Baseball Season Couldn’t Come Fast Enough

January 18, 2017

Here it's only January, and I have started Jonesing for baseball. Lying in bed and hearing the rain pound on the rooftop may sound relaxing and peaceful, but after three months of it, I want to feel the warm air and see a baseball being tossed. Sure, we have football, basketball, hockey, soccer, wrestling, MMA, and all of the others, but they won't do the trick. You have to be a baseball freak to get it, and I surely don't expect anybody to understand my need.

A friend told me about college baseball being played in January. I checked into it and found the local college playing in January at our minor league team's field. He also told me that you could order a beer if they play at the minor league park. Okay, baseball and beer are stupendous, so all I need is some sunshine, and I think I have my remedy in place.

Baseball gets criticized for the slow pace of play, but they just don't understand. If you want constant action and people running around, perhaps it's not your cup of tea. The reason I like it is that it's a mental game more than a physical game. I like the game unfolding at a slow pace because I am not in a hurry. If you are at the ball game and you are in a hurry for it to end, then maybe you should show up in the fifth inning.

I will be the first to admit that I rarely watch every pitch of every inning when I have the ball game on television. When the game is on, and I can multi-task. I can cook dinner and clean house, dig a hole outside and come back and still enjoy the game. Baseball fans know this, and we all do it. Of course, when you go to the ballpark, it's different. You are basking in the sunshine with a hot dog and cold drink; you are part of the game. You enjoy the ambiance of the park experience and usually have happy folks all around. When you go to a football game, there is always the element of loud, obnoxious, and boorish behavior. The aggressive nature of the sport itself brings that out in the fan base.

Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in a month. There is hope on the horizon, and the countdown begins. But first, the Super Bowl has to be played, and then the sports world goes into a breather before the springtime festivities begins. Meanwhile, I am going to grab my baseball glove and throw the ball to somebody. It may be my wife, and she will first resist but will have to give in. Then maybe a trip to the batting cage, and finally, I break out the team paraphernalia to help with my baseball problem.

Is God A Sports Fan?

January 12, 2017

God must be a sports fan. A lot of athletes appear to think the Almighty has a plan for their valiant play and victory. Why would the Almighty pick one player over another? Because one player is a believer and one’s an atheist? Does God love sports?  But your question, "Why would God use his energies and awesome powers to worry if one team beat another?" The answer is simple, the Lord honors greatness, and when a player is giving their all, he rewards this type of action. They want this from all of us, and wouldn't this be the biggest lesson for all humankind?

Think of the miraculous play called the "Hail Mary." Nine times out of ten, the play doesn't work and is the last gasp effort by the team who didn't deserve to win. God decided this because they didn't give their best effort. Prayers got answered one time out of ten when the play does work, and the Hail Mary landed into the player's hands, who performed with passion and honor. Avoid calling me a bad word, and stay with me on this.

Sometimes bad things happen on the sports field or court, so why would the Divine One allow such things to happen? Simple answer again, Mr. Big can't control injuries because of the fragility of man. God doesn't want injuries, nor doesn't want you to suffer a torn ACL or rotator cuff. God wants you to come back stronger and tougher, and he will guide you on the path you need to be on.

Okay, here's the one you need to consider and yell at me if you need to. So, the Chicago Cubs waited 109 years to win the World Series? Are you kidding? You ask, "Why in Hell would the Baseball Gods make the good people of Chicago wait so long to win the big one?" I will take a shot at this and say, "Can you ever find better fans than in Chicago?" They are humbled and expect nothing every year, but they still flock to the Mecca of baseball called "Wrigley Field." Every adoring baseball fan wants to experience the place.

When the bad guy wins, the team with the dirty players or those who got lucky and somehow are victorious; why would God allow this to happen? Answer…YAWN...Sometimes he has bigger fish to fry, and the Almighty will not oversee every moment of every game. Now, if you want to throw Cleveland at me and why those poor folks need to be tortured all the time, I can say LeBron James. God only made one of those guys, and they had him.

2018 Step Up Your Game

December 31, 2016

Maybe 2018 can be the year everybody and everything is held accountable. Okay, this won't happen, but perhaps you can have yourself obligated and raise your game. Since this is a sports-themed blog, let's keep this in perspective. So take the activity and sport you are involved in and set the bar higher of your current skill level.

Say you're a golfer. What are you going to do to shed a stroke or two? If you are still shooting over 100 on the course, you certainly have a lot of room to improve. It's time to take a couple of lessons, buy a club that complements your stroke, or get your swing analyzed. I'm not too fond of the fact I will shoot a great round, followed by the wheels completely falling off the next time. I reached the point when it bugged the hell out of me and began throwing clubs. When you start chucking your sports equipment, the time has come to hit the psychologist's couch for some needed therapy.

Most of us are weekend warriors and rely on our activities and hobbies to create passion and excitement in our routine life. When I can find a new way to do things and discover a breakthrough, the level of curiosity and concentration goes up a notch. The enthusiasm and focus build, and the doors open up to more ideas for improvement. The next step is to turn your discoveries into habits. Your habits will need constant reinforcement, and then you will see some excellent progress.

Failures can be overwhelming when breaking the old ways of doing things, and mostly, it comes down to time spent improving skills. For instance, I like to play guitar, and learning a new song is great but mastering a cool riff or tone is even more enjoyable. Or perhaps when I work out at the gym, I want to add more intensity to my circuit to give myself a challenge. Most people achieve more in life when they test themselves and set a goal in their minds.

The big gray area in all of this pop psychology is attitude. The word can be a big can of catchy slogans and sayings are thrown around, and it doesn't stick in your brain. The underlying factor of any great sports performance is confidence, and that's the behavior to carry you far, a little thing in your head telling you can handle the situation. Confidence doesn't come naturally but in the forms of levels and time-tested successful studies. No magic wand exists that grants conviction, but it starts with a plan to improve your skills. When I track my performances and set small goals, I find my highest progress.

Lastly, after you have made some headway in your endeavors, there comes a time to share your experiences. The day will come around to boast and announce to the world on social media that you finally broke 80 on the golf course. You might irritate some, but most of your circle of peeps will be happy for you and will want to know what you did to reach your goals. Others may imitate or follow your advice which will give you more satisfaction. So make 2018 your year to put a plan in your sights because when you are on the journey, you will learn about yourself and what it takes to attain the level you want.

Happy New Year!

Vince Scully and Other Old Guys Who Rule

December 21, 2016

I am sure you have seen the "Old Guys Rule" shirts worn by middle-aged gents who want you to believe they still possess old man strength and are not ready for the pasture. In the world of professional sports, you can find many older athletes who are over 35. There was a strong group of veteran guys who called it a career in 2016. They didn't just have good to average careers but long and storied ones, which will be hard to imagine anybody duplicating.

Not to be outshone by all great athletes, one particular old guy deserves a shout out. Everybody knows about Vince Scully, the golden-piped broadcaster of many sports, renowned as voice of the Dodgers of Los Angeles. Dodger fans will sorely miss Scully's dulcet tones, but he also represents more than that. He is pure class and part of a great era of broadcasters that will be hard to replace. As much as I loathed the Dodgers by being a Giant fan, there is no denying Scully never sounded like a blatant homer. His delivery is always inclusive while being articulate and intelligent. At 88, Scully walks away after a 67-year career doing what he loved.

Just recently, the legendary boxer Bernard Hopkins fought at the age of 51. He did not receive the desired outcome, but he still looked in great physical shape and moved well. Professional boxing into your fifties sounds like something of a novelty and a freak show. Hopkins is the rarest of examples of an athlete who could pull off such a feat. He will always be one of the most brilliant tacticians in the ring and a great defensive boxer who avoided many blows. Very few sports fans or the general public know much about what a remarkable life he has led. Take the time to read his story from teenage problem child to prison inmate to middleweight champion. He is considered one of the best middleweights of all time.

If a professional athlete is still performing into their late thirties, then they are defying Father Time. If they can avoid the pitfalls of debilitating injuries, they might be able to prolong their career. Once the back and knees start failing, most athletes will go into a downturn in performance. This is why you once saw the big push in steroid usage, which allowed athletes to overtrain and build fantastic stamina. Now that the use of anabolic steroids is more stringently tested, you might find fewer of the old guys still playing.

This year, the careers of Peyton Manning, Kobe Bryant, David Ortiz come to an end. These three had long runs which defied the norm, and all of them will be headed into the Hall of Fame for their sports. Tom Brady is the latest old guy defying the age stereotype by still being the best quarterback in the league. Brady amazes me by being a pocket passer his whole career and taking a significant amount of physical pounding by 280-pound defensive linemen.

NHL has a few forty-year-olds still on the ice and still contributing to their teams. Shane Doan (40) is a right-wing for the Arizona Coyotes, Matt Cullen (40) is a center on the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Jaromir Jágr (44) is a right-wing for the Florida Panthers. Hockey has a long list of players who skated into their forties. Gordy Howe, the iron man, played until he was fifty-two. I am not sure how these guys do it when you look at the physical aspect of hockey. Some say the size and speed of the newer generation of players are increasing to be translated into a more violent game. We might not see the older guys as much unless the sport itself changes.

I would like to see every team have an elder statesman to show the younger players a thing or two. Since Ben Gay and painkillers are not the only things available to keep the old guys going, you notice more age-defying players. The advanced training methods, physical therapy, and medical procedures will support the older athletes going longer and longer.

Lastly, George Blanda, the legendary quarterback and placekicker who played until he was 48, in 1976 had this to say, "I think it's a shame, all the star football players who retired in the prime of life. Lou Groza washed up at 43. Ben Agajanian prematurely retired at 45. Y. A. Tittle, gone when he was 38 and Bob Waterfield at 33. Norm Van Brocklin hung them up at 35, as did Otto Graham, the finest quarterback I've ever seen. Why that's a tragedy. Does anybody think Graham couldn't have played six or eight more seasons? Of course, he could. But like all the others, he fell victim to one of pro football's many unreasoning prejudices: that you're no longer capable of playing when you reach 30 or 35. Baloney!"