Bard Letsinger

The Difference Between Being Either a Genius or Idiot is Success… i.e. Bill Belichick

As a fan of the NFL I love a good game, and over the past decade some of the best games have been between the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots. Their meeting this season lived up to the hype.

This year the play that will be remembered most is not the game winning pass, but the decision two minutes and eight seconds earlier by Patriots head coach Bill Belichick to go for it on 4th & 2 deep in his own end of the field. If ytey make the first down they can run out the clock and win the game, if they don’t convert they give Payton Manning a short field and enough time on the clock for a game winning drive.

The game at this point could have gone either way. Bill Belichick had Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Lawrence Maronnie, some of the best offensive players in Pro Football. They had converted 59% of 4th down attempts into 1st down. The New England defensive was tired and Payton Manning in the 4th quarter had effortlessly driven the ball 79 yards down the field for touchdowns…TWICE, and both those drives took less time than was still on the clock. Considering the facts, if the Patriots had made a 1st down and run out the clock the sports casters, writers and annalist all over the country would have said “…the call was a no brainer”, “…that is why he has three Super Bowl rings” and “Belichick is a genius.”

But New England was stoped inches short of making the 1st down. Manning and the Colts easily moved the ball 30 yards for the game winning score, and the pundits came out of the woodwork. One of his Belichick's former players said it was “the worst coaching decision I've ever seen Bill Belichick make.” Others called it “"inexplicably arrogant" and "football suicide." On Sports Center Trent Dilfer called the decision "ludicrous" and "absolutely ridiculous." And Jim Litke of the AP saw it as "a reckless gamble." In one online poll over 50% of the responders called it “The dumbest decision I have ever seen.”

See for yourself Coach Belichick defend his decision and hear some of the analyst of the criticts.

In life and in ministry it is no different. Every risk taken has two possible outcomes… success or failure (however I don’t look at it as failure, instead I like to say we “learned something valuable while not quite reaching the preset goals”). When you succeed people will jump on the bandwagon and praise you. When you fail the same people will just as quickly toss you off the wagon and slam you for your “obvious” dumb decisions. Don’t be afraid to take a risk, to try something no one else has tried, to go for it when no one else will. Don’t worry about the pundits, they will always be there, mostly on the sidelines evaluating decisions that they will never have the courage to put themselves in a position to make.

The difference between being either a genius or idiot is success. When all said and done I would much rather be called an idiot who failed than be a pundit who never did anything but criticize others who were willing to go for it on 4th and 2 deep in their own territory.

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Let's Make Super Bowl Monday a National Holiday

Are the rest of you as wiped out as I am? Super Bowl Sunday for me is an afternoon of eating mass quantities of things like 7 Layer Dip and Roasted Pineapple & Habanero Cream Cheese Spread, BBQ Ribs, Brisket, Sausage (I do not consume adult beverages but I did wake up with a “meet hangover” this morning). Then the game itself had you going nuts at the end of each quarter if you had a square or two in your office pool (again I did not but some of the people I was watching the game with did...and won $140). You did not want to take a bathroom break because you would either miss a crucial play in the game or a hilarious commercial. And then you could not leave the party early because the game had you on edge of your seat until the end no matter which side you were rooting for. One of the top ten Super Bowls of all time. Then you had to get the kids home and in bed and wind down yourself. What a game, what a day!

Now comes Super Bowl Monday. A complete wasted work day. A survey last year showed that 1.4 million people planed on calling in sick the day after the big game. And over 4.4 million of those who do show up will show up late then drag around the work place doing nothing but talking about the game, debateing calls, and reminiscing about the food, and laughing at their favorite commercials (Gold4Cash… hysterical…. GoDaddy please just GoAway) costing over a $1 Billion in lost productivity. So what is the point of even going to work? Even the schools in Pittsburg started two hours late today because the Stealers were in the Super Bowl.

Enough is enough. I think it is time to make Super Bowl Monday a National Holiday. Come on, how many useless holidays to we have. We can just replace one of them. Good candidates include Columbus Day, (can’t believe the PC crowd takes that day off) or Labor Day (lets celebrate work by taking a day off…makes no since). And apparently I am not the only one with this idea. There is a web site, SuperBowlMonday.com, that has started a petition to make the day after the big game a national holiday. You know it is the right thing to do. The fact that you are reading this blog about the Super Bowl instead of working just proves my point.

Now I am going to lunch and then get on line and see if I can find the Gold4Cash commercial.  

Olympicotic Sleep Deprivation.

The closing ceremonies of the Olympics can not come soon enough for me. It is not that I don’t enjoy the Olympics, just the opposite, but with the games being held in China there is an 11 hour time difference between where they are and where I am. In reality we are watching them live…tomorrow. China is not just 11 hours ahead, but a whole day ahead of the States so much of the action happens between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM CST. Result, millions of Americans, like me, about to pass out at work from lack of sleep.

Of course like all of you I stayed up watching Phelps win all eight of his gold medals (celebrated like the Cowboy’s won the Super Bowl when our relay team beat the smack talking French) but also found myself watching Women’s basketball, Softball, Gymnastics, Soccer, sports that I would normally channel surf by. I have even got caught up in fringe sports…things like ping pong, badminton, synchronized swimming. Like a moth to a flame I just…can’t… look….away. I stayed up till 1:30 AM mesmerized by Women’s Speed Walking…I mean COME ON, how can you move that fast while keeping one foot on the ground at all times…some of those women look like they have a second knee on each leg…it is just freaky!!!

However the other night things just went too far. At a social event I found myself sitting around with a group of guys watching Men’s Synchronized Diving. I have now crossed over from being an Olympic fan to an Olympic junkie. The women were sort of making fun of us and we all had to start making jokes about the competitors doing cannonballs and can openers just to save face.

This is the last weekend for the 2008 Olympic games and I am looking forward to catching up on my sleep next week. I am also already looking forward to the 2012 games. Better start resting up now however, according the way the Chinese Gymnastic Counsel calculates a person's age I will be 85 years old when the next Olympic games begin.

What Would You Do? Where Are Your Priorities?

As a pastor I get pulled many different directions and Fathers day weekend I had a decision to make. One thing on my calendar was a wedding and rehearsal. When I was asked to do the wedding a month and a half earlier I checked my calendar and did not see anything that weekend so I told them I was clear. However, it was not.

My son Braiden and I are baseball junkies. We love going to Astros games, usually two or three a summer. Braiden especially loves Friday games because the Astros have Friday Night Fireworks at Minute Made Park. This baseball season is special because the Yankees and the Red Sox are both coming to Houston for the first time in interleague play. The demand for tickets to these games was so high that you had to put your name in a lottery to win the opportunity to buy tickets. I was one of the lucky ones picked and purchased our tickets back in February and put the dates on my calendar.

The problem is that I am a little dyslexic when it comes to dates, months and numbers. I put the Yankee game on my calendar on July 13. The problem, the game was on June 13, the same night as the aforementioned wedding rehearsal. I discovered my mistake while watching Baseball Tonight on ESPN when they mentioned that Yankee pitcher Jaba Chamberlain’s next start was Friday, June 13, IN HOUSTON. I checked the web and realized my mistake. Now the question was “what to do?” What would you do?

In my eyes there was only one thing for me to do. I contacted the couple and informed them that I would not be at the rehearsal. It was not about the game, it was about my boy. This couple will not remember that the pastor did not make their wedding rehearsal, my son would always remember that I canceled our trip to see the Yankees in Houston, something he had been looking forward to for months.

The result. The bride and groom were great and understood. (Oh, and the wedding went off the next morning without a hitch. Well almost, the bride was not happy with her hair so we started a few minutes late, but that had nothing to do with my absence at the rehearsal). Braiden and I had a blast. Braiden almost got a ball during batting practice and got to see Jeter hit a HR.  

So, what would you do in a similar situation, when you have to choose between disappointing your family or disappointing your boss, friends, co-workers? For me it is a no brainier.

How could you disappoint this face?

Friday Night Fireworks.

 

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Braiden's Baseball

Growing up I was big into Little League Base Ball. It was my main sport. I even made the 11-12 year old All Star team. But Braden’s team did something that I never did, they won first place in their league with a record of 13-1-1, three games ahead of the second place team. They even had a ceremony before the Little League Championship Game where they received their first place trophies. It was a great experience this season with three wonderful coaches (all members of our church) who loved the kids and helped bring out the best in each of them, which is what a coach is suppose to do.

UHV Invocation

One of the things I enjoy about my position is getting the opportunity to go speak to people and pray at various events. This week I got a call from the University of Houston Victoria, which I happen to be alum, asking if I would come do the invocation for the UHV Women’s Softball Team. In the programs first year the UHV Lady Jaguars finished the season with a 30-16 record and ranked 15^th in the nation in the NAIA. This week they received an invitation to the NAIA Tournament (kind of like March Madness for Women’s College Softball). They were having a sendoff ceremony and ask me to come do the invocation (fancy word for “pray for us”).

This is a great group of girls. The entire team carries a 3.33 GPA or better. Their coach is sharp and expects a lot out of them. At the beginning of the season she had the girls get together and write out their goals for the semester and the season. So far they have accomplished most of them.

Seems like my blog runs through themes. Bikes and family are always going to thread through my writing, but then it was bugs and now Women’s College Softball seem to keep popping up. I guess you never know what is going to come up next. I will let you know how they do at the tournament.

Wouldn’t this world be a much better place if everyone did things just because “it was the right thing to do.”

I just heard an incredible story that brought tears to my eyes. It sounds like something from a Hollywood script.

This week in Women’s Softball Western Oregon was playing Central Washington with the winner of the game making their first appearance in the NCAA Division II tournament. Sara Tucholsky, a senior at Western Oregon, was just 3 for 34 this season at the plate and in her entire softball career she had never hit a home run, until yesterday. A three run shot over the centerfield fence to put Western Oregon up 3-0.

The unsung player, hitting their first home run ever to send her team into the playoffs. Great story if it ended there, however that was only the beginning.

Sara was so excited that she pulled a Mark McGuire on her home run trot and missed first base. When she planted her foot to go back and touch the bag her right knee gave out and she went to the ground. Her coach wanted to go check on her but if any of her team or coaches touched her she would be called out. It was quickly obvious that she was going to have trouble crawling back to first much less makeing it all the way around to home plate. The umpire told the coaches that according to the rules if Sara could not make it around the bases they would have to sub in a pinch runner at first base and her hit would be recorded as a two run single.

The Western Oregon coach, heartbroken, prepared to make the substitution when over his shoulder a voice said. "Excuse me, would it be OK if we carried her around and she touched each bag?" It was Central Washington’s first baseman Mallory Holtman, the all-time home run leader in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

Since there was nothing in the rules against the opposing team touching a player, in one of the most incredible displays of sportsman ship I have ever seen, Mallory and shortstop Liz Wallace picked Sara up and started the slow trek around the bases, reaching home plate to a standing ovations from the fans.

"Honestly, it's one of those things that I hope anyone would do it for me," Holtman said. "She hit the ball over the fence. She's a senior; it's her last year. … I don't know, it's just one of those things I guess that maybe because compared to everyone on the field at the time, I had been playing longer and knew we could touch her, it was my idea first. But I think anyone who knew that we could touch her would have offered to do it, just because it's the right thing to do.”

Mallory Holtman is my hero.

She did the right thing. Again, her quote says it all "Honestly, it's one of those things that I hope anyone would do it for me,... ...I think anyone who knew that we could touch her would have offered to do it, just because it's the right thing to do.” Sound familiar? Try Matt 7:12 “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you…”

Sara’s home run was the difference in the game as Western Oregon won 4-2. But here is the thing, next year no one other than the teams involved will remember who won, or even the score, but this act of sportsmanship will live on for a long, long time.