Sport Report

The Eagan Mighty Duck Celtics

When we arrived that Saturday morning, the game between the Eagan Mighty Duck Celtics and the Bullets had just begun. Sandy found a folding chair on the sideline next to Grandpa Teed, and I found a spot on the floor in the corner across the court where the Mighty Duck Celtics “bench” was located.

Amid the healthy voices of first-grade boys shouting to each other to pass and to shoot, the voices of their parents and coaches yelling encouragement, and sharp blasts from the ref’s whistle, I learned from my nephew Donny Teed that the M. D. Celtics, featuring player Derek Nasi-Teed (his first-grader brother) and coach Donald Teed (his dad), were leading 3 to 1. (No free throws in this league and one point per basket.)

It was a very exciting game in which the M. D. Celtics prevailed, amassing a 17-5 lead during the hour of play. Grandpa Don Teed senior, who had sat in one of the best seats in the house and watched Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls play the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier in the week, said that the M. D. Celtics-Bullets game was a lot more fun.

Though I lacked the experience of watching that Wolves-Bulls tilt, I readily agreed with him as we made our post-game analysis over lunch. Consider the points in favor of the first-graders’ game. Admission was free. Not only did we sit right at courtside, we could also talk with the players themselves. Rules and refereeing — done by the coaches — were made for the players, not the players for the rules, very much in line with Jesus’ stated conviction about their purpose (Mark 2:27). For example, neither double-dribbling nor travelling were considered violations, and even out-of-bounds calls depended upon what would facilitate the game and the welfare of the ball-players rather then depending on the exact location of the out-of-bounds line. Add up these features and you have one heck of an entertaining event.

Encouragement of the players on both sides was intense. My nephew, Derry, turned out to be a great passer as well as a good conversationalist on the “bench” where, as I mentioned, I had my seat. No matter what a player did, it was cause for praise.

“Did you see the little guy on the Bullets?” asked Grandpa Teed at our post-game lunch. “He didn’t touch the ball the whole game.” “Yeah,” I responded, “He played the whole game without a mistake.” “Yeap. A great game,” said Grandpa. — PJ