Warming Up

 

Spring is in the air.

When it gets cold, like it did this morning, the only other thing that truly warms me up are thoughts of spring.  For me, thoughts of spring begin when pitchers and catchers report to spring training to warm up for the upcoming season.  Spring training means that winter is just about over and grown men have a valid excuse to play catch again.

Several springs ago it dawned on me the value of warm-ups in my own life.  It was during that fateful spring that I was coach of my church softball team.  On one very dubious evening I inadvertently made a scheduling error that caused my team to show up late and subsequently forfeit the game.  Worst yet the whole team showed up and then got back into their cars disgustedly to drive the  forty minutes home.

Feeling humiliated and full of adrenaline I asked my catcher if he would stay to throw a few warm-up pitches with me.  About 30 pitches later I was feeling much better and then something strange happened.   A neighborhood boy about ten, along with his mom, approached me to ask me something.  Inquisitively I said yes.  He then asked what was my favorite thing about the game?  “Warm-ups”, I said after a brief moment of thought. 

In essence, warm-ups are that brief moment of the day no one can get to you.  As a pitcher you can’t walk anyone, the pop in the glove sounds louder and you feel like you could throw the ball through a brick wall.  Then when done we exchange manly handshakes and go about life. 

I have always known this act to have a special quality about it.  Probably, since I was a young boy in the back yard playing catch with my dad or as dad myself playing catch with my son as he grew up, but until that night I never verbalized it.  Warming up or playing catch almost always leaves me feeling better. 

 

Just something about pitchers and catchers reporting early to warm-up that  lets me know that all is well with my world.

 

Swavel

 

Truly Devoted

Unlike saccharin for sugar, there is no substitute in a child’s life for a father’s love and acceptance.

Hours before the Seattle Seahawks won their first Super Bowl on Feb. 2^nd, 2014 I told my friend, Steve that for his sake I wished his team would win.  Hands down, Steve is the most truly devoted Seahawks fan I know, yet underneath it all he is actually more truly devoted to his dad. Let me explain.

Steve’s dad was Greek and knew nothing about American football.  However, Steve who had been in this country since age two was a big fan of the then four time Super bowl champions, Pittsburgh Steelers.  His hope for Christmas the in 1980 was a Steelers’ replica football helmet, similar to the game worn type.  So, he dropped the necessary hints and waited in anticipation that his dad would deliver the goods.

When Christmas day came Steve was psyched to find a helmet shaped box with his name on it under the tree. Nevertheless, when he opened the box he did not find a black helmet with a Steeler logo, but rather a silver one with a funny looking bird on it. 

Steve was faced with a real conundrum.  Either he could choose to remain a Steelers’ fan and display his disappointment hurting his dad or switch allegiance and cheer for a team he knew nothing about.

In his own words this is why he chose Seattle: As my 10-year-old self looked over at my dad in bewilderment, I will never forget the smile on his face. He was so proud of himself. He had gotten his boy the HELMET he wanted, not realizing that the COLORS on the helmet were significant.  That Seahawks helmet hangs in my garage today as a reminder that my dad's ignorance of the game was overshadowed by his love for his son.

Truly devoted goes both ways; it begins with the father showing the son and the son reciprocating it.

Swavel

 

Down TIme

“Down time as defined by Webster’s is time when you are not working or busy.” 

 

This blog initially was intended to be a tribute to a friend and his father; unfortunately a sinus affliction had other plans.  So, I thought I would write briefly about the benefits of down time, instead of focusing rather on the negative side of sickness.

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Here are three thoughts that come to mind:

 

PRAY- During the past five days, when my head was throbbing, I tried to think of others and their concerns rather than just my own.  Someone always has it worse and God always has time to listen.  Often when I am sick I find that I pray with more passion and belief that my prayers truly matter.  As if the outcome of others can be affected by my simple heart felt pleas to the Almighty.

 

BELIEVE- The Bible says in Romans that when I am weak, then I am strong.  This is a strange concept that most of us I believe fail to grasp.  Yet, I find that often when I try to figure  things out on my own I fail miserably.  However, when I give it to God, it works it.  Another verse In John says that without God I can do nothing. How very true.

 

RELY- Another thing I found comforting was  my wife was such a wonderful example of someone I can rely on.  Often I like to plow ahead instead of rest.  I saw my wife, as she always does, picking up extra groceries for me, shoveling the snow, and picking up the kids while I rested, plus everything else she does in a day .  Not a surprise because my wife does all things anyway, yet it just was the way she did it and the knowing she was there for me when I couldn't do my part.

 

So, in conclusion I found this: down time well spent not only helps heal the body, but the soul as well 

 

 Swavel

Notwithstanding

 “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again.  Fail again. Fail Better.”  Samuel Beckett

Notwithstanding means in spite of and no one man embodies this sentiment better than Terry Bradshaw.

Growing up in the nineteen seventies there was no better team in professional football than the Pittsburgh Steelers. Consequently, in a span of six years the Steelers won four Super Bowls and were deemed a dynasty.  Terry Bradshaw was their quarterback.  So, you might think like I did, that being the quarterback of such a prolific team would be a very enviable position.  However, it wasn’t.  Despite all the challenges Bradshaw succeeded anyway.

Form the moment the lowly 1-13 Steelers drafted Bradshaw with the first pick of the draft in 1971 the Louisiana native was faced with multiple challenges.  For beginners, Pittsburgh had a history of losing and number twelve was expected to be their savior.  Amidst such lofty expectations Terry struggled early on and one point found himself being benched in favor of the backup. 

Notwithstanding, a  few years  later he got  his starting gig back and made the most of it winning two Super Bowls in a row from 1974 to 1975.  Then in 1976, Cleveland Browns defensive end, Turkey Jones unceremoniously dumped Bradshaw on his head, as the above picture depicts. Terry suffered a concussion and damaged vertebrae in his neck and was lost for the season.

Throughout his career as well he was dogged by critics saying he lacked intelligence, mistaking his good ol’ boy demeanor for stupidity.  Not to mention, having marital troubles leading to divorce.  Yet through it all Bradshaw and the Steelers got back to the Super Bowl again in the 1978 and 1979 seasons and won again being named MVP in both Super Bowls. 

It seemed that when the pressure was greatest Terry rose to the occasion.  Bradshaw’s career seems to validate the motto; you can’t keep a good man down, because he used his failures to help him better succeed.

Notwithstanding, when life knocks you down, get back up determined to do the same to what knocked you down.

Swavel