Play Ball Adrian Gonzalez


This is a special All-Star edition of my Play Ball series – the 19th entry in my collection of  Christians in professional baseball.  Tonight, I focus on my favorite team – the Boston Red Sox, and their All-Star first baseman, Adrian Gonzalez.

There are several Christians in the Midsummer Classic this year including some I have featured in this series (Brian Wilson, Clayton Kershaw, and Heath Bell).  Chad Bonham at Inspiring Athletes has listed the believers who made the rosters . There are a lot of great stories about God at work in the lives represented by those names.

Our focus for today will, as mentioned, be on Adrian Gonzalez.  Last December, when the Red Sox traded some prospects to the San Diego Padres to acquire Gonzalez,  I was filled with cautious optimism. The Sox had paid a steep price, but all the reports and evidence suggested that having Adrian Gonzalez join the team would be great for Boston.  And now, 3 1/2 months into the season, and after watching his runner-up display in the Home Run Derby last night, I think it was a good trade to make.

Bringing Gonzalez in looks  even better when you get to meet the man inside the #28 jersey.  He is a star player who, like so many that I have written about in this series, know that baseball is a means to a greater end.  The ultimate goal he has for his life is to be a way for others to encounter Christ.  He says that success and failure is not determined by the box score of a game, but rather by the attitude he has and his relationship with Jesus.

It was fun to watch Gonzalez pounding the ball in the All-Star Home Run Derby last night.  Though he didn’t win it all, he did great.  God has granted him a certain measure of success on the baseball field and Adrian is proving faithful by using that success to share his belief in God.

God is changing lives through Gonzalez, too.  Check out this great story from  Idols Aside Ministries about Gonzalez sharing his faith with a young fan and his mom.  The video is about 12 minutes long, and also includes Gonzalez’ own story of faith.

As they say in the video, “this is what it is all about” – Not home runs, batting average, flawless infield or anything like that, but rather being available to be used by God, and seeing His Kingdom grow.  God chooses to use us to draw others to Him, and what an exciting thing it is to be a part of someone coming to make this decision.

Athletes in Action also featured Gonzalez in an article last fall.  In this article, we read about the importance he places on being a representative of God, not just to fans, but also to teammates.  This provides accountability, encouragement, bible study opportunities and strengthening of faith.

Adrien Gonzalez is an outspoken man of God.  I hope and pray that he will have ample opportunity to share God’s love with others whether on a field with 30,000 people watching, or one-on-one with a fan or teammate.  Here are some other opportunities he is using to help others with baseball and with knowing Christ.

Gonzalez Sports Academy is a conditioning, training and skill center for athletes in many sports located in Chula Vista, CA.  It was started up and is operated by Gonzalez’ brothers  David and Edgar along with his parents.  They have clinics, and camps as well as a top notch training facility.  Adrian and his brothers teach kids baseball fundamentals and also about God’s love.

Unlimited Potential Inc.  is an organization that uses baseball as a platform to tell others about God around the world.  Gonzalez, and many other players have taken part in these missions trips over the years.

Baseball Chapel is an organization that organizes chapel services for teams, umpires, players wives and even ball park staff.

Selfishly, I am glad that Adrian Gonzalez plays for my favorite baseball team.  But above that, I am excited that he and I are on the same team in the game that really matters.  We both believe in the God that created everything and that desires a personal relationship with each one of us.

Play Ball R.A. Dickey


This is the 18th installment in my blog series on Christian Baseball Players.  Today, we head to the Big Apple to learn more about a key member of the New York Mets starting rotation – R. A. Dickey.

career stats

His story, like most, has known its share of  hardships.  Dickey was born without an Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) in his throwing arm.  As you can read in this article, that is a very significant problem – the UCL is important in many regular daily activities (like turning a doorknob).  So the promise of his career (he was drafted 18th overall) was reduced to an expectation that baseball would not be part of his life.  He tried to continue pitching conventionally, as he had for his career up to this point, and although he made it to the majors, he had some struggles.  An injury took away much of the velocity he was used to.  He had to vastly change his game in order to have a shot at a prolonged big league career.
In 2005, Dickey met up with Orel Hershiser – who was a successful pitcher in his career and was at that time working as a pitching coach in the Texas Rangers organization.  Hershiser suggested that Dickey try and develop a knuckleball, a pitch that wouldn’t stress the arm very much.

knuckleball

He worked on a knuckleball and it didn’t go very well at first.  He made it to the big leagues but he was giving up a lot of runs and losing as often as he won. He tied or set some dubious records (Most home runs given up in a first big league start, most wild pitches in an inning)
Dickey was struggling to make it in the majors.   You can see his career stats here.  Only last year – at the age of 35, did he have a “break out” year.  He was the most reliable starter on the Mets team and earned a new contract that will pay him fairly well over the next couple of years.

But Dickey knows that it isn’t about the money.  Back when he and his family were working through the minor league life he along with friend and fellow baseball player Jonathan Johnson started an organization that has as a mission to share baseball, medicine and Jesus Christ with Latin America.  The organization is called Honoring the Father Ministries (HTF).  HTF organizes baseball tournaments, clinics and camps all around Latin America. This includes permission to travel and organize events in Cuba, a country that is generally closed to Americans, not to mention evangelical missionaries.  Dickey regularly goes on  these trips. What an image to picture: a major league baseball player sleeping on a dirt floor.

This baseball player knows that God has put him where he is for a purpose.  A verse that he uses to guide his life is Jeremiah 9.23-24. “This is what the Lord says: ‘Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord”

By Dickey’s own admission, the very fact that he is in the able to pitch at a big league level is a miracle. God has allowed Dickey’s story to be known so that Dickey can declare the miracle that his career has been.  Now that he has achieved a measure of success and a contract that reflects it, he is using those riches to boast about the Lord and the opportunity to know Him.

Mt. Kilimanjaro

And his desire to impact others continues.  This coming off season, he and 3 others that he knows through baseball are planning an excursion.  The goal?  To climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in East Africa.  Dickey, Kevin Slowey (Minnesota Twins), Dave Racaniello (Mets bullpen catcher) and Mets physical therapist John Zajac will set out to trek to the top of the 19,340 ft. mountain in January.  The goal of the climb is to raise money for the human trafficking organization Red Light District Outreach Mumbai.


I think this is an amazing story because it is a miracle that he is able to pitch at all.   God is doing great things through him and I am excited to hear him continue to boast, not in his riches or accomplishments, but in knowing Christ and telling others about Him.

NHL draft special


I am going to take a brief brake from my series on Christian Baseball players and celebrate the end of the hockey season and the start of the off season.  First of all, congratulations to my favorite team – the Boston Bruins – in winning their first Stanley Cup in my lifetime.  I found the series exciting and the results were my wildest hockey dreams coming true.  Entertaining stuff!

And that ushers in the start of the off season.  When  I was younger, and had greater access to hockey in general (It is, after all one of Canada’s national sports) I would follow the up and coming players with great interest and so when the draft arrived, I would settle in and watch it with deep routed interest, much like what happens with the NFL draft here in the USA.  I knew the players, and had some idea about their game and so I knew who I hoped would go to teams I liked, and what my favorite teams needed to improve. (I studied this a lot because, as mentioned, my favorite team ALWAYS needed to improve – they were never the best until this past season).

Unfortunately, as a grown up, I need to focus attention on other things, and it isn’t as easy to find hockey coverage here in the US, especially the Canadian Junior Leagues – the main feeder of Canadian players to the NHL)
But as the draft approached last weekend, I was watching with great interest where 1 player in particular would wind up.

Rocco Grimaldi

His name is Rocco Grimaldi.  He was drafted by the Florida Panthers, and he is an outspoken Christ follower.  He is very active in social media and is always ready and willing to share his faith and what God is teaching him.
Of the 4 major sports in North America, hockey seems to have fewer people who boldly claim a relationship with God.  So when I learn of Christians in hockey, I appreciate that they are in a vast mission field and I hope and pray that they have plenty of opportunities to speak out about their faith in God to fans, teammates, and whoever else is around to listen.

Read this article from Yahoo Sports for more about Grimaldi and his faith.

Tim Tebow

One of the questions the article asks is “did his faith cause some teams to stay away from him?”  I have heard similar thoughts about Tim Tebow, an outspoken Christ follower who plays quarterback for the NFL’s Denver Broncos.  His new book has just been released and I look forward to reading more about his story.

Tebow’s New Book
But as for being bold in our faith, the temptation may be to stay quiet and keep one’s faith inside.  I know that this is not just a temptation that professional athletes face, but a temptation that we all face.  No one likes to be made fun of. No one likes to be looked at as weird or annoying.  We all like to be liked, and to be popular.  But is that what really matters?  What is more important?  Is having people like us the most  important thing? Is it important even if they don’t consider the God we believe in to be important? Or is it more important to represent our God and stand up for our belief in him, regardless of what others may say or think?

We don’t face much in the way of persecution for our beliefs at this stage of history.  Ridicule seems to be as bad as it gets.  So what should we do?  The Bible also tells us that if we are silent, even the rocks will cry out to the glory of God.  If God’s glory is so evident and powerful that even rocks will cry out, then I think we can be confident that  He’s got our back if we boldly claim faith in him to the masses, whoever they may be.  And whatever they may think.

So welcome to the NHL Rocco.  I am already a fan of yours for what I’ve seen/read/learned about you.

Stay bold and keep the faith!

Play Ball Adam Loewen!


This is the 17th post in my “Play Ball” series on Christian Baseball Players. This time around we look a member of the Toronto Blue Jays organization, currently playing at their top minor league affiliate – the Las Vegas 51s.
career stats

Great things were expected from Adam Loewen. At the time of his draft, he was the highest drafted player ever from my native Canada when the Baltimore Orioles took him 4th overall in 2002. He sped through the minor leagues and made his big league debut in 2006 at the age of 22. He did alright, battling through some adjustments to Major League competition, taking some lumps along the way. The next year, he was showing great improvement only to have his season cut short by a stress fracture in his pitching elbow.

He was back in time to start the 2008 campaign, but so was the elbow pain. He made two more trips to the disabled list and sought more doctors and opinions. By July of 2008, the announcement was made. Adam Loewen would not be able to pitch any more. For more on the story, as it was happening, check out this 2008 article from ESPN.
Now imagine you are 24 years old, and have seen some of your biggest dreams realized.  You’ve been drafted, made your way fairly quickly through the minors and had a brief stint in the majors. You’ve only just begun to see your dreams come true, when your hopes are dealt this blow and you are told you will not be able to do the very thing that you have been training for and working towards for much of your life. What would you do? 
Most would, heartbroken, hang up the cleats and begin life out of baseball. Only a very, VERY few can do what Loewen chose to do – Change focus to the other part of the game – the offense, and work to turn yourself into a major league caliber hitter. He decided to work on his hitting to reinvent himself as a 1B/outfielder.  Only a few others players have been successful as both pitcher and hitter – Rick Ankiel, currently with the Washington Nationals, and Babe Ruth are perhaps the most renowned.
To do this, meant he would not have an off-season.  He would play baseball year round, spring training, minor leagues season, fall instructional league, winter ball, then back to spring training again, and repeat the cycle.  He would put in the work, getting as many chances as he could find to work on his hitting.   I am rooting for him.  I hope to see him in the majors again soon – so he can talk about his story and how God has been working in him through all of this.  He chose to follow Christ at a Christian Baseball camp put on by Unlimited Potential Inc. His faith has helped him keep a good attitude as he has gone through these challenges and hardships.  You can read the story from Baptist Press Sports at this link.
It has been a slow process with a lot to learn and a whole lot of work to do. But he finds himself on the brink of returning to the majors. He is playing for the Blue Jays top minor league team and he is excelling there. (click here for his stats this season) He still strikes out more than most would like, but he is hitting with power, with a high average, and is coming along with his fielding, too.
His story brought to mind a couple thoughts.  First, just like he is working and practicing every day to hone his skills and develop into the best player he can be, we need to be working on and practicing our faith.  The tough thing about seeing your faith in God grow is that it tends to happen in hard times.  Challenges remind us that we are in need of God’s help and we can do nothing on our own strength.  The good thing about faith is that God is always faithful.  He will work things out for a purpose and equip us, even through hard times, to glorify Him and to help others that we meet.  It may not make sense to us.  It may be hard, it may pull us out of where we feel our abilities lie.  It can be uncomfortable and make us question if God really knows what He is doing.  But faith comes from trusting that God is able to deal with the issues we face, and if we are sold out to Him, He will use us and the lessons we learn to draw us closer to Him and to put us in a place where we can serve Him in the lives of others.  
Look at the story of Joseph in Genesis.  Here is a guy, that knew what hard times were.  He was disliked by his brothers to the point that they were ready to kill him.  They opted to sell him as a slave instead.  He sets up in his new country, and although he finds favor with Potiphar, he gets into trouble for something he didn’t do.  He was blameless in what he was accused for, and still he found himself thrown in jail.  Hard things came at him, and largely, they were not his doing.  He had 2 choices on how he could react in these situations.  He could get angry with God and shut down in despair.  Or he could trust that God could use him there, and impact the lives of those around him.  He chose the latter and found favor, earned freedom, planned ahead and saved a nation (as the surrounding area) from a famine, all by his own admission, in God’s strength.  
I don’t know what God has in store for Adam Loewen.  I hope he will get another chance at the big leagues, simply because his story would get some attention and he would have a place to share how important God was in this return to baseball, and in his life as well.  He’s doing well in Las Vegas. 
To him and to each of us that choose to live our lives to honor God –
Keep it up, and keep letting God speak through you to point others to Him.

Play Ball Chris Coghlan!


This is the 16th entry in my series on Christian Baseball players and the different ways they share what God is doing in their lives so others can see/hear and be drawn to the Creator of the Universe!

Last time, we talked about Tampa, this time, we move east across the state, and look at Florida Marlins outfielder, Chris Coghlan.

As we celebrate Father’s Day, the part of Coghlan’s story that caught my attention was the role that his father played in his life.  You see his dad was always willing to practice with Coghlan – be it football or baseball.  He was active in the development of his son.

He even enrolled him in a baseball training academy – a place called The Winning Inning (TWI) – which is a Christ-centered baseball training facility in Clearwater, Florida.  Coghlan spent a lot of time there, honing his skills and continues to spend some time at TWI every year.  He even contacts them for advice when he goes into a batting slump.   But beyond the training they offered, the guys at TWI became very important to Coghlan.  They served as father figures for Coghlan when his father passed away unexpectedly in 2001, helping him with baseball, and also there to talk about life in general.  For the complete story from The Palm Beach Post, click here.

Even with the positive influence of these men, Coghlan still found himself turning to things other than God to fill the pain in his heart.  Hear it in his own words in this video from  I Am Second.  I Am Second is a great website that has videos of people’s story of faith to use for personal inspiration or as a small group, to encourage people who are facing the hard things life can throw at us all.  Check out their website.  


In this video, Coghlan talks about how he was living a selfish life feeling sorry for himself and letting it control him.  That is until he met a teammate who introduced him to Jesus Christ.  Read the story  here as taken from Sports Spectrum Magazine.


The other thing that sticks out from the I Am Second video is that Coghlan still thinks often about his father.  His dad is so important to him that he wants his life to be a source of pride for his dad.  What a tribute to the love he felt from his father!

We should each have the same goal in our life with our Heavenly Father.  God always loves us and wants to equip us to be the best we can be.  Is my life being lived in such a way that my Heavenly Father will say “Well Done”?  That is what I strive for as I attempt, every day, to live up to my name.  


And as a post script,  I am blessed and privileged to be a dad (x2), what an incredible journey fatherhood is.  My girls teach me so much each day.  They are the best proof that I have been on this planet.  
I am also very grateful for my father and the role that he plays in my life.  Even though we are many miles apart, I know that he loves me and is praying for me all the time. And he is always interested in what I am up to (even reading my blog – thanks dad!) I am also grateful for my father-in-law who is also a godly man and has welcomed me into his family, too! These godly fathers are blessings to me and my family.  I thank God for them every day! 


Happy Father’s Day to you both, and to all the other dad’s out there, too.