This I do in honor of Z!

While each of us have made difficult decisions in our life some come with great pain and sorrow. On April 6, 2012 a decision was made regarding Zazah and what was best for her. I have cried much since that day but I feel that it was best for her. Bare with me for a little emotional history.

Several years ago my wife approached me about wanting a dog. Like most times my response was “no” and I expressed this standing several times. After it was determined that a dog was going to be joining the Hamby household I expressed my desire to have a big dog. My wife was very diligent about her search. She wanted to find one that would be a good fit for the diversity of our family. We decided upon an English Mastiff and was that ever the correct choice. We drove to North Carolina and picked up our little puppy (biggest puppy I had ever seen).  She was so sweet and full of love. We named her Zazah, which means belonging to all, and how that fit her so well. She was so gentle with the kids letting them do just about anything without ever complaining. She grew from a big puppy to a big dog yet always wanting to be a lap dog and never realizing her size. Zazah and I had a special bond sharing similar characteristics. She was very strong willed and determined to get her way at times but she had to learn that I am more stubborn than her. 

It was not long until we noticed Zazah had an issue with change or any kind of strange noises. At first this was just issues with storms or real loud noises. Later it became apparent that she got upset if we rearranged furniture or changed any configuration in our house. It became apparent that she was having trouble adapting to certain things so we took her to the vet for some guidance. She was diagnosed with a brain disorder and we began treating this with daily medications. Those helped for a while but did not last long. It was suggested that we get a cat as a companion for her. Again I said "no" because I was afraid that Zazah would kill or harm it badly because sometimes she played rough. Of course we went and picked out a cat. At first the animals did not like each other but it did not take long to see once again that Zazah had a heart of love.  The cat could do anything to Zazah and she would not lift a paw. They became buddies and would even lay together. The cat, like the medicine, helped for a period of time but eventually things started to get worse. If the wind blew hard Zazah would go into a panic or if anything happened outside of the normal she could not calm down. We were afraid many times that she was going to hyperventilate. She also got to where she could not hold her bowel movements during the events that frightened her.  She began doing things that she had never attempted to do before and knew better than to do.  We knew the next steps and my heart began to sink. We could have attempted behavior therapy and very high impact medication. She would have needed more attention than we could give and we weren't guaranteed results. We researched online and some of the other symptoms she could develop were horrible.

This brings me to April 6, 2012 a day that I will never forget.  I have a lot of regrets about that day. One regret is I sent my wife alone to the vet. I knew in my heart what was going to happen. I was working on my jeep that morning and Melanie walked Zazah out. She stood beside me and I kneeled down to say goodbye and told her I loved her. I knew deep in my heart what would happen and I was not as strong as Zazah. As I type this tears stream down my face and my heart burst with sadness. My fears were confirmed when I received a notification from my wife. She tried to speak to me on the phone but was unable too because of raw emotions.  Zazah was put to rest and could finally relax again. I regret greatly not going that day and staying by her side the way she had always been by mine. She has touched so many lives and everyone who met her has nothing but good memories and that is the way it should be. While it is debated if animals will be in heaven I can safely say if they are she will be waiting on me one day just as she did every day.

One may ask why this sad story is on a sports blog. Well since her death I have researched this issue more and have discovered that this disease is a form of Alzheimer’s. So in Zazah’s on way she backed Pat! I love you Z and miss you more than one could ever imagine.   

AHH POOR BABY!!!

I received this picture at the beginning of the basketball season and have been dying to use it.
I thought February 8^th would be my opportunity, but my heart was broken with a winning Duke three point shot at the buzzer. However, last night was a different story. The Tar Heels jumped out to a commanding lead and never looked back. In the first half they were scoring with such ease I thought I was watching Peyton Manning (who was in attendance) throw touchdown passes. The thing I enjoyed the most was watching the agony and expression of defeat on Coach Kleenex’s (yes Coach K’s) face. No other rivalry in basketball matches this rivalry. While most games are decided by the smallest of margins and keep you on the edge of your seat, it was nice to relax, sit back and enjoy the show. I understand that this is just the regular season title and I could experience defeat in the ACC tournament.  I will for the time being enjoy the moment. March is here and the madness is great. The exhilaration of victory and the dejection of defeat! There is no other time of the year that creates such anticipation, from the Cinderella slipper to the fall of the Giant. To quote my wife’s favorite announcer (not really) “Anything can happen baby!”…. IT IS MARCH MADNESS!!

THUS SAYS THE NCAA!!

The NCAA has approved some new rules for the 2012 season.

1. Kickoffs will move from the 30-yard line to the 35.  This move is on the heals of the NFL implementing new kickoff rules that are to improve the injuries suffered on kick returns.

2.  Players on the kick coverage units cannot line up more than five yards off the ball.  This rule as well has been put in place to help negate the amount of injuries suffered on kick returns.

3.  Touchbacks on free kicks — i.e.: kickoffs — will bring the ball out to the 25-yard line rather than to the 20.  Again, this is to give players more incentive to remain in the end zone and choosing the field position.   Punts and other plays that go into the end zone — i.e.: fumbles through the end zone — will still be brought out to the 20.

4.   (MY FAVORITE NEW RULE AND IT IS ABOUT TIME) if a player loses his helmet, it will be treated as an injury and the player must leave the field for one play. A study showed that in the 2011 season that more than 2 players per game lost their helmets. I grew really tired of seeing helmets bouncing on the ground. I would think that this will make more players buckle the chin straps and tighten their helmets up. If not this should at least get them in trouble with the coach after he has to burn a timeout to get a new player on the field. (this rule does not apply if an opponent rips or “facemasks” a player’s helmet)

5.  Offensive players in the tackle box at the snap of the ball who are not in motion will be allowed to block below the waist legally and without restriction.  However, all other players are restricted from blocking below the waist with only a few exceptions (such as straight-ahead blocks). I would try to explain but let me just sum it up, chop blocks are an issue.

6.  Players will be prohibited from jumping over blockers in an attempt to block a punt. This is the same rule that is in place on field goals and extra points so it should not be a huge adjustment.

While it is rare that I agree with some of the rules that the NCAA puts in place, I do agree with what they are trying to achieve with these changes. The bad thing about new rules is listening to the “ignorant” sports fans that will be irate when the REF spots the ball wrong or makes a horrible call. Don’t try to explain it to them just shake your head and realize they probably support the team you dislike the most. That should put a smile on your face because of how stupid it makes that teams fan base look! No one ever said the Sports Jedi is politically correct!

Star Rated

This is the time of the year where stars are followed and talked about more than any other time of the year. No, I am not talking about astrology, I am talking about the star rating high school football players receive based on perceived athletic skills. There are websites across the country where players are rated and the college sports fans follow relentlessly. Fans live and die by the rating system judging the success of their team based on these "stars". The sad thing about this is you can't measure heart or success by a star. Growing up all people are put in categories from size to looks. During your high school years kids are labeled and judged by fellow class mates and teachers as to who will be successful or not. I am sure everyone can recall those students who were going to set the world on fire. We also remember those kids who were not going to amount to anything when they grew up. Once again these were judgments placed on people without truly understanding their heart or what would motivate them in life to either succeed or fail. Talent, popularity, and skill are only as good as the person's desire and heart. While some kids have the "wow" factor, and you can truly see the raw talent they possess, they never develop into their star rating. Some kids with a one star rating explode when they arrive on the college scene. They can either become successful in the NFL or in life. There motivation was delivered from a coach who believed they could make a difference and these kids did not want to disappoint. As one of those kids who was not voted "most likely to succeed" or believed to be able to set the world on fire, my motivation came from someone who believed in me. I, for one, do not get wrapped up in the star ratings because I know that those stars don't measure someones heart!

Oh no he didn't! NOT AGAIN!

As a faithful 49er fan, this year was once again as fun as it was in the 80's and early 90's. It was a hard working nose to the grind stone type of team. Nothing came easy and rarely was there a game that was not in doubt until the very end. From the beginning weeks of the season I was not sure what to expect but as the season went on and the weeks went by the wins kept piling up. I did not want to get my hopes up and expectations to high because us 49er fans have come to expect a disappointing end to the season. Well to my surprise we won the division and a first round bye in the playoffs! Then came the dreaded match up of the high powered New Orleans Saints. As the game played out we could not have asked for a more exciting game and another victory. The dream season took yet another sharp turn when everyone's super bowl pick Green Bay Packers were upset by the New York Giants. Now with that outcome it meant the New York Giants would be coming to play at our house. The game was a classic match-up between to two hard hitting, powerful defenses. As most fans of these teams remember, games between these two power houses came down to the wire every time. This game was no different and was not a game for the faint of heart. As the game was tied at the end of regulation and both teams had multiple possessions in overtime, neither offense could move on the defenses. Then came the "fumble", the 49ers had held and forced yet another Giants punt. As Kyle Williams was fielding punts due to the injury to Ted Ginn Jr., the ball was poked free and the Giants had recovered. They were now in field goal range and the end seemed inevitable. Early in the game Williams misplayed a punt and it touched his knee before being recovered by the Giants. The last fumble did us in and the Giants kicked a field goal to move on to the Super Bowl. It was a gut wrenching loss and not the way you wanted to end a season. All I could think of was Roger Craig's fumble in 1990 against the Giants that set them up for a winning field goal to advance to the Super Bowl. Does that not sound familiar? As a heart broken and distraught 49er fan all I could think was "Really? Not again!" Disappointment and being heart broken is a true reaction for us passionate fans. The reaction of the fans and the ensuing "death threats" to Kyle Williams is ignorant at best. There is no place for that kind of reaction in sports. I know it is only a few fans that react in that manor, however they give sports fans a bad name. We survived the fumble in 1990 and we will survive the fumble in 2012! Hang in there 49er fans it will be our day again!

John 3:16 in Sports? IN ALL THINGS!

During the Broncos vs. Patriots game this weekend I was startled as a commercial from Focus on the Family aired with children quoting John 3:16. I took a step back and remembered thinking, WOW this is going to offend some people! I did not expect to see this type of commercial, especially during a sporting event on national television. If a commercial about beer, or an half naked women would have come on, I would have not even thought twice. Focus on the Family is reporting that after the commercial aired there were over hundred thousands hits looking up John 3:16. That is an amazing statistic. What is startling is some of the comments since this event. We never know the true integrity of a persons heart but from watching Tim Tebow over the years he has never changed. I think it is ironic that Tim Tebow plays for the "Bronco's" because it is an animal known best for bucking. As with the bronco, Tim Tebow is bucking a stereotype that has plagued professional athletes for years. We have had NFL players shoot themselves, fight dogs, and even commit murder but as for Tebow he prays and gives glory to God. For that Mr. Tebow all I have to say is: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that who so ever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Boring Championship SEC!

While I am one of the few SEC fans who was not excited about the rematch of LSU vs. Alabama, if it will help change the system then I am glad it was played. It has been reported that last nights game was down 14% from last year and the lowest rated BCS title game since the system was developed. The whole BCS game selection process has to be visited and "tweaked". Once again we stretched the bowl season out until January 9th and played the championship game on a week night starting at 8:30pm eastern time. I know we could not have moved this BCS championship game up because we would not want to take any glory away from the BBVA Compass Bowl or the Go Daddy.com Bowl.  I have no doubt that the championship game matched up the two best teams in college football but it sure would have been more exciting if both teams worked their way through a playoff bracket to get there. If the only thing that seems to get the attention of the NCAA is money, then last nights game should talk to their wallet and scream of CHANGE!