The Difference

My middle school girls' basketball team has not won a game yet in four tries but we are improving. This morning, we played in a tournament at a nearby private school. The game was not close and afterwards, I told the other team, who was huddling up, how much I appreciate their graciousness toward my girls; six of the seven who played for us today are sixth graders and we were playing an eighth grade squad. Kids this age shake it off quickly and we will be ready when we lace the Nikes up again on Monday. There is a purity about sports at this age that fades with time. The following is about my squad from five years ago. This ran on 11-7-06.

I looked but it wasn't there. We had our first game this afternoon but the result wasn't posted on ESPN's website. I tell you what was there. An Oakland Raider blatantly kneed a Seattle Seahawk in the groin on Monday Night Football. The Kansas University men's basketball team kicked a player off the team for allegedly striking his girlfriend after dragging her by the hair. Golfer John Daly, an alcoholic and gambling addict, has filed for divorce from soon to be ex-wife number four. A NASCAR pit crew member was suspended for shoving a driver involved in an incident with the pit crew's driver. Former baseball phenom Dwight Gooden, one of the most gifted pitchers of the modern era, is about to be released from prison for violation of parole due to cocaine use. Half of the sports' stories are centered around aberrant behavior from those who used to be held up as models for the young. Meanwhile, two middle school girls' basketball teams played their hearts out in Houston, with only a smattering of parents and students on hand as witnesses. Nobody threw a tantrum, nobody tried to sneak in a cheap shot, and nobody made any obscene gestures. Instead, kids with varying skill levels and athletic abilities competed and shook hands when it was over. That's the way it should be. Isaiah 11:6 prophesies, "and a little child will lead them." We just have to find some very big boys willing to follow.

Applicable quote of the day:
"The mere athlete becomes too much of a savage."
Plato

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
http://www.hawleybooks.com/
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com