Tourney Alphas and Omegas

Farewell, international baseball; hello, college basketball. 

Saint Patrick’s Day in Miami was painted yellow, blue, and red as Venezuela claimed its first World Baseball Classic title, handing Team USA its second-consecutive second-place finish.

After U.S. first baseman Bryce Harper sent a game-tying bomb bursting in air two-run homer in the eighth inning, Venezuelan infielder Eugenio Suárez hit a double, bringing home the deciding run in the top of the ninth. (Watch the celebración.)  

Meanwhile, March Madness tipped off yesterday with Texas and Howard earning their spots in the field of 64; teams 63 and 64 will join the party tonight. On the bracket beat, ~25% of people have Duke winning it all, while 11-seed South Florida is the people’s bracket-buster (1 in 3 brackets have the Bulls upsetting Louisville in round one).

ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Sports can be a field where spiritual fruit grows. Through sports, we experience the thrill of victory, resilience from defeat, the beauty of teamwork, and the delight of play. As you watch, cheer, and discuss sports, keep an eternal perspective by focusing on growing Christlike character, not just the scoreboard.  

“And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” 
Romans 5:3-5 (CSB) (read full passage)