Daily Links 11-4-13

Do reporters report the news or invent it? What should we make of the fight between Mark Driscoll and John MacArthur? Are we raising a generation of wimps? Answering these and more of life's important questions in today's roundup of links.

*****************

The Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals first met in the World Series in 1946. The final game ended in controversy when Johnny Pesky of the Red Sox held on to the ball hit by Harry Walker to drive in Enos Slaughter to win the series. The problem with this story? It didn't happen that way. The sportswriters altered the facts to create more drama. 

*****************

Barnabas Piper is discouraged by the fighting between Mark Driscoll and John MacArthur in the aftermath of the Strange Fire Conference. What kind of message does this send to young evangelicals?

*****************

Are we raising a generation of wimps? Well, yes. We need to do something about it.

*****************

What do they teach kids in schools these days? That is not merely a rhetorical question meant to criticize the state of public schools.

A Pennsylvania woman set out with a video camera to learn what college students in her state know about the Holocaust — and discovered an incredible lack of knowledge not only of the genocide of the Jews, but of basic facts about U.S. history and World War II. 

Rhonda Fink-Whitman visited college campuses in Pennsylvania this fall, including the venerated Ivy League institution the University of Pennsylvania, where she was repeatedly faced with a remarkable ignorance about events that took place in the last century. 

Students didn’t know where Normandy was, why U.S. forces landed there, why the U.S. even entered the war or who was president at the time. (Wilson, Eisenhower and JFK were among the guesses.)  One student didn’t know who Anne Frank was, because he said he never read the book.

Be sure to watch the video at the link for the full story.

*****************

How do you set your priorities and make decisions? Following these guidelines from President Eisenhower can help.

*****************

Kirsten Powers shares how she became a Christian. It's a fascinating article.

Quick Takes 1-9-09

A new year and time for another new roundup of interesting links.....

Pride and Prejudice as a Facebook page. Very cool indeed. (Hat tip: nosh)

Not just pro-life but pro-woman.

Need a cool nickname? Try this.

I don't think that President-elect Obama will be able to blame Bush much longer for the bad economy. (Thanks to Lorie Byrd)

Name that party. Hint: it's not in the first eleven paragraphs. No news bias here, right? (Hat tip: Hot Air)

America as a celebritocracy. (Hat tip: Jonathan) However, I'm more in agreement with Bill Bennett that the nomination of Dr. Gupta as Surgeon General is a smart move.

Bailout for porn kings? Let's hope not. (Warning: adult content)

Rejoicing in Red Sox Nation: John Smoltz signs with Boston. Assuming he's healthy, that could be a big pickup for the Sox.

John Zeigler meets Sarah Palin and finds her to be a real person.

This story brings a whole new meaning to the term "ugly divorce". (Hat tip: Dave Barry)

January 10th at 9pm Eastern Fox News will feature a special presentation of Gary Sinise's tour of Iraq. You won't want to miss this. Here's a special message from Gary that's worth reading.

With the inauguration almost upon us, it's interesting to look back at the history of prior inaugurations with Jane Hampton Cook:



Have a great weekend.

Baseball Road Trip: Fenway Park

PORTSMOUTH, NH - I've been up here the last couple of days on a business trip but last night afforded me a wonderful opportunity: to see my first game at Fenway Park in Boston. If I wasn't such a devoted Cubs fan, I would have become a Red Sox fan after their dramatic win last night. Wrigley Field is still my favorite ballpark I've ever visited but Fenway is a very, very close second.


When we left Portsmouth yesterday to make the hour drive to Boston I wasn't sure we had a chance to see the game. It had rained continuously here for three days. In fact, it was pouring rain until we got to Boston. The closer we got to Fenway, the more the rain tapered off. An on-time start looked more and more likely. We had no idea what we were in for once we got to the park.


Before I elaborate on last night's drama let me just say this: if you are a baseball fan you really need to see a game at Fenway if at all possible. It's worth whatever you have to spend to get there. It is a unique park and one that every fan should experience.


The Red Sox ownership has wisely decided to close off Yawkey Way prior to each game to allow a place for vendors to sell their wares prior to the game. It adds to the wonderful atmosphere of the park.


When you first walk in through the gate you're immediately confronted with the age of the park. The place looks and feels old. It's crowded. It's clear that it is showing it's age. But once you walk through the tunnel to your seats it's a whole different feeling. Looking out on the field you realize that you are about to step into a park steeped with history. The Green Monster looms larger in person than it does on television. The park is also a whole lot smaller in person than on television. The quirks of the outfield are much more obvious and far more charming.


We were fortunate that our seats were at field level just 10 rows away from the action. From our vantage point just to the first base side of home plate we got a terrific view of the pitches that you don't get watching games on television. Watching a game from the centerfield camera vantage point you really don't appreciate how hard major league pitchers throw or far a curveball actually curves. I know baseball has been rocked by steroids allegations in recent years but after seeing this game I have a whole new appreciation for anyone who can make contact with major league pitching on a regular basis. It's just not that easy.


When my friend called to say that we had tickets to the game and the opponent was going to be the Toronto Blue Jays I thought this is not an ideal matchup. I was figuring it would be an easy win for the Sox. I couldn't have been more wrong.


Jon Lester started for the Sox and immediately showed that he was going to be tough to hit. In fact, he allowed only one hit over eight innings. Maybe Lester knew he was going to have to step up and pitch a fabulous game to beat Toronto starter Roy Halladay. Halladay's complete game performance was his fourth consecutive nine-inning start. Anyone who follows baseball knows how rare one complete game is much less four in a row.


For eight innings it was a duel of two terrific starting pitchers. In the top of the ninth, the Sox brought in their stopper Jonathan Papelbon to shut down the Blue Jays. Except for a two-out double he surrendered to Scott Rolen, he was perfect striking out three. Remember what I said about how hard pitchers throw? Watching Papelbon pitch I realized that everything that has been said about how great a pitcher he is was absolutely true. He throws extremely hard and is even more formidable than he appears on television.


But it wasn't just about pitching last night. There were also a number of great defensive plays as well including Dustin Pedroia's diving stop in the top of the ninth on a Vernon Wells ground ball that would have scored Scott Rolen and given the Blue Jays the lead.


Then it was the Red Sox turn to try to put it away. The top of the order came to bat and if you tried to script a Red Sox win you couldn't have written the story any better. Coco Crisp and Dustin Pedroia were both retired quickly. Then David Ortiz who is Mr. Clutch Hitter (he's had 16 game winning hits in his career) came to bat. The crowd was expecting a big hit from Ortiz. He did crush one ball down the right field line that was only a few feet away from being a game winning home run. Still, Ortiz managed to draw a walk and that brought up Manny Ramirez. Ramirez has been on a home run chase of his own. As the banners above the Green Monster told everyone, Manny was sitting on 496 career home runs. Would Manny be the big hero? He managed to single advancing Ortiz to second and bringing up another fan favorite, first baseman Kevin Youklis. It was Youklis who would be the big hero as he also singled to drive in Ortiz and win the game for the Sox. It was an incredible finish to a fantastic game.


Last night was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Don't be surprised if these Red Sox are back in the World Series this year. Last night they showed that they have the stuff to win the tough games. I don't think anyone could have asked for a better game. Anyone who loves baseball should make the trip to Fenway. It's worth it.

A Goat No More

The Boston Red Sox held their first home game yesterday at Fenway Park with a ceremony honoring the 2007 World Champions. Among those in attendance were many legendary Boston sports figures and one who had up until now been considered something less than a hero: Bill Buckner. (Hat tip: WorldMagBlog)

The year was 1986. Game Six of the World Series against the New York Mets. It's still considered one of the classic World Series games ever played. In the bottom of the 10th inning at Shea Stadium the Red Sox lead the series three games to two and were ahead 5-3. The Mets managed to score a run and had the two on with two out when Mookie Wilson came to bat. A wild pitch scored the tying run. Then Wilson hit a ground ball down the first base line towards Buckner. The ball rolled between Buckner's legs and allowed the winning run to score. The Mets would then go on to win the Series in Game 7 the next day.

For years Buckner was blamed for losing the Series. But yesterday Boston fans displayed their forgiveness by honoring Buckner with a four minute standing ovation yesterday before the game. Buckner told the New York Times that returning to Fenway was not easy:

“It was hard for me to do,” a teary-eyed Buckner said about returning to Fenway.

When the Red Sox first invited Buckner, he said he figured he would decline. But he said he prayed about it and decided to accept. Two titles in the past four years for Boston have lessened the sting of what happened in 1986.

“I really had to forgive, not the fans of Boston per se, but I’d have to say in my heart I had to forgive the media for what they put my family through,” Buckner said.

Hats off to Bill Buckner and the Boston Red Sox fans for giving us a wonderful picture of what forgiveness looks like.

Quick Takes - 2-29-08

Random links of interest for your weekend enjoyment (with a huge tip o' the hat to my lovely bride for her exhaustive research):

People who work alone are more productive? A new study suggests this is the case. From my personal perspective, I've worked from home for over four years now and find I am much more productive than I ever was working in an office. (hat tip: Evangelical Outpost)

Honoring Champions President Bush welcomed the 2007 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox to the White House on Wednesday. They also spent time at Walter Reed Army Hospital visiting with wounded soldiers (scroll down for pictures). But the highlight for manager Terry Francona and slugger David Ortiz was riding on motorcycles in the motorcade.

Flushing money down the toilet. Atlanta spends $300,000 on toilets for homeless people.

Doctors said abort the baby, parents defy them and he's born healthy. This story begs the question how many babies that are aborted based on a doctor's recommendation would otherwise be born healthy.

All the news that's fit to recycle. The New York Times tries to stir up more trouble for Senator John McCain by regurgitating old inquiries about his birthplace.

Movie Trailer of the week. Here's a peek at The Final Season. This looks like it could be great.



Portrait of a hero (Part 1). A Marine loses his leg in Iraq but rather than letting that slow him down returns to active combat.

Portrait of a hero (Part 2). An Amry Sergeant, home after two tours of duty in Iraq, bought a scratch-off lottery ticket on a whim at a convenience store. Little did he know he would win $1 million. Now he's getting set to return to Iraq for his third tour of duty.

Does higher turnout among Democrats in the primaries mean a landslide in November? Not necessarily.

Grandma said so. Several news outlets made the regrettable decision yesterday to disclose that Prince Harry has been fighting on the front lines with the British Army in Afghanistan. But the best part of the story is that Queen Elizabeth (his grandmother) told him he was going to be deployed.

Dave Barry on getting a colonoscopy:

OK. You turned 50. You know you're supposed to get a colonoscopy. But you
haven't. Here are your reasons:
1. You've been busy.
2. You don't have a history of cancer in your family.
3. You haven't noticed any problems.
4. You don't want a doctor to stick a tube 17,000 feet up your butt.

I can relate to #4. Been there, done that. (hat tip: Betsy's Page)

Anyone can have a bad year century. The Chicago Cubs get ready to start year 100 since their last World Series championship.

The troop surge in Iraq is working. Just ask Angelina Jolie.

Maybe she should have bought the dogs a different chew toy. It's just a thought.


Have a great weekend.

World Series DVD Now On Sale

It's the perfect gift for any Boston Red Sox fan: The 2007 World Series DVD is now on sale from A&E. All of the dramatic moments are captured in this 9 disc set. This will be the perfect gift for any Red Sox fan. Check it out today.