The Gospel of Baseball: Two Kinds of Baseball

Here in Maine, most people openly root for the Red Sox (while some secretly root for the Yankees) and I ask those stalwart fans:

Why do you hate the Yankees so?

Why did you stick with the Red Sox for so many years when they failed to win the World Series?

And how does it feel now, to have won the World Series twice in four years?

Red Sox playoff lore is replete with scapegoats and villains, most recently:

1978: The Red Sox blew a 14 game lead over the Yankees, resulting in a one-game playoff. Leading 2-0 in the top of the 7th, the Sox surrendered a 3-run homer to Bucky Dent and never led the rest of the game. Manager Don Zimmer took the rap for blowing the lead and the game, and the Sox never played in the postseason again until 1986.

1986: Leading 3-2 in game 6 of the World Series, the Sox needed 6 outs to win their first World Series since 1918. Manager John McNamara replaced star pitcher Roger Clemens, citing Clemen’s request to be taken out due to a blister, but Clemens later denied that he asked to be lifted. The Mets scored a run off reliever Calvin Schiraldi to send the game into extra innings. The Sox led 5-3 in the 10th, but the Mets rallied in the bottom of the inning. Three straight singles off Schiraldi and a wild pitch by Bob Stanley tied the score, and then Mookie Wilson hit a slow grounder between Bill Buckner’s legs, scoring the winning run from second. cNamara had kept Bill Buckner at first base, instead of inserting Dave Stapleton as a defensive sub. The Mets went on to win game 7, and McNamara, Schiraldi, Stanley, and Buckner became the scapegoats.

2003: In game 7 of the AL championship series, with a 5-2 lead and 6 outs between the Sox and their first World Series appearance since 1986, Grady Little left Pedro Martinez in to pitch against the heart of the Yankees’ order. Martinez gave up 3 runs before Little could get a relief pitcher warmed up, and the Sox lost in the 10th inning when Tim Wakefield, pitching relief on 3 days rest surrendered a lead-off home run. Little became the scapegoat and has replaced by Terry Francona.

Since then, the Red Sox have won two World Series (2004 and 2007). The question is: What have you learned from winning?

Hebrews 12:1-6

Commentary

The theme for these verses is laid out in the previous chapter, where faith is depicted as belief that changes how you act:

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for ... These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. (Hebrews
11:1-2,39-40)

v1 Greek athletes frequently competed in the nude. The connotation of this verse is to "strip down for action," removing everything that could be a hindrance.

Perseverance is needed in order to produce a good crop (Luke 8:15) or to attain life in the middle of persecution (Luke 21:19).

v2 The word "fixing our eyes" implies away from one thing in order to concentrate on another. Remember a summer sermon on perfection called "We Did Everything Right but Win"? The perfecter of our faith is taking our immature faith and making us mature. The implication in v2-3 is that the maturation process will involve pain and persecution.

v4 This verse troubles me greatly, for it says that what I feel to be troubles and trials don’t amount to much, and my battle against sin is superficial and immature.

v5 Rebuking refers to exposing sin for the sake of bringing correction. (Matt 18:15; Luke 3:19; John 3:20, 8:46, 16:8; 1 Cor. 14:24; Eph. 5:11-13; 1 Tim. 5:20; 2 Tim. 4:2; Titus 1:9, 2:15; James 2:9; Rev. 3:19)

v6 God does not discipline us because of what we are, he disciplines us because of what he is calling us to be, i.e. Christ-like.

Application

There are two kids of baseball teams, and (at least) two kinds of baseball fans ...

the select few who win the prize, and

the majority who lose and spend the off-season ruminating about what might have been.

How is this like your spiritual life?

where have you won? (and what did you do when you won?)

where have you lost? (and what did you do when you lost?)

In theory, a championship team should always be looking ahead to defending their title; however, recent experience suggests that many owners disband a team once a World Series has been achieved:

In 1998, Wayne Huizenga, owner of the Florida Marlins who won the 1997 World Series, sold off most of his good players, citing financial pressures, and the 1998 team finished an NL-worst 54-108.

Likewise Jerry Coangelo, owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks who won the 2001 World Series, had gone heavily into debt signing free agents, and by 2004 the Diamondbacks had dropped to 51-111.

On the other hand, an also-ran team should be trying to make an honest effort to improve. However, teams generally make one of two errors:

either they blame the failure on scapegoats—like Bill Buckner in 1986 or Grady Little in 2003, or

they refuse to make big and necessary changes—arguing that they almost made it—and actually end up doing worse in subsequent seasons. [1]

What if building a winning organization was more important than the actual winning?

Points to Ponder

Speaking spiritually ...

... what if we could see that focusing on spiritual victories is idolatry?

... what if we could see that looking for scapegoats is denial of real problems?

.. what if becoming Christ-like was more important than the actual winning or losing?

What God is calling you to be is more important than what you acheive day-to-day. Perseverance helps you keep your focus on Jesus without losing heart or becoming distracted by day-to-day troubles.

Believe that God is working on you as a long term project.

Believe that God is calling you to become Christ-like.

And now live—and act!—on that belief.

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart & mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:5-6

Endnotes

1 - Consider the recent histories of the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants. Although Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds are marquee players, their exorbitant salaries have made it nearly impossible to amass a solid team around either superstar. Since 2003, neither team has won a pennant, & Rodriguez is moving up the lists of most games (1,904 - 42nd) and most home runs (518 - 4th) by a player who has never appeared in a World Series.