29 Aug, 2007
I'm so mad...I could spit!
Spitting Little Leaguers are blow to Coon Rapids' image
Under the glare of the national spotlight, Coon Rapids Little Leaguers got caught with spit on their hands.
After a bruising 9-2 loss in the Little League World Series, two of the team's star players were captured on ESPN spitting into their hands before exchanging handshakes with the team from Chandler, Ariz.
The bad sportsmanship caught teammates, coaches and parents by surprise, prompted a series of apologies, launched tirades in blogs and e-mails and has experts suggesting that this is a "teaching moment" about how to be a good sport.
Parents and league officials point out that the offenders on the team of 12- and 13-year-olds are "just kids," but they also quickly note that they need to be accountable for their actions.
The incident went unnoticed by other players, the coaches and the parents, said Pat Freese, the vice president of the Little League in Coon Rapids. Freese said he was at the game but learned about the spitting only when he got a phone call from someone who saw it on TV.
"We were all shocked, thinking no way could that happen," Freese said. Then he and the team's coaches sought out the video.
"The coaches looked at it and they were disgusted. They were beside themselves," he said. The team immediately issued an apology for the "inappropriate behavior."We recognize that through our actions we have reflected poorly on the community and disappointed a number of people," the team said in a written statement. "In addition, we apologize to the Little League organization and the Little League Baseball World Series."
The team also personally apologized to the players and coaches from Chandler.
photo courtesy images.google.com & story startribune.com, 8/24/07
Ephesians 4:26-27 (NLT)
26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about dealing with anger?
God's Word doesn't say that we should never feel angry. It does teach us that we must learn to handle it properly.
What kinds of situations tend to make you angry? What do you do?
Today's story about the little league losers spitting on the hands of the kids who beat them is a great illustration of our human sinful nature.
Most of us have probably felt so mad at someone that we wanted to spit. In fact, I remember aiming some angry saliva toward my siblings. You too? Even though it wasn't on national TV, my mother caught it and then I caught it!
If we let our anger be demonstrated with a "temper tantrum" (like a little child), we can hurt others and ruin relationships. But if we stuff our anger deep down inside of us, it can result in bitterness and destroy us from within.
Do you tend to vent your anger or bottle it up inside? What happens?
Paul writes about the need to deal with our anger immediately. We can't let it simmer and heat up. Satan will always use our anger to hurt us and our relationships with others.
Don't spit! Begin to work on mending relationships.
- Thank God for His patience with you, even when you're struggling with anger. If you've been stuffing it inside, ask His Spirit to help you deal with it and experience healing from the hurt you may be feeling. If you have a tendency to lose your temper when you're angry, ask Jesus to give you His heart and mind so that you can learn to let His Spirit give you control over your anger. Finally, give the situation or person causing you to feel angry over to God. Ask Him to fill you with His forgiveness, patience and love.
- The next time you feel out of control because you are angry at someone, rather than spitting, swallow hard and let Jesus help you get control.
- For two weeks, keep a written journal of what makes you feel angry. This will help you learn some patterns in your emotions and allow you to be specific in asking God to help you.
- Whenever you are feeling like your anger is getting the best (or worst) of you, spend some time listening to praise and worship music and reading the Psalms.
How can we connect today's story and God's Story scripture and our story to others?
- Apologize to anyone who has been on the receiving end of the wrong kind of anger from you.
- Use today's story about the Little League spitting as a way to share more of your story with someone you are trying to connect to Jesus. Be vulnerable about your own struggle with anger and share how you are learning to depend on Jesus to deal with it.
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