The Christian Sports Blog

Moving

2009-09-19T00:03:00.002-05:00

I'm currently attempting to consolidate all of my blogs and websites (with an exception or two) over on my primary website: www.leewarren.info. I still plan to blog about sports over there and the website contains links to many of the articles I've written about Christian athletes, so stop on by when you get a chance.

2009 French Open

2009-06-04T09:52:00.002-05:00

So, between the Tennis Channel and ESPN, I’ve been recording something like 13 hours of tennis each day during the French Open and sitting down to watch what I’ve recorded around 10:00 PM each night. Of course, the math doesn’t work, unless I want to avoid sleep and work altogether and I haven’t figured out how to pull that off. But it is fun to pick and choose what I watch—something the Tennis Channel has given me the opportunity to do.

Did you catch any of the Andy Roddick vs. Gael Monfils fourth round match the other day? Over the past couple of years, I’ve watched Monfils progress up the rankings (he’s seeded 11 at this tournament) and I could understand why he was headed toward the top. He’s loaded with talent and he really seems passionate about the sport. I wasn’t too impressed with his antics against Roddick though. As it got dark, Roddick began telling the umpire he couldn’t see. Monfils must have believed Roddick wanted play suspended solely because Monfils had a big lead. And there may have been an element of truth in that. But Monfils didn’t handle it well. He began making all sorts of incredulous faces, trying to stir up the fans (Monfils is from France, so he was playing in front of a home crowd). Roddick didn’t take the bait though. He got beat soundly, but somehow he kept his focus throughout the match and he didn’t respond to Monfils’ actions. I’m guessing that things might be a little different at the US Open if they happen to meet up in a night match in New York.

The tennis world was stunned to see Rafael Nadal lose in the fourth round to Robin Soderling. I was hoping for another Nadal vs. Federer final because the drama would have been so thick, but Federer is still in the tournament and therefore still in the hunt for his first French Open title. He breaks down in tears now every time he wins or loses a final in a major and I don’t expect anything different from him this time if he can get past Juan Martin Del Potro in the semi-finals.

On the women’s side, Dinara Safina looks to have things well in hand in the top half of the draw. At the bottom half, Samantha Stosur has been a huge surprise. She’s seeded 30th, but she’s in the semi-finals against Svetlana Kuznetsova. I’ll be rooting for the winner of that match to win the tournament, but I don’t see Safina losing unless her nerves get the best of her. She’s mentally tough and she seems like she is on the verge of securing her spot at the top of the women’s game for a while.

Brad Coleman Profile

2009-05-29T11:24:00.004-05:00

A while back, I interviewed NASCAR driver Brad Coleman for Baptist Press Sports. He's just about to make his 2009 debut for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Nationwide Series. He's a guy who is extremely honest about where he is spiritually, which is nice to see.

After racing a part-time schedule in the Nationwide Series with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2007, he signed with Baker Curb Racing for 2008, and the deal didn’t work out as planned. So he was on the sidelines for the final stretch of the season. Here's what he had to say about though times:

“What you really have to learn is to keep your faith and not give up and not let the down times get you down,” Coleman said. “There will be years when it will be the best year of your life all the way until a month to go in the season, and something can happen that will make it the worst season you’ve ever had, and it would be really easy to say, ‘God, why are you doing this to me?’

“But you’ve really just got to stay strong because he’s testing your faith. You know he has it all planned out for you and you know it’s all for the better.”

If you'd like to read the complete article, here's a link: Young NASCAR driver already giving back

Tina Gaa-Pulley

2009-03-09T23:43:00.003-05:00

Not long ago, I interviewed former NFL cheerleader Tina Gaa-Pulley. She cheered for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1993 and the Kansas City Chiefs in 2005. In between those years, she became a Christian and her transformation was noticeable. She went from being somebody who, in her own words, was about glorifying herself to a person who pointed others to Christ. Read the article I wrote about her for Baptist Press Sports if you get a chance.

A Sudden Realization

2009-02-06T12:27:00.002-06:00

The decision making process has always fascinated me. It involves weighing all of your options, getting advice from trusted friends, prayer, and when it all clicks, a knowing sweeps through your gut. That’s what happened to me in 1986.

I quit college in 1985 without any real plans for the long term future. Sounds like a kid, doesn’t it? But in the short term, I wanted to see how far I could go in the game of tennis. I wasn’t the best player on my high school team and in college we played on the fastest surface known to man—which didn’t help me since I’ve never been a speedster—so I was never able to get my ranking high enough to amount to anything, but I still couldn’t quench my desire to see what I could do. And I always believed that I could out work most people.

So, in 1986 I got into the best shape of my life by playing tennis for three or four hours every day and then I signed up to compete in several tournaments in the Midwest. I played okay in most of them, but I don’t think I ever advanced past the second round.

I signed up to play a tournament in St. Louis, which worked out well since my dad lived there. It was indoors and my dad watched the match from up above, snapping photos (including the one below—check out those Bike shorts!). If felt both odd and exhilarating to be chasing a dream in front of my dad.

The guy I was playing against in the first round was striking the ball well. His shots were flat and hard and didn’t give me a lot of time to get into good position for my shots. I knew that my only chance was to step inside the court (as seen in the photo) against his serve and become the aggressor. I even started doing that on my own serve, trying to use the pace of his shots against him. The strategy worked pretty well and it slowed him down. The first set went into a tie breaker and I lost it. But I still felt like I could pull it out in three sets.

The second set progressed much like the first—lots of good rallies and lots of winners on both sides. We ended up in another tie breaker and he won. The match was over. I felt good about the way I’d played. In fact, I didn’t think I could have played any better. He was just better on a couple of the big points in each tie breaker, but when you are already playing your best tennis, it’s hard to imagine playing at an even higher level.

After the match, a knowing swept over me. I was a good tennis player who would never be great. I won a tournament in college, but the reality was, I wasn’t good enough to go deep enough in any tournament after that. Tennis was going to become something I loved to play, but nothing more.

My story is similar to what happens to most people who pursue something they love. Most of us aren’t good enough to take it to the next level. But that doesn’t mean we should walk away. I didn’t. I couldn’t. I played in a few more tournaments. I continued to play recreationally. I read books and magazines about the game. And I studied it on television.

Now I’m 42 and very little has changed, except my waistline. I still love the game. I love everything about it, from the cordial spirit of competition to the way I feel when I hit a good shot. But more than anything, the tennis court has always been an equalizer for me. I have instincts on the court that I don’t have anywhere else, which allows me to overcome my size and slow-footedness.

Even though my dream died on a tennis court in St. Louis some 24 years ago, a new dream was birthed when I stayed involved in the game anyway. The new dream was to play the game for the simple joy it gives me. And that dream will never die because even when my body will no longer allow me to play, I’ll watch others play and the joy will return.

The Super Bowl on the Big Screen

2009-02-05T10:44:00.001-06:00

Ron Benson has a post up on his blog this morning about the quandaries that churches face when they show the Super Bowl on a big screen television. I love this idea:

Lobby the industry to put two versions of the SB on the air, using their cable franchises. This is not a bad idea. They could actually sell twice the commercial slots, and one version could be "family friendly." Why haven't they thought of this?

Check out his entire post when you get a chance.

365 Inspiring Moments from the Great Outdoors

2009-02-03T11:01:00.004-06:00

Barbour Publishing just released a perpetual desk calendar I compiled called 365 Inspiring Moments from the Great Outdoors. I had a lot of fun putting this calendar together and I included all sorts of factoids about the outdoors, including a number of facts about bike riding, hiking trails, canoeing, fishing, hunting, etc.

Oh, and in case you notice, Amazon.com currently mistakenly identifies someone else as the compiler of this calendar. I'm told that a correction has been submitted. It just takes a while for the process to work.

Australian Open Finals

2009-01-31T12:31:00.002-06:00

The women’s final between Serena Williams and Dinara Safina turned out to be a real clunker. It took less than an hour, with Serena winning the first set 6-0. She probably should have lost earlier in the tournament—especially against Victoria Azarenka, but was fortunate to get past her when Azarenka had to retire because she was not feeling well.

I’m not a fan of Serena, so this may sound like sour grapes, but what has happened to the women’s game? Ana Ivanovic is imploding. Jelena Jankovic, the number one player in the world, who oddly has no majors under her belt, was ousted in the fourth round. Safina is number three and she has no major titles. Elena Dementieva seemed poised to finally break through at a major but she crumbled when she faced Serena.

Serena will be ranked number one now, justifiably so—she just won her 10th major. But in the past, she hasn’t even taken the game seriously. She doesn’t play enough events and her ranking drops, and then she wins another major or two and it goes back up again.

I miss the days of Chris Evert, Steffi Graf (she won 22 majors), Monica Seles, Mary Pierce, Jennifer Capriati, Martina Hingis, and Kim Clijsters. With the exception of Evert and Graf, I’m not sure any of these women had the raw talent that Serena has, but they played hard and respected the game.

The men’s game, on the other hand, has sustained itself thanks to the rivalry between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. People are still talking about the incredible Wimbledon final they played last summer—the five set duel that last into the dusk. Ever since Nadal won it, every commentator uses the phrase “changing of the guard” every time they talk about these two players.

Two things make this rivalry interesting to me.

1. Nadal has been crowned king, but Federer doesn’t like it one bit. He won the US Open and he has even objected to being introduced as the number two seed at the Australian Open. So, he has something to prove. That always makes for an interesting story line.

2. Both of these guys have the utmost amount of respect for each other and the game. So many rivalries in sports are fueled by hatred—not so with Federer and Nadal. Nadal still says that Federer is the best player ever, even though he has defeated Federer 12 of the 18 times they have played. Federer is a student of the game and is always aware of the historical context he is playing in—which tells you how he feels about the game.

You get the feeling that if these two weren’t competitors, they’d be pulling for the other guy to become and stay number one in the world. I don’t know if that can be said about any other rivalry in sports.

Christians in the Super Bowl

2009-01-30T09:26:00.002-06:00

With the Super Bowl just around the corner, a couple of websites are publishing lots of articles about Christian players for the Steelers and Cardinals. Here are the links to the articles if you’re interested:

I’ve been a Steelers fan since I was eight or nine years old, so you know who I’ll be cheering for.

Roddick Falls to Federer; Gains Resolve

2009-01-29T09:01:00.002-06:00

Andy Roddick lost to Roger Federer again at the Australian Open. In fact, Federer has defeated him 16 out of the 18 times they have faced each other. Federer clearly gets a better read on Roddick’s serve than anybody else on tour and once you take away Roddick’s serve, or at least neutralize his serve, then he’s in trouble.

In years past, when Roddick lost to Federer, he’s looked a bit shell shocked after the match during the press conference. He’s played well against Federer, sometimes his best tennis, but he continues to get beat by him. His press conference this morning was different though. Here’s a little of what he said:

“[During this tournament] I did a lot of good things. Hit the ball pretty well and, you know, there's a whole laundry list of positives [to take out of it]. Overall, I think it was a good event,” he said.

“Hopefully I can build on this a little bit. If I can keep my form through the first couple weeks here and from Doha [earlier in the year], you know, [I] should have a better year than the last couple.

“As long as I decide to play this game, I'm going to do what I can to try to improve out there. There's no reason for me not to.”

Roddick has a new coach, who insisted that he lose 15 pounds, and he did. He also beat Novak Djokovic the other night—the defending champion of the tournament—and surely that has given him a little more confidence. But I sensed something else in Roddick that I haven’t sensed before—a refusal to accept his lot without a fight. In the past, he’s always done things his way and if it didn’t work, then he figured he had done his best. Now he’s listening to someone now—his coach. He has a plan; he’s working it; and it seems to have given him a quiet resolve he’s never had before.

Morgan Shepherd Spreads Christmas Cheer

2008-12-19T16:58:00.001-06:00

My latest article is up on the Baptist Press Sports website. It’s about NASCAR driver Morgan Shepherd’s annual trek into the mountains of Virginia to help the poor and needy at Christmas.

He’s been making the trip for the past 22 years. During out interview I asked him how he came up with the idea. Here’s what he said:

“We were talking about something we could do for someone at Christmas,” said Shepherd, a member of Gateway Baptist Church in Newton, N.C. “And Ken said, ‘Morgan, I know the perfect person. I was up at the fiddler’s convention in Galax, Va., and I was talking with this gentleman. He was all humped over. He was probably not more than 4 feet tall because he was all bent over.’”

The man’s name was Billy Shough. Ken asked the man what he would do if he ever received $1,000 and Billy said he’d never had the kind of money, so he didn’t know, but he said he would probably fix his roof and paint his house trailer.

Shepherd made it happen, and it was just the beginning. If you’d like to read the entire article, here’s a link: Shepherd's mountain trek provides Christmas blessings.

Adam Petty’s Legacy

2008-12-16T10:50:00.001-06:00

Baptist Press Sports recently published the third in a series of five NASCAR articles I’m writing for them. The latest one is about the legacy that 19-year-old Adam Petty left behind when he died during practice at the New Hampshire International Speedway in 2000.

He wanted to build a camp in his home state of North Carolina for children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses. After Adam died, his father—NASCAR driver Kyle Petty—and his mother, Pattie, labored long and hard to make his dream come true.

In 2004 they opened the Victory Junction Gang camp in Randleman, N.C. It’s a NASCAR-themed camp that brings in groups of children ranging in age from 6 to 16 from 24 different disease groups at no cost—including travel to and from the camp—and provides activities specifically suited for them.

Here’s a link to the story: Adam Petty’s legacy lives on

Motor Racing Outreach

2008-12-04T09:12:00.001-06:00

I have such high respect for chaplains in sports. I’ve interviewed a number of them, and many of their players, and over and over again I hear about their ministry of availability. They are available before games, in the middle of games, after games, early in the morning, late at night, and on the weekends too.

That’s the philosophy of Motor Racing Outreach (MRO). I interviewed Tim Griffin, the vice president and director of spiritual formation at MRO, as well as being the lead chaplain for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series recently. Here’s what he said about being available:

“We feel like our ministry is really like a classic chaplaincy,” Griffin said. “If we can make ourselves available and people can find us in the garage and if we can get up between a couple of haulers or over a stack of tires or behind pit road and we can have a conversation, then that might be our discipleship moment.”

If you’d like to read the entire article, it is posted on the Baptist Press Sports website: Motor Racing Outreach uses 'arm on tire' approach.

Willie Mays Aikens Seeks New Role

2008-12-03T12:00:00.002-06:00

Do you remember Willie Mays Aikens? He was a big-hitting first baseman who played for the Angels, Royals, and Blue Jays from 1977-1985.

Unfortunately, he’s known also for going to prison 14 years ago for crack cocaine distribution, bribery, and gun charges. Well, he was released from prison earlier this year and he recently wrote an open letter to the fans of Kansas City (where he currently resides and where he played in 511 of the 774 games he appeared in over his career).

In the letter, he apologizes for his past behavior and says that he has a new objective now:

My main objective now is to truly be a role model for the people of Kansas City and around the world by speaking out against drugs and alcohol and by giving my testimony around the country how God truly saved my life. Believe it or not, but by going to prison God allowed me the time to look at myself and to make changes that are necessary to live a Godly life.

You can read the whole letter on the Ball Star blog. Here’s a link.

NASCAR Driver: Eric McClure

2008-11-27T11:43:00.004-06:00

I had a chance to interview NASCAR driver Eric McClure a while back for Baptist Press Sports. We had a candid conversation about his faith and his racing career.

As we spoke, he didn’t know if he would be back with the same racing team next season or if he would even be racing in the Nationwide Series (where he started 32 of 35 races in 2008 and finished 21st in the overall standings).

Here’s a little of what he had to say:

“I have a lot of guys here [on my race team] who I really like and worry about and I want to look out for them,” McClure said. “But for the first time in my life, I have peace that God may not want me to race—that there will come a time when he may put me somewhere else and that’ll be fine. Before, I was always worried about what I would do. But if he has something else for us, then that’s OK too.”

Here’s a link to the article I wrote about McClure for Baptist Press Sports and here’s a link to McClure’s testimony that can be found on his website.

Good Sportsmanship

2008-08-15T11:25:00.004-05:00

James Blake has an incredible story to tell and he did so in his book Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life a couple of years ago.

In the book he talks about losing his father to stomach cancer, and breaking his neck during practice in Rome, and coming down with a disease that paralyzed part of his face. He battled through it all and returned to the ATP competitively.

He played one of the best tennis matches I've ever seen during the quarterfinals of the 2005 US Open. He lost the match to Andre Agassi in five sets, but clearly gave everything he had, and he earned even more respect from tennis fans, and from Agassi himself, who said this after the match:

"I don't know if I can put in context how this compares with some of my greatest experience on the tennis court, but I know it's right up there because this is what you work so hard for, you know. To be honest, with the way a mentality like mine sort of works, is this means as much to me as doing it in the finals. This is what it's about. It's about just authentic competition, just getting out there and having respect for each other's game and respect for each other's person and letting it fly and letting it be just about tennis."

Authentic competition; respecting each other's game; respecting each other as people; and letting it fly--if I had to describe what sports should be about, I would just point to what Agassi said. Sports goes to its highest level when both competitors/teams have the mentality that Agassi described. And when it gets to this level, it draws people who might not even understand the dynamics of the particular sport.

Agassi and Blake battled until after 1:00 am that night. A friend of mine, who is not a tennis fan by any stretch of imagination, called me shortly before it was over and told me that he was totally into the match. He asked me a few questions and then we hung up so we could watch the conclusion without any interruption.

With all of that said, I'll be the first to admit that James Blake hasn't always lived up to his talent level. But nobody questions his integrity, his love for the sport, or his desire to see the game played the right way.

Yesterday at the Olympics, Blake was in the semi-finals playing against Fernando Gonzalez. During a match point in his favor during the final set, Blake hit a backhand passing shot that landed long, but he believed that it ticked Gonzalez's racket. If he was correct, he would have won the match and moved on to the finals. According to a story running on ESPN.com, television replays confirmed that the ball did hit Gonzalez's racket. But the umpire called the ball out, apparently not seeing that Gonzalez made contact with the ball.

Blake appealed to the chair umpire and to Gonzalez himself, fully expecting him to fess up. Gonzalez didn't do it. Here's what Blake said after he lost the match, "Playing in the Olympics, in what's supposed to be considered a gentleman's sport, that's a time to call it on yourself. Fernando looked me square in the eye and didn't call it."

Gonzalez responded by saying, "I didn't feel anything. I mean, it's just one point. There is an umpire. If I'm 100 percent sure about it, I mean, I will give it. But I'm not sure."

How wishy-washy is that answer? So if he was 95% sure that he was wrong, he wouldn't have made things right? And how can you not know for sure whether the ball hit your racket or not?

The desire to win should never trump the desire to win the right way. Blake absolutely insists on winning the right way and he fully expects it from his opponents. And the game of tennis is better because of it.

Jason Lezak's Amazing Comeback

2008-08-11T16:22:00.006-05:00

I don't know the first thing about swimming. But I know excellence when I see it. Seeing Jason Lezak swim the final 50 meters of the men's 4 x 100 relay in come from behind fashion to help capture the Gold medal for the United States was inspiring.

Going into the final leg of the race, Lezak was more than a half-second behind France's Alain Bernard, but he dug deep and found a way to come all the way back to beat Bernard by just .08 seconds. The camera focused on Michael Phelps who let loose with his emotions in a Tarzan-like scream.

If you haven't seen the video yet, here's a link.

Be inspired.

Josh Hamilton’s and the Home Run Derby

2008-07-19T11:18:00.002-05:00

So, did you have a chance to see Josh Hamilton blast 28 home runs in the first round of the home run derby on Monday night? He set a new single round record. The Chicago Tribune called it "an all-time great performance." Afterward, Hamilton praised God for the opportunity, saying:

"It's amazing over the past few years what God's done in my life, and how quickly He's done it," Hamilton told ESPN's Erin Andrews after his record-setting performance. "I'd like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for giving me this opportunity."

You've probably heard his story already, but in case you haven't, check out this link from the Washington Post. The story talks about Hamilton's "dark years"—the time in his life before he became a Christian, when he was doing drugs and squandering all of his money. Hamilton is one of the best sports stories of the year because the grace of God is so evident in his life.

Luke Hochevar Interview

2008-06-19T11:20:00.003-05:00

I have one more link to post regarding the interviews I did in Kansas City last month. This one is based on the interview I did with Luke Hochevar, a starting pitcher for the Kansas City Royals. During the interview, he stressed the importance of setting aside time every day for his relationship with God:

“My alone time — when I’m able to get away and pray on my own and have that personal time with God is very key,” Hochevar said. “You have to have it every day. I feel as a Christian it’s very important and that’s how I find my peace and that’s where I find my rest.”

Here's a link to the article I wrote about him for Baptist Press Sports: Hochevar wiffs batters, walks with God.

Torii Hunter Interview

2008-06-18T11:48:00.002-05:00

Last month I interviewed Torii Hunter, the prized centerfielder who signed with the Los Angeles Angels before the 2008 season began. I spoke to him about his faith and I was really impressed by his honesty. Here's a little of what he said:

“I’m always struggling with something. But I know that if I’m struggling, there’s progress. If I see myself falling, I read a passage or talk to my wife [Katrina] about it. When you’ve got somebody in your corner who’s helping you with your faith and they are a Christian, (it makes a big difference). It’s just like when you work out; it’s hard to work out by yourself. When you’ve got a workout partner, you get a lot done. You push each other. That’s what my wife and I do.”

If you'd like to read the complete article, here's a link: Torii Hunter: the man behind the smile.

Ryan Lefebvre

2008-06-17T16:57:00.002-05:00

A little over a month ago, I interviewed Ryan Lefebvre, a television broadcaster for the Kansas City Royals. During our conversation Lefebvre talked about the importance of having good mentors in his life when he was young:

“Through some difficulties that I had in college and after college, I just found myself drawn to go to church; just to have the emptiness filled up with God and not with alcohol, or drugs, or women, or possessions,” Lefebvre said. “God just laid down a path for me that allowed me to be influenced by mentors and people who have given me a good example.”

If you'd like to read the entire article I wrote about him for Baptist Press Sports, here's a link: Lefebvre making a difference with his Footprints Foundation.

Links to Profiles Coming

2008-05-09T12:14:00.001-05:00

I've been in Kansas City this week interviewing players from both the Royals and the Angels for Baptist Press Sports. After the stories become available on the BP Sports website, I'll post links to them here.

Stewart Helps Shepherd

2008-05-03T12:39:00.004-05:00

I'm not a Tony Stewart fan. You can find that out by reading this post. I think he's one of the two best drivers in the world, but I just don't like his on-track antics. Off the track though, he seems to be a completely different guy. He raises money for charity, and last night he stepped up and helped 66 year-old driver Morgan Shepherd.

Shepherd runs in the Nationwide Series exclusively now and he pays for everything out of his own pocket. One set of tires is $1,800. And every race, drivers go through several sets. Shepherd isn't able to afford that, so usually he runs until the handling goes away on the tires he has, and then he retires from the race. Last week, tires weren't an issue at Talladega and amazingly, he was able to stay on the lead lap and finish 13th. It was the first time he finished a race in the Nationwide Series since 2003.

Enter Tony Stewart for the Nationwide race at Richmond yesterday. He decided to buy enough tires for Shepherd to run the entire race. And I love Stewart's reasoning:

"Just felt like doing it," Stewart said. "Morgan is a great guy. There are a lot of people in the stands that don't realize who Morgan Shepherd is. They think he's just some guy who drives a green racecar that says 'Racing with Jesus' every week. They don't understand that years ago he used to be one of the top guys in the Cup Series."

Hats off to Stewart for stepping up and giving Shepherd a chance he wouldn't have otherwise had. Shepherd finished four laps off the pace, in 28th place, but he was able to run the entire race. And I bet he was smiling the entire time.

Tejada Promises Home Run; Delivers

2008-05-03T10:04:00.002-05:00

Miguel Tejada, the shortstop for the Houston Astros, did something yesterday that I don't think is all that wise, but the result was touching. Before their game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Tejada and some of his teammates met children who have muscular dystrophy. Tejada was taken with 8 year-old Jacob Scott and before they were done talking, Tejada promised that he would hit a home run for Jacob.

And then he did it.

"I was so excited," said Tejada, who'd never promised a home run before. "I know it's hard to tell someone you'll hit a home run and do it. But today when I went to lunch with this kid I wanted him to be happy. So I told him I'd do it."

He went on to say this:

"I am really happy to God for all he gives me and when I talked to that kid I just thought, 'I've got to do something for the kid,'" said Tejada, who presented Jacob with an autographed bat after the game.

I'm sure it's a moment that Jacob will never forget, but I do wonder how many times an athlete has made such a promise and then hasn't been able to keep it. I've never seen one of those stories in the media. Have you?

Chris Lofton Beats Cancer

2008-05-02T10:48:00.002-05:00

Chris Lofton, the great three-point shooter and three-time All-American who just finished his basketball career at Tennessee, kept a secret during his entire senior season. He was battling cancer. He had surgery in March of 2007 to remove a cancerous tumor on one of his testicles. And he went through the radiation and recovery process with only a handful of people knowing about it. That's the way he wanted it because he's a private person.

But after the season, he starting thinking about going public with his story because he knew it might help others. Presumably, he knows that men aren't quick to get check ups, even if they suspect that something might be wrong. In Lofton's case, his cancer was caught during a random NCAA drug test.

Here's what Lofton said:

"I think God wanted people to hear my story. I think that's what it was," Lofton said. "At first, I wanted to keep it to myself. I didn't want to tell anybody, but then I realized that people need to know, maybe to help them or maybe to help somebody else."

Lofton is now cancer free and wants to play professionally.