In a recent Barclays Premier League soccer match from England, I saw a banner declaring, “Chelsea is our religion. Stamford Bridge is our church.” That catchy motto, however, is not limited to that south London club or its stadium. Most of the teams in the world’s best soccer league have similar sayings. And, while I…
Last week was not exactly the finest hour for several umpires in Major League Baseball. One game’s outcome was wrongly determined because a home run was ruled to not be a home run—even after it was checked on video replay. Even worse, later in the week, one manager was able to effectively convince the umpires…
The world of international football was shocked last week when Sir Alex Ferguson, longtime manager of Manchester United (the world’s most popular club team), retired at the age of 71. His storied career came to a close just days after his Red Devils captured Man U’s 20th league title—just one more feather in the cap…
In golf, the old saying is that you drive for show but you putt for dough. At the WGC Cadillac Championship in March, this was proven afresh in bold terms. During practice prior to the opening round of the tournament, Tiger Woods recognized that his putting was in trouble and was holding back his opportunities…
It has long been the mantra of the NFL that any team can beat any other team on any given Sunday. Last weekend, that motto applied itself to the PGA Tour. In the Wells Fargo tour event at Quail Hollow outside Charlotte, North Carolina, a star-studded field—including Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, and Lee…
This past weekend was notable for its sheer breadth of sporting events—NBA and NHL playoffs, great golf from North Carolina, intense NASCAR racing from Talladega, baseball, soccer, and the Kentucky Derby all combined to make for a smorgasbord of sporting delights. What caught my attention, however, was the reminder that sometimes sports is not about…
Regardless of the sport, player movement has radically affected the way we watch, follow, and enjoy the games that entertain us. Whereas we once could follow our heroes throughout their entire career with one team, things have changed. It really doesn’t matter whether it’s a result of the teams making salary cuts or players seeking…
As the first round of the NBA Playoffs continues, the Miami Heat have already shown why they are the defending champs—and the top seed in the postseason. With Sunday’s 88-77 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, the Heat completed a four-game sweep over their first-round opponent. Not only was it a sweep, it really wasn’t even…
No one disputes that today’s NFL is a quarterback-driven league. We hear it all season long and, in the past months, we have heard it in the ramp-up to this year’s NFL draft. The reality of the quarterback-driven league was seen in last year’s draft when the first two picks were expended on the two…
Few positions in sports carry with them as much inherent pressure as being the closer on a Major League baseball team. Whenever the closer takes the mound, they know that the game is in their hands. They are protecting a small lead, and the final outcome is far from settled. That is why the ability…
In 1987, our family moved to California to take up the pastorate of a church in the Long Beach area. The day we flew into town, my secretary picked us…
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