To cry or not to cry ...

I love the movie "A League of Their Own" - in one important and well known scene, Jimmy Duggan has just "chastised too vehemently" one of his players with the well worn line ... "Are you crying? Are you crying? There's no crying in baseball."

As anyone who has watched the Little League World Series knows, that phrase just isn't true. In the last few days, many have made a point to criticize, condemn, make fun of, you name it ... a sports hero - but more importantly, a life hero because of all things ... he dared to cry on national television. It is sad in our day that a man who is vaulted to the top of a pinnacle and falls hard - how many "Tigresses" are we up to now ... and I have not seen any sign of condemnation toward him in the Facebook community ... and yet a man who wears his faith in his eyes ... well - just under them - does something as humane as demonstrate his emotions ... and an entire group - "Tearbow for Criesman" pops up. I'm just not sure I understand.

The other evening, ESPN ran the "Jimmy V" acceptance speech from the ESPY Awards in 1993. In that speech, Jimmy V said this ... there are three things we should do every day ... "number one laugh ... number two think ... number three 'have your emotions moved to tears.'"

Arguably one of the best coaches in the sport of college basketball - Jimmy V summed it up ... "If you laugh, you think and you cry, that's a full day ... that's a heck of a day ... you do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."

If showing your emotions on the side of a football field ... knowing this is your last hurrah ...knowing that the better team won that day ... but knowing still that God is still God ... well ... I suppose I'd rather be sitting right there next to 'Timbo" having a good cry!

By the way ... just in case you were wondering ... this is the verse those tears were running through ... John 16:33"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."