What If: God Played Baseball

I bumped into this idea quite by accident one Sunday morning before church. What set me onto this course was a remark by my wife:

Baseball is one of the sports that I can watch more than alot of the other sports. It is a slower paced game, and that is good for me. It gives me time to think about many thngs, while at the same time it allows me to enjoy a sports activity. The one team that I usually follow more than any others is the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays always carry a full team whenever they play at home or on the road. Even when there are a rash of injuries, the team fills in those positions with people from their farm team, or they make a deal with another team for another player . Every time a game is played, nine players are signed in as the starting lineup. no more than nine players are fielded for any game. This is Baseball.

I was reminded just they other day (once again by my wife) about something relevant to this article. We were talking about the Harlem Globe Trotters (basketball) when my wife thought about The King and His Court. No, they don't play basketball, they play baseball. This morning I was musing over this topic that I had picked sometime ago, and The King And His Court came to mind.

This team is made up of four players, not nine. The defensive power of this fourman team far outways the power of other teams. The main thrust of the team is one man. Look at his stats for a second:

Over 10,000 games with 930 no-hitters, 238 perfect games, 1,916 shutouts, 132,070 strikeouts (14,400 of them blindfolded) and 8,270 victories over a career that is still going strong -- a career of over 54 years!.

Eddie Feigner grew up an orphan in Walla Walla, Washington and knows the hurt and rejection that comes when you don't know who your folks are. He says, "I spent a lot of time by myself. I threw a ball against the wall to play catch, and went down the creek and skipped thousands of stones.... All of that gave me a strong arm."

When he finally traded the stones for a softball, he found that he was no longer pushed aside.

After pitching a local team to a 33-0 victory over a visiting team from Oregon, Feigner was taunted by the losers. This prompted a retort that he could beat them with nothing but a catcher and two other guys to help with the batting if they got on base.

The challenge produced a game that Feigner won 7-0, and from that came the concept of "The King and His Court".

Now, more than 10,000 games later, with over 8,600 wins, he has tossed 930 no-hitters and pitched 238 perfect games.... He may be one of the greatest ball pitchers that has ever lived.

In his heyday, his pitches were once clocked at over 110 mph! As for his change-up, he claims that he once struck out a frustrated guy -- three swings and three misses -- all on one pitch. His curve and slider break as much as 18 inches! And he does this behind his back! and blindfolded!!

In one All-Star game against Major Leaguers, he struck out -- in order -- Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Brooks Robinson, Maury Wills, Harmon Killebrew and Roberto Clemente.

Now in his 70's, he probably can't top 110 mph again, so he now has a secret weapon: the first woman player on his four-man (four-person) "Court".

He has been joined by Anne Marie (Dozbush) Feigner, a petite powerhouse that can switch hit and pitch with the best of them.

We have nearly narrowed the game of baseball down to a one man team. We came from nine, to four, in The King And His Court. How could we do better? Three letters.

The ennings would be short, and the game would be over before it got started.

A vivid imagination you do not need to picture the scene. There would be no:

No hitter on the opposition would reach first base. No outfielder on the opposing team would stop a Run.

God does let us play the game of life. In the beginning he could have arbitrarily managed the game as I have outlined. So why didn't HE? Did HE want to put us through the paces just to have the scenario of the Arena and The Glagiators of Old, or Daniel in The Lions Den scenario. Did He just want to have one Eternal Laugh. Is God like that?

Sometimes people think so. Maybe I have thought so at times. With my finite mind I cannot seperate the beginning from the end. I cannot see tomorrow. WIsh I Could! I think?

If life had been one big arbitrary masterpiece in the hands of the Master Artist, we would just have been One Giant Still. A still painting does not move or breath life. God could have done that and spent the rest of eternity looking at this Large Inanimate Still LIfe Painting which He had Master Pieced. Why Didn't HE. It seems to me that He would have had a lot less headaches.

God so Loved that He Gave...Everything...so that He could have Relationship...in which He would show His true Spirit:

Have you got Spiritual Riches? If yes, say thanks be to God. If no; Why not?

The A in Grace becomes very important. It is not just the middle letter. The A represents the middle Man, on the middle cross, in the middle between Us and who?

Who made the Ultimate Physical, emotional, and eternal sacrifice? Do you know? If not; I'll tell you.