Catch the Ball

            I always had the deepest admiration for Johnny Unitas—one of the greatest quarterbacks who ever lived. Another Hall-of-Fame quarterback, Dan Fouts, backed up Johnny Unitas’ during Fouts’ rookie season. Reflecting on that season, Fouts says:

            “I had the honor of playing with Johnny Unitas my rookie season. For some reason, he liked me. Just watching him was invaluable. Even playing catch with Unitas at practice was a learning experience.

            "The very first ball he threw to me in warmups was a fastball that nearly broke my hands. Johnny told me, 'Always aim for the receiver's nose when throwing a pass.' I asked, 'Why's that?' He said, 'Because if they don't catch it, it'll break their nose. That will make them better receivers.' I learned all of these great little things from him that year.

            The great ones insist that those surrounding them be held accountable!

Source: Peter King SPORTS ILLUSTRATED ONLINE 090511

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/peter_king/09/05/laborday/index.html#ixzz1XBGESdFx

Demerits!

Mother’s Day has caused me to reflect upon the high cost of raising boys.  Recently, I saw a PBS special on Dwight Eisenhower. He entered West Point at 21 to play football and get a free education. He had no military career in mind.

Then, he hurt his knee and his football career was over. Devastated, he became despondent.  He recovered enough to graduate, but that was about all he did. He showed no academic promise. He was among those, who had received the most demerits. Here was a 25-year-old man at the U. S. Military Academy—and he has disciplinary problems.

Then, maturity began to kick in. He married. His wife bore him a son. Heading into his thirties, he began to treat his military service seriously. It became a career to him.

Slowly, he rose through the ranks. Upper level officers began seeing his gifts for organization. He entered Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and graduated first in his class. By his mid-fifties, he had completed leading the greatest collection of armed forces in the history of the world.

Still, I think about his mother. What did she think when she got reports that her 25-year-old single (unusual for that era) son was having disciplinary issues at West Point? I suppose she had to summon what most mothers have in the history of the world—patience. But they usually do.

Do mothers self-generate this discipline? I think not. I believe their creator instilled it within them. The Creator is the patient one (see II Pet. 3:15 for an example).

Who do we see more patient than a mother? No one—except for God.

Let Them Fly Commercial!

This is one of those I clipped and saved a few years ago out of the newspaper from the late ANN LANDERS’ column:

Dear Ann Landers: I hope you have enough nerve to print this letter because the person I am complaining about is an American hero. His name is Larry Bird. He made his name as a player on the Boston Celtics, and he is now coaching the Indiana Pacers. This is what happened.

During the pre-season, the team’s plane was scheduled to leave for Nashville at 4 p.m. Two of the players, Travis Best and Dale Davis, were nowhere to be found. The stairs had been pulled up, and the plane was just about to take off.

Suddenly, one of the players who was on the plane and looking out the window yelled, “Travis and Dale are out there on the passenger cart. Somebody should tell the pilot to lower the stairs.” Larry Bird shouted, “No way. It’s after 4 p.m. Those guys are tardy. They’ll have to go commercial.”

I was shocked when I heard about this on TV. How could a guy be so mean to his own players? It just doesn’t make sense. I hope you will print this.

--A former Larry Bird Fan

Dear Former Bird Fan: Did you say “mean?” Sorry, I don’t agree with you. I believe Larry Bird showed a great deal of courage when he left those late arrivals standing on the tarmac. He taught them a lesson they needed to learn. You can bet your life they will never be late for a team plane again. And neither will the players who witnessed this extraordinary example of disciplinary action. Call it being “mean” if you want to, but in my opinion, it was a demonstration of strong character. Way to go, Larry!

Way to go, Ann.

We live in a society starving for discipline. God’s word emphatically states that His people, of all people, should be a people of discipline. May we walk God’s talk.