Friday, July 25, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Two Words for you Satan: Suck It
Josh Hamilton's story has been told many times over within the circles of Major League Baseball. A native North Carolinian, he was the #1 pick of the 1999 draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, fell into major drug and alcohol addiction, and was out of baseball for three seasons. He made it back last season with the Cincinnati Reds, had a good year, and was traded to Texas in the off-season. He is now an All-Star and bashed 28 home runs in the first round of the Home Run Derby tonight.
But this is not about baseball or his incredible accomplishments on the diamond. This is about Jesus Christ. Hamilton is outspoken about his belief in God and how he has been carried up from the depths of despair a few years ago. While being interviewed following the derby tonight, he said something to the effect of "I just want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and glorify and honor Him in everything I do." Of course he talks about baseball and his talent when asked, but the conversation always goes back to Jesus. In the ESPN article I linked above, Hamilton mentions feeling "almost guilty" about his life now. But I think he is just that humbled by God's plan to use him for such a bigger purpose. His life is a very real example of God's forgiveness, of His purpose, and His power over all things, Satan and addiction included. Sure, Hamilton is a great role model as a player; heck, he's an All-Star in this life. But the reality is that he lets his light shine for Jesus, and that matters in eternity.
I sincerely hope and pray that the Hamilton story continues to get better. I'm not sure how that's entirely possible, but I'm sure God can come up with something. I am a huge fan of his (how can you not be) and watched the Home Run Derby hoping to see him succeed on the big stage. It was a magical night, one that led Peter Gammons to say, "it's a bad night to be an atheist." Of course I am much less witty and eloquent than my fellow Tar Heel, so after 28 home runs, all I could do was wipe my misty eyes and click "Add to My Cart" for a new Josh Hamilton jersy. It's stories like this that show you how much bigger than us God is. There is no hope for addiction and pain, sin and the Devil in the battle against God. So that's why you, Satan, can suck it.
But this is not about baseball or his incredible accomplishments on the diamond. This is about Jesus Christ. Hamilton is outspoken about his belief in God and how he has been carried up from the depths of despair a few years ago. While being interviewed following the derby tonight, he said something to the effect of "I just want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and glorify and honor Him in everything I do." Of course he talks about baseball and his talent when asked, but the conversation always goes back to Jesus. In the ESPN article I linked above, Hamilton mentions feeling "almost guilty" about his life now. But I think he is just that humbled by God's plan to use him for such a bigger purpose. His life is a very real example of God's forgiveness, of His purpose, and His power over all things, Satan and addiction included. Sure, Hamilton is a great role model as a player; heck, he's an All-Star in this life. But the reality is that he lets his light shine for Jesus, and that matters in eternity.
I sincerely hope and pray that the Hamilton story continues to get better. I'm not sure how that's entirely possible, but I'm sure God can come up with something. I am a huge fan of his (how can you not be) and watched the Home Run Derby hoping to see him succeed on the big stage. It was a magical night, one that led Peter Gammons to say, "it's a bad night to be an atheist." Of course I am much less witty and eloquent than my fellow Tar Heel, so after 28 home runs, all I could do was wipe my misty eyes and click "Add to My Cart" for a new Josh Hamilton jersy. It's stories like this that show you how much bigger than us God is. There is no hope for addiction and pain, sin and the Devil in the battle against God. So that's why you, Satan, can suck it.
Bye Bye Billy
Billy Packer has been let go by CBS. And I am...sad. I like the guy. I've said it for years, taken a bunch of crap for it, and stood by him. And I'm not going anywhere now. I would expound on my reasons for liking him, but why repeat what someone else has already said. I'll just say that for people who really like college basketball, and really understand the game, he does as fine a job as any other color commentator in the country. Do I always agree with his stance? No. Does he always present his argument with eloquence and tact? No. But has the man forgotten more about basketball than I'll ever know? Without a doubt.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
The Greatest Song of All-Time Part II
http://theblueteam9.blogspot.com/2007_12_01_archive.html
No blog posting I have written has generated as much controvery/feedback as the above link to what I deemed "The Greatest Song of All-Time". As you can see from the original posting, as well as the comments, the range of responses has been quite diverse. I have been praised and criticized and all are certainly entitled to their opinion. I do want to clear up two issues as brought up in both blog comments and conversations with friends.
First, my diverse musical taste is not at all limited to "pop". While I agree that many of the artists I mentioned are "mainstream", they would not fall into "pop" music. Of those I mentioned, Three 6 Mafia, Subdudes, The Roots, and Coheed and Cambria most certainly are not pop. You can definitely find them on XM Radio, maybe even on a standard station from time to time. All are on well-known labels as well. But they are not "pop" artists. I mentioned these particular artists to illustrate the diversity of my listening preferences, not the quality. However, they are definitely MY preferences, no one else's. I was not then, and am not presently, trying to push my choices of music onto anyone. I am only critical when someone claims to have a wide-range of musical taste (i.e. "I listen to everything") when they really mean they listen to one single station that claims to play everything (i.e. Top 40). If you listen to alternative independent rock artists only, great. Rap and that's it? Cool. Country and classical, maybe occasional jazz? Interesting combo for sure, but that's fine. Just don't claim to be open to diverse genres of music when you (speaking generally) are not. I personally happen to LIKE all of the artists I mentioned, and many more to boot. Paula Abdul anyone?
Second, my point in selecting "We Are the Champions" as the greatest song of all-time had very little to do with the musical quality of the song itself, the band, or anything besides the impact of the song through sports. That was pretty much my point, a bit tongue-in-cheek if you will. Queen has numerous songs that have been hits, and some of their better tracks were not released as singles for everyone to learn. From a musical standpoint, "We Are the Champions" is not a complex song, nor does it possess complex lyrics. It is very simple, which is part of what makes it impactful from a social/sports standpoint. Queen is also not the most musically talented band of all-time, but they were super successful and well-known. All of that being said, this song's major appeal to me is found in the context for which it is played - everytime a team wins a championship. That's it. I think when someone chooses their personal "Greatest Song of All--Time", it has to have an added meaning to them personally. Sure, songs like "Hey Jude", "Hotel California", and "Thriller" are mentioned by a lot of people (just repeating what I've heard others say), but none of those songs have personal meaning for me. Sports does. And every time any team wins a championship, get ready to hear "We Are the Champions". For someone like myself who loves the celebrations after a title is won, this song has added personal significance.
So, write in. Let's hear some more feedback. I want to know what is your "greatest song of all time" and why. I'll gather the responses and put together some sort of mailbag/reader writers column (or two). You can add your name and location if you're comfortable with that as well. Please identify the song, artist, and put together a brief description of why the song means a lot to you. You can take it as greatest song from a musical standpoint, from a social impact standpoint, or just a personal (as I did) standpoint.
And by the way, I still think Nickelback sucks.
No blog posting I have written has generated as much controvery/feedback as the above link to what I deemed "The Greatest Song of All-Time". As you can see from the original posting, as well as the comments, the range of responses has been quite diverse. I have been praised and criticized and all are certainly entitled to their opinion. I do want to clear up two issues as brought up in both blog comments and conversations with friends.
First, my diverse musical taste is not at all limited to "pop". While I agree that many of the artists I mentioned are "mainstream", they would not fall into "pop" music. Of those I mentioned, Three 6 Mafia, Subdudes, The Roots, and Coheed and Cambria most certainly are not pop. You can definitely find them on XM Radio, maybe even on a standard station from time to time. All are on well-known labels as well. But they are not "pop" artists. I mentioned these particular artists to illustrate the diversity of my listening preferences, not the quality. However, they are definitely MY preferences, no one else's. I was not then, and am not presently, trying to push my choices of music onto anyone. I am only critical when someone claims to have a wide-range of musical taste (i.e. "I listen to everything") when they really mean they listen to one single station that claims to play everything (i.e. Top 40). If you listen to alternative independent rock artists only, great. Rap and that's it? Cool. Country and classical, maybe occasional jazz? Interesting combo for sure, but that's fine. Just don't claim to be open to diverse genres of music when you (speaking generally) are not. I personally happen to LIKE all of the artists I mentioned, and many more to boot. Paula Abdul anyone?
Second, my point in selecting "We Are the Champions" as the greatest song of all-time had very little to do with the musical quality of the song itself, the band, or anything besides the impact of the song through sports. That was pretty much my point, a bit tongue-in-cheek if you will. Queen has numerous songs that have been hits, and some of their better tracks were not released as singles for everyone to learn. From a musical standpoint, "We Are the Champions" is not a complex song, nor does it possess complex lyrics. It is very simple, which is part of what makes it impactful from a social/sports standpoint. Queen is also not the most musically talented band of all-time, but they were super successful and well-known. All of that being said, this song's major appeal to me is found in the context for which it is played - everytime a team wins a championship. That's it. I think when someone chooses their personal "Greatest Song of All--Time", it has to have an added meaning to them personally. Sure, songs like "Hey Jude", "Hotel California", and "Thriller" are mentioned by a lot of people (just repeating what I've heard others say), but none of those songs have personal meaning for me. Sports does. And every time any team wins a championship, get ready to hear "We Are the Champions". For someone like myself who loves the celebrations after a title is won, this song has added personal significance.
So, write in. Let's hear some more feedback. I want to know what is your "greatest song of all time" and why. I'll gather the responses and put together some sort of mailbag/reader writers column (or two). You can add your name and location if you're comfortable with that as well. Please identify the song, artist, and put together a brief description of why the song means a lot to you. You can take it as greatest song from a musical standpoint, from a social impact standpoint, or just a personal (as I did) standpoint.
And by the way, I still think Nickelback sucks.
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