There's No Crying in Baseball

Have you ever seen a pitcher in the big leagues collapse and break down into sobs on the mound after a homerun sails over his head? How about a right fielder who has a heads up play for the force out at 3rd base giggle around the outfield with his hands on his head not being able to control his excitement?

This is why I have just LOVED watching the Little League World Series - the pure, unbridled, unmasked emotional ride you get to experience with every change in the game - because it's written all over the player's faces.

These kids are just that - KIDS! I love the statistics - Height: 5'2" Weight: 96 pounds Favorite book: Mickey and Me. How precious are these little boys? They wear their emotions on their sleeve - they feel every emotional high and low all within five minutes of one another. They go from a pouty, fat bottom lip to doing the wackiest dance moves in the dugout when they have a great inning - it's wonderful! It embodies the true roller coaster, yet joyous ride of sports. They are learning the life lessons of handling success and defeat - all in front of our eyes, on national television no less.

Make sure you tune in TODAY at 3:00 pm as the boys from Pearland (suburb of Houston), Texas take on the boys from Hawaii! You bet I'll be watching and cheering on these new darlings of Houston, as will the whole city and state of Texas - MOVE OVER Yao Ming, Matt Schaub & company - there are new stars in town!

GO PEARLAND!

The BIG Picture

We're all guilty of it - getting ticked off, crying, or being down in the dumps when our favorite team loses in the last second of the game, when we don't swim close to our best time or when we lose to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game (okay... maybe that's just the picture above). We wear lucky t-shirts, lucky earrings, won't wash our socks and do other unthinkable superstitous acts so we ensure our team will win... but is it all worth it?

Now I'm going to momentarily get up on my soap box for a while in this entry... I've felt inspired to write this after a long talk with a really great long lost friend who recently lost his father. We both discussed how it's the BIG things in life that you should focus on, and all the little, insignificant matters that just seem to disappear...

This year has been so deeply eye-opening for me when it comes to perspective. Life is all about changes, peaks and valleys - and it's all been revealed (sometimes in harsh fashion) the past year or so. I've had some of my best friends lose parents and siblings - and known people whose lives were changed in one single moment. With the ever-changing power that is life - it's so important to focus on how you treat people EVERY SINGLE TIME you interact with them. You must put all your efforts towards being compassionate, loving and steadfast at every single moment. Is it worth yelling at someone when they don't text message you back in .2 seconds? No. Is that dirty towel on the floor really hurting anybody? No. Just BREATHE...

That being said - does it really matter when your beloved Houston Texans don't get that 1st down? Does the Fiesta Bowl defeat really seem as important? Does your time in the 500 freestyle from when you were 18 years old really mean ANYTHING in the scheme of things? The answer is simple - NOT IN THE LEAST.

Sports are a fantastic outlet, an incredible provider of lifelong lessons, and a wonderful support team but they do not define you. When your life is over does the person presiding at your funeral read your stat sheet from your athletic career? Not in a million years. What defines you is the way in which you live your life. The people you touch with your compassion and those whom you reach by your giving spirit. You're remembered by the way you loved and cared - not the way you threw touchdowns or hit homeruns.

Remember this... and it may make the last second losses, the interceptions, the upsets, the blown calls, and all of the other insignificant details a little easier to stomach.

Rapid Fire Rewind

Sound the alarm! I'm BAAAACK! With the clock ticking down to football season, I feel like I now have some passion behind my posts again! It's time to be back in business, folks.

To get started I'm going to quickly review the year in sports from the last time I posted (Ehhhh mind you it was Fall of 2009...) some of it you may not agree with what I have to say, but hey - you can't please 'em all.

1. NCAA Football -Alabama stomped Texas for the National Championship. PS - Texas did not lose because Colt McCoy got hurt (cough WIMP cough). Texas lost because Alabama was and is a better, more aggressive more physical team. They just flat got out-played. As always, I would just LOVE to see Texas play a mediocre SEC schedule (at best) - what a wake up call that would be.

2. NFL - The Saints won the Super Bowl in the MOST exciting, inspiring, energizing, FANTASTIC professional football game that I've seen in a long time. Between the images of Drew Brees with his ear-muff clad son, or the owner waving around his LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL umbrella - it was unbelivable. Talk about a feel good sports story (for once!) coming out of the NFL. Thank you, New Orleans.

Oh yeah - The NFL also lost a legend, class act, first rate QB in Kurt Warner. What a fantastic role model for children growing up in the sport. Hey, maybe he could even be a role model for Brett Favre (NOTE TO BRETT - Give it up already before you break your hip out there.... Oh, and make a decision - then actually MAKE it)

3. NBA - The Lakers won the NBA Championship. Yuck. Bryant? Over it. Gasol? SHAVE for crying outloud. Odom? You're more fun on Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Jackson? Aren't you like 100 years old? Haven't you won like 38 championships? Retire already, dude.

LeBron James has a HUGE, RIDICULOUS, OUT OF CONTROL ego. I hope it fits in the franchise at Miami - yikes! He said he wanted to win championships with Wade and Bosh. Well, I have news for him - it's not going to happen. You have a successful team with a leader, support players, and those who fill VITAL non-on the court attributes. You don't have a successful team with three egos... and some other guys...

4. NCAA Baseball - On a more personal note, my Horned Frogs reached the College World Series for the first time and became the darlings of Omaha! Needless to say, after Matt Curry's grand slam - I was hoarse the next day. Wow, what an unbelievable moment in TCU history. I'm SO proud to be a Horned Frog - then, now and ALWAYS!

Oh and South Carolina won - good job Cocks... (heehee)

5. World Cup - Uhhhhhh.... they went to South Africa? There were loud annoying noises? There was an octopus that was really successful in picking the winners. Spain won. That's all I've got :) Needless to say, soccer ain't my thing!

6. MLB - The Astros are HORRIBLE TERRIBLE NO GOOD VERY BAD baseball team. End of story. That's where my baseball care stops - and it CRASHED AND BURNED this year with the Dis-Astros.

Well, folks - that's all I've got for now! I'm excited to be writing again, it feels good.

Let me know if I missed anything - I'll gladly give my 2 cents! :)

Until we meet again.... (and I promise it won't be August 2011!)

My Letter to the Houston Chronicle

I wanted to share with you the choice words I had this morning for Houston Chronicle journalist who had the most ridiculously awful article, totally disrespecting the Horned Frog's perfect season... Enjoy!

Mr. Justice,

As I sat down to eat my breakfast and read the Houston Chronicle this morning, I was sure I would stumble upon an article about the impressive weekend the football team from my alma mater, TCU, experienced this past weekend. Instead, what I stumbled upon was this: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/justice/6722430.html.

I'm sure this article was written to stroke the egos of the less than impressive Longhorns, and once again leave the Horned Frogs as the most overlooked and disrespected team in Texas. I sat in the stands Saturday night and soaked in the 50,000+ fans at Amon G. Carter stadium, and watched my team DISMANTLE the Utes of Utah. I must say, and I mean no disrespect, Mr. Justice- you have got this one terribly, terribly wrong.

TCU has beaten Clemson, BYU, Air Force and Utah- three of those four are ranked in the top 25 and three of those victories came on the road in very hostile environments. Texas has beaten Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Missouri. Last I checked- only ONE of these teams makes an appearance in the current AP Top 25. Texas plays a powder puff schedule- period, the end... Louisiana Monroe? UTEP? UCF? Hey Texas, why don't you play with the big boys, then you can say you deserve the chance. Don't skirt around facing tough opponents for games that merely enhance and inflate your statistics.

Just because we're a smaller private school, who only graduates 2,000/3,000 a year- rather than 30,000 does NOT translate into not deserving a chance. Neither money generated nor number of alumni equal athletic prowess. If that's what the system is based upon, then something has got to give. Keep touting Texas as this infallible power house, but I can't wait until they actually play a real team. Put them up against the likes of a Florida or Alabama, and I can't wait to see the beating they'll receive. Hey- put them up against a defense like ours, introduce them to Jerry Hughes, and I guarantee they wouldn't know what hit them.

Coach Patterson, keep up the impressive wins. The Horned Frog nation is charged and excited-the entire community that is TCU can continue to beam with pride... and our team can continue their talking... on the field.

THIS IS OUR TIME. GO FROGS!

Sarah Bardwell
TCU Class of 2009

To Play or Not to Play...

All of Gator nation held their breath as quarterback, Tim Tebow, lay motionless on the field after knocking into his own man's knee. As teammates tried to pull on his jersey, Tebow didn't flinch- prompting medical staff, and sending Urban Meyer, other coaches, players, and fans into an absolute panic. After presumably waking, Tim looked like a character straight out of Looney Tunes with the dust and question marks swirling around his head. Then... came the violent vomiting and disturbing exit in an ambulance.

The media has been sent into an absolute frenzy over this topic- conjuring controversy regarding the danger of the game, and the mental health risks it creates for the future. Lately, the main source of angst for the Gators has been the volatile "will he or won't he" regarding his play for Saturday's match-up with #4 SEC rival, LSU.

I believe I speak for most sane individuals by saying I believe there is absolute no need or reason for Tebow to risk his current or future mental capability or potential for one Saturday in college. In fact-- (Yes, I am an avid LSU Tiger, buuuuuut.....)-- I truly think the Gators should have the confidence that they could win this ESPN Game Day match-up without their starting quarterback.

Sure, they call him Superman, but we all know he's not invincible. Tebow has unmatched ability, strength, faith, leadership, and confidence, but there's no need to put his entire future in jeopardy for one W.

Hiring & Firing

The world wide of sports... it's exciting, passionate, diverse, dynamic, competitive, cutthroat, pressure packed, and much more. This goes for the fans, players, general managers, owners, athletic administration, and especially the coaches.

It seems that the legendary coaches and players are untouchable and can continue in their respective sport forever, but for some, the spotlight is short lived. One slip up, and there are question marks around your name. A few lost games, and your job is clearly in jeopardy. A losing season...you're gone! This may sound a little exaggerated and harsh, but I'm afraid it truly is the way things go.

In fact, teams are even releasing coaches after preseason games and in the middle of the season, not wasting any time allowing an unacceptable leader's position to linger deeper into despair. This year in the NFL three offensive coordinators (Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Buffalo Bills) were fired following a less than impressive preseason. Preseason? Aren't those games used for the purpose of tuning up, practicing, and perfecting before the real deal commences? Now they are more like an audition previewing the successes or failures of the coaches- YIKES!

Then there is the scenario of firing coaches mid season- the Phoenix Suns fired coach, Terry Porter, after four months at the head post. My hometown Houston Astros fired manager, Cecil Cooper, after a dismal few seasons- with another month or so left in the season. In my opinion, if there are individuals familiar with the personnel and the program, maybe holding lower positions, that can step right in without a hiccup- these releases are acceptable. If a coach is going to create more dissention and tension within a program than he or she is going to inspire and cultivate success- it's time for them to go...

The world of sports is a cruel one... judgements are passed quickly, and only the strong survive. It's a very simple, tough truth and thought that coaches with high profiles must live by- sink or swim.

Upset City… What does it mean?

Week 1- First week out of the gate, BYU upends #3 Oklahoma in Dallas

Week 2- Houston upsets #5 Oklahoma State on their own turf in Stillwater

Week 3- Sarkisian continues to work his magic as the Washington Huskies trump the #3 powerhouse USC Trojans

Week 4- #4 Ole Miss is upset by football legend, Steve Spurrier, and the Gamecocks, #5 Penn State loses for a second straight year to the Iowa Hawkeyes, #6 California is pummeled by the rebounding Oregon Ducks, #9 Miami is tripped up by ACC rival Virginia Tech

So… why in the world does it seem that the 2009 football season has produced so many notable upsets, and it’s only been four weeks? There must be something wacky going on! In fact… I believe there is… If you’ve been examining the top AP ranked teams in their games against legitimate opponents, their wins haven’t been huge landslides. Their have been monumental upsets, close games between teams you wouldn’t expect, and last minute miracle plays that have saved the necks and records of many.

What I think this means is that NCAA football this year is on more of a level playing field than maybe any other time in history. Of course, there are the top tier teams who will continue to recruit and build successful teams, but are they now light-years ahead of the pack as in previous years… now that’s up for debate. All around the country talented football players and coaches are developing and building successful, winning teams—despite the size, publicity, or history of their football program or conference. It seems that on any given weekend, almost any team can beat another, no questions asked.

Is a team ranked in the AP top ten a better or more worthy opponent than an unranked team? If you asked the Trojans, Cowboys, or Rebels- I’m sure they would warn others to never take an opponent for granted, regardless of past record, rank, or reputation.