Are the Olympics a reflection or a predictor?

I was looking at the medal count from the Summer Olympics in Beijing, and I was amazed at how poorly the Russian team is doing so far. My amazement was centered on the fact that in the past, the central rivalry was West vs East, the U.S. vs the U.S.S.R. Obviously, the Soviet Union disappeared nearly two decades ago, but there are many within Russia who would love to see their nation return to the global position once held by the Soviets.

This time around, are the Russians our primary rival? Hardly. In 2008, it's the Chinese. Sure, some of that comes from holding the Olympics in Beijing. But it's also a reminder that China has quickly emerged as a global power.

So here's my thought: Is a strong Chinese performance this year a reflection of the new global stage, or a warning/predictor/forecast of things to come?

The prayers of my blog.

We just wrapped up our church staff meeting, and in his closing prayer, our senior pastor prayed specifically for each of us. When praying for me, he said, "God, we ask that you would answer all the prayers of his blog," which made all of us laugh.

I know Kansas DID win the national championship last night in men's basketball. And according to at least one online article today, some people believe God played a role in helping the Jayhawks win.

I'm not a huge proponent of the "God lets Christians win" theory. If two Christian QBs face off in the Super Bowl, only one can win. Does God play favorites? Does God have a big coin in heaven that He tosses to pick the winner?

Certainly I believe God gives us the strength to do our best, to excel, to perform well. Besides, didn't we all learn years ago that it's not if we win but how we play the game?

Then again, I'd be a bit unhappy today if Kansas had lost last night. So maybe I still have some learnin' to do...

The woes of sprained ankles.

I have some odd "reminders" and "anniversaries" that I keep on my smartphone. By far, the oddest is my annual note for January 23: "Call Jeremy re: sprained ankle." Want an explanation? Keep reading.

Five years ago yesterday, my friend Jeremy Anderson and I were playing racquetball down in Turlock. We had been playing regularly, but this would be a monumental day because I sprained during this particular session. Through that whole experience, I learned several important lessons:

1. When you're injured, don't hop around on your own. Use your friend's shoulder to balance yourself as you go out to the car. Otherwise you might fall down and hurt yourself.

2. If you must climb steps with an injured ankle, remember to NOT use the injured ankle on the second step. Otherwise you might fall down and hit your head against the front door of your house.

3. When you get ready to stretch out on a couch, make sure you're careful as you rest your head. Otherwise you might bonk the back of your head against the wooden armrest of the couch.

4. For you Pentecostal/Charistmatic types... If you're speaking in tongues while your body is in shock, be aware of how loudly you're speaking. Otherwise the health club employee may give you a weird look.

I've only played racquetball a few times since that injury in 2003. If you have a choice of breaking or spraining, I'd quickly pick the broken bone because the healing time is faster. It took me a long time to feel truly comfortable on my ankle after that sprain!

How can Kansas football be doing so well?

I've been a lifelong fan of the Kansas Jayhawks -- but because of their basketball team, NOT because of their football team.

Yet today, the Jayhawks won their 10th game of the season. They're undefeated. They'll probably keep moving up in the national rankings this next week.

I'm sorry, but did I miss the memo about hell freezing over?

Wow he did it!

Like him or not, but Barry Bonds just set the new HR record! Wow!

Dodgers do something right.

Finally, a good reason to visit Dodgers Stadium:

Luis Serrano is working on his second Dodger Dog and the game hasn't even begun. "On a good night, I'll eat seven," he said, smiling. That's how it goes in the new all-you-can-eat seats way out in right field at Dodger Stadium, where fans wolf down as many Dodger Dogs, nachos, peanuts, popcorn and soda as their bellies allow for one price.

Bring your own antacids.

Life isn't worth living.

Just kidding.

It was just a basketball game.

The Kansas Jayhawks lost tonight, so their men's basketball season is over. Too bad. They had so much potential.

Only good thing for me? If the Jayhawks had reached the national championship game, they would have played on Monday, April 2. That's the first evening of the Easter Camp we're attending next month. And there aren't many TVs where we're headed. So, I would have faced the moral dilemma of being at the first evening service of camp, or skipping out and finding a TV somewhere to watch the game.

No dilemma now.

Alas.

Wow, that was close.

If Kansas can barely handle the defense of the Southern Illinois Salukis, the Jayhawks may encounter more impressive obstacles in their quest to win a national basketball championship.

Wow, that was an awesome lead paragraph for a sports story. You'd think I used to be a reporter or something.

Fortunately, my Jayhawks held on tonight to beat SIU underwhelmingly, 61-58. I think I grew two or three gray hairs watching the game, which will help replace all the ones I pulled out as Kansas struggled to play to its full potential. The Jayhawks will play either UCLA or Pittsburgh this weekend; not sure if it makes a difference which of those teams wins the game tonight. Maybe this will prove to be a wake-up call for Kansas. We'll see!

My Jayhawks.

What can I say? I thought my Kansas Jayhawks might be walking into troubled waters in the NCAA men's basketball tournament this year, but my fears have disappeared. After strong wins in their first two games, the Jayhawks have proven they have what it takes to win -- and maybe even what it takes to win a national championship.

Now if I can just get my Kansas City Royals to do so well in baseball. Some of my students are trying to persuade me to drop the Royals in favor of another team. Specifically, another team that sports blue jerseys. The Dodgers. Sorry friends, that one ain't gonna happen. The Dodgers are from L.A., and rooting for an L.A. team would violate one of the foundations of my personal theology. One of these days I'll share all of those tenets. But not tonight.

Quite a fire.

Life in the Sacramento area got a little exciting last night. Around 5:45PM, a huge fire erupted along a train trestle near Cal Expo, which you could define as being right in the middle of our metro area. It created a huge plume of smoke that people could see for miles and miles. It didn't represent any real risk to people or property, but it was an incredible sight -- especially with local news coverage.

The NBC affiliate, KCRA, interrupted the network news right around 5:45, as the fire began, and didn't really stop until 8:30. The ABC affiliate began its coverage at 6PM, and eventually broke away around 8PM for its evening programs. CBS, however, was caught in a predicament: Thursday was the first day of the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. So, the folks at CBS interrupted games with updates throughout the evening. But man, you KNOW the news people there were mad that they couldn't do wall-to-wall coverage. This was a big fire, talk of the town, and they're unable to do true live coverage.

On a related note, the Goodyear blimp flew overhead this afternoon, perhaps on the way up to the Sierra to get some video footage for later in the day. The arrival of a Goodyear might not be a big deal to some of you mega-metropolis people, but we don't see it everyday.

Faith in my team?

My Kansas Jayhawks square off Saturday against Texas in the final regular season game. KU is now ranked #3 by both the coaches and the sportswriters. This can mean only one thing.

Kansas will fail.

I hate to write those words. But #3? I've watched the Jayhawks play this year, and as much as I want them to win and win and win, I'm not convinced they're the third-best team in the nation.

They might be good enough to beat Texas. But I get nervous when Kansas gets high in the rankings. 'Cause that's when KU tends to stumble.

We'll see.

The pains of pro athletes.

Fascinating article today on the SF Chronicle's website about the physical pain, injuries and limitations of retired NFL players. They went back and interviewed 30 of the players from the 49ers team that won the Super Bowl 25 years ago. Turns out most of them have major, life-long injuries now because of being in the NFL.

Wednesday marks the 25th anniversary of San Francisco's 26-21 victory over Cincinnati in Pontiac, Mich., a watershed achievement in many ways. It launched a dynasty in which the 49ers won five titles in 14 seasons, and it connected them to local sports fans more deeply than any other team in the Bay Area.

But glory came with a steep price, as many players on the '81 team have learned since they carried coach Bill Walsh off the field at the Silverdome. Professional football's primitive core -- enormous men running swiftly and colliding violently -- can exact a lifelong physical toll.

The Chronicle interviewed 30 players from the 1981 team in recent months, ranging in age from 47 to 59. Twenty of those players cope with significant physical issues today, from arthritis to chronic back pain to joint replacements. Two (including [Joe] Montana) have had spinal fusion surgery, two have had knee replacements and one has had a shoulder replacement.