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Looking back on the past weekend's FCA 50th Anniversary celebration, I can only think of one word: AMAZING. I am not sure how many people were there, but it does not matter, it was the spirit of fellowship, spirit of unity, and the Spirit of God that was present in Kansas City. All who attended were blessed in a great way.
Three years after signing a record-setting $252 million, 10-year contract with the Texas Rangers, Alex Rodriguez was traded to, of all teams, the New York Yankees. Exactly. A team with an already-outrageous payroll of $170.3 million per year is ready to bump $190 million to acquire Rodriguez, arguably the best player in the game. The Yankees will have not one, not two, not three, but FOUR players with 100+ million dollar contracts.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme didn't rush into the locker rooms after losing Super Bowl XXXVIII by three points to the New England Patriots. Quite the contrary. He stood on the sidelines and forced himself to watch the Patriots in jubilee. Delhomme commented afterwards, "I guess I just wanted it to hurt as much as possible. I wanted to watch the celebration so that it could hurt. So I could remember it for motivation."
Six years to the day after his father won his first Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won NASCAR's most prestigious race for the first time. It was also the same race which claimed the life of his father on a last-lap crash three short years ago. "In a way, it feels like I'm closer to my dad," Junior said. "At the same time, this is a reminder of losing him all over again."
Running up the score, pressing until the final whistle, up 60, playing starters in the fourth quarter, scoring the tenth touchdown of the game, keeping your number-one goal scorer in to pad his/her stats … When is enough, enough? We see this in everyday sporting events, and it is beginning to creep into the youth sports movement. Ok, let me set the record straight. I am as competitive as the next person and have had my fair share of blowouts both for and against me in my days as a player and a coach, but where does compassion vs. competitiveness need to be addressed?
One of the most exciting times for an athlete is when their team gets new gear to wear — a new uniform, team sweats, team shoes or pre-game warm-up outfit. In new gear, the step seems quicker, the jumps a little higher. For some reason, it makes you feel better as an athlete. I remember those days as a player, and even when I ordered new things as a coach it was always fun. Outerwear, however, does not make the player different. It is what is on the inside that counts.
Most fans who go to a football game come, watch the game, eat tons of food, cheer for their team and leave either happy or dejected. But what goes on behind the scenes? Did you know that some people involved in the game spend almost half the day to ensure everything goes as planned? It's true! Student-managers and trainers spend countless hours in preparation and post-game clean up with no fanfare, no autographs to sign, and no one waiting to outside the locker room for a post-game interview. Why do they do what they do? It's their job!
I just returned for a powerful FCA weekend retreat at the FCA National Conference Center in Marshall, Ind. God was alive and well and moved among the college students who attended. Kenn Kington did a great job of presenting the gospel and offered an invitation on Saturday night to accept the Lord for the first time. No show of hands. No "Just as I am." Just men and women making things right with their Creator during this special time. Kington encouraged all who made a decision to tell others about praying to invite Jesus into their hearts.
The next morning during our Huddle time, one of the young men shared how a teammate of his gave his life to the Lord, but he was surprised. He thought since this young man came to FCA that he was a believer.
John was a great miler. He always liked to take the lead early in the race and run to victory. His coach, however, was concerned about an upcoming race. John's top opponent would be one who liked to come from behind to win.
When the race started, like clockwork, John raced to the lead. His coach told him to move to the inside of lane one, but John ignored him. He liked to run in the first lane, but not always on the inside. Laps two and three, his coach said the same thing, but John only grew upset with him. John knew he had the lead — the victory was his. On lap four, his coach was more insistent that John move to the inside of lane one, but John stayed firm in the middle of the lane.
There are about a million things I loved about John Wooden's coaching, but one of my favorite things was when he taught his players each year how to put on their socks and tie their shoes properly. Now, you would think that college-aged men could do this on their own, but Wooden took nothing for granted. He paid attention to the little things of the game. I believe this is what made the big things come easier for his teams over the years. He always took care of the little things.
The see-saw battle between the Patriots and the Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII came down to one play with 0:09 left in the game and the score knotted at 29. Patriots place kicker Adam Vinatieri came onto the field to try a 41-yard field goal to win the game. Earlier in the game he had missed a 31-yard chip shot and had another attempt blocked. Vinatieri was given an opportunity to redeem himself and this time he was right on target, giving the Patriots their second Super Bowl victory in three years.
A couple nights ago, I was sitting with my two oldest kids watching "Remember the Titans." This is a great movie — one I love to watch — but my children made me think about one particular part in the movie. The team was at training camp and Coach Boone was trying to get them to work harder. He spoke very rough to his team and did not let them have water during practice. Many of us in the coaching profession would call this "Old School," but to my kids it was a different story. My daughter asked me a tough question, "Daddy, would you ever talk or treat your team like that?" Pow! Smack! Bam! Like Batman of old, upside the head, it hit me. I was just like that at times. I was a destructive mess with my team.
An imprint is permanent mark. It means to engrave, etch, impress or inscribe. I remember as an eight-year-old, I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ride my older brother's motorcycle. I wanted to show him how "big" I was, so I took off with reckless abandonment! Around 100 yards down the dirt road, my front tire hit a hole that I never saw. As I flew through the air, my life passed before my eyes. I landed in a ditch, and the motorcycle landed on my back! Ouch! Thankfully, as a result of being in the ditch, the only part of the motorcycle that was touching my back was the muffler. As the muffler burned through my shirt and my flesh, I experienced a world of hurt. My brother rescued me and I was forbidden to ride his bike again.
It has become a regular occurrence in professional sports today to see athletes look up toward Heaven and point their finger. The Chicago Tribune published an article (01/22/2004) on the trend attempting to determine why different athletes look to Heaven and point. Philadelphia Eagles' receiver James Thrash looks toward Heaven and points after nearly every catch. He says this is, "just a reminder to everyone that I'm in it for the Lord."
I'm not naive enough to think that all athletes who look up to Heaven and point are showing their love for God. However, I think this is an opportunity for Christians to remember to look to God in all situations.
Recently I was diagnosed with a serious condition. This condition could be fatal if not taken care of quickly. The condition can affect every part of a man's life. It is called S.D.M.S--Stubborn Dumb Male Syndrome. I have had it for some time, but recently realized how bad my condition has gotten. In fact, many men have this condition. It can strike at any time and any place--on the field or off, at home, at work or even in church. If not treated, it can harden a man's heart and turn him from the proper medication.
Every decision in the NFL playoffs is crucial because it’s "go on or go home" time. With his St. Louis Rams down by three points and 15 yards from the end zone late in their 2004 playoff game against the Carolina Panthers, Rams' coach, Mike Martz elected to let the clock run down and kick a field goal to send the game to overtime. The Panthers prevailed in OT, 29-23. After being questioned about his decision to play for overtime, Martz said, "I was very sure about the decision, and I don't regret that decision."
Every athlete is after greatness. But the pursuit is short-lived for many. One petite athlete has been in pursuit for many, many years now. Michelle Kwan won her eighth U.S. title on January 11. She has been in pursuit of greatness for more than 13 years and doesn't appear to be stopping any time soon. Her goal is the next Olympics games in 2006. She is going for more!
"I bet on baseball in 1987 and 1988." After denying it for nearly 15 years, baseball legend Pete Rose finally admitted that he bet on baseball and his own team while managing the Cincinnati Reds. Rose's confession is the root of his new autobiography, "My Prison Without Bars."
God gives us a lot of guidelines on how to live life in Scripture. Yet, I find the command to confess our sins to one another is a hard thing for many to do — not just Pete Rose. So often our sins are secret. We keep our sins locked up in a fireproof safe. Sometimes we might confess to God (which is good), but others … no way! It'd be humiliating, embarrassing and would ruin our image. I have these thoughts all the time.
One of the biggest conflicts I've had with teams that I've coached is how much they've said they loved the game. I would watch a game with them, and they'd tell me over and over how much they loved to play and how great the game is to them. I would immediately ask them, "When is the last time you were in the gym working on it?" I would get the same response, "I love to play, not practice."
New Year's resolutions. I have made a thousand over the years. Some have worked, others have not gone so well. Every January we have the chance to start a brand new year. As athletes, we set goals to become bigger, faster and stronger and to improve our personal performance. As coaches, we strive to learn more, listen more and win more. But a new year brings us much, much more. What makes this year different?
The 2003-04 college football season has ended. So who is the best team in the country? USC and LSU both ended the season with only one loss and ranked No. 1 in the AP and coaches polls, respectively. Should there be a playoff system for Division I college football? Because these two teams will not get a shot to decide the national championship on the field, these debates will go on for a long, long time.
I spent the past two evenings watching a lot of high school basketball at the annual Vandalia Holiday Tournament. The South Central Cougars won the tourney, and in a most dramatic fashion, I might add. Monday night, one of the Cougars hit a 3-pointer just shy of half court with no time left, banking it in to help his team beat the hosting Vandals by one point. The very next night, the Cougars played in the championship against the No. 1 seed — the defending champions from Pana High School. The game went into overtime. The score was tied with 1.3 seconds left when, for the second night in a row, that same Cougar drained a baseline jumper. They won by two.
Every once in awhile you find an athlete who has the right stuff. Talented on the field, in the classroom, with their friends, and everybody's All-American. Northwestern University has such a young man. His name is Jason Wright. I just watched Jason finish his football career the other night in the Motor City Bowl where he helped his team by gaining 336 all-purpose yards and was named Co-MVP of the game. His team came up short that night, but football is just what Jason does, it is not who he is. Jason learned a long time ago that his significance is found in Jesus Christ. His religion is not football, his truth is not his football playbook. He lives to serve Jesus Christ. His Bible is the ultimate "playbook" for his life.
She was ready to leave the locker room when a couple of friends called her over. "Try these," they said, as they offered her some small pills. "They give you energy and help you play better." Would she take the pills or turn them away?
Sound familiar? This is happening in our locker rooms, schools and hang-outs all over our communities. Student-athletes are fighting the social battles to get ahead and fit in. Many give in to the dare of this peer pressure.
Do you like to speak in public? What about in front of many adults? What about speaking in front of your school board? Three students at a local middle school did just that the other night to defend why they thought FCA should be allowed in their school. For three months, this school board tabled the decision to allow FCA to start, but these students stood their ground and continued to pursue the school board until they allowed them to speak. These brave students had to stand tall for their faith.
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