The Best Post Game Speech of the Year

...and this after a season-ending 19-0 loss to Florida State. Amazing. This is what it's all about. 

Lance Miles on Matt Deggs

Heath Donica on Matt Deggs

Pablo Sandoval is back where he belongs

This is a really good first step. The upper deck HR off Scherzer doesn't hurt either. 

A sincere, heart-felt apology always helps and Pablo really owned his actions here.
Who doesn't love a good redemption story?

Welcome back, Panda. 

Back Where I Belong | By Pablo Sandoval

Back Where I Belong | By Pablo Sandoval I got to my locker, right next to Hunter Pence, and I saw my old number 48 jersey in black and orange, and that ...

"Before I continue, I want to take a moment to apologize to the Giants and to the fans. I know I already have, and I probably will again, but I don't think I can apologize enough for the way I left — for some of the things I said. I said things I didn't have to say. Things I don't want to repeat. Things I didn't mean. I was just so emotional when I left San Francisco, and I didn't handle it the right way.

I made a mistake.

I'm very sorry.

And I understand how fortunate I am to be back with this organization. It's just such a blessing for me to be back in San Francisco — back with the team that has been there for me through so many ups and downs in my career. The Giants gave me my first chance to be in the big leagues.

Now they have given me the opportunity for a second chance."

Sent from my iPhone

38 Special - Back Where You Belong

Michael Vick and Redemption

NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 14: Michael Vick #1 of the New York Jets warming up before a game against the Tennessee Titans at LP Field on December 14, 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)


I know many people will still never forgive the man for the beginning of the story, but they have missed the rest of the story as it unfolded. A truly remarkable story of redemption. And really who doesn't need a little bit of that in their lives?

The credit goes to Vick for recognizing and making some serious fundamental changes in his life. An assist has to go to Tony Dungy, who made the effort to mentor the young man when many, many people wanted to throw him away like a piece of garbage. Sad beginning, conflict and drama in the middle, leading to a happy ending. If you made a  movie about it nobody would believe it, yet it is the basic theme of so many Hollywood movies. The go-to theme if you will.

A remarkable sports story as well as a remarkable human interest story.

from Yahoo Sports:
Michael Vick has nearly paid off his $18 million debt | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo Sports:

As ESPN notes, Vick opted to go with Chapter 11 rather than Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which meant he paid back all that he owed, not a small percentage. To him, it was an important and necessary step to demonstrate his willingness to atone.The deal with creditors is set to expire at the end of the year, and Vick will likely sell some property to close off the last of his debt.

"I feel blessed because I came out and found myself in a position where I had a lot of people that really believed in me, people who gave me an opportunity," Vick said. "At the time, it wasn't about trying to fulfill all the bankruptcy needs, I was trying to fulfill all the needs that I had in my life because I had nothing."

Vick will never escape the shadow of the events that landed him in prison. But he's shown through his actions that he won't remain defined by them. That's admirable, in its own way.

'via Blog this'

New York Jets -- Michael Vick's greatest triumph in black and white - ESPN New York

Howard Smith/USA TODAY Sports

The proudest moment of Michael Vick's career didn't come on a football field.

from ESPN New York:
New York Jets -- Michael Vick's greatest triumph in black and white - ESPN New York:

"It's the best thing I've done as a professional athlete, absolutely," Vick said. "I handled it so my team could move forward, and I handled it so people could forget about it and not look at Riley a certain kind of way. I changed the whole dynamic of that situation, and that was a proud moment for me. ... I was able to save a young man's career, and that young man went on to have the greatest year of his career and get a contract that he probably never imagined he would get."

'via Blog this'

Well done, Chuck...Well done

What an amazing, awesome life story. Not a sports story and certainly not a baseball story, but if baseball is a game of redemption (and I believe it is) than we need to know what the word means. The definition is personified in the narrative of Chuck Colson's life story.

from Google:

re·demp·tion/riˈdempSHən/
Noun:
1. The action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil: "God's plans for the redemption of his world".

2. A thing that saves someone from error or evil: "his marginalization from the Hollywood jungle proved to be his redemption".

from prisonfellowship.org
Justice Fellowship Remembers Chuck Colson:

Justice Fellowship Remembers Chuck Colson
by Ryan Sanders|April 23, 2012

Evangelical Christianity lost one of its most eloquent and influential voices on Saturday, April 21, 2012 with the passing of Charles W. “Chuck” Colson. After a brief illness, Colson passed away at a Northern Virginia hospital with his wife and family at his bedside.

Colson journeyed from obstructing justice to justice reform -- spending almost four decades as a champion for prison ministry, criminal justice reform and worldview teaching."

Justice Fellowship was founded by Colson in 1983 as an outgrowth of his ministry in prisons, Prison Fellowship. As he worked to help prisoners transform through the truth and power of Jesus Christ, Colson realized a second emphasis was also needed -- to help transform the injustices within our criminal justice system.

Colson’s call for alternative punishments for non-violent offenders was often effective because Colson’s conservative credentials enabled him to line up conservative legislators in support of what had traditionally been seen as a liberal set of reforms.

----
from Prison Fellowship Blog:
http://www.prisonfellowship.org/blog/entry/6/15694?
A Redemption Story
by Ronald W. Nikkel|April 24, 2012

“…all my achievements meant nothing in God’s economy.
No, the real legacy of my life was my biggest failure—
that I was an ex-convict.
My greatest humiliation – being sent to prison –
was the beginning of God’s greatest use of my life…
only when I lost everything I thought made Chuck Colson a great guy
had I found the true self God intended me to be and the true purpose of my life.
It is not what we do that matters,
but what a sovereign God chooses to do through us.
God doesn’t want our success;
He wants us.
He doesn’t demand our achievements;
He demands our obedience…
Victory comes through defeat;
Healing through brokenness;
Finding self through losing self.”1

Redemption – it is an old word that hearkens back to a time when slaves could be bought by benefactors to be granted freedom; and when poor prisoners languishing helplessly in decrepit debtor’s jails could be released free and clear by someone gratuitously paying off their debts. Nowadays we tend to think of redemption as something we can do for ourselves, as in compensating for our failures by becoming more successful; or by overcoming our weaknesses through continuous self-improvement and self-control.

Over the years, I’ve met a lot of people around the world who saw in Chuck Colson a man who redeemed himself from the Watergate scandal by doing good for others. It took many of those people a few years to come to such a conclusion because they viewed his “jailhouse religion” as a gimmick that would not last very long. Admittedly, when I first heard Chuck Colson tell the story of his newfound faith I was among the skeptics. Yet there was something very compelling about his upside down view of God working more poignantly through human brokenness and weakness than through power and achievement. I soon realized that Chuck’s story was not that of a man trying to clamber and claw his way back into respectability and success. It was instead, a provocative story that saw him returning to the places of his own brokenness and humiliation – prison.

----
from Worldmag.com
http://www.worldmag.com/articles/19419
Setting captives free
Remembering the life and legacy of Watergate operative, ex-con, and Prison Fellowship founder Charles Colson | Emily Belz

WASHINGTON—When President Richard Nixon's knee-capper went to prison after pleading guilty to a Watergate-related crime, he touched off one of the most compelling stories of conversion and a redeemed life in the modern American church.
......

Colson started his career as a hard-nosed political giant whom Nixon once told to "break all the [expletive] china" to get a job done. But he became a giant for a generation of evangelical Christians. After serving time in prison, he founded Prison Fellowship, a Christian ministry to inmates and their families that has grown into the largest prison ministry in the world—with programs in nearly all U.S. prisons and in 115 countries. An avid writer and speaker, Colson also shaped the church's dialogue about religious freedom, culture, marriage, and abortion.
....

During the Watergate scandal, Colson's self assurance and religious apathy broke one night after a Christian businessman and friend, Tom Phillips, prayed for him. Phillips read this passage to Colson from C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity: "Pride always means enmity—it is enmity. And not only enmity between man and man, but enmity to God. ... As long as you are proud you cannot know God."

Colson said in his bestselling memoir Born Again that the passage described him exactly and precipitated his conversion. Prominent members of The Fellowship—Doug Coe and Sen. Harold Hughes—discipled him in his early faith, along with Reformed theologian R.C. Sproul. When Colson's conversion became public, many doubted the sincerity of Nixon's "hatchet man." One columnist wrote, "If he isn't embarrassed by this sudden excess of piety, then surely the Lord must be."

In June 1974 Colson pled guilty to attempting to spread damaging information about Ellsberg and obstructing justice. The judge sentenced Colson to one to three years in prison. At the time Nixon sent him a handwritten note saying Watergate would become a "footnote in history," and the country would remember Colson fondly. Though Watergate isn't yet a footnote, Nixon was right about Colson's reputation.

At a federal prison in Alabama, Colson the inmate found a small but steadily growing Christian group within the walls, as he recounts in Born Again. Upon his release seven months later, he decided to start a prison ministry. The logo since Prison Fellowship's earliest days has featured a bent reed, referencing Isaiah 42:3: "A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not snuff out." It reflected Colson's belief that no one—not the most hardened criminal nor the most egotistical Washingtonian—was beyond hope.

Prison, on the other hand, was not rehabilitating, Colson said he learned, but rather a "steady, gradual corrosion of a man's soul."

"A lot of people falsely accuse Chuck of being overly political—but Chuck's whole emphasis has been to say that the root problem is a spiritual problem," said Timothy George, dean of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University and a close personal friend. George and Colson wrote a column together for many years in Christianity Today. "He was an evangelist at his deepest heart ... but he realized that preaching the gospel is not just dropping tracts from a blimp."

As Prison Fellowship got off the ground in the late 1970s, the Moral Majority also formed, and criminal justice wasn't on the agenda. "When Chuck would go around and talk about prisoners and prison reform, it was a splash of cold water," said Cromartie. "Chuck was pricking the evangelical conscience" and making sure that "the most forgotten people in our society" weren't forgotten. He later began Justice Fellowship, a public policy arm to push for criminal justice reforms.

When people think of Colson, "First they think of Watergate," said Robert George. "They'll think of Chuck as an activist, an organizer, and institution grower. What is often overlooked is Chuck as an intellectual leader" springing from his "high view of the relationship of reason and faith."

In 2010, Colson, Robert George, and Timothy George (no relation) composed the Manhattan Declaration, a statement of the church's values on marriage, religious freedom, and abortion that half a million people since have signed, including evangelical, Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican leaders.

Colson penned the now well known last lines of the Manhattan Declaration: "We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar's. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God's."

In his final speech, he challenged the Wilberforce audience concerning public hostility toward Christians, saying, "If things are bad, don't think it's going to be solved by an election. It's going to be solved by us."

But he warned his audience not to listen to caricatures of Christians: "We're also seen as wanting to impose our views on people. Don't let them tell you that. We don't impose anything. We propose. We propose an invitation to the wedding feast, to come to a better way of living. A better way of life. It's the great proposal."

Amen to that. RIP Chuck Colson.

Hypocrisy lives on at ESPN

I can not understand how a writer can pen an autobiography about Josh Hamilton which is a story about redemption and then do this borderline, hatchet-job piece on Michael Vick.

Is one story really any more remarkable or laudable than the other?

Is one more worthy of redemption than the other?

Are we back to measuring the "likability" of the person to determine who we deem worthy of redemption or second chances? Sure seems like it.

I would hate to think there is something more sinister at work here but it is impossible not to note that Josh Hamilton is white and Michael Vick is black.

There were quite a few stories in the sports blogosphere about the comeback and I suppose if Vick of football, we may not have "heard" as much about it.

But the people who celebrate the story and "get" why it's important to "all" of us are not the problem here. We would have found ways and means to trumpet the glory of the message without the MSM's help, thank you very much.

Perhaps more introspection is in order, Mr. Keown. Apparently you don't get it.

I've included two other stories that do a much better job of explaining why the story whether it be about Vick or Hamilton is very important to all of us.

You can talk to Steve Young, he seems to get it. He made the connection between Vick becoming a good person first and then becoming a great QB second. The character question. We've gone over that one here ad nauseum, but it bears constant repetition for those kids coming up who do look up to Michael Vick. He may not be your choice or my choice as a role model, but he is for some kids out there.

And how good is a story is it to have them see this guy blossom into everything that everyone envisioned him to be, only after he became a good person. Steve Young is one of the few taht I heard make that connection. I know Tony Dungy would have.

Sorry, for some of us, there is no conundrum (conundrum defined: a riddle, a difficult problem) as you define it. For me, the conundrum is why more people just don't get it. CHARACTER COUNTS.

from the good folks at espn.com
The Michael Vick conundrum

We should resist the urge to make it something more than a fabulous football story

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?page=keown/100928

It's a great sports story, and a story of a great athlete whose gifts are both resilient and singular. But everybody always wants more than that. It has to transcend sports. It has to be about heartbreak and redemption. There has to be a moment of clarity for Vick, when he saw the error of his ways and redoubled his efforts to regain everything he lost. And if there are visions of suffering dogs running through his mind as he pushes himself to run that extra set of sprints, all the better.

We do black and white. Gray has a tendency to elude our grasp.

That's the problem Mr. Keown, we do black and white a little too well. We don't do redemption well enough. Or maybe you should look at the percentage of the prison population broken down by race as well as the recidivism rate (redemption, redemption anybody??) and get back to me. Then maybe you get a bogey on the story.

It's already starting. The post-Sunday dissections included a healthy scoop of false Americana. You know the routine: "We're the land of second chances" and "We're a forgiving nation." Aside from being laughably wrong -- we do intolerance and rigidity when it fits our purpose -- it doesn't pertain to Vick in the slightest. He's not playing that game, and he doesn't seem interested in watching you play it, either.

It seems like the pot calling the kettle black here? Or am I missing something?

The point is, no announcer would ever think of saying that about Vick. (And no, this isn't about race, because Donovan McNabb looks more like someone I want to root for than Gradkowski. He's sure as hell easier to watch play the game.) Vick, by contrast, is nobody's role model. He committed some truly repellent crimes, and his apologies have been more perfunctory than vein-opening. There's a wariness about him that suggests a man who understands just how much of himself he can afford to parcel out to the public.

He seems to know, maybe better than we do, that America is a great land for second chances only as long as you perform. We're a country that values winners over the redeemed. The redemption we're seeking is often just the excuse to feel good about rooting for someone whose past is thoroughly distasteful.

Vick doesn't want to be your feel-good story. He just wants to be the bad-ass who happens to be the most riveting performer in the NFL. Let's keep it that way, shall we?

ESPN The Magazine senior writer Tim Keown co-wrote Josh Hamilton's autobiography, "Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back,"

Seems like you are equal parts mind-reader and sports writer. You have no idea what is on Michael Vick's mind or what's in his heart. Neither do I. The difference is one of us seems more willing to give him a chance to prove himself. And one of us has already made up his mind.

This guy has a pretty good read on it. In our own ways we are all just like Mike. We can weigh out our sins on some scale that favors us all we want but in the end, all are sinners. And all need redemption at some point.

Michael Vick's American Redemption

By Nick at The Mockingbird Blog

http://www.revelife.com/733558651/michael-vicks-american-redemption/

Vick described becoming a Christian in high school, but said that "the more success he achieved on the football field, the less he needed God." He said, of his time of incarceration, "I got back to my roots. The only thing I could do in prison was fall back on God. I wanted to do things right, that I didn't do the first time." This is a typical story: the disgraced celebrity who finds Christ in the joint. But why does it rub us the wrong way?

We prefer American redemption, the kind that Vick is enjoying on the field. We like success stories: people who play well. We want winners. As for God's redemption, we wish that our disgraced athletes would talk about their faith and reliance on Christ before they get disgraced, when it seems like they're just doing it as a P.R. ploy. Much like American redemption, we want winners. We want people who live their lives well. We prefer Kurt Warner and Tony Dungy to Michael Vick.

But aren't we Michael Vick?

Isn't it when we're desperate that we become serious about our faith? When life is treating us well, we don't talk about our reliance on Christ. It is when we are disgraced that we fall back on God...just like Michael Vick. In our strength, we have no need of him.

Michael Vick's American redemption is a redemption story on two fronts: a wonderful football player who seems to be playing wonderfully again; a longtime Christian who seems to have rediscovered his profound need for a savior. These are redemptions we can get behind. Maybe some attention will be taken from Vick's American redemption and given to his Christian one.

This was the best take I could find on the subject. Naturally, this one also comes from outside the realm of sports writers.

Michael Vick's Redemption, and Ours

By Michael Bruner, religion professor, Azusa Pacific University

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/06/michael_vicks_redemption_and_ours.html

The more fundamental questions are these: Is redemption even possible? Can anyone be redeemed? And how do we know that redemption has actually taken place?

The answer to the first question, at least from a traditional Christian perspective, is an unequivocal "Yes." The entire story of Scripture--from Genesis to Revelation--is about redemption. In fact, the only two options left to humans after the Fall are either redemption or damnation. If redemption isn't possible, it's time to hang it up, folks.

The answer to the second question is a little murkier. Some would say that there are those who are past the possibility of redemption. There are others who claim that God's redemptive power knows no limits. Whatever the case, Vick, who admittedly did despicable and depraved things, says he's contrite and has shown this to be so, and thus is probably more on the side of redeemable than un-redeemable. He at least deserves the benefit of the doubt. For now.

The third question is the hardest to answer. How can anyone know if the redemption of a person is ever sincere--even if they appear sincere? A cynic will claim that Vick is just faking it. But how does the cynic know? Gainsaying someone's intentions is a zero-sum game. The proof is in the pudding. It isn't Vick's thoughts, after all, that are on trial here, but his actions. If any of us were judged by our thoughts, there wouldn't be enough prisons in the world to hold the guilty. There is only One who knows the heart, and that final judgment is yet to be decreed.

In the meantime, we advocate for and believe in redemption. How can we not? We're all counting on it for ourselves, so how can we deny it to others? The Lord's Prayer casts aspersion on those who seek forgiveness from God but aren't willing to give it to others in return: "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."

And the great hymn reminds us of our mutual condition: "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me."

Like me. Like you. Like Vick.

Like me. Like you, Like Vick. Indeed, pretty simple when you think about it. Very black and white. Problems seem to arise when we make that which should be black and white into shades of grey.

The road to sainthood, it appears, goes through the valley of wretchedness. Am I proposing that Vick be beatified? Not even close. But I am suggesting that some of the most powerful advocates for a cause often began as one of its chief antagonists. Michael Vick, in other words, could very well turn out to be a Good Samaritan. To that end, I offer him my handshake of reconciliation. As a Christian, it's the least I can do. As a lover of animals, it's the most. I hope he is successful. A lot of dogs are counting on it.

But what do I know.

I wish Michael Vick success, just not so much against the Giants. It's a pretty neat story.

"Oooo-ree-bay" - Cain is more than able - Redemption for Renteria and Rowand

I'm not sure you could ask for anything more from a game than what the Giants received yesterday. I sat in stunned silence towards the end of it, saying quietly to my wife, "It's as if everything that could go right for the Giants, has gone right". Scary right.

Matt Cain cements his reputation as a top of the rotation, big-time ace pitcher.
Juan Uribe continues to play out of his mind.
Edgar Renteria DOES discover the Marlins post-season magic.
Aaron Rowand delivers a line-drive laser dagger to the 421 sign in right-center.
Buster Posey continues to play Buster Posey like baseball.
The bullpen shows its incredible depth and versatility.

The earlier comparisons to the '69 Amazing NY Mets may not be too over the top. Superior pitching once again. Timely hitting and great defense. Role players coming through when asked. Even down to an opposition potential HR hitting the top of the wall and -- instead of bouncing over the wall the ball bounces back into the field of play, seemingly violating all laws of nature and/or physics. Brings back memories of the 1973 Mets and the "Ball on the Wall" play.

from ultimatemets.com
1973 Regular Season Game 153
September 20, 1973
Mets 4, Pirates 3

http://www.ultimatemets.com/gamedetail.php?gameno=1939&tabno=B

Karma? Magic? Catching lightning in a bottle? Team of destiny? I don't care, take your pick. Call it what you will. I just know its starting to feel real. I can only remember feeling like this about the '69 and to a lesser extent the '73 Mets. (A lesser extent because the '73 Mets lost the World Series, after being perhaps the least deserving team on paper to ever appear in a World Series). The Rangers have had everything go wrong for them short of having a black cat walk past their dugout.

METS V. CUBS 9/9/1969 - THE BLACK CAT GAME

I thought it very Tim McCarver like of Tim McCarver to deliver the stupidest line of the evening. Late in the game, after the Rangers bullpen blowout, he delivers a gem along the lines of "Well pitching is winning this game for the Giants, but not theirs". Is that right? Correct me if I'm wrong Timmy-boy but the score before the meltdown was 1-0. The Rangers ended the evening still stuck on 0. I think the Giants pitching did more than their fair share in winning this game for the Giants by virtue of the fact that -- by pitching a shutout - they guarantee that you don't lose. At worst, we would still be playing. Therefore, I think the Giants pitching did in fact win the game for the Giants, the Rangers pitching just made the game less artistic --something more akin to a Spring Training "B" game for the last couple of innings.

Granted the Giants caught a bit of a break when Wilson raised a blister, but that may be symptomatic of the problem the Rangers are facing. The scene from Hoosiers where the coach measures the height of the basket at the big time arena and tells his players "Same height as the basket you guys are used to". What got you here should be good enough to get you through. It seems as if perhaps the blister may have raised from squeezing the ball a little tighter, trying to get a little extra movement or a little extra break. In baseball, if you take care of the little things, the big things fall into place. The Rangers are feeling the effect in a negative sense.

Last night, the Rangers relievers had the same look of awe that the Hoosiers team did when they first walked into the big-time arena. Awe-struck and feeling out of place. We'll see if some home cooking set their minds right and puts the wheels back on the cart.

HOOSIERS. CLASSIC!!!

The same thing when the reliever threw 13-14 straight balls (I lost count). Then the deer in the headlights look. The 'WTF is going on?' countenance. The wheels came off and they couldn't put them back on. The next reliever did the same thing. Overcompensation.

I see this a lot in HS or PONY ball. A kid throws a pretty, picture-perfect breaking ball. Then the next one he tries to make it break even better than the last one. Better than perfect. And drives it into the dirt, or hangs it. Overcompensation. Instead of just repetition. Repeat. Lather, rinse, repeat. Over and over again. It's the root meaning of the word mechanics. To be machine-like, perform the same act -- over and over again, the same way each time, with mind-blowing repetition and efficiency.

Whatever it is, the Giants seems to have it and the Rangers don't.
At least for now.

Maybe it's because the Giants have had to play all season on a razor-thin margin of error due to the lack of offense. They've played 'playoff-like' baseball -- minus the playoff intensity -- all season. Now, it's just second nature. I noticed in the Matt Cain post game interview that the first thing Cain did was deflect credit from his own efforts to those of catcher Buster Posey. This is a trait that this team has demonstrated throughout the playoffs. The glory is shared and spread around liberally. Its a nice quality for a teammate to have.

The next game may be the first pitching match-up in a while where I don't think we have an advantage. And that's only because of Sanchez' last outing. Before that he was beginning to show signs of elevating to near the Cain / Lincecum level as a shut down starter. If he comes up big-time / lights out on the road, that will be the start he will be linked to for a long time. If it's anything near the meltdown versus Philadelphia, it will take him a while to shake the hit to his reputation. So Jonathan is -- fairly or unfairly -- facing a World Series opponent on the field as well as one between his ears. He has to contain his emotions and direct /focus them in a positive direction. If he does that, he can carry the franchise one step closer to the prize.

GO GIANTS!!!

A tale of two QB's and a thin line between love and hate

Probably one of the most compelling and rich stories on display in the world of sports was the return of Donovan McNabb to Philadelphia to face Michael Vick. There are so many interesting subplots and stories buried underneath the surface.

I was glad to see McNabb get a mostly classy, but mixed reception from the Philadelphia fans.

From the Globe and Mail:

CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE
McNabb gets warm Philly welcome

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/football/mcnabb-gets-warm-philly-welcome/article1740330/

Philly can be rough on its sports figures, but its fans also are knowledgeable enough to recall the good times. McNabb brought them plenty of those for 11 seasons, and they responded with an outpouring of kindness not often associated with this city.

Some in Philly remain unconvinced. I guess if McNabb's only sin to Philly fan is that he did not WIN a Super Bowl, then so be it. Enough of them did acknowledge what Donovan gave to them in striving.

The prospect of venom being spewed at McNabb for never actually winning a Super Bowl certainly existed Sunday. There was plenty of nastiness in the parking lots, but no hatefest inside the stadium.

Outside the Linc, the biggest pocket of protest was the “boo parade” organized by WIP radio personality Angelo Cataldi — the same man who put together the 1999 outing to the draft in New York when McNabb was selected instead of Ricky Williams. About 35 people, including two men on stilts, a juggler and one dressed as a clown, walked to the Spectrum next door while voicing their displeasure with the quarterback they dubbed “Dontovan” and 'McChoke.”

“The lazy, national media harped on the (draft day booing) for 11 years and ignored everything else,” Cataldi said. “They wanted a circus today, so we're giving them a circus.”

This is a guy who I have observed perform through the prism of a Giants fan, which means I was automatically conditioned to dislike him solely because he wore the Eagles uniform. But the way McNabb has carried himself - with great excellence, class, and dignity even during turbulent, controversial times - I have slowly, somewhat grudgingly at times been forced to admit that "This guy is a really good, really underrated QB" and wonder what it was about him that I disliked in the first place.

The McNabb scenario reminded me of how I used to feel about Buster Posey. When he was at Florida State, I initially was conditioned against liking him simply because he wore the Seminoles colors. Silly reason really. As I watched FSU games, at times I'll admit, I rooted for Posey to fail, just once maybe. A Seminole can't be that good, can he? But as he continued to excel behind the plate, at bat, as a closer - always coming through in the clutch - I realized again that this is a guy I would love to have on my team anytime. Why do I hate him? Because he wears colors I don't like? Probably not a great reason, right?

I mean I could justify it and say these guys "won me over" but it's kind of silly to have disrespect for them solely because they play for the opponent, even if that opponent is a fierce rival. We need opponents to play the game.

It all dovetailed into my feeling about the other QB on the field yesterday, Michael Vick.

I was watching ESPN's The Sports Reporters and listened as Mitch Albom almost sneered how he "didn't have to like" the Michael Vick story. Well, no Mitch - you big baby - you don't have to like it. But if you are the intellectual giant you present yourself to be - you should at least understand it.

Mitch wrote this about Michael Vick earlier in the season when the Vick story past through his fine city of Detroit.

http://www.freep.com/article/20100920/COL01/9200375/Rookie-Jahvid-Best-runs-wild-but-Lions-can-t-totally-recover

That's because Vick may be unlikable, an ex-con, a loose cannon -- but he still can play football.

As much as I respect Mitch Albom as a gifted writer, I have to call his understanding and compassion as a human being towards a fellow human being into question here. IMO, he's missing a very important point.

We tend look for a Michael Vick to "redeem" himself as solely a football player and think that is the be all and end all measurement of whether or not he has "returned", or "redeemed" himself. But his "redemption" will ultimately be measured in terms of how he fulfills this promise he made in 2007. Remember this?

From abcnews.com
Vick on Dogfighting Plea: 'I Will Redeem Myself'

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=3527287&page=1

"I totally ask for forgiveness and understanding as I move forward to bettering Michael Vick the person, not the football player," Vick, wearing a a dark suit, said in a somber tone.

The football star today described dogfighting as a "terrible thing," adding that his experience has helped him find religion. "Through this situation I found Jesus and I'm going to ask himself for forgiveness and turn myself over to God."

I shouldn't have to remind a Mitch Albom of this. Especially not a Mitch Albom who recently wrote this.

HAVE A LITTLE FAITH by Mitch Albom

http://mitchalbom.com/books/node/5515

"It is... the most important thing I’ve ever written,” opens Albom’s (Tuesdays with Morrie) latest nonfiction book. It isn’t difficult to understand why. Using his characteristically succinct style, Albom’s prose offers readers an elegantly simple perspective on faith, tolerance, service and love while maintaining the complex reality of his characters’ true life stories.

As America struggles with hard times and people turn more to their beliefs, Mitch and the two men of God explore issues that perplex modern man: how to endure when difficult things happen; what heaven is; intermarriage; forgiveness; doubting God; and the importance of faith in trying times. Although the texts, prayers and histories are different, Albom begins to realize a striking unity between the two worlds - and indeed, between beliefs everywhere.

Albom’s expertise in piecing together a web of snapshot stories, however, reveals levels of meaning that could not be adequately told in any other way. He avoids repetitious overemphasis—the bane of much inspirational literature—and allows meaning, whether his own or the reader’s, to emerge with a quiet, confident grace. Albom’s latest is a masterpiece of hope and a moving testament of interfaith understanding.

Could these two pieces written by Albom be in more conflict? Can they be more diametrically opposed in tone? Can his understanding of the concepts related to faith be any more shallow?

If you remember the promise Michael made in 2007 - and you note his progress as a person since then - and you wrote and understood what you claim to have in Have a Little Faith than I'm sorry Mitch, I don't understand why you DO NOT like the Michael Vick story. Perhaps, I'm missing something?

Sorry Mitch, my understanding of redemption and the basis for salvation, must be somewhat different than yours. But I Thank God for that.

Ultimately, it doesn't matter what you or I think about Michael Vick, or what Michael Vick does or does not do on the football field, as long as he keeps his promise. And that promise is not to you or me.

Remember that and remember who you are and who you are not when you judge others. Shame on you Mitch Albom, it seems as if you should know better.

define redemption:
(theology) the act of delivering from sin or saving from evil
repayment of the principal amount of a debt or security at or before maturity (as when a corporation repurchases its own stock)
the act of purchasing back something previously sold

The Larger Lessons from Tiger Woods / Michael Vick fall from grace (and possible redemption)

IT SEEMS FAIRLY EASY, RIGHT?!? - TEN SIMPLE RULES TO FOLLOW. - WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?!?

If we review both cases, we can see from the stunning story lines of both athletes rise and fall from grace a similar, oft-repeated path in their lives--a road-map if you will--that can provide some larger life lessons for those who deal in sports at the youth level.

Sometimes, these negative stories can provide valuable examples of what we need to look out for and prepare for to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

We preach how sports participation can help provide a moral framework for parents to pass on to our children and yet we hear the arguments over whether participation in sports DEVELOPS character or whether it in fact REVEALS character. A nature/nurture type of debate.

Some of the research coming out has pointed in the direction that--in the early stages of participation at the youth level--sports can be a valuable tool to teach strong values that kids can use throughout their lives. As athletes travel further and further up the ladder into the professional ranks however, these values are eroded and deteriorate.

We need to find out why this happens so we can figure out how to avoid this erosion and deterioration in the future. We can't of continually bang our heads against the wall in frustration, continually doing the same things over and over and expecting different results (definition of INSANITY alert).

I submit that the examples provided in the Michael Vick and Tiger Woods sagas provide classic, text book examples of how we get into this mess and how we can get out.

CONFORMING TO THE WORLD'S VIEW OF RIGHT AND WRONG SEEMS TO LEAK IN - TIME AND AGAIN. - RIGHT ?!?

In Michael Vick's example, we find that when Tony Dungy began his involvement with Vick he asked him point-blank "Where was the Lord when all this was happening?"

Vick's respose was very telling.

http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=6088

Dungy said Vick told him about going to church almost every week with his mother in Virginia and knowing there was a God. He said Vick talked to God while growing up and continued to pray during college at Virginia Tech.

But when he finally made it to the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons, his faith and his life took a turn for the worse.

"Michael said he felt God had answered his prayers by getting into the NFL and maybe he didn't really need Him anymore."

Let's review the key points:

- In the early years, he had a strong value system in place.

- As he advanced, he drifted away from that value system.

- He felt he didn't need it anymore once he reached a certain level.

Now we see that Michael Vick is continuing on the proper path and hopefully he will stay on this path the rest of his life.

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/at-super-bowl-breakfast-michael-vick-talks-about-faith

Vick spoke standing beside Dungy before 1,100 fans, in his first-ever retelling of the role faith played in his life at the maximum security prison in Leavenworth, Kansas.

"I wanted to redeem myself," Vick said. “Pre-incarceration, it was all about me. When I got to prison, I realized I couldn’t do it anymore. The one thing I could rely on was my faith in God."

--------

From the Tiger Woods apology:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/19/tiger.woods.transcript/index.html

I knew my actions were wrong. But I convinced myself that normal rules didn't apply. I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead, I thought only about myself. I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn't have far -- didn't have to go far to find them.

I was wrong. I was foolish. I don't get to play by different rules. The same boundaries that apply to everyone apply to me. I brought this shame on myself. I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife's family, my friends, my foundation, and kids all around the world who admired me.

I've had a lot of time to think about what I have done. My failures have made me look at myself in a way I never wanted to before. It is now up to me to make amends. And that starts by never repeating the mistakes I have made. It is up to me to start living a life of integrity.
I once heard -- and I believe it is true -- it's not what you achieve in life that matters, it is what you overcome. Achievements on the golf course are only part of setting an example. Character and decency are what really count. Parents used to point to me as a role model for their kids. I owe all of those families a special apology. I want to say to them that I am truly sorry.

Part of following this path for me is Buddhism, which my mother taught me at a young age. People probably don't realize it, but I was raised a Buddhist, and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years. Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously, I lost track of what I was taught.

Again, virtually the same story,

- Once he got to a certain level of success, the value system eroded and he became disconnected from them.

"I knew my actions were wrong. But I convinced myself that normal rules didn't apply."

"Obviously, I lost track of what I was taught"

- He became self-centered.

"I thought only about myself."

- He was able to justify his behavior to himself because of who he was and what he accomplished.

"I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me."


We hear a lot about how important these guys are as role models to kids and how sports participation itself is important to kids growth and development. Then we get these rich, powerful teaching moments and what are the top issues the MSM puts the focus on?

- Why wasn't the media allowed to ask questions?

Who cares? Irrelevant!! And yet, that was one of the lead issues these whiny babies brought to the fore. Why were we left out?

- A lot of useless speculation on what he said, what he didn't say, what he should have said, what he was wearing, not wearing, blah,blah,blah,blah,blah.

Who cares? Most of it useless, pointless speculation based on the talking-heads own biases and experiences. Sorry Chief, YOU ARE NOT Tiger Woods!!!

- A lot of useless speculation based on what Elin should do or not do.

Again who cares? That's between Elin and Tiger. I wish them the best of luck. It's pointless speculation from dim-witted talking heads who haven not heard her position in the first place and can not even do enough research to properly pronounce her name. But we should accept that they know exactly what she should or should not do, or will or will not do about such a personal matter. We don't care what you would do, YOU ARE NOT Elin Woods!!!

- The lack of acceptance of said apologies offered by the self-appointed heads of Forgiveness Nation (the MSM). In most cases, this is after the MSM hounds the athletes publicly to ISSUE an apology!!!

WOW!! How forgiving is that? The lame-stream media refuses to accept Tiger's apology since they didn't get a chance to run the inquisition...UH press conference. That's a good example to set for kids. Tiger crafts one of the most complete and comprehensive public apologies yet offered, when in fact--he only needs to apologize to his wife and family--and the media spits on it. Yeah buddy, that's where I want to get my values from--the mass media. Let's stop asking any of these guys to apologize publicly if the self-appointed representatives of public opinion are going to reject all of them. What do they want, for someone to come out and slit their own throats? Oh, wait a minute, that would probably help ratings, wouldn't it?

If they were really concerned about the effect that Tiger's actions had on fans or on the nations youth and anyone else foolish enough to IDOLIZE him or any other athlete (Charles Barkley looking smarter every day) then at least be concerned and intelligent enough to present the core issues that seem to be common and recurring every time the story is told.

- Don't forget who you are or where you came from.
- Don't compromise your values--they were good enough to get you there, they should be good enough to keep you there.
- Build your house on solid rock not on sand.
- Don't let the ways of the world change your value system.
- Your value system requires daily care and maintenance, no matter who you are and what you have accomplished. The high and mighty simply have further to fall.

I guess I expect too much out of the Mainstream Media. It seems so simple, really.

Tiger Woods Apology

This is a scene that nobody who was a Tiger Woods fanatic ever DREAMED they would associate with him either personally or professionally.

And therin lies the crux of the problem we see time and time again when dealing with the crestfallen athlete. We assume that the prodigious character traits and abilities that we see and admire in the field of competition correlates with the same athlete possessing the same qualities and abilities off the field. IT JUST ISN'T SO. LESSON LEARNED, ONCE AGAIN.

He's a golfer. A great golfer. Maybe the best golfer of all-time. He wasn't a god of some sort, worthy of false idolatry. What we should learn from this is not to get too caught up in the "building up" process, so that we are not as crestfallen when the athlete goes through the inevitable "tearing down" process.

They build them up. They team them down. They rebuild them if the circumstances allow it.

It's been going on with superstar players since I don't know when.

This cycle should not come as such a great surprise to us because we've seen it so often and Tiger even touched on it within his apology. He got caught up in the situation. He believed the press clippings. The repetitive cycle includes a process of building a person up as the "next" whatever or whoever. We put too much faith and too much emotion in this part of the process. We want to believe in the inherent greatness of those we admire. Inevitably, the person disappoints in some fashion (what, being human and all) and is torn down as an idol worthy of our praises. Then, if they are fortunate, there is a period of redemption, or a comeback. Tiger is simply moving through the various stages a little quicker than we previously thought he would.

I thought the apology itself was very thorough and comprehensive and very heart-felt, if not somewhat mechanical in delivery.

Like McGwire's apology, it could not have been easy for someone who was at one time on top of the sports world, to find himself almost literally lying face down in the dumpster.

Unlike McGwire's apology, there was no evasiveness, no finger pointing. Tiger's apology should be the template for other athlete's to use in the future.

So WHEREVER Tiger finds guidance to deal with this in the future (elbows Britt Hume in the ribs), I wish him luck.

VICK PLEADS TO CHARGES

There are no winners in this situation unfortunately. Oh I'm sure in some ways PETA and the ASPCA will have some measure of victory for a cause they've been fighting to bring to light for many years.

But if some real good is to come from this, my hope is that young players on the collegiate and high school level realize that behavior is important regardless of who you are, that character counts. However, the coaches and administrators at those levels have to show the same desire to do the right thing as the federal prosecutors showed by swooping in before the Surrey County prosecutors had the chance to allow this crime to be washed away by using their "favorite-son" home court advantage with Michael Vick.

Now it's Roger Goodell's turn to show that his newly-minted conduct policy applies to star players as well as the 53rd man on the roster. If his policy is to have any teeth and any hope of modifying behavior, he has to show the same type of discipline he showed Pac-Man, Tank and Chris Henry. Because to my knowledge, other than Tank, nobody else went to jail yet for what they did to bring the NFL wrath down on them. And like Tank's time-out, the Vick punishment has to run consecutively with the federal sentence, not concurrently. If it runs concurrently, it will send the message that they aren't really serious, that there are two tiers of rules, one for the marquee players and one for the replacement parts. Watch what they do, not what they say. It's was easy to say they wanted to be tough on bad behavior when the player was easily replaceable. Let's see how easy it is now.

Finally, on a side note, it's my opinion that unless Vick gets some serious psychological counseling and maybe some spiritual counseling, that there is no chance that he comes back, never mind as a player, but as a person. I see all the talking heads speculating on "How soon will he be back?" instead of focusing on what kind of person will he be when he does get back? How are we going to go about changing the heart and mind of a person who would do the type of things that were done without conscience and remorse? It's always easy to be sorry after you got caught. Something is wrong in the heart and the soul of a person who would do the things he would do when he thought nobody was looking. When he thought he wouldn't get caught.

But he has taken the first step on the road to rehabilitation and gaining back the respect of the fans. Some are focused on what he's lost. A lot of money, endorsement, prestige and fame. And yet when I heard he had taken that first step, I heard the words from Tony Dungy's book "Quiet Strength: Principles, Practices & Priorities of a Winning Life" running through my mind.

"And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?"
--Matthew 16:26

Michael Vick needs to focus not on the world he just lost, but instead on finding his own soul. I hope at sometime during his rehabilitation that Michael hears those words and understands those words. Because at that point he will have taken the most important step back. Peace.