Baseball, Streaking, and the Christian Life

At one point this season, Royals centerfielder Lorenzo Cain had a 12 for 18 streak. That streak* was filled with homeruns, doubles, and more than one clutch RBI. When interviewed during this streak, Cain commented that the ball was coming to him looking like a beach ball. His comment got me thinking about living the Christian life.

I’ve actually experienced the beach-ball effect. At one point during my senior year of high school (the last year I played hardball) I had a similar streak to Cain’s. As I watched the ball come to the plate it seemed to grow at the same rate as the Grinch’s heart. It’s easy to hit a baseball when you see it this clearly.

I’m not in the major leagues.

That is because for the most part I’m a terrible hitter. Typically the ball looks like a deflated ping pong ball. And that (among other things) is what separates me from major league stars. Any schmuck can hit a ball when it looks three sizes too big. What separates the big boys of summer from the mustard-stained amigo on the couch is how you hit when the ball is normal—or even when it appears smaller than normal.

3 Lessons From the Beach Ball

I believe you could use this analogy for a number of things. You could talk about pastoring in the difficult times, parenting when your kids seem like monkeys hopped up on energy drinks, being a good friend when your buddy is a jerk, or remaining faithful as a spouse when times get really tough. You can apply it many ways. Here are three general lessons that I draw from the beach ball.

1. It’s not the hot streaks but the day to day faithfulness to Jesus that will define me. The world might view us based upon our best day or on our worst day. But the Lord (and history) seems to view the entire trajectory of our lives. If I’m amazing at being a husband for three months after attending a seminar, but I’m a terrible specimen of a man the other nine months I’ll be defined as a husband that blew it.
2. How I respond in the cold streaks matter. If I give up and wait until the beach ball moments come back I’ve blown it. I think about this with writing. Sometimes it comes with ease. Other times it feels like I can’t even write my name. Yet I keep plodding along.
3. Am I taking advantage of those beach balls? Listen if the Lord gives you an overflow of grace you had better use it up. It’s like manna—it’s meant for today. If the ball feels like a beach ball don’t stand at the plate with the bat on your shoulder looking for a walk, get after it. You know that the streak won’t last—that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take advantage of it. Some people can’t enjoy the view from the mountain because they see the valley right around the corner.

If you’re having a beach ball experience then enjoy it and use it for God’s glory. If things are coming a little more difficult keep plodding along. Take heart in knowing that the most important aspect of your faith is it’s unchanging object.

Keep on swinging whether it looks like a beach ball or not.
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*Did you think I meant a different type of streaking? Silly rabbit…

How Can a Calvinist Enjoy a Baseball Game?

One of my Arminian friends asked me a fun question. Noting the Calvinist view on foreordination and the meticulous sovereignty of God, this friend wondered why Calvinists even bother watching baseball. “If God has already ‘fixed’ the outcome why bother,” he asked.

The Calvinist faces a similar question concerning prayer and evangelism. Some ask, “If the outcome is already ‘fixed’ why do we even bother praying or sharing the gospel?” The answer to this one is a little more simple. We pray and share the gospel because God commands us. Spurgeon said something close to this:

"If God had painted a yellow stripe up the backs of the elect, I'd go through London lifting up coats and preaching only to them. As it is, He has not, so I preach the Gospel to all, and God brings his sheep."

But what about baseball? There is nothing in Scripture that commands us to watch baseball, so why bother? There are at least three reasons why I can still watch and enjoy baseball even though I believe that God has already “fixed” the outcome.

First, I watch to enjoy God’s history unfold. This is not to say that baseball history is anywhere near as important as salvation history. Yet that does not mean that salvation history has nothing to do with baseball history. Nor does it mean that God isn’t also writing the story of baseball.

Secondly, I enjoy baseball. I believe that when Alex Gordon makes an insanely good catch in left field that he is doing so as a gift of God. And I really do believe that it is through a very real human freedom that Alex Gordon makes that catch. I don’t fully understand how this intersects with the meticulous sovereignty of God, but I believe that Scripture teaches both. As I enjoy baseball I’m enjoying God’s story and I’m also enjoying humanity imaging God.

Lastly, I view baseball and history from a “field” view instead of from the “grandstands”. My friend noted that we Calvinists cannot rightly say, “That was a lucky catch”. I agree. So, I jokingly told him that I would from now on say, “Wow, that providentially ordained catch sure looked lucky from my finite human perspective”. And that’s the third reason why I can enjoy watching baseball as a Calvinist. If I had a view from the grandstands—where I already knew the outcome I’m not sure that I would get the same enjoyment. In fact I’m confident that I wouldn’t—because I get less enjoyment watching a game that has already been completed. But I don’t have that type of perspective. I view baseball as it is happening. Therefore, I’m still able to enjoy watching history unfold.

Whether Calvinist or Arminian you should watch baseball and enjoy it.

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Here are a few other articles on baseball that I’ve enjoyed recently:

Our National Pastime by Kevin DeYoung

How Baseball is Like the Christian Walk by David Prince

2013 MLB Predictions

  It’s Here! Opening Day begins today. (The Rangers losing to a minor league team on ESPN last night doesn’t count). Here are your 2013 MLB Predictions.

AL EAST

1. Boston Red Sox
2. Toronto Blue Jays
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. New York Yankees

AL Central

1. Detroit Tigers
2. Kansas City Royals*
3. Cleveland Indians
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Minnesota Twins

AL West

1. LA Angels
2. Texas Rangers
3. Seattle Mariners
4. Oakland A’s
5. Houston Astros

NL East

1. Washington Nationals
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. New York Mets
5. Miami Marlins 

NL Central

1. Cincinnati Reds
2. Pittsburgh Pirates
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Chicago Cubs 

NL West

1. LA Dodgers
2. San Francisco Giants
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres

AL Wildcard: Kansas City Royals vs Toronto Blue Jays
NL Wildcard: Atlanta Braves vs San Francisco Giants

ALCS: Angels defeat Tigers
NLCS: Braves defeat Dodgers

World Series: Angels defeat Braves

AL MVP: Dustin Pedroia 
NL MVP: Justin Upton
AL Cy Young: Jered Weaver
NL Cy Young: Stephen Strasburg
AL ROY: Jackie Bradley
NL ROY: Shelby Miller

Teams that will do better than expected: KC, Seattle, Arizona
Teams that will do worse than expected: Baltimore, Cleveland, LA Dodgers

*I might just have Royals-fan blind optimism. But I really like the depth of this team. If the starting pitching can hold up they really could make a deep run.

@MLB NL West Preview

Because of my stellar NFL picks, I know that many of you are dying to hear my 2013 MLB predictions. Wait no longer. For the next couple of weeks I will roll out my predictions for the 2013 season. I will begin with the most boring division (the NL West) and end with the only one that really matters (the AL Central).

Final Standings

1. LA Dodgers
2. San Diego Padres
3. San Francisco Giants
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
5. Colorado Rockies

Not enough pitching for the Rockies. The NL West always has a team that shouldn’t be a contender that ends up making a push for the division. It could be the Diamondbacks but I am going to go with the Padres. The Dodgers are stacked—barring injury they could win 100 games. I see the Giants going backwards.

So Crazy It Just Might Work:

• 30/100/.280 for Cody Ross
• 15 wins for Wade Miley
• Rockies score 800 runs…but give up 1000
• Tulo threatens 50 homers
• The Dodgers have the type of team that could woefully under perform—I think their batting doesn’t do as projected but their pitching gives them 90 plus wins.
• 40 SB’s and a .275 BA for Cameron Maybin
• Clayton Richard wins 18 games
• Lincecum bounces back but Cain falters

Rookies to Watch: Tyler Skaggs (SP, Arizona) and Adam Eaton (OF, Arizona)
Most Likely to Break a Bone: Todd Helton…dude’s like 50
Fantasy Stud: Troy Tulowitzki
Fantasy Dud: Adrian Gonzalez

Baseball, Meaninglessness, and True Joy

Another stupid error.

This was becoming one of the worst practices in history. I was sure to lose my starting position after all of these stupid errors. It was like the worst of Bill Buckner and Chuck Knoblauch had invaded my playing skills. I couldn’t throw to first base. I couldn’t catch a simple ground ball.

And so I did what every unsanctified high school boy does when he’s having a practice like that; I cursed and screamed out expletives while kicking the dirt. I was playing the game that I loved and I hated it.

Baseball had become my god and it was kicking my tail.

It started out as fun. A little boy sliding into bases; enjoying that feeling of getting all dirty and working hard. Diving after balls and making plays; hearing the crowd (all 12 of them) cheer. Running around the bases as fast as my little legs could carry me. Baseball was fun.

Then I got serious.

Many of the things around me seemed to be collapsing. But this was one thing that wasn’t. I was getting better and better at baseball and I was going to make something of myself. It would be hear that I would find life and meaning. Here I would become somebody. That’s why I cursed so violently on that day. Dreams were meeting reality.

Life and meaning cannot be found here.

The Cursing Boy is Changed

A few years after this dirt-kicking profanity-laced tirade something happened. Actually, it would be better to say Somebody happened. Jesus Christ captivated my heart. At the same time my baseball dreams were slowly coming to naught. I was 18 and could only muster playing softball in a YMCA league. That’s not quite the fast track to Major League Baseball.

As my chances to find life and meaning in baseball dwindled I started losing passion for the game. I was slowly discovering what Solomon did all those years ago; everything under the sun is “meaningless, meaningless, meaningless.” Baseball had such a stranglehold on my heart that I had to, for the most part, take a year or two off from the game.

During that year off Jesus had been working over all my idols. He was slowly grounding my identity in himself and causing many idols to topple.

After a brief hiatus I started playing baseball again. But this time it was different. I was only playing slow-pitch softball in a YMCA church league but I loved the game more than I ever did. No longer did I curse when I messed up. No longer did I feel like I had to have one of those “hard” faces even whenever I did something good. I could simply enjoy the game.

Ecclesiastes tells me why

And I commend joy, for man has no good thing under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun. Ecclesiastes 8:15

You can read that statement two different ways.

You can read it as a depressed man at the end of his rope. In this case it’s as if he is saying, “Ah, forget the whole thing. There’s no point in anything anyways I’m just going to eat some ice cream, get drunk, and try to find a little happiness wherever it may be found.”

Or you can read it as a man that is now able to look through the shiny allure of all things under the sun and see them for what they really are. Solomon has found that the “end of the matter” is to “Fear God and keep his commandments”. In other words ultimate meaning isn’t to be found “under the sun”. Realizing this transforms life under the sun.

When I tried to find life and meaning in baseball it left me empty. Baseball—like sex, money, leisure, career—are meaningless gods. I cannot enjoy baseball when it is a functional savior. It was no longer enjoyable because I had strapped a weight on it that it cannot bear; namely, satisfying my soul.

As Yahweh captivated my heart baseball changed its meaning. It was no longer a god that I bowed down to. It was now a gift that I could enjoy. I could see it for what it really was a gift to be enjoyed under the sun. And I really did enjoy it. Finally, I enjoyed the game instead of worshipped it.

Solomon cries out to those of us that are searching for life and meaning, saying, “It isn’t found here under the sun”. Look elsewhere. And when you do, and you find life and meaning where it is truly to be found—in God Himself—something strange happens…

You start enjoying things under the sun.

Why I Am Thankful For Cincinnati Reds Pitcher Mike Leake

In more than one place it has been recommended that writers ought to frequently “Google” themselves.  I do not do that.  First of all, it just sounds weird and not something that a follower of Jesus ought to be doing.  Secondly, I don’t benefit from “Googling” myself.  You know why?  Because for the first hundred or so pages I have to read about a Cincinnati Reds pitcher that stole my name. 

Apparently there is a feature on that Google machine where you can type in your name, your website, or really any keyword search and then get email updates every time somebody posts something to Al Gore’s internet with those words.  That would frustrate me to no end.  I would get double digit updates every day of someone writing an article on Reds pitching or stealing clothes from Macy’s.  So this little feature that is supposed to help writers would do very little for me if I searched for my own name. 

And for that I am very grateful. 

I know my own heart.  I know that I can become far more conscious of how the world views me, than how the world views Jesus.  Every time I got an email update about some chap interacting with something I wrote, my head would either swell with pride or my ego would be dashed by their criticism.  Left unchecked my heart has a tendency to “think more highly of myself than I ought”.  Which of course is firmly opposed to Paul’s exhortation to “not think more highly of yourselves than you ought”. 

The fact that I am the lesser Mike Leake is very beneficial to my soul.  Of course I would prefer that more people were concerned about articles lifting up Jesus instead of rambling on about a guy throwing a fastball or his slider getting rocked.  But I’m okay if that happens apart from my name—as it inevitably will.  I am glad that I cannot constantly monitor what the internets think about my writing.  This way I can just faithfully plod along and hopefully have a heart more like Paul’s that was far more concerned about the kingdom and mission of Jesus than he was about counting his own baptism numbers. 

So, thank you other Mike Leake.  Keep rockin’ that fastball.  Or not.  It really doesn’t matter because as long as you are playing in the MLB and I’m just faithfully preaching the gospel the world will value you far more.  And that’s cool with me because my treasure is secured elsewhere.  Of course, I think it’d be awesome if Christ captivated your heart and that way the greater Mike Leake and the lesser Mike Leake would both be representing Christ to the world.  You through your fastball and me through my writing and preaching.  But until that day I remain grateful that you keep my heart in check by your Google domination. 

4 Reasons Base Hitters Are Better Bloggers

Last inning.  Down two runs.  Two outs.  But the bases were full.  One of our better power hitters was at the plate.

I started packing up my gear.  I knew the game was going to be over.  No, not because I knew he was going to crush the ball into the left-field seats.  I knew it was over because homeboy would inevitably be dropping his shoulder and elbow and he’d either pop up to the second baseman or he’d end up striking out on a ball that bounced to the plate. 

You don’t need to hit a homerun when a base hit will do just fine.  That is sound advice.  But honestly, it’s not advice I need to heed.  With my wiry frame and level swinging, Boog Powell is more likely to beat out Usain Bolt in a 100 yard dash than me jacking a homer.  I never swung for the fences because it wasn’t my game. 

But you get me to preaching or writing.  For some silly reason I can sometimes think I’ve got some homerun pop in me.  And almost every time I start swinging for the fences I end up just hitting a little squiggler back to the pitcher.  Those 9Marks fellas have already told us why preaching for the “home run” isn’t a good idea.  The same applies to blogging and today I am going to give 4reasons why base hitters make better bloggers.

1. When your goal isn’t helping the team you end up passed around like Manny Ramirez.  If your primary goal is not to further the kingdom of Christ and to feed the sheep eventually a large portion of your audience will be calling for your ouster.  Even if you get away with having a steady following of “Manny” fans you’ll eventually find yourself bankrupt for having built your whole ministry on a pile of straw. 
2. It paralyzes you at the plate.  Rather than simply taking the pitch that you are given you start waiting for that pitch you can drive over the wall.  You end up down 0-2 still waiting for your pitch and then you have no choice but to foolishly swing at something in the dirt.  When you start blogging for homeruns you never write on the simple stuff.  You wait for that feeling of inspiration--your home run pitch.  You let a million good and helpful articles fly by you just because you are too prideful to take what is given you.
3. You annoy people with your homerun trot.  If you do happen to get lucky and hit one out of the park you will annoy everyone with all of your RT’s and social media bragging. 
4. If you do get your pitch you’ll probably just poop your pants.  If you aren’t practice your craft on those base hit pitches then you’ll end up getting so shocked at a home run pitch that you’ll swing right through it.  You will have a really good idea but because you haven’t been honing your craft you’ll swing and miss because you are so freaked out that you actually got your pitch that you don’t know what to do with it. 

It’s not wrong to hit homeruns.  Nor is it wrong to swing hard and celebrate if you do happen to crack one off the bat.  But don’t try to hit a homerun every time.  Just swing as hard as you can at the pitch you’re given. 

When Your Church Flounders

Before July hit I had a little bit of hope that the Kansas City Royals could make some sort of playoff run.  I did not realistically expect them to make the playoffs but I thought they could at least make it interesting.  At one point they were only 5 games back from first place.  And this after a horrendous 12 game home losing streak. 

Then July happened.

In July the club won a paltry 26% of their games.  They closed out July a hearty 13.5 games out of first place and sitting in dead last looking up at even the lowly Twins. 

On Monday long time Royals reporter, Bob Dutton, asked Yost about his approach during the floundering month of July.  Yost responded by saying that they do not change a thing. 

“You don’t do crazy stuff that you wouldn’t do if you were winning ballgames. You try to stay as even-keeled as you can. You stay positive. You keep working. We don’t change anything.”

What’s a church to do?

The approach of Ned Yost got me to thinking about what a church ought to do when it finds itself in a season of decline.  When the numbers aren’t growing (or even going backwards) and the giving plummets and the churches enthusiasm seems to be about as lively as our rose bush in this Southern Indiana drought, what should the church do in response?

• Do you take the Ned Yost approach and simply keep doing what you are doing?  (This of course is assuming that “what you are doing” is faithfully plodding in preaching and teaching the Scriptures). 
  
• Or do you listen to the pithy statement, “If you do what you’ve always done you’ll get what you’ve always got”? 

Part of me wants to scream at Ned Yost and say, “Seriously, keep playing Yuniesky Betancourt?  Seriously?!  Keep refusing to bring up Wil Meyers?  Are you insane!?  Sacrifice bunt with Alcides Escobar when he’s on fire and the guy following him couldn’t hit a beachball?  No, Ned don’t do what you’ve always been doing. 

And I guess in as much as the church is really making bonehead decisions it might be wise to assess and say are we doing things like bunting with our hottest hitter?  Are there things that are not vital to the gospel that we are doing or are not doing that ought to change?  If so, and you take a Ned Yost approach then you might be mistaken. 

But then again there is a good amount of wisdom in what Yost is saying.  If you have talent and you have young players that are growing into the game and you are for the most part playing baseball the way it is supposed to be played then you don’t switch things up and start doing weird things just to get different results. 

The wisdom here is that if you do something really crazy—like getting all the guys to wear their athletic supporters on the outside of the uniforms—and then they have success they’ll start attributing it to the crazies instead of what really got the wins.  And the same thing applies to churches.  If we switch things up and go all out and make church like nothing “they” have ever seen before then we’ll be in danger of attributing our growth to our weirdness. 

Such growth won’t sustain itself.  Eventually the crazy athletic supporters on the outside of the uniform won’t be enough and something else will need to take its place.  Before long you’re that crazy church that replaced the Cross on their steeple with a giant pickle just to make people ask questions.  And then it’s not about the gospel anymore. 

So, what do you think?  What should a church do when it experiences floundering?  Is there wisdom to the Ned Yost approach?

Review of Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball

If you follow baseball you know that R.A. Dickey, MLB”s lone knuckleballer, is absolutely lighting it up the first half of the 2012 season.  Yet it has not always been this way for Dickey.  In fact many that are beginning to hear his name will be surprised to learn that he is 37 years old.  He has spent much of his career as a 4A pitcher—which to those that are not familiar with baseball terminology means that he was not quite good enough for the major leagues but a little too good for the minor leagues.  Most of his career has been spent bounced around from club to club between the major league and the minor league. 

Yet this story is not solely about baseball.  And that is what makes it one of the best biographies on baseball that I have ever read.  Most sports biographies, though interesting at times, are really more akin to the interviews you hear after games.  “What were you thinking on the 2-2 fastball, Jim?”  “Well, I was sitting fastball and I couldn’t believe that I hit it over the outfield wall.  This one really goes to the team.  Oh, and a big thanks to Jesus who continues to make me awesome”, replies an out of breath Jim. 

Wherever I Wind Up goes much deeper.  Dickey opens up the depths of his soul.  He discusses his childhood sexual abuse and the shaming effects that it had on him for the rest of his life.  Dickey also talks about his redemption.  And though the book closes before his breakout 2012 season the reader is given the idea that Dickey’s pitching career is about to finally take off. 

Dickey is also a strong Christian.  Usually when you hear that and read a sports biography by a “strong Christian” it’s really nothing more than Jesus being a genie in a bottle that gives athletic success and deserves all the props and praise.  You don’t get that idea with R.A. Dickey.  He’s gut honest about his struggles, his doubts, and his hypocrisy.  He’s openness with his feelings of shame and worthlessness are helpful to fellow strugglers.  Dickey’s memoir at times feels like reading one of the Psalms. 

My Take:

Personally, I loved the book.  I read a ton and sometimes I have a stack of books that are on my desk simply because I agreed to review them.  It is rare that a book will almost call out to me and demand to be read.  For some reason this book did just that.  I had assumed that it was because of my love for Jesus and baseball (in non-comparable order).  Little did I know that the Lord would use this book to open up deep wells in my heart.

Minus the fame, money, and ability to pitch a knuckleball much of R.A. Dickey’s story is my story.  As he talked about some of his struggles and feelings it hit my heart like a piercing arrow.  I could see myself in Dickey.  My only feelings of shame and inadequacy.  Even down to the inability to handle applause and successes.  I felt like I was reading my own story just glossed over with a few different details. 

One particular quote from Dickey’s counselor, Stephen James, that struck me and is motivating me to begin anew facing some of the demons from my past.  

If you aren’t willing to face your demons—if you can’t find the courage to take on your fear and hurt and anger—you might as well wrap them up with a bow and give them to your children.  Because they will be carrying the same thing…unless you are willing to do the work.

Thank you R.A. Dickey for being honest in your story.  Thank you for pointing to Jesus and his redemption.  Thank you for showing at least a part of the process.  Thank you for encouraging me to “do the work”. 

Should You Buy It?

Though this book opened up wounds and tore off a few scabs it was still a pleasurable read.  No, wait.  It wasn’t pleasurable.  I think it could be for some people but for me it was more needed than it was pleasurable.  Nonetheless, I would recommend the book to almost anyone.  (You might not want to give it to younger kids as Dickey is pretty graphic in some parts about things in his past). 

This is a super book if you like baseball and/or stories of redemption. 

You can buy it for $16 hardcover or the Kindle version for only $12.99.  Worth every penny.  Buy it.

Jarrod Dyson, Rollie Fingers, and How We View the World

“That’s what speed do”.

Jarrod Dyson is one of the fastest players in MLB.  He was a 50th Round Pick.  That’s around the time when baseball teams start picking the guy with a wooden leg who lost his real one in a freak combine accident.  Guys that get picked this late do not make an influence in the game of baseball.  Or at least they aren’t supposed to.  But Jarrod Dyson is really fast. 

As a Royals fan I absolutely love watching Dyson play.  It’s exciting to see him slap a ball to the shortstop and then watch the usually sure handed shortstop get a little jittery because he knows if he makes one little mistake Dyson is going to beat out his throw. 

I read an article earlier today where a guy was looking at various statistics and wondering how much of an impact Dyson could really make in the league.  He cited Dyson’s typically low .OBP (on base percentage) and his somewhat sketchy outfield play.  He makes a valid point.  We don’t get to watch him run like a deer if doesn’t get on base.  And it really doesn’t matter how freaky fast the guy is if he runs towards right field on a ball hit to left field.  But still it’s annoying because I just love to watch Jarrod Dyson, because “that’s what speed do!”. 

This made me realize there are two ways to watch baseball.  One way is to view Jarrod Dyson with numbers over top his head.  This is the kid that liked the back of the baseball card better than the front.  He could tell you that Rollie Fingers had 37 saves in 1978 but he never stopped to marvel at Rollie’s amazing handle-bar mustache. 

The other way to watch baseball is to simply sit back and marvel.  Instead of numbers over Dyson’s head you simply say, “Dude, can haul”.  (That is if you talk like a frat boy, otherwise you’ll say something white and lame like “Homey sure is fast”).  This is the kid that memorized the front of the baseball card and rarely looked at the back.  He marveled at every curve of Rollie’s beautiful masterpiece—this of course referring to both his mustache and his pitching greatness. 

Dropping the Gospel Bomb

As I think about how this relates to baseball it occurs to me that this way of viewing the world extends far beyond the diamond.  This applies especially to the gospel and theology.  There is a type of theologian that reads the Bible only in its original language, parses all the verbs correctly, masters systematic theology, debates unbelievers, places every thought within a deep knowledge of church history, and beats his wife and rages at his children.  Or it may not be that extreme.  He may have just lost his sense of wonder.  He knows the back of the card but has lost the wonder of the glossy front. 

There is a way of dissecting the gospel and asking questions about the nature of the gospel ad infinitum that does much to spark debate but little to induce worship.  God and His gospel make angels marvel not necessarily dissect.  If your theology doesn’t stir up doxology it is wrong-hearted and probably more akin to the theology of devils than the Savior. 

Of course we need the guy that notices Jarrod Dyson usually has a low .OBP.  It would make for a pretty bad team if the GM forced the coach to start a guy that batted .187 for 10 straight seasons just because he really liked to watch him swing.  We need the nerds that look at the back of cards as much as we need the kid that just marvels at Dyson running like a highly-caffeinated cheetah. 

If you’re a look-at-the-back-of-the-card type of guy know that about yourself.  Plead with God to also open up your heart to the wonder of the sweaty tilt-a-whirl that is the mustache of Rollie Fingers.  More than anything plead with him to enliven your heart with not only the truthfulness of the gospel but also it’s beauty. 

If you’re the marvel-at-the-front-of-the-card type of guy know that about yourself.  Plead with God to also drive you deeper into the back of the baseball card.  Knowing that Rollie Fingers also got 37 saves in 1978 can actually strengthen your admiration.  Plead with God to enrich your heart with not only the beauty of the gospel but also its absolute truthfulness. 

MLB 2012 Preview: AL East

New York Yankees:

The Yankees won 97 games last year before being ousted by the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS.  The 2012 version of the Yankees looks virtually the same as far as their lineup goes.  The only difference is that these aging veterans are one year older.  The Yanks did vastly improve their rotation adding Hiroki Kuroda and Michael Pineda in the offseason.  If age and injuries do not catch up with them these Yankees look to be just as formidable of opponents as they were last year. 

Boston Red Sox:

The Red Sox are an interesting club this year.  Gone are some of the veterans such as Tim Wakefield, J.D. Drew, and John Lackey.  Gone is Terry Francona.  Gone is Jonathon Papelbon.  They did go out and secure Andrew Bailey (can he stay healthy?).  They also got a few “Moneyball” type of players in Nick Punton, Mark Melancon, Kelly Shoppach, and Ross Ohlendorf.  Looking at this club makes me ask many questions.  Will Carl Crawford show up?  What David Ortiz will they get?  Will Ryan Sweeney and Cody Ross be solid in right field?  Is this pitching staff deep enough?  Will Andrew Bailey make the Boston faithful say “Papel..who”?  Is Bobby Valentine more than an announcer?  Pending on the answer to these questions the BoSox could either be headed for a disappointing season or challenging the Curse of the Bambino again. 

Baltimore Orioles:

The O’s only won 69 games in 2011.  But they are also young and they also had some serious injuries and disappointments last year.  Can some of these young pitchers begin making a significant impact in 2012?  The O’s didn’t really add any big name stars for their 2012 roster.  They also did lose a little pop when Luke Scott and Vlad Guerrero departed.  And also a young arm in Jeremy Guthrie.  It’s hard to see the O’s making a significant leap and I’m not certain they can get much worse.  For now Baltimore fans are left cheering for Poe’s bird. 

Tampa Bay Rays:

The exciting Rays won 91 games last year to make the playoffs.  Virtually the same team (minus Johnny Damon) is returning this year.  They also added a little pop (and a few strikeouts) with the addition of Luke Scott from Baltimore and Carlos Pena returning to the Rays from the Cubbies.  The rotation will also receive a boost from a full year from future ace Matt Moore.  This Rays rotation looks to be very stellar anchored by Shields and Price and supported by the young arm of Moore.  I’m not sold on this bullpen or some of these young bats (Matt Joyce and Desmond Jennings), but the Rays and Joe Maddon just know how to win.  Will they do it again in 2012?

Toronto Blue Jays:

You’ve really got to feel for the Blue Jays.  They kept throwing Canadian dollars at players only to find themselves still looking up at the Yanks, BoSox, and Rays.  So they decided to rebuild and go young, and it seemed to help.  Last year they played .500 ball but still found themselves 16 games out of first place.  That must be frustrating.  Can this years team finally enter the chase?  The bullpen is different this year with Sergio Santos being the closer and Francisco Cordero also providing relief help.  Youngsters like Brett Lawrie will have another year under their belt and only improve at the plate.  The same can be said for their younger pitchers: Brett Cecil and Brandon Morrow.  Can the Jays make a significant run? 

Predicted Order of Finish:

1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Tampa Bay Rays
5. Baltimore Orioles

Division Predictions:

Injuries and slumps will hinder the Rays from making a late season run.  They will finish below the upstart Blue Jays.  Even though I hate to say it I think the Yankees will make another run at a World Series.  The Red Sox will slump early but get hot around July and make a run for a Wild Card.  The Orioles will struggle to win 60 games.  Jose Bautista will have an off year.  Andrew Bailey will save at least 45 games.  Matt Moore is the real deal.  So is Michael Pineda.

Borrowed Light Fantasy Baseball

Did your NCAA Tournament bracket get missed up over the weekend?  Has your dreams of being a fantasy champion been dashed?  Cry no more!  On March 25th the Borrowed Light Fantasy Baseball League will be drafting.  A 20 team league with an interesting scoring format.  The winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate.  There are limited spots available so respond quickly. 

How to join:

1. Email me your email address mike[AT]fbjasper[DOT]org and I will send you an invite. 

2.  Leave a comment (either here or on facebook) with your email address and I will send you the invite. 

3. Respond to @mikeleake with your email address and I will send you an invite. 

Five +One Friday 2/10/12

Timmy Brister considers Structuring the Church for Maximum Edification.  Really good thoughts here and an article that I’m going to read and think through a little more today.

Another article to mull over is this one by Bobby Jamieson: Pastors, Don’t Let Your People Resign into Thin Air

The Journal of Biblical Counseling is Returning.  Woot, Woot!  I’m excited about this.  Watch the video below:

The return of The Journal of Biblical Counseling from CCEF on Vimeo.

Chuck Colson is calling Christians to civil disobedience in regards to President Obama’s recent HHS decision.  This could get rather interesting.  Personally, I don’t think we are quite at a spot yet where people will get thrown in prison.  But I’ve been wrong before. 

Ed Stetzer exposes The Baptist Bogeyman.  Interesting piece with much to commend it. 

One reason I’m excited about baseball in 2012 and beyond: The ROYALS have a stacked youth movement.  Sometime I’m going to have to make a trip back to Missouri, pick up my buddy Brian and head to KC to catch a game. 

MLB 2011 Predictions

Last year I made a few bonehead selections but my predictions were relatively solid.  I thought I’d give it a go again this year:

AL East:

1. Boston Red Sox
2. Baltimore Orioles
3. New York Yankees
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Tampa Bay Rays

AL Central:

1. Chicago White Sox
2. Minnesota Twins
3. Detroit Tigers
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Cleveland Indians

AL West:

1. Texas Rangers
2. LA Angels
3. Oakland A’s
4. Seattle Mariners

NL East:

1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Florida Marlins
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Washington Nationals
5. New York Mets

NL Central:

1. Cincinnati Reds
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Milwaukee Brewers
4. Chicago Cubs
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
6. Houston Astros

NL West:

1. LA Dodgers
2. San Francisco Giants
3. Colorado Rockies
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
5. San Diego Padres

ALCS: Boston Red Sox defeat Minnesota Twins

NLCS: Philadelphia Phillies defeat St. Louis Cardinals

World Series: Philadelphia Phillies defeat Boston Red Sox

Again this year I hope I’m wrong!  I do think that the Royals will at least be close to .500 this year.  The Marlins are a dark horse pick for me, as are the Baltimore Orioles.  I also wouldn’t be surprised if the Pirates make some early season noise.

Review of Pujols: More Than the Game

It was 1987.  I was six years old and watching the World Series, equipped with one of those cardboard pieces inside toilet paper as my microphone.  I was cheering on my favorite team the St. Louis Cardinals.  They lost.  I was devastated.  They broke my heart, and you don’t break the heart of a six year old boy. 

So I turned my affections to the Kansas City Royals.  They annually offer something the Cardinals never do—a lack of hope.  You know going into the season as a Royals fan that it will be a good season if you aren’t dead last and a remarkable season if you somehow win half the games. 

The Royals never get my hopes up, so my heart is never broken.  And year after year as I see the Royals plummet in the standings I take great joy in knowing that the St. Louis Cardinals will give tons of hope to people in our area only to break their hearts.  Poor suckers, they should have learned what I did when I was six.  (Maybe this also explains my love for the Cleveland Browns). 

As much as I enjoy rooting for the Royals I think I equally enjoy hating the Cardinals.  But one thing makes that difficult.  Rather, one person.  Albert Pujols.  I remember when he first came up and had an explosive rookie season, that I predicted he’d fizzle.  Yeah, I was wrong.  Pujols is a stud.  He’s also very likable.  And he also loves Jesus. 

Pujols is making the Cardinals more difficult for me to hate.  In fact, now that I live in Indiana and don’t have to hear so much about the Cardinals I may actually be okay with them winning a few games.  Or maybe Albert will leave the team after this year and I can cheer for Pujols and the Cardinals demise. 

After reading this excellent biography by Scott Lamb and Tim Ellsworth my respect for Pujols has grown immensely.  They do not attempt to paint him as many authors do Christian athletes; as so grounded in Jesus they should probably be pastoring churches.  Lamb and Ellsworth are honest about Pujols struggles in faith.  And I love that.  They don’t pretend that just because Pujols is a stud athlete that he is also perfect in the faith.  He’s a believer that struggles with sin just like the rest of us. 

They do labor to show that one of those sins that Pujols struggles with is NOT the use of PED’s.  It was very wise of Pujols’ biographers to put this in the book.  Albert truly is a hitting machine.  And with statistics likes his in the steroid era regardless of his innocence people will forever point a finger and want to put an asterisk by every stat in this era.  Lamb and Ellsworth give twenty convincing reasons why Pujols stats should stand as legit. 

I also appreciate how Lamb and Ellsworth occasionally will use Pujols story to share the Christian faith.  Take this section for example:

“Every Christian is to be a witness for Christ.  When Albert and Dee Dee share Christ, they are not doing something reserved only for the so-called celebrities of the faith…Telling others about Jesus is a stewardship and responsibility embraced by the Pujolses.” (137)

All in all this is a good read.  I have read many reviews that are frustrated with the continual use of statistics and baseball stories.  I’m not sure what they thought they were signing up for, but Albert IS a baseball player and that is his platform.  Just as you would expect a biography of a person engaged in foreign missions to include that activity, you should expect a biography on a baseball player to have plenty of baseball. 

This book will be a great, and enlightening, read for every baseball fan.  Believers that do not like baseball probably will not get a ton out of it, but this is a great book to put in the hands of young men and women that are aspiring athletes.  Pujols is a great man, a great athlete, and a humble follower of Jesus.  I am glad that Scott Lamb and Tim Ellsworth have written this book.  Great job, fellas. 

You can buy your copy of Pujols: More Than the Game for 16.49.  Or if you are cool like me and get a free copy from Thomas Nelson in exchange for a review (that’s my not-so-creative way of saying I got this book for free from the publisher, didn’t have to give a positive review, but I liked the book so I did).

Borrowed Light: Today in Blogworld 02/22

Somehow C.J. Mahaney takes contemporary stories, points out faults, and convicts me because my sin is just like theirs. The gospel has certainly taken root in C.J.'s heart. His most recent post on Andy Pettitte's hollow confession is phenomenal. Just when it seems that Mahaney is railing on Pettitte he brings me into God's courtroom and then sits me at the foot of the Cross for humbling and grace. Wow.

Jared Wilson leads a wonderful discussion on downplaying application in preaching. It is certainly something to consider. I think application is one of the areas that I too downplay.

Tom Ascol provides a commentary on the buzz around the Calvinistic Resurgence.

Part 4 of No Longer Under the Law has been written by Nathan Busenitz.

Rick Love again responds to Piper on the issue of the Common Word Among Muslims. Rick has some good points, but I am still not certain that I agree.

Timmy Brister is also live-blogging the True Church Conference. This years theme is Church Discipline. Catch up here.