GOD LOVES A SINGIN' FASTBALL :

Throwing heat and taking heat (Marvin Olasky, 8/03/02, World)

"Now I know that whether I win or lose, God loves me just the same. Doesn't mean I won't put all my effort into the pitch--God wants us to compete, hard. But being a baseball player is not who I am, it's a product of who I am, so I don't have to worry about losing my identity. Without fear of losing, I can concentrate all my attention on the moment, and that makes me win more often. Makes sense?"

It did to the Chicago batters. Mr. Smoltz struck out the next Cub and encouraged the one following to ground into a game-ending double play. Another save for "Smoltzie," his 15th in a row. A successful starter for a decade until arm trouble sidelined him for almost two seasons, he became this year only the fourth pitcher in major-league history to record at least one season of 20-plus wins and another of 20-plus saves. But more than that, he became (to my knowledge) the only current major-league player who is playing a key role on the board of directors of a successful Christian school start-up. [...]

"Many Christian schools don't want to be known for athletics. That's a mistake. We have bodies given us by God, and God didn't call us to be soft. Sports teach us how to compete. They teach perseverance."

You often hear people, especially the idiots on Sports radio shows, talk about whether being religious might be bad for an athlete, might make him "soft". If the example of Eric Liddell doesn't convince you otherwise, this profile of Smoltz might. Posted by Orrin Judd at July 29, 2002 8:54 PM