Charles Dickens wrote, “A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other.”

We are fascinated by secrets, rumors and gossip.

I used to be offended by a statement like that until it became obvious.

“Obvious?!?”, someone might argue.

Maybe secrets, rumors and gossip are not the fascination of everyone, but how else can you explain:
– The popularity of fantasy sports & their paid “Insider” features
– The popularity of TMZ & the volumes of celebrity gossip
– The illegality of insider trading
– The mumblings and rumblings as most school lunch tables

Curtis Eichelberger’s new book Men of Sunday reviewed here recounts the story of Trent Dilfer, his son, and his family’s heart-aching, heart-breaking, and inspiring saga. You might want to read part 1 and part 2 and part 3 first.

The Lesson

It’s been nine years since Trevin’s death. He’d be nearly fifteen now and probably following in his daddy’s footsteps playing football in the Stanford area. Instead, Trent and Cass are following Maddie, who has become quite a volleyball player and is being scouted by Division 1 programs.

Curtis Eichelberger’s new book Men of Sunday reviewed here recounts the story of Trent Dilfer, his son, and his family’s heart-aching, heart-breaking, and inspiring saga. You might want to read part 1 and part 2 first.

“I never asked why,” says Dilfer. “I’ve never been obsessed with what it was or why it happened.”

Dilfer believes that God is loving and merciful and that there must have been something at play that he couldn’t comprehend.

Who could comprehend good coming out of so much suffering?

Curtis Eichelberger’s new book Men of Sunday reviewed here recounts the story of Trent Dilfer, his son, and his family’s heart-aching, heart-breaking, and inspiring saga. Part 1 was yesterday.

While Cass could patiently sit in the room for hours, Trent had a hard time with it and would go to the hospital’s rooftop garden or to the chapel for prayer.

Dilfer had made millions of dollars. He’d been to the summit of the game he loved. Was God saying, “Wait a minute. Not so fast”? Dilfer says he never went there. He’d recommitted to Christ in college; he’d repented and never looked back.

“Trevin was Dilfer’s only son, the only other man in a house full of women. He loved to hang out with his daddy in the locker room and often challenged Trent’s teammates to footraces.”

Curtis Eichelberger interviewed many current and former NFL players including Mike Singletary, Justin Tuck, LaDainian Tomlinson, Oshiomogho Atogwe, and Jay Feely about football’s violent nature, the sacrifices players and families make, adversity they face, temptations they endure, and the call to being leaders and role models.

Eichelberger’s new book Men of Sunday reviewed here recounts the story of Trent Dilfer, his son, and his family’s heart-aching, heart-breaking, and inspiring saga. 1

In Curtis Eichelberger’s new book Men of Sunday he recounts coaches Tony Dungy, Marvin Lewis, and Brad Childress talking about the importance of having men of faith on their rosters.

“These players understand there is something bigger than themselves and realize that someday they’ll have to answer for their actions. The result is oftentimes a greater sense of humility, a willingness to think about the team over themselves, and the realization that their talent isn’t their due, but rather a gift from God to be used for His purpose.

Faith

I read Curtis Eichelberger’s new book Men of Sunday this weekend.  It’s a compelling book I’ll quote several times this week before I post my full review this weekend. 1

As I read Eichelberger’s piece on former “Pro Bowl Denver Broncos offensive lineman Mark Schlereth I was inspired, awed, and perplexed.

I had to ask, is this man mad, filled with machismo or ministry minded?

Madness, Machismo or Ministry?

I live in Minnesota and recently a local baseball player, Scott Baker, required arm surgery.

Baker, according to TwinCities.com, “was scheduled for surgery to clean scar tissue off a flexor tendon, a procedure that would have required about six months of rehabilitation. Instead, he will miss at least 12 months.”

I love mysteries.  I love pondering mysteries.  I love trying to solve mysteries.  I wonder:

Why did two MRI exams failed to detect a tear in Baker’s ligament?
What causes baseball pitchers to have such a high rate of elbow injuries?  

Jamie Moyer is 49 years old, like me.  Like me Jamie Moyer is the oldest active “player” doing his job at his workplace.

On the other hand, Moyer is a Major Leagues Baseball pitcher.  In fact, his next win will be the oldest victory for a pitcher in MLB history. 1

Moyer and wife Karen live with their eight children in Florida.  There the Moyers promote the nonprofit Moyer Foundation.  Their mission is “to empower children in distress by providing education and support – helping them to live healthy and inspired lives.” 1

Kobe Bryant is one of the best basketball players to ever play the game.  On the other hand, according to a recent ESPN article by Henry Abbott, Bryant’s fear of failure blinds him from experiencing even greater success.

After missing 22 shots in a New Year’s Day loss to Denver, Bryant scoffed at reporters who hinted that he should have passed the ball to teammates: “If you’re asking me if I’m going to shoot less,” he said, “the answer is no. It starts with me. I do what I do. We play off of that, and that’s not going to change.”