Yesterday, I posted this about a USA Today story about the Colorado Rockies and their reported embrace of using openly Christian players and looking for players of "good character" (i.e., not Denny Neagle.)
Reactions to Nightengale's piece haven't been positive.
In Vaughn Ververs' Public Eye Blog on the CBS News website there are links to the two big Denver papers, the Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Post where players deny that there is any pressure on any of them to worship in any way or to not receive magazines like Maxim in the clubhouse.
I don't understand what the big deal is. They say that they aren't trying to field a "Christian" team, just build an organization based on Christian values. Nothing wrong there as far as I am concerned.
The dispute now is that the Rockies players feel that Nightengale portrayed them as a team of religious zealots. The Rockies players don't think they are all as of one religious mind as they are made out to be.
Appropos from a linked Mike Littwin column: My favorite baseball-religion story goes back to the '70s, when Baltimore Orioles outfielder Pat Kelly went into manager Earl Weaver's office one day to tell him he needed to "walk with the Lord." Weaver replied that he'd rather have Kelly "walk with the bases loaded."
2. That was my point in the other thread about Nightengale's use of the word Christian. It just seemed like he was insinuating something that either was or wasn't going on but didn't really make it clear.
From the orignal USA Today article, this is the comment that bothers me:
"You look at things that have happened to us this year," O'Dowd says. "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."
So apparently, God is on the Rockies side, and that's why they're winning now. Do you think if they slide in the second half and end up last, O'Dowd will say something like "We must have made God mad at us to lose all those games"?
"You look at things that have happened to us this year," O'Dowd says. "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."
So apparently, God is on the Rockies side, and that's why they're winning now. Do you think if they slide in the second half and end up last, O'Dowd will say something like "We must have made God mad at us to lose all those games"?
Me neither.
http://www.republicworldnews.com/news/sports/chowderhead-series-heats-up/
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