Owner: The Playing with Fire Podcast URL:http://www.reclaimthegame.com/blog Join Date: Thu, 03 May 2007 20:05:26 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Playing with Fire is about sports, but sports properly directed.
It is about the integration of mind, body, and spirit in search of excellence.
It is about elite athletes living lives of virtue.
Sports does not have to be about vice.
It is time to rec Site statistics:Click here
Fans Killing Fans 2007-05-02 05:04:01 Steve Stockerman wrote, ‘Manuel Riacuteos, a 31 year old father of two, stepped in harm’s way on the street outside the stadium after a game of his Deportivo de La Coruna team. Three members of his team’s radical fan club, Ultras as they are called in Spain, were beating a 13-year-old boy who dared wear the jersey of the rival team. Riacuteos intervened and was thanked by a powerful flying karate kick in the chest that collapsed his lung and liver. He died on the way to the hospital.’
Last month, ‘the Greek soccer league was preparing nervously for another weekend of play as the authorities wrestled with the seemingly intractable problem of violent fans. The country’s stadiums reopened last Sunday following a two-week ban on team sports imposed after the death of a 25-year-old fan in a brawl between rival soccer hooligans last month. (Niki Kitsantonis April 19, 2007)
These are not isolated incidents.The extreme violence displayed by fans at sporting events Read more:Killing
The World Getting Smaller Could Be A Good Thing 2007-04-28 21:09:07 John Hollinger of ESPN Insider presented his picks for the top 30 International players in the NBA emphasizing the globalization of the league and the significant impact that international players are having on the game. John made a good case for his assertion that international players are fast becoming superstars of the league and I think their growing number will exert a very positive influence on “culture” in the NBA.
Based on my experience with international student-athletes here at Belmont Abbey College as well as at other institutions, I found that these student-athletes bring more than just their tremendous physical talents. A very high percentage of them are more mature and decidedly more focused on taking advantage of every opportunity they are given. I am amazed at their dedication and pursuit of excellence in all that they do.
Without referring to specific names, it is not uncommon for me to see an international student-athlete with a double major and grade point aver Read more:World
, Thing
All For One and One For All 2007-04-24 05:40:37 Have you ever heard thousands of fans singing the National Anthem or chanting in unison? It gives you a chill up your spine and may even bring a tear to your eye.
I once was fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of one of these coordinated responses and found it to be overwhelming. As I approached the high jump bar in the 1980 U.S. Olympic Trials thousands of spectators, who did not know me, clapped in time to each step that I took. As my approach speed became faster so did their response. The power and connectedness I experienced with everyone in the stands that day was awesome.
Witnessing this again at a recent sporting event made me think that it is time for a paradigm shift. Imagine a group of men and women trained to help make this coordinated support a regular occurrence at games and competitions. Using the latest technology to increase the intensity and virtuousness of participation would add another dimension to the game by helping players and fans forge a closer bond. Th
You Can’t Hand Me a Slump 2007-04-16 04:02:02 Arsenal’s slump extends to four straight losses in the English Premier League… Bill Hall is hitting .194 and trapped in a 1-for-20 slump… Jason Giambi was sinking in a 5-for-35 batting slump. What is this mysterious thing called a slump?
Dr. Jim Taylor has written, ‘Slump
s are used to describe a wide variety of performance declines. As a result, there has been no clear definition of what a slump really is. For example, Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary (Merriam-Webster, 1974) defines a slump as “a period of poor or losing play by a team or individual” (p. 1095). However, this definition lacks precision. Several factors must be considered in defining slumps. First, ability is important. That is, if the team were always lousy, their poor play would not be a slump. As such, current performance must always be compared to a previous level of play. Second, the length of the decline is relevant. For example, a baseball hitter who goes 0 for 4 may
Goodell Does Well 2007-04-11 05:26:59 As a father of ten children, I have made sure that they understand there are positive and negative consequences to any action. I also have made sure they understand that when they act inappropriately the negative consequences they experience are their own doing, not mine.
NFL Commissioner Goodell must be a good father. His decision to suspend Adam “Pacman” Jones for one season is dramatic enough to get everyone’s attention. Even if Jones does not get the message, I hope he does, any player on the “edge” will think twice before leaping off the cliff. Most players know right from wrong and choose to do the good. However, for those that need to be behaviorally conditioned to do no harm, they will be helped by the electric shock therapy of a one-year suspension. For the players who have been doing the right thing all along, this is the vast majority, and want to work in an environment of virtue, I am sure this is a welcomed ruling. Not because they wish any
Sports Illustrated Lowers the Bar 2007-04-10 07:16:34 Is SportsIllustrated
so lacking in substance that it needs to include immodestly dressed women all over the front page of its website in order to attract customers?
Here’s the way I see it. If I do not understand what virtue is and why it is important to my happiness, there is a good chance that I will drift toward vice, the bad stuff, and ultimately not be happy. For many it is almost too late since any talk about being “good” seems childish or fanatical. However, this way of thinking leads to a vicious downward spiral in which people become more accustomed to vice and less aware of its damaging effects.
So when I mention words like modesty and chastity I hope you will continue reading and thinking. What do these words mean? The New Advent Encyclopedia describes chastity as, ‘the virtue which excludes or moderates the indulgence of the sexual appetite. Chastity is allied to abstinence and sobriety; for, as by these latter the pleasures of the nutritive func Read more:Sports Illustrated
No Joy in Mudville for Advocates of Verbal Abuse 2007-04-07 06:12:31 Imagine you are at work or school and a group of people approaches you yelling derogatory comments about your work and physical attributes. Outrageous, right? Or stepping out of the elevator onto a wet floor, you slip and fall. A group gathers around you shouting insults about your physical ineptitude and repeats it every time they see you step off an elevator in the future. These scenarios may sound extreme but sport fans routinely respond to opposing teams, coaches, and players in this manner every day.
Michael David Smith recently wrote an article about the Cincinnati Little League’s decision to ban “chatter” in the name of fair play. I think the League had the right concept, discouraging verbal abuse of opponents, but a less than satisfactory justification. The Ten Commandments’ admonishment against murder and bearing false witness provides a stronger argument against verbal abuse. The Catechism states that detraction and calumny destroy the reputation and honor o Read more:Advocates
Financial Spanking and Time-Out for Bad Boys 2007-04-05 19:19:57 Okay, you may think me a little strange but I am trying to be good and do the right things in life. I believe that I have been blessed with certain skills, talents and abilities and I am asked to “double” them. I am not perfect, not even close, but I try to get better each day, in every possible way. If I fall, I get back up, apologize, and honestly resolve to do better next time. I have come a long way in my understanding of “good and bad” since I was an athlete competing at an international level but I still have a long, long way to go. The hard part is not understanding what is good but in living it.
NFL Commissioner Goodell plans to punish players who violate NFL conduct policies through severe financial “spankings” and game “time-outs.” Obviously something needs to be done and this may be a necessary first step but it does not solve the real problem. The underlying issue is selfishness which manifests itself as pride, envy, anger, sl Read more:Financial
, Spanking
, Bad Boys
Hope Springs Eternal 2007-05-10 05:46:36 If I represented Adam “Pacman” Jones, I would immediately call a huge press conference in response to NFL Commissioner Goodell’s severe one-year suspension.
I would begin by saying, “I am here today with my client, Adam Jones, because we believe that the Commissioner needs to consider that there are 283 other NFL players who broke the law this year and did not receive anything close to a one year suspension. You may think that we are asking the Commissioner to dismiss or reduce Adam’s penalty but nothing could be further from the truth.
Adam and I have spoken at length, and we both agree that the penalty was fair and just. He realizes that there are consequences to his actions and that he is responsible for his behavior. Although he is not perfect and has a lot to learn, Adam wants to restore honor, character, morality, and virtue to the game of professional football and he plans to dedicate his one-year suspension and the rest of his life to living that Read more:Springs
, Eternal
Beyond the Pale 2007-05-19 18:09:17 “I look upon you, sir, as a man who has placed himself beyond the pale of society, by his most audacious, disgraceful, and abominable public conduct” (The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens, dated 1837).
After passing the puck to a teammate and with his back to the opposing players, Tomas Holstrom of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings was violently checked into the glass. He lay on the ice with blood dripping from the two cuts on his forehead that required thirteen stitches. Clearly, this was a purposeful, “cheap” shot by two players from the Anaheim Ducks, Rod Niedermayer and Chris Pronger. They both skated in fast and hit high.
“I was very surprised about the call,” said Niedermayer. “All I did was take a few strides, finish my check and hit him with my shoulder.” You don’t want to see anybody hurt out there, that’s for sure. I’m glad he was back playing.” A couple of months ago, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said fighting i
Grace Abounds 2007-05-25 07:57:44 “Baseball is the only sport where being a failure seven out of ten times is considered to be outstanding - only about a dozen players in each major league bat .300 annually. ”
“Hitting a baseball has been described as the single most difficult feat in sports. And for good reason. Imagine the quality of hand-eye coordination required to make contact with a little white sphere traveling at over 95 miles per hour, using a 2 ¾ inch wide piece of wood being swung at over sixty miles per hour. Consider the intense concentration. A batter standing just 56 feet from the pitcher’s hand has only about 45/100’s of a second to decide if he’ll swing, predict where the ball will be, instruct his muscles to move, and bring the bat to a point of impact. If all goes well, the bat and ball rendezvous a few inches in front of the plate. The ball is crushed to half its diameter, springs back, and is launched on its return flight at speeds close to a hundred miles per h Read more:Grace
, Abounds
Underdog Wins Game and Hearts 2007-06-10 22:24:56 “The 17-year-old senior, who is autistic and usually sits on the bench in a white shirt and black tie, proceeded to hit six 3-point shots, finished with 20 points and was carried off the court on his teammates’ shoulders.”
A recent story from The Associated Press related how “Jason McElwain had done everything he was asked to do for the Greece Athena High School basketball team — keep the stats, run the clock, hand out water bottles.
McElwain, 5-foot-6, was considered too small to make the junior varsity, so he signed on as team manager. He took up the same role with the varsity, doing anything to stay near the sport he loves. Coach Jim Johnson was impressed with his dedication, and thought about suiting up McElwain for the home finale.
His performance was jaw-dropping: 20 points in four minutes, making 6-of-10 3-point shots. The crowd went wild. ‘It was as touching as any moment I have ever had in sports,’ Johnson told the Daily Messenger of C Read more:Underdog
, Hearts
Advantage Pistorious? 2007-07-08 22:16:48 No, the title is not about an update from Wimbledon. Would you believe it is about a young man, Oscar Pistorious, running world-class 200 and 400 meter times with two lower leg prosthetics?
Josh McHugh wrote, “Pistorius was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1986, with five digits on each hand and two toes on each tiny foot. Each leg was missing its fibula, the long, thin bone that anchors the calf muscle and forms the outside of the ankle. His parents had a choice: consign their child to a wheelchair or amputate his lower legs and let him learn to walk with prosthetics.
His father, Henke, head of the family’s zinc-mining company, asked a dozen orthopedic surgeons which three doctors in the world they would choose to perform a lower-leg amputation on their own child. Of the top three they named, two were in the US and one was in South Africa. A month before Oscar’s first birthday, Gerry Versveld removed the baby boy’s legs halfway between his knees and ankles. Six mont Read more:Advantage
Dad, I Wasn’t Running, I Was Speed Walking 2007-07-15 20:09:21 I think that at least one of my sons may be destined to be a lawyer. One day while my seven year old was running through the house I said, “Remember there is no running in the house!” Without missing a beat, he shot back, “Dad, I wasn’t running, I was speed walking.”
You might think I have written enough about Adam “Pacman” Jones, the NFL defensive back who received a one-year suspension from the NFL due to his poor behavior, but he and his lawyer continue to provide such clear examples of what not to do that I couldn’t resist brining attention to it one more time.
ESPN reported, “Suspended NFL player Adam “Pacman” Jones received several driving citations in a traffic stop last month in Williamson County, Tenn., where he has a home.
Jones was pulled over June 10 at 8:30 a.m. in his orange Lamborghini sports car because the tags did not match the car, WKRN-TV in Nashville reported.
Sheriff’s deputies said he had switched the plate from another vehicle he o Read more:Speed
, Walking
A Case for Virtue (Tour de France, Stage 3) 2007-07-13 17:11:13 “…Initially, the only riders who showed aggression were Nicolas Vogondy (Agritubel) and Matthieu Ladagnous (Francaise des Jeux). The Frenchmen attacked at six km and were joined at 52 km by Stephane Auge (Cofidis) and Frederik Willems (Liquigas). Vogondy and Ladagnous led by 13:50 at 44 km. Only then did CSC up the tempo.
At 104 km, the escapees led the bunch by 7:50. The chase was not hard, however. The peloton was together, and no riders had trouble following the pace.
With 61 km left and the fugitives’ lead down to 4:00, Auge attacked his companions and Willems followed. Two km later, the pair waited for Vogondy and Ladagnous. Behind, CSC and Credit Agricole stepped on the gas. The escapees led by 3:00 at 52 km.
With 21 km remaining, the break led the bunch by 2:36. Predictor, Quick Step, and Credit Agricole upped the tempo. Within five km, the lead had dropped half a minute, and with 10 km left, the bunch was 1:30 behind the break. A capture, however, was not certain, and Read more:Virtue
, France
, Stage
Don’t Throw Out The Baby With The Bath Water 2007-07-27 11:31:43 Joe Fox was one of the greatest men I ever knew. As a freshman on the cross-country team and later as a high jumper, Mr. Fox began the process of coaching a boy into a man. He was tough and reminded me of an old sea captain with his pipe firmly clenched between in his teeth while barking out his coaching pearls of wisdom. One day, exasperated by something that I probably should not have been doing he said, “Thierfelder, go home and tell your mother not to through out the baby with the bath water.” I stood perplexed not knowing what he was talking about so I just smiled and quickly moved on. Unfortunately, he often repeated this to me until I finally understood. He saw something good in me but he also knew there was a lot of “dirty” bath water that needed to be thrown out.
The Tour de France should follow Mr. Fox’s advice. It is one of the greatest sporting events in the world but has a serious problem that threatens its future. Cyclist looking for every edge cross t Read more:Throw
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