Blake Bouldin

A Legend Retires

Every once in a while something will happen in the sports world that rocks my world.  For instance, I can remember when Len Bias for the Maryland Terrapins died back in the mid 80's.  I was driving down South Blvd. when the news came over the radio.  I pulled over and wept.  I can remember when Magic Johnson told the world that he was HIV positive and that he was going to have to immediately retire from the game of basketball.  I wept.  I can even remember being in the back of my parents Oldsmobile station wagon riding to a summer football practice and hearing that Thurman Munson of the NY Yankees had been killed in a plane crash.  This was all the way back in 1979.  I was only 11 years old at the time, but I wept. 

Now in case you think that I am embellishing when I say wept, I can assure you I am not.  I loved these guys I have just mentioned.  They were all great players and were integral parts of my life growing up.  Watching Lenny Bias destroy the North Carolina Tar heels was unbelievable.  I mean even though I am a huge Carolina fan, no one can deny watching Len play that February night in 1986 was unbelievable.  And of course, I have watched Magic every since he was at Michigan State.  Seeing him play was magic.  And Thurman Munson epitomized what a great catcher was to me. So weeping was what I did. Needless to say, when Brett Favre, quarterback of the Green Bay Packers retired this week...I didn't weep, but I almost did.

There have been a lot of great quarterbacks in the NFL over the years.  Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, Fran Tarkington, Roger Staubach, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, John Elway, Steve Young, Troy Aikman, Dan Marino...I know 'em all, but Brett Favre was special.  I can't quite explain what it was about this guy, but watching him play kept me interested.  Whether it was a risky pass or a mad scramble or a touchdown pass that no one thought was possible, Brett Favre knew how to push my buttons.  I never will forget watching him play on the night that his father passed away and how he just destroyed the opposing teams defense.  That was a game I will never forget.

Saying goodbye to a legend is hard for me.  Maybe I am just weird, I don't know.  But when Brett Favre said he was done it hurt.  According to a Harris Poll Brett was the most popular player in the NFL in 2007.  I am not sure he isn't the most popular player of all time.  I know he ranks way up there in my book. I know I am not the only one. I read somewhere that Favre's first NFL pass was an interception and so was his last, but it is what happened in between those two throws that will make his career legendary.  I say hey yea to that!   Thanks for the memories Brett!  God Bless You!

Lessons Learned From Basketball

OK, if you are tired of hearing about basketball then you can take comfort that this will be my last post about it until the ACC tournament.  But, as you know my middle school boys who were undefeated all year long lost the championship game.  Well as some consolation, last night our high school 9th and 10th and 11th and 12th grade teams played for the championships and both won.  I went home feeling a sense of relief and pride for both those team's accomplishments.  I also felt exhausted.  I have literally watched or been involved in 5 games the last two nights.  That is a lot of basketball. And not particularly healthy for a type A competitive soul like me.  I learned a lot.  Let me share with you some of the things I observed/learned over these past two nights.

1. "Churched" people don't act any different from non-"Churched" people in the heat of the battle.  Can I be honest?  Let me be brutally honest.  It was down right embarrassing and disappointing watching so called "Christ" followers act so un-Christlike during the games.  I heard people cussing and complaining and whining about calls.  I saw boys acting like Kobe Bryant when they were called for fouls.  I even saw the people in charge of running the whole operation act in ways that I thought were completely inappropriate.  It literally made my stomach upset.  Now don't get me wrong, I am not suggesting that I am a saint by any stretch of the imagination.  Anybody that knows me knows that I can act foolish too.  But for crying out loud, when you are representing your church and more importantly, when you are representing Christ, ACT LIKE IT.  I know to say "It's just a game" is cliche.  But it is just a game.

2. Expect the unexpected.  One of the things that I have learned growing up in and around sports my whole life is that on any given night, any given team can win.  Think of all the teams throughout history that have demonstrated this principle.  NC State in 1983 beat a highly favored PHI SLAMMA JAMMA Houston team that was expected to win it all.  In 1985 Villanova beat Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas.  And of course, just this year the NY Giants dismantled the previously undefeated Patriots.  Who would have expected that?  Well, for the last two nights I experienced and witnessed unexpected victories and losses from teams that weren't expected to win or lose.  How does this happen?  Who knows?  But once again, I have learned that when it comes to championship games always expect the unexpected.

3. White men (boys) can't jump. One of the things that I love to see, especially from affluent churches in southeast Charlotte and Weddington, is racial diversity.  In fact, the ideal for our church to me is that we would be a highly multi-cultural group of people.  But anyway, last night I saw quite a few African American boys playing their hearts out and as I watched, something that became abundantly clear is how high and how fast many of those boys could jump and run. One of the questions that I have always had is why African Americans seem to run so fast and jump so high?  I still don't know the answer and definitely don't want to speculate.  But the fact still remains, compared to African Americans, white men (boys) can't jump. Sorry guys!

4. Attitude is everything.  I can't stress this enough, but a positive attitude and the belief that you can come back or that a ref's call wasn't all that bad makes a huge difference in the outcome of the game.  Attitude coach Tom Newberry says this, " thinking, talking, and worrying about what you don't want can never bring you what you do want."  So many times over these last two days I saw coaches and players alike arguing about and worrying about what they didn't want  rather than focusing on what their goal was. That is a huge mistake!  No area of our lives is untouched by our attitude and thoughts and when they become negative, performance generally follows the same pattern.  Attitude is a crucial ingredient for winning.

5. Losing is hard but it's not the end ! Let's face it, if you are competitive like me, losing is one of the hardest things you will ever have to do.  I am still feeling the effects of watching my team fall Monday night.  At the same time, I am already thinking about how we will win it next year.  That to me is what makes coaching and life in general fun.  Sure losing stinks, but knowing there is always tomorrow to start all over again helps me keep hope alive.  Today's losers may be tomorrow's biggest winners.  I hope that is the case in my life.  Until then, I will just keep on trying.

We lost our marbles...BUMMER!!

In the wide world of sports, there is always the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.  Last night my middle school boys experienced the latter as we suffered our first defeat of the year.  Yes, I know that I have bragged about them all year.  Yes, I know that I said in yesterday's blog that I thought a defeat was highly unlikely.  But we got beat fair and square.  I would love to tell you a bunch of great lessons that I learned from losing, but the agony I feel is too great right now.  Give me a day or two or three or four....to recover.

Our High School teams play tonight for the championship and with two victories that may ease the pain.  If either one of those teams loses, I am not sure what I will do.  Charter Pines might be an option.  I will keep you all in the loop.  Pray hard that WCC will experience the thrill of victory.  Pray hard that I will make a complete recovery.  Thanks.

Going for all the marbles!

Well, tonight is it.  The middle school boys team that Brett Vines and I coached is going for all the marbles.  We are playing for the championship at 6:00 pm at Carmel Baptist Church.  What an unbelievable season this has been!  I have blogged about this team before, but I have to say this again.  I have never coached a more enjoyable group of young men.  This team was just flat fun to be around and as far as players, every one of them could hold their own.  As this season comes to a close, I'd like to make special note of each one. (We are red in the picture)

Here's to:

1. Brett Bouldin-obviously my favorite player.  Brett has the heart of a champion and dreams of making it big some day in either basketball or baseball.  Whether that ever becomes a reality or not is yet to be seen.  All I know is that as far as being a great son and a vital part of this team, Brett's already made it.  Great job Brett!

2. Austin Capps-there is only one other kid that I have coached in over 10 years of coaching that I would put in Austin's league when it comes to competitive spirit.  This kid wants to win and plays with maximum intensity when he has to.  I have enjoyed watching him turn it up when necessary as well as relax when he could.  Great job Austin!

3. Travis Cochran- Travis is the silent assassin.  He didn't talk much and sometimes you hardly even knew he was out on the court...until you needed a big play and all of the sudden there he was.  Travis is one of the kids that is just so easy to like.  I am really glad he decided to come be a part of our team. 

4. Brendan Friday-This kid is 6'3 and just down right nasty!  Brendan is one of these kids that has no idea just how strong he really is or how good he could be.  There were several times this year when opposing players would try to drive the lane on Brendan, but after he slapped their stuff into the 6th row several times, eventually they quit coming.  Brendan dude, all I can say is you make me smile.  Great job Brendan!

5. Derrick Gile-Here is another kid that doesn't know how good he really could be.  Granted, Derrick wasn't the star, but over the course of the season he improved each game.  Towards the end of the year Derrick hit some fantastic shots that I'm not sure anyone thought he could make.  Congratulations Derrick.  You are my Most Improved Player by a landslide! 

6. Drew Hahn-Holy Cow!  I grew up watching 5'3 Mugsy Bogues defy nature by wasting guys twice his size on the basketball court.  Watching Drew reminded me of those days.  To see Drew prior to seeing him play you would probably think he'd be the last man in the game.  After you've seen him play, you're response would be the same as mine.  Holy Cow that kid is good! Drew, the bottom line is this, your last second shot is one main reason why we are undefeated! Thanks!

7. Scott Lewis-The Leader.  Scott is steady.  He's level headed.  And most of all he can play!  If I were to pick someone that exemplified sportsmanship and character, Scott would be at the top of my list.  His calm presence and steady leadership always proved to have a calming effect on everyone...including me!  Thanks Scott!  Great job!

8. Spencer Nunn-If you would have asked Spencer prior to this season if he thought we would be as good as we are, I guarantee you he would have said no way.  Spencer is one of two boys that returned to this year's team after playing on last year's 11-0 championship team.  How can you top that right?  We're getting ready to Spank!  Thanks for playing big this year.  You have improved almost as much as you've grown!  That makes for a killer combination!  Great job Spencer.

I don't know what the outcome will be tonight.  We may lose, although I highly doubt it.  But whatever happens, all I know is this.  These boys and this team have truly been an undeserved blessing in my life.  I love each one of them and wish them all the very best.  Now let's go kick some...oh that's right, I am a Pastor...let's go give it our best! Ha.....

Here's to a season worth remembering

I have an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach.  It's one of those kind of feelings that will stay with me for days.  I don't take defeat lightly.  Especially after a hard fought battle.  But today I have to come to grips with the reality that my highly touted Sun Valley Spartans fell last night to Glenn High School in Kernersville, NC. 

What a year it has been for the Spartans.  Going into the game they were 9-2.  This is the best year I can ever remember.  It seemed like each game they were prepared and ready for a war.  I loved their discipline.  I loved their all or nothing style.  I loved watching their coach light boys up when their was the least little bit of complacency.  It was so evident that these boys and this team wanted to win every game they played.

My dad used to say, "You can't win them all."  Last night's defeat is proof that that statement is true.  But just because you can't win them all shouldn't diminish the drive to win.  It shouldn't take away the preparation.  It shouldn't take away the desire.  It never did for this team.  They showed up every game and provided a season full of football memories.  This Friday night won't be the same.  I don't know what I will do with myself.  I will probably just sit in my comfy chair and dream of what could have been.  Oh what could have been.  Thanks Sun Valley.  You guys are great!!  Here's to a season I won't ever forget.

A dedicated fan!