Lebron James is possibly the greatest basketball player on the planet today. I like him. He is a gifted athlete and has a rare set of skills that are a joy and inspiration to watch ... when he is playing well. About five months ago, Lebron's contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers ended and he decided to sign a new contract with the Miami Heat. Nothing wrong with that. Players do that. It was his choice to make ... just like Gary Ablett Jnr decided to sign with Gold Coast after playing for Geelong for so many years. However, the way... Read more →

Well, it's over! Spain has defeated the Netherlands to win the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament. I must admit, I only got up early once - to watch the Socceroos play Germany. That game wasn't worth my loss of sleep and the resultant German national anthem renditions in my house by my German-born wife became annoying after a while. Thankfully, that stopped a few days ago. Anyway, congratulations to Spain - you deserved it and hopefully this win will lift the morale of that country ... and the economy. By the way, Paul the octopus is either a prophet in... Read more →

The biggest news in professional basketball is the recent decision of Lebron James to sign with the Miami Heat, along with two of his best friends, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. Lebron is without doubt one of the best basketball players currently playing the game, although he has yet to win an NBA championship. Until he does, he can't be compared with a Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers (winner of 5 championships) or to Michael Jordan, former NBA superstar and winner of 6 championships. James' former team and city, the Cleveland Cavaliers are in mourning. He had carried them... Read more →

What an incredible AFL Grand Final it was yesterday as the Geelong Cats fought back to defeat the St.Kilda Saints by 12 points in front of just under 99,251 screaming fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The game was an absolute arm-wrestle in freezing conditions with neither team leading by more than 2 goals throughout the entire game. St.Kilda dominated the inside 50s but didn't take advantage of a number of opportunities (much like the Cats in last year's losing Grand Final against the Hawks). The last quarter was a ripper, with the Cats just lifting enough to get over... Read more →

Basketball is my favourite sport. I started playing it when our family lived in America during my teenage years and I still play today (though I'm a lot slower now!). As a kid I used to love to watch Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls on TV. They won 6 NBA championships in the 1990s. Click here and here to watch some highlights from Michael's career. Recently, Michael was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, along with other players such as the 7' 1" David Robinson, an athlete with a strong Christian faith (watch his speech here). You can... Read more →

Tonight the 2009 Australian Football League Season kicks off with a sold-out game at the MCG between traditional rivals the Richmond Tigers and the Carlton Blues. It's also former team-mates Ben Cousins vs Chris Judd. The excitement amongst avid footy fans is building ... while many others are wishing for a longer break :) I'm more excited about tomorrow night's Grand Final re-match between the Hawthorn Hawks and the Geelong Cats. The Cats should dominate ... Jeff Kennett's recent comments will only add fuel to the fire. I am predicting that Geelong will go all the way this year. No... Read more →

Well, it's AFL Grand Final week here in Melbourne ... and what a final it will be with the Hawthorn Hawks taking on the defending premiers, the Geelong Cats next Saturday afternoon. There's sure to be a full house of over 100,000 people at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for what should be a historical final. The Hawks are looking pretty strong with lots of confidence coming off their big win over St.Kilda on the weekend ... BUT the Cats will be ready for them. My prediction - the Cats by 3 goals! P.S. I was excited to be able to... Read more →

For those living in Australia, our Australian Rules Football season has only a few weeks left, with finals coming our way in September, culminating in the big Grand Final on September 27th. My favourite team is the Geelong Cats and they are playing really well at the moment, looking strong, and in a good place to repeat their long-awaited premiership from last season. I've been to a few games this season and I always try to catch any other games on TV if I can. I find it relaxing to sit back and watch such a great team play so... Read more →

I'm sure that many of you saw the spectular opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. I found it incredibly inspiring to see people from over 200 nations gathering together in one place for a common purpose. It made me think of the church that Jesus is building, made up of people from every nation on earth. Our church now has over 100 nationalities represented in it and I love the cultural diversity that brings. It's like a mosaic of many different and unique pieces, crafted together into a masterpiece, a work of art that God is creating. Anyway, enjoy the... Read more →

Go Cats!! Our family is celebrating wildly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as the Geelong Cats pulled off a massive win at the 2007 AFL Grand Final. What a year and what a team! Mark Read more →

I starting my tipping really well this AFL season - leading our competition for the first few weeks. Since then I've slipped back into 2nd or 3rd place for most of the season. Right now I have 98 wins with three rounds to go. One of our staff pastors, Peter Coburn, is leading the pack with 102 wins. Peter says he knows nothing about football (!?) but he's been doing some pretty good tipping of late. I'll have to do really well to catch him now ... and I'll have to keep an eye out for others crowding the front... Read more →

I've been a Geelong Cats fan for many years now and this is the best season we've had for a long while. The Cats are clearly going to finish on top of the ladder and are a good chance for the Grand Final if they can keep playing like they have over their 14 game winning streak. When I was young, I barracked for teams like Richmond (back in the Royce Hart days!) and Essendon. Back in the late 80s, when Nicole and I were leading our church youth group, we played a game against the Barrabool Baptist youth group... Read more →