by “Johnny Cakes”
Have you ever really studied the Ten Commandments? Those are the rules and guidelines that came straight from God, didn’t they? As I recall, they were “written in stone,” so that means God thought they were really important! And, if He thought they are important, maybe we need to “listen close and take good notes!”
So, let us look at the game of baseball and many of its most revered practices and see how well they jive with the Ten Commandments!
The first four Commandments require us to put God in the forefront of our lives. But I am sure that you know a lot of baseball people — coaches, players, and fans — who think baseball is the most important thing in their lives! That’s a major conflict of interest.
Commandment No. 5 tells you to honor your mother and father. Coaches and maybe the umpires/officials are the closest things to parents on the field. But based upon some of the highly heated confrontations that the coaches and players have with the officials after controversial calls, I do not see much “honoring” going on. These very heated controversies stem from the fact that the umps just do not care nearly enough about OUR team’s success. If they cared enough about us winning, they would not have made that obviously bone-headed and totally incorrect call against us.
Before we leave the 5th Commandment, consider this scenario! It’s the top of the 9th inning and the home team is up by one run. There are two outs, the bases are loaded, and it is a 3-2 count on the batter! We’ve got the pitcher’s mom earnestly praying that her son can get this batter out and maybe even get credit for the win. She’s begging God for an out — any kind of out — so her baby can get off the bump.
But in those same stands, we also have the batter’s mom, and she is praying just as fervently that her son will get a hit, a walk, an HBP, anything that gets him safely on base. She just wants the pressure off her baby boy. Now, if God were to choose to grant him a double and a couple of RBI to put his team in the lead, that’s gravy—just do not get out! It’s clear that one parent’s prayer is not going to get answered in the affirmative. One of those moms is probably going to be greatly disappointed. Both prayers cannot be answered as asked. Which Mom will God bless?
It is really rare for an actual murder to take place on the baseball field during a game, but Commandment No. 6 does get broken pretty often in spirit, doesn’t it? “Tell the truth & stay in the church now.” You know exactly what you thought about doing to that ump who made the ridiculous “You’re out!” call. OUR runner clearly touched second base way ahead of the tag. How could that ump make such a stupid call against us? Why would God have been involved in inventing a game that promoted this much hatred toward the umps and the calls they make?
Do you remember what you thought about the umpire when he hollered “strike 3” and then he did his silly little patented “strike 3” dance move that is so disgusting? You know just how much you hate to see him prancing around like that after calling OUR batter out on a ball that was clearly eight inches off the plate. You have heard the old saying, “If looks could kill.” Well, we have all been there and done that, haven’t we? Why would God have anything to do with a game that causes us to sin so much?
OK, let us move on to Commandment No. 8 where God prohibits theft. The term “stealing” implies that someone else owns that which is to be swiped? Tell me what other game makes “stealing” something such an integral part of the game? Some players “make the team roster” precisely because they are so fast, or they are so good at “reading a pitcher’s moves” so they know exactly which pitch to try to steal second base on. Players who are truly great at stealing bases can change the entire game and they get paid a bunch. “Stealing” is very important in baseball and I haven’t even mentioned “stealing signals,” yet God certainly frowns on it! Why would God encourage players to do what He commands us not to do?
In Commandment No. 10, God forbade the act of coveting! For example, that other team have four players in a row in their lineup, who are batting over .350? Are you telling me that you’re not “coveting” one or two of them? Have you been hoping at least one of those stars would join the “good guys” at LA Tech? What about that 6’8” left-handed pitcher with the smoothest move to 1st who throws a 100 MPH+ fastball, a 90 MPH slider, a truly wicked 75 MPH curve ball, along with a 78 MPH change up? I mean what kind of Bulldog fan would you be if you didn’t want more great pitchers and position players with unbelievably high batting averages?
However, maybe I am looking at this wrong. Maybe there’s an important piece of evidence that could lead us to think God might possibly have been actively involved in the process of “inventing baseball.” You see, maybe God did know just how humbling baseball can be and being humbled will put pride in its place.
Yep, it really takes a special person to survive what baseball can do to your ego and your ability to cope with failure. Baseball is the ultimate “humbler.” Maybe in His supreme wisdom God did have a lot more to do with inventing baseball than I originally thought!
