Speaking of cross-sport brotherhood, Toronto Maple Leafs Colby Armstrong and Tyler Bozak have joined Jays JP Arencibia and Brett Lawrie in something called "Team-Unit".

Team-Unit

Whenever I see them interviewed about it I always get the impression that there's some kind of inside joke going on.

Not about baseball, about thread hits for Same Swing.

Both are living what can be a challenging existence—Christians in the middle of a professional sports environment.

What the #### is this ####?

Ask Chris Truby about a challenging religious life.

Or hell, any Jewish player that has to face the damned if you do, damned if you don't new year dance.

Both are living what can be a challenging existence—Christians in the middle of a professional sports environment.

What the #### is this ####?

I think the point is not about being a nominal Christian, but being an observant one among the temptations of the professional-athlete lifestyle.

Both are living what can be a challenging existence—Christians in the middle of a professional sports environment.

At one point in the late 90's, 22 out of the 25 players on the Texas Rangers roster, plus their manager Johnny Oates, were self-proclaimed "born again" Christians. Groups like Fellowship of Christian Athletes, with its 600 paid employees, have been around for nearly 60 years The idea that "Christians" are some sort of a beleaguered minority in Jockworld is just laughable, and the fact that most of them don't practice what they preach when the camera's not on them doesn't negate that.

Not that this has much or anything to do with Tebow, who's got the usual right wing social beliefs but at least doesn't go around knocking up his fanettes. If all the Christian jocks were like him, we'd be bored but not scandalized.

I think #3 and #6 are right, although there is at times the perception that born-again Christians are "soft". I guess I'm recalling the "milk and cookies" comment made by Tony Muser regarding Mike Sweeney. Its far from a challenging existence though.

He's really what a guy who loves Jesus is supposed to be doing.

And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And for Pete's sake, don't go Tebowing.

The idea that "Christians" are some sort of a beleaguered minority in Jockworld is just laughable, and the fact that most of them don't practice what they preach when the camera's not on them doesn't negate that.

But, I don't think Gonzalez is saying he's a beleaguered minority, he's simply saying 1) A Christian is supposed to spread his faith,

"In our faith, that's what we're here on Earth to do, is pass the rod, talk about Jesus and spread the good news about him. We should be more outspoken about it. I think he's going to bring out a lot of new players who have that faith who have been keeping it to themselves because of being scared by the public scrutiny. They're going to be more outspoken about it now."

At the end of the day, it's a shame on everyone, including myself, for not being more outspoken about it

which is a hard, and often unpopular thing to do, and 2) it is hard to follow Christian values in the world of professional athletics,

"It can be," said Gonzalez when asked if it was difficult to live a Christian existence as a major leaguer. "I think at the end of the day it comes to how strong your faith is. When I first became a believer it was pretty difficult to stay grounded and not fall into what people were saying, or what people were doing, or what they wanted out of me. But over the years you grow into your faith and you realize it doesn't matter what people say or do or talk about you. All that matters is what Jesus thinks about you and how God feels. If you were to die at this minute, how would you be taken into Heaven? It's all about perspective. As you grow in your Christian faith, it isn't about what people say, it's about how God wants you to be."

and not fall into the obvious temptations.

1) A Christian is supposed to spread his faith,

"Supposed to" based on what, and for what purpose? Christians aren't required to proselytize, and score no extra points with God for doing so. (Not that the path to heaven and eternal life is based on what you do here, beyond believing, anyway).

and not fall into the obvious temptations.

Nor does the essence of Christianity have anything to do with resisting temptation. Jocko-Christianity and Politico-Christianity are schismatic pseudo-strains of the real thing.

It's a good thing God gave Tebow's teammates enough talent and frequent luck to cover the fact that they don't have a good quarterback. Some of those teammates were assembled by John Elway, which proves Elway is some kind of supreme being and Cleveland is hell.

"Supposed to" based on what, and for what purpose? Christians aren't required to proselytize, and score no extra points with God for doing so. (Not that the path to heaven and eternal life is based on what you do here, beyond believing, anyway).

Nor does the essence of Christianity have anything to do with resisting temptation.

Pardon?

Is this Christianity according to SBB? Because pretty much every Christian denomination disagrees with you.

I was always taught growing up in Catholic school that we should share our faith with others. I don't do it and very few people truly do but I was always taught to do so.

I normally don't care for outward shows of faith, they feel contrived. Tebow strikes me as someone who is sincere in what he does though. Maybe I'll be proven wrong, I've seen too many "holier than thou" athletes run afoul of their faith over the years to be surprised but that's my take on Tebow.

I'm chuckling right now thinking about how many heads around America are going to explode if the Broncos actually beat the Patriots on Sunday.

It's probably not going to happen, and I certainly wouldn't bet on it to happen, but if it does, oh man would that be something.

Is this Christianity according to SBB? Because pretty much every Christian denomination disagrees with you.

The Bible contains some ethical teachings -- which go well beyond merely "resisting temptation," and God's grace reigns over sinners anyway.

They aren't the essence of Christianity, which is salvation and eternal life for believers.

Tim Tebow ‘doing things the right way’

Except when it comes to throwing the football. He doesn't seem to be too good at that.

The Bible contains some ethical teachings -- which go well beyond merely "resisting temptation," and God's grace reigns over sinners anyway.

They aren't the essence of Christianity, which is salvation and eternal life for believers.

Sure, but you have to avoid serious sin, which involves resisting temptation, and do good works (e.g. Christ's description of the Last Judgement, "When I was hungry, and you gave me to eat...".

Unless, you believe in hard-core Calvinism.

I'm chuckling right now thinking about how many heads around America are going to explode if the Broncos actually beat the Patriots on Sunday.

It's probably not going to happen, and I certainly wouldn't bet on it to happen, but if it does, oh man would that be something.

Whether or not the Broncos' defense can hold the Patriots under 40 points is open to question, but Tebow certainly should be able to put up more than his typical 17 points against one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. Christ, Rex ####### Grossman was one muffed pass away from getting 34 points out of the Redskins against that defense just 6 days ago.

Sure, but you have to avoid serious sin, which involves resisting temptation, and do good works (e.g. Christ's description of the Last Judgement, "When I was hungry, and you gave me to eat..."

No, you don't. That was the whole point of Jesus. Jesus absolved all of our sins. All of them. Believing in Jesus and asking for forgiveness is enough. Of course, if you really believe in Jesus and listen to his messages, then you will try your hardest to live a life for God's glory, which means trying your best to avoid all sin. You'll fail, because you're human and imperfect, but trying is enough.

And for Pete's sake, don't go Tebowing.

Damn all these new translations.

Whether or not the Broncos' defense can hold the Patriots under 40 points is open to question, but Tebow certainly should be able to put up more than his typical 17 points against one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL.

One thing I'm fairly certain of is that if the Pats defense does manage to contain the Broncos for three and a half quarters, Belichick won't suddenly switch to a scheme designed to concede all the things that Tebow is good at.

Well, my contrarianism has gotten the best of me --

I think I'm more on Tebow's side than the inverse... Yeah - I know he tends to be awful for 50 minutes. Yeah - I find 'Tebowing' annoying. Yeah - I know he's actually beaten some mediocre to awful teams who also happened to be in the midst of serious funks/other issues.

Anyway - not a big NFL fan - but did watch the Bears-Broncos and stuck around for his post-game interview and I'll say this... Beyond the what I imagine is his standard preface about lord and savior, his post-game comments were very gracious to his teammates - including naming names, not just cliched "line/defense/etc" - and seemed like pretty run of the mill stuff. It's not like he spent the whole interview talking about god causing fumbles or anything.

I mean - so luck and competition have played a role in what everyone has to admit is a pretty amazing string of comebacks. So he's the proselytizing type straight out of Jesus camp. So he somehow looks absolutely lost for 3 quarters before appearing serviceable or better in the 4th.

Again - not an NFL fan - but I guess I'm just not quite comprehending the animosity that seems to head in his direction.

Goody-goody QB who seems to have more than his fair share going for him... Gee - how is that any different than Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, John Elway, etc (beyond yeah - even a non-NFL fan like me can see he's just not as good a raw QB as those guys)?

Not saying I'm a fan or anything, but I'm just puzzled by the froth so many folks seem to work themselves into to go after the guy... I'm at best a hopeful agnostic, but so long as the guy isn't running for office or dragging me out of bed against my free will on a Sunday morning, knock yourself out, kid.

No, you don't. That was the whole point of Jesus. Jesus absolved all of our sins. All of them. Believing in Jesus and asking for forgiveness is enough. Of course, if you really believe in Jesus and listen to his messages, then you will try your hardest to live a life for God's glory, which means trying your best to avoid all sin. You'll fail, because you're human and imperfect, but trying is enough.

Asking for forgiveness means you have to intend to "Go and sin no more", unless you're planning on an exquisitely timed death-bed confession.

Jesus did not "absolve" our sins, he paid the price for them so we could be forgiven. We still have to believe, ask forgiveness, and repent of our sinful ways to be actually forgiven.

Whether or not the Broncos' defense can hold the Patriots under 40 points is open to question, but Tebow certainly should be able to put up more than his typical 17 points against one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL.

I think this is actually a good matchup for the Pat's defense. Their weakness is stopping a passing offense, which is not Denver's strength.

I'm chuckling right now thinking about how many heads around America are going to explode if the Broncos actually beat the Patriots on Sunday.

Really? I wouldn't be shocked if Denver wins, and I wasn't under the impression that the general public would be.

Tebow may not be a very good quarterback but more importantly, he is not a bad quarterback. The number of NFL QBs that should be expected to win you a game are pretty few; Rodgers, Brady, Brees, that's about it. There are a few more that can win you a game but are equally likely to give a game away with dumb interceptions; Rivers, Eli to name a couple and just about everyone else is just trying to avoid screwing up.

Tebow isn't going to dominate anyone but he has the lowest interception rate in the NFL and with that defense that's going to be enough on a lot of days. When you force your opponent to have to 65-70 yards every possession, it's the equivalent of retiring the leadoff batter every inning, it's not a guarantee but it's an important first step.

I'm just puzzled by the froth so many folks seem to work themselves into to go after the guy...

Skip Bayless is ready to give him a bust in Canton already. That should explain about 97% of the froth right there.

Tebow isn't going to dominate anyone but he has the lowest interception rate in the NFL and with that defense that's going to be enough on a lot of days. When you force your opponent to have to 65-70 yards every possession, it's the equivalent of retiring the leadoff batter every inning, it's not a guarantee but it's an important first step.

Boswell made that same point in his Post column today. It's going to be a game worth watching.

I think I'm more on Tebow's side than the inverse... Yeah - I know he tends to be awful for 50 minutes. Yeah - I find 'Tebowing' annoying. Yeah - I know he's actually beaten some mediocre to awful teams who also happened to be in the midst of serious funks/other issues.

Anyway - not a big NFL fan - but did watch the Bears-Broncos and stuck around for his post-game interview and I'll say this... Beyond the what I imagine is his standard preface about lord and savior, his post-game comments were very gracious to his teammates - including naming names, not just cliched "line/defense/etc" - and seemed like pretty run of the mill stuff. It's not like he spent the whole interview talking about god causing fumbles or anything.

I'm a Chiefs fan, so I have to hate Tebow, but I like different styles of football, and you have to admit Tebow is different. He's definitely good for the league.

I definitely differ from the guy on religion and politics, but I like athletes who are willing to speak their mind as to what they're passionate about, even if its on stuff I disagree with. Except for Curt Schilling. Tebow is a bit refreshing in his candor and sincerity.

Really? I wouldn't be shocked if Denver wins, and I wasn't under the impression that the general public would be.

I wouldn't be SHOCKED, but I would be pretty surprised.

The Vegas books currently have the Patriots favored by anywhere from 6.5 to 7.5, and personally that seems just about right to me (I like 6.5 a hell of a lot better than I like 7.5). The Patriots are pretty obviously the better team, and they SHOULD win the game. But the Broncos have been stunning people for weeks now, and it's in Denver, so I wouldn't call it a lock by any means.

For a more reasoned and informed commentary on Tebow:

If Tebow wins the Super Bowl, against all odds, it will buoy his faithful, and emboldened faithful can do insane things, like burning mosques, bashing gays and indiscriminately banishing immigrants. While America has become more inclusive since Jerry Falwell’s first political forays, a Tebow triumph could set those efforts back considerably.

I'm not an NFL guy, but could somebody please explain to me a "Tom Brady-type of game"?

Yeah, the Jewish Week made the eminently sensible decision to pull Rabbi Hammerman's little hate-filled diatribe from the site yesterday, though I think it may still be on his personal blog.

Personally, I can't believe they ever put such garbage on their site in the first place. What the heck were they thinking?

I'm not an NFL guy, but could somebody please explain to me a "Tom Brady-type of game"?

I assume he means a true drop back throw from the pocket type who throws for big yards.

What the heck were they thinking?

Why do we always assume that there was any thinking involved when this sort of #### shows up in print or online?

Personally, I can't believe they ever put such garbage on their site in the first place. What the heck were they thinking?

This happens fairly easily with religious or political organizations. Something that seems logical when said to a group of "true believers" doesn't get the sort of critical review it needs before it hits the airwaves/bandwidth/papers and by then it's too late. This is true whether the group is righty, lefty, religious, agnostic, whatever. If no one involved in the process from production to dissemination has a differing viewpoint you lose perspective.

I stuck with the Jeter thread all the way through - in part for the debate but most for the jokes ("What about the poor guy that got a Derek Jeter signed ball for his birthday? - Walt" HA!). I understand that not every thread is for everyone and I will be staying out of this.

But ########, BTF is really moralistic and uptight all of a sudden. Are the holidays stressing you out? Spring training cannot come soon enough...

People forget that in 1985, there were two NFL teams that got off to white-hot starts - not just the consensus Greatest Team of All Time Chicago Bears, but the L.A. Rams started 7-0 as well. Whereas the Bears were mauling people, the Rams were winning close games, which led a friend of mine to tell me he thought the Rams were better than the Bears, because they Knew How to Win, or something like that.

These Broncos remind me of those Rams. As it turned out, the Bears were much better than the Rams, who finished 4-5 after that 7-0 start and got blown out by the Bears in the playoffs. It's great when a team Knows How to Win, but it's even better when a team Knows How to Maul People. On Sunday, the Broncos will be facing by far the best offense they've faced in their winning streak, and I suspect they're due for a mauling.

Jesus is giving the points.

Tebow may not be a very good quarterback but more importantly, he is not a bad quarterback.

Actually, yes he is. You can't quote his low interception rate and use that to say he isn't a bad quarterback. He is also last in completion percentage. He is last in YPG Passing, and even if you added in his rushing YPG, he would still be dead last. A QB should be able to move the ball. Tebow can't do that. The reason Denver is winning games is not because of Tebow's offense, it is because of Denver's defense and special teams.

I was about to say, he sounds like the Trent Dilfer model. Not very good, but he won't throw the ball away and kill you. But in looking him up Dilfer looks like he threw more than his share of picks. He just wasn't especially good at anything was he?

EDIT: Dilfer's first full season, 1995.
16 starts, 7-9
4 TD, 18 INT

I don't really know much about football stats, but that seems bad.

People forget that in 1985, there were two NFL teams that got off to white-hot starts - not just the consensus Greatest Team of All Time Chicago Bears, but the L.A. Rams started 7-0 as well. Whereas the Bears were mauling people, the Rams were winning close games, which led a friend of mine to tell me he thought the Rams were better than the Bears, because they Knew How to Win, or something like that.

It should also be pointed out that the Broncos have only beaten three teams with a winning record this year - two under Tebow (Jets and Raiders).

ESPN's Total Quarterback Rating has him ranked 30th out of 34 on the season, so yeah, he's been pretty bad.

About the only things you can say in his defense right now are that he's young, and so there's at least the possibility he could get better, and that he's not exactly playing with a bunch of great weapons around him. Eric Decker isn't exactly my idea of a true #1 NFL wide receiver.

But in looking him up Dilfer looks like he threw more than his share of picks. He just wasn't especially good at anything was he?

Not really, although in the fundamental quarterbacking act of dropping back, setting your feet, and throwing quickly and accurately to your target, he was much better than Tim Tebow.

Jesus frowns upon quarterbacks with a 48.5% completion rate, regardless of how vociferously they kiss His ass. The Tebow rapture will come crashing down (or, more likely, end with a whimper) relatively soon.

Thank God.

In the bar I was at ESPN was showing a stat where Tebow had a QB rating of 90 or something like that in the fourth quarter. Is there something fundamental that happens in the fourth quarter to make him better? Is his skill set (all the running around and improv) well suited to facing a fatigued defense late in a game or do the Broncos run their offense differently late in games? If it's the latter, why don't they run that offense throughout the game?

It should also be pointed out that the Broncos have only beaten three teams with a winning record this year - two under Tebow (Jets and Raiders).

"Only"? For a non-elite team three such wins sounds pretty good, especially given that it's actually four (Bears).

It should also be pointed out that the Broncos have only beaten three teams with a winning record this year - two under Tebow (Jets and Raiders).

"Only"? For a non-elite team three such wins sounds pretty good, especially given that it's actually four (Bears).

But all three of those teams were either in a funk or injury-riddled when they played the Broncos. In fact their "best" win came against the then-pretty good Bengals in week 2. New England is really their first true test since then.

Is there something fundamental that happens in the fourth quarter to make him better?

Yes. His team is behind and the opposing team starts playing extra DBs way off the line which allows Tebow to run the ball down their throats. No one seems to have figured out that when you're trying to protect a late lead against Denver, the correct "prevent defense" is eight men in the box, because they don't have the ability to beat even average DBs in man-to-man coverage.

Is there something fundamental that happens in the fourth quarter to make him better?

Well, it's Sunday. Earlier in the day, God is busy dealing with churchgoers, listening to prayers, hymns, etc. As the day drags on and services wrap up, He has more free time and He can dedicate more effort to helping Tebow.

In the bar I was at ESPN was showing a stat where Tebow had a QB rating of 90 or something like that in the fourth quarter. Is there something fundamental that happens in the fourth quarter to make him better? Is his skill set (all the running around and improv) well suited to facing a fatigued defense late in a game or do the Broncos run their offense differently late in games? If it's the latter, why don't they run that offense throughout the game?

Easterbrook over at ESPN argued that the Bronco running game is wearing opponents down, so that Tebow's 4th quarter magic is actually the result of him taking advantage of exhausted defenders. Could be true, could be a just-so story, or could be somewhere in between.

Easterbrook over at ESPN argued that the Bronco running game is wearing opponents down, so that Tebow's 4th quarter magic is actually the result of him taking advantage of exhausted defenders. Could be true, could be a just-so story, or could be somewhere in between.

If Gregggggggggggggggg Easterbrook said it, it is almost certainly wrong. Seriously, if you want a primer on how to misuse stats, read a TMQ article.

Also, #45 seems to be correct, especially in the case of the Bears game.

Rabbi Joshua Hammerman wrote the other day that he was rather concerned with Tebow and his success:

If Tebow wins the Super Bowl, against all odds, it will buoy his faithful, and emboldened faithful can do insane things, like burning mosques, bashing gays and indiscriminately banishing immigrants. While America has become more inclusive since Jerry Falwell?’s first political forays, a Tebow triumph could set those efforts back considerably.

This caused such an uproar that it was almost immediately deleted from the Jewish Week website, and the rabbi apologized.

Let one thing be known: only one team, my team, the Detroit Lions, has defeated the hated Tebow this year, thus keeping mosques from being burned, gays from being bashed, and kept immigrants completely unbanished. Only. The. Lions.

Ahhh, it feels good.

#42, one theory is that running plays are harder on the defense, particularly when the QB is also a running threat. So by the 4th quarter against the run-heavy Broncos, the defense is more tired than in an average.

I'm not an NFL fan, so I'm not sure if the Broncos or their opponents run different schemes in the 4th quarter.

EDIT: too late.