Passport 2012: Life Together

Some people say they can feel the presence of God the most at the beach, in the mountains or in a church. One of the most important places for me and the transformation of my own faith is located in at a small university in Wingate, North Carolina.

I got to go back to the same kids mission site I worked in 2009,
where some of the children even remembered me.

Passport Inc. has a youth camp that meets each year at Wingate University during the summer. I have had the chance to attend as a camper, bible study leader and chaperone at Passport's Wingate location.

I told a version of this what this place means to me and its importance to my own walk with God to the FBC Gainesville Youth on Thursday night last week at camp.

In the summer of 2009 I had the opportunity to work for Passport as a bible study leader (BSL). For those of you who know me and know the role of a BSL at camp, know that taking on this adventure was taking a step outside of my comfort zone.

On our way to one of the nightly parties.

For those of you who have never been to Passport and seen a BSL in action, they are the ones on stage leading games, dances and all-around acting a fool to keep campers laughing and spirits high, along with leading bible studies and directing mission sites for campers, the latter of which is much more up my alley.

Looking back, I can assure you it was the best summer I had in college. Not only did I learn a tremendous amount about my own faith, but relationships were formed that would last and pay dividends down the road.

That summer I met Chris Burns, the youth minister from First Baptist Church Gainesville and a good friend of my own youth minister, John Uldrick in my hometown of Rome, Georgia.

It was a brief meeting, as was all of my free time that summer. We talked for a few minutes and I did not think about it again for another two years, when I moved to Gainesville to attend Brenau University for my Masters in Occupational Therapy.

Burns leading church group devotions

To make a two-year-long story short, Burns asked me to go with the FBC Gainesville group as a chaperone last year. It was an introduction to the youth group of sorts, a chance to meet some of the students before I would work as a youth intern over the next school year. 

I shared on the last night of camp last year how I felt I was well on my way to becoming a part of this family.

Fast forward 365 days and I found myself back in the same room, with much of the same group, on the last night. I told the group how they, over the past year, have exemplified this year's theme and followed Jesus' call to live 'Life Together.'

I have attended everything from ballet concerts to basketball games as many of these youth and their families have welcomed me into their homes, and ultimately their lives.

Eating oranges... with the peel.

Because of these experiences -- and the fact that I am a male in an all-women's cohort at Brenau -- I would much rather spend a weekend with these youth than most others in Gainesville.

I am beyond thankful for my church family at FBC Gainesville and for the good fortune brought about because of a camp at a small university 30 miles east of Charlotte.

Another bonus to my week is I as able to take a old college friend, Kris Roberts, to camp for the first time as a chaperone with me. For an account of his experience here is the link to his blog.

FBC Gainesville chaperones

Kris and I got to drive the "Dale" bus all week long.

Demonstrating my low aptitude for double dutch.

Stop Being a Prude Baseball. Let Them In.

As ugly as some of the past is for baseball, it is time to embrace it. Hall of Fame voters face the fact that some of your players used performance-enhancing drugs while they played your sacred game. Yes, they used steroids and baseball records fell, new ones were set -- along with TV ratings.

Clemens was brought to tears after being found innocent.

During the steroid era, baseball was watched throughout the nation more than ever before. Now "America's Pastime" is a clear third behind football and basketball, with no change on the horizon.

A few fixes could help quickly: using instant replay, quicken the pace of play and shorten your season.

Your plodding game worked in a slower world, and the nation was forced to watch baseball through box scores on the second page of the newspaper.

Embrace instant replay for close calls on the field but not for balls and strikes. We have the technology to make the right calls, so use it. Questionable calls can be reviewed quickly and efficiently. Ask the NFL or college football with any further questions regarding this matter.

As for the pace of play, enforce a pitch clock. Not only will pitchers be forced to make throws more quickly, batters would have to discontinue stepping out of the batter's box and performing stupid rituals every time before a new offer is made from the pitcher, thus quickening up the game.

Shorten your season. Your regular season is too long. There is too little emphasis placed on the postseason, when the game really matters. You have made improvements by adding another semi-series to the playoffs. However, instead of having your season end in October, finish in September. You would not have to fight against the NFL or college football for TV ratings. You have no chance of beating those behemoths in TV ratings with your current set-up. With football in the beginning of its season and meaningful match-ups not coming until later, more coverage would be placed on your World Series.

Now that I have successfully solved your most pertinent problems baseball and Commissioner Bud Selig, let's get to why I even started writing in the first place: your current stance on the steroid superstars, in particular Roger Clemens.

Clemens after striking out 20 batters in 1986

Do we know that Clemens took performance-enhancing drugs? A jury of his own peers said no, but America's suspicions have not been dampened much about the 1986 American League Most Valuable Player's steroid use.

What we do know is that the seven-time Cy Young winner had  four "down" seasons in Boston of a 4-plus ERA. Then moved to Toronto and went on to strike out a career-high 292 batters in his 13th season. He won four more Cy Young Awards and  posted a 1.87 ERA at the age of 42 for the Houston Astros after a five year stint for the Yankees.

Do it really matter? The numbers are not in Clemens' favor, but in his defense he was trying to fend off batters who hit the ball out of the park at the highest rate ever.


Superstars, such as Clemens, helped the bring the game back to prominence; since its end, the game has suffered. Should children look up to these players and their methods of cheating as a model to success? No, but in all honesty children should not look to many athletes as role models for life off of the field.

Bonds' enlargement of his muscles and head are not
natural, but his skills in the batter's box is undeniable. 

The players followed the rules that were set.

Baseball and Hall of Fame voters (former players and writers) benefited from the damage these players did to their bodies and now it is time to face your negligence.

Even former players, such as Reggie Jackson and Johnny Bench, are calling for Clemens and the -- as hard as it is for me to say this -- home run king Barry Bonds to be let into Cooperstown because they have been proven innocent in the court of law. Jackson told USA Today, "If you can beat Congress and federal judges buddy, you must have had a pretty strong case."

Players like Bonds hit as well as anyone in the game. Clemens was the best pitcher of my lifetime.

Get over yourself baseball. Let them in.

Inside Samford Baseball: The Birth of the Rightfield Rowdies

Some 300 hours ago, the nation's best Bulldog team was beginning their game with Florida State in Tallahassee with the daunting task of defeating the nation's third-ranked Seminoles. As Samford fans listened to the voice of the Bulldogs, Mark Grace, on WVSU and watched their computer screens closely as each pitch was tracked on CBS Gametracker, Cinderella's night came to an abrupt 5-2 end in the NCAA Regionals.

The Bulldogs put on a strong showing on the national stage

For a school and fan base that, until recently, has not experienced much athletic success on the national level, the 2012 Samford Bulldog baseball team was magical. Minus a couple bright spots with the Bowden family leading the football team and a two year stretch in Men's basketball (1999 & 2000), Samford has never been known to grab the front page of The Birmingham News Sports section, until the Academic Progress Rate comes out each year. Samford regularly competes against large, public institutions such as Alabama, Auburn and UAB to garner attention. They did take second place in 2012. The Dogs were the best college baseball team in the state, going 10-5 against in-state institutions and advancing further than any other in-state school in the NCAA tournament.

Remember when going to a Samford athletic event, let alone a boring baseball game, was not the most attractive option at Samford?

I went back through the archives of samfordsports.com and found the game where the success of Samford baseball began. April 3, 2009 at Joe Lee Griffin Field. A certain group of gentlemen decided to park their trucks and grill out behind the Pete Hanna Center near the rightfield wall. Samford came away with a 6-4 win over the Wildcats.

Some of the original Rowdies in their
traditional rightfield location

The following night the same group of trendsetters decided they would meet up for Saturday's game. Some had a previous engagement to an Alpha Delta Pi fundraiser. As soon as those boys had filled their commitment raising money for the Ronald McDonald House, they headed to join their friends at the same spot just to the left of the Bulldog bullpen. Although the Dogs afforded their newest fans a valiant and thrilling effort, scoring three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning before dropping the contest, Samford's newest athletic tradition was born, the Rightfield Rowdies.

The Rowdies became a presence at home baseball games, inviting all to come and root for the Bulldogs, all the while becoming especially close with the opposing team's rightfielder. There was research on the unfortunate guy that stood in the No. 9 fielding position, down to becoming Facebook friends -- with him and his significant other if available -- and almost memorizing his biography on the team website.

As the numbers of Rowdies grew, so did the amount of research, heckling, and food, but all the while the jeers remained curse-free and family friendly because it was Samford after all. Printed reports were brought to each game on the opposition. Certain members of the Rowdies became quite good friends with the members of the Samford baseball team, who would hand out free official gear to their most faithful followers.

The new deck in centerfield

Over the next year and a half the relationship between the baseball team and their student following  grew so that the baseball coaches came to the idea of building a porch for the Rowdies. Under the instruction of coach Casey Dunn and other officials, a porch was built behind centerfield, which ultimately meant the Rowdies could begin to "make friends" with the other outfield positions.

That April night in 2009 was the start of Samford baseball's run to the 2012 SoCon Championship and an impressive run in the Tallahassee Regional two weeks ago, where the Bulldogs beat the Southeastern Conference Champion twice.

Was it actually the Rightfield Rowdies' intensity that brought about the rise in play of the Samford baseball team? While myself and a few of my friends would like to take credit, it probably had more to do with coach Dunn and the players. Here is a big thank you to them for the excitement they provided the Samford family. You made us proud.

And to you current students roaming around a beautiful campus in Homewood, Alabama... if you find yourself lucky enough to call the deck in centerfield home for a game, you're welcome. For a real old school experience, back your pick-ups behind the Pete Hanna Center, fire up the grill and give the opposing rightfielder something to remember.

How an El Camino Proves the SEC is Wrong

There has been a chill in the air here in Gainesville this weekend and it feels like college football weather in Georgia. The worst part is we are still a month away from when teams can start practicing. However, we can always talk and write about it.

There are few times in which I will disagree with Mike Slive and what he does as the commissioner for the Southeastern Conference. He has done an outstanding job for the league and increased its popularity in the country to epic proportions. That being said, he along with the other SEC coaches, are being selfish in how college football should decide its version of the Final Four for the inevitable football playoff system starting in 2014.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive

The SEC wants to have the top four teams, regardless of conference, to be represented in the proposed Final Four instead of each conference having a place at the table. Slive said time and time again at the SEC meetings in Destin, Fla. this week, "One. Two. Three. Four." It comes down to a money thing--as most things in life usually do. The more teams each conference can get into the proposed Final Four, the more money said conference can make.

What will ensue if the SEC gets its way no more solves the problem than the current BCS and bowl system as it stands. Side note: Big 10 commissioner Jim Delaney and myself are the only two people on God's great earth that like the current system, albeit for differing reasons; that point of view is a whole new can of worms not to be opened at this time.

The arguments will move from which teams are in the Final Four instead of the current bickering of which two teams "deserve" to be in the BCS National Championship game. Fans under the SEC's plan are subjected to a mysterious poll full of secretive voters, who undoubtedly have their own agendas.

A replica of my two-toned beauty

Take a 1987 Chevrolet El Camino for example, the epitome of fine car--or truck, you decide. To me it is a true testament to American engineering. To others, it is one of the most heinous and forgettable heaps of car ever created. I have a special connection to these creations. It was my first four-wheeled, motorized freedom maker.

I would rank an El Camino much higher on a Top 10 of cars than a Ferrari fanatic or Lamborghini lover, every year no matter the capabilities of the other machines because of my emotional investment. Much like a coaches or writers do every week in the polls when they vote for college football's top 25.

Imagine the uproar when a one-loss Alabama or Georgia does not make the Final Four and an undefeated Boise State and Ohio State does because coaches team up against the SEC. God save us all...

It is pretty simple, prove you are the best team in your conference and you are in. With defined prerequisites, the "Who deserves to be where" argument is dead.

Take the playoff as a step in the right direction. Sure we would all love an eight-game playoff, but this is progress, which is all subject to change when the four Super Conferences emerge in five years, rendering this argument null and void.

2011-2012 Hawks: Where to now?

If you are a fan of mediocrity, then I have the perfect franchise for you. Do you want a consistently top-10 team that never has a realistic shot at winning the championship? Heck, this franchise fired a coach that had improved the team's record for three consecutive seasons. Would you like to root for a team with no real identity and the quietest "Superstar"--by salary numbers alone--player in the NBA? What about a team that drafts the same type of player three years in a row? The Atlanta Hawks are for you.

For what it is worth, the future of the Hawks,
Joe Johnson (left) and Josh Smith

After a rough stretch during the beginning of this millennium, the Hawks have earned a playoff berth each of the past five years and finished fifth or better in the Eastern Conference in those seasons. That being said, or written, when was the last time the Hawks were thought of as legitimate title contenders? Since moving to Atlatnta in 1968, they have yet to make the Conference Finals and are 19-28 in their past five playoff runs, including being on the wrong end of multiple blowouts.

Don't take this as me bashing the Hawks. I will pull for them when next season tips off next season as I have since I moved to Georgia 13 years ago--minus a few years where I cheated on them with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. The "get-in-the-playoffs-as-a-five-seed-and-lose-any-big-game" cycle needs to be stopped, but how?

Many fans alike are in favor of blowing up the current roster, which causes me to raise the questions, "Why and how?" Sure the new ownership group could get rid of all the big contract guys for nothing, but that would only leave the Hawks not making the playoffs and maintaining irrelevancy in the contention for the Larry O'Brien trophy.

Unfortunately there are no quick fixes. The only tradeable assets available to the Hawks are players that could keep them in contention and of those players, few of them would be highly sought after by other teams.

Joe Johnson is a $20 million dollar a year player that, especially in the postseason, has come up small. This year he shot a career low 37 percent on the season and had games of 11, 9, and 15 points in the Boston series. Not superstar contract worthy.

The Hawks best player this year, Josh Smith, has failed to make an All-Star game because as good as he is, Smith is known more for his long jump shot misses instead of his electric athletic abilities. He proved this stereotype true again in Game 6 versus Boston when, with 10 seconds left to play, Smith launched an ill-advised two pointer instead of differing for a better shot.

Which brings me to the question raised in my title, where to now? Back to a four or five seed and an early exit from the playoffs. Unless--the hopeful Hawks fan says-- Al Horford can return from injury to All-Star form, Jeff Teague continues to improve as the floor general, and Zaza Pachulia is back for the playoffs to hustle more than anyone else in the league.