One more baseball story, if you please. It’s the last one…I promise…at least for a while.
Sandy and I just got back in town, our recent vacation jaunt having taken us through Virginia, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Along the way, we took in three major league baseball games. We saw the Washington Nationals play one of their last games at old RFK Stadium. (Next year the Nats will be playing at an all new ballpark, presently under construction.) We also saw the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the first of the now-popular, old-style “retro” parks built in the early 1990s. (Sandy and I had been to a game there before, about 10 years ago. We really love that ballpark’s authentic old-time
atmosphere.) Another stop on our sports journey was Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Built in 2004, the Phillies’ new home has taken the oft-imitated Camden Yard formula to a whole new level. It’s quite a showplace. Sandy and I thoroughly enjoyed Citizens Bank Park but, honestly, we weren't too impressed with the city itself. We'll take D.C and Baltimore over Philly any day.
During our visits, we saw some exciting games. Everywhere we went, we rooted for the hometown team. Unfortunately, in each instance, the home team lost. But the most exciting baseball action we saw during our vacation wasn’t at any of the major league games we attended. It was on television last Sunday afternoon: The finals of the
Little League World Series from Williamsport, Pennsylvania. A team from Warner-Robins, Georgia was taking on a team from Tokyo, Japan for the world title. The championship game was a real nail-bitter. It went into extra innings, the score knotted at 2-2. Then, in the bottom of the 8th—(they only play 6 innings in a regulation Little League game)—a player for the Georgia team led off the inning with a homerun over the right field fence to win the game. Jubilation set forth. The crowd roared its approval as the young hero circled the bases with his arms aloft. His teammates gleefully mobbed him as he crossed home plate with the winning run. Then, 
amidst the pandemonium, the television camera slowly panned back across the field. There were the dejected Japanese players—heads in hands, bent over or kneeling, tears streaming down their faces—visibly decimated by what had just happened.
In the popular 1992 film “A League of Their Own”, Tom Hanks’ character
Jimmy Dugan uttered to one of his boo-hooing female players that unforgettable line, “There’s no crying in baseball!” But fictional Jimmy Dugan never had the weight of a world championship loss come crashing down on his young 11-year-old shoulders.
The Japanese team was emotionally crushed. But all of a sudden…amidst all the cheers and tears…a most remarkable
thing happened. It was even more surprising than the home run blast that had occurred just minutes earlier. The Georgia coach and his players suddenly stopped celebrating and started making their way back out on the field to embrace their vanquished foes. The Georgians all began to hug and offer words of encouragement and consolation to the defeated Japanese team. This went on for what seemed like several minutes. It was one of the most moving displays I have ever seen on an athletic field. Such grace and dignity! To me, this was where the real victory was won. Not by the final score on the scoreboard, but through the exceptional sportsmanship, character and maturity shown by those fine young men from Georgia. Truly, they’re a class act deserving of the title “champions”.
Clearly, there are some things in life bigger than baseball. The coach of the Georgia team knew that. And he helped instill that in his players. (I'd really like to meet that guy and shake his hand.)
Likewise, there are some things in life bigger than careers and mortgages and bank accounts and dozens of other things that so often seem to consume us day after day.
Jesus said we should love one another. He said the most important thing of all in life is to love God with every fiber of our being. Then, coupled with that, we're to love our neighbor as we would love ourselves. And just who is our neighbor? Anybody and everybody. Whoever is standing in front of you at any given moment. That's your neighbor.
The Bible goes on to tell us that God is “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (2 Corinthians1:3-4) Our mission in life is to live out the love of Christ and actively demonstrate it to others, reaching out to them in Christlike compassion, just as Christ Himself reached out to us.
I have no way of knowing, but I suspect that the Georgia coach and many of his players are Christians. They certainly responded to the situation at hand in a Christlike, God-honoring manner. I can just imagine Jesus out on that field hugging all those kids in the very same way.
Sandy and I just got back in town, our recent vacation jaunt having taken us through Virginia, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Along the way, we took in three major league baseball games. We saw the Washington Nationals play one of their last games at old RFK Stadium. (Next year the Nats will be playing at an all new ballpark, presently under construction.) We also saw the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the first of the now-popular, old-style “retro” parks built in the early 1990s. (Sandy and I had been to a game there before, about 10 years ago. We really love that ballpark’s authentic old-time
atmosphere.) Another stop on our sports journey was Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Built in 2004, the Phillies’ new home has taken the oft-imitated Camden Yard formula to a whole new level. It’s quite a showplace. Sandy and I thoroughly enjoyed Citizens Bank Park but, honestly, we weren't too impressed with the city itself. We'll take D.C and Baltimore over Philly any day.During our visits, we saw some exciting games. Everywhere we went, we rooted for the hometown team. Unfortunately, in each instance, the home team lost. But the most exciting baseball action we saw during our vacation wasn’t at any of the major league games we attended. It was on television last Sunday afternoon: The finals of the
Little League World Series from Williamsport, Pennsylvania. A team from Warner-Robins, Georgia was taking on a team from Tokyo, Japan for the world title. The championship game was a real nail-bitter. It went into extra innings, the score knotted at 2-2. Then, in the bottom of the 8th—(they only play 6 innings in a regulation Little League game)—a player for the Georgia team led off the inning with a homerun over the right field fence to win the game. Jubilation set forth. The crowd roared its approval as the young hero circled the bases with his arms aloft. His teammates gleefully mobbed him as he crossed home plate with the winning run. Then, 
amidst the pandemonium, the television camera slowly panned back across the field. There were the dejected Japanese players—heads in hands, bent over or kneeling, tears streaming down their faces—visibly decimated by what had just happened.In the popular 1992 film “A League of Their Own”, Tom Hanks’ character
Jimmy Dugan uttered to one of his boo-hooing female players that unforgettable line, “There’s no crying in baseball!” But fictional Jimmy Dugan never had the weight of a world championship loss come crashing down on his young 11-year-old shoulders.The Japanese team was emotionally crushed. But all of a sudden…amidst all the cheers and tears…a most remarkable
thing happened. It was even more surprising than the home run blast that had occurred just minutes earlier. The Georgia coach and his players suddenly stopped celebrating and started making their way back out on the field to embrace their vanquished foes. The Georgians all began to hug and offer words of encouragement and consolation to the defeated Japanese team. This went on for what seemed like several minutes. It was one of the most moving displays I have ever seen on an athletic field. Such grace and dignity! To me, this was where the real victory was won. Not by the final score on the scoreboard, but through the exceptional sportsmanship, character and maturity shown by those fine young men from Georgia. Truly, they’re a class act deserving of the title “champions”. 
Clearly, there are some things in life bigger than baseball. The coach of the Georgia team knew that. And he helped instill that in his players. (I'd really like to meet that guy and shake his hand.)Likewise, there are some things in life bigger than careers and mortgages and bank accounts and dozens of other things that so often seem to consume us day after day.
Jesus said we should love one another. He said the most important thing of all in life is to love God with every fiber of our being. Then, coupled with that, we're to love our neighbor as we would love ourselves. And just who is our neighbor? Anybody and everybody. Whoever is standing in front of you at any given moment. That's your neighbor.
The Bible goes on to tell us that God is “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (2 Corinthians1:3-4) Our mission in life is to live out the love of Christ and actively demonstrate it to others, reaching out to them in Christlike compassion, just as Christ Himself reached out to us.
I have no way of knowing, but I suspect that the Georgia coach and many of his players are Christians. They certainly responded to the situation at hand in a Christlike, God-honoring manner. I can just imagine Jesus out on that field hugging all those kids in the very same way.As you go about your life today, take a look around. Who around you is hurting, lonely, in need of encouragement? God has put you in proximity to them for a reason. Step out and take the initiative to show them the love and compassion of Christ. In so doing, you'll be a real champion.
Pastor Danny
Pastor Danny
