. It was a beautiful goal-line stand and I think I'm still in denial because of it). USC is leading the series against the Buckeyes 11-9-1. I want OSU to win BAAAAAD tonight!

But here is what's interesting. As much as I'm looking forward to tonight's game, I'm even more excited for tomorrow morning. Why? Well, if the Buckeyes win, I can go to my OSU-saturated church and celebrate with all of the transplanted Buckeyes who live here in Charlotte. I can begin thinking about a third National Championship game in a row, and hope that every SEC team beats up on each other and that the final NC opponent is from any other conference but that one. Of course there are still a few games before then that will be nail-biters, but I will know the chances are still there. My blood pressure will go up every Saturday between now and the day after the Michigan game and have a month of build-up for the big game in January. It will be exciting and stressful.

Which brings me to why I am excited for tomorrow even if they lose. First it won't be against an SEC team, so I won't have to deal with that. As a matter of fact I think a good portion of the SEC would like to see the Bucks win. (They probably think their chances of winning another NC game is greater if OSU is their opponent, so of course they want them to win). More importantly though, if the Buckeyes lose, I can relax. I will still enjoy the Saturday games and suspect the Buckeyes will win most if not all of them, but I won't be wired. I usually don't say this, but every year I get hyped up for the Buckeyes and stress out because of it too. A loss tonight won't be the end of the world. As a matter of fact, it will likely make my football watching more detached but also collectively more enjoyable. Perhaps this is another sign that sports isn't quite as important as I thought it was.

Sports are challenging my faith

January 2008: At my church we had a "Men's Challenge" event to kick off the year. The challenge speaker was Walt Wiley who is a great guy and a Christian. It was an enjoyable event. Walt used to be the chaplain for the Atlanta Braves, so he shared some stories about some of the guys on the team. It was cool. At first it seemed hard to believe that a team like the Braves would even want a chaplain, but I figured baseball players are relatively decent guys and they get traded so often, there is no doubt that Christians would eventually land in Atlanta whether they wanted to or not. Later that night, I met this guy named Dan. A really nice guy who is married and has two adopted children. He seemed pretty strong in his faith too, but...well, I found out later he went to the University of Michigan! Unbelievable! Christians in Ann Arbor! There must be something wrong. I figured it was a fluke.

July 2008: The junior high youth pastor at my church is a great guy. I haven't met him personally, but I've enjoyed and have been challenged by his preaching on the occasions that I've heard him. Well his Facebook profile is open and I cam across it one day and couldn't help but notice that he's from the state of Michigan and is a big Wolverines fan! Could lightening strike twice?

September 2008: Well, anyone knows that Ohio State fans such as myself don't really have a soft spot for Florida. The Gators trounced the Bucks twice in one school year in National Championship games. It was disgusting. Well, I was on the elliptical at the Y Saturday morning, minding my own business and then the following story was played regarding Florida QB and Heisman winner Tim Tebow:




Could it be that the school you go to or cheer for has nothing to do with your faith!?!? I'm stunned.

Pair o' Dime Props: Glenn Dorsey

OK, considering OSU is currently unable to beat an SEC team, I have to admit it's hard to give props to former LSU Tiger, Glenn Dorsey. But the latest Dick's Sporting Good's commercial is just funny. This weekend as college football started, I caught this during one of the games. Can Dorsey act? Well, no. But he poked fun at himself in this ad, and for that he's won some points in my book.

Pair o' Dime Props: Coach ------

When I had just turned 15, I was playing my last year of organized baseball. My coach for that year was a good man. He had three boys of his own, (one of which broke my nose on a ground ball, but perhaps that is a story for another day). Anyhow, this guy was nice enough to take me to and from practices during the season because circumstances didn't allow for me to get to practice by other means. Today I want to (sort of) acknowledge my coach for one particular lesson he taught me. One Saturday after practice, I helped him get the equipment put away and he pulled out some tools and went back to the field. There was no one on the grounds, but he began working on the fence and the grass around the fence. Cutting the grass, pulling the fence back down and securing it so balls could not roll underneath, etc. Well, you may know how much I love yard work, so I was probably pretty impatient. I was ready to go. I remember asking him why he was doing it. I don't remember his answer exactly, but it was something along the lines of "it needs to be done." Near the end of the conversation, I remember asking him if he was going to let the youth organization know that he was the one who did this. His answer was along the lines of, "No. There isn't any need to let them know. It just needs to be fixed." That may seem like nothing when you read this now, but hearing this as a self-centered 15 year-old (I think that's redundant), I was blown away! Why on earth would anyone work on something out of charity and not want to be recognized!!?! Well years later I understood, and perhaps he did then too. This morning I was reminded of this coach when I read the following:

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
-Matthew 6:1-4

This gentleman is no longer around. As a matter of fact he died a couple of years after he coached me. Perhaps now, better than Pair o' Dime Props, he's received an infinitely better reward.

Pair o' Dime Props: Ken Griffey Jr.

It's time to give credit to one of the best baseball players of our time. Yesterday, Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 600th Home Run in a game against Florida Marlins. Griffey, is now the fourth, along with Willie Mays, Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron, NATURAL baseball player to reach this milestone. The guy loves his wife and kids and is nothing but class.

Congratulations Ken!

Watch the video while listening to Hall of Fame announcer, Marty Brennaman, make the call.

Read more about Ken Griffey's accomplishment.

Soccer: I won again!!

Sunday it was me against my two boys aged 5 and 8. I smoked them! Of course I let them score a few, but this 41 year old handed it to them!

Last night It was me against the two of them AND our 3 year old neighbor. I WON AGAIN!!!

No performance enhancing drugs were used on either side, and sportsmanship was in the air. However my only concern is that I'm beginning to believe that their post game debriefing may include the phrase, "but we will live to fight another day." At my age, I'm beginning to wonder whether "my team" can say the same.

Bring on the ibuprofen!

School Project

So my second grader was required to create a poster of a notable figure for Black History month. After giving him a few different choices, true to his form, he chose Tony Dungy. I was actually very pleased with this choice for a few reasons. First, he's a football player/coach which is cool. Second, he is a leader with great character and standards. And third, he's a Christian who is not ashamed to share his faith when anyone who will listen. Coach Dungy is soft spoken and with integrity. He is well-liked with his players and appears to have a great gift for leadership. He has recently written a book, Quiet Strength, that will be on my short list of "next reads."

Anyhow, working on a school project with a second grader is a challenge in itself. And this is not his fault, but I think it has to do with his parents, or more specifically his dad. The teacher asks us to name three accomplishments, three goals, three interesting facts as well as the basics such as where he was born, etc. I suppose things are different now than 30 years ago when I was roughly his age. (OK, 33 years ago to be exact!). We didn't run off to the library. we didn't even have to dial in to the internet. We just opened my laptop and began "googling." Ahhh, life gets easy in some aspects. So despite having the wireless and multiple computers in the house, I, er, I mean, we had to track down all of this information. This isn't easy. I had to find three of his goals. I don't know if I can find three of MY goals! I, er, I mean, we checked a number of websites. One of the websites had the writer saying that Tony's goals was to get the most out of his players. That seemed good. We struggled to find the second goal when I came across a quote from Tony where he essentially said we shouldn't get caught up in goals but should focus on purpose. For Tony, it was to Glorify God in everything he does. What a great goal! So we added it. Now I knew I, er, we, were really stuck. He admits there is too much emphasis on goals. So after thinking about this for a while, we eventually settled on one he has obtained already as a player and a coach, which was winning a Super Bowl. Well, this seemed to suffice, since I got, er...I mean, well Chris got an "A!"

Now THAT was a Football Game!!!

For the past few years the Super Bowl has frankly bored me. All the hoopla surrounding the game distracts from regular old football. Halftimes are meant for marching bands, not old rock and rollers and wardrobe malfunctions. Commercials are funny but often inappropriate. This year was different. Partially from the fact that I now have a DVR and therefore can choose to fast forward or pause through the distracting stuff. At Halftime I put the kids to bed and paused the "show" part of the game. After cleaning the kitchen, I "unpaused" the game and fast forwarded to the start of the third quarter. I even had a buffer so I could fast forward through more commercials. The game was lower scoring and not particularly clean which I actually liked. But best of all, The Giants won! Am I a Giant fan? No. But everyone loves the underdog. The Giants, playing the role of David, beat the Patriots, playing the role of the Giant! (Now that's confusing). What an exciting finish too! The Patriots finish the season 18-1. But boy is that a big 1! (The '72 Dolphins are probably pretty happy right now). And Patriot's coach, Bill Belichick, remained true to his "sportsmanship" by running into the locker room before the game was over. He consistently either refuses to shake hands with other coaches or is sour when he does. I like coaches with integrity and class. Of course I have some friends from New England who are probably not very happy today, and so I sort of feel for them. But they have had their share of success lately, so I think they'll recover. And congratulations to the Giants and their fans. I know a few folks back in Northern New Jersey who are very happy this morning.

Wardrobe Choices for Sports Fans

Today, I'm wearing gray pants and a scarlet (read: red) shirt. Tonight the Buckeyes play for the National Championship. I live in North Carolina. Why do I do this? Are there any ball players or coaches wandering around the campus? Do I think I will inspire them?

In the fall I wear OSU T-shirts and sweatshirts on Saturday, and the same for the Bengals on Sunday. Again, I live in North Carolina. I don't go to games or even sports bars, and yet I wear them. Nobody really sees them during the games except my family, who's wearing the same. Are we inspired by each other? If so, does our collective and mutual inspiration somehow translate into a better team? Nevertheless, tonight I will come home from work, change out of my scarlet and gray work clothes and into my Ohio State T-shirt. I might even wear a hat. (I won't paint my face, though...that's just ridiculous). Tomorrow, if they win, I will opt for another red shirt and a gray sweater vest. Sort of a tacit "I told you so" for anyone noticing my wardrobe two days in a row. If they lose, I will wear my typical clothes and hope no one noticed my clothes from the day before. I will probably leave my OSU flag on my house flying regardless...unless it's a blowout like last year. :-)

Why do we do this? I know it's not just me. I really need to know! It's a sociological emergency!!! (Now where have you seen that last sentence typed anywhere before?)

UPDATE: Oh the humanity! Another year of hearing those around me saying the SEC is dominant. It's ok if it's true...I can deal with that. It's just the arrogance!

Perhaps if I had worn the facepaint it would have made a difference.

Pair o' Dime Props: Michigan Football (That's hard to type!)

Living in the south, all I seem to hear is SEC, SEC, SEC. And after Florida twice beat OSU (handily) in National Championship games in the past year, it sure was good to see the a Big Ten team squelch the arrogance of Florida. Now if OSU can do the same to LSU next week, then we will be off to a good start to 2008! Congrats to the boys from the team up north. Even though Lloyd Carr can be quite crotchety, even he seemed to be in better spirits during his halftime interview. A good send off for him as well.

Let's Go Sooners!

Oklahoma has temporarily inherited hundreds of thousands of Ohio State fans, and I can account for at least four!

Heute, Ich bin ein Sooner!

(Yeah, I'm a Pitt fan today too...but I'm also realistic)

NFL Quarterback Success

I'm beginning to believe in the NFL, a quarterbacks success is indirectly proportional to their hair length. This isn't hard and fast of course, but J.P. Losman is starting to look better this year, and coincidentally, (or not), he is wearing his hair shorter. McNabb was good before he let the fro go.
Compare the haircuts of Peyton and Eli. Eli’s hair is not long, but imagine if he got it cut as short as Peyton, how much better the Giants might be! The same can be said for unorthodox head gear. A quarterback who wears his hat backwards, is never going to be as good as one who wears it correctly. Doug Flutie always played better than Rob Johnson, who seems to love to wear his cap backwards. Perhaps if the Bills would have realized this, the controversy would have been resolved much earlier.

Of course this new found truth is perpetuated by the years in which a good quarterback plays as the helmet often causes baldness...or is it that early baldness increases the skills of the quarterback?

Parental Issue Resolved (?)

For those of you who were concerned, I came home from work yesterday to find my son humming the tune from “Across the Field.” It seems as if we have resolved another issue in our parenting. Hats off to my wife who must have been singing it to him all afternoon.

Train up a child in the way he should go,
Even when he is old he will not depart from it.
-Proverbs 22:6

Parental Help Needed!

We are having a problem with our oldest son and I think I need some advice. All week he has been humming "The Victors." Truth be told, it's a catchy tune, but this is "Michigan Week" for OSU, so to have my firstborn humming the fight song of the "team up north" throughout the week is a bit unnerving. I'm at wits end! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

MLB Hall of Fame

In case you didn't think it was possible, I'm from Cincinnati and do NOT believe Pete Rose should be put in the Hall of Fame. As a matter of fact, I just wish the story would go away. Major League Baseball has a consistency issue on who they put in, but in the grand scheme, I would rather them "err" on the side of keeping those who have integrity issues out rather than putting them in. BUT, if you're gonna put them in, you need to start with Shoeless Joe Jackson and not Pete Rose.

*******This Just in...*******

Barry Bonds* has set the all time career home run record for a chemically enhanced Major League Baseball player. Congratulations to Barry and the Balco family!