Tim Ellsworth

Web site for Bishop Eddie Long’s New Birth Missionary Baptist Church

OR

Trailer for the upcoming Transformers movie

YOU DECIDE

Hat tip: Brian Denker

Maybe LifeChurch.tv is the church for you. You can stay at home and yet “attend” church, even in your pajamas. There’s an “internet foyer” for all the fellowship and community you could possibly want. When you get really serious, you can “register” for baptism. And, just think how dynamic the worship will be when you don’t have to mess with all those other people.

What more you could possibly want out of a church?

Hat tip: Ray

Whether you like it, or you don’t like it, learn to love it.

A high school in Oscoda, Mich., hasn’t scored a point so far in this year’s football season, and so the district is pulling the plug and the team will forfeit the rest of its games.

Despite pleas from players and parents, the board recently upheld the school’s earlier decision to end the season, saying players risked injury in trying to take on much stronger opponents.

“When you go to a game on Friday night and see a team physically dominated, those are the indisputable facts,” coach Kyle Tobin said.

“Seniors, I feel for you. There’s nothing I can say other than I’m sorry,” board member Neal Sweet said. “But you’re not quitters. You went out there and did your best.”

Sweet is right — the football players aren’t quitters. The quitters are Sweet, the coach and the other school board members who voted to end the season prematurely.

What a lousy way for a school district to teach students about persevering through difficult times. The message the school is sending is obvious — “When the going gets tough, quit.”

UPDATE: Here’s my column about this topic.

Daniel decided he wanted to be a football player for Halloween, and so we found a costume for him on eBay. He was thrilled when it came in the mail today.

No, it’s not the Rams, but I couldn’t find a Rams costume. At least it’s not the Cowboys. And at least he’s being patriotic.

Princeton’s Robert George on why he cannot support a Democrat for office:

So, however much one might dislike Republican policies in other areas, it’s clear that the death toll under the Democrats would be so large as to make it unreasonable for Catholic citizens, or citizens of any faith who oppose the taking of innocent human life, to use their votes and influence to help bring the Democratic party into power.

I find no cause for joy in this. I wish that it were possible for pro-life citizens legitimately to support Democratic candidates. I wish that the party of my parents and grandparents had not placed itself on the wrong side of the most profound human rights issue of our contemporary domestic politics. I wish that the killing of embryonic and fetal human beings by abortion and in biomedical research were resolutely opposed by both parties so that we could cast our votes based on our assessments of the candidates’ and parties’ competing positions on taxation, immigration, education, welfare, health-care reform, national security, and foreign policy. It is hardly satisfactory that pro-life citizens—representing a variety of views on the range of issues in economic, social, and foreign policy—find themselves bound to the Republicans because the only viable alternative is a party that has abandoned its commitment to the weakest and most vulnerable members of the human family by embracing abortion and embryo-destructive research.

Well said.

Hat tip: Justin Taylor

A three-run shot in the bottom of the eighth to give the Cardinals a 4-2 lead over San Diego. What a blast. Let’s see if it holds up.

But it raises a question I was thinking about as Pujols came to the plate — why do opposing teams insist on pitching to Pujols in these kinds of situations? Dan McLaughlin said the same thing I was thinking — the Padres had third base open, and it might behoove them to pitch around Pujols. The Mad Hungarian said the Padres would go after him, however, and noted that right-handers are hitting only .103 off Padres pitcher Cla Meredith.

This is not just any right-handed hitter, however. It’s Albert Pujols. Maybe we need to spell that out for San Diego manager Bruce Bochy — A-L-B-E-R-T-P-U-J-O-L-S. In other words, the best player in the game today, and one of the greatest ever.

I’m glad Bruce Bochy decided to pitch to him, but that’s an incredibly dumb decision, and I can’t believe Major League managers continue to allow Pujols to beat them. The ONLY decision in that situation, with men on first and second and up by a run late in the game — is to put Pujols on base. I don’t care if first base isn’t open. Big stinking deal. Don’t give the man anything to hit, or he’s going to do exactly what he did — slam a three-run homer.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens apparently tried to commit suicide last night by ingesting painkillers.

UPDATE: Now reports are surfacing that Owens didn’t attempt suicide. The story linked to above has been updated with the following info:

ESPN’s Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told ESPN.com’s Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn’t attempting suicide.

Publicist Kim Etheridge also said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that the police have gotten the story wrong. She said she was with Owens, who was having trouble because he’d mixed his pain pills with supplements. She said she called for help because he was becoming unresponsive.

Scientists: Earth Warmest It’s Been in 12,000 Years

Who knew they had thermometers 12,000 years ago?

NBC is making waves among evangelical conservatives for two things:

1. Removing any religious references in “VeggieTales,” which is now airing on Saturday mornings.
2. The proposed broadcast of a Madonna concert that includes a crucifixion scene.

Yesterday, Albert Mohler wrote about censoring Bob the Tomato.

The censoring of Bob the Tomato is an indication that “God” may well be the most controversial word spoken on television.

Sorry about that Bob. NBC fears that Bob the Tomato is a zealot — a clever televangelist seducing children with his radical theology of God’s love — and with his theology made less threatening by his vegetable charm. Larry the Cucumber was evidently unavailable for comment.

Sounds like a job for Larry Boy.

Normally on my way to work I catch Mike and Mike on ESPN. Good show. I like those guys.

Today I was a little later than usual, and so I had the misfortune to hear Colin Cowherd. I sometimes catch him over my lunch break. I’ve never been a big fan, but today I decided that he is simply unlistenable.

The entire time I was in my truck, he was talking about how New Orleans fans should go out and party because the Saints are 3-0. Throw moderation out the window — because the Saints may never be 3-0 again. That was his point. It took me all of two sentences to say it. But Cowherd kept going on and on and on — for like 10 minutes.

OK Colin, we get it. You don’t have to beat it into the ground. Shut up, already.

Job where it’s important to stay focused on the work at hand: javelin line judge.

A friend of mine and fellow Cardinals fan sent me an e-mail earlier today:

You going to put a post up on the sweep of the Cardinals? I mean, how low can they go? Are they going to pull this off?

Just wondering…

My response:

I am so STINKING SICK of the Cardinals that I may not post about them again this year. Seriously, I’m tired of talking about them. I don’t know what it is about this team, but I simply have not enjoyed watching them play this year. They are playing uninspired baseball and they’re boring. Sometimes, I think I’d rather watch NASCAR.

OK, so maybe that’s going too far, but you get the picture.

Will they pull this off? I honestly have no idea. My inclination is that they’ll win the division and lose in the first round of the playoffs. Of course, since I think that, they’ll probably end up catching fire and winning it all.

I also wouldn’t be a bit surprised if the Astros manage to come back and take the division title.

Someone just came here through a Google search for “Chuck Norris getting his butt kicked.”

Like that would EVER happen. Somebody’s living in a fantasy world.

A few days ago we were in the toys section at K-Mart, and I noticed some awesome G.I. Joe figures. They’re from the new G.I. Joe Sigma 6 series. They stand about eight inches tall and come with all kinds of different weapons. Pictured here is Storm Shadow. I told my wife she could forget about getting any of these figures for Daniel for Christmas — she could just get them for me.

After seeing these, I’ve been reminiscing a little about some of my favorite cartoons from childhood. With a new G.I. Joe series on TV now and a new Transformers movie coming out next year, it’s quite possible that Daniel will be playing with some of the same toys I did when I was a boy. I like the idea of that.

So, for discussion — what were your favorite cartoons from your childhood? Did you play with the corresponding toys?

I’ve already mentioned G.I. Joe and the Transformers, which were at the top of my list. I also liked the Go-Bots and He-Man.

Also, what’s the over-under on how soon someone stops by and condemns us for promoting violence to our children?