One Person at a Time...

Steelers on Cover of SI for Second Straight Week!

The Steelers shrugged off the SI jinx last week as they gave the Ravens an old-fashioned thrashing on the football field.  Now, they're on the cover again!  That probably means it'll be the Cardinals on the cover next week, so they'll be going into the game with the jinx on them.  I don't actually believe in "jinxes," and I'm not superstitious since Jesus is greater than any superstition. That being said, I do have my idiosyncrasies when it comes to sports.  I never let one bat handle cross another when they're lined up along the dugout wall or backstop, for example.  When it comes to the Steelers, I know many of them have their superstitions, along with tens of thousands of fans, and while in the grand scheme of things who wins the Super Bowl doesn't really matter-----I don't have any particular pre-game rituals, and I don't even own a Terrible Towel, or a Steelers' jersey, but I can't wait for February 1st and the Steelers' sixth Super Bowl victory, which will once again put them in a class by themselves!   

Steeler Nation...

A little humor for the day before the BIG game!

Our Father

Who ART in Pittsburgh,

Football Be Thy Game

Thy Kingdom Come,

Five Super Bowls Won,

On Earth as it is in Heinz Field.

Give us this Day, a Playoff Victory,

And Forgive Us our Penalties,

As We defeat those who Play Against Us,

But Lead Us into a  Victory

And Deliver Us to Tampa,

 

A-Ben

Go Steelers!

A decent first half for the defense after S.D.'s first drive.  A great end to the first half by the Steeler's offense--14-10, not a bad start.  Now, let's finish the job, and get a third shot at the Ravens!!!

Penguins Win!

It's been a long evening!  I don't even like hockey, but the PENGUINS were playing, so I watched.  I'm actually starting to understand what offsides and icing are, and I definitely understand that Mark-Andrey Fleury is one amazing dude in goal!  He stopped more than 50 shots and played more than 100 minutes tonight.  I heard that goalies reflexes are faster than those of a cat--I believe it after tonight.  The last time I seriously watched a hockey game was when the USA beat Russia--no joke.  I've caught a few minutes here and there of these playoffs, but I watched from period 3 on tonight.  I'm not a hockey fan yet, but LET'S GO PENS!!!

Fundamentals, Fundamentals, Fundamentals...

How many of you lost a couple hours of sleep last night, as I did, watching the Pitt Panthers lose another big game because they couldn't get it done from the line or in the lane?  The Achilles heel of the Panthers forever it seems has been that they just can't make big foul shots, and last night they couldn't finish lay-ups either.  Granted UCLA, one of the worst foul-shooting teams in the NCAA, canned 23 of 26 charity tosses last night in a game they won by only 9, but if Pitt could have played basic, fundamental basketball anything close to well, they'd be in the Elite Eight for the first time in more than three decades.  Instead, they'll be watching the game from the all-too-familiar confines of their dorm rooms or a local sports bar.

The lesson learned (or at least the potential lesson to be learned!) here is that in life as in basketball it's the fundamentals that typically produce "victory."  Sure, there's the occasional exception that proves the rule, but if you and I learn the "basics" and "practice" them daily then "victory" is much more likely than if we miss our "lay-ups" and "free-throws" and hope to pull it out with several "three-pointers" as "time runs out."  I love sports. I learned discipline (to the degree I've learned it) from the football practice field, the basketball court, and the baseball diamond.  In sports, if you don't learn the basics it will evetually catch up with you.  As I always tell the 7th grade girls basketball team I coach, "Practice doesn't make perfect.  Practice makes permanent."  What are you "practicing" in life that's becoming permanent?  Do you practice love for others?  Do you practice having the same attitude that was in Jesus?  Do you practice faithfulness in the small things, so when the big opportunity comes along you'll be ready?  Those are the fundamentals, and unless we practice them daily, when the "big game" comes, we'll find ourselves unprepared.  So, let's get out there and work on the fundamentals.  Then we WILL be ready for the "big game"!

How About VCU!

Ever since the ruddy shepherd boy took on the Philistine giant, we've been rooting for the underdog, so unless you are a diehard Duke fan, you had to be cheering for VCU last night.  What a game!  Granted, Duke has been less than Duke all season.  Granted, Duke hadn't put such a young fivesome onthe floor in decades.  Nevertheless, the adrenaline rush as the game wound down was undeniable. Have you ever seen "strategy" like VCU's allowing a coast-to-coast basket with 10 seconds left by Duke to tie the game, just so they could score with 1.8 seconds left and make the victory all the more dramatic?!?!

What Goliaths are you facing today?  VCU gets to rest up today and then it's Big East "giant" Pitt tomorrow.  While I live in the greater Pittsburgh area and will be rooting for the Panthers, (and it would REALLY mess up my bracket!) a VCU victory wouldn't be that upsetting.  Every March a team like VCU comes along and reminds us that "miracles" still happen.  As followers of Jesus, we ought to know that--and we have the Holy Spirit, too!  Thanks, VCU, for reminding us all that the giants are such big targets they're hard to miss! As you face your giants today, remember that miracles DO still happen.