"Lamneth" <rockindog@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:1193246682.351917.115880@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 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.
>
LOL!!!
Lamneth, I was expecting some sort of slam on the Rockies faith,
but you totally caught be surprise. I'm just glad that I didn't have
any liquid in my mouth, cuz I'd have spewed it all over my monitor
I laughed so hard when I read your post!!!
Two GINORMOUS thumbs up!!!
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