Sports & Convictions

its been a nice ride

2009-04-20T15:13:00.003-04:00

Well, one year and five months to the day after I started Sports & Convictions, I'm moving the site to a new home. There, it'll be easier for me (which I hope means a better site eventually!) and more eye-appealing to you (partly b/c I've dropped the black background that I switched to while mourning over John Smoltz's departure to the Red Sox.)

So, here's hoping you make the switch with me to the new digs over at WordPress, where I'll work under the same title, just a new home...

http://sportsandconvictions.wordpress.com/.

So long, Blogger...

mark richt should break the rules

2009-04-17T08:05:00.002-04:00

Check this out from the AJC's college recruiting beat writer, Michael Carvell:

the headline - "UGA's Mark Richt should break the rules in the name of academics"

And I couldn't agree more. Check out the story (it's a one-minute read).

The snippet is this: UGA has recruited a blue-chip lineman, Chris Burnette, who also happens to be in the running to be the valedictorian of his graduating class. The stud lineman apparently is a stud student, carrying a 5.12 GPA with about a month of class left. From an earlier story I read it sounds like he decided to skip graduating early to play in spring practice (and try to earn a higher spot on the depth chart) in order to stay in high school, get the grades and graduate first in his class.

Richt, supporting Burnette's decision, told him if he graduated #1 and got to speak at his graduation ceremony, then Richt himself would attend his graduation.

Until the NCAA threatened to slap UGA and Richt with a recruiting violation for it.

Well, Coach Richt, I'm okay with this violation. Do the right thing; show strong support for academics. And, in effect, show the NCAA how they've got their priorities all wrong.

hudson taylor's "exchanged life"

2009-04-16T18:50:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to share a bit from a chapter of Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret, the biography of missionary Hudson Taylor.

This below is taken from a letter Taylor sent to his sister from China, after he had experienced a deep time of feeling away from God. It's bit long, but I've tried to shorten where I can while keeping the meat of it. If you want the whole thing, let me know...
-------
"Well, dearie, my mind has been greatly exercised for six or eight months past, feeling the need personally and for our Mission of more holiness, life, power in our souls. But personal need stood first and was the greatest. I felt the ingratitude, the danger, the sin of not living nearer to God. I prayed, agonized, fasted, strove, made resolutions, read the Word more diligently, sought more time for mediation--but all without avail. Every day, almost every hour, the consciousness of sin oppressed me.

I knew that if only I could abide in Christ all would be well, but I could not. I would begin the day with prayer, determined not to take my eye off Him for a moment, but pressure of duties, sometimes very trying, and constant interruptions apt to be so wearing, caused me to forget Him. ... Each day brought its register of sin and failure, of lack of power. ...

Then came the question, 'Is there no rescue?' Must it be thus to the end--constant conflict, and too often defeat? How could I preach with sincerity that, to those who receive Jesus, 'to them he gave the power to become the sons of God' (i.e., Godlike) when it was not so in my own experience? ...

I thought that holiness, practical holiness, was to be gradually attained by a diligent use of the means of grace. There was nothing I so much desired as holiness, nothing I so much needed; but far from in any measure attaining it, the more I strove after it, the more it eluded my grasp, until hope itself almost died out ...

All the time I felt assured that there was in Christ all I needed, but the practical question was--how to get it out. He was rich truly, but I was poor; He was strong, but I weak. ... As light gradually dawned, I saw that faith was the only requisite--was the hand to lay hold on His fulness and make it mine. But I had not this faith.

I strove for faith, but it would not come; I tried to exercise it, but in vain. ... Sins committed appeared but as trifles compared with the sin of unbelief which was their cause, which could not or would not take God at His word, but rather made Him a liar! Unbelief was, I felt, the damning sin of the world; yet I indulged in it. I prayed for faith, but it came not. ...

When my agony of soul was at its height, a sentence in a letter [received from a friend] was used to remove the scales from my eyes, and the Spirit of God revealed to me the truth of our oneness with Jesus as I had never known it before. [The friend wrote,] I quote from memory:

'But how to get faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith, but by resting on the Faithful One.'

As I read, I saw it all! 'If we believe not, He abideth faithful.' [2 Tim. 2:13] I looked to Jesus and saw ... that He had said 'I will never leave thee.' [Heb 13:5] ...

I saw not only that Jesus will never leave me, but that I am a member of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. ...

Oh, my dear Sister, it is a wonderful thing to be really one with a risen and exalted Saviour, to be a member of Christ! Think what it involves. Can Christ be rich and I poor? Can your right hand be rich and your left poor? ...

Again, think of its bearing on prayer. Could a bank clerck say to a customer, 'It was only your hand, not you, that wrote that check'; or 'I cannot pay this sum to your hand, but only to yourself''? No more can your prayers or mine be discredited if offered in the name of Jesus ... on the ground that we are His, His members.

The sweetest part ... is the rest which full identification with Christ brings. I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize this; for He, I know, is able to carry out His will, and His will is mine. It makes no matter where He places me, or how. That is rather for him to consider than for me; for in the easiest position He must give me His grace, and in the most difficult His grace is sufficient. ... So, if God should place me in serious perplexity, must He not give me much guidance? in positions of great difficulty, much grace; in circumstances of great pressure and trial, much strength? ... And His resources are mine, for He is mine, and is with me and dwells with me.

... I am no better than before. In a sense, I do not wish to be, nor am I striving to be. But I am dead and buried with Christ -- and risen too! And now Christ lives in me, and 'the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.' ...

truth prevails

2009-04-14T11:51:00.004-04:00

"Faithful Christian, seek the truth; hear the truth; learn the truth; love the truth; speak the truth; adhere to the truth; defend the truth to the death..."

These are the words of John (Jan) Hus, the so-called pre-Reformer, martyred after a life of defending the truth 100 years before Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the door at Wittenburg. Hus was the subject of a lecture given today by Dr. Josef Solc at SEBTS Chapel.

Of Hus, Solc said, "the success in his preaching lay in the fact that John Hus was a sermon before he preached it."

throw him a bone

2009-04-07T08:38:00.012-04:00

After I've had a little time to settle down, I've decided to give Damon Evans (above, left) the benefit of the doubt in his hiring of Mark Fox. Evans is, after all, the Athletics Director at a major university and I'm only ... well, I'm only some guy who likes to think he might know something, but in reality is guessing just like everyone else.

Evans gets paid to make these decisions. I pay to watch his decisions play out on the court.

Initially, I told friends here that it seems to me Georgia was going after an "established" winner from a major basketball power, and we ended up with some schmoe from Nevada who nobody's ever heard of. Who the heck is Mark Fox? (Seriously, I can barely remember if his name is Mike or Mark...)

And while his 123-43 record is pretty impressive, you've got to remember that it came at Nevada, a far cry from the SEC (well, maybe not so far after how poor the Southeastern Conference played this season...).

He did take his team to the Dance three out of five years and has five straight 20-win seasons.

But the big question is, how will that transfer to Georgia, where he's competing with Kentucky, Florida and Tennessee in conference, plus Georgia Tech, Clemson and many others for recruits?

My initial thoughts: It won't transfer. We'll be doing the same search four years down the road.

Part of me wished we kept Jim Harrick and just swept the infamous test scandal and the Tony Cole saga under the rug.

But I've got a new-found hope in my boy Damon Evans. I'm gonna give him credit for what I hope turns out to be a smart and savvy hire, because all signs point to that being exactly what Evans thinks he's done.

He gave Fox a six-year deal with a $2-million buyout - neither commonly done to coaches you expect to be mediocre at best. His deal totals near $8 million, and he gets 75% of that if he's fired without cause. Again, Evans has high expectations that Fox will be around for a while.

The man has interviewed with Cal and Nebraska in the recent past - as in, he's been on the radar screen for big opportunities for a while now. Thankfully (I hope), Georgia got him before someone else did.

He's noted as a workaholic, constantly learning and preparing, expecting his teams to win.

He might not be Anthony Grant (Alabama's new coach via VCU) or Mike Anderson (who re-upped with Mizzou) or Tubby Smith (the one time UGA coach, national title winner with Kentucky and now with Minnesota), but the biggest difference between those three guys and Mark Fox is opportunity. They've had it on a big stage, he hasn't.

Now he's got it.

So, Damon Evans, this is me trusting you. Hope you made the right call.

tourney update

2009-04-02T15:17:00.004-04:00

With the Final Four this weekend I wanted to give a quick update on where Steph and I stand in our head-to-head matchup.

My final four:
Louisville (lost to Michigan State)
Memphis (lost to Missouri)
Syracuse (lost to UNC)
Pittsburgh (lost to Villanova)

Steph's final four:
Michigan State (beat L'ville)
UConn (beat Mizzou)
UNC (beat Syracuse)
Duke (lost to Villanova)

Somehow or another I went from correctly picking 14 of the Sweet 16 to getting exactly ZERO correct in the Final Four. That's right. I'm 0-for-4 (first time in my life!), while my wife, who I think picked by choosing the school's she's simply heard of before, is 3-for-4. This is going to be a long year between now and my chance at redemption in next year's tourney.

tournament time

2009-03-21T19:26:00.003-04:00

So Stephanie and I are having a little head-to-head bracket competition with this year's NCAA tourney and, thankfully, after a horrid day one, I've taken the lead.

It's tough to be a huge sports fan (heck, I majored in "Sport Studies" at UGA...no joke...) and be down to your wife in the bracket. But that's exactly where I stood when I went to sleep after the first day of the tourney.

I spent that evening hearing Steph with excitement proclaim "I voted for them!" each time one of her teams won.

Apparently the NCAA tournament is now a democracy. Who knew?

Somehow or another, though, the tide has turned and she's no longer happy when her team wins; now she's only happy if her team wins and my team loses. So it goes.

But, as I type at 7:32 on Saturday night (UNC 74, LSU 63), I'm 24-for-32 in the first round, with only one team out of the second round and Steph's 23-for-32 in the first with five teams out of the second.

Not trying to brag about beating my wife and all. Or maybe I am.

My ego needs all the help it can get.

----

For what it's worth...

My sweet 16: Louisville, Arizona, Kansas, Mich State, UConn, Purdue, Marquette, Memphis, Pitt, Xavier, Villanova, Duke, UNC, Illinois, Syracuse, Oklahoma.

My Elite Eight: L'ville, Mich State, UConn, Memphis, Pitt, 'Nova, UNC, Syracuse.

My Final Four: L'ville, Memphis, Pitt, 'Cuse.

My Championship Game: Pittsburgh over Memphis.

stanley and vestal on expository preaching

2009-03-12T22:08:00.004-04:00

Once again, I'm straight stealing a blog post. This came off of two posts from my friend David Wilhite. (By the way, his blog is one I highly recommend.)

The first bit is from Andy Stanley in response to a question Ed Stetzer asked in a recent interview. If you don't know him, Stanley is pastor of mega-church North Point Community Church in the north Atlanta suburbs. I've been there a couple times. It's huge. He's a great communicator, but his comments below confirmed my suspicions...

----

Stetzer: What do you think about preaching verse-by-verse messages through books of the Bible?

Stanley: "Guys that preach verse-by-verse through books of the Bible--that is just cheating. It's cheating because that would be easy, first of all. That isn't how you grow people. No one in the Scripture modeled that. There's not one example of that.

All Scripture is equally inspired, but not all Scripture is equally applicable or relevant to every stage of life. My challenge is to read culture and to read an audience and ask: What is the felt need? Or perhaps what is more important, what is an unfelt need they need to feel that I can address? Because if they don't feel it, then they won't address it."

-----

Today, Wilhite posted a response to his intial post that he got from another friend of mine, Michael Vestal. Its a little lengthy, but I thought it was very insightful and worth a read. Here's what Michael said:

"I think it is a subtly self-centered or man-centered basis that leads us to despise exegetical preaching. If we believe the task is to 'read the times' and then apply an appropriate answer from the whole scope Scripture, we must believe that the fundamental need lies in a smart use of Scripture. We've assumed a role that's not ours; we've assumed we have something to offer, something to say. (And sometimes there might be good reason for that approach - in writing a book, in giving a specific seminar, teaching a class, or just in discussion with friends, etc.)

But if this approach is taken in the time slot traditionally assigned to 'preaching the Word' then we forfeit (at least one opportunity for) what we need most of all: to hear from God Himself. Do we trust in our own insight and resourceful citing of Scripture (almost as a tool to support our message)? Or do we believe, whatever our current situations might be, that what we need more than anything else is to see and treasure Christ? If we're trusting in Him - not in ourselves, at some level - then we'll want to hear His Word, to get on His 'agenda,' to absorb His perspective, even if to do that I am required to put my personal issues on the back-burner and trust that He cares for me.

I would not think that a strictly verse-by-verse approach is always necessarily called for. Of course, some consideration for the particular audience and thoughtful selection of the Word is required - essentially the same reasons that we have services in English instead of Latin or Greek or Hebrew. So, I definitely think that pastors must thoughtfully consider their congregation's particular need and should responsibly seek to bring the Word to them.

And I would be very comfortable giving Andy Stanley the benefit of the doubt - that he's doing just that. But underneath whatever particular approach we take there should be a fundamental trust in God's Word, not our own. Our mentality should be that people need to hear from God - and not necessarily on the topics they would choose - or that we would choose for them. In some respects, the very thing we need is to be removed from our own perspective, to be immersed in a Biblical perspective. Then, when we return to the everyday practical concerns, we'll see them more accurately. And we'll have a high view of Christ's glory, and if we embrace Him, we'll have what we essentially need in any setting.

Consider what Dietrich Bonhoeffer says about reading the Psalms: 'We also ought not to select Psalms at our own discretion, thinking that we know better what we ought to pray than does God himself. To do that is to dishonor the prayer-book of the Bible' (Psalms, p.26)."

censorship in the 21st century

2009-03-10T08:11:00.003-04:00

Apparently, according to WND, Wikipedia doesn't allow anything negative to go on Barack Obama's page on the online "encyclopedia", even if it's something that's been published in reputable sources.

Still think Wikipedia's legit?

(HT: Tim Challies)

Sexting and Abuse in Teen Relationships

2009-03-06T11:56:00.003-05:00

I've got two separate topics today that I'm going to deal with together because they both should give us great concern for our teens and the direction in which our culture is heading.

Post #1:

Teenage "Sexting" Statistics are Alarming.

I checked this out after seeing a spot on the "Today" show this morning discussing an 18-year-old girl who committed suicide after a nude photo she sent by cell phone to her boyfriend was forwarded to dozens of people after they broke up.

These numbers blew my mind:

Percent of teens who have sent or posted nude or semi-nude pics of themselves:

20% of teens overall
22% of teen girls
18% of teen boys
11% of teen girls, age 13-16

Percent of teens sending or posting sexually suggestive messages:

39% of teens overall
37% of teen girls
40% of teen boys

15% of those who sent pictures did so to someone they knew only from online.

21% of teen girls and 39% of teen boys send these messages to someone they simply want to hook-up with.

36% of teen girls and 39% of teen boys say it is common for these photos to get shared with people other than the recipient.

12% of teen girls report feeling pressured to send this type of content.

The numbers are very alarming. As I said earlier, at least one suicide has been linked to this messaging, after the breakup of the relationship found the pics distributed freely. More frequently, teens can face felony child pornography charges due to spreading these photos.

There are so many layers to this societal problem that I'm not sure that I could unpack them all. It's easy for me, a 26-year-old with no children, to blast parents for not being involved enough to know what's going on when I don't have kids of my own and have no way to know what raising teenagers in today's society is like. But something's going on here that must be discussed. For some reason we've got a generation of girls and boys who want to be adults, who want to "feel sexy" and who morally have no reason not to attempt to act on these desires.

In a world whose standard of right and wrong is now determined only by causing harm to another, teen sexting then only seems like a "no harm, no foul" issue to these teenagers.

And speaking of this standard of right and wrong...

Post #2:

Some Teens Say Dating Violence is Normal.

In the wake of the Chris Brown/Rihanna abuse case, more and more is coming out about teenagers' view of violence in dating relationships.

I read this story (from the Chicago Tribune) in yesterday's Raleigh News and Observer. Listen to these teenagers own words about this type of violence:

"People said, 'I would have punched her too!'" one girl said. "And these were girls!"

"She probably did something to provoke it!"

"There was a girl this week at school with a scratch on her eye," another girl said. "She was talking openly about her boyfriend hitting her, but she was smiling and saying it was funny."

The numbers say 1 in 10 teens experience such abuse, and females age 16-24 are the most likely to experience violence in romantic relationships.

Again, I'll leave it to you mostly to draw conclusions. But, as I told my wife last night, what can we expect in a society where there is no standard right and wrong. If I'm okay with it after you hit me, then it's okay for you to hit me.

Moreover, in a culture that is rapidly losing it's distinction between males and females, it only follows that it becomes increasingly acceptable for men (and boys) to abuse women (and girls). I was raised in a home where hitting a girl was more or less a capital offense. Sadly, those types of homes today seem fewer and farther between.

All in all, the church has to do something. From calling on fathers and mothers to shepherd their children carefully through our dangerous culture to youth pastors and pastors engaging the church with stories like these. If the numbers for so many areas of life are virtually the same in the church and outside of the church (e.g., divorce, etc), we'd be naive to think these two issues are any different. As SEBTS President Danny Akin says, for ministers not to engage churches over this would be ministerial malpractice.

cleaning the inside of the cup

2009-03-04T09:39:00.003-05:00

Jesus has seven "Woe's" that he pronounces on the religious leaders of his day recorded in Matthew 23:13-36. It's easy for me to read these on cruise control, smugly thinking to myself that I'm glad I'm not like those Pharisees.

Only, after further inspection, the comparison isn't as far-fetched as I'd like it to be.

So here's the brief version of the Woe's, with one question for each that I asked myself this morning:
____________________
1. You shut the Kingdom of heaven in people's faces, neither entering yourself, nor allowing others who would to enter.

Q: Am I bringing others with me into the Kingdom of heaven, by grace alone through faith alone?

2. You travel abroad to make a single convert and when you do, you make him twice as much a child of hell as you are.

Q: Realizing that my practices are multiplied into those I lead spiritually, is my life following in line with Scripture or with mere tradition? Have I examined it carefully?

3. You say it's more important to make an oath by the gold of the temple or by the gift on the altar than by the temple or the altar itself.
[Christ is calling out the Pharisees as "blind" and "fools" b/c they neither see nor understand that God calls for utter faithfulness to Him that is not dependent on nuances of words.]

Q: Am I walking in faithfulness to God's word or am I trying to find loopholes and ways around wholehearted obedience?

4. You tithe mint, dill and cumin and neglect the more important things of justice, mercy and faithfulness - which you should do without neglecting the other.

Q: Am I following the "weighter matters" of the law, even when it goes unnoticed, while still obeying the more noticeable commands, or am I only doing what will be seen by others?

5. You clean the outside of the cup but the inside is still full of greed and self-indulgence.

Q: Am I concentrating on my outward appearance of righteousness for the approval of others or am I focusing on the inward and true righteousness of faith in Christ and obedience from the heart, even when unseen by man?

6. You are whitewashed tombs - you appear beautiful on the outside but are dead on the inside, you appear righteous but are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Q: Am I seeking conformity to the law of Christ or merely giving lipservice and ultimately following my own law?

7. You build the tombs of the prophets saying "if I lived in the days of my fathers I wouldn't have murdered these prophets" -- and in your lives you show that your are the murderers sons.
[By only outwardly honoring the prophets but not following what the prophets preached, they show that they do not honor them from their hearts.]

Q: Am I honoring Christ with my life - day in, day out; seen or unseen - or just with my words and outward appearances towards others?

be a Caleb

2009-03-02T07:25:00.005-05:00

I read Numbers 13-14 this morning and wanted to say a quick thanks to some people out there.

I've had a handful of people in my life be Caleb to me. Like Caleb, who was among the spies to go check out the Promised Land and then urged the people to follow God faithfully in the face of seemingly overwhelming opposition, these people - in Athens, Dahlonega and now in Wake Forest - encourage me to keep trusting, keep following, and keep seeking to obey God's voice.

In my estimation, I can think of no higher way to love a fellow Christian.

In times of great need - when I felt ready to "throw in the towel" - and in the day-to-day walking with God, these people have been there. Standing beside me. Walking with me. Encouraging me, at times with urgency, to go into the Promised Land of trusting in God's word.

I'm thankful for you guys. You make me want to be a Caleb as well.

Government-Approved Prayer

2009-02-27T08:05:00.004-05:00

Al Mohler offers his thoughts on President Obama's troubling practice of vetting prayers before public events in order to avoid any controversy due to ministers using the name "Jesus."

In my opinion, these sorts of things are troubling certainly, but probably point at worse things to come...

Hello, I'm Johnny Cash...

2009-02-26T12:57:00.004-05:00

Side Note: This is more or less a shameless reposting of a blog from another site, as listed below. It's worth a look though... For anything coming from my own pea-brain, see my other post from today below...

You need to go to Justin Taylor's blog and check out his stuff on Johnny Cash today, what would've been Cash's 77th birthday. I've put a good bit of it below, but the whole deal is here (JT has links to more stuff on Cash).

First, Mars Hill Church's video bio on Johnny Cash:

From Russell Moore's essay on Cash:

"Johnny Cash is dead, and there will never be another. But all around us there are empires of dirt, and billions of self-styled emperors marching toward judgment.

Perhaps if Christian churches modeled themselves more after Johnny Cash, and less after perky Christian celebrities such as Kathy Lee Gifford, we might find ourselves resonating more with the MTV generation. Maybe if we stopped trying to be “cool,” and stopped hiring youth ministers who are little more than goateed game-show hosts, we might find a way to connect with a generation that understands pain and death more than we think.

Perhaps if we paid more attention to the dark side of life, a dark side addressed in divine revelation, we might find ourselves appealing to men and women in black. We might connect with men and women who know what it’s like to feel like fugitives from justice, even if they’ve never been to jail. We might offer them an authentic warning about what will happen when the Man comes around.

And, as we do this, we just might hear somewhere up in the cloud of witnesses a voice that once cried in the wilderness: 'Hello, I’m Johnny Cash.' "

____________

And, finally, two videos: "Redemption" and his last video, "Hurt"

applying Romans 1:18-32

2009-02-26T07:50:00.005-05:00

One of the things that is easy for me not to do while reading through the Bible (as opposed to studying smaller passages) is think through ways of applying the scripture to my life. If I'm honest, there have been several days when I've closed my Bible and went on without letting it engage my mind and my life. And today that was the temptation.

So the challenge for me today - and everyday - is to apply the passage. The goal is life change, and that does not happen without seeking to put what I read into practice.

A couple days ahead in my reading plan, today one of the passages I read was the second half of Romans 1, where Paul describes the "unrighteous" who continue to "exchange the truth about God for a lie and worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator..."

And my question, How does this - with no clear, practical exhortations - apply to my life today?

I thought of a few places, but I want to share one.

The thing for me this morning was realizing that what is going on in this passage is so evil and debase that it is bringing about the wrath of God. And what is going on here? Idolatry, sexual perversions, covetousness, malice, envy, murder, strife, deceit, gossip, slander, haters of God, insolence, pride, folly, heartlessness, and ruthlessness.

That list comprises the bulk of cinema and television plot lines. It is the majority of what we see on the front pages of the magazines in the checkout lines at Wal Mart. What is going on here is what Hollywood and mainstream America feeds on for entertainment's sake.

One application of Romans 1:18-32 for me is this: Do not glory in what God hates. As I think about the movies I like (or don't really like but still laugh at and enjoy briefly), all too often they are promoting and lifting up things on account of which the wrath of God is coming to the world. How can I honor those things? I can't. Philippians 4 calls me to think on the things that are pure and worthy and honorable, and the things that bring about the applause of the masses and that are marketed to me by the world are not usually those things.

I am not going so far as to say don't watch movies or don't watch TV or don't listen to music or don't read magazines, I am saying that I need to do so more discerningly.

I've been reading through Jonathan Edwards' The End for which God Created the World recently and one quotation that stood out to me earlier applies here:

"The applause of the multitude very frequently is not founded on any just view of things, but on humour, mistake, folly and unreasonable affections. Such applause deserves to be disregarded."

Lane Kiffin

2009-02-23T12:19:00.004-05:00

Ok, Ok, one more quick link. This one is HILARIOUS. If you follow the SEC, then you know about Lame Kitten's tendency to stick his foot in his mouth. (Which is great, b/c the guy's been at UT a month and at this rate he'll be fired for saying something obscenely stupid by mid-July...)

Anywho, here's a link from Third Saturday in Blogtober with a fictional meeting between Kiffin and UT's AD, Mike Hamilton. ... Genius ...

Kurkjian & Stark on Chipper and the Braves

2009-02-23T07:43:00.003-05:00

The Worldwide Leader has two good spots on the Braves right now worth checking out. The pieces are the usual, looking at the past success of the Braves and comparing it to what's going on in Atlanta today. This practice, I imagine, will continue until Cox, Chipper and Glavine head outta town (5 years more years for Chip?).

Anywho, here's the links:

Jayson Stark on Atlanta's starting pitching, yesterday and today. Well worth the read for the Braves fan. Stark's thoughts (one year after he predicted the team to win the World Series): "This could be a team capable of a big turnaround."

Tim Kurkjian on Chipper Jones, making him out to be Chingaachgook, the Last of the Mohicans. Chipper gives his take on finishing his career with the Braves, winning the batting title, playing in the WBC, as well as, briefly, on steroids & A-Rod, saying "I think A-Rod, with or without steroids, is a Hall of Famer. Same as Barry Bonds." Interesting, Chipper.

(1) Obama, (2) Jesus

2009-02-20T17:23:00.004-05:00

So a poll came out today from Harris Interactive of who Americans view as heroes. I'll give you a hint, the title to this blog wasn't something I came up with...it's how America ranked 'em. True story.

As far as commentary is concerned, all I'll say regarding the order of the first two spots is this: I'm excited (honestly) about Barack Obama's presidency. This really is an historic moment for our nation. Do not read this post as a knock on this event for our country. This poll just underscores the increasing secularization of our society and the overwhelming need for gracious biblical proclamation and teaching to take place.

Here's the top 15:

1. Barack Obama
2. Jesus
3. Martin Luther King, Jr.
4. Ronald Reagan
5. George W. Bush
6. Abraham Lincoln
7. John McCain
8. John F. Kennedy
9. Chesley Sullenberger (pilot that landed the US Airways flight in the Hudson R.)
10. Mother Teresa
11. God
12. Hillary Clinton
13. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
13. Billy Graham
15. Mahatma Ghandi

A few observations:

-Interestingly, God made the list twice. God the Son came in at number 2 and God the Father (at least I'm assuming that's who they're referring to) came in at number 11. I'm trying to find the positives here, people.

-While John McCain lost to number 1, Barack Obama, in the elections, maybe it's comforting for him to know that he could've beaten John F. Kennedy, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and George Washington (who came in tied for number 16), three of America's most prolific and influential presidents.

-Somehow, America's least popular president ever (depending on which media source you listen to), George W. Bush, made the top 5. Maybe the guy wasn't viewed as so bad after all, ey?

One more thing:

As for reasons given to call someone a "hero", the number one answer given (89%) was this: "Doing what is right regardless of personal consequences."

Isn't this a funny answer coming from our relativistic, "what's right for you isn't right for me" society? Maybe there is an embedded sense of right and wrong after all...

statistical shift in the NBA

2009-02-14T12:59:00.002-05:00

Just got finished reading one of the most fascinating articles I've read in quite some time. The NY Times story is about NBA player Shane Battier (formerly of Duke and now playing with the Houston Rockets) and how the Rockets management is now crunching stats in the same way that much of baseball (famously, Theo Epstein) does.

Eye-opening in this piece are the stats of Kobe Bryant, whom Battier has famously kept off-balance in their last few encounters. For instance, how 'bout this: "Since the 2002-03 season, Bryant has taken 51 3-pointers at the very end of close games from farther than 26.75 feet from the basket. He had missed 86.3 percent of them."

And, in this number-crunching manner, Shane Battier, averaging a meager 6.1 points per game this year, is one of the best players in the NBA. Seriously.

For sports fans, this is a must read. I kid you not, 10 years from now the basketball landscape will look much like baseball statistically-speaking, affecting not only how games are analyzed, but how teams are built and trades are made.

kohls

2009-02-13T08:30:00.004-05:00

So I guess because my diverse readership hails from around the globe (or, uh, around the I-85 corridor between Atlanta and Raleigh), I at least ought to use the medium to provide occassional updates on the Life of Steph and Bert in addition to my rantings about sports, politics and Christianity. So here goes...

So I had an interview with Kohls yesterday, and for those of you praying for my job hunt I ask that you keep doing so. I should find out something soon (within the next week) about this one.

It was a weird interview. They're opening a new store in the WF (that is, Wake Forest... is this town hip enough to call "the WF"?) and are hiring about 130 part time employees to run it. Apparently that's the way to go these days - staff everything with part-timers. Good for the store, bad for many of the workers, but so it goes. Kinda makes me think of this cartoon I saw on Wilhite's blog: (click on it to enlarge)

That cartoon was originally published fifteen years ago, by the way...

Gotta love Calvin and Hobbes. If I could, I'd keep a book of them by the toilet along with my handheld Yahtzee game and Golf Digest magazines. (Steph's not going to like me revealing my man-throne secret stash on the internet...)

I wonder if they'll have a Calvin and Hobbes book in the Kohls employees' bathroom?

Anywho, the interview was a group one (to speed up the process for them of interviewing 1000, literally, candidates) and so I was sitting around a conference table with 11 other folks as the interviewer asked five questions to each of us. Afterwards, he had to go "check to make sure all the forms were filled out correctly", and the " " marks aren't there to signify a direct quotation. He actually came back and asked for me and two others to stay behind because we "didn't fill the forms out correctly", he ushered the others out of the room and shut the door to inform us that we've made the cut. Whew.

I felt like I was auditioning for American Idol...only this guy wasn't Simon Cowell and (thankfully) I didn't have to sing. Which, if I did, I would find myself on one of those first few shows where they make people look like fools.

So anyway, apparently I'm going to find out soon if I get another interview after I filled out a few more forms yesterday behind closed doors. Hopefully though they'll be more honest throughout the rest of the process...

So there it is. If you're of the praying sort, pray that I am gainfully employed soon.

And while you're at it, send up a little prayer for a Calvin and Hobbes book to be in the employee bathroom.

great interview to read

2009-02-11T21:41:00.004-05:00

C.J. Mahaney recently did a GREAT interview with John Piper (that I think was a form he filled out...see response to "What do you do for leisure time?" Kinda funny...).

Here's one blurb:

CJ: "What single bit of counsel has made the most significant difference in your effective use of time?"

Piper: "A great tree will fall with many small chops. Pray daily for grace to keep chopping."

Take five minutes, read the interview and be encouraged.

(HT: Justin Taylor)

three messages

2009-02-06T09:09:00.008-05:00

Note: I attempted to put up the below post on Friday. I tried unsuccessfully for quite some time to get the video messages referenced below to stream directly on the blog from the SEBTS website. Sorry for the inconvience of having to use *gasp* a link! Also, I'll drop some thoughts from the recent conference with Driscoll, Mahaney and Akin soon.

We have Chapel twice per week here at Southeastern Seminary, and so far this semester it has not disappointed. Thursday, Mark Driscoll gave an excellent sermon on the differences between "Religion" and the Gospel, and the other three chapel services (preached by Daniel Akin, David Nelson and Jimmy Scroggins, respectively) were equally compelling. You can go to the SEBTS chapel website, click on the message you want, and either watch it online or download the audio version.

Here's three quick blurbs on the first three chapel messages:

SEBTS President Danny Akin's message - "Passing on God's Truth" - was a very strong message from 2 Timothy 2 about this generations call to pass off the baton to the next generation. Included is a passionate and thought-provoking call to consider world missions. This is a highly recommended way to spend 30 minutes...

David Nelson (Dean of Faculty, SEBTS) followed up Akin's call to follow the Great Commission by clarifying what exactly the Great Commission is. "What we mean by the Great Commission" is a great exposition of Matthew 28:16-20, especially for those of us (like me) who struggle with doubt.

And finally, Jimmy Scroggin (pastor of First Baptist, West Palm Beach, FL) gave a message centered around the struggle with pride that many serving in ministry roles face. While the message is application-centered towards seminary students or those in "full-time ministry," the principles in "A Warning to Young Men in Ministry" are valid and meaningful for everyone. A great message from a great preacher...

heads up...

2009-02-02T18:27:00.002-05:00

just a tip...there's a free shipping deal going on right now at Monergism Books, if you put in a code you can find on Challies.com...

it's under a post from 2/2.

things said...

2009-01-30T10:06:00.008-05:00

Three things I heard this week...

"You won't lose anything worth having walking within God's boundaries."
-Dr. Hammett on Psalm 84:11

"Being a soldier in Christ's army is no place for sissies; it is no place for wimps."
-Dr. Daniel Akin at Spring Convocation, January 27, 2009.

"Jesus is not saying that 'you ought to be witnesses', but that 'you, by the fact that you bear My name, are My witnesses.'"
-Dr. Beck on Acts 1:8

Redeeming Movies

2009-01-28T07:31:00.003-05:00

Christianity Today's top ten (plus a few) "Most Redeeming Films of 2008."

It's worth checking out... As for me and my wife, it may be a guide to our next few rentals...

(HT: Justin Taylor)

Many convert to 'The Way'; Barnabas leaves

2009-01-22T16:23:00.006-05:00

Maybe that was the news headline the day Barnabas walked away from Antioch.

Who knows? But can you imagine what this new, groundbreaking church must have been thinking when Barnabas walked away?

Let me set the scene. We're about a third of the way through the book of Acts and the church is still almost entirely Jewish. In fact, as Acts 11:19 informs us, the Christians outside of Jerusalem were "speaking the word to no one except the Jews." But that's about to change. At Antioch, we're about to see the real beginning of the Gospel finally going to the ends of the earth - to Jew and to Gentile. So (in Acts 11:20) when some Christians get together and share the message of Christ with some Gentiles here in Antioch, and "a great number" (11:21) of the Gentiles respond in faith, this is a watershed moment in the history of the Church.

(Interesting side note here: those preaching the gospel to the Gentiles in this passage go unnamed. How many times does that happen in the book of Acts? It seems that just some average Joe's head out to follow Christ's call to seek and save the lost ... interesting concept ...)

This mass conversion is so unprecedented that the news is heard a few hundred miles away in Jerusalem. So the big-wigs in Jerusalem send one of their own, Barnabas the encourager, up to Antioch to see what's going on and to help out.

This must've come as welcome news to the young church in Antioch. Now they'd have someone to help them grow. But, to their surprise I'm sure, Barnabas gets there, sees this growing and paradigm-shifting church, and walks away.

What would compel him to leave a place where God was doing so much work?

Simple, a rough-edged young convert named Saul.

Barnabas walked away from Antioch and the opportunity for instant successful ministry, seemingly trading the masses for a man. He left, traveling on another long journey, to head "to Tarsus to look for Saul" (11:25).

Ultimately, Barnabas and Saul return to Antioch and eventually are sent from there on their first missionary journey. Out of this movement, much of the New Testament was written, much of Europe and Asia-Minor was won to Christ, and historically the world has never been the same.

What's interesting for me to see, though, is Barnabas' willingness to leave this growing church for one man. Yes, Barnabas knew he would return. (Although I'm not convinced he knew for certain he'd find Saul and return with him.) But traveling took so long in those days and while he was gone he was missing crucial ministry time. He was leaving the mission to which he specifically was appointed!

Yet Barnabas believed in the importance of the man, he believed in the idea of bringing others with you into the labor and thus training and developing other leaders for the work of ministry.

Barnabas saw the best way to reach the world in developing one man.

How many of us would turn away from an opportunity for instant "successful" ministry in order to do what it takes to bring a rough-edged young believer into that work with us? How many of us see reaching the world through impacting one man at a time?

Barnabas did. And he must've left a profound imprint on Paul, who did the same thing later (2 Cor 2:12-13).

More importantly, Christ did. The more I read it, the more it seems all his time in the masses was aimed at developing the men around him, specifically Peter, James and John.

Would I do the same? Would you?

waking up to snow

2009-01-20T07:09:00.004-05:00

So I went to the grocery store yesterday, good husband that I am, before Stephanie got back from her weekend trip so she wouldn't have to go later. Little did I know that I would be in the middle of the southern ritual of ambushing the bread and milk aisle before a little of the white stuff fell out of the sky... To my shock and utter disappointment, one hour later (yes, one HOUR) I was finally able to make it out of Lowe's Foods (this was after a failed attempt to land a parking spot at Wal-Mart...you think that would've clued me in that more people than usual we going out for their MLK-day shopping spree) only to find out when I got back to the apartment that snow was on the way. At least that explained the crowds...sort of... But why anyone in the south actually thinks he is going to be snowed in is beyond me.

The good news: I don't have to go to Greek class at 8:00am. The bad news: It was only pushed back to 10:00... So it goes...

So, here it is, as of 7:00 am this morning, Flaherty Farms under a blanket of snow, with more forecast to come during the rest of the morning and perhaps into the afternoon.

Behold the Man!

2009-01-17T15:10:00.012-05:00

O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
and speaks truth in his heart;
who does not slander with his tongue
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
but who honors those who fear the LORD;
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
who does not put out his money at interest
and does not take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things shall never be moved.

Psalm 15 (ESV)

The more I think about it, the more I think King David's question should be the question asked by all who say they love God.

To dwell with God is to reach the end for which we were created. It was the joy of Adam in the garden. It was the hope of the men and women of faith, as shown in Hebrews 11, the men and women who longed for "a better country, that is, a heavenly one." It is the hope still of all the saints yearning for heaven, where it will be proclaimed, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

But what's interesting is David's answer to his own question. For most of us, we have the Sunday School answer ready. "Who can dwell with God? The one believes in Jesus can dwell with God." True. This is true. But this isn't David's answer. David didn't explicitly call for a faith looking to the Messiah or a faith in God the Father to save, but he instead describes a man with a transformed heart.

This is the man who stands before God -- the man whose heart has been transformed by God. This is not a list for us to check off, but a list at which we can aim, through which we can pray and from which we should long to be changed. I long to be this man. To do what is right and walk blamelessly; to guard my tongue from slander and do no evil, to keep short accounts and commit no wrong against my friends. To see the sin and sorrow of the godless and hate it instead harboring this secret longing in my heart to live their life. To give freely and justly and to seek the good of the innocent, the lowly, the weak.

I want to be this man... But when I look at my life, I know I am not. When I look at this list as the answer to the question, "Who can dwell with God?", I must ask myself, "How can someone like me ever hope to stand before the Almighty God?"

And so one of the reasons that I praise Christ is that He is this man. He was "in every respect ... tempted as we are, yet without sin." And through Christ's death, I have hope to dwell before God. "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God." (1 Peter 3:18). This is why Christ lived and died - that someone like me may dwell with God. As the writer of Hebrews states, "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." (Heb 10:19-22).

And so, by faith in Christ, who was this man, I am being transformed more and more, bit by bit, into this man. This is the paradox of the Christian life. Because Christ is this man, I am this man -- There's a definition of grace! -- by virtue of my union with Christ through faith. But I know in my flesh I am not this man. I long to be this man to honor The Father, my Father. His grace sees me as this man in Christ -- so I too shall never be moved -- and His loving Spirit compels me to live now as this man in abiding in Christ.

I want to be this man and dwell with God. Christ is this man, Christ is God, and Christ dwells with me, enabling me to be this man. Now may I (and you) live accordingly...

Say it ain't so...

2009-01-13T11:27:00.003-05:00

HT: AJC Sports.

the day the Braves died.

2009-01-09T11:13:00.008-05:00

It's something sad and shocking enough that Don McLean could write a song about.

I cannot remember when I started watching the Braves. That is to say, I cannot remember life without watching the Braves. But as long as I have watched my beloved team, I have watched John Smoltz.

I was 4 and a half years old when Smoltzie was traded to the Braves from Detroit. I was 5 and a half when he made his Major League debut in August of 1988. I do not remember either of these events. All I have ever known, to this point, is John Smoltz is a Brave.

Today -- the day the Braves died -- I am 26. After more than two decades of wearing the Tomahawk, John Smoltz is gone.

I'm not trying to sound like John Smotlz is dead. He's not. (Though it's probably just short of that shocking for me.) He's just a Red Sock (or is it, "a Red Sox"?).

Initially, when I first heard the report yesterday, he was dead to me. But now, after the fact has rolled around in my stomach like a bad burrito, more and more the Braves are dying to me. (They're not dead to me yet...they're just on life support. Or, to mix metaphors, the way I see it is that being a fan is akin to being married. It is for better or for worse. Me and the Braves, we'll be alright. This is just part of "the worse.")

Do I blame John Smoltz for leaving the only Major League club he's ever known? No. Not one bit. Quite simply, I blame Frank Wren - a good GM in my book (see below). But he royally screwed up in this one.

In any normal situation, I say let someone else gamble (to steal Chipper's word) on a worn-out arm. But this isn't any normal situation. This is the face of your franchise. This is a man with an exceptional history in rebounding when he's down. This is an athlete known as one of the most competitive men on your team and one of the greatest leaders in your locker room. This is a pitcher who is an invaluable resource for your young pitchers (à la, Jair Jurrjens). This is a man - if there ever was one - deserving of a farewell tour. And this is a pitcher fully capable of winning 12-15 games (or saving 25-35) for your team in the process. (A team in deep need of pitching, I might add.)

But Frank Wren and the Braves passed on all this over a paltry $3 million. For a team with (reportedly) $25-$30 million left to spend in a tumultuous offseason of failed signings, this is an absolutely unacceptable and completely avoidable development.

But the Braves went in another direction, either due to botching another negotiation by assuming that Smoltz would automatically re-sign with the only team he's ever known (in which case, Wren is no longer a "good" GM in my book) or due to making a conscious decision to move on (which is a poor decision in my book and a slap in the face to one of the greatest players in your team's history - both also, potentially, demoting Wren's status in my book).

So, for this fan, the blog has been changed to black for my mourning process; Frank Wren is now in a probationary period regarding my support; I will still continue to cheer for my favorite Brave, even while he is in Boston; and I will still continue to back the Braves, even after 'the Day the Braves died.'

___________________________

not checking off the Bible in 2009

2009-01-03T09:41:00.007-05:00

As has been my custom for the past several years I am embarking on a quest to read through the entire Bible in this calendar year. After a successful 2005 I vowed to continue to practice this discipline yearly, the goal being to do so as long as I walk the earth. A pretty intense goal, yes, but hey - it's got all the marks of a "good" goal. It seemed attainable (I had just completed it, why not continue!), it had a set duration (every single year of my life!) and I knew in a good way it would stretch me and my commitment to the word of God.

Since 2005 I'm Oh-for-3.

So, batting .250 and still swinging away, I'm starting again on the Discipleship Journal one-year reading plan.

Over the course of my attempts at this in the past, there have been stretches of great insight and depth and worship and adoration of the God who gave us His very word, and there have been times (often, I confess) of quick reading and checking off a line on a list. There have been times of satisfaction from feasting on the Bread of Life; there have also been times of the momentary satsifaction of seeing all (or many, or some) of the little boxes checked off.

What have I learned? I've learned that despite all that, I still believe that reading through the Bible regularly is a good discipline, one that is honoring to God and one that is fruitful for the reader. I've learned that I don't need to stop a good practice because my motives aren't always right, but instead I need to seek God's face in repentance over bad motives and pray for the grace to move forward with godly motives.

And from the good times I've learned that reading God's word prayerfully and thoughtfully is a feast for the soul.

So I'm moving forward again this year, not to check off the Bible as if it were merely "empty words," but to see it as my "very life." (Deut 32:47)

How do we read the Word of God in this way? How do we do this when, for example, we're reading four chapters of Leviticus, a Psalm, and a handful of verses from a Gospel and the book of Acts? Let me offer a few humble suggestions from my limited experience.

First, read the Bible with questions in mind. Questions I like to ask the text (even Leviticus!) are like this: "How does this passage point me to Christ and the gospel?" "What trait would God have me 'put off' and what would He have me 'put on' as revealed in this passage?" (See Eph 4:20-24) I cannot express how helpful this has been to me while reading longer passages of scripture. Instead of a story about a man, his boat and a huge flood, I'm seeing how seriously God takes sin, how intent He is in punishing it and how He graciously gives salvation to His people. I'm seeing how Christ is the ark by which we are saved from the penalty for sin.

Second, read the Bible while remaining in a spirit of prayer. Talk with God about the text through which He is talking to you! Jude writes, "But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith [which is what we do reading the word of God] and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life" (Jude 20-21). I am not perfect at this, nor is there some magic spell that if we speak it will automatically bring us rich and full times of reflection every time we open the Bible. But we come to the Bible to meet with God, and we are dependent on God for that. Ask Him for it, interact with God over His word to you and pray continually, keeping yourself in an attitude of humble submission.

Third, and finally, actively remember that these are words of God for the glory of God. The bible is the very word of God - the same God who created everything (everything!) we see, taste, touch and feel (and more!) by His very word! I say "actively remember" because remembering this does not come without concious effort. But remember it we must. His words are powerful, they are life-giving, they reveal the God who called you, saved you, adopted you and loves you.
And His word does this for the sake of His name and for His glory. The word of God is not primarily "a roadmap for life." It is primarily the revelation of God in order that His people might know Him, love him and be transformed into His image "from one degree of glory to another." (2 Cor 3:18)

So, let us read the word. Let us ask questions and engage the text prayerfully and with humility. "For it is no empty word for you, but your very life..."

Augustine on God

2008-09-24T07:00:00.003-04:00

"You, my God, are supreme, utmost in goodness, mightiest and all powerful, most merciful and most just.... You are unchangeable and yet you change all things. You are never new, never old, and yet all things have new life from you. You're ever active, yet always at rest. You gather all things to yourself, though you suffer no need. You support, you fill, and you protect all things. You create them, nourish them, and bring them to perfection. You seek to make them your own, though you lack for nothing. You love your creatures, but with a gentle love. You treasure them, but without apprehension. You can be angry and yet serene. Your works are varied, but your purpose is one and the same.... You are my God, my life, my holy delight, but is this enough to say of you? Can any man say enough when he speaks of you? Yet woe betide those who are silent about you! For even those who are most gifted with speech cannot find words to describe you."

Confessions, 1.4

The 10 Spot: Ten Thoughts on the Weekend that was...

2008-09-14T17:56:00.004-04:00

1. USC is really, really good. This might be the best team in the Pete Carroll era in Los Angeles. Mark it down. They're deep. They're fast. They're athletic. They're smart. I'm not saying the Trojans are a lock for the National Championship, but I am saying they are a lock to be there barring a rash of injuries.

2. Ohio State will lose two, maybe even three, more games. You can mark that down. They have been exposed, yet again. Only (thankfully) this time it came before the Big Game.

3. The Sweater (Jim Tressel) has to be kicking himself for letting Beanie Wells get hurt. But he shouldn't kick himself too much. Even with Wells, OSU would've only scored one more touchdown.

4. There is now a Quarterback controversy in Columbus.

5. Georgia Tech is better than I thought they'd be. They could've beaten Va Tech, and they still have a chance to be in the mix for the ACC title.

6. Why can't Georgia ever whip the Gamecocks? Without some timely Defense, Georgia would be on the outside looking in at their National Title hopes, and it's only week three. Steve Spurrier must have some spies in Athens. That's the only way I can figure that he always has our number. UGA AD Damon Evans needs to start playing Joseph McCarthy and start a "Committee on Un-UGA Activities" in Athens.

7. Expect a beat down next week in Tempe. After slipping twice now in the polls despite having a 3-0 record, Georgia's got a chip on their shoulder that might be that extra push to get them to the next level.

8. Don't expect the Sun Devils tuck tail and run though. This will be the second-straight week that the Bulldogs are facing an opponent a week after they were upset: South Carolina was upset by Vandy in week 2 and A.State by UNLV this week. What does this mean? Georgia's opponents are coming in with something to prove. What else does it mean? Simply this: Bad Timing for Georgia. With both South Carolina and Arizona State we've got the same scenario: Win, and you get nothing because you were supposed to win - everyone looks at the previous week and sees the glaring loss (to Vandy or UNLV, respectively) and thinks the Dogs' opponents are weaker than they are in reality. Lose, and well, your season's over. It's really a no win. So Arizona State's gonna put up a good fight. But watch out for a beat down. It could get ugly.

9. The commentators at the end of the UGA-USC game were exactly right: this is the kind of victories a team's got to have to be a championship team. If you can win on your worst day, you've got a quality team.

10. ESPN has annointed USC, Oklahoma and Missouri as the "Big Three" in college football for this season. Not one SEC team in their short list. I find it interesting that the best conference in the land doesn't get a nod for having a top team. Thus, the curse of the SEC. The best teams in the country play in the same conference and beat up (literally) on each other, week in and week out. So good that they play themselves out of the top-teir talk. Fortunately though, that's all it is: talk. At the end of the day, the last man standing in this league legitimately has claim to at least a spot in the National Title game. Everybody knows it. So let the talking heads talk. Let them anoint their Big Three. Heck, watch them even try to toss Ohio State back in the mix in November. That's what the boys do in Bristol. But run USC, Oklahoma, Mizzou, Ohio State, Texas, whoever, run 'em through the SEC schedule and see how many come out unscathed. In a bet we'll never get to test, I've got good money that says only one of those would. And that's the team I listed at the top of this post.

Obama / Biden

2008-08-23T07:03:00.003-04:00

Did you see the AP column about the Barack's choice for a VP? Take a gander at this title:

"Biden pick shows lack of confidence".

Here's what Ron Fournier had to say: (Here's a hint ... it wasn't a favorable column.)

"The candidate of change went with the status quo.

"In picking Sen. Joe Biden to be his running mate, Barack Obama sought to shore up his weakness — inexperience in office and on foreign policy — rather than underscore his strength as a new-generation candidate defying political conventions.

"He picked a 35-year veteran of the Senate — the ultimate insider — rather than a candidate from outside Washington, such as Govs. Tim Kaine of Virginia or Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas; or from outside his party, such as Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska; or from outside the mostly white male club of vice presidential candidates. Hillary Rodham Clinton didn’t even make his short list.

"The picks say something profound about Obama: For all his self-confidence, the 47-year-old Illinois senator worried that he couldn’t beat Republican John McCain without help from a seasoned politician willing to attack. The Biden pick is the next logistical step in an Obama campaign that has become more negative — a strategic decision that may be necessary but threatens to run counter to his image.

...

"So the question is whether Biden’s depth counters Obama’s inexperience — or highlights it?
After all, Biden is anything but a change agent, having been in office longer than half of all Americans have been alive. Longer than McCain.

...

"And there’s the 2007 ABC interview in which Biden said he would stand by an earlier statement that Obama was not ready to serve as president.

"It seems Obama is worried that some voters are starting to agree."

You can read it all here.

I'm not going to do a whole Barack-bash here, but I will say this: The Senator's campaign has gotten more and more off-track, which could be because as he realizes that there really is no track when your only platform is "change".

And the Biden pick, while helping in one sense, as stated above really hurts in another sense. It's an illogical logical pick. In one move, Obama both strengthened and weakened his ticket. Not what you need when you dwindled to a one-point lead.

Barack's fading fast. And Biden won't be able to save him.

"In Christ"

2008-08-19T06:55:00.004-04:00

Just a quick good word from John Murray, author of Redemption Accomplished and Applied. I thought about this chapter cited below as I read - and was moved by - Galatians 3:26-29 this morning.

The incredible news of the gospel - All the blessings that come to you as a Christian come because you stand "in Christ", that is, so deeply connected in the Son of God that as the Father looks on Christ you are seen in Him, that all the love and blessings the Father gives to Christ are given to you because you are so deeply one with Christ.
(A side note - this has major implications on our view of other believers -- race, social status, etc... every dividing wall of man is broken down based on this... Gal 3:28)

Murray:
"... Nothing is more central or basic than union and communion with Christ.
"... union with Christ has its source in the election of God the Father before the foundation of the world and it has its fruition in the glorification of the sons of God. The perspective of God's people is not narrow; it is broad and it is long. It is not confined to space and time; it has the expanse of eternity. Its orbit has two foci, one the electing love of God the Father in the counsels of eternity, the other glorification with Chrst in the manifestation of His glory. The former has no beginning, the latter has no end. Glorification with Christ at His coming will be but the beginning of a consummation that will encompass the ages. 'So we shall ever be with the Lord' (1 Thess. 4:17). It is a perspective with a past and with a future, but neither the past nor the future is bounded by what we know as our temporal history. And because temporal history falls within such a perspective it has meaning and hope. What is it that binds past and present and future together in the life of faith and in the hope of glory? What does the believer entertain the thought of God's determinate counsel with such joy? What can he have patience in the perplexities and adversities of the present? Why can he have confident assurance with reference to the future and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God? It is because he cannot think of past, present or future apart from union with Christ. It is union with Christ now in the virtue of His death and the power of His resurrection that certifies Him to the reality of His election in Christ before the foundation of the world--he is blessed by the Father with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ just as he was chosen in Christ from eternal ages (cf. Eph. 1:3, 4). And he has the seal of an eternal inheritance because it is in Christ that he is sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise as the earnest of his inheritance unto the redemption of the purchased possession (cf. Eph 1:13, 14). Apart from union with Christ we cannot view past, present or future with anything but dismay and Christless dread. By union with Christ the whole complexion of time and eternity is changed and the people of God may rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory."

"Seminarians" as Healthy Church Members

2008-08-17T20:41:00.003-04:00

Thabiti Anyabwile (who will speak at the SEBTS chapel service on Tuesday, Sept 23) recently gave an interview on his new book, What is a Healthy Church Member?

In the interview, he answers one question that stood out to me in particular, "How can seminary students be healthy church members?"

Here's Thabiti's response:

"Seminarians should think of themselves primarily as church members, not 'seminarians.' I think a lot of men see themselves as ‘tweeners levitating somewhere between their previous church and the church or mission field they’re headed towards. They’re in a kind of suspended animation. And often a seminarian can suffer spiritually as they float out their in academic space somewhere. The church suffers too without their gifting and service.

It will be tempting to think of their studies as a special status that obviates their relationship to and responsibilities in the local church. But they are primarily Christians, and as such should be active in a local church body as members not seminarians. We don’t excuse other college students from the expectation that they should be active in a local fellowship; and we shouldn’t do it with seminarians either. So, they should join a local church and plant roots. They may be leaving in a few years but learning to love a church quickly will help them learn to love new members quickly when they’re pastors or when serving in highly transient areas.

And ... students should be humble and patient, avoid judging others and asserting unimportant preferences. They should see the church as the main classroom of Christ, and the classroom as an auxiliary. Given that, they should seek to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. And by God’s grace, they will as they humbly receive the word (Jam. 1:21), receive grace through the various administrations of God’s gifts (1 Peter 4:10-11), and are equipped for service until they reach maturity in Christ, the Head (Eph. 4:11-16)."

(HT: Justin Taylor)

Clemson Football, Revisited

2008-08-11T10:51:00.003-04:00

Here's the question: can someone change what he wrote in this blog-world of ours?

I'm going to be man enough to say I made a mistake. I went the easy way out in my last post in regards to Clemson football, and essentially was called out about it by my boy Patrick. I looked at the Tigers' team, didn't think they could pull out an 11-1 year, but also didn't really know who they'd lose to. I don't really think that the Purple and Orange will lose to the Crimson Tide, and I was very unsure about it when I posted the prediction.

It seems more likely that Clemson will be Clemson, they'll lose to someone they shouldn't lose to. They'll scare the Clemson faithful, Bowden will be on the hotseat again, but he'll pull through.

Sound familiar? It should. That's Clemson football. That's what they do best.

Only this year it will be different. This year the Tigers are going to take the ACC. This year is their year. The conference is weak. They've got a great QB in Cullen Harper. They've got CJ Spiller and James Davis, "who may be the best tailback combo in all of college football," according to Tony Barnhart of the AJC. (Of course, the unknown is Caleb King, UGA's number 2 behind Knowshon. These boys, as long as they can stay out of jail, may give the Tiger tailbacks a run for that distinction.)

Clemson this year will go 10-2, win the ACC and play in a BCS bowl in January.

But who will the boys fall to? Duke? Virginia? South Carolina (Gasp!)?

I'm saying it's going to be Wake Forest. That's going to make it a tough go for the Tigers to come out of their division to the championship game, but in the mess of the ACC, Clemson will get help from outside to make sure FSU and WF don't get to Tampa.

So, the revised look:

Clemson, 10-2:
vs. Alabama (Atlanta) .... Win
vs. The Citadel ................ Win
vs. NC State .................... Win
vs. SC State ..................... Win
vs. Maryland ................... Win
at Wake Forest ............... Loss
vs. Georgia Tech ............. Win
at Boston College ............ Win
at Florida State ............... Loss
vs. Duke ........................... Win
at Virginia ........................ Win
vs. South Carolina .......... Win

ACC Championship, Dec 6, Tampa:
vs. Virginia Tech ............ Win

And on the Alabama game, my suggestion is take Alabama against the spread, but Clemson wins.

Hope my "flip-flop" isn't too much of a blunder. If it is, then I guess I only lose three readers. 100% of my audience, yes, but still a small number.

Football Free-For-All!

2008-08-08T10:10:00.005-04:00

In response to the AJC's Mark Bradley, here are my football picks for the Falcons, Jackets and Dawgs (plus Clemson and USC) for 2008, "The Year of the Dawg."

Atlanta Falcons, 6-10:
vs. Detroit ...................... Win
at Tampa Bay ................ Lose
vs. Kansas City .............. Lose
at Carolina ...................... Lose
at Green Bay .................. Lose
vs. Chicago ...................... Win
at Philadelphia ............... Lose
at Oakland ..................... Win
vs. New Orleans ............ Lose
vs. Denver ...................... Lose
vs. Carolina .................... Win
at San Diego .................... Lose
at New Orleans .............. Lose
vs. Tampa Bay ............... Win
at Minnesota .................. Lose
vs. St. Louis .................... Win

Georgia Tech, 5-7:
vs. Jacksonville State ... Win
at Boston College .......... Lose
at Virginia Tech ............ Lose
vs. Mississippi State .... Lose
vs. Duke ......................... Win
vs. Gardner-Webb ....... Win
at Clemson ..................... Lose
vs. Virginia (HC) ........... Win
vs. Florida State ............ Lose
at North Carolina .......... Lose
vs. Miami ....................... Win
at Georgia ...................... Lose

Georgia, 11-1 (Reg Season):
vs. Georgia Southern .... Win
vs. Central Michigan ..... Win
at South Carolina ........... Win
at Arizona State ............. Win
vs. Alabama .................... Win
vs. Tennessee ................. Win
vs. Vanderbilt (HC) ....... Win
at LSU ............................. Win
at Florida (Jville) ........... Win
at Kentucky .................... Win
at Auburn ....................... Lose
vs. Georgia Tech ............ Win

vs. Auburn, SEC Championship Game .... Win
vs. Ohio State, National Championship ... Win

Clemson, 10-2:
vs. Alabama (Atlanta) .... Lose
vs. The Citadel ................ Win
vs. NC State .................... Win
vs. SC State ..................... Win
vs. Maryland ................... Win
at Wake Forest ............... Win
vs. Georgia Tech ............. Win
at Boston College ............ Win
at Florida State ............... Lose
vs. Duke ........................... Win
at Virginia ........................ Win
vs. South Carolina .......... Win

vs. Virginia Tech, ACC Championship Game .... Win

South Carolina, 7-5:
vs. NC State .................... Win
at Vanderbilt ................... Win
vs. Georgia ...................... Lose
vs. Wofford ...................... Win
vs. UAB ........................... Win
at Mississippi .................. Win
at Kentucky .................... Win
vs. LSU ............................ Lose
vs. Tennessee ................. Lose
vs. Arkansas ................... Win
at Florida ......................... Lose
at Clemson ....................... Lose

What to watch for:
Ga Tech vs. Duke: The Blue Devils, under new headcoach David Cutcliff, are better than advertised. The Techies pull out a win late in the 4th.

Georgia - Florida: A 1 vs. 2 matchup in Jacksonville, this one won't need the buildup and hype that the media machine will give it, replaying last year's endzone dance over and over in the week prior to the Cocktail Party. Florida puts up a tough first half, but Georgia wins by 12.

Georgia at Auburn: There's no way the Dogs are making it undefeated through this schedule, but they're going to surprise most by making it this far. Toomer's Corner is rolled like never before after the Dogs lose a tight one to the Tigers (But get sweet redemption a couple weeks later in Atlanta.)

Clemson - Alabama: The Georgia Dome (now clad in Red and Black ... sorry Tide and Tigers, the Dogs own the Dome) is packed for the first annual Redneck Bowl, and Saban's Tide puts a damper on Clemson's high hopes as Alabama wins by three.

Clemson at Florida State: The elder Bowden wins his last Bowden Bowl.

South Carolina at Clemson: Clemson wins, but Spurrier's still not on the hot seat. Seems as if USC will never get over the hump. Spurrier considers retirement after the Music City Bowl.

Thoughts on the Braves

2008-08-03T16:03:00.008-04:00

The good news is that we (that is, Braves fans) may see something like this again one day:

That was, for the uneducated, catcher Greg Olson leaping into the receiving arms of John Smoltz in 1991 as the Braves clinched a tie for the NL West pennant (later that day winning outright when the Dodgers lost to the Giants). The Braves famously went on to play in the "Greatest Series Ever Played", losing to the Twins, but becoming the first team to have the worst record in baseball in one season (65-97 in 1990) and advancing to the World Series in the next.

The good news, the only good news, from this week is that we may get to see something like that again. But it ain't gonna happen this year.

But there's light in the Tex-for-Kotchman trade. We just landed a solid defensive firstbaseman who is 25. He seems to be a .280/15-20 HR/80 RBI guy, which isn't great, but is serviceable. (Sid Bream, the Braves 1B in that 1991 season, hit .253/11/45 and .261/10/61 in '92.) And we've got Kotchman under contract through 2011.

And then there's cap space. The Braves just cleared plenty of it. Tex is making $12,500,000 this season. Kotchman? He's taking home a paltry 1.5 million.

What does that mean?

One of two things have to happen now: Either the Braves go for broke next season or we move to a serious rebuilding mode.

Option A, my favorite, is attractive because realistically we have a small window in which we can make a serious run. Here's the skinny:

Hudson's out for the rest of this year with elbow surgery, but looking to next year he's coming back fresh in July 2009 for his final few months with the Braves. That's like adding a legitimate number-1 starter at the trade deadline, ready for a possible final push.

We know Chipper's always battling injuries, but we also know that when he's healthy, he's still a force to be reckoned with at the plate. The man's a gamer, and while his days as a full-time starter are numbered, he's still got a couple more years in him. I think.

Smoltzie's gone for this year, but he's a competitor, and he's going to want to go out on his terms. That means, not retiring because of shoulder surgery. This man has altered his pitching style so many times he's probably lost count. I'm betting he'll do what it takes to make one last go at a full season. A season as a closer, no less, which means our ninth-inning troubles should be shored up next year.

We've got Kelly & Yunel rounding out the infield and one of the game's great young catchers in McCann. We've got a young guy named Jordan Schafer coming up in the outfield. And I'm hoping, hoping that Frenchy figures out how to be "The Natural" again.

That said, we've got cap space and a ownership group who has verbally committed to increasing salary, and we need a legit number one starter (Ben Sheets?) and another mid-rotation guy to go along with Jair. And we need a corner outfielder.

The Kotchman trade cleared the way for all of that.

Or, we can take Option B: rebuild.

The good news: we've got the building blocks in place. We've got good, young talent in six of the eight everyday positions. But we'll need to build some pitching. And that takes time. And so, if we go that route, it won't be long before the Braves are finishing behind the Nationals (the Nationals!).

But then, maybe one day, one glorious day, we'll see a catcher leap for joy in the arms of a young pitcher as the Braves return to glory.

Good thoughts...

2008-07-17T20:47:00.002-04:00

From Ray Ortlund:

I believe in the sovereignty of God, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Solas of the Reformation, I believe that grace precedes faith in regeneration. Theologically, I am Reformed. Sociologically, I am simply a Christian – or at least I want to be. The tricky thing about our hearts is that they can turn even a good thing into an engine of oppression. It happens when our theological distinctives make us aloof from other Christians. That’s when, functionally, we relocate ourselves outside the gospel and inside Galatianism. The Judaizers in Galatia did not see their distinctive – the rite of circumcision – as problematic. They could claim biblical authority for it in Genesis 17 and the Abrahamic covenant. But their distinctive functioned as an addition to the all-sufficiency of Jesus himself. Today the flash point is not circumcision. It can be Reformed theology. But no matter how well argued our position is biblically, if it functions in our hearts as an addition to Jesus, it ends up as a form of legalistic divisiveness.

Here's the conclusion:

My Reformed friend, can you move among other Christian groups and really enjoy them? Do you admire them? Even if you disagree with them in some ways, do you learn from them? What is the emotional tilt of your heart – toward them or away from them? If your Reformed theology has morphed functionally into Galatian sociology, the remedy is not to abandon your Reformed theology. The remedy is to take your Reformed theology to a deeper level. Let it reduce you to Jesus only. Let it humble you. Let this gracious doctrine make you a fun person to be around. The proof that we are Reformed will be all the wonderful Christians we discover around us who are not Reformed. Amazing people. Heroic people. Blood-bought people. People with whom we are eternally one – in Christ alone.

HT: Justin Taylor

SBC roll call

2008-06-15T23:28:00.003-04:00

Here's an interesting piece from Ted Olsen on the recent SBC resolution on regenerate church membership. The numbers are eye-opening to the current state of SBC churches.

Check it out here.

HT: Justin Taylor

Saturday Afternoon in Athens

2008-06-09T15:21:00.006-04:00

The following is a post I made in reply to Bryan Barley's rundown of College Football's Greatest entrances, in which he left off UGA. (And a few others of note - Clemson, FSU...see the other replies.) Just thought I'd share this here as well....

Brook Whitmire's voice booms over the loudspeaker in Sanford Stadium and 92,746 are summoned to their feet.

"It's Saturday afternoon in Athens!"

They've spent the past two hours at the Dog Walk, lining the way between Lumpkin Street and the Bridge with red and black. The team has walked the walk, looking the Bulldog Nation in the eyes as they prepare for the game ahead.

The Redcoat Band now stands Between the Hedges as Whitmire's voice fills the air. Then, there in the southwest corner of the stadium, a lone trumpet soloist stands, and the Battle Hymn of the Bulldog Nation begins.

Larry Munson's voice now, distinct and raspy as ever, comes over the speakers while the images of Bulldog greats - Herschel Walker, Vince Dooley, Erk Russell, Lindsey Scott, Kevin Butler, Eric Zeier, Champ Bailey, Robert Edwards, David Greene, Boss Bailey, Mussa Smith, Thomas Davis, Matthew Stafford - roll on the screen. Lindsey Scott's crushing 80-yard TD run on Florida in 1980. Herschel's legs pumping through Tennessee in his freshman campaign. Dooley getting carried off the field on shoulders - "Look at the Sugar falling out of the sky!" Verron Haynes stomping on the Volunteer's face with his hobnail boot. David Pollack stripping and recovering for the TD against the Gamecocks. Michael Johnson leaping over Auburn to capture the TD and the SEC East.

All this to The Voice of the Bulldogs, in his legendary style, and on the backdrop of the Battle Hymn:

"Heroes have graced the field before, with the hearts, bodies and minds of which the Bulldog Nation can be justifiably proud. The tradition of unbridled excellence demonstrated by these, whose memory spans more than a full century. And now a new breed of Bulldog stands ready to take the field abound to assume the reigns of the Georgia forebearers and continue that tradition, understanding that there is no tradition more worthy of envy, no institution more worthy of such loyalty, as the University of Georgia. As we prepare for another meeting Between the Hedges, let all the Bulldog faithful rally behind the men who now wear the Red and Black, with two words, two simple words which express the sentiment of the entire Bulldog Nation..."

And 93,000 fans, filling the stadium and bridge, yell at the top of their lungs, in exact unison with Redcoat Band,

"Go Dogs!"

I'm not saying that Sanford Stadium has the greatest single moment of entrance, but I challenge anybody to give me a greater two hours leading up to game time than you'll find on any fall Saturday afternoon in Athens.

Mars and the Watts

2008-05-26T18:57:00.003-04:00

Two places to go... or not to go, really... whatever.

The first, check out NASA's mission to Mars. This is pretty incredible, if you ask me. I had a great uncle who died a few years ago in his 90's. He swore up and down that we never sent men to the moon, but that in fact they just walked around in the Arizona desert. I wonder what he'd think about a robot on the Red Planet...

Here's NASA's Mars Pheonix site.

The second is probably not worth your time, but I had to go for the name's sake. I saw it on a banner ad on CNN today. I think it's the first banner ad I've ever visited.

Here it is: www.SaveTheWatts.com. Awesome. They're trying to save my family.

You really might not want to visit it. It's about energy conservation or some junk like that...

The 10 Spot

2008-05-24T16:24:00.004-04:00

Ten random thoughts... No rhyme or reason...

10. I've just found the worst broadcast combination in Baseball, Darren Sutton and Mark Grace of Fox Sports. Yes, worse than Joe Morgan. At least he has Jon Miller to support him. Listening to Darren Sutton and Mark Grace is like listening to Joe Morgan broadcasting with his partner, Joe Morgan. I'm watching the Diamondbacks at the Braves right now on Fox and I promise you I just heard Darren Sutton say "Corky Miller. One of the great names in baseball. First name Corky. Last name Miller." Wow Darren! What insight! And Mark Grace. I kid you not, a batter comes up, his numbers are put on the screen, and it's like the first time Grace has seen his stats. Corky Miller's .100 BA, 0 HRs and 3 RBI come on the screen and a second later Mark gracefully adds "Man, he's not having a great year at the plate." Good eye, Mark. Good eye.

Oh, and they seriously said about Randy Johnson, "He's not your father's big unit." What? Can they say that on daytime t.v.?

9. Speaking of Joe Morgan, be sure to check out his website, http://www.firejoemorgan.com/, "Where Bad Sports Journalism Comes to Die." I wonder if Jon Miller secretly contributes to this site.

8. Even with the bad broadcasters, at least I'm getting to watch the Braves. It's just the second time since I moved to North Carolina that I've been able to catch them on the tube. It's like a piece of me has died.

7. My fantasy baseball team, Donkey's Jawbone, is doing poorly, as July Johnson would say. After sitting pretty in first for a few days, I've hovered around fifth, about 19 points back of the leader, for the last week or so. Not good. It's just a run of bad luck. I'm still banking on it turning around.

6. I spent my first two picks on Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. Last year's stats: Fielder, .288, 119 RBI, 50 HRs; Cabrera, .320, 119 RBI, 34 HRs. So far this year: Fielder, .265, 24 RBI, 6 HRs; Cabrera, .283, 26 RBI, 7 HRs.

Cabrera's projected to finish with 24 HRs, 89 RBI and Fielder's looking at 21 HRs and 82 RBI.

5. Fielder's gotta start eating meat again.

4. My catcher is Gerald Laird. He looks like this:

Allow me now to introduce you to a friend of mine, Will ElLaissi. He looks like this:

You decide.

3. Oh, and I'm probably in fifth place because Gerald Laird is my catcher.

2. The Braves are 1.5 games behind the Marlins. The Marlins. The Mets are crashing hard and are now facing distractions from their manager. The Phillies remembered they're the Phillies and only won last year because the Mets lost. I think the Nationals quit playing games sometime around the first week of April.

The Braves are going to win the East.

1. In two games against each other this year, Tim Hudson is 2-0 against Johan Santana. Which is amazing, because if you listened to ESPN in the offseason you would have thought Santana was immortal. Turns out he's just a Met.

Global Warming?

2008-05-22T17:06:00.006-04:00

There's a petition out that's been signed by over 31,000 scientists, including over 9,000 with PhD's, denying that "global warming" is caused by manmade greenhouse gases.

I'd be interested to see Al Gore's response. Maybe he'll sign it too in order to not feel guilty about his house, the one that used twice as much electricity one month than the average household uses in an entire year. (Check it out.)

Here's the text though for anyone who is interested:

"We urge the United States government to reject the global warming agreement that was written in Kyoto, Japan in December 1997, and any other similar proposals. The proposed limit on greenhouse gases would harm the environment, hinder the advance of science and technology, and damage the health and welfare of mankind.

There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane or other greenhouse gases is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the earth's atmosphere and disruption of the earth's climate. Moreover, there is substantial scientific evidence that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many beneficial upon the natural plant and animal environments of the earth."

You can go to their site here.

The implications of this are big. This many scientists, going against mainstream thought, will cause tidal waves of ripple effects. Stay tuned...

The heart of it all

2008-05-22T08:32:00.003-04:00

So I'm in the heart of Paul's word on justification before God by faith as opposed to works. And I thought I'd share some of Mr. Murray's words again this morning that proved to be incredibly encouraging to me.

In making his point from the Old Testament that justification has ALWAYS been by faith, not works, Paul recalls both Abraham and David. After quoting Genesis 15:6, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness" Paul proves that "to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness."

And it keeps getting better.

Paul continues, "just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: (citing David in Psalm 32 now) 'Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.'"

And now John Murray's thoughts:
"What David spoke of in terms of the non-imputation and forgiveness of sin Paul interprets (in the preceding verse, verse 6) more positively as the imputation of righteousness."

"(Paul) is dealing with justification by faith in opposition to works. Nothing could be more illustrative of this than the pronouncement that the blessed man is the man whose iniquities are forgiven and to whom the Lord does not impute sin. For what is contemplated in this pronouncement is not good works but the opposite, iniquities and sin. And the blessed man is not the man who has good works laid to his account but whose sins are not laid to his account. David's religion, therefore, was not one determined by the concept of good works but by that of gracious remission of sin, and the blessedness, regarded as the epitome of divine favour, had no affinity with that secured by works of merit."

In the gospel of God's grace, the unmistakable indentifying feature for anyone who believes (anyone!) is not that God forgives just his sins. It's not that God just credits him for his own good works and says that's enough. No, it is far better than both. It's that God forgives his sins and gives him all the goodness and reward that deservedly belongs to Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:21, "(God) made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." And in the words of Jonathan Edwards, "What sin was it? Why that sin that was in us. So we are made the righteousness of God. But what righteousness of God is it that we are made? Why that which was in Christ."

And so I hope we say with the father in Mark 9:24, "I believe! Help my unbelief!"

Why Barack Obama is not an option

2008-05-20T12:19:00.005-04:00

Here is a clip of Mr. Obama addressing Planned Parenthood in July, 2007. (Clip starts at about nine seconds.)

The first ten minutes is enough to see his perspective. In the clip he defends very passionately the "right" to choice, the freedom to choose abortion. He says "On this fundamental issue, I will not yield" and in discussing the recent gains that pro-life advocates have made in the Supreme Court, he says "This is what is at stake in this election" (the ability to reverse some of these recent trends, and the fear that if not, pro-lifers will win out).

Keep in mind also that Mr. Obama is not just discussing abortion. He is defending partial-birth abortion as a legitimate option for women. In his condemnation of the Court's decision in Gonzales v. Carhart, which upheld the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, he is arguing for partial-birth abortion, the bringing of the child out of the womb before taking it's life.

Barack's view is that Abortion is all about the opportunity for the woman to have the same life as the man, that the fundamental issue is opportunity for her. While I believe in the right for women to live that kind of life, and agree wholeheartedly that the woman's life is just as valuable, just as meaningful, just as impactful as that of a male, it is a complete smokescreen to make that the central issue in abortion.

If two people, a male and a female, want their life to have the utmost opportunity for success, then they need to plan before sexual intercourse what will be the best path for that success, not make that plan as a reaction. Today, 50% of abortions are the couple's only means of birth-control. If we're talking about opportunity for success, our society, male and female, needs to be responsible, not careless. And let me be clear, the onus for this falls on both the male and the female. When they fail at this, the government and our society does not need to pat them on the back and tell them all will be well after this "procedure," we need to love them and care for them and help them make the best decisions to care for this new life while building their own lives as well.

This is what is at stake in this election. Not the right to choice, but the right to life. How can we consciously place the emphasis on choice? How can we in good conscious say that this is not about a new life, but about a mere preference for the mother? To borrow from Mark Driscoll, how can some in our society call for the end of a war because they don't want terrorists to die, but be agreeable with the killing thousands of children here in our own nation? How can some make the conservation of nature their battleground while agreeing with the murder of children?

This is not about choice. It is about life. This election is not about the kind of "change" America needs if Barack Obama is the author of that change. A man who stands so passionately for the murder of the unborn and so callously calls it mere choice is not the kind of man that America needs writing policy.

Wanting the right kind of change,
Bert

HT: Justin Taylor

Hey Barry! You want some cheese with that whine?

2008-05-10T10:05:00.005-04:00

Barry Bonds is back. Well, back in the news. Not in baseball. And that's what the news is all about. Earlier this week, the MLB Players Association filed "expressed concern" over the lack of any offers to certain free agents, specifically Barry Bonds, intimating their belief that the ownwers are acting in collusion, a big no-no.

Let's see, Barry Bonds is the only player named in a concern filed for several unsigned players. Does anybody think Barry himself isn't directly behind this?

But collusion? Seriously, Barry. You must be a moron. It doesn't take collusion to keep you off the field. It takes just a little thing we thinking humans like to call "reason".

Let's say I'm an owner.

Hmm. Barry Bonds is available. I've got a need for a DH. (Even though I hate the DH and wish I owned an National League team and we played real baseball. But I digress.) So I need a DH and Barry Bonds is available.

Barry. Home Run King. .480 OBP last season. Career .607 slugging pct. 762 career dingers. Over 1000 more walks than strikeouts in his career. Potent offensive threat, even at age 43.

But then there's Barry. Indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice. He's the King alright, the King of Performance-Enhancing Drugs. Most hated man in baseball. Fans hate him. The media's all over him. And he doesn't help the situation.

Let's see. I could hire a stop-gap DH who might get 75 rbi over the rest of the season, but who would also bring me the more negative publicity than if I killed a puppy on the pitcher's mound. I think I'll look elsewhere.

And so it goes. It's not collusion, Barry. It's just that you cheated, and got caught, and everybody knows it except you. You're not getting hired because the cons far outweigh the pros of your employment. So move to Florida, play bingo and get used to the retirement life.

John Murray on Romans 1:17 - "It is a God-righteousness."

2008-05-10T09:51:00.004-04:00

Romans 1:17 - For in it [the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith...

"It is a 'God-righteousness.' Because it is such, God is its author; it is a righteousness that meets all the demands of His justice and therfore avails before God. But the particular emphasis rests upon its divine property and is therefore contrasted not only with human unrighteousness but with human righteousness. Man-righteousness, even though [or, even if it were...] perfect and measuring up to all the demands of God's perfection, would never be adequate to the situation created by our sins. This is the glory of the gospel; as it is God's power operative unto salvation [verse 16] so is it God's righteousness superveing upon our sin and ruin. And it is God's power operative unto salvation because the righteousness of God is dynamically made manifest unto our justification. Nothing serves to point up the effectiveness, completeness, and irrevocableness of the justification which it is the apostle's purpose to establish and vindicate than this datum set forth at the outset--the righteousness which is unto justification is one characterized by the perfection belonging to all that God is and does. It is a 'God-righteousness.'"

-John Murray, The Epistle to the Romans, p. 31

Take a look...

2008-04-15T09:23:00.003-04:00

If you'll notice, I've added several new links on the right sidebar. These are some great sites that I visit on occassion and seem to always be encouraged by them.

Also, just to keep some perspective on what matters, there's the new "Unreached People of the Day" insert as well. Let me challenge you to this - if you're here, and you believe in prayer and the God of the Bible, take a minute and pray for this group to be reached with the Gospel of Christ. JoshuaProject.net is the homesite for this feature, it's a great resource for updates on the progress of reaching the world with the gospel, as is Operation World.

Matthew 24:14 - And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Al Mohler on Obama's "Functional" View of Faith

2008-04-15T09:16:00.004-04:00

http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=1131

On the Convictions Side...

2008-04-14T08:08:00.003-04:00

"I believe the potential for life begins at conception," Democratic presidential nominee and former first lady Hillary R. Clinton said last night. "For me, it is also not only about a potential life. It is about the other lives involved. ... I have concluded, after great, you know, concern and searching my own mind and heart over many years, ... that individuals must be entrusted to make this profound decision, because the alternative would be such an intrusion of government authority that it would be very difficult to sustain in our kind of open society."

The AP story went on to say that she "added that abortion should remain legal, safe and rare."

That's an interesting point of view, Hillary. What exactly is "potential for life"? Is it something like life? Scientifically, is there a scale somewhere that gives a timeline from "Able to produce life" to "Potential to life" to "Actual Life"?

That's actually none of it. Allow me to translate: "I believe the potential for life begins at conception" = "I believe I can dupe conservatives into thinking I said 'life begins at conception' and actually keep my abortion views that are inconsistent with that sentiment at the same time. Genius!"

She meant to say, "I have actually concluded, after great, you know, counsel from my advisers an hour ago about the most politcally winsome thing to say about abortion."

That's politics. So it goes.

But, Hillary. Are you serious? "Individuals must be trusted to make this profound decision, because the alternative would be such an intrusion of government authority that it would be very difficult to sustain in our kind of open society."

Let's look at this from her standpoint, the "Potential for Life" view.

If this view wins the day, then one day relatively soon, trust me, we will be in a society where "Potential for Life" (and it's okay to terminate "potential" life) will include the severely mentally handicapped. The "girl who can never grow up" would be terminated. (And she's already in today's society undergone a highly debated procedure... there's a great point made in the first paragraph under "Reactions" in the link.)

What is the "Potential for Life" Hillary? How do you define it? You say it begins at conception. You say it's okay to terminate this potential. What about when someone else defines "potential" as someone who doesn't have the "potential" to live a normal life?

And abortion should remain "rare"? Has she seen the numbers, that there have been almost 50,000,000 abortions since 1973? Is Fifty-Million in 35 years "Rare"?

Statistics wasn't her strong suit at Wellesley.

The feel good thing to say is that America needs to wake up. The American people need to decide for themselves what's right and what's wrong. Americans need to set their own morals.

That's true. We do. Only we live in a society where part of the way we do that is by the election process. We elect people who set our standards for us. We call them laws. "Thou shalt not murder" is not just the sixth commandment, it's on the books in every state of the union.

To say we cannot legislate morals is to say we cannot outlaw murder or theft or a host of other things. Murder is the taking of life of another, but morally falls under the value you place on the life of another. If we cannot legislate morals, and your morals say that the life of your neighbor is worth less than the cost of a gun, then so be it, have at it. If we live in a society that cannot legislate morals, we live in a society that will annihilate itself.

We must legislate these things. We do already. We must continue.

We say we're out to ensure life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We cannot ensure number two or three until we ensure number one.

Brave New World

2008-03-30T22:42:00.003-04:00

"The Braves are younger than the Mets and Phillies, deeper in most respects than the Mets and Phillies and have a better farm system to mine for reinforcements than the Mets and Phillies."

-Jason Stark, ESPN, in his column predicting the Braves to win the World Series.

Click here for the full-text.

I'll give my rundown this week sometime... But here's a quickie:

NL - Braves (East), Cubs (Central), Dodgers (West), Phillies (Wildcard)
AL - Red Sox (East), Tigers (Central), Angels (West), Indians (Wildcard)

World Series - Braves over Tigers in six.

Sweet Goodness

2008-03-27T09:25:00.004-04:00

So I'm losing to my wife in our brackets, but not by much. But here's my Sweet 16 picks:

Tar Heels over Washington State (in a close game by Tar Heel standards)
Louisville over Volun-tears (and the Vols still have never been to the Elite 8)

Kansas over 'Nova (though I'd love to see the upset here)
Wisconsin over Stephen Curry (Eventually somebody's gonna guard him)

Michigan State over Memphis (in my real bracket I've got Memphis winning, but I've got a feeling with this one)
Hook'em Horns over Stanford (Only because Stanford is cocky enough to name themselves The Cardinal... Who does that? What about the Cardinals? Are they The cardinal? Kinda like The Ohio State University... Makes me sick...)

UCLA over WKU (Haven't you seen the commercials? There are no cinderellas)
Xavier over West Virginia (Bob Huggins can only take the Mountaineers so far)

*Side Note: I only had 9 of the 16 teams correct in my bracket... I certainly didn't pick all these matchups correctly coming in. That's what happens when you've got teams like Davidson and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in the mix. Or are they The Hilltopper?

The Daily News

2008-03-27T09:22:00.003-04:00

I read this today on FoxNews.com and thought it was good enough to share...

_____________________
"Man Claims to Speak 'Austrailian' After Allegedly Being Raped by Wombat.

SYDNEY — A New Zealand man has been sentenced to community service after telling police he was raped by a wombat and the experience had made him speak "Australian".

Arthur Ross Cradock, 48, from the South Island town of Motueka, called police on February 11 and told them he was being raped at his home by the wombat and he needed help, The Nelson Mail newspaper reported.

The orchard worker later called back and said: "Apart from speaking Australian now, I'm pretty all right, you know."

Cradock pleaded guilty in the local court to using a phone for a fictitious purpose. He was sentenced to 75 hours' community work.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Chris Stringer told the court alcohol played a large role in Cradock's life.
_____________________

Those New Zealanders are funny...

Bracket Bulldogs

2008-03-17T17:29:00.003-04:00

Anybody else got Georgia facing North Carolina in the NCAA Finals?

Baseball is Beautiful

2008-03-14T11:44:00.006-04:00

In honor of my fantasy baseball league, and because I just can't wait...

Mock Bubbles

2008-03-14T10:59:00.003-04:00

I'm hoping to keep this quick this week... But there's two things that are completely useless in the world of sports (Unless your name is Joe Lunardi or Todd McShay or Mel Kiper, Jr. - The ESPNians who make there living off of the following...):

Mock Drafts and The Bubble Watch.

The NFL Draft is April 26 and 27, and on April 28th Kiper will have his 2009 Mock Draft already posted on the web. And it'll get updated about once a week between then and April 27, 2009.

Is this guy really making a living off of guessing over and over and over again about who's going to draft whom? Are you serious?

And then there's Joe Lunardi's Bracketology and Bubble Watch. Like we're all sitting on the edge of our seats waiting to see who the 12th seed will be. Has a 12th seed ever done anything worth mentioning?

I don't understand how these guys get paid big bucks to "project" who really will be in the NCAA tourney or when Matt Stafford will get drafted and by what team next spring. With everything that can happen between now and then, what are the chances that Kiper ever gets it right? I'd like to see some stats on this, people.

I don't understand how there's a market for this.

And then I do. And I think of the third thing that's completely useless in the world of sports... People obsessed with Bracketology and Mock Drafts.

What I Hope...

2008-02-29T10:12:00.007-05:00

Free Agency has hit in the NFL. The Hawks have made a move. The Thrashers have dumped an All-Star. And the Braves are "working" at Disney.

Good times are here again!

Because February really bites. Post-Super Bowl, what's the month good for? You've got the NHL All Star game (yawn) and the NBA's Ugly Uniform Show (er...All Star game) (yawn) and of course their festivities - slam dunk contest, etc.

Speaking of etc., those festivities were actually entertaining this year. Check out the highlights:

Sick nasty.

But that's not really sports. That's more of the "E" in ESPN.

Which brings me back to the "S". As in Sports and Spring. Those two words were designed for each other.

One promises hope. New life. The other promises a fight, a challenge, the unexpected.

So what do I hope for this Spring for Atlanta Sports?

-I hope that the Falcons take Derek Anderson in Free Agency, drop Joey Harrington, and give D.J. Shockley an actual chance to be the number two guy.

Derek Anderson, still technically of the Browns, just dropped a bombshell on Cleveland last night when he turned down their contract offer to test free agency. But, he's restricted, which means a team will have to give up a first and third round draft pick if they sign him.

Here's how it can work: The Falcons should trade the talented but disgruntled and destructive DeAngelo Hall to the Giants for a first round pick and (plenty of) cash or a player. They'd then have the Giants pick, Round 1, #31, that they could give to the Browns and still keep the number three overall pick, with which they would no longer feel compelled to draft an overrated QB like Matt Ryan and instead take one of the better players in the draft - Jake Long or Glenn Dorsey or Darren McFadden.

The QB pool in this draft isn't the best in recent years, but I'd much rather see them wait till round two or three and draft Chad Henne than waste a first-rounder on Ryan. They'd be wise to draft a lineman. Of course, I've said that before. And I'm not paid to make those decisions.

And I don't really feel the need to say why they should sign Anderson. I'll just share this: He's a tall dude - 6'6", 230 whose got a great vision of the field and a good arm. And that, my friend, produces numbers like these when he got a chance to be a starter (and star): 3787 passing yds and 29 TD's. Good stuff. Better than what we've got or anything else we can get. Go get him.

But I doubt Thomas Dimitroff reads this.

***It doesn't matter now. I just heard that Cleveland managed to re-sign Anderson today, just hours after he declared free agency. So goes that pipe-dream.

What's the next best option? Still a big fat NO to Matt Ryan.

If I'm Dimitroff, I have Redman and Shockley go for the number one spot, with Redman penciled in up top. I draft Chad Henne or John David Booty in the second or third round to be your number three and (potential) future guy. And I still draft a lineman (Long) with the number 3 pick.***

-I hope that the Hawks make the playoffs (because I gotta root for Atlanta teams) and they still fire Mike Woodson and Billy Knight and hire real, living basketball guys for coach and GM (because I gotta root for Atlanta teams).

Who should they hire? I don't care. Hire Bobby Knight. Hire Billy Donovan. Heck, hire Billy Madison.

Just do something. Anything's gotta be an improvement.

-I hope that the Thrasher's do the same with Don Waddell.

In June he'll celebrate his ten-year anniversary with the Thrashers. In June Thashers' fans will mourn for a decade of this:

Waddell's blank stares at how to run a hockey team.

-And finally, hope of all hopes, I hope the Braves return to the postseason and - gasp - win The Series.

Big hopes, you say? Big dreams?

Yeah, well, those were bigger hopes in 1991 when they still came one run shy of winning the greatest World Series of all time.

They were big hopes in 1995. The strike saved the Braves from falling to Montreal in 1994's division race and who knew if the same would happen in '95? But a Justice home run here, a Glavine masterpiece there and Mark Wholers save to cap it off and the Braves were celebrating in old Fulton County Stadium.

They've got a lineup that I believe rivals any in the East. (Yes, I really do believe that. Having your 3 and 4 hitters both being high-average, run-producing, homer-hitting and SWITCH-HITTING bashers is huge. Not too many teams (do any?) have back-to-back solid switch hitters in the most important spots in the lineup.) Johnson, Escobar, Chipper, Teixeira, Francouer, McCann, Kotsay, Diaz... Solid.

They've got stud pitching even if Hampton doesn't come back. And he will.

They've got the makeup of a team that can make a serious run at October. And I'm not just talking as a fan here.

So, hope of all hopes, I hope the Braves can stay healthy this year. And if they do, you'll see them in the Classic.

SB: Extra Large Two

2008-02-01T14:53:00.001-05:00

There are three reasons I'm glad that Super Bowl XLII is just two days away. Reason number one is that I'm getting pretty tired of seeing the same clip of Bill Belichick running in his grey hoodie with the cut-off sleeves a-swayin' and the chin fat a-bouncin'. Reason number two is that I'm always ready for baseball. And Super Bowl time means that it's getting pretty close to time for pitchers and catchers to report to Florida. And reason number three is, I think, my favorite: I love the underdog, and the underdog is never more successful than in the Super Bowl.

Shall we go further?

Reason number one actually entails a lot more than just ESPN getting it's kicks off of Belichick's stern expression while he lightly jogs to the lockerroom in the halfway slow-motion clip that The Network keeps playing over and over again anytime his name is even uttered on-air. It's about air time in general. And my venting extends beyond the NFL into the college realm, and beyond sports into politics. And it stops there because that's about all I watch on TV, if I watch TV at all. (Except for my occassional laughs at "Everybody Loves Raymond.")

But seriously, how many times can they break down the Super Bowl in this two-week period? Is that why the NFL gives us a two-week break between Championship Sunday and the Super Bowl, so that we'll all go crazy watching ESPN try to fill the gap with programming? If you've watched Sportscenter just once over the past two weeks you've seen two-thirds of it's airtime given to this game. Which would be fine if that were true about today (Friday) through Sunday night only. But no. They're breaking down Plaxico Burress versus the Pats' Secondary today for the 1,000th time in the past ten days. True Story.

Wait, not true. Because ESPN can't get past the Fourth Coming of Tom Brady and The Hoodie. We can't get any news about anything else because it's all about how Tom Brady and Randy Moss are going to own the Giant's Defense, and how "If you give Bill Belichick two weeks to prepare he can beat God himself."

I tired of hearing about Bill Belichick's gameplanabilities.

Just like I'm tired of hearing about USC, Ohio State, and the Republican and Democrat frontrunners in the election.

What is it about the news media and picking their favorite topic and keeping it in the spotlight, flexing their authority over the national conversation?

Does ESPN cover USC and OSU more than any other team because that's who the writers across the country really think are that good, or do the writers around the country really think they're that good because ESPN covers them more than anyone else? Their annual number one status affects the rest of the season's polls, but is it legit? Or the result of mass hype? We don't know. We'll never know. Because of ESPN's irresponsible coverage.

But that's just sports. That's not really a big deal. But what about politics? ("Sports and Convictions") Was John Edwards the third candidate because everyone really cared about Hillary and Obama and so CNN covered them more, including in the debates? Or did CNN give them more time in coverage and in the debates and so everyone flocked to them? Why is there a four-man GOP race right now (yes, Huck and Ron Paul are technically still in it) but if you watch CNN you'd think it's down to Romney and McCain?

Because networks have too much control over the national conversation.

And, in the case of Super Bowl week, their control backfires. Every third story is about the Patriots "Pursuit of Perfection," and I think about 98% of the country doesn't really care anymore.

Thanks, ESPN. We're so glad the game is finally here.

Reason number two is pretty cut-and-dry. Football might be America's Passion, but Baseball is America's Pasttime. And so the Super Bowl means we're just days away from Pitchers and Catchers reporting to Spring Training, which means we're just a couple weeks from Spring Training actually starting, which means we're only a couple of months away from the season, which means Spring is near, Summer is soon, and the grass really is greener on that side of the calendar.

When I hear "Pitchers and Catchers report," I start getting that feeling that Shoeless Joe Jackson gets in Field of Dreams. "Is this heaven?" "No, It's Iowa."

Or, "No, it's just spring."

Oh. Well, that's pretty close in my books.

And while I'm not ready to predict the season yet, I will say this: It really isn't the end of the season for the rest of the National League just because the Mets traded for Johan Santana. Does anybody out there in sportsland remember last year's big pitcher signing, Barry Zito? Seven years, 126 million dollars, and eleven wins for the Giants. Big splash. His numbers rivaled those of Chuck James.

Look, just because a guy does well in the American League doesn't assure his dominance of the National League. So before you give the NL crown to the Mets, consult your history books, or your recent sports pages for crying out loud.

Let me quote myself: "If the Mets don't get Johan Santana, and the Braves old starters don't break down, and the Braves bullpen holds up, and the Braves new center-fielder, Mark Kotsay, holds up, and Chipper holds up, then the Braves will win the East.

If the Mets do get Johan Santana, and the Braves old starters don't break down, and the Braves bullpen holds up, and the Braves new center-fielder, Mark Kotsay, holds up, and Chipper holds up, then the Braves will win the East.

If any of the latter doesn't happen, well, expect to see a repeat of the past two years."

Is there a list of things that must happen for the Braves to win the East? Yes. Is there a list of things that must happen for the Mets to win the East? Yes. Does Johan Santana make a difference. Yes, but it's been vastly overstated how big in recent days.

I've still got the Braves.

Reason number three is in the blood of every American. It's why we love Rocky, Rudy and the Rutgers football team. It's been in our blood since 1776. We love the underdog. Especially in the Super Bowl.

And because everybody's nodding their heads right now (and my post has already reached an ungodly length) I don't have to explain this one.

I'll just suffice it to say this: My gut is telling me that the Giants are going to win, but my brain is telling me otherwise. My gut is telling me that Eli's staying on his hot streak, Plaxico's too big and the Pats' linebackers are too old. My gut is telling me that Brady's gonna be sacked. A lot. My gut is telling me this one's gonna be like David and Goliath, and the big boy's going down.

The rational part of me wants to say take the Giants and the Points (12) but Pats win.

But a man goes with his gut. Even if its irrational. That's why we get lost all the time.

So, I'm saying Eli's going to Disneyworld. The underdogs win by four.

The 10 Spot

2008-01-24T19:47:00.001-05:00

Ten Observations:

10. The Falcons hired this guy:

Who looks a lot like this guy:

Is it just me, or did we just hire J. Peterman from Seinfeld?

9. But seriously, Mike Smith - he's in the top picture - is your new Falcons coach. Can't get much more plain than that name. Or face. He's not a flashy guy.

8. Which is why I love it. From this end, I'm placing bets on it being a good hire. From what I hear and read, he seems legit: Sound fundamentals. Good background. Gets good reviews from around the league. The Birds need someone to come in, clean house, and win. Not flash and pop.

7. Which is where I must admit that I was wrong. I was placing my bets on Blank hiring Mike Singletary.

6. And the Falcons brought back this guy:

Brian VanGorder,
who also looks a lot like this guy:

Horror writer Stephen King.
Which makes me happy, because it makes this guy mad:

Side Note: South Carolina hired Brian VG, who was the Falcons linebackers coach, for the USC Defensive Coordinator Job back in December. He worked for Spurrier for about a month before leaving to come back to Atlanta. That's about a month too long for anyone to be around the Spur.

5. It's like a double treat for me. My NFL team gets a good defensive coach, who has ties to my alma mater. And at the same time somewhere in South Carolina Steve Spurrier is throwing his visor. What a great day!

4. And who cares if VanGorder has had six (6) jobs in the last four (4) years?

(Granted, we just got burned by the same thing by Bobby Petrino, vowed never to allow that to happen again-i.e., hiring a guy you can't trust to stay-and then we turned around and hired Brian VG.)

He's a good coach (who might bolt on us) but we get him and Steve Spurrier doesn't.

3. Count on VG to stick around for a while. I give him three years. And the Falcons in the top ten in total-D in the last two years of that.

2. If the Mets don't get Johan Santana, and the Braves old starters don't break down, and the Braves bullpen holds up, and the Braves new center-fielder, Mark Kotsay, holds up, and Chipper holds up, then the Braves will win the East.

If the Mets do get Johan Santana, and the Braves old starters don't break down, and the Braves bullpen holds up, and the Braves new center-fielder, Mark Kotsay, holds up, and Chipper holds up, then the Braves will win the East.

If any of the latter doesn't happen, well, expect to see a repeat of the past two years.

1. UGA should NOT be a preseason number one next year. Neither should USC or The Denim Shorts Club of Gainesville.

No one should be a preseason number one next year.

I can't wait till the day that we don't have preseason number anythings.

Brady: "It's gotta be more than this."

2008-01-18T17:20:00.001-05:00

A must see clip of a Tom Brady interview. The man's on top of the world, and still not satisfied. (Thanks, Wilhite.)

Unbelievable? Not really.

"Win One for the Limper"

2008-01-18T16:22:00.001-05:00

Or, Philip Rivers' pregame speech to Billy Volek. Right before Volek meets Mike Vrabel, Adalius Thomas & Company and finds himself understanding personally why the Pats are undefeated.

The Chargers-Patriots contest might go down as the most one-sided conference championship in NFL history. It might go down as the most one-sided game this season.

These games are supposed to be close. They're supposed to be a dog-fight between the best two teams in their conference, clawing and scratching to see who'll come out on top.

Traditionally, that's been the case.

Since the Plan-A Free Agency went into effect with the 1993 season there have been 28Conference Championship Games played. The average margin of victory: just over 13 points. Competitive Balance has won out. The games have been somewhat close. A bounce here, a break there, and any team is in it.

Well, except for the 2000 Minnesota Vikings, who looked like a WNBA team against the NY Giants, putting up a goose-egg and losing the NFC title by 41 points.

Until Sunday, January 20, 2008, that will be the standard-bearer of beat downs.

That is, until Billy Volek leads the LT-hurtin & Philip Rivers-missin, undermanned & overmatched San Diego Chargers into Foxboro.

Look, you've got The Hoodie-Bill Belichick-who goes for it on fourth down when he's in field goal range with the game in the bag, a quarterback who just set a new TD record, a wideout who's trying to prove he really is just a good football player and not a thug, and a team who has gone from most-loved to most-hated faster than any team in history, and they're going against Billy Volek and the San Diego Chargers?

Well, all you can say is, "You stay classy, San Diego."

Pats win by 45.

(P.S. - My greatest New Years wish is for Brett Favre to demolish the Pats and then ride off into the sunset as the greatest QB in NFL history... And have that feat never, ever, ever passed by Tom Brady.)

The White Boy is Back

2008-01-08T13:38:00.001-05:00

The white boy is back
And you know that he never smoke crack
The white boy is back ('cause you know he's the white boy)

-Everlast, "White Boy is Back"

I never said that was a good song, or wholesome (note: disregard the rest of the lyrics to the song), but just that it fits.

Cause I'm back. And better than ever.

So here's the thing: my last post was Dec 11, 2007. Let's go over my schedule since then:

Dec 10-13 - Meetings in Duluth, GA
Dec 15 - I got married. True story.
Dec 16-21 - Well, you know.
Dec 22-26 - with the Fam.
Dec 27-28 - At home, but no internet, and setting up my new house
Dec 29-Jan 2 - In Nashville at a conference
Jan 3-present - At home, but still no internet, and now back to work on campus.

But don't worry, internet is coming soon to a house in Dahlonega. So there should be something to say (well, there's always something to say), there should be some time to say what I've got to say in the coming days. Keep on the lookout. 'Cause there's plenty going on for me to rant about.

And the White Boy is back...

The Gospel According to Michael Vick

2007-12-11T12:46:00.001-05:00

Or, really, "The Gospel as needed by Michael Vick (and the rest of us)."

Here's what I know: Michael Vick deserved jail time. And he got it. He's spending the next 20+ months of his life behind bars where, bets are, he's gonna tear up the Prison League like Burt Reynolds in the Longest Yard.

He may be famous there.

He may be famous outside there.

But he's still in Prison.

And that's where we all should be, in a way.

The thing I've learned all week, and through circumstances have seen is my only hope, is this: "To the one who ... trusts that God justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness."

That means, that the captial-H He makes right the unrighteous. He makes the guilty innocent. He doesn't just say not guilty though, He says, because of Christ, perfectly innocent.

I I stand before Him in His court as deserving punishment, deserving a lot more than 23 months behind bars, and God is the God who justifies the ungodly. He took the sentence in my stead.

We won't see a judge in Virginia do that. And, in our world, we shouldn't. Vick should go to prison.

But in the Spiritual Realm we see just that. The Judge pays the sentence for me. And he makes right the unrighteous. He justifies the ungodly. To the one who trusts, his faith is counted as righteousness.

Two-And-A-Half Posts...plus...

2007-12-06T09:24:00.002-05:00

We're going to attempt to make it through three this morning. One is really just a link though, so, we'll call it two-and-a-half. There. That's more manageable. Addition by subtraction is always a great thing. Except for Title IX, which is a whole 'nuther post, and would bring us back up to three-and-a-half, and then I'd lose half my readers, which would bring me back down to one. (Thanks, Andy W. You're about as loyal as Old Yeller.) So, I'll keep the 9 Truths About Title IX post for another day. Back down to two-and-a-half.

One more side note. I'm a week late on everything I'm about to say, which is a good thing. Trust me. I've had time to chill out. So don't fault me on my timing. And don't think I was waiting to see what the talking heads from Bristol would say. Those guys are increasingly ruling sports and, in turn, increasingly losing my viewership. Which is another post. We'll cut it there. Gotta stay at two-and-a-half.

Post One:

Georgia landed in a great bowl game. It's top tier bowl. It's a ticket the fans swarm to. It's a trip the fans love. (I traveled to New Orleans when the Dogs faced FSU back in 2003 and had a blast.) And this year it's somehow a disappointment.

That's life though, right? Disappointment is always the difference between our hopes and reality. And likewise, elation is always vice-versa. And that's another reason we love sports. "The triumph of victory and the agony of defeat." And it mirrors our lives. It's a picture of reality.

We're banking on the $1000 Christmas bonus, but we only get $750. We get the money, but we're disappointed. Or like the guy in last weekend's ACC Championship game, throwing in the Dr. Pepper contest. He was this close to a $100,000, but came away with $75,000. Still a nice paycheck, but not what he was hoping for. Disappointment.

Richt and The Bulldog Nation hoped for the National Championship Game, and instead get the Sugar Bowl. Who isn't excited about getting a great bowl game? Only the team who hoped for more.

Look at Kansas. They snuck into the BCS mix and were thrilled. In my opinion, that's the bigger blunder, that a Kansas team that JUST LOST to Missouri goes to Miami while Missouri heads to a second-tier bowl in Dallas. Kansas: elated. Missouri: terribly disappointed.

And so it goes. Georgia's facing a let down. But they find themselves in a big game. And you better believe that Richt's going to parlay this into some serious motivation. The whole chip on the shoulder thing. No respect. Something to prove. Watch out Colt Brennan. You might end up wishing you could've stayed in the Aloha Bowl.

Did Georgia get snubbed? In a way, yes. And in a way, no. Look, if you're an LSU fan, you're ticked if UGA sneaks into the Game. But all the talking heads had said Georgia was playing the best football in the nation. And they all knew that LSU had lost twice since the last time Georgia lost. And the voters had to know that number 1 and 2 both losing was a possiblity after this season. And they still put Georgia number 4 heading into the final week. And in the last week Number 1 and 2 lost. And Georgia ends up number 5. The only time all season you see a team drop in the rankings when it (a) doesn't play, and (b) has two teams ahead of it lose.

So, disappointment reigns in Athens. But the truth remains: Georgia's going to a great bowl game. A game they'd be elated to go to any other year. Only this year the hopes were higher.

And disappointment is the difference between hopes and reality.

Half-a-Post:
The best column I've read on the whole UGA snub was by the AJC's Mark Bradley. Of course, he's the only good columnist working in the only place in sports that's somewhat sympathetic to the Bulldogs right now. But still, it's worth a read.

You can check it out here.

What resonates with me the most is his opening thoughts. I think you'll agree.

Post Two:
In the aftermath of the Green Bay loss to Dallas last week, my loyal reader (singular) did something only the sports-NUTS do. He sent an email to a sports-radio guy, ESPN's Colin Cowherd. You gotta know, my boy is a Green Bay fanatic. I'm guessing he's got a FatHead of Brett Farve in his bedroom. And he's married.

But I thought what he said to Colin was great. Apparently he needs to start his own little writing world. So, I've put up both his email to me and his email to Colin. Enjoy.

------

Bert, I've never done this before, but I emailed Colin Cowherd this morning. I don't know why, except that it felt therapeutic, like I was journaling a bad nightmare so it wouldn't be so scary. That's how I felt after the game last night, so I figured you would appreciate it.

------

Herd,
I was one of the "lucky" ones who got to watch the big game last night on the NFL Network. Lucky because it was a big game, unluckly because I had to listen to Bryant Gumbel for three hours.

Growing up in Wisconsin, I've been a lifelong Packers fan, and admittedly never objective about Brett Favre. One of my favorite conversations is debating the Legend of Favre with the skeptics. But watching the game last night I feel like the little boy who pulled the fake beard down on Mall Santa for the first time. Who's this guy? Where's the real Brett? Is it all just a "legend?"

Brett looked lost out there from the outset. Forcing deep passes into double coverages, unable to recognize the blitz coverages, not doing what he's done all year long to win 10 games. Throwing the 6 yard slant to Driver, the 8 yard curl to Jennings, trusting the offense. On a key 3rd and one early in the game, Favre threw deep incomplete and it wasn't close. Why? Bad play call, or did Favre audible out of a run play? What? Why am I doubting the best quarterback ever, my hero, my idol? Favre was like a deer in headlights, like he wasn't himself, like he didn't have it and he knew it. Even Greg Jennings, the second year receiver was consoling him on the sidelines after plays telling him it was going to be all right. "Just settle down man, we've got your back." That's what veterans tell their rookie qb, not vice versa.

Where was the veteran, the legend, the real Santa? When he got hurt, the deep, dark, childhood questions really started coming because Aaron Rodgers moved the offense. "I can't believe I'm thinking this, question Santa???" The Pack are a good team, Ryan Grant gutted the stout Cowboys run defense, Jennings and Driver are fast and reliable. When the defense is 100% they'll be even better. But why did they play better without Favre? Was this just a fake Santa, or is the whole thing just a "legend?"

Nah, I'm just having a bad dream. I'll keep putting out the milk and cookies. Favre will be back. he's still Superman. Irving, Texas is just his kryptonite. Yeah that's it. (Swallow nervously, look at the cookies and wonder about Aaron Rodgers - A.K.A. my nutty uncle in a Santa suit.)

Christmas might never be the same.

Quick Picks

2007-12-01T11:40:00.001-05:00

First, a quick thanks to Brett Farve for making me look like a moron. And a word of thanks to Tony Romo for seriously helping my fantasy team. Playoffs start next week, Tony. Keep it up.

Now, to Real Football...

Army at Navy:
Navy has won the last five years. Army can't stop the run. What else needs to be said?
Navy 41, Army 17

Virginia Tech at Boston College, ACC Championship Game in Jacksonville:
Is anybody even going to this game? What sense does it make for the ACC to hold this game in Jacksonville when the majority of their schools are in the Carolinas or north? Just another reason the ACC lags behind the SEC, not only in quality of play, but even in mere relevance.
But there is a game in Jacksonville today. The Hokies want to prove the the last 4 minutes of their first contest was a fluke, while BC is out to regain the form they had leading up to that game. The Eagles are a mediocre 2-2 since their miracle win at Virginia Tech, and expect that to drop to below .500 today. It's tough to beat a team twice in a season, especially when you lucked up the first time around. Matt Ryan's good, but he won't be able to carry BC on his own. The two-quarterback rotation at VaTech works today. Hokies win and head south to Miami.
VT 27, BC 17

UCLA at USC:
What can you say? This won't even be close. At USC? With the Trojans filling "disrespected"? No one likes to see the little guy get beat up. This one's gonna get ugly. And fast. USC is seeing Roses.
USC 52, UCLA 24

Oklahoma at Missouri, Big XII Championship Game in San Antonio:
Missouri wants to go to New Orleans. Oklahoma wants to forget what could have been. OU lost two games they clearly should have won this year, missing out on what should have been an undefeated, number 1 season. But they lose their third game this year today, and they've been favorites every time. Mizzou pulls off the dream, and starts trying to figure out the Mountaineers.
Mizzou 27, Oklahoma 24

Tennessee at LSU, SEC Championship Game in Atlanta:
My boy Andy Woznicki swears Phil Fulmer is Fred Thompson's illegitimate son. Does that mean he gets secret service protection? And, if so, can he reassign them to cover Erik Ainge? Dorsey owns Erik in Atlanta. But that won't seal the win...
You wanna talk about distractions? As I write this on Saturday morning, reports are the LSU's Les Miles will be named Michigan's coach this week, with Pelini heading to be Tom Osborne's puppet in Nebraska. The Tigers don't know where to turn. They're on the verge of a potential national title, and their two top coaches are bailing on them? But that's not all. LSU's got it's second-stringer playing under center. All that's got UT smelling upset.
But not me. LSU is too talented. Tigers win a close one, Phil Fulmer calls dad to cry.
LSU 17, UT 14

Why we love sports

2007-11-28T13:10:00.002-05:00

This is it. Thursday night. The Pack and The 'Boys. The Star vs. Brett Favre. America's Team vs. America's Quarterback.

And it's the game of the year that will never live up to its billing on the Neilson ratings because ESPN won't push it like they push Tom Brady and the Colts. Or Yanks-Sox, "sports greatest rivalry" - kinda like how they've named Vince Young number 10 on the 25 greatest college football players of all time. Absolutely ludicrous. Vince Young even cracking the top-25 is a stretch - you're telling me that one great game gets someone on an all-time list? - but making number 10? That's about as crazy as us getting the Yanks-Sox shoved down our throats annually as the greatest rivalry since Sparta-Athens back in Ancient Greece. But now I've gone in a circle...

But Thursday night's got it all. And I mean all.

Dallas and Green Bay. Two of the NFL's most storied franchises. The history of Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi. The tradition of Lambeau Field - with the Lambeau Leap, the aura of the Frozen Tundra, and the best fans in the game - and Texas-sized Texas Stadium, with it's hole "so that God could watch His favorite team," or at least that's what D.D. Lewis would have us believe. (And side note - this will be the last time these teams match up in Irving - Dallas opens the New Texas Stadium after next season.)

And then there's redemption.

Tony Romo's turned the lasting image of his botched snap costing Dallas a deep playoff run into a distant memory, playing out of his league this year and giving Dallas their first legitimate QB since Troy Aikman lined up under center. He's on the verge of breaking the Cowboy's single-season passing TD record (his next endzone connection will do it) and for the season he's sitting with a 105.3 passer rating,3,043 passing yards and 29 TD's.

Brett Favre's redemption is one of a different sort of lore. He's like an old-west hero who never says quit, the proverbial gunslinger who hasn't realized his time has passed. And that's what we all thought after the last two seasons - that the old gunslinger's time had passed. Facing (loud) calls to hang it up, Favre never backed off the same grit and determination to win that's made him the NFL's most prolific passer of all time. After throwing for 38 TD's with 47 INT's over the last two years, he's put up Favrian-type numbers this year, returning to his MVP form with over 3300 passing yards, 22 TD's and just 8 interceptions and seemingly willing his team to win week in and week out.

And those are just the side stories. History. Tradition. Redemption. That's why we love sports. And we'll see it all played out tomorrow night on the field, in a game that actually matters.

The NFC's top two teams (both at 10-1) will match up just as well on the turf as they do on paper. Great QB's. Adequate running games. Solid defense. And both of these teams have the intangibles.

Brett Favre won't quit. Tony Romo won't lose. Greg Jennings is underratted. Terrell Owens is unbelieveable. And both have coaches - seasoned or green - looking to prove that they're legit.

As in, Big-Game legit. As in, living up to their history legit.

But here's the problem. Charles Woodson and Bubba Franks are questionable and Donald Driver's listed as probable for Thursday's game.

What does that add up to? More pressure on Greg Jennings and Ryan Grant. More catches for Terrell Owens across the middle. And more pressure on Brett Favre to carry this team on his back.

But that's what the old gunslingers do. They don't back down. They take the load, they want the load, and they win the game. And that's what Brett Favre is going to do for the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night.

Tony Romo's going to hook up with Owens for two or more scores. That's a given. But Brett Favre will not be denied.

Brett Favre may be old (I gotta throw that in there whenever I can), but he's the best QB the NFL's ever seen. Watch tomorrow night and you'll be reminded why. Everybody's on board the Tom Brady train right now - "this guy won't lose!" - but they forget Brett Favre designed, built and perfected that train.

Green Bay will meet New England in the Super Bowl. Yesterday's hero will meet today's fad.

But for now it's the Pack and the Boys, and the cream of the NFC will rise to the top. Tomorrow night Favre will lock up homefield for the playoffs. Tomorrow night Favre writes another page in his legacy.

Green Bay 31, Dallas 27.

I find this Offensive.

2007-11-26T15:00:00.002-05:00

aThe draft is months away. And in the fast-paced, up-and-down world of the National Football League there is no predicting what will happen between now and then. Trades, free agency, injuries and a plethora of off-the-field issues could change everything that the experts at ESPN foresee right now. But, in the media-driven sports world, the teams are already on the clock - some more than others - especially 3-8 teams whose last decent QB is now sitting in the pen.

Thanks to Mr. Vick, this draft is the most important draft for the Atlanta Falcons in years. But don't blame it all on Ron Mexico, there's plenty of blame to go around Flowery Branch these days. The team is in obvious shambles. And the buck doesn't stop with just under-prepared Bobby Petrino. Keep looking up the corporate ladder to Rich McKay and all the way to Arthur Blank himself.

The Falcons' are now roosting in the nest McKay built. And this one is about as weak as they come. There are better offensive lines in the FCS (NCAA, D-II, for those not keeping score) than in Flowery Branch. The veterans (and team "leaders") are ready to start a mutiny against in-over-his-head coach Bobby Petrino. And the team hasn't had a good, non-dog-fighting quarterback since, well, ever. (Chris "Chandelier" Chandler's 1998 season notwithstanding.)

To be fair to The Coach, Bobby Petrino hasn't had a fair shake at the NFL. His franchise player is in the slammer, he's had injury after injury plague his O-Line, and his team was built with a bunch of thugs by his GM, McKay, who hasn't been seen around Atlanta since sometime before the last failed draft.

But that's life as an NFL coach. You go with what you've got. And Petrino ain't got much.

Which brings me to what I find offensive (offensive, as in, terribly repulsive, kind of like how I feel by watching the Falcons offense). I cannot believe the all-but-certain conclusion going around that the Falcons must draft a franchise quarterback with their early first round pick.

ESPN's Todd McShay looks into his crystal ball and sees Brian Brohm leading the birds in 2008: "It almost makes too much sense. The Falcons, in desperate need of a franchise quarterback in the wake of the Michael Vick mess, use their first-round selection on a signal caller who head (sic) played for current Atlanta head coach Bobby Petrino at Louisville from 2004-06."

Hello! McFly! Are you actually employed by a major news media outlet? And because it's put out there by ESPN, everyone under the sun believes it must be true.

What has been the Falcons' biggest problem this year? Not the play of the quarterback - which has been terrible - but amazingly that QB slot has taken the glory away from the team's Offensive Line for being the worst starting unit in the NFL. These guys are terrible. It doesn't matter who Petrino lines up under center, the poor guy's gonna end up on the ground more than a fat man in a sack race. (I'm guessing D.J. Shockley's pretty pleased right about now to be sitting this one out.)

The Birds have three decent QB's - two with experience, one without - under contract for next year: Joey Harrington, Byron Leftwich, and Shockley.

And they've got a terribly undersized and untalented offensive line in front of them.

What's the bigger need? Not another QB to get pounded, but a talented and BIG o-lineman who can anchor this front for years to come. The game is won in the trenches, and the Falcons need to use their first pick on the line if they are serious about improving.

Look, in recent memory we've seen Ryan Leaf get taken number two overall and be one of the biggest busts in history, and we've seen Tom Brady go in round six and turn into one of the biggest winners in history. Spending an early pick on a QB can be a crapshoot. Even if you get a "good" one, he may still end up going to prison for dogfighting before its said and done.

The Falcons need to draft an Offensive Lineman early. They won't do it because their PR is reeling and the team needs/wants a flashy pick to boost ticket sales. But if Rich McKay is serious about winning, he needs to get serious about his strategy. Draft some great O-Linemen, start Shockley next year, and put 2007 behind you as you begin to build for the future.

Quick Picks

2007-11-23T10:00:00.001-05:00

No point in intro's, let's just dive right in...

Arkansas at LSU: (Friday, 2:30)
Ar-Kan-Saw or Ar-Kan-Sas? Poe-Tay-Toe or Poe-Tah-Toe? Forgive Les Miles' apparent speech impediment, or simple ignorance of his northerly neighbor's proper pronunciation. He's been Blue this week, or thinking Blue at least. This is great. We've got two coaches in their last SEC regular season games. But even though this is Les' last game at Baton Rouge, don't count out an upset. Darren McFadden tries to get back in the Heisman hunt with a strong showing, but it won't be enough. Bayou Bengals 20, Little Piggies 17.

Virginia Tech at Virginia:
It's funny to me that the winner of this game gets to go to Jacksonville and play a championship game that means less annually than the Other Jacksonville game - Georgia/Florida. But don't tell Frank Beamer that. Beamer-ball wins easily. The Cavaliers can't get over the hump. Free Mike Vick 24, Cavaliers 10.

Miami (Florida) at Boston College:
Shouldn't we start doing this now? Call the Redhawks simply 'Miami' and the needs-to-return-to-the-Big-East team 'Miami of Florida'? This game is a joke. Miami of Florida needs Doug Flutie to win this one. Matt Ryan 41, Tropical Depressions 9.

Tennessee at Kentucky:
I'm wearing Kentucky Blue on Saturday, so I'm biased. (Don't worry, I'll still wear Red too...) Very few college students were alive the last time UK knocked off the Vols. But no one can win 23 times in a row, can they? Okay, the old Notre Dame owned Navy for decades, but seriously, in the SEC, 23 straight? The Great Pumpkin loses his first to my boys in blue. But it's close. Up-And-Comers 23, Tennessee Hunting Club 20.

Clemson at South Carolina:
Here's another chance at two coaches' last games at their current schools. But that's a long shot. I love Tommy Bowden, and I'd love to see Steve Spurrier and his visor ride off into the sunset. Spurrier said (more or less) that his Gamecocks' recent practices reminded him of his Duke days, and Clemson is the most up-and-down team in college football. This one's only worth watching if you live in the Palmetto State. But catch the end, it's always good to see the Visor thrown in disgust. Kittie Kats 17, The Fighting Chickens 13.

Florida State at Florida:
Speaking of Bowden's and riding off into the sunset, anybody think Bobby can stand Spurrier enough to hop on that train with him? Time to retire, Mr. Bowden. It's been a nice run. Tim Tebow is the best running back in Florida, and on his way to getting snubbed in New York. But the Gators win. Denim Shorts 31, Criminoles 17.

Alabama at Auburn:
Nick Saban is the greatest coach since Bear Bryant, the greatest man to walk the earth since Winston Churchill and recently gave the greatest speech since Mark Antony's "Friends, Romans, Countrymen..." in Julius Ceasar. If you look at this through the eyes of St. Nick, Alabama at Auburn is on the same scale at the Allies vs. the Axis in WWII. I hope the Tide turned Crimson after hearing their beloved coach's recent comments, and they'll certainly see red after their 4-million-dollar man drops another one. Tommy Tuberville's on his way to Texas A&M, but the Tigers give him a great farewell tour. War Tigers 20, Forrest Gump 9.

Georgia at Georgia Tech:
The Dogs are playing their best football under Mark Richt. And the Jackets are playing for their coach's career. Bobby Dodd will be 25% Red and Black on Saturday, but a it's still a rivalry and a road game, and neither are ever gimmes. This one could be close. The Dogs have a not-so-secret weapon: Tech, meet Knowshon; Knowshon, meet Tech Endzone. And Tech counters with their only offensive Choice: Tashard just might eat up the Georgia D. So it comes down to the pass. Stafford's got the play-action working and Billy Bennett is not nearly the upgrade over Reggie-throw-away-the-Ball that Tech fans hoped he'd be. Georgia pulls out of town with their sixth in a row. Tech fires Chan Gailey immediately after (See Below). SEC East Champs 27, ACC Chumps 20.

Chuck Norris Doesn't Endorse

2007-11-23T08:35:00.001-05:00

I'll put up a weekend prediction later today. But for now I just wanted to give some props to my boy from Arkansas, Gov. Mike Huckabee.

All you need to know is this: Chuck likes Huck.

Mike's stand on the Fair Tax/IRS:

And finally, "Congress spends money like John Edwards at a beauty shop."

Not Enough ... Yet

2007-11-21T10:04:00.001-05:00

Cudos to Frank Wren. The Braves' new GM immediately went to work after taking over for long-tenured, highly-respected and Atlanta demi-god John Schuerholz.

Remember the pressure Ron Zook had after taking over for Spurrier at Florida? That's what Wren will face if the Braves don't return to the playoffs after a two-year layoff. The Braves finished third (5 games back) in an average division last season, and fourth (5.5 back) in the NL Wild-Card race. Wren's Braves have some ground to make up.

But the Braves' first new GM since 1990 has quickly made trades (getting promising rookie speedster Josh Anderson from Houston) and signed blast-from-the-past free agent Tom Glavine for a measley five million less than he would have made with the division rival Mets. Anytime you take a starter from another team within your division, you've made a good deal. When it's a player like Glav who can contribute and help mentor your younger pitchers, you've made a great one.

But as of today, November 21, the Braves are still a wild-card team at best, and probably not even that. This team hasn't done enough yet to get over the hump.

But they will.

I write this a couple weeks before the December GM meetings and months before pitchers and catchers report, Frank Wren's got plenty of time. And he'll make the necessary moves to put the peices together for a legitimate World Series run. We're not talking Wild Card. We're not talking division. And we're definitely talking more than a first-round exit from the playoffs.

Most of the puzzle pieces are there. Chipper Jones (if healthy), Mark Texiera, Jeff Francouer (MVP year in 2008?), Brain McCann and the continued rise of Yunel Escobar compose a promising lineup. Hudson, Smoltz, and Glavine are the beginnings of a good rotation.

But there are still too many "if's" to rest where we are.

We've got to face the facts with Glavine. The man will be 42 when the season starts. He completely tanked in his last three outings. We can't expect more than 12 or 13 wins and a near-4.00 ERA from the 303 game winner. And we can't be surprised if he drops off the planet come September, right in the thick of what should be a tight divsion race.

Smoltz is probably the toughest pitcher in the League today, but even he's beginning to break down. Could we see one trip to the DL for John in 2008? Probably. Two? Not out of the question.

And if Frank Wren is counting on a healthy Mike Hampton to fill out the fourth spot, then he's already behind the eight ball. What's the phrase that George W. jacked up a few years ago? "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me." Well, we've already been fooled twice. Shame on us. But if it happens again? We'll deserve the third place finish we land in.

Deals still need to be made. The Braves must get a proven starter of at least number three quality. The lineup looks great, but the team still needs a proven center fielder. Jordan Schafer most likely won't be ready, Josh Anderson should be a fourth fielder at most for now, and an outfield of Francouer at center, Willie Harris at right and Matt Diaz at left would playout about as bad as it sounds.

Do I expect it to happen? Certainly. Mark it down. Frank Wren's going to get it done. The Braves are two players away from a World Series team. And zero players away from another third place finish.

Just a Wreck

2007-11-20T15:20:00.001-05:00

This is not what you think. I'm not just an ole Georgia boy starting off his sports blog by bashing Georgia Tech. It's just been over four years since I've had a place to talk about sports in print, and it's been six since I've had a place where I was able to post actual opinions (we'll call them Convictions) instead of simple coverage.

And so the truth (what I'm most concerned with here) is that the Ramblin' Wreck has fully derailed. I'm not trying to just dismiss Tech four days before the Big Game, but the Wreck no longer Rambles, it just patters about like a man born in 1930, not the fully restored 1930 Model-A dream it once was.

And Chan Gailey's got to take the fall.

Look, as a UGA fan, I'd love for Chan to stick around and let us keep chalking up the wins over the North Avenue Trade School. All Georgia fans are cheering for Chan to stick around. And Chan's a great guy, by all appearances. He's a good man with good morals and a good outlook at building the right kind of men through the program. That's very commendable. But right now as a coach he's looking more and more like the star of a new "Weekend at Bernie's", being held up and passed off as a coach with a pulse by John Tenuta, when in reality he deflated after being canned by Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys back in the last millenium.

Seriously. Take a look at the team's numbers: Since hiring Gailey as head coach in before the 2002 season, the Jackets have gone 7-6, 7-6, 7-5, 7-5, 9-5, and right now sit at 6-4 with a 3-4 mark in the weak ACC. Gailey's best shot - last year's ACC runner-up team - finished with just one ACC loss, but lost the Championship game in a weak showing against Wake Forest and responded by dropping the Gator Bowl to West Virginia. They look to be heading to their second trip to the Emerald Bowl, where they were shellacked by Utah in 2005. And the worst stat: Gailey is still winless against UGA, allowing last year's contest to slip away against a rebuilding Georgia squad.

To put this in perspective, let's compare Gailey to two of his contemporaries: his predecessor, George O'Leary, and in-state counterpart, Mark Richt.

Quickly, Richt's stats in his first five years at UGA: 8-4, 13-1, 11-3, 10-2, & 10-3 with two SEC championships and no losses to GT. Everyone's Counter Argument: Different school, different conference. The Truth: Richt has much higher expectations in a much tougher conference and is recruiting from the same kids to get the same job done. He's got a tougher job, but is getting it done with the same crop of high school students available to Chan Gailey.

But, if you can't get past the Big "G" as a great recruiting tool and you're still crying Unfair, then take a look at GT's own Lying O'Leary's numbers.

Starting with 1995, O'Leary's Jackets went 6-5, 5-6, 7-5, 10-2, 8-4, 9-3, and 7-5. He tied for a share of the ACC title in 1998 behind snubbed Heisman candidate Joe Hamilton (different discussion), and went 3-2 in bowl games over his last five years at the helm.

Over a five-year stretch from 1997-2001, O'Leary's boys were 41-19, 27-13. Gailey's five full years at GT immediately afterward: 37-27, 24-16.

The point is this: GT's program has at best remained stagnant and at worst has taken one or two steps backward during Gailey's tenure. This is an established program sitting in a hotbed for high school football recruits. This is a semi-recent National Champion playing in an increasingly weak ACC. There is no reason for GT to continue to sit as a second-tier program in a third-rate conference. Gailey's gotta go.

Think about it. The dominos are about to fall. In the next four months, we'll see job openings at Michigan, Texas A&M and Nebraska certainly. Most likely there will be vacancies at Auburn, LSU, Arkansas, UCLA, Boise State, Wake Forest and even potentially South Carolina, Tennessee and Clemson as the coaching carousel goes full round like we've never seen before. What does this mean? Some say it's a bad time for Tech to enter the market, but the fact is that there will be more coaches out there changing jobs than ever before. Why not toss the Gold and Blue hat out there to land someone who can take this team to the next level? Even if the unthinkable were to happen and Gailey should manage to beat Georgia and follow that up with a solid bowl victory, Tech still needs to Can Chan. More coaches will be available this offseason than ever before. Georgia Tech must Right the Wreck now.