Tommy Mann

The Florida Gators put together a memorable March Madness tournament as they clinched the national championship. Although they were ranked as a #1 seed, they trailed in multiple games late in the second half, including being down 6 to UConn, 9 to Auburn, and 12 to Houston in the final game.   During the final media timeouts, which occurs when there are four minutes left, Florida seemed to find another gear in the form of senior guard Walter Clayton, Jr. Clayton stepped up throughout the tournament, making big shot after big shot. He was the epitome of clutch, the guy you want to have the ball in his hands when time is running out and you need a big play.  The team had confidence in Clayton because he had confidence in himself. He is only human, and will certainly miss shots in the future, but I can’t help but think about someone who is even more faithful.  Speaking of the Lord in Psalm 91, the anonymous author said, “He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings...

Micah was crying in Nashville again. One year ago the University of Florida’s 7’1 center Micah Handlogten suffered a devastating injury in the championship game of the Southeastern Conference Tournament. The sophomore endured a compound fracture to his lower leg, a gruesome sight on live TV. His teammates gathered around him as he cried in pain, knowing he may never return to the sport he loved.  Over the course of the season Handlogten recovered and rehabilitated his leg, with hopes to play again, not this year, but next. He was medically cleared to play in February, but the plan remained to sit out this season. After Florida lost two other big men to injuries, Micah decided to forgo his medical redshirt and suit up for the Gators. That meant he would be returning to the scene of his horrific injury: Nashville, and the SEC Tournament.  Not only did he play on the same court where he got hurt, Handlogten’s Gators returned to the championship game and hoisted the trophy in vict...

The NFL has received a black eye, and I’m not just talking about a punch from Ray Rice. The National Football League has always had a few bad boys, but they were isolated events. Michael Irvin had drugs and Michael Vick had dogs; there were off the field issues with Adam “Pac Man” Jones and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson. But today’s NFL seems to have given way to the thug culture, where violence, substance abuse, and fathering babies out of wedlock has become the norm. Ray Rice sucker punched his then-fiancée, and his team may have tried to cover it up so he could play. Greg Hardy assaulted and threatened to kill a former girlfriend. Adrian Peterson beat his toddler with a switch to the point that he had lacerations on his legs and buttocks. And although Ray MacDonald maintains his innocence, he was just arrested for hitting his pregnant girlfriend. These recent stories follow last summer’s unfolding drama of the alleged murders committed by Aaron Hernandez. The NF...

As a diehard Florida Gators fan I grew up pulling against Bobby Bowden and the Florida State Seminoles. To me, the perfect weekend included a Florida win and a Florida State loss. I used to hear that Coach Bowden was a Christian. But to be quite honest, in my mind it was hard to accept that someone could be both a Christian and a Seminole. It seemed that the latter meant he was living in sin. In all seriousness, it was always hard not to like Bobby Bowden. He was the epitome of class on the sidelines, and he graciously handled his termination from FSU (he has more wins than any other major college football coach, and he coached on a field that was named after him; how can you fire a living legend?). A few years ago Georgia coach Mark Richt told me about his salvation; he confirmed the rumor that I had heard. A football player at FSU was murdered during a bye week, and Bowden took the opportunity to tell his players that they needed to be right with God because...

I was disappointed with Ted Kluck’s biography of Robert Griffin III. It is a Thomas Nelson book, sold in Christian bookstores, and is sub-titled “Athlete. Leader. Believer.” But there was very little Christian content in the book, and the author seemingly praises RG3 for keeping his faith to himself (calling him “a refreshing change from the nonstop evangelism of the Tebow brand”), and the book even contained a curse word.* I chose this book as a football fan who knows little about RG3 as a person, and after reading it I still know little about the person. It became evident that the author has never spoken to the quarterback, which leaves a biography like this lacking. When talking about Griffin’s decision to play football at Baylor, he says, “We may never know why he chose Baylor.” I’d bet that we could know if someone asked him. I’d also bet that this information is available if the author did some looking. It’s hard to believe that he would never be asked about how he chose...

It was a swing of the bat that the Dent family will forever remember. Fans of baseball recognize the name Bucky Dent—he played for the Yankees and made a legendary play against the Red Sox 35 years ago this October. Bucky had a good career in the big leagues, mostly because of his defense, but a rare 3-run homer in the 7 th inning in a 1978 playoff game sent his Yankees to the American League East Pennant. After his days as a shortstop were through Bucky Dent entered the coaching ranks. But in 2007 he walked away from his job with Cincinnati so he could watch more baseball; more specifically, so he could watch his son Cody play for the Florida Gators. Cody’s twin sister Caitlyn plays for the NC State Wolfpack. Over the past four years Bucky and Marianne Dent have traveled thousands of miles to watch their children play the sport they love, sometimes watching games in two cities a week depending on schedules. To Florida fans Bucky Dent became a familiar face, often bei...

Today, January 25 th , 2013, marks the fifth anniversary of the day I was hired at Philippi Baptist Church . I wanted to take a quick minute to reflect back over how my life has changed in these few short years. For starters, I’m obviously older and about 65 pounds heavier than that skinny kid who arrived here on his 23 rd birthday. I’ve become more country, buying my first camo, gun, chainsaw, goat, truck, and “building,” and frequently burning our trash in the fire pit. My family has grown by over 1,000 as the people of Philippi have welcomed us into their large home and hearts. They have fed us (usually too much, with an emphasis on dessert), loved us, prayed for us, and trusted our leadership with their most precious members—their children. My biological family has also increased. I moved here with Alicia; today it is Alicia and Reagan. That is amazing considering the stark reality that having children was thought to be unlikely. While here my wif...

For more than a week now I have been haunted by the 6 turnovers that Florida committed in their 17-9 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. Florida, who was ranked #2 nationally and leading the SEC East at the time, controlled their own destiny; win their games and go to the championship. Following the loss Florida must now add another element to their title hopes: win their games and hope for 5 teams ahead of them to lose. That is a big and. That loss was a tough one for me. Well, technically all losses are tough for me. I am not a fair weather fan. I followed the Gators chess team even through their rebuilding years. I bleed orange and blue. If there is a Gator on the uniform then I whole-heartedly pull for them. For whatever reason, I have emotionally invested myself in the University of Florida, a school that I did not even attend. I know just how hard it is to win a national championship in college football. I have watched three times where the Gators ha...