We've got God on our side

by Mark Downing

What’s the hottest trend in Major League Baseball today? Cutoff jerseys? No. $350 million free agent contracts? Wrong. Japanese submariners? Try again. It’s God. Yes, God, that white-bearded creator of all is making a huge splash in professional baseball and heathens everywhere better take notice.


Jose Reyes and billions of other athletes thank the Big Guy upstairs for home runs, strikeouts, mound conferences, errors, touchdowns, missed field goals, slashing penalties and whatever else they're thankful for.

Religion has always found its way into sports. If God had a nickel for every time a player said, “I’d like to thank God,” in a post-game interview, he’d be richer than, well… God. There’s “Touchdown Jesus” at Notre Dame Stadium, post-game circle prayers in the NFL, and NASCAR even has Christian chaplains literally standing on the starting line ready to give drivers race-day blessings.

Major League Baseball is no exception to the rule. For years players have been pointing to the sky after a homerun or strikeout, a tip-of-the-cap to the big guy if you will. And who could forget pitcher Eddie Harris’ quote to Pedro Cerrano in the 1989 film classic “Major League” – “You trying to say that Jesus Christ can’t hit a curveball?” But, a USA Today article about the Colorado Rockies in June of 2006 upped the ante. It described the Rockies clubhouse as a place principally guided by Christianity and morals, free of obscene music, Playboy magazines and cursing. CEO Charlie Monfort, who became a Christian three years ago, purposely built his team with “character” players, and he believes his organization’s strategy is paying dividends on the field. “We started to go after character six or seven years ago,” he says. “I don't want to offend anyone, but I think character-wise we're stronger than anyone in baseball. Christians, and what they've endured, are some of the strongest people in baseball. I believe God sends signs, and we're seeing those.”

General Manager Daniel O’Dowd takes it a step further.

“You look at things that have happened to us this year. 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.”

There you have it, God wants the Colorado Rockies to win. And how can you argue? A year after the article was published, the Rockies went on an improbable winning streak in September and October of 2007. They won 21 of 22 games down the stretch, earning their first World Series appearance in franchise history, a feat that can only be explained by the hand of God. But after the amazing run by the Rockies, they were swept by the Boston Red Sox in the World Series, which begs the question, which religion does God like more? Boston is a city deeply rooted in Irish Catholicism, while Colorado is a state that boasts a high number of evangelicals and born-agains. It’s apparent that God has an affinity for the old-school structure and gothic cathedrals of the Catholics rather than the bright lights and flash of Evangelical mega-churches.

Whatever the case, the rest of the league is following suit, starting with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Last week, the team announced it would be dropping the “Devil” from its name; to be known now simply as the Tampa Bay Rays. One can only suspect that a contract between the team and Satan himself was signed in 1998, the team’s inaugural year, and management realized it was time for a change. “We were tied to the past, and the past wasn't necessarily something we wanted to be known for. Nobody's running from it or hiding from it, and we're proud of certain aspects of it, but this is something the organization was able to really put their arms around. I hope and expect the fans who come out will see it as a new beginning,” said owner Stuart Sternberg.

With the Rays perennially finishing in last place and failing to compete in the free agent market, a move toward God seems logical. In a celebration that drew 7,000 fans, matching 2007’s home attendance, the Rays also unveiled their new navy blue and light blue jerseys.



The new logo features a yellow burst of light that could possibly represent the star of wonder that the three wise men followed to Bethlehem in search of the newborn savior.

The party was finished off by a concert from actor Kevin Costner and his band, Modern West, a move that seemed to go against the team’s new direction. Quotes one MLB executive: “I was surprised by that choice. If I could think of one band that would be playing in hell, Kevin Costner would front it… or maybe the Bacon Brothers.”

The apparent shift toward Christianity has teams scrambling to keep up. The Los Angeles Angels are offering and “Eternal Salvation Package” to season ticket holders while the Baltimore Orioles have scouts scouring Latin America for players named “Jesus.” This marks a shift in team philosophy that appears to have no end in sight… until the rapture of course.