Florida here I am come

In just a short few hours I will be landing in Orlando on my way to Disney World, Spring Training, and ESPN: The Weekend, with my good friend, Josh. The weather outlook is wonderful with temperatures of 76, 80, 85. It will be nice being out of the cold of Ohio for a while. And hopefully we will meet some ESPN personalities and athletes. I'd like to have a few new profile pics as well as possibly getting on one of the ESPN tv or radio shows. Good times all around!

Great Galloping Ghosts Batman!!

After hearing some talk about the Oscars and the Dark Knight, it reminded me of a great article I read involving 'Batman and Robin' It is a wonderful, hilarious read. Got to give some props to the Daily Mail...they always have some funny, interesting, and unique articles posted.

To Hoot or Soar

"If you hoot with the owls at night, you can not soar with the eagles in the morning" ~ Morgan Wooten


Some friends of mine, particularly Ben and Billy, Justin, and me have had a bit of a running gag about if we have been 'hooting' the night before, especially if we walk into church Sunday morning with bags under our eyes. It is some good natured ribbing, but has also led to some discussion on the importance of sleep, not being up all hours of the night, and how are attitudes and functionality are effected by how much sleep we get. I have realized more and more how important it is to get a legitimate, consistent amount of sleep every night. Of course we can get to the point where we sleep way to much and use it more as a crutch or source of comfort as opposed to a time of refreshment and refueling, but we do need to have that good 7-8 hours of sleep. Carnegie Mellon University researchers recently published a study showing the relationship between sleep and ones resistance to getting colds. The study stated that those particiapants that got less than 7 hours a sleep per night were 3 times more likely to develop a respiratory illness when they came in contact with a cold virus.

More than just having a diminshed immune system, I think it is also important that we get enough sleep so we can be a good witness for the Lord. I know when I am tired, I can become irratable, snap to judgements, and really not want to always show patience and loving kindness toward the people in my life. I think often times we feel we might be missing out on something if we choose not to do a particular activity and instead go to bed. However, I think the times are few that we truly miss out on an opportunity when we choose to get to bed. I think it is more the case that we end up missing out on opportunites to serve, to be kind, to listen to somebody, and to be diligent in our study, work, and life, because we are too tired or are just thinking to ourselves, 'I can't wait to get home to crash.'

Champs

The 6th grade tournament team from First Friends that I help coach won the 6th Grade Tournament in Hudson. It was great to see the kids excited and play well in the championship game. We got placed in the lower division so the competition wasn't that great, but we can only play the teams that are put in front of us. We came out strong in the 2nd half and put the game away early and never gave the other team any hope of coming back. That is what I love to see as a coach, a team that keeps on hustling no matter what the score and doesn't let a team back in the game. Great job guys!!

Rec-Specs

While watching a little bit of the Illinois State vs. Niagara bracketbuster game, I noticed a Niagara player wearing Rec-Specs. I remember my formative years wearing them playing basketball before getting contacts in 9th grade. You really do not see many players wearing them anymore at any level. I have yet to see any kids I've coached or coached against wear them. Maybe contacts have become more comfortable and cheaper, so not as many people have to get Rec-Specs anymore. Growing up though it was good to see a player like Horace Grant in the NBA wearing them. To have a good player and a teammate of Michael Jordan wearing them was cool to see as a youngster.

Welcome Back Smoovey

Josh 'Smoovey' Robinson's (purple afro) triumphant return to the United States from New Zealand. Welcome back buddy!

2009 Slam Dunk Contest Final Round

Nate Robinson 1st dunk:

He comes all deck out in green jersey and shoes. Kryptonite.

Reverse slam off of the bounce, bringing the ball all the way down to his waste and then slamming it home. Looks great.


Dwight Howard 1st dunk:

He passes it off the side of the backboard and slams it down hard with one hand.


Nate Robinson 2nd dunk:

Getting help from the competition by jumping over Dwight Howard, but he uses a little of Dwight's back to get over. A good looking dunk, especially in slow motion.


Dwight Howard 2nd dunk:

Howard is backing up everybody on the opposite side of the floor. What's he going to do?!?! Jumps from one step inside the free throw line. Doesn't look as good as Jordan or Dr. J. It didn't showcase his leaping ability.


And the winner is...

Nate Robinson.



Final thoughts...it was a good showing, but nothing that really stood out like in years passed. LeBron said he was going to get in the dunk contest next year. I hope he does and shows off something spectacular.

2009 Slam Dunk Contest Second Round

Rudy Fernandez:

Getting help from fellow Spaniard Pao Gasol, but Gasol's behind the back passes aren't working. Six, seven, eight... come on Rudy throw it down

Finally on #9 throws it down after Gasol throws it off the back of the backboard, Fernandez grabs it with one hands and flushes it on the other side of the hoop. 42, probably would have gotten higher if he didn't take nine tries to do it.


J.R. Smith:

He is following up Fernandez's act with just as many tries as well. Getting a pass from the stands from fellow Nugget, Sonny Wiems, and slam it two hands off the bounce.


Nate Robinson:

Wilson Chandler taking a step up dunk off of fellow Knicks teammate Wilson Chandler. Nate needed to something more exciting off his back. 41.


Dwight Howard:

He is bringing in another hoop...Kenny Smith thinks he is going to raise it higher than 10 feet to show how high he can really jump. All the way up to 12 feet high.

Superman has entered the phone booth and the crowd loves it. LeBron is smiling at it. It's a bird, it's a plane...no it's Dwight "Superman" Howard.

He slams it home on the 12 foot hoop and it was just too easy. Chalk up another 50.

2009 Slam Dunk Contest First Round

J.R. Smith:

Nice double bounce windmill dunk. 43


Rudy Fernandez:

Behind the pass off the backboard and slam with the right hand. 42


Nate Robinson:

Full extension dunk off the bounce, getting all of his 5'9" frame off the ground. 46


Dwight Howard:

Lots of anticipation for this one, the arena is almost silent...
Nice 180 frontal spinning slam off the bounce. 50

That shouldn't of been a 50, I would say its on the same level or just above Nate Robinson's dunk. Probably more of a 47...but the judges, as well as the rest of the building are looking for superman to retain his slam dunk crown

Superman and Seatbelts

I was reading Peggy Noonan's Wall Street Journal column the other day when she recounted a story about Muhammad Ali. Here is an excerpt from the article, Brace Ourselves:

Tuesday I talked to people who support a Catholic college. I said a great stress is here and coming, and people are going to be reminded of what's important, and the greatest of these will be our faith, it's what is going to hold us together as a country. As for each of us individually, I think it's like the old story told about Muhammad Ali. It was back in the 1960s and Mr. Ali, who was still Cassius Clay, was a rising star of boxing, on his way to being champ. One day he was on a plane, going to a big bout. He was feeling good, laughing with friends. The stewardess walked by before they took off, looked down and saw that his seatbelt was unfastened. She asked him to fasten it. He ignored her. She asked him again, he paid no attention. Now she leaned in and issued an order: Fasten the seatbelt, now. Mr. Clay turned, looked her up and down, and purred, "Superman don't need no seatbelt."

She said, "Superman don't need no airplane. Buckle up." And he did.

I really liked the stewardess's response to Ali. It really humbles me and shows the frailty of us as humans as opposed to the power, steadfastness, wonder, and majesty of the Lord.

You know the Germans Always Make Good Stuff

Reds

Red,
Red as Roses.
Scarlet,
Go Scarlet and Gray.
Crimson,
Crimson stains a flowing.
Ruby Red
Ruby Red slippers speaking of home.
Cherry,
Cherry wood of beauty, luster, and glow.

Fiery Red,
A Furnace burning with fiery flame.
A salute to But If Not,
Because of the Sovereign Hand.
Come now and let us reason together
Saith the Lord:
Though your sins be as Scarlet,
They shall be white as snow.
Though they be Red as Crimson,
They shall be as wool.

Red,
Red as deep as blood.
White,
The White of Glory.

Sermon Tidbits

Today's sermon was on what it truly means to meditate on God's Word. I know the idea of meditating on the Word is something that is thrown around a lot and sounds good, but what really does it mean and how do we actually do it. Joshua 1:8 tells us,

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (emphasis placed on meditate)

The hebrew word, hāgâ, is translated meditate in this passage. The word, hāgâ, is also the same word translated as growls in Isaiah 31:4,

For thus the Lord said to me, "As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey, and when a band of shepherds is called out against him he is not terrified by their shouting or daunted as their noise, so the Lord of hosts will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill. (emphasis added on growls)

This just reflects how when we meditate on the Word we need to be feasting on God's word, like the lion over its prey, savoring it bit-by-bit, and chewing on it day and night.

The Quotable Sbux

While up at Starbucks tonight I came across this cup which had an interesting quote on it (Sorry the picture is quite blurry)

"Having two older brothers is a
healthy reminder that you're
always closer to the bottom than
you are to the top"
~ Andy Roddick

I'd have to imagine my little brother thinks the very same thing. Remember your place, Ryan.

LBJ = MVP

52 Points, 10 Rebounds, 11 Assists

I know the season is only about halfway over, but LeBron James is the MVP of the National Basketball Association. He is putting up great numbers for one of the top teams in the league. He is leading at both ends of the floor, upping his defensive performance this year and truly getting the whole team to buy into Mike Brown's defensive philosophy. This is putting the Cavs in a great position to win the championship this year. Let's Go CAVS!

Fiction Family

Excellent concert by Fiction Family this past Saturday. For those unfamiliar, Fiction Family is the side project of Switchfoot's Jon Foreman and Nickel Creeks, Sean Watkins. Their newly released album is really good and shows they are not afraid to experiment musically. Each song has its own uniqueness to it as it really differentiates itself through many different styles.

The show itself was thoroughly entertaining. They did a really good job of interacting with the crowd. And it was great to be in a smaller venue so you really felt you part of the concert. I could really tell that both Jon and Sean really enjoy just playing music, having fun on stage, and giving the crowd a good show. Sean is amazing on the guitar, picking away all over the place. And Jon really did a great job of really connecting with the audience through such an intimate setting with probably only 300+ people fitting in the ballroom. The bands drummer as well was amazing. I just loved how he was getting into the music and you could see his whole body just gyrate with the beats as he played. The show was simply well worth it and I really enjoyed the stories they told throughout the night, especially the one about how they were just passing the guitar around one night singing songs like from Radiohead, Dylan, and even Seal's Kissed by a rose. That sounds like it would be a great time just being able to sing together, enjoy each others company, and enjoy so much of the music one has grown up listening too.