“The game was there for us to win,” said USC coach Chad Holbrook. “Sometimes you won’t have opportunities against (North Carolina). Today we had them. When you don’t execute and you don’t capitalize on the opportunities you have in this setting against a team like that, you’re not going to win. It came back to get us.”

The errors will sting the most, because USC’s bats were far from inefficient Saturday. The Tar Heels tied the game at two in the first inning when left fielder Graham Saiko dropped a routine fly ball that would have ended the inning, but instead allowed a run to score. In the third, North Carolina cut USC’s lead to 4-3 when Cody Stubbs doubled with two outs, and Moran scored from first because right fielder Connor Bright missed the cut-off man.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Education • Men • Sports • Young Adults • * South Carolina

So far it has been four hours and twelve minutes, and they are at 5-5 in the fifth set.

Update: Tommy Haas prevails 10-8 in the final set.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports • * International News & Commentary • Europe • France

Cyclists gearing up for summer bike rides can take a detour to the Blessing of the Bicycles on June 2, when four local churches will offer a few spiritual and inspirational words for bike enthusiasts.

The Blessing of the Bicycles kicks off Walk and Bike Month and also serves as a bicycle parts drive for Community Cycles, a bike advocacy nonprofit group.

"My road and mountain bikes are my beloved friends, and as an older cyclist riding on busy roads, I can use all the prayers and blessing I can get. I thought there must be other people out there who would feel likewise," said the Rev. Susan Springer, rector at St. John's Episcopal Church, who established the bicycle blessing.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Episcopal Church (TEC) • TEC Parishes • * Christian Life / Church Life • Parish Ministry • * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • Sports

It was a terrific final at Wembley which Elizabeth and I enjoyed watching.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports • * International News & Commentary • England / UK • Europe • Germany

I stand before you not in any way a self-made man. I have been a product of a lot of people who have loved me and poured into me in a way that is transformed my life, not only as a small child, but as I’ve grown as an adult, and I would be remiss if I didn’t share . . . with you about that, in the hopes of leaving you with what I feel could be something that you could take and remember in an effort to make a difference in the lives of other people, which you inevitably will be called to do in some capacity.

So to that end, I got to a place where I was in my life about six years ago where I was at the end of myself. I have spent some time — I became a Christian when I was 13, but I didn’t have the follow-through that I needed — but nonetheless I found myself in the fall of 2006 at the steering wheel of a car with all the windows rolled up and a garden hose attached from the muffler to the passenger-side window in the hopes of ending it all. Why? Because I had done some things in my life and come to a place in my life where I had realized that I had made a lot of mistakes, and not only had I made a lot of mistakes, but I had been the victim of some things that are tough to wrap your arms around, a Christian or not. So I was in that place and I was about to turn the key and I really felt the Holy Spirit saying, “R.A., I’m not done with you yet. Don’t do that.” Like literally those words: “Do not do that.” And so as lonely as I felt in that moment at the steering wheel of a Chevrolet Cavalier, I never felt truly alone. I think there’s something to be said in that.

I share that with you and I’m vulnerable with you in this moment because I really believe that God has called me to be here for a reason. I do believe in divine appointments, I believe this is one of them.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Anglican Provinces • Anglican Church of Canada • * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • Sports • * International News & Commentary • Canada • * Theology • Seminary / Theological Education

One September day in eighth grade, when he was walking home from school, Mike saw his maternal grandfather, Charlie Wesson, pull up beside him in a car. Wesson had always been there for Mike, attending his games, winking when he faked a fever in grade school so they could spend the day together. This time, the news was bad. He needed to go home, immediately.

Young Mike saw a crowded house and knew something was wrong. His father had died of a heart attack after hip surgery. A short and difficult life was over, at 43, but the son thought largely about his mother. His parents were not married anymore, but he knew her life would change, too.

“I just felt like I had to pick myself up and my mom up,” he said. “It was a very tough time for her. I felt like I was trying to take control of my life and not rely on other people to do things for me.”

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Children • Education • History • Marriage & Family • Sports • Young Adults

I love the picture here.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports • * International News & Commentary • England / UK

Midway through the second half of a close and pivotal game against Texas Southern during the 1967 football season, Coach Eddie Robinson’s Grambling team mounted a drive. It ended abruptly when Grambling’s center threw a forearm at the nose tackle who had been dominating him. A referee penalized Grambling and ejected the center from the game.

When the center, Thomas Ross, reached the sideline, Robinson was waiting. Yet he did not strike Ross. He did not curse him. He did not even shout at him. Instead, in controlled, staccato bursts, he delivered a lesson about character and teamwork.

“You have satisfied yourself,” Robinson said. “You got him back. But we told you about stability and self-control. Now you think about us. We don’t have a center, and we got to play the rest of the game.” Robinson motioned to the other players, standing on the sideline or sitting on the bench. “Look at what you did. Look at the people you let down.”

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Filed under: * Culture-Watch • History • Sports • * Theology • Ecclesiology • Ethics / Moral Theology

ir Alex Ferguson will step down as Manchester United manager at the end of the season after 26 years in charge.

The Scot, 71, has won 38 trophies for the club and will now become a director and ambassador.

His haul includes 13 league titles, two Champions League crowns, five FA Cups and four League Cups.

"The decision to retire is one that I have thought a great deal about. It is the right time," Ferguson said.

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Filed under: * Culture-Watch • History • Men • Sports • * International News & Commentary • England / UK

[BOB] FAW: Now the former law school dean and distinguished legal scholar has written a most unusual book: “Baseball as a Road to God.” That’s right, baseball.

[John] SEXTON: The similarities between baseball and religion abound. The ballpark as cathedral; saints and sinners; the curses and blessings. But then what I’m arguing is beyond that surface level, there’s a fundamental similarity between baseball and religion which goes to the capacity of baseball to cause human beings, in a context they don’t think of as religious, to break the plane of ordinary existence into the plane of extraordinary existence.

FAW: John Sexton says that what happens here is more than just a game—that it reveals a dimension beyond the eyes and mind letting us, in his words, “see through to another, sacred space”—what John Sexton calls “the ineffable.”

Read or watch it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Books • History • Philosophy • Religion & Culture • Sports • * International News & Commentary • America/U.S.A. • * Theology

[Neil] Diamond flew his private jet to Boston. He showed up unannounced to Fenway about 30 minutes before start time, called the control room and asked if he could sing.

When the eighth inning came, Neil walked out in a Red Sox cap and the 35,000-strong crowd cheered. ''What an honour it is for me to be here today!'' Diamond told them. ''I bring love from the whole country.''

Then they sang along, out of sync to the backing track but that hardly mattered. Neither did the fact the Red Sox beat the Royals something to something else.

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Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Music • Sports • Urban/City Life and Issues • Violence • * Economics, Politics • Terrorism • * International News & Commentary • America/U.S.A. • Australia / NZ

Congratulations to Borussia Dortmund for making the Champions League Final.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports • * International News & Commentary • Europe • Germany • Spain

magine two teams with more than a thousand competitors on each side. Imagine a playing field that stretches three miles from goal to goal. And imagine a single ball that both sides are fighting over.

That is Shrovetide Football, which is played each year over two days in Ashbourne, England between members of the town. In his documentary Wild In The Streets, Peter Baxter tells the story of the game that has been played for centuries.

Read it all and take the time to watch the official trailer video.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • History • Movies & Television • Rural/Town Life • Sports • * International News & Commentary • England / UK

The Rev. John Wykes, director of the St. Francis Chapel at Boston's soaring Prudential Center, and the Rev. Tom Carzon, rector of Our Lady of Grace Seminary, were among the priests who were turned away right after the bombings. It was jarring for Father Wykes, who, as a hospital chaplain in Illinois a decade ago, was never denied access to crime or accident scenes.

"I was allowed to go anywhere. In Boston, I don't have that access," he says.

But Father Wykes says he has noticed a shift in the societal role of clergy over the past few decades: "In the Bing Crosby era—in the '40s, '50s, '60s—a priest with a collar could get in anywhere. That's changed. Priests are no longer considered to be emergency responders."

Read it all.

Filed under: * Christian Life / Church Life • Parish Ministry • Ministry of the Ordained • * Culture-Watch • Sports • Urban/City Life and Issues • Violence • * Economics, Politics • Terrorism • * Religion News & Commentary • Other Churches • Roman Catholic

In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings that left three dead and more than 260 injured, perhaps none face more significant adjustments or a longer road ahead than the 14 amputees who lost a limb.

For these victims, the path forward involves relearning almost everything, from getting out of bed to getting in a car. Whether they go on to lead satisfying lives depends largely on how they handle the spiritual challenges at hand, according to amputees and researchers.

Losing a limb is like losing a family member: It involves grief and mourning, according to Jack Richmond, a Chattanooga, Tenn., amputee who leads education efforts for the Manassas, Va.-based Amputee Coalition. When one’s body and abilities are radically changed, questions of meaning are suddenly urgent: Why did this happen? Why am I here?

Read it all.

Filed under: * Christian Life / Church Life • Spirituality/Prayer • * Culture-Watch • Health & Medicine • Psychology • Sports • Urban/City Life and Issues • Violence • Young Adults • * Economics, Politics • Terrorism • * South Carolina • * Theology • Ethics / Moral Theology • Pastoral Theology • Theodicy

The security planning for last week's Boston Marathon, where two bombs went off killing three people and wounding 264, included preparation for such an emergency, a top Massachusetts public safety official said on Wednesday.

"We spend months planning for the marathon. We did a tabletop exercise the week before that included a bombing scenario in it," Kurt Schwartz, the state's undersecretary for homeland security, told a panel at Harvard University.

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U.S. Pastor Saeed Abedini, who is currently suffering from internal bleeding in Iranian prison, said that he is praying for America in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings that killed three people and left over 200 injured last week.

"Pastor Saeed told family members he had heard about the terrorist bombings in Boston on the prison radio, expressed his concern, and told them he is praying for the victims and their families during this very challenging time for our nation," the American Center for Law and Justice revealed on Monday.

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The biographical film "42" depicts Jackie Robinson's courageous battle to break the color barrier in major league baseball. At the same time, the film provides a glimpse of his religious faith, which afforded the strength he needed to overcome fierce opposition.

"It took two Christians to pull this off," says Chris Lamb, the author of "Blackout: The Untold Story of Jackie Robinson's First Spring Training" (University of Nebraska, 2004). "Robinson was a Christian and Branch Rickey was a Christian," he notes. "Sometimes we miss this."

Lamb was blind to it himself until he researched Robinson's life for his book. "I kept wondering all these years what kept Robinson together," he says. "Finally I realized what I missed before – the core came from above."

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • History • Race/Race Relations • Religion & Culture • Sports

It was a goal of such ruthless brilliance that with one swish of his left foot at 8.13pm on Monday night, Robin van Persie settled the argument once and for all for Manchester United, champions for the 20th time.

The best team in the league? Undoubtedly. The outstanding player of the season? It has to be Van Persie, having scored what will surely be the goal of the season on the way to his hat-trick last night, a strike of such breathtaking geometry that any team in the world would have been hard pushed to defend against it.

The league season is an examination of a club's credentials over the course of 38 games but sometimes that season is distilled in the space of a few seconds. Those few seconds were those that it took for Wayne Rooney's beautifully flighted ball from inside his own half to drop out of the air and over the shoulder of Van Persie - and then for him to drive it past Brad Guzan first time with that sublime left foot.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports • * International News & Commentary • England / UK

Deeply moving--take the time to watch and listen to it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports • Urban/City Life and Issues • * Economics, Politics • Terrorism • * International News & Commentary • America/U.S.A.

Pat Summerall was the calm alongside John Madden’s storm.

Over four decades, Summerall described some of the biggest games in America in his deep, resonant voice. Simple, spare, he delivered the details on 16 Super Bowls, the Masters and the U.S. Open tennis tournament with a simple, understated style that was the perfect complement for the “booms!” and “bangs!” of Madden, his football partner for the last half of the NFL player-turned-broadcaster’s career.

Summerall died Tuesday at age 82 of cardiac arrest, said University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center spokesman Jeff Carlton, speaking on behalf of Summerall’s wife, Cheri.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Christian Life / Church Life • Parish Ministry • Death / Burial / Funerals • * Culture-Watch • Media • Sports

Wow.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • History • Sports • * International News & Commentary • Australia / NZ

Gary Player writes:

I’ve seen a lot of great shots and great rounds at Augusta. In 1978, I closed in 30 and shot 64 to win the Masters by one. But that doesn’t compare to what Tianlang Guan is doing at the age of 14. Mark my words: We are witnessing the most historic moment golf has experienced in my lifetime. And giving him the slow-play penalty on Friday is one of the saddest things I’ve seen in golf. When I heard, I prayed that he would make the cut. I am thrilled he did, because having him play the weekend will do miracles for the game. Golf’s popularity is as low as it’s ever been. Fewer and fewer people are playing the game. This will encourage young boys and girls around the world to play the game. Imagine it! Everyone will benefit -- courses, manufacturers, some day even fans.

Now, you cannot criticize the rule. It’s in the book for a reason. I believe the officials when they say Guan broke it. But you’ve got to be consistent. If you had a stopwatch, you could time many players in the last 20 years who have been well over their time but have not been penalized. Slow-playing tournament leaders have not been penalized. If the rule is applied arbitrarily, it is meaningless. The tragedy is that this could cause a stir. Imagine what the Chinese are going to think?

I agree. Say it again with me, the rules were made for Golf, not Golf for the rules--KSH. Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports • Teens / Youth • * Theology • Ethics / Moral Theology

As influential as [the] Rev. Downs had been, though, no one had a more profound impact on Robinson's life than Branch Rickey, whose religious devotion was such that he didn't attend baseball games on Sundays. During their first meeting, after Rickey had read aloud the passage from Papini's "Life of Christ," he also asked Robinson to read from the section about "nonresistance." Robinson understood what was needed for him to succeed.

Nobody in sports had ever faced the sort of pressure, and abuse, that Jackie Robinson did when he took the field for the first time in a Brooklyn uniform on April 15, 1947. And yet Robinson didn't merely endure, he thrived.

In a 1950 newspaper interview, he emphasized his faith in God and his nightly ritual of kneeling at bedside to pray. "It's the best way to get closer to God," Robinson said, and then the second baseman added with a smile, "and a hard-hit ground ball."

Read it all (if needed another link go there).

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • Sports

Rick Pitino has had teams during his 12 seasons at the University of Louisville loaded with more talent.

And better shooters. And more heralded out of high school.

But he’s never had a team like this.

One that picked each other up when they struggled. One that got better in areas of weakness. One that was prone to unexpected performances when they absolutely needed it....

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Education • Men • Sports • Young Adults • * International News & Commentary • America/U.S.A.

Lin, the first Chinese-American to be play in NBA, and NBA commissioner David Stern said that Lin’s failure to get a major college basketball scholarship or a roster spot through the NBA draft had to do with his Asian ethnicity.

CBS’s 60 Minutes will do a report on Lin’s story Sunday, April 7 at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT, where the Houston Rocket’s point guard sits down and discusses his rags to riches story and his stellar performance that caused the “Linsanity” phenomenon, and the racial obstacles he’s had to overcome.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Education • Psychology • Sports • Young Adults • * International News & Commentary • America/U.S.A. • Asia • * Theology • Anthropology • Ethics / Moral Theology

Grinnell’s coaches, in other words, kept their star guard on the floor and shooting, and kept up their full-court defensive pressure, against an opposing team they were leading by 50, then 60, then 70 points. A college that prides itself on its values — rigorous academic standards, commitment to the common good, historical involvement in the abolition and Social Gospel movements — inflicted a defeat so absolute that it borders on public humiliation.

Sporting tradition has always made allowances so the vanquished can save face. Youth leagues have a “slaughter rule” to halt lopsided games. Football quarterbacks with a big lead hand off the ball rather than passing it. Basketball teams run down the clock instead of running up the score. Coaches pull the starters and send in the bench warmers. Very little mitigation of that sort happened last November at Grinnell.

And beyond the question of athletic ethics, the rout has taken on an overtly religious cast. Jack Taylor, an evangelical Christian, attributed his achievement to divine intervention.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • Sports • * Religion News & Commentary • Other Churches • Evangelicals • * Theology • Ethics / Moral Theology

The Dean of Durham, the Very Revd Michael Sadgrove, has welcomed a statement issued by the new manager of Sunderland Football Club, Paolo Di Canio, on Wednesday, saying that he does "not support the ideology of fascism".

Dean Sadgrove wrote an open letter to Mr Di Canio on Tuesday, seeking clarification whether he held fascist beliefs. Mr Di Canio, whose appointment as Sunderland manager was announced on Sunday evening, gave a straight-arm salute more than once when he was a player, and said in his autobiography that he was "fascinated by Mussolini".

The former Foreign Secretary David Miliband resigned from the board of Sunderland FC because of "past political statements" made by Mr Di Canio.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • * Christian Life / Church Life • Parish Ministry • * Culture-Watch • History • Media • Religion & Culture • Sports • * Economics, Politics • Politics in General • * International News & Commentary • England / UK • Europe • Italy • * Theology • Ethics / Moral Theology

You can find the the basic information about this there. But make sure, too, to watch this whole excerpt and then find it and try to absorb the whole thing--just an incredible story all the way through.

Update: The official trailer may be watched there.

Filed under: * Christian Life / Church Life • Parish Ministry • Death / Burial / Funerals • * Culture-Watch • Health & Medicine • History • Marriage & Family • Sports

Check it out--lol.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports • * General Interest • Humor / Trivia

Check it out--lol.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports • * General Interest • Humor / Trivia

"The pope comes, and then I beat [Andy] Murray and Novak,"... [Juan Martin del Potro] said. "There could be something there."

His grin was as huge as his forehand. OK, nothing is quite that big.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports • * International News & Commentary • South America • Argentina • * Religion News & Commentary • Other Churches • Roman Catholic • Pope Francis

God whose strength bears us up as on mighty wings: We rejoice in remembering thy athlete and missionary, Eric Liddell, to whom thou didst bestow courage and resolution in contest and in captivity; and we pray that we also may run with endurance the race that is set before us and persevere in patient witness, until we wear that crown of victory won for us by Jesus our Savior; who with thee and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Filed under: * Christian Life / Church Life • Church History • Spirituality/Prayer • * Culture-Watch • Sports • * International News & Commentary • England / UK • --Scotland

Liverpool was stunned as a combination of poor finishing and superb goalkeeping from Ben Foster saw West Bromwich Albion come away with a 2-0 win its second consecutive victory at Anfield, a result that surely marks the end of the hosts’ top-four challenge.

Gareth McAuley and Romelu Lukaku put West Brom on the board after Steven Gerrard missed a penalty.

Brendan Rodgers was forced into making one change from the XI that took a point away from Manchester City, with Jonjo Shelvey coming in for the injured Daniel Sturridge while for West Brom, Liam Ridgewell and Yousouff Mulumbu returned to stiffen up the visitors.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Men • Sports • * International News & Commentary • England / UK

When baseball legend Roberto Clemente died in a plane crash in 1972, on a mission of mercy to victims of a Nicaraguan earthquake, the world not only lost a great man, but someone with extraordinary dreams. Well before his passing, Clemente had plans to open up clinics, schools, charities, and an ambitious sports complex in his native Puerto Rico, to help rescue underprivileged and misdirected youth. His sudden death appeared to end all that. But—as so often happens—God brings triumph out of tragedy, and in the years that followed, he did just that.

Today, many of Clemente’s most ambitious plans have come to pass, including a magnificent 304-acre Ciudad Deportiva (Sports City) in his native city of Carolina, overseen by his family and friends. The scope of Clemente’s legacy has become global, with his name attached to countless institutions, awards and events. What is less well known is where Clemente’s inspiring vision actually came from: his profound Christian faith.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • History • Religion & Culture • Sports

Jose Mourinho described Manchester United’s visit to the Bernabeu on Wednesday night as “the game the world is waiting for” but in the meantime the world had to make do with Everton, although not the same kind of Everton that upset the applecart at Old Trafford last season.

It was asking too much for this game to be as thrilling as the 4-4 draw in April, last season, when United twice squandered a two-goal lead and eventually had to acknowledge that it was the day when the title started to slide away from them. Even so, taking a 12-point lead in the title race was never supposed to be as easy as this.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Men • Sports • * International News & Commentary • England / UK

(Note that last season Dickey played with the New York Mets and he will be with Toronto this season--KSH).

This is Kamathipura, the red light district of Mumbai, among the most notorious sex-trafficking locations in the world. I am here as a guest of Bombay Teen Challenge (BTC), a charity that has been fighting human trafficking for more than 20 years, one I joined forces with last year, when two friends and I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and raised $130,000 , much of it from generous and kind-hearted Mets fans. I have come with my two daughters, Gabriel, 11, and Lila, 9, to witness the fruits of our climb – the conversion of a former brothel to a health clinic. I want my daughters to share the experience not so much as a gratitude check, but to learn that each of us has a capacity to make a difference in this world, and to see that God’s grace makes that possible.

Read it all, noting please that its content may not be appropriate for some blog readers.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Children • Globalization • Law & Legal Issues • Poverty • Religion & Culture • Sexuality • Sports • Teens / Youth • * International News & Commentary • America/U.S.A. • Asia • India • * Theology • Anthropology • Ethics / Moral Theology • Pastoral Theology

Burkina Faso played wonderfully well with a great deal of heart.

My thanks to ESPN 3 for making it possible for me to watch my first ever Africa Cup of Nations final--KSH.

Update: There is a lot more there.

Filed under: * By Kendall • * Culture-Watch • Sports • * International News & Commentary • Africa • Burkina Faso • Nigeria

For those of you who know the story/like the movie, etc. here is the Baltimore Raven's Michael Oher with his adopted mother after winning the Super bowl, and here he is with his adopted sister.

If interested, you may read a lot more about this over here.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Children • Marriage & Family • Movies & Television • Sports

Wow.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports • * General Interest

This one was my favorite--KSH..

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • History • Religion & Culture • Sports • * Economics, Politics • Economy • Consumer/consumer spending • Corporations/Corporate Life

“It wasn't pretty, it wasn't perfect, but it was us,” said John Harbaugh, who took the Lombardi Trophy from owner Steve Bisciotti and held it aloft. “The final series of Ray Lewis' career was a goal line stand to win the Lombardi Trophy. As Ray said on the podium, how could it be any better than that?”

But it wasn't easy, especially after a 34-minute power outage in the Superdome cost the Ravens the momentum they had gained in the first half and from Jacoby Jones' 108-yard kickoff return to start the second half. Following the stoppage in the third quarter, the 49ers scored 17 straight points to cut the Ravens' lead to 28-23.

“I just knew that with Jim Harbaugh on the other sideline and all those years being together, that those guys were going to come back,” John Harbaugh said. “Those guys handled [the delay] better than we did.”

Read it all.

Update: Here are three front page pictures on different final print editions.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports

I was thankful it ended up being such a good game.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Men • Sports

As the 49ers and Ravens take the field in New Orleans’ Super Dome for Super Bowl XLVII, a man very familiar with that field, Chris Reis, will be watching the game with his family.

It was only three years ago that Reis was playing in the big game for the New Orleans Saints. He burst into the national spotlight with one unusual, but game-changing play, an onside kick recovery that surprised the opposition and many say paved the path for the Saints’ 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

It was an unlikely position for a kid who grew up in a broken family, with a father who was in and out of his life and addicted to sex and alcohol. Reis broke through the obstacles to succeed, he says, in part by finding God in high school. He went on to play for Georgia Tech where he served as president of the school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He was briefly signed as a free agent by the Atlanta Falcons, but the team cut him loose before he even saw field time. The Saints then signed him as a free agent, but sent him to play in the NFL Europe league. Later that year the team called him back to New Orleans where he played the next four years with the Saints.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • Sports

It was an excellent game at Craven Cottage today with lots of chances at both ends--KSH. Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Men • Sports • * International News & Commentary • England / UK

Watch it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Men • Sports • * International News & Commentary • Europe • Portugal

Check them out.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • History • Sports

On a dark and cold morning last month, 19-year-old Aaron Liberman woke at his apartment and walked a block and a half to a two-story, redbrick synagogue in West Rogers Park, a predominantly Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in northwest Chicago. Inside, he was met by the hum of worship and a smattering of older men — some in black hats, some wrapped in prayer shawls — seated at long tables, surrounded by shelves packed with books, Hebrew letters on their spines.

Liberman removed his jacket and unpacked his worn prayer book. He unfurled his tefillin, small boxes holding prayers printed on parchment, and bound them to his left arm and his forehead with black leather straps. Then he prayed.

During the service, a man walked over, politely interrupting Liberman’s meditation, asked how he was, and then, rather proudly, said: “We’re going to get tickets for one of your games. My kids, they are very excited.”

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Education • Men • Religion & Culture • Sports • Young Adults • * Religion News & Commentary • Other Faiths • Judaism

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Men • Sports • * International News & Commentary • Australia / NZ

Two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic advanced to his third consecutive Australian Open final with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 win over No. 4-seeded David Ferrer on Thursday night.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Men • Sports • * International News & Commentary • Australia / NZ

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Men • Sports • * International News & Commentary • Australia / NZ

“I’m so glad we’re going to the Super Bowl right now,” Baltimore wide receiver Torrey Smith said, “so people can get off Joe’s back.”

Flacco threw three touchdown passes in the second half, helping the Ravens reach the Super Bowl for the first time in 12 years with a 28-13 win over the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game Sunday.

He beat two-time NFL MVP Tom Brady one week after outplaying Peyton Manning, who has won the award four times, in a 38-35 double-overtime win over the Denver Broncos.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Men • Sports

Congratulations to them.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Men • Sports

What a match in Australia. Novak Djokovic wins 12-10 in the fifth (on match point #3).

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Men • Sports • * International News & Commentary • Australia / NZ

We are all sinners, the Bible says and everyone knows. But not everyone is as accomplished a violator of the Ninth Commandment as Lance Armstrong, who is finally admitting this week after years of vociferous denials that he doped himself up to win the Tour de France seven times.

Mr. Armstrong has decided to admit his deceptions at America's secular confessional, the Church of Oprah. No doubt the TV ratings will be huge, as the cancer survivor turned champion cyclist tries to salvage what he can of his reputation. If he really wants to atone, however, he'd be better off following the example of the late Chuck Colson.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Drugs/Drug Addiction • Law & Legal Issues • Sports • * Theology • Anthropology • Ethics / Moral Theology • Pastoral Theology

Congratulations to them--it sets up an exact rematch of last year's NFC Championship game.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports

The Falcons’ playoff drought under head coach Mike Smith and quarterback Matt Ryan is over.

Just barely.

Kicker Matt Bryant banged a 49-yarder through the uprights with eight seconds to play to lift the Falcons to hard-fought 30-28 victory over Seattle in the NFC divisional round of the playoffs at the Georgia Dome on Sunday.

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Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Men • Sports

Caught the English Premiere League contest between Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers early this morning . It ended 0-0 and the Rangers played their hearts out. Good for them--KSH.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Men • Sports • * International News & Commentary • England / UK

Steroid-tainted stars Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa were denied entry to baseball's Hall of Fame, with voters failing to elect any candidates for only the second time in four decades.

Bonds received just 36.2 percent of the vote, Clemens 37.6 and Sosa 12.5 in totals announced Wednesday by the Hall and the Baseball Writers' Association of America. They were appearing on the ballot for the first time and have up to 14 more years to make it to Cooperstown.

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Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Drugs/Drug Addiction • History • Men • Sports • * Theology • Ethics / Moral Theology

I have questions. In effect, I am asking The Sun for an update on that 2006 SI cover, which provided details that I don’t think I’ve seen in the local newspaper.

Question No. 1: Where does Lewis go to church? Past? Present? Future? Is it still Empowerment Temple? What role does his church play in his life, his philanthropy, his future?

Question No. 2: Who is his pastor, his spiritual leader? Who does he call when he is in spiritual crisis? Is is still the Rev. Jamal-Harrison Bryant of Empowerment?....

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Men • Religion & Culture • Sports

Watch it all--LOL (hat tip--Abigail Harmon).

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports • * General Interest • Humor / Trivia

A spectacular late goal by Robin Van Persie in the 90th minute gave them a chance to try again. West Ham played well, congrats to them.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports • * International News & Commentary • England / UK

The backup quarterback throws a touchdown pass with 11 seconds left on the clock. My goodness what a win for the Gamecocks--and it was a super game.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports • * South Carolina

Chandler Catanzaro kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired to give No. 14 Clemson a wild 25-24 win against No. 9 Louisiana State in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Monday night.

Trailing 24-22, Clemson (11-2) took possession on its 20 with 1:39 remaining. Tajh Boyd completed a pass for 26 yards to DeAndre Hopkins on a fourth-and-16 play during the decisive 10-play drive.

Catanzaro’s kick set off a wild celebration on the field and in the stands. Some players collapsed on the field in apparent disbelief while most of Clemson’s orange jerseys met in a midfield circle.

Read it all. I was unable to stay up for the end; congratulations to the Tigers--KSH.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Education • Men • Sports • Young Adults • * South Carolina

A midseason turnaround that no one saw coming culminated Sunday night for the Washington Redskins with a 28-18 victory over the Dallas Cowboys that gave them an improbable NFC East title and a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

Quarterback Robert Griffin III wasn’t at his dazzling best in the win at FedEx Field. But the Redskins used the bullish running of another reliable rookie, tailback Alfred Morris, and leaned heavily on their defense to churn out a workmanlike triumph over Dallas.

The Redskins improved to 10-6 and ended the regular season on a seven-game winning streak. They seized their first division crown since the 1999 season and, as the NFC’s fourth seed for the postseason, will host the fifth-seeded Seattle Seahawks in a first-round playoff game next Sunday at 4:30 p.m.

Congratulations to the Redskins. Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports

The Steelers were eliminated from playoff contention today when Cincinnati beat them 13-10 on Josh Brown's 43-yard field goal with four seconds left.
Cincinnati clinched a playoff berth with the victory.
The field goal was made possible when safety Reggie Nelson intercepted Ben Roethlisberger's pass and returned it 10 yards to the Steelers' 46 with 14 seconds left in the game.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Men • Sports

In assessing the greatness of Lionel Messi, Arsene Wenger, usually the world’s most insightful soccer manager, once said a trite thing: “When you look at the numbers, you have to kneel down and say they are fantastic.”

Wenger was referencing the 2010-11 season, in which Messi scored 53 goals in all competitions.

On Saturday, in his last game before the Christmas break, Messi scored his 91st goal of 2012. So Messi not only crushed the 40-year-old calendar-year scoring record held by German Gerd Muller (85), he reversed over it a few times.

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Filed under: * Culture-Watch • History • Men • Sports • * International News & Commentary • Europe • Spain

It’s not hard to be a Christian while everything is going well — while grace flows all around, while providence sprinkles miracles along the path, while joy abounds and times are good. It’s easy to praise the Lord and feel his presence, to do his work, when you stand in the bright sunlight. But eventually the night cometh, the darkness and the shadows, when faith is more difficult and no man can work.

The quarterback Tim Tebow was always something of a young mystic — he was David, dancing in the joy of his youth before the Ark of the Lord — and amid all the hoopla of the overtime victories and sudden triumphs to which he led the Denver Broncos last season, he found himself professional football’s most vocal and visible Christian: praising the Lord, feeling his presence, and spreading his message.

Always well-mannered — “the politest interview in NFL history,” Sports Illustrated’s Peter King called him — he expressed nothing but confidence in his teammates and his coaches, nothing but a manifest belief in the hoariest of cliches about hard work and sportsmanship and inspiration, nothing but alleluias for the Lord who had so blessed him.

Then came a darker time for him....

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Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • Sports • * Religion News & Commentary • Other Churches • Evangelicals

Few players have provided more important plays for the Steelers the past few years than Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown, and they were at it again Sunday.

Roethlisberger, their Pro Bowl quarterback, had thrown two touchdown passes, one of them to Brown, who fought through a defender to reach the end zone. He had more than 300 yards passing and he led his team from behind into a fourth-quarter lead against the Dallas Cowboys. Brown, their MVP a year ago and Pro Bowl returner, returned one punt 29 yards and led the Steelers with eight receptions.

But both players made critical errors in the fourth quarter and overtime, each blaming themselves for a 27-24 loss, their fourth in the past five games that dropped them to 7-7, yet somehow still quite alive for a playoff spot.

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Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Men • Sports

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Education • Sports • Young Adults

It was Pep Guardiola, the former manager of Barcelona, who once suggested that Lionel Messi should be observed instead of dissected. He is, after all, widely considered the world’s greatest soccer player, not a biology project.

“Don’t try to write about him,” Guardiola said. “Don’t try to describe him. Watch him.”

On Sunday, Messi set an international record by scoring his 86th goal in a calendar year, for both Barcelona and the Argentine national team, delivering an average of one goal every four days, more frequently than a starting pitcher takes the mound, as often as Starbucks opens a new store in China.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • History • Men • Sports • * International News & Commentary • Europe • Spain • South America • Argentina

Watch it all. Simply stunning.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • History • Men • Sports • * International News & Commentary • Europe • Spain • South America • Argentina

Read it all. I watched it on tape delay--electrifying until the end when a few fans ruined the atmosphere.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Men • Sports • * International News & Commentary • England / UK

Congratulations to Navy and especially Keenan Reynolds who won the game with his arm. My heart goes out to Army Quarterback Trent Steelman, it was hard to watch him after the game--KSH.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports • * Economics, Politics • Defense, National Security, Military

Defending BCS national champion Alabama got all it could handle from No. 3 Georgia in a 32-28 victory in front of a sold-out crowd of 75,624 fans, who watched the Bulldogs' last-ditch comeback hopes come up just short at the Crimson Tide's 5-yard line as time expired.

Alabama rallied from an 11-point deficit in the second half and then watched UGA nearly steal the game -- and a trip to Miami to play for the national championship -- at the end.

"I told them congratulations and now go handle your business," Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones said. "It was a war. It was a battle all night. You can look at the scoreboard and see."

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports

From here:

"The entire Chiefs family is deeply saddened by today's events, and our collective hearts are heavy with sympathy, thoughts and prayers for the families and friends affected by this unthinkable tragedy. We sincerely appreciate the expressions of sympathy and support we have received from so many in the Kansas City and NFL communities, and ask for continued prayers for the loved ones of those impacted."

You may also read more there.

Filed under: * Christian Life / Church Life • Parish Ministry • Death / Burial / Funerals • * Culture-Watch • Psychology • Suicide • Sports • Young Adults

Wow, the defense really needs work. They were fortunate to beat Reading 4-3.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports • * International News & Commentary • England / UK

Watch it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Children • Health & Medicine • Marriage & Family • Sports • Teens / Youth

After his East Mississippi Community College football team went undefeated and won the 2011 junior college championship, star lineman Derrick "DJ" Wilson was offered full athletic scholarships to four-year colleges in Alabama and Louisiana.

But as the football season came to an end, the 2010 Horn Lake High graduate had more important concerns. His mother, Jelks Wilson, was dying of cancer. Wilson was driving home from school every weekend — an eight-hour round-trip — to care for her and his two younger sisters.

Wilson would wake to the sounds of his mother's soft mumbling. Straining to hear, he realized she was praying.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Christian Life / Church Life • Parish Ministry • Death / Burial / Funerals • * Culture-Watch • Children • Health & Medicine • Marriage & Family • Men • Religion & Culture • Sports • Young Adults • * Theology • Ethics / Moral Theology • Pastoral Theology

1. MOST WINS
The 19 combined wins between USC (9-2) and Clemson (10-1) entering the game are the most in the rivalry’s history, topping the old mark of 18 set last season.

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Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Education • Men • Sports • Young Adults • * South Carolina

The Steelers and Baltimore Ravens slugged it out in typical style Sunday night, and it turned into what is becoming an all too typical ending, a Ravens victory.
Baltimore not only went home with a third straight victory over the Steelers and a third straight in Heinz Field, but also with a near mortal lock on its second straight AFC North Division title.
The Ravens' 13-10 victory bounced them into a two-game lead over their bitter rivals in the AFC North Division. Baltimore is 8-2, and the Steelers 6-4. The teams meet again in two weeks in Baltimore.

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Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports

A Purple Heart and a Bronze Star, and then to football as a walk on--my goodness. Watch it all (about 5 3/4 minutes). I caught this by happenstance this morning while exercizing--deeply moving; KSH.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Children • Education • Marriage & Family • Men • Military / Armed Forces • Sports • Young Adults • * Economics, Politics • Defense, National Security, Military • * South Carolina

Matt Cain had one thought as he watched Marco Scutaro dig in for the at-bat of his life.

"I was just hoping he hadn't burned up all of his big hits through the year already," Cain said. "He's had so many. I was hoping he had another one in there for us."

The little Giant, the one they call "Blockbuster," did indeed. With two outs in the 10th inning, Scutaro floated a single to short center field. Austin Jackson charged hard but finally had to concede he would lose the battle with gravity.

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Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Men • Sports • * International News & Commentary • America/U.S.A.

Chelsea were beaten for the first time in this season's Premier League as two red cards ushered Manchester United to a 3-2 win in west London.

Two goals down inside 12 minutes, the leaders fought their way off the ropes to level through Juan Mata (44) and Ramires (53) and were looking likelier winners until Branislav Ivanovic was sent off on the hour.

But a second red card for Fernando Torres meant the end of any genuine attacking ambition, and substitute Javier Hernandez bundled a contentious winner (75) to haul United within a point of the leaders and give them a first Barclays Premier League success at Stamford Bridge since 2002.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Men • Sports • * International News & Commentary • England / UK

The silence has perhaps never been more deafening at Williams-Brice Stadium than it was around 1:30 Saturday afternoon. The South Carolina and Tennessee football teams and a stadium full of fans swallowed hard and experienced a heavy heart.

Marcus Lattimore again went down with a crippling knee injury.

“When you lose a guy like Marcus, he’s such a leader on the team. Everybody loves him. He gets the guys going,” USC quarterback Connor Shaw said. “It’s so unfortunate. No one wishes that on anybody. Prayers are out for him. I know he’ll be mentally strong, and hopefully he can get back.”

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Education • Health & Medicine • Men • Sports • Young Adults • * South Carolina

John McKissick began at Summerville High School as football coach in 1952--what was his salary that year. No fair peaking or googling, etc.

Find the answer and all the other articles after you have made your guess there.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Education • History • Men • Sports • Teens / Youth • * South Carolina

“It feels good,” McKissick said. “It’s another win, and if it totals up to 600, that’s great. I feel good for the kids. I feel good for the boys. They can tell everyone they were part of the 600th. I think they will be proud of that.”

McKissick’s success is unmatched at any level. The all-time winningest college football coach is 86-year-old John Gagliardi of St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn., who enters this weekend with 487 wins in 64 years.

Don Shula is the winningest coach in NFL history with 347.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Education • History • Sports • Teens / Youth • * South Carolina

Public school students are largely free to exercise their faith on campus and on the field. A player's personal prayer in the locker room or on the bench is protected by the First Amendment.

The challenges to prayer arise when school employees and resources are involved. A high school football coach can't lead his team in prayers. Yet a patchwork of inconsistent court decisions boils down to this: Public universities are free to hold prayers before football games as long as they only cite God and do not mention Jesus. A specific nod to Christianity would be viewed as supporting one faith over others. The theory is that a general nod to a deity serves a non-religious purpose, giving fans a moment to reflect, while not advancing a particular faith.

Public high schools, on the other hand, face greater restrictions

Read it all.

Filed under: * Christian Life / Church Life • Spirituality/Prayer • * Culture-Watch • Education • Law & Legal Issues • Church/State Matters • Religion & Culture • Sports • * International News & Commentary • America/U.S.A.

As rain pounded the field in the ninth inning, second baseman Marco Scutaro spread his arms and looked to the heavens. As the water soaked his face, he beamed a 100,000-watt smile.

Moments later, he looked up again. This time his ticket to the World Series, a Matt Holliday popup, was falling his way. As Sergio Romo bounced on the mound like a kid on a pogo stick, Scutaro squeezed his glove and the Giants had a most improbable pennant.

Down three games to one in the National League Championship Series, they dominated the Cardinals over the final three games and bulldozed the defending World Series champions 9-0 Monday night.

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Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Men • Sports • * International News & Commentary • America/U.S.A.

He knew what he was taking on, [Bishop James] Jones says. He was inducted into Hillsborough, and the bereaved families' campaign against what they complained was a grievous injustice and a South Yorkshire police cover-up, in his early days as Liverpool's bishop. In 1999, a year into his post, the Hillsborough Family Support Group asked him to preside at the memorial service for the disaster's 10th anniversary, and they explained their continuing agonies.

So he knew the panel would be examining the actions of the police and other powerful people and organisations, none of whom had been held legally accountable, taken responsibility or at that stage apologised for the failings that caused 96 people to die. The panel's report removed 23 years' distortion of the truth about what happened on 15 April 1989 at Liverpool's FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest.

"I was aware," he tells the Guardian, in his first major interview since the panel reported, "that MPs, the police, the media, the judiciary, possibly the government of the day, were in the frame. People might think we in the church are naive; we're not. We know exactly what we are engaging with."

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • CoE Bishops • * Christian Life / Church Life • Parish Ministry • Death / Burial / Funerals • * Culture-Watch • History • Law & Legal Issues • Police/Fire • Religion & Culture • Sports • * International News & Commentary • England / UK

Congratulations to them.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Men • Sports

What... [his mother] didn't know was that about halfway through the run, there had been a problem with.. [Ben Baltz'] leg; It hooks together with screws and one of them had come loose, so the leg literally broke in half. This isn't the first time it's happened, either. This active boy has managed to break 10, supposedly "indestructible" prosthetic legs (made of carbon fiber, mind you!).

Now, here's where you need to get out your hanky, because it was this moment that had the spectators in tears:

"All of a sudden the announcer just said, 'Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to turn around and look at what's happening on the course' ... Everybody was crying," she says. A young Marine had lifted the boy and carried him across the finish line.

Read it all and make sure to catch the video.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Children • Health & Medicine • Marriage & Family • Sports • * Economics, Politics • Defense, National Security, Military

Tom Lehman, one of the world’s finest golfers, has struggled with perfection.

For years, he tried to achieve it. When he failed, he felt guilty, ashamed, depressed.

Then, in 1998, after the missteps had stacked up, Lehman came to the back nine, a realization that signaled the start of what he called the second act of his life: God had forgiven him; now it was time to forgive himself.

This was the core of his message Tuesday morning at the annual Charleston Leadership Prayer Breakfast, an ecumenical Christian event that drew about 1,000 to the Charleston Area Convention Center.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Christian Life / Church Life • Spirituality/Prayer • * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • Sports • * South Carolina

Jeremy Hill capped his breakout game by leaping the fence dividing the field from the stands at Tiger Stadium and embracing a jubilant throng of students as they celebrated LSU's quick ascendance back into the national title discussion.

Hill highlighted a 124-yard, two-touchdown performance with a 50-yard scoring run, and the ninth-ranked Tigers handed No. 3 South Carolina its first loss of the season, 23-21 on Saturday night.

Hill's clutch runs, showcasing his tackle-breaking power as well as breakaway speed, were precisely what LSU needed a week after stumbling to its lone loss of the season at Florida, where the offense had been stagnant.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Education • Men • Sports • Young Adults • * South Carolina

A very fun game to watch played in very difficult conditions.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Education • Men • Sports • Young Adults

There is no excusing Armstrong's behaviour. He shouldn't have taken the drugs and he shouldn't have compelled others to do the same. But the latest revelations do show how a beautiful sport had been corrupted and how anyone seeking to succeed could have been drawn into such behaviour.

But there are still reasons to admire this obviously deeply flawed man. Armstrong has done wonderful things - on and off the bike - and given me memories that I still savour.

On drugs or not, he was capable of magnificent and daring feats. On stage nine of the 2003 Tour de France, Armstrong swerved to avoid a fellow rider, Joseba Beloki, who had crashed badly on a descent. The American was forced to ride across a steep paddock, jump a drainage ditch and rejoin the race on the road below. It was dramatic, bold and impressive.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Drugs/Drug Addiction • Sports • * International News & Commentary • Australia / NZ • * Theology • Ethics / Moral Theology

More than honoring his status as staff ace, the lefthander pitched the Yankees into the ALCS against Detroit with a dominating complete-game effort in a 3-1 victory over the Orioles Friday night in front of 47,081 chilly fans at the Stadium.

"CC was unbelievable tonight,'' said Raul Ibañez, whose single off Jason Hammel in the fifth broke a scoreless tie. "That performance was a tremendous warrior, a tremendous competitor. He willed that to happen. That's what it looked like.''

Orioles manager Buck Showalter compared Sabathia's performance (one run, four hits, two walks, nine strikeouts) to Justin Verlander's in leading the Tigers past the A's in Game 5.

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Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports

On a bracing Friday night that felt chilled and charmed, just like the enchanted autumn of 2011, the Cardinals gave us one of the all-time shockers. It was something out of the imagination, a baseball fable that couldn't be real. Except it did really happen, and if you closed your eyes and listened intently, you may have heard the echoes of the late Jack Buck barking "Go crazy, folks. Go crazy."

In one of the most amazing, improbable, remarkable, miraculous, incredible, unbelievable, astonishing and stupefying comebacks in MLB postseason history, the Cardinals came up with the 2012 version of Game 6.

This was another October, in a new year and in a different city. The retired future Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa wasn't here to push them on, and the menacing Albert Pujols wasn't waving a bat at the Nationals, playing his customary role of enforcer. None of it mattered during this 3 hours and 49 minutes of mayhem and madness. The Cardinals are still the team that wouldn't die.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports

Just maybe the Baltimore Orioles' remarkable run into October is not so improbable after all.

Seventeen wins in extra innings, 31 victories in one-run games. Staving off elimination from the postseason twice already.

They've done all that, and might not be done yet.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports

Wow. A 13 pitch at bat. That is three walk off hits in two days. If you love baseball, this is some start to the Postseason--KSH.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Sports