Tim Howard's masterful night | Yahoo Sports

Watching the USA - Belgium match, I was reminded of the story that hit my mailbox July 1st courtesy of FCA featuring Tim Howard ( and shown below ).  First, this is an amazing back story regarding his struggle with Tourette Syndrome and how he was able to overcome it and rise to the level he has. Pretty remarkable. Second, the title of the story Peace in the Midst of Chaos was very prophetic given his performance yesterday on the field.


from Yahoo Sports:
Tim Howard's masterful night | Watch the video - Yahoo Sports:

The U.S. Men's National Team goalkeeper did something no player has ever done for the Americans in the World Cup.

'via Blog this'

An amazing night for American soccer, in spite of the result, they will not only have to figure out how to replace the strength provided by Tim Howard, but figure out why he was put in the place of having to make a record number of save in the first place.

With the USA and my next favorite Italy out of the competition, it will be hard to maintain my attention, but like the Olympics, the World Cup is a magnet to me for a sport that I would generally have zero interest in except every four years. It's just so hard to get excited about backing the Germans, the French or the Dutch. I actually thought that Belgium was the Dutch -- my wife had to correct me -- which shows my lack of knowledge for most things international. Hockey is about as international as I get as far as sports go.

It must be the great pride and passion that these athletes display not just for their team or their sport but for their nation and fellow countrymen that draws my attention every four years. Some are turned off by this overt nationalism, but I find it to be kind of cool. Very inspiring. It give me goose bumps at times, which is good. Maybe if I had to deal with it every day I would be soccer fan, but every four years is OK.

One final example that, if nothing else does, proves the magic that the World Cup brings:

• I agree 100% with Keith Olbermann in his analysis. I can't believe I said that out loud, except that it sounds more like he's coming around to my way of thinking than vice versa. 

Olbermann: How To Make Soccer Work In America
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=11166044

So anyway, bye-bye World Cup. See you in another four years.

Bye-bye soccer, see you in another four years.

Bye-bye Keith ( "Bed-Wetter" ), probably won't agree with you for another four years. How did he nail that?



==

Peace In The Midst of Chaos Tuesday, July 1st, 2014

http://fcaresources.com/devotional/peace-midst-chaos

Having spent the first ten years of my life with an undiagnosed case of Tourette Syndrome—a neurological disorder characterized by uncontrollable physical and verbal tics—I did not experience a lot of peace. Yet even though my life often felt chaotic, I knew I could always count on one person to provide calm and stability—my grandmother.

Nana’s sense of peace was powerful because it came from her faith in the Lord. Through her, God revealed His love for me as well. It wasn’t long before I followed in her footsteps. I wanted the same kind of faith and peace she had, and that is exactly what God gave me.

Living with Tourette’s is not easy, but God has blessed me with the gift of athleticism and has done some powerful things in my life through the combination of these two gifts. He has helped me in my long-term success as a professional soccer player in the English Premier League and U.S. National Team; and He also has shown me ways to use my position as a professional athlete to encourage others with Tourette Syndrome.

Today, I am blessed to be living my dream. Yet, if my soccer career went away tomorrow, I know I would still have peace. That probably sounds crazy to most people, but that’s the kind of peace Christ gives. It is rooted in His love and it surpasses all understanding.

The disciples once learned a lesson about peace during an eventful boat ride. In Mark 4, they were crossing a lake with Jesus when a severe storm arose. The disciples feared for their lives, yet, among the chaos, Jesus slept calmly. When they woke Him, Jesus commanded the wind and the sea to “be still!” and there was peace. That is what He can do in our lives. Among our storms and our chaos, Jesus provides peace.

You can experience this same sense of love and peace, too. All you have to do is ask for it.

David beats Goliath again - TCU beats Wisconsin on behalf of the little guys

Rose Bowl Quarterback Quotes Scripture After Win

TCU QB Peter Dalton says all the right things after his team's big win. But it's obvious from some of his prior experiences (as noted in the two stories linked below) leading up to last night that he has been walking the walk as well as talking the talk even when it may not have been so easy to do so. Thank God for live TV.

1 Peter 5:6 (NIV)
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/12/26/3281760/faith-has-made-tcu-quarterback.html#ixzz19pvh9sSP

http://blackchristiannews.com/news/2010/12/texas-christian-university-qb-andy-dalton-says-faith-has-made-him-the-leader-he-is.html

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Another verse from the bible has stayed with Dalton ever since he heard former Texas quarterback Major Applewhite repeat it after winning the Holiday Bowl in 2001: "Humble yourself and under God's mighty hand he will exult you in due time."

"That's been something I've taken and made part of my character," Dalton said. "The most rewarding thing for me is people coming up and thanking me for being a great character guy for their kids; for being a class act off the field. That is the kind of person I want to be. It's very fulfilling."

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The 78th Psalm ends with a tribute to King David: "He (led) them with the integrity of his heart and the skillfulness of his hands."


It's a passage that Greg Dalton instilled in his son, long before Andy Dalton threw his first touchdown pass at TCU.

Andy Dalton, 23, grew up in a family of strong faith and unconditional love. His unwavering Christianity has only strengthened as he's gotten older. It has provided an inspiration to carry him honorably on and off the football field during a record-shattering career.

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But Dalton will not only leave a massive football legacy behind at TCU, he'll leave a spiritual mark as well.

Along with 10 other TCU students, he helped create Ignite, a weekly nondenominational gathering. The first Monday meeting was held April 5, which happened to fall on the same day of the NCAA men's basketball championship. The group wasn't sure if anyone would attend.

"Lord, if it's just us in here, it's OK," Dalton recalled the group praying just before the doors of the Brown-Lupton University Union Ballroom opened that night. "He placed it on our hearts to do something like this. And we walked in there and the place was packed. We had around 400 people the first night."

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TCU center Jake Kirkpatrick, a frequent attendee of Ignite meetings, and Dalton's former roommate, said the quarterback has always been comfortable in his own skin.
"His faith plays a major part in his life, and everything he does revolves around it," Kirkpatrick said. "He has views and morals he sticks to. That's why he's such a leader on this team. I think it shows on the field."

For much of his TCU career, Dalton has been blessed with many highs and few lows. Since his sophomore year, he has lost only three games, the last coming in the Fiesta Bowl in January. Dalton threw a season-high three interceptions, one of which was returned 51 yards for a touchdown, and the Frogs lost to Boise State, 17-10.

"You might find this strange, but I think the Fiesta Bowl was one of his greatest games," Greg Dalton said. "Things were not going right. Watching him continue to battle in the midst of adversity; if everything is just always going our way it's easy to be nice. But to watch him during that game and talk to him afterward, to see him shoulder blame for the team, I thought that was really kind of cool and the right thing to do."

The loss has been a personal motivator for Dalton to help lead TCU back to the BCS Promised Land.

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Congratulations to TCU and Peter Dalton, way to represent your team(s) well.

SPEAKING WORDS OF WISDOM

FENG SHUI - FACT OR FICTION?

Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Choose your words, for they become actions. Understand your actions, for they become habits. Study your habits, for they become your character. Develop your character, for it becomes your destiny. ~ Tryon Edwards

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I am going to show this e-mail I received from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes virtually in its entirety because it make so much sense. If this is a violation of fair use, I'm sure my fellow Chicago area native Jere Johnson, who wrote it, will let me know and I will cease and desist. Nice job, Jere.

I often wonder what the media vigilantes think the effect on the young people when they hear the drumbeat for McGwire to step forward and apologize "because we are such a forgiving country" and then when he does, the collective chorus from the ink-stained wretches is "sorry, Mark. Not good enough". After all, it's all about protecting the young people, right?

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Where do we go from here?
Friday, January 22nd, 2010

READY:
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
-Romans 3:23

SET:
Leach, Levitt, Mangino…Arenas, McGuire, Woods...These are just a few of the last names that have been in the sports pages recently for unbecoming conduct. Coaches who have reportedly lost their control both verbally and physically, and players who have reportedly lost their judgment, integrity and character. All of these men have fallen short of the standards set by their schools and teams and short of the vows by which they agreed they would live and coach.

These sports issues all fall under what I call the “323 Syndrome,” or, better stated, Romans 3:23: “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” That includes not only those mentioned above, but you and me, too. Before we throw verbal attacks and insults at these guys and their situations, we need to stop and take a good, hard look in the mirror.

Yes, all of these men, if the reports are accurate, did wrongful things. They hurt their sports, teams, careers and families. But where do they go from here? As onlookers, we can continue to berate and belittle these men, believing they will never change, but that doesn’t change the fact that God’s grace extends to them as well as it extends to you and me. In light of the fact that we are all sinners who have fallen short of God’s standard, I would hope that we would view these men and ourselves through the eyes of the Lord and see His love for us all. Then, instead of judging and condemning, we can pray for them—for their repentance, their restoration and their return to what God has gifted them each uniquely to do.

So, in the world of sports, where do we go from here? One suggestion: to our knees. Let’s pray to our God who continues to hate sin but love us sinners and who longs to restore, rebuild and re-equip our hearts every day.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jere Johnson is a FCA staff member from Chicago area and the author of the devotion book series One Day Better available at fcagear.com. If you would like to contact Jere, please e-mail him at jerejohnson@fca.org.

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File this one under "sometimes the narrative does not jive with the facts"

from Carpe Diem blog:

Interesting Fact of the Day
"Since 1933, Republicans had a more positive record on civil rights in Congress than the Democrats. In the twenty-six major civil rights votes since 1933, a majority of Democrats opposed civil rights legislation in over 80 percent of the votes. By contrast, the Republican majority favored civil rights in over 96 percent of the votes."

Source: Dirksen Congressional Center

HT: Jarod Wachtel

The FCA Project

During the lull in baseball that is the winter months, I generally struggle to find baseball or sports stories of great interest. Sometime late last year, I received a monthly prayer calendar from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes that listed a daily prayer topic for athletes and coaches to reflect on. I decided I would take each topic as a theme and try to build a sports or baseball story around it.

It began mainly as mainly a writing exercise but I have to say that, in doing the research for each topic, it became a very revealing, educational look into what coaches, athletes and parents need to do to improve the landscape surrounding youth sports in this country.

At times, it wasn't easy to craft a sports story around what are generally considered to be spiritual topics, but I am glad I did it and I hope it ends up being as educational and inspirational to everyone who reads it as it turned out to be for me.

The Black Eye and The Eye Black

LOOK IN THE MIRROR NOTRE DAME

THE BLACK EYE:

How ironic the two top stories in college football this week--maybe in some respects this season--were epitomized in the eyes of both schools high profile QB's.

Venerable Notre Dame, struggling with what to do about head coach Charlie Weis, is led onto the field by Jimmie Clausen sporting a black eye, no doubt put there by a classy ND fan disappointed at the unreal expectations and their wanton greed, lust and gluttony. Speculation on my part to be sure, but does anyone, ANYONE believe that Clausen gets "sucker-punched" by a ND fan on his own turf--in the shadows of touchdown Jesus--if the Golden Domers are 11-1 or 10-2, like they thought they would be coming into this season? I DON'T.

This is a train wreck that has been years in the making. Frustrated alumni and administrators, blinded with keeping their exclusive TV contract and getting back to the top, have driven this program into forgetting who they are and what they represent.

It goes back to how they handled Bob Davie, Ty Willingham and now Charlie Weis. Do these two groups of jack-asses (ND alumni and administrators) honestly believe they are going to get a coach more qualified than Charlie Weis? Do they still believe that they can compete at the highest levels of college football today and maintain their high academic and graduation standards? You play schools like Stanford and Navy for a reason. They are your academic peers and your football peers as well. If you want to step up and compete with Oklahoma and USC and the other football factories, changes other than the head coach will have to be made.

And those changes will result in a definitive change in who the university IS and what they REPRESENT. This university is going to make a statement above and beyond a head coaching change by this decision. I hope if they decide to sell their soul, they get proper recompense. Good Luck.

If they do decide to make the change, I find it ironic that the guy who would be the best fit for the program is never mentioned as a candidate--Buffalo's head coach Turner Gill. I have not heard his name mentioned even as a long shot candidate. The candidates I have heard mentioned are an early indication as to WHY Gill doesn't make the list. The winds of change are blowing around South Bend. And it is an ill wind indeed.

It is perhaps a bit of irony mixed with proper symbolism that Clausen represents the university sporting a black eye. Notre Dame may be looking at giving itself a self-inflicted black eye later this week.

THE EYE BLACK:

While all this is going on, balance is provided in the eye black of Tim Tebow.



PROVERBS 3:5-6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Has there been a better college football player rolled up into a finer human being than Tim Tebow? If there is a "character" clause attached to the Heismann voting, then I am not sure how Tebow doesn't win his second trophy this year.

Somehow, I don't think he would be as bothered as I would be if he is not selected. Nor do I think the "Tebow as NFL prospect" detractors bother him as much as they bother me. All the kid does is win. Similar knocks came against Steve Young and they had similar games coming out of college. Last time I checked Steve Young is in the NFL Hall of Fame. Now he could end up more like Danny Weurfell than Steve Young, but that's fine. In a sense, Tebow's gifts would be somewhat under-utilized in the NFL as opposed to where his future lies after football.

The kid is truly inspirational not only to his teammates--a tough crowd to influence with the message Tim delivers--but to coaches and fans alike. He's made being self-less cool to an age group that is normally considered more remarkable for their aloofness and self-centeredness.



If we are to believe the Google trends feature, his messages in eye black have inspired more Bible research than a Fellowship of Christians Athletes bible study class. His verses are at the top of the Google search list after each new listing is perched under his eyes.

FROM THE BLOG TEBOW'S EYE BLACK
http://www.tebowseyeblack.com/

Tebow's Eye black represents how something small can make a big impact in a world full of noise. It is amazing that a college football player's eye black can generate 94 million searches on Google.

He wears his Christianity openly and remarkably in a culture that has drifted toward stifling such speech as if it were proselytising or some other form of "hate speech".



TEBOW ON HIS FAITH:

"People are never going to believe it if it's something that you're telling them and it's something that you're beating them over the head with," Tebow said. "That's not going to influence anyone. It's not. How you're going to influence someone is if they see something in you that seems different or seems special or they see something in you and think, 'Wow, that's really cool. I want to look into that.'
"It's not because I'm forcing anything on anyone or not because I'm trying to push it. I don't do that at all. I try to make it part of my life, just like it is, and I'd never deny it or force it. But I'll always have it part of my life. That's just me. I hope that people can see how it affects my life and how I'm so passionate about it and what it does in my life."

And he does it the way he leads--by example.



How cool is it that 1st Timothy 1:5 says?:

The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith

Tebow may not hear his name called in the draft exactly where he may like and some may say unkind things about his football play, but I have every confidence that he will hear those most precious of words said about him, "Well done, good and faithful servant" and he will not be kept waiting for his eternal reward.

THE TWO BEST STORIES IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow’s eye-black patches remind him: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

TIM TEBOW - YOU ARE SO RIGHT TIM!! PHIL 4:13 INDEED

I was glad to hear the Gators beat the Sooners for the national title just for Mr. Tebow to be recognized for who he is: the best "football player" in college football. And he may also be the best all-around person to come out of college football in quite some time.

He may not be the best QB. Maybe not the Heisman winner this year. He may not be atop Mel Kiper or Todd McShay's draft list. But as far as his impact in life after football, there may not be too many better prospects.

I simply have one piece of advice for all those cynics who seem to lie in wait for something bad to come out of the Tim Tebow story: Please, please hold your breath waiting.

FROM THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES:
http://www.tampabay.com/sports/college/article956080.ece

Tim Tebow had watched and admired Texas quarterback Colt McCoy from afar for quite some time, so when the two finally met last month, Tebow was excited about the opportunity. But their first conversation wasn't about which country music star each has on his iPod (although that came later) or who plays on the better team. It was about God and the profound faith each publicly professes on a regular basis. "No. 1 what I like about him is his strength to show his faith and not be ashamed of that," Tebow said. "We're very similar in that way. And I wanted to compliment him on his beliefs and how he's not ashamed to show it."

A few days after that awards show at Lake Buena Vista, Tebow, McCoy and Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford were getting ready to step into the auditorium at the Nokia Theatre in New York before the Heisman Trophy ceremony began. McCoy and Bradford were nervous. They hadn't been there before. Tebow, who won the Heisman last season, calmed them both by telling them to enjoy the moment. And if they should win, he reminded them, remember to give thanks to who deserved most of the credit.

"I just said give credit to God and represent for him," the Florida quarterback said. "I really tried to (stress) that the whole time. I talked to them two or three times about it."

And so when Bradford stepped onto the stage to accept his Heisman, one of the first things out of his mouth was giving thanks to God.

"He doesn't fear anything," UF coach Urban Meyer said. "A lot of people take their heart out, rip it out of their chest and lay it on the table. I'm not willing to do that, and certainly not my family. But Bob (his father) is that way, and Pam (his mother) and their whole family. They have such a strong faith. In this world of hypocrisy, there's none (with them)."

Meyer admits he had heard about Tebow's strong beliefs, and when he first met him, he was skeptical.

"I was like okay, come on, the Philippines, c'mon give me the real gig here," Meyer said. "You want a hat? What's the deal? But it's true. It's all from the heart. I love that guy. I've never met one like him."

Tebow understands that being the starting quarterback at Florida has given him a platform to tell others about his faith in a unique way. His high profile is what got him into Florida state prisons last summer to talk about Jesus. Talk of his faith is what caused a large group of men to convert.

"For me, I just want to be a good role model, like (former UF quarterback) Danny Wuerffel was for me and several other guys that I looked up to," Tebow said. "I want to be someone that kids can look up to in today's society."

In his rare off-time, Tebow isn't standing on a corner waving a Bible and a sign condemning nonbelievers to hell. But he is working prison ministries, traveling to foreign countries to give his testimony and volunteering for those less fortunate. He holds Bible studies and participates in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Former roommate Tony Joiner often participated in the Bible study, which he admitted even surprised him. Tebow listens to Kenny Chesney and tells jokes like everyone else.

I was particularly impressed by Tebow's philosophy and approach to his celebrity and opportunity as articulated in this column:

FROM ESPN.COM - Pat Forde
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3812762&sportCat=ncf

"You know, everybody, they can look and say how easy it is. But it's definitely not that easy. The difference is 'cause not many people want to wake up at 5, go through workouts, go speak to young kids, go back, eat lunch, go to class, go to tutoring, go speak at a prison at night, come back. I mean, more people would do those things; they just don't want to sacrifice.

"You know, there's a lot of leaders out there. But, unfortunately, there aren't a lot of good ones. So that's always been my dream and my goal, is to be someone like Danny Wuerffel was to me, to be someone that a parent can say, 'Hey, this kid did it the right way.' That's always been my dream and my goal more so than winning a trophy or winning a championship.

"So if it's cynical or whatnot, that's fine. If people don't believe it, that's fine. There's always going to be naysayers, people that are going to say it's fake. But that's fine because you can't control everybody. But I can control what I do, my attitude, how I approach the situation. So how I approach the situation is I want to do everything in my power that football gives me to influence as many people as I can for the good because that's gonna mean so much more when it's all said and done than just playing football and winning championships."

That's a lot of wisdom and perspective from a 21-year-old football hero. Even though he represents everything we say we want our athletes to be, he understands a segment of society instead will be probing for flaws and looking for proof that public persona is a sham. Sometimes good people make us uncomfortable with ourselves.

Tebow has quarterbacked Florida to its second BCS National Championship Game in his three years at the school. He nearly won the Heisman for a second straight season. If the Gators beat Oklahoma on Thursday and he comes back for his senior year, he has a chance to become the most decorated college football player of all time.

Yet none of those are the most important statistics or milestones in Tebow's life. These are: 11 prison visits to preach Christianity to inmates; annual trips to the country of his birth, the Philippines, to assist his father's missionary work there;

As I've said before, this is a kid that clearly gets "it". I'm glad he's going to be back next year to try and become the most decorated and successful college football player of all time. It's nice to see the good guys win once in awhile. And maybe take some of the sports pages away from the Pac Man's and T.O.'s of the world.
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MYRON ROLLE - RHODES SCHOLAR AND NFL PROSPECT - IN THAT ORDER

That the young man even knows who Bill Bradley is makes him cool as hell and wise beyond both his years and his prodigious GPA. That he is literally following in the Senator's footsteps athletically and academically makes him one of the top stories of the year.

I was glad to hear that he had the wisdom to accept the scholarship and defer the NFL. All he had to do is look at how a growing number of top-notch athletes have been able to juggle world class level academic talent with the chance to compete at the highest level athletically.

A brief glimpse at the career of Bill Bradley or Roger Staubach would provide perfect examples of what we may have to look forward to from Myron Rolle in the future.

FROM ESPN.COM - Jermele Hill's column:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hill/090115

"It's a great opportunity," Rolle told ESPN.com. "I'm going to get the chance to study at Oxford and read some incredible books and be among scholars. The whole culture in England is just very appealing. It will make me a better person and a stronger advocate."

A once in a lifetime opportunity that the NFL cannot come close to matching. And the NFL will likely be there for him after he does his academic tour of England. I'm not so sure that the reverse would be true.

"My family was very supportive," Rolle said. "They wanted me to go to Oxford because they taught me to always put education first. It was the most important thing for me besides God and family. Some of my teammates and frat brothers were like, 'Man, that's a lot of money to pass up.' I was definitely getting mixed input."

"Studying at Oxford is more than about the acclaim and the power," Rolle said. "It's about the people you meet. Yes, the NFL can give you financial stability, but I feel that's just temporary."

Family, good. Frat brothers and teammates, knuckleheads. If you're scoring at home.

Rolle created a program called Our Way To Health for Seminole Indian children to help educate them about the importance of physical fitness. He studied comparative politics and holistic medicine for six weeks in London, and was awarded a $4,000 grant for cancer research.

Rolle would rather be a neurosurgeon than a Pro Bowler. He'd rather work for the World Health Organization, the leading think tank in global health, than be the next Ed Reed. His idol is Benjamin Carson, a doctor and director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins, not FSU alum Deion Sanders.

Unbelievably, Rolle once was criticized by FSU defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews, who complained that Rolle was spending too much time studying and not enough time preparing as a football player.

WOW!! Are you kidding me. Sounds like Coach Andrews needs to be in the same coaching timeout corner as Connecticut women's basketball coach Gino Auriemma (creep) as far as choosing priorities and proper perspectives for young adults.

With all due respect to Mr. Andrews' coaching abilities, it sounds as if Mr. Rolle had his priorities, his perspective and his time management skills in perfectly good working order. It sounds like you need to go back to your X's and O's and spend more time figuring out how to beat the Gators and the Hurricanes.

WHAT DO WE TELL THE CHILDREN??

The article below outlines a pretty good start. Since we're such a forgiving nation and all (HAHAHAHA ROTFL).

A little bit of perspective regarding the whole "athletes as role models" argument would help as well. Next thing you know, we might be able to talk a little more rationally and a little less hysterically and emotionally.

When we're talking about children the within the age group of those who still believe in the Easter Bunny, the tooth fairy and Santa Claus (and bed-wetting sportswriters), this age group is not really at risk of steroid use anyway. They are also more likely to be swayed by the opinions of their parents and teachers than those of their favorite ballplayer.

The young men who are entering the teen years and beyond are certainly able to separate their "role-models" behavior and reconcile it with their own standards of right and wrong. If they can't do that or if their ethical schema is out of whack, then let's face it, no amount of posturing, hand wringing or legislation is going to help anyway.

If kids that age are more likely to be swayed morally by their favorite baseball, football or basketball player then we are really in trouble as a society.

PED drug use would fall somewhere behind alcohol abuse, domestic violence and cavalier attitudes toward gun use, respect for authority and raising children out of wedlock. All of these issues and others would seem to impact society more negatively and might be more of an immediate concern to our leaders. At least in my mind. If we're really concerned about kids and the effect role models have on them.

I thought we learned the lesson about legislating morality during Prohibition. Perhaps we're trying to repeat history with our seemingly endless and hopelessly hypocritical "War on Drugs". Maybe that's the one McCain meant when he said we might be fighting it for a hundred years or more.
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Christian players named in Major League Baseball's steroid scandal
Wednesday, Jan 2, 2008
By Tim Ellsworth

http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=5731

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--When former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell released his report Dec. 13, he identified 89 Major League Baseball players as users of illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

Included on that list are a few players who are professing Christians -- most notably Andy Pettitte, Brian Roberts and Paul Byrd, among others.

That men of faith would be present in the Mitchell Report didn't come as a surprise to Rick Horton, former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher and St. Louis area director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

"Not only have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but they continue to do it after they have a relationship with Christ," Horton said. "It's a continuing battle."

Those accused of using illegal substances fall into one of three categories, Horton explained. The first is the young player who thinks drugs might make him a better player. The second category is the injured player who use substances like HGH in an attempt to recover more quickly. The third group consists of aging players who are trying to hang on at the end of their careers.

Horton stressed that he's not providing excuses for players who cheated, and was clear that the use of performance-enhancing drugs is "wrong and it's illegal. But so is driving 85 in a 55, and I know people who do that," he said.

"The sports world is so competitive and so short-lived, that there are decisions made within that that are hard for somebody not in that environment to understand," Horton added.

Horton said that Christian players are easy targets for criticism because of their presence in the spotlight, and he said fans who look up to them as role models are naturally going to feel disappointed at these revelations. Some fans may even find it hard to be forgiving.

But Horton said sometimes people are guilty of holding others to a higher standard than they hold themselves. It's important for people to realize, Horton said, that Christian baseball players are still men who sometimes stumble in their walk with Christ.

"It's legitimate to say that I'm disappointed, but I do think we have to look in the mirror," Horton said. "I think we need to have an attitude of forgiveness to brothers who make mistakes, and who make big mistakes."

Horton also said that it helps to keep issues like steroid use in perspective.

"Is it really that horrible? Is that as bad as being prideful? Or disrespecting your neighbor?" Horton asked. "I don't have an answer for that, but I think it's worth thinking about."