Author: Tom Knuppel

Racism- It Becomes Too Common

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Racism- It Becomes Too Common

Racism Has Become Numbing

Racism-We are getting immune to it. We watch the nightly news and it is like a fill-in the blanks.

I am sure almost everyone saw the video of the deputy dragging a black female from her desk and then subsequently throwing her to the ground. Were you shocked or were you numb and immune? But the thing is, most people have just become used to it.

News Cycle Keeps it Going

In the last few years in particular, I have watched so many similar incidents draw national attention before gradually subsiding in the face of a newer, more gripping tragedy. Names, faces and stories have grown increasingly muddled and vague over time. A man, woman, child, student, veteran, disabled person, homeless man was shot, stabbed, assaulted, ambushed, belittled by a police officer, store owner, teacher, neighbor, sociopath.

Sensationalism

Then the news cycle takes over the jumps into the victim’s families faces and drudge up old pictures and scene until after the funeral. Then we have another victim and we start all over again. We have become accustomed to people suffering and it has become the norm. Which is sad.

Do not allow yourself to forget that this is happening, because even as the relevance of the story wanes in the media, its impact is still very real and profound.

Ignorance

Racism shows no love, unity, harmony or peace. It is ignorant. It incites hatred, anger, fear, guilt, low self-esteem, superiority, inferiority, terrorism and other crimes. It has to be faced head on to be dealt with and not simply shoved under the rug, because people in general do not want to address this issue. Racism has no place in a civilized society.

I Peter 4:17: For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

Diversity and My Grandchildren

Tom Knuppel Society
Diversity and My Grandchildren

 

I have been thinking a lot about the word diversity ever since my son and his family have made a decision to move to another part of the United States that will be rich in diversity. I looked back at their past (and mine) and sensed that it is sorely lacking in the current status.

Now there is nothing wrong with where they (or I) are at, but in my words, it is very vanilla. They will be given many opportunities and experiences in the future that they wouldn’t have gotten. I endorse this for them as it will make all of them (adults and children) better people when surrounded by diversity.

What is Diversity?

Diversity refers to human qualities that are different from our own and those of groups to which we belong, but are manifested in other individuals and groups. Dimensions of diversity include, but are not limited to: age, ethnicity, gender, physical abilities/qualities, race, sexual orientation, educational background, geographic location, income, marital or partner status, military experience, parental status, religious beliefs, work experience and job classification.

Why is Diversity Important?

Diversity provides a lesson for each of us to be okay with and open to those things that set us apart and understanding and accepting of people for who they are.

Cultural Awareness

Being culturally aware provides an opportunity to stand back and consider that there are certain backgrounds, personal values, beliefs and upbringings that shape the things we all do. Something that is considered inappropriate behavior in one culture may be perfectly appropriate in another.

The Opportunities for my Grandchildren

Learning about other cultures helps us relate to one another and be okay with different perspectives. Think about my grandchildren in school! They have some unique chances to experience more of the world and never leave their classroom.

With the support of research, theorists and experience, the inclusion of multiculturalism within classrooms just makes perfect sense! Think of it…providing young children with endless opportunities and exposure to beautiful traditions, music and rhythms, instruments, celebrations, books, people, homes, art; and that is just to name a few!

 

I have been thinking a lot about diversity and my grandchildren.

 

“Diversity is the one true thing we have in common.”

 

 

Top 25 College Players to Watch- #23 Cheick Diallo (Kansas)

Tom Knuppel Sports
Top 25 College Players to Watch- #23 Cheick Diallo (Kansas)

 

Bill Self knows how to coach and he knows how to recruit. Diallo might be the best player he has had in Kansas before it is all over.

Cheick Diallo, F, Kansas

This college freshman is very active and came away with the MVP of the McDonalds’s All Star game with ten rebounds and 18 points.Look for him to became a big time offensive player in college if he puts hi work in.

 

#24 Zach Auguste

#25 Nigel Hayes

Top 25 College Basketball Players – #24

Tom Knuppel Sports
Top 25 College Basketball Players – #24

 

Zach Auguste, C, Notre Dame –Last season he averaged 12.9 points per game with 6.5 rebounds and that was only in 24 minutes per game. Why 24? He can’t seem to stay out of foul trouble. He scored 20 points against Kentucky but had low numbers when facing Okafor at Duke. But who wouldn’t?

Look for monster numbers this season.

 

Here are the Top 25 College Basketball Players from previous posts:

#25 Nigel Hayes

 

 

WHEN SPORTS COLLIDE WITH CHURCH AND FAMILY…WHICH ONE WINS?

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WHEN SPORTS COLLIDE WITH CHURCH AND FAMILY…WHICH ONE WINS?

 

First of all, the article written below was NOT written by me. It is from a very good blog called everysquareinch.net and it features some outstanding articles about Christianity. I found it when someone re-posted an article about Colby Rasmus and how he has discovered the Lord. Being a Cardinals fan and blogger (CardinalsGM) I was drawn to it and enjoyed the article.

I began searching other articles and the more and more I delved in, I found several that piqued my interest. This one hits home for parents and even grandparents. Many, many times the traveling teams and/or AAU type teams scheduled tournaments that are played on Sunday mornings. This creates a quandry for the family AND within the family. Many times it is also a Wednesday night issue. Please take time to read this article and look around for others.

I was given permission by the author to reprint this article here.

 

 

WHEN SPORTS COLLIDE WITH CHURCH AND FAMILY…WHICH ONE WINS?

by Keith Simon

Christine and I are out of town for a few days celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. Here’s a post from a year ago that was popular.

Some topics are just too controversial for a pastor to go near. But, at great risk, I am going to write about one even though I might unintentionally offend you or make you angry. What’s the topic? Is it abortion or same sex marriage or politics? No, it is far more personal and therefore, for many, far more dangerous territory. It’s kids sports.

Before I wade in, maybe it would help if I told you that I love sports. ESPN is my favorite channel. I spent August worrying about whether DIRECTV would get the SEC Network and am very excited about the beginning of the NFL season tonight. My family has season tickets to both Mizzou basketball and football games. I grew up playing sports where I learned some incredibly valuable life lessons…many of which I still benefit from today. Lastly, all four of my kids play(ed) sports beginning in elementary school and continuing through high school.

Maybe I should also add that I don’t think that being a Christian can be reduced to church attendance. There’s much more to following Jesus than being in church on Sunday mornings. And, at least for my family, it’s not necessary to eat dinner together every night of the week. Practices and games often prevent that, and, to some extent, that’s okay. Sports, like school and other worthwhile endeavors, take time.

With all that out of the way, let’s dig in a little. A study that came out last year and was reported in Christianity Today shows that one of the biggest obstacles to families coming to church is sports. I get that occasionally a family might miss church because of a sporting event. The problem is that it’s becoming the norm instead of the exception. The message seems to be: Church involvement (worshipping, learning, serving) is not as important as sports. Let’s go to church but if there’s sports on Sunday morning, well then sports win.

And the same goes for family time. It’s not uncommon for a kid, involved simultaneously in two sports, to have either a practice, game, or tournament every day of the week. And that’s just ONE kid. What if the family is crazy enough to have more than one child?

More and more parents are rebelling against the reality that there’s not time for a weekend away as a family or even dinner together because sports trumps all. Mission trip or family vacation or going to see grandparents or parents being involved in a small group? No way because there’s always tryouts or a practice or a game or a tournament. In addition, more and more families are divided too many evenings and weekends as they go their separate ways to accomplish all their sports activities. This all leads to this line in a recent article in the New York Times…

Try saying this out loud: “Family and academics are more important than sports, until sports conflict, then sports win.”

I know that a lot of parents feel like they would be doing their child a disservice by not allowing them to take part in all the sports they would like to try. I know that most parents are trying to do the right thing by teaching their child that you have to be dedicated and go to practice and stick with something to be good at it. All the moms and dads I know desperately want to be good parents. I’d love to hear from you as you try to find and stay on the right course. How do you decide what is the right amount of kids sports (and other activities) and what’s too much? No one has got this all figured out.

But here’s my question for now: Is it worth it? Is our investment in sports worth giving up real church involvement? Is it worth giving up family time? I can’t help but thinking of Jesus’ words inMark 8:36: What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?

What good is it if your child excels at sports but their spiritual and family life are significantly diminished? For the vast, vast, vast majority of these kids their sports career ends before or after high school. For a very small percentage it will continue through college. And almost zero will go beyond that. Let’s face it, your kids (for sure my kids) aren’t going to the NFL or the Majors or the MLS or the Olympics. They’ll end up like me–watching sports on television and attending games as a fan.

But what every single one of our children will need is a good relationship with mom and dad and brother and sister. What they’ll need when they’re 40 is a strong, connected family that knows each other on a deeper level than can be obtained from driving to and from practices and tournaments.

Very few kids (probably none of our kids) will end up making a career out of playing sports. But every single one of them will have to stand before Jesus. On that day it won’t matter much whether you made varsity or were “All State”. But it will matter for all eternity whether you walked with God.

Let’s play sports. But when sports collide with family and church, let’s make sure that the most important one wins that game.

Posted by everysquareinch

How Did the Chicago Cubs End Up at Wrigley Field?

Tom Knuppel Society

 

Back in 1986, the Chicago Tribune’s David Ibata described the history of the Cubs’ journey around Chicago, playing in a variety of ballparks before settling on Wrigley Field. He wrote about how the one-time site of the Chicago Lutheran Theological Seminary became Weeghman Park and then Wrigley Field:

The Federal [League]s’ Chicago franchise went to Charles Weeghman, known as the “Lunchroom King” for his chain of low-cost eateries. Weeghman named his team the Whales and selected a site in the North Side neighborhood of Lakeview for his new ballpark. The site, at 1060 W. Addison St. on the northeast corner of Addison and Clark Streets, one day would be “Wrigley Field.”

When Weeghman leased the land from a certain Edmund J. Archambault, though, it was anything but beautiful.

The Chicago Lutheran Theological Seminary occupied the land from 1891 until 1910, giving Seminary Avenue west of the ballpark its name. Then the school moved to Maywood. It came back to the city, to 1100 E. 55th St., in 1967. Today it’s the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

The school produced this letter from its archives to explain the move from Lakeview:

The writer, Marjory R. Wing, says the seminarians were escaping “the smoke, dust, grime, soot, dirt (and) foul gases; railroading by night and day; whistles, ding-donging of bells late and early and in between times, and the ceaselessness of undesirable traffic incidental thereto that is growing more unbearable every week.”

Wing referred to a rail line that skirted the west side of Wrigley Field and ran up the middle of Seminary Avenue to a private right-of-way north of Irving Park Road. It was built in the late 19th Century by the Chicago & Evanston, a steam-powered freight and commuter railroad. The Milwaukee Road acquired the C&E around the turn-of-the-century. By 1910, Addison Street had become a key way station on the line.

Wing wrote of “coal yards, gravel yards, sand yards, ice stations and milk stations” that received freight trains and wagon teams “with the unsanctified men in charge sending the unsterilized particles, odors and speech into the homes, eyes and ears of the seminary habitants.”

The late Bill Veeck, whose father was president of the Cubs, was born in 1914, the year Weegham built his stadium; and attended his first baseball game there in 1920, when he was 6 years old. In an interview before he died, Veeck said Weeghman built the stadium where he did “to get away from the White Sox and the Cubs. He was opening up new territory on the North Side.

“I also have to think (Weeghman) was able to get a piece of land he could afford,” Veeck said. “Bear in mind, one wouldn’t put a ballpark next to a coal yard by choice.

“The requirements for a ballpark in those days were quite different than now,” Veeck said. “You wanted public transportation, because there weren’t any automobiles to speak of. You had to get people there, and they wouldn’t all be from the neighborhood. Clark and Addison was an ideal location because the streetcar and elevated lines were nearby.”

Weeghman Park was designed by architect Zachary Taylor Davis, who four years earlier had designed Comiskey Park on the South Side for the White Sox. The North Side stadium had a single-level grandstand and left and right field bleachers totaling 14,000 seats. To build it required 500 tradesmen, 4,000 yards of earth, four acres of bluegrass and $250,000.
Led by Joe Tinker–of “Tinkers to Ever to Chance” fame–the Whales captured the Federal League pennant in 1915. Then the league folded.

With the National League’s blessing, Weeghman put together a 10-man syndicate to buy the Cubs from the Tafts and move the team to his North Side park. One of those investors was the Chicago chewing gum magnate, William Wrigley Jr.

The deal was closed on Jan. 20, 1916, and the team played its first game at Weeghman Park on April 20

(source)

Top 25 players in College Basketball 2015-16- #25

Tom Knuppel Sports
Top 25 players in College Basketball 2015-16- #25

 

Here is my attempt to identify the Top 25 players in College Basketball this season.

#25) Nigel Hayes, F, Wisconsin – He is a good perimeter shooter with 39% from 3-point land. He can go inside if needed. In the past, he yielded to Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky but now they are gone. He averaged 32 minutes per game and shot just under 50% from the field. He averaged 6.2 rebounds and 2 assists per game for the Badgers and averaged 12.4 ppg.

He is 6’7″ and 215 lbs and is my pick to be the Big Ten Player of the Year.

 

The 1908 Cubs Got into the World Series in Backhanded Way

Tom Knuppel Sports
The 1908 Cubs Got into the World Series in Backhanded Way

 

Just a note about the last time the Cubs won a World Series. Seems a bit backhanded

The 1908 pennant races in both the AL and NL were among the most exciting ever witnessed. The conclusion of the National League season, in particular, involved a bizarre chain of events, often referred to as the Merkle Boner. On September 23, 1908, the New York Giants and Chicago Cubs played a game in the Polo Grounds.
Nineteen-year-old rookie first baseman Fred Merkle, later to become one of the best players at his position in the league, was on first base, with teammate Moose McCormick on third with two out and the game tied. Giants shortstop Al Bridwell socked a single, scoring McCormick and apparently winning the game. However, Merkle, instead of advancing to second base, ran toward the clubhouse to avoid the spectators mobbing the field, which at that time was a common, acceptable practice. The Cubs’ second baseman, Johnny Evers, noticed this.

In the confusion that followed, Evers claimed to have retrieved the ball and touched second base, forcing Merkle out and nullifying the run scored. The league ordered the game replayed at the end of the season, if necessary. It turned out that the Cubs and Giants ended the season tied for first place, so the game was indeed replayed, and the Cubs won the game, the pennant, and subsequently the World Series