On Oct 24, 12:54 pm, 20817 <yard22...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> http://www.wa****ngtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/23/AR200...
>
> You've Gotta Have Faith? Colorado Rockies at Play In the Fields of the
> Lord
>
> By Vince Bzdek
> Wa****ngton Post Staff Writer
> Wednesday, October 24, 2007; C01
>
> "I believe in the Church of Baseball," Annie Savoy says at the
> beginning of the great epistemological movie "Bull Durham." "I've
> tried 'em all, I really have, and the only church that truly feeds the
> soul, day in, day out, is the Church of Baseball."
>
> The Colorado Rockies believe in the Church of Baseball, too, and right
> now, many of the players and staff think God has smiled on their
> particular congregation. After winning 21 out of the last 22 games and
> ascending to the World Series for the first time in franchise history,
> the only way several team members can explain what's going on is to
> cite divine intervention -- when they are allowed to.
>
> In a postgame interview after the Rockies won a one-game playoff
> against the San Diego Padres to earn a wild-card ticket to the
> playoffs, star hitter Matt Holliday thanked God for the victory and
> the blessings of the season. When the interview was posted on the
> Major League Baseball Web site, however, the mention of God was gone.
>
> "We try to present what the players are saying in the clearest and
> most concise way possible for the fans," Matthew Gould, spokesman for
> MLB.com, said of the excised references to God. "Space on the Web site
> is limited."
>
> Though team managers and Major League Baseball have tried to downplay
> the team's religious zeal after an article last year in USA Today
> quoted several managers and players as saying a Christian-based code
> of conduct is the root of their success, the signs are still pretty
> clear that the Rockies believe God is their biggest fan.
>
> After the Padres game, for example, pitcher Ramon Ortiz, who makes the
> sign of the cross on the way to the mound, said he thanked God "a
> hundred times." Yorvit Torrealba usually makes the sign of the cross
> when he runs onto the field, too, and many Rockies players point a
> finger to heaven after a play goes their way. Several of the players,
> including Holliday and Todd Helton, have crosses dangling from their
> necks.
>
> The official line, according to Rockies spokesman Jay Alves, is this:
> "Our clubhouse is no different than any other Major League clubhouse.
> We certainly have men that have a strong faith and we also have men
> that do not."
>
> Yet General Manager Dan O'Dowd, in an interview with USA Today before
> the streak, said: "You look at some of the moves we made and didn't
> make. You look at some of the games we're winning. Those aren't just a
> coincidence. God has definitely had a hand in this."
>
> The article, parts of which Rockies players said were overstated,
> re****ted that the team doesn't allow Playboy in the locker room,
> players are encouraged to attend chapel on Sunday, and Bible studies
> on Tuesday nights are packed. The team doesn't listen to obscenity-
> filled rap music in the locker room like most other teams, either.
>
> The Rockies are the only team in the majors with a paid chaplain on
> staff. And players share their testimonies with fans after the game on
> Faith Day, which includes a postgame concert and discounted tickets.
> The Rockies have been hosting a Christian Family Day for two years,
> but the name was changed to Faith Day "in an apparent effort to make
> [the event] more inclusive," according to the Rocky Mountain News.
>
> The Rockies may have a bit more zeal than other teams, but they aren't
> that unusual.
>
> The Nationals, Cardinals, Braves, Reds, Astros, Dodgers, Twins and
> Rangers have Faith Day promotions as well now, and the Baseball Chapel
> ministry provides volunteer chaplains for all 210 major and minor
> league teams. The ministry says that roughly 30 to 40 percent of
> players for most teams participate in its ballpark services and Bible
> studies.
>
> Baseball and church don't always mix easily, though.
>
> The Nationals suspended their chaplain in 2005 and issued an apology
> for outfielder Ryan Church after he told an interviewer he'd had a
> conversation with a chaplain from Baseball Chapel about whether Jews
> were "doomed" because "they don't believe in Jesus."
>
> The question of the moment, however, is whether the Rockies' religious-
> centered approach is helping them play baseball at its most awe-
> inspiring -- "full of magic, cosmic truth and the fundamental
> ontological riddles of our time," in Annie's words.
>
> Within a single strike of being eliminated from playoff contention a
> few weeks ago, the Rockies are now headed to the World Series for the
> first time in the short 14-year history of the franchise. They were in
> fourth place in the National League West when they began their streak
> a month ago. They then proceeded to win 13 out of the last 14 regular-
> season games and didn't lose a game in their postseason series against
> both the Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks. No team has
> ever won so many games in a row this late in the season. No team has
> ever made fewer errors in a season than the Rockies have this year.
>
> "When a player's playing really well, it feels really mysterious. It's
> like a religious experience," says historian Warren Goldstein, who has
> written books on both baseball and religion.
>
> The difference between failure and success at the pro level is so
> minuscule that when things really click for a baseball club, people
> feel they're in a kind of a zone where the normal rules don't apply.
> "And that feels to a lot of players as though it's a religious thing,
> like a religious experience," says Goldstein. "In a way, I'd be
> astonished if they didn't think they were getting some kind of extra,
> supernatural help."
>
> The Rockies had their road-to-Damascus conversion three years ago when
> pitcher Denny Neagle was caught soliciting a prostitute. Rockies
> Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Charlie Monfort released him
> three days later, swallowing $16 million of his contract. Monfort's
> own faith intensified after he was put on probation for driving while
> impaired, and he changed the way he ran his club.
>
> "We started going after character six or seven years ago, but we
> didn't follow that like we should have," he told USA Today. "I don't
> want to offend anyone, but I think character-wise we're stronger than
> anyone in baseball. I believe God sends signs, and we're seeing
> those."
>
> Rockies officials now say their true emphasis has always been
> character, not religion.
>
> Asked by the Denver Post what role religion played in assembling the
> team's roster, Manager Clint Hurdle said: "We look for men of
> character, men of skills. Their [religious beliefs] are not a question
> that is even brought up. That those have a common fabric with
> Christianity is not a coincidence. But values are the issue."
>
> "It's certainly possible that their religion and shared stuff makes
> them think more like a team," says Goldstein. "It's worth at least
> asking whether the notion of sacrifice or taking one for the team, or
> giving one up is something that receives a certain push" from the
> religious players on the team.
>
> Near the end of "Bull Durham," veteran catcher Crash Davis explains
> all this to his team's new star pitcher. Crash advises Ebby Calvin
> LaLoosh that it's best not to sleep with Annie lest he jinx the
> winning streak he is on. Ebby's streak began after he started wearing
> women's underwear, and Crash encourages Ebby to continue that practice
> as well. Crash defends himself to a confused Annie by insisting that a
> player on a streak has to respect the streak.
>
> "You know why?" he says. "Because they don't happen very often." If
> you believe you're playing well because you're having ***, Crash
> explains, or because you're not having ***, "or because you wear
> women's underwear, then you are ! And you should know that!"
>
> If the Rockies believe they're playing well because of their faith or
> because of their commitment to character, then, what the hey, they
> probably
Speaking of Holy stuff, I have a feeling a lot of the Rockies pitchers
will be saying "Holy ****"! in the coming days..
Just my 2 cents.
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