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Clemons ‘pins’ CEO position TORONTO, ON – The CFL’s all-time all purpose yardage leader and popular coach Mike “Pinball” Clemons may be only 5’ 6,” but with his new CEO position comes high prestige. As a player, Clemons was known for bouncing off tacklers with his electrifying speed, earning him the nickname ‘Pinball’ and a Grey Cup. Then he transferred to the sidelines where for seven years he led the Toronto Argonauts as head coach, earning them six straight playoff appearances and another Grey Cup. Clemons climbed one more rung on the CFL ladder to become General Manager before becoming CEO of the Argonauts’ franchise on Dec. 4. Despite his short stature, Pinball knows how to knock over people with a captivating smile and solid character. This character stems from a deep-rooted Christian faith ingrained in him as a child by his hard-working single mother. “I went to church with my mom,” Clemons told TheGoal.com. “I learned it wasn’t enough just to believe in God. I had to invite Him into my heart.” When asked how his faith affects everyday life, he said, “Having God in my life has helped me to not be selfish, but to work hard and be disciplined.” Despite the demands of his new position, the father of three girls says, “I make sure I spend time reading the Bible. And every so often I try to get away either alone or with my family. When the pressure is on, I ask God to strengthen me so I can do what I have to do and glorify Him.” About his vision for the Argonauts he simply flashes another contagious smile and tells the National Post, “It’s time that our city has the same passion and responsibility for the Toronto Argonauts as the Argonauts have for [the city].”
‘Man of
the year’ a man MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Rated by Baseball America magazine as the most exciting player in 2000, centre fielder Torii Hunter from Pine Bluff, Arkansas is now exchanging that title for ‘Man of the Year.’ The Marvin Miller Man of the Year award, chosen by Major League Baseball fans, is given annually to the player whose on-field performance and contributions to his community inspire others to higher levels of achievement. Hunter’s community efforts include establishing the Torii Hunter Project in 2006, which partners with Little League’s Baseball Urban Initiative to help improve the conditions of baseball diamonds in urban cities and attract more youth to the game of baseball; working with Big Brothers Big Sisters; and acting as spokesperson for the Minnesota Twins Rookie League, as well as other youth baseball programs in the Twin Cities. Despite the great honour of this award, Hunter doesn’t hold the accolade too closely. In a webcast with MLB.com, he said, “You don’t want to go out there and try to get recognition for all this stuff. I just try to go out there and do what’s right.” Most of all, the father of three sons cares about his reputation with Jesus Christ. “Where I’m from, how I got out — I know the Lord is the main reason I didn’t get shot or stay with a gang,” he told Sports Spectrum. “I had to avoid a lot of gangs and things like that, but my Mom prayed for me every night and made sure I stayed in church and learned everything I could about the Lord Jesus Christ.” Former teammate Corey Koskie, a fellow Christian, adds, “Torii is a game-breaker on defense and offense, and there aren’t many players like that. But it’s also the intangibles with him. He comes to the park with a smile and picks up people around him. He has an aura about him that people seem to be attracted to. He lights up people’s lives. He’s just a joy to be around.”
Sunbeam shines for Christ ORANGE COUNTY, VA – Huge multi-million dollar corporations generally avoid taking a religious stand for fear it might jeopardize their bottom line. Yet this year a certain bread company in Virginia decided to act counter-culturally around the Christmas season, reminding consumers that the holiday meant more than ‘loafing’ around. Sunbeam Bread did this by changing its logo to represent its values. “Instead of the character just being up there smiling, she now has her hands folded in prayer and the caption underneath says ‘Not by bread alone,’ ” pastor Joseph Groux of Orange County told the American Family News Network. Mary Krier, a spokesperson for Sunbeam, said, “They just felt it brought people back to remembering what’s important in life.” The phrase ‘Not by bread alone’ is derived from the Bible where Jesus says, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word which comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). The logo can be seen on billboards across the U.S., shining forth with Sunbeam’s reminder to take time to reflect on what matters.
Pitching ace a unanimous choice NASHVILLE, TN – Usually there’s plenty of competition when it comes to winning awards like the Cy Young. Not in the case of this year’s National League winner, San Diego Padres’ pitcher Jake Peavy; his was a unanimous vote. Peavy earned pitching’s triple crown this season by leading the league with 19 wins, a 2.54 ERA and 240 strikeouts. Known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, the 26-year-old pitcher was more than excited about the award. He told the National Post, “I want to find that happy medium, where you’re emotional but there’s that inner calmness and peace you have to have in front of 50,000 in Dodger Stadium.” Peavy depends on Christ for that inner stability. “You can have such a peace and be at peace with yourself knowing that your sins are forgiven; it’s not about how good we can be, but about this gift that we have of eternal life through Jesus Christ,” he told Sharing the Victory. “I realize what a blessing it is to be able to stand up and challenge people to let God’s light shine through them and to make a difference. That’s what I think we’re called to do as Christians: to make a difference in other people’s lives and to take other people to Heaven with us.”
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