Snubbed

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9/11, All-Star Snubs, Religious Syncretism

Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,  from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.  1 Kings 11:1-4 (ESV)

For the major league baseball player, the ultimate snub is being excluded from the All-Star game; that is, if one is deserving of a spot. I guess for the Southern Baptist, the ultimate snub is being excluded from a syncretistic service that will remember the September 11 terrorist attacks. Carl Trueman, Professor of Historical Theology and Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, has some wise words for the SBC and the broader evangelical church here.

That SBC Executive Commission president Frank Page is so upset speaks volumes of the state of the evangelical church here in America. Dr. C. Matthew McMahon has an informative article at A Puritan’s Mind on what syncretism is and why we should avoid it. Perhaps we should seek to learn a lesson from King Solomon, whose wives led his heart astray.

It Don’t Come Easy

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5-Tool players, Grace

JJ Cooper, in a recent article for Baseball America, describes five-tool players (one who has above-average to plus grade on the 20-80 scale in hitting for average, hitting for power, baserunning skills/speed, fielding skills, and throwing skills) as those who have been blessed with exceptional athletic ability. Then he writes, “you have to marry that ability with the hard work and discipline needed to allow those tools to develop into skills.”

It might be a weak analogy, but we see something similar in the Christian’s life. Regeneration is a monergistic work of God alone. Sanctification, on the other hand, can be said to be a synergistic work. Renowned theologian J.I. Packer states, “Regeneration was a momentary monergistic act of quickening the spiritually dead. As such, it was God’s work alone. Sanctification, however, is in one sense synergistic – it is an ongoing cooperative process in which regenerate persons, alive to God and freed from sin’s dominion (Rom. 6:11, 14-18), are required to exert themselves in sustained obedience. God’s method of sanctification is neither activism (self-reliant activity) nor apathy (God-reliant passivity), but God-dependent effort (2 Cor. 7:1; Phil. 3:10-14; Heb. 12:14). Knowing that without Christ’s enabling we can do nothing, morally speaking, as we should, and that he is ready to strengthen us for all that we have to do (Phil. 4:13), we “stay put” (remain, abide) in Christ, asking for his help constantly – and we receive it (Col. 1:11; 1 Tim. 1:12; 2 Tim. 1:7; 2:1).”

What is my attitude towards my own sanctification? Is it like the gifted player who is content with his athleticism, but apathetic towards developing it into skills? Or, am I working it out in full dependence upon God, seeking to bring glory to Him, knowing that He will bring to completion that which He has begun.

 

Matt’s Back!

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Atlanta Braves, Diaz Family Foundation, Matt Diaz

“welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”- Romans 15:7 (ESV)

Atlanta welcomed back outfielder Matt Diaz today, who had been one of the more popular Braves players (both on and off the field) in the last few years. Diaz was not offered arbitration after the 2010 season, and signed with the Pirates during the off season. Known as a lefty-killer, the right handed Diaz was acquired for the infamous ‘player to be named later’, and should be a welcomed addition to a team that is left-handed hitting heavy and has struggled mightily against left-handed pitching this season.

Matt provided this bit of comic relief in Philadelphia last September when he took out some idiot running around the outfield, dressed up in a red spandex outfit.  

More important than anything he’s done on the field is his work off the field. Matt and his wife have created the Diaz Family Foundation, which was created to “glorify God by helping orphans and disadvantaged youth in Polk County, Florida and around the world.” (from their mission statement) You can visit their site here.

Welcome Back, Matt!

From Bad News to Good News

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Bad News Bears, Good News

Well, the 2011 Little League World Series Championship game has been set, and it will be the Ocean View Little League team from Huntington Beach, Ca. against the Hamamatsu Minami Little League of Hamamatsu City, Japan.

Which leads me to a trip down memory lane…

Just about every little league baseball player in the mid-to-late 70′s envied Kelly Leak from the Bad News Bears (played by Jackie Earle Haley). For some of us, it was because, on the field, the dude was the Sultan of Swat (he even wore the number 3). Perhaps others envied him for the rebellious nature that oozed out of the guy; you know, he drank, smoked, cursed, had the cool motorcycle, and of course, all the chicks really dug him. He was, in the words of teammate Ahmad Abdul Rahim, a “bad mutha.” He was so bad, that according to Josh Wilker, Kelly hit 1.000 in seven plate appearances during the first two films. In those at-bats, he hit three homers, a single, a double, and a triple. What? That’s only six appearances, you say? Right you are; he was also walked once intentionally. That’s how bad Kelly was!

I don’t remember too many kids wanting to be Toby Whitewood, which was too bad because Toby wasn’t pretentious, and seemed to be leader-the captain, if you will. As it turns out, he wasn’t that bad of a player, either. The actor who played Toby, David Stambaugh, eventually gave up acting and became a minister in the United Methodist Church. The Hollywood Interview blog has an interview with the Reverend here.

As for me, well, I guess I always related more to Tanner. I think they might have based his character after me.

Guess He Never Heard of Seventy Times Seven

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70 x 7, Jose Mesa, Omar Vizquel

In his 2003 autobiography, Omar Vizquel told the world exactly what he thought about former team mate Jose Mesa, who was the closer on their 1997 Cleveland Indians team. Mesa blew a save in the ninth inning of game 7 of the ’97 World Series against Florida, giving the Marlins the opportunity to win the title on an eleventh inning single by Edgar Renteria. In said book, Vizquel accused Mesa of choking or being scared, “The eyes of the world were focused on every move we made. Unfortunately, Jose’s own eyes were vacant. Completely empty. Nobody home. You could almost see right through him. Not long after I looked into his vacant eyes, he blew the save and the Marlins tied the game.” What was Mesa’s response? By vowing to hit Vizquel with a pitch every time he they faced one another. “Even my little boy told me to get him. If I face him ten more times, I’ll hit him ten times! I want to kill him.” Mesa would do his best to keep that promise by hitting Omar three times after that. I guess his philosophy wasn’t ‘seventy times seven’ when being wronged; rather, it was ten-for-ten.

Bat Boys, Ball Girls, and…Cookies?

As one who enjoys reading, I’m always on the lookout for an interesting read-whether it be on baseball history, theology, church history, biographies, or fiction. If it catches my eye, then I feel compelled to buy it, borrow it, or check the local library for a copy. One new book that I will be passing on is a memoir by former Yankee bat boy, Luis Castillo. Clubhouse Confidential is the second such book since 2007 that I’m aware of (Bat Boy: Coming of Age with the New York Yankees being the other), and it wouldn’t surprise me if there were others. While the authors of the respective books may be the envy of every boy growing up in the Bronx, much of the content in books such as these are, more than anything, fodder for tabloids. Gossip, slander, self serving. No thanks.

Perhaps a more interesting story would be that of Debbi Fields (Mrs. Fields cookies).  The former Debbi Sivyer was a one-time Oakland A ball girl. Former Oakland A’s owner Charlie Finley first introduced “ball girls” in 1970, and had Sivyer and Mary Barry wear green hot pants and A’s warm-up jackets. Not only did the girls chase down foul balls, but they also provided lemonade and homemade chocolate-chip cookies to the umpires. This led Sivyer to eventually opening her own cookie shop in Palo Alto. Dan Epstein, in Big Hair and Plastic Grass (a fascinating look at baseball and American culture in the ’70s), writes, “The shop- Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chippery- would eventually grow into a worldwide empire, netting the former ball girl a substantially larger payday than any A’s player ever made under Finley.”  Apparently ESPN recently ran a piece on the Cookie Queen- you can catch a short piece of video here.

Bats and Bugs

What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten.  Joel 1:4 (ESV)

Although it’s not as severe as the crisis that had threatened the ability of the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem to present offerings in the temple, there is-according to the Wall Street Journal online- a threat to the national pastime: the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). This beetle feasts on ash wood, which is a popular wood for bats used by major-league players, and has made its way into the areas of New York which produce the wood used in bats such as the Louisville Slugger and Rawlings’ Adirondack. Scientists, though, hope to combat the problem by introducing wasps into the area’s ecosystem. You can read the article here- it’s an interesting read.

Because the article is subscriber content, I suggest you google “bugs rescuing baseball bats wsj”- it should pull up the article in it’s entirety.

The O’Ventbrel

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Atlanta Braves, O'Ventbrel

Even before becoming a Christian, I was never comfortable hearing people use the term “Trinity” or “Holy Trinity” to describe a trio in the game- it seemed so… blasphemous. I remember that term used to describe three shortstops (Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Nomar Garciaparra) earlier in their careers. Hall of Fame worthy type of players-yes. Deity? No. So, I will have no problem restraining myself from using that term to describe the three-headed monster at the back of the Atlanta Braves bullpen. Instead, I’ll use the one that has caught on with us Atlanta fans:The O’Ventbrel. What is an O’Ventbrel? It’s the seventh, eighth, and ninth inning machine  monster that is Eric O’Flaherty, Johnny Venters, and Craig Kimbrel. Or, they can be referred to, as Braves radio announcer Jim Powell calls them, “Sit Down, Shut Up, and Go Home.” 

The Baptist and the Beard

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Brian Wilson, John the Baptist

Mark 1:6 (ESV) Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.

If Brian Wilson was a prophet, he would be John the Baptist.

R.C. Sproul, The Great American Novel, and Baseball

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Dan Uggla, R.C. Sproul, Table Talk

This month’s issue of Table Talk Magazine features an article by R.C. Sproul entitled “The Unholy Pursuit of God in Moby Dick.” Sproul begins the piece by stating, “It seems that every time a writer picks up a pen or turns on his word processor to compose a literary work of fiction, deep in his bosom resides the hope that somehow he will create the Great American Novel. Too late. That feat has already been accomplished and is as far out of reach for new novelists as is Joe DiMaggio’s fifty-six-game hitting streak or Pete Rose’s record of cumulative career hits for a rookie baseball player.” If you’re looking for a great daily devotional, or just enjoy reading thought-provoking articles on issues related to culture, theology, and the Christian life, then you need to look no further. Ligonier Ministries offers annual subscriptions on its monthly magazine for a low price, or you can access select articles-as well as an online daily devotional. Check them out here.

Speaking of hitting streaks…Congratulations to Dan Uggla, who, in hitting a second-inning home run tonight, extended his hitting streak to an Atlanta Braves club-record 32 games. It was the eighth time that Dan has extended his streak with a home run. Many are calling it an improbable hitting streak. Uggla has turned around what had been an “Uggly” season; and, while he’s no rookie, perhaps he should take up writing.